He was strenuous and resolute in mind.
He concentrated his mind,
And refrained from indolence
For many hundreds of millions of kalpas.
The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. In this Chapter, the Buddha describes the benefits from practicing generosity, discipline, patience, perseverance, and in these verses, concentration. He then compares these benefits to those which come from understanding the ever-present nature of the Buddha, even for a time no longer than the time it takes to blink. The merits of the latter outshine the former as the sun in a clear sky outshines the stars. When we are assured of the Buddha’s constant presence, helping all of us to become enlightened, we find that we can accomplish far more than we thought possible.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 3 covers the first half of Chapter 2, Expedients.
Having last month heard Śāriputra’s repeated pleas in gāthās to hear the “perfect way”, we hear the Buddha’s response.
Thereupon the Buddha said to him,
“No, no, I will not. If I do, all the gods and men in the world will be frightened and perplexed.”
Śāriputra said to him again:
“World-Honored One! Explain it, explain it! The many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of living beings in this congregation have active functions of mind and clear wisdom because they have seen the [past] Buddhas in their previous existence. If they hear you, they will respect and believe you.”
Thereupon Śāriputra, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in a gāthā:
King of the Dharma, Most Honorable One!
Explain it! Do not worry!
The innumerable living beings in this congregation
Will respect and believe you.
The Buddha checked him again, saying, “No. If I do, all the gods, men and asuras in the world will be frightened and perplexed, and arrogant bhikṣus will fall into a great pit.”
Thereupon the Buddha repeated this in a gāthā:
No, no, I will not say any more.
My teaching is wonderful and inconceivable.
If arrogant people hear me,
They will not respect or believe me.
Thereupon Śāriputra said to him again:
“World-Honored One! Expound the Dharma, expound the Dharma! The hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings in this congregation like me followed the [past] Buddhas and received their teachings in their consecutive previous existences. They will respect and believe you. They will be able to have peace after the long night and obtain many benefits.”
Thereupon Śāriputra, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
Most Honorable Biped!
Expound the Highest Truth!
I am your eldest son.
Expound the Dharma!
The innumerable living beings in this congregation
Will respect and believe the Dharma.
They have been taught by the [past] Buddhas
In their consecutive previous existences.
They are joining their hands together [towards you],
Wishing with all their hearts to hear and receive your words.
Expound the Dharma
To us twelve hundred men,
And also to the other people
Who are seeking Buddhahood!
We shall be very glad to hear the Dharma.
The other people will also.
No, no, I will not say any more.
My teaching is wonderful and inconceivable.
If arrogant people hear me,
They will not respect or believe me.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. This was his response the first time Śāriputra asked to receive the Buddha’s highest teaching. The Buddha knew we must be prepared for his wisdom. We must discern clearly the difference between what we know and what we do not know. Because all things are impermanent, the truths we cling to may no longer apply. The ignorance and confusion at the root of our suffering will disappear as we set aside what is no longer true and gain wisdom.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Frequently in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha encourages us to remove our doubts and have strong faith. I need to emphasize that this faith is not a blind faith based upon merely taking someone’s word for something. It is critical that each of us base our faith on our practice and our study. Proving the validity of the teachings in the Lotus Sutra is very important to having no doubts.
All of this is based upon the Dharma as taught by the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra. This is our intention to fully embrace and experience with our own lives the truth and actuality of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra for ourselves.
Having heard from you
Of the duration of your life,
Living beings as many as the particles of earth
Of eight Sumeru-worlds
Aspired for unsurpassed [enlightenment].
The Bodhisattva Maitreya sings these verses in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sutra. He describes the effect on all beings of the Buddha’s revealing his existence as the Ever-Present Śākyamuni. If we believed that the Buddha was just a man who lived 2500 years ago, we might think that we had to wait until another being became enlightened before we could follow them on the path to our own awakening. But with this understanding that the Buddha is always helping us, here and now, then we awaken our capacity to see things as they are and work confidently 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
Having last month considered the the reaction of the four kinds of devotees to the ray of light from Sun-Moon-Light Buddha, we consider the consequences of Sun-Moon-Light Buddha’s decision to enter Nirvāṇa.
Having expounded the Sūtra
Of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma,
And caused the multitude to rejoice,
The Buddha told the gods and men
At that moment on that day,
“I have already expounded to you
The truth of the reality of all things.
I shall enter into Nirvāṇa at midnight tonight.
Make efforts with all your hearts!
Leave the life of license!
It is difficult to see a Buddha, who can be seen
Only once in hundreds of millions of kalpas.”
Having heard that the Buddha would enter into Nirvāṇa,
Those sons of the World-Honored One
Were filled with sorrow.
They said, “How quickly the Buddha is gone!”
The Saintly Master, the King of the Dharma,
Consoled the countless living beings, saying:
“Although I shall pass away,
You must not worry.
This Virtue-Store Bodhisattva has already understood
The truth of the reality [of all things]
[To be attained by the wisdom] without asravas.
He will become a Buddha immediately after me.
He will be called Pure-Body.
He will save innumerable living beings.”
The Buddha passed away that night
Just as fire dies out when wood is gone.
His śarīras were distributed.
Countless stupas were erected to enshrine them.
As many bhikṣus and bhikṣunīs
As there are sands in the River Ganges
Redoubled their endeavors
In order to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.
Manjusri’s narrative on Sun-Moon-Light Buddha illustrates that the Lotus Sutra was expounded in the past just as it is in the present. It is the universal teaching transcending even the concept of time. It is not some recent invention. The subsequent appearance of twenty thousand Buddhas with the same name suggests that the personalities of all Buddhas originate in the spirit of the very first One. Here we get the first glimpse of the “infinite absolute Buddha,” or Original Buddha, who will fully reveal himself in Chapter Sixteen, “The Duration of the Life of the Tathagata.”
The first half of the Lotus Sutra is the theoretical section, which is called the Trace or Imprint Gate. The Trace Gate consists of the first 14 chapters in which the Buddha is still seen as the historical Shakyamuni Buddha who attained awakening 2,500 years ago. It is called the Trace Gate because it covers the teaching of the One Vehicle by the historical Shakyamuni Buddha … and these teachings are the traces or imprints of the teaching of eternal life by the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha. The historical life of the Buddha and his teaching is like a print made of soft wax by a seal, or like traces left in the sand by a person walking on the beach.
These good men and women are great Bodhisattvas. They should be considered to have appeared in this world by their vow to expound the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma out of their compassion towards all living beings, although they already attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi [in their previous existence].
The Buddha declares these lines to Medicine-King Bodhisattva at the beginning of Chapter Nine of the Lotus Sūtra. In the teachings of Nirvāṇa, the goal is to remove suffering so that we can be reborn in a peaceful realm. In this Sūtra, the Buddha reminds us that we who keep this Sūtra have given up the privilege of higher realms so that we can benefit beings where we find ourselves now. We do not fear rebirth in lower realms since our compassion takes us even there so we can benefit beings in those realms.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
[I]n most sutras, the Introductory and Propagation parts are short and sweet, serving merely structural functions to complete the whole. In contrast, the Lotus Sutra contains a detailed introduction in addition to a general preface. This detailed introduction, unique to the Lotus Sutra, presents teachings that foreshadow what will be expounded in the following chapters. Secondly, the Lotus Sutra is structured as if the conclusion incorporates the main part. For example, after Chapter Ten, “The Teacher of the Dharma,” most chapters in the second division deal with the matter of keeping and propagating the Sutra in future worlds, which is, in fact, the major characteristic of a conclusion.
Ven. Kenjo Igarashi during the monthly adult study classMrs. Igarashi’s flower arrangement for the service July 1, 2018
We begin as we did in the classroom. Putting hands together in gassho, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
And before we continue, the disclaimer: I am allowed to record Ven. Kenjo Igarashi’s sermons and lectures as long as I don’t publish the actual recording. Since that requires that I must transcribe the hour-long class, there are bound to be errors introduced. Those are mine. Since I’m condensing and editing what I hear, what I write is more paraphrasing than quotes. Again, any errors are mine. I also want to thank Keiko Tsuda for help with the Japanese.
The lesson was about One, only One, Rev. Igarashi explained at the start.
“When I was a college student I was asked at an exam to answer the question, What is One?” He had to fill a legal-size paper with the answer.
“What is One?” he said. “A lot of things.”
He then wrote in Japanese on the chalkboard.
一仏一乗 — Ichibutsu Ichijyou — One Buddha, One Vehicle
一念三千 — Ichinen Sanzen — One moment contains 3000 realms
一念随喜 — Ichinen Zuiki — One moment of faith (Chapter 10)
一念信解 — Ichinen Shinge — One moment of faith that Sakyamuni Buddha’s life is eternal (Chapter 17)
“Lots of ichi,” he said.
The first example: One Buddha, One sutra. Only Sakyamuni Buddha; no other Buddha. And only one vehicle, not two or three.
“The Lotus Sutra teaches about second vehicle or third vehicle,” Rev. Igarashi explained, “but only one vehicle can lead to enlightenment. Only one Buddha; only one vehicle.”
Nichiren taught that only the Lotus Sutra possesses the key to opening enlightenment in our lives. Other teachings, other Buddhas cannot save people, cannot bring true enlightenment. That’s why only one Buddha; only one vehicle. Only Sakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra can save all of the people.
Rev. Igarashi explained that adding other teachings or other Buddhas to your practice is like adding sand and dirt to a bowl of rice and then eating.
“Why don’t you just eat pure rice?” he said. “Only the Lotus Sutra can bring enlightenment and save other people.”
(On the topic of Ichinen Sanzen, we’ll have to wait until next month. For a preview of the 3,000 realms contained in one moment of thought, see this quote from Lotus Seeds.)
The remaining examples of “one” focus on a single moment.
“Ichinen Zuiki: Only one second, maybe just a half-second, if you rejoice at hearing the Lotus Sutra — if you are listening a short time and then you rejoice — then you are going to get enlightenment — not long, long time,” he said.
He then read from Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma:
“If after my extinction anyone rejoices, even on a moment’s thought, at hearing even a gāthā or a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I also will assure him of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.”
Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi means enlightenment.
“Ichinen Shinge: If you understand — if you believe — the Lotus Sutra and Sakyamuni’s life is eternal — if you believe for only one second or a half-second — you are going to get enlightenment, you are going to be a Buddha in your next life. Only a short time that you believe that Sakyamuni’s life is eternal,” Rev. Igarashi explained, and then quoted from Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits:
“Thereupon the Buddha said to Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahāsattva: “Ajita! Anyone who hears that my life is so long, and understands it by faith even at a moment’s thought, will be able to obtain innumerable merits.”
“Sakyamuni was born in India to save the people living in the defiled world, but already before he was born in India his spirit had already become enlightened a long, long, long time ago,” Rev. Igarashi explained.
Many people cannot believe that Sakyamuni’s life is eternal. That’s why he said in Chapter 17, if you believe for only a second, only a half-second, if you believe from the bottom of your heart, then you are assured by Sakyamuni of getting enlightenment and becoming a Buddha in your next life.
Some people believe we have to study or we have to practice for a long, long, long time over many, many lives otherwise we cannot get enlightenment. They give up.
“But it is not this long, long time but only one second, only half-second if you can believe then you can get enlightenment,” Rev. Igarashi said.
While Ichinen Zuiki, Ichinen Shinge — a single moment of faith — are very easy, if you are thinking of other religions it is not pure. You have to purify your mind and believe Sakyamuni’s life is eternal and the Lotus Sutra is the supreme teaching, then you are going to get enlightenment and get merit.
“Sometimes when people chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo or the Lotus Sutra, tears fall without explanation,” Rev. Igarashi said. “That means they are very happy. The Lotus Sutra makes them very happy. Maybe he or she understands what the Lotus Sutra says and realizes she will get enlightenment and merits. They are just crying naturally during Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.”
At this point Rev. Igarashi shifted to a discussion of the Parable of the Burning House in Chapter 3 and the deer carts, sheep carts and bullock carts the children wanted.
The śrāvakas and the pratyekabuddhas — nijyou or followers of the two vehicles — think only of their own enlightenment and leaving the suffering world. “We call this thinking very small,” Rev. Igarashi said. “That’s why we call nijyou Hinayana Buddhism. Hinayana Buddhism is a small boat that carries only one person at a time.”
Because nijyou followers only think about themselves, sutras before the Lotus Sutra said they could not get enlightenment. But the Lotus Sutra said even those people can get enlightenment. “We have a big boat to cross the suffering ocean,” Rev. Igarashi said. “Everybody can get in.”
Ichibutsu Ichijyou — only one Buddha, only one vehicle — can save all suffering people.
“We have to practice and we have to try to save all of the people. Trying to save other people is our practice — not only me, not only one,” he said. “Many people are thinking, I’m happy so I don’t care about other people. That’s not the thinking of the big vehicle, Daijyou. That’s why we have to think about Ichibutsu Ichijyou and Daijyou. It is very important. Then we just believe that Sakyamuni Buddha’s life is eternal and a moment’s faith is all that is required.”
Which brought us to Tanshin Mugei — 但信無解.
One only has to believe. Understanding is not required — Tanshin Mugei — believe it even if you don’t understand.
[He also returned to a topic covered in Dec. 17, 2017, service: The story of Ksudrapanthaka, disciple of the Buddha who couldn’t remember anything, even his name. See this post.]
If you seriously believe, even if you don’t understand, you will get enlightenment.
“Many people feel they must understand before they believe,” Rev. Igarashi said. “But if you try practicing, naturally you will come to understand the meaning of the Lotus Sutra. That’s why Nichiren Shonin said ‘Your belief will change to wisdom.’ So even if you don’t understand, if you chant Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, your belief will naturally change to wisdom and then you will understand what the Lotus Sutra is, what Buddhism is.”
Nichiren Shonin spoke of one other practice required of Buddhists: to express compassion and gratitude to our fellow humans; this is propagation of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. There are two forms of propagation, shoju and shakubuku. Shoju means gentle persuasion, and is used to describe the propagation of one who sets a good example. People are naturally drawn to such a person and seek to emulate him or her. However, the means that Nichiren Shonin advocated for his time and for the Declining Age of the Dharma in general is shakubuku, which means to break and subdue. However, this does not mean subduing people, being rude and dogmatic, or breaking violently. Instead, this simply means to speak the truth about the primary effectiveness of the Lotus Sutra and to speak truthfully about the deficiencies of other teachings. This does not mean attacking people with an attitude of insulting their beliefs; Nichiren Shonin says that the correct form of shakubuku is shown in the example of Bodhisattva Never Despise in Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sutra.
