Category Archives: Universal Sage

LS32, Universal Sage, b4today

Between Day 32 and Day 1: The Sutra of Repentance

With today’s post I’ll begin weaving in quotes from Nikkyō Niwano’s Buddhism for Today.

[The Sutra Of Meditation On The Bodhisattva Universal Virtue*] teaches the practice of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. It consists of the sermon that Sakyamuni preached at the Great Forest Monastery of Vaiśāli in central India after he had taught the Lotus Sutra, and establishes the way of repentance as the practice of the spirit of the Lotus Sutra.

We are greatly encouraged when we read the Lotus Sutra, grasp the true meaning of the sermons that Sakyamuni preached during his lifetime, and realize that we can attain the same state of mind as the Buddha through practicing his teachings. However, the fact is that in our daily lives we are continually troubled with suffering and distress, and we are continually seized by desires of one kind or another. For this reason, we are apt to become disheartened and forget the valuable lessons of the sutra.

Although we understand theoretically that we can become buddhas, we do not know how to rid ourselves of our illusions; our minds are liable to be covered with a dark cloud of illusion. Repentance means the sweeping away of such dark clouds, and the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue teaches the way to do this. Therefore this sutra also has a close relationship to the Lotus Sutra, and, as the epilogue of the Lotus Sutra, is called the “closing sutra” (kekkyō) of the Lotus Sutra. Because of its content, it is also called the “Sutra of Repentance.”

Buddhism for Today, pxxvi-xxvii

* Universal Virtue is called Universal Sage in Murano’s translation.

LS32, Universal Sage

Between Day 32 and Day 1: Purification of the Senses

Having completed my 47th cycle through the Lotus Sutra, I mark the The Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva with the verses for purification of the six senses:

If you have evil in your eyes,
Impure with hindrances from actions in the past,
You should recite the Great Vehicle
And reflect on its first principle.

This is called eye repentance.
It exhausts past bad actions.

When the ears hear noise,
The principle of harmony is upset.
This produces craziness,
Like that of a foolish monkey.

You should recite the Great Vehicle
And meditate on the emptiness and formlessness of things,
To exhaust all evils for a long time,
And hear sounds from all directions with heavenly ears.

The nose is attached to scents.
In accord with its contamination, contacts occur.
In this way the deluded nose, in accord with its contamination,
Gives birth to all kinds of entanglements.
If you recite the Great Vehicle sutras
And meditate on the reality of things,
You will long be free from evil actions done in the past
And not do them in future lives.

The tongue causes five kinds of bad consequences
From harsh words spoken in the past.

If you want to control it yourself,
You should make an effort to practice compassion,
Think of the meaning of the true quiescence of things,
And not conceive by making distinctions.

The mind is like a monkey,
Never resting for a moment.

If you want to subdue it,
You should make an effort to recite the
Great Vehicle,
Keeping in mind the Buddha’s great awakened body,
His power, and his freedom from fear.

The body, master of its organs,
Dances freely among these six harmful faculties
Without obstacle,
Like dust swirling in the wind.

If you want to be rid of these evils,
Long separated from dirt and trouble,
Ever in the comfort of nirvana,
And at ease with a calm heart,
You should recite the Great Vehicle sutras
And keep in mind the mother of bodhisattvas.

Innumerable excellent skillful means will be obtained
By reflecting on the true nature of things.
These so-called six methods
Purify the six sense organs.

The whole ocean of hindrances from past actions
Arises from illusion.
If you want to repent, you should sit upright
And reflect on the true nature of things.

All sins are like frost and dew.
The sun of wisdom can dissipate them.
For this reason, with all your heart
You should repent of the six senses.

(Reeves, p417-419)

See The Heart of the Entire Lotus Sutra

LS32, WONS, Universal Sage

Between Day 32 and Day 1 Traveling

I’m away from home, staying in a motel for eight days, but I’m keeping to my practice schedule, if somewhat abbreviated. Having completed Day 32 yesterday, today I’ve recited The Sutra of the Method for Contemplating the Bodhisattva Universal Sage. I’ve shifted from the BDK English Tripitaka translation of The Infinite Meanings Sutra, the Lotus Sutra and The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness and taken up The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers. This translation is by Michio Shinozaki, Brook A. Ziporyn and David C. Earhart. Kosei Publishing Company released this version this year.

Earlier today I published a quote from Nichiren’s writings that discusses Universal Sage and I want to insert that quote here for future reference.

Grand Master Miao-lê, in explaining the practice of the Lotus teaching in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, declared that the Lotus Sūtra would be easy to practice for the ignorant and slow in the Latter Age because they would be able to meet Universal Sage Bodhisattva, the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas manifested in various worlds throughout the universe, by simply practicing the teaching of the sūtra. In addition, Miao-lê declared, “You may recite the Lotus Sūtra inattentively; you don’t have to meditate or concentrate; with your whole heart pray to characters of the Lotus Sūtra all the time whether sitting, standing or walking.”

The aim of this interpretation is solely to save the ignorant in the Latter Age. The “inattentive mind” meaning the mind of an ordinary person engaged in daily routines is contrasted to the “concentrated mind.” “Reciting the Lotus Sūtra” means to recite either the whole eight fascicles or just one fascicle, one character, one phrase, one verse or the daimoku; it means also to rejoice upon hearing the Lotus Sūtra even for a moment or the joy of the fiftieth person who hears the sūtra transmitted from one person to the next. “Whether sitting, standing or walking” means regardless of what you are doing in daily life. “Whole heart” means neither spiritual concentration nor the rational faculty of the mind; it is the ordinary inattentive mind. “Praying to characters of the Lotus Sūtra” means that each character of the Lotus Sūtra, unlike that of other sūtras, contains all the characters of all the Buddhist scriptures and the merit of all Buddhas.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, therefore, states in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 8, “Without opening this sūtra he who believes in the Lotus Sūtra reads it all the time; without uttering a word, recites various sūtras widely; without the Buddha preaching, always listens to the resounding voice of the Buddha; and without contemplating, shines over the entire dharma world.” The meaning of this statement is that, those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra are upholders of this sūtra twenty-four hours a day, even if a person does not hold the eight fascicles; that those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra are the same as those who continuously read all the Buddhist scriptures every day, hour and second even if they do not raise their voices in reciting the sūtras; that it has already been more than 2,000 years since the passing of the Buddha, whose voice remains in the ears of those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra, reminding them every hour and minute that the Buddha has always been in this Sahā World; and that without contemplating the doctrine of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra observe all the worlds throughout the universe.

These merits are endowed solely to those who practice the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, those who believe in the Lotus Sūtra have the virtue of shining over the dharma world without intention, reciting all the scriptures of Buddhism without voice, and upholding the eight-fascicled Lotus Sūtra without touching it, although they do not pray to the Buddha at the moment of death, do not recite sūtras by voice or enter an exercise hall.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 39-40

LS32, Universal Sage

Between Day 32 and Day 1 – The Lotus Connection

Having competed my 45th cycle through the Lotus Sutra, it is again time to consider The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva. Today, it is appropriate to show how, early on, the link between this sutra and the Lotus Sutra is maintained.

The Buddha said to Ananda: “Listen carefully! Listen carefully!
Consider what I am about to say and remember it well! Long ago, on Holy Eagle Peak and in other places, the Tathagata has already thoroughly explained the way of one truth. But now in this place, for all living beings and others in the future who want to practice the unsurpassable Dharma of the Great Vehicle, and for those who want to learn the practice of Universal Sage and to follow the practice of Universal Sage, I will now teach this method of contemplation. For all those who are able to see Universal Sage, as well as for those who do not see him, I will now explain in detail how to eliminate evils.(Reeves, p401-402)

In Senchu Murano’s “Questions and Answers on Nichiren Buddhism,” he says this about this sutra’s role in Nichiren Buddhism:

The Kan-fugen-bosatsu-gyobo-kyo (“The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal-Sage”) was also translated later than the Lotus Sutra and not by Kumarajiva. It was apparently intended to be a continuation of the last chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This sutra carries Jojakko or “Eternally Tranquil Light” as the name of the world of Sakyamuni Buddha. We say that the world of Sakyamuni Buddha is called Jakko-jodo (“the Pure World of Tranquil Light”). The word Jakko is given only in this sutra, and in no other sutras. The setup of this triple sutra: The Muryogikyo as the opening sutra, the Myoho-renge-kyo, and the Kan-fugen-gyo as the closing sutra, had been established long before the time of Nichiren. Nichiren sometimes called them Hokekyo Jikkan or the “Ten Volumes of the Lotus Sutra”, but he usually used the expression: Hokekyo Ichibu Hachikan Niju Happon, which means “The Lotus Sutra, One Book, Eight Volumes, Twenty-eight Chapters.” We usually put the eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra in front of the statue of Nichiren. (Page 23-24)

LS32, Universal Sage

Between Day 32 and Day 1 Again

Having competed my 44th cycle through the Lotus Sutra, it is again time to consider The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva and since this is the first complete cycle since my 21-day stay-cation retreat, it seems appropriate to start at the very beginning:

This is what I heard.

At one time the Buddha was staying in the kingdom of Vaisali, in the multi-storied assembly hall of the Great Forest Monastery. He said to all the monks: “After three months, surely I will enter complete nirvana.”

Then the Venerable Ananda rose from his seat, straightened his robe, put his palms together, and circled around the Buddha three times. Kneeling with his palms together, he paid his respects, gazing at the Tathagata attentively without turning away for even a moment. Mahakashyapa, the elder, and Maitreya Bodhisattva, the great one, also rose from their seats and, with palms together and gazing up at his honored face, paid respects to the Buddha.

Then the three great leaders spoke to the Buddha in one voice: “World-Honored One, after the extinction of the Tathagata, how can living beings aspire to be bodhisattvas, follow the Great Vehicle sutras, the Expansive Teaching, and think about the world of one truth correctly? How can they keep from losing their aspiration for unexcelled awakening? Without cutting off their afflictions and renouncing the five desires, how can they purify their sense organs and completely rid themselves of their sins? With the natural pure eyes received at birth from their parents, and without leaving the world of the five desires, how can they see past their hindrances?” (Reeves, p401)

Two points to make here: Note the very sparse crowd here. This is not the grand Lotus Sutra. This is a practice guide. The Lotus Sutra has been described as a preface to a sermon that’s never delivered. I reject that. Instead I see the Lotus Sutra as a carefully constructed house, a grand mansion of precious materials. The walls and floors and ceilings and doors of this sutra define the boundaries of the mansion. Those who practice the Lotus Sutra do so by exploring within the rooms and halls of this great mansion. By comparison, the Contemplation of Universal Sage is but one room equipped with tools for self-improvement.

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Finding No Mind

Programming note: This is the final quote I set aside during my 21-day Retreat Encouraged by Universal Sage Bodhisattva.

In my post The Innumerable Day Before Day 1, I discussed the difficult  topic of the nature of emptiness in The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings. The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva also places importance on understanding emptiness (Reeves, p416):

Then the buddhas in all ten directions will reach out with their right hands to touch the head of a follower, saying: “Good, good, good son! Because you have now read and recited the Great Vehicle sutras, the buddhas in all directions will teach the Dharma of repentance for you. Bodhisattva practice is neither a matter of cutting off all bonds and services nor of living in the ocean of servitude. If you contemplate your mind, you will find no mind, except the mind that comes from perverse conceptions. The mind with such conceptions arises from delusion. Like the wind in the sky, it has no grounding. Such a character of things neither appears nor disappears.

“What is sin? What is virtue? As the thought of self is itself empty, neither sin nor virtue is our master. In this way, all things are neither permanent nor destroyed. If one repents like this, meditating on one’s mind, one finds no mind. Things also do not dwell in things. All things are liberated, show the truth of extinction, and are calm and tranquil. Such a thing is called great repentance, sublime repentance, repentance without sin, the destruction of consciousness of mind. People who practice this repentance are pure in body and mind, like flowing water, not attached to things. Whenever they reflect they will be able to see Universal Sage Bodhisattva and the buddhas in all directions.”

Then all the world-honored ones, emitting rays of light of great mercy, will teach for followers the Dharma of formlessness. The followers, hearing the first principle of emptiness being taught, are not surprised by hearing this. In due time they will gain the status of true bodhisattvas.

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Purifying Their Six Sense Organs

From The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves, p410):

Then, with one voice from different mouths, the bodhisattvas will have followers purify their six sense organs.

One will say, “You should reflect on the Buddha.”
Another will say, “You should reflect on the Dharma.”
Another will say, “You should reflect on the monastic community.”
Another will say, “You should reflect on morality.”
Another will say, “You should reflect on generosity.”
Another will say, “You should reflect on the heavens.”

“These six methods express an aspiration to become a buddha. They give birth to bodhisattvas. Before the buddhas, you should now confess your past sins and sincerely repent.

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Seeing Past Lives

Here’s another quote from The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva that I want to keep around (Reeves, p410):

Then Universal Sage Bodhisattva will emit another ray of light from between his eyebrows, the sign of a great man, and he will send it into the hearts of followers. After this ray has entered their hearts, followers themselves will remember that under countless hundreds and thousands of buddhas in the past they had received and embraced, read and recited the Great Vehicle sutras. Having the ability to penetrate clearly to previous states of existence, they will see their own former bodies with complete clarity, exactly as if they had the ability to see into the past.

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Practice Diligently and Never Be Lazy

This quote (Reeves, p408) from The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva follows a reference to the Lotus Sutra and Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma. This is part of the instructions given to the contemplating practitioner by “hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of innumerable buddhas everywhere”:

“Now you should practice diligently and never be lazy. These Great Vehicle sutras are the buddhas’ storehouse of the Dharma; they are the eyes of the buddhas in all directions and in the past, present, and future; and they are the seeds that give birth to tathagatas in the past, present, and future. One who embraces these sutras embraces the body of the Buddha and does the work of the Buddha. Such a person should understand that he or she has been sent by the buddhas and are covered by robes of buddhas, the world-honored ones. This is a child of the true Dharma of the buddhas, the tathagatas. Practice the Great Vehicle and do not cut off the seeds of Dharma!

The source of the instruction underscores the universality of the message, which is full of concepts also found in the Lotus Sutra.

21days, Universal Sage

21 Days: Lost in Translation

The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves) and The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhistattva Universal Virtue (Threefold Lotus Sutra) and The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness (BDK English Tripitaka) all offer English translations of the ancient Chinese translation of this sutra, which is considered the closing sutra of the Lotus Sutra.

Before this three-week stay-cation retreat I didn’t fully appreciate the difficulty in creating these English versions of a sutra. It is not a simple task of finding the English word for the Chinese word. There’s a lot more required and a good example is this quote from the Reeves translation (Page 416):

“Where can I practice the teaching of repentance?”

The voice in the sky will then say: “Shakyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana, the Omnipresent. His dwelling place is called Always Tranquil Light, a place that is taken up by constant practice, a place that is made stable by self-practice, a place where the characteristics of existence are extinguished by pure practice, a place where body and mind cannot live in comfortable practice, a place where the character of existing or non-existing cannot be seen in anything, and a place of tranquil liberation, which is the practice of wisdom. Because these forms are the ever-present Dharma, you should now meditate on the buddhas in the ten directions.”

I could follow most of this illustration of the Buddha’s teaching of emptiness, but I stumbled over “where body and mind cannot live in comfortable practice.” So I went to the other translations that I have.

Here’s what the Threefold Lotus Sutra (Page 363-363) offers:

“At what place may I practice the law of repentance?”

Thereupon the voice in the sky will speak thus, saying: “Śākyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana Who Pervades All Places, and his dwelling place is called Eternally Tranquil Light, the place which is composed of permanency-pāramitā, and stabilized by self-pāramitā, the place where purity-pāramitā extinguishes the aspect of existence, where bliss-pāramitā does not abide in the aspect of one’s body and mind, and where the aspects of all the laws cannot be seen as either existing or non-existing, the place of tranquil emancipation or prajn͂āpāramitā. Because these forms are based on permanent law, thus you must now meditate on the buddhas in all directions.

For me, this was incomprehensible and another reason why I’ve shunned this translation of the entire threefold sutra.

Which brings us to the BDK translation (Page 69):

At what place may I now practice the way of self-amendment?

The ethereal voice will then immediately reply, saying:

Śākyamuni Buddha is Vairocana – the One Who Is Present in All Places. Where this buddha abides is called Perpetual Tranquil Light – where perpetuity is perfectly achieved, where the perfect truth of self is constituted, where perfect purity casts off the aspects of existence, where perfect happiness is no longer a characteristic that occupies body and mind, where phenomena are no longer perceived as having or not having aspects, where likewise there is serene liberation as well as perfect wisdom. As these are features of the ever-abiding Dharma, you must accordingly contemplate the buddhas of the ten directions!

Already understanding the concept of emptiness of self – there is no fixed, enduring thing that is myself; what we perceive is provisional existence that arises from causes and conditions; and the Middle Way encompasses all of this – the BDK translation left far fewer questions. It also gave me a much better appreciation of the task of translating Buddhist texts into English.