Tag Archives: 6paramitas

Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Higan: 10 Advantages of Giving

Today is the first day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

The today we consider the Perfection of Generosity. For this Fall Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses the 10 advantages of each pāramitā.

Let’s talk about the ten advantages resulting from the pāramitā of giving. What are they?

  1. One will be able to conquer the afflictions associated with stinginess. Stinginess is a form of affliction that’s hard to overcome. With the practice of giving, one can overcome this affliction.
  2. One will be able to maintain a continuous attitude of generosity. Sometimes people’s first thought is to give, but in their next thought they retreat and get stingy. One must resolve to give in thought after thought. The second advantage of practicing true giving is that one develops and maintains an attitude of generosity.
  3. One will be able to share one’s wealth with living beings without discrimination. Because you can give money away to others, your wealth will flow to others and be shared with them.
  4. One will be born in a wealthy, honorable family.
  5. In every life, one will always be generous and ready to give.
  6. One will be loved and cherished by the fourfold assembly. The bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās, and upāsikās will all like you because you’re generous.
  7. One will remain undaunted in the presence of the multitudes. If you have no virtue, you’ll be easily intimidated by others. If you meet someone with virtue, you’ll be intimidated by them. If you meet someone who is mean and wicked, you’ll be intimidated as well. You’ll be terrified of both the good and the bad. If you practice giving, no matter how much tough opposition you encounter from other people – be it good or bad opposition – you won’t be afraid. You’ll remain undaunted in the presence of the multitudes.
  8. One’s good reputation will be heard everywhere. If you practice giving, everyone will know that you’re a great and wealthy elder. Your good reputation will be known by all.
  9. One’s hands and feet will be soft and supple. Your hands will be as supple and smooth as cotton. They won’t be coarse like sandpaper. The Buddhas’ hands are said to be as soft as tūla cotton, which is a result of them practicing giving in every life.
  10. This advantage is even better. What is it? One will encounter a genuine good spiritual teacher in whichever monastery one is. If you fail to meet a genuine good spiritual teacher, it’s because you didn’t practice giving in your past lives. If you come across good spiritual teachers, they’ll employ “relentless compassion” to remonstrate with you and give you advice that you don’t want to hear. Although their words might sound critical, their constructive criticism comes from a compassionate heart.

These ten advantages will be conferred upon those who practice giving. Each of the remaining five pāramitās also has ten advantages.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v8, p136-138
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Higan: Counteraction, Interaction and Rewards

For this Fall Higan week I’m using Chinese Master Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra.  Before starting Higan week tomorrow, I offer Hsuan Hua’s explaination of the Counteraction, Interaction and Rewards associated with the Six Pāramitās.

The six pāramitās can also be explained in three other ways.

  1. Counteraction. The first pāramitā, giving, counteracts stinginess. Being stingy, you are reluctant to give. Giving is an act of letting go. The second pāramitā, upholding precepts, counteracts breaking the precepts. The third pāramitā, patience, counteracts hatred. The fourth pāramitā, vigor, counteracts indolence, so that you won’t be lax. The fifth pāramitā, dhyāna, counteracts scatteredness. The sixth pāramitā, prajña, counteracts ignorance.
  2. Interaction. If one [becomes a monastic when one] renounces one’s household life and wife – that is, if one practices giving – one is upholding precepts. When one is able to endure humiliation without complaining, one is patient. Having been patient, one can be vigorous. Having been vigorous, one can regulate the five sense faculties – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body – so they no longer play tricks and will listen to you. When the five sense faculties have been regulated, you’ll understand the nature of the Dharma realm. To understand the Dharma realm is prajā. This is an explanation of the six pāramitās according to their Interaction.
  3. Rewards. Giving brings the reward of being rich. Upholding the precepts brings the reward of the perfection and refinement of the six sense faculties. You won’t be blind or crippled, or lack a hand or leg, or otherwise lack the complete six sense faculties – eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. Patience brings the reward of physical beauty. You’ll be born with good looks. Why are people ugly? Because in past lives they were impatient and couldn’t cope with their difficulties. Vigor brings the reward of having great power and authority. Dhyāna brings the reward of a long and healthy life. You can live as long as you like. Prajña brings the reward of unobstructed eloquence.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v8, p135-136
Hsuan Hua, Vajra Sutra

Vajra Sutra: Giving Without Marks of Giving

A Bodhisattva should not dwell anywhere when he practices giving. In other words, he should not be attached when he gives. If he is able to free himself from attachment, he has understood that the substance of the Three Wheels, composed of:

  1. One who gives,
  2. One who receives, and
  3. That which is given, is empty.

If your act of giving carries with it the thought, “I practice giving and have done many meritorious and virtuous deeds,” or if you are aware of the receiver, or of the goods given, then you have not left the mark of giving. You should give and be as if you had not given. If you attach to the marks of the six sense objects – forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangible objects, and mental constructs – when giving, your merit and virtue are limited. If you fall victim to the thought, “I contributed a million dollars to a certain temple,” then all you have is a million dollars’ worth of merit. When the money runs out, so do your merit and virtue.

If you are not attached to the mark of giving, you accrue limitless merit and virtue, even by giving as little as a single cent. If you fail to practice the proper method of giving, then although you may give gifts throughout as many great kalpas as there are motes of dust, you will still have accomplished nothing. It still has been just like boiling sand to make rice; no matter how long you cook it, it never becomes rice.

Sakyamuni Buddha used the analogy of “empty space in the ten directions” to represent the extent of merit and virtue involved in the act of giving which is detached from the mark of giving. He said, “Subhūti, a Bodhisattva should only dwell in what is taught thus.” A Bodhisattva who has already resolved to realize Bodhi should think of what he has thus been taught and adhere to it in cultivation.

If you remember what you have given, then I will forget it. If you can forget it, then I will keep it in mind. It is the same with the Buddha who, knowing the minds of all living beings, is aware that you have not forgotten the merit and virtue of your acts of giving, and so he finds it unnecessary to remember them himself. When you forget them, the Buddha remembers. Do you think it is better for you or the Buddha to remember?

You think, “I am afraid that if I forget, the Buddha will forget, too, and then I simply will not have any merit at all.”

Never fear. If you forget about your acts of giving the Buddha will eternally remember them. As it says later in the Vajra Sutra, “All the various thoughts which occur to all living beings are completely known to the Tathagata.” When you do good things, you remember them, but when you do bad, do you also cherish the memories? No, you try to forget your offenses immediately, yet you fondly ponder the good you have done. You should forget the good and remember the bad. Why remember the bad? So you will not do it again. Why forget the good? So you will feel the need to do more.

The Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra, p54-55
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: Beating of the Great Dharma Drum

Today is the final day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

The today we consider the Perfection of Wisdom.  For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

Maitreya Bodhisattva said to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, “Moreover, I see Bodhisattvas / Of profound wisdom and solid resolve, / Capable of questioning the Buddhas, / Then upholding all they hear.” These Bodhisattvas were exceptionally wise and steadfast in their resolve. When they had doubts, they sought clarification from the Buddhas. They asked about the Dharma, and having received their answers, they put what they had heard into practice, upholding and cultivating in accord with the Dharma.

Maitreya went on, saying, “I also see Buddhas’ disciples, / Accomplished in wisdom and samādhi, / Teaching Dharma to the multitudes / Through countless analogies.” These sons of the Dharma King, who were replete with the power of samādhi and wisdom, used an uncountable number of parables and principles to expound the Buddhadharma for the sake of living beings. They delight in explaining the Dharma / As they teach Bodhisattvas. / Vanquishing all the hordes of Māra, / They beat the Dharma drum. The more they taught, the more enthusiastic they became about teaching; this is known as unobstructed eloquence. The Dharma they taught was extremely profound, subtle, and wonderful. Not only did it transform Bodhisattvas, it overcame the demon king’s troops. Their teaching of the Dharma was like the beating of the great Dharma drum. These three stanzas concern the pāramitā of prajña.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p275
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: Absorbed in Profound Samadhi

Today is the sixth day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

The today we consider the Perfection of Meditation.  For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

The Pāramitā of Samādhi

I see those renouncing desire
Dwelling in solitude,
Immersing themselves in profound samādhi,
And attaining the five spiritual powers.
I also see Bodhisattvas
Settled in dhyāna, with palms joined,
Praising the Dharma Kings
In thousands upon thousands of verses.

Maitreya Bodhisattva saw them absorbed in profound samadhi and developing the five spiritual powers. The five spiritual powers are the heavenly eye, the heavenly ear, the knowledge of others’ thoughts, the knowledge of past lives, and the ability to travel anywhere at will. They had not attained the spiritual power of freedom from all outflows because only [fourth-stage] Arhats and Bodhisattvas of equivalent awakening and wondrous awakening can attain freedom from all outflows. Because these were Bodhisattvas of new resolve, they had attained only five of the six spiritual powers.

Where do these five spiritual powers come from? They come from the cultivation of samādhi, from the recitation of sūtras, and from upholding mantras. If you can meditate single-mindedly every day, you can attain them. You can also attain them by reciting sūtras. For example, Great Master Zhiyi continuously recited the Dharma Flower Sūtra until he awakened. When he reached the line “This is true vigor. This is called a true Dharma offering” in the chapter “The Account of Bodhisattva Medicine King’s Past Lives,” he entered the Dharma Flower samādhi and experienced a supreme state. He saw that the Dharma assembly at Vulture Peak had not yet dispersed and that Śākyamuni Buddha was still there teaching the Dharma. So you can also become awakened by reciting sūtras. However, you must recite with a sincere mind. Don’t recite on the one hand but have deluded thoughts on the other hand, thinking, “So-and-so has a lot of money. I’ve got to think of a way to get some money out of him for my own use.” You will not become awakened by reciting sūtras this way, because you are not being mindful of the sūtras if you are thinking about money. In addition, you can also single-mindedly recite mantras to become awakened.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p272-274
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: These Heroic Cultivators

Today is the fifth day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

The today we consider the Perfection of Energy. For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

The Pāramitā of Vigor

These four lines praise the pāramitā of vigor. Maitreya said, “I also see Bodhisattvas / Advancing with heroic vigor, / Going far into the mountains / To contemplate the Buddha’s Path.” How vigorous are they? They study the Buddhadharma, foregoing meals and sleep. They are not like some people who go without eating but make up for it by sleeping more, thinking, “I haven’t eaten, so I can’t cultivate. I’ll sleep a little more instead.” When others are not sleeping, they are asleep. That is not heroic vigor. Those with heroic vigor will go without eating because they forget about food altogether. They do not deliberately refrain from eating to show others that they are cultivating. They simply forget about eating and sleeping; they forget about everything. What do they think of? They focus only on their cultivation and study of the Buddhadharma. These heroic cultivators often cultivate in remote mountains and valleys, investigating the principles of the Dharma there.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p171-172
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: The Practice of Bodhisattvas

Today is the Spring Equinox, the middle of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

Maitreya Bodhisattva said, “I see in other lands / Bodhisattvas as many as Ganges’ sands, / Through various causes and conditions, / Seeking and cultivating the Buddha’s Path.” In our quest for the Buddha’s Path, we must do deeds that generate merit and virtue, and we must seek wisdom. Do not think you can attain Buddhahood easily. Look! These Bodhisattvas, numbering as many as the grains of sand in the Ganges, cultivated through various causes and conditions. What is meant by “various causes and conditions”? It means that these Bodhisattvas did many good deeds through which they accrued merit and virtue, cultivated many kinds of blessings and wisdom, and studied all the various Buddhadharmas. They did not seek the Buddha’s Path through just one kind of cause and condition.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p260-261
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: The Patience of Bodhisattvas

Today is the third day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

The today we consider the Perfection of Patience. For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

The following four lines of verse talk about the practice of patience. Sometimes I see Bodhisattvas / Becoming bhikṣus, / Living alone in quietude / And delighting in reciting sūtras. These monastics live alone in forests, valleys, or caves, where they may encounter malicious people or ferocious beasts. What does this have to do with patience? If spiteful people insult them or physically abuse them, the Bodhisattvas must endure it; if ferocious beasts bite them, they must also endure it and not be scared. They delight in reciting sūtras. According to the Vajra Sūtra, the merit gained from reciting the Vajra Sūtra is inconceivable.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p270
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: The Acts of Kings

Today is the second day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

Today we consider the Perfection of Discipline. For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

Maitreya continued, “Mañjuśrī, Bodhisattva Wonderful Virtue, I also see kings, not just one but many of them, traveling to Buddhalands.” Why did they go there? They wanted to visit the Buddhas for the sake of asking about the unsurpassed Path. Upon their request, the Buddhas taught them that everything in this world is unsatisfactory, empty, impermanent, and without intrinsic essence.

The poem “Moon over West River” says,

Wealth and honor are like a dream before dawn;
Success and fame are like a floating cloud;
Blood relations too are unreal,
For affection can turn into hatred.

Wealth and honor are as insubstantial as a dream at daybreak. Success and fame are like clouds drifting across the sky; they do not last. The current family relationships—the ties that bind father and son, elder and younger brothers, husband and wife—are also transitory. You may love someone and be very close to them, but as time goes by, love can turn into animosity.

Maitreya Bodhisattva continued, “They forsake their lands of pleasure, / Their palaces, ministers, and concubines, / Then shave their beards and hair / And clothe themselves in Dharma robes.” Having heard this teaching from the Buddhas, the kings, without further thought, gave away their lands and belongings, including their palaces made of treasures, their towers and pavilions made of agarwood and sandalwood, and their ministers and concubines. Why did they give them away? They gave them away so that they could become novices. As novices, they put on monastic robes. Their five-piece robes were called Dharma robes. …

Earlier verses talked about giving. The previous section describing kings entering monastic life represents the quest for the precepts. The kings arriving at the Buddhalands and requesting the precepts has to do with the pāramitā of precepts.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p268-270
Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, LS32, LS45

Higan: Seeing the Pāramitā of Giving

Today is the first day of Higan week, the three days before the equinox and the three days after. As explained in a Nichiren Shu brochure:

For Buddhists, this period is not just one characterized by days with almost equal portions of light and dark. Rather, it is a period in which we strive to consciously reflect upon ourselves and our deeds.

The today we consider the Perfection of Generosity. For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses Maitreya’s questions about what he sees in Chapter 1 after the Buddha illuminates 18,000 worlds in the east. (See this explanation.)

Some practice giving, / Giving gifts of gold, silver, coral, / Pearls, maṇi jewels, / Giant clam shell, carnelian, / Diamonds, and other gems, / Servants and chariots, / Jeweled palanquins and carriages. There is a Dharma-door of giving. What did the Bodhisattvas give? They gave gifts of the seven treasures: gold, silver, coral, pearls, maṇi jewels, giant clam shell, and carnelian. maṇi is also called the wishfulfilling pearl. Giant white clam shell is considered a precious treasure. It appears to have tracks on it but is smooth to the touch. Carnelian is a stone that appears to be infused with streaks of blood. Jeweled palanquins are man-drawn carriages or sedan chairs studded with gems, such as those used to carry ancient emperors.

They offer them with joy. Unlike us, who think that to donate five, ten, or twenty dollars is a big deal, the Bodhisattvas happily gave away such priceless things as the seven treasures.

They dedicate the merit to Buddhahood, / And vow to attain that Vehicle, / Foremost in the three realms, / Praised by all the Buddhas. The Bodhisattvas dedicated their meritorious acts of giving to the realization of Buddhahood. Why did they give away their valuable things? They thought, “I happily give away these valuables, things that are difficult for me to part with, so that I may advance on the road to Buddhahood and become a Buddha. I wish to attain the Buddha Vehicle because it is foremost in the three realms: the realm of desire, the realm of form, and the realm of the formless. It is praised by all the Buddhas.” Those who realize Buddhahood are joyfully praised by all the Buddhas throughout the ten directions.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v2, p262-263