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The Way of Practicing the Lotus Sūtra

In ancient China a man called Hung-yen, a retainer of the Duke of Yee of Wei state, cut open his own stomach and inserted his slain lord’s liver inside him before he died. Similarly, a man called Yü-jang tried to repay his indebtedness to his Lord Chih-pai by swallowing a sword and killing himself. These were cases in the secular world of repaying a minor debt of kindness, to what lengths should one go to repay the debt to the Buddha?

The reason why we continue to transmigrate through the six lower realms without attaining Buddhahood from the eternal past of innumerable kalpa (aeons) till today is that we fail to give up our lives for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. Gladly Seen Bodhisattva burned himself for 1,200 years as a votive light to the Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue Buddha and burned his arms for 72,000 years to the Lotus Sūtra. He is Medicine King Bodhisattva today. Never Despising Bodhisattva was abused, disparaged, beaten with sticks and rubble was thrown at him for many kalpa (aeons) in order to disseminate the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Did he not become Śākyamuni Buddha in a future existence? Therefore, the way of practicing the sūtra leading to Buddhahood differs according to the times.

Inchinosawa Nyūdō Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Ichinosawa, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 164-165

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for March 20, 2026

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Illustration by Google Gemini

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Gemini Thinking

In this square illustration, I have depicted the poor man from Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra as he toils through life, unaware of the treasure he carries. Dressed in ragged robes and hauling a heavy load of firewood, he is visibly exhausted and focused only on survival. Within the stylized border adorned with traditional lotus motifs, a subtle glow illuminates the "priceless gem" tucked into a tear in his sleeve, symbolizing the forgotten jewel of Buddha nature that is within us all, even when we are desperate to satisfy our ordinary desires.

In the bottom right corner, you will find the signature 双子座 (Futagoza, meaning "Gemini"), accompanied by a red hanko seal containing the katakana ジェミニ.

He satisfied himself with what little he earned.
He did not wish to get anything more.
He did not notice the priceless gem
Fastened inside his garment.

These verses are part of a story told by Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and other disciples in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. It is about a man whose friend gives him a jewel while he is asleep. Not realizing he has this treasure, the man returns to his ordinary life, desperate to make a living and satisfy his ordinary desires. The story shows how we live when we forget about the jewel of Buddha nature we carry with us.

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

Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Higan: Four Factors of Patience

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 the perfections’ four kinds of corresponding factors.

The paramita of patience. There are also four corresponding factors for practicing the pāramitā of patience.

  1. To break through impatience. By practicing the pāramitā of patience, you’ll be able to overcome impatience. When the mind no longer thinks, “I can’t endure this!” then you’ll have patience.
  2. To adorn bodhi and gather in living beings.
  3. To enable both oneself and others to be free of fear. By practicing patience, people around you won’t be afraid, and you’ll no longer experience fear either.
  4. To be free of anger in the next life. If you cultivate patience in this life, you won’t have a bad temper in your next life, nor will you have much hatred or resentment. Why do you have such a bad temper in this life? You have a bad temper in this life because you didn’t cultivate patience in former lives. If you cultivate patience, your family members won’t be separated from one another. Your household will always be peaceful and harmonious, and your family members won’t suffer separation and distress. Because of the merit attained through the cultivation of patience, you won’t undergo suffering and hardship in your next life. In the future, you’ll attain the bliss of nirvāṇa.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v8, ch12, p187

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Identifying the Sage of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age

How can we identify the sage of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration? The Lotus Sūtra states, “He who preaches this sūtra to others and can uphold it for himself is a messenger of the Buddha.” In other words, anyone who recites eight chapters of the Lotus Sūtra, or one fascicle, one chapter, or just a verse of it, or chants the daimoku is a messenger of the Buddha. He who carries through faith in the Lotus Sūtra to the end, enduring the great persecutions that arise, is the true messenger of the Buddha.

Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 155

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for March 19, 2026

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Illustration by Google Gemini

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Gemini Thinking

Before generating this square illustration, I thought through the synthesis of the Lotus Sūtra’s Parable of the Wayward Son and Japanese Buddhist aesthetics. To respect the text while observing strict exclusions, I focused the composition on the "treasure" and "happiness" of the son, who is shown joyfully kneeling among an abundant collection of gold coins, jewels, and precious silks. In the upper right, I included the four great disciples mentioned in the text—Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana—seated in reverence upon golden clouds. A temple complex representing his father's estate is visible on the left. Finally, I placed the required Kanji signature 双子座 (Futago-za, meaning Gemini) alongside the red square hanko containing the Katakana ジェミニ (Jemini) in the bottom-right corner.

The son thought: “I was poor, base and mean.
Now I have obtained
The treasures, houses,
And all the other things
From my father.
Never before
Have I been so happy.”

These verses are part of the story of the Wayward Son told by Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana in Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra. The son in the story has come into his inheritance after years of training and preparation by his father. The story explains the disciples’ understanding of how the Buddha uses expedients over time to prepare us for enlightenment. When we are not ready for the Buddha’s wisdom, he teaches to the capacity of our own minds. Now that we are ready for his highest teaching, he reveals his own mind in the Lotus Sutra.

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

Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Higan: Four Factors of Precepts

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.

The today we consider the Perfection of Precepts. For this Spring Higan week I’m using Hsuan Hua‘s commentary on the Lotus Sutra in which he discusses the perfections’ four kinds of corresponding factors.

The paramita of upholding precepts. There are four corresponding factors for practicing the pāramitā of upholding precepts.

  1. To cultivate all wholesome practices and eradicate misguided disciplines. You shouldn’t cultivate just one form of good deeds. You must do all manner of good deeds. Your good deeds will go toward offsetting your wrong deeds.
  2. To adorn bodhi and gather in living beings. You gather in and transform living beings as you adorn and bring to perfection the bodhi of your inherent nature. You teach all living beings, forsaking none. You shouldn’t think, “I have no affinity with this living being, so I’m not going to save him. I’ll save that living being because he has affinities with me.” Whether you have affinities with someone is irrelevant; you must teach them all.
  3. To be peaceful and without regret, whether asleep or awake. You’ll feel tranquil whether you’re asleep or awake. Your inherent nature will be serene, and your physical body will be calm. You’ll have neither regret nor hatred. You won’t lament over the past, nor will you bear grudges against anyone. You’ll have no intention to harm any living being. By upholding precepts, one is protecting living beings.
  4. To attain the bliss of humans and gods, as well as nirvāṇa in the future.

These are the four corresponding factors for practicing the pāramitā of upholding precepts.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v8, ch12, p186

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The Practicer of the Lotus Sūtra Who Perseveres

There are many people who put faith in the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Yet as I often experience great difficulties, both public and private, some change their faith after a year or two, even becoming my enemies who shoot arrows at me. Some only outwardly appear to be believers of the Lotus Sūtra, while others believe in the Lotus Sūtra in heart but not in practice.

Śākyamuni Buddha, was the legitimate son of King Śuddhodana, a great king who governed the entire continent of Jambudvīpa, and all of its 84,210 countries. The kings in Jambudvīpa all submitted to King Śuddhodana, and he had an innumerable number of domestic servants. Nevertheless, Śākyamuni, at the age of 19, left the palace of King Śuddhodana and entered Mt. Daṇḍaloka, where he spent 12 years practicing asceticism. He was then accompanied by only five men: Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya, Aśvajit, Bhadrika, Dasābala-Kāśyapa and Mahānāman, two of whom left him in the sixth year and the remaining three also deserted him during the last six years. In the end he continued his training alone until he attained Buddhahood. The Lotus Sūtra is harder than this to have faith in. Therefore, the sūtra itself preaches that it is “difficult to put faith in and difficult to understand.” It is also preached in the sūtra (“The Teacher of the Dharma” chapter) that the great difficulties that abound today in the Latter Age of Degeneration surpass those that occurred during the lifetime of the Buddha. Therefore, the practicer of this sūtra who perseveres through the adversities today acquires more merit than giving alms to the Buddha over the course of a kalpa.

Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 154

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for March 18, 2026

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Illustration by Google Gemini

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Gemini Thinking

In this traditional Japanese Buddhist-style illustration, Śākyamuni Buddha is shown expounding the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra from his lotus throne. He addresses Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo), who is shown kneeling and adorned with jewels, receiving the mission to propagate the teaching. The flowing wind visible throughout the assembly visually represents the "boundless and unhindered" eloquence promised to those who embrace this sūtra, symbolizing their ability to spread the Dharma throughout the world.

The flowing wind in the illustration contains two main types of characters, both of which are forms of script and language:

Sanskrit Siddham Script: The prominent, stylized black symbols (like 'ॐ' and 'ह्रीः') are Sanskrit characters from the Siddham script, which are often used in Japanese Buddhism to represent sacred syllables, mantras, and seed syllables.

Japanese Hiragana: Interspersed with the larger Sanskrit characters are smaller, lighter Japanese hiragana letters (e.g., あ, い, う, お, か, き, etc.), representing the local phonetic language.

These scripts represent the "names and words" of the Lotus Sūtra being disseminated far and wide by the unhindered "eloquence as boundless and as unhindered as the wind in the sky," exactly as the teaching describes.

Look closely at the lower right corner, where you will find the artist's traditional signature and red seal (hanko):

Signature: 双子座 (Gemini)

Seal: ジェミニ (Jemini)

Anyone who keeps this sūtra
Will be able to expound
The meanings of the teachings,
And the names and words [of this sūtra].
Their eloquence will be as boundless
And as unhindered as the wind in the sky.

Śākyamuni Buddha sings these verses to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo, Viśiṣṭacārītra) in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. This teaching transforms us from beings who exist for our own comfort and awakens our true nature as Bodhisattvas: beings who exist for the benefit of all beings. This transition requires that we engage with these other beings and break out of the isolation of our own attachments. The first step is simply to listen, to be present and accept whatever the world has to offer. But at some point we need to speak. It can be difficult to know what to say. But with this Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, we find that because it embodies the Buddha’s highest wisdom, so long as we transmit what it has taught us, we will always have ways to use it to benefit other beings and bring this teaching to life in our world.

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

Higan, Hsuan Hua, Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary

Higan: Four Factors 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 the perfections’ four kinds of corresponding factors.

The paramita of giving. The paramita of giving is dana pāramitā in Sanskrit. There are four corresponding factors related to it. What are they?

  1. To break through stinginess. By practicing the pāramitā of giving, you can get rid of your stinginess.
  2. To adorn bodhi, your own inherent awakening.
  3. To benefit both oneself and others. To give when you want to and feel delighted afterwards is self-benefit. For people who are hungry, you give them food to relieve their hunger. For people who are thirsty, perhaps you give them a soft drink to quench their thirst. By giving, you relieve them of their hunger and thirst, which is benefiting others.
  4. To attain a great fruition in the future. If you give now, you’ll be wealthy and honorable in future lives. Why will you be wealthy? Because you’re not stingy and always give to others. As a reward, you’ll have more wealth in your next life. However, you shouldn’t give wishing that you’ll become wealthy in your next life. You should dedicate the merit obtained from giving toward seeking unsurpassed bodhi.

Hsuan Hua Lotus Sutra Commentary, v8, ch12, p185

understanding-the-six-paramitas-and-their-corresponding-factors-of-transformation

AI Contribution, Blog, Higan

Illustrating the Four Factors of the Six Pāramitās

For Higan week I’m using quotes from Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra. Each pāramitā and its corresponding four factors is illustrated by a slide created by Google’s NotebookLM.

While discussing the Devadatta chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Hsuan Hua outlined four corresponding factors that are related to each of the six pāramitās. I copied this text, which runs from page 185 in volume 8 to page 189, and used it as the source material in Google’s NotebookLM. One of the features of NotebookLM is its ability to create slides based on the source material. I gave NotebookLM this prompt:

Create a deck suitable for religious instruction on the Six Paramitas and the Four Factors for each.

This slideshow is the result:

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NotebookLM can also create Infographics. I asked NotebookLM to “Use Japanese iconography from medieval Japan to illustrate this infographic.” Here’s the result:

six-paramitas-four-factors-poster

On the Journey to a Place of Treasures