Monthly Archives: December 2020

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Dec. 11, 2020

The Buddha said to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva: “Good man! If many hundreds of thousands of billions of living beings hear [the name of] World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and call his name with all their hearts when they are under various sufferings, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will immediately perceive their voices, and cause them to emancipate themselves [from the sufferings].”

The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kuan-Yin, Kannon, Kanzeon, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion, a living manifestation of the desire that all beings be happy and free from suffering. By calling the name of this Bodhisattva, we awaken the compassion within ourselves. We become this Bodhisattva and remove our fear of suffering. With this awakening we can be fully present for those in this world of conflict who are suffering and liberate ourselves from the delusion and isolation of our own suffering.

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

LS32

Day 29

Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

Day 29 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month repeated in gāthās why the son of the Buddha is called World-Voice-Perceiver, we consider the many misfortunes for which World-Voice-Perceiver responds.

Suppose you are thrown into a large pit of fire
By someone who has an intention of killing you.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver
The pit of fire will change into a pond of water.

Suppose you are in a ship drifting on a great ocean
Where dragons, fish and devils are rampant.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
The ship will not b sunk by the waves.

Suppose you are pushed
Off the top of Mt. Sumeru by someone.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
You will be able to stay in the air like the sun.

Suppose you are chased by an evil man,
And pushed off [the top of] a mountain made of diamond.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
You will not lose even a hair.

Suppose bandits are surrounding you,
And attempting to kill you with swords.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
The bandits will become compassionate t wards you.

Suppose you are sentenced to death,
And the sword is drawn to behead you.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
The sword will suddenly break asunder.

Suppose you are bound up
In pillories, chains, manacles or fetters.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
You will be released from them.

Suppose someone curses you to death,
Or attempts to kill you by various poisons.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
Death will be brought to that person, instead.

Suppose you meet rākṣasas
Or poisonous dragons or other devils.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
They will not kill you.

Suppose you are surrounded by wild animals
Which have sharp, fearful tusks and claws.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver
They will flee away to distant places.

Suppose you meet lizards, snakes, vipers or scorpions
Emitting poisonous vapor like flames.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
They will go away as you call his name.

Suppose clouds arise, lightning flashes, thunder peals,
Hail falls, and a heavy rains comes down.
If you think of the power of World-Voice-Perceiver,
The thunderstorm will stop at once.

See A Goddess of Mercy

stories, LS32, d29b

A Goddess of Mercy

The list of misfortunes from which one can be saved by calling upon Kwan-yin is interesting but not terribly important, as the meaning is quite clear – Kwan-yin can save anyone from any misfortune. The list simply provides concrete examples. This power to save is why early Jesuit missionaries to China invented the term Goddess of Mercy to refer to Kwan-yin and relate her to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Kwan-yin, in fact, has been and still is a goddess of mercy for a great many, answering their prayers and bringing them comfort.

Of course, those who would follow the bodhisattva way should see great bodhisattvas as models for us and not be looking to gods or goddesses for special favors.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p274
Peaceful Action, d21b

Our Misperception of the Buddha’s Lifespan

The Buddha says, “I have been living in this saha world for this great incalculable period of time, teaching the Dharma to innumerable living beings; and I have also been in an equally vast number of other world-spheres, teaching and helping beings.” The life span of the Buddha is not only spoken of in terms of time but also of space – immeasurable, infinite dimensions of time and space that are beyond the reach of intellectual conceptualization. So our idea of the Buddha as a purely historical person who lived 2,600 years ago, who passed into nirvana and is no longer able to be present with us here and now, is merely a misperception.

Other Mahayana sutras speak of the unborn and undying nature of the Buddha. For instance, the Vajracchedika Sutra says, “The Tathagata comes from nowhere and goes nowhere.” But in the Lotus Sutra, this truth is expressed in vivid images, like a beautiful painting, and for some it can be easier to understand and grasp through such visual imagery.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p115
WONS

Exchanging Worthless Pieces of Tile for Pieces of Gold

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai had to engage in vigorous disputes against three Southern and seven Northern masters in establishing his new theology, and Grand Master Dengyō in Japan had to dispute against the six schools of Buddhism in Nara during the reign of Emperor Kammu. Whether or not Buddhist masters encountered hardships depended on whether their opinions were adopted by the wise king or rejected by the foolish king; it did not depend on whether or not their ways of propagation were in accordance with the intent of the Buddha. The situations were like this even during the Ages of the True and Semblance Dharmas, not to speak of the Latter Age of Degeneration! I, Nichiren, incurred the displeasure of the Kamakura Shogunate for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. This is the greatest happiness that ever happened to me because it is like exchanging worthless pieces of tile and stones for pieces of gold and silver.

Hakii Saburō-dono Go-henji, A Response to Lord Hakii Saburō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 185-186

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Dec. 10, 2020

Medicine-King! The Bodhisattvas who, having been surprised at hearing this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, doubt and fear it, know this, are beginners in Bodhisattvahood. The Śrāvakas who, having been surprised at hearing this sūtra, doubt and fear it, know this, are men of arrogance.

The Buddha makes this declaration to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. In his earlier teachings, he described the thoughts, words and deeds which would help shed our delusions and remove suffering. Many of those following him came to believe that they were superior to other beings and did not want to waste their time even associating with them much less attempting to save them from their suffering. With this Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha reveals that even the most wicked and deluded among us have the capacity for enlightenment and deserve our respect. The more we resist this teaching, in our thoughts, words and deeds, the farther we place ourselves from the Buddha’s wisdom.

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

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 the warning given to Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva about the Saha world, we witness the good omen created by Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva near Gṛdhrakūṭa.

Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva said to the Buddha “World-Honored One! I can go to the Sahā-World by your powers, by your supernatural powers of traveling, and by your merits and wisdom which adorn me.”

Thereupon Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva entered into a samadhi. He did not rise from his seat or make any other movement. By the power of this samadhi, he caused eighty-four thousand lotus flowers of treasures to appear in a place not far from the seat of the Dharma situated on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa. Those flowers had stalks of jambunada gold, leaves of silver, stamens of diamond, and calyxes of kimsuka treasures.

Thereupon Mañjuśrī, the Son of the King of the Dharma, having seen these lotus-flowers, said to Śākyamuni Buddha:

“World-Honored One! What does this omen mean? Tens of millions of lotus-flowers have appeared. They have stalks of jambunada gold, leaves of silver, stamens of diamond, and calyxes of kimsuka treasures.”

Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha said to Mañjuśrī:

“This means that Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva-mahāsattva, surrounded by eighty-four thousand Bodhisattvas, is coming from the World of Pure-Flower-Star-King-Wisdom Buddha to this Sahā World in order to make offerings to me, attend on me, bow to me, make offerings to the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, and hear it.”

See The Buddha of All Worlds

stories, LS32, d28b

The Buddha of All Worlds

This story [in Chapter 24] begins with an event not unlike that in the very first chapter of the Dharma Flower Sutra, in which the Buddha emits light of such power that it illumines very distant worlds. Since light is virtually always a symbol of wisdom, we can assume that here too we have a visual image indicating that the influence of Shakyamuni’s wisdom is not limited to his world, our world, but also goes to the far reaches of the universe. He is, in other words, the light of all the worlds. Though he is the Buddha of this world, he is also, in some way not clearly spelled out, the Buddha of all worlds. This has been indicated many times in the Dharma Flower Sutra, most dramatically perhaps in Chapter 11, where Shakyamuni Buddha assembles the buddhas and bodhisattvas from all over the universe.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p260
Peaceful Action, d21b

Generating a Spirit of Trust Toward the Teachings of the Lotus Sutra

The Buddha said to them, “My friends, you should trust and understand that the words spoken by the Tathagata are the truth. When I speak, I tell the truth and you must believe and understand my words.” The Sutra notes that the Buddha repeated this admonition three times. Because we do not hear the explanation right away, this scene serves to heighten the suspense. First, we have to trust the Buddha’s teaching. A Tathagata never utters a falsehood, never says anything that is not in accord with the truth. The Buddha’s word and person are in themselves a guarantee of the truth of his teachings, but there are those among the assembly who still feel some doubt, because what the Buddha has taught is not in accord with their own perception of things.

This detail is to show us that reasoning, concepts, and our general way of observing reality through our intellect only is a limited perception and it can be mistaken. So we should not be attached to ideas and concepts, we should not base too much on them. We may feel that what the Buddha teaches is quite unbelievable, but that is because our insight is not yet very deep. If we had deeper insight into the true nature of reality, as the Buddha does, we would be able to perceive things differently. We have to generate a spirit of trust toward the teachings, be willing to let go of our notions, and examine the teachings in the light of our practice of mindfulness.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p114
d21b, WONS

Manifestations of the Lord Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha

It is preached in the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “The scriptures that I, the Buddha, expound are all for the purpose of emancipating all living beings. For this purpose I guide them in various ways, sometimes speaking of myself, sometime of others. Sometimes I present myself, sometimes others. Sometimes I show my own actions, sometimes those of others.”

Accordingly, who among the great beings — Zentoku Buddha of the World Without Worry to the east; the Great Sun Buddha in the center of the universe; various Buddhas in the worlds throughout the universe; the past seven Buddhas who appeared in this world; various Buddhas in the past, present, and future; the direct disciples of the Original Buddha who emerged from the earth such as Bodhisattva Superior Practice; bodhisattvas of theoretical teachings, such as Mañjuśrī, Śrāvaka disciples such as Śāriputra, the King of the Mahābrahman Heaven who controls the triple world; the King of Devils who lives in the Sixth Heaven in the realm of desire; Indra who controls the Trāyastriṃsá Heaven; or Sun Deity, Moon Deity, Deity of the Stars, innumerable stars such as the Great Bear, twenty-eight stars, Five Stars, Seven Stars and 84,000 Stars; those who occupy the headship of various places throughout the world such as the King of asura demons, god of the heavens, god of the earth, god of the mountains, god of the ocean, god of the house, and god of the village — is not a manifestation of the Lord Teacher Śākyamuni Buddha?

Nichigen-nyo Sakabutsu Kuyōji, Construction of a Statue of Śākyamuni by Lady Nichigen, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 123-124