Monthly Archives: October 2018

Profound

Chih-i’s Five Types of Polarity

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These five types of polarity are Chih-i’s summarization of various aspects of the teaching of the Buddha.

  1. The polar concept “phenomenon and noumenon” can summarize the doctrinal aspect of Buddhism, for the doctrines expounded by the Buddha center on phenomenon as the Worldly Truth and noumenon as the Absolute Truth.
  2. The polar concept, “teaching and practice”, can summarize the major components that constitute Buddhism, for Buddhism is about the teaching of the Buddha and one’s practice of attaining liberation according to the teaching.
  3. The polar concept, “cause and effect”, can summarize the nature of Buddhism}for Buddhism concerns nothing else but the practice for attaining enlightenment as the cause and the attainment of enlightenment as the effect.
  4. The polar concept, “self-cultivation and transforming others”, can summarize the functional aspect of Buddhism, for self-cultivation is the knowledge of penetrating the truth, and transforming others is the knowledge of benefiting others.
  5. The polar concept, “speech and silence”, can summarize the methods of the Buddha’s teaching, for both speech and silence are for t!le purpose of teaching and transforming others.

Since these five types of polarity reveal different aspects of Buddhism, together, they represent Buddhism as a whole, and therefore, are related more or less to each of the Five Sections. (Vol. 2, Page 27)

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


beginning

The Chronology of the Buddha’s Life

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[A footnote accompanying the story of Subhadda, an old ascetic who became the last person converted by Shakyamuni himself says:] This account contains a verse that is the oldest reference to chronology in Shakyamuni’s life: “At twenty-nine, I gave up the secular life in search of what is good, Subhadda, and fifty-one years have passed since then.” Seven years passed from the time that he left his father’s house until his enlightenment at the age of thirty-five, and he was active as a Buddha for forty-five years. (page 187)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 32

Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Having last month heard Universal-Sage Bodhisattva’s promise to help those who study and practice this sūtra, we hear his promise to protect those who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

“World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhārāṇis. Anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [while it is] propagated in the Jambudvipa, should think, ‘I can keep [this sūtra] only by the supernatural powers of Universal­Sage.’ Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it, know this, does the same practices that I do. He should be considered to have already planted deeply the roots of good under innumerable Buddhas [in his previous existence]. He will be caressed on the head by the hands of the Tathāgatas. Anyone who copies this sūtra will be reborn in the Heaven of the Trāyastriṃs̒a Gods immediately after his present life. On that occasion, eighty-four thousand goddesses will come and receive him, making many kinds of music. A crown of the seven treasures will be put on his head, and he will enjoy himself among the ladies in waiting. Needless to say, [more merits will be given to] the person who [not only copies this sūtra but also] keeps, reads and recites it, memorizes it correctly, understands the meanings of it, and acts according to it. Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this sūtra, and understands the meanings of it, will be given helping hands by one thousand Buddhas immediately after his present life. He will be fearless. He will not fall into any evil region. He will be reborn in the Tusiita Heaven. There he will go to Maitreya Bodhisattva who, adorned with the thirty-two marks, will be surrounded by great Bodhisattvas, and attended on by hundreds of thousands of billions of goddesses. He will be given the benefits of these merits. Therefore, anyone who has wisdom should copy this sūtra with all his heart, cause others to copy it, and also keep, read and recite it, memorize it correctly, and act according to it.

“World-Honored One! I will protect this sūtra with my supernatural powers so that it may be propagated and not be destroyed in the Jambudvipa after your extinction.”

The Daily Dharma from April 7, 2018, offers this:

World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhāraṇīs. Anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma [while it is] propagated in the Jambudvīpa, should think, ‘I can keep [this sūtra] only by the supernatural powers of Universal-Sage.’

Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. The supernatural powers of this Bodhisattva are beyond the perception of our human senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell and thought. When we hear thunder, we know something causes it whether or not we understand that cause. In the same way, when we are practicing this Wonderful Dharma, we know it is because of the great help we receive from innumerable beings, even if we do not understand the powers they use to reach us.

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

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Oct. 7, 2018

Rivers come together to form an ocean. Particles of dust accumulate to become Mt. Sumeru. When I, Nichiren, began having faith in the Lotus Sutra, it was like a drop of water or a particle of dust in Japan. However, when the sutra is chanted and transmitted to two, three, ten, a million and a billion people, it will grow to be a Mt. Sumeru of perfect enlightenment or the great ocean of Nirvāṇa. There is no way other than this to reach Buddhahood.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his essay on Selecting the Right Time (Senji-shō). In our quest for enlightenment, we may become discouraged by the enormity of our task. When we sweep away one delusion, another appears. When we benefit one being, the needs of millions more become clear. Nichiren reminds us persevering though these difficulties and strengthening our faith in the Buddha’s wisdom are more important than any outcome we seek.

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

Profound

Five Sections Arising

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[In Chih-i’s elaboration of the Five Sections,] each section is related to the next section – the preceding one is a necessary step for the following one to arise. Chih-i explains:

“Name is to name dharma. Dharma is identical to the Substance. When the Substance is recognized through the name, the Substance would not be perceived without the Gist. When the Substance is perceived, it at once becomes perfect. From the Substance, the Function arises. The Function generates benefits and embraces knowledge. Since there are multiple benefits, it is necessary to distinguish the Characteristics of the Teaching.”

This passage means that the necessity to have name is to name the dharma (truth in Buddhism), because in order to express dharma, language is an indispensable instrument. When dharma bears name, it is legible and can guide one to recognize the substance, because dharma as truth is taken as the substance of the Lotus Sūtra. However, this substance–substance of the Ultimate Truth (Shih-hsiang Chih-t’i) relies on the insight of the Buddha to be perceived. The insight of the Buddha is the outcome of the gist (the practice of the Buddha and his attainment of Buddhahood as the cause and effect). Only when the gist is taken into account, could the substance as the Ultimate Truth be understood and realized (Hui-t’i). Since this substance embraces all entities, it is perfect. The perfect substance results in powerful function. This is to say that the powerful function is derived from one’s knowledge that concerns the Ultimate Truth. This is because when the Buddha realizes the Ultimate Truth, the Buddha’s knowledge that concerns this Ultimate Truth exerts the power to function in fulfilling his soteriological goal of liberating all living beings. (Vol. 2, Page 26)

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


beginning

Last Supper

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Even in his last hours of pain and old age, Shakyamuni was concerned about the feelings of the faithful. He said to Ananda, ”It is possible that someone will cause Chunda the smith to feel remorse by telling him he has incurred evil and loss by giving me the meal that has caused my death. But you must relieve Chunda of remorse by telling him that you have heard it from the very mouth of the Tathagata that, through this meal, he has incurred great good and gain. There are two meals of equal merit and fruit and of greater merit and fruit than any other: the meal offered to a Tathagata at the time of his perfect enlightenment and the meal offered a Tathagata at the time of his passing into nirvana. By giving me this meal, Chunda the smith has laid up great good karma leading to long life, fame, heavenly fortune, and sovereign power.” This incident is concluded with the following stanza:

“Good fortune increases for him who gives.
Malice does not accumulate for the person who controls
his mind.
The good person abandons all evil
And, by destroying lust, wrath, and ignorance, becomes
completely tranquil.” (Page 185)

The Beginnings of Buddhism

LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Having last month witnessed the preparations for going to see the Buddha, we hear the Buddha expound the Dharma to the king and predict the king’s future.

“Thereupon the Buddha expounded the Dharma to the king, showed him the Way, taught him, benefited him, and caused him to rejoice. The king had great joy. The king and queen took off their necklaces of pearls worth hundreds of thousands, and strewed the necklaces to the Buddha. The necklaces flew up to the sky [seven times as high as the tala-tree], and changed into a jeweled platform equipped with four pillars. On the platform was a couch of great treasures, and thousands of millions of heavenly garment were spread [on the couch]. The Buddha [went up,] sat cross-legged [on the couch], and emitted great rays of light. King Wonderful-Adornment thought, ‘The Buddha is exceptional. He is exceedingly handsome. He has the most wonderful form.’

“Thereupon Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha said to the four kinds of devotees, ‘Do you see this King Wonderful-Adornment standing before me with his hands joined together, or not? This king will become a bhikṣu under me, strenuously study and practice the various ways to the enlightenment of the Buddha, and then become a Buddha called Sala-Tree-King in a world called Great-Light in a kalpa called Great-Height-King. Sala-Tree-King Buddha will be accompanied by innumerable Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas. The ground of his world will be even. [King Wonderful-Adornment) will have these merits.’

The Daily Dharma from Sept. 6, 2017, offers this:

The king and queen took off their necklaces of pearls worth hundreds of thousands, and strewed the necklaces to the Buddha. The necklaces flew up to the sky [seven times as high as the tāla-tree], and changed into a jeweled platform equipped with four pillars. On the platform was a couch of great treasures, and thousands of millions of heavenly garments were spread [on the couch]. The Buddha [went up,] sat cross-legged [on the couch], and emitted great rays of light. King Wonderful-Adornment thought, ‘The Buddha is exceptional. He is exceedingly handsome. He has the most wonderful form.’

The Buddha uses this description as part of the story of King Wonderful-Adornment in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. This King was led by the supernatural powers of his children to meet Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King Flower-Wisdom Buddha who was teaching the Wonderful Dharma in that world. The King and his wife the Queen were both so inspired by that Buddha that they allowed the symbols of their wealth and power to be transformed into a sacred platform from which the Buddha could lead all beings to enlightenment. When they found that Buddha, the beauty of his wisdom far outshone the beauty of their jewels.

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

Lotus World

The Essential Teaching

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The provisional bodhisattvas are not granted the most difficult and crucial mission of spreading the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Age of the Dharma because they represent the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra. … The Bodhisattvas of the Earth, however, represent the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. The essential teaching shows that buddhahood is immediate, without beginning or end, and ever-present in the lives of those who have faith in the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha.

Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Oct. 6, 2018

Those who have much lust will be saved from lust if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much anger will be saved from anger if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much stupidity will be saved from stupidity if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him.

The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion for all beings, the wish that all beings be freed from suffering and realize the enlightenment of the Buddha. This compassion is the antidote to the three poisons of lust, anger and stupidity. By aspiring to the example of World-Voice-Perceiver and awakening our own compassion, we can overcome these poisons and bring benefits to all beings.

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

Profound

Three Differences of Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth

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By comparing the Lotus Sūtra with other sūtras, three kinds of differences are made by Chih-i in terms of the knowledge that concerns the Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth as follows:

  1. From other sūtras, it is known that the Buddha obtained the knowledge that concerns the Ultimate Truth (Shih-chih) upon his enlightenment under the bodhi tree in his present lifetime. From then on, he started applying expedient means, i.e., the knowledge that concerns the Relative Truth (Ch’üan-chih), to teach and transform living beings. However, the Lotus Sūtra reveals the fact that the Buddha had already perfected his knowledge a long time ago, i.e., his original attainment of Buddhahood can be traced back to the incalculable past, and all his later activities are the manifestations derived from this original Buddhahood.
  2. In other sūtras, disciples of the Two Vehicles (śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha) are excluded from entering the knowledge concerning the Ultimate Truth and from being able to implement the knowledge concerning the Relative Truth. In the Lotus Sūtra, however, it is made clear that in the past, the Lotus Sūtra was repeatedly expounded by the Buddhas, and that innumerable disciples of the Two Vehicles have already been benefited by the Lotus Sūtra. This is to say that they have long ago obtained the knowledge concerning the Ultimate Truth and have also understood the practice of applying the knowledge concerning the Relative Truth.
  3. There is no single hint in other sūtras about the Buddha’s accomplishment of teaching and transforming living beings before his enlightenment under the bodhi tree, except in the Lotus Sūtra. The Lotus Sūtra reveals the fact that the Twofold Knowledge in terms of the Relative Truth and the Ultimate Truth (Ch’üan-shih Erh-chih) existed ever since the Buddha’s original attainment of Buddhahood long ago, with which the Buddha had already transformed countless bodhisattvas before his enlightenment in this lifetime. (Vol. 2, Page 23-24)