For me, one of the best parts of Master Hsuan Hua’s commentaries is the inclusion of basic stories of Buddhism. The story of The King of Kalinga appeared both in the Hsuan Hua’s commentary on the Vajra Sutra and his Lotus Sutra commentary. I published the Vajra Sutra version earlier because I felt it was more complete. Below is Hsuan Hua’s story of The Deer Park.

Once, there were two deer kings living in the park. One deer king was a former incarnation of Śākyamuni Buddha, many lifetimes and many eons ago. He was the compassionate deer king. The other deer king was a former incarnation of Devadatta. At that time there was a king who went to the Deer Park to hunt. On every expedition, he brought many people with him, and they killed many deer.

So many deer were killed that they were on the verge of becoming extinct. The two deer kings had a meeting and decided that the deer king who was to become Sakyamuni Buddha would go present a petition to the hunting king, begging him for mercy. “What kind of petition shall we present?” asked the other deer king.

The compassionate deer king, the former incarnation of Śākyamuni Buddha, replied, “We shall tell the king of the country that every day we will send him two deer for his food. Then our herds will not become extinct, and he will have fresh venison daily. I am sure the king will agree to this. If he does not, pretty soon we will all be dead, and he will not have any deer meat at all. Besides, he cannot possibly eat that much meat. I suspect he lets most of it rot.”

The deer king Devadatta said, “Okay, let’s go appeal to him!”

The two of them went to the palace to present their petition. When they arrived at the gate, they met the palace guard, who immediately drew his sword to kill them. “Don’t kill us!” the two deer cried. “We have come today for an audience with the king. We want to present him with a petition.”

The guard was quite taken aback. “Weird,” he said. “Talking deer!” and he ran to see the king. He said, “For heaven’s sake, two talking deer have come to see you.”

The king raised an eyebrow and looked at the guard, “Talking deer? Oh yes, well tell them to come in, and we will see what kind of strange creatures they are.”

The two deer came in and said to the king, “You’ve been hunting our herds, Your Majesty, and many of our deer have been killed. You cannot possibly eat that much meat every day, can you? If you keep it up, we will disappear altogether, and you will not have any meat to eat. So we have a petition to present to you. Every day we will send you two deer to eat. Then you will not have to go hunting, but you will have meat to eat every day. If you continue to kill us at the rate you have been, you will wipe us out.” Keep in mind, at that time there were no refrigerators.

The king was surprised to hear deer talking like people. Hearing their request, he found it reasonable and agreed. “Every day you can send us two deer,” he said. And that is just what they did. This way, the king was able to eat fresh, tasty venison every day.

One day the deer king who was to become Śākyamuni Buddha appeared at the palace gate to offer himself for the king to eat. The king recognized the deer and said, “You are the king of one of the herds. How can you offer yourself? Have all the other deer in your herd been eaten?”

Śākyamuni, the deer king, replied, “Not only are there still deer in our herds, but their numbers are increasing daily. We two deer kings each watch over five hundred deer. Of the five hundred, only one goes each day as an offering to Your Majesty. Many fawns are born every day. Now our herds have doubled and redoubled. But now, for a special reason, I myself have come as your daily offering.”

“What reason?” asked the king.

“Today’s deer from my herd came with no problems, but in Devadatta’s herd there was an issue. The deer selected to be offered is pregnant. Her baby is due in a day or two, and she begged Devadatta to let her trade places with someone else, saying that once her baby is born she will gladly go to the king for food. But Devadatta would not hear of it. She came to me and asked me if a deer in my herd would trade with her. None of my deer wanted to go, of course. Hence, I volunteered myself and here I am.”

When the king heard this he thought, “How strange! Deer are living creatures, just like people. Why should I eat deer meat every day? They have feelings just like people do.” Then he recited the following verse:

You are like a person with a deer head,
While I am a deer with a human head.
From this day forward only vegetables I’ll eat;
I’ll never, ever eat another living being’s meat.

“You have the head of a deer,” the king said, “but your heart is extremely kind and compassionate. Your heart is kinder than that of most human beings. I may have a person’s head, but my heart is not as good as yours. From this day forward, I will not eat meat.”

Because of this experience, the king was moved to become a vegetarian. This story explains why that park was named the Deer Park.

I keep track of traffic to this website. I do it just for curiosity; there’s no financial incentive to gather in more eyeballs. I suppose I take a certain pride that somewhere between 30 and 50 unique visitors read what I’ve posted here each day. I remember when that average was 10 unique visitors. The five top draws according to recent statistics were:

Top content over the last 28 days

The popularity of the main landing page is understandable, as is the The Basic Nichiren Shu Service. The fact that Average Time on Page for this site runs more than three minutes is a reflection of the number of people who use this site for their daily practice. A woman who travels a lot for her job thanked me for making this available. Less obvious are Nichiren’s letter about Devadatta and Nikkyō Niwano’s explanation of the 10 Epithets of the Buddha from his Buddhism for Today.

For those who come for the 10 Epithets of the Buddha, I offer Master Hsuan Hua’s explanation from his commentary on the Lotus Sutra.

What does Tathagata mean? It’s given the following interpretation: “By following the true Path, one attains perfect awakening.” One moves forward on the true, down-to-earth path, the path that truly leads to Buddhahood. The path to Buddhahood is real, not an illusion. Moving forward on this true path, one attains the perfect awakening and becomes a Buddha. This is one way to explain it.

The best explanation of the term Tathagata, however, is found in the Vajra Sutra, which says that “The Tathagata does not come from anywhere, nor does he go anywhere. That is why he is called the Tathagata.” He doesn’t come from anywhere, but does he go anywhere? He goes nowhere as well. So he is known as the Tathagata or Thus Come One. Tatha [“thus”] represents stillness. Agata [“come”] represents movement. Movement does not obstruct stillness, and stillness does not obstruct movement. Movement itself is stillness, and stillness itself is movement. Movement and stillness are one.

Why is movement itself stillness and stillness itself movement? Why is there movement? Movement appears in contrast to stillness. Why is there stillness? Stillness appears in contrast to movement. Stillness is produced from movement; movement comes from stillness. This is why movement and stillness are one; they’re dual yet nondual. Even though they’re dual, they’re actually one. They’re like water and ice. Water is ice, and ice is water. The principle is the same. Therefore, movement does not obstruct stillness, and stillness does not obstruct movement. Stillness at its extreme becomes movement, and movement at its extreme becomes stillness.

We human beings move around during the day and remain still at night. However, while in stillness there is movement, and in movement there is stillness. During the day, people are generally on the move, but some may choose to sleep. Sleeping is stillness, and waking is movement. At night, most people sleep, but some don’t. That’s movement. Tathagata is the first of the ten titles of the Buddha.

One Worthy of Offerings

Living beings, for their part, should make offerings to the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The Buddha, for his part, is worthy of receiving offerings from gods and humans. It is said,

To every supplication, there will be a response.
No entreaty will be left unanswered.

What is meant by “To every supplication, there will be a response”? Making offerings is a form of supplication. For example, those who make offerings to the Three Jewels hope to receive blessings and wisdom. Those who seek blessings and wisdom may make offerings to the Three Jewels.

One of Right and Universal Knowledge

Right knowledge refers to the understanding that the mind gives rise to the myriad phenomena; universal knowledge refers to the understanding that the myriad phenomena arise from the mind. It is said,

The Buddha taught all Dharmas in response to the minds of living beings.
In the absence of minds, what use would Dharmas be?

One of Perfect Clarity and Conduct

“Clarity” refers to the Buddha’s brilliance–that is, his wisdom. “Conduct” refers to the strength of his cultivation. Because the Buddha is perfect in both wisdom and cultivation, he is One of Perfect Clarity and Conduct.

Sugata, Knower of the World

Sugata is translated as “one who goes well,” meaning that the Buddha has gone to a good place. As Knower of the World, he understands everything in the world. There is no phenomenon, be It mundane or transcendent, that he doesn’t understand.

Unsurpassed One

Only a Buddha can be called the Unsurpassed One; other living beings cannot. Bodhisattvas are called Great Ones and are also known as Surpassed Ones. Buddhas are Unsurpassed Ones, for no one is above them.

Subduing and Regulating Hero

To subdue and regulate is akin to driving a car in a certain direction. To drive a car, you have to turn the steering wheel. Driving is similar to subduing and regulating. In northern China they have horse chariots that are driven by people. The driver cracks the whip, and the horse moves forward. To subdue and regulate is also similar to driving a horse cart. The Buddha is a great hero who subdues and regulates those in the three realms: the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the realm of the formless.

Teacher of Gods and Humans

The Buddha is a teacher of both the beings in the heavens and the people on earth.

Buddha

The Buddha has perfected all three kinds of awakening: self-awakening, the awakening of others, and the perfection of self-awakening and of practices. It is said,

Having perfected the three kinds of awakening and accomplished the myriad virtues,
one is called a Buddha.

World Honored One

The Buddha is honored both in the world and beyond.

In Volume 6, which covers Chapters 5, 6 and 7, Hsuan Hua expands on what Buddha means in discussing the 10 epithets in  his commentary on Chapter 6, Conferring Predictions.

9. Buddha.

What is a Buddha? Those who have heard the Dharma before will understand what Buddha means. Those who have not heard the Dharma will not know it. The Buddha is just a person, and a person is a Buddha. On the other hand, the Buddha is a Buddha and people are just people. We cannot assume that since the Buddha is a person, people are also Buddhas. The Buddha is a person who cultivated and then became a Buddha. How about people? If people cultivate, they can become Buddhas: if they do not cultivate, they cannot. Therefore, it is also said that the Buddha is a living being and that living beings are Buddhas. The Buddha is a living being who cultivated to become a Buddha, so living beings have to cultivate to become Buddhas. You cannot fail to cultivate yet claim to be a Buddha. That’s impossible! Even though the Buddha is a living being, he also has to cultivate. If, in the beginning, the Buddha had not cultivated, he would not have become a Buddha either.

Buddhahood is realized through cultivation, but how do you cultivate? You must first awaken yourself rather than demanding that others awaken. As the saying goes,

Awakened, one is a Buddha;
Confused, one is a living being

When you awaken, you are a Buddha among living beings. When you are confused, you are a living being who has not realized your Buddha nature. The only difference between the two is that one is confused and the other is awake. To awaken is to truly understand.

Those who are self-awakened are distinguished from ordinary people, who have not awakened. Not awakened to what?

They have not awakened to their own faults and offenses; they have not awakened to the fact that they have created so much karma. Luckily, the karma we have created has no physical form. Though empty space is truly vast, if our karma had shape and form, it would surely fill up the whole of space and break it open. But because karma doesn’t have a physical form, we don’t have to worry about storing it anywhere.

Nevertheless, it never leaves you; it follows you everywhere and all the time. Unawakened, you are an ordinary person. Self-awakened, you are no longer the same as ordinary people.

Your own awakening, however, does not have any merit; you still have to create merit. How do you do that? By awakening yourself and awakening others. You should think, “Having awakened myself, I will use the same methods and principles to awaken all living beings, so that everyone will attain awakening.” To awaken others is to walk the Bodhisattva Path, which distinguishes one from those of the Two Vehicles. Even though you are self-awakened and have awakened others, you’re awakening and practice has not yet reached perfection. To perfect your own awakening and the awakening of others is the perfection of awakening and of practices. There are three kinds of perfection in awakening-the perfection of self-awakening, the perfection of bringing others to awakening, and the perfection of awakening and of practices. When you perfect the three kinds of awakening and accomplish the myriad virtues, you will be called a Buddha.

As mentioned yesterday, Master Hsuan Hua did not see the Lotus Sutra as the ultimate teaching of Śākyamuni, as Zhiyi or Nichiren did. But while Hsuan Hua saw the Avataṃsaka Sutra – Flower Garland Sutra – as the king, he still warned people not to disparage the Lotus Sutra. Here’s a sampling from his commentary on Chapter 3, A Parable.

Those who don’t believe this sūtra / And who disparage it / Will destroy their disposition / For Buddhahood in this world. If people do not have faith in the Dharma Flower Sūtra and denounce it, they disconnect from their potential for realizing Buddhahood in this world. Destroying one’s disposition for Buddhahood is very serious; the karmic offenses of someone who does this are extremely grave. If one cuts off one’s disposition for Buddhahood, the potential for the hells comes forth. When the potential for the hells comes forth, one might fall into the hells. Why did I lecture on the Śūraṅgama Sūtra before lecturing on the Dharma Flower Sūtra? The Śūraṅgama Sūtra is not as strict on this point. So, whatever you do, be sure not to criticize the Dharma Flower Sūtra.

SŪTRA

O Śāriputra! This Dharma seal of mine
Is spoken because I wish
To benefit the world.
Wherever you go,
Do not proclaim it carelessly.

COMMENTARY

O Śāriputra! Although Śākyamuni Buddha was speaking directly to Śāriputra, he was also speaking to you, to me, and to all living beings of the present. In speaking to Śāriputra, he was also speaking to all Buddhists and Dharma masters who propagate the Buddhadharma by expounding the sūtras and teaching the Dharma.

This Dharma seal of mine / Is spoken because I wish / To benefit the world. The Buddha uses the Dharma seal of ultimate reality to certify that all living beings have the potential to realize Buddhahood. This Dharma seal is the most honorable and noble. It is not something to be used casually. The Buddha is speaking it now because he wants to benefit all living beings. What is meant by “benefit”? It refers to benefiting oneself as well as others. This Dharma seal is used to help all living beings. There are three worlds – the sentient world, the material world, and the world of perfect awakening. To “benefit the world” refers to benefiting the sentient world. The Buddha teaches the Dharma Flower Sūtra to benefit the sentient world.

Wherever you go, / Do not proclaim it carelessly. This Dharma is venerable and noble. You should not propagate it casually. Wherever you go, be sure not to criticize the Dharma Flower Sūtra casually. If you explain the Dharma to those who are not ready to hear it, they will disparage it. Then not only will you have failed to save them, you will have caused them to fall into the hells. Why should you not carelessly speak the sūtra? People might fall into the lower destinies because of you. Upon hearing this sūtra, most people will criticize it. They might say things like, “How can this be? How can it be that, without accruing any merit, we can still become Buddhas? That is just too good to be true. People are just people. How can they become Buddhas? The sūtras mislead people.” Those who utter a single sentence of criticism, such as “The sūtras mislead people,” will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. This principle will be discussed in more detail later in the sūtra. It is out of fear that people might criticize the sūtra and fall into the hells that the Buddha warned Śāriputra not to teach the sūtra casually. You can only explain the Dharma Flower Sūtra to those with the disposition for the Great Vehicle, who will bring forth faith upon hearing this text.

Some of you may be thinking, “[people failing into hell for slandering the Lotus Sūtra] is all the Buddha’s fault. If he had not taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, nobody would fall into the hells. He taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, and as a result, many people have fallen into the hells. Why? They criticized the Dharma Flower Sūtra. If the Buddha had never taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, it would be impossible to criticize it. If no one criticized it, no one would fall into the hells. So in the end, it more or less amounts to Śākyamuni Buddha sending people to the hells.”

Do you think this argument is sound? Think about it and make your own judgment. This person argued no one would fall into the hells if Śākyamuni Buddha had not taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, but because he did, many people have gone to the hells. The argument should not be one-sided. This person seems to be arguing in favor of living beings and against Śākyamuni Buddha. If you develop an argument from the perspective of living beings, you should also do that for Śākyamuni Buddha. I now present an argument from Śākyamuni Buddha’s side.

You may say that if Śākyamuni Buddha had not taught the Dharma Flower Sutra, no one would have fallen into the hells. But if Śākyamuni Buddha had not taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, no one would have become a Buddha either. If someone falls into the hells, you cannot blame the Buddha, because he was very clear in saying that criticizing the sūtra is a grave offense. Since you already know that it is an offense, you should not criticize the sūtra. If you do not criticize the sūtra, you will not increase your risk of falling into the hells.

But if you insist on going ahead and criticizing this sūtra even more just to spite the Buddha, you will fall even deeper into the hells. There is not the slightest doubt about this. Śākyamuni Buddha warned us that whoever disparages the Dharma Flower Sutra will fall into the hells or turn into a hungry ghost or an animal and suffer in the three lower realms for countless eons. So why would you want to disparage the Dharma Flower Sūtra? If you do, you are deliberately pitting yourself against the Buddha. If nobody disparages it, nobody will fall into the hells. Therefore, you cannot say that people fall into the hells because the Buddha taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra.

Since Śākyamuni Buddha taught the Dharma Flower Sutra, just think of how many people it has inspired or will inspire to bring forth the bodhi resolve and attain Buddhahood in the future. More living beings will become Buddhas than will fall into the hells. I think those who will fall into the hells must be extremely ignorant, for they don’t believe anything at all. They know very well that Śākyamuni Buddha said that it is an offense to criticize the Dharma Flower Sūtra, yet they will do so. Who can save living beings like that? Actually, there is someone. Who is that? It’s Earth Store Bodhisattva. The Earth Store Sūtra describes how he saves this type of living being from the hells. When they have fallen into the hells and suffered enough to learn their lesson, Earth Store Bodhisattva will go down into the hells to teach the dharma to them. At that time they will finally understand. Their karmic offenses will be eradicated, and they will be reborn in the heavens or among human beings. Therefore, don’t worry about the people who criticize the sūtra and fall into the hells. Just select a good path for yourself and go forward. Do not worry about offenders or be upset about those in the hells.

People who study the Buddhadharma are supposed to take care of themselves and not mind other people’s business. There is a saying:

Others’ wrongs, others’ obsessions,
Are their bad karma and their transgressions.

Therefore, do not buy stock in someone else’s unwholesome “company” and become a shareholder. If you know they are not making money, then why do you still want to take a loss? Why insist on doing business in the red? If you see other people getting afflicted, you should stop and think, “Oh, affliction is really no good. I should sever it.” Do not inspect other people’s clothes and say, “Hey! Your clothes are stained and dirty,” without realizing that your own clothes are even dirtier. Don’t wash others’ clothes for them and forget about washing your own. The vow goes, “Buddhahood is unsurpassed; I vow to realize it.” You should all cleanse your own minds and hearts. Sweep out all those deluded thoughts. Don’t allow them to race back and forth in your minds.

What is a deluded thought? Thoughts about anything that you dislike are deluded thoughts of affliction. Thoughts about what you like are deluded thoughts of happiness. All your thoughts are deluded thoughts. You are either liking something or disliking it. Liking is deluded thinking, and so is disliking. What is to be done? Just let it go! If you let it go, then there won’t be any more liking or disliking. That is the ultimate truth of the Middle Way. You will no longer give rise to afflictions or have any worries.

In his Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, Master Hsuan Hua often quotes from Zhiyi of the Tiantai School, the same Zhiyi whom Nichiren relied upon in establishing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. Hsuan Hua is not a strict adherent of Zhiyi’s teaching. This is particularly pronounced when the subject of the Avataṃsaka Sutra – Flower Garland Sutra – comes up. Although Zhiyi recognized  the Avataṃsaka Sutra as presenting the highest pinnacle of the Buddha’s insight and represented the sudden teaching method, Zhiyi ultimately maintained that the Perfect Teaching (which represents the Buddha’s highest insight) is set forth in its pure form only in the Lotus Sutra. Here are two examples of where Hsuan Hua places the Avataṃsaka Sutra above and beyond the Lotus Sutra.

Now that I have finished lecturing on the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, I am lecturing on the Dharma Flower Sūtra. When I have finished lecturing on it, I intend to lecture on the Avataṃsaka Sūtra for you. That is even more wonderful because it is the king of the sūtras. The Dharma Flower Sūtra is also a king of sūtras, but it is not as magnificent as the Avataṃsaka Sutra. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra is really the king of the kings of sūtras. The Avataṃsaka Sūtra can be likened to a gold wheel-turning sage king, while the Dharma Flower Sūtra can be likened to a silver wheel-turning sage king. The Śūraṅgama Sūtra can be likened to a copper wheel-turning sage king. These three are kings among all sūtras.

I have not yet begun lecturing on the Avataṃsaka Sutra, but I can first talk a little about its background. After the Buddha realized Buddhahood, the first thing he did was to teach the Avataṃsaka Sutra. When he taught it, those of the Two Vehicles could not hear him. They could not even see him. It is said,

They had eyes but could not see Nişyanda Buddha;
They had ears but could not hear the perfect, sudden teaching.

The Buddha manifested a body ten thousand feet high to teach the sūtra, and although they had eyes, they could not see it. They had ears, but they could not hear the perfect, sudden teaching.

When the Buddha taught the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, those of the Two Vehicles could not understand it; only the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas were able to understand it. Later, it was taken by the dragon king to his palace and disappeared from the human realm. Then, the fourteenth patriarch, Nagarjuna [Dragon Tree] Bodhisattva, who had mastered all worldly literature, used his spiritual powers to go to the dragon palace to take a look at their Tripiṭaka collection. There he found the three-volume set of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. The first volume contains verses as many as dust motes in ten trichiliocosms, with chapters as numerous as dust motes in one set of four great continents. The first and second volumes were too long for Bodhisattva Nagarjuna to remember, so he memorized the third volume, the last volume. When he returned to the human realm, he wrote this sūtra out from memory. Since Bodhisattva Nagarjuna had an excellent memory, he remembered it in its entirety after reading it just once. That is the source of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra.

After we finish the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra, we shall proceed to listen to the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. By then, you will understand the three kings of Buddhist sūtras. Then you will be able to understand all the other sūtras on your own, without having them explained to you. Here in the West, the Buddhadharma has just begun to flourish. It is fitting that the Great Vehicle Dharma be propagated in order to teach and transform the Great Vehicle Bodhisattvas.

The twelve hundred Arhats present
Will all attain Buddhahood.

The Buddha gave all his disciples predictions of future Buddhahood.

In hundreds of thousands of eons, it is not easy to encounter the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra. Though one may encounter the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra, it is difficult to be able to read and recite it. Even if you are able to read and recite it, should you study it for hundreds of thousands of eons, you still may not understand its meaning. Finally, it is most difficult to hear it explained.

Now, in the entire world, there are very few places where the Dharma Flower Sūtra is explained. Rare as it is, I am now explaining it. In the future, we will study the Avataṃsaka Sūtra, which is even more difficult to encounter. In China, it would be difficult to find even one occasion when the Avataṃsaka Sūtra was lectured on during the past hundred years.

The principles of the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra are wonderful beyond words. Similarly, the principles of the Avataṃsaka Sūtra are so magnificent that they also surpass words. Without a solid foundation in learning, one would not be able to understand much less explain the Avataṃsaka Sūtra. Therefore, no one feels capable of explaining it. For example, one passage says that those who cultivate samadhi will enter samadhi in the west and emerge from samadhi in the east. Those who enter samadhi in the south will emerge from it in the north. It says that those who enter samadhi through the eyes will emerge from samadhi through the ears. It further says that those who enter samadhi through the nose will emerge from samādhi through the tongue.

What does all this mean? What does it mean to enter samadhi through the nose and emerge from samadhi through the tongue? Within the six sense faculties, you enter through one and exit through another. This passage is confusing! What is going on? What on earth is entering and exiting?

In the future, if there are those who like to study the Buddhadharma and who wish to truly understand it, they should have the answers to such questions. But don’t worry. Don’t be concerned. Unlike Dharma Master Xuanzang, who walked to India from China seeking the Dharma, wearing himself out and blistering his feet, you can remain in your own country and listen to lectures on the wonderful Dharma. In the future, your options will be much better than those of Dharma Master Xuanzang.

In reading Hsuan Hua’s Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, I’ve been repeatedly impressed with the depth of the work. Particularly impressive has been the use of explanatory footnotes. Here’s an example from Volume 3, Chapter 2, Expedients.

All of the Tathāgatas,
By countless skillful means,
Will lead all living beings across
To realize the Buddhas’ nonoutflow wisdom.
Of those who have heard the Dharma,
None will fail to become a Buddha.

These six lines refer to “the oneness of people.” The Dharma Flower Sutra can be understood through the ten wonders of the door of the original and the ten wonders of the door of the derivative.

A note at this point references this note at the end of the chapter.

Editorial Note About the Ten Wonders:
In the Fahua xuanyi (Profound Meanings of the Dharma Flower), Master Zhiyi of the Tiantai School explains the Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra through three groupings of ten wonders. In his commentary, Venerable Master Hua refers only to the first two:

1. The ten wonders of the door of the derivative (Ch.門十秒)
2. The ten wonders of the door of the original (Ch.本門十分)
3. The ten wonders of the contemplation of the mind (Ch.觀心十秒)

1. The ten wonders of the door of the derivative pertain to the first half of the Dharma Flower Sutra (chaps. 1-14). The Tiantai School classifies the Dharma that Śākyamuni Buddha taught from the time of his awakening until he started teaching the Dharma Flower Sutra as the Dharma of the Three Vehicles of Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas, and the teaching of the Dharma Flower Sutra as the One Vehicle Dharma, the Buddha Vehicle. Based on his explanation. of “the essence of things as they really are (諸法實相)”in chapter a “Skillful Means,” Master Zhiyi asserts that the Dharma set forth for the Three Vehicles is introduced to expediently unfold the ultimate teaching. The Dharma of the Three Vehicles is provisional. The Dharma Flower Sutra is the ultimate teaching, which is the perfect teaching of the One Vehicle – that is, the Buddha Vehicle. The perfect teaching of the One Vehicle transcends the contradistinction between the provisional and the ultimate, in that the provisional is the ultimate and the ultimate is the provisional. The provisional and the ultimate are nondual; this nonduality embodies “the essence of things as they really are.” From the perspective of the perfect teaching, both the provisional and the ultimate possess “wonders” or “subtleties.” This is known as the wonder that transcends dualities.

The ten wonders of the first half of the Dharma Flower Sūtra, which elucidate the subtleties of the Buddha’s provisional manifestations (“the derivative”), are the wonders of:

i. His state of thusness: the ultimate truth that all Buddhas hold in reverence and realize.

ii. His wisdom: a Buddha’s omniscient wisdom arising from such realization.

iii. His practice: all practices leading to that realization.

iv. His position: the realization of varied attainments.

v. The three principles: The three principles are thusness, meditation upon and understanding of it, and extension of this understanding to all its workings. The three, taken from chapter to of the Dharma Flower Sutra, “The Dharma Teacher,” are respectively symbolized by the Tathagata’s room, which represents compassion; the Tathagata’s robe, which represents gentleness and forbearing; and the Tathagata’s throne, which represents the emptiness of all phenomena. These three principles guide the propagation of the Dharma Flower Sutra. Although they are three in name, they are none other than the One Vehicle Dharma, the supreme truth. The One Buddha Vehicle is replete with these three principles.

vi. His response: In stillness, without thought, the Buddha responds to every situation. Transcending time, he manifests everywhere at once. This is an inconceivably wondrous response. It is also like a bright mirror, clear and translucent, that reflects any number of images without discrimination. Without the least effort, it reflects whatever is there.

vii. His spiritual powers: All the spiritual powers that the Buddha applies in saving living beings accord with the One Vehicle teaching, without distinctions of inferiority and superiority.

viii. His teaching the Dharma: The Buddha can skillfully and perfectly explain all kinds of Dharma according to principle, inspiring all living beings to unfold, show, awaken to, and realize the knowledge and vision of the Buddhas.

ix. His retinue: The Buddha has a great retinue of faithful followers.

x. His benevolence: The Buddha benefits living beings by inspiring them to undertake various practices.

2. The ten wonders of the door of the original pertain to the second half of the Dharma Flower Sutra (chaps. 15-28). This section discusses the eternal, original Buddha. Through manifesting in various forms to save living beings, Śākyamuni Buddha reveals his origins in the distant past. The Buddha actually realized Buddhahood immeasurable, limitless billions of koṭis of nayutas of cons ago. Since then, the Buddha has always remained in the Sahā world, teaching the Dharma to transform living beings, as described in chapter 16, “The Tathagata’s Life Span,” and other chapters. While the first half of the sutra focuses on the Buddha’s expedient teaching of the Three Vehicles to unfold the One Buddha Vehicle, the second half reveals the Buddha’s distant origins through his various provisional manifestations.

The ten wonders of the second half of the Dharma Flower Sutra differ from those of the first set. They elucidate the subtleties of the Buddha’s eternal origins (“the original”), from which his provisional manifestations derive. These ten wonders are:

i. The formative stage of practice

ii. The fruition of awakening

iii. His (Buddha) land

iv. His response

v. His spiritual powers

vi. His teaching of the Dharma

vii. His retinue

viii. His nirvana

ix. His life span

x. His benevolence

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v3, p248

Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s 14-volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra reflects his belief in a strong monastic foundation in Buddhism. He did not believe lay people were part of the Triple Jewel.

In Buddhism: A Brief Introduction, Master Hsuan Hua’s teachings are summarized.

People who believe in the Buddha’s teachings should formally take refuge with the Triple Jewel. The Triple Jewel is the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha. The third of the three jewels, the Sangha, literally means “harmoniously united assembly.” In the Six Paramitas Sutra the Buddha noted three kinds of Sangha.

The first Is the Sangha of the Primary Meaning, consisting of the Sagely Sangha of Buddhas who abide by the Dharma. The second is the Sangha of the Sages. The third is the ‘field of blessings Sangha,’ comprised of the Bhikshus and Bhikshunis who receive and uphold the moral precepts.

The Sangha of the Buddhas consists of all the infinite numbers of Buddhas in the world-systems of the universe. In the Buddhist world, however, the word Sangha generally refers to the Bhikshu and Bhikshuni Sangha – the lowest of the three types mentioned by the Buddha. The use of the word “sangha” to refer to the common lay community is misleading and a departure from the traditional usage and meaning of the word, as will be explained later in this chapter.

Buddhism: A Brief Introduction, p65

Later, we’re told:

In the Sutra of Changes to Come, the Buddha taught that the Dharma will disappear from the world simultaneously with the disappearance of the Sangha of Bhikshus and Bhikshunis, since the Dharma relies on the Sangha for its existence in the world.

Buddhism: A Brief Introduction, p70

When Hsuan Hua established his school in America he sought out followers who would leave the home life and devote themselves to monastic life. His teachings reflect this. Consider this discussion on the need for practice with study found in his commentary on Chapter 3, A Parable, in the Lotus Sutra.

I will tell you something that is extremely important. Do not let it fall on deaf ears and be forgotten. What is it? You must practice what you know. You cannot just read the sūtra and think, “I understand the principles,” and let it go at that. You must actually do what the sūtras say. The sutras tell you to get rid of your faults, so you must get rid of your faults. If you don’t get rid of your faults, you might as well not study the Buddhadharma. The Dharma teaches us to put others first and get rid of our faults. If you think that you can study the Buddhadharma and hold on to your imperfections, you are wrong. Everyone should pay special attention and keep this in mind. I’m not joking with you. If you don’t get rid of your faults and if you knowingly violate the rules, then you might as well not study the Buddhadharma at all. You are just a loafer among cultivators. Don’t goof off in the monastery or else you will certainly fall into the hells. Also, people who cultivate should watch over themselves and do their best to change their habits and faults.

I regard all you lay people equally, no matter who you are. I am not demanding perfection, nor am I insisting that you improve instantly, but I hope that you will gradually improve yourselves and get rid of your faults. You should know that I am deeply concerned for all of you and that I watch over you. I worry about your faults more than I do my own. Why? I hope that all of you will be better than me. I hope that you will blaze the trail for Buddhism in the West and be role models and pioneers in Buddhism. Don’t look upon yourselves lightly.

For me, Hsuan Hua’s teachings easily fit within my understanding of Nichiren Shu, where we have both priests who have left home and lay people. And I don’t particularly care that ordinary lay people are considered less important than priests. I also realized that a lot of Nichiren followers will balk at the idea that priests are important or even necessary. Such disputes are a distraction.

As followers of the Eternal Śākyamuni Buddha, especially here in America, we should all “blaze the trail for Buddhism in the West and be role models and pioneers in Buddhism.”

I read the first volume of the 2001 edition of Chinese Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary of the Lotus Sutra, which the Buddhist Text Translations Society gives away free (you pay for shipping). I wanted to know if it would be worthwhile to pay $159.95 for the full 14-volume set of the 2020 edition.

I did not read beyond that first volume of the 2001 edition before I purchased the new edition. But in reading the 2020 edition, I noticed several changes.

To begin, I noticed that the 2001 cover reads:

The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra

and the new cover  drops Flower and says

The Wonderful Dharma Lotus Sūtra

Another interesting piece of cover trivia. The first volume of both editions adds after the title,

A Simple Explanation by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua.

But on subsequent volumes that “simple explanation” becomes

with Commentary by the Venerable Master Hsuan Hua

Dropping the “Flower” and changing “A Simple Explanation” to a  “Commentary” I suspect is a byproduct of the revision being a part of the curriculum of the graduate certificate program in Buddhist translation offered by Dharma Realm Buddhist University‘s International Institute for the Translation of Buddhist Texts.

I was personally disappointed in some of the changes that I noticed. “A Simple Explanation” I feel better represents Venerable Master Hsuan Hua’s 25-month-long daily Dharma talks.

There were other changes beyond the adding of diacritical marks that I felt were part of an effort to give the “simple explanation” a more academic “commentary” feel.

Take for example Hsuan Hua’s list of 10 auspicious signs that occurred at Mañjuśrī’s birth. In the 2001 edition, the seventh sign said, “Horses gave birth to unicorns.” In the new edition, this becomes: “Horses gave birth to qilins.” Encyclopedia Britannica defines Qilin in Chinese mythology as “the unicorn whose rare appearance often coincides with the imminent birth or death of a sage or illustrious ruler.” Yes, Qilin has a more academic seriousness, but Unicorns are much more fun and readily understandable for Western readers.

I also noticed that some errors were introduced in the revision process.

The new edition includes a Foreword by Ron Epstein, PhD, Professor Emeritus, Dharma Realm Buddhist University. Professor Epstein misspells Nichiren as Nichirin.

More puzzling was a change in assignments for the Four Heavenly Kings.

On pages 260-261 of the first volume of the 2001 edition, we learn about the Four Great Heavenly Kings, who protect the four sides of Mount Sumeru.

The East is governed by Dhritarashtra
The South is governed by Virudhaka
The West is governed by Virupaksha
The North is governed by Vaishravana

On page 149 of the second volume of the 2020 edition, we are told:

The East is governed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra
The South is governed by Virūḍhaka
The West is governed by Vaiśravaṇa
The North is governed by Virūpāksa

West and North have been transposed. Vaiśravaṇa, Bishamon in Japanese, is guardian of the North. He is represented in the upper left corner of Nichiren’s Mandala Gohonzon. He is also one of the Seven Happy Gods of Japan (hence my personal interest). Each volume of the commentary comes with a Glossary. That glossary also includes Vaiśravaṇa governing the West instead of the North.

I contacted the Buddhist Text Translation Society at their published contact address [email protected]. I wanted to be sure that Hsuan Hua didn’t have some other arrangement of Guardian Kings. I was told, “You’re right we had mistakenly transposed the guardians of the West and North.”

After Master Hsuan Hua’s description of why the Richman in Chapter 4, Faith and Understanding, took on the appearance of someone who was “frightened,” Hsuan Hua offered a lesson about the strict retribution everyone receives, even a Buddha. As explained in a footnote at this point:

After the Buddha had realized Buddhahood, he went through three karmic retributions as a result of his past karma from previous lifetimes:

1. The Buddha’s foot was pierced through by a golden spear, which was actually a piece of wood chip;
2. the Buddha ate horse feed for three months; and
3. the Buddha suffered from a headache for three days.

The narratives that follow describe the last two of these retributions.
Re. T04 No. 197 Foshuo xinqihengjing 佛說興起行經 and To4 No. 196 Zhong benqi jing 中本起經.

A long, long time ago, when the Buddha was still in the formative stage of his practice, there was a famine in the country where he lived. Since there was nothing else to eat, people started eating fish from the sea. A very large fish was caught and brought up on shore. Śākyamuni Buddha, then just a child, hit it with a stick over the head three times. Therefore, although he had become a Buddha, he still suffered headaches as retribution.

Another time, while cultivating in a former life, he saw a bhikṣu going on alms rounds and said, “That bhikṣu is only fit to eat horse feed! Why do those people give him such delicious things to eat?” Because he made that one comment, when he became a Buddha, the following event took place: The Buddha went to another country for the summer meditation retreat. The king had said that he would make offerings to him, but when the Buddha got there, the king reneged. “Just give these bhikṣus horse feed!” he said. So for three months, the Sangha ate only horse feed.

Even though the Buddha has awe-inspiring virtue, he still manifested undergoing retributions such as these.

This story involves the principle of cause and effect as described in the following couplet:

Plant a good cause, reap a good result.
Plant a bad cause, reap a bad result.

The causes you planted in your former lives determine the results you now undergo.

Another story is about King Virūḍhaka’s extermination of the Śākyan clan.

In the past, Sakyamuni Buddha hit a large fish three times, and over five hundred people ate its flesh. Thus, after he became a Buddha, he had headaches as retribution, and King Virūḍhaka exterminated the Śākyan clan.

King Virūḍhaka was a king in India at that time, who wanted to kill everyone in the Śākyan clan. The Śākyans clan was composed of those very people who had, in the past, eaten the fish that Sakyamuni Buddha had hit on the head; and King Virūḍhaka was formerly that fish. Since they had eaten his flesh, he wanted to drink their blood and was determined to kill them all. Although the Buddha possessed all spiritual transformations with endless, wondrous applications, he could not save his kinsfolk.

Mahāmaudgalyāyana, however, could not bear this, and he tried to use his spiritual powers to save them. Why didn’t the Buddha save them? The Buddha knew that this occurrence was a destined retribution determined by the law of cause and effect. Maudgalyāyana did not know the involved cause and effect because, as an Arhat, he could only see the past causes and effects as far back as 80,000 great eons. Everything that happened prior to 80,000 great eons was beyond his knowledge.

Since he didn’t know the circumstances, he thought, “My teacher’s kinsfolk are going to be killed by the king. I must employ my spiritual powers and save them.”

Mahāmaudgalyāyana was foremost in spiritual powers among the Buddha’s disciples, so he recited a mantra that put five hundred members of the Śākyan clan into his alms bowl. Then he sent the bowl up into empty space. “There is no way King Virūḍhaka can kill them now,” he thought. When King Virūḍhaka had finished exterminating the Śākyan clan, Maudgalyāyana brought the bowl down again. Much to his dismay, he found only blood in place of the five hundred Śākyans. None of them survived.

Maudgalyāyana asked the Buddha, “Even with my spiritual powers, why couldn’t I rescue the Śākyan clan?” The Buddha replied, “There was no way to avoid the retribution of this particular case of cause and effect. If it could have been avoided, I would have saved my kinsfolk myself instead of waiting for you to save them.”

This example demonstrates that the law of cause and effect is difficult to escape. Bad karma you created in former lives will come back to you as retribution in this present life; retribution is inevitable.