Monthly Archives: September 2018

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 15, 2018

Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will give dhāraṇī-spells to the expounder of the Dharma in order to protect him.”

This promise to the Buddha from Medicine-King Bodhisattva comes in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sutra. The dhāraṇīs are given in a language that nobody understands any more. But this does not reduce their effectiveness. In the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha declared that his wisdom cannot be reached by understanding alone. There is another, nonverbal aspect of his teaching that we must comprehend. The dhāraṇīs not only give us reassurance that beings we cannot comprehend are helping us to become enlightened, they also remind us to look for the unspoken teachings that are part of the Buddha Dharma.

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

Profound

Philosophy in Practice

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Through this study, we come to realize the unique contribution of Chih-i in terms of sign interpretation. That is, truth can be penetrated by means of correctly understanding the arbitrary language of nature. Truth can be exposed through interpreting various signs. For Chih-i, the interpretation of sign becomes a means to demonstrate his own philosophy, whereby his thought is proved to be akin to the principle of the Ultimate Truth. This indicates that Chih-i’s interpretation of the Lotus Sūtra is not just the discourse for speculative philosophy, but is intended to embody Chih-i’s own philosophy in practice, through which his own system of understanding Buddhism as a whole is presented. What Chih-i concerns about is no longer an idea or a metaphysical problem that remains in the domain of discourse, but the methodological and hermeneutical approaches that can demonstrate his philosophy in practice. Ultimately, the goal of his sign interpretation is educational and soteriological. That is, Chih-i strives to convey visually what the Ultimate Truth is, how we can better conceive and understand the profound truth, and how we can approach the attainment of truth through the revelation of his perfect harmonization philosophy. (Page 134)

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


beginning

Preaching in Heaven

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A number of legends surround Kosala and the actions of Shakyamuni there. For instance, both Northern and Southern Buddhism preserve the legend that in the seventh year after his enlightenment he spent the rainy season in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Devas, where he preached for the sake of his mother, Maya, who had been reborn there. The probable explanation for this story is that during the three months of the rainy season of this year Shakyamuni conducted seated meditation in a place far removed from everyone who knew him. The writings of primitive Buddhism tell us that for some weeks after his enlightenment Shakyamuni sat and meditated. It is known that at various times during his life he meditated for periods ranging from two weeks to as much as three months. This does not mean that he did not eat during these times. People served him the requisite food, but they were the only persons with whom he had any contact. None of his disciples or other followers of the faith saw him throughout these periods of meditation. Long stretches of isolation from other human beings no doubt gave rise to the legend of his having gone to the Heaven of the Thirty-three Devas. (Page 142)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 9

Day 9 covers Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs, and introduces Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood.

Having last month heard the prediction of future Buddhahood of Mahā-Kāśyapa in gāthās, completed today’s portion of Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, we begin Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs.

Thereupon the World-Honored One said to Mahā-Kāśyapa and other great disciples:

“Excellent, excellent! You spoke of my true merits very well. My true merits are just as you said. In reality, however, I have more merits. They are innumerable, asaṃkhya. You will not be able to describe all of them even if you try to do so for many hundreds of millions of kalpas.

“Kāśyapa, know this! I, the Tathāgata, am the King of the Dharma. Nothing I say is false. I expound all teachings with expedients by my wisdom in order to lead all living beings to the stage of knowing all things. I know what region a living being will be taken to by what teaching, and what a living being has deep in his mind. I am not hindered by anything in knowing all this. I know all things clearly, and show my knowledge of all things to all living beings.

This setup for the Simile of the Herbs underscores what we will learn: It is not the teaching that changes; it is the capacity of people. The fruits and flowers are different because of the species; all receive the same water of the Dharma.

Lecture on Lotus Sutra

Our Deep Connection to the Buddha

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Sometimes we may envy the contemporary disciples of Shakyamuni because they could practice alongside him and benefit from his personal encouragement and teaching. We might be tempted to think we are disadvantaged because the Buddha lived such a long time ago. However as we learn in the Lotus Sutra, we as practitioners in this age actually have a deeper and stronger connection to the Buddha.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Sept. 14, 2018

Good men! I think that the Buddha, the World-Honored One, wishes to expound a great teaching, to send the rain of a great teaching, to blow the conch-shell horn of a great teaching, to beat the drum of a great teaching, and to explain the meaning of a great teaching.

Mañjuśrī declares this to Maitreya and all others gathered to hear the Buddha teach in Chapter One of the Lotus Sūtra. The Buddha had just produced the light from between his eyebrows illuminating the worlds of the ten directions, a sight none but Mañjuśrī had experienced. The great teaching the Buddha was about to expound is the Lotus Sutra. This statement awakens our interest and shows us how to listen to this teaching, as if it were a great cooling rain or the loud call of a conch-shell or drum.

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

Profound

A Perfect Harmonization Philosophy

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With different numerical categories, different patterns are formed to concretely express Chih-i’s idea of what a perfect harmonization philosophy should be. First, the use of the category number ten stands for the visual image of completeness in terms of horizontal and vertical dimensions. Second, the use of the category number six is to unfold Chih-i’s perfect harmonization philosophy with the pattern of succession that denotes the nature of completeness. Third, the use of the category number five draws a pattern of circle akin to the five periods of the teachings of the Buddha that can be considered as occupying the five directions. We discern that Chih-i’s use of numerical category five denotes the affirmation of all teachings of the Buddha, while emphasizing the supremacy of the Lotus Sūtra as the centralizing force. Fourth, the use of the category number four depicts a pattern of a square, with which all the Buddhist doctrines are legitimated. Fifth, the use of the category number three draws a pattern of circle, denoting an integrated reality, in which all three aspects of the Threefold Truth are mutually identified. Sixth, the use of the category number one is to bring forth the Ultimate Truth as the representation of the single reality of Buddhahood. Thus, we come to a conclusion that these six numerical categories depict Chih-i’s perfect harmonization philosophy in terms of non-separation, non-differentiation, mutual identification, affirmation of all existing things, and integration of all aspects of reality. (Page 133-134)

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


beginning

Learning from the Young

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After courteously greeting Shakyamuni in the monastery, King Pasenadi said, “Do you, reverend master Gotama, claim to be perfectly and supremely enlightened?”

“O king,” replied Shakyamuni, “If anyone can claim perfect, supreme enlightenment, it is I. I indeed am perfectly and supremely enlightened.”

Then the king said, “Reverend master, there are many Brahmans and samanas, such as the six non-Buddhist teachers, who are highly reputed as saviors among the people and who have large followings of disciples. None of them claims to be perfectly and supremely enlightened. Why do you, reverend master, who are younger than these men and who abandoned home and the secular world long after they did, claim supreme, perfect enlightenment.

Shakyamuni answered, “O king, it is wrong to despise things because they are young. There are four things that must not be looked down upon because of their youth: a mighty prince, a serpent, fire, and a Buddhist monk.”

Then, in lovely verses, Shakyamuni explained that a prince is not to be despised for his youth because, when he comes to the throne, he may take a despot’s revenge. A snake, even a young one, can bite, and fire, though young, can destroy. Injury to a Buddhist monk can blight the heritage of the injurer.

It is said that upon hearing this explanation the king was so deeply moved that he took refuge in the Buddha, the Law, and the Order and became a Buddhist. (Page 141-142)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 8

Day 8 concludes Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith, and closes the second volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month witnessed the son finally receiving his inheritance, we hear the explanation of the parable.

“World-Honored One! The great rich man is you. We are like [his son, that is,] your sons because you always tell us that we are your sons. World-Honored One! We once had many troubles in the world of birth and death because of the three kinds of sufferings.’ We were so distracted and so ignorant that we clung to the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. At that time you caused us to think over all things and to clear away the dirt of fruitless discussions about them. We made strenuous efforts according to the teachings [of the Lesser Vehicle] and attained Nirvāṇa as a day’s pay. Having attained it, we had great joy, and felt satisfied [with the attainment of it]. We said, ‘We have obtained much because we made efforts according to the teachings of the Buddha.’ But when you saw that we clung to mean desires and wished to hear only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle, you left us alone. You did not tell us that we had the treasure-store, that is, the insight of the Tathāgata. You expounded the wisdom of the Buddha[, that is, the Great Vehicle] with expedients, but we did not aspire for that vehicle because, when we had obtained the day’s pay of Nirvāṇa from the Buddha, we thought that we had already obtained enough. We did not wish to have what you had showed and expounded to the Bodhisattvas by your wisdom. You expounded the Dharma to us with expedients according to our capacities because you knew that we wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. We did not know that we were your sons. Now we know that you do not grudge your wisdom to anyone. Although we were your sons then as we are now, we wished to hear only the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. If we had aspired for the teaching of the Great Vehicle, you would have already expounded it to us. Now you expound only the One Vehicle in this sūtra. You once reproached us Śrāvakas in the presence of the Bodhisattvas because we wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle. [At that time we thought that you had taught us only the Lesser Vehicle,] but now we know that you have been teaching us the Great Vehicle from the outset. Therefore, we say that the great treasures of the King of the Dharma have come to us although we did not seek them, and that we have already obtained all that the sons of the Buddha should obtain.”

The Introduction to the Lotus Sutra offers this:

The narrative … told by the four sravakas is called the “Parable of the Rich Man and His Poor Son.” As we can see from what they have said, the Lesser Vehicle which they had been following stressed escape from this world of sorrows into a pure world of contemplation. Its concept of enlightenment was also passive. It concluded that “nothing is different from anything else,” and “there is nothing more to seek.” This view rejected the reality of this world and the necessity of working to change it. The Great Vehicle, on the other hand, interpreted the same doctrine [that nothing is substantial] positively as becoming a buddha in this world and transforming it into a buddha-world. Enlightenment is to be achieved within the turmoil of our daily life, not in silent seclusion. The four “hearers” now realize that they, too, have obtained the wonderful law of the Great Vehicle and have departed from the passivity of the Lesser Vehicle.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

Lotus Seeds

The Core of the Theoretical and Essential Halves of the Lotus Sutra

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Both the theoretical and essential sections [of the Lotus Sutra] are acknowledged in the daily practice of Nichiren Buddhism when we recite passages from chapters two and sixteen. Again, these two chapters are the core of the theoretical and essential halves of the sutra, respectively. By reciting them, one is reciting the core of those two sections, and therefore the core meaning of the Lotus Sutra itself. The daily recitation of these passages accomplishes two things: first, it celebrates the One Vehicle teaching that all beings can attain Buddhahood; second, it celebrates the presence of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha, the present actuality of Buddhahood in our present lives when we take faith in the Lotus Sutra and put its teachings into practice.

Lotus Seeds