Governing the World with Lotus Sūtra

Before the transmission of Buddhism to China and Japan, non-Buddhist teachings of the Three Emperors, Five Rulers, and Three Sages were used to educate the people and govern the country. As a result, human hearts hardened and virtue declined while evil flourished. Nevertheless, the depth of wisdom of the non-Buddhist doctrines did not pose a sufficient challenge to the depth of evil. As the country could not be governed by non-Buddhist teachings, Buddhism was adopted from India to govern the country peacefully. This was due solely to the superiority of Buddhism responding to the heart of the people.

What we call geten (non-Buddhist scriptures) today are not the same as the original gekyō (non-Buddhist sūtras). When Buddhism was transmitted, confrontation arose between non-Buddhist scriptures and Buddhist sūtras. Over time, however, the non-Buddhist scriptures were deemed inferior and cast aside, by both the king and the people. While supporters of non-Buddhist scriptures conceded to advocates of Buddhist sūtras — thus ending the dispute — they adopted the superior points of Buddhist sūtras and added them to their own. These are the non-Buddhist scriptures as we know them today. Ignorant kings, however, mistakenly thought that these non-Buddhist scriptures were originally excellent.

Moreover, as the quality of the human heart diminished, evil wisdom increased at the expense of virtuous wisdom. As a result Hinayāna sūtras, which are counted among the Buddhist scriptures, could not control the rising evil and the world fell into disarray. Mahāyāna sūtras were then spread to govern the world, achieving a measure of order. However, the world fell into disarray once again even with the wisdom of Mahāyāna sūtras. Thereafter, the wisdom of the One Vehicle Sūtra, the Lotus Sūtra, was employed to govern the world at the present time.

Chie Bōkoku Gosho, Evil Wisdom Destroying the Country, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 84-85

Daily Dharma – Feb. 7, 2020

Medicine-King! I will tell you.
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Is the most excellent sūtra
That I have ever expounded.

The Buddha sings these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. Our founder Nichiren explained that the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra lay not in its being more powerful than other Sūtras, but that it leads all beings, without exception, to the Buddha’s own enlightenment. Other teachings distinguish between those who can follow the Buddha Dharma and those who cannot. But this teaching assures everyone who hears it that they will become enlightened.

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

Day 27

Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Having last month considered Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva’s offering of his arms, we hear Buddha reveal to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva who Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva is today.

The Buddha said to Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva:

“What do you think of this? Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was no one but Medicine-King Bodhisattva of today. He gave up his body in this way, offered it [to the Buddha], and repeated this offering many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of times [in his previous existence]. [He knows that he can practice any austerity in this Sahā-World. Therefore, he does not mind walking about this world.]

“Star-King-Flower! Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe. Then he will be given more merits than the person who offers not only countries, cities, wives and children, but also the mountains, forests, rivers and ponds of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and various kinds of treasures. But the merits to be given to the person who fills the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds with the seven treasures and offers that amount of the seven treasures to the Buddhas, to the Great Bodhisattvas, to the Pratyekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gāthā of four lines of this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

See Paying Homage to The Buddha

Paying Homage to The Buddha

The greatest homage of the Bodhisattva Loveliness to the Buddha was to endeavor to maintain the Buddha’s teachings forever and to memorize and extol them. However, as a believer who practiced the Lotus Sutra, he was not satisfied with such practices because he realized that the greatest homage to the Buddha is to practice his teachings oneself. Therefore the Bodhisattva Loveliness burned his arms. In other words, he devoted himself to the practice of the Law with no concern for whatever trouble, pain, or difficulty it might entail. His practices themselves became a great light that led all the people to dispel the darkness in their minds, causing them to seek the Way voluntarily. From this description, we can understand what great merit our practice of the Law will bring to us.

Buddhism for Today, p357

Syncing the Ten Realms and Three Thousand Realms with the Buddha

The interpenetration of ten realms reveals that, in principle, there is no difference between an ordinary person and a buddha; both embody the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment. But in ordinary, deluded persons the buddha realm remains dormant and unrealized, and they are trapped by suffering. In the case of a buddha, the buddha realm is fully expressed; that is, all the other nine realms are illuminated, elevated, and redirected by it to work in an enlightened way. For Nichiren, this fully realized state was embodied in the daimoku. We could say that chanting the daimoku aligns or “syncs” the ten realms and three thousand realms of the practitioner with those of the Buddha, enabling direct realization in the very act of practice.

Two Buddhas, p71-72

The First Thing Needing Change

When you are in a good mood, cheerful, smiling, and positive then things may not get you flustered or irritated as easily as if you felt grumpy. The external environment isn’t the thing that changes; it is our life that changes in how it responds to our external environment. The way we respond in turn affects the way others respond to us. Have you ever noticed how some people are always dissatisfied or complaining, as if nothing ever is good enough? It is hard to attract good things to one’s life if nothing is ever good enough. There is a consistency in all of this. The message here is that when we start to change internally then we begin to see an external change, which then sets up the condition for us to further change. It all has to begin within one’s own life. Again, Buddhism teaches us that the first thing needing change is ourselves.

Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Hierarchy of Gods and Their Merits

Incomparably superior to the Wheel-turning Noble King are the Four Great Heavenly Kings including Vaiśravaṇa, who are the great kings of the Four Continents. Indra is the lord of Trāyastriṃsá (the heaven of the 33 gods) while the King of Devils in the Sixth Heaven dwells on top of the realm of desire and controls the triple world. They acquired such good fortune by virtue of observing the ten good precepts to the highest degree and through giving the root of goodness equally to all without discrimination. The King of the Mahābrahman Heaven, who is the lord of the triple world, dwells on the summit of the world of form waited on by the King of Devils and Indra, and he controls the triple-thousand worlds. This is the merit received from having practiced not only the meditation to eliminate worldly passions but also the Four Infinite Virtues (of benevolence, compassion, giving joy, and selflessness).

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 46

Daily Dharma – Feb. 6, 2020

Suppose one sets up a needle on top of Mt. Sumeru and throws a piece of string on a windy day from another Mt. Sumeru standing too far to see. It is impossible to thread the needle set up on the first Mt. Sumeru. It is, however, even more difficult to experience the great title of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore you should realize that being able to chant the great title of this sutra is more wonderful than a blind person gaining his eyesight and seeing his parents for the first time.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Chanting the Great Title of the Lotus Sūtra (Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō). Those with great talents, or who have worked hard and made great accomplishments, tend to think that what they have done is normal. They can lose any appreciation for what they have and focus only on what they lack. This passage reminds us of the treasure we enjoy in the five syllables of Myo Ho Ren Ge and Kyo. Just hearing this Great Title is the result of great efforts we have made in the past, whether we appreciate and remember those efforts or not.

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

Day 26

Day 26 concludes Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, includes Chapter 22, Transmission, and introduces Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Having last month concluded Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas in gāthās, we begin Chapter 22, Transmission, with Śākyamuni Buddha places his right hand on the heads of all the Bodhisattvas.

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha rose from the seat of the Dharma, and by his great supernatural powers, put his right hand on the heads of the innumerable Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas, and said:

“For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Now I will transmit the Dharma to you. Propagate it with all your hearts, and make it known far and wide!”

He put his [right] hand on their heads twice more, and said:

“For many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas, I studied and practiced the Dharma difficult to obtain, and [finally attained] Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Now I will transmit [the Dharma] to you. Keep, read, recite and expound [this sūtra in which the Dharma is given], and cause all living beings to hear it and know it! Why is that? It is because I have great compassion. I do not begrudge anything. I am fearless. I wish to give the wisdom of the Buddha, the wisdom of the Tathāgata, the wisdom of the Self-Existing One, to all living beings. I am the great almsgiver to all living beings. Follow me, and study my teachings without begrudging efforts! In the future, when you see good men or women who believe in the wisdom of the Tathāgata, you should expound this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to them, and cause them to hear and know [this sūtra] so that they may be able to obtain the wisdom of the Buddha. When you see anyone who does not receive [this sūtra] by faith, you should show him some other profound teachings of mine, teach him, benefit him, and cause him to rejoice. When you do all this, you will be able to repay the favors given to you by the Buddhas.”

See The True benevolent and compassionate Mind

The True benevolent and compassionate Mind

Three times the Buddha laid his hand upon the heads of the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas and repeated the following words. From this repetition, we can easily judge how important was his declaration: “I, for incalculable hundreds of thousands of myriads of koṭis of asaṃkhyeyas of kalpas, have practiced this rare Law of Perfect Enlightenment. Now I entrust it to you. Do you receive and keep, read and recite, and proclaim this Law abroad that all living beings universally may hear and know it. Wherefore? The Tathāgata is most benevolent and compassionate, not mean and stingy, and is able fearlessly to give the Buddha-wisdom, the Tathāgata-wisdom, and the Self-existent wisdom to all living beings.”

This is an extremely important passage. The words “rare Law” and “not mean and stingy” call for deep consideration in order to understand their true meaning. We cannot attain the Buddha’s enlightenment without undergoing extraordinary difficulties. Leaving aside his long period of practice in former lives, the Buddha repeatedly underwent many sufferings in this world and finally attained enlightenment. He also openly taught his rare Law of Perfect Enlightenment to all living beings without the slightest trace of a mean and stingy mind. Moreover, he used various tactful means with thoughtful consideration so that all living beings might be able to attain Perfect Enlightenment as quickly as possible and without being sidetracked.

When we compare this attitude with the common way of the world, we must acknowledge how much we owe to the Buddha. When experienced people teach knowledge and techniques to their juniors, there are very few who take the trouble to lead their juniors so successfully that they can master the learning and techniques in half the time that it took the teacher to acquire them. Most seasoned veterans take the attitude that it is beneath their dignity to initiate their juniors, into the secrets of their learning and techniques, or else they force their juniors to experience as many difficulties in learning as they themselves did. Such an attitude comes from a mean and stingy mind, which is a great impediment to social progress.

The Buddha strictly admonished us against having mean and stingy minds. A person should not only generously and unstintingly teach others what he has realized but also help the learners through various methods to master it faster than he himself did. This is the true benevolent and compassionate mind. A veteran should maintain this attitude toward his juniors in teaching secular learning and techniques, to say nothing of instructing them in the Law and enlightenment. We should wholeheartedly adopt such an attitude.

Buddhism for Today, p344