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800 Years: Requirements for Propagating the Lotus Sutra

Chapter 20 and the tale of Bodhisattva Never-Despising raises again the issue raised in the Peaceful Practices Chapter of how one who has faith in the Lotus Sutra should approach those who hold opposing views. For Nichiren, the answer was clear:

“Now, two ways of propagation, the persuasive and aggressive, are incompatible with each other just as water and fire are. The fire dislikes the water, and the water hates the fire. Those who prefer the persuasive tend to laugh at those who practice the aggressive and vice versa. So, when the land is full of evil and ignorant people, the persuasive means should take precedence as preached in the ‘Peaceful Practices’ (14th) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. However, when there are many cunning slanderers of the True Dharma, the aggressive means should take precedence as preached in the ‘Never-Despising Bodhisattva’ (20th) chapter.

“It is the same as using cold water when it is hot and fire when it is cold. Plants and trees are followers of the sun, so they dislike the cold moon. Bodies of water are followers of the moon, so they lose their true nature when it is hot. As there are lands of evil men as well as those of slanderers of the True Dharma in this Latter Age of Degeneration, there should be both aggressive and persuasive means of spreading the True Dharma. Therefore, we have to know whether Japan today is a land of evil men or that of slanderers in order to decide which of the two ways we should use.

Kaimoku-shō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 111

But, as I mentioned in discussing Chapter 14, today we do not face “cunning slanderers of the True Dharma.” It can be said that behaving as if we face “cunning slanderers” ignores the real message offered by Never-Despising Bodhisattva.

In The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, Gene Reeves offers this prespective:

Teachers of the Lotus Sutra often say that it teaches the bodhisattva way of helping others. Unfortunately, this is sometimes understood to mean intruding where one is not wanted, interfering with the lives of others, in order to ‘do good.’ But the story of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva may lead us to see that doing good for others begins with respecting them, seeing the buddha in them. If we sincerely look for the potential in someone else to be a buddha, rather than criticizing or complaining about negative factors, we will be encouraged by the positive things that we surely will find. And furthermore, by looking for the good in others, we can come to have a more positive attitude ourselves and thus move along our own bodhisattva path.

In earlier chapters of the Lotus Sutra, it is the Buddha who is able to see the potential to become a buddha in others. But here it becomes very clear that seeing the buddha or the buddha-potential in others is something we all should practice, both for the good of others and for our own good.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p216-216
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800years, d25b, Blog

800 Years: Tests of Faith

Is anything harder to believe than the idea that bad fortune is a good thing? It certainly plays havoc with one’s faith, especially when the Lotus Sutra promises divine protection. The story of Never-Despising Bodhisattva in Chapter 20 is a case in point.

According to Nichiren, Never-Despising Bodhisattva’s suffering at the hands of those angered by his constant promises of future Buddhahood lessened the weight of past bad actions in his previous lives and made possible his eventual enlightenment. As Nichiren explains in “Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution”:

“The Nirvana Sūtra preaches a doctrine called ‘lightening the karmic retribution.’ It proclaims that when a retribution accumulated from the evil karma in one’s previous lives is too heavy to be atoned for in this life, one will have to endure the suffering in hell in the future. One may, however, bear hell’s suffering in the present life instead so that one’s suffering in hell in a future life disappears instantly and one will instead be able to receive the blessings of the realm of humanity and that of heavenly beings, as well as the blessings of the Three Vehicles and attain Buddhahood after death. It was not without reason that Never-Despising Bodhisattva was spoken ill of, slandered, beaten with sticks and pieces of wood, or had rubble thrown at him. His persecution in this life seems to be the consequences of his slandering the True Dharma in his previous lives. Therefore it is stated in the sūtra, ‘His sins have been atoned.’ I believe it means that Never-Despising Bodhisattva’s past sin ceased to exist through his persecution.”

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 29

It can also be said that the evil done by those who abused Never-Despising Bodhisattva not only benefitted him but also benefited his abusers. According to Haiyan Shen’s interpretation of T’ien-t’ai Chih-i’s The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, Chih-I saw such evil as the source of good.

“Evil assists sentient beings in pursuing good deeds and in accumulating merits. This is exemplified through evidence from the Lotus Sūtra. One example is drawn from one of the previous lives of the Buddha, when he was known as Sadāparibhūta-bodhisattva [Never-Despising]. This bodhisattva bowed humbly to everyone, claiming that someday they would all become Buddhas. His actions infuriated many people, and they scolded and beat him. As a result, those beings had to suffer from their karman in hell. However, as soon as they paid their dues, the cause and condition of their previous meeting with the bodhisattva matured, and they were able to meet the Buddha in their present lifetime. Upon receiving the Buddha’s teaching in the Lotus Sūtra, they entered the stage of non-retrogression. This case shows that the evil karman of beings in the past gives rise to the opportunity for beings to be taught by the Buddha in the present. This benefit is produced by the evil karman from one’s former action.”[Vol. 2, Page 259-260]

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


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Kern’s Sanskrit and Hurvitz’s Sanskrit

This is another in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.

Before I leave the topic of 10 suchnesses and their absence in H. Kern’s 1884 translation, I want to digress for a moment to discuss the difference between the English translation of the Lotus Sutra published by Leon Hurvitz and other English language translations of Kumārajīva’s Chinese Lotus Sutra. Hurvitz translated both Kumārajīva’s Chinese and the Sanskrit, at times merging the two.

Hurvitz’s Sanskrit document was not the same as the Nepalese Sanskrit manuscript written on palm leaves and dated C.E. 1039 that Kern used. Instead, Hurvitz incorporated a later Sanskrit document compiled by Kern and Bunyiu Nanijio.

Unless otherwise noted, the Skt. Quotations are from H. Kern and Bunyiu Nanjio, eds., Saddharmapuṇḍarika, Bibliotheca Buddhica, vol. 10 (St. Petersburg: Académie Impériale des Sciences, 1912), and the translations are made from the same text.

First published in 1908, Kern and Bunyiu Nanijio combined multiple manuscripts in order to create one Sanskrit Lotus Sutra. From the book’s  “Preliminary Notice”:

The text of the for Saddharmapuṇḍarika, is now published for the first time, based upon the following MSS.:
A.: MS. of the Royal Asiatic Society, London.
B.: MS. of the British Museum, London.
Ca.: Add. MS. 1682 of University Library, Cambridge.
Cb.: Add. MS. 1683 of University Library, Cambridge.
K.: MS. in the possession of Mr. Ekai Kawaguchi, acquired in Nepal.
W.: MS. in the possession of Mr. Watters, formerly British Consul in Formosa.
O.: Indicates readings found in sundry fragments of MSS., all from Kashgar, now in possession of Mr. N.F. Petrovskij, and deposed by him in the Asiatic Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg. The fragments, though belonging to different MSS., show all of them the same peculiarities and evidently belong to the same family of texts.
P.: The lithographic text in Nāgarī published by Ph. Ed. Foucaux in his work Parobole de l’Enfant égaré (Paris, 1854).

A more detailed account will be given in the Preface after the completion of the whole work.
The Editors

The text includes extensive footnotes pointing out which manuscripts contain or don’t contain material. Here is a screenshot from the end of the prose section of Chapter 2 and beginning of the gāthās:
20220812_kern-page30
Note 3, which appears where the 10 suchnesses would be found, says this part is only found in three of the manuscripts used in this compilation.

There is a significant difference between Kern’s translation of Chapter 2 and the translation of the same portion by Hurvitz.

Kern concludes the initial prose section of Chapter 2 with:

Enough, Śāriputra, let it suffice to say, that the Tathāgatas, &c., have something extremely wonderful, Śāriputra. None but a Tathāgata, Śāriputra, can impart to a Tathāgata those laws which the Tathāgata knows. And all laws, Śāriputra, are taught by the Tathāgata, and by him alone; no one but he knows all laws, what they are, how they are, like what they are, of what characteristics and of what nature they are.

As pointed out last week, this is a far cry from Kumārajīva’s 10 suchnesses:

No more, Śāriputra, will I say because the Dharma attained by the Buddhas is the highest Truth, rare [to hear] and difficult to understand. Only the Buddhas attained [the highest Truth, that is,] the reality of all things’ in regard to their appearances as such, their natures as such, their entities as such, their powers as such, their activities as such, their primary causes as such, their environmental causes as such, their effects as such, their rewards and retributions as such, and their equality as such [despite these differences].

When Hurvitz translated the Sanskrit version of the Lotus Sutra compiled by Kern and Nanijio, he found something closer Kumārajīva:

Enough, Śāriputra! Let this statement, at least, stand: the Thus Gone Ones, the Worthy Ones, the Properly and Fully Enlightened Ones, have arrived at the supremely wonderful, Śāriputra. Therefore let it be the Thus Gone One, Śāriputra, who shall teach the dharma of the Thus Gone One, what dharmas the Thus Gone One knows. All the dharmas, every one of them, Śāriputra, does the Thus Gone One himself teach. All the dharmas, every one of them, Śāriputra, does the Thus Gone One himself know. Which the dharmas are, how the dharmas are, what the dharmas are like, of what appearance the dharmas are, and of what essence the dharmas are: which and how and like what and of what appearance and of what essence the dharmas are, indeed it is the Thus Gone One who is the manifest eyewitness of these dharmas.

In this case, Hurvitz put this translation of the Sanskrit in his notes at the back. However, in other places he incorporates the unique content of the Sanskrit to create a translation of the Lotus Sutra that blends Kumārajīva’s Chinese with elements of the Sanskrit.

For example, in Murano’s translation of Kumārajīva, Chapter 3 concludes:

[Expound it to those]
Who receive [this sūtra]
And put it on their heads,
And who do not seek
Any other sūtra
Or think of the books of heresy!

(The Buddha said to Śāriputra:)
Those who seek the enlightenment of the Buddha
Are as various as previously stated.
A kalpa will not be long enough
To describe the variety of them.
They will be able to understand [this sūtra] by faith.
Expound to them
The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma!

Kern contains additional material:

146. And he who keeps (in memory) the great Sūtras, while he never shows any liking for other books, nor even knows a single stanza from another work; to all of them thou mayst expound this sublime Sūtra.

147. He who seeks such an excellent Sūtra as this, and after obtaining it devoutly worships it, is like the man who wears a relic of the Tathāgata he has eagerly sought for.

148. Never mind other Sūtras nor other books in which a profane philosophy is taught; such books are fit for the foolish; avoid them and preach this Sūtra.

149. During a full Æon, Śāriputra, I could speak of thousands of koṭis of (connected) points, (but this suffices); thou mayst reveal this Sūtra to all who are striving after the highest supreme enlightenment.

In Hurvitz’s translation, we get a blended conclusion:

If there is a bhikṣu
Who for the sake of all-knowledge
Seeks the dharma in all four directions,
With joined palms receiving it on the crown of his head,
Desiring merely to receive and keep
The scriptures of the great vehicle,
Not accepting so much
As a single gāthā from the other scriptures,
For men like him,
And only for them, may you preach.
As a man wholeheartedly
Seeks the buddhaśarīra,
So may one seek the scriptures
And, having found them, receive them on the crown of one’s head,
Such a person shall never again
Wish to seek other scriptures,
Nor has he ever before thought
Of the books of the unbelievers.
For men like him,
And only for them, may you preach.
I say to you, Śāriputra,
That I, in telling of this sort
Of seekers of the buddha path,
Could spend a whole kalpa and still not finish.
If they are men of this sort,
Then they can believe and understand,
And for their sakes you may
Preach the Scripture of the Fine Dharma Flower.

Something to consider when Hurvitz’s translation is used in comparing English translations of the Lotus Sutra.

One last point: The order of chapters is different between Kern’s original English translation and the later compilation that Hurwitz’s used in his translation.

Hurvitz Sanskrit Kern’s Sanskrit
1. Introduction
(nidānaparivarta)		 Introductory
2. Skill in means
(upāyakauśalyaparivarta)		 Skillfulness
3. Parable
(aupamyaparivarta)		 A Parable
4. Strong inclination, attachment
(adhimuktiparivarta)		 Disposition
5. Medicinal herbs
(auṣadhīparivarta)		 On Plants
6. Prophecy
(vyākaraṇaparivarta)		 Announcement of Future Destiny
7. Former connection
(pūrvayogaparivarta)		 Ancient Devotion1
8. Prophecy to five hundred mendicant monks
(pañcabhikṣuśata vyākaraṇaparivarta)		 Announcement of the Future Destiny of the Five Hundred Monks
9. Prophecy to Ānanda and others
(Ānandādivyākaraṇaparivarta)		 Announcement of the Future Destiny Of Ānanda, Rahula, and the Two Thousand Monks
10. Preachers of dharma
(dharmabhāṇakaparivarta)		 The Preacher
11. Apparition of the stūpa
(stūpasaṃdarśanaparivarta)		 Apparition of a Stūpa
Devadatta chapter is included at end of Chapter 11
12. Fortitude
(quanchi pin)		 Exertion
13. Pleasant conduct
(sukhavihāraparivarta)		 Peaceful Life
14. Rise of bodhisattvas out of an aperture in the earth
(bodhisattva-pṛthivīvivarasa mudgamaparivarta)		 Issuing of Bodhisattvas from the Gaps of the Earth
15. The life span of the Thus Gone One
(tathāgatāyu pramāṇaparivarta)		 Duration of the Life of the Tathāgata
16. Circuit of merits
(puṇyaparyāyaparivarta)		 Of Piety
17. Exposition of the merits of appropriate joy
(anumodanāpuṇyanirdeśaparivarta)		 Indication of the Meritoriousness of Joyful Acceptance
18. Praise of the dharma preachers
(dharmabhāṇakānuśaṃsāparivarta)		 The Advantages of a Religious Preacher
19. Sadāparibhūtaparivarta Sadāparibhūta
20. The constituents of magic power of the Thus Gone One
(tathāgatarddhyabhisaṃskāraparivarta)		 Conception of the Transcendent Power of the Tathāgatas
21. Entrustment
(anuparīndanāparivarta)		 Spells (Dhārāṇis)
(Entrustment, called The Period, appears at end)
22. The former connection of Bhaiṣajyarāja
(Bhaiṣajyarājapūrvayogaparivarta)		 Ancient Devotion of Bhaiṣajyarāja
23. Gadgadasvaraparivarta Gadgadasvara
24. The exposition of the miracles of Avalokiteśvara, entitled the
Chapter of Samantamukha
(samantamukhaparivarto nāmāvalokiteśvaravikurvaṇanirdeśaḥ)		 Chapter Called that of the All-Sided One, Containing a Description of the Transformations of Avalokiteśvara
252 Magic formulas
(dhārāṇiparivarta)		 Ancient Devotion
See Note 1
26. The former connection of Śubhavyūharāja
(Śubhavyūharājapūrvayogaparivarta)		 Encouragement of Samantabhadra
27. The encouragements of Samantabhadra (Samantabhadrotsāhanaparivarta) The Period

Notes

1
Both Chapter 7 and Chapter 25 have the same title in Kern’s translation. return
2
In the Preface to the Revised Edition of Hurvitz’s Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma, a comparison of chapter titles between Kumārajīva and the Kern and Bunyiu Nanijio compilation lists the final chapter numbers as 21. Magic formulas, 25. The former connection of Śubhavyūharāja, and 26. The encouragements of Samantabhadra. return

Next: The Problem with Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas

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800 Years: The Practices of Bodhisattvas

Arriving at the story of Never Despising Bodhisattva in Chapter 20, we enter the Lotus Sutra’s many lessons on how one who has faith in the sutra should act, beginning with the simplest practice: respect.

As Nichiren writes in “The ‘Emperor Sushun’ Letter”:

“A wise man named Confucius of China is said to have thought over what he intended to say nine times before he uttered a word. It is also said that Tan, the Duke of Chou, interrupted washing his hair, or having a meal, three times in order to see visitors without keeping them waiting. How much more you who have faith in Buddhism should take these examples to heart! Otherwise you will regret it later. Please do not bear a grudge against me. This is the teaching of the Buddha. The essence of Buddhism is the Lotus Sūtra, and the gist of practicing the Lotus Sūtra is shown in the “Never-Despising Bodhisattva” chapter. Contemplate why the Never-Despising Bodhisattva stood on the street to bow to passersby. The true purpose of Śākyamuni Buddha appearing in this world was to teach us how to behave ourselves on a daily basis.

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4,
Page 124

In The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, Gene Reeves underscores the importance of showing respect in our daily practice:

“Over and over again in the Dharma Flower Sutra we are encouraged to ‘receive, embrace, read, recite, copy, teach, and practice’ the Dharma Flower Sutra. Thus, the fact that Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva did not read or recite sutras is quite interesting. I think it is an expression of the general idea in the Dharma Flower Sutra that, while various practices are very important, what is even more important is how one lives one’s life in relation to others. The references to bodhisattvas who do not follow normal monastic practices, including reading and recitation of sutras, but still become fully awakened buddhas indicates that putting the Dharma into one’s daily life by respecting others, and in this way embodying the Dharma, is more important than formal practices such as reading and recitation.”

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p216-217

This practice can have real-world beneficial effects, as Thich Nhat Hanh explains in Peaceful Action, Open Heart:

“This bodhisattva removes the feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem in people. “How can I become a Buddha? How can I attain enlightenment? There is nothing in me except suffering, and I don’t know how to get free of my own suffering, much less help others. I am worthless.” Many people have these kinds of feelings, and they suffer because of them. Never Disparaging Bodhisattva works to encourage and empower people who feel this way, to remind them that they too have Buddha nature, they too are a wonder of life, and they too can achieve what a Buddha achieves. This is a great message of hope and confidence. This is the practice of a bodhisattva in the action dimension. This is the practice of the Lotus Sutra.”

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p146
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800 Years: Our Mind of Faith

Before I leave Chapter 19 and the purification of the six sense organs of the teacher of the dharma, I want to linger over the mental transformation that comes from our progression in faith.

In “Dannotsu Bō Gohenji, Response to a Follower,” Nichiren writes:

“Please remember that the service to your lord itself is practicing the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Interpreting the scriptural statement in the Lotus Sūtra (“The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma” chapter), Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, therefore, states in his Great Concentration and Insight, “All the activities and daily work of the people in the secular world do not contradict the truth preached by the Buddha.” Please contemplate the spirit of this scriptural statement again and again.”

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 131

This is the transformation of the mind of faith. As explained in the Introduction to the Lotus Sutra:

“[Among] the teachings of the purification of the six sense-organs, especially important are the words in the section on purification of the mind: ‘When they expound the scriptures of non-Buddhists, or give advice to the government, or teach ways to earn a livelihood, they will always be in accord with the right teachings of the Buddha.’ ‘To give advice to the government’ means to enter into the realm of politics and administration. ‘To teach ways to earn a livelihood’ refers to the realms of industry, economics, and our daily work. Theories of politics and economics belong to the ever-changing secular world. Buddhism, on the other hand, belongs to the eternal world, which lies beneath the transitory. Buddhist teachings and the common law (social rules) are distinct. … However, in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Dharma cannot ignore the rules of society. On the contrary, the Dharma (truth) is the basis for social rules. Human society cannot function properly, even in politics or economics, unless it is in accord with the basic law of the universe. This law is what is meant by Dharma.”

Or as Thich Nhat Hanh offers in Peaceful Action, Open Heart:

“Having received this great merit, with our mind faculty transformed, any thought we have, any concept we entertain – all have the flavor of the Buddhadharma. Even though we may not yet have realized perfect wisdom or put an end to all our mental afflictions, with a purified mind faculty every thought, every calculation, every deduction, every word we speak is in accord with the Buddhadharma. There is nothing we teach that is not the truth, and the value of what we teach is equivalent to that of the Dharma taught by all the Buddhas in the sutras. The far-reaching merit of the Lotus Sutra transforms all those who hear it, understand it, accept it in faith, and practice it into teachers of Dharma who share their insight and joy with others in order to help them realize the truth of the ultimate dimension and cross to the shore of freedom.”

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p126
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Kern, Ten Suchnesses, d3b, Blog

A Lotus Without 10 Suchnesses

This is another in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.

While the differences between Kumārajīva’s 5th century Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra from Sanskrit and H. Kern’s translation of an 11th century Nepalese Sanskrit document are relatively minor in the first chapter, the difference in Chapter 2 is striking.

Here’s Senchu Murano’s translation of the final portion of Hoben Pon, the section of Chapter 2, Expedients, which lays out the ten suchlike characteristics of reality:

No more, Śāriputra, will I say because the Dharma attained by the Buddhas is the highest Truth, rare [to hear] and difficult to understand. Only the Buddhas attained [the highest Truth, that is,] the reality of all things’ in regard to their appearances as such, their natures as such, their entities as such, their powers as such, their activities as such, their primary causes as such, their environmental causes as such, their effects as such, their rewards and retributions as such, and their equality as such [despite these differences].

Now consider Kern’s translation of the same section:

Enough, Śāriputra, let it suffice to say, that the Tathāgatas, &c., have something extremely wonderful, Śāriputra. None but a Tathāgata, Śāriputra, can impart to a Tathāgata those laws which the Tathāgata knows. And all laws, Śāriputra, are taught by the Tathāgata, and by him alone; no one but he knows all laws, what they are, how they are, like what they are, of what characteristics and of what nature they are.

For Nichiren, and before him T’ien T’ai and Saicho, the Ten Suchnesses are a fundamental component of the teaching of Ichinen Sanzen,  the theoretical expression of the interdependent nature of all reality.  What becomes of the Lotus Sutra without this teaching?

In 2018, Ryusho Jeffus Shonin published a 70-page book on the Ten Suchnesses.  The full title was “Ten Suchnesses: Equality Despite Their Differences. Volume II Ichinen Sanzen.”

The planned three volume discussion of Ichinen Sanzen was never published. Only this volume exists. Ryusho Jeffus died in August 2020.

As with all of Ryusho’s books, he is more interested in how a teaching can be applied to daily life than in the academic details.

As you read this book you will see that it is less a direct exposition on the meaning of each of the Ten Factors and more of a journey through their interconnectedness and interdependence. Unlike the Ten Worlds, which can easily be described independently, the Ten Factors are deeply connected and intertwined in such a way that extracting them out from the group deprives them of the mutual effect they have on each other. In fact one of the Factors is the mutuality of all ten, the equality of each despite their differences.

Ten Suchnesses, p8

This is clearly reflected in Ryusho’s summary of the Ten Suchnesses:

Appearance – Briefly, this is the way you look. This is not fixed as you can smile and appear one way or scowl and appear another. You can wear certain clothes and look different from when you wear other types of clothing. There are some aspects of appearance which are not changeable such as eye color, or skin color (well not so much generally), height once fully grown, hair color (well not permanently for the most part), hair or no hair. I would add gender except in certain circumstances.

Nature – This is how you are, not who you are. This includes such things as pessimistic, optimistic, daring, bold, shy, extrovert, introvert, gregarious, quick learner, visual learner, literal learner, learner by doing rather than instruction, adventurous, laid back, easy going, excitable. These are not always fixed, though for some people they may seem to be such. And further they are not always the same in any of us, we can be one way at one time and another in other instances. We can be both shy and gregarious, introverted and extroverted.

Entity – This is our total complete self, it can include genetics, disposition to certain diseases, blood type, physical strength, emotional strength, internal organs, demeanor as a total picture.

Power – Is not always only about physical or mental strength. It includes our ability to persevere, to challenge ourselves, to introspect, to reflect, (our nature may affect our willingness or tendency to do so even if we may have great power as an ability). Our ability to lead others, for good or ill, our skill with other people can be a power again for good or ill. Our ability to see our strengths and use them skillfully or not is a power even when the actual power may be limited. A person may not have the power to do something yet may be able to accomplish the goal through the power of working with others again for good or for ill.

Activity – What are we doing, what are we accomplishing or trying to accomplish, is the activity physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, is the activity for self or for others are some ways to consider activity.

Primary Cause – There is a cause which precedes every cause to some extent. There is a primary cause in all things, what is that in each of the situations we engage in and how does that impact all the other Ten Aspects. One primary cause is the difference between self and others, between self and environment, between self as a physical entity and self as a spiritual entity and self as a complete undifferentiated complete entity. Where is the primary cause directed inward versus outward, towards oneself or towards others, includes or excludes others, benefits others or only self all are primary causes beneath initial traditional activities. Also a primary cause is human, non-human animal, plant, or even alien.

Environmental Cause – There are factors which take place outside ourselves and often outside our control. Is it raining, if so did you think to bring an umbrella? Failing to consider environmental causes can lead to death such as by heat exhaustion and stroke, or freezing to death, starvation, disease and illness. Sometimes the environment is beyond our control but what is within our control may be able to mitigate the effects of the environment. Sometimes it can not, such as an earthquake, typhoon, airplane crash, fire, terrorist attack. In all cases we don’t ever act independent of our environment even if we may fail to consider it.

Effect – It’s what happens, seen, unseen, known, unknown, immediately observable or seemingly manifest later (all effects manifest instantly only some may not be observed instantly).

Reward or Negative reward (retribution) – Sometimes what seems to be boon may be an albatross. What is negative now may end up being reward to our future growth and development. These are not absolutes except in how we treat them. Could motivate us into changing poison into medicine.

Equality – there is complete equality and connectedness throughout these aspects which is one of the aspects. A subtle change in one causes a ripple throughout all. This is why it is important to not try to completely separate these as we try to understand them in our lives. No one aspect can be truly removed or analyzed independent of the others. This is their equality despite their differences.

Ten Suchnesses, p9-11

For a more traditional review of the Ten Suchnesses, consider Ryuei McCormick’s Open Your Eyes or the Foundations of T’ien T’ai Philosophy discussion of Three Ways of Reading 10 Suchness.

But such academic abstractions were not Ryusho’s thing.

At the end of this process I personally have to wonder what have we accomplished … that will enable us to end our suffering and enable us to attain enlightenment? Not everyone is like me so there may indeed be some who find this sort of abstraction beneficial. I find it more of a distraction and since I’m writing the book and I really can only from my point of view that’s what I’m going to do.

Ten Suchnesses, p52

Ryusho had a simple goal:

Understanding the map of the Ten Worlds and realizing that the Ten Aspects are how we live or manifest the Ten Worlds gives us the tools or key to ending our suffering.

Ten Suchnesses, p55

This all fits into his overarching view of Buddhism:

Buddhism is about examining our experiences and seeking to understand why they are that way, what can be done to either mitigate or change or eliminate the effects by making new causes. There isn’t some magic that takes place which replaces the necessity of making new causes. Buddhism is not a shortcut to wealth, fame, ease, and luxury. Buddhism is a religion of hard work, honest evaluation of one’s life, sincere effort to make necessary changes, and the dedication to carry out these for the duration of one’s life continually.

Ten Suchnesses, p59

I have a copy of the artwork from the book cover among the decorations next to my altar.
20220817_ryusho_artwork-web
Were I to caption this artwork I would use this quote from the book:

This I believe is one of the great advantages of Buddhism. Through the study and practice of our faith we can delve into our self deeply and see the root of our suffering and with the tools provided to us from our faith we can then begin to work on solving the problems of our lives in constructive and beneficial ways.

Ten Suchnesses, p65

Next: Kern’s Sanskrit and Hurvitz’s Sanskrit

800years, d23b, d24b, Blog

800 Years: Becoming a Teacher of the Dharma

In Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, we learn of the merits to be given the beginner in faith and in Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, we learn of the merits to be earned by a teacher of the dharma. As Nikkyō Niwano explains in Buddhism for Today, becoming such a teacher is part of the natural progression of faith:

“The practices of a preacher are of five kinds (goshu hosshi): receiving and keeping the sutra (juji), reading it (doku) and reciting it (ju), expounding it (gesetsu), and copying it (shosha). … In each of these five practices, the state of our gradually deepening faith is clearly shown.

“If we believe and discern the teaching after hearing it, and if we raise the mind of joyful acceptance of it, we proceed first to keep it firmly, then, reading and reciting the sutra, to inscribe it on our memory. As a personal discipline, this practice is done to establish the foundation of our faith. When our faith reaches this stage, we cannot help transmitting the teaching to others. As a result, we expound the sutra (the teaching) and copy it. We cannot say we have attained true faith until we go through each process of the five kinds of practices of the preacher.”

Buddhism for Today, p295

The Chapter 19’s specifics of how the teacher’s sense organs will be affected have always caused me pause. I want too much for literal benefits:

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

But in Peaceful Action, Open Heart, Thich Nhat Hanh offers a more nuanced view of the benefits that flow from our growing faith:

“The merit of this teaching effects a great change in the field of our six sense organs (sadayatana) – our eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind. When we are able to receive the truth of the Lotus Sutra our sense perceptions undergo a profound transformation. Automatically our eyes are able to see things that before we were not able to see. We attain the eyes of the Dharma that are able to look deeply and see the true nature and suchness of all dharmas, all phenomena in the world of our perceptions. With Dharma eyes we can look into a wilted and yellow autumn leaf and see its wonderful, fresh green nature. We can see that one leaf, whether old and yellow or green and fresh, contains all the merits, all the wonderful suchness of the universe. The eyes of someone who has received and who maintains the teaching of this Sutra, the truth of the ultimate, are able to see the limitless life span, the unborn and undying nature of everything. This is the first merit, the transformation of our sight perception into the eyes of the Dharma.”

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p125

While using my sense of smell to locate buried treasure seems farfetched, I can imagine looking into a wilted and yellow autumn leaf and seeing its wonderful, fresh green nature.

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b4today, Blog

Certified

20220910_RKINA_201_Certificate-web

After eight months of weekly 90-minute-plus Zoom classes, I’m now certified to have completed RKINA 201: Threefold Lotus Sutra Online Learning Course. Even received a face mask suitable for visiting a Risshō Kōsei Kai Buddhist Center and a lapel pin marking the occasion.

I have more than 200 posts and pages on this website that reference Nikkyō Niwano’s Buddhism for Today. That’s not because I’m a fan of the organization he founded in 1938 with Mrs. Myoko Naganuma, but because much of what he writes about the Lotus Sutra and how to make Buddhism a part of our daily life is so relevant today. Not being a Risshō Kōsei Kai member allows me the freedom to discard those points that I find troublesome. See here and here. I would like to believe I can quibble on some points – strongly in some instances – and still reference the teachings of Nikkyō Niwano.

As of today, Sept. 10, 2022, I have 10,460 posts published on this website and another 188 in the queue scheduled to be published. I have 123 pages of additional content.   The 200 or so posts concerning Nikkyō Niwano’s Buddhism for Today represent a tiny fraction, but they are an important contribution to the overall understanding of the Lotus Sutra that I’m seeking to create.

Face mask and lapel pin

800years, d23b, Blog

800 Years: The Merits of the Inexperienced Practicer

In the Trace Gate of the Lotus Sutra, the first 14 chapters, and even before that in the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, the preface to the Lotus Sutra, we are told that it is very difficult to understand what the Buddhas realize about the reality of the equality and differences of all things. That difficulty has been used as the basis for declaring the sutra too profound to be useful. But in Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra, we learn of the great merits to be gained by the person who holds even a passing knowledge of this supreme teaching.

Nichiren addresses this in his “Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra”:

“The Pure Land Buddhists today … [say] it is impossible to practice the Lotus Sūtra unless one possesses a high capacity to understand and it bewilders the evil ordinary people in the Latter Age of Degeneration. Are they not contradicting themselves? Grand Master Miao-lê in his Annotations to the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra asserts, ‘Most people make mistakes, without knowing how great the merits of the inexperienced practicers can be. They imagine that only the experienced practicers can have merits and slander the inexperienced. Therefore, in the ‘Merits of Rejoicing at Hearing This Sūtra’ chapter it is shown that the merits of the inexperienced practicer can be great and how great the merits of the Lotus Sūtra are.’ This passage means that the merit of the 50th person rejoicing at hearing the Lotus Sūtra transmitted one after another was preached to show that the merit of an ignorant person with little capacity in the Latter Age rejoicing even for a moment at hearing the sūtra preached is superior to the merit of sages who practice the pre-Lotus sūtras preached during the 40 or so years before the Lotus Sūtra.

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4,
Page 7-8

It is not difficult to have faith in this sutra. Nichiren’s thinking is explained in Donald Lopez and Jacqueline Stone’s Two Buddhas Seated Side by Side:

“ ‘What other sūtra,’ Nichiren asks, ‘teaches that incalculable merit accrues to one who arouses even a single thought of willing acceptance, or to the fiftieth person who rejoices upon hearing it? Other sūtras do not claim such merit for even the first, second, third, or tenth hearer, let alone the fiftieth!’ …

“If ease of practice were to be a criterion, [Nichiren] said, no practice could be easier than spontaneously rejoicing on hearing the Lotus Sūtra. Nichiren argued that, far from excluding the ignorant, it is precisely because the Lotus Sūtra is so profound that it can save beings of any capacity whatsoever. In this connection, he often cited Zhanran’s remark: ‘The more true the teaching, the lower the capacity of the persons it can bring to liberation.’ However limited one’s capacity might be, that person is ennobled by their Lotus Sūtra practice.”

Two Buddhas, p199-200

What could be more reassuring to the person who takes faith in Lotus Sutra for the first time?

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Kern, d1b, Innumerable, Blog

The Sutra Taught Before the Lotus Sutra

This is another in a series of weekly blog posts comparing and contrasting the Sanskrit and Chinese Lotus Sutra translations.

At the start of the Lotus Sutra after everyone in the audience has been introduced, the Buddha expounds a sutra and then enters into a samādhi. The name of that sutra and that samādhi are different depending on whether you are translating from Kumārajīva’s Chinese or the 11th century Nepalese Sanskrit.

When I was preparing to write about this I was surprised to discover Senchu Murano translates Kumārajīva’s title of the sutra differently than almost of the other English-language translations that I possess.

Murano states:

Thereupon the four kinds of devotees, who were surrounding the World-Honored One, made offerings to him, respected him, honored him, and praised him. The World-Honored One expounded a sūtra of the Great Vehicle called the “Innumerable Teachings, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.” Having expounded this sūtra, the Buddha sat cross-legged [facing the east], and entered into the samadhi for the purport of the innumerable teachings. His body and mind became motionless.

The 1975 Rissho Kosei-Kai translation names the sutra “Innumerable Meanings” and “the contemplation termed the station of innumerable meanings.”

The 2019 Rissho Kosei-Kai translation names the sutra “Innumerable Meanings” and “the Samadhi of the Domain of Innumerable Meanings.”

Gene Reeves’ translation names the sutra “Innumerable Meanings” and the “state of concentration called the place of innumerable meanings.”

Burton Watson’s translation names this sutra “Immeasurable Meanings” and the “samadhi of the place of immeasurable meanings.”

The BDK English Tripiṭaka translation names the sutra “Immeasurable Meanings” and “the samadhi called the abode of immeasurable meanings’.”

Having read the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings more than 30 times as part of my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice, I’m surprised that Murano could have titled the sutra Innumerable Teachings. Clearly the lesson of the sutra is the infinite meanings the listeners of the one teaching create. But then Murano is translating Kumārajīva’s Chinese words, not the actual sutra that the Buddha is said to have taught.

Leon Hurvitz, whose translation is considered the gold standard, agrees with Murano:

At that time, the World-Honored One, surrounded by the fourfold multitude, showered with offerings, deferentially treated and revered, for the bodhisattvas’ sake preached a scripture of the great vehicle named the Immeasurable Doctrine (Ananta-nirdeséa), a dharma to be taught to bodhisattvas, a dharma which the buddha keeps ever in mind. When he had preached this scripture, cross-legged he entered into the samādhi [state of concentration] of the Abode of the Immeasurable Doctrine (Anantanirdeśapratiṣṭhänasamādhi), where his body and mind were motionless.

Getting back to Kern’s translation of the 11th century Sanskrit Lotus Sutra, he offers:

Now at that time it was that the Lord surrounded, attended, honored, revered, venerated, worshipped by the four classes of hearers, after expounding the Dharmaparyāya called ‘the Great Exposition,’ a text of great development, serving to instruct Bodhisattvas and proper to all Buddhas, sat cross-legged on the seat of the law and entered upon the meditation termed ‘the station of the exposition of Infinity;’ his body was motionless and his mind had reached perfect tranquility.

The Translators’ Introduction to  “The Infinite Meanings Sutra” from the BDK English Tripiṭaka offers this explanation of the difference between Kumārajīva’s translation and the extant Sanskrit texts:

The Infinite Meanings Sutra may be regarded as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra). In light of this, it is noteworthy that in English versions of the Lotus Sutra based on Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation (Taishō no. 260), in the beginning of the introductory chapter one can find a passage similar to the following:

[The Buddha] then taught the bodhisattvas the Mahayana sutra called Immeasurable Meanings. After having taught this sutra, the Buddha .… entered the samādhi called the “abode of immeasurable meanings.”

Extant Sanskrit manuscripts of the Lotus Sutra, however, give mahā-nirdeśa, “great exposition,” as the name of the sutra, and ābhujyūnanta-nirdeśa-pratiṣṭhāna, “foundation of infinite exposition,” as the name of the samādhi. Since ananta-nirdeśa, “infinite exposition,” is not found in reference to the name of the sutra that was taught, this gives rise to the speculation that if Kumārajīva translated from manuscripts similar to those that now remain, he must have used the same Chinese translation, wu liang yi, “infinite (immeasurable/innumerable) meanings,” in both instances.

While the Lotus Sutra is never mentioned by name in this text, the Infinite Meanings Sutra, like the Lotus, is a strong proponent of the concept of bodhisattva practice. In his discourse in the sutra, the Buddha emphasizes that leading others to the Way is a prime factor in attaining ultimate enlightenment, and that the teaching of the sutra itself is infinite in its meanings because it relates to the unlimited desires of living beings.

Next: A Lotus Without 10 Suchnesses