Monthly Archives: August 2020

LS32

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.

Day 26 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, we return to today’s portion of Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, and consider those supernatural powers.

Thereupon the Buddha said to the great Bodhisattvas headed by Superior-Practice:
“The supernatural powers of the Buddhas are as immeasurable, limitless, and inconceivable as previously stated. But I shall not be able to tell all the merits of this sūtra to those to whom this sūtra is to be transmitted even if I continue telling them by my supernatural powers for many hundreds of thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of kalpas. To sum up, all the teachings of the Tathāgata, all the unhindered, supernatural powers of the Tathāgata, all the treasury of the hidden core of the Tathāgata, and all the profound achievements of the Tathāgata are revealed and expounded explicitly in this sūtra. Therefore, keep, read, recite, expound and copy this sūtra, and act according to the teachings of it with all your hearts after my extinction! In any world where anyone keeps, reads, recites, expounds or copies this sūtra, or acts according to its teachings, or in any place where a copy of this sūtra is put, be it in a garden, in a forest, under a tree, in a monastery, in the house of a person in white robes, in a hall, in a mountain, in a valley, or in the wilderness, there should a stupa be erected and offerings be made to it because, know this, the place [where the stupa is erected] is the place of enlightenment. Here the Buddhas attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Here the Buddhas turned the wheel of the Dharma. Here the Buddhas entered into Parinirvana.”

See Any Place Can Be A Holy Place

stories, LS32, d26b

Any Place Can Be A Holy Place

At the end of the [prose section of the Divine Powers chapter] is a very interesting passage, a part of which is often used in Buddhist liturgical services. Let’s look at the entire paragraph:

After the extinction of the Tathagata, you should all wholeheartedly embrace, read and recite, explain and copy, and practice [this sutra] as you have been taught. In any land, wherever anyone accepts and embraces, reads and recites, explains and copies, and practices it as taught, or wherever a volume of the sutra is kept, whether in a garden, or a woods, or under a tree, or in a monk’s cell, or a layman’s house, or in a palace, or in a mountain valley or an open field, in all these places you should put up a Stupa and make offerings. Why? You should understand that all such places are places of the Way. They are where the buddhas attain supreme awakening; they are where the buddhas turn the Dharma wheel; they are where the buddhas reach complete nirvana.

Here, putting up a Stupa is a dramatic way of indicating that all places where the Dharma is embodied in actual life are sacred places, as holy as any stupa. In a sense, it is a rejection of the idea that only temples and stupas and such are holy places. For the Lotus Sutra, any place at all can be a holy place, a place of awakening, a place of the Way, simply by being a place in which the Dharma is embodied by being put into practice. And it is precisely in such places, wherever you are, that “the buddhas attain supreme awakening, … the buddhas turn the Dharma-wheel, … the buddhas reach complete nirvana.” This is a fantastically powerful affirmation of the reality and importance of the holy ground on which we all stand. In a sense, wherever Buddha Dharma is successfully shared or taught a Stupa has already emerged.

If you take refuge in the Buddha, the Buddha has refuge in you – your practice is what enables the Buddha to be alive in this world. Not yours alone, of course, but your practice of the bodhisattva way, along with the practice of others, is what can dispel the darkness and the gloom of living beings.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p231-232
Japanese Culture

The Lotus Machishū Culture

Quote

The influence of Nichiren’s ideas on the general public during the Muromachi period (1334-1568) may be seen in the fact that many of Kyoto’s machishū, or townsfolk, became followers of the Nichiren sect. The machishū, who rose from Kyoto’s autonomous guilds, fostered what could be called the Lotus machishū culture. Some of the Nichiren adherents were upperclass townsmen who acquired great wealth and became leaders of the machishū. The Hon’ami family, famous in the fields of the fine and decorative arts, and the Chaya family, which was engaged in foreign trade, are representative of this class.

When Nichiren temples in Kyoto were attacked by the monks from Mt. Hiei during the seventh month of the fifth year of Temmon (1536), the machishū took the lead in defending the temples. This episode ended with the defeat of the followers of the Nichiren sect. Twenty-one Nichiren temples were destroyed by fire, and the priests took refuge at their subtemples or other temples in Sakai and Osaka with which they had connections. It was estimated that tens of thousands of Nichiren Buddhists lost their lives, and the Nichiren Lotus faith in Kyoto stood on the brink of ruin. However, when permission to rebuild the temples of those priests who had taken refuge in Sakai was granted in the eleventh year of Temmon (1542), the Lotus machishū played a central role in rebuilding Kyoto, and commerce, industry, the arts, and literature once again thrived under their aegis.

What, then, were the bonds between the machishū of Kyoto and the Nichiren sect? It could be that the spirit of positive accommodation with and vigorous cultivation of reality seen in Nichiren’s idea of the Lotus Sutra concurred with the interest of the machishū in working for profit.

Thus the culture of the Lotus machishū which originated in the Muromachi period quickly revived itself after a temporary interruption and was succeeded by the arts and literature of the Momoyama (1568-1615) and Edo (1615-1868) periods. …

One is intrigued by the large number of Nichiren Buddhists who were prominent leaders in the world of arts and letters down to the end of the Edo period. Of course, their works did not necessarily reflect their faith in Nichiren Buddhism, but some extant works do appear to be the fruits of that faith. The link between Nichiren Buddhism and the artistic culture of the Momoyama and Edo periods appears to be the townsman class (chōnin), which supported both. It is akin to the link between the machishū culture of the Muromachi period and the Nichiren Lotus faith, a relationship that was continued by the townsman class of the Momoyama and Edo periods. It should also be pointed out that most of the popular new sects in Japan down to the present day have been dominated by the Nichiren faith. Bearing this in mind, faith in the Nichiren sect and veneration of the Lotus Sutra should be regarded as important foundations of Japanese culture and religion.

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

The Difficulty of Propagating the Lotus Sūtra in Latter Age

In the presence of the Buddha of Many Treasures and the Buddhas manifested all over the universe, Śākyamuni Buddha clearly explained the difficulty of propagating the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration. In response, various bodhisattvas vowed: “Even if we are regularly abused, despised, and banished from our dwellings by those possessed by demons, we will endure all for the sake of propagating the Lotus Sūtra.” Also, it is preached in the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor, in which four Buddhas appeared in four directions verifying the truth of Śākyamuni Buddha’s teaching: “When evil men are respected and good men are punished, the country will be invaded and destroyed by foreign troops.” Consequently, no matter how they despise and mistreat Nichiren Shōnin, the words of Śākyamuni Buddha and the verification of them by the Buddha of Many Treasures and the Buddhas manifested all over the universe will endure, so that the Lotus Sūtra will surely spread.

Shimoyama Goshōsoku, The Shimoyama Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 85-86

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 27, 2020

Medicine-King! Although many laymen or monks will practice the Way of Bodhisattvas, they will not be able to practice it satisfactorily, know this, unless they see, hear, read, recite, copy or keep this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma or make offerings to it.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. For us to aspire to benefit all beings is rare and wonderful. However, without the guidance of the Buddha, our efforts to benefit others can degenerate into expectations of separate benefits for ourselves. In the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha explains the limitations of his previous teachings, assures us of our capacity for enlightenment and how he is always helping us, and gives examples of great Bodhisattvas whose experience we can apply to our own lives

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

LS32

Day 25

Day 25 covers all of Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva, and opens Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas.

Day 25 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month learned that Never-Despising Bodhisattva was Śākyamuni in a previous life, we repeat in gāthās the story of Never-Despising Bodhisattva.

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

There was once a Buddha,
Called Powerful-Voice-King.
His supernatural powers and wisdom
Were immeasurable.
Leading all living beings, he is honored
By gods, men and dragons with offerings.

Some time after the extinction of that Buddha,
His teachings had almost died out.
At that time there lived a Bodhisattva
Called Never-Despising.
The four kinds of devotees at that time
Were attached to views.

Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Went to them,
And said,
“I do not despise you
Because you will practice the Way
And become Buddhas.”

When they heard this,
They spoke ill of him and abused him.
But Never-Despising Bodhisattva
Endured all this.

Thus he expiated his sin.
When he was about to pass away,
He heard this sūtra,
And had his six sense-organs purified.
He prolonged his life
By his supernatural powers,
And expounded this sūtra
To many people.

Those who were attached to views
Were led into the Way
To the enlightenment of the Buddha
By this Bodhisattva.

Never-Despising [Bodhisattva] met
Innumerable Buddhas after the end of his life.
He expounded this sūtra,
And obtained innumerable merits,
He quickly attained the enlightenment of the Buddha
By these accumulated merits.

See The Phases of the Dharma

stories, mappō, LS32, d25b

The Phases of the Dharma

Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva, we are told, lived in an era of merely formal Dharma. In Buddhism it is often taught that there are three or four phases of the Dharma, what we might think of as phases in the life of the Dharma. The first can be called the phase of true Dharma; the second, merely formal Dharma; and the third, the end of the Dharma. One common interpretation has it that in the first phase, the phase of true, real, correct, or right Dharma, following the life of a buddha in the world, the Buddha’s teachings are taught and practiced and awakening is sometimes achieved. We can think of this as a time of living Dharma, a time when the Dharma has a deep impact on people’s lives. In the second phase, the teachings are practiced but awakening is generally not possible because the teachings are only superficially held and practiced. In the third phase the teachings exist but they are not practiced at all, not embodied in the lives of people. Sometimes a fourth phase is added, a period in which the teachings themselves are no longer even present. Eventually, another Buddha emerges and the cycle begins again.

While this pattern of phases is quite common in Buddhism, we do not find it in the Dharma Flower Sutra. There we find the end of the Dharma mentioned directly only twice, and perhaps indirectly twice, but never in connection with the phases of true Dharma and merely formal Dharma. These first two phases, on the other hand, are often mentioned together, suggesting that there is a two-phase cycle in which a new phase of true Dharma follows a phase of merely formal Dharma. In Chapter 20, this two-phase cycle is clearly endorsed. Setting the scene for the appearance of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva, we are told that “after the true Dharma and merely formal Dharma had entirely disappeared, another buddha appeared in that land.” (LS 338) And this event of a period of true Dharma not only preceding but also following a period of merely formal Dharma is said to have happened two trillion times in succession!

We can only speculate as to why this three-phase cosmology is not in the Dharma Flower Sutra. My sense of it is that in the context of the Dharma Flower Sutra it is not appropriate to believe that the end of the Dharma, the third phase, is inevitable. Virtually the whole thrust of the Sutra is to encourage keeping the Dharma alive by embodying it in everyday life. It simply would not make good sense to repeatedly urge people to keep the Dharma alive by receiving, embracing, reading, reciting, and copying it, and teaching and practicing it if a decline of the Dharma were inevitable. The Dharma Flower Sutra teaches that the bodhisattva path is difficult, even extremely difficult, but it cannot be impossible. Even the many assurances of becoming a buddha that we find in the first half of the Sutra should, I think, be taken as a kind of promise that supreme awakening is always possible.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p212-213
Japanese Culture

The Realm of Practice

Quote

Although it is well known that Nichiren established the Nichiren sect based on the Lotus Sutra, it should be noted that he was the first to emphasize the third realm, which stresses the need to practice the true law and endure life’s trials. The repeated sufferings of Nichiren, such as his exile to Izu at age forty and his exile to Sado at age fifty, became turning points and helped him to understand the third realm of the Lotus Sutra. He compared himself to the bodhisattva martyrs mentioned in the sutra. In particular, he compared himself to the bodhisattva Eminent Conduct and other bodhisattvas who sprang up from the earth. Surviving writings from Nichiren’s days of exile in Izu show that he started to quote from the third realm of the Lotus Sutra at that time, and this led to the development of ideas that are unique to Nichiren.

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

Upon Which Sūtra Can Women Depend?

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is a Chinese priest who appeared in this world as a messenger of the Buddha 1,500 years or so after the passing away of the Buddha. He wrote commentaries on the Lotus Sūtra, as many as 30 fascicles. In the seventh fascicle of his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, T’ien-t’ai states that various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra preach the attainment of Buddhahood only by men, not by women. Truthfully speaking, even men cannot become Buddhas through those sūtras, but let us concede for now that they can. Even then it is stated in all those sūtras that women will never become Buddhas. Even if thousands or tens of thousands sūtras allow women to become Buddhas, if this Lotus Sūtra does not allow them to become Buddhas, what can they depend on?

Zemmui-shō, Treatise on Śubhākarasiṃha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 55

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Aug. 26, 2020

Therefore, Śāriputra!
I expounded an expedient teaching
In order to eliminate their sufferings.
That was the teaching of Nirvāṇa.
The Nirvāṇa which I expounded to them
Was not true extinction.
All things are from the outset
In the state of tranquil extinction.

The Buddha provides this explanation to his disciple Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. In this part of the story, the Buddha has announced that everything he had taught up until then, including the teachings of suffering and Nirvāṇa, were merely preparation for his highest teaching: the realization of the same enlightenment he reached. With the teaching of Nirvāṇa, the Buddha helps us take responsibility for our own situation rather than relying on an external force to make us happy. One problem with Nirvāṇa is that we can believe that it is something we do not have now. When we extinguish the fires of our delusion, we see the world with the Buddha’s eyes. We see the world for what it is, right here and right now.

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