Monthly Archives: March 2019

LS32

Day 29

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Day 29 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered how World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva goes about this Sahā-World, we witness Endless-Intent Bodhisattva’s attempt to offer a gift to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

The Endless-Intent Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will make an offering to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.” From around his neck, he took a necklace of many gems worth hundreds of thousands of ryo of gold, and offered it [to the Bodhisattva], saying, “Man of Virtue! Receive this necklace of wonderful treasures! I offer this to you according to the Dharma!”

World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva did not consent to receive it. Endless-Intent said to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva again, “Man of Virtue! Receive this necklace out of your compassion towards us!”

Thereupon the Buddha said to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva:

“Receive it out of your compassion towards this Endless-Intent Bodhisattva, towards the four kinds of devotees, and towards the other living beings including gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings!”

Thereupon World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva received the necklace out of his compassion towards the four kinds of devotees, and towards the other living beings including gods, dragons, men and nonhuman beings. He divided [the necklace] into two parts, and offered one part of it to Śākyamuni Buddha and the other to the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha.

Whenever I reach this point in the Lotus Sūtra I puzzle over why World-Voice-Perceiver initially rejects this offering. At the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church, the members are attempting to plan a dinner honoring Ven. Kenjo Igarashi‘s 30 years of service to the church. The anniversary is this August. We have to keep it a secret from Rev. Igarashi for as long as possible in order to prevent him from sabotaging our efforts to honor him. If we can reserve a restaurant and get to the point of sending out invitations, then it will be a fait accompli. Google Translate suggest that’s “Nashitoge rareta jijitsu” in Japanese. Of course, I’m assuming no one reads this blog post and tips off Rev. Igarashi.

Lecture on Lotus Sutra

Predictions of Our Own Enlightenment

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As practitioners of Buddhism the predictions presented in the [Lotus Sutra] offer us unlimited hope of our own enlightenment. We have, if we choose, the foundation on which to base very hopeful future stories regardless of the struggles facing us in this moment. If we had no promise of enlightenment, then practicing Buddhism would be a sketchy proposition at best and possibly a dismal future at worst. Without the promise of enlightenment then what would we have on which to base our future?

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

WONS

‘All My Children’

The third chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, called “A Parable,” states that this triple world is the Buddha’s world and all the people living in it are His children. We, ignorant people, full of evil passions, can be as meritorious as Śākyamuni Buddha because He bestows upon us all His merit. The Sūtra’s second chapter, called “Expedients” affirms also that we are equivalent to Śākyamuni Buddha. This proves that the believers of the Lotus Sūtra reach the same level as Śākyamuni Buddha. For instance, a child is born from the unity of his parents. Therefore, who could argue that the child’s body is not his parents’ body? A child of the king of oxen will become a king of oxen but not a king of lions. A child of the king of lions will become a king of lions but not a king of humans or heavenly beings.

Now, practicers of the Lotus Sūtra are Lord Śākyamuni’s children as he has said, “They are all my children.” It is therefore possible for them to become kings of the dharma just as Śākyamuni is king of the dharma. However, unfilial children cannot succeed their parents. The Crown Prince Tan-chu of King Yao and Prince Shang-chün of King Shun, who were unfilial, were disowned by their fathers and became commoners. On the other hand, Chung-hua and Yu were both children of commoners, but due to their filial piety, they were called respectively by King Yao and King Shun to succeed them on the throne. Thus, commoners instantly rose to the level of kings. A commoner instantly rising to the level of kings is equivalent to an ignorant person suddenly attaining Buddhahood. This is the essential point of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine.

Nichimyō Shōnin Gosho, A Letter to Nichimyō Shōnin, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 139

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – March 13, 2019

[This] pure world of mine is indestructible.
But the [perverted] people think:
“It is full of sorrow, fear, and other sufferings.
It will soon burn away.”

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. When we are not aware of our own potential for enlightenment, and of the Ever-Present Buddha Śākyamuni who is helping us and all beings to reach this potential, we can easily sink into despair. So long as we are preoccupied with suffering, when we live as if our purpose were to feel good as much as possible and feel bad as little as possible, we long for escape from this world of conflict. As we continue to grow the Buddha’s own mind within us, we see how this world is being transformed. When we know where we are going, all obstacles become stepping stones.

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

original

Conceptions of an Afterlife

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It is important to note that Nichiren’s aspiration for achieving the Pure Land of Eagle Peak after death never replaced his conviction that, by the spread of exclusive faith in the Lotus and in accordance with the principle of risshō ankoku, the pure land could be realized in the present world. It also coexists in his thought with his teaching that enlightenment is manifested in the moment of faith and chanting. In other traditions as well, notions of directly accessible or even immanent Buddhahood did not rule out conceptions of an afterlife in a different realm but often existed alongside them: “Even though one knows Amida Buddha to be one’s own mind, one forms a relationship with Amida of the west.” However, unlike some strands of Pure Land thought directed toward Amida, Nichiren’s “Pure Land of Sacred Eagle Peak” lacks a sense of concreteness as an actual place postulated over and against the present world; it is never said to lie in a specific direction, nor does aspiring toward it involve repudiating the present world. In the few passages of Nichiren’s writings where some sort of description is offered, it is usually along the lines of “[M]aster and disciples shall together visit the Pure Land of Sacred [Eagle] Peak and behold the faces of the three Buddhas [Śākyamuni, Many-Jewels, and all the Buddhas who are Śākyamuni’s emanations],” or “If one inquires where the late Abutsu-bō is now, he is within the jeweled stūpa of the Buddha Many-Jewels on Sacred Eagle Peak.” In short, this pure land resembles the assembly in open space depicted on Nichiren’s mandala and may be thought of as an extension of that realm to encompass the faithful dead. (Page 294)

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Profound

The All-Embracing Nature of the Ultimate Truth

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Whereas the Ultimate Truth is proved to be the substance of the Lotus Sūtra, upon which all the coarse dharmas can be converged into the subtle dharma, Chih-i further argues that the Ultimate Truth can also be taken as the universal substance for all sūtras, based on his own theory of the all-embracing nature of the Ultimate Truth.

In the first aspect, Chih-i argues that the Ultimate Truth as the substance of the Lotus Sūtra actually bears different names, which are indicated in various quotations cited. The phrases quoted by Chih-i, such as “presently, the Buddha signals rays of light, wishing to reveal the doctrine of the Ultimate Truth,” “the doctrine of the Ultimate Truth of all dharmas, I have already taught you,” “to open the Buddha’s insight and knowledge,” “unsurpassed Path,” and so on, support his argument that these names refer to the Ultimate Truth. (Vol. 2, Page 429-430)

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


LS32

Day 28

Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 28 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, we begin again at the top with Śākyamuni Buddha emitting rays of light illumining one hundred and eight billion nayuta Buddha-worlds in the east.

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha [faced the east and] emitted rays of light from the fleshy tuft on his head, that is, from one of the marks of a great man, and also from the white curls between his eyebrows. The light illumined one hundred and eight billion nayuta Buddha-worlds, that is, as many worlds in the east as there are sands in the River Ganges. There was a world called [All-] Pure-Light-Adornment [in the east] beyond those worlds. In that world was a Buddha called Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom, 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. He expounded the Dharma to a great multitude of innumerable Bodhisattvas who were surrounding him respectfully. The ray of light, which was emitted from the white curls [between the eyebrows] of Śākyamuni Buddha, also illumined that world.

At that time there was a Bodhisattva called Wonderful-Voice in the All-Pure-Light-Adornment World. He had already planted roots of virtue a long time ago. He had already made offerings to many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas, and attended on them. He had already obtained profound wisdom. He had already obtained hundreds of thousands of billions of great samadhis, that is, as many great samadhis as there are sands in the River Ganges, such as the samadhi as wonderful as the banner of a general, the samadhi for the traveling of the king of the stars, the samadhi for freedom from causality, the samadhi for the seal of wisdom, the samadhi by which one could understand the words of all living beings, the samadhi by which one could collect all merits, the samadhi for purity, the samadhi for exhibiting supernatural powers, the samadhi for the torch of wisdom, the samadhi for the Adornment-King, the samadhi for pure light, the samadhi for pure store, the samadhi for special teachings, and the samadhi for the revolution of the sun.

The Introduction to the Lotus Sūtra offers this observation on the world of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva:

In Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, the Pure Land of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva is described as existing in the east. According to the Lotus Sutra, however, the Pure Land should not be anywhere else than right here in our Sahā-world. This idea was presented in Chapter Sixteen, the “Duration of the Life of the Tathagata.” It is a principal theme of the Lotus Sutra, which always emphasizes practice in our real world. It concludes that “the Sahā-world itself is the Pure Land.

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

Lotus Seeds

Defilements

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Before looking at the non-dual nature of defilements and awakening, we should make sure that we clearly understand what is meant by the two terms. Defilements are those personal characteristics or personality traits that keep us in a state of agitation, anxiety, or frustration and prevent us from realizing our own Buddha-nature. “Defilements” refers to the Three Poisons of greed, hatred, and delusion, and also to pride, false views, and doubt. According to Buddhism, the neediness of greed, the paranoia of hatred, the confusion of delusion, and the negativity generated by the other defilements are what keep us from feeling totally at ease, happy, peaceful, and confident. Because of these defilements, we never see things in the true light of reality. …

On the other hand, the defilements, or self-centered desires, can also be viewed as positive qualities that have not yet developed. For instance, those who are full of craving and attachment are also capable of single-minded devotion to the Three Treasures. Those who are highly critical and hostile towards others also have the capacity to develop critical thinking in order to discern truth from falsehood. Those whose minds are easily distracted by endless speculation are also acknowledged for their open-mindedness and curiosity. Buddhism recognizes that ignorant desires can be harnessed or developed into good qualities. We should also keep in mind that these defilements are the very qualities which motivate us to practice Buddhism. After all, if our lives were perfect and we felt neither desire nor dissatisfaction, then there would be no need to seek out the true nature of all existence or to cultivate the wisdom and compassion of Buddhahood. Our recognition of these qualities as defilements reveals a deep need within us to find meaning, security, and true happiness.

Lotus Seeds

WONS

Wish-Fulfilling Gems

Wish-fulfilling gems are in fact the relics of Śākyamuni Buddha. They are given to a dragon king to crown his head, and Indra causes the gems to rain. How did the relics of the Buddha become wish-fulfilling gems? The merit of the Buddha gained by observing the precepts since immeasurable kalpa (aeons) in the past seeped into His flesh and bones and became gems to save all living beings. This is like the fangs of a dog that melt upon biting a tiger’s bone, or fish bones swallowed up by a cormorant. It is also like a string of a koto made of lion’s muscle; when it is played, the strings made of other animal muscles are all cut. The Buddha’s sermons are called the lion’s roars, and the Lotus Sūtra is the foremost of His sermons.

Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 118

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – March 12, 2019

Thus, what the people in the Latter Age of Degeneration should be afraid of are not swords and sticks, tigers and wolves, or the ten evil acts and the five rebellious sins but those monks who wear Buddhist robes and pretend to be high priests without knowing the true teaching and those people who regard monks of provisional teachings as venerable and hate the practicers of the True Dharma of the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Chanting the Great Title of the Lotus Sūtra (Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō). In Nichiren’s time, Buddhist monks had a great influence on the leaders of Japan, and thus on the lives of ordinary people. Wars, taxes, disease and education were no less important in Nichiren’s time than they are now. Nichiren recognized that the greatest danger came not from external forces, but from those within the country who took positions of power to benefit themselves rather than others. Nichiren’s reliance on the Wonderful Dharma, and his refusal to be coerced by his persecutions, show us how to live in this degenerating age.

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