For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you. Propagate it with all your hearts, and make it known far and wide!
The Buddha entrusts his highest teaching to all those gathered to see him in Chapter Twenty-Two of the Lotus Sūtra. He had already explained how difficult it is to believe and practice this highest teaching, and all the trouble it took for him to reach it. He also realizes that this teaching is not something he can keep for himself, and is meaningful only when it was shared with others. This is yet another example of the Buddha showing us how to live with the beings we want to benefit. We realize that our treasure is not what we keep for ourselves, but what we have in common with others. We are diminished not by what we lose, but by attempting to hold on to our delusions.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.
Bodhisattva Never-Despising’s practice has always intrigued me. I could imagine myself in another life being this guy:
There lived arrogant bhiksus in the age of the counterfeit of the right teachings of the first Powerful-Voice-King Tathagata, that is, after the end of the age of his right teachings which had come immediately after his extinction. [Those arrogant bhiksus] were powerful. At that time there lived a Bodhisattva called NeverDespising.’ He took the form of a bhiksus.
Great-Power-Obtainer! Why was this bhiksu called NeverDespising? It was because, every time he saw bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas or upasikas, he bowed to them and praised them, saying, ‘I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is that? It is because you will be able to practice the Way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas.’
He did not read or recite sutras. He only bowed to the four kinds of devotees. When he saw them in the distance, he went to them on purpose, bowed to them, and praised them, saying, ‘I do not despise you because you can become Buddhas.’
And it is that universal quality of Bodhisattva Never-Despising’s practice that the Missionary Department of Nichiren Shu is tapping into as it seeks ways to honor the upcoming 800th anniversary of Nichiren Shonin’s birth in 2021. Here’s the text of an article that appeared in the Aug. 1, 2016, issue of Nichiren Shu News:
Nichiren Shu News, Aug. 1, 2016The Missionary Department of the Head Office of Nichiren Shu officially unveiled the first Nichiren Shu International Campaign at this year’s Kokusai Fukyoshi Conference held May 25-27. The official slogan of the campaign is “You’re a Buddha, Bowing to the Buddha in You.” The goal of the campaign is to spread awareness of the approaching 800th anniversary of the birth of Nichiren Shonin and explain the importance and simplicity of Tangyo Raihai, bowing in respect to the Buddhahood in others.
The idea for the campaign started from the “Gassho X 800” poster that was created for the 800th Anniversary of Nichiren Shonin’s Birth. The poster was distributed tlo Nichiren Shu temples in Japan in 2014. Members in Japan found the “800” mosaic design striking. and thought it made a great poster for Nichiren Shu, but the design did not work as well outside Japan. Japanese people know who Nichiren Shonin was and understand the history of the era he lived in. Outside Japan, however, few people have that background. Nichiren Shu campaigns in the past have often faced similar problems, as the Buddhist themes and Nichiren Shu content become lost in translation.
The challenge was clear: to create a campaign to convey the spirit of Tangyo Raihai and Nichiren Shonin’s 800th anniversary and capture the interest of people around the world, even if they had never heard of Nichiren Shonin or knew little about Buddhism. The end result is what you see here: a floating seated image of Shakyamuni Buddha created from a mosaic of Nichiren Shu followers from Japan and around the world. The message is simple. Anyone anywhere in the world can relate to it. You and everyone around you are joined together in the spirit of Tangyo Raihai to create the Buddha, here and now. You’re a Buddha.
Rev. Daiei Matsui, Director of the Missionary Department said, ” ‘You’re a Buddha, Bowing to the Buddha in You’ is the basis for a universal concept of values in human relations in all cultures. By spreading this concept, we can overcome religious hostility between cultures and work together for world peace.”
Rev. Kobun Sasaki, Manager of the International Section, said, “We want to promote the logan ‘You’re a Buddha, Bowing to the Buddha in You’ in many ways internationally, including international exchange visits, collaboration and religious dialog. By spreading “You’re a Buddha” through action, we will establish the teachings of Nichiren Shu all over the world.”
A record-setting 19 million overseas visitors came to Japan in 2015, and more are expected each year leading up to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Then, in 2021, we will have the 800th Anniversary celebration. Nichiren Shu temples in Japan have a unique opportunity to reach out to visitors and expose them to Buddhism and Nichiren Shu. “You’re a Buddha” posters and English pamphlets will be distributed widely to temples in Japan. The International Section will also assist major temples with their own English-language guide literature to make sure no opportunity is missed.
“You’re a Buddha” can also work with events anywhere in the world. The artwork is freely available to all Nichiren Shu temples. The International Section will help create special versions of the poster or t-shirt artwork for special events or temple anniversaries. We sincerely hope you can use the materials the Missionary Department has created and welcome your requests.
As my contribution, I took artwork on the Nichiren Shu website in Japan and created this animation:
The real value I think we as modern practitioners can find in Chapter 25, the Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, is as a model for our own behavior. Through our practice we naturally develop empathy and an ability to listen to and respond to the suffering of others. We each have our unique talents to lend to others but through our practice we can develop greater skill in using those talents in the most effective way to benefit and bring joy to those around us who are suffering.
To enter the room of the Tathāgata means to have great compassion towards all living beings. To wear the robe of the Tathāgata means to be gentle and patient. To sit on the seat of the Tathāgata means to see the voidness of all things. They should do these [three] things and then without indolence expound this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to Bodhisattvas and the four kinds of devotees.
The Buddha, the Tathāgata, gives this description to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. When we awaken to our nature as Bodhisattvas and resolve to benefit other beings, we often find we do not know how to accomplish this. In the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha gives instructions for reaching others and helping them let go of their delusions. By voidness the Buddha does not mean that nothing exists, rather that nothing has an inherent existence. Nobody is innately ignorant or innately wise. When we maintain our resolve to improve the world, maintain our patience and increase our capacities, and see the possibility of enlightenment for everyone, then are we truly living the Buddha’s teachings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Those good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sutra, we are told in Chapter 19, will receive 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. And since I limit myself to a single topic each time through I can move on to the merits of the body after having covered the merits of the tongue and the merits of the nose.
The Buddha explains to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva:
The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sutra, will be able to obtain eight hundred merits of the body. Their bodies will become as pure as lapis lazuli. All living beings will wish to see them. Some of the living beings in the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds are just born or have just died. All living beings are either noble or humble. They are either handsome or ugly. They are destined to be reborn either in a better region or in a worse region. All of them will be reflected on the pure bodies [of the good men or women]. The Surrounding Iron Mountains, the Great Surrounding Iron Mountains, Mt. Meru, Mt. Maha-Meru, and the other great mountains, and the living beings in those mountains also will be reflected on their bodies. [All the six regions] down to the Avrci Hell and up to the Highest Heaven and the living beings therein also will be reflected on their bodies. The Sravakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas as well as the Buddhas who are expounding the Dharma, also will show their reflections on their bodies.
All living beings are either noble or humble. They are either handsome or ugly. They are destined to be reborn either in a better region or in a worse region. All of them will be reflected on the pure bodies [of the good men or women].
The Buddha makes this declaration to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. Much of what we see in the world is a projection of our own biases and ignorance. We see things for what we want them to be rather than what they are. We classify the people in our lives as friends, enemies or strangers not because of their inherent qualities, but because of how they treat us. When we act for the benefit of others rather than our own gratification, we are showing them their true qualities. We let them see themselves for what they are.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
For those who practice the Lotus Sutra as taught by the Buddha, who uphold the five practices, and fulfill their vow to transmit this teaching then all the various benefits mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, including those of Kanzeon, will naturally be available. There is no need to take Kanzeon outside the Lotus Sutra or to engage in some additional side practice.
Suppose you are sentenced to death,
And the sword is drawn to behead you.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
The sword will suddenly break asunder.
The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Kuan Yin, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion. When we think of this Bodhisattva, and the power that she holds in this world, we realize what we can accomplish through compassion. When we can be present for the suffering that exists in other beings, and see them without judgement for the flawed creatures that they are, then we allow them to make that same connection with us. The power of compassion is that it inspires others to face what lies at the core of their being: the wish that all beings be peaceful and free from suffering. To break the sword of violence in this world, we must first break it within ourselves.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.
Last month dealt with the example of the propagation of the Lotus Sutra contained in the story of the 50th “good man or woman who rejoices at hearing this sutra.”
In the Liturgy of Nichiren Shu booklet published by the Nichiren Buddhist International Center in Hayward, Calif., is an excerpt from the Gassui Gosho (Letter on Menstruation):
You may chant the whole twenty eight chapters, one chapter, one paragraph, one sentence or even one character, of the Lotus Sutra a day. Or, you may chant the daimoku, “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo,” just once in a day or once in your whole life. Even if you may never chant the daimoku yourself, you may rejoice at hearing others chant it just once in your whole life. Or you may rejoice with others who rejoice at hearing a voice chanting the daimoku. The joy of the daimoku chanting transmitted 50 times this way from person to person, will grow weaker steadily until in tho last fiftieth person it will be as uncertain as the mind of a two or three year old baby or as unpredictable as a horse or a cow, which cannot tell the difference between head and tail. Nevertheless, the merit of such people is one hundred thousand billion times greater than that of those whose wisdom is as great as Sariputra, Maudgalyayana, Manjusri and Maitreya. …
So it is with good man or woman who rejoices at hearing this daimoku.
Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva is able to change his shape and transform himself into any being he wishes. We, too, as we develop our Buddha potential are better able to communicate with various people taking on their lives and understanding the nature of their problems. Just as the Buddha was able to communicate with people of all the different Ten Worlds so too we can transcend the differences that frequently cause divisions and reach out to the many various people in our environment.
Anyone who expounds this sūtra to the four kinds of devotees,
Or reads or recites this sūtra in a retired place,
After doing these [three] virtuous things,
Will be able to see me.
The Buddha sings these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. While the Buddha was alive 2500 years ago, people traveled great distances and endured great hardships just to see him. Today, even though the man named Siddhartha Gautama is no longer in our world, we are assured that the ever-present Śākyamuni is always with us and leading us to his enlightenment. When we make the effort to keep, read, recite, copy and expound this Sūtra, it is as if we are traveling great distances and enduring great hardships.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
