Monthly Archives: October 2022

LS32

Day 24

Day 24 concludes Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, and closes the Sixth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Day 24 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the eight hundred merits of the body, we conclude Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma with the 1200 merits of the mind.

“Furthermore, Constant-Endeavor! The good men or women who keep, read, recite expound or copy this sūtra after my extinction, will be able to obtain twelve hundred merits of the mind. When they hear even a gāthā or a phrase [of this sūtra] with their pure minds, they will be able to understand the innumerable meanings [of this sūtra]. When they understand the meanings [of this sūtra] and expound even a phrase or a gāthā [of this sūtra] for a month, four months, or a year, their teachings will be consistent with the meanings [of this sūtra], and not against the reality of all things. When they expound the scriptures of non-Buddhist schools, or give advice to the government, or teach the way to earn a livelihood, they will be able to be in accord with the right teachings of the Buddha. 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.”

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Their minds will become pure, clear, keen and undefiled.
They will be able to recognize with their wonderful minds
The superior, mean and inferior teachings.
When they hear even a gāthā [of this sūtra],
They will be able to understand
The innumerable meanings of [this sūtra].

When they expound [this sūtra]
In good order according to the Dharma
For a month, four month or a year,
They will be able to understand at once
The thoughts of gods, dragons, men, yakṣas, demigods,
And of all the other living beings
Inside and outside this world
Composed of the six regions
Because they keep
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

They also will be able to hear and keep
The Dharma expounded to all living beings
By the innumerable Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters
Who are adorned with the marks of one hundred merits.

When they think over the innumerable meanings [of this sūtra],
And endlessly repeat the expounding of those meanings,
They will not forget or mistake the beginnings and ends [of quotations]
Because they keep the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

They will see the reality of all things.
Knowing the position [of this sūtra in the series of sūtras],
And the names and words [of this sūtra], according to the meanings of it,
They will expound [this sūtra] as they understand it.

They will expound the Dharma
Already taught by the past Buddhas.
Therefore, they will be fearless
Before the multitude.

Anyone who keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Will have his mind purified as previously stated.
Although he has not yet obtained the [wisdom-]without-āsravas,
He will be able to obtain [these merits of the mind].

When he keeps this sūtra,
He will be able to reach a rare stage.
He will be joyfully loved and respected
By all living beings.

He will be able to expound the Dharma
With tens of millions of skillful words
Because he keeps
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

[Here ends] the Sixth Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

The Daily Dharma from Oct. 16, 2022, offers this:

When he keeps this sūtra, He will be able to reach a rare stage. He will be joyfully loved and respected By all living beings.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra. He describes those who put this sūtra in their lives, and dedicate their existence to liberating all beings from ignorance and delusion. When the Buddha became enlightened, he realized all beings can become enlightened. When we work for the benefit of all beings, we find the Buddha’s mind and bring harmony into our lives and the world.

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

800years, d26b, d27b, Blog

800 Years: The Burning Question

Does faith in the Lotus Sutra require burning a finger or a toe? After all, Chapter 23, which describes the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva as Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, states:

“Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe. Then he will be given more merits than the person who offers not only countries, cities, wives and children, but also the mountains, forests, rivers and ponds of the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and various kinds of treasures.”

Gene Reeves in The Stories of the Lotus Sutra openly admits that this is his least favorite chapter for this reason. The Introduction to the Lotus Sutra felt compelled to point out:

“The offering of burning the body, which plays such a prominent part of this chapter, should not be taken literally.”

Introduction to the Lotus Sutra

I was 11 in 1963 when Thich Quang Duc, a Vietnamese Mahayana Buddhist monk, set himself ablaze in a busy Saigon intersection on June 11. Thich Quang Duc was protesting the Catholic leaders of the South Vietnamese government. Over the months more Buddhist monks immolated themselves until a US-backed coup overthrew the regime in November of that year. In the years of anti-war protests that followed in the late 1960s, the example of these Vietnamese Buddhist monks was a beacon.

Thich Nhat Hanh knew Thich Quang Duc personally and had practiced with him in Vietnam. In Peaceful Action, Open Heart, Thich Nhat Hanh stressed that Thich Quang Duc’s self-immolation was no more a suicide than Jesus’ death on the cross. It was an act of compassion:

“Because of his great compassion, he was able to sit very still as the flames engulfed him, in perfect samadhi, perfect concentration.”

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p160

In The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, Reeves offered a historical perspective on burning body parts as demonstrations of faith:

“A great many Chinese monks right down to the middle of the twentieth century followed the practice of burning off one or more of their fingers as a sign of dedication and devotion. Until very recently, virtually all Chinese monks and nuns, and I believe those in Vietnam as well, when receiving final ordination, used moxa, a kind of herb used in traditional Chinese medicine, to burn small places on their scalps, where the scars usually remained for life. This ritual burning was taken to be a sign of complete devotion to the three treasures – the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha.

“While deeply sympathetic with those who show such great devotion by sacrificing their bodies by fire, it is not a practice I can recommend to anyone. It is much better, I believe, to sacrifice our bodies through dedicated work, in a sense burning our bodies much more slowly.”

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p243-244

As the Introduction to the Lotus Sura stresses, the story Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva is meant to symbolize “the spirit of giving one’s whole self, believing wholeheartedly, embracing the Most-Venerable-One, and offering to serve the truth with all one’s body and soul.”

Table of Contents Next Essay
Daily Dharma, d24b

Daily Dharma – Oct. 16, 2022

When he keeps this sūtra, He will be able to reach a rare stage. He will be joyfully loved and respected By all living beings.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra. He describes those who put this sūtra in their lives, and dedicate their existence to liberating all beings from ignorance and delusion. When the Buddha became enlightened, he realized all beings can become enlightened. When we work for the benefit of all beings, we find the Buddha’s mind and bring harmony into our lives and the world.

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

LS32

Day 23

Day 23 covers all of Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, and opens Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma.

Day 23 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the merits of encouraging others to learn about the Lotus Sutra, we repeat in gāthās the merits of the 50th person who rejoices at hearing this sutra.

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Suppose a man rejoices at hearing this sūtra
Or at hearing even a gāthā of it
In a congregation,
And expounds it to a second person.

The second person expounds it to a third person.
In this way it is heard by a fiftieth person.
Now I will tell you of the merits
Of the fiftieth person.

Suppose there was a great almsgiver.
He continued giving alms
To innumerable living beings
For eighty years according to their wishes.

Those living beings became old and decrepit.
Their hair became grey; their faces, wrinkled;
And their teeth, fewer and deformed.
Seeing this, he thought:
“I will teach them because they will die before long.
I will cause them to obtain the fruit of enlightenment.”

Then he expounded the truth of Nirvana to them
As an expedient, saying:
“This world is as unstable
As a spray of water,
Or as a foam, or as a filament of air.
Hate it, and leave it quickly!”

Hearing this teaching, they attained Arhatship,
And obtained the six supernatural powers,
Including the three major supernatural powers,
And the eight emancipations.

The superiority of the merits of the fiftieth person
Who rejoices at hearing even a gāthā [of this sūtra]
To the merits of this [great almsgiver]
Cannot be explained by any parable or simile.

The merits of the [fiftieth] person
[Who hears this sūtra] are immeasurable.
Needless to say, so are the merits of the first person
Who rejoices at hearing it in the congregation.

The Daily Dharma from Oct. 18, 2021, offers this:

The merits of the [fiftieth] person
[Who hears this sūtra] are immeasurable.
Needless to say, so are the merits of the first person
Who rejoices at hearing it in the congregation.

The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Eighteen of the Lotus Sutra. This chapter includes a story of a person who hears the Wonderful Dharma, then explains it to the best of their ability to someone else. In this way there is a chain of fifty people who hear versions of this teaching modified by the capacities of those transmitting it. The effectiveness of this teaching does not depend on who delivers it. No matter what our capacity, any of us can teach the Lotus Sutra and practice it in our lives.

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

800years, d26b, d27b, Blog

800 Years: Our Bodhisattva Practice

One overriding theme of the Lotus Sutra is that all of those who put their faith in the sutra are Bodhisattvas. Our practice is the Bodhisattva practice, and the final chapters of the Lotus Sutra explain how we accomplish that practice.

As Gene Reeves writes in The Stories of the Lotus Sutra:

“[W]hat is the job that needs to be done? The more general answer is that the Dharma needs to be widely shared – so, especially with the Buddha no longer able to do so directly, bodhisattvas are responsible for teaching, and thus perpetuating, Buddha Dharma. The Sutra is concerned not only with teaching the Dharma in the ordinary sense; it is concerned with having the Dharma be embodied, having it be a central part of the lives of people. Early in [Chapter 23], Shakyamuni Buddha says, ‘For incalculable hundreds of thousands of billions of eons, I have studied and practiced this rare Dharma of supreme awakening.’ Notice that he says both ‘studied’ and ‘practiced.’ Practicing the Dharma goes beyond studying it to embody it in one’s life. Thus bodhisattvas have a responsibility not only of teaching the Dharma by words, but also by demonstrating and exemplifying it in their actions.

“It is because of this role as exemplars of the Dharma that bodhisattvas, both mythical and human, can be models for us. Because they are said to have many marvelous powers, people may pray to a bodhisattva for relief from some kind of danger or suffering, but that is not the most useful way to understand our relationship to such bodhisattvas. … If various bodhisattvas have found skills and powers with which to help others, we too can develop skill in ways of helping others.”

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p235

And one who practices in this manner is a light to the world. As Nichiren writes in “Shijō Kingo-dono Nyōbō Gohenji”:

“The ten parables preached in the ‘Medicine King Bodhisattva’ chapter of the Lotus Sūtra seem to compare the relative merits of the Lotus Sūtra against all other Buddhist scriptures, though this is not the true intent of Śākyamuni Buddha. In actuality, what the Buddha is preaching is that when we compare the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra against the practicer of all other scriptures of Buddhism, the former is like the sun and moon while the latter is like stars and lights.

“How do we know this? We know this because of the most important statement in the eighth parable: ‘Likewise, one who is able to uphold this sūtra is the most superior of all living beings.’ These 22 Chinese characters are the foremost essence of the entire Lotus Sūtra. …

“Therefore, anyone in this world, male or female, laity or clergy, who upholds the Lotus Sūtra will be regarded by the Buddha to be the lord of all living beings and revered by the King of the Brahma Heaven and Indra. When I think of this, my joy is beyond expression.”

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II,
Pages 120-121

Table of Contents Next Essay
Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma – Oct. 15, 2022

I do not deceive
Those who believe me and rely on me.
I am not greedy or jealous
Because I have eliminated all evils.
Therefore, in the worlds of the ten quarters,
I am fearless.

The Buddha proclaims these verses to his disciple Śāriputra in Chapter Two of the Lotus Sutra. In this world of conflict, people believe that they must constantly strive to show that they are better than everyone else. Acquiring more material goods or a higher rank or position supposedly proves superiority. And if there is an encounter with someone who is better, that person must be brought down. What people do not realize that the source of greed and jealousy is fear. Like the Buddha, we too can eliminate our fears when we are satisfied with what we have and regard superior beings as a source of benefit.

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

LS32

Day 22

Day 22 covers all of Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits.

Day 22 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered great benefits of hearing the the duration of the Buddha’s life, we consider the reaction of the gods in heaven to the great merits obtained by the bodhisattvas.

When the Buddha said that these Bodhisattva-mahāsattva had obtained the great benefits of the Dharma, [the gods) in heaven rained mandārava-flowers and mahā-mandārava-flowers on the many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas sitting on the lion-like seats under the jeweled trees. They also rained those flowers on [the two Buddhas:] Many-Treasures Tathāgata, who had passed away a long time ago, and Śākyamuni Buddha, both of whom were sitting on the lion-like seat in the stupa of the seven treasures. They also rained those flowers on the great Bodhisattvas’ and the four kinds of devotees. They also rained the fine powder of the incense of candana and aloes [on them). Heavenly drums automatically sounded wonderful and deep in the sky. [The gods] also rained thousands of heavenly garments and hung many necklaces made of pearls, mani gems or free-at-will gems over the nine quarters. They also burned priceless incense which was put in incense-burners of many treasures. The incense-burners automatically went around the great congregation, and the odor of the incense was offered to all the members of the congregation. Above each of the Buddhas [sitting under the trees), Bodhisattvas lined up vertically one upon another to the Heaven of Brahman, holding canopies and streamers. They praised the Buddhas, singing innumerable verses with their wonderful voices.

See Four Entrances to the Power of the Dharma

800years, PhraseADay

800 Years: A Single Drop of Faith

SENJI-SHO

The ocean consists of water from many rivers. Mount Sumeru consists of soil and rocks. When I, Nichiren, began to believe in the Lotus Sutra, I was like one drop of water in the ocean or a handful of soil of the mountain, compared to all people of Japan. However, if the number of the believers increases from two to three and to hundreds, thousands, millions; then, it becomes the huge Mount Sumeru of Buddhahood or the great ocean of nirvana.

(Background : June 1275, 53 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon, p.1054)

Explanatory note

The Nichiren Sect has traditionally held such a slogan as “Itten Shikai Kaiki Myoho,” or “Convert the entire people under the heaven within four seas to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.” Kenji Miyazawa, a poet and follower of the Lotus Sutra, stated, “There will be no individual happiness until the whole world becomes happy.”

Nichiren Daishonin’s earnest desire for the attainment of Buddhahood through the recitation of Odaimoku does not stop at the level of individual salvation. The voice of the recitation should not only penetrate the heart of the individual who recites it but should also achieve the attainment of Buddhahood for the entire people.

He had appealed his religious view to Kamakura Government three times. They were 1.) “Rissho Ankoku Ron” completed and given to the government in 1260, 2.) appeal on the occasion of his persecution at Tatsunokuchi in 1271, and 3.) the appeal to the government in 1274. They were all his frantic efforts to materialize his sincere desire. The four major persecutions and the numerous lesser persecutions all befell him around the time he made these expostulations. They served as tests of his prayer for the happiness and attainment of Buddhahood for the entire world.

He kept his composure throughout these hardships, and stated that the vast ocean consists of drops of water, and Mt. Sumeru is composed of grains of soil. That is, each individual’s voice in the prayer of the Lotus Sutra which he advocated may not reach afar, yet the voice will gain compassion in due course of time and will spread far and wide, eventually reaching the pinnacle of the absolute spiritual awakening of our original teacher, the Buddha Sakyamuni. Nichiren had no doubt that the vast ocean of absolute salvation (i.e., nirvana) would reveal itself to the world. Thus, he confidently predicted the future of propagation and spread of his teaching.

Today, we receive our salvation through the prayer of the Lotus Sutra and enjoy its protection. But we must question to what extent we have responded to Nichiren’s great compassion.

Nichiren has led us to the world of great salvation of the Lotus Sutra. We must in turn do our utmost to spread the salvation of the sutra to the numerous individuals covering the entire land. We must realize that it is the proof of our faith to help to guide the whole world to happiness and attainment of Buddhahood.

Rev. Ikuta

Phrase A Day

Daily Dharma, d22b

Daily Dharma – Oct. 14, 2022

It cannot be that the good man or woman who obtained merits [by understanding my longevity by faith even at a moment’s thought] falters in walking the Way to Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.”

The Buddha makes this declaration to the Bodhisattva Maitreya in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. We all have experiences that take a long time either to understand or to realize what affect they have had on our lives. We may even forget the experience and not be able to connect it with a present situation. This is also true with the experience of hearing the Buddha teach. We hear him declare that he is ever-present, always leading us to enlightenment. Then the memory of that teaching becomes obscured by our daily pursuits and attachments. By reminding ourselves and each other of this highest teaching, we regain our right minds and walk confidently on the path to the Buddha’s own enlightenment (Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi).

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

LS32

Day 21

Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.

Day 21 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered whether the Buddha’s use of expedients is the same as lying, we repeat in gāthās the duration of the life of the Tathāgata,

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

It is many hundreds of thousands
Of billions of trillions
Of asaṃkhyas of kalpas
Since I became the Buddha.

For the past innumerable kalpas
I have always been expounding the Dharma
To many hundreds of millions of living beings
In order to lead them into the Way to Buddhahood.

In order to save the [perverted] people,
I expediently show my Nirvāṇa to them.
In reality I shall never pass away.
I always live here and expound the Dharma.

Although I always live here
With the perverted people
I disappear from their eyes
By my supernatural powers.

When they see me seemingly pass away,
And make offerings to my śarīras,
And adore me, admire me,
And become devout, upright and gentle,
And wish to see me
With all their hearts
At the cost of their lives,
I reappear on Mt. Sacred Eagle
With my Saṃgha,
And say to them:
“I always live here.
I shall never be extinct.
I show my extinction to you expediently
Although I never pass away.
I also expound the unsurpassed Dharma
To the living beings of the other worlds
If they respect me, believe me,
And wish to see me.
You have never heard this
Therefore, you thought that I pass away.”

The Daily Dharma from Aug. 14, 2022, offers this:

In order to save the [perverted] people,
I expediently show my Nirvāṇa to them.
In reality I shall never pass away.
I always live here and expound the Dharma.

The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. This is part of the explanation that his existence in the physical form of Śākyamuni was only one way that he leads all beings to enlightenment. The Buddha described his ever-present nature as the most difficult of his teachings to believe and understand. Recognizing the presence of the Buddha in the world is the same as recognizing Buddha nature in ourselves and all beings. Knowing that the Buddha is always available to help us in this difficult practice of the Wonderful Dharma means we do not need to rely on our own limited abilities. The store of the Dharma is always available to us. We just need to find it and use it.

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