Monthly Archives: January 2021

WONS

A Pebble Changed to a Precious Stone

On the palm of a man named Mahānāma a pebble changed to a precious stone. King Konzoku is said to have been able to transform sand into gold. The Lotus Sūtra enables even insentient beings such as grass and trees to attain Buddhahood, not to speak of sentient beings that possess minds such as humans. The Lotus Sūtra enables the Two Vehicles whose seed of Buddhahood has been burned to attain Buddhahood, how much more so with people whose seed of Buddhahood is still alive! Moreover, the Lotus Sūtra enables even the icchantika who has no religious belief to attain Buddhahood, how much more it will lead those with religious faith.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 33

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 30, 2021

You, the World-Honored One, saw that the aspiration for the knowledge of all things was still latent in our minds; therefore, you awakened us, saying, ‘Bhikṣus! What you had attained was not perfect extinction. I caused you to plant the good root of Buddhahood a long time ago.’

Five hundred of the Buddha’s monks give this explanation in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, the Buddha has just assured them of reaching the same enlightenment he found. These monks had worked diligently for many years to rid themselves of suffering, and taught many other beings to become Bodhisattvas and reach the Buddha’s enlightenment, thinking they were not capable of reaching this wisdom. Not believing we are capable of something obscures the capability we have. When the Buddha proclaims that he leads all beings, he reminds us of this capacity and inspires us make efforts to bring all beings, including ourselves, to his joy.

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

LS32

Day 11

Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City

Day 11 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, we return to the top and we consider what happened when Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.

The Buddha said to the bhikṣus:
“When Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, five hundred billion Buddha-worlds in each of the ten quarters quaked in the six ways, and all those worlds, including those intercepted from the brilliant rays of light of the sun and the moon by the neighboring worlds, were illumined [by great rays of light], and the living beings of those worlds were able to see each other for the first time. They said to each other, ‘How did you appear so suddenly?’ The palaces of the gods of those worlds, including the palace of Brahmans, also quaked in the six ways. The great rays of light which illumined all those worlds were brighter than the rays of light emitted by those gods.

“The palaces of the Brahman-heavenly[-kings] of the five hundred billion worlds in the east were illumined twice as brightly as ever. The Brahman-heavenly-kings [of those worlds] each thought, ‘My palace has never been illumined so brightly before. Why is that?’ They visited each other and discussed the reason. There was a great Brahman-heavenly-king called All-Saving among them. He said to the other Brahmans in gāthās:

Why are our palaces illumined
More brightly than ever?
Let us find [the place]
[From where this light has come].
Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
This great light illumines
The worlds of the ten quarters.

“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds went to the west, carrying flower-plates filled with heavenly flowers, in order to find [the place from where the light had come]. Their palaces also moved as they went. They [reached the Well-Composed World and] saw that Great­Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata was sitting on the lion­like seat under the Bodhi-tree at the place of enlightenment, surrounded respectfully by gods, dragon-kings, gandharvas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings. They also saw that the sixteen princes were begging the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma. Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly­kings worshipped the Buddha with their heads, walked around him a hundred thousand times, and strewed heavenly flowers to him. The strewn flowers were heaped up to the height of Mt. Sumeru. The Brahman-heavenly-kings offered flowers also to the ten-yojana-tall Bodhi-tree of the Buddha. Having offered flowers, they offered their palaces to the Buddha, saying, ‘We offer these palaces to you. Receive them and benefit us out of your compassion towards us!’ In the presence of the Buddha, they simultaneously praised him in gāthās with all their hearts:

You, the World-Honored One, are exceptional.
It is difficult to meet you.
You have innumerable merits.
You are saving all living beings.

As the great teacher of gods and men,
You are benefiting all living beings
Of the worlds of the ten quarters
Out of your compassion towards them.

We have come here from five hundred billion worlds.
We gave up the pleasure
Of deep dhyāna-concentration
Because we wished to make offerings to you.
Our palaces are beautifully adorned
Because we accumulated merits in our previous existence.
We offer [these palaces] to you.
Receive them out of your compassion towards us!

“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings, having praised the Buddha with these gāthās, said, ‘World-Honored One! Turn the wheel of the Dharma and save all living beings! Open the Way to Nirvāṇa!’ They simultaneously said in a gāthā with all their hearts:

Hero of the World,
Most Honorable Biped!
Expound the Dharma!
Save the suffering beings
By the power of your great compassion!

“Thereupon Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata gave his tacit consent to their appeal.

See Heavenly Practice To Save All Living Beings

Foundations

Simultaneous Aspects of One Reality

three-truths-diagram

Chih-i interpreted reality as a threefold truth, a single unity with three integrated aspects, and often supported his view by quoting this verse from the Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. The threefold truth is an integrated unity with three aspects. First, emptiness (śūnyatā), or absence of substantial Being, often identified with the ultimate truth (paramārthasatya). Second, conventional existence, the temporary existence of the phenomenal world as co-arising, often identified with the worldly truth (saṃvṛtisatya). Third, the Middle, a simultaneous affirmation of both emptiness and conventional existence as aspects of a single integrated reality.

For Chih-i these three components are not separate from each other but integral parts of a unified reality. They do not form a pyramid of contrasting realities (Diagram A) but are simultaneous aspects of one reality (Diagram B).

Foundations of T'ien T'ai Philosophy, p 6
d1b, WONS

The Daigo Taste of the Lotus Sūtra

As I contemplate the Buddhist scriptures, it is stated in the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor (translated by Dharma-Kema), “The Sun Deity and Moon Deity regain their vigor upon hearing this sūtra.” The Sūtra of the Golden Splendor (translated by I-ching) states, “It is due to the power of this sūtra that the sun and moon revolve around the four continents.” That is to say, it is the power of the Buddhist Dharma that causes the sun and moon to circle the four continents. Those two versions of the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor are expedients to the Lotus Sūtra. Compared to the Lotus Sūtra they are like milk against “clarified butter” or gold against a “treasure-gem.” If even the taste of such inferior sūtras can make the sun and moon revolve around the four continents, how much more so can the daigo taste of the Lotus Sūtra accomplish? Therefore, the Sun Deity attended the preaching of the “Introduction” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra as Fukō Tenji (Universal Fragrance), and was granted future Buddhahood as the Kaji Nyorai in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter.

Shijō Kingo Shakabutsu Kuyō, Opening the Eyes Service of Shijō Kingo’s Statue of Śākyamuni Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 133-134

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Jan. 29, 2021

They will be able to know all the thoughts, deeds, and words, however meaningless, of the living beings of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds each of which is composed of the six regions. Although they have not yet obtained the wisdom-without-āsravas, they will be able to have their minds purified as previously stated. Whatever they think, measure or say will be all true, and consistent not only with my teachings but also with the teachings that the past Buddhas have already expounded in their sūtras.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. Paradoxically, the process of clarifying our minds so that we can see things for what they are is not an intellectual exercise. The practice of the Wonderful Dharma is not based on learning complicated theories or arcane facts. It can be as simple as chanting Odaimoku sincerely, awakening our nature as Bodhisattvas, and working for the benefit of all beings.

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

LS32

Day 10

Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.

Day 10 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month met the 16 sons of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha, we conclude today’s portion of Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.

“Thereupon the sixteen princes, having praised the Buddha with these gāthās, begged the World-Honored One to turn the wheel of the Dharma, saying, ‘World-Honored One! Expound the Dharma, and give peace and many benefits to gods and men out of your compassion towards them!’ They repeated this in gāthās:

You, the Hero of the World, are unequalled.
Adorned with the marks
Of one hundred merits,
You have obtained unsurpassed wisdom.
Expound the Dharma and save us
And other living beings of the world!

Expound the Dharma, reveal the Dharma,
And cause us to obtain that wisdom!
If we attain Buddhahood,
Others also will do the same.

You, the World-Honored One, know
What all living beings have deep in their minds,
What teachings they are practicing,
And how much power of wisdom they have.

You know their desires, the merits they obtained,
And the karmas they did
In their previous existence.
Turn the wheel of the unsurpassed Dharma!

See To Cut the Causes

LS32, b4today

To Cut the Causes

What happens to us after death? Buddhism teaches that we remain for some time in the state of intermediate existence (chū-u) in this world after death, and when this time is over, in accordance with the karma that we have accumulated in our previous life, we are reborn in another appropriate world. Buddhism also divides this other world into the following ten realms: hell (jigoku), hungry spirits (gaki), animals (chikushō), demons (shura), human beings (ningen), heaven (tenjō), śrāvakas (shōmon), pratyekabuddhas (engaku), bodhisattvas (bosatsu), and buddhas (butsu).

If we die in an unenlightened state, our souls will return to the former state of ignorance, will be reborn in the six worlds (rokudō) of illusion and suffering, and will finally reach old age and death through the twelve stages discussed above. And we will repeat this round to the end of time. This perpetual repetition of birth and death is called transmigration (rinne). But if we purify our souls by hearing the Buddha’s teachings and practicing the bodhisattva-way, the state of ignorance is annihilated, and our souls can be reborn in a better world. The expression “to cut the causes” applies to this state.

Buddhism for Today, p102-104
Foundations

‘Again, it is the meaning of the Middle Path’

pratipat saiva madyamā
The Middle Path means to take a course between two extremes. Two possible extremes are the affirmation of substantial Being on the one hand (“eternalism”), and nihilistic denial of all existence on the other (“annihilationism”). The teaching of śūnyatā denies the extreme view of substantial Being, and the teaching of conventional designation or existence denies the extreme view of nihilism. It is clear that all of these four phrases are different ways to express the same concept. They are various attempts to explain one teaching and one reality. Co-arising, emptiness, conventional existence, and the Middle are not four realities, four separate existences, or four independent doctrines, but four ways to express the same one reality, the Buddha-dharma, which is saṃsāra to us common ignorant mortals and nirvāṇa to a Buddha. Hence the common Mahāyāna proposition that “there is no difference between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.”

Foundations of T'ien T'ai Philosophy, p 5-6
WONS

Anger May Be Both Good and Evil

It is stated in this sūtra that Nyagrodha became furious when his prayers were not answered. Ordinarily, those who get furious at the community deity will destroy themselves in this life and fall into evil realms in the next life. Nevertheless, Millionaire Nyagrodha was able to achieve his great wish of having a child as wise as Kāśyapa by getting very angry at the community deity and speaking ill of him. You should know that anger may be both good and evil. My remonstration with the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman today is anger for a good cause.

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 271-272