Monthly Archives: April 2019

Profound

Cause and Effect of Buddhahood

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What we can determine from Chih-i ‘s interpretation of the Lotus Sūtra in the Hsüan-i is that his interpretation is his approach to establish his system of understanding Buddhism, which reflects his perfect harmonization philosophy. Based on his perfect harmonization philosophy, Chih-i manages to comprehensively and coherently portray various theories of different Buddhist schools so that all divisions, aspects, learnings, and theories of Buddhism that appear to be incoherent come to terms with each other as a whole. This is reflected in Chih-i’s presentation of the Buddha’s teaching in which two divisions of Buddhism, the Śrāvakayāna and Mahāyāna, are complimentary to each other rather than contradictory to each other. According to Chih-i, the Buddha’s teaching centers on enlightenment for oneself and for others. Enlightenment for oneself can be generally considered as the goal of Śrāvakayāna Buddhism, and enlightening others as the goal of Mahāyāna Buddhism. As these two divisions appeared to be disconnected before Chih-i ‘s time, they have been unified as a whole in Chih-i’s theory.

The unification of Śrāvakayāna and Mahāyāna is based on Chih-i’s theory of the essential teaching of the Buddha, concerning the cause and effect of Buddhahood. The cause of Buddhahood refers to the Buddha’s practice to attain enlightenment for himself and is embodied by Śrāvakayāna Buddhism; and the effect of Buddhahood refers to the Buddha’s enlightenment that results in his teaching and transformation of sentient beings in order to enlighten them and is embodied by Mahāyāna Buddhism. With this theory of the cause and effect of Buddhahood, the differences between these two divisions of Buddhism are resolved, as each of them represents one aspect of Buddhahood. Since the cause and effect of Buddhahood is the vital force that unifies different aspects of Buddhism, this essential teaching is what underlies Chih-i’s system of understanding Buddhism, and is laid out in the Fa-hua Hsüan-i. (Vol. 2, Page 462)

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


LS32

Day 7

Day 7 concludes Chapter 3, A Parable, and begins Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith.

Day 7 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded the listing of punishments for slandering the Lotus Sūtra, we conclude today’s portion of Chapter 3, A Parable.

(The Buddha said to Śāriputra:)
A kalpa will not be long enough to describe
The punishments to be inflicted
Upon those who slander this sūtra.

Therefore,
I tell you.
Do not expound this sūtra
To people of no wisdom!

Expound it to clever people
Who have profound wisdom,
Who hear much,
Who remember well,
And who seek
The enlightenment of the Buddha!

Expound it to those who have seen
Many thousands of myriads
Of millions of Buddhas
And planted the roots of good
In their previous existence,
And who are now resolute in mind!

Expound it
To those who make efforts,
Who have compassion towards others,
And who do not spare their lives!

Expound it to those
Who respect others,
Who have no perfidy in them,
Who keep away from ignorant people,
And who live alone
In mountains or valleys!

Śāriputra!
Expound it to those
Who keep away
From evil friends,
And who approach
Good friends!

Expound it to the Buddha’s sons
Who keep the precepts
As cleanly and as purely
As they keep gems,
And who seek
The sūtra of the Great Vehicle!

Expound it to those
Who are not angry
But upright, gentle,
Compassionate
Towards all others,
And respectful to the Buddhas!

Expound it to the Buddha’s sons
Who expound the Dharma without hindrance
To the great multitude
With their pure minds
By telling them
Various stories of previous lives,
Parables and similes,
And also by giving them various discourses!

Expound it to the bhikṣus
Who seek the Dharma in all directions
In order to obtain
The knowledge of all things,
Who join their hands together
Towards the sūtra of the Great Vehicle,
Who receive it respectfully,
Who keep it with joy,
And who do not receive
Even a gāthā of any other sūtra!

Expound it to those
Who seek this sūtra
As eagerly as they seek
The śarīras of the Buddha!

[Expound it to those]
Who receive [this sūtra]
And put it on their heads,
And who do not seek
Any other sūtra
Or think of the books of heresy!

(The Buddha said to Śāriputra:)
Those who seek the enlightenment of the Buddha
Are as various as previously stated.
A kalpa will not be long enough
To describe the variety of them.
They will be able to understand [this sūtra] by faith.
Expound to them
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma!

Continuing with the content from Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan, we learn of The Rat and Snake of Shinano Province.

Miracles

The Rat and Snake of Shinano Province

A governor of Shinano Province completed his tour of duty in the province and went to the capital. During the journey he noticed that he was accompanied by a three-foot-long snake. During the day the snake either preceded or followed him; at night it coiled under his clothes chest.

When they saw this, people felt very uneasy and spoke to the governor. One man told him, “The snake should be killed.” But the governor stopped him and would not allow him to kill the snake. The governor prayed silently, “Is this due to the deity of this province or to the evil inflicted by the spirit of someone living or dead? Possess me and reveal the truth in my dream.”

The night the governor dreamed that a man in speckled hunting clothes knelt before him and said, “I have been accompanying you to kill an old enemy of mine who has been hiding in your clothes chest. If I can have him, I will no longer follow you.” The governor awoke and realized that the snake had said this.

In the morning the governor looked inside the chest and found a frightened old rat crouching at the bottom. The people who saw this said, “You should let it go.” But the merciful governor thought, “If I drive the rat out now, he will surely be swallowed up by the snake, and so it is better not to let him go.”

For the sake of the snake and the rat, the governor made a copy of the Hokekyō and had a service of dedication performed on that same day. That night two handsome men, dressed in fine white clothes, appeared in his dream. They said to him respectfully:

“We have been old enemies during successive lives and have killed each other for many generations. However, thanks to the influence of your virtuous deed, we have now left our sinful state and are to be reborn in the Tōri Heaven. For generations we will not be able to repay you for your great virtue.”

After they had said this, they ascended into the sky, which was filled with soft music. In the morning, when the governor woke up, he found that the snake and the rat were both dead. (Page 140-141)

Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan


WONS

‘All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality’

T’ien’tai … makes clear that all things and phenomena in the ten realms are manifestations of the ultimate reality. Since ultimate reality is another name of the Lotus Sūtra, what he states is that all things and phenomena are equal to the Lotus Sūtra. It is a reality of a hell showing hell’s appearance. If its appearance turns into that of the realm of hungry spirits, it is no longer a hell. “All phenomena as ultimate reality” means that Buddhas show Buddhas’ appearance, unenlightened people show their appearance, and the true appearance of all things is the truth of the Lotus Sūtra.

T’ien-t’ai also explains, “The profound doctrine of all phenomena as ultimate reality is the Lotus Sūtra that exists originally and always.” This annotation means that “the deep doctrine of ultimate reality” expounded in the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra is called in the essential section the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma which exist originally and always. This interpretation is not easy to understand, so please spare no effort in contemplating this.

Shohō Jisso-shō, Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 76

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 24, 2019

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

Profound

Lessons of the Rich Man and Poor Son

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Chih-i quotes passages in the “Chapter On Faith and Understanding” in the Lotus Sūtra concerning the parable about the rich father and his poor son, in order to analogize the Buddha’s teaching in terms of five periods.

  1. The passage about the rich father dispatching an attendant to follow his poor son in order to bring him back, and the poor son being terrified, analogizes the Avataṃsaka teaching in the first period that belongs to the Sudden teaching. Chih-i asserts that this is as if from the cow, one extracts fresh milk.
  2. The passage about the rich father wishing to entice his son, putting his son to hard work, while disguising himself in dirty clothes as an expedient means in order to approach his son and to keep him at work clearing away dung for twenty years, analogizes the Tripitaka Teaching in the second period that caters to the śrāvakas. Chih-i articulates that this is like from fresh milk, one extracts cream, and from the twelve types of scripture, sūtras are produced.
  3. The passage about the poor son at the end of this time gaining confidence in himself, and coming and going without anxiety, though he was lodged in the same place as before, analogizes the Vaipulya teaching in the third period. Chih-i declares that this is like from cream, one extracts curdled milk, and from sūtras, the Vaipulya Sūtras are produced. In this period, the Buddha begins to expound the Greater Vehicle, though the śrāvakas still dwell in the teaching of the Lesser Vehicle.
  4. The passage about the rich father telling his son about his treasure houses and his son is conferred to be in charge of the multitude of things, and yet his son had no craving for so much as a single meal, and continued to live as before in the same place, analogizes the Prajn͂āpāramitā teaching in the fourth period. This is like from curdled milk, one extracts butter, and from the Vaipulya Sūtras, the Prajn͂āpāramitāsūtra is produced. Chih-i remarks that the Prajn͂āpāramitā teaching concerns wisdom, and wisdom is treasure.
  5. The passage about the rich father declaring the father and son relationship to the multitude, and the poor son being rejoiced and greatly bequeathing all riches of his father which he had never had before, analogizes the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-Mahāparinirvāṇa teaching in the fifth period. Chih-i articulates that this is like from butter, one extracts ghee, and from the Prajn͂āpāramitāsūtra, the Nirvāṇasūtra is produced. (Vol. 2, Page 456-457)
The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism


LS32

Day 6

Day 6 continues Chapter 3, A Parable

Day 6 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month learned in gāthās about the owner and his concern for his children in the burning house, we consider in gāthās his expedient idea to get his children to leave the house.

The rich man
Thought:
“They are ignorant.
My anxiety deepens
There is nothing pleasant
In this house.
But they are engrossed
In playing.
They do not listen to me.
They will be burned to death.”

At the time
He thought of an expedient.
He said to them:
“I have many kinds of toys.
They are beautiful carts
Made of wonderful treasures.
They are sheep-carts, deer-carts,
And large bullock-carts.
They are outside the gate.
Come out!
I made those carts
For you.
Play with them
As you like!”

Hearing of the carts from him,
They ran out,
Striving to be first,
And reached an open place.
They were now free
From the sufferings.

Seeing them come out
Of the burning house
To the safe crossroad,
He sat on the lion-like seat,
And said to others with joy:
“I am happy.
These children are difficult to bring up.
They are young and ignorant.
They entered the dangerous house.
In that house were
Many poisonous vermin
And many dangerous mountain spirits.
Raging flames of big fires rose
From the four sides of the house
At the same time.
But my children were
Engrossed in playing.
Now I saved them
From the dangers.
Therefore, I am happy.”

Continuing with the content from Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan, we learn of Priest Chōen.

Miracles

Priest Chōen

Priest Chōen of Tsukushi Province was of the Tendai Sect. He had entered into the Buddha’s Way in his youth and continued to recite the Hokekyō and worship Acala. After many years of ascetic practices, he acquired miraculous powers.

On one occasion, when Chōen was fasting for twenty-seven days and reciting the Hokekyō on Mount Katsuragi, he dreamed that the Eight Followers of Acala, all equipped with weapons, including swords and three- and five-pronged iron vajra, listened to his recitation and said admiringly, “The ascetics who serve the Buddha are the same as the Buddha and will attain the supreme enlightenment just as other bodhisattvas!”

At another time, Chōen wished to cross an ice-covered river. Unable to locate the shallow places for fording, Chōen was lamenting by the river bank. A large cow appeared from the mountain, and crossed the river several times, breaking the ice to make a passage, and vanished. Chōen safely crossed the river following the path of the cow. He clearly knew that a guardian of the Law had become a cow to assist him in crossing.

On another occasion, when crossing Mount Ōmine from Mount Kumano in the direction of Mount Mitake, Chōen lost his way. While he was fervently reciting the Hokekyō, a boy appeared in his dream and indicated the correct route, just as the verses of the Hokekyō say, “Guardians of the Law will help and show the correct path and remove the devotee’s weariness.” After waking up, Chōen took the correct route to Mount Mitake.

On another occasion, when Chōen was reciting the sūtra through the night, an old man of unusual virtue appeared before Chōen and gave his name card as he said, “I am King Uten, related to Mañjuśrī of Wu-t’ai-shan. I offer you this card on account of your great virtues and merits acquired by reciting the Hokekyō. With Mañjuśrī, I will guard you in present and future generations.”

Chōen once visited the Kiyomizu Temple and was reciting the Hokekyō through the night. A beautiful woman of noble appearance, and decorated with beads and necklaces, appeared before him with her palms together and said in praise, “Those who are in the samādhi meditation will hear the sound of the hora instrument which resounds throughout the entire universe. The voice reciting the Hokekyō will never tire the listeners.”

Unusual events happening to Chōen were numerous. This truly must have been due to power of the marvelous Law and the assistance of Acala. Who would doubt and mistrust this sūtra? Shōen passed away during the Chōkyü era. (Page 114-115)

Miraculous Tales of the Lotus Sutra from Ancient Japan


WONS

The Status of the Lotus Sūtra

It is the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning alone which disparages the sūtras preached during the pre-Lotus period of 40 years or so and lauds just one sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra. It declares that the truth is revealed not in those sūtras expounded in the past 40 years or so, nor in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, which is now being preached, or in the Nirvana Sūtra, which is to be preached, but in the Lotus Sūtra alone. Śākyamuni Buddha as well as all Buddhas in the past, present and future appear in the world preaching all the scriptures of Buddhism. They all consider the Lotus Sūtra supreme. Social status, for instance, varies according to the time and circumstance. In the countryside farmers and retainers call warriors “upper class men,” but in the capital region warriors of the Minamoto and Taira clans are men servants while “upper class men” are applied to the members of the three aristocratic families. Again, if masters are called kings, even a farmer is the king of a family whereas the stewards and proprietors of shōen (manor in Medieval Japan) are kings of respective villages, districts, counties and provinces. However, none of these is the great king.

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 131.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – April 23, 2019

Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
This great light illumines
The worlds of the ten quarters.

The Brahma Heavenly Kings of the East sing these verses as part of a story the Buddha tells in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. Long ago there was another Buddha named Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence. When he became enlightened, the entire universe was illuminated. Beings who had never seen each other could recognize each other clearly. We can see this story as a metaphor for what happens when the Buddha’s wisdom comes into our lives. We leave the darkness of our ego attachment and come into the light of the world as it is.

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