Category Archives: LS32

LS Introduction, LS32, d26b

The Key Concept Revealed in Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo

In Chapter 21, “Supernatural Powers of the Tathagatas,” Sakyamuni authorizes these Great Bodhisattvas from Underground to propagate the Lotus Sutra after his extinction. Besides, the Buddha teaches that the heart of the Sutra’s teachings should be manifested through four key dharmas: (1) all the teachings of the Tathagata, (2) all the unhindered, supernatural powers of the Tathagata, (3) all the treasury of the hidden core of the Tathagata, and (4) all the profound achievements of the Tathagata.

Nichiren interpreted the four key dharmas to be represented in the title, MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO, or “Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.” Besides, he understood that in the Age of Degeneration, the Bodhisattvas from Underground will certainly appear in order to propagate the Name of the Dharma. As long as Sakyamuni was physically present, the essence of the Primal Mystery (Hommon) was present in the “one chapter and two halves.” In the evil world after his death, however, that key concept would be revealed in the five-character title of MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO, or the “Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32

Day 26

Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Having last month concluded Day 26’s portion of The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, we cycle back to the top with Day 26’s portion of Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Thereupon the Buddha said to the great Bodhisattvas headed by Superior-Practice:

“The supernatural powers of the Buddhas are as immeasurable, limitless, and inconceivable as previously stated. But I shall not be able to tell all the merits of this sūtra to those to whom this sūtra is to be transmitted even if I continue telling them by my supernatural powers for many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas. To sum up, all the teachings of the Tathāgata, all the unhindered, supernatural powers of the Tathāgata, all the treasury of the hidden core of the Tathāgata, and all the profound achievements of the Tathāgata are revealed and expounded explicitly in this sūtra. Therefore, keep, read, recite, expound and copy this sūtra, and act according to the teachings of it with all your hearts after my extinction! In any world where anyone keeps, reads, recites, expounds or copies this sūtra, or acts according to its teachings, or in any place where a copy of this sūtra is put, be it in a garden, in a forest, under a tree, in a monastery, in the house of a person in white robes, in a hall, in a mountain, in a valley, or in the wilderness, there should a stupa be erected and offerings be made to it because, know this, the place [where the stupa is erected] is the place of enlightenment. Here the Buddhas attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Here the Buddhas turned the wheel of the Dharma. Here the Buddhas entered into Parinirvana.”

See Four Phrases of the Primary Mystery

LS Introduction, LS32, d26b

Four Phrases of the Primary Mystery

What Sakyamuni transmits [in Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas,] to Superb-Action and the other Great Bodhisattvas, who welled up from underground, is nothing less than (1) all the teachings of the Buddha, (2) all the unhindered supernatural powers of the Buddha, (3) all the treasury of the hidden core of the Buddha, and (4) all the profound achievements of the Buddha. These are called the Four Phrases of the Primary Mystery. Great Master Chih-i taught that the meanings that the title (Daimoku) expresses — that is, the meaning of the title itself, the purpose of the sutra, its essential teachings, the influence it has upon its readers, and the value of its teachings (which five he called the main things to be commented on in interpreting any sutra)—are expressed here in the Four Phrases of the Primary Mystery. Nichiren, on the other hand, believed that the Four Phrases of the Primary Mystery are to be found in the Sacred Title itself (Odaimoku), and what Sakyamuni now transmits to Superb-Action and the others is the Sacred Title of NAMU-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO. (“I devote myself to the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32, WONS

Day 25

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

Having last month learned Śākyamuni’s connection to those in the congregation, we repeat in gāthās.

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

There was once a Buddha,
Called Powerful-Voice-King.
His supernatural powers and wisdom
Were immeasurable.
Leading all living beings, he is honored
By gods, men and dragons with offerings.

Some time after the extinction of that Buddha,
His teachings had almost died out.
At that time there lived a Bodhisattva
Called Never-Despising.
The four kinds of devotees at that time
Were attached to views.

Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Went to them,
And said,
“I do not despise you
Because you will practice the Way
And become Buddhas.”

When they heard this,
They spoke ill of him and abused him.
But Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Endured all this.

Thus he expiated his sin.
When he was about to pass away,
He heard this sūtra,
And had his six sense-organs purified.
He prolonged his life
By his supernatural powers,
And expounded this sūtra
To many people.

Those who were attached to views
Were led into the Way
To the enlightenment of the Buddha
By this Bodhisattva.

Never-Despising [Bodhisattva] met
Innumerable Buddhas after the end of his life.
He expounded this sūtra,
And obtained innumerable merits,
He quickly attained the enlightenment of the Buddha
By these accumulated merits.

While I’ve exhausted the Introduction to the Lotus Sutra‘s comment on Never Despising Bodhisattva, I recently came across this in Nichiren’s letter Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution:

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches a doctrine called “lightening the karmic retribution.” It proclaims that when a retribution accumulated from the evil karma in one’s previous lives is too heavy to be atoned for in this life, one will have to endure the suffering in hell in the future. One may, however, bear hell’s suffering in the present life instead so that one’s suffering in hell in a future life disappears instantly and one will instead be able to receive the blessings of the realm of humanity and that of heavenly beings, as well as the blessings of the Three Vehicles and attain Buddhahood after death. It was not without reason that Never Despising Bodhisattva was spoken ill of, slandered, beaten with sticks and pieces of wood, or had rubble thrown at him. His persecution in this life seems to be the consequences of his slandering the True Dharma in his previous lives. Therefore it is stated in the sutra, “His sins have been atoned.” [Or in Murano’s translation, “Thus he expiated his sin.”] I believe it means that Never Despising Bodhisattva’s past sin ceased to exist through his persecution.

Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 29

LS32

Day 24

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

See The Unity of All Religions

LS Introduction, LS32, d3b, d4b, d5b, d6b

The Unity of All Religions

Great Master Chih-i extolled the teaching of the One Vehicle as the unifying principle of Buddhism, presenting it as the doctrine which “opens the Three to reveal the One (Vehicle)” or “encompasses the three with the One.” Since the Three Vehicles symbolize all the sects of Buddhism united through this principle, the One Vehicle could also mean the unity of all the religions of the world, non-Buddhist as well as Buddhist.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32

Day 23

Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.

Having last month considered the eight hundred merits of the eye, we consider the twelve hundred merits of the ear.

“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sūtra, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merits of the ear. With their pure ears, they will be able to recognize all the various sounds and voices inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, [each of which is composed of the six regions] down to the Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven. They will be able to recognize the voices of elephants, horses and cows; the sounds of carts; cryings and sighings; the sounds of conch-shell horns, drums, gongs and bells; laughter and speech; the voices of men, women, boy and girls; meaningful voices, meaningless voices; painful voices, delightful voices; the voices of the unenlightened ones, the voices of the enlightened ones; joyful voices, joyless voices; the voices of gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras and mahoragas; the sounds of fire, water and wind; the voices of hellish denizens, animals and hungry spirits; and the voices of bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. In a word, with their pure and natural ears given by their parents, they will be able to recognize all the sounds and voices inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, although they have not yet obtained heavenly ears. Even when they recognize all these various sounds and voices, their organ of hearing will not be destroyed.”

See The Six Perfections

LS Introduction, LS32

The Six Perfections

The Six Perfections … are considered to be the fundamental practices of Mahayana Buddhism, the Great Vehicle, and are the Way of Bodhisattva Practice. Their Sanskrit name, Paramita, really means, “reaching the other shore.” In other words, these are six methods for attaining the goal of Buddhahood.

  1. The Perfection of Generosity (dana-paramita, “giving”). It has two meanings: giving material goods and giving spiritual teachings. The Perfection of Generosity is the purest manifestation of devoted service for others. This Perfection is placed at the head of all others for it summarizes the whole spirit of the Great Vehicle.
  2. The Perfection of Morality (sila-paramita, following the ethical precepts). There are five moral precepts in Buddhism, which are considered to be aspirations, not commandments: (1) not to take life, (2) not to steal, (3) not to indulge in unlawful sexuality, (4) not to lie, and (5) not to become intoxicated by drink or drugs.
  3. The Perfection of Patience (ksanti-paramita). When a Bodhisattva practices the Six Perfections, he is sure to encounter obstacles and opposition from other people. The Bodhisattva must remain patient in adversity. It takes courage sometimes to exercise self-control, not become angry, and not strike back with a blow for a blow.
  4. The Perfection of Vigor (virya-paramita, “endeavor”). Putting forth one’s best effort. The final aim of the Perfection of Endeavor is to attain Buddhahood. We must approach every task with vigor and enthusiasm, and so improve our lives and the lives of those around us. No detail is too small not to require our best effort. The one great task of achieving Buddhahood requires the fulfilling of a thousand small tasks every day.
  5. The Perfection of Concentration (dhyana-paramita, meditation). Dhyana is called Zen in Japanese. It is sometimes translated as “Meditation,” but in Buddhism there are various types of meditation, depending on what the one who meditates hopes to achieve. Here it means one-pointed concentration, not only of the mind but also of the heart. Any practice which helps us gain unity of mind and heart is dhyana.
  6. The Perfection of Wisdom (prajna-paramita). The last of the Six Perfections is Prajna. It is the cornerstone of all the Perfections, for without Wisdom none of the others fit together. Without wisdom, none would be “perfections.” Wisdom is not the same as simple knowledge or understanding. When the Buddha recognizes the truth (the Dharma), that is wisdom. In wisdom, the Buddha’s person and the universal law (Dharma) are one. The state in which subjective character and objective truth merge into one is true wisdom.
Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

LS32

Day 22

Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.

Having last month learned of the great benefits received by Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, we witness the reaction of the gods in heaven.

When the Buddha said that these Bodhisattva-mahāsattva had obtained the great benefits of the Dharma, [the gods) in heaven rained mandārava-flowers and mahā-mandārava-flowers on the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees. They also rained those flowers on [the two Buddhas:] Many-Treasures Tathāgata, who had passed away a long time ago, and Śākyamuni Buddha, both of whom were sitting on the lion-like seat in the stupa of the seven treasures. They also rained those flowers on the great Bodhisattvas’ and the four kinds of devotees. They also rained the fine powder of the incense of candana and aloes [on them). Heavenly drums automatically sounded wonderful and deep in the sky. [The gods] also rained thousands of heavenly garments and hung many necklaces made of pearls, mani gems or free-at-will gems over the nine quarters. They also burned priceless incense which was put in incense-burners of many treasures. The incense-burners automatically went around the great congregation, and the odor of the incense was offered to all the members of the congregation. Above each of the Buddhas [sitting under the trees), Bodhisattvas lined up vertically one upon another to the Heaven of Brahman, holding canopies and streamers. They praised the Buddhas, singing innumerable verses with their wonderful voices.

See Five Stages in the Future

LS Introduction, LS32, d22b

Five Stages in the Future

[In Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits,] the five stages in the future consist of rejoicing on hearing the Sutra, reading and reciting the Sutra, expounding it to others, practicing the Six Perfections, and mastering the Six Perfections.

  1. The Stage of Rejoicing.
    At the first stage, one listens to the Lotus Sutra, receives it joyfully, and desires to follow its teachings (p. 258).
  2. The Stage of Reading and Reciting.
    At this stage, one who has already experienced the joy makes further progress. He or she keeps the Lotus Sutra; reads and recites it aloud, plumbs its meaning, and studies it more deeply.
  3. The Stage of Expounding It to Others.
    At this stage, one makes further progress yet, and is able to explain the Sutra to others.
  4. The Stage of Practicing the Six Perfections (Paramitas). At this stage, one is so immersed in the Sutra that he or she begins to practice the Six Perfections of a Bodhisattva.
  5. The Stage of Mastering the Six Perfections.
    At this final stage, one upholds the Lotus Sutra, plumbs its deep meaning, explains it to others, practices the Six Perfections, and begins to realize them naturally in daily life.
Introduction to the Lotus Sutra