Monthly Archives: April 2019

WONS

Expediential Sūtras and Non-Buddhist Teachings

Expediential sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra are the same as non-Buddhist teachings, in which no one can be reborn in the Pure Land or attain Buddhahood. For instance, rivers which do not flow into the ocean cannot become one, and people and subjects who do not follow their great king cannot be united. No matter how hard we practice such teachings, there will not be any merit at all unless we reach the Lotus-Nirvana Sūtras; it will be the same as practicing the non-Buddhist teachings, in which Buddhahood is not attainable. They are the teachings nobody practices and no one can attain Buddhahood by practicing them in the Latter Age of Degeneration as well as during and after the lifetime of the Buddha.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 25

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 9, 2019

Thereupon the Buddha said to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”

With these words, the Buddha prepares those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. “Understanding by faith” can be a difficult idea for those of us who believe faith is opposed to understanding; that it means believing something even though we do not understand it. The Buddha does not ask us to set aside our curiosity or our comprehension to practice his highest teaching. But he does say that it takes more than understanding to reach the wisdom he attained. As we apprehend more of what the Buddha teaches us, our confidence in him grows. As we set aside our doubts about the benefits of the Buddha Dharma, we increase our ability to see the world for what it is.

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

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The Ten Worlds of the Mandala

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Nichiren’s mandala includes not only Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities but also representatives of the evil realms, such as rākṣasa demons and the treacherous Devadatta. In including such figures, Nichiren followed not the text of Lotus Sūtra itself–in which all beings in the six realms of transmigration are removed before the jeweled stūpa is opened–but the principle of three thousand realms in one thought-moment, according to which even the Buddha realm contains the nine unenlightened states. In short, the mandala depicts the mutual inclusion of the ten realms. As noted above, Nichiren saw this concept as central to the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, an emphasis visible in the mandala. A writing attributed to Nichiren explains:

The “Jeweled Stūpa” chapter states: “All in that great assembly were lifted and present in open space.” All the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and great saints, and in general all the beings of the two worlds [of desire and form] and the eight kinds of [nonhuman] beings who assembled in the introductory chapter, dwell in this gohonzon, without a single exception. Illuminated by the light of the five characters of the Wonderful Dharma, they assume their originally inherent august attributes. This is called the object of worship. (Page 277-278)

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Profound

The Subtlety of the Original Effect

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K’ai-chi Hsien-pen (Opening the Traces and revealing the Origin) is the function related to the Subtlety of the Original Effect. This is spoken of by Chih-i in terms of the dharma-teaching and the principle. The teaching of the Buddha in the Traces serve to reveal the Origin. By opening the Traces, the Origin as the principle is manifested. (Vol. 2, Page 447)

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


LS32

Day 23

Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.

Day 23 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the eight hundred merits of the eye, we consider the twelve hundred merits of the ear and conclude today’s portion of Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.

“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound or copy this sūtra, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merits of the ear. With their pure ears, they will be able to recognize all the various sounds and voices inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, [each of which is composed of the six regions] down to the Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven. They will be able to recognize the voices of elephants, horses and cows; the sounds of carts; cryings and sighings; the sounds of conch-shell horns, drums, gongs and bells; laughter and speech; the voices of men, women, boy and girls; meaningful voices, meaningless voices; painful voices, delightful voices; the voices of the unenlightened ones, the voices of the enlightened ones; joyful voices, joyless voices; the voices of gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras and mahoragas; the sounds of fire, water and wind; the voices of hellish denizens, animals and hungry spirits; and the voices of bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, Śrāvakas, Pratyekabuddhas, Bodhisattvas and Buddhas. In a word, with their pure and natural ears given by their parents, they will be able to recognize all the sounds and voices inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, although they have not yet obtained heavenly ears. Even when they recognize all these various sounds and voices, their organ of hearing will not be destroyed.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he bad said, sang in gāthās:

Their ears given by their parents will be purified, not defiled.
With their natural ears,
They will be able to recognize the sounds of voices
Of the one thousand million sumeru-worlds.

They will be able to recognize
The voices of elephants, horses and cows;
Th sounds of carts, gongs, bells, conch-shell horns,
And of drums, lyres, harps, reed-pipes and flutes.
Although they recognize pure and sweet songs,
They will not be attached to them.
They also will be able to recognize
The countless kinds of voices of men.

They will be able to recognize
The voices of gods,
The wonderful songs [of gods],
And the voices of men, women, boy and girls.

They will be able to recognize
The songs of kalavinkas, of jivakajivakas,
And of the other birds in mountains,
And on rivers and ravines.

The expounder of the Dharma
Will be able to recognize from afar,
While he is staying in the world [of men],
The cryings and shriekings
Of the denizens in hell,
The shoutings of hungry and thirsty spirits
Who are seeking food and drink,
And the voices of asuras
Bellowing to each other
[As they pound] on the seacoasts.
Even when he recognizes all this by hearing,
His organ of hearing will not be destroyed.

The expounder of the Dharma will be able to recognize,
While he is staying [in this world],
The voices of birds and animals calling each other
In the worlds of the ten quarters.

The teacher of the Dharma will be able to recognize,
While he is staying [in the world of men],
The voices of the gods of the heavens
Above the Heaven of Brahman,
[That is,] of the Light-Sound Heaven,
Of the Universal-Pure Heaven, and of the Highest Heaven.

The teacher of the Dharma
Will be able to recognize,
Without moving about,
The voices of the bhikṣus and bhikṣunīs
Who read or recite sūtras
Or expound them to others.

He will be able to recognize
The voices of the Bodhisattvas
Who read or recite sūtras
Or expound the meanings
Of quotations from them
To others.

Anyone who keeps this Sūtra
Of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Will be able to recognize the voices of the Buddhas,
That is, the voices of the Great Honorable Saints
Who teach all living beings,
And who expound the Wonderful Dharma in great congregations.

He will be able to recognize
All the sounds and voices
Inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds,
[Each being composed of the six regions]
Down to the Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven.
And yet his organ of hearing will not be destroyed.
He will be able to recognize everything by hearing
Because his ears are sharp.

Anyone who keeps
This Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Will be able to obtain these merits with his natural ears
Although he has not yet obtained heavenly ears.

The Daily Dharma from Feb. 7, 2019, offers this:

He will be able to recognize
All the sounds and voices
Inside and outside the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds,
[Each being composed of the six regions]
Down to the Avīci Hell and up to the Highest Heaven.
And yet his organ of hearing will not be destroyed.
He will be able to recognize everything by hearing
Because his ears are sharp.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra about those who practice the Buddha Dharma. We may believe that a spiritual practice leads us to “otherworldly” experiences that allow us to escape the problems we find in the world around us. These verses remind us that the teachers of the Dharma become more engaged with the world around us rather than becoming separate from it. It is through our right practice of the Lotus Sūtra that we become aware of the world as it is, and our place in making it better.

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

buddhaseed

Merging One’s Life Into The Buddha

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Namu and the five characters became the seven characters of the Odaimoku, Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo. Namu, derived from the Sanskrit “Namas,” which means “to pay respect to, to revere.” It is generally used with regard to the Buddha or the three treasures (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha). It can be interpreted as a vow to the Buddha or as taking refuge. Namu means faith in the Buddha and oneness with the Buddha. Namu Myoho Renge Kyo means that faith in the Lotus Sūtra is equal to the Eternal Buddha and becoming one with the Buddha. It is also a vow that one will strive to become one with the Buddha. By taking refuge in the Lotus Sutra, one can enter the infinite life of the Buddha. One’s life merges into the Buddha’s life which is the Odaimoku, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.

Buddha Seed: Understanding the Odaimoku

WONS

Three Kinds of Buddha Nature

The Lotus Sūtra preaches that living beings are endowed with three kinds of Buddha nature: shōin busshō, ryōin busshō as well as en’in busshō (virtuous deeds which enable one to develop “wisdom”). …

The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 10, preaches: “The shōin busshō is possessed by the Dharma-bodied Buddha, and it is innately possessed by all the people throughout the past, present and future lives. By nature they are endowed also with seeds of the en’in and ryōin busshō; these Buddha-natures are not acquired as a result of practicing Buddhism.”

Hasshū Imoku-shō, A Treatise on the Differences of the Lotus Sect from Eight Other Sects, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 16-17

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 8, 2019

When they hear even a gāthā or a phrase [of this sūtra] with their pure minds, they will be able to understand the innumerable meanings [of this sūtra]. When they understand the meanings [of this sūtra] and expound even a phrase or a gāthā [of this sūtra] for a month, four months, or a year, their teachings will be consistent with the meanings [of this sūtra], and not against the reality of all things.

The Buddha declares these lines to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep and practice this Sūtra. The words of the Sūtra are not specific directions for how to live. We need to interpret them and apply them to our lives in the world today. There are many others whose experience and guidance can help us see what the Sūtra means, and who can benefit from our experience.

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

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Depicting Reality in the Gohonzon

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[T]he object of worship not only is held physically to embody the three thousand realms in one thought-moment but also represents an attempt to depict this reality visually. In the case of configurations of statues, this enlightened reality of the eternal Buddha, described in the Lotus Sūtra as the assembly in open space above Eagle Peak, is only suggested by the presence of the Buddha’s original disciples, the four bodhisattvas, or by the two Buddhas, Śākyamuni and Many-Jewels (Prabhūtaratna, Tahō), seated side by side in the jeweled stūpa. Nichiren’s mandala, however, is much more detailed. Namu-myōhō-renge-kyō is written vertically in large characters down the center. At the top, this central inscription is flanked by the two Buddhas, Śākyamuni and Many Jewels, who are in turn flanked by the four bodhisattvas. Below them, in the next row, are representatives of the bodhisattvas who are followers of the Buddha of the provisional and trace teachings, such as Fugen (Samantabhadra) and Monju (Mañjuśrī), and the great voice-hearers, Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, flanked by the Buddhist tutelary deities Brahmā and Indra, and King Mara of the deva realm. In lower rows still are representatives of the six realms: the devas of the sun, moon, and stars, King Ajātaśatru, the wheel-turning king, the asura king, the dragon king, the raksasa Kishimojin (Hariti) and her ten daughters, and the Buddha’s cousin and traitorous disciple Devadatta. Also represented in the assembly are the sun goddess Tenshō Daijin and Hachiman Daibosatsu, who for Nichiren together represented the kami of Japan. Beside them, the patriarchs T’ien-t’ai Ta-shih (Chih-i) and Dengyō Daishi (Saichō) are also accorded a place. The four deva kings guard the four corners of the mandala, and to either side appear the Siddham “seed characters” for the esoteric deities Fudo Myōō and Aizen Myōō, representing, respectively, the doctrines of “saṃsāra is nirvāṇa” (shoji soku nehan) and “the defilements are bodhi” (bonnō soku bodai). Passages from the sūtra, expressing its blessings and protection, are inscribed to the right and left sides of the assembly; the choice of inscriptions sometimes varied according to the individual mandala. At the bottom is Nichiren’s signature and the words: “This is the great mandala never before revealed in Jambudvipa during the more than 2,220 years since the Buddha’s nirvāṇa.” (Page 277)

Original Enlightenment and the Transformation of Medieval Japanese Buddhism


Profound

Aspects of the Word Sūtra

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Chih-i illustrates that sūtra that is taken as the foundation for teaching (Chiao-pen) entails two aspects. On the one hand, it means that, based on single truth from the Word of the Buddha, there flow out countless speeches and teachings, such as the Common and Separate Teachings that can cause beings to attain the Path. On the other hand, based on the teaching of the Buddha, the bodhisattvas have made vast commentaries to explain the meanings in sūtras, which can also cause others to attain the Path. Sūtra that is taken as the foundation for practice (Hsin-pen) means that when one practices according to the teaching of the Buddha (whether it is Common or Separate Teaching), through these various Dharma-doors, one is able to attain the Ultimate Truth. Sūtra that is taken as the foundation for doctrine (I-pen) means that one doctrine can be derived from one sentence, and countless doctrines can be derived from countless sentences. It can also be the case that countless doctrines are derived from one sentence, and one doctrine is derived from countless sentences. Chih-i comments that summarizing these three aspects (teaching, practice and doctrine) in terms of the Dharma-door means that they are identical to the three ways to wisdom: hearing, thinking and cultivation (Wen Ssu Hsiu; Skt., śrutactābhāvanā), respectively. (Vol. 2, Page 391)

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