Monthly Archives: June 2020

LS32

Day 2

Chapter 1, Introductory (Conclusion).

Day 2 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month repeated in gāthās Mañjuśrī’s recollection of Sun-Moon-Light Buddha, we consider what happened when the Buddha emitted a ray of light.

The worlds of the Buddhas quaked much.
The Buddha emitted a ray of light
From between his eyebrows,
And showed things rarely to be seen.

This ray of light illumined
Eighteen thousand Buddha-worlds in the east.
It showed the region
To which each living being was to go by his karmas.

The worlds of the Buddha were
Adorned with many treasures,
And given the colors of lapis lazuli and crystal.
I saw all this by the light of the Buddha.

I also saw the gods, men, dragons, yakṣas,
Gandharvas, and kiṃnaras of those worlds.
Each of them made offerings
To the Buddha by whom he was taught.

I also saw the Tathagatas of those worlds
Who had attained enlightenment by themselves.
The color of their bodies was as beautiful
And as wonderful as that of the golden mountains,
Or as that of a golden image
Put in a shrine of pure lapis lazuli.

Those World-Honored Ones explained to the great multitudes
The meaning of the profound teaching.
There were innumerable Śrāvakas
In the worlds of those Buddhas.
All those great multitudes were seen
By the light of the Buddha.

The bhikṣus were living in mountains and forests.
They made endeavors,
And observed the pure precepts
As carefully as one keeps brilliant gem·.

As many Bodhisattvas
As there are sands in the River Ganges
Performed almsgiving, patience, and other practices.
I saw all this by the light of the Buddha.

I also saw some Bodhisattvas
Who entered deep into dhyāna-concentrations,
And became tranquil and motionless in body and mind,
In order to attain unsurpassed enlightenment.

I also saw some Bodhisattvas,
Who realized the tranquil extinction of all things,
And expounded the Dharma to [the people of] their worlds
In order to attain the enlightenment of the Buddha.

See The True Nature of Things

stories, LS32, d2b

The True Nature of Things

There are two versions of the story, one in prose, the other in verse. Except for the fact that the verse version gives much more detail about what can be seen by the Buddha’s beam of light, the two versions are basically the same. Yet there are some interesting small differences. For example, in the prose version Manjushri Bodhisattva explains that the purpose of the beam of light is to announce that the Dharma Flower Sutra is about to be taught, while at the end of the verse version he says that its purpose is “to help reveal the principle of the true nature of all things.”

This phrase, “the true nature of all things,” has been variously translated and interpreted. There are two major possibilities: One is that it is an affirmation of the reality of the everyday world of concrete realities, as opposed to views that understand this world to be a product of our minds or an illusion. The other possibility is that it is a claim that the Buddha’s teachings reveal the nature of all things, namely, that all things are interrelated and interdependent, ultimately empty of independent nature. The fact that a kind of equivalence of announcing the teaching of the Dharma Flower Sutra and revealing the principle of the true nature of things suggest this latter interpretation. That is: the Dharma Flower Sutra itself reveals the true nature of things.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p45-46
d30b, Eyes

How Hārītī Came to Defend the Dharma

In chapter twenty-six of the Lotus Sūtra various beings offer protective incantations called dhārāṇi to safeguard the practitioners of the Lotus Sūtra. One set of these is offered by a formerly malevolent spirit named Hārītī (J. Kishimojin) and her ten daughters and other children and attendants. Hārītī, whose name means “stealer of children,” is a female yakṣas, or yaksini, who originally came from the town of Rājagṛha. The yakṣas are one of the eight kinds of supernatural beings who are said to revere and protect the Dharma. Originally the yakṣas appeared as the spirits of the trees and forests and even villages; but they had a fierce side as well, and in their more demonic aspect came to be called rākṣasas. According to legend, Hārītī was obsessed with eating the children of Rājagṛha. Neither King Bimbisāra nor even the devas were able to stop her, so in desperation the townspeople turned to Śākyamuni Buddha. The Buddha visited her home while she was away and used his supernatural powers to hide her youngest son under his alms bowl. When Hārītī returned and could not find her son she was distraught and finally she herself sought out the Buddha. The Buddha then pointed out to her that if she felt so badly about missing even one child out of 500, she should consider how badly the parents of Rājagṛha must feel when she takes away their children when they have so few to begin with. Hearing this, Hārītī felt remorse and compassion for those she had harmed. She repented of her actions; took refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha; took the five precepts; and vowed to protect the people of Rājagṛha. The Buddha then restored her youngest son to her. In return the Buddha had his monks, from that time on, make a symbolic offer of their food to the hungry ghosts. Hārītī came to be considered a protector of children and women giving birth as well as a protector of the Dharma, and her gentle image as a “giver of children” would sometimes cause her to be confused with Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva. As can be seen in chapter twenty-six of the Lotus Sūtra, her fierce nature showed itself once more in her vow to protect the practitioners of the sūtra, for she and her children sang to the Buddha: “Anyone who does not keep our spells but troubles the expounder of the Dharma shall have his head split into seven pieces just as the branches of the arjaka-tree are split.” (Murano 2012, p. 335) This statement is cited as one example of how the Lotus Sūtra also contains the method of subduing.

Open Your Eyes, p562-563
d21b, WONS

The “Jiga-Ge” Verse

Now Hōren Shōnin, the principal mourner, states that he read and recited the “jiga-ge” verse every morning during the last 13 years. The merit of having done so is immeasurable, something only the Buddhas can comprehend.

The Lotus Sūtra is the bone-marrow of the holy teachings of the Śākyamuni Buddha preached during His lifetime. In particular, the “jiga-ge” verse at the end of the 16th chapter, “Life Span of the Buddha,” is the spirit of the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sūtra. It is the life of the Buddhas in the past, present, and future, and the “jiga-ge” verse is the eyes of the bodhisattvas throughout the universe. I am not speaking of the merit of the “jiga-ge” verse arbitrarily. It is clearly preached by the Buddha in the “Variety of Merits” chapter following the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter. According to this chapter, the number of people who became Buddhas by listening to the preaching of the “jiga-ge” verse are as numerous as the number of dust particles produced by smashing the triple-thousand worlds. What is more, those who attain enlightenment through the six chapters beginning with the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter, too, have done so due to the residual merit of the “jiga-ge” verse.

Hōren-shō, Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 55-56

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – June 30, 2020

Suppose parents who had an aversion to alcohol had a son who loved to drink liquor. Because of their love for their son and also to cater to his whim, they made it a point to offer him alcohol, pretending that they were also drinkers of liquor. The hopeless son then assumed that his parents truly loved alcohol. Sutras preached according to others’ minds are the same.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his treatise, The Sutra Preached in Accordance to [the Buddha’s] Own Mind (Zui-jii Gosho). In the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha sets aside his expedient teachings and leads us to his own way of thinking. He knew the difficulty of changing our habits and beliefs, so he started by catering to our selfish desires to be happy and end our own suffering. For us to realize our full potential for wisdom and compassion, we must stand up to our fears and nourish our true nature as Bodhisattvas: beings who exist to create benefits for the entire universe.

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

LS32

Day 1

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Day 1 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month been introduced to the Buddha on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa in the City of King-House and the vast audience of great bhikṣus and bodhisattvas, we meet the gods and other creatures in the vast congregation.

Sakra-Devanam-Indra was also present. Twenty thousand gods were attending on him. There were also Beautiful-Moon God, Universal-Fragrance God, Treasure-Light God, and the four great heavenly-kings. Ten thousand gods were attending on them. Freedom God and Great-Freedom God were also present. Thirty thousand gods were attending on them. Brahman Heavenly-King who was the lord of the Saha-World, Great Brahman Sikhin, and Great Brahman Light were also present. Twelve thousand gods were attending on them.

There were also the eight dragon-kings: Nanda Dragon-King, Upananda Dragon-King, Sagara Dragon-King, Vasuki Dragon­King, Taksaka Dragon-King, Anavatapta Dragon-King, Manasvin Dragon-King, and Utpalaka Dragon-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants. There were also the four kiṃnara-kings: Dharma Kiṃnara-King, Wonderful-Dharma Kiṃnara-King, Great-Dharma Kiṃnara-King, and Dharma­Keeping Kiṃnara-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were also the four gandharva-kings: Musical Gandharva­King, Musical-Voice Gandharva-King, Beautiful Gandharva-King, and Beautiful-Voice Gandharva-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were also the four asura-kings: Balin Asura-King, Kharaskandha Asura-King, Vemacitrin Asura-King, and Rahu Asura-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were also the four garuda-kings: Great-Power-Virtue Garuda-King, Great-Body Garuda-King, Great-Fulfillment Garuda­King, and Free-At-Will Garuda-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

See A Sutra for All the Living

stories, LS32, d1b

A Sutra for All the Living

Monks and nuns, laymen and laywomen, gods, dragons, satyrs, centaurs, ashuras, griffins, chimeras, pythons, humans and nonhumans, minor kings, and holy wheel-rolling kings, and others are all addressed by the Buddha in Chapter 1. What we should understand from this is that Buddha Dharma is not only for Buddhists, not only for those people who are good, and not only for human beings. Even gods and other heavenly creatures come to hear the Buddha’s teaching.

There is an important truth here. While the Lotus Sutra, like any book, is very much a human creation, its significance goes beyond the human. The range of concern, in other words, is not limited to the human species, but extends to all the living. In part, this sense of cosmic importance is a reflection of the rich Indian imagination at the time the sutras were being compiled. People simply assumed that the world was populated with a rich variety of what we regard as mythical beings.

This imaginative vision urges us to reach out beyond what our eyes can see and our hands can touch, to understand ourselves as being significantly related to a much larger universe that is located in and transcends ourselves, our families, countries, and even species. It is a vision that urges us to imagine ourselves as part of a vast cosmos in which our own lives are important.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p32
Blog

2000 Days Later

20150125_altar
My altar on January, 25, 2015. I kept my old SGI Mandala Gohonzon closed inside the Butsudan and instead purchased a pair of statues to become my Gohonzon.
20150122_gohonzon
The stupa with Sakyamuni and Many Treasures buddhas on either side of the Odaimoku and the statue of Nichiren were purchased on Ebay from Japan.

On June 23, I passed the 2,000 day marker on this 500 Yojanas Journey to the Place of Treasures. It occurred to me while chanting this morning that a pictorial view of the evolution of my altar would be a nice way to mark the occasion.

My blog post from the conclusion of the first 500 days offers a nice retrospective on how this journey began. But sitting in front of my altar today I am in awe of how my life has changed in such a short 2000 days. I’m not suggesting the elaborate changes to my altar space are particularly beneficial. I often think a simple altar with just a Lotus Sutra, a candle, flowers, incense and water would be a perfect tribute to the One Vehicle. Still, the evolution of my altar reflects my growing faith.

So, here’s a retrospective:

20150223_altar
By the end of February 2015, I had added metal Lotus flowers to either side of the statues and a water offering bowl. In addition I had found tea-light candle holders in the shape of glass Lotus flowers. The blue cloth-wrapped bottle is Saki that was given to my wife and I on our wedding in 1990. It’s been an offering ever since.
20150705_altar
In July 2015, I asked Ven. Kenjo Igarashi to perform an eye-opening ceremony for my statues. He chose that opportunity to give me a Nichiren Shu Mandala Gohonzon to add to my altar. I gave my SGI Mandala to Rev. Igarashi to eye-close and dispose of.
20150802_altar_chest
For some time I had been using a piano bench (left) as a table when knelling on the floor. In August 2015, I hired a Japanese craftsman in Sacramento to custom build a chest that could provide a table top and storage for the altar.
20160206_altar_box_final
In September 2015, I modified the Butsudan to elevate the statues. The box is one of my wife’s collection made by the same Japanese craftsman and sold by Sakura Gifts From Japan in Midtown Sacramento.
20160529_altar_memorial
In May 2016, I asked Rev. Igarashi to have a memorial tablet made for my parents. He ordered it for me from a shop in Japan and picked it up during his annual trip to Nichiren Shu headquarters.
20160725_altar_uchiwa_daiko
In July 2016, I purchased an uchiwa daiko, a traditional fan drum.
20160817_altar_vases
In August 2016, my wife found these vases picturing Nichiren at Sakura Gifts from Japan.
20170402_altar_knickknacks
Several knickknacks were added to the altar in 2016. The miniature Mandala Gohonzan and the Kishimojin amulet were purchased from Rev. Ryusho Jeffus and became my traveling altar. A 2016 Father’s Day gift from my son became a treasured altar knickknack.
20170723_altar_marybuchin_memorial
In July 2017 I added a memorial tablet for my wife’s mother, who had died the year before.

20170926_altar_copperbox

20171230_altar_jeweled_vehicle_making
In 2017 I went through a craftsy phase. I found a copper box to illustrate Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma quote: “He will be able to recognize by smell the gold, silver and other treasures deposited underground, and the things enclosed in a copper box.” I decorated toy vehicles to illustrate Chapter 3, A Parable. The box and Love Van have been retired but the Jeweled Vehicle holds a prominent spot on my side altar.

20180131_altar_corner
By 2018 the decorations associated with my altar have begun to take over the corner next to the altar. The pictures on the left side of the corner are by Ryusho Jeffus and the paintings on the right by Kanjo Grohman. Ryusho’s Kishimojin painting has been added to the altar and paired with his amulet.
20181217_altar_memorials
By the end of 2018 I had replaced my mother-in-law’s memorial tablet with one that included my wife’s father, who died earlier in the year. I also added a memorial tablet with my stepmother and my father. The jewels spewing from the jeweled vehicle are donations from my wife and symbolize the many necklaces given to the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra.
20190702_altar_main
In 2019 I found a set of Seven Happy Gods statues among donations to the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church rummage sale and added these to my altar after Rev. Igarashi eye-opened them for me. See this story and this story.
20190702_altar_side
The addition of the Seven Happy Gods prompted a rearrangement that spilled a bunch of decorations onto a side table.
20200101_altar_corner
In January of this year, I installed glass shelves in the corner next to the altar to display the decorations that had been crowding the side table.
20200313_altar_corner_7gods
The Seven Happy Gods belonging to my stepmother were moved to my new display area along with a book on the gods I purchased.
20200629_altar_corner_Kwan-yin
During the COVID-19 pandemic I’ve been attending online services from the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada. I have enjoyed Rev. Shoda Kanai’s services and plan to attend whenever I don’t have a local Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church service. It occurred to me recently that my son had left a statue of Kannon, World Voice Perceiver Bodhisattva, when he moved out. I rearranged the side corner to place the Chinese Kwan-yin statue in front of the Mandala Gohonzon from Rev. Ryusho Jeffus’s Incarcerated Lotus book. The blue Buddha drawn by Ryusho represents Medicine Buddha.
20200629_altar_corner
Which brings us to the altar today, 2000 days into my Journey to the Place of Treasures
WONS, Eyes

The Question of Killing Slanderers

Quote

How did Nichiren understand [Nirvāṇa Sūtra stories of people killed for slandering the Mahāyāna]? In Risshō Ankoku-ron, Nichiren stated that while King Sen’yo and King Virtuous may have killed slanderers of the Dharma in the past, since the appearance of Śākyamuni Buddha the correct method is to simply deny them offerings. The Nirvāṇa Sūtra told those stories of the previous lives of Śākyamuni Buddha in order to emphasize the gravity of slandering the True Dharma and the great virtue of defending the True Dharma but such methods are not being advocated in the present. Instead, the withholding of alms and especially state support from corrupt monks and the support and protection of true monks should now be followed. In accordance with our current laws and the wise separation of church and state, I believe this means that each of us must discern what teachings or causes we should or should not support with our time and money and that the protection of the law should extend equally to all so that there will be no question of religious persecution arising from either the government or the actions of private individuals or institutions. Every religious or spiritual teaching should be free to stand or fall on its own merits or lack thereof.

Open Your Eyes, p562
WONS

Following the Example of Young Ascetic in the Snow Mountains

If something like what is being talked about in the town were to actually happen, it would make me a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred million times happier than having my proposals accepted. Should I be exiled again it would be for the third time, and the Lotus Sūtra could not possibly consider me, Nichiren, an indolent practicer. As a result, I would be blessed by the favors of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, Buddhas in manifestation throughout the universe, and by the numerous bodhisattva disciples of the Original Buddha that emerged from the earth. I am certain of all this and I am looking forward to the experience. I wish to follow the example of Young Ascetic in the Snow Mountains who sacrificed his own body for the Buddhist Dharma, and I wish to sacrifice myself for Bodhisattva Never-Despising, who endured persecution with swords, sticks, pieces of tile and stones. It would be regrettable otherwise to live a useless life and die of an epidemic or old age.

Dannotsu Bō Gohenji, Response to a Follower, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 130-131