Monthly Archives: April 2017

LS32

Day 30

Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs

Having last month heard the dharani spells of Vaisravana Heavenly-King, we come to World-Holding Heavenly-King.

Thereupon World-Holding Heavenly-King, accompanied by thousands of billions of nayutas of gandharvas who were surrounding him respectfully, came to the Buddha, joined his hands together, and said to him, “World-Honored One! I also will protect the keeper of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with dharanis, with divine spells.”

Then he uttered spells,” Akyanei (1), kyanei (2), kuri (3), kendari (4), sendari (5), matogi (6), joguri (7), furoshani (8), atchi (9).”

[He said to the Buddha:]

“World-Honored One! These dharanis, these divine spells, have already been uttered by four thousand and two hundred million Buddhas. Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.”

World-Holding Heavenly-King, also known as Dhritarashtra or Dai Jilcolcu Tunno, protects the upper right corner of the Mandala Gohonzon, or the East Gate. From Lotus World:

The Flammarion Iconographic Guide: Buddhism describes Dhritarashtra as follows: “This guardian king governs in the east and presides over the spring. He is ‘He who maintains the kingdom (of the Law)’, ‘the maintainer of the state’ … He commands an army of celestial musicians (Gandharvas) and vampire demons (Pishacha).” The gandharvas are one of the eight kinds of supernatural beings who are said to revere and protect the Dharma; the pishachas are a type of hungry ghost.

According to the Kumarajiva translation of the Lotus Sutra, it is Dhritarashtra who offers dharanis in Chapter 26 for the benefit of those who keep the Lotus Sutra.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon

Odaimoku

The Rope and Roll of Fabric

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Kyo is the translation of the Sanskrit word for sutra. The original meaning of this Sanskrit word is “wire”, “cord” , “thread” or “roll of fabric.” … [I]n the Buddhist sense, sutra refers to the recorded sermons and teachings of the Buddha. The significance of the sutra as a cord or string, represents the bond that joins each and everyone of us with the life and teachings of the Tathagata. The meaning of “roll of fabric” indicates that through our taking refuge in the Three Treasures, our lives are wrapped in the compassion of the Buddha leading us away from a world of suffering, pain and confusion.

Odaimoku: The Significance Of Chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 9, 2017

I, Nichiren, sincerely keep the most profound Lotus Sutra among other sutras which have been preached, are being preached, and will be preached. I also chant Odaimoku, the heart of the sutra, by myself and teach others to chant it. Mugwort grass grows straight amidst the hemp field. Trees do not grow straight, but by cutting them straight, they become useful. If you chant the sutra as it instructs, your mind will be straightened. Be aware that is hard for us the chant even the title of the sutra unless the spirit of the Eternal Buddha enters into our bodies.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Letter to Myomitsu Shonin (Myomitsu Shonin Gosho). This instruction ties together the practice of reciting devotion to the title of the Lotus Sūtra, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, and the mind of the ever-present Buddha Shakyamuni. It is through unimaginable deeds of merit that we have met this Sūtra in our lives and have the opportunity to use it to find the Buddha’s wisdom and benefit all beings in this world of conflict and delusion. We are also fortunate to have Nichiren as an example of how to bring this teaching to life. May our gratitude for the merits we have received strengthen our determination to transform the obstacles we face into opportunities we welcome.

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

LS32

Day 29

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Last month I completed the enumeration of the supernatural powers of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva-­mahasattva, but before proceeding to how World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva goes about this Saha-World, I want to skip ahead to continue yesterday’s light show.

He sees the truth of all things and their purity.
He sees all things with his great wisdom.
He sees all things with loving-kindness and compassion.
Think of him constantly! Look up at him constantly!

All darkness is dispelled by the light of his wisdom
As spotless and as pure as the light of the sun.
The light destroys the dangers of wind and fire,
And illumines the whole world brightly.

His precepts out of his loving-kindness brace us up as thunderbolts.
His wishes out of his compassion are as wonderful as large clouds.
He pours the rain of the Dharma as sweet as nectar,
And extinguishes the fire of illusions.

The ability to see requires light. “All darkness is dispelled by the light of his wisdom
As spotless and as pure as the light of the sun.” I’m particularly enamored of the vision of thunderbolts of wisdom.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 8, 2017

Ajita! Any good man or woman who keeps, reads, or recites this sūtra after my extinction, also will be able to obtain these merits. Know this! He or she should be considered to have already reached the place of enlightenment, approached Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, and sat under the tree of enlightenment. Ajita! Erect a stūpa in the place where he or she sat, stood or walked! All gods and men should make offerings to that stūpa just as they do to the stūpa of a Buddha.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Maitreya (whom he calls Ajita – Invincible) in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. In this mysterious description, the Buddha seems to say that anyone who practices this Lotus Sūtra as it instructs is his equal, that this person deserves as much respect as the Buddha himself. In this world of conflict it is rare to even find this teaching, and even more rare to practice it. The Buddha encourages Bodhisattvas such as Maitreya and other protective deities to serve and care for those who bring the Buddha’s greatest wisdom to life. When we practice the Wonderful Dharma, it is as if the Buddha himself appears among us.

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

LS32

Day 28

Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month completed Chapter 24, we start again.

Thereupon Sakyamuni Buddha [faced the east and] emitted rays of light from the fleshy tuft on his head, that is, from one of the marks of a great man, and also from the white curls between his eyebrows. The light illumined one hundred and eight billion nayuta Buddha-worlds, that is, as many worlds in the east as there are sands in the River Ganges. There was a world called [All-] Pure-Light-Adornment [in the east] beyond those worlds. In that world was a Buddha called Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom, the Tathagata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. He expounded the Dharma to a great multitude of innumerable Bodhisattvas who were surrounding him respectfully. The ray of light, which was emitted from the white curls [between the eyebrows] of Sakyamuni Buddha, also illumined that world.

Darkness or light. Hidden or revealed. Delusion or realization. One truth.

Lotus Path

The Empty Spot

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By giving to others we make space within our lives for more. By sharing with others our joy of Buddhist practice, by encouraging others to never give up, by sharing our material as well as spiritual gains we make space for being refilled, being refreshed. We may think that if we give it away there will be an empty spot, but the nature of life is that the empty spot will not remain empty as long as we make space for compassion and caring for others.

Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 7, 2017

A singing bird in a cage attracts uncaged birds, and the sight of these uncaged birds will make the caged bird want to be free. LIkewise the chanting of Odaimoku will bring out the Buddha-nature within ourselves. The Buddha-nature of the gods Bonten and Taishaku will be called by the chanting and protect the chanter. The Buddha-nature of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will be pleased to be called. For attaining Buddhahood quickly, one must lay down the banner of arrogance, cast away the club of prejudice and chant, “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.”

Nichiren write this in his Treatise on Attaining Enlightenment through Faith in the Lotus Sūtra (Hokke Shoshin Jōbutsu Shō). While we whose faith is in the Lotus Sūtra are assured that we and all other beings will become Buddhas, we often wonder when that will happen. The Lotus Sūtra describes time in terms of uncountable kalpas, and each kalpa itself is an unimaginable amount of time. There is no shortage of time, or of lives into which we can be born to benefit other beings. But by practicing Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, we continue on our path to enlightenment, rather than being diverted into delusion.

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

LS32

Day 27

Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Having last month covered the big reveal about Medicine-King Bodhisattva and some more flaming offerings, we come to the litany of comparisons illumining just how great is this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

“Star-King-Flower! Just as the sea is larger than the rivers, this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is more profound than any of the other sutras expounded by the Tathagatas. Just as Mt. Sumeru is the largest of all the mountains including earth mountains, black mountains, the Small Surrounding Iron Mountains, the Great Surrounding Iron Mountains, and the Ten Treasure Mountains, this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is above all the other sutras. Just as the Moon God is brighter than the stars, this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma gives us more light than any of the other sutras numbering thousands of billions. Just as the Sun God dispels all darkness, this sutra drives away all the darkness of evils. Just as the wheel-turning-holy-king is superior to the kings of small countries, this sutra is more honorable than the other sutras. Just as King Sakra is the king of the thirty-three gods, this sutra is the king of all the sutras. Just as the Great Brahman Heavenly-King is the father of all living beings, this sutra is the father of all the sages and saints, of the Sravakas who have something more to learn, of the Sravakas who have nothing more to learn, and of those who aspire for Bodhisattvahood. Just as Srota-apannas, Sakrdagamins, Anagamins, Arhats, and Pratyekabuddhas are superior to ordinary men, this sutra is superior to any of the other sutras expounded either by Tathagatas or by Bodhisattvas or by Sravakas. The person who keeps this sutra is superior to any other living being. Just as Bodhisattvas are superior to Sravakas or to Pratyekabuddhas, this sutra is superior to any other sutra. Just as the Buddha is the king of the Dharma, this sutra is the king of all the sutras.

I was struck today by the line: Just as the Sun God dispels all darkness, this sutra drives away all the darkness of evils. It reminded of the importance of the light in reducing the number people who go the lower realms and increase the number who go to the higher realms.

Physicians Good Medicine

The Stupor of Delusion

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The Physician’s Cure – the thing that enables us to truly be brought back from death – is the Lotus Sutra. Of course we understand that in the parable the physician is the Buddha, the medicine is the Lotus Sutra, and we are the children who have become ill after taking the poison.

The stupor of delusion caused by the poison not only prevents us from realizing that we can become equal to the Buddha, but also that we have always possessed that equality and that our existence is not simply this single lifetime or even this single moment. The delusion creates the false notion that this life is simply an intellectual exercise, that the reality is literal.

Physician's Good Medicine