The Buddha, in a previous life as Never-Despising Bodhisattva, is frequently used as an inspiration for how we honor the lives of all beings, bowing to the Buddha in each life. Yet, this Bodhisattva also is an inspiration for the courage to practice in less than ideal circumstances.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1Monthly Archives: March 2019
In the Presence of the Living Śākyamuni Buddha
Among the 32 marks of the Buddha, His “Brahma’s voice” is foremost. The king of a country, be it great or small, and such kings as the “Wheel-turning Noble King” partly possess this “Brahma’s voice.” Therefore, a word of the king can govern the country or ruin it. An imperial decree is also in part like “Brahma’s voice.” Ten thousand words of the whole country cannot equal to one word of the king. The books of the Three Emperors and Five Rulers in ancient China are words of minor rulers. It was due to the strength of this “Brahma’s voice” that lesser kings govern small countries, that the King of the Mahābrahman Heaven is attended to by all living beings of the triple world (the realms of desire, form, and non-form), and that the Buddha is attended to by the King of the Mahābrahman Heaven and Indra.
The teachings uttered by the “Brahma’s voice” are all the scriptures of Buddhism to save all living beings. Among the scriptures the Lotus Sūtra in particular is the design of Śākyamuni Buddha uttered through His “Brahma’s voice,” which was written down in Chinese characters. The true intent of the Buddha, therefore, exists in the characters of the Lotus Sūtra. Just as seeds, seedlings, grasses, and rice plants differ in shape though they remain the same in spirit, Śākyamuni Buddha and the characters of the Lotus Sūtra are not the same in shape but they are one in essence. Thus, when you read the letters of the Lotus Sūtra, you must consider yourself in the presence of the living Śākyamuni Buddha.
Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 119
Daily Dharma – March 28, 2019
Having sung this gāthā, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! You do not change, do you?’
This description of the life of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva comes from Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra. In a previous existence, this Bodhisattva had given up his body and his life for the sake of teaching the Wonderful Dharma. He was then reborn into a world in which the Buddha he served previously was still alive and benefitting all beings. Recognizing this unchanging aspect of the Buddha despite his changing appearances helps us see into our own capacity for enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Establishing a Normative Doctrine of Nichiren Buddhism
The [Fuji school’s] equation of Nichiren with the original Buddha is not easily reconciled with Nichiren’s own clear expressions of reverence for Śākyamuni as “parent, teacher, and sovereign” of all living beings, and this particular strand of Nichiren Buddhist thought has been much criticized by other Nichiren schools. In recent decades, it has come under attack for lack of basis in Nichiren’s writings by those sectarian scholars of Nichirenshū intent on purifying the Nichiren corpus of apocryphal works as a basis for establishing a normative doctrine, a project in which the present-day inheritors of the Fuji lineage–Nichiren Shōshū–have evinced little interest. (Page 342)
Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese BuddhismUnifying Three and Revealing One
Hui-san Hsien-i (Unifying the three and revealing the one) is the function related to the Subtlety of Practice. This is spoken of in terms of practice. Chih-i remarks that the purpose of the previous “opening the three” is for the convergence of various practices. This indicates that the Lotus Sūtra unifies the three aspects: person, dharma and practice (Jen Fa Hsing). All these three are integrated as bodhisattva practice on the path to Buddhahood, which refers to the convergence of the three and revelation of the one. (Vol. 2, Page 445)
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 month considered the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the east, we consider the reaction of the great Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the southeast.
“Bhikṣus! The great Brahman-[heavenly-]kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the southeast, who saw their palaces illumined more brightly than ever, danced with joy. They also wondered why [their palaces were so illumined]. They visited each other and discussed the reason. There was a great Brahman-heavenly-king called Great-Compassion among them. He said to the other Brahmans in gāthās:
Why is it
That we see this light?
Our palaces are illumined
More brightly than ever.Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
We have never seen this [light] before.
Let us do our best to find [the reason].Let us go even to the end of one thousand billion worlds,
And find the place from where this light has come.
A Buddha may have appeared somewhere in the universe
In order to save the suffering beings.“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion [ worlds] went to the northwest, 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 Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata was sitting on the lion-like 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. Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings 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-kings 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:
Saintly Master, God of Gods!
Your voice is as sweet as a kalavinka’s.
You have compassion towards all living beings.
We now bow before you.
You, the World-Honored One, are exceptional.
You appear only once in a very long time.No Buddha has appeared
For the past one hundred and eighty kalpas.
The three evil regions are crowded;
And the living beings in heaven, decreasing.Now you have appeared in this world
And become the eye of all living beings.
As their refuge, you are saving them.
As their father, you are benefiting them
Out of your compassion towards them.
We are now able to see you
Because we accumulated merits
In our previous existence.“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings, having praised the Buddha with these gāthās, said, ‘World-Honored One! Turn the wheel of the Dharma and save all living beings out of your compassion towards them!’ Then they simultaneously said in gāthās with all their hearts:
Great Saint, turn the wheel of the Dharma
And reveal the reality of all things!
Save the suffering beings
And cause them to have great joy!If they hear the Dharma, some will attain enlightenment;
Others will be reborn in heaven.
The living beings in the evil regions will decrease;
And those who do good patiently will increase.“Thereupon Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata gave his tacit consent to their appeal.
On my “When I get time, I’m going to…” list is a detailed look at what the Lotus Sūtra teaches us about diversity. The Simile of the Herbs is the most obvious example, explicitly saying:
“Those plants were given more or less water by the same rain from the same cloud, and grew differently according to their species. They obtained different flowers and fruits although they grew on the same ground and received water from the same rain.”
Chapter 17, Variety of Merits is another place where this is underscored.
And here in Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, we have this:
Great Saint, turn the wheel of the Dharma
And reveal the reality of all things!
Save the suffering beings
And cause them to have great joy!If they hear the Dharma, some will attain enlightenment;
Others will be reborn in heaven.
The living beings in the evil regions will decrease;
And those who do good patiently will increase.
This diversity of outcome from a single vehicle has always been for me a measure of the greatness of the Lotus Sūtra. This is the foundation upon which the universal salvation that is promised is built. It is the equality and differences of all things that the Buddha at first refrained from expounding.
Recognizing Immutable Reality of All Phenomena While Alive
When a man dies, his spirit leaves the body, allowing it to be occupied by demons, who destroy the future generations. This is the so-called hungry demon devouring itself. When a wise man praises the Lotus Sūtra and inspires the spirit into his remains, the spirit of the dead becomes the Dharma Body though his corpse remains human. This is the doctrine of “recognizing the immutable reality of all phenomena while alive.”
Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto, Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 91-92
Daily Dharma – March 27, 2019
The Buddhas, the Leaders, expound the teaching of Nirvāṇa
In order to give a rest [to all living beings].
When they see them having already had a rest,
They lead them to the wisdom of the Buddha.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. These are part of his explanation of the parable of the Magic City. In this story, a group of people hire a guide to lead them through a dangerous wilderness to reach a city of treasures. Halfway through the journey, the people lose confidence and ask the guide to take them back to where they started. The guide conjures up a magic city and gives the people a chance to rest. The people believed this illusion was their destination. The guide then made the city disappear and implored his charges to continue their journey. The Buddha compares his teachings of the end of suffering to the fabricated city, and the true city of treasures to his enlightenment. As the travelers had to leave their delusions about suffering and continue on the way of the Bodhisattva towards enlightenment, so must we set aside the Buddha’s expedient teachings and uphold the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Fuji School Doctrinal Rationale
The equation of Nichiren with the original Buddha represents a bold if convoluted attempt to free Nichiren from the context of the preceding historical tradition of Śākyamuni’s Buddhism and to relocate Śākyamuni within the context of Nichiren’s teaching. Structurally, it resembles medieval Tendai claims that Chih-i’s inner enlightenment is prior to and surpasses the text of the Lotus Sūtra preached by Śākyamuni. It also suggests the nonlinearity and reversals of time and hierarchy characteristic of medieval Tendai kanjin-style interpretations: The seed surpasses the harvest; the stage of practice surpasses that of attainment; Superior Conduct, a bodhisattva, is superior to Śākyamuni, a Buddha; and Nichiren, who lived after Śākyamuni in historical time, becomes his teacher in beginningless time. In the reading of the three jewels of Buddhism adopted by most schools within the Nichiren tradition, the Buddha is defined as the original Śākyamuni of the “Fathoming the Lifespan” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, the Dharma is Namu-myōhō-renge-kyō, and the Sangha is represented by Nichiren. In the Fuji school, however, the Buddha is Nichiren, the Dharma is Namu- myōhō-renge-kyō, and the Sangha is represented by Nikkō. Founder worship is hardly uncommon in Japanese Buddhism, but nowhere has it been provided with a more elaborate doctrinal rationale than in the Fuji lineage of the Nichiren tradition. (Page 341-342)
Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese BuddhismOpening the Three and Revealing the One
K’ai-san Hsien-i (Opening the three and revealing the one) is the function related to the Subtlety of Objects. This is spoken of in terms of the teaching and principle. Chih-i points out that in the Lotus Sūtra, the truth of emptiness held in the three teachings are identified with the Ultimate Truth. The Buddha made it clear that the underlying principle as the Ultimate Truth is embedded in these three teachings, since the ultimate goal of them is to lead beings to attain the One Vehicle of Buddhahood. (Vol. 2, Page 445)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism