Relative Subtlety means that the subtlety is spoken of in opposite to the coarseness. To Chih-i, the coarseness refers to the “half-written letter” (Pan-tzu), symbolizing śrāvakayāna – the partially expressed teaching; and the subtlety refers to the “full-written letter” (Man-tzu), denoting Mahāyāna – the fully expressed teaching. The doctrine that can penetrate the principle or truth as the full-written letter (Man-li)3 is subtle; otherwise, it is coarse. Nevertheless, Chih-i declares that there are two situations in penetrating the principle or truth as the full-written letter. The doctrines in the scriptures of Vaipulya (Fangteng), and Prajn͂ā (Po-jo) are relative in penetrating the principle or truth (Tai-fang-pien T’ung-man-li), and the doctrines in the Lotus Sūtra are ultimate, for it directly reveals the principle or truth (Chih-hsien Man-li). (Vol. 2, Page 90-91)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismMonthly Archives: November 2018
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 time considered the reaction of the Brahman Heavenly Kings in gāthās, we witness Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha turning the wheel of the dharma.
Assenting to their appeal,
The World-Honored One of Immeasurable Wisdom
Expounded the various teachings, that is,
The four truths and the twelve causes, saying:
“All the causes, from ignorance to aging-and-death,
Rise one after another.
You should know
All these illusions.”When he expounded these teachings,
Sixty quadrillions of living beings
Eliminated sufferings,
And became Arhats.At his second expounding of these teachings also,
Tens of millions of living beings, that is,
As many living beings as there are sands in the River Ganges,
Became Arhats because they gave up wrong views.Those who attained the enlightenment [of Arhats] afterwards
Were also innumerable.
No one would be able to count them
Even if he tried to do so for a billion kalpas.The sixteen princes renounced the world,
And became śramaṇeras.
They begged the Buddha to expound the teaching
Of the Great Vehicle, saying:
“We and our attendants wish to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha.
May we have the purest eyes of wisdom
Just as yours!”Knowing the wishes of the [princes who were] young boys
And the practices they performed in their previous existence,
The Buddha taught them the six paramitas
And many supernatural things
With innumerable stories of previous lives
And with various parables and similes.The gāthās of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Were sung [by the Buddha] to expound the true teaching,
That is, [to expound] the Way which Bodhisattvas should practice.
The gāthās were as many as there are sands in the River Ganges.
On my to-do list is a discussion of the different Lotus Sūtras mentioned in the Lotus Sūtra. The one recited by Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha has gāthās as many as there are sands in the River Ganges. When I read this I wonder what else could be included.
‘Blowing Out’
The term nirvana means “blowing out.” Just as a wind can blow out a lamp, so self-discipline and religious practice can extinguish the flame of the obstructions that cause our suffering. The Samyutta-nikaya contains a passage that explains nirvana more explicitly. An itinerant ascetic asks the Buddha’s disciple Shariputra what the nature of nirvana is. Shariputra replies that nirvana is the condition in which all greed, anger, and ignorance have been extinguished. In short, it is a state free of the three poisons. Far from being an inert, inactive condition attained only after physical and mental annihilation, nirvana is the condition in which all human potential is realized in the ideal state of enlightenment.
Basic Buddhist ConceptsThe Four Stages of Dhyana
The state of concentrated meditation of the threefold learning and of right meditation in the Eightfold Path is customarily explained in terms of the four stages of dhyana. Descriptions of these four stages are largely the same in all extant primitive Buddhist scriptures, whether in Pali, Sanskrit, or Chinese. The Delectable Discourse (Pasadikasutta) of the Pali canon defines the stages as follows: In the first stage of dhyana, the meditator is free of all desire and all evil but continues to investigate and reflect while experiencing the joy (an emotional sensation) and bliss (a physical sensation) that come of being free of the five obstacles (greed, anger, sleepiness, discontent and regret, and doubt). In the second stage of dhyana, the meditator no longer investigates or reflects but enjoys concentration and experiences the joy and bliss of the previous stage of dhyana. In the third stage of dhyana, the meditator abandons both joy and sorrow but retains remembrance, wisdom, and bliss. In the fourth stage of dhyana, the meditator transcends bliss and suffering, just as joy and sorrow were abandoned, and experiences pure recollection.Basic Buddhist Concepts
Daily Dharma – Nov. 20, 2018
Know this, Śāriputra!
I once vowed that I would cause
All living beings to become
Exactly as I am.
That old vow of mine
Has now been fulfilled.
I lead all living beings
Into the Way to Buddhahood.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. Earlier in the chapter he explained that all the teachings he used before the Lotus Sūtra were mere expedients, intended to use our desire for happiness to bring us out of our suffering and onto the path of enlightenment. The expedient teachings were tailored to the ignorant and deluded minds of those who heard them, but had not yet revealed the true wisdom and compassion of the Buddha. Now that we have met this Wonderful Dharma, we are assured of our enlightenment and that of all beings. We learn to see innumerable Buddhas in limitless worlds through unimaginable time, and our own true selves at the heart of reality.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Subtlety of the Dharma
The subtlety of the dharma is illustrated by the Ten Subtleties in the door of the Traces and in the door of the Origin. The door of the Traces (Chi-men) is the theme of the first fourteen chapters of the Lotus Sūtra, in which the Buddha presents himself as the historical manifestation, Śākyamuni. The door of the Origin (Pen-men) is the theme of the latter half of the Lotus Sūtra, in which the fundamental and eternal Buddha is for the first time displayed. The Ten Subtleties in the Traces are elucidated under five divisions. The Ten Subtleties in the Origin are interpreted in ten aspects. The category of the Ten Subtleties is Chih-i’s endeavor to incorporate all the theories and divisions in Buddhism, so that Buddhism can be presented as a coherent whole, constituted by the cause and effect of Buddhahood. (Vol. 2, Page 90)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of BuddhismDay 11
Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City
Having last time consider the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the southeast, we consider the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the south.
“Bhikṣus! The great Brahman-[heavenly-]kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the south, who saw their palaces illumined more brightly than ever, also danced with joy. They wondered why [their palaces were so illumined]. They visited each other and discussed the reason, saying, ‘Why are our palaces illumined so brightly?’ There was a great Brahman-heavenlyking called Wonderful-Dharma among them. He said to the other Brahmans in gāthās:
Our palaces are illumined so brightly.
There must be some reason.
Let us find [the place]
[From where the light has come].We have never seen this [light]
For the past one hundred thousand kalpas.
Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha appear
Somewhere in the universe?“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion [worlds] went to the north, carrying flower-plates filled with heavenly flowers, in order to find [the place from where the light had come]. Their palaces also moved as they went. They [reached the Well-Composed World and] saw that GreatUniversal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata was sitting on the lionlike seat under the Bodhi-tree of the place of enlightenment, surrounded respectfully by gods, dragon-kings, gandharvas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings. They also saw that the sixteen princes were begging the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma. They worshipped the Buddha with their heads, walked around him a hundred thousand times, and strewed heavenly flowers to him. The strewn flowers were heaped up to the height of Mt. Sumeru. The Brahman-heavenly-king offered flowers also to the Bodhi-tree of the Buddha. Having offered flowers, they offered their palaces to the Buddha, saying, ‘We offer these palaces to you. Receive them and benefit us out of your compassion towards us!’ In the presence of the Buddha, they simultaneously praised him in gāthās with all their hearts:
It is difficult to see a World-Honored One.
You, the World-Honored One, eliminated all illusions.
We have not seen a World-Honored One
For the past one hundred and thirty kalpas.Send the rain of the Dharma
On the hungry and thirsty beings!
Possessor of immeasurable wisdom,
We have never seen anyone wiser than you.
You are as rare as an udumbara-flower.
Now we have met you today.Our palaces are beautifully adorned
With your light.
World-Honored One, receive them
Out of your great compassion towards us!“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings, having praised the Buddha with these gāthās, said, ‘World-Honored One! Turn the wheel of the Dharma so that Mara, Brahman, the other gods, śramaṇas, and brahmanas of the world may be peaceful, and that they may be saved!’ They simultaneously praised the Buddha in gāthās with all their hearts:
Most Honorable of Gods and Men!
Turn the wheel of the unsurpassed Dharma,
Beat the drum of the Great Dharma,
Blow the conch-shell horn of the Great Dharma,
Send the rain of the Great Dharma,
And save innumerable living beings!
Devoting ourselves to you, we beg you.
Resound your profound teaching!“Thereupon Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata gave his tacit consent to their appeal.
At this point I always pause and consider:
Devoting ourselves to you, we beg you.
Resound your profound teaching!
What Is Attaining Buddhahood?
What is attaining Buddhahood? It is to awaken to Ichinen Sanzen and to achieve a great life transcending the limits of time and space. Therefore, Nichiren Shōnin said,
“The only way seemingly that leads to Buddhahood is the ‘3,000 in one thought’ doctrine.
(Kaimoku-Shō, WNS2, p. 108)
and also,
“Ichinen-Sanzen is like father and mother of a Buddha.”
(Shōmitsubō-gosho 3)
In other words, all Buddhas were born from Ichinen-Sanzen. He also said,
“This is not an immediate attainment of Buddhahood in this world (referring to women having to change before reaching Buddhahood), which can only be possible through the ‘3,000 in one thought’ doctrine.”
(Kaimoku-Shō, WNS2, p.90)
Daily Dharma – Nov. 19, 2018
Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight states: “The passage cited about the earlier teachings correctly distinguishes between the provisional and the true. This is because it explains the truer the teaching the lower the stage (of those enlightened by it); whereas the more provisional the teaching the higher the state must be (of those enlightened by it).”
Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice (Shishin Gohon-Shō). The passage from T’ien-t’ai he quotes reminds us that we do not need to rely on our own talents or intelligence to become enlightened. The highest teaching of the Lotus Sūtra is meant for all beings, wise or simple, clever or stupid. The Buddha’s provisional teachings were intended to match the minds of those who heard them. But the Wonderful Dharma is the Buddha’s own mind, harmonizing with the seed of enlightenment within us all.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Triple Cause and the Three Tracks
The … Buddha-nature as the Triple Cause (Conditional Cause, Understanding Cause, and Fundamental Cause) of Buddhahood corresponds with the Three Tracks. The Buddha-nature as the Conditional Cause of Buddhahood (Yüan-yin Fo-hsing) refers to the inherent potential and propensity for Buddhahood within all sentient beings (which allows them to practice and build up the proper causes and conditions for attaining Buddhahood), and it corresponds to the Track of the Accomplishment (Tzu-ch’eng Kui), which is to perform the deeds required to realize the wisdom of a Buddha. The Buddha-nature as the Understanding Cause of Buddhahood (Liao-yin Fo-hsing) refers to the inherent potential for wisdom in all sentient beings, and it corresponds to the Track of the Illumination of Wisdom (Kuan-chao-kui), which destroys delusions and reveals the true nature of reality. The Buddha-nature as the Fundamental Cause of Buddhahood (Cheng-yin Fo-hsing) refers to the fact that all beings are inherently endowed with the Ultimate Truth where they all participate in the true nature of reality, and it corresponds to the Track of the Real Nature (Chen-hsin-kui), which is non-illusory and non-differentiated. See Swanson, Foundations of T’ien-t’ai Philosophy, pp. 133-134, and p.306, note 201; Lee Chih-fu, Miao-fa Lienhua-ching Hsüan-i Yen-chiu, vol. 1, pp. 185-186. (Vol. 2, Page 88)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism