The Spring 2023 issue of Tricycle Magzazine has an excellent interview with Princeton Emerita Professor Jacqueline Stone discussing the history of Nichiren Buddhism. I highly recommend Knowing Nichiren.
Knowing Nichiren
Monthly Archives: February 2023
The Words of Lotus Sūtra Are the Mind of the Buddha
Those who read the Lotus Sūtra, therefore, should not regard it as consisting of merely written words. The words are the mind of the Buddha. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai states:
“When the Buddha was requested to expound the Lotus Sūtra, He preached the meaning of the teachings, not merely the words of the sūtra. The meaning of the teaching is the mind of the Buddha, which is the insight of the Buddha. The insight of the Buddha is so profound that the Buddha declined three times to preach it. He agreed to expound it only upon the fourth request. Why was it necessary to make such a difficult arrangement? It is because the Lotus Sūtra expounds the insight of the Buddha. Other sūtras were preached simply without such an arrangement.”
The “mind of the Buddha” in this commentary arises from the interpretation that the Lotus Sūtra, which is itself of the physical aspect, is of the spiritual aspect. When we define the Lotus Sūtra as the spiritual aspect and enshrine it alongside a wooden or painted image of the Buddha with 31 marks of physical excellence, the image itself becomes the living Buddha. This is what is called the attainment of Buddhahood by trees and plants.
Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto, Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 91-92
Daily Dharma – Feb. 5, 2023
Although I shall never enter into Nirvāṇa, I say to men of little virtue, ‘I shall pass away.’ I teach them with this expedient. Why is that? It is because, if they see me for a long time, they will not plant the roots of good, but become poor and base, and cling to the five desires so much that they will be caught in the nets of wrong views.
The Buddha gives this explanation in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sutra. This Chapter is the first time he reveals himself as the Ever-Present Buddha who became enlightened in the far distant past and will continue to lead all beings to enlightenment into the far distant future. The Buddha uses the death of his physical body as an expedient so that those who take him for granted will make efforts to practice his teachings. When we practice the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, then we learn to see the Buddha in ourselves and all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Between Day 32 and Day 1: The Function of Your Sense Faculty of Sight
Having last month considered the instructions for the purification of the six sense faculties, we consider the sense faculty of sight.
Throughout innumerable existences, the function of your sense faculty of sight has caused you to yearn for and become attached to various kinds of forms. Because of your attachments to various forms, you are passionate about the smallest of matters. Because of your passions for the smallest of matters, your body is derived from a woman.22 Wherever you take birth, in life after life, you are attracted and attached to all kinds of forms. Forms spoil your eyes, and you become a slave to emotion and passion: forms thus make you23 wander throughout the three realms. Such impairment renders you blind, so that you can perceive nothing.
Now, take the comprehensive Great Vehicle sutras to heart! In these sutras it is taught that forms and embodiments of the buddhas of the ten directions never cease to exist: you must now be able to recognize whether or not this is true! The dysfunction of your sense faculty of sight does you great harm! Heed what we are saying: Take refuge in the buddhas and in Śākyamuni Buddha! Regarding the impurities and faults in your sense faculty of sight, say this:
“May I be cleansed and be made to become pure by means of the Dharma water of the profound insight24 of buddhas and bodhisattvas!”
After saying these words, the practitioner must pay homage to the buddhas of the ten directions and, directing his or her heart and mind toward Śākyamuni Buddha and the Great Vehicle sutras, speak again, saying:
“I now recognize that heavy impurities obstruct, cloak, defile, and cloud my sense faculty of sight: I am blinded and can perceive nothing! May the Buddha, with great mercy and compassion, protect me! O Bodhisattva Universal Sage – aboard the great ship of Dharma in company with countless bodhisattvas of the ten directions, universally ferrying all living beings: Out of compassion and sympathy for me, please accept my way of amending myself of the unwholesome and harmful encumbrances of my sense faculty of sight!”
The practitioner must say this three times, prostrate him- or herself on the ground, and maintain right mindfulness of the Great Vehicle, neither forgetting nor forsaking it. This is called the method of self-amendment regarding impurities of the sense faculty of sight.
One who calls upon the buddhas by name, burns incense, scatters flowers, generates a Great Vehicle consciousness, hangs banners, flags, and canopies, speaks to the faults and afflictions of the eye, and undertakes self-amendment for his or her impurities will behold Śākyamuni Buddha in this present world and innumerable buddhas emanated from him as well. He or she will not fall into bitter conditions for countless kalpas of time. Through the affirmation and the power of the Great Vehicle, such a person will constantly be among and accompany all of the bodhisattvas that possess Dharma-grasping empowerments. Producing such a focus of mind is the effecting of right mindfulness; focusing on other things is described as aberrant thought. This is said to be the condition of the first stage with regard to the sense faculty of sight.
Inside the Odaimoku
Important Matters, p 56The Odaimoku in the center of the Mandala Gohonzon is manifesting the entity of the Original Buddha in our mind. As such, it contains all the Buddhas of the ten directions — the four cardinal points, the intersections between each, and the zenith and nadir. It also contains all the sentient beings of all the Dharma realms, the lands of those realms and, in fact, everything in them. In other words, everything is contained in and embraced by Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
Guiding People with the Lotus Sūtra from the Beginning
QUESTION: If the Buddha preached the Lotus Sūtra not at the beginning but after four decades of preaching lest the people might slander the sūtra, why do you suddenly expound the Lotus Sūtra without preaching the provisional sūtras first, causing the people to slander the True Dharma and fall into the evil realms?
ANSWER: While in this world the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree contemplating the capacity of the people. He foresaw that preaching the Lotus Sūtra then would cause the people to slander it and fall into the evil realms, but preaching it 40 years or so later would not cause them to slander it; instead, it would cause them to enter the way of bodhisattvas attaining the rank of shojü (state of non-regression) or even the highest rank of myōkaku (wonderful enlightenment).
In the Latter Age of Degeneration, however, it seems that there is no person equipped with the capacity to be saved by the Buddha’s dharma, not even one out of 10,000, who would be able to enter the rank of shojū. Also Buddhist masters who guide the people are no longer Buddhas, who can make judgment about the capability of the people to understand and accept the Buddha’s teaching. Therefore, the Buddha has permitted us to guide the people, both believers (who will attain Buddhahood by following the Buddha’s teaching) and non-believers (who will eventually attain Buddhahood through the merit of reverse relationship), with the Lotus Sūtra from the beginning. Even after the death of the Buddha, however, the provisional sūtras may be preached first for those whose capacity is not for the Lotus Sūtra. Also, those who place emphasis on giving joy to the people should preach provisional sūtras first just as Śākyamuni Buddha did, while those who emphasize relieving the people of their sufferings first should preach the true Lotus Sūtra just as Never-Despising Bodhisattva did.
Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 119-120.
Daily Dharma – Feb. 4, 2023
Anyone who respects the stūpa-mausoleum,
Who is modest before bhikṣus,
Who gives up self-conceit,
Who always thinks of wisdom,
Who does not get angry when asked questions,
And who expounds the Dharma
According to the capacities of the questioners,
Will be able to obtain innumerable merits.
The Buddha sings these verses to Maitreya Bodhisattva in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. The merits of which he speaks are not an indication that we are better than other beings, that we deserve more respect than others, or that we are closer to enlightenment. Merits are a measure of clarity. When we lose attachment and delusion, we gain merit. When we see things for what they are, we gain the wisdom to truly benefit others.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 32
Day 32 covers Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva, closing the Eighth Volume of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.
Having last month considered Universal-Sage Bodhisattva’s vow protect those who keep the Lotus Sutra, we consider Universal-Sage Bodhisattva’s vow given to those who study and practice the Lotus Sutra for three weeks.
“World-Honored One! The bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās who seek, keep, read, recite and copy this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], if they wish to study and practice this sūtra, should concentrate their minds [on study and practice] strenuously for three weeks. When they complete [the study and practice of] three weeks, I will mount a white elephant with six tusks, and appear before them with my body which all living beings wish to see, together with innumerable Bodhisattvas surrounding me. I will expound the Dharma to them, show them the Way, teach them, benefit them, and cause them to rejoice. I also will give them dhārāṇi spells. If they obtain these dhārāṇis, they will not be killed by nonhuman beings or captivated by women. Also I myself will always protect them. World-Honored One! Allow me to utter these dhārāṇis spells!”
Thereupon he uttered spells before the Buddha:
“Atandai (1), tandahatai (2), tandahatei (3), tandakusharei (4), tandashudarei (5), shudarei (6), shudarahachi (7), botsudahasennei (8), sarubadarani-abatani (9), sarubabasha-abataru (10), huabatani (11), sōgyahabishani (12), sōgyaneku-kyadani (13), asogi (14), sōgyahagyadai. (15), teirei-ada-sōgyatorya-aratei-haratei (16), sarubasogya-sammaji-kyarandai (17), sarubadarumashuharisettei (18), saru-basatta-rodakyōsharya-atogyadai (19), shin-abikiridaitei (20).”
[He said to the Buddha:]
“World-Honored One! It is by my supernatural powers, know this, that a Bodhisattva can hear these dhārāṇis.
The Daily Dharma from Nov. 11, 2022, offers this:
World-Honored One! The bhikṣus, bhikṣunīs, upāsakās or upāsikās who seek, keep, read, recite and copy this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in the defiled world in the later five hundred years after [your extinction], if they wish to study and practice this sūtra, should concentrate their minds [on study and practice] strenuously for three weeks. When they complete [the study and practice of] three weeks, I will mount a white elephant with six tusks, and appear before them with my body which all living beings wish to see, together with innumerable Bodhisattvas surrounding me.
Universal-Sage Bodhisattva (Fugen, Samantabhadra) makes this declaration to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren interprets “the later five hundred years” as the time in which we live today. Universal sage describes the ways in which we can practice this Sūtra. To seek it is to find it in all aspects of our lives. To keep it is to rely on its teachings and have confidence in its ability to lead us to the Buddha’s wisdom. To read and recite it is to continue to remind ourselves and others of the details of the teachings. To copy it is to make it available to others. The merits we gain through these practices allow us to see the world for what it is and be part of making it better for everyone.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Lifetime Beginner
I recently finished reading Nikkyō Niwano’s autobiography Lifetime Beginner and, frankly, I’m glad that I read Buddhism for Today before reading this. The book was originally published in Japan in 1975 and the first English translation published in 1978. As explained by Rissho Kosei-kai:
This is a refreshingly candid account of the author’s life, from his childhood on a small farm in northern Japan, through his years of religious search, and finally to the founding and growth of Rissho Kosei-kai, a lay Buddhist organization with well over six million members throughout the world.
As with all things Rissho Kosei-kai, I’m ambivalent, but rather than dwell on the troublesome aspects I want to underscore the important teaching I found.
Two Halves of the Lotus Sutra
The Lotus Sutra is divided into two sections. In the first half, defined as the “Law of Appearance,” the World-honored One, the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, discusses the organization of the universe, human life, and human relationships on the basis of his experience and enlightenment. This section of the sutra teaches human beings how they ought to live. In the second half, the “Law of Origin,” Shakyamuni Buddha expands his teachings. For the first time, he says that the true Buddha exists without beginning and without end and that he himself has consistently preached the Law and taught people throughout the universe since the infinite past.
The Buddha of the Law of Origin—the Eternal Original Buddha— is the basic life-force of the universe; he is the truth, life, and law of the entire cosmos. The teachings of the Law of Origin inform us that by tuning the wavelength of our own lives to that of the universe we can achieve the spiritual state we should attain and become truly happy. The Law of Appearance contains what is often called the expedient teachings; the Law of Origin contains the true teachings. The former is essential for a transition into the latter, but neither teaching is superior to the other: they are the complementary halves of a single Truth. (p160)
The Essential Unity
The completely egalitarian Lotus Sutra teaches that not only human beings but all beings in the universe share the potential to attain buddhahood through full manifestation and complete development of their essences, each according to their true natures. When all things, including humanity, have attained this state, we shall achieve perfect peace in the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, which ought to be the ultimate goal of all mankind.
This is the ideal concept of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, but it is not sufficient to save man, who is weak and requires spiritual support to be able to live in peace. All things in the world of phenomena are transient, and nothing is permanent enough to serve as a spiritual support except the Eternal Original Buddha, the great force of life that is the origin of the universe. Human beings and all other beings are but visible manifestations of this great invisible universal life-force.
Since the life-force is eternal and indestructible, in essence human life too is eternal, though the manifested physical body dies. A person enlightened to this truth in the deepest part of his understanding experiences everlasting tranquility. This very tranquility itself is at the same time the joy of life that throbs in man’s physical and spiritual being.
Profound enlightenment to this truth leads to an awareness of the essential unity binding all things into one great family of life. This awareness in turn inspires a deep sense of equality and love for all beings, a greater love that is called compassion. A person who is compassionate in this sense is truly valuable, and a society of such people is a paradise. This is fundamental in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Living daily in correct spiritual and physical attunement with these teachings inspires the joy of living with the Eternal Original Buddha, generates love and compassion, and eliminates the need for the kind of spiritual support provided by revelations from protective deities.
(p161-162)
Bruce Springsteen told the concert crowd at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2023, “At 15, it’s all tomorrows. And at 73, it’s a whole lot of yesterdays.” That’s certainly how I feel today at 71 years of age. I wish I had heard at age 15 the advice Nikkyō Niwano gave to Rissho Kosei-kai youth in January 1958:
“You young people are filled with energy and with the power to absorb things. This is why I want all of you to read at least part of the Threefold Lotus Sutra daily. Even a few lines are enough if you are very busy. But try to read the entire sutra once a month. If you do this, in three or four years you will make new spiritual discoveries within yourself. These discoveries will be an inspiration to you and will bring great light and good tidings into your life. Remember that we make our own happiness. And with this in mind, go forward with determination.” (p170-171)
In March 2015, I began my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra Practice. Next month will mark the completion of the eighth year of my monthly reading of the Lotus Sutra. In that time I’ve made “new spiritual discoveries” and these discoveries have brought “great light and good tidings” into my life.
The Work of the Buddha Is Never Fully Done
Important Matters, p 56There is no division between us and them or self and other. Namu Myoho Renge Kyo manifests what’s in our mind and everything beyond our minds from the perspective of the Original Buddha. The trick is for us to operate from that perspective of the Original Buddha within us. That’s incredibly difficult to maintain in every moment of one’s life. It’s not impossible; just hard. There is no easy path to enlightenment, as you can see. The work of the Buddha, our work, is never fully done.