Buddhism for Today, p145[T]he Buddha teaches us through the Parable of Digging in a Tableland that one who practices the Lotus Sutra must earnestly seek after the Law with hope and unremitting zeal. A man who is extremely thirsty searches for water by digging in a tableland. So long as he sees dry earth, he knows that water is still far off. Continuing his labor unceasingly, in time he sees moist earth and then gradually reaches mud. Then he knows that water is near at hand. So he digs still more earnestly, without being discouraged or doubting. Bodhisattvas are like this. If they have not heard, nor understood, nor been able to observe this Law-Flower Sutra, they are still far from Perfect Enlightenment. But if they hear, understand, ponder, and observe it, they are near Perfect Enlightenment.
Once we have known the Lotus Sutra, we never have to be at a loss as to what to do. If we give up the sutra after only a little practice of it, as though starting to dig somewhere else because water does not appear immediately, we cannot realize the sutra, just as we cannot quench our thirst by digging only a little. The Buddha teaches here that if we endeavor patiently to attain Perfect Enlightenment, just as when we continue to dig unceasingly, we can assuredly reach enlightenment, just as we can reach the mud. This is the sixth essential point of this chapter.
Monthly Archives: February 2021
The Inclusion and Interpenetration of All of Things in One Reality
Foundations of T'ien T'ai Philosophy, p 12After quoting the Mūlamadhyamakakārika 24:18 verse, Chih-i continues:
The characteristics of those in the six destinies [from hell to divine] corresponds to “all things which arise through conditioned co-arising.” The characteristics of those in the two vehicles [śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha] and the bodhisattva of the Shared Teaching corresponds to “I explain as emptiness.” The characteristics of the bodhisattva of the Six Pāramitās [Tripiṭaka] and Distinct Teachings correspond to “Again, it is a conventional designation.” The characteristics of the Buddha-realm corresponds to “Again, it is the meaning of the Middle Path.”
[T 46, 695c15-18]In other words, those in the six lower destinies perceive the world in its arising and perishing as the interplay of interdependent causes and conditions. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas perceive the world as empty of substantial Being and thus to be characterized as neither arising nor perishing. The bodhisattvas go a step further and perceive the immeasurable conditioned phenomena of this world as provisionally existent, albeit having existence merely as conventional designation. The Buddha, in his perfect wisdom, spontaneously perceives the world as it truly is – uncreated, beyond description, beyond conceptual discrimination, subtle, the Middle Path.
This is where Chih-i reaches his ultimate conclusions. In the final analysis, all of reality is an integrated, interdependent unity. Everything contains everything else, and the whole contains all things.
In the [ Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra] this is described in terms of “the interinclusiveness of the ten realms” or “the interpenetrating unity of all aspects of reality”. As Chih-i puts it:
One dharma realm contains ten suchlike characteristics. The ten dharma realms thus contain one hundred suchlike characteristics. Also, each dharma realm contains the other nine dharma realms, so there are one hundred dharma realms and one thousand suchlike characteristics.
The actual number, whether a thousand or a hundred or whatever, is irrelevant; what matters is the inclusion and interpenetration of all of things in one reality.
Protection by Great Bodhisattvas
Numerous bodhisattvas as many as the number of dust-particles of the great earth worked their way up to the highest stage of bodhisattva practice, next only to the Buddha. They had eliminated incalculable number of evil passions except the last one, the fundamental ignorance. They had hoped to encounter the Buddha so that this huge rock of fundamental ignorance would crushed by Him, but the Lord Buddha Śākyamuni preached only the method of practicing the teaching, not the doctrine attained by practicing it during the first 40 years or so. As the merit of Perfect Enlightenment was not revealed in those years, it saddens me to report that none of those numerous bodhisattvas was able to ascend to the stage of Wonderful Enlightenment (myōgaku).
However, during the eight years when the Buddha expounded the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra on Mt. Sacred Eagle, all the bodhisattvas reached the stage of Wonderful Enlightenment, attaining the same Perfect Enlightenment of Śākyamuni Buddha and perceiving everything clearly as if they looked all around on the summit of Mt. Sumeru or the sun rose at dawn of a long night. Therefore, it cannot be that they do not intend to spread the Lotus Sūtra or bear the suffering of the practicer of the sūtra even without the word of the Buddha. They have thus made a vow, “We will not spare even our lives; we will treasure only the supreme way;” or “Without sparing our lives, we will disseminate this sūtra throughout the land. ”
Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 65
Daily Dharma – Feb. 2, 2021
Mañjuśrī! A Bodhisattva-mahāsattva who performs this fourth set of [peaceful] practices after my extinction, will be able to expound the Dharma flawlessly. Bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇīs, upāsakas, upāsikās, kings, princes, ministers, common people, brāhmaṇas and householders will make offerings to him, honor him, respect him, and praise him. The gods in the sky will always serve him in order to hear the Dharma from him. When someone comes to his abode located in a village, in a city, in a retired place or in a forest, and wishes to ask him a question, the gods will protect him day and night for the sake of the Dharma so that the hearer may rejoice because this sūtra was, is, and will be protected by the supernatural powers of the past, present and future Buddhas.
The Buddha gives this explanation to Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra. The fourth set of peaceful practices is not blaming those who do not hear the Lotus Sūtra and resolving to save them when one becomes perfectly enlightened. Rather than becoming upset with those who do not accept this teaching, it is useful to know that we are not alone in wanting to save them, and that by reducing our own delusions we increase our capacity to benefit others.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 14
Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma.
Having last month opened today’s portion of Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma, we consider fate of good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound and copy even a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
“Medicine-King! If anyone asks you who will become a Buddha in his future life, answer that such a person as previously stated will! Why is that? The good men or women who keep, read, recite, expound and copy even a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, and offer flowers, incense, necklaces, incense powder, incense applicable to the skin, incense to burn, canopies, banners, streamers, garments and music to a copy of this sūtra, or just join their hands together respectfully towards it, should be respected by all the people of the world. All the people of the world should make the same offerings to them as they do to me. Know this! These good men or women are great Bodhisattvas. They should be considered to have appeared in this world by their vow to expound the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma out of their compassion towards all living beings, although they already attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi [in their previous existence]. Needless to say, those who keep all the passages of this sūtra and make various offerings to this sūtra [are great Bodhisattvas]. Medicine King, know this! They should be considered to have given up the rewards of their pure karmas and appeared in the evil world after my extinction in order to expound this sūtra out of their compassion towards all living beings. The good men or women who expound even a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma even to one person even in secret after my extinction, know this, are my messengers. They are dispatched by me. They do my work. It is needless to say this of those who expound this sūtra to many people in a great multitude.
“Medicine-King! An evil man who speaks ill of me in my presence with evil intent for as long as a kalpa is not as sinful as the person who reproaches laymen or monks with even a single word of abuse for their reading and reciting the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
“Medicine-King! Anyone who reads and recites the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, know this, will be adorned just as I am. I will shoulder him. Wherever he may be, bow to him! Join your hands together towards him with all your heart, respect him, make offerings to him, honor him, and praise him! Offer him flowers, incense, necklaces, incense powder, incense applicable to the skin, incense to burn, canopies, banners, streamers, garments, food and various kinds of music! Make him the best offerings that you can obtain in the world of men! Strew the treasures of heaven to him! Offer him heaps of the treasures of heaven! Why is that? It is because, while he is expounding the Dharma with joy, if you hear it even for a moment, you will immediately be able to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.”
Sixteen Practices of the Lotus Sutra
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p130[I]n Chapter 10 there are several variations of the formula for five practices and many more throughout the Sutra, usually with five or six different practices being listed. By my count, at least sixteen such practices are cited in the Sutra, though never all in one place. Not all of them are entirely different perhaps, but they are different enough to be represented by different Chinese characters in Kumarajiva’s translation and therefore in my English translation.
Here are the sixteen practices with regard to the Sutra: to hear, receive, embrace or uphold, read, recite, study, memorize or learn by heart, remember it correctly, understand its meaning, explain it, teach it for the sake of others, copy it, honor it, make offerings to it, put it into practice, and practice the Sutra as taught or preached. What I want to portray with this list is that the Dharma Flower Sutra is richer and much more complex than standard formulas sometimes suggest. The reduction of the sixteen to a standard five is a useful device for aiding our learning – nothing more. By using a variety of such lists, even in the same chapter, we are being taught, I believe, to be flexible and open-minded when reading or studying the Dharma Flower Sutra.
Whether the list of such practices be five or seven or sixteen, these are practices that can be done by anyone, including you and me, and they can be done just about anywhere. They certainly are not the end of Buddhist practice, but they can be used as skillful means, as useful and important steps in the direction of the life of a true Dharma teacher or bodhisattva.
Ten States of Experience
Foundations of T'ien T'ai Philosophy, p 6In the [ Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra ] Chih-i points out a further correspondence between this [24:18] verse in the Mūlamadhyamakakārika and the multifarious characteristics of beings in the various realms of existence. Chih-i divided the realms of existence into ten interpenetrating realms or destinies: hell, preta, beast, asura, man, gods, śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattva, and buddha. These are not ten separate distinct worlds, but rather experiences or states of existence in one reality.
It may be more accurate to refer to these ten “destinies” as ten states of experience: hellish, to be full of insatiable appetite, brutish, combative, human, divine, ‘śrāvaka-like, pratyekabuddha-like, bodhisattva-like, and buddha-like. When one suffers the inevitable results of his or her misdeeds, one experiences the realm of hell. When one blindly follows sensual desires in a futile attempt to satisfy fleshly appetites, one experiences the realm of the preta. When one blindly follows one’s passions, one experiences the realm of beasts. When one fights with one’s fellow human being, one experiences the combative realm of the asura. When one joyfully listens to the music of Bach, one can experience the delightful realm of the gods. When one hears the teaching of the Buddha, one experiences the realm of the śrāvaka. When one performs an altruistic deed, one experiences the realm of the bodhisattva. When one has an insight into the true nature of reality, one experiences the realm of the Buddha. Chih-i’s claim that these realms are “interpenetrating” or “mutually inclusive” means that each sentient being experiences them all in accordance with its actions.
Also, each being has ten “suchlike,” or “such-as-it-is”, characteristics: appearance, nature, essence, power, activity, causes, conditions, results, retribution, and “ultimate identity of beginning and end.”
The Seed of Buddhahood Planted at the Beginning
It is stated in the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 9, “The seed of Buddhahood was planted by this Buddha-Bodhisattva at the beginning, and it was nurtured by this Buddha-Bodhisattva;” and in the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, “The Buddha appears in the actual world with form and figure to guide the people. How can those in whom He had planted the seed of Buddhahood not come to receive His guidance? As streams of many rivers all go into the ocean, people who have established a relationship with the Buddha can have the good fortune of encountering the Buddha in this life.”
As stated above, the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, preaches, “Properly speaking, all living beings will awaken aspiration for Buddhahood and proceed to it without falling back to a lower spiritual stage by following this Buddha.”
Ichidai Goji Keizu, Genealogical Chart of the Buddha’s Lifetime Teachings in Five Periods, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 248-249
Daily Dharma – Feb. 1, 2021
I am now joyful and fearless.
I have laid aside all expedient teachings.
I will expound only unsurpassed enlightenment
To Bodhisattvas.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sūtra. When the Buddha says he only teaches Bodhisattvas, he does not mean that he holds his highest teaching back from anybody. For us to be able to hear what the Buddha teaches, we must awaken our image of ourselves as Bodhisattvas who chose to come into this world of conflict and delusion. If we try to use the Buddha’s teaching to gratify our own delusions, we will only create more suffering. It is only when we set aside our habits of fear and doubt that we can gain wisdom through practicing the Wonderful Dharma.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com