Monthly Archives: September 2018

Lotus Path

The Rain of the Buddha’s Wisdom

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In the Lotus Sutra the chapter on Simile of Herbs points out that while it is true that there are various kinds of plants, each with its own unique characteristics, the cloud of rain provides nourishment to them all in the necessary quantities even though some need more and others need less.

The beauty of the teachings of the Buddha is regardless of what our unique capability is, what our unique gifts may be, or even what our handicaps are, we all can equally benefit from the teachings of the Buddha. Buddhism and enlightenment are not dependent upon our cleverness, our economic status, or our gender – none of the differences we may use to label and separate each other. Those labels do not apply when it comes to benefiting from the teaching and practice of Buddhism.

Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 19, 2018

The written words of the Lotus Sutra express in a visible and tangible form the Brahma’s voice of the Buddha, which is invisible and intangible, so that we can see and read them with our eyes. The Buddha’s pure and immaculate voice, which had disappeared, is resuscitated in the form of written characters for the benefit of humankind.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits (Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto). Living in this world, 2500 years after the Buddha Śākyamuni walked the Earth, it is difficult to hear his voice leading us to enlightenment and encouraging us to let go of our attachments. In the Lotus S̄ūtra we have an instrument for creating the Buddha’s voice in our own time. This is his highest teaching. It brings all beings to liberation, whether they are clever or dull, stupid or wise, focused or distracted. It reminds us of our true nature as Bodhisattvas who chose this life out of our determination to benefit all beings. It shows us how to transform the poison of suffering into the medicine of compassion, and the poison of ignorance into the medicine of wisdom.

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

Profound

All-Embracing

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This concept is best typified in the theory “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” (Hsing-chü Shih-hsiang). “Nature” refers to suchness of things, which is termed by Chih-i as the Dharma-nature, i.e., the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth is characterized by the Ten Suchnesses in each of the Ten Dharma-realms. Specifically speaking, “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” means “one instant thought containing three thousand dharmas” (I-nien San-ch’ien). How is this possible? This is because the ten realms (along with the Ten Suchnesses) are inseparable among each other. Any one of the ten realms simultaneously contain the other nine realms. For instance, the realm of the underworld contains the realms of hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, heavenly beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas and Buddhas. With the ten realms penetrating each other, this adds up to one hundred realms. Since each realm has Ten Suchnesses, the one hundred realms embrace one thousand suchnesses. If we multiply one thousand suchnesses with the three divisions of the universe (living beings, the five aggregates, and the space we live in), there are total number of three thousand dharmas.

This all-embracing theory reveals that the Ultimate Truth does not limit itself to any domain, but instantaneously confirms all existing things in the universe. Macrocosmically speaking, the Ultimate Truth permeates the whole universe; microcosmically speaking, it is embedded in any entity or any moment of consciousness. Therefore, there is no hindrance or limitation between the parts and the whole. Any entity is a representation of the whole, and the whole is embodied by any of its parts. (Page 139)

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism


beginning

An Immortal Harvest and Liberation from Suffering

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At a time about ten years after his enlightenment, Shakyamuni was staying at a place called Southern Mountain in the kingdom of Magadha. He was apparently not well known in this region then. A Brahman farmer named Bharadvaja, who lived and worked his land with the aid of laborers, was cultivating his fields with five hundred plows. One morning, having arisen, dressed, and taken his begging bowl, Shakyamuni came to the fields of Bharadvaja, who was just then distributing food to his workers. With his begging bowl in his hands, Shakyamuni approached. Displeased by the appearance of a begging priest, Bharadvaja said, “O samana, I till my fields, plant seed, and live on what I harvest. Instead of amusing yourself and asking others for food, you too should till, plant, and eat what you earn by the sweat of your own labor.”

Although this attitude is perfectly natural from a secular viewpoint, it is surprising in the mouth of a Brahman, a member of the caste of spiritual leaders. It shows that this Brahman, like many others of his age, stressed material and economic matters above all else.

Hoping to correct his mistaken attitude, Shakyamuni said, “Brahman, I too live by tilling the earth and planting seeds.”

Because he failed to understand the meaning of these words, Bharadvaja said, “But, samana, I do not see your farming tools, your yoke, plow, plowshare, goad, or oxen. Nonetheless, you say that you live by tilling the earth and planting seeds. What can you mean

Then Shakyamuni answered in verse, “Faith is my seed. Right actions are the rain. Wisdom is my plow; conscience, my plow pole; the mind, my yoke; and right-mindedness, my plowshare and goad. I guard my body and speech from evil actions. I restrict the amount of food and clothing that I require. I use truth to weed out illusions, and mildness is my emancipation. Spiritual progress is my beast of burden, leading me to the serenity of nirvana, where I will have nothing to grieve about. Such tilling inevitably leads to an immortal harvest and liberation from all suffering.” (page 150)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 13

Day 13 covers all of Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples.

Having last month heard Śākyamuni’s praise for Pūrṇa, we hear Śākyamuni’s prediction for Pūrṇa’s future enlightenment.

“Bhikṣus! Pūrṇa was the most excellent expounder of the Dharma under the seven Buddhas. He is the same under me. He will be the same under the future Buddhas of this Kalpa of Sages. He will protect the teachings of those Buddhas and help them propagate their teachings. After the end of this kalpa also he will protect the teachings of innumerable Buddhas, help them propagate their teachings, teach and benefit innumerable living beings, and cause them to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. He will always make efforts to teach all living beings strenuously so that the worlds of those Buddhas may be purified. He will perform the Way of Bodhisattvas step by step for innumerable, asaṃkhya kalpas, and then attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi in this world. He will be called Dharma-Brightness, the Tathāgata, 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. The world of that Buddha will be composed of one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, that is, as many Sumeru-worlds as there are sands in the River Ganges. The ground [of that world] will be made of the seven treasures. It will be as even as the palm of a hand. There will be no mountains nor ravines nor ditches. Tall buildings adorned with the seven treasures will be seen everywhere in that world, and the palaces of gods of that world will hang so low in the sky that gods and men will be able to see each other. There will be no evil regions nor women. The living beings of that world will be born without any medium. They will have no sexual desire. They will have great supernatural powers, emit light from their bodies, and fly about at will. They will be resolute in mind, strenuous, and wise. They will be golden in color, and adorned with the thirty-two marks. They will feed on two things: the delight in the Dharma, and the delight in dhyāna. There will be innumerable, asaṃkhya Bodhisattvas, that is, thousands of billions of nayutas of Bodhisattvas. They will have great supernatural powers and the four kinds of unhindered eloquence. They will teach the living beings of that world. There will also be uncountable Śrāvakas there. They will have the six supernatural powers including the three major supernatural powers, and the eight emancipations. The world of that Buddha will be adorned with those innumerable merits. The kalpa [in which Pūrṇa will become that Buddha] will be called Treasure-­Brightness; and his world, Good-Purity. The duration of the life of that Buddha will be innumerable, asaṃkhya kalpas, and his teachings will be preserved for a long time. After his extinction, stupas of the seven treasures will be erected [in his honor] throughout that world.”

Underscrore “He will always make efforts to teach all living beings strenuously so that the worlds of those Buddhas may be purified. He will perform the Way of Bodhisattvas step by step for innumerable, asaṃkhya kalpas, and then attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi in this world.”

History of Japanese Religion

The Bodies of the Buddha

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The historical Buddha, Sākyamuni, is but one of those adaptive manifestations; he is a Buddha in the Nirmanakāya (Jap. Wō-jin), the “Condescension-body,” the concrete object of our faith. Yet he is the Buddha par excellence for us living in this world and in this world-period, because of the moral and metaphysical bond connecting a being and the world he lives in. Besides this condescending manifestation, Buddha reveals his wisdom and power, exhibiting them in the blissful glories of celestial existence. This supernal revelation is, again, adapted to the respective heights of enlightenment on the part of those who have made a certain advance in moral purity and spiritual vision. Hence the infinite varieties of Buddha’s Sambhogakāya (Jap, Hō-jin), the “Bliss-body,” and hence the varieties of celestial abodes for different blissful lives. Among those abodes of bliss, however, Tendai Buddhism gives a special preference to the “Paradise of Vulture Peak” (Jap. Ryōzen-Jōdo), an idealization of the Vulture Peak where Buddha Sākyamuni is said to have revealed the truth of the Lotus based on the metaphysical conception of the connection between the world and the individual.

History of Japanese Religion

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 18, 2018

They also had already obtained [the four states of mind towards all living beings:] compassion, loving-kindness, joy and impartiality.

The Buddha gives this description in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sutra of two boys who had been the previous lives of Medicine-King and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattvas. These four states of mind are those which allow to see the world for what it is and bring true benefit for all beings. Any living being is capable of them. Their opposites: cruelty, indifference, misery and prejudice, are never what we aspire to, even though we find ourselves in them far too often. But even these states can be used as an indication that we are not seeing things for what they are, and lead us back to a true curiosity and appreciation for what we have.

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

Profound

All-Embracing Ultimate Truth

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This concept is best typified in the theory “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” (Hsing-chü Shih-hsiang). “Nature” refers to suchness of things, which is termed by Chih-i as the Dharma-nature, i.e., the Ultimate Truth. The Ultimate Truth is characterized by the Ten Suchnesses in each of the Ten Dharma-realms. Specifically speaking, “nature embraces the Ultimate Truth” means “one instant thought containing three thousand dharmas” (I-nien San-ch ‘ien). How is this possible? This is because the ten realms (along with the Ten Suchnesses) are inseparable among each other. Any one of the ten realms simultaneously contains the other nine realms. For instance, the realm of the underworld contains the realms of hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, heavenly beings, śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas and Buddhas. With the ten realms penetrating each other, this adds up to one hundred realms. Since each realm has Ten Suchnesses, the one hundred realms embrace one thousand suchnesses. If we multiply one thousand suchnesses with the three divisions of the universe (living beings, the five aggregates, and the space we live in), there are total number of three thousand dharmas.

This all-embracing theory reveals that the Ultimate Truth does not limit itself to any domain, but instantaneously confirms all existing things in the universe. Macrocosmically speaking, the Ultimate Truth permeates the whole universe; microcosmically speaking, it is embedded in any entity or any moment of consciousness. Therefore, there is no hindrance or limitation between the parts and the whole. Any entity is a representation of the whole, and the whole is embodied by any of its parts. (Page 139)

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism


beginning

Empty Rituals

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As I have pointed out, in the time of Shakyamuni few Brahmans and samanas were justly describable as men of religion in the truest sense. Though they were in charge of learning and ceremonies, the Brahmans were concerned most intently with formalities and were not the spiritual leaders of their age but merely habitual performers of empty rituals. Leading materially secure lives on land granted to them by royalty, they turned away from lofty spiritual ideals and concentrated on their own ease. Whereas some of them gained an independent livelihood by industriously tilling their land, others strove only for honor, wealth, and pleasure.

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 12

Day 12 concludes Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and completes the Third Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month begun to repeat the tale of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha in gāthās, we consider the reaction of the Brahman Heavenly Kings in gāthās.

The palaces of the Brahmans
Of five hundred billion worlds in the east
Were illumined
More brightly than ever.

Traveling to find [the place from where the light had come],
The Brahmans of those worlds came to that Buddha.
They strewed flowers and offered them to him.
They also offered their palaces.

They praised him with gāthās,
And begged him to turn the wheel of the Dharma.
The Buddha sat in silence although he was begged
Because he knew that the time was not yet ripe for that.

The Brahmans came also from the three other quarters,
From the four intermediate quarters, zenith, and nadir.
They strewed flowers, offered their palaces,
And begged the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma, saying:

“It is difficult to meet you.
Open the gate of the teachings as sweet as nectar
Out of your great compassion towards us,
And turn the wheel of the unsurpassed Dharma!”

The mental image of “palaces … illumined more brightly than ever” by the arrival of a new Buddha always inspires. The Buddha’s compassion radiates throughout the universe, casting out the darkness and revealing the gate to the end of suffering.