The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p98-99All Buddhist teachings are for the purpose of helping us, but if we cling to them as though they themselves are the goal, they can become more of a hindrance than a help to continuing on the path. We should welcome the Buddha’s teachings with joy and make use of them in our lives, but we should not cling to them as though the teachings themselves are the goal.
The Dharma Flower Sutra provides assurance that everyone has buddha-nature, that everyone is endowed from birth with a potential to be a buddha. It teaches that all will follow the bodhisattva way to some degree, however minimal. But it does not say that this way will be easy, or that it will make our lives easy. It promises a happy life, but not a life of comfort and ease. Especially when compared with remaining in a fantastic castle-city, continuing on the long, steep, and arduous road is difficult, and even fraught with danger.
Both patient endurance of hardship and perseverance are required, two of the six transcendental practices of bodhisattvas. In Buddhism this world is known as the “saha world,” that is, the world in which suffering both has to be and can be endured. Nichiren, the thirteenth-century Japanese Buddhist monk and patriarch of many groups devoted to the Lotus Sutra, understood this all too well. And because the Lotus Sutra taught him to anticipate persecution and suffering, he was able to endure much suffering and cope with the problems that confronted him.
Leaving a resting place or giving up some comfort does not, of course, mean that we should feel miserable all the time. The point is that by resting you gain both strength and joy for pursuing a path that is both arduous and joyful.
Category Archives: LS32
Day 10
Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.
Having last month heard the prediction for Great Kātyāyana, we conclude today’s portion of Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood with the prediction for Great Maudgalyāyana.
Thereupon the World-Honored One said again to the great multitude:
“Now I will tell you. This Great Maudgalyāyana will make various offerings to eight thousand Buddhas, respect them, and honor them. After the extinction of each of those Buddhas, he will erect a stūpa-mausoleum a thousand yojanas high, and five hundred yojanas wide and deep. He will make it of the seven treasures: gold, silver, lapis lazuli, shell, agate, pearl and ruby. He will offer flowers, necklaces, incense applicable to the skin, incense powder, incense to burn, canopies, banners and streamers to the stūpa-mausoleum. After that he will make the same offerings to two hundred billions of Buddhas. Then he will become a Buddha called Tamālapattra-candana-Fragrance, the Tathāgata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. The kalpa in which he will become that Buddha will be called Joyfulness; and his world, MindHappiness. The ground [of his world] will be even, made of crystal, adorned with jeweled trees, and purified with strewn flowers of pearls. Anyone will rejoice at seeing it. Innumerable gods, men, Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas will live there. The duration of the life of that Buddha will be twenty-four small kalpas. His right teachings will be preserved for forty small kalpas, and the counterfeit of his right teachings also will be preserved for forty small kalpas.”
Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
After he gives up his present existence,
This Great Maudgalyāyana, a disciple of mine,
Will see many Buddhas,
Many World-Honored Ones.
He will see eight thousand of them,
And then two hundred billions of them.In order to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha,
He will make offerings to them, and respect them.
He will perform brahma practices under those Buddhas,
And keep the teachings of those Buddhas
For innumerable kalpas.After the extinction of each of those Buddhas,
He will erect a stūpa of the seven treasures.
There will be a long golden yasti
On the top of the stūpa.
He will offer flowers, incense and music
To the stūpa-mausoleum of the Buddha.He will finally complete
The Way of Bodhisattvas,
And become a Buddha
Called Tamala [pattral-candana-Fragrance
In a world called
Mind-Happiness.The duration of the life of that Buddha
Will be twenty-four [small] kalpas.
He will expound to gods and men
The enlightenment of the Buddha.As many Śrāvakas as there are sands in the River Ganges
Will have the six supernatural powers,
Including the three major supernatural powers.
They will be exceedingly powerful and virtuous.Innumerable Bodhisattvas also will live there.
They will be resolute in mind, and strenuous.
They will never falter
In seeking the wisdom of the Buddha.After the extinction of that Buddha,
His right teachings
Will be preserved for forty small kalpas.
So will the counterfeit of them.The five hundred disciples of mine
Are powerful and virtuous.
They also shall be assured
Of their future Buddhahood.
They will become Buddhas
In their future lives.Now I will tell you
About my previous existence
And also about yours.
All of you, listen attentively!
The Daily Dharma from May 16, 2020, offers this:
Now I will tell you
About my previous existence
And also about yours.
All of you, listen attentively!
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Six of the Lotus Sūtra. When the Buddha taught in India 2500 years ago, people took for granted that their lives continued from previous lives and would continue on into future lives. Whatever comforts we enjoy or calamities we endure in this life were thought to be caused by what we did in our former lifetimes. Our actions today were thought to determine what happens in our future lives. To our modern understanding this can sound mystical and unlikely. But if we understand that everything, including our joy and suffering, has causes and conditions, whether or not we realize these results immediately, we know that the result of creating benefit is benefit, and the result of creating harm is harm. When we hold the happiness of all beings to be as precious as our own, we would no more mistreat others than we would want them to mistreat us.
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Day 9
Day 9 covers Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs, and introduces Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood.
Having last month considered how the Buddha is like the rain cloud, we consider how the Buddha preaches the Dharma untiringly and without partiality.All gods and men!
Listen to me with one mind!
Come here and see me,
Who am the Most Honorable One!I am the World-Honored One.
I am not surpassed by anyone.
I have appeared in this world
To give peace to all living beings.I will expound the Dharma as pure as nectar
To you all in this great multitude.
My teachings are of the same taste.
They are for emancipation, that is, for Nirvana.I will expound these teachings [of mine]
With a wonderful voice.
My purpose is
To reveal the Great Vehicle.I see all living beings equally.
I have no partiality for them.
There is not ‘this one’ or ‘that one’ to me.
I transcend love and hatred.I am attached to nothing.
I am hindered by nothing.
I always expound the Dharma
To all living beings equally.
I expound the Dharma to many
In the same way as to one.I always expound the Dharma.
I do nothing else.
I am not tired of expounding the Dharma
While I go or come or sit or stand.
I expound the Dharma to all living beings
Just as the rain waters all the earth.I am not tired of giving
The rain of the Dharma to all living beings.
I have no partiality for them,
Whether they are noble or mean,
Whether they observe or violate the precepts,
Whether they live a monastic life or not,
Whether they have right or wrong views,
Whether they are clever or dull .Those who hear the Dharma from me
Will reach various stages
[Of enlightenment]
According to their capacities.
Transforming This World Into A Pure Buddha Land
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p82The Dharma Flower Sutra calls upon us, not only to transform individuals, but also “to purify buddha-lands.” From the point of view of the Sutra, of course, this earth is the buddha land of Shakyamuni Buddha. This world, and especially this world, is Shakyamuni Buddha’s world. But the Buddha is not some sort of all-powerful God ruling the universe. The Buddha is embodied, made real, in the Buddha-deeds of ordinary living beings. The Buddha invites us to be partners with him in transforming this world into a pure buddha land, where there is a kind of harmony of beauty enabling living beings to flourish together in many different healthy ways, all equally depending on the Dharma and on one another.
[Chapter 5] of the Lotus Sutra encourages us to think of the large picture and to be grateful that we are nourished by the Dharma raining on us. But it is also important to recognize that the Dharma can be rained down by us. In Zen and Western Thought the famous Zen scholar Masao Abe wrote that “the greatest debt without doubt is to my three teachers. … Without the Dharma rain they poured upon me, a rain which nourished me for many years, even this humble bunch of flowers could not have been gathered.”
In other words, to follow the Buddha Way, the Dharma, is to be nourished by the Dharma, but it is also to nourish others – many kinds of others. In still other words, to follow the Buddha Way of transforming living beings and purifying buddha lands is to become a buddha oneself, at least in small but very important ways.
Day 8
Day 8 concludes Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, and closes the second volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month considered the son taking control of the storehouses but still living in a hovel, we consider how the Buddha is like the rich man.“After a while the father noticed that his son had become more at ease and peaceful, that he wanted to improve himself, and that he felt ashamed of the thought that he was base and mean. The time of the death of the father drew near. The father told his son to call in his relatives, the king, ministers, kṣatriyas, and householders. When they all assembled, he said to them, ‘Gentlemen, know this! This is my son, my real son. He ran away from me when I lived in a certain city, and wandered with hardships for more than fifty years. His name is so-and-so; mine, so-and-so. When I was in that city, I anxiously looked for him. I happened to find him [years ago]. This is my son. I am his father. All my treasures are his. He knows what has been taken in and what has been paid out.’
“World-Honored One! At that time the poor son was very glad to hear these words of his father. He had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He thought, ‘I never dreamed of having this store of treasures myself. It has come to me unexpectedly.’
“World-Honored One! The great rich man is you. We are like [his son, that is,] your sons because you always tell us that we are your sons. World-Honored One! We once had many troubles in the world of birth and death because of the three kinds of sufferings.’ We were so distracted and so ignorant that we clung to the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. At that time you caused us to think over all things and to clear away the dirt of fruitless discussions about them. We made strenuous efforts according to the teachings [of the Lesser Vehicle] and attained Nirvāṇa as a day’s pay. Having attained it, we had great joy, and felt satisfied [with the attainment of it]. We said, ‘We have obtained much because we made efforts according to the teachings of the Buddha.’ But when you saw that we clung to mean desires and wished to hear only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle, you left us alone. You did not tell us that we had the treasure-store, that is, the insight of the Tathāgata. You expounded the wisdom of the Buddha[, that is, the Great Vehicle] with expedients, but we did not aspire for that vehicle because, when we had obtained the day’s pay of Nirvāṇa from the Buddha, we thought that we had already obtained enough. We did not wish to have what you had showed and expounded to the Bodhisattvas by your wisdom. You expounded the Dharma to us with expedients according to our capacities because you knew that we wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. We did not know that we were your sons. Now we know that you do not grudge your wisdom to anyone. Although we were your sons then as we are now, we wished to hear only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. If we had aspired for the teaching of the Great Vehicle, you would have already expounded it to us. Now you expound only the One Vehicle in this sūtra. You once reproached us Śrāvakas in the presence of the Bodhisattvas because we wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. [At that time we thought that you had taught us only the Lesser Vehicle,] but now we know that you have been teaching us the Great Vehicle from the outset. Therefore, we say that the great treasures of the King of the Dharma have come to us although we did not seek them, and that we have already obtained all that the sons of the Buddha should obtain.”
See Our Invitation to Continue to Grow in Wisdom, Compassion, and Service
Our Invitation to Continue to Grow in Wisdom, Compassion, and Service
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p73At the end of this story, the son is happy, as he has acquired great wealth, much greater wealth than he had ever imagined having. But, while it is the end of the story, we must not imagine that it is the end of the matter. We can even say that his difficulties – that is, his responsibilities – have now really only just begun. Awakening is a process – a responsibility as much as an achievement or a gift.
As the shravakas say right after the telling of this parable, we should never become complacent and satisfied with some lesser level of awakening, such as some great experience of nirvana, but always pursue the Buddha way.
Perhaps above all, this chapter is an exhortation never to be complacent with what one has achieved, an invitation to continue to grow in wisdom, compassion, and service.
That is the bodhisattva way, the bodhisattva way of becoming a buddha.
The Four Meanings of ‘One Great Purpose’ of the Buddhas
Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 132-133[I]t says in the Lotus Sutra, “O Śāriputra! All the buddhas, the Blessed Ones, appear in the world for just one great purpose and reason.” The four meanings of “one great purpose” should be well understood. What are these four?
- The meaning of that which is unsurpassed indicates [that the tathāgatas appear in the world to show that] there is nothing else [to achieve] but the omniscient knowledge solely of the tathāgatas. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to reveal the insight of the buddhas in order to purify the knowledge of living beings.” “The insight of the buddhas” means the tathāgatas are able to realize the profound truth with their knowledge of true reality.
- The meaning of sameness indicates [that the tathāgatas appear in the world to manifest] the equality of the absolute body of the disciples, the self-enlightened buddhas, and the buddhas. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to manifest the insight of the buddhas to living beings.” “Equality of the absolute body” means that the absolute body and the buddha-nature are undifferentiated.
- The meaning of what is not known indicates [that the tathāgatas appear in the world to manifest what is not known] to all the disciples, self-enlightened buddhas, and others who are not able to know the real basis [of the tathāgatas]. “Not able to know the real basis” means they do not understand that there is only the ultimate, unique buddha vehicle. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to enlighten living beings about the insight of the buddhas.”
- The meaning of wanting to cause [living beings] to realize an irreversible stage indicates that [the tathāgatas appear in the world because they] want to give countless acts of knowledge. Just as it says in the Lotus Sutra, “[The tathāgatas] appear in the world because they want to make living beings enter the insight of the buddhas.”
Furthermore, “to make manifest” means that [the tathāgatas] want to cause all those bodhisattvas with doubts to know a practice in accordance with the truth. Also, “to make enlightened” means to cause those who have not yet produced the thought of enlightenment to produce it, and to cause those who have already produced it to enter the truth (Dharma). Moreover, “to cause to realize” means to cause those who are following heretical systems to produce realization. Also, “to cause to enter” means to cause living beings who have attained the fruits of the Small Vehicle of the disciples to enter enlightenment.
Day 7
Day 7 concludes Chapter 3, A Parable, and begins Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith.
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, we return to the top of today’s portion of Chapter 3, A Parable, and the Buddha’s declaration that this triple world is his property and all living beings his children.This triple world
Is my property.
All living beings therein
Are my children.
There are many sufferings
In this world.
Only I can save
[All living beings].I told this to all living beings.
But they did not believe me
Because they were too much attached
To desires and defilements.Therefore, I expediently expounded to them
The teaching of the Three Vehicles,
And caused them to know
The sufferings of the triple world.
I opened, showed, and expounded
The Way out of the world.Those children who were resolute in mind
Were able to obtain
The six supernatural powers
Including the three major supernatural powers,
And to become cause-knowers
Or never-faltering Bodhisattvas.Śāriputra!
With this parable I expounded
The teaching of the One Buddha-Vehicle
To all living beings.
All of you will be able to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha
If you believe and receive
These words of mine.This vehicle is
The purest and most wonderful.
This is unsurpassed by any other vehicle
In all the worlds.
This vehicle is approved with joy by the Buddhas.
All living beings should extol it.
They should make offerings to it,
And bow to it.The powers, emancipations,
dhyāna-concentrations, wisdom,
And all the other merits [of the Buddhas],
Many hundreds of thousands of millions in number,
Are loaded in this vehicle.I will cause all my children
To ride in this vehicle
And to enjoy themselves
Day and night for kalpas.The Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas
Will be able to go immediately
To the place of enlightenment
If they ride in this jeweled vehicle.Therefore, even if you try to find another vehicle
Throughout the worlds of the ten quarters,
You will not be able to find any other one
Except those given by the Buddhas expediently.
The Enchanting Stories of the Lotus Sutra
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p19The chief way in which the Lotus Sutra enchants is by telling stories – parables and similes, accounts of previous lives, stories of mythical events, and so forth. Though there are various ways of counting, it contains well over two dozen different stories. In the Sutra, a great many traditional Buddhist doctrines are mentioned, such as the four noble truths, the eightfold path, the three marks of the Dharma, interdependent origination, the twelve-link chain of causation, the six perfections, and more. Even one of the Sutra’s most emphasized teachings, that of the one vehicle of many skillful means, is initially presented as an explanation of why there is such a variety of teachings within Buddhism. There are plenty of teachings or doctrines in it, but if we want to approach a fuller understanding of what the Dharma Flower Sutra teaches, we had better pay attention to its stories, and not merely to propositions within them or to sentences that explain them, but also to the overall thrust and function of the stories within this very unusual Sutra.
An Explanation of Four Things Regarding the Tathāgata
Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 129-130Hereafter is shown an explanation of four things [regarding the Tathāgata]. It should be known that these [four] are: 1) [the Tathāgata’s] fixed resolve, 2) the reason for the prediction, 3) taking the prediction, and 4) giving the prediction.
The Tathāgata’s Determination
For what purpose is [the Tathāgata’s] “fixed resolve”? It eliminates the dread of those who have produced the feeling of dread. Thus it is used to benefit the two types of people. This is why the Tathāgata has “fixed resolve.” The five types of dread should be known:
- The “dread of loss” refers to those of the Small Vehicle who take what they have heard as the truth, criticizing [and denying the existence of] the Great Vehicle. They think, “The Tathāgata has said the fruit of arhatship is the ultimate nirvana. I have completely apprehended such a nirvana.” Thus, this is the dread that the arhats have not entered nirvana.
- The “dread of excessive toil” refers to those of the Great Vehicle who upon hearing about the extreme duration, which extends through numbers of world-ages, and the various difficult practices of the bodhisattva path, produce this thought: “The path of the buddhas is extremely long. For countless, immeasurable world-ages I will be carrying out the bodhisattva practice and undergoing great hardship for a long time.” Thinking of this, they feel dread. Therefore they produce the thought of taking up a different vehicle.
- The “dread of biased views” refers to [the fear of] consciousness that discriminates the various forms of “I” and “mine,” that the body and self are real, and that [wholesome] factors are unwholesome.
- The “dread of regret” refers to [those like] Venerable Śāriputra who gave rise to the thought “I should not have practiced or realized the way of the Small Vehicle.” Having recognized the compulsion for this regret, there is the feeling of dread.
The “dread of being deceived” refers to the arrogant disciples who think, “Why has the Tathāgata deceived us?” It is such a dread as this. Regarding the reason for the prediction, it says in the Lotus Sutra:
Stop, Śāriputra, I will speak no further. If I explain this, all those in the world—the living beings, the heavenly beings, and others—will become frightened.
The elucidation of his reason [for not giving an explanation] – that all beings will become frightened – has three purposes: 1) [the Tathāgata] wants to make those in the great assembly think about and seek his profound and subtle realm; 2) [the Tathāgata] wants to make those in the great assembly feel respectful and completely wish to hear what he will explain; 3) [the Tathāgata] wants to cause the arrogant disciples to depart from the religious gathering.