Important Matters, p 41-42Every phrase, every character of the Lotus Sutra is contained in Myoho Renge Kyo. The five Chinese characters contain every stroke and every mark of all the 69,384 characters comprising the Lotus Sutra. All of the virtues of the entire 28 chapters of the text are all contained within the five characters of the title. Every single character within the text of the sutra contains all the virtues of the five character title. Neither is too small, nor too large. Neither is required to expand or contract to accommodate or fill the other. Every character produces virtue due to its relationship with and inclusion of all the other characters. To ignore the text or to ignore the title deprives us of the mutual benefit of the two together. I imagine this much like the relationship of beans and rice. Both contain protein yet when combined the total protein is greater than the sum of their individual proteins. That is perhaps why, even without understanding the science of protein analysis, you can find some version of a beans and rice combination food staple in cultures throughout the world. And so it is with the characters of the title of the sutra and the body text.
“Each character produces virtue just as the wish fulfilling jewel constantly rains down many other jewels. Even one jewel is enough, while 10,000 jewels are not too many. No matter the quantity what is produced in sufficient. You should know that each character and sound spreads throughout the Dharma-realm go propagate the Buddha’s teaching in the past, present, and future, bringing benefit to all beings.”
Shutei Hoyo Shiki, page 394
Monthly Archives: January 2023
Precious Life
Jl RI KUYO GOSHO
Water is essential for fish to live. Soil is essential for plants to grow. Food is essential for man to live. To live is most essential for all.
(Background : 1276, 54 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon, p.1261)
Explanatory note
Nichiren Daishonin emphasized the importance to respect our life as well as to seek eternal life. He said, “To maintain our life is more valuable than gaining a million pieces of gold.” However, these words will be in vain if we forget to have a prayer for eternal life.
According to Buddhism, one equals all. In other words, one would contain whole things and the whole things would be attributed to one. After all, one and all are identified without hindrance. Nichiren Daishonin goes a step further and finds the absolute unity between self and others in this reality. In other parts of his teaching, he says, “The true life will be found in matters in our society.” Therefore, in our daily lives, it is necessary to make efforts to maintain our physical life as well as to seek eternal life.
The dignity of man’s life is expressed as “Not-killing” in Buddhism. Fear of wars and nuclear weapons can not be erased from our minds. We are in danger all the time as Damocles who, looking up, found a sword suspended above his head by a single hair. At this age, we must listen with attention to the important message of the Buddha “Do not kill.” At the same time, we must always be thankful for the fact that we have life in this world.
It is a common ethic throughout the world to be grateful for living on this earth. Oriental people express their gratitude through veneration, especially of Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. It is called “kuyo” and it is the most essential morality of their religious lives.
Thus, we show our gratitude for the teachings of the Buddha and favors of the land, by refraining from any negative act of human dignity.
Rev. Matsuda
Phrase A DayDaily Dharma – Jan. 24, 2023
Those who come to this teacher of the Dharma
Will be able to complete the Way of Bodhisattvas quickly.
Those who follow him and study will be able to see
As many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges.
The Buddha sings these verses to Medicine-King Bodhisattva in Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sūtra. By teacher of the Dharma, the Buddha means anyone who keeps, reads, recites, copies and expounds this Sūtra. As we continue on this Way, we learn to recognize the Buddha’s presence in every aspect of our experience. We learn to appreciate everything the Buddha does for us, and to show that gratitude to all those in whom we recognize the Buddha. Then we realize there is no shortage of teachers, no shortage of joy and no shortage of opportunities to benefit others.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 21
Day 21 covers all of Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata.
Having last month concluded Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata, we begin again consider the admonition of the Buddha to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others.
Thereupon the Buddha aid to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
He said to the great multitude again, “Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”He said to them once again, “Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
Thereupon the great multitude of Bodhisattvas, headed by Maitreya, joined their hands together and said to the Buddha, “World-Honor done, tell us! We will receive your words by faith.”
They said this three times. Then they said once again, “Tell us! We will receive your words by faith.”
The Daily Dharma from March 31, 2021, offers this:
Thereupon the Buddha said to the great multitude including Bodhisattvas and others, “Good men! Understand my sincere and infallible words by faith!”
With these words, the Buddha prepares those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. “Understanding by faith” can be a difficult idea for those of us who believe faith is opposed to understanding; that it means believing something even though we do not understand it. The Buddha does not ask us to set aside our curiosity or our comprehension to practice his highest teaching. But he does say that it takes more than understanding to reach the wisdom he attained. As we apprehend more of what the Buddha teaches us, our confidence in him grows. As we set aside our doubts about the benefits of the Buddha Dharma, we increase our ability to see the world for what it is.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Lessons of Devadatta and the Dragon King’s Daughter
This is another in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.
In comparing Senchu Murano’s English translation of the story of Devadatta and the Dragon King’s Daughter with H. Kern’s English translation from the Sanskrit, we need to start with the fact that this chapter wasn’t translated by Kumārajīva. According to the explanation in Murano’s Introduction, Chapter 12 was translated by Fa-i in 490 CE and inserted into Kumārajīva’s version at the beginning of the sixth century. In Kern’s translation, the material doesn’t appear as a separate chapter but is instead spliced onto the end of Chapter 11, Apparition of a Stūpa.
The two translations appear even closer than the chapters translated by Kumārajīva. Take for instance the opening scene.
Kern offers:
Thereupon the Lord addressed the whole company of Bodhisattvas and the world, including gods and demons, and said: Of yore, monks, in times past I have, unwearied and without repose, sought after the Sūtra of the Lotus of the True Law, during immense, immeasurable Æons; many Æons before I have been a king, during many thousands of Æons. Having once taken the strong resolution to arrive at supreme, perfect enlightenment, my mind did not swerve from its aim. I exerted myself to fulfil the six Perfections (Pāramitās), bestowing immense alms: gold, money, gems, pearls, lapis lazuli, conch-shells, stones (?), coral, gold and silver, emerald, Musāragalva, red pearls; villages, towns, boroughs, provinces, kingdoms, royal capitals; wives, sons, daughters, slaves, male and female; elephants, horses, cars, up to the sacrifice of life and body, of limbs and members, hands, feet, head.
Murano offers:
Thereupon the Buddha said to the Bodhisattvas, gods, men and the four kinds of devotees:
“When I was a Bodhisattva] in my previous existence, I sought the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma for innumerable kalpas without indolence. I became a king [and continued to be so] for many kalpas. [Although I was a king,] I made a vow to attain unsurpassed Bodhi. I never faltered in seeking it. I practiced alms-giving in order to complete the six pāramitās. I never grudged elephants, horses, the seven treasures, countries, cities, wives, children, menservants, maidservants or attendants. I did not spare my head, eyes, marrow, brain, flesh, hands or feet. I did not spare even my life.”
The principal difference is that Murano’s translation inserts material within square brackets that he felt necessary for clarity.
Another telling similarity is the “error” concerning the direction from which the Stūpa of Treasures arrived.
At the beginning of Chapter 11, Murano has the Buddha explain that:
“The perfect body of a Tathāgata is in this stūpa of treasures. A long time ago there was a world called Treasure-Purity at the distance of many thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of worlds to the east [of this world]. In that world lived a Buddha called Many-Treasures.”
Kern, however, says:
Thus asked, the Lord spake to Mahāpratibhāna, the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva, as follows: In this great Stūpa of precious substances, Mahāpratibhāna, the proper body of the Tathāgata is contained condensed; his is the Stūpa; it is he who causes this sound to go out. In the point of space below, Mahāpratibhāna, there are innumerable thousands of worlds. Further on is the world called Ratnaviṣuddha, there is the Tathāgata named Prabhūtaratna, the Arhat, &c.
While Many Treasures lived in the east in Chapter 11, both Murano and Kern agree that the stūpa arrived from the nadir in the story of the Dragon King’s Daughter.
Murano has:
At that time Many-Treasures, the World-Honored One, who had come from the nadir,’ was accompanied by a Bodhisattva called Accumulated-Wisdom. The Bodhisattva said to Many-Treasures Buddha, “Shall we go back to our home world?”
Kern has:
At that moment a Bodhisattva of the name of Pragñākūṭa, having come from beneath the Buddha field of the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna, said to the Tathāgata Prabhūtaratna: Lord, let us resort to our own Buddha-field.
Next: Encouragement
The Title and the Text
Important Matters, p 41Both the title [of the Lotus Sutra] and the text are deeply connected and both are necessary. Myoho Renge Kyo is the key to open a locked door. The following 28 chapters are what is to be opened. To consider one separately from the other would be like trying to enter your home through a locked door without pulling the key out of your pocket and inserting it into the lock. While it is true that you have the key, without actually utilizing it you will have difficulty entering your home. Even in the case of my electronic lock, without either the key or my cell phone the magic of automatic entry or backup manual entry is not possible. Like my electronic door lock, which automatically unlocks when I pull into my driveway, the benefits of the Lotus Sutra come to us when we both practice and study, even without our full understanding. This is faith.
Women’s Power
KYODAI SHO
To be a woman is to be obedient, and consequently she will have her way.
(Background : April 16, 1275, 53 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon p.932)
TOKI AMA GOZEN GOSHO
An arrow is directed by the power of its bow. The clouds move with the power of wind. The works of man (husband) are seeded by woman (wife).
(Background : March 27, 1276, 54 years old, at Minobu, Showa Teihon p.1147)
Explanatory note
The above two letters are often quoted at wedding ceremonies addressed to the brides. They are not only beneficial for women but also for everyone. The quotation means not to push one’s desire or plan disregarding others, rather to see reality and to follow the reality, then one’s desire or plan will be materialized.
Nichiren Daishonin is telling us that husband and wife should demonstrate individual ability in their union and that any partnership is the same. It is the wife’s skill that helps the husband to be successful in his work and his faith.
Rev. Kanai
Phrase A DayDaily Dharma – Jan. 23, 2023
Having made these offerings [to the Buddha], he emerged from the samādhi, and thought, ‘I have now made offerings to the Buddha by my supernatural powers. But these offerings are less valuable than the offering of my own body.’
In Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha tells the story of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. This Bodhisattva practiced under an ancient Buddha, and made exorbitant offerings to that Buddha through his supernatural powers. He then realized that all the riches of the universe that he could conjure up paled in comparison to the treasure of his own body and his own life. He then made an offering of his body to the Buddha, which illuminated innumerable worlds. Nichiren wrote often of the hardships he faced in his life and those of his followers. He wrote of “reading the Lotus Sūtra with our bodies,” meaning bringing the Buddha’s wisdom to life in our lives. When we act according to the Wonderful Dharma, no matter what hardships we face, then we too are living the Lotus Sūtra, and making a perfect offering from our gratitude to the Buddha.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 20
Day 20 completes Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground, and concludes the Fifth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month considered the Buddha’s explanation of he taught these Bodhisattvas, we consider Maitreya’s doubts.
Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva-mahāsattva and the innumerable Bodhisattvas in the congregation doubted the Buddha’s words which they had never heard before. They thought:
‘How did the World-Honored One teach these great, innumerable, asaṃkhya Bodhisattvas, and qualify them to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi in such a short time?’
[Maitreya Bodhisattva] said to the Buddha:
“World-Honored One! When you, the Tathāgata, were a crown prince, you left the palace of the Śākyas, sat at the place of enlightenment not far from the City of Gaya, and attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. It is only forty and odd years since then.
“World-Honored One! How did you do these great deeds of the Buddha in such a short time? Did you teach these great, innumerable Bodhisattvas, and qualify them to attain Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi by your powers or by your merits?
“World-Honored One! No one can count the number of these great Bodhisattvas even if he goes on counting them for thousands of billions of kalpas. They have already planted roots of good, practiced the way, and performed brahma practices under innumerable Buddhas from the remotest past.
“World-Honored One! It is difficult for anyone in the world to believe this. It is as difficult as to believe a handsome, black-haired man twenty-five years old who points to men a hundred years old and says, ‘They are my sons,’ or as to believe men a hundred years old who point to a young man and say, ‘This is our father. He brought us up.’ You are like the young man. It is not long since you attained enlightenment. But it is many thousands of billions of kalpas since the great multitude of these Bodhisattvas began to practice the Way strenuously in order to attain the enlightenment of the Buddha. During that time they entered into, stayed in, and came out of many hundreds of thousands of billions of samadhis, and obtained great supernatural powers. They performed brahma practices for a long time. They learned good teachings one by one, and obtained the ability to answer questions skillfully. They are regarded as the treasures of the world of men by all the people of the world because they are rare. Today you say that, after you attained the enlightenment of the Buddha, you caused them to aspire for enlightenment, taught them, and led them into the Way to Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.
“World-Honored One! You did these deeds of great merit although it is not long since you attained Buddhahood. We believe that your words given according to the capacities of all living beings are infallible, and that we understand all that you know. But the beginners in Bodhisattvahood after your extinction, if they hear these words of yours, will not receive them by faith but commit the sin of violating the Dharma. Therefore, World-Honored One! Explain all this so that we may be able to remove our doubts and that the good men in the future may have no doubts when they hear these words of yours!”
The Daily Dharma from Dec. 9, 2022, offers this:
World-Honored One! It is difficult for anyone in the world to believe this. It is as difficult as to believe a handsome, black-haired man twenty-five years old who points to men a hundred years old and says, ‘They are my sons,’ or as to believe men a hundred years old who point to a young man and say, ‘This is our father. He brought us up.’
Maitreya Bodhisattva explains his perplexity to the Buddha in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. The Buddha had just revealed that he was who taught all the Bodhisattvas who have appeared from underground to continue teaching the Wonderful Dharma after the extinction of the Buddha. Maitreya realizes that his doubts are no different from those of those gathered to hear the Buddha teach and asks the Buddha to explain. When our experience does not match what the Buddha teaches, we should not keep silence and just accept what he tells us. It is only through sincere questioning that we find the Buddha’s mind and make it our own.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
The Lotus Sutra’s Limitless Resources
Important Matters, p 39-40Contained within the teachings of the Lotus Sutra are limitless resources for us to navigate our life situation. We will never know them if we ignore reading, reciting, and studying. As Nichiren says in the Shoho Jisso Sho, “Endeavor, endeavor to strengthen your faith.” As Wu-chin says, our small voices are relayed to the King of the Brahma Heaven. And this pleases not only the living and the dead, it also pleases the Brahma King. It’s always nice to make the Brahma King happy.
I feel as if I am being a bit redundant here so rather than continuing to repeat myself and the wise ancient elders, I’ll wrap it up by simply encouraging you to pursue with joy, with vigor, with determination the practice of reciting the sutra. Get a hold of a copy of the Romanized version of the Shindoku text of the Lotus Sutra and practice reciting in this way. If you are unable to do that right now have it as an eventual goal and recite from the English a portion of the Lotus Sutra every day. Your life will change, and your faith with strengthen.