Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p315-316As regards the respectful scripture of the Dharma Blossom, it is the source of many goodnesses and the luminous part of the ultimate wisdom. By going against it, one will see one’s sins piled up like a mountain; by following it, one will reach the state of happiness [as great] as the ocean. Although he has talked about it, [the Buddha] has not yet illustrated with concrete examples of men. Thus he draws from the past and proves the present, so that [the number of] believers may increase. If one slanders and goes against it, the guilt will be like that of Bhadrapāla and the others. If one complies with it, one’s fortune will be like that of the bodhisattva Never Disparaging (Sadāparibhūta). Having wanted to give testimonial to the sūtra, he thus set up this part, pointing out those who committed guilt and those who received happiness, in order to help dispose of their doubts and slanders about it. [The Buddha] demonstrates that the fruit of the bodhisattva’s attainment was the purification of his six faculties with a view to explaining that he had pure faith. Also expressed is the idea that guilt and fortune [entail each other like] shadow and echo; there cannot be any discrepancy as far as the underlying li is concerned. This is what a disciple [of the antinomian school, which] adheres [just] to the learning of how to cleanse [oneself], should be careful about. The retributions for their guilt are like those mentioned in [the parable of] the burning house (Chapter 3).
Category Archives: LS32
Tao-sheng: The Taste of Sweet Dew
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p312-313Anything which tastes good, bad, delicious, distasteful, bitter or astringent, will become as delicious as the nectar of heaven and not distasteful when it is put on their tongues
Innate endowment benefits and enriches us, enabling us to obtain the taste of the “sweet dew” present in us. Yet the rewards we receive are originally not “bitter and astringent.” How then can there be changes? But [the Buddha] says that there are, in order to draw them into a feeling of intimacy. The same is true when it comes to the rewards in connection with “sounds” and “scents.” How can they be spoken of as “ugly”? Yet, worldly sounds and scents [can be distinguished as] good or bad. When the bodhisattvas hear it, what harm is there then?
Tao-sheng: Counting Merits
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p312twelve hundred merits
“One thousand two hundred” meritorious virtues are based on the ten kinds of goodness. They are as follows: Self-practice, converting [others] through teaching, praise, and appropriate joy. Each has ten kinds of goodness, making a total of forty. One goodness in turn can be combined with the ten goodnesses. Forty goodnesses, all combined with the same, make the total of four hundred goodnesses. Four hundred goodnesses have [three grades] each: superior, mediocre, and inferior, making twelve hundred. The three faculties, unlike [the other three], consist of two grades, mediocre and inferior, to produce eight hundred goodnesses. The rest of the faculties have a superior [grade], and so they consist of twelve hundred [virtues].
The Cause of All Suffering
Following yesterday’s discussion of the Four Siddhānta, I’m offering a short discussion of greed and suffering from Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s commentary on Chapter 3, A Parable.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p455-456The cause of all suffering / Can be traced to desire. Of all the factors that aggregate into suffering, greed is foremost. What is greed? It is insatiability. No matter how much one gets, one always wants more. Let’s say you start off with nothing, and you somehow acquire 100 dollars. Before you had 100 dollars, you were satisfied with the idea of acquiring that much money. But once you get that 100 dollars, you feel it is not enough.
“I need 1,000,” you think. But when you get 1,000, you still aren’t satisfied.
“I want to buy some clothes, a house, and some property. A thousand is simply not enough. If I had 10,000 dollars, I’d really be satisfied. In fact, I’d retire. I’d never work again or want anything else. That would be enough for me!”
But once you’ve gotten 10,000 dollars, the price of goods and supplies has inflated. For example, when I first arrived in San Francisco, the price of a box of tofu was two cents. But over time, there has been inflation, and a box of tofu is now much more expensive. Then you think, “I would like to retire, but I need 100,000 to pay all my expenses after retirement, so I can’t retire yet.” As a result, you greedily go after 100,000, but it’s still not enough. When you attain 100,000, your greed is entirely out of hand, and you dream of becoming a millionaire.
But before you get 1,000,000 dollars, impermanence befalls you and it is your time to die. As you die, you think, “I wanted 1,000,000, but I never did reach my goal. I’ll try again next life, for sure.” In your next life, you again work like a horse so you can leave money for your children. What benefits does greed bring? The text says, “The cause of all suffering / Can be traced to desire.” Greed always brings misery, for greed is the root of suffering.
Tao-sheng: The Effect of the Three is that of the One
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p311-312The earlier chapter (10) concerning “preachers of Dharma” was aimed at preaching that the cause of three is that of the One. This chapter is aimed at making it widely known that the effect of the three is that of the One, and also at distinguishing the merit and reward of the Dharma as well.
The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
This refers to the Dharma preacher. It is said in the (previous?) chapter and in the great multitude [he] explains them others.” Here this statement is now substantiated.
will be able to obtain eight hundred merits of the eye, twelve hundred merits of the ear, eight hundred merits of the nose, twelve hundred merits of the tongue, eight hundred merits of the body, and twelve hundred merits of the mind.
As for the reward for those who practice the Dharma Blossom as they preach it, it is the great enlightenment wisdom. This wisdom is capable of clairvoyance and omniscience. If beings are to be given ultimate wisdom, it will be imparted to them imperceptibly. This is why it becomes present in men gradually, as if the joy could [only] be attained step by step. The rewards are explained in terms of the six senses, in order to attract learners. Hearing it, learners will be willing to practice the sūtra and accumulate the acts [as exhorted by the sūtra], working to achieve that by which they abide. As regards the statement that [the Buddha] resorts to the six senses [as teaching aids], [the faculty of] seeing the forms (rūpa) naturally is present in the eyes, and [the faculty of] perceiving the Dharma naturally is present in the mind. As already suggested, attainment through learning cannot make [one acquire] omniscience. Hence, the ever-penetrating eyes stop at seeing “the three thousand” [chiliocosms or great worlds]. On (this?) basis it is possible to speak of the physical body.
The physical body exists close to [reality] in a coarse form and so we can say that it is still short of the Dharma-body. In the final analysis, [however,] the three thousand [chiliocosms] being such, how can they be different from the ten quarters [in their largeness]? They represent [the range of] the ultimate illumination by the substance (t’i) of the Dharma body. The three faculties are illustrated [with respect to] the [eight hundred] virtues in reading and preaching [the sūtra]. Thus, the numbers shown are not identical [with that of the other three]. What they represent in totality is the One; separately, they represent the immeasurable. They are all merely approximate numbers. He who searches independently for the meaning of the chapter must grasp it beyond the words.
Four Accomplishments
This is still another example of how Chinese Master Hsuan Hua weaves basic Buddhist teachings within his commentary on the Lotus Sutra. This comes from Chapter 7, The Parable of the Conjured City.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v6, p146-147Looking at things from the perspective of the individuals being taught, we can consider the four siddhāntas. What is a siddhānta? Siddhānta is a Sanskrit word that means “accomplishment.” The four siddhāntas are:
- The worldly siddhānta. This refers to benefiting the world. Originally there was nothing, but something was created out of nothing, which brought delight to the beings who beheld it. The worldly siddhānta brings benefit to the world.
- The siddhānta for individuals. This benefits every individual by helping them attain repose and comprehension.
- The corrective siddhānta. This has the function of preventing misdeeds and guarding against enemies. It refers to corrective methods that benefit living beings by disciplining them.
- The siddhānta of the supreme truth. Eventually, living beings arrive at the state of ultimate nirvāṇa. In other words, they realize the supreme truth and obtain its benefits.
This explanation of the four siddhāntas is given according to the potentials of the individuals being taught. From the perspective of the Buddha’s response body, there are four more ways to explain the conjured city.
- The transformation of the world. The Buddha uses provisional and expedient Dharma so that living beings in the world will benefit from it. The conjured city is an example of this.
- The transformation of individuals. The Buddha teaches all living beings to undertake small acts of kindness.
- Transformation through correction. The Buddha teaches all living beings to get rid of the delusions arising from incorrect views and incorrect thoughts.
- Transformation according to the supreme truth. The Buddha teaches all living beings to attain the great fruition of the Great Vehicle – that is, to finally attain Buddhahood.
Tao-sheng: Merit for Rejoicing, Explaining and Propagating the Sūtra
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p309The merits of the person who causes even a single man to go and hear the Dharma are so many. It is needless to speak of the merits of the person who hears [this sūtra] with all his heart, reads it, recites it, expounds it to the great multitude, and acts according to its teachings.
This refers to the forthcoming chapter. What has not been substantiated in the preceding, and what has so far been omitted, is how much merit there will be for those who rejoice appropriately, “explaining” by turns and propagating [the sūtra to others].
Tao-sheng: Recompense
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p308Anyone who[, while he is staying outside the place of the expounding of the Dharma,] says to another person, ‘Let us go and hear the sūtra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma which is being expounded [in that place],’ and cause him to hear it even for a moment, in his next life by his merit , will be able to live with the Bodhisattvas who obtain dharanis. He will be clever and wise. He will not be dumb throughout thousands of millions of his future existences.
Why is the recompense [“for having rejoiced at hearing”] the Dharma Blossom administered this way? [The Buddha] merely takes up what men feel like [having]. Hence, [the Buddha] says: “[the body into which he is reborn] shall acquire carriages, as well as palanquins fitted with precious gems.”
His breath will not be foul.
There is nothing that can be disliked.
The Five Desires
Following yesterday’s example of how Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s commentary expands the Lotus Sutra, I offer another example of how he uses the sutra to explain basic Buddhist concepts.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v6, p321-324SUTRA
“Bhikṣus, you should know that the Tathagata possesses skillful means and profound understanding of the dispositions of living beings. Knowing that they aspire to lesser Dharmas and are deeply attached to the five desires, he teaches them nirvana. When they hear this teaching, they will immediately believe and accept it.”
COMMENTARY
Bhikṣus, you should know that the Tathagata possesses skillful means and profound understanding of the dispositions of living beings. Knowing that they aspire to lesser Dharmas and are deeply attached to the five desires… Śākyamuni Buddha said to the bhikṣus, “You should know!” Know what? The Dharma that the Tathagata teaches is the provisional Dharma. Why does he teach the provisional Dharma? Because the potentials of living beings vary. If you were to teach them the ultimate Dharma, they probably wouldn’t believe it; if you were to teach them through skillful means, then they probably would believe it.
The expedient Dharma-doors that the Tathagatas use are always in accord with living beings. Why does the Buddha use expedient Dharma-doors to teach living beings? He does so because all living beings have individual conditions that allow them to be taken across through specific skillful means. The Buddha teaches them accordingly. What’s meant by living beings with conditions that allow them to be taken across through specific skillful means? For example, the Buddha, “knowing that they aspire to lesser Dharmas,” can see that their vision of things is small. Since all these living beings know are petty things and minor principles, they wouldn’t understand if you were to speak to them about the entire universe. They know only their small problems, so they wouldn’t understand it if you tried to talk to them about the problems of the world. Their resolve is to just cultivate a tiny path. They continue to be “deeply attached to the five desires.”
The five desires are the desires for wealth, sex, fame, food, and sleep.
- Wealth. In this world, if you have wealth, you can buy any material goods, so people are attached to their wealth. If they could see through it, then they wouldn’t be attached to it; being unable to see through it, people fight over money. I’ve often told you that the word money in Chinese [錢 qian], is composed of two swords [戈ge] and the radical for gold [金 jin]. This means that “You have a sword, I have a sword, and the two of us fight over the gold.” So those with money will have a lot of trouble; those who don’t have money won’t have this problem. But everyone wants money, and they aren’t afraid of the trouble it brings. If you know how to use money properly, you can create blessings; if you don’t know how to use it well, you’ll commit offenses. With money you can either create merit or else commit a lot of offenses. Therefore, money is really the worst thing there is! Money is filthy! You’ll often see people counting money by spitting on their fingers when they count the bills. Who knows how many germs are on that money? It’s quite unsanitary, yet no one seems to mind. When it comes to money, people seem to like it, and they aren’t concerned about hygiene.
- Sex. This is the desire for nice-looking forms and the attachment to attractive appearances.
- Fame. This is greed for celebrity. When someone praises you, you’re elated. If someone says something bad about you, you may feel even more hurt than if you’d been stabbed in the heart with a knife. Reputation is very important to people, but it’s just one of the five desires.
- Food. This refers to the food we eat every day. If you have one kind of food to eat but not another kind, you may not feel satisfied. If you have that kind of food but not this kind, you may not feel satisfied either. If you eat both kinds of food at the same time, you won’t be able to eat much of either one, so you still won’t feel satisfied. There’s no way that you can ever satisfy your desire for food. If you cultivate the Path, you mustn’t look upon food and drink as being overly important. You should think of them as medicine that you use to keep your body from becoming dehydrated and emaciated. Don’t get too attached to food.
- Sleep. Everyone likes to sleep. You might feel that sleeping for one hour is not enough, nor is sleeping for two, three, four, or five hours. Finding sleep immensely enjoyable, you feel you must sleep at least seven or eight hours a night.
These are the five desires to which living beings are attached and which they find extremely important. They can’t get along without money. Nor can they go without sex. They have to have some fame, and they can’t be lacking food or sleep either. They tend to be deeply attached to one or more of these five desires.
Tao-sheng: complete penetration of the ultimate of nothingness
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p308The living beings [of the six regions] are of one or another of the four kinds of births:
What they seek is [merit], [but their pleasure is] “not like the appropriate joy the fiftieth person would get in hearing the Dharma Blossom.” The merits of the four fruitions, as mentioned earlier, are of limited measure [in comparison with this joy]. [In contrast,] the Dharma Blossom, on behalf of li, represents the complete penetration of the ultimate of nothingness. Men have appropriate joys, which means that they have accomplished the path of Thus Come One. The path has been accomplished because of these men, so their merits cannot be easily kept down [from arising]. Hence, it is said, “[the merit] does not equal one-hundredth part, not one-thousandth part.” How can this be an empty [statement]?