As mentioned yesterday, Master Hsuan Hua did not see the Lotus Sutra as the ultimate teaching of Śākyamuni, as Zhiyi or Nichiren did. But while Hsuan Hua saw the Avataṃsaka Sutra – Flower Garland Sutra – as the king, he still warned people not to disparage the Lotus Sutra. Here’s a sampling from his commentary on Chapter 3, A Parable.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p471Those who don’t believe this sūtra / And who disparage it / Will destroy their disposition / For Buddhahood in this world. If people do not have faith in the Dharma Flower Sūtra and denounce it, they disconnect from their potential for realizing Buddhahood in this world. Destroying one’s disposition for Buddhahood is very serious; the karmic offenses of someone who does this are extremely grave. If one cuts off one’s disposition for Buddhahood, the potential for the hells comes forth. When the potential for the hells comes forth, one might fall into the hells. Why did I lecture on the Śūraṅgama Sūtra before lecturing on the Dharma Flower Sūtra? The Śūraṅgama Sūtra is not as strict on this point. So, whatever you do, be sure not to criticize the Dharma Flower Sūtra.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p459-461SŪTRA
O Śāriputra! This Dharma seal of mine
Is spoken because I wish
To benefit the world.
Wherever you go,
Do not proclaim it carelessly.COMMENTARY
O Śāriputra! Although Śākyamuni Buddha was speaking directly to Śāriputra, he was also speaking to you, to me, and to all living beings of the present. In speaking to Śāriputra, he was also speaking to all Buddhists and Dharma masters who propagate the Buddhadharma by expounding the sūtras and teaching the Dharma.
This Dharma seal of mine / Is spoken because I wish / To benefit the world. The Buddha uses the Dharma seal of ultimate reality to certify that all living beings have the potential to realize Buddhahood. This Dharma seal is the most honorable and noble. It is not something to be used casually. The Buddha is speaking it now because he wants to benefit all living beings. What is meant by “benefit”? It refers to benefiting oneself as well as others. This Dharma seal is used to help all living beings. There are three worlds – the sentient world, the material world, and the world of perfect awakening. To “benefit the world” refers to benefiting the sentient world. The Buddha teaches the Dharma Flower Sūtra to benefit the sentient world.
Wherever you go, / Do not proclaim it carelessly. This Dharma is venerable and noble. You should not propagate it casually. Wherever you go, be sure not to criticize the Dharma Flower Sūtra casually. If you explain the Dharma to those who are not ready to hear it, they will disparage it. Then not only will you have failed to save them, you will have caused them to fall into the hells. Why should you not carelessly speak the sūtra? People might fall into the lower destinies because of you. Upon hearing this sūtra, most people will criticize it. They might say things like, “How can this be? How can it be that, without accruing any merit, we can still become Buddhas? That is just too good to be true. People are just people. How can they become Buddhas? The sūtras mislead people.” Those who utter a single sentence of criticism, such as “The sūtras mislead people,” will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. This principle will be discussed in more detail later in the sūtra. It is out of fear that people might criticize the sūtra and fall into the hells that the Buddha warned Śāriputra not to teach the sūtra casually. You can only explain the Dharma Flower Sūtra to those with the disposition for the Great Vehicle, who will bring forth faith upon hearing this text.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p495-497Some of you may be thinking, “[people failing into hell for slandering the Lotus Sūtra] is all the Buddha’s fault. If he had not taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, nobody would fall into the hells. He taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, and as a result, many people have fallen into the hells. Why? They criticized the Dharma Flower Sūtra. If the Buddha had never taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, it would be impossible to criticize it. If no one criticized it, no one would fall into the hells. So in the end, it more or less amounts to Śākyamuni Buddha sending people to the hells.”
Do you think this argument is sound? Think about it and make your own judgment. This person argued no one would fall into the hells if Śākyamuni Buddha had not taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, but because he did, many people have gone to the hells. The argument should not be one-sided. This person seems to be arguing in favor of living beings and against Śākyamuni Buddha. If you develop an argument from the perspective of living beings, you should also do that for Śākyamuni Buddha. I now present an argument from Śākyamuni Buddha’s side.
You may say that if Śākyamuni Buddha had not taught the Dharma Flower Sutra, no one would have fallen into the hells. But if Śākyamuni Buddha had not taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra, no one would have become a Buddha either. If someone falls into the hells, you cannot blame the Buddha, because he was very clear in saying that criticizing the sūtra is a grave offense. Since you already know that it is an offense, you should not criticize the sūtra. If you do not criticize the sūtra, you will not increase your risk of falling into the hells.
But if you insist on going ahead and criticizing this sūtra even more just to spite the Buddha, you will fall even deeper into the hells. There is not the slightest doubt about this. Śākyamuni Buddha warned us that whoever disparages the Dharma Flower Sutra will fall into the hells or turn into a hungry ghost or an animal and suffer in the three lower realms for countless eons. So why would you want to disparage the Dharma Flower Sūtra? If you do, you are deliberately pitting yourself against the Buddha. If nobody disparages it, nobody will fall into the hells. Therefore, you cannot say that people fall into the hells because the Buddha taught the Dharma Flower Sūtra.
Since Śākyamuni Buddha taught the Dharma Flower Sutra, just think of how many people it has inspired or will inspire to bring forth the bodhi resolve and attain Buddhahood in the future. More living beings will become Buddhas than will fall into the hells. I think those who will fall into the hells must be extremely ignorant, for they don’t believe anything at all. They know very well that Śākyamuni Buddha said that it is an offense to criticize the Dharma Flower Sūtra, yet they will do so. Who can save living beings like that? Actually, there is someone. Who is that? It’s Earth Store Bodhisattva. The Earth Store Sūtra describes how he saves this type of living being from the hells. When they have fallen into the hells and suffered enough to learn their lesson, Earth Store Bodhisattva will go down into the hells to teach the dharma to them. At that time they will finally understand. Their karmic offenses will be eradicated, and they will be reborn in the heavens or among human beings. Therefore, don’t worry about the people who criticize the sūtra and fall into the hells. Just select a good path for yourself and go forward. Do not worry about offenders or be upset about those in the hells.
Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v4, p412-413People who study the Buddhadharma are supposed to take care of themselves and not mind other people’s business. There is a saying:
Others’ wrongs, others’ obsessions,
Are their bad karma and their transgressions.Therefore, do not buy stock in someone else’s unwholesome “company” and become a shareholder. If you know they are not making money, then why do you still want to take a loss? Why insist on doing business in the red? If you see other people getting afflicted, you should stop and think, “Oh, affliction is really no good. I should sever it.” Do not inspect other people’s clothes and say, “Hey! Your clothes are stained and dirty,” without realizing that your own clothes are even dirtier. Don’t wash others’ clothes for them and forget about washing your own. The vow goes, “Buddhahood is unsurpassed; I vow to realize it.” You should all cleanse your own minds and hearts. Sweep out all those deluded thoughts. Don’t allow them to race back and forth in your minds.
What is a deluded thought? Thoughts about anything that you dislike are deluded thoughts of affliction. Thoughts about what you like are deluded thoughts of happiness. All your thoughts are deluded thoughts. You are either liking something or disliking it. Liking is deluded thinking, and so is disliking. What is to be done? Just let it go! If you let it go, then there won’t be any more liking or disliking. That is the ultimate truth of the Middle Way. You will no longer give rise to afflictions or have any worries.