Odaimoku: The Significance Of Chanting Namu Myoho Renge KyoThe word Namu … comes to signify a firm and full dedication of our lives, in both its physical and spiritual aspects. In other words, we express our faith in the Buddha and his teachings, particularly in the Lotus Sutra, and at the same time dedicate ourselves to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in every possible way.
Monthly Archives: July 2022
Daily Dharma – July 28, 2022
Only I know his secret practices.
He shows himself
To all living beings
In the form of my eldest son.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Nine of the Lotus Sūtra, speaking of Rāhula, the son born to him and his wife Yaśodharā before he left his life as a crown prince to seek enlightenment. In his highest teaching, the Buddha reminds us of our vows as Bodhisattvas to come into this world of conflict to benefit all beings. In the preoccupations that come with this life, we can forget these vows; they become a secret even to us. When we hear this Sūtra, we are reminded that we are the dear children of the Dharma, and that enlightenment is our rightful inheritance.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 11
Day 11 continues Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, we return to the top and 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.
800 Years: Understanding the Reality of the Buddha’s Presence in Our Lives
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuTheoretically Ichinen Sanzen of Ri tells us that we can attain Buddhahood and that all realms of existence, including Buddhahood, can be recognized in every moment of conscious awareness. However, Ichinen Sanzen of Ji tells us that we are in the process of becoming Buddhas and that Buddhahood is a reality already at work in our lives. Even a single moment of taking faith in and rejoicing in this teaching allows us to understand the reality of the Buddha’s presence in our lives.
Daily Dharma – July 27, 2022
Therefore, anyone who has wisdom should copy this sūtra with all his heart, cause others to copy it, and also keep, read and recite it, memorize it correctly, and act according to it.
The Buddha declares this to Universal-Sage Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. It is important to remember that early in the sūtra, the Buddha explained that he teaches only Bodhisattvas, beings who exist for the benefit of all beings. Our practice of the Lotus Sūtra is not just for ourselves. When we use it to lead others to enlightenment, we create the cause for our own enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 10
Day 10 concludes Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and opens Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City.
Having last month concluded today’s portion of Chapter 7, The Parable of the Magic City, we return to today’s portion of Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood, and consider the Buddha’s prediction for Subhūti.
Thereupon the World-Honored One, having understood the wishes of the great disciples, said to the bhikṣus:
“In his future life, this Subhūti will see three hundred billion nayutas of Buddhas, make offerings to them, respect them, honor them, praise them, perform brahma practices, complete the Way of Bodhisattvas, and become a Buddha on the final stage of his physical existence. He will be called Beautiful-Form, the Tathāgata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. The kalpa in which he will become that Buddha will be called Having-Treasures; and his world, Treasure-Born. The ground [of his world] will be even, made of crystal, adorned with jeweled trees, and devoid of mounds, pits, rubble, thorns and dirt. Jeweled flowers will cover the ground to purify it. The people of that world will live in buildings of wonderful treasures. His disciples in Śrāvakahood will be numberless, beyond calculation or comparison. The Bodhisattvas will be many thousands of billions of nayutas in number. The duration of the life of that Buddha will be twelve small kalpas. His right teachings will be preserved for twenty small kalpas. The counterfeit of his right teachings will be preserved also for twenty small kalpas. That Buddha will always stay in the sky, expound the Dharma to the multitude, and save innumerable Bodhisattvas and Śrāvakas.Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
Bhikṣus!
Now I will tell you.
Listen to me
With one mind!Subhūti, a disciple of mine,
Will be able
To become a Buddha
Called Beautiful-Form.He will make offerings
To many billions of Buddhas, and practice
According to the practices of the Buddhas,
And finally attain great enlightenment.On the final stage of his physical existence,
He will obtain the thirty-two physical marks,
And become as beautiful and as wonderful
As a mountain of treasures.The world of that Buddha
Will be the purest.
Anyone will be happy to see it.
That Buddha will save
Innumerable living beings
Of that world.Many Bodhisattvas
In the world of that Buddha
Will be clever.
They will turn
The irrevocable wheel of the Dharma,
And adorn that world.The Śrāvakas in that world also
Will be countless.
They will have the six supernatural powers,
Including the three major supernatural powers.
They will have the eight emancipations.
They will be exceedingly powerful and virtuous.The supernatural powers
Employed by that Buddha
For the expounding of the Dharma
Will be inconceivable.As many gods and men
As there are sands in the River Ganges
Will join their hands together
And listen to the words of that Buddha.The duration of the life of that Buddha
Will be twelve small kalpas.
His right teachings will be preserved
For twenty small kalpas.
The counterfeit of his right teachings
Also will be preserved for twenty small kalpas.
The Daily Dharma from May 13, 2022, offers this:
The supernatural powers
Employed by that Buddha
For the expounding of the Dharma
Will be inconceivable.
The Buddha sings this verse in Chapter Six of the Lotus Sūtra after predicting the future Buddhahood of his disciple Subhūti. Anything we do not understand can seem supernatural. Things we find common in our modern world would seem magical to those who lived in the Buddha’s time. It is only through our greater understanding that we can create our modern wonders. It should not then surprise us that with the Buddha’s mind, which he reminds us that we too can reach, the things we can accomplish will seem magical to those mired in delusion.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Retreating with Nichiren’s Writings
Looking forward to Rev. Shinkyo Warner’s session on Nichiren’s writings at the Nichiren Order of North America Mini-Retreat Aug. 6-7, 2022.
800 Years: The Merits of the Inexperienced Practicer
Grand Master Miao-lê in his Annotations to the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra asserts, “Most people make mistakes, without knowing how great the merits of the inexperienced practicers can be. They imagine that only the experienced practicers can have merits and slander the inexperienced. Therefore, in the ‘Merits of Rejoicing at Hearing This Sūtra’ chapter it is shown that the merits of the inexperienced practicer can be great and how great the merits of the Lotus Sūtra are.” This passage means that the merit of the 50th person rejoicing at hearing the Lotus Sūtra transmitted one after another was preached to show that the merit of an ignorant person with little capacity in the Latter Age rejoicing even for a moment at hearing the sūtra preached is superior to the merit of sages who practice the pre-Lotus sūtras preached during the 40 or so years before the Lotus Sūtra. This is preached so that the Lotus Sūtra is not mistaken as the teaching attained by only persons of superior capacity and devotion.
Therefore, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra compares the 50th person rejoicing at hearing the Lotus Sūtra transmitted one after another, the lowest rank in the practice of the Lotus Sūtra, against the practicers of non-Buddhist teachings, Hinayana Buddhism, and provisional Mahayana Buddhism. He states that the merits of the lowest rank in the practice of the Lotus Sūtra are superior to those of any other practice.
Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 7-8
Daily Dharma – July 26, 2022
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 towards you.
The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Kuan Yin, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. When we allow this Bodhisattva, the embodiment of compassion, into our minds, we realize the value of the connections we have with all beings, even those who are so deluded that they want to harm us. When we ourselves embody compassion, we should not be surprised when it awakens the compassion that is at the core of our existence.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
What’s Up, Doc?
This is the first in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.
Last week I mentioned that I’ve decided to compare and contrast H. Kern’s 1884 English translation of the Lotus Sutra with Senchu Murano’s 1974 translation.
Today I find myself engrossed in exploring one rabbit hole after another. Take for an example what happened when I attempted to compare the Bodhisattvas named in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
Murano names 18 of the eighty thousand Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas present in the congregation:
- Manjushri Bodhisattva
- Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva
- Great Strength Bodhisattva
- Constant Effort Bodhisattva
- Never Resting Bodhisattva
- Jeweled Palm Bodhisattva
- Medicine King Bodhisattva
- Bold Almsgiver Bodhisattva
- Jeweled Moon Bodhisattva
- Moon Light Bodhisattva
- Full Moon Bodhisattva
- Great Power Bodhisattva
- Immeasurable Power Bodhisattva
- Above the Threefold World Bodhisattva
- Bhadrapala Bodhisattva
- Maitreya Bodhisattva
- Accumulated Jewels Bodhisattva
- Guidance Bodhisattva
Kern names 23 Bodhisattvas and adds an additional sixteen virtuous men.
Bodhisattvas:
- the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Mañjuśrī, as prince royal
- the Bodhisattva Mahāsattvas Avalokiteśvara
- Mahāsthāmaprāpta
- Sarvārthanāman
- Nityodyukta
- Anikśhiptadhura
- Ratnapāni
- Bhaiṣajyarāja
- Pradānaśūra
- Ratnacandra
- Ratnaprabha
- Pūrṇacandra
- Mahāvikrāmin
- Trailokavikrāmin
- Anantavikrāmin
- Mahāpratibhāna
- Satatasamitābhiyukta
- Dhārāṇidhara
- Akshayamati
- Padmasrī
- Nakshatrarāja
- the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Maitreya,
- the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Simha.
Virtuous men:
- Bhadrapāla
- Ratnākara
- Susārthavāha
- Naradatta
- Guhagupta
- Varunadatta
- Indradatta
- Uttaramati
- Viseshamati
- Vardhamānamati
- Amoghadarsin
- Susamsthita
- Suvikrāntavikrāmin
- Anupamamati
- Sūryagarbha
- Dhārāṇidhara
Now Mañjuśrī for Manjushri is easy enough, and I already know that World Voice Perceiver’s Sanskrit name is Avalokiteśvara and Medicine King is Bhaiṣajyarāja. But what about the others?
In considering how to compare the two lists it occurred to me that in Gene Reeves’ translation of the threefold Lotus Sutra he has a glossary of proper names. This lists the Name in English; the Category (Buddha, Bodhisattva, Buddha land, king, shravaka, etc.); Sutra (Lotus Sutra, Innumerable Meanings, Universal Sage); Sanskrit word; and the Chinese, Pinyin and Japanese characters.
Here are Reeves’ 18 names in English and Sanskrit:
- Manjushri Bodhisattva [Mañjuśrī],
- Regarder of the Cries of the World Bodhisattva [Avalokiteśvara],
- Great Strength Bodhisattva [Mahāsthāmaprāpta],
- Constant Effort Bodhisattva [Nityodyukta],
- Never Resting Bodhisattva [Anikśhiptadhura],
- Jeweled Palm Bodhisattva [Ratnacandra],
- Medicine King Bodhisattva [Bhaiṣajyarāja],
- Bold Almsgiver Bodhisattva [Pradānaśūra],
- Jeweled Moon Bodhisattva [Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja],
- Moon Light Bodhisattva [Ratnaprabha],
- Full Moon Bodhisattva [Pūrṇacandra],
- Great Power Bodhisattva [Mahāvikrāmin],
- Immeasurable Power Bodhisattva [Anantavikrāmin],
- Above the Threefold World Bodhisattva [Trailokavikrāmin],
- Bhadrapala Bodhisattva,
- Maitreya Bodhisattva,
- Accumulated Jewels Bodhisattva [Ratnākara],
- Guidance Bodhisattva [Susārthavāha].
But when I try comparing Reeves’ Sanskrit names to Kern’s I find I can’t match Jeweled Moon Bodhisattva, which Reeves lists as Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja.
Now I’m no Sanskrit scholar but even I know rāja is king. For example, Medicine King – Bhaiṣajyarāja.
When I Googled Ratnatejobhyudgatarāja I discovered that this is the Sanskrit name for Treasure-Power-Virtue-Superior-King, the Buddha with whom Universal Sage is living when he hears the Lotus Sutra expounded in this Sahā World in Chapter 28.
At this point it occurred to be that the BDK Tripiṭaka translation of the Lotus Sutra uses only Sanskrit names in its translation of Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation.
The BDK Tripiṭaka names:
- Mañjuśrī
- Avalokiteśvara
- Mahāsthāmaprāpta
- Nityodyukta
- Anikṣiptadhura
- Ratnapāni
- Bhaiṣajyarāja
- Pradānaśūra
- Ratnacandra
- Candraprabha
- Pūrṇacandra
- Mahāvikramin
- Anantavikramin
- Trailokyavikrama
- Bhadrapāla
- Maitreya
- Ratnākara
- Susāthavāha
Now this compares well with Kern’s list with the exception of Candraprabha, who is Moon Light Bodhisattva. Both Kern and Reeves use Ratnaprabha, but my limited Sanskrit tells me ratna means jewel. For example, Many Treasures Buddha is Prabhūtaratna. How could Kern and Reeves agree and also be wrong?
So, sticking my head up from the rabbit hole, I look around and wonder just how this compare and contrast thing is going to work.