[P]racticing a teaching is not easy. It is hard work to struggle against your own ego and laziness. The human being’s mind can be tempted with laziness, and we lose faith easily when it should be firm. Laziness and ego are strong rivals against faith. In fact, it is harder to defeat our own mind than to defeat others. An example is a person who is determined to chant every morning. Somehow they manage to keep their determination for a couple of weeks. Then, one morning, they have a headache and think, “Today is special, I will rest.” Before long, the special days turn into regular days. Usually the battle between laziness and faith results in the laziness achieving “victory.” At that time we need to have firm faith to brush off the whisper of laziness, and should think: “This is a trial to test my weakness and my faith.”
Spring WritingsMonthly Archives: April 2017
Daily Dharma – April 23, 2017
Why was this bhikṣu called Never-Despising? It was because, every time he saw bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇis, upāsakas or upāsikās, 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.’
The Buddha gives this description of Never-Despising Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sūtra. The only practice of this Bodhisattva was to show his respect to all people, whether or not they respected him. This practice was so important, the Buddha used it as an example of what he practiced in a previous life to enable him to become enlightened.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 11
Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City
Having last month seen the light, we now continue with the reaction of the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the east.
“The palaces of the Brahman-heavenly[-kings] of the five hundred billion worlds in the east were illumined twice as brightly as ever. The Brahman-heavenly-kings [of those worlds] each thought, ‘My palace has never been illumined so brightly before. Why is that?’ They visited each other and discussed the reason. There was a great Brahman-heavenly-king called All-Saving among them. He said to the other Brahmans in gāthās:
Why are our palaces illumined
More brightly than ever?
Let us find [the place]
[From where this light has come].
Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
This great light illumines
The worlds of the ten quarters.“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds went to the west, carrying flower-plates filled with heavenly flowers, in order to find [the place from where the light had come]. Their palaces also moved as they went. They [reached the Well-Composed World and] saw that GreatUniversal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata was sitting on the lionlike seat under the Bodhi-tree at the place of enlightenment, surrounded respectfully by gods, dragon-kings, gandharvas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings. They also saw that the sixteen princes were begging the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma. Thereupon the Brahman-heavenlykings worshipped the Buddha with their heads, walked around him a hundred thousand times, and strewed heavenly flowers to him. The strewn flowers were heaped up to the height of Mt. Sumeru. The Brahman-heavenly-kings offered flowers also to the ten-yojana-tall Bodhi-tree of the Buddha. Having offered flowers, they offered their palaces to the Buddha, saying, ‘We offer these palaces to you. Receive them and benefit us out of your compassion towards us!’ In the presence of the Buddha, they simultaneously praised him in gāthās with all their hearts:
You, the World-Honored One, are exceptional.
It is difficult to meet you.
You have innumerable merits.
You are saving all living beings.As the great teacher of gods and men,
You are benefiting all living beings
Of the worlds of the ten quarters
Out of your compassion towards them.We have come here from five hundred billion worlds.
We gave up the pleasure
Of deep dhyāna-concentration
Because we wished to make offerings to you.
Our palaces are beautifully adorned
Because we accumulated merits in our previous existence.
We offer [these palaces] to you.
Receive them out of your compassion towards us!“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings, having praised the Buddha with these gāthās, said, ‘World-Honored One! Turn the wheel of the Dharma and save all living beings! Open the Way to Nirvāṇa!’ They simultaneously said in a gāthā with all their hearts:
Hero of the World,
Most Honorable Biped!
Expound the Dharma!
Save the suffering beings
By the power of your great compassion!
The Daily Dharma from April 22, 2017, offers this:
Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
This great light illumines
The worlds of the ten quarters.
The Brahma Heavenly Kings of the East sing these verses as part of a story the Buddha tells in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. Long ago there was another Buddha named Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence. When he became enlightened, the entire universe was illuminated. Beings who had never seen each other could recognize each other clearly. We can see this story as a metaphor for what happens when the Buddha’s wisdom comes into our lives. We leave the darkness of our ego attachment and come into the light of the world as it is.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
And on the 49th Day
On Saturday, April 22, 2017, I attended the 49 Day memorial service for Kanji Hitomi, a member of a prominent family at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. My wife and I held a 49 Day service for her mother last year, but this was the first stand-alone 49 Day service I’ve attended. The attention paid to our deceased relatives, especially parents, is one of features of the Nichiren Shu practice I’ve found very rewarding.
Ven. Kenjo Igarashi offered his explanation the 49 Days after someone dies. The retelling is for those in the audience who are not members, but I always find it interesting.
Here’s my recollection:
After dying the body of the person is kept from moving with 49 nails. Each seven days seven nails are removed and a trial occurs. (I’ll admit to some confusion with being secured by nails and the previous tales of having to climb a mountain on the first seven days and crossing a river on the second, but I’m happy accept both concepts.) On the 35th Day, the deceased meets with Emma-o, the god of the underworld, who has a VCR and tape of every action of the deceased’s lifetime. No detail is left hidden as this karma is detailed.
On the final trial on the 49th Day, the last of the nails are removed. The deceased is in a room with a judge. The room contains six identical doors. One leads to hell. Another to the world of animals. Another goes to the world of asuras where everyone fights all the time. One leads to the world of hungry spirits. One returns to the world of humans. The sixth door leads to a heavenly realm. There is no way to tell which door leads to which realm. The judge silently motions for the deceased to pick a door.
The deceased’s karma determines the choice but the prayers of the living can transfer merit that can improve the lot of the deceased.
All of those attending today’s service were invited to join the family at a local Chinese restaurant where dishes favored by the deceased would be enjoyed by everyone.
Rev. Igarashi gave me a ride to the restaurant and while we were sitting together eating, he mentioned that this luncheon serves a special purpose. The feeling of satisfaction in dining and the camaraderie of the diners is transferred to the deceased.
I’ve considered myself a Buddhist for nearly 30 years, but it is only in the years that I’ve attended the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church and delved into the teachings of Nichiren Shu that I feel genuinely Buddhist.
That’s just me. Your mileage may vary.
Exiting the Burning House
Escaping from the fire is the chief concern of the wealthy father; it is also the concern of the Buddha. The father ponders seriously how he might be able to rescue his children who refuse to exit the burning building. We too, before we began to study Buddhism, were like the children. We did not realize that we could escape the burning fires of pain, greed, anger, and animality. We may not have even realized that we were suffering, especially if we were in a state of tranquility. But just as the gods in heaven will eventually fall to earth, so too tranquility will eventually change and we will be faced with the stark reality of old age, disease, and death. Nothing remains unchanged forever; all things are subject to decay.
We can either be caught up in despair of the cycle of endless suffering or we may be blind to the eventuality of suffering. In either case the Buddha knows there are raging flames all around us and he wants to save us, or rather provide the means whereby we can save ourselves. First though is to exit the burning house.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraDaily Dharma – April 22, 2017
Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
This great light illumines
The worlds of the ten quarters.
The Brahma Heavenly Kings of the East sing these verses as part of a story the Buddha tells in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. Long ago there was another Buddha named Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence. When he became enlightened, the entire universe was illuminated. Beings who had never seen each other could recognize each other clearly. We can see this story as a metaphor for what happens when the Buddha’s wisdom comes into our lives. We leave the darkness of our ego attachment and come into the light of the world as it is.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 10
Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.
Having last month covered the prediction of future Buddhahood for Subhuti in prose, we come to the prediction for him in gāthās.
Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
Bhikṣus!
Now I will tell you.
Listen to me
With one mind!Subhūti, a disciple of mine,
Will be able
To become a Buddha
Called Beautiful-Form.He will make offerings
To many billions of Buddhas, and practice
According to the practices of the Buddhas,
And finally attain great enlightenment.On the final stage of his physical existence,
He will obtain the thirty-two physical marks,
And become as beautiful and as wonderful
As a mountain of treasures.The world of that Buddha
Will be the purest.
Anyone will be happy to see it.
That Buddha will save
Innumerable living beings
Of that world.Many Bodhisattvas
In the world of that Buddha
Will be clever.
They will turn
The irrevocable wheel of the Dharma,
And adorn that world.The Śrāvakas in that world also
Will be countless.
They will have the six supernatural powers,
Including the three major supernatural powers.
They will have the eight emancipations.
They will be exceedingly powerful and virtuous.The supernatural powers
Employed by that Buddha
For the expounding of the Dharma
Will be inconceivable.As many gods and men
As there are sands in the River Ganges
Will join their hands together
And listen to the words of that Buddha.The duration of the life of that Buddha
Will be twelve small kalpas.
His right teachings will be preserved
For twenty small kalpas.
The counterfeit of his right teachings
Also will be preserved for twenty small kalpas.
My penchant for working piece by piece through the sūtra doesn’t always work well. Here’s a case where I struggle to add something specific to this section. But I do have a personal observation in general that applies to this.
We are told that Subhūti “will make offerings To many billions of Buddhas, and practice According to the practices of the Buddhas, And finally attain great enlightenment.” I’ve heard people use this sort of lengthy process as an example of an unattractive or less than ideal outcome, especially given the promises offered to those who keep, read, recite and copy this sūtra.
I have two problems with that. First, consider what it would mean to have the opportunity to make offerings to billions of Buddhas and to practice according to their teachings. Personally, I think that would be great. My practice today is not a burden. It is not something I do grudgingly. It is done with joy.
The other problem I have (underscore I have) with focusing exclusively on the get-enlightenment-quick talisman, is that it makes enlightenment only about me. Each day I vow to save all sentient beings. That could take some time.
Awakening to the Living Reality of Our Own Lives
[Within the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha], the Buddha shows us the possibility that we can awaken to the truth about life. Shakyamuni Buddha provided us with a model of human wisdom and compassion. When we take refuge in him, we take refuge in the possibility of our own awakening. In different schools of Buddhism, the Buddha is interpreted as anything from an abstraction to an almost god-like celestial being, but in Nichiren Buddhism, we do not regard Shakyamuni Buddha as an other-worldly reality, abstract ideal, or long dead teacher. He is the awakening to the living reality of our own lives, which we realize when we take faith in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
Lotus SeedsDaily Dharma – April 21, 2017
They will be able to know all the thoughts, deeds, and words, however meaningless, of the living beings of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds each of which is composed of the six regions. Although they have not yet obtained the wisdom-without-āsravas, they will be able to have their minds purified as previously stated. Whatever they think, measure or say will be all true, and consistent not only with my teachings but also with the teachings that the past Buddhas have already expounded in their sūtras.
The Buddha gives this explanation to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. Paradoxically, the process of clarifying our minds so that we can see things for what they are is not an intellectual exercise. The practice of the Wonderful Dharma is not based on learning complicated theories or arcane facts. It can be as simple as chanting Odaimoku sincerely, awakening our nature as Bodhisattvas, and working for the benefit of all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 9
Day 9 covers Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs, and introduces Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood.
Having last month given the Assurance of Future Buddhahood for Maha-Kasyapa, we come to the reaction of Great Maudgalyāyana, Subhūti and Mahā-Kātyāyana.
Thereupon Great Maudgalyāyana, Subhūti and Mahā-Kātyāyana trembled, joined their hands together with all their hearts, looked up at the World-Honored One with unblenching eyes, and sang in gāthās in unison:
Great Hero, World-Honored One!
King of the Dharma of the Śākyas!
Give us your voice
Out of your compassion towards us!
If you see what we have deep in our minds,
And assure us of our future Buddhahood,
We shall feel as cool and as refreshed
As if we were sprinkled with nectar.Suppose a man came
From a country suffering from famine.
Now he saw the meal of a great king.
He did not partake of it in doubts and fears.
After he was told to take it by the king,
He took it at once.
We are like that man.
We know the defects of the Lesser Vehicle.
But we do not know how to obtain
The unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddha.Although we hear you say [to us],
“You will become Buddhas,”
We are still in doubts and fears about it,
Just as that man was about the meal.
If you assure us of our future Buddhahood,
We shall be happy and peaceful.You, the Great Hero, the World-Honored One,
Wish to give peace to all the people of the world.
If you assure us of our future Buddhahood, we shall be
Like the man who was permitted to take the meal.
The Daily Dharma from Aug. 28, 2016, offers this:
If you see what we have deep in our minds,
And assure us of our future Buddhahood,
We shall feel as cool and as refreshed
As if we were sprinkled with nectar.
Maudgalyāyana, Subhūti and Mahā-Kātyāyana sing these verses to the Buddha in Chapter Six of the Lotus Sūtra. The Buddha knows that our habits of thought and behavior have developed over many lifetimes. We cannot clear them away by ourselves. In the Lotus Sūtra, he assures many of his disciples personally of the certainty of their enlightenment. He shows that this universe has innumerable Buddhas, and tells all of us who hear this teaching that we too should be certain of our enlightenment. When we take the Buddha’s voice to heart, and release the grip we have on our fears, and open ourselves to the joy within ourselves and the world.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com