The promulgation of Buddhist doctrines has been divided from the earliest times into three periods, the last of which is called the Period of the Latter-day Law. Nichiren regarded his own time as falling under this designation, and considered it as the proper occasion for promulgating the doctrines of the [Lotus Sutra]. He therefore began his work in the year 1252 of the Christian era. At this epoch, the true original doctrines of the faith had become corrupted by the intermixture of much that was false and temporary, so that popular belief in the Buddha had lost its purity, and divisions had crept in. Deeply grieved at the error and confusion which reigned, Nichiren set himself very laboriously to work in promulgating the Good Law. He found, however, not only that its acceptance would be a matter of some time, but that his efforts to enforce it raised up many enemies and opponents, whose hostility gave him no small amount of trouble. The difficult position in which he now found himself coincided almost exactly with that predicted by Sakyamuni two thousand years before. “The Law,” he said in the [Lotus Sutra], has many opponents and enemies, even now while I am in the world. It will necessarily have many more after my departure.” Now, being determined to stake his very life in promulgating the Good Law, Nichiren thus addressed the Buddha: “To despise and reject the Holy Book of our Sect, be it good or bad, is an action proper only to the denizens of hell. Suppose an emperor were to offer me the sovereignty of the empire on condition that I cast away the Holy Book and took up, instead, the religious works used by other sects: and were to threaten me with the decapitation of my father and mother unless I contented myself with repeating the name of Buddha, as the “Pure Land” sectarians do, in order to be born in the Pure Land after death; neither the bribe on one hand, nor the menace on the other, would have the slightest effect upon me. Nothing could ever move me except being outreasoned by a wiser man than myself; and I do not believe that such a man will ever be discovered. Benefits and troubles are alike unable to make any impression on my mind. I want to be, as it were, the pillars for Japan; to be the eyes for Japan; to be the ship for Japan. Of this object I will never lose sight; the oath I have sworn I will never break.” Thus, attesting his professions with an oath, Nichiren founded his new sect; sometimes called by his own name, and sometimes Hokke, after the title of the [Lotus Sutra].
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Monthly Archives: April 2018
Playing Our Role
We should not forget that as a householder, businessman, computer programmer, maintenance technician, clerk, no matter what, we are indeed playing a role. We have chosen to manifest ourselves in this life as common ordinary people who are in fact Buddhas. At the core of our life is the truth that, no matter what, we are Buddhas who have assumed a role in order to lead others to enlightenment.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1Day 53 of 100
Now, in ancient times there lived a monk among the Buddha’s disciples. Once during a famine, as the Buddha did not have enough to eat, this monk sold his own kesa stole and donated the money to the Buddha. The Buddha was curious about the donation and thus asked the monk for details. The monk explained. The Buddha then declined to accept the offering by saying, “A Buddhist priest’s stole is the canonical robe in which various Buddhas in the past, present, and future lives gain emancipation. I do not think I can repay such a great favor which was gained by selling such a precious robe.” The monk then asked the Buddha what he should do with the money for the kesa stole he sold. The Buddha asked in return whether or not the monk had a mother. “Yes, I have,” answered the monk. The Buddha then told the monk that he should offer the money to his own mother. The monk then said to the Buddha, “The Buddha is the Most Venerable One in the triple world. You are the eyes of all living beings. You are able to repay the money of a great canonical robe that may cover all the worlds in the universe or a wide kesa stole that may spread over the great earth. On the contrary, my mother is as ignorant as cattle and more hopeless than a sheep. How will she be able to repay the indebtedness of offering a kesa stole?” In response, the Buddha carefully questioned the monk, “Who gave birth to you? Isn’t it your mother who gave birth to you? There is no doubt that she will be able to repay the indebtedness of this kesa stole.”
Toki-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 6-7
The Buddha Śākyamuni is the father of the world, but your mother is your mother. I will save this for Mother’s Day.
100 Days of StudyDaily Dharma – April 22, 2018
The Buddha said to the rākṣasīs: “Excellent, excellent! Your merits will be immeasurable even when you protect the person who keeps only the name of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”
The Buddha declares these lines in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sūtra. The rākṣasīs are violent, bloodthirsty demons whose nature is to satisfy their own cravings at the expense of beings weaker than themselves. In the Lotus Sūtra, they learn of their capacity to use their strength to protect others and vow to the Buddha to defend anyone who keeps this sūtra. They understand that when they dedicate their strength to caring for other beings rather than destroying them, they gain the merit which will bring them closer to enlightenment. We learn from this example about our own natures, and that of the beings we share this world with.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 23
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.
Having last month considered the eight hundred merits of the eye, we consider the twelve hundred merits of the ear.
“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sūtra, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merits of the ear. With their pure ears, they will be able to recognize all the various sounds and voices inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, [each of which is composed of the six regions] down to the Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven. They will be able to recognize the voices of elephants, horses and cows; the sounds of carts; cryings and sighings; the sounds of conch-shell horns, drums, gongs and bells; laughter and speech; the voices of men, women, boy and girls; meaningful voices, meaningless voices; painful voices, delightful voices; the voices of the unenlightened ones, the voices of the enlightened ones; joyful voices, joyless voices; the voices of gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras and mahoragas; the sounds of fire, water and wind; the voices of hellish denizens, animals and hungry spirits; and the voices of bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. In a word, with their pure and natural ears given by their parents, they will be able to recognize all the sounds and voices inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, although they have not yet obtained heavenly ears. Even when they recognize all these various sounds and voices, their organ of hearing will not be destroyed.”
The Six Perfections
The Six Perfections … are considered to be the fundamental practices of Mahayana Buddhism, the Great Vehicle, and are the Way of Bodhisattva Practice. Their Sanskrit name, Paramita, really means, “reaching the other shore.” In other words, these are six methods for attaining the goal of Buddhahood.
- The Perfection of Generosity (dana-paramita, “giving”). It has two meanings: giving material goods and giving spiritual teachings. The Perfection of Generosity is the purest manifestation of devoted service for others. This Perfection is placed at the head of all others for it summarizes the whole spirit of the Great Vehicle.
- The Perfection of Morality (sila-paramita, following the ethical precepts). There are five moral precepts in Buddhism, which are considered to be aspirations, not commandments: (1) not to take life, (2) not to steal, (3) not to indulge in unlawful sexuality, (4) not to lie, and (5) not to become intoxicated by drink or drugs.
- The Perfection of Patience (ksanti-paramita). When a Bodhisattva practices the Six Perfections, he is sure to encounter obstacles and opposition from other people. The Bodhisattva must remain patient in adversity. It takes courage sometimes to exercise self-control, not become angry, and not strike back with a blow for a blow.
- The Perfection of Vigor (virya-paramita, “endeavor”). Putting forth one’s best effort. The final aim of the Perfection of Endeavor is to attain Buddhahood. We must approach every task with vigor and enthusiasm, and so improve our lives and the lives of those around us. No detail is too small not to require our best effort. The one great task of achieving Buddhahood requires the fulfilling of a thousand small tasks every day.
- The Perfection of Concentration (dhyana-paramita, meditation). Dhyana is called Zen in Japanese. It is sometimes translated as “Meditation,” but in Buddhism there are various types of meditation, depending on what the one who meditates hopes to achieve. Here it means one-pointed concentration, not only of the mind but also of the heart. Any practice which helps us gain unity of mind and heart is dhyana.
- The Perfection of Wisdom (prajna-paramita). The last of the Six Perfections is Prajna. It is the cornerstone of all the Perfections, for without Wisdom none of the others fit together. Without wisdom, none would be “perfections.” Wisdom is not the same as simple knowledge or understanding. When the Buddha recognizes the truth (the Dharma), that is wisdom. In wisdom, the Buddha’s person and the universal law (Dharma) are one. The state in which subjective character and objective truth merge into one is true wisdom.
Day 52 of 100
A passage composed of the 28 Chinese characters that states, “The Lotus Sūtra is good medicine for the diseases of people of the Jambudvipa; if a patient can hear this sūtra, his disease will disappear at once, and he will neither grow old nor die,” is taken from the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. When Nichiren’s wet nurse who had a serious illness for about a year died, Nichiren Shōnin chanted this passage and placed it in her mouth with pure water. It revived her at once. Lord Nanjō Tokimitsu is not a high-ranking samurai but he is a devoted follower of Nichiren Shōnin. It would be better for him to pray to King Yama beseeching for help just this once, though it might be his karma from his previous life. As a way of curing his illness, please get a cup of pure water from the Shōjin River between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m., write down the 28 character passage of the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter on a piece of paper and burn it. Then, please mix the ashes in the water and have him drink it.
Hōkikō Gobō Shōsoku, Letter to Nikkō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Pages 209-210
I offer this concluding letter from Volume 5 as an addendum to Day 47 of 100, in which I relate Ven. Kenjo Igarashi‘s explanation of why Nichiren’s letters didn’t survive.
As explained in the Introduction:
The “Hōkikō Gobō Shōsoku” is a letter written by Nichirō by order of Nichiren and it is addressed to Nikkō. It is dated on the 25th day of the second month without the year, but the marginal remark, “fifth year of Kōan” made by Nikkō makes it clear it was in the year 1282 when it was received. [Nichiren died less than five months later on Oct. 13, 1282.] When Nichiren heard that Nanjō Tokimitsu was severely ill, he instructed Nichirō to write a letter to Nikkō, informing him how to make a charm (gofu) to help Tokimitsu regain his health.
Setting aside the question of whether or not 28 Chinese characters from the Lotus Sūtra can effect a miraculous cure, there is no question that, “Just as a torch dispels darkness, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma saves all living beings from all sufferings, from all diseases, and from all the bonds of birth and death. The merits to be given to the person who, after hearing this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, copies it, or causes others to copy it, cannot be measured even by the wisdom of the Buddha.” (Chapter 23: The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.)
100 Days of StudyDaily Dharma – April 21, 2018
Ajita, look! The merits of the person who causes even a single man to go and hear the Dharma are so many. It is needless to speak of the merits of the person who hears [this sūtra] with all his heart, reads it, recites it, expounds it to the great multitude, and acts according to its teachings.
The Buddha gives this explanation to Maitreya, whom he calls Ajita (Invincible) in Chapter Eighteen of the Lotus Sutra. While earlier parts of the Sūtra describe the possible reactions those who teach the Buddha Dharma may find, the Buddha here reminds us that we do not need to wait until we are strong enough, wise enough, or even practiced enough to use it to benefit others. This sūtra contains the Buddha’s enlightenment itself. When we hear it, we hear the Buddha. When we expound it, it is the Buddha speaking through us.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 22
Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.
Having last month learned of the great benefits received by Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, we witness the reaction of the gods in heaven.
When the Buddha said that these Bodhisattva-mahāsattva had obtained the great benefits of the Dharma, [the gods) in heaven rained mandārava-flowers and mahā-mandārava-flowers on the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees. They also rained those flowers on [the two Buddhas:] Many-Treasures Tathāgata, who had passed away a long time ago, and Śākyamuni Buddha, both of whom were sitting on the lion-like seat in the stupa of the seven treasures. They also rained those flowers on the great Bodhisattvas’ and the four kinds of devotees. They also rained the fine powder of the incense of candana and aloes [on them). Heavenly drums automatically sounded wonderful and deep in the sky. [The gods] also rained thousands of heavenly garments and hung many necklaces made of pearls, mani gems or free-at-will gems over the nine quarters. They also burned priceless incense which was put in incense-burners of many treasures. The incense-burners automatically went around the great congregation, and the odor of the incense was offered to all the members of the congregation. Above each of the Buddhas [sitting under the trees), Bodhisattvas lined up vertically one upon another to the Heaven of Brahman, holding canopies and streamers. They praised the Buddhas, singing innumerable verses with their wonderful voices.
Five Stages in the Future
[In Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits,] the five stages in the future consist of rejoicing on hearing the Sutra, reading and reciting the Sutra, expounding it to others, practicing the Six Perfections, and mastering the Six Perfections.
- The Stage of Rejoicing.
At the first stage, one listens to the Lotus Sutra, receives it joyfully, and desires to follow its teachings (p. 258). - The Stage of Reading and Reciting.
At this stage, one who has already experienced the joy makes further progress. He or she keeps the Lotus Sutra; reads and recites it aloud, plumbs its meaning, and studies it more deeply. - The Stage of Expounding It to Others.
At this stage, one makes further progress yet, and is able to explain the Sutra to others. - The Stage of Practicing the Six Perfections (Paramitas). At this stage, one is so immersed in the Sutra that he or she begins to practice the Six Perfections of a Bodhisattva.
- The Stage of Mastering the Six Perfections.
At this final stage, one upholds the Lotus Sutra, plumbs its deep meaning, explains it to others, practices the Six Perfections, and begins to realize them naturally in daily life.