Monthly Archives: November 2021

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 14, 2021

World-Honored One! Now we see that we are Bodhisattvas in reality, and that we are assured of our future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Therefore, we have the greatest joy that we have ever had.

Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and the others gathered to hear the Buddha teach make this declaration in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. He and the others thought that their existence was merely to hear and preserve what the Buddha taught them, and to transmit it to others. They believed they were incapable of becoming as enlightened as the Buddha, because the Buddha’s earlier teachings had only led them so far. With the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha reminds all of us of our decision to come to this world of conflict to benefit all beings. He awakens us to our capacity to see the world with his eyes and experience the joy of reality.

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

LS32

Day 27

Day 27 concludes Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva.

Day 27 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month concluded Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva, we return to the top of today’s portion of Chapter 23 and consider Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha’s instructions to Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva.

“Having sung this gāthā, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! You do not change, do you?’
“Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha said to Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, ‘Good man! The time of my Nirvana is near at hand. The time of my extinction is coming. Prepare me a comfortable couch! I shall enter into Parinirvana tonight.’ “Then he instructed Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, saying, ‘Good man! I will transmit all my teachings to you. [I also will transmit] to you all the Bodhisattvas and all my great disciples. [I also will transmit] to you my teachings for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. I also will transmit to you the one thousand Sumeru worlds made of the seven treasures, the jeweled trees, the jeweled platforms, and the gods attending on me. I also will transmit to you the śarīras to be left after my extinction. Distribute my śarīras far and wide and make offerings to them! Erect thousands of stupas [to enshrine them]!’

“Having given these instructions to Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue Buddha entered into Nirvana in the last watch of that night. Having seen the extinction of the Buddha, Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva was overcome with sorrow. He adored the Buddha all the more. He made a pyre of the candana grown on this shore of the sea, offered it to the body of the Buddha, and burned it. After it burned up, he collected the śarīras. He made eighty-four thousand stupas of treasures[, and put the śarīras therein]. He erected eighty-four thousand stupas[, and enshrined the urns therein]. The stupas were higher than the Third Dhyana-Heaven. They were adorned with yastis. Many streamers and canopies were hanging down [from the stupas]. Many jeweled bells also were fixed [on the stupas].

See Not Appearance But Substance; Not Empty Theory But Practice

history

The Translation and Reception of the Lotus Sūtra

[T]he Lotus Sūtra was originally written in India, in Sanskrit, the holy language of ancient India. The original is called Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra. “Saddharma” means “correct teaching,” and “pundarika” means “white lotus flower.” The original sūtra was transmitted to China, and translated into ancient Chinese. The following three Chinese translations exist today.

  1. Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the True Dharma – 286 CE, translated by Dharmarakṣa, (born in the 230’s CE, died at age 78.), Ten volumes, 27 chapters.
  2. Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma – 406 CE, translated by Kumārajīva (344-413 CE or 350-409 CE), Seven volumes, 27 chapters. Later enlarged edition consists of eight volumes, 28 chapters.
  3. Appended Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma – 601 CE, translated by Jñānagupta, (523-605 CE) and Dharmagupta (d. 619 CE), Seven volumes, 27 chapters.

The translation with which we are most familiar is the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. Even in ancient China, if one mentioned the Lotus Sūtra, usually the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma was meant. The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the True Dharma is older, but the translation was difficult to read, and did not spread widely. The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma was written in a natural style, and was widely accepted as the standard translation. While the original translation by Kumārajīva was seven volumes and 27 chapters, by the beginning of the 7th century CE, the previously omitted Chapter 12, “Devadatta,” and the gāthā of Chapter 25, “The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva,” had been restored, and the text took its present form.

The Appended Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma was an attempt to retranslate the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma from the original Sanskrit text. The translation is almost the same as the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, but it supplements the parts lacking in it, and the order of the chapters is closer to that of the original text. However, because the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma had already spread so widely, the Appended Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma did not gain popularity.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 62-63
WONS

Identifying the Sage of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age

How can we identify the sage of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration? The Lotus Sūtra states, “He who preaches this sūtra to others and can uphold it for himself is a messenger of the Buddha.” In other words, anyone who recites eight chapters of the Lotus Sūtra, or one fascicle, one chapter, or just a verse of it, or chants the daimoku is a messenger of the Buddha. He who carries through faith in the Lotus Sūtra to the end, enduring the great persecutions that arise, is the true messenger of the Buddha.

Shijō Kingo-dono Gohenji, Response to Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 153

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 13, 2021

If after my extinction anyone rejoices, even on a moment’s thought, at hearing even a gāthā or a phrase of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, I also will assure him of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.

The Buddha declares these lines to Medicine-King Bodhisattva at the beginning of Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. Other teachings had described beings becoming enlightened after making exorbitant offerings or strenuous practices over many lifetimes. In the teaching of the Wonderful Dharma, a single moment of joy at hearing the Dharma is enough to assure us that we will become enlightened.

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

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 Chapter 22, Transmission, we open Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva and consider Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva’s question.

Thereupon Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva said to the Buddha:

“World-Honored One! Why does Medicine-King Bodhisattva walk about this Sahā-World? World-Honored One! This Medicine-King Bodhisattva will have to practice hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of austerities in this world. World-Honored One! Tell me why! Not only the gods, dragons, yakṣas, gandharvas, asuras, garuḍas, kiṃnaras, mahoragas, men and nonhuman beings but also the Bodhisattvas who have come from the other worlds’ and the Śrāvakas present here will be glad to hear the reason.”

The Daily Dharma from June 8, 2021, offers this:

Thereupon Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva said to the Buddha: “World-Honored One! Why does Medicine-King Bodhisattva walk about this Sahā-World? World-Honored One! This Medicine-King Bodhisattva will have to practice hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of austerities in this world.

This excerpt is from Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sutra. Star-King-Flower Bodhisattva is aware of the difficulties that Medicine-King or any other Bodhisattva will encounter while living in this world of conflict (Sahā) and asks the Buddha why this Bodhisattva would give up the pleasures of the higher realms to which he is entitled. The Buddha then tells the story of Medicine-King’s previous life, in which he gave up many attachments, including the attachment to his own body. These stories of Bodhisattvas are reminders of our own capacities, and that no matter what difficulties we face in our lives, our determination to benefit all beings, our certainty of enlightenment, and the help we receive from other beings will lead us to overcome any problems.

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

history

The Creation of the Lotus Sūtra

There is a belief that the Lotus Sūtra was taught over eight years at the end of the life of Śākyamuni Buddha. From the standpoint of the believer, this position is fine. However, from an academic standpoint, we cannot assert such a thing. A Buddhist historian would assert that there is no evidence that the historical Śākyamuni Buddha taught the Lotus Sūtra. In other words, the Lotus Sūtra is not a direct record of the historical Śākyamuni Buddha’s teaching. In that case, when, where and by whom was the Lotus Sūtra produced?

[W]e can present the standard answer that the Lotus Sūtra was one of the Early Mahāyāna sūtras, created in India around 100-200 CE. Was it created in a relatively short period of time, or was it gradually compiled and revised over a longer period of time? Who or what group compiled the Lotus Sūtra into one work? Regarding such issues, many academic theories have been presented, and opinions are certainly not in accord. But as this issue is beside the point of this chapter, we will skip over the many theories.

Nevertheless we would like to pose a rather mean question. What if the Lotus Sūtra was not directly taught by the historical Śākyamuni Buddha, but was created in the form of Śākyamuni Buddha’s direct teachings? In other words, the Lotus Sūtra is written in the form of lectures by Buddha, but from an academic standpoint, we cannot easily accept the contents as the words of the Buddha. In this case, if we are asked, “Should we only consider sūtras that we can affirm were taught by the historical Śākyamuni Buddha as legitimate Buddhist sūtras?” What shall we answer? It is a difficult question to answer in a nutshell. But it is a question related to the root of faith.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 61-62
d19b, WONS

Manifestations of Śākyamuni Buddha

Now, the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman’s original substance, Śākyamuni Buddha, expounded the sole, true Lotus Sūtra in India. As He manifested Himself in Japan, He summarized the sūtra in two Chinese characters for honesty and vowed to live in the head of a wise man. If so, even if Hachiman burned his palace and ascended to heaven, whenever he finds a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in Japan, he will not fail to come down to reside where this practicer is and protect him.

Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 5, chapter 14 on the “Peaceful Practices”: “Various gods always protect the practicer for the sake of the dharma day and night.” This means that the great King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, the sun and moon, the Four Heavenly Kings and others will never fail to protect those who say “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.”

This sūtra also preaches in the sixth fascicle, chapter 16 on “The Life Span of the Buddha”: “Sometimes I speak of Myself, sometimes of others; sometimes I show Myself, sometimes others; and sometimes I show My deeds, sometimes those of others.” Even Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara manifests himself in 33 traces, and Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva in 34 traces. How can Lord Śākyamuni Buddha not appear as the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman? Grand Master T’ien-t’ai declares in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, “The Buddha manifests Himself variously in the ten realms of living beings.”

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 279

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Nov. 12, 2021

Anyone who does not keep our spells
But troubles the expounder of the Dharma
Shall have his head split into seven pieces
Just as the branches of the arjaka-tree [are split].

The ten rakṣasī demons and Mother-of-Devils sing these verses in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sūtra. They are among the many gods and other supernatural beings who vow to protect all those who keep and practice the Buddha Dharma. These verses help us to understand the nature of those who create harm in the world and to develop a heart of compassion towards them. The nature of delusion is that it sets up a world separate from the world we all share. It puts a barrier between us and the world out of fear that this world will harm us. The Buddha’s teachings show us how to develop the courage to live in harmony with this world, rather than splitting ourselves from it, and splitting ourselves in it.

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 considered a Buddha called Powerful-Voice-King, we meet a bodhisattva called Never Despising.

“There lived arrogant bhikṣus in the age of the counterfeit of the right teachings of the first Powerful-Voice-King Tathāgata, that is, after the end of the age of his right teachings which had come immediately after his extinction. [Those arrogant bhikṣus] were powerful. At that time there lived a Bodhisattva called Never-Despising. He took the form of a bhikṣu.

“Great-Power-Obtainer! Why was this bhikṣu called Never-Despising? It was because, every time he saw bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās, he bowed to them and praised them, saying, ‘I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is that? It is because you will be able to practice the Way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas.’

“He did not read or recite sūtras. He only bowed to the four kinds of devotees. When he saw them in the distance, he went to them on purpose, bowed to them, and praised them, saying, ‘I do not despise you because you can become Buddhas.’

The Daily Dharma from April 7, 2020, offers this:

Why was this bhikṣu called Never-Despising? It was because, every time he saw bhikṣus, bhikṣuṇis, upāsakas or upāsikās, he bowed to them and praised them, saying, ‘I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is that? It is because you will be able to practice the Way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas.’

The Buddha gives this description of Never-Despising Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty of the Lotus Sūtra. The only practice of this Bodhisattva was to show his respect to all people, whether or not they respected him. This practice was so important, the Buddha used it as an example of what he practiced in a previous life to enable him to become enlightened.

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