The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p193-194The bodhisattva way is affirmed throughout the Dharma Flower Sutra. The Sutra does not reject other ways, neither the shravaka way nor the pratyekabuddha way, but it does make them subordinate to the way of bodhisattvas, which, revealingly, is also called “the Buddha Way.” This is because the bodhisattva way is understood to be a path leading one to becoming a buddha, that is, to embodying the Buddha in one’s life. Lesser goals may be useful and effective in leading one to the bodhisattva way, but they should be regarded as entrances to the way, or resting places along the way.
Thus it is that the four great bodhisattvas – Superior Practice, Unlimited Practice, Pure Practice, and Firm Practice – who lead the great horde of bodhisattvas who emerge from the earth are said to display, or correspond to, the four great bodhisattva vows:
Firm Practice: However innumerable living beings are, I vow to save them all;
Pure Practice: However innumerable hindrances are, I vow to overcome them all;
Unlimited Practice: However innumerable the Buddha’s teachings are, I vow to master them all;
Superior Practice: However supreme the Buddha Way is, I vow to reach it.
These four vows make clear what the way of the bodhisattva is: It is devotion to the goal of helping everyone to attain the potential they have within themselves to be a buddha.
Monthly Archives: October 2020
Thich Nhat Hanh’s Practice
Before getting the quotes about the Lotus Sutra that I want to share, I need to underscore the very different nature of Thich Nhat Hanh’s practice. This is not Nichiren Shu Buddhism.
In discussing Chapter 24, Wonderful-Sound Bodhisattva, he explains:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p166-167Those of us who are musicians, composers, and singers can follow the path of Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound. Music can create harmony within us and harmony within the Sangha. Chanting, for instance, helps us concentrate and nourishes our insight, devotion, and happiness. During sitting meditation we practice a kind of music when we recite the gathas. By practicing mindful breathing, we can help the Sangha be peaceful and harmonious. This is part of our practice, making the harmonious music of mindfulness within ourselves and sharing that with others. When the Sangha comes together in silence, in deep mindful breathing, this too is a kind of silent music that we can enjoy very much. We sit together in peace and harmony, not working hard at all, just producing our being, our full presence in the Sangha, and this is enough to nourish and heal us individually and collectively. This is a kind of musical therapy that can create peace and harmony, and it has the power of healing and transformation.
It is because of this difference in focus that Thich Nhat Hanh devotes 45 pages spanning five chapters to Chapter 25, the Universal Gate of World-Voice Perceiver Bodhisattva.
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p187-188The verses in Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra go on to describe how the Universal Gate is able to deliver us from a variety of dangerous situations. In every case, the key to our salvation is mindfulness—mindfulness of love and of the embodiment of love and compassion, Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. “By virtue of constant mindfulness of Sound Observer,” the Sutra tells us, “we will be delivered from all danger and suffering.” Mindfulness is the key that allows us to discern and act wisely, to respond appropriately, to know what to do and what not to do in a dangerous situation in order to bring about the best result.
Looking deeply and practicing the mindfulness of love helps us to be lucid, to be loving, and that lucidity and loving kindness serve as a kind of protection for us, keeping us from all kinds of danger. We usually believe that danger comes to us from outside. Yet most of the danger we face comes from within ourselves. Without a clear view, our fear and misunderstanding can create a lot of dangerous situations. Delusion, anger, and craving are the basic afflictions, and they can be healed and transformed by the practice of mindfulness of love. Mindfulness of love can help stop suffering right away and lead us away from the poisonous fires.
And later:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p192Without compassion and love you’ll be overwhelmed by anger and hatred toward the person who has harmed you. There are those who are so cruel, who have done such terrible things, that you cannot believe they are human beings. There are many people like this in the world, in South America, in North America, in Africa, in Europe, in the Middle East, in Asia, everywhere. You may think that if you had a gun in your hand you would shoot someone like that right then and there. But would you shoot a Buddha? We know from the Lotus Sutra that everyone has the seed of Buddhahood. And we know that meeting hatred with hatred, meeting violence with vengeance and retaliation can never lead to the end of hatred and violence. Love is the only force that can protect us and others from harm.
The first thing you notice when practicing mindfulness of compassion is that you don’t suffer anymore. When you have enough of the energy of compassion and love in you, your heart grows big and you can embrace everything and everyone – even those you call your enemy. When you can look deeply into your “enemy” and see that he is a victim of ideas, notions, and misinformation, of conditions in his own life and his culture and society, then you can remain calm, your heart remains open, and you will have a better chance to help him get in touch with his humanity, his innate Buddha nature, and transform the seeds of hatred and violence within.
The practice of Avalokiteśvara allows us to listen and look deeply in order to understand. With understanding, compassion arises in our hearts and we know what to do in order to help.
And finally:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p193-194The ground of all manifestation, the ultimate dimension, is always there. The role of the bodhisattva in the action dimension is to help us get in touch with our ultimate dimension, offer us the gift of non-fear. The different colors and shapes, the variety of forms and manifestations, are only various kinds of appearances. When you can touch the ultimate dimension of yourself and everything, you no longer feel fear. You are not caught by attachment to a particular manifestation, by notions of birth and death, being or nonbeing, because you know that this body, this form is just one manifestation. You are ready to manifest again in another form, quite as wonderful as this one.
To be a cloud floating in the sky is wonderful but to be rain falling on the earth and into the rivers is also wonderful. To be snow on a mountaintop is also wonderful. To be water for a child to drink is also wonderful. Water can manifest itself in many different forms and every form is wonderful, every manifestation is necessary. Bodhisattvas are not caught in one manifestation, in one body, so they can give up their body very easily, just as Medicine King Bodhisattva gave up his body and allowed it to burn for thousands of years in order to offer the teaching to many beings.
Each manifestation is linked to the next manifestation in terms of cause and effect. If the cloud is polluted, the rain will also be polluted. That is why the practice of self-purification is so important. While being a cloud you try your best to practice self-purification so that your next manifestation will be beautiful. When you fall to the earth as rain you will be very pure, delicious water. By transforming ourselves through self-purification, we help to purify the world.
Having very limited exposure to Buddhism outside Nichiren Shu, I’ve often wondered how one incorporates Avalokiteśvara into one’s practice. Clearly it is not simply a Get-Out-Of-Jail-Free card.
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that practice must be more that rote routine:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p174-175As a young man I heard a story of a lady in North Vietnam who practiced calling the name of Amida Buddha every day, several times a day, perhaps as many as 10,000 times a day. This is the primary practice of Pure Land Buddhism, and for a sincere practitioner it can bring about much transformation and spiritual benefit. Yet this lady’s practice did not change her life at all. She invited a bell, hit a drum, and burned many sticks of incense every day, but it did not bring her any deep transformation or peace. The element of diligence was there, the goodwill was there, but the practice wasn’t effective because it had become rote and meaningless, a mere means to a hoped-for result rather than a deep practice of mindfulness in itself.
One day a neighbor, wanting to test her, came to the gate of her house at the time she did her practice. Just as she started to chant he began to call out to her. First, she tried to ignore him, but he continued to call her name, again and again. Soon she became irritated and started to strike the bell more loudly, pound harder on the drum, and chant louder. This was an indirect way of saying “Don’t you know this is my practice time? Go away!” The man understood the message but continued to call her name, only now even louder. Finally, she stopped chanting, put down the bell and drum, came to the door, and shouted angrily, “Why do you disturb me at a time like this? Can’t you hear that I’m practicing?”
Her neighbor smiled and said, “You know, I called your name only about fifty or sixty times, and you are already so upset! Every day you call the Buddha’s name thousands and thousands of times; imagine how upset he must be!”
We must practice in such a way that our method of cultivating mindfulness and concentration – whether it is in the form of sitting meditation, walking meditation, chanting sutras, or invoking the name or image of a great being – serves to bring about calm ness, peace, and joy. Otherwise, no matter how long or hard we practice, it will be of little or no benefit.
Having gotten this far and before proceeding to reprint Thich Nhat Hanh’s interpretation of the Lotus Sutra, I need to reiterate Nichiren’s warning:
Some of my disciples pretend to know the details of doctrines. They are mistaken. The odaimoku, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, is the essence of the Lotus Sūtra. It is like a human being’s spirit. If any other teachings were to be added to the odaimoku, it would be the cause of great trouble. It would be like the Empress marrying two Emperors, or committing adultery. The teachings of the Lotus Sūtra did not spread far enough during the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma. This was because these periods were intended for other sūtras.
We are presently living in the Latter Age of Degeneration. The Lotus Sūtra and other sūtras are no longer efficacious in bringing about enlightenment. Only the odaimoku can accomplish this. This is not my arbitrary opinion. It was so-arranged by the Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, various Buddhas from all over the universe, and numerous great bodhisattvas from beneath the earth such as Superior Practice Bodhisattva.
It is a serious mistake to mix other teachings with the odaimoku. For example, when the sun rises, we no longer need to use lamps. When it rains, the dew is of no use. A baby does not need any nourishment except for milk. We do not need to add supplements to effective medicine.
Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 119
In the blue Nichiren-Shu Service Book, you have The Four Great Vows on page 78 and on the next page Four Vows. Rev. Shoda Kanai of the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada uses the Four Vows rather than the Four Great Vows in his services. The Four Vows read:
I vow to uphold the teaching of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
I vow to practice the teaching of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
I vow to protect the teaching of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
I vow to spread the teaching of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
As much as I find useful and inspiring elements of Thich Nhat Hanh’s practice, these Four Vows are my practice.
- Viewing the Lotus Sutra from the Inside Out
- Stretching the Truth to Pull Meaning Out of the Lotus Sutra
- Viewing the Lotus Sutra from the Avatamsaka Sutra
- Errata
- Thich Nhat Hanh’s Practice
Knowing the Rise of the Great Dharma by Looking at Great Omens
T’ien-t’ai says in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Looking at the heavy rainfall, one should know the size of the dragon which causes the rain to fall. Seeing the abundance of the lotus flowers, one can see the depth of the pond where the lotus grows.” Miao-lê interprets this in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Men of knowledge know the cause of phenomena, and only snakes know the way of snakes.” Only the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra knows the rise of the great dharma by looking at great omens.
Kembutsu Mirai-ki, Testimony to the Prediction of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 177-178
Daily Dharma – Oct. 27, 2020
Universal-Sage! Anyone who keeps, reads and recites this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, memorizes it correctly, studies it, practices it, and copies it, should be considered to see me, and hear this sūtra from my mouth. He should be considered to be making offerings to me. He should be considered to be praised by me with the word ‘Excellent!’
The Buddha makes this declaration to Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sutra. He reminds us that when we study and practice the Lotus Sūtra, we see not only the Buddha, but all beings who have vowed to protect and encourage us in our practice. It is often difficult to see these beings and appreciate what they are doing for us, much more so to hear the encouragement they offer us in this world of conflict. This is why we must continue to dedicate our lives to offer benefit and encouragement to all beings, so that we can embody the spirit of these protective deities.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 18
Day 18 concludes Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, and begins Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices.
Having last month repeated in gāthās the litany of perils to be faced preaching the Lotus Sutra in the future saha world, we conclude today’s portion of Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.
There will be many dreadful things
In the evil world of the kalpa of defilements.
Devils will enter the bodies [of those bhikṣus]
And cause them to abuse and insult us.We will wear the armor of endurance
Because we respect and believe you.
We will endure all these difficulties
In order to expound this sūtra.We will not spare even our lives.
We treasure only unsurpassed enlightenment.
We will protect and keep the Dharma in the future
If you transmit it to us.World-Honored One, know this!
Evil bhikṣus in the defiled world will not know
The teachings that you expounded with expedients
According to the capacities of all living beings.They will speak ill of us,
Or frown at us,
Or drive us out of our monasteries
From time to time.
But we will endure all these evils
Because we are thinking of your command.When we hear of a person who seeks the Dharma
In any village or city,
We will visit him and expound the Dharma [to him]
If you transmit it to us.Because we are your messengers,
We are fearless before multitudes.
We will expound the Dharma.
Buddha, do not worry.We vow all this to you
And also to the Buddhas who have come
From the worlds of the ten quarters.
Buddha, know what we have in our minds!
See Encouragement to Endure Suffering and Persist in Teaching the Sutra
Encouragement to Endure Suffering and Persist in Teaching the Sutra
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p175-176[A]n enormously large group of bodhisattvas spoke to the Buddha, telling him not to worry as after his extinction, “in a frightful and evil age,” even if cursed and abused or attacked with swords and sticks they would teach the Sutra everywhere. In such an evil age, “full of dreadful things, evil spirits will take possession of others to curse, abuse, and insult us.” In order to teach this Sutra they will wear “an armor of patient endurance” and “endure all such difficult things.” “We will cherish neither our bodies nor our lives,” they say, “but care only for the unexcelled way,” protecting and upholding in ages to come “what the Buddha has entrusted to us.” Repeatedly driven out from stupas and monasteries, they will endure such troubles, going wherever there are those who seek it to teach the Dharma entrusted to them by the Buddha. We are, they say, “emissaries” of the Buddha, “facing multitudes without fear,” in order to spread the Dharma. (LS 257-60)
We do not know what circumstances in India led to this kind of anticipation of abuse and persecution of followers of the Dharma Flower Sutra, but, especially for Nichiren and his followers, these words could be seen as anticipating their own experience. They were a powerful encouragement to endure suffering and persist in teaching the Sutra to others no matter how great the difficulties.
Today, few of us have to face such extreme persecution for teaching the Lotus Sutra. But most followers of the Sutra certainly do face difficulties, especially from those who are antagonistic toward the Sutra and toward those who seek to teach it. And in most, if not all, of the world such antagonism may be directed more intensely toward women. We know that Mahaprajapati and Yashodhara had to overcome great difficulties and even hostility toward women in order to become nuns and teachers of the Dharma.
There are other kinds of difficulties as well, difficulties in understanding the Sutra, difficulties in translation and interpretation, difficulties adequately embodying the teachings in our everyday lives, difficulties in teaching or preaching it, difficulties in sharing our enthusiasm for it. Indeed, for those who want to uphold the Dharma Flower Sutra, there is no shortage of difficulties. It is all too easy to become disheartened and discouraged and want to give up.
Chapter 13, especially perhaps in the final verses, “We will cherish neither our bodies nor our lives, but care only for the unexcelled way,” can be a wonderful encouragement to continue despite such difficulties. If others have faced terrible abuse and persecution, surely we too can face difficulties and survive.
Errata
Thich Nhat Hanh’s Peaceful Action, Open Heart strays far from the text of the Lotus Sutra in several places. This lack of fidelity to the sutra undermines his interpretation.
Some examples:
In Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas, the Buddha “stretched out his broad and long tongue upwards until the tip of it reached the World of Brahman. Then he emitted rays of light with an immeasurable variety of colors from his pores. The light illumined all the worlds of the ten quarters. The Buddhas who were sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees also stretched out their broad and long tongue and emitted innumerable rays of light.” (Murano, p298)
Here’s Thich Nhat Hanh’s retelling:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p128-129Now the Buddha realizes a very important miracle. He stretches out his tongue and his “long, broad tongue” is able to encompass the trichiliocosm. Then from each pore of his body he sends out innumerable rays of light of every color, which illuminate all the world-spheres in the ten directions. In all these realms can be seen a Buddha sitting on a lion throne under the bodhi tree, very dignified and beautiful. Each Buddha also puts out his tongue and emanates countless rays of light in the same way. As the Buddha’s light reaches them, all the innumerable Buddhas in turn illuminate all the world-spheres throughout incalculable trichiliocosms.
The Buddhas who join in stretching out their tongues and emanating light are in the purified Sahā world, seated under the jeweled trees, having arrived prior the the opening the Stupa of Treasures.
Another example concerns Chapter 22, Entrustment. In Hurvitz’s translation the chapter opens with:
Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma, p267At that time Śākyamunibuddha rose from his seat and, displaying great supernatural powers, with his right hand stroked incalculable bodhisattva-mahāsattvas on the crown of the head, then said: “For incalculable hundreds of thousands of myriads of millions of asamkhyeyakalpas, I practiced and cultivated this dharma of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, so hard to obtain. Now I entrust it to all of you. You must all single-mindedly propagate this dharma, broadly causing others to benefit from it.”
Three times the Buddha stroked the bodhisattva-mahāsattvas on the head.
In Thich Nhat Hanh’s retelling the Buddha strokes the Bodhisattvas heads but then Thich Nhat Hanh adds:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p133-134By gently stroking their heads, the Buddha gives thanks to all his emanation bodies who have gathered from infinite numberless worlds to open the door of the jeweled Stupa of Prabhutaratna. He thanks them for responding to his call and appearing in the skies above Mount The Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain, combining their spiritual strength so that the door of the Stupa could be opened and the fourfold assembly on the ground below would be able to look into the ultimate dimension. This is an act of great compassion toward the assembly of shravakas, because of course the Buddhas and bodhisattvas do not need to open the Stupa of Prabhutaratna in order to see the ultimate dimension. But because the Sangha wants to see the ultimate Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, their teacher in the historical dimension, calls all his manifestation bodies back to help him open the door to the ultimate dimension.
This retelling falls apart on many levels. Where in the Lotus Sutra does it suggest that the spiritual strength of the emanation Buddhas were required in order to open the Stupa of Treasures?
As a final example, I offer this:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p206There is another bodhisattva mentioned in the Lotus Sutra, Earth Store (Kṣitigarbha). Kṣitigarbha [Jizo in Japanese] means “womb or storehouse of the Earth.” The Earth is very solid and contains and preserves many kinds of jewels. So this name describes the qualities of this bodhisattva: solid, long lasting, and preserving many virtues. Earth Store Bodhisattva represents a realm of action that is very much needed now. Earth Store has vowed that as long as the hells are not vacant he will not rest. He will not enter nirvana and enjoy being a Buddha. He will not stop working to lead all beings toward Buddhahood.
Fine as Kṣitigarbha’s attributes are, Kṣitigarbha does not appear in the Lotus Sutra. But Kṣitigarbha is a pivotal figure in Thich Nhat Hanh’s practice. He explains:
Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p228In the ceremony of transmission of the Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings, we bow to Manjushri, Avalokiteśvara, Samantabhadra, and Kṣitigarbha.
Again, this is an example of viewing the Lotus Sutra from the outside looking in rather than viewing the sutra as Nichiren and T’ien T’ai did from inside the perfect, looking out at the provisional and expedient teachings.
The Lineage of Mahā-Kāśyapa
Venerable Mahā-Kāśyapa was the most honorable among the Buddha’s disciples. Concerning his lineage, he was the son of Nyagrodha, a millionaire in Magadha, India. The house of his millionaire father was as huge as 1,000 tatami mats, with each mat being seven feet thick and costing at least 1,000 ryō (gold coins). His house had as many as 999 ploughs, each costing 1,000 ryō. It is also said that his house included 60 warehouses each containing 340 koku (about 1200 metric tons) of gold. Nyagrodha was a very wealthy person.
The wife of Mahā-Kāśyapa had a golden body so brilliant that it illuminated an area 16 ri (about 80 km) around herself. She was more beautiful than Princess Sotoori of Japan or Lady Li of Han China. Having aspirations for enlightenment, Kāśyapa and his wife became disciples of the Buddha and were guaranteed by the Buddha to become the future Light Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra.
Looking into their Buddhist practices in their prior existences, the husband was reborn as Venerable Mahā-Kāśyapa due to his offering of a bowl of barley rice to a pratyekabuddha. His wife, a poor woman, paid one gold coin to a Buddhist sculptor for gilding a statue of Vipaśyin Buddha and thereby was reborn as a beautiful golden woman to be the wife of Mahā-Kāśyapa.
Tokimitsu-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Tokimitsu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 25
Daily Dharma – Oct. 26, 2020
My teaching is wonderful and inconceivable.
If arrogant people hear me,
They will not respect or believe me.
The Buddha sings these verses to Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. We sometimes think of arrogance as acting as if we know something that we really do not. These verses contrast arrogance with respect and faith. Faith does not mean blind belief. It is still important to ask questions when we don’t understand. Respect does not mean blind obedience, but it does mean that we have confidence in what the Buddha teaches, no matter how difficult it may seem. Arrogance blocks our ability to hear the Buddha. Respect and Faith open our hearts to his enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 17
Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.
Having last month considered the prediction of Devadatta’s future buddhahood, we consider the meeting of Accumulated-Wisdom and Mañjuśrī bodhisattvas.At that time Many-Treasures, the World-Honored One, who had come from the nadir,’ was accompanied by a Bodhisattva called Accumulated-Wisdom. The Bodhisattva said to Many-Treasures Buddha, “Shall we go back to our home world?”
Śākyamuni Buddha said to Accumulated-Wisdom:
“Good man, wait for a while! A Bodhisattva called Mañjuśrī is coming. See him, talk about the Wonderful Dharma with him, and then go back to your home world!”
Thereupon Mañjuśrī came sitting on a one-thousand-petaled lotus-flower as large as the wheel of a chariot. He was accompanied by other Bodhisattvas who were also sitting on jeweled lotus-flowers. Mañjuśrī had sprung up from the palace of Dragon-King Sagara in the great ocean, gone up to the sky[, and traveled through the sky towards Mt. Sacred Eagle]. Having reached Mt. Sacred Eagle, he descended from the lotus flower, came to the two World-Honored Ones,” and worshipped their feet with his head. Having completed the worship, he came to Accumulated-Wisdom, exchanged greetings with him, retired and sat to one side.
Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva asked Mañjuśrī, “You went to the palace of the dragon-king. How many living beings did you lead into the Way to Bodhi there?”
Mañjuśrī answered, “Their number is immeasurable, incalculable, inexplicable, unthinkable. Wait for a while! You will be able to see them.”
No sooner had he said this than innumerable Bodhisattvas, who were sitting on jeweled lotus-flowers, sprang up from the sea, came to Mt. Sacred Eagle, went up to the sky, and stayed there. All these Bodhisattvas had been led [into the Way to Bodhi] by Mañjuśrī. They had already performed the Bodhisattva practices. [Up in the sky] they [began to] expound the six pāramitās. Some of them were formerly Śrāvakas. When they were Śrāvakas, they expounded the Śrāvaka practices in the sky. Now they were acting according to the truth of the Void of the Great Vehicle.