Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Having last month reviewed the preparations prior to going to see Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, we’re off to see the Buddha.

Thereupon King Wonderful-Adornment, Queen Pure-Virtue, and their two sons came to that Buddha. The king was accompanied by his ministers and attendants; the queen, by her ladies and attendants; and their two sons, by forty-two thousand men. They worshiped the feet of that Buddha with their heads, walked around the Buddha three times, retired, and stood to one side.

Thereupon the Buddha expounded the Dharma to the king, showed him the Way, taught him, benefited him, and caused him to rejoice. The king had great joy. The king and queen took off their necklaces of pearls worth hundreds of thousands, and strewed the necklaces to the Buddha. The necklaces flew up to the sky [seven times as high as the tala-tree], and changed into a jeweled platform equipped with four pillars. On the platform was a couch of great treasures, and thousands of millions of heavenly garment were spread [on the couch]. The Buddha [went up,] sat cross-legged [on the couch], and emitted great rays of light. King Wonderful­Adonunent thought, ‘The Buddha is exceptional. He is exceedingly handsome. He has the most wonderful form.’

The Daily Dharma from Dec. 21, 2016, offers this:

The Buddha uses this description as part of the story of King Wonderful-Adornment in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. This King was led by the supernatural powers of his children to meet Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star- King Flower-Wisdom Buddha who was teaching the Wonderful Dharma in that world. The King and his wife the Queen were both so inspired by that Buddha that they allowed the symbols of their wealth and power to be transformed into a sacred platform from which the Buddha could lead all beings to enlightenment. When they found that Buddha, the beauty of his wisdom far outshone the beauty of their jewels.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Having last month heard the dharani spells of Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, we come to Vaisravana Heavenly-King.

Thereupon Vaisravana Heavenly-King, the Protector of the World, said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! I also will utter dharanis in order to protect this teacher of the Dharma out of my compassion towards all living beings.’

Then he uttered spells, ‘Ari, nari, tonari, anaro, nabi, kunabi.’

[He said to the Buddha:]

‘World-Honored One! I will protect this teacher of the Dharma with these divine spells. I also will protect the person who keeps this sutra so that he may have no trouble within a hundred yojanas’ distance [from here].’

Lotus World offers this about Vaishravana, whom Nichiren placed in the upper left corner of the Mandala Gohonzon.

Vaishravana is the chief of the four heavenly kings. The Flammarion Iconographic Guide: Buddhism describes Vaishravana as follows: Vaisravana is the guardian of the north and the chief of the four guardian kings, ‘He who is knowing’, ‘He who hears everything in the kingdom’, the protector of the state par excellence, sometimes thought to be a god of defensive warfare. In China, he is considered to be a Buddhicization of the Indian god of wealth, Kuvera, the north being considered to hold fabulous treasures. He presides over winter and is black, so is also called ‘the black warrior’. His symbols are a jewel and a serpent, and he commands a large army of Yaksas.

Vaishravana’s army and attendants consisted of the kimnaras and the yakshas, two of the eight kinds of supernatural beings who are said to revere and protect the Dharma. The kimnaras are celestial musicians and dancers who have the bodies of birds with human heads and torsos. They officiate at Vaishravana’s court. The yakshas are a kind of flesh-eating demon or spirit who make up Vaishravana’s army.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Having last month covered lust, anger and stupidity, we complete the enumeration of the supernatural powers of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva-­mahasattva.

A woman who, wishing to have a boy, bows and makes offerings to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, will be able to give birth to a boy endowed with merits, virtues and wisdom. [A woman] who, wishing to have a girl, [does the same,] will be able to give birth to a beautiful girl who will be loved and respected by many people because of the roots of virtue which the [newly-born] girl planted in her previous existence. Endless-Intent! Because World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva has these powers, the merits of those who respect him and bow to him will not be fruitless. Therefore, all living beings should keep the name of World-Voice­-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Endless-Intent! Suppose a good man or woman keeps the names of six thousand and two hundred million Bodhisattvas, that is, of as many Bodhisattvas as there are sands in the River Ganges, and offers drink, food, clothing, bedding and medicine to them throughout his or her life. What do you think of this? Are his or her merits many or not?

Endless-Intent said, “Very many. World-Honored One!”

The Buddha said:

Anyone who keeps the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and bows and makes offerings to him even for a moment, will be given as many merits as to be given to the good man or woman as previously stated. The merits will not be exhausted even after hundreds of thousands of billions of kalpas. Endless-Intent! Anyone who keeps the name of World-Voice­Perceiver Bodhisattva will be given these benefits of innumerable merits and virtues.

In the February 1, 2017, Nichiren Shu News, Rev. Shokai Kanai of the Las Vegas Kannonji Temple, has an article entitled, “Before Trying to Become a Buddha, Behave like a Bodhisattva!”

To behave like a Bodhisattva means to keep up your work in the office, do chores at home and help the community. Bringing happiness to others is behaving like a Bodhisattva.

Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Last month covered the benefits obtained by Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahasattva, and now we return to the All-Pure-Light-Adornment World and complete Chapter 24.

Thereupon Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahasattva made offerings to Sakyamuni Buddha and to the stupa of Many­Treasures Buddha, [benefited the living beings of the Saha­World,] and left for his home world] accompanied by the eighty-­four thousand Bodhisattvas. As they passed through the [one hundred and eight billion nayuta] worlds, the ground of those worlds quaked in the six ways; lotus-flowers of treasures rained down; and hundreds of thousands of billions of kinds of music were made. Having reached his home world, accompanied by the eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas who surrounded him, he came to Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha. He said to the Buddha:

World-Honored One! I went to the Saha-World and benefited the living beings there. I saw Sakyamuni Buddha and the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha. I bowed and made offerings to them. I also saw Manjusri Bodhisattva, the Son of the King of the Dharma. [I also saw] Medkine-King Bodhisattva, Endeavor-Power-Obtainer Bodhisattva, Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, and others. I also caused these eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas to obtain the ability to practise the samadhi by which they could transform themselves into any other living being.

When [Sakyamuni Buddha] expounded this chapter of the Coming and Going of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, forty-two thousand gods obtained the truth of birthlessness, and Flower-­Virtue Bodhisattva obtained the ability to practice the samadhi for the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

I’m pondering the position of gods and the truth of birthlessness. The truth of birthlessness is first mentioned in the Devadatta chapter as something to which some of his disciples will aspire. In The Variety of Merits, six hundred and eighty billion nayuta livings beings obtained the truth of birthlessness after Sakyamuni revealed the duration of his life in the previous chapter. Realizing the truth of birthlessness is one of the benefits obtained by a woman, reborn a man, who hears of the Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. And, finally, 68,000 people obtained the truth of birthlessness when the Buddha expounded the Dharanis chapter.

Today’s quote from Awakening to the Lotus offers this on life and death and, I suppose, birthlessness:

The suffering of birth, old age, sickness, and death are facts of everyone’s lives. No matter how developed science may become or how far medicine may advance, these cannot be avoided. Buddhism teaches, however, that when a person discovers that he or she exists within the life of the Eternal Buddha and can perceive the great stream of life flowing endlessly from the past through the present and into the future, he or she will escape the suffering that these events normally cause.
Awakening to the Lotus

Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Having last month covered the sacrifice and restoration of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, we come to the big reveal about Medicine-King Bodhisattva and some more flaming offerings.

The Buddha said to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva:

What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Saha-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]

Star-King-Flower! Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe. Then he will be given more merits than the person who offers not only countries, cities, wives and children, but also the mountains, forests, rivers and ponds of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and various kinds of treasures. But the merits to be given to the person who fills the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds with the seven treasures and offers that amount of the seven treasures to the Buddhas, to the Great Bodhisattvas, to the Pratekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gatha of four lines of this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

The Daily Dharma from Sept. 7, 2016, offers this:

What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Sahā-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]

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 begun Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, it’s time to discuss what who Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings was.

Thereupon the Buddha said to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva:

Innumerable kalpas ago, that is as many kalpas as there are sands in the river Ganges ago, there lived a Buddha called Sun­-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue, the Tathagata, 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. He was accompanied by eight thousand million great Bodhisattva-mahasattvas and also by great Sravakas numbering seventy-two times as many as there are sands in the River Ganges. The duration of his life was forty-two thousand kaipas. So were the durations of the lives of the Bodhisattvas. His world was devoid of women, hellish denizens, hungry spirits, animals and asuras. There was no calamity in his world. The ground of his world was as even as the palm of the hand. It was made of lapis lazuli, adorned with jeweled trees, and covered with a jeweled awning from which the streamers of jeweled flowers were hanging down. Jeweled vases and incense-burners were seen everywhere in that world. There was a platform of the seven treasures at the distance of a bowshot from each of the jeweled trees under which the Bodhisattvas and Sravakas were sitting. On each of the platforms of treasures, myriads of millions of gods were making heavenly music, singing songs of praise of the Buddha, and offering the music and songs to the Buddha.

Thereupon [Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue] Buddha expounded the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to Gladly­-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, to the other Bodhisattvas, and also to the Sravakas. Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva willingly practiced austerities under Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha. He walked about the world, seeking Buddhahood strenuously with all his heart for twelve thousand years until at last he obtained the samadhi by which he could transform himself into any other living being. Having obtained this samadhi, he had great joy.

Next month, the offering of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings.

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

Having last month meet Never-Despising Bodhisattva, we learn of his abuse and his reward.

Some of the four kinds of devotees had impure minds. They got angry, spoke ill of him and abused him, saying, ‘Where did this ignorant bhiksu come from? He says that he does not despise us and assure us that we will become Buddhas. We do not need such a false assurance of our future Buddhahood.’ Although he was abused like this for many years, he did not get angry. He always said to them, ‘You will become Buddhas.’

When he said this, people would strike him with a stick, a piece of wood, a piece of tile or a stone. He would run away to a distance, and say in a loud voice from afar, ‘I do not despise you. You will become Buddhas.’ Because he always said this, he was called Never-Despising by the arrogant bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. When he was about to pass away, he heard [from a voice] in the sky the twenty thousand billion gathas of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, which had been expounded by the Powerful-Voice-King Buddha. Having kept all these gathas, he was able to have his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind purified as previously stated. Having his six sense-organs purified, he was able to prolong his life for two hundred billion nayuta more years. He expounded this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to many people [in his prolonged life]. The arrogant bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas, that is, the four kind of devotees who had abused him and caused him to be called Never-Despising, saw that he had obtained great supernatural powers, the power of eloquence, and the great power of good tranquility. Having seen all this, and having heard the Dharma from him, they took faith in him, and followed him.

This Bodhisattva also taught thousand of billions of living beings, and led them into the Way to Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. After the end of his prolonged life, he was able to meet two hundred thousand million Buddhas, all of them being called Sun-Moon­light. He also expounded the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma under them. After that, he was able to meet two hundred thousand million Buddhas, all of them being called Cloud­Freedom-Light-King. He also kept, read and recited this sutra, and expounded it to the four kinds of devotees under those Buddhas so that he was able to have his natural eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind purified and to become fearless in expounding the Dharma to the four kinds of devotees.

The Daily Dharma from Jan. 9, 2017, offers this:

Although he was abused like this for many years, he did not get angry, He always said to them, ‘You will become Buddhas.’

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 covered the merits of the mind in prose, we conclude this the chapter in gathas.

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

Their minds will become pure, clear, keen and undefiled.
They will be able to recognize with their wonderful minds
The superior, mean and inferior teachings.
When they hear even a gatha [of this sutra],
They will be able to understand
The innumerable meanings of [this sutra].

When they expound [this sutra]
In good order according to the Dharma
For a month, four month or a year,
They will be able to understand at once
The thoughts of gods, dragons, men, yakisas, demigods,
And of all the other living beings
Inside and outside this world
Composed of the six regions
Because they keep
The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

They also will be able to hear and keep
The Dharma expounded to all living beings
By the innumerable Buddhas of the worlds
of the ten quarters
Who are adorned with the marks of one hundred merits.

When they think over the innumerable meanings [of this sutra],
And endlessly repeat the expounding of those meanings,
They will not forget or mistake the beginnings and ends of quotations
Because they keep the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

They will see the reality of all things.
Knowing the position [of this sutra in the series of sutras],
And the names and words [of this sutra],
according to the meanings of it,
They will expound [this sutra] as they understand it.

They will expound the Dharma
Already taught by the past Buddhas.
Therefore, they will be fearless
Before the multitude.

Anyone who keeps the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Will have his mind purified as previously stated.
Although he has not yet obtained the [wisdom-]without-asravas,
He will be able to obtain [these merits of the mind].

When he keeps this sutra,
He will be able to reach a rare stage.
He will be joyfully loved and respected
By all living beings.

He will be able to expound the Dharma
With tens of millions of skillful words
Because he keeps
The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

[Here ends] the Sixth Volume of the Sotra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

The Daily Dharma from Aug. 5, 2016, offers this:

They will see the reality of all things.
Knowing the position [of this sūtra in the series of sūtras],
And the names and words [of this sūtra], according to the meanings of it,
They will expound [this sūtra] as they understand it.

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 concluded the merits of the 50th person who rejoices at hearing the Lotus Sutra in prose, we now repeat what was said in gathas.

Suppose a man rejoices at hearing this sutra
Or at hearing even a gatha of it
In a congregation,
And expounds it to a second person.

The second person expounds it to a third person.
In this way it is heard by a fiftieth person.
Now I will tell you of the merits
Of the fiftieth person.

Suppose there was a great almsgiver.
He continued giving alms
To innumerable living beings
For eighty years according to their wishes.

Those living beings became old and decrepit.
Their hair became grey; their faces, wrinkled;
And their teeth, fewer and deformed.
Seeing this, he thought:
‘I will teach them because they will die before long.
I will cause them to obtain the fruit of enlightenment.’

Then he expounded the truth of Nirvana to them
As an expedient, saying:
‘This world is as unstable
As a spray of water,
Or as a foam, or as a filament of air.
Hate it, and leave it quickly!’

Hearing this teaching, they attained Arhatship,
And obtained the six supernatural powers,
Including the three major supernatural powers,
And the eight emancipations.

The superiority of the merits of the fiftieth person
Who rejoices at hearing even a gatha [of this sutra]
To the merits of this [great almsgiver]
Cannot be explained by any parable or simile.

The merits of the [fiftieth] person
[Who hears this sutra] are immeasurable.
Needless to say, so are the merits of the first person
Who rejoices at hearing it in the congregation.

The Daily Dharma from Nov. 25, 2016, offers this:

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Eighteen of the Lotus Sutra. This chapter includes a story of a person who hears the Wonderful Dharma, then explains it to the best of their ability to someone else. In this way there is a chain of fifty people who hear versions of this teaching modified by the capacities of those transmitting it. The effectiveness of this teaching does not depend on who delivers it. No matter what our capacity, any of us can teach the Lotus Sutra and practice it in our lives.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

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

Having last month finished Chapter 17, it’s time to begin again with
The Variety of Merits.

Thereupon the innumerable, asamkhya living beings in the great congregation, who had heard from the Buddha that the duration of his life was so many kalpas as previously stated, obtained great benefits.

At that time the World-Honored One said to Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahasattva:

Ajita! When I said that the duration of my life was so long, six hundred and eighty billion nayuta living beings, that is, the living beings as many as there are sands in the River Ganges, obtained the truth of birthlessness. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas numbering one thousand times the number of these living beings obtained the dharanis by which they could memorize all that they had heard. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas as many as the particles of earth of a Sumeru-world obtained eloquence without hindrance. Another group of Bodhisattva-mahasattvas as many as the particles of earth of a Sumeru world obtained the dharanis by which they could memorize many hundreds of thousands of billions of repetitions of teachings. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas as many as the particles of earth of one thousand million Sumeru-worlds obtained the faculty of turning the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma. Bodhisattva-mahasaltvas as many as the particles of earth of one million Sumeru-worlds obtained the faculty of turning the wheel of the pure Dharma. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas as many as the particles of earth of one thousand Sumeru-worlds obtained the faculty of attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi after eight rebirths. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas four times the number of the particles of earth of the four continents obtained the faculty of attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi after four rebirths. Bodhisattva­-mahasattvas three times the number of the particles of earth of the four continents obtained the faculty of attaining Anuttara-samyak-­sambodhi after three rebirths. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas twice the number of the particles of earth of the four continents obtained the faculty of attaining Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi after two rebirths. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas as many as the particles of earth of the four continents obtained the faculty of attaining Anuttara-samyak­-sambodhi immediately after this life. Living beings as many as the particles of earth of eight Sumeru-worlds aspired for Anuttara-­samyak-sambodhi.

When the Buddha said that these Bodhisattva-mahasattvas had obtained the great benefits of the Dharma, [the gods] in heaven rained mandarava-flowers and maha-mandarava-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 Tathagata, who had passed away a long time ago, and Sakyamuni 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.

Someday I want to try to illustrate Bodhisattvas lined up vertically one upon another to the Heaven of Brahman, holding canopies and streamers.