Monthly Archives: December 2021

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Dec. 4, 2021

Of the people who put their faith in the Lotus Sutra today, some have faith like fire while others have it like water. Those who have faith like fire refer to those who become enthusiastic upon listening to the preaching, but their passion cools down as time goes by, and eventually forget the teaching. On the other hand, those whose faith is like water mean those whose faith is like a ceaselessly flowing water, namely those who retain their faith without retreating. You have constantly sent me donations and asked me questions about the way of faith. Your faith is like water, is it not? How precious you are!

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Reply to Lord Ueno (Ueno-dono Gohenji). To those who stayed with Nichiren and this teaching, despite all difficulties, his gratitude was boundless. We too are capable of this gratitude, not just towards the Buddha and Nichiren, but towards all those who practice the Buddha Dharma with us, and, most importantly, towards those still caught up in the mesh of suffering.

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

LS32

Day 13

Day 13 covers all of Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples.

Day 13 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month considered in gāthās the Parable of the Priceless Gem, we conclude Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples.

We are like the poor man.
In the long night you taught us
Out of your compassion towards us,
And caused us to aspire for unsurpassed [enlightenment].

Because we had no wisdom, we did not notice that.
The Nirvāṇa we attained was only part [of your wisdom].
Satisfying ourselves with it,
We did not wish to attain anything more.

Now you have awakened us, saying:
“What you attained was not true extinction.
When you have the unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddha,
You will attain true extinction.”

Hearing from you that we are assured
Of becoming Buddhas one after another,
And that our worlds will be adorned,
We are joyful in body and mind.

The Daily Dharma from Nov. 8, 2021, offers this:

Now you have awakened us, saying:
“What you attained was not true extinction.
When you have the unsurpassed wisdom of the Buddha,
You will attain true extinction.”

Five hundred of the Buddha’s monks give this explanation in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. These monks believed that by extinguishing their desires and ending their suffering, they would reach the wisdom of the Buddha. They had not yet heard the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra in which the Buddha reveals his wisdom and the path to attain it. This is the path of the Bodhisattva: beings who resolve to work for the enlightenment of all beings and not just end their own suffering. We may start on the path towards enlightenment by wanting to be happy. Then as we progress, we find our happiness entwined with that of all beings.

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

history

The Importance of Grand Master Tiāntái Zhiyi

Grand Master Tiāntái Zhiyi (538-597 CE) categorized Buddhist teachings according to the “two gates of doctrine and contemplation.” This categorization was based on the Lotus Sūtra and came to be known as the Tiāntái doctrine. Grand Master Jingxi Zhanran (711-782 CE), also known as Miaole, and Grand Master Dengyō Saichō (767-822 CE) later expanded these general categories.

Nichiren Shōnin criticized the teachings of Japanese Tendai Buddhism, and established his new doctrine, giving greater emphasis to faith, as building on the original Tiāntái doctrines. Hence, Nichiren Shū has always regarded the three major works written by Grand Master Tiāntái as important. It treats A Guide to the Tiāntái Fourfold Teaching of Chegwan (618-906 CE) as a basic study text.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 99
WONS

The Sin of Slandering the True Dharma

The sin of slandering the True Dharma, though repented, is 1,000 times as heavy as that of the five rebellious sins, to say nothing of slanderers of the True Dharma who do not repent and thus would never be released from the Avīci Hell. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 2, (“A Parable” chapter): “Upon seeing those who read, recite, copy and uphold this sūtra, if a person should despise, hate, envy or bear grudges against them, … he will fall into the Avīci Hell, be confined there for a whole kalpa, and be born there again when the kalpa ends. He will repeat this cycle innumerable times.”

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 114.

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Dec. 3, 2021

To see a Buddha is as difficult
As to see an udumbara[-flower].
To avert a misfortune is also difficult.

These verses are sung by two sons of a king in a story told by the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, the boys have heard the Dharma from a previous Buddha and are asking permission from their parents to leave home and follow that Buddha. The legend of the udumbara flower is that it only blooms every 3000 years. Meeting a Buddha is not to be taken for granted. However, it is still important to remember the ties of our families. Rather than leaving in secret from their home, the sons’ asking permission from their parents creates more benefits. The King and Queen accompany their sons and learn the Wonderful Dharma. As Bodhisattvas it is important to use our relationships wisely as we lead all beings to enlightenment.

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

LS32

Day 12

Day 12 concludes Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, and completes the Third Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 12 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month considered the connection to those the śramaṇeras taught and those whom the Buddha now teaches, we consider the Parable of the Magic City.

“I will tell you a parable. Once upon a time there was a dangerous, bad road five hundred yojanas long. It was so fearful that no men lived in the neighborhood. Now many people wished to pass through this road in order to reach a place of treasures. They were led by a man, clever, wise, and well informed of the conditions of the dangerous road. He took them along this dangerous road, but halfway the people got tired of walking. They said to him, ‘We are tired out. We are also afraid of the danger of this road. We cannot go a step farther. Our destination is still far off. We wish to go back.’

“The leader, who knew many expedients, thought, ‘What a pity!

They wish to go back without getting great treasures.’ Having thought this, he expediently made a city by magic at a distance of three hundred yojanas from the starting-point of this dangerous road. He said to them, ‘Do not be afraid! Do not go back! You can stay in that great city, and do anything you like. If you enter that city, you will be peaceful. If you go on afterwards and reach the place of treasures, then you can go home.’

“Thereupon the worn-out people had great joy. They said, ‘We have never had such joy as this before. Now we shall be able to get off this bad road and become peaceful.’

“Then they made their way forward and entered the magic city.

They felt peaceful, thinking that they had already passed [through the bad road]. Seeing that they had already had a rest and relieved their fatigue, the leader caused the city to disappear, and said to them, ‘Now the place of treasures is near. I made this city by magic in order to give you a rest.’

See Helping People Along Difficult Roads

history

Proper Buddhist Scriptures

If proper Buddhist sūtras are regarded as only those taught by the historical Śākyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sūtra cannot be regarded as a proper Buddhist sūtra. We could also suppose that Śākyamuni Buddha’s teachings had been handed down orally and as a result these were compiled into the Lotus Sūtra after Śākyamuni Buddha’s death. However, we cannot say that every word, every phrase and every story of the Lotus Sūtra are Śākyamuni Buddha’s teachings. These are too fictional to be Śākyamuni Buddha’s teachings.

Of course, the stage set in the Lotus Sūtra is that Śākyamuni Buddha achieved awakening forty-odd years before as explained in Chapter 15, and the Lotus Sūtra was taught directly by Śākyamuni Buddha himself. That is because, more than anything, the creators of the Lotus Sūtra had absolute confidence that they were following the original will of Śākyamuni Buddha, and in that sense, we can certainly think of the Lotus Sūtra as “the teaching of the Buddha.”

What then is the original will of the Buddha? “All living beings can become buddhas. There is no living being who cannot become a buddha.” Since they understood that this was the will of Śākyamuni Buddha, the creators of the Lotus Sūtra probably felt that a great gap had developed between the original will of the Buddha, the teachings of Nikāya Buddhism, and those of Mahāyāna Buddhism besides the Lotus Sūtra. Nikāya Buddhism does not recognize that we can achieve buddhahood, and Mahāyāna Buddhism besides the Lotus Sūtra does not admit that the pratyekabuddhas and śrāvakas could ever become buddhas. Under these circumstances, to revive the original will of Śākyamuni Buddha, the creators of the sutra put his purpose into a beautifully adorned narrative form and called it the Lotus Sūtra.

Of course, when the sūtra was written, it met with criticism. Chapter 13, “Encouragement for Keeping This Sūtra,” describes:

“They made that sutra by themselves
In order to deceive the people of the world.”

These words may be the very words that the creators of the Lotus Sūtra were criticized with. From the same chapter:

“They will despise us,
Saying to us ironically,
‘You are Buddhas.’
But we will endure all these despising words.”

Undoubtedly, they were showered with words of contempt such as, “How splendid your opinion is. Now you get to become buddhas.” Surely there were those who were not ready to accept the idea that “all people can become buddhas, even me and you.”

This kind of criticism is also reflected in Chapter 20, “Never-Despising Bodhisattva.” This bodhisattva stood in a town, bowed to people and said to them, “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.”

In response to his continuous message, he was neither praised nor encouraged. People struck him with sticks, wood, tile and stones, abusing him. As a pilgrim trying to spread the message of the Buddha that “All people can become buddhas. There is not a single person who cannot become a Buddha,” he encountered the ill will and at times even violence of people who said things like, “What gives you the right to say that?! You’re not the Buddha. You’re way out of line telling us we can become buddhas!”

However, despite the criticism, the creators and promoters of the Lotus Sūtra did not flag in their attempts. Due to their efforts, the basic will of Śākyamuni Buddha has been revived. Through their hands, Śākyamuni Buddha continues to live on, and continues to actively try to save others. Their confidence in this belief has supported those who expound the Lotus Sūtra over the years.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 96-98
WONS

Drowned in the Sea of Sufferings

It is fortunate that at least my followers, who believe in the Lotus Sūtra, the true intent of Śākyamuni Buddha, will automatically flow into the sea of Nirvana to attain Buddhahood. On the contrary, Buddhist scholars in the world today, who believe in the provisional teachings preached according to other people’s minds, will be drowned in the sea of sufferings.

Shokyō to Hokekyō to Nan’I no Koto, The Difficulty and Easiness in Understanding the Lotus Sūtra and Other Sūtras, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 285

Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Dec. 2, 2021

Arouse your power of faith,
And do good patiently!
You will be able to hear the Dharma
That you have never heard before.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. These are another emphasis of the superiority of those who put the Buddha’s teachings into practice rather than those who merely hear and understand them. It is only when we are engaged in creating benefit in the world, in helping all beings to become enlightened, that we are able to hear the Buddha’s highest teaching, the teaching of his own enlightenment.

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 considered the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the east when Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, we consider the reaction of the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the southeast.

“Bhikṣus! The great Brahman-[heavenly-]kings of the five hundred billion worlds in the southeast, who saw their palaces illumined more brightly than ever, danced with joy. They also wondered why [their palaces were so illumined]. They visited each other and discussed the reason. There was a great Brahman-heavenly-king called Great-Compassion among them. He said to the other Brahmans in gāthās:

Why is it
That we see this light?
Our palaces are illumined
More brightly than ever.

Did a god of great virtue or a Buddha
Appear somewhere in the universe?
We have never seen this [light] before.
Let us do our best to find [the reason].

Let us go even to the end of one thousand billion worlds,
And find the place from where this light has come.
A Buddha may have appeared somewhere in the universe
In order to save the suffering beings.

“Thereupon the Brahman-heavenly-kings of the five hundred billion [ worlds] went to the northwest, 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 Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Tathāgata was sitting on the lion-like seat under the Bodhi tree of 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-heavenly-kings 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 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:

Saintly Master, God of Gods!
Your voice is as sweet as a kalavinka’s.
You have compassion towards all living beings.
We now bow before you.
You, the World-Honored One, are exceptional.
You appear only once in a very long time.

No Buddha has appeared
For the past one hundred and eighty kalpas.
The three evil regions are crowded;
And the living beings in heaven, decreasing.

Now you have appeared in this world
And become the eye of all living beings.
As their refuge, you are saving them.
As their father, you are benefiting them
Out of your compassion towards them.
We are now able to see you
Because we accumulated merits
In our previous existence.

“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 out of your compassion towards them!’ Then they simultaneously said in gāthās with all their hearts:

Great Saint, turn the wheel of the Dharma
And reveal the reality of all things!
Save the suffering beings
And cause them to have great joy!

If they hear the Dharma, some will attain enlightenment;
Others will be reborn in heaven.
The living beings in the evil regions will decrease;
And those who do good patiently will increase.

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

The Daily Dharma from May 26, 2021, offers this:

Let us go even to the end of one thousand billion worlds,
And find the place from where this light has come.
A Buddha may have appeared somewhere in the universe
In order to save the suffering beings.

These verses are sung by the Brahma King Great Compassion in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. He invites his fellow Brahma Kings, creators of entire worlds, to leave the luxury of their palaces to find a Buddha who is leading all beings to enlightenment. They value the Buddha’s words more than anything that they have created for themselves, and know how rare it is to encounter an enlightened being. These kings give us an example of how we can learn to treasure the Buddha Dharma.

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