Two Buddhas, p94-95The Hossō school represents an intriguing case, in that its doctrinal position offered a steadfast minority opposition, not only to the Tiantai/Tendai schema of the five periods, but also to the entire notion of buddhahood as a universal possibility. Hossō thought distinguishes two kinds of buddha nature: buddha nature as suchness or principle (J. ri busshō), which is universal, and active buddha nature (gyō busshō), which is not. Buddha nature as principle is quiescent and does not manifest itself in the phenomenal world; thus its universality does not mean that all beings can become buddhas. Achieving buddhahood depends on the presence of “untainted seeds” originally inherent in the ālaya or storehouse consciousness, the root consciousness underlying samsaric existence in which all deeds and impressions are stored as “seeds” or latent potentials, later fructifying in the form of experience. According to Hossō doctrine, individuals can be divided into “five natures” according to what sort of seeds they possess. Some have “active buddha nature,” that is, seeds that enable them to practice the bodhisattva way and become buddhas. Others have seeds that allow them to practice the path of the śrāvaka or the pratyekabuddha. These individuals can reach the nirvāṇa of the arhat, but they cannot become buddhas. Another group has a mixture of two or more of these three kinds of seeds: bodhisattva, śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha. Which kind of seed will develop is not predetermined; such persons are therefore said to be of “indeterminate nature.” Last, there are those who possess no untainted seeds and thus can never escape saṃsāra. They can, however, better their condition by accumulating merit through Buddhist practice.
Against the Lotus Sūtra’s claim that the three vehicles are the Buddha’s skillful means while the one vehicle is true, Hossō thinkers put forth this division of human capacity into five natures; they argued that the three vehicles of the śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattva are true, while the one vehicle is a skillful method, designed by the Buddha to lead persons of the indeterminate group to follow the bodhisattva path and become buddhas, rather than taking the lesser path of the two vehicles. To support this argument, they invoked the Lotus Sūtra’s theme of “resuscitating” śrāvakas and restoring them to the bodhisattva path — as when the Buddha, in Chapter Three, reminds Śāriputra of his long-forgotten bodhisattva vow. Saichō, the Japanese Tendai founder, countered in part by drawing on Huayan (J. Kegon) thinkers to argue that suchness has not only a quiescent aspect as universal principle (fuhen shinnyo), but also a dynamic aspect that manifests itself as the concrete forms of the phenomenal world (zuien shinnyo). He also maintained that suchness has the nature of realizing and knowing. Thus, there was no need to postulate seeds in the store consciousness of only certain individuals as the cause of buddhahood. Saichō equated suchness in its dynamic aspect with active buddha nature, and because suchness is universal, everyone has the potential to realize buddhahood.
Category Archives: LS32
Day 18
Day 18 concludes Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, and begins Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices.
Having last month considered Mañjuśrī’s question, we consider the proper practices a Bodhisattva-mahāsattva should perform and the proper things a Bodhisattva-mahāsattva should approach.
“Mañjuśrī! What are the proper practices the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should perform? He should be patient, mild and meek. He should not be rash, timorous, or attached t anything. He should see things as they are. He should not be attached to his nonattachment to anything. Nor should he be attached to his seeing thing as they are. These are the proper practices the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should perform.
“What are the proper things the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should approach? He should not approach kings, princes, ministers or other government directors. He should not approach heretics, aspirants for the teaching of Brahman, Nirgraṇṭhas, writer of worldly literature, writers of non-Buddhist songs of praise, Lokāyatas or Anti-Lokāyatas. He should not approach players of dangerous sports such as boxers or wrestlers. He should not approach naṭas or other various amusement-makers. He should not approach caṇḍālas, boar-keepers, shepherds, poulterers, dog-keepers, hunters, fishermen, or other people who do evils for their livelihood. When they come to him, he should expound the Dharma to them, but should not wish [to receive anything from them]. He should not approach those who seek Śrāvakahood, be they bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās. He should not exchange greeting with them. He should not stay with them in the same monastery, promenade or lecture-hall. When they come to him, he should expound the Dharma to them according to their capacities, but should not wish [to receive anything from them]. Mañjuśrī! The Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas should not expound the Dharma to a woman with a desire for her. He should not wish to look at her. When he enters the house of others, he should not talk with a little girl, an unmarried woman or a widow. He should not approach or make friend with anyone of the five kinds of eunuchs. He should not enter the house of others alone. lf he must enter it alone for some rea on, he should think of the Buddha with all his heart. When he expounds the Dharma to a woman, he should not laugh with his teeth visible to her. He should not expose his breast to her. He should not be friendly with her even for the purpose of expounding the Dharma to her. Needless to say, he should not be so for other purposes. He should not wish to keep young disciples, śramaṇeras or children. He should not wish to have the same teacher with them.
See A Happy Life
A Happy Life
Buddhism for Today, p169“A Happy Life” [the title of the Peaceful Practices chapter in the 1975 edition of the Threefold Lotus Sutra] means always to maintain a peaceful and happy mind and willingly to practice religious disciplines. So long as a person faces religious persecution with resentment, his mental attitude does not embody the ideal way of a true believer of the Lotus Sutra; whatever misfortune may befall him, he must maintain a peaceful and calm mind for the sake of the Law and must voluntarily practice religious discipline and preach the Law.
Day 17
Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.
Having last month heard Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva greet Mañjuśrī and Mañjuśrī tell of the skills of the dragon king’s daughter, we hear Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva’s doubts and meet the dragon king’s daughter.
Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva said:
“As far as I know, [when he was a Bodhisattva,] Śākyamuni Buddha sought Bodhi, that is, enlightenment incessantly for innumerable kalpas. He accumulated merits by practicing austerities. Even the smallest part, even the part as large as a poppy-seed of this world-this world being composed of one thousand million Sumeru-worlds-is not outside the places where the Bodhisattva made efforts to save all living beings at the cost of his life. It was after doing all this that he attained Bodhi, that is, enlightenment. I do not believe that this girl will be able to attain perfect enlightenment[, that is, to become a Buddha] in a moment.”
No sooner had he said this than the daughter of the dragon king came to [Śākyamuni] Buddha. She worshipped [his feet] with her head, retired, stood to one side, and praised him with gāthās:
You know the sins and merits
Of all living beings.
You illumine the worlds of the ten quarters.
Your wonderful, pure and sacred body
Is adorned with the thirty-two major marks
And with the eighty minor marks.Gods and men are looking up at you.
Dragons also respect you.
None of the living beings
Sees you without adoration.Only you know that I [am qualified to] attain Bodhi
Because I heard [the Dharma].
I will expound the teachings of the Great Vehicle
And save all living beings from suffering.
The Modern Perspective on the Dragon King’s Daughter
Buddhism for Today, p159Women of today may feel dissatisfied that the dragon’s daughter was suddenly transformed into a male and then became a buddha. Such an expression was used merely because of the idea of women in ancient India. The sudden transformation of a woman into a male means nothing but the transcendence of the difference between male and female. Sakyamuni Buddha asserted that animals, birds, worms, plants, and trees, as well as human beings, possess the buddha-nature. How could he then discriminate between men and women? It is impossible. Observed with the Buddha’s eyes, all living beings are equal. We must never misunderstand this.
Equality of Physical and Spiritual
When it comes to the Ten Suchnesses, which we recite daily as we conclude our recitation of Chapter II, the most important idea is that there is no disconnect from any aspect of our physical life or our spiritual life and that in all things there is equality. Buddhism and enlightenment are not something that manifests in only one aspect of our life.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraDay 16
Day 16 concludes Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures, and completes the Fourth Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month compared difficult and easy tasks, we conclude the comparison of easy and difficult tasks.
It is not difficult
To grasp the sky,
And wander about with it
From place to place.It is difficult
To copy and keep this sūtra
Or cause others to copy it
After my extinction.It is not difficult
To put the great earth
On the nail of a toe
And go up to the Heaven of Brahman.It is difficult
To read this sūtra
Even for a while in the evil world
After my extinction.It is not difficult
To shoulder a load of hay
And stay unburned in the fire
At the end of the kalpa [of destruction].It is difficult
To keep this sūtra
And expound it to even one person
After my extinction.It is not difficult
To keep the store
Of eighty-four thousand teachings
Expounded in the sūtras
Composed of the twelve elements,
And expound it to people,
And cause the hearers to obtain
The six supernatural powers.It is difficult
To hear and receive this sūtra,
And ask the meanings of it
After my extinction.It is not difficult
To expound the Dharma
To many thousands of billions of living beings
As many as there are sands
In the River Ganges
So that they may be able
To obtain the benefits:
Arhatship and the six supernatural powers.It is difficult
To keep
This sūtra
After my extinction.
Accomplishing Such A Difficult Task
Buddhism for Today, p152[T]he Buddha points out the difficulties that we will have in perfectly receiving and keeping the Lotus Sutra, reading and reciting it, and expounding it. Though we must incessantly strive toward perfect practice, we have already understood some of the difficulties mentioned above. So we need not feel discouraged. The very fact that we actually study this sutra, remember it, and are ready to practice it within the limits of our ability bears witness to the possibility of our accomplishing such a difficult task. We should, rather, encourage each other in our practice in these difficult times so that all the buddhas will rejoice in us.
Day 15
Day 15 concludes Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, and opens Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures.
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures, we return to the top of today’s portion of Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, and we consider how the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the most difficult to believe and understand.
Thereupon the Buddha said again to Medicine-King Bodhisattva mahāsattvas:
“I have expounded many sūtras. I am now expounding this sūtra. I also will expound many sūtras in the future. The total number of the sūtras will amount to many thousands of billions. This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand.“Medicine-King! This sūtra is the store of the hidden core of all the Buddhas. Do not give it to others carelessly! It is protected by the Buddhas, by the World-Honored Ones. It has not been expounded explicitly. Many people hate it with jealousy even in my lifetime. Needless to say, more people will do so after my extinction.
“Medicine-King, know this! Anyone who copies, keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, makes offerings to it, and expounds it to others after my extinction, will be covered by my robe. He also will be protected by the present Buddhas of the other worlds. He will have the great power of truth, the power of vows, and the power of roots of good. Know this! He will live with me. I will pat him on the head.
Protected by the Tathāgata with His Robe.
Buddhism for Today, p144Some people may think it strange that this sacred teaching should incur enmity and envy, but it is not really strange, because whenever a better teaching is preached or believed in, those who believe in a lower teaching tend to envy it and are irritated and upset by it. Others scorn the teaching when they know nothing of its content. Still others denounce a good teaching as heresy and persecute it. When Sakyamuni Buddha, Jesus Christ, and Nichiren began to preach their teachings, all were attacked by enemies and underwent religious persecution.
As mentioned before, the Buddha promises us: “Even if the Lotus Sutra arouses much enmity and envy, endure this and receive, keep, and practice the sutra. Such a person will be protected and invested by the Tathāgata with his robe.”