All posts by John Hughes

LS32

Day 25

Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Day 25 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month met the four kinds of devotees had impure minds, we learn what happened when Never-Despising Bodhisattva heard the twenty thousand billion gāthās of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

When he was about to pass away, he heard [from a voice] in the sky the twenty thousand billion gāthās of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, which had been expounded by the Powerful-Voice-King Buddha. Having kept all these gāthās, he was able to have his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind purified as previously stated. Having his six sense-organs purified, he was able to prolong his life for two hundred billion nayuta more years. He expounded this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to many people [in his prolonged life]. The arrogant bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās and upāsikās, that is, the four kinds of devotees who had abused him and caused him to be called Never-Despising, saw that he had obtained great supernatural powers, the power of eloquence, and the great power of good tranquility. Having seen all this, and having heard the Dharma from him, they took faith in him, and followed him.

“This Bodhisattva also taught thousands of billions of living beings, and led them into the Way to Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. After the end of his prolonged life, he was able to meet two hundred thousand million Buddhas, all of them being called Sun-Moon-Light. He also expounded the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma under them. After that, he was able to meet two hundred thousand million Buddhas, all of them being called Cloud-Freedom-Light-King. He also kept, read and recited this sūtra, and expounded it to the four kinds of devotees under those Buddhas so that he was able to have his natural eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind purified and to become fearless in expounding the Dharma to the four kinds of devotees.

“Great-Power-Obtainer! This Never-Despising Bodhisattva-mahāsattva made offerings to those Buddhas, respected them, honored them, praised them, and planted the roots of good. After that, he was able to meet thousands of billions of Buddhas. He also expounded this sūtra under those Buddhas. By the merits he had accumulated in this way, he was able to become a Buddha.

The Purification of Never-Despising Bodhisattva is discussed in the Introduction to the Lotus Sūtra:

Purification of the six senses, which we discussed in the previous chapter, “Merits of the Teacher of the Law,” means purification of the bodily senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and mind. Once Never-Despising had purified his six senses, he was able to extend his lifetime for many years, and teach the Sutra to others. Thanks to his teaching, the same arrogant and conceited priests who had persecuted him before, now came to believe in the Lotus Sutra, themselves. In this way, he led many people to supreme enlightenment, and he himself became a Buddha.

Day 25 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Lotus World

The Worlds of the Mandala Gonhonzon

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The Wheel Turning King and King Ajatashatru represent the best and worst of the world of human beings respectively. The asura kings represent the world of fighting demons. The dragon kings, being dragons (or serpents) in charge of powerful natural forces, are representatives of nature and the world of animals. Hariti and her ten rakshasi daughters represent the world of hungry ghosts. Finally, Devadatta, who is said to have fallen into hell alive, represents those in the world of the hell-dwellers.

All of these beings are shown on the Great Mandala illuminated by the Odaimoku. By receiving the Odaimoku with faith and joy, they receive the merits and virtues of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, overcome their delusion and suffering, and attain buddhahood.

Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 4, 2019

Their tongues will be purified.
Their tongues will not receive anything bad.
Anything they eat will become
As delicious as nectar.

The Buddha sings these verses to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. With food and drink it is easy to see how different people will find the same food either delicious or disgusting. Our experience and beliefs shape what we are comfortable putting into our bodies, and whether we do so for the sake of our health or the pleasure that comes from experiencing their flavor. But when we find that something with good flavor is bad for our health, or vice versa, we can change our tastes. This is another example of how the Lotus Sūtra teaches us how to live in the world. We learn to embrace situations we once found frightening or intolerable. We increase our capacity with our focus on benefiting others. As a wise teacher once said, we learn to enjoy problems the way we enjoy ice cream.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

original

Perfect Interfusion of the Mirror and Its Images

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The “perfect interfusion of the mirror and its images,” the second of Saichō’s two references to oral transmission, represents a variation on the same teaching, this analogy having been used by Chih-i to illustrate that the three truths are perfectly integrated and inseparable. Here one must imagine not a glass mirror, but one made of bronze or some other metal, polished to form a reflecting surface. The luminous, reflecting quality of the mirror represents emptiness; the images reflected in it represent conditioned, provisional existence; and the mirror itself represents the middle. These three are always inseparable and simultaneous, three aspects of one reality. (Page 122)

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Profound

Ten Suchnesses Describe Characteristics of Ten Dharma-Realms

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Chih-i regards the Ten Suchnesses that describe the characteristics of the Ten Dharma-realms as the beginning of the Threefold Track, since the Ten Suchnesses of each realm can be defined by the Threefold Track.

  1. “Suchness of appearance” is the external state of being and refers to one’s meritorious deeds embodied by the Track of Accomplishment.
  3. “Suchness of nature” is the internal and unchangeable state of being and belongs to the Track of the Illumination of Wisdom.
  4. “Suchness of substance” refers to the principal quality that consists of both external and internal state of beings and belongs to the Track of Real Nature.
  5. “Suchness of power” refers to the potential capability the substance is endowed with, which is the Understanding Cause of Buddhahood, and belongs to the Track of the Illumination of Wisdom.
  6. “Suchness of function” refers to that which constructs, and belongs the practice embodied by the Track of Accomplishment.
  7. “Suchness of causes” is the cause that brings about effect similar to itself, i.e., repetitive cause (His-yin or T’ung-lei-yin, Skt., vipākahetu), and belongs to the Track of the Illumination of Wisdom.
  8. “Suchness of conditions,” which refers to indirect or conditional causes belongs to the Track of Accomplishment.
  9. “Suchness of effects” refers to the effects that are the same as their causes, i.e., repetitive effect (Hsi-kuo or Teng-liu-kuo, Skt., niṣyandaphala), which results from the combination of causes and conditions, and belongs to the Track of the Illumination of Wisdom.
  10. “Suchness of retributions” refers to the effects resulting from the deeds one has done in the past incarnation, i.e., repetitive retribution (Hsi-pao) and belongs to the Track of Accomplishment.
  11. “Suchness of beginning-and-end-ultimately-alike” means that the “appearance” at the very beginning and the “retribution” at the end are ultimately alike and are converged into the same True Reality.

This tenth category of Suchness functions as the conclusion embracing all dharmas. (Vol. 2, Page 253)

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism


LS32

Day 24

Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 24 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the twelve hundred merit of the tongue in gāthās, we consider eight hundred merits of the body.

“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sūtra, will be able to obtain eight hundred merits of the body. Their bodies will become as pure as lapis lazuli. All living beings will wish to see them. Some of the living beings in the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds are just born or have just died. All living beings are either noble or humble. They are either handsome or ugly. They are destined to be reborn either in a better region or in a worse region. All of them will be reflected on the pure bodies [of the good men or women]. The Surrounding Iron Mountains, the Great Surrounding Iron Mountains, Mt. Meru, Mt. Maha-Meru, and the other great mountains, and the living beings in those mountains also will be reflected on their bodies. [All the six regions] down to the Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven and the living beings therein also will be reflected on their bodies. The Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas as well as the Buddhas who are expounding the Dharma, also will show their reflections on their bodies.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Anyone who keeps
This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Will be able to have his body purified like lapis lazuli.
All living beings will wish to see him.

Just as a reflection is seen
In a clear mirror
All things in the world will be reflected
On the pure body of this [person, that is, of this]
Bodhisattva.
No one but he
Will be able to see all things clearly.

The gods, men, asuras,
Hellish denizens,
Hungry spirits and animals,
That is, all living beings
Of the one thousand million Sumeru-world
Will be reflected on his body.

The palaces of the gods in the heavens
Up to the Highest Heaven,
The Surrounding iron Mountains,
Mt. Meru, Mt. Maha-Meru,
And the great oceans also
Will be reflected on his body.

The Buddhas, Śrāvakas, Bodhisattvas who are sons of the Buddhas
[That is, the saints] of whom some live a solitary life
While others are expounding the Dharma to the multitude,
Also will be reflected on his body.

The Daily Dharma from Oct. 10, 2018, offers this:

Just as a reflection is seen
In a clear mirror,
All things in the world will be reflected
On the pure body of this [person, that is, of this] Bodhisattva.
No one but he
Will be able to see all things clearly.

The Buddha declares these lines to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. When we encounter other beings in this world of conflict, we tend to filter our experience through our expectation. If it is a friend, we expect them to care about us and treat us well; an enemy, to harm us and treat us badly; a stranger, we compare them to other beings like them and expect them to be the same. When we use the Buddha Dharma to look for the complexity of all beings, and look for how we can bring out their ability to benefit and protect others, then we reflect back to them their true natures, rather than the clouds of their delusions.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

Summer Writings

Good Karma

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What about good karma? Good karma is caused by the opposite behavior to bad karma. That is, spontaneous and compassionate conduct following the ethics and teachings of Buddhism. It is a factor of happiness which is also caused by the three elements, “Body”, “Mouth” and “Mind”.

  • Body: not killing, not stealing and helping others.
  • Mouth: not lying, not having a double-edged tongue, not committing abuse, and encouraging people.
  • Mind: being honest, not getting angry, being humble and being patient.

With those actions, we can extinguish bad karma.

Summer Writings

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 3, 2019

Anyone who not only understands
This sūtra by faith
But also keeps, reads and recites it,
And copies it, or causes others to copy it,
And strews flowers, incense,
And incense powder to a copy of it,
And lights lamps of the perfumed oil
Of sumanas, campaka, and atimuktaka
Around the copy of this sūtra
And offers the light thus produced to it,
Will be able to obtain innumerable merits.
His merits will be as limitless as the sky.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. This teaching contains the Buddha’s highest wisdom, leads all beings to enlightenment, and calls us to transform our personal suffering into an aspiration to benefit all beings. The joy and clarity we gain by practicing and respecting this sūtra is beyond what we can imagine in our state of attachment and delusion.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

original

Hearing the Lotus Together on Sacred Eagle Peak

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The earliest [T’ien-t’ai/Tendai Origin Myth] is the biography of Chih-i by his disciple Kuan-ting (561-632), according to which Hui-ssu (515-577) welcomed Chih-i as a disciple, saying, “In the past, we heard the Lotus together on Sacred [Eagle] Peak; impelled by this karmic connection, you have now come again!” The tradition that Hui-ssu and Chih-i had together heard the Buddha’s original preaching of the Lotus Sūtra was widespread in China, even outside the T’ien-t’ai school, and appears to have represented their shared mastery of the “Lotus samādhi,” the insight into the profound meaning of the Lotus Sūtra that Chih-i would later express as the threefold truth. Prominent among Japanese antecedents for the incorporation of this account into the Eshin and Danna origin myth is the lineage that Saichō drew up for his newly established Tendai school, which identifies Hui-ssu and Chih-i in the line of transmission as “auditors on Sacred [Eagle] Peak in India.” Saichō traced the historical roots of his lineage to Hui-ssu and Chih-i; however, the Buddha with whom he began the lineage is not the historical Śākyamuni, but, in the words of the Fo-shūo kuan P’u-hsien P’u-sa hsing-fa Ching, Śākyamuni who is “Vairocana Pervading All Places.” As noted in chapter l, this early conflation of the historical Śākyamuni with the omnipresent cosmic Buddha would undergo major development in Tendai esoteric thought. Eventually it also gave rise to the tradition, recurring in medieval Tendai ritual and doctrinal transmission texts, that “the assembly on Sacred [Eagle] Peak is solemnly [present] and has not yet dispersed” (ryōzen ichie ennen misan). (Page 102-103)

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Profound

The One Entity of True Reality

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According to Chih-i’s theory of one mind embracing three thousand dharmas (I-nien San-ch’ien), the mind of a single sentient being contains Ten Dharma-realms. Why? The Ten Dharma-realms are the manifestation of the True Reality. Considering that sentient beings originally possess True Reality (i.e., the real nature of entities), the Ten Dharma-realms that are the manifestation of the True Reality are likewise present everywhere and are contained in the minds of sentient beings. An evil thought belongs to the worlds of hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, and animals; a good thought belongs to the worlds of human and heaven beings; and a thought of compassion belongs to the realm of the bodhisattva and the Buddha. Obviously, it would not be possible for different Dharma-realms to be manifest if one’s mind did not contain all of the Ten Dharma-realms. On the one hand, one instant thought includes the whole universe, and one dharma is identical to all dharmas. On the other hand, the whole universe only exists in every single thought, whereby all dharmas are identical to one dharma. Chih-i’s theory is that the reason one’s thought corresponds to a certain realm at a certain moment signifies that one good thought designates the manifestation of virtue and concealment of evil, and one evil thought the manifestation of evil and concealment of virtue. Good and evil are one entity, and the difference lies in the state between manifestation and concealment. Good and evil transform according to conditions, which is similar to the relationship between ice and water. This indicates that both aspects exist as the one entity of True Reality, which arises in turn with causes and conditions. (Vol. 2, Page 252-253)

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism