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Promises, Blog

FAQ: The Lotus Sutra and the Daimoku

After gathering the promises of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s encouragement so that I could publish a daily promise here, I took that content and submitted it to Google’s NotebookLM, an AI assistant that analyzes texts and answers questions based on the content of those texts.

Here’s the Frequently Asked Questions generated by NotebookLM’s AI assistant based on those promises.

What is the significance of the daimoku, “Namu-myoho-renge-kyo,” in relation to the Lotus Sutra?
The daimoku encapsulates the essence of the entire Lotus Sutra. Just as the name “Japan” represents all its provinces, people, and resources, the daimoku embodies the entirety of the sutra’s teachings. It signifies the principle of “3,000 existences in one thought,” meaning that all phenomena, from hell to Buddhahood, are interconnected and inherently possess the potential for enlightenment. Chanting the daimoku allows individuals to tap into this potential and manifest their Buddhahood.
Why is chanting the daimoku considered more important than contemplating the “3,000 existences in one thought”?
While contemplating the “3,000 existences” is valuable, Nichiren emphasizes the power of chanting the daimoku as a direct path to Buddhahood. Just as a lotus flower blossoms in response to sunlight, chanting the daimoku provides the necessary life force for spiritual growth and transformation. The daimoku is considered the “actual” doctrine of “3,000 existences in one thought,” making it the most effective practice for the Latter Day of the Law.
What is the meaning of “Myoho-Renge-Kyo”?
“Myoho-Renge-Kyo” is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese title of the Lotus Sutra, meaning “The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”

  • Myoho represents the Mystic Law, the underlying principle of the universe that governs life and death, cause and effect. It signifies the interconnectedness of all things and the potential for Buddhahood inherent in all beings.
  • Renge refers to the lotus flower, a symbol of purity and enlightenment. The lotus blooms in muddy water, demonstrating that enlightenment can emerge from the challenges of daily life.
  • Kyo means sutra, the teachings of the Buddha.

Together, the five characters encapsulate the profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra, which reveal the path to enlightenment for all people.

What are the benefits of chanting the daimoku?

Chanting the daimoku offers numerous benefits, including:

  • Purification of karma: The daimoku is compared to a rhinoceros horn or sandalwood leaf that repels negativity and purifies one’s karma.
  • Protection and support: Chanting invokes the protection of the Buddhas and protective forces.
  • Spiritual awakening: It cultivates wisdom, compassion, and courage.
  • Attainment of Buddhahood: The Lotus Sutra states that anyone who chants “Namu-myoho-renge-kyo” even once will eventually attain Buddhahood.
Can anyone chant the daimoku and receive benefits?
Yes, the Lotus Sutra emphasizes that the path to Buddhahood is open to all people, regardless of gender, social status, or past actions. Even those traditionally considered incapable of attaining enlightenment, such as women and those who have committed grave offenses, are embraced by the Lotus Sutra’s teachings and can achieve Buddhahood through chanting the daimoku.
Is it necessary to chant the entire Lotus Sutra to receive benefits?
No, the Lotus Sutra states that even chanting one phrase, one sentence, or even one character of the sutra holds immense merit. Chanting the daimoku is considered the most direct way to access the sutra’s power and benefits in the Latter Day of the Law.
What is the difference between the theoretical and essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra?
The theoretical teachings, found in the first fourteen chapters, focus on the concept of “3,000 existences in one thought” from a philosophical perspective. The essential teachings, revealed in the latter fourteen chapters, reveal the Buddha’s true identity as the Eternal Buddha and emphasize the practical application of “3,000 existences in one thought” through chanting the daimoku. Nichiren bases his teachings on the essential doctrine, considering it the most relevant and powerful for achieving Buddhahood in the present age.
How does the Lotus Sutra differ from other Buddhist teachings?
The Lotus Sutra is considered the culmination of the Buddha’s teachings. While other sutras teach different paths to enlightenment based on individual capacity, the Lotus Sutra reveals the One Buddha Vehicle, asserting that everyone can attain Buddhahood. It surpasses previous teachings by emphasizing the possibility of achieving enlightenment in this lifetime and revealing the inherent Buddha nature within all beings.
Promises, Blog

An Apology for My Arrogance

Yesterday I wrote about harvesting the promises found in the Lotus Sutra for my yearlong daily Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise project. In that blog post I slighted Kannon Bodhisattva (World-Voice-Perceiver) and suggested some promises contained in the Lotus Sutra were less valuable than others.

I considered just deleting those arrogant portions of the post but decided I needed to confess and to apologize.

The Lotus Sutra has been attacked as a work whose “purpose is wholly to attract stupid lay people.” In particular, the critics pointed to Chapters 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, and Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.

In excluding Kannon Bodhisattva and large portions of Chapter 19’s promised merits from my project, I sought to show that even without those parts, the Lotus Sutra is full of wonderful promises that illustrate why Myōhō Renge Kyō is considered the Buddha’s highest teaching.

Not only was I arrogant, but I was the very definition of hypocritical – suggesting one has higher standards or more noble beliefs than is the case.

Each month, when my daily reading of the Lotus Sutra gets to Chapter 25, I face my Kannon Bodhisattva statue, light additional incense as an offering to the Bodhisattva, and focus on the benefits of calling the name of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva as I read aloud.

My altar is crowded with protective amulets and statues of protective deities. My practice is the epitome of “inferior, shallow stuff, best laughed at, for alluring stupid men and women.”

“I’m with stupid,” I want to shout. I am proud to say I prefer “inferior, shallow stuff.”

the side altar
The corner next to my altar contains a statue of Kannon Bodhisattva, a wooden Jizo Bodhisattva, the Seven Happy Gods, the Shichi-fuku-jin, statues representing the Buddhas of Śākyamuni’s replicas and a host of statues representing the God of Happiness and Abundance, Hotei.
I periodically consider starting over and eliminating the clutter that I have deliberately added to my altar in my search for protection and benefit. For a history of the transformation of my altar see 2000 Days Later
Promises, Blog

About Those Empty, Vulgar Promises

Having scheduled a year’s worth of praise and promises from the Lotus Sutra on this website, I need to address the criticism of that same praise and those lofty promises that were detailed in Yoshiro Tamura’s “Introduction to the Lotus Sutra.”

Evaluations of the Lotus Sutra have traditionally run to the two extremes. In this respect, too, the sutra is indeed a wonder. First of all, one of the most severe criticisms of the sutra is the idea that it has no content. In chapter 25 of Emerging from Meditation, Nakamoto Tominaga comments that “the Lotus Sutra praises the Buddha from beginning to end but does not have any real sutra teaching at all, and therefore should not have been called a sutra teaching from the beginning.”

Yoshiro Tamura, "Introduction to the Lotus Sutra", p59

This is not new. I’ve already addressed this “emptiness” of the Lotus Sutra in the past. One can argue that it is deliberate.

In the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, Chih-i portrays the Ultimate Truth by equating it with empty space in a house:

Empty space in a house has neither roof beams nor pillars. The substance of a house, empty space, thus represents the Ultimate Truth. On the other hand, the roof beams and pillars are taken to analogize the cause and effect of Buddhahood. This is because if a house has no void, it cannot contain and receive anything. If the cause and effect of Buddhahood are not based on the Ultimate Truth as substance, they cannot sustain themselves. Thus, Chih-i holds that it is necessary to single out the correct substance that consists of only one empty space, upon which everything is able to function. (Vol. 2, Page 407-408)

The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra: Tien-tai Philosophy of Buddhism


The Lotus Sutra is, in effect, a blueprint for assembling all of the Buddha’s expedient teachings. Those roof beams and pillars form the house with empty rooms in which to practice. The emptiness essential to the function of the house is a function of the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

More recently I published Taigen Dan Leighton discussion of the supposed shortfalls of the Lotus Sutra. In “Visions of Awakening Space and Time: Dōgen and the Lotus Sutra,” Taigen Dan Leighton lists these criticisms and then demolishes them.

The text does refer, in third person, to a designated text that one might keep vainly waiting for, as if for Godot.

However, this perspective misses the manner in which the Lotus sermon certainly does exist. Fundamental messages of the Lotus, such as the One Vehicle and the primacy of the Buddha vehicle, are difficult to miss, even if they might be interpreted in various ways. Furthermore, between the lines the Lotus Sutra functions within itself both as a sacred text or scripture and as a commentary and guidebook to its own use, beyond the literal confines of its own written text. The Lotus Sutra is itself a sacred manifestation of spiritual awakening that proclaims its own sacrality. Right within the text’s proclamation of the wonders of a text with the same name as itself, the text celebrates its own ephemeral quality with the visionary splendors of its assembly of buddhas, bodhisattvas, and spirits, and with the engaging qualities of its parables.

The synthesis of the immanent spirit spoken about in the text and the text’s own intended functioning as an instrument or skillful catalyst to spark awakening has been carried on among its followers.

Dōgen and the Lotus Sutra, p23-24

I should also address whether my entire “promise” project is just another example of how the Lotus Sutra is “merely a vulgar work meant to attract stupid men and women.” That was Tenyu Hattori’s criticism of the entire Lotus Sutra. Tenyu Hattori (1724–69) was a Confucian scholar in Japan who wrote Nakedness, a book that criticized Buddhism.

In Yoshiro Tamura’s “Introduction to the Lotus Sutra,” he discusses Hattori’s criticism:

There are many places in the section of the Lotus Sutra that is considered to have come third historically that emphasize the benefits to be obtained in this life, such as the wonderful powers of faith, overcoming suffering, and having good fortune. And generally speaking, in later times devotion to the Lotus Sutra became mainstream as a result of these chapters. This is why such criticisms arose. As we have already seen, the third part of the sutra was added in order to respond to the magical and esoteric Buddhist and folk religions of India. It adds to and supplements the earlier parts of the sutra and, if taken in a positive way, can be its applied part. It is not appropriate to characterize the whole sutra in that way by emphasizing the third part, though historically admiration for the Lotus Sutra in China and Japan generally rested on that part, so, in one sense, we can understand why there were such criticisms.

Yoshiro Tamura, "Introduction to the Lotus Sutra", p61

Perhaps I am stupid. I would even confess to being vulgar in the sense of lacking sophistication. But I enjoyed putting together my eight months of daily promises from the Lotus Sutra and an additional four months of encouragement from Nichiren’s writings. I’m looking forward to reading these promises each morning.

Next: FAQ: The Lotus Sutra and the Daimoku

See The Next 10 Years

See Harvesting the Promises of Myōhō Renge Kyō

Promises, Blog

Harvesting the Promises of Myōhō Renge Kyō

Please see An Apology for My Arrogance

My effort to replace references to the Lotus Sūtra with Myōhō Renge Kyō while extracting the promises of the sūtra was not as straightforward as I had expected.

Myōhō Renge Kyō is the title of the sūtra but that title is more than just the name of the sūtra.

In Chapter 2, Expedients, for example, the Buddha promises that his true teaching is the One Vehicle. That One Vehicle is Myōhō Renge Kyō.

For my Daily Promises this original quote:

There is only one teaching, that is, the One Vehicle
In the Buddha-worlds of the ten quarters.
There is not a second or a third vehicle
Except when the Buddhas teach expediently.

The Buddhas lead all Living beings
By tentative names [of vehicles]
In order to expound their wisdom.
They appear in the worlds
Only for the One Vehicle.

Becomes:

There is only one teaching, that is, Myōhō Renge Kyō
In the Buddha-worlds of the ten quarters.
There is not a second or a third vehicle
Except when the Buddhas teach expediently.

The Buddhas lead all Living beings
By tentative names [of vehicles]
In order to expound their wisdom.
They appear in the worlds
Only for Myōhō Renge Kyō.

This change is supported by other Nichiren Shu sources. For example,
in the traditional service Invocation the sutra is equated with the One Vehicle:

Honor be the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the
Wonderful Dharma,
The Teaching of Equality, The Great Wisdom,
The One Vehicle.

The “Dharma” is also Myōhō Renge Kyō.

The concluding stanza of Chapter 2, Expedients:

Those who do not study the Dharma
Cannot understand it.
You have already realized
The fact that the Buddhas, the World-Teachers, employ expedients,
According to the capacities of all living beings.
Know that, when you remove your doubts,
And when you have great joy,
You will become Buddhas!

Becomes:

Those who do not study Myōhō Renge Kyō
Cannot understand Myōhō Renge Kyō.
You have already realized
The fact that the Buddhas, the World-Teachers, employ expedients,
According to the capacities of all living beings.
Know that, when you remove your doubts,
And when you have great joy,
You will become Buddhas!

A footnote in Senchu Murano’s translation of the Lotus Sutra supports this interpretation.

In Chapter 26, Dhārānis, Medicine-King Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, “World-Honored One! Now I will give dhārāni spells to the expounder of the Dharma in order to protect him.” Murano’s note: ” ‘The Dharma’ means the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”

For my purposes I’ve expanded “promises” to include those declarations underlining the importance of Myōhō Renge Kyō in Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures; Chapter 12, Devadatta; Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra; and Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva.

For example from Chapter 11:

(The Buddha said to the great multitude.)
Who will protect
And keep Myōhō Renge Kyō,
And read and recite Myōhō Renge Kyō
After my extinction?
Make a vow before me to do this!

Or Chapter 12:

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 Myōhō Renge Kyō 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 more recognizable promises appear in Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma:

If after my extinction anyone rejoices, even on a moment’s thought, at hearing even a gāthā or a phrase of Myōhō Renge Kyō, I also will assure him of his future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi.

And in Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva:

[T]he merits to be given to the person who fills the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds with the seven treasures and offers that amount of the seven treasures to the Buddhas, to the Great Bodhisattvas, to the Pratyekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gāthā of four lines of Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Of the 28 chapters, there were seven from which I didn’t extract any promises. Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs; Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood; Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples; Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn; Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground; Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata; and Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

I confess that I chose to limit the number of promises from the one chapter that is nothing but promises.  Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, promises purification of the six sense organs and supernatural powers to those who preach Myōhō Renge Kyō.

For example, I chose to skip these promises:

He will be able to know by smell
Whether an unborn child is a boy or a girl,
Or a child of ambiguous sex,
Or the embryo of a nonhuman being.

He will be able to know by smell
Whether a woman is an expectant mother,
Or whether she will give an easy birth
To a happy child or not.

He will be able to know by smell
What a man or a woman is thinking of,
Or whether he or she is greedy, ignorant or angry,
Or whether he or she is doing good.

He will be able to recognize by smell
The gold, silver, and other treasures
Deposited underground,
And the things enclosed in a copper box.

He will be able to know by smell
The values of various necklaces,
And the deposits of their materials,
And also to locate the necklaces [when they are lost].

The final promises I’ve collected fill every day from January 1 to August 31. I begin with Mañjuśrī’s promise:

The Buddha will remove
Any doubt of those who seek
The teaching of the Three Vehicles.
No question will be left unresolved.

And I conclude with this quote from Chapter 22: Transmission:

In the future, when you see good men or women who believe in the wisdom of the Tathāgata, you should expound Myōhō Renge Kyō to them, and cause them to hear and know Myōhō Renge Kyō so that they may be able to obtain the wisdom of the Buddha. When you see anyone who does not receive Myōhō Renge Kyō by faith, you should show him some other profound teachings of mine, teach him, benefit him, and cause him to rejoice. When you do all this, you will be able to repay the favors given to you by the Buddhas.”

Having heard these words of the Buddha, the Bodhisattva-mahāsattvas were filled with great joy. With more respect than ever, they bent forward, bowed, joined their hands together towards him, and said simultaneously. “We will do as you command. Certainly, World-Honored One! Do not worry!”

From September 1 through the end of the year I have chosen quotes from Nichiren’s writings that speak to the promise of Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Finally, I should note that I excluded Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, from this project. The chapter is full of promises, but these are promises about World-Voice-Perceiver and his vow to protect those who call his name. Unlike Wonderful Voice Bodhisattva, who transforms himself into various living beings and expounds Myōhō Renge Kyō to others, World-Voice-Perceiver expounds an expedient Dharma to those who are to be saved. His protection is independent and disconnected from the promises of Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Next: About Those Empty, Vulgar Promises

Previous: The Next 10 Years

Promises, Daily Dharma, Blog

The Next 10 Years

Ryusho Jeffus Shonin inspired my efforts here back in 2015. In his book, “The Magic City: Studying the Lotus Sutra,” Ryusho relates the Parable of the Magic City” in Chapter 7 to our personal practice.

To reach the place of treasure requires traveling a dangerous, bad road five hundred yojanas long. As Ryusho explains: “Yojana is both a measurement of distance as well as time. Simply stated, a yojana is the distance an ox-cart can travel in one day.”

He asks his readers: “I wonder what you could accomplish in your life if you made a commitment from today for 500 days to practice on a regular consistent basis towards the achievement of some change in your life? Would you be able to travel the entire 500 days without giving up or abandoning or forgetting your goal and effort?”

But, really, 500 days is not long. Soon after I started this website, Ryusho suggested a 10-year timeframe would be more useful for judging the merits of the practice of Nichiren Buddhism.

And here I am today, having completed ten years on this journey.

Now I start the next 10 years.

Back in 2022 during my 800 Years of Faith Project, I wrote:

Each time as I cycle through the 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra (which, of course, is actually 34 days with the addition the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the Contemplation of Universal Sage) I am struck by the promises offered to everyone. This is especially true in Chapter 2.

“Any Śrāvaka or Bodhisattva
Who hears even a gāthā
Of this sūtra which I am to expound
Will undoubtedly become a Buddha.”

I believe it is these promises that have made the Lotus Sutra so important in Asia and why it translates so well as it is introduced to new readers. How can we not have faith?

At the start of last year, I proposed creating a 365-day collection of those promises contained in the Lotus Sutra. Today I’ll start posting them. These will replace my reprinting of Shinkyo Warner Shonin’s Daily Dharma.

However, I have added a twist. I am replacing references to the Lotus Sutra, this Sutra, the Wonderful Dharma, etc. with Myōhō Renge Kyō.

For example the verse above from Chapter 2 becomes:

“Any Śrāvaka or Bodhisattva
Who hears even a gāthā
Of Myōhō Renge Kyō which I am to expound
Will undoubtedly become a Buddha.”

I am doing this throughout my daily practice.

Here’s the transformed Kaikyoge:

Verses for Opening Myōhō Renge Kyō

The most profound and wonderful teaching
is presented in Myōhō Renge Kyō.
Myōhō Renge Kyō is difficult to meet
Even once in thousands and millions of aeons.
Now we have been able to see,
hear, receive and keep Myōhō Renge Kyō.
May we understand the most excellent teaching of the Tathagata!
The most excellent teaching of Myōhō Renge Kyō is very difficult for us to understand.
We shall be able to approach enlightenment
when we see, hear, or touch Myōhō Renge Kyō.
Expounded is the Buddha’s truth.
Expounding is the Buddha’s essence.
The letters composing Myōhō Renge Kyō
are the Buddha’s manifestation.

Just as perfume is caught by something put nearby,
so shall we be richly benefited by Myōhō Renge Kyō,
even when we are not aware of being so benefited,
because infinite merits are accumulated in Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Anyone can expiate his past transgressions,
do good deeds,
and attain Buddhahood by the merits of Myōhō Renge Kyō.
It does not matter whether he is wise or not,
or whether he believes Myōhō Renge Kyō or rejects it.

Myōhō Renge Kyō is the most wonderful and
most excellent taught by the Buddhas
of the past, present, and future.
May we meet and receive it,
Birth after birth, world after world!

Why insert Myōhō Renge Kyō? For me, this emphasizes that the Odaimoku is the principal practice of Nichiren Buddhism. Studying of the Lotus Sutra and the other teachings of the Buddha are only spices flavoring the meal of the Daimoku.

In Shishin Gohon-shō, The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, Nichiren writes:

The five characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō are not the text of the sūtra nor a mere explanation; rather, they are the sole intent of the whole sūtra. Beginners may practice this without knowing the heart (of the Lotus Sūtra), but their practice will naturally harmonize with its intention.

After 10 years of personally studying and exploring the teachings of the Buddha, I want to emphasize that Myōhō Renge Kyō remains my focus.

Next: Harvesting the promises of Myōhō Renge Kyō

Blog

Edward Conze’s View of Nichiren

Before the year ends I want to put this topic to rest.

While wandering through used bookstores during a visit to Rochester, New York, this year I purchased a copy of Edward Conze’s “Buddhism; It’s Essence and Development.” The book I picked up was published by the Philosophical Library of New York.

In my readings on Buddhism Conze’s name has come up often in the footnotes, a source of information other authors relied on. What sort of information?

Consider this from page 206:

It is customary to reckon the sect of Nichiren (1222-1282) as one of the schools of Amidism. It would be more appropriate to count it among the offshoots of nationalistic Shintoism. Nichiren suffered from self-assertiveness and bad temper, and he manifested a degree of personal and tribal egotism which disqualify him as a Buddhist teacher. He did not only convince himself that he, personally, was mentioned in the Lotus of the Good Law, but also that the Japanese were the chosen race which would regenerate the world. The followers of the Nichiren sect, as Suzuki puts it: even now are more or less militaristic and do not mix well with other Buddhists.”

Let’s break this down:

  1. It is customary to reckon the sect of Nichiren (1222-1282) as one of the schools of Amidism.
  2. more appropriate to count [Nichiren Buddhism] among the offshoots of nationalistic Shintoism
  3. Nichiren suffered from self-assertiveness and bad temper, and he manifested a degree of personal and tribal egotism which disqualify him as a Buddhist teacher.
  4. He did not only convince himself that he, personally, was mentioned in the Lotus of the Good Law, but also that the Japanese were the chosen race which would regenerate the world.
  5. The followers of the Nichiren sect, as Suzuki puts it: even now are more or less militaristic and do not mix well with other Buddhists.”

None of this is excusable for a man who is described as a scholar, but perhaps we can at least offer the suggestion that his view of Nichiren was influenced by his times.

According to Conze’s “Author’s Note,” he gave a series of lectures on Buddhism at Oxford’s St. Peter’s Hall in the early 1940s. In 1948 he was encouraged to create “a work covering the whole range of Buddhist thought.” The first edition of his book was published in 1951.

The Buddhism of Nichiren was very different in the years immediately before and during World War II, when Chigaku Tanaka’s influence held sway.

As Edwin B. Lee explains, Tanaka synthesized Nichiren Buddhist doctrines with Shinto traditions to create a unique form of Japanese nationalism, “Nichirenism,” which intertwined religious and political goals.

This is not unlike Junjiro Takakusu’s unkind view of Nichiren, which was also the product of the pre-war Japan.

Like Takakusu, Conze takes Nichiren’s assertiveness in declaring the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra as “bad tempered.” I disagree and we’ll just have to leave it at that.

One assumes Conze’s statement that Nichiren convinced himself that “he, personally, was mentioned in the Lotus of the Good Law” is a reference to Bodhisattva Jōgyō, Superior Practice, one of the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas who emerged from underground in Chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra and who is given the task of spreading the sutra in the latter days of the law. Nichiren wondered if he were Bodhisattva Jōgyō. Many of Nichiren’s followers today assume he was. But whether or not he was, that was not a primary feature of Nichiren’s teachings.

What Nichiren did recognize of himself in the Lotus Sutra was the persecutions and harassment predicted for those who attempt to spread the sutra. If Conze considers Nichiren’s view that Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, spoke to his life experience as “egotism which disqualify him as a Buddhist teacher,” then, again, I have to disagree.

Finally, there is Conze’s declaration that Nichiren taught just another form of Amidism.

Conze’s book defines Amidism as:

  • It is a kind of totalitarianism of faith in which faith is all-powerful regardless of moral conduct.
  • It is a religion accessible to everyone.
  • It rejects hardships, austerities, and even the mild asceticism of monastic life.
  • All people, good or bad, are admitted to Amitabha’s Pure Land.
  • Faith in Amitabha’s grace is the sole condition for admission to the Pure Land.
  • Amitabha is a compassionate god who, unlike the Christian God, is not a judge.

(This summary is provided by NotebookLM. A PDF of the book is available here if you want a quick AI assistant review.)

The only point of intersection between Conze’s Amidism and Nichiren’s devotion to the Lotus Sutra is that it is a religion accessible to everyone.

I am unapologetic in my admiration for Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra.

In 2025 I will underscore this by publishing daily a short example of the promise of the Lotus Sutra.

Next: The Next 10 Years.

LS45, Blog

Dividing the Threefold Lotus Sutra into 45 Days

45 day division tableI’ve created a table for my 45 Days of the Lotus Sutra cycle. The table contains links to the text for each of the daily morning and evening sessions.

Tao-Sheng Commentary, Blog

The Meaning of Li

Before exploring Tao-sheng and his commentary on the Lotus Sūtra it is necessary to define the meaning of the Chinese word li 理. In his commentary, Tao-sheng repeatedly references li, but what exactly is he pointing at?

The original doctoral thesis upon which Young-Ho Kim’s book, “A Study and Translation: Tao-sheng’s Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra” is based is available for download. (PDF). In addition, Walter Liebenthal published a biography of Tao-sheng in Monumenta Nipponica in October 1955. This too is available for download. (PDF)

I took both PDFs and uploaded them to Google’s NotebookLM. This service allows the user to have an AI assistant analyze specific texts and answer questions based on the content of those texts, which ensures that the answers are limited to the facts at hand and not based on wider and perhaps unreliable sources. I’ve tested this before. See Understanding Kaji Kito.

Tao-sheng’s commentary on Kumārajīva’s translation of the Lotus Sutra was completed in 432 CE, two years before he died. Kumārajīva completed his translation in 406 CE. Tao-sheng’s commentary is the earliest one to survive to this date.

How does Tao-sheng’s philosophy differ from the Chinese Taoist and New Taoist philosophy of his day?

The NotebookLM offered this bottom line:

Overall, Tao-sheng’s philosophy represents a unique synthesis of Buddhist thought with elements of Chinese philosophical language and concepts. While he borrows from the vocabulary of Taoism and Neo-Taoism, his system ultimately centers on the Buddhist goal of enlightenment and universal salvation, differentiating him from the dominant philosophical trends of his day.

On the question of li, NotebookLM summarizes Tao-sheng’s perspective saying:

Tao-sheng’s definition of li is not presented as a clear-cut definition but emerges from his application of the term in his commentary on the Lotus Sutra. He sees li as the underlying principle of Buddhist teachings, the object of enlightenment, and a reality that is both particular and universal. He associates li with profoundness, transcendence, and omnipresence. While advocating sudden enlightenment, he also acknowledges the possibility of a gradual process of realization. His use of li reflects a sophisticated attempt to synthesize Buddhist teachings with Chinese philosophical concepts.

When asked “What is li?”, NotebookLM responded:

Li in Tao-sheng’s Commentary on the Lotus Sutra
The term li 理 is central to Tao-sheng’s commentary on the Lotus Sutra, appearing 139 times throughout the text. It’s a complex concept with a range of meanings, reflecting both Buddhist teachings and Tao-sheng’s engagement with Chinese philosophy, particularly Neo-Taoism. The sources suggest that Tao-sheng does not offer a concise definition of li. Instead, its significance unfolds through how he employs the term to illuminate the Lotus Sutra.

Li as a Tool for Understanding

  • Li acts as a lens through which to understand the deeper meaning and intent behind the Buddha’s words in the Lotus Sutra.
  • Tao-sheng uses li to reveal the essential principles and truths embedded within the text, emphasizing that comprehending li is crucial for attaining enlightenment.

Li as the Underlying Reality

  • Tao-sheng portrays li as a profound, often elusive, reality that underlies the world of appearances.
  • He suggests li is both particular and universal, echoing the Neo-Taoist thinkers Wang Bi and Guo Xiang.
    • Just as Wang Bi recognized a universal li and Guo Xiang focused on the particular li of individual things, Tao-sheng seems to bridge these two perspectives.
  • In the context of the Lotus Sutra, li signifies the ultimate reality that encompasses and harmonizes the seemingly diverse teachings of the Buddha, representing the unity of the three vehicles and the One Vehicle.
  • Tao-sheng also connects li with the Buddhist concept of the Dharma-kāya, suggesting its omnipresent and formless nature.

Li and Language

  • Given the profound nature of li, Tao-sheng acknowledges the limitations of language in fully expressing it.
  • He compares words to “fishnets and traps,” useful for guiding people towards li but ultimately discarded once the goal is reached.
  • Despite their limitations, words and symbols remain essential, particularly for those who have yet to realize li.

Li as the Object of Enlightenment

  • Tao-sheng directly links the realization of li with enlightenment, distinguishing his view from Neo-Taoism, where li may be a philosophical principle but not necessarily the target of spiritual practice.
  • He uses terms like “perceive,” “trace to the end,” “know,” “penetrate,” and “comprehend” to describe the process of realizing li.
  • This suggests a noetic path to enlightenment, involving both understanding and direct experience.

Li and the Path to Enlightenment

  • While Tao-sheng is known for his advocacy of sudden enlightenment, his commentary on the Lotus Sutra reveals a more complex perspective.
  • He acknowledges that grasping li may involve a gradual process of refining one’s understanding and purifying the mind.
  • This apparent contradiction might reflect Tao-sheng’s attempt to harmonize the Lotus Sutra’s teachings on both gradual cultivation and sudden insight with the philosophical context of his time.

Key Characteristics of Li in Tao-sheng’s Commentary

  • Underlying Principle: Li represents the essence of the Buddha’s teachings in the Lotus Sutra.
  • Ultimate Reality: Li points to a profound reality that underlies the world of appearances.
  • Both Particular and Universal: Li encompasses both specific truths and a unifying principle.
  • Object of Enlightenment: Realizing li is equivalent to attaining enlightenment.
  • Beyond Language: Li cannot be fully captured by words, yet language serves as a provisional guide.
  • Path to Enlightenment: Grasping li can involve both sudden insight and gradual cultivation.

Tao-sheng’s use of li showcases his skill in weaving together Buddhist concepts with existing Chinese philosophical language to make the teachings of the Lotus Sutra accessible and meaningful for a Chinese audience.

As I incorporate Tao-sheng’s commentary into my annotations on the Lotus Sutra, I will link each occurrence of the word li back to the above explanation.

Next: Li and Sudden Enlightenment

LS45, LS32, Blog

45 Days of the Lotus Sutra

I have now completed my 101st trip through the Lotus Sutra – my 57th journey through the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the Sutra of Contemplation of Universal Sage – and I’ve decided to change my daily practice.

Since March 2015, I’ve recited a portion of the Lotus Sutra in shindoku in the morning and then in the afternoon read aloud the same portion of Senchu Murano’s English translation of the Lotus Sutra.

Starting Dec. 16, I will be reading aloud portions of the Threefold Lotus Sutra in English, morning and evening. The cycle will take 45 days starting with the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and concluding with the Sutra of Contemplation of Universal Sage.

I will use the Basic Nichiren Shu Service morning and evening, substituting my daily reading for the traditional quotes from the Lotus Sutra.

Going forward, my shindoku practice will be limited to the month of February. Each day in February I will recite a different chapter in shindoku in the morning. In the evening I will continue my English reading. The purpose of the February shindoku recitation is to allow me to recite an entire chapter at one time, following along with the shindoku recordings. The traditional 32-day division splits several chapters over multiple days.

At the start of this year I proposed dividing the Lotus Sutra into 365 roughly equal portions and providing annotations for each section. To that end I created  my annotated version of the Lotus Sutra, but I decided the small size created by dividing the sutra into 365 portions wasn’t practical.

The 45-day practice of reading aloud in English replaces that project. This brings the benefits of the smaller bites to both the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings and the Sutra of Contemplation of Universal Sage. I hope others who want to make the study of the Lotus Sutra a part of their daily practice will consider this method.

For now I will be stopping my daily 32-days of the Lotus Sutra posting.

I’ve added horizontal rules to the Threefold Lotus Sutra for those who want to follow along. Blue rules denote morning service and green rules evening.

Day 1 M Sutra of Innumerable Meanings
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Day 2 M
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Day 3 M
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Day 4 M
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Day 5 M Chapter 1, Introductory
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Day 6 M
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Day 7 M Chapter 2, Expedients
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Day 8 M
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Day 9 M
E Chapter 3, A Parable
Day 10 M
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Day 11 M
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Day 12 M
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Day 13 M Chapter 4, Understanding by Faith.
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Day 14 M
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Day 15 M Chapter 5, The Simile of Herbs
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Day 16 M Chapter 6, Assurance of Future Buddhahood
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Day 17 M Chapter 7, The Parable of a Magic City
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Day 18 M
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Day 19 M
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Day 20 M Chapter 8, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Five Hundred Disciples
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Day 21 M Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn
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Day 22 M Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma
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Day 23 M Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures
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Day 24 M
E Chapter 12, Devadatta
Day 25 M
E Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra
Day 26 M Chapter 14, Peaceful Practices
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Day 27 M
E Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground.
Day 28 M
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Day 29 M Chapter 16, The Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata
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Day 30 M Chapter 17, The Variety of Merits
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Day 31 M
E Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra
Day 32 M
E Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma
Day 33 M
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Day 34 M Chapter 20, Never-Despising Bodhisattva
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Day 35 M Chapter 21, The Supernatural Powers of the Tathāgatas
E Chapter 22, Transmission
Day 36 M Chapter 23, The Previous Life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva
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Day 37 M
E Chapter 24, Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva
Day 38 M
E Chapter 25, The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver
Day 39 M
E Chapter 26, Dhāraṇīs
Day 40 M Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva
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Day 41 M Chapter 28, The Encouragement of Universal-Sage Bodhisattva
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Day 42 M Sutra of Contemplation of Universal Sage
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Day 43 M
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Day 44 M
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Day 45 M
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Tamura-Intro, Tao-Sheng Commentary, Blog, Books

Tao-sheng’s Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra

tao-sheng-commentary-bookcover
Available from SUNY Press

Young-ho Kim, a student of philosophy at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, published his doctoral thesis “Tao-sheng’s Commentary on the Saddharmapuṇḍarīka Sūtra: A Study and Translation” in May 1985. The State University of New York Press published Kim’s work as “Tao-sheng’s Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra” in 1990 as part of a SUNY series in Buddhist Studies. At the time of SUNY’s publication, Kim was an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Inha University in Korea.

For my purposes, I’ll leave the spelling as Tao-sheng, which is the Wade-Giles spelling. The modern spelling is Daosheng.

SUNY’s teaser for the book says:

(Chu) Tao-sheng stands out in history as a unique and preeminent thinker whose paradigmatic, original ideas paved the way for the advent of Chinese Buddhism. The universality of Buddha-nature, which Tao-sheng championed at the cost of excommunication, was to become a cornerstone of the Chinese Buddhist ideology. This book presents a comprehensive study of the only complete document by Tao-sheng still in existence.

The importance of Tao-sheng’s work is underlined by Yoshiro Tamura in his Introduction to the Lotus Sutra. He writes:

When we look at the Lotus Sutra in light of its final form, we can see the merit of the traditional division of the sutra into two halves between chapters fourteen and fifteen. Daosheng, (355-434), a disciple of Kumarajiva who participated in the translation of sutras, made this division for the first time. Soon after the translation of the Lotus Sutra was finished, he wrote a commentary on it—the first in China, or at least the first that we still have.

Daosheng divided the Lotus Sutra into two parts, according to the teachings of cause and effect. That is, the section from chapters 1 through 14 he defined as that which “explicates the three causes and makes them one cause,” and the section from chapters 15 through 21 he defined as that which “speaks of three effects and makes them one effect.” In addition, the remaining chapters were interpreted as that which “makes three kinds of people equal and makes them one.” Here, “three” signifies the three vehicles and “one” signifies the one vehicle.

On the other hand, Daosheng established the idea of four kinds of Dharma wheel: the good and pure Dharma wheel (general religious thought), the Dharma wheel of skillful means (Buddhist upaya), the true Dharma wheel (true Buddhist thought), and the perfect Dharma wheel (ultimate Buddhist thought). The true Dharma wheel is what reveals the truth of the one vehicle, while the perfect Dharma wheel reveals the everlasting life (the Buddha). The teaching of cause, chapters 1-14, corresponds to the true Dharma wheel, while the teaching of effect, chapters 15-21, corresponds to the perfect wheel of Dharma. The remaining chapters are the dissemination or applied part of the sutra.

Yoshiro Tamura, "Introduction to the Lotus Sutra", p65-66

As Tamura points out, Tao-sheng’s commentary played an important role in Tiāntái Zhiyi’s understanding of the Lotus Sutra:

Zhiyi found material for his interpretation of the Lotus Sutra in Daosheng’s Commentary on the Lotus Sutra. While Kumarajiva and his disciples were translating sutras and commentaries they often discussed them with each other and even sought to write commentaries on them. It seems that they set out to write such commentaries on the Lotus Sutra, but of the commentaries written by Kumarajiva’s disciples only Daosheng’s has survived. In any case, of the extant Chinese commentaries on the Lotus Sutra, his is the earliest, making it especially important.

In it Daosheng ponders the title of the Lotus Sutra—Wonderful Dharma Lotus Flower Sutra. In particular, he interprets “Wonderful Dharma” as being the truth that is without shape or sound, and beyond all thought. He understands “Lotus Flower” as including both fruit and blossoms, symbolizing the idea that where there are causes there are effects. This leads him to comment that the pairing of “Lotus Flower” and “Wonderful Dharma” signifies that the Lotus Sutra is the Dharma of wonderful cause and wonderful effect. As mentioned earlier, the sutra has been divided into two halves on the basis of cause and effect.

The law of cause and effect is a law that refers to actual existence. The fact that it is picked out here has to do with the spirit of respect for the concrete and the practical that is generally found in China.

Yoshiro Tamura, "Introduction to the Lotus Sutra", p111

I will be publishing quotes from Kim’s discussion of Tao-sheng and his Commentary on the Lotus Sūtra and incorporating Tao-sheng’s commentary into my annotations of the Lotus Sūtra.

Next: The Meaning of Li