Much of my discussion of faith and the Lotus Sutra this year has involved little more pulling quotes from books I’ve read and splicing them together with my observations. The goal has been to use the books I’ve studied in order to recall and relearn aspects of faith and practice. As I said at the start, “I have done this to perfume my own mind.”

Here’s an example. In all my times through the Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage I didn’t understand the symbolism until I read Nikkyō Niwano, Buddhism for Today:

“Another description reads: ‘On the trunk of the elephant there is a flower, and its stalk is the color of a red pearl. That golden flower is still a bud and has not yet blossomed.’ This symbolizes the state in which one’s faith is not perfect, like a flower bud, and in which one has not yet attained enlightenment. However, if one is aware of this state, further repents his sins, and pursues wholeheartedly the bodhisattva practice, he will be able to see the flower of faith instantly blossom and shine with a golden color.”

Buddhism for Today, p429

Looking at the text in this light allows real appreciation. The same is true for this quote about how our Buddha nature revealed by the Lotus Sutra is a gem cherished in the Contemplation of Universal Sage:

“Immediately after it is mined, a gemstone is covered with mud and does not display its true brilliance. It does not disclose its nature as an invaluable gem until the mud is washed off. Washing the mud from the gem is like the first stage of repentance. The surface of our buddha-nature is covered with various illusions acquired in the course of our daily lives. Through repentance we remove such illusions from our buddha-nature, just as water washes the mud from a precious stone.

“Repentance toward others is the first stage of repentance. We must pass through this stage, but as our faith deepens, eventually we come to repent all our sins directly toward the Buddha. We examine ourselves as being imperfect and mistaken, study the Buddha’s teachings more deeply, meditate on Buddhist doctrines, and elevate ourselves ever higher. This is the secret principle of repentance; this is true repentance.

“This second stage of repentance is the practice through which we constantly polish the gem of our buddha-nature. A gem does not reveal its brilliance even after the mud has been washed from it. Its surface is coated with mineral deposits, and it cannot display its intrinsic brilliance until polishing removes such impurities from its surface. The same thing can be said of our buddha-nature. The second stage of repentance is the practice by which we polish our buddha-nature.

Buddhism for Today, p423-424

I had lost sight of this image of polishing my buddha-nature and recalling it now during the course of this journey underscores why I took on this yearlong goal.

---

Table of Contents Next Essay