Category Archives: Blog

Blog, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Master Hsuan Hua’s interpretation of the Parable of the Rich Man and His Poor Son

Back in March, I reviewed the Buddhist Text Translation Society’s translation of the Lotus Sutra, which I had used as part of my daily practice of reading aloud a portion of the sutra during morning and evening services.

In my review I cited a number of typos I’d noticed, but I paid particular attention to one word I felt was used in error.

A more significant error appears in Chapter 4, Faith and Understanding, when the rich man wants to get close to his son, who has been convinced to come work for him. On page 107 it reads:

“Later, on another day, the elder looked through a window and saw his son at a distance. His son was feeble, emaciated, haggard, and soiled with dung, dirt, and filth. The elder removed his jeweled necklace, his soft, fine upper garments, and his ornaments, and put on a coarse, torn, and grease-stained robe. Smearing himself with dirt and holding a dung shovel in his right hand, he looked frightened.”

The word should be frightful or frightening, not frightened. In Senchu Murano’s translation we’re told:

He looked fearful. He [came to the workers and] said, ‘Work hard! Do not be lazy!’

The BTK English Tripiṭaka translation (PDF), the Rissho Kosei-kai modern translation and Leon Hurvitz’s translation (PDF) all agree that the rich man, dressed in work clothes, looked frightful or commanding.

It is important to keep in mind that the sutra text is volume 15 of Master Hsuan Hua’s 14-volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra. At the time I wrote my review I had not read Hsuan Hua’s commentary. Needless to say, I was surprised by what I found when I finally read Hsuan Hua’s explanation of this portion of the Parable of the Rich Man and his Poor Son.

SUTRA

“The elder removed his jeweled necklace, his soft, fine upper garments, and his ornaments, and put on a coarse, torn, and grease-stained robe. Smearing himself with dirt and holding a dung shovel in his right hand, he looked frightened.”

COMMENTARY

The elder removed his jeweled necklace. “Jeweled necklace” refers to the Buddha’s various Dharmas, including precepts, samādhi, wisdom, and dhārāṇi. “Removed his jeweled necklace” means to hide the awe-inspiring, virtuous, and majestic appearance of the Tathagata’s ten-thousand-foot-tall Nişyanda Buddha body.

His soft, fine upper garments is a metaphor for the Buddha’s great, adorned body and his oceanic subsidiary characteristics. The Buddha’s physical attributes are as limitless as the sea. The Buddha also has countless bodies, and each of his bodies is replete with the thirty-two hallmarks and the eighty subsidiary characteristics and with awe-inspiring virtue and adornments. Now he has hidden these bodies. Why? Those of the Two Vehicles do not recognize these honored, exquisite bodies; in other words, those of the Two Vehicles do not recognize their father, the Buddha. The Buddha is actually their father, but they do not dare to believe it because the Buddha is so wealthy and they are so terribly poor. If the Buddha tried to take them across with his reward and transformation bodies, they would become frightened. Why? Those of the Lesser Vehicle have never seen such honorable and noble bodies with oceanic hallmarks.

That is why the Buddha removed his jeweled necklace, his soft, fine upper garments, and his ornaments, and put on a coarse, torn, and grease-stained robe. What is meant by “coarse”? The Buddha hid his ten-thousand-foot-tall Nişyanda Buddha body and manifested the six-foot-tall body of an old bhikṣu, which looked more or less the same as that of an ordinary person. “Torn” refers to the Lesser Vehicle’s patience toward living beings and patience toward all phenomena. “Grease-stained robe” represents conditional phenomena and outflows that are filthy and impure.

Having afflictions is analogous to smearing himself with dirt. The afflictions are like dirt that smears the body. And holding a dung shovel in his right hand. Why did he hold the dung shovel in his right hand? “Right hand” represents the use of expedient Dharma-doors to teach those of the Two Vehicles. What does “dung shovel” represent? “Dung shovel” refers to the Dharma-door that dispels delusions arising from incorrect views and delusions arising from incorrect thoughts. The Buddha used this Dharma to cut off delusions arising from incorrect views, delusions arising from incorrect thoughts, and delusions of ignorance, thereby becoming a Buddha. He uses this kind of Dharma to teach those of the Two Vehicles, enabling them to follow this method to cut off their own delusions and realize Buddhahood. Because he realized Buddhahood by means of this method, he also teaches this method to living beings. This is called “holding a dung shovel.”

He looked frightened. He appears in the guise of a practitioner of the Two Vehicles, seeming to fear birth and death. The Bodhisattvas are in the cycle of birth and death yet are not subject to birth and death. They are afraid neither of suffering nor of birth and death. Those of the Two Vehicles are afraid of birth and death as well as impermanence and suffering. Thus, the Buddha manifests as if he were afraid of birth and death, impermanence, and suffering. Therefore, the sūtra line says “he looked frightened.”

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v5, p79-82

Next: The Law of Cause and Effect’s Strict Retribution

Blog, Earth Store

Forty-Nine Days to Decide

Earth Store Bodhisattva – Jizo in Japan; Kṣitigarbha in Sanskrit – is famous for his vow to save everyone in hell before he himself becomes a Buddha. But he is not the only one with that responsibility.

As we learn in the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva,  the living have 49 days in which to intervene on behalf of those who have died.

Early in the sutra we learn of a Brahmin woman who was consigned to the hells due to offenses committed during her lifetime. In an act of filial responsibility, her daughter embarked on a journey to the hells to rescue her mother from its horrors.

“The Brahman woman asked the ghost king, ‘What is this place?’

“Poisonless replied, ‘We are on the western side of the Great Iron Ring Mountain and this is the first of the seas that encircle it.’

“The worthy woman asked, ‘I have heard that the hells are within the Iron Ring. Is that actually so?’

“Poisonless answered, ‘Yes, the hells are here.’

“The worthy woman asked, ‘How have I now come to the hells?’

“Poisonless answered, ‘If it wasn’t awesome spiritual strength that brought you here, then it was the power of karma. Those are the only two ways that anyone can come here.’

“The worthy woman asked, ‘Why is this water seething and bubbling, and why are there so many offenders and dreadful beasts?’

“Poisonless replied, ‘These are beings of Jambudvipa who did evil deeds. They have just died and passed through forty-nine days without any surviving relatives doing any meritorious deeds on their behalf to rescue them from their distress. Moreover, during their lives they themselves didn’t plant any good causes. Hence their own karma calls forth these hells. They must, of course, cross this sea first. Ten thousand yojanas east of this sea is another sea in which they will undergo twice as much suffering. East of that sea is yet another sea where the sufferings are doubled yet again. What the combined evil causes of the three karmas evoke are all called the sea of karma. This is that place.”

The Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, page 10-11

Later in the sutra the offering of merit to the deceased is discussed.

[Earth Store Bodhisattva said] “World Honored One, I see that beings of Jambudvipa will themselves receive the benefit of any good deeds they are able to do within the Buddha’s teachings. That holds true even when the deeds are as small as a strand of hair, a drop of water, a grain of sand, or a mote of dust.”

After that had been said, an elder named Great Eloquence rose in the assembly. He had realized non-production long ago and was only appearing in the body of an elder to teach and transform those in the ten directions. Placing his palms together respectfully, he asked Earth Store Bodhisattva, “Great Lord, after people in Jambudvipa die and their young and old relatives cultivate merit by making vegetarian meal offerings and doing other such good deeds, will the deceased obtain merit and virtue significant enough to bring about their liberation?”

Earth Store replied, “Elder, based on the awesome power of the Buddhas, I will now expound this principle for the sake of beings of the present and future. Elder, if beings of the present and future, when on the verge of dying hear the name of one Buddha, one Bodhisattva, or one Pratyekabuddha, they will attain liberation whether they have committed offenses or not.

“When men or women laden with offenses who failed to plant good causes die, even they can receive one-seventh of any merit dedicated to them by young and old relatives who do good deeds on their behalf. The other six sevenths of the merit will accrue to the living relatives who did the good deeds. It follows that men and women of the present and future who cultivate while they are strong and healthy will receive all portions of the benefit derived.

“The arrival of the great ghost of Impermanence is so unexpected that the deceased ones’ consciousnesses first drift in darkness, unaware of offenses and blessings. For forty-nine days the deceased are as if deluded or deaf, or as if in various courts where their karmic retributions are being decided. Once judgment is fixed, they are reborn according to their karma. In the time before rebirths are determined, the deceased suffer from thousands upon thousands of anxieties. How much more is that the case for those who are to fall into the bad destinies?

“Throughout forty-nine days, those whose lives have ended and who have not yet been reborn will be hoping every moment that their immediate relatives will earn blessings powerful enough to rescue them. At the end of that time, the deceased will undergo retribution according to their karma. If someone is an offender, he may pass through hundreds of thousands of years with no prospect of liberation. If someone’s offenses deserve fivefold relentless retribution, he will fall into the great hells and undergo incessant suffering throughout hundreds of millions of eons.

“Moreover, Elder, when beings who have committed karmic offenses die, their relatives may prepare vegetarian offerings to aid them on their karmic paths. In the process of preparing the vegetarian meal and before it has been eaten, rice-washing water and vegetable leaves should not be thrown on the ground. Before the food is offered to the Buddhas and the Sangha, no one should eat it. If there is laxness or transgression in this matter, then the deceased will receive no strength from it. If purity is rigorously maintained in making the offering to the Buddhas and the Sangha, the deceased will receive one seventh of the merit. Therefore, Elder, by performing vegetarian offerings on behalf of deceased fathers, mothers, and other relatives while making earnest supplication on their behalf, beings of Jambudvipa benefit both the living and the dead.”

After that was said, thousands of billions of nayutas of ghosts and spirits of Jambudvipa who were in the palace of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven, made the unlimited resolve to attain Bodhi. The elder Great Eloquence made obeisance and withdrew.

The Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, page 63-66

I’ve written a lot about the 49-day journey after death. You can find much of that content here.

Blog, Earth Store

Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva

Back on May 19 I explained the addition of the Medicine Master Sūtra with commentary by Master Hsuan Hua to my “decorations” that line a corner shelf adjacent to my altar.

Working my way through the Medicine Master Sūtra with commentary by Master Hsuan Hua reminded me that I also have a copy of the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, who is represented among my “decorations” by a wooden Jizo Bosatsu figure. I decided to add that sutra behind Jizo. My wife thinks I’m going overboard, but I enjoy the symmetry.

earth-store-sutra-bookcover
Available from the Buddhist Text Translation Society.

On page 5 of the Sutra of the Past Vows of Earth Store Bodhisattva, Śākyamuni says:

“Manjushri, the awesome spiritual vows of this Bodhisattva are inconceivable. If good men or women in the future hear this Bodhisattva’s name, praise him, behold or bow to him, call his name, make offerings to him, or if they draw, carve, cast, sculpt, or paint images of him, such people will be reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three one hundred times and will never fall into the evil paths.”

And on pages 50-51:

The Buddha told the Bodhisattva Universally Expansive, “If, in the future, good men or good women, upon hearing Earth Store Bodhisattva Mahāsattva’s name, place their palms together, praise him, bow to him, or gaze at him in worship, they will overcome thirty eons’ worth of offenses.

Universally Expansive, if good men or women gaze upon and bow but once to painted or drawn images of the Bodhisattva or ones made of clay, or stone, or lacquer, or gold, or silver, or bronze, or iron, they will be reborn one hundred times in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three and will eternally avoid falling into the evil destinies. If their blessings in the heavens come to an end and they are born in the human realm, they will become national leaders who suffer no loss of benefits.

I personally like the thought of such benefits, but that’s not my focus here. Instead, I look at the Bodhisattvas as exemplars to be emulated.

In Taigen Dan Leighton’s Faces of Compassion: Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern Expression, he writes:

In fully employing the bodhisattva figures as archetypes, we must also realize the tentative, artificial nature of archetypes. The archetypal aspects of the bodhisattva figures are helpful as patterns. We can feel a sense of what it might mean to behave and function as a bodhisattva ourselves by examining the fearless insight and eloquence of Mañjuśrī, the luminous helpful activity of Samantabhadra, the unmediated, unconditional generosity of Avalokiteśvara, the faithful witness of Jizō, the patience and loving concern of Maitreya, the clever, illuminating displays of Vimalakirti, and the selfless decision and determination of Siddhārtha Gautama. However, all of their kindness and efforts are only manifest and real when we see the bodhisattva figures not as theoretical or mythological, but as actualities expressed in our world.

Beyond all the archetypal patterns, the life of the bodhisattva is in ordinary, everyday activity. In simple acts of kindness and gestures of cheerfulness, bodhisattvas are functioning everywhere, not as special, saintly beings, but in helpful ways we may barely recognize. The bodhisattvas are not glorified, exotic, unnatural beings, but simply our own best qualities in full flower.

20250424_decorations-web

Jizo Bosatsu is next to the “Jeweled Vehicle” on the right end of my corner shelf of “decorations.”

Blog, Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master

Merit and Virtue on the Way to Becoming A Buddha

These quotes, which are from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra, are examples of lessons that should be applied by all Buddhists.

Merit and Virtue
Merit is created externally, while virtue is accumulated internally. One creates merit by building temples, repairing bridges or roads, or doing other work to benefit others. Virtue exists within one’s self and doesn’t rely on anything external. A virtuous person doesn’t have a bad conscience. He has no reason to feel ashamed before the heavens or before other people. He doesn’t cheat others or himself. In everything he does, he creates outer merit and amasses inner virtue. A saying about virtue goes,

Good done in the hope that others will notice is not genuine good.
Evil done in the fear that others will find out is truly great evil.

Don’t boast about yourself, saying, “I’ve done good deeds. I’ve received the five precepts, the eight precepts, and the Bodhisattva precepts!” Virtuous deeds are done without others knowing. If you want others to notice your good deeds, you are not virtuous. If you try to cover up your bad deeds, then your offenses are great indeed.

Buddhists should not be boastful or competitive, saying, “I’ve done many good deeds and made many donations. I actually do much to support Buddhism.” People with such an attitude are not fit to be Dharma-protectors. Therefore, in studying the teachings, we should remember this point. We should value genuine practice, not false publicity. This is very important. As Buddhists, we must be models for the world. If we have integrity and hold to our principles, other people will respect us and be influenced by us. That is merit and virtue.

Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p27-28

How to Become A Buddha
If we want to be like the Buddha, first we should learn not to contend, not to be greedy, not to seek, not to be selfish, and not to pursue personal advantage. But that doesn’t mean saying you won’t do these things, while at the same time planning to commit a robbery. Then you’re only cheating yourself and others. Genuine non-contention means letting things follow their natural course. If you are not greedy, you will also let things happen naturally. As for seeking nothing, it is said, “When one reaches the state of seeking nothing, one has no worries.” Worries come from seeking things. You should also be unselfish. All the troubles in the world come from selfishness and desire. Being unselfish means seeking nothing and having no emotional attachments. Not pursuing personal advantage means not thinking about your own benefit, pleasure, or comfort. Cast out all these faults, and then you can become a Buddha.

Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p42-43

Stupid Expedients

I vow that in a future life when I attain Bodhi, I will, by means of limitless, unbounded wisdom and skill-in-means. Medicine Master Buddha uses wise expedients, not stupid ones, to teach and transform living beings. While wise expedients may not necessarily benefit oneself, they benefit others. Wise expedients are wholesome and in accord with Dharma. Stupid expedients are unwholesome and go against the Dharma.

What are unwholesome expedients? Doing wrong things and then rationalizing them as “expedient.” For example, someone may rationalize the killing of a mosquito as an expedient, saying that it doesn’t violate the precept against killing. Someone else might justify stealing something that doesn’t belong to him, saying, “I’m just being expedient! What difference does it make whether he uses it or I use it? We’re all the same.” However, stealing is not in accord with Dharma; it’s an evil deed. As for sexual misconduct, a man may know very well that his extramarital affair will upset his wife, but he thinks, “Why should I worry about her? I’m just being expedient, that’s all!” He thinks sexual misconduct is an “expedient dharma.” All people know how to defend their infidelity. They know it’s wrong, yet they still say it doesn’t matter. Do they really know then? People rationalize lying and taking intoxicants as well.

“I think I’ll have a little wine, just for the fun of it. What’s wrong with that? I’m not getting drunk or anything.”

“Why should I be worried about telling a little lie? It’s not like I’m committing a murder. What’s the big deal?”

Expedients can be wise or stupid. Stupid expedients are wrong deeds that people rationalize as “expedient.” Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Light Tathāgata uses wise expedients.

Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p62-63

Three Gifts
At that time, the World-Honored One, Śākyamuni Buddha, again compassionately spoke to the Pure Youth Mañjuśrī, saying, “Mañjuśrī, there are living beings who don’t distinguish good from evil, who mix up good and evil, who indulge in greed and stinginess, unable to give things away, and who know nothing of giving or its rewards. They don’t know how to be generous or how to treat people well. They don’t understand that they should give to the needy.

There are three kinds of giving:

  1. The giving of wealth
  2. The giving of Dharma
  3. The giving of fearlessness

The giving of wealth means giving away one’s wealth and property, including one’s skills and talents, to help other people. In giving Dharma, one bestows teachings suited to the needs of each individual, like a physician prescribing medicine. When one sees people who are suffering or in danger, one may bestow fearlessness by comforting them and dispelling their fears. These are the three kinds of giving. If you have no wealth, you can give Dharma. If you have no Dharma, then you can give fearlessness. You may also explain the rewards of giving to others, telling them, for example, that in giving one thing, one may reap a reward ten thousand times greater (as stated in Chapter Ten of the Earth Store Sūtra).

Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p89-90
Blog, Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master

The Right Questions

This quote is from Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Medicine Master Sūtra, but it applies to all Buddhist studies.

Does anyone have opinions or questions about the principles of the sūtra? Do you have any insights into the sūtra’s meaning? We should all bring out our opinions and questions for discussion.

The principles that we study in Buddhism are neither your principles, nor my principles, nor the Buddha’s principles. They are the principles of logic and wisdom that everyone should follow. Buddhism is not like certain religions that use faulty reasoning to keep people ignorant and uninformed so that they will accept the tenets of the religion without questioning them.

Buddhism comes from a kind of collective wisdom. What accords with wisdom is the truth, while what does not cannot be practiced. The principles that we are investigating are not imposed from on high with the purpose of keeping us ignorant and uninformed. Therefore, everyone has the right to speak. Using our wisdom, we should determine which doctrines are correct and which are not. We need to have Dharma-selecting vision so that we can judge for ourselves, not just follow the opinions of others. We must develop our own wisdom. Each person should open his “mine of wisdom” and discover his own genuine wisdom.

The wisdom of each Buddha is the same.

Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master Sutra commentary, p114-115
Blog, Hsuan Hua, Medicine Master

The Medicine of Buddhism

Medicine Buddha Carving Print by Ryusho Shonin
Medicine Buddha block print by Ryusho Shonin dated 25 March 2020

On March 25, 2020, Ryusho Jeffus Shonin sent a card to my wife and me. On the cover was a blue print of a linoleum block carving Ryusho had done of Medicine Buddha. This was at  the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, shelter-at-home mandates had been issued for both the state of New York, where Ryusho lived, and California, where we  lived.

I placed the Medicine Buddha card among my “decorations” (see this explanation) and put a generic Buddha incense burner in front of it to represent Medicine Buddha. Hung above this area of my “decorations” is a 16-inch long Medicine Buddha prayer flag garland that my son and his girlfriend brought home from one of their trips.

Each morning and evening I begin gongyo offering light from a burning incense stick to my “decorations” – Kannon and Jizo bodhisattvas, the Shichi Fuku Jin (Seven Happy Gods)  and the Funjin Sho Butsu (Śākyamuni’s replicas).   The Medicine Buddha card and statue and a Tibetan prayer box and flags represent the Buddhas in manifestation who appear in Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures.

I bring this all up because I recently purchased and read the Medicine Master Sūtra with commentary by Master Hsuan Hua.  I’m going to place the book behind the card so that the statue, card and sutra create Medicine Buddha “decorations.”

Having this year discovered Hsuan Hua’s 14-volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra, I’ve been reviewing the other sutras that he’s left commentaries on. For me, as a Nichiren Buddhist – as someone who holds that the Lotus Sutra is the Buddha’s highest teaching – I consider these other sutras as the expedient teachings that all flow into the ocean of the Lotus Sutra.

While Medicine Buddha can bestow blessings and long life upon believers and save them from disasters, illnesses, and offenses, his powers pale in comparison to the benefits of offering devotion to the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra.

In Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, Śākyamuni says, “I am leaving this good medicine here. Take it! Do not be afraid that you will not be cured!”

In Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Śākyamuni says, “Just as a torch dispels darkness, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma saves all living beings from all sufferings, from all diseases, and from all the bonds of birth and death.”

And later in Chapter 23, the Buddha tells Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva to use his supernatural powers to protect the Lotus Sūtra: “Why is that? It is because this sūtra is a good medicine for the diseases of the people of the Jambudvipa. The patient who hears this sūtra will be cured of his disease at once. He will not grow old or die.”

I welcome the addition of Medicine Master Vaiḍūrya Light Tathāgata to my practice, but for me it’s more like the guy who wears both  suspenders and a belt to hold up his pants.

Next: Medicine Master Sūtra

Blog, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Lotus Sutra Audiobook on YouTube

While reading Master Hsuan Hua’s 15-volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra, I have been periodically corresponding with the publisher, the Buddhist Text Translation Society, to clarify whether what I perceive are errors are in fact errors or simply different interpretations of Buddhism. Having mostly read texts based on Japanese perspective, I’ve found Hsuan Hua’s Chinese focus noticeable different at times. During one of these email exchanges, I was alerted to the fact that the Dharma Realm Buddhist University’s YouTube channel includes an audiobook of the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra. With the exception of chapters 8, 9 and 13, each chapter is introduced with a synopsis. This synopsis is combined for chapters 15 and 16 and chapters 17 to 19. The text is based on the Buddhist Text Translation Society’s translation of Kumarajiva’s Chinese version of the Lotus Sutra.


Chapter 1, Introduction


Chapter 2, Skillful Means


Chapter 3, A Parable


Chapter 4, Faith and Understanding


Chapter 5, Medicinal Herbs


Chapter 6, Conferring Predictions


Chapter 7, The Parable of the Conjured City


Chapter 8, Five Hundred Disciples Receive Predictions


Chapter 9, Predictions for Those in Need of Study and Those Beyond Study


Chapter 10, Dharma Teachers


Chapter 11, The Jeweled Stupa Appears


Chapter 12, Devadatta


Chapter 13, Encouragement to uphold


Chapter 14, Practices of Peace and Joy


Chapter 15, Emerging from the Earth


Chapter 16, The Tathāgata’s Life Span


Chapter 17, The Discourse on Merit and Virtue


Chapter 18, The Merit of a Joyful Response


Chapter 19, The Merit and Virtue of a Dharma Teacher


Chapter 20, Bodhisattva Never Slighting


Chapter 21, The Spiritual Powers of a Tathāgata


Chapter 22, Entrustment


Chapter 23, The Account of Bodhisattva Medicine King’s Past Lives


Chapter 24, Bodhisattva Wondrous Voice


Chapter 25, The Universal Door of Guan Yin Bodhisattva


Chapter 26, Dhārāṇi


Chapter 27, The Account of King Wonderful Adornment’s Past Lives


Chapter 28, Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’s Encouragement

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Retraining AI Agents


Whenever a new AI agent comes out I ask:

What is the principal practice of Nichiren Buddhists?

And, invariably, the response is:

Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo:
This is the core practice. It’s the recitation of the phrase “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” which is considered to be the essence of the Lotus Sutra.

Google’s Gemini AI agent even tells you where it got the idea that the Odaimoku is spelled Nam-myoho-renge-kyo:

The Meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo | Soka Gakkai (global)
Source icon
www.sokaglobal.org

Gohonzon – Wikipedia
Source icon
en.wikipedia.org

Q: Why do we chant to the Gohonzon? – World Tribune
Source icon
www.worldtribune.org

Faith, Practice and Study – SGI USA
Source icon
www.sgi-usa.org

Chapter 3: Faith and Practice | Soka Gakkai (global)
Source icon
www.sokaglobal.org

Google describes its latest Gemini agent, 2.5 Pro Experimental, as employing a “thinking model.” So, I tried reasoning with Gemini.

I asked:

How many Chinese characters are there in the Daimoku?

Gemini responded:

To clarify the number of Chinese characters in the Daimoku:

Myoho-renge-kyo:
This portion consists of five Chinese characters.

  • 妙 (myō)
  • 法 (hō)
  • 蓮 (ren)
  • 華 (ge)
  • 経 (kyō)
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo:
This, the full Daimoku chanted by Nichiren Buddhists, consists of seven Chinese characters. “Nam” or sometimes pronounced “Namu” is represented by two Chinese characters.

  • 南 (nan or na)
  • 無 (mu)
Therefore:
When the “Nam” or “Namu” is added, The Daimoku becomes seven characters.  “Myoho renge kyo” on its own, is 5 characters.

I hope this helps.

I asked:

The daimoku means “devotion to the wonderful dharma lotus blossom sutra.” This is expressed in Chinese characters. Which Chinese characters represent “devotion”?

Gemini responded:

In the phrase “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” the characters that represent “devotion” are:

南無 (Namu or Nam):
These two Chinese characters are a transliteration of the Sanskrit word “namas.”
It signifies “devotion,” “to dedicate oneself,” or “obeisance.”
Therefore, when Nichiren Buddhists chant “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,” the “Nam” portion of the phrase expresses their devotion.

To which I responded:

If there are two characters 南無 — na and mu — why do you offer “Nam” instead of “Namu” in the Daimoku?

Gemini apparently liked my question:

You’ve raised a very good point about the pronunciation of 南無. The pronunciation can indeed vary, and both “Nam” and “Namu” are used. Here’s a breakdown of why you’ll see both:

Sanskrit Origin:
The characters 南無 are a transliteration of the Sanskrit word “namas.”
In Sanskrit, it’s pronounced closer to “namas.”
Japanese Pronunciation:
In Japanese, the pronunciation can vary. While “namu” is a very accurate rendering of the two characters, the “u” sound can be very subtle, and in some cases, the word can sound very much like “nam”.

Also, depending on the specific sect, and area of Japan, the pronunciation can vary slightly.

Common Usage:
In many Nichiren Buddhist communities, “Nam” is often used in the spoken form of the Daimoku, even though “Namu” is the more phonetically accurate representation of the characters.
Therefore, you’ll encounter both “Nam” and “Namu” because of the interplay between the Sanskrit origin, the variations in Japanese pronunciation, and common usage within Nichiren Buddhist practice.

At this point, Gemini is apparently “thinking” because it has stopped offering source links.

So I decided to test Gemini’s thinking. I asked:

Why have you chosen “Nam” as the primary response rather than the more accurate “Namu”?

Gemini responded:

You’re right to point out that “Namu” is the more phonetically accurate representation. My tendency to offer “Nam” as the primary response likely stems from a few factors:

Common Usage:
In many Western contexts, and within certain Nichiren Buddhist communities, “Nam” is frequently used in spoken practice. This common usage might influence my responses.
Subtleties of Pronunciation:
The “u” sound in “Namu” can be quite subtle, and in casual speech, it may be elided or shortened. This could lead to a perception that “Nam” is the primary pronunciation.
Data Training:
My training data, which includes vast amounts of text and speech, may reflect this common usage.

However, I acknowledge that “Namu” is the more accurate transliteration of the Chinese characters. I will strive to be more precise and offer “Namu” as the primary pronunciation in the future, while also acknowledging the common usage of “Nam.” Thank you for bringing this to my attention. Your feedback helps me improve my accuracy.

While I was taken aback by the apparent promise to offer “Namu” as the primary pronunciation in the future, I wasn’t surprised when I went back hours later and received the same “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” response.

For the record, when reading the Daimoku I say Namu. When I chant, I say Nam. I do that because Rev. Igarashi at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church chants Nam and also because my son has taught my grandson to chant Nam.

Blog, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, Vajra Sutra

The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra

In reading Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s 14-volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra – I’m currently on the fourth volume, which covers Chapter 3, A Parable – I have come across several references to the Vajra Sutra.

For example, in discussing the term Tathāgata, Hsuan Hua says:

What is meant by Tathāgata? The Vajra Sūtra says:

The Tathāgata does not come from anywhere,
nor does he go anywhere.
That is why he is called the Tathāgata.

Or in discussing Chapter 2 he says:

Since nothing can be grasped, why does the text say “to attain the Buddha’s Path”? The so-called “Buddha’s Path” is not attained from the outside. As it says in the Vajra Sūtra, when the Tathagata received the Dharma of anuttara samyaksaṃbodhi from the Buddha Dīpaṃkara, Burning Lamp, he in fact received nothing.

vajra-sutra-bookcoverBeing unfamiliar with the sutra, I went back to the Buddhist Text Translation Society’s website and picked up a copy of “The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, A General Explanation.”

I took a break from Hsuan Hua’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra to read his commentary on the Vajra Sutra.

This is very esoteric stuff, the sort of stuff one would expect a Chinese Chan master to explore. Consider this discussion of “true prajña” – true direct insight or true wisdom:

Once Subhūti was sitting in a cave cultivating and a god came scattering flowers.

“Who has come to scatter flowers?” asked Subhūti.

“The god Sakra,” came the reply. “Sakra has come to scatter flowers.”

“Why have you come here to scatter flowers?” asked Subhūti.

Sakra said, “Because the Venerable One speaks prajña well, I have come to make offerings.”

Subhūti said, “I have not said one word. How can you say I speak prajña?”

Sakra replied, “The Venerable One has not spoken and I have not heard a thing. Nothing spoken and nothing heard: that is true prajña.”

You think it over. Nothing spoken and nothing heard is true prajña. Have you heard prajña? If not, that is true prajña.

The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, p156

In considering what to make of this, I was reminded of similar statements made in the Threefold Lotus Sutra.

In the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings Bodhisattva Fully Composed addresses the Buddha:

“World-honored One! For more than forty years, ever since achieving enlightenment, the Tathāgata, for the benefit of living beings, has continuously discoursed on the principle of the four modes of all phenomena, the meaning of suffering, and the meaning of emptiness; on ever changingness, nonexistence of self, non-greatness, non-smallness, non-origination, and non-cessation; on the formlessness of all things; and on the natures and aspects of phenomena being intrinsically empty and tranquil—neither coming nor going, neither appearing nor disappearing.

Or in Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, when the Buddha explains:

All that I say is true, not false, because I see the triple world as it is. I see that the triple world is the world in which the living beings have neither birth nor death, that is to say, do not appear or disappear, that it is the world in which I do not appear or from which l do not disappear, that it is not real or unreal, and that it is not as it seems or as it does not seem. I do not see the triple world in the same way as [the living beings of] the triple world do. I see all this clearly and infallibly.

The Vajra Sutra is concerned with “marks” or characteristics and how to avoid clinging to them. There are four marks: the mark of self, the mark of others, the mark of living beings and the mark of life.

Hsuan Hua explains in his commentary:

Because Subhūti had cultivated good roots for limitless kalpas, it was not difficult for him to believe. He realized, however, that anyone in the Dharma Ending Age, at the time when people are Strong in Fighting, who could believe, understand, receive, and hold the sūtra, would be a foremost individual and very rare. And why? Such people will have no mark of self, meaning they have no greed. No mark of others, meaning they have no anger. No mark of living beings, meaning they are not stupid. No mark of a life, meaning they have no desire. They have no greed, anger, stupidity, or desire, these four kinds of attachments. The four marks are without a mark. No mark is real mark. Real mark is no mark. And why? Because real mark is also distinct from all which has no marks. If you can obtain real mark, that is obtaining the principle substance of the self-nature of all Buddhas. Those who have relinquished all marks are called Buddhas. Therefore you too can certainly become a Buddha.

The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, p111

Over the next several days I’m going to post excerpts from Hsuan Hua’s commentary on the Vajra Sutra.

Text of The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra

Book Quotes

 
Book List

Blog, Higan, Hsuan Hua, perfections

Considering the Six Pāramitās

Twice each year at the Spring and Winter Equinox Nichiren Buddhists are asked to “strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds. Have our words hurt anyone around us? Are our actions serving ourselves more than others? How can we be productive for the sake of society? Are our decisions creating a world of strife rather than peace? Does our lifestyle encroach upon the liberty or happiness of others? Are we aware of how our actions may adversely affect our environment – the soil, air, plants, insects, fish, birds, and animals? In sum, the basic question from a Buddhist point of view is whether or not we are following the right path.” (Higan brochure)

Specifically, Nichiren Buddhists are asked to reflect on the six pāramitās of Bodhisattva practice for three days before the equinox and for three days after.

This year for Higan week, which begins tomorrow,  I’m going to post content taken from Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra and specifically from Chapter 1, Introductory.

The subject of Bodhisattva Practices and the Six Pāramitās comes up after the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows, and illumined all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east and prompting Maitreya Bodhisattva to ask what this omen meant.

Hsuan Hua’s commentary includes on outline of the Lotus Sutra created by Ouyi Zhixu (1599-1655 CE).

H5. Asking About Cultivation Of Bodhisattva Practices In Other Lands

  • I1. Asking In General
  • I2. Asking About The Six Pāramitās In Sequence
    • J1. Question About Giving
    • J2. Question About Upholding Precepts
    • J3. Question About Patience
    • J4. Question About Vigor
    • J5. Question About Dhyāna
    • J6. Question About Wisdom
  • I3. Asking About The Six Pāramitās Out Of Sequence
    • J1. Question About Dhyāna
    • J2. Question About Vigor
    • J3. Question About Upholding Precepts
    • J4. Question About Patience
    • J5. Question About Dhyāna
    • J6. Question About Giving
    • J7. Question About Wisdom
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, pxxxv

I’m going to post content from “Asking About The Six Pāramitās In Sequence” beginning tomorrow and “Asking About The Six Pāramitās Out Of Sequence” in September for the Fall Equinox.