Monthly Archives: August 2020

LS32

Day 28

Day 28 covers all of Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, and concludes the Seventh Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 28 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month considered Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva’s power of transformation, we conclude Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva.

Thereupon Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! This Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva planted deeply the roots of good. World-Honored One! What is the name of the samadhi by which he can transform himself into various living beings and appear in various places to save all living beings?”

The Buddha said to Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva:

“Good man! This is called the ‘samadhi by which one can transform oneself into any other living being.’ Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva entered into this samadhi and benefited innumerable living beings as previously stated.”

When the Buddha expounded this chapter of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, the eighty-four thousand people, who had come accompanying Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, obtained the ability to practice the samadhi by which they could transform themselves into other living beings. Innumerable Bodhisattvas of this Sahā-World also obtained the ability to practice this samadhi. They also obtained dharanis.

Thereupon Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahāsattva made offerings to Śākyamuni Buddha and to the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha, [benefited the living beings of the Sahā World,] and left for his home world[, accompanied by the eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas]. As they passed through the [one hundred and eight billion nayuta] worlds, the ground of those worlds quaked in the six ways; lotus-flowers of treasures rained down; and hundreds of thousands of billions of kinds of music were made. Having reached his home world, accompanied by the eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas who surrounded him, he came to Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha. He said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! I went to the Sahā-World and benefited the living beings there. I saw Śākyamuni Buddha and the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha. I bowed and made offerings to them. I also saw Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva, the Son of the King of the Dharma. [I also saw] Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Endeavor-Power-Obtainer Bodhisattva, Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, and others. I also caused these eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas to obtain the ability to practice the samadhi by which they could transform themselves
into any other living being.”

When [Śākyamuni Buddha] expounded this chapter of the Coming and Going of Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva, forty-two thousand gods obtained the truth of birthlessness, and Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva obtained the ability to practice the samadhi for the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

[Here ends] the Seventh Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

See Becoming Bodhisattvas Who Take On Different Forms and Roles

stories, LS32, d28b

Becoming Bodhisattvas Who Take On Different Forms and Roles

While Kwan-yin, Manjushri, and Maitreya are famous, especially in China and throughout East Asia, for taking on whatever body is needed in order to be helpful to others, Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva is hardly known outside of the Dharma Flower Sutra, or even outside of Chapter 24 of the Dharma Flower Sutra. He seems, for example, to have been completely neglected by artists. I do not know why this is so. It certainly cannot be because this story is any less encouraging to women than the Kwan-yin chapter. Here, by indicating numerous ways in which Wonderful Voice takes on female bodies, the text goes to some lengths to assure women that they too can become bodhisattvas, that they themselves can become Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva. Perhaps one reason that this bodhisattva failed to attract artists is that it is difficult to portray a face as beautiful as millions of moons together!

Nor do we know whether the story of Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva is older or younger than the story in the Dharma Flower Sutra of Kwan-yin Bodhisattva. But I think it is no accident that in the Dharma Flower Sutra this story is placed just before the Kwan-yin chapter. Kwan-yin is enormously famous for being able to take on any form in order to save others. One could easily think that this special power to take on different forms belongs to Kwan-yin alone. But in the Dharma Flower Sutra we are clearly shown that almost exactly the same power and list of forms is also attributed to Wonderful Voice. The point, I believe, is not that there are two bodhisattvas with such power, but that every bodhisattva has such power. We are not talking about magical tricks here. The ability to take on different forms according to what is needed means just that, an ability to adapt to different situations, particularly to the different needs of people. Taking on different forms is no more and no less than the ability to serve others usefully, practically, and effectively. This is a power given not only to the bodhisattvas Kwan-yin and Wonderful Voice, but to each and every one of us.

Thus, one obvious meaning of this story for us is that we too can become bodhisattvas who take on different forms and roles in order to help others. And there is another side to this, even its opposite – anyone can be a bodhisattva for us. If Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva can take on any form, anyone we meet might be Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva in a form designed to help us! But very often at least, someone can be a bodhisattva for us only if we let them, only if we open ourselves in such a way as to enable someone to be a bodhisattva for us.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p265-266
Vasubandhu, Blog

Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa

tiantai_lotus-book-cover
Available for download or purchase
Continuing with my summer Office Lens house cleaning, I’ll be reprinting a selection of quotes from The Commentary on the Lotus Sutra by Vasubandhu.

From the Translator’s Introduction:

The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa (Jpn. Myōhorengekyō upadaisha) is a commentary on the Lotus Sutra attributed to the eminent Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. According to the Hokke Denki (Taishō no. 2068, 52c25-29), over fifty commentaries were written on the Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra) in India, including one by the renowned philosopher Nāgārjuna. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa (hereafter also referred to as the Commentary) has the distinction of being the only Indian commentary on the Lotus Sūtra to have been preserved in any Buddhist canon; it may, however, be an apocryphal text.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 87

The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa is one of four documents contained in the Tiantai Lotus Texts, which was published in 2013 as part of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. In addition to the commentary, the book includes The Infinite Meanings Sutra, The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness and A Guide to the Tiatai Fourfould Teachings attributed to the Korean monk Chegwan.

These four texts are considered essential for studying the doctrine of the Tiantai Lotus school, which is the foundation of Nichiren’s teachings.

The commentary begins with this dedication:

Fascicle One

A commentary by Vasubandhu, the Commentator on the Great Vehicle

Translated by Bodhiruci, the Tripitaka Master from Northern India, with the Buddhist monk Tanlin and others in Yexia, between 509-535 during the Later Wei dynasty.

I give reverence to the Sea of Perfect Enlightenment (Buddha), the Immaculate Doctrine (Dharma), and the Immutable Assembly (Sangha). For those of profound intellect I shall elucidate an explanation [of the Lotus Sutra].

In honor of the Venerable Sage, the bodhisattvas, and the disciples, I shall briefly put forth this synopsis in order to have the Dharma benefit myself and others.

I pay homage to the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past, present, and future.

With their extensive benevolence and overwhelming supernatural powers, I entreat them to bestow me with self-confidence.

Having great compassion and stopping the four Māras, they protect the dominant factor for enlightenment.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 93

Book Quotes

 
Book List

WONS

Solely Due to My Disseminating the Lotus Sūtra

Now, I, as the messenger of Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation in all the worlds in the universe, only spread the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra without committing any worldly crime. The Kamakura Shogunate, nevertheless, not only allowed all the people in Japan to hate me but also exiled me twice, disgracing me by taking me along the streets of Kamakura in broad daylight as though I were a national traitor. Besides, they tore down my hermitage enshrining Śākyamuni Buddha as the Most Venerable One (honzon) and all the Buddhist scriptures. They made people not only trample the statue of the Buddha and scrolls of sūtras but also threw them in the mud and excrement. Furthermore, they took out the Lotus Sūtra from my bosom and hit me on the head with it mercilessly. My persecution as severe as this was neither due to any long-standing enmity nor any crime I have committed. It was solely due to my disseminating the Lotus Sūtra that I have been persecuted so severely.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 184

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 29, 2020

Needless to say, anyone who not only keeps this sūtra but also gives alms, observes the precepts, practices patience, makes endeavors, concentrates his mind, and seeks wisdom, will be able to obtain the most excellent and innumerable merits. His merits will be as limitless as the sky is in the east, west, south, north, the four intermediate quarters, the zenith, and the nadir. These innumerable merits of his will help him obtain the knowledge of the equality and differences of all things.

The Buddha makes this declaration to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. We often think of merits as bonus points we get for good deeds. Good karma we create to offset the bad karma that came from our less skillful actions. Another way of looking at merits is as a measure of clarity. The more merit we gain, the more we see things for what they are. When we offer our merits for the benefit of all beings, we resolve to use this clarity to enhance the lives of others.

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

LS32

Day 27

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

Day 27 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month considered Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva’s observation of the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! You do not change, do you?’, we consider Glady-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva’s further offering to the śarīras of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha.

“Thereupon Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva thought again, ‘I have now made these offerings, yet I do not think that they are enough. I will make another offering to the śarīras.’

“He said to the Bodhisattvas, to the great disciples, and also to all the other living beings in the great multitude including gods, dragons and yakṣas, ‘Look with one mind! Now I will make another offering to the śarīras of Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha.’

“Having said this, he burned his arms adorned with the marks of one hundred merits, and offered the light of the flame to the eighty-four thousand stupas for seventy-two thousand years. [By doing so,] he caused innumerable seekers of Śrāvakahood and many other asaṃkhyas of people to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, and obtain the samadhi by which they could transform themselves into the other living beings.

“Having seen him deprived of his arms, the Bodhisattvas, gods, men, asuras and others were overcome with sorrow. They said, ‘This Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva is our teacher. He is leading us. Now he has burned off his arms. He is deformed.’

“Thereupon Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva vowed to the great multitude, saying, ‘I shall be able to obtain the golden body of the Buddha because I gave up my arms. If my words are true and not false, I shall be able to have my arms restored.’

“When he had made this vow, his arms were restored because his merits, virtues and wisdom were abundant. Thereupon the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds quaked in the six ways, and the gods rained down jeweled flowers. All the gods and men had the greatest joy that they had ever had.”

See Acts of Devotion

stories, LS32, d26b, d27b

Acts of Devotion

There is no evidence to suggest that such practices as burning body parts or one’s whole body was taken literally in India. It was in China and Vietnam especially, with finger burning and self-immolations occurring even as late as 1948, that such language was taken literally. This is one danger of literalism. It can lead to extreme acts that benefit no one. Devotion is good; devotion to the Buddha is good; devotion to the Dharma Flower Sutra is good. But acts of devotion have to be examined with additional criteria to determine whether they are in accord with the Dharma as a whole, whether they promote or retard one’s progress along the way, and whether they are likely to lead to a reduction in suffering. There could be very exceptional circumstances, perhaps once in ten million eons, when such a sacrifice is called for. It may be that Vietnam in the 1960s was one such time. But the monk Thich Quang Duc, who burned himself in 1963, did not do so merely to express his devotion. His act of devotion was also a political act aimed at improving the lives of millions of people.

Religious devotion not tempered by intelligence and wisdom can be dangerous, both to others and to oneself. Sound practice, skillful practice of the Buddha Way, requires that we develop to the fullest all of our capacities for doing good.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p246-247
Japanese Culture

Applying the Lotus Sutra to Actual Life

Quote

In order for the Lotus Sutra to be applied to actual life, its ideas had to be derived from the parables and stories that made the sutra so popular. These ideas were articulated in the interpretations of Chinese and Japanese commentators, many of whom were drawn to the sutra by its own merits and not simply through sectarian affiliation. Enhanced by these interpretations, the sutra took on greater meaning, for without the understanding of a positive view of emptiness, a unifying truth that embraces all life, an eternal Buddha who reigns throughout time, and the bodhisattva practices that must be carried out in society, the Lotus Sutra could not have had the wide influence and applications that it did.

Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture, {author-numb}
d25b, WONS

The Vow of Bodhisattvas Who Sprang Up from Underground

The twenty-first chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, the “Divine Powers of the Buddha,” says: “Thereupon those bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground, as numerous as the dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, all heartfully pressed their hands together in reverence of the Buddha, looked up to the noble countenance of the Buddha and said to Him, ‘World Honored One! We will propagate this sūtra after Your death in the lands of Buddhas in manifestation (funjin Buddhas) and in this world from which You will pass away.’ ”

T’ien-t’ai offers an interpretation of this in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “No bodhisattvas other than those who had sprung up from underground made this vow to the Buddha.” Tao-hsien declared in his Supplement to the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “The propagation of this sūtra was entrusted only to those bodhisattvas who had sprung up from underground. Why was it so? Because it was the dharma preached by the Eternal Buddha in the eternal past, the task of preaching it was entrusted to those who received His guidance in the eternal past.”

After all, Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī (Monjushiri) is a disciple of the Immovable (Fudō) Buddha of the Golden World in the east; Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) is that of the Buddha of Infinite Life in the west; Bodhisattva Medicine King (Yakuō), of Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue (Nichigatsu Jōmyō-toku) Buddha; and Bodhisattva Samantabhadra (Fugen), of Treasure Power Virtue (Hōitoku) Buddha. These bodhisattvas have come to this world solely to assist Śākyamuni Buddha in carrying out the work of His ministry. They merely represent bodhisattvas who appeared in sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra or in its theoretical section, and who did not possess the great dharma of the essential section. How can they qualify to propagate it in the Latter Age of Degeneration?

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 157-158

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 28, 2020

He will be able to know by smell
What a man or a woman is thinking of,
Or whether he or she is greedy, ignorant or angry,
Or whether he or she is doing good.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. As Bodhisattvas we chose to come into this world, as frightening and dangerous as it is, to make things better for all beings. We do not lose any of the six senses we have, but learn to use them in ways that may seem impossible to others. Any of our senses can be deluded. When we remove our attachments and delusions, we see with the Buddha’s eye 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