Monthly Archives: April 2018

WONS, 100 Days of Study

Day 55 of 100

There will be a person who hates the Buddha physically, verbally, and mentally for as long as a kalpa like Devadatta. The Buddha was the crown prince of King Śuddhodana while Devadatta was a prince of Doroṇodana, and therefore the Buddha and Devadatta were first cousins. In the past as well as today, among sages as well as ordinary people, a breakdown of human relations arises more often from the dispute over women than anything else. When Śākyamuni Buddha was Crown Prince Siddhārtha, Devadatta was also a crown prince. Minister Ya’o had a daughter called Yaśodharā, who was the most beautiful girl in the whole India, and whose beauty was known throughout the world. As Crown Prince Siddhārtha and Devadatta fought for her hand, their relationship turned sour.

Thereafter, Prince Siddhārtha entered the priesthood becoming the Buddha, and Devadatta, too, entered the priesthood under the guidance of Monk Sūdra. As the Buddha observed the 250 precepts and maintained the 3,000 proper demeanors of a priest, all the heavenly beings and the people adored and respected Him. However, no one respected Devadatta, causing him to ponder over a way to win a better reputation than the Buddha among the people in the world. In the end Devadatta began to assert that there were five points that proved that he should be more respected than the Buddha. It is preached in the Fourfold Precepts that a Buddhist monk should always 1. wear a robe made of rags; 2. beg for alms; 3. take a meal only once a day; 4. sit in the open; and 5. not take the five kinds of seasoning such as salt. Thus Devadatta publicized them saying, “The Buddha accepts the robes donated by people, but I wear a robe made of ragged pieces of cloth; the Buddha takes the food offered by people, but I have to beg for alms to feed myself; the Buddha has a meal three times a day, but I have it only once a day; the Buddha takes a rest in the shade of a rock or under a tree, but I, Devadatta, always sit in the open during the day; and the Buddha sometimes tastes the five kinds of flavors (sour, bitter, sweet, peppery, and salty), but I have never taken them.” As a result the people in the world were led to believe that Devadatta was incomparably superior to the Buddha.

While Devadatta was trying to demean the Buddha’s reputation, King Bimbisāra in Magadha, a follower of the Buddha, was sending 500 wagons full of donations to the Buddha and his disciples every day without fail for several years. Envious of this royal donation, Devadatta incited Crown Prince Ajātaśatru to murder his own father, King Bimbisāra, while he himself tried to kill the Buddha by hurling a rock at Him. His act of trying to kill the Buddha with a rock constitutes committing the sin of an evil physical act; while accusing the Buddha of deceiving people is an evil verbal act; and thinking of the Buddha as a loathsome enemy from a previous life is an evil mental act. The evil acts of Devadatta, consisting of physical, verbal, and mental acts, are the most serious sins ever to appear.

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 43-44

This tale, of course, underlines why it is so important that even Devadatta should be promised eventually to become a Buddha. But my ulterior motive for reprinting this is to consider the timeless message: “In the past as well as today, among sages as well as ordinary people, a breakdown of human relations arises more often from the dispute over women than anything else.”

100 Days of Study

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 24, 2018

You should promptly discard your false faith and take up the true and sole teaching of the Lotus Sutra at once. Then this triple world of the unenlightened will all become Buddha Lands. Will Buddha lands ever decay? All the worlds in the universe will become pure lands. Will Pure Lands ever be destroyed? When our country does not decay and the world is not destroyed, our bodies will be safe and our hearts tranquil. Believe these words and revere them!

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Spreading Peace through Right Practice (Risshō Ankoku-ron). We may believe that we can practice correctly only when the world becomes peaceful. As if so long as we are in this world of conflict, we would need to use force and aggression to create peace. Nichiren turns this idea upside down. He shows that only by our practicing respect towards all beings, and working for their benefit, can we create peace in this world.

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

LS32, WONS

Day 25

Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Having last month learned Śākyamuni’s connection to those in the congregation, we repeat in gāthās.

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

There was once a Buddha,
Called Powerful-Voice-King.
His supernatural powers and wisdom
Were immeasurable.
Leading all living beings, he is honored
By gods, men and dragons with offerings.

Some time after the extinction of that Buddha,
His teachings had almost died out.
At that time there lived a Bodhisattva
Called Never-Despising.
The four kinds of devotees at that time
Were attached to views.

Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Went to them,
And said,
“I do not despise you
Because you will practice the Way
And become Buddhas.”

When they heard this,
They spoke ill of him and abused him.
But Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Endured all this.

Thus he expiated his sin.
When he was about to pass away,
He heard this sūtra,
And had his six sense-organs purified.
He prolonged his life
By his supernatural powers,
And expounded this sūtra
To many people.

Those who were attached to views
Were led into the Way
To the enlightenment of the Buddha
By this Bodhisattva.

Never-Despising [Bodhisattva] met
Innumerable Buddhas after the end of his life.
He expounded this sūtra,
And obtained innumerable merits,
He quickly attained the enlightenment of the Buddha
By these accumulated merits.

While I’ve exhausted the Introduction to the Lotus Sutra‘s comment on Never Despising Bodhisattva, I recently came across this in Nichiren’s letter Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution:

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches a doctrine called “lightening the karmic retribution.” It proclaims that when a retribution accumulated from the evil karma in one’s previous lives is too heavy to be atoned for in this life, one will have to endure the suffering in hell in the future. One may, however, bear hell’s suffering in the present life instead so that one’s suffering in hell in a future life disappears instantly and one will instead be able to receive the blessings of the realm of humanity and that of heavenly beings, as well as the blessings of the Three Vehicles and attain Buddhahood after death. It was not without reason that Never Despising Bodhisattva was spoken ill of, slandered, beaten with sticks and pieces of wood, or had rubble thrown at him. His persecution in this life seems to be the consequences of his slandering the True Dharma in his previous lives. Therefore it is stated in the sutra, “His sins have been atoned.” [Or in Murano’s translation, “Thus he expiated his sin.”] I believe it means that Never Despising Bodhisattva’s past sin ceased to exist through his persecution.

Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 29

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Svastika

svastika symbol
Svastika, one of the marks of a Buddha
Hanamatsri shrine with child Buddha

UPDATE: I’ve found a reference to the swastika on the chest in the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, considered the preface to the Lotus Sutra. See this post.

Yesterday, while decorating the Hanamatsuri shrine, I noticed the symbol at the top of the structure. I already knew that this was a Buddhist symbol millennia before Fascists in Germany co-opted it, but I didn’t know the Buddhist meaning. So I asked Ven. Kenjo Igarashi what this mark of a Buddha means.

“The hairs on the chest of the Buddha are straight and form this pattern,” he said. “And they don’t collect lint.”

I like that story, but I can’t find any confirmation after a fairly lengthy effort to Google “Buddha’s chest hair” and “Swastika Buddha’s chest.”

One website – here – suggested that it was one of the marks of a Buddha:

卍 or 卐 (pronounced “manji” in Japan). A symbol originating in India (Skt. Svastikah, Jp. Kyōji 胸字). Means “to be fortunate.” The word stem SVASTI can be divided into SU (SV), meaning good or well, and ASTI (ASTIKAH), meaning is or being. In modern India, the word means auspicious. In Japan it is used as a symbol of Buddhist faith, one found frequently on statues of the Buddha (Nyorai) and Bodhisattva (Bosatsu), and one of the 32 Marks of the Buddha (Sanjūnisō 三十二相). It represents the ”possession of all virtues” in Japanese Buddhism, and is used on maps to denote temples.

But it wasn’t among the hair-related features:

  • Mojōkōsō 毛上向相. Body hair is graceful and grows in upward direction.
  • Ichi Ichiku Ichimōsō 一一孔一毛相. One hair grows from each pore of skin.

Among the trivia I picked up in my search was “swastika” vs “svastika”:

“In Sanskrit, the proper spelling of the word swastika is svastika. Sanskrit has no ‘w’. Literally, the word svastika is a statement of affirmation, “It is!” “Life is good!” “There is value” “There is meaning!” Svastika is a term that affirms the positive values of life. The word is made of su + as. “As” is the root of the verb “to be” of which the third person singular is, “asti,” “it is.” Su is a prefix used in Sanskrit to intensify meaning in a positive way, thus su+asti means literally, “it really is!” When combined, the ‘u’ changes into a ‘v’ thus giving the form svasti. The ending ka makes this verbal form into a noun. This is the linguistic morphology of the word, svastika.”

Sanskrit.org

And this was my favorite explanation of the meaning of svastika (manji) in Buddhism:

“In Japanese Buddhism, the Manji is an ancient and important spiritual symbol.

The Manji (Sanscrit: Svastika) represents the harmonious interplay of the many opposites in life – heaven and earth, day and night, etc.

The horizontal line unites light and darkness, while the perpendicular line symbolically connects heaven and earth; and these two combined, form a cross representing the universe in harmony beyond the limits of time and space.

From this harmony comes the power that creates and nurtures all things.

The ‘trailing’ lines at the ends of the cross represent the truth that the universe and all things in it are in a perpetual state of flux.

There two types of Manji — one a mirror image of the other.

The ‘counterclock’ Manji — with the ‘trailing lines’ running from the ends of the central cross to the left (called “Omote“) — represents infinite mercy. This is the prevalent Buddhist Manji symbol in Japan.

The ‘clockwise’ Manji — with the ‘trailing lines’ running from the ends of the central cross to the right (called “Ura“) — represents intellect and strength.”

buddhaseed

‘Equality As Such’

Quote

“Equality as such” means that every one of the ten suchnesses is not separate from each other. They are always contained in one body in relationship to each other. The idea of ten suchnesses applies not only to human beings but also to all things, mind, or even life after death. The ten suchnesses exist in all one hundred realms. … Each realm of the one hundred has its own ten suchnesses such as appearance, nature, entity, power and so forth. In other words, one hundred realms multiplied by the ten suchnesses create one thousand suchnesses.

Buddha Seed: Understanding the Odaimoku

WONS, 100 Days of Study

Day 54 of 100

With gratitude, I have received a piece of cloth for a clerical robe and an unlined kimono. …

A plant can increase in number when its seed is planted. A dragon can transform a small body of water into a lot of rain, and humans can turn a small flame into a fiery blaze. Likewise, although the piece of cloth for a clerical robe and an unlined kimono is limited to one each, their number will be 69,384 each when they are donated to the Lotus Sūtra consisting of 69,384 Chinese characters. As each Chinese character of the Lotus Sūtra represents a living Buddha, the offering to the sūtra is equivalent to the offerings to 69,384 Buddhas. These Buddhas of the Lotus Sūtra are equipped with the hearts of regeneration that enable the Two Vehicles to attain Buddhahood as if a rotten seed has been revitalized; their life spans are as eternal as that of the Original True Buddha revealed in the sūtra; their throats are made of the ever-lasting Buddha-nature; and their primary object is the practice of the One Vehicle teaching. The figures of Buddhas appearing in this world to save living beings are not that of the true Buddha. Rather than Buddhas of corresponding manifestation with 32 marks or 80 minor marks of physical excellence, those Buddhas represented by each character of the Lotus Sūtra are the true Buddhas. Of those who encountered the Buddha and became His followers during His lifetime, some were unable to become Buddhas. Nevertheless, according to the golden words of the Buddha, those who embrace the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra after the passing of the Buddha “will never fail to attain Buddhahood” (the “Expedients” chapter).

When I have this clerical robe tailored, put on upon the unlined kimono and recite the Lotus Sūtra, though Nichiren is a priest without observing a Buddhist precept, as the Lotus Sūtra is the golden words of the Buddha, the merit of your donation will reach you just as a poisonous snake spits out a gem or sandalwood trees grow among eranda.

Onkoromo narabini Hitoe Gosho, Thank-you Note for a Clerical Robe and an Unlined Kimono, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 8-9

69,384 Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō

100 Days of Study

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 23, 2018

I am saving all living beings from suffering.
Because they are perverted,
I say that I pass away even though I shall not.
If they always see me,
They will become arrogant and licentious,
And cling to the five desires
So much that they will fall into the evil regions.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. Sometimes we wonder why the Buddha’s presence in this world is not more obvious. We think if only we could find a living example of an enlightened being living among us then we would be happy and the world would be a better place to live. We forget that even during the Buddha’s lifetime, not everyone sought him out for his teaching, and some actively opposed him. In this explanation, the Buddha points out that our not seeing him is due to our limitations rather than his, and by not taking our lives and this world for granted, we open ourselves to his presence.

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

LS32

Day 24

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.

Having last month considered the twelve hundred merit of the tongue in gāthās, we consider the eight hundred merits of the body.

“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sūtra, 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 Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven and the living beings therein also will be reflected on their bodies. The Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, and Bodhisattvas as well as the Buddhas who are expounding the Dharma, also will show their reflections on their bodies.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Anyone who keeps
This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Will be able to have his body purified like lapis lazuli.
All living beings will wish to see him.

Just as a reflection is seen
In a clear mirror
All things in the world will be reflected
On the pure body of this [person, that is, of this]
Bodhisattva.
No one but he
Will be able to see all things clearly.

The gods, men, asuras,
Hellish denizens,
Hungry spirits and animals,
That is, all living beings
Of the one thousand million Sumeru-world
Will be reflected on his body.

The palaces of the gods in the heavens
Up to the Highest Heaven,
The Surrounding iron Mountains,
Mt. Meru, Mt. Maha-Meru,
And the great oceans also
Will be reflected on his body.

The Buddhas, Śrāvakas, Bodhisattvas who are sons of the Buddhas
[That is, the saints] of whom some live a solitary life
While others are expounding the Dharma to the multitude,
Also will be reflected on his body.

See The Unity of All Religions

LS32, d3b, d4b, d5b, d6b, LS Introduction

The Unity of All Religions

Great Master Chih-i extolled the teaching of the One Vehicle as the unifying principle of Buddhism, presenting it as the doctrine which “opens the Three to reveal the One (Vehicle)” or “encompasses the three with the One.” Since the Three Vehicles symbolize all the sects of Buddhism united through this principle, the One Vehicle could also mean the unity of all the religions of the world, non-Buddhist as well as Buddhist.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

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Hanamatsuri 2018

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi attaches flowers to red cloth that lines top of Hanamatsuri structure. The flowers come from the church grounds and from the garden of a church member. The structure itself was handmade by a church member many years ago. Rev. Igarashi explained that members used to be very handy.

Finished decoration

child Buddha
The child Buddha, with his hands declaring his realm from the heavens to the earth, stands in a pool of sweet tea. During the service parishioners use the ladle to bathe the statue three times.