Petzold, Buddhist Prophet Nichiren , p 46-47Nichiren identified reason or theory (ri) with the shakumon, and substance or practice (ji) with the hommon. In other words, the first fourteen chapters were to him mere abstract teaching, while the last fourteen chapters constituted for him the concrete teaching. According to him, ri or abstract teaching was congenial with the Tendai School, while ji or concrete teaching was appropriate to the Nichiren School. This identification of shakumon with ri and of hommon with ji is another instance where Nichiren’s teaching differs from Tendai Daishi’s teaching. Though both agreed on the division of the sūtra into shakumon and hommon, Tendai Daishi emphasized the identical nature of both parts. He maintained that the Ten Mysteries of each coincided; that both parts contained the Three Dharmas, in which the Law of the Living Beings was the standard for shakumon, and the Law of the Buddha the standard for hommon. He says textually: “Notwithstanding hon and shaku being different, they are the same in being incomprehensible.” Incomprehensible (fushigi) is to be here understood as wonderful or mysterious (myō), i.e. transcending all relative understanding and mental capacity.
Nichiren opposed these theses, restating his belief that shakumon, instead of being identical with hommon, was inferior to it. In the fivefold “Classification of the Five Gradual Contrasts” (Go-jū sō-tai), the Contrast of Origin and Trace is the fourth of five contrasts. Here the Origin (hon) is the fundamental teaching of the Hoke-kyō, while the Trace (shaku) is that which is not considered as fundamental. In his Jippōkai ji, Nichiren further condenses the evolution of Buddhism into four stages:
- ni zen—teaching before Hokke
- shakutnon—teaching of Trace
- hommon—teaching of Origin
- kanjin—meditation on mind
Thus the whole teaching by Śākyamuni proceeds from shallow to deeper and deeper levels: Nichiren says in this book: “When the great teaching of shakumon arises, then the teachings before it perish. When the great teaching of hommon arises, then shakumon and the teachings before it perish. When the great teaching of kanjin arises, then all hon and shaku and all teachings before it perish.” The real meaning of hommon appears therefore in kanjin, in intuition. It is this hommon of higher potence which Nichiren calls “the great white doctrine among the great white doctrines”, “the mystical medicine among the mystical medicines.”
Monthly Archives: May 2023
Daily Dharma – May 16, 2023
I led all living beings at first with the teaching of the Three Vehicles. Now I will save them by the Great Vehicle only. Why is that? It is because, if I had given them the teaching of the Great Vehicle at first directly from my store of the Dharma in which my immeasurable wisdom, powers and fearlessness are housed, they would not have received all of the Dharma.
The Buddha speaks these words to Śāriputra in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra. This is part of his explanation of why he needed to use expedient teachings of the Three Vehicles prior to giving the Great Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra, and why expedient teachings need to be set aside. Since the earlier teachings were tailored to the limited capacity of the hearers, they could not hold all of the Buddha’s wisdom. In the Great Vehicle, the Buddha teaches us with his wisdom, and increases our capacity.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 31
Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.
Having last month considered the reaction of the two sons when that Buddha expounded the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, we consider the wonders the two sons displayed to lead their father to seek the Buddha teaching.
“Thereupon the two sons went up to the sky seven times as high as the tala-tree, and displayed various wonders because they were thinking of their father. They walked, stood, sat, and reclined in the sky. Then they issued water from the upper parts of their bodies, and fire from the lower parts. Then they issued water from the lower parts of their bodies, and fire from the upper parts. Then they became giants large enough to fill the sky, became dwarfs, and became giant again. Then they disappeared from the sky and suddenly appeared on the earth. Then they dived into the earth just as into water, and stepped on the surface of water just as on the earth. [Then they went up to the sky and stayed there.] By displaying these various wonders, they purified the mind of their father, that is, of the king, and caused him to understand the Dharma by faith.
“Seeing [these wonders displayed by] the supernatural powers of his sons, the father had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He joined his hands together towards his sons [staying in the sky], and said, ‘Who is your teacher? Whose disciples are you?’
“The two sons said, ‘Great King! Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, who is now sitting on the seat of the Dharma under the Bodhi-tree of the seven treasures, is expounding the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to all the gods and men of the world. He is our teacher. We are his disciples.
“The father said to them, ‘I also wish to see your teacher. I will go with you.’
The Daily Dharma from Jan. 13, 2023, offers this:
Seeing [these wonders displayed by] the supernatural powers of his sons, the father had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He joined his hands together towards his sons [staying in the sky], and said, ‘Who is your teacher? Whose disciples are you?’
King Wonderful-Adornment makes this declaration to his sons in Chapter Twenty-Seven of the Lotus Sūtra. His sons had been asked by their mother to display their supernatural powers to their father and awaken the desire in him to hear the Buddha Dharma. We all have abilities of which we are not aware, and can cultivate those abilities so that they may seem miraculous to those who do not understand them. But it is important for us not to fall in the trap of using these abilities to strengthen our ego delusion. Instead we should dedicate our talents towards awakening the joy of the Wonderful Dharma in all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Talismanic Words for Guard, Defense, and Protection
This is another in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.
In H. Kern’s English translation of the 11th century Nepalese Sanskrit Lotus Sutra, the Dhārānis chapter appears between The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas chapter and The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. And that’s the most significant difference between Kern’s Spells chapter and Kumārajīva’s Dhārānis chapter.
The two bodhisattvas, two heavenly kings, and ten female rākṣasa demons and the mother of demons each make an appearance. Each offers what Kern describes as “talismanic words for guard, defense, and protection.”
There are as many differences between English translations of Kumārajīva’s Chinese Lotus Sutra as there are between Kern’s translation and those of Kumārajīva.
Kern opens the chapter with:
Thereupon the Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja rose from his seat, and having put his upper robe upon one shoulder and fixed the right knee upon the ground lifted his joined hands up to the Lord and said: How great, O Lord, is the pious merit which will be produced by a young man of good family or a young lady who keeps this Dharmaparyāya of the Lotus of the True Law, either in memory or in a book?
Senchu Murano opens translation of Kumārajīva with:
Thereupon Medicine-King Bodhisattva rose front his seat, bared his right shoulder, joined his hands together towards the Buddha, and said to him:
“World-Honored One! How many merits will be given to the good men or women who keep, read, recite, understand or copy the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma?”
The difference between Kern’s action “keeps this Dharmaparyāya of the Lotus of the True Law, either in memory or in a book” and Murano’s “keep, read, recite, understand or copy the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma” is consistent among the English translators of Kumārajīva.
Gene Reeves opens his “Incantations” chapter with:
At that time Medicine King Bodhisattva rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, put his palms together facing the Buddha, and said to him: “World-Honored One, if there are good sons or good daughters who can embrace the Dharma Flower Sutra, read and recite it, gain insight into it, or copy it onto a scroll, how many blessings will they obtain?”
Burton Watson opens his “Dharani” chapter with:
At that time Bodhisattva Medicine King rose from his seat, bared his right shoulder, pressed his palms together and, facing the Buddha, spoke to him, saying, “World-Honored One, if there are good men or good women who can accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra, if they read and recite it, penetrate its meaning, or copy the sutra scrolls, how much merit will they gain?”
Another minor difference is the predicted reaction if someone abuses a person protected by the Dhārānis. Kern has Bodhisattva Mahāsattva Bhaiṣajyarāja say:
. All these Buddhas would be offended by any one who would attack such preachers, such keepers of the Sūtrānta.
Murano has Medicine-King Bodhisattva say:
Those who attack and abuse this teacher of the Dharma should be considered to have attacked and abused those Buddhas.”
This difference between Kern’s “offended” Buddhas and the “attack and abuse” of Buddhas in Murano is consistent among the English translators of Kumārajīva.
The Modern Risshō Kōsei-kai translation has:
Those who would persecute the teachers of the Dharma will have persecuted these buddhas.
The BDK English Tripiṭaka offers:
Anyone who attacks or slanders an expounder of the Dharma also attacks or slanders these buddhas.
One other difference is Kern’s description of the rākṣasas demons as “giantesses.” Since rākṣasas is a Sanskrit term for an Indian mythological creature, one would expect that even in 1884, when Kern was translating the Lotus Sutra, they would not be described as “giantesses.” As described in Lotus World, the rākṣasas are “flesh eating, blood drinking, or spirit draining demons.”
The only English translator of Kumārajīva who doesn’t call these demons rākṣasas is Gene Reeves, who calls them “ogresses.” But that is prompted by Reeves decision to change the names of all of the Indian mythological creatures into Greek and Roman equivalents.
Classification of the Hoke-kyō
Petzold, Buddhist Prophet Nichiren , p 45-46Nichiren classifies the Hoke-kyō in the Kanjin Honzon shō according to Kumārajīva’s translation, where the first fourteen chapters form the shakumon part, and the remaining fourteen the hommon part. The shakumon consists of:
- The Introductory Part, composed of the Muryōgi-kyō [Innumerable Meanings Sutra] and Chapter 1 of the proper Hoke-kyō, dealing with “The Assembly and the Illumination.”
- The Main Part, formed by the eight chapters from Chapter 2 on “Tactful Revelation” to Chapter 9, narrating the “Prediction of the Future Destiny of Ānanda, Rāhula and the Two Thousand Monks.”
- The Concluding Part, comprising the five chapters from Chapter 10 on “The Preacher” to Chapter 14 on “The Serene Life.”
The hommon consists of:
- The Introductory Part, including the first half of Chapter 15 on “The Hosts of Bodhisattvas issuing from the Earth.”
- The Main Part, containing the second half of Chapter 15, Chapter 16 on “The Eternal Life of the Tathāgata,” and the first half of Chapter 17 on “The Merit and Reward of Faith.”
- The Concluding Part, consisting of the second half of Chapter 17, the remaining eleven chapters of the proper Hoke-kyō, and in addition the Fugen kan-gyō [Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal-virtue].
This classification coincides with Tendai Daishi’s classification with only one exception—this being that Tendai Daishi does not include the Muryōgi-kyō and the Fugen kan-gyō. Nichiren considered that the main part of the sūtra as a whole was the doctrinal parts of Chapter Il , which maintains that the adherents of the Two Vehicles can become Buddha, and Chapter 16, which says that Śākyamuni is the absolute Buddha since eternity.
Daily Dharma – May 15, 2023
Knowing that people wish to hear
The teachings of the Lesser Vehicle,
And that they are afraid of having the great wisdom,
[My sons, that is,] the Bodhisattvas transform themselves
Into Śrāvakas or cause-knowers,
And teach the people with innumerable expedients.
The Buddha sings these verses in Chapter Eight of the Lotus S̄ūtra. Our fear of the Buddha’s wisdom comes from the attachment we have to our delusions. At some level we know that we are suffering, but we believe that anything different from how we live now will be worse. There are times when someone who seems to share our delusions can help us move away from them. But then as an actor becomes so absorbed in a role that he forgets his real life, those who choose a life in this world of conflict can forget their existence as Bodhisattvas who have vowed to benefit all beings. This Wonderful Dharma reminds us of this vow and helps us appreciate those who are still bound by delusion and what we can learn from them.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 30
Day 30 covers all of Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs
Having last month considered the Dhāraṇīs offered by World-Holding Heavenly-King, we meet the 10 rākṣasas daughters and the Mother-Of-Devils and her children.
There are rākṣasas called 1. Lambā, 2. Vilambā, 3. Crooked-Teeth, 4. Flower-Teeth, 5. Black-Teeth, 6. Many-Hairs, 7. Insatiable, 8. Necklace-Holding, 9. Kuntī, and 10. Plunderer-Of-Energy-Of-All-Beings. These ten rākṣasas [and their attendants] came to the Buddha, together with Mother-Of-Devils and her children and attendants. They said to the Buddha simultaneously:
“World-Honored One! We also will protect the person who reads, recites and keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma so that he may have no trouble. No one shall take advantage of the weak points of this teacher of the Dharma.”
Then they uttered spells before the Buddha:
“Ideibi (1), ideibin (2), ideibi (3), adeibi ( 4), ideibi (5), deibi (6), deibi (7), deibi (8), deibi (9), deibi (10), rokei (11), rokei (12), rokei (13), rokei (14), takei (15), takei (16), takei (17), tokei (18), tokei (19).”
The Daily Dharma from March 20, 2023, offers this:
These ten rākṣasīs [and their attendants] came to the Buddha, together with Mother-Of-Devils and her children and attendants. They said to the Buddha simultaneously: “World-Honored One! We also will protect the person who reads, recites and keeps the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma so that he may have no trouble. No one shall take advantage of the weak points of this teacher of the Dharma.”
These fierce demons make this promise to the Buddha in Chapter Twenty-Six of the Lotus Sūtra. Mother-of-Devils, also known as Kishimojin, was once a demon who stole and ate human children, until the Buddha reminded her that humans loved their children in the same way she loved her own. The Buddha does not judge or condemn any being. Instead he uses his insight to transform our understanding to see the harm we create in the world through satisfying our selfish desires. When we work for the benefit of all beings, we find all beings working for our benefit also.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Shi Gaku and Hon Gaku
Petzold, Buddhist Prophet Nichiren , p 42All Buddhas of the subordinate state are like the images of the moon reflected upon many waters. Only the Buddha of the original state is like the real moon in the sky.
The original state of Buddha means the Original Enlightenment or hon gaku. The subordinate state of Buddha means the Enlightenment that has a Beginning or shi gaku. Shi gaku is understood as historical, hon gaku as absolute; the first is rather intellectual, connected with instruction and learning, the latter purely intuitive. However the original enlightenment presupposes the enlightenment that has a beginning. No original enlightenment is manifested unless the first enlightenment has been attained. The subordinate state is shown by the original one, and vice versa. Though they are different from each other, their virtue is one and the same.
Daily Dharma – May 14, 2023
Expound it to clever people
Who have profound wisdom,
Who hear much,
Who remember well,
And who seek
The enlightenment of the Buddha!
The Buddha sings these verses to all those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Three of the Lotus Sūtra. Much of this teaching is about how we see things as opposed to how certain we are of what we see. When we believe that those whom we wish to benefit are stupid, lazy and incompetent, then it surely will be difficult to help them. But when we realize the Buddha nature within all beings, then we can see them as wise and compassionate despite the obstacles they face.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 29
Day 29 covers all of Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.
Having last month considered the question posed by Endless-Intent Bodhisattva, we consider examples of World-Voice-Perceiver’s protection.
“If anyone calls the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva when he is about to be killed, the sword or stick raised against him will suddenly break asunder, and he will be saved. If as many yakṣas and rākṣasas as to fill one thousand million Sumeru worlds hear a person call the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva when they come to him with the intention of killing him, those devils will not be able even to see him with their malicious eyes, and needless to say, kill him. If anyone, guilty or not, calls the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva when he is bound up in manacles, fetters, pillories or chains, those things [in which he is bound up] will break asunder, and he will be saved. Suppose the chief of a party of merchants is leading his party carrying invaluable treasures along a dangerous road haunted by as many bandits as to fill one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, and suppose one of the members of the party says [to others], ‘Good men! Do not be afraid! Call the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva with all your hearts! This Bodhisattva gives fearlessness to all living beings. If you call his name, you will be saved from [the attacks of] these bandits.’ If the other members of the party hear this and say simultaneously, ‘Namas to World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva,’ all of them will be saved because of their calling of his name. Endless-Intent! The supernatural powers of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva-mahāsattva are as great as previously stated.
“Those who have much lust will be saved from lust if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much anger will be saved from anger if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much stupidity will be saved from stupidity if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Endless-Intent! World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva has these great supernatural powers. He gives many benefits to all living beings. Therefore, they should constantly think of him.
The Daily Dharma from Jan. 2, 2023, offers this:
Those who have much lust will be saved from lust if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much anger will be saved from anger if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much stupidity will be saved from stupidity if they constantly think of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him.
The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. World-Voice-Perceiver is the embodiment of compassion for all beings, the wish that all beings be freed from suffering and realize the enlightenment of the Buddha. This compassion is the antidote to the three poisons of lust, anger and stupidity. By aspiring to the example of World-Voice-Perceiver and awakening our own compassion, we can overcome these poisons and bring benefits to all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com