Category Archives: Blog

Levels of Understanding and Meaning

Back on Oct. 8, 2020, I started enumerating the 10 Merits listed in the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings. I confess that I began this sequence to make my monthly posts regarding the opening sutra easier. Now I know the topic of my posts for the next nine months. But the inadequacy of this was underscored for me during the dharma talk on these merits following the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of San Francisco Bay Area service Oct. 18.

Shami Mark Ryugan Herrick leads the ongoing lectures under the close supervision of Michael Ryuei McCormick. At the point in the lecture where the first merit was discussed, Ryugan mentioned my blog post and asked me to comment.

“This really sounds to me like a definition of what buddhism is supposed to do in your life,” I said, echoing the line I added to my post, “I can think of no better summary of the goals of becoming a Buddhist.”

The superficial nature of my response – of my basic understanding – was quickly underscored by Ryuei’s comment on this first merit.

Those aren’t a bunch of random nice things. The first category are the four Brahmaviharas or divine abodes also called the infinite states of mind — loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity. Then that’s followed by the six perfections.

As that quote that you wrote earlier where Nichiren says when you take up the sutra your hands become a buddha, I think in other forms of buddhism you practice all of these difficult virtues and ideals so that you can attain buddhahood but with Nichiren Buddhism … we practice the daimoku, we practice the Lotus Sutra, so that all of these qualities become the benefits we receive through the practice. We’re not trying to be perfect so we can become buddhas. We’re trying to become buddhas so that we have all these wonderful qualities as the benefits to that.

The video below starts at the reading of the first merit. The entire lecture is nearly an hour and forty minutes. This is an excellent example of the firehose of information that the thirsty are offered whenever Ryuei McCormick lectures. It is well worth the time.

This is the third in the series of lectures on the Threefold Lotus Sutra. The first lecture can be found here and the second here.

There are additional videos at the Nichiren Bay Area YouTube Channel.

Laying Down the Banner of Arrogance, Casting Away the Club of Prejudice

Caged_Bird_in_TreeWhy do you suppose it is that suddenly something you thought was familiar becomes remarkable?

Take this snippet from a letter written by Nichiren in 1277 at  Minobu:

A singing bird in a cage attracts uncaged birds, and the sight of these uncaged birds will make the caged bird want to be free. Likewise, the chanting of Odaimoku will bring out the Buddha-nature within ourselves. The Buddha-nature of Bonten and Taishaku will be summoned by the chanting and will protect the chanter. The Buddha-nature of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will be pleased to be summoned. For attaining Buddhahood quickly, one must lay down the banner of arrogance, cast away the club of prejudice, and chant Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Awakening of the Buddha Nature,
Hokke Shoshin Jobutsu Sho


This is one of only two quotes from Nichiren that I remember from my years with Soka Gakkai. (The other is Itai Doshin Ji, One Spirit in Different Bodies.) And over the years I’ve never before been able to get past the cage that confines the bird and the bird wanting to be free. My thoughts instantly go to Maya Angelou’s 1969 autobiography “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

Then earlier this week I read this quote as part of my daily morning routine and suddenly realized I have never in all of these years read past the first sentence.

[T]he chanting of Odaimoku will bring out the Buddha-nature within ourselves. The Buddha-nature of Bonten and Taishaku will be summoned by the chanting and will protect the chanter. The Buddha-nature of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will be pleased to be summoned.

By chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō I inspire Bonten, the God Brahman, and Taishaku, the God Sakra Devanam Indra, to offer their protection. (Bonten and Taishaku are in the Nichiren Shu Mandala Gohonzon, Numbers 16 and 18 on the Lotus World map.)

Laying down the banner of arrogance, casting away the club of prejudice, I focus on inspiring Bonten and Taishaku and the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, searching for just the right sound when I chant Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Finally back indoors

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It was very nice to be back indoors Sunday, even if we are still masked and socially distant from each other. We have not had indoor services at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church since July, when the state and county health officials banned indoor church services to slow the spread of COVID-19.

This has been one long year, without any services from February to June, indoor briefly in June and then outdoor from July to September. How long will limits on indoor services continue? Will indoor services again be prohibited with a second wave of COVID-19? Never before have I wished so much for a year to be over.

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For July, August and September we held services under canopies on the grass between the Social Hall and the Temple. It was hot and the folding chair legs sank deep into the grass, but it worked.

How to Imagine the 10 Worlds in Daily Life

I really enjoy Nichiren’s view on the 10 Worlds in our daily lives:

As we often look at each other’s faces, we notice our facial expression changes from time to time. It is full of delight, anger, or calm sometimes; but other times it changes to greed, ignorance, or flattery. Anger represents hells; greed—hungry spirits; ignorance—beasts; flattery—asura demons; delight—gods; and calm—men. Thus, we see in the countenance of people six realms of illusion, from hells to the realm of gods. We cannot see four realms of holy ones (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, bodhisattvas, and Buddhas), which are hidden from our eyes. Nevertheless, we must be able to see them, too, if we look for them carefully.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 134-135

Recently I’ve been puzzling over how to see the four higher worlds, what it means to be in the realm of śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha or bodhisattva or buddha.

Actually, buddhahood is the easiest. That’s where we are every time we chant Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō:

It is said that the merit of all the Buddhist scriptures (except the Lotus Sūtra) is found in the promise that men can become Buddhas after they have done good deeds, which means the attainment of Buddhahood is not certain. In the case of the Lotus Sūtra, however, when one touches it, one’s hands immediately become Buddhas, and when one chants it, one’s mouth instantly becomes a Buddha. For example, when the moon rises above the eastern mountain, its reflection immediately shows on the water. Sound and resonance also occur simultaneously.

Ueno-dono Gozen Gohenji, Reply to My Lady, the Nun of Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 58-59

And every time we practice for others as we seek our own enlightenment we enter the realm of bodhisattvas.

As for the other two higher realms, why not describe it like this:

  • Śrāvakas: When we hear the Dharma and study Buddhism we are in the realm of Śrāvakas.
  • Pratyekabuddhas: When we put into practice for ourselves what we have learned we enter the realm of Pratyekabuddhas.

I asked Ryuei Shonin about my idea and this was his response:

All four higher realms involve practice though – but in different ways. I’d put it more like this:

Śrāvaka: When we hear the Dharma and understand the pervasiveness of suffering, begin to eradicate its causes, realize for ourselves the lessening of suffering, and continue to cultivate the eightfold noble path.

Pratyekabuddha: When we deeply contemplate the causal and conditioned nature of phenomena, in particular the causality of our own life in order to free ourselves from habitual patterns.

The difference between the Śrāvaka and Prayekabuddha is that, as it says in the Infinite Meanings and Lotus Sutra, the former practices the four noble truths (and eightfold path) while the latter contemplate the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination. The former are practicing a very practical and relatively simple path laid out by the Buddha (like following the 12 steps if you’re in AA), while the latter are thinking through all the implications of dependent origination for themselves. The latter takes a more philosophical mind and more self-reflection.

Bodhisattvas: The six perfections overlap a great deal with the eightfold path, but what is different is the explicit addition of generosity and patience. However, the Śrāvakas or voice-hearers do also teach the four noble truths to others. The real difference is that bodhisattvas have bodhicitta, a higher aspiration that involves remaining in the world of suffering (requiring patience) to build up the merit and wisdom so that they can attain buddhahood and thereby be able to share the Dharma most effectively with others (which is generosity of course). But note that this does not mean they will necessarily teach more than Śrāvakas. A beginner bodhisattva may not even be as good a teacher as a śrāvaka like Shariputra, but their aspiration is more all-encompassing even if they realize they have to mind their own business and build up their own practice and wisdom before presuming to teach others. We should be careful not to equate bodhisattvas with evangelicals who try to convert others before they have even fully transformed themselves.

Buddhas: One word that Tiantai uses for the Perfect teaching I find very striking – “uncontrived” (J. musa; 無作). What this means is that the Buddha’s actions are spontaneous unselfconscious and thoroughly authentic responses to every situation. Furthermore, as masters of skillful means they appear in and through the other nine worlds.

I like my summary:

  • Śrāvakas: When we hear the Dharma and study Buddhisms we are in the realm of Śrāvakas.
  • Pratyekabuddhas: When we put into practice for ourselves what we have learned we enter the realm of Pratyekabuddhas.
  • Bodhisattvas: When we seek to help all others to gain what we have gained from learning about Buddhism and putting it into practice, then we enter the realm of Bodhisattvas.
  • Buddhas: This is the realm we enter when we chant Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, merging what we have learned and what we practice while seeking to have all others join this path.

But that’s not doctrinal and perhaps potentially misleading.

As Ryuei cautioned during our email exchange:

Bottom line, you can’t and probably shouldn’t try to easily reduce the higher worlds to a simple image or concept like you can with the lower worlds.


See Experiencing The Interpenetrating Ten Worlds

Perfecting Shodaigyo Practice

shodaigyo_bookcover
Available for purchase at NBIC

Yesterday I completed the third week of the Enkyoji Buddhist Network’s online classes. This week dealt with Shodaigyo, the Nichiren Shu alternative to the traditional sutra chanting service. Shodaigyo eschews shindoku and instead combines seated meditation and chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. The simplicity of this format makes it an excellent vehicle for introducing the Daimoku to people unfamiliar with Buddhism.

The practice was established by Japanese Nichiren Shu Bishop Nichijun Yukawa in 1947. The fundamentals of Shodaigyo practice are detailed in Journey of the Path to Righteousness, an English translation by Rev. Shogen Kumakura, head priest of New York Daiseion-ji, of the most critical section of Rev. Tairyu Gondo’s manual on the liturgy of the Shodai-gyo, Chapter One: The Heart of Shodaigyo – The Manners and Practice.

Download Enkyoji Shodaigyo practice guide
This book offers minutely detailed instructions on the proper way to practice shodaigyo. As the book explains: “In following the above procedures, the effects of Shodaigyo Ceremony practice are improved.”

The reason for the development of this form of practice is detailed in the brief Introduction:

It is not easy for the practitioner to maintain a seriousness of heart for the most assiduous practice of chanting the Odaimoku. This being so, a variety of earlier methodologies for the practitioner have been taken into consideration for quite some time. The current form of Shodaigyo was developed from a foundation of those earlier methodologies. Today, this evolved form of Shodaigyo is practiced in Nichiren temples throughout the country of Japan and now around the world. Archbishop Nichijun Yukawa, my Sensei (mentor) and the founder of Gudo Dougan-Kai (The Association of the Same Wish for Those Seeking the Way), was the developer of this modern form of Shodaigyo. He propagated this current Shodaigyo form throughout Japan until he was until he was 93 years old.

“Shodaigyo is to chant the Odaimoku intently, staring deeply into the heart of the Self, in identification of the purified mind.”

Journey of the Path to Righteousness, p 2-3

I was previously introduced to the practice of Shodaiqyo at the four-day Enkyoji Buddhist Network 2017 Summer Retreat at the Seattle Choeizan Enkyoji Nichiren Buddhist Temple.

The pamphlet developed by the Enkyoji Network is available here.

Shodaigyo is sometimes combined with Reidan Daimoku Hand Gestures. You can read about those here.

For the next 25 days I’m going to postpone my quotes from Vasubandhu’s Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, and instead post quotes from Journey of the Path to Righteousness.

Book Quotes

 
Book List

Zoom, Zoom and Away!

When I got up at 7 am and discovered my Internet had been out for more than four hours, I didn’t have high expectations for my day. Still I soldiered on. I got dressed and did my morning service, reciting the second day’s portion of the Lotus Sutra in shindoku and chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō for 20 minutes.

Checked the Internet. Nothing. You never know what chanting might bring. (Winking smiley face goes here.)

I called my Internet service provider and waited on hold. And waited on hold. And waited on hold. Finally got to talk with a tech support guy only to be disconnected before he could complete troubleshooting my problem.

I called my Internet service provider and waited on hold. And waited on hold. And waited on hold. And waited on hold. And waited on hold. OK. It is Sunday. Can’t expect a full staff.

Finally reached a woman who quickly diagnosed my problem: the backup battery for my fiber-optic connection to my service provider appears to be dead. No battery; no connection. And, again, it is Sunday and the tech support woman said I’d receive a call to schedule a service call to replace the battery. Just not today.

I ended the call and shrugged my shoulders. (Really working hard on the paramita of patience.) And then I looked at the phone and thought: Can I get my weak local cellphone connection to replace my fiber-optic connection?

To be frank, I was surprised at how well it worked.

At 10:30 am I joined Rev. Shoda Douglas Kanai at the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada for his monthly kaji kito service.
Rev. Kanai explained some of the unique character of the Gohonzon he received after completing his second 100-day aragyo ascetic practice. In addition to the kaji kito ceremony, Rev. Kanai also eye-opened a pair of gohonzons for his church members.
At 12:30pm I joined the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area and Rev. Ryuei McCormick for their Sunday service and dharma talk
Shami Mark Ryugan Herrick led the Dharma talk, which today focused on the first chapter of the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings.
Here’s an example PowerPoint slide from Ryugan’s talk. As I’ve said before, attending these talks at the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area  is a lot like drinking from a firehose.

Dharma talk video

Having completed my Zoom day I was able to share my phone’s cellular WiFi connection and complete this blog post. All together, not a bad day.

Reviewing the Four Noble Truths

Today I participated in another of the Enkyoji Buddhist Network’s online classes. This one dealt with the Four Noble Truths.

The assignment prior to today’s Zoom class was straightforward:

Please take a critical look at basic translations of the Four Noble Truths you find online and compare them. Informed by your own faith and practice, reinterpret or translate the Four Noble Truths through your own critical lens.

I pretty much ignored that and instead took advantage this website, where, since 2015, I’ve been collecting quotes from books on Buddhism that I read to backstop my memory. Searching “noble truths” returns 81 posts.

Here are the quotes that I offered to fulfill my class assignment.


From Awakening to the Lotus

The first thing the Buddha taught was the Four Noble Truths. Put simply, these are:

  • Life is Suffering
  • There is a cause for Suffering
  • Suffering can be overcome
  • The way to overcome suffering is the Eightfold Path

From Ryusho Kansho Shonin’s Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Our practice includes the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, the Twelve-Link Chain of Causation, the Six Paramitas, and it is all contained in the Lotus Sutra and the Odaimoku of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. When we strive to live according to the fundamental truths of Buddhism and follow the teachings in the Lotus Sutra by chanting the sutra and the Odaimoku, we create a life that manifests our inherent Buddha potential and allows us to live a life of indestructible happiness.


From The Beginnings of Buddhism:

“O brothers, this is the Noble Truth of Suffering. Birth is suffering; old age is suffering; illness is suffering; death is suffering; meeting people one hates is suffering; parting from people one loves is suffering; failing to get what one wants is suffering. In other words, all five aggregates of the body and mind, which have attachments to things and to people, and of the environment are suffering. This is the Noble Truth of Suffering.

“O brothers, this is the Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering. Craving – for sensual pleasure, continued existence, and annihilation; for happiness in all places, accompanied by joy and covetousness – which leads to rebirth, is the basic cause and reason for suffering. And this is the Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering.

“O brothers, this is the Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering. The Noble Truth of the Extinction of Suffering is the total elimination of craving, abandoning it entirely, being liberated from it, and no longer having any attachments.

“O brothers, this is the Noble Truth of the Path to the Extinction of Suffering. The Eightfold Noble Path – right view, right thinking, right speech, right action, right living, right effort, right memory, and right meditation – is the Noble Truth of the Path to the Extinction of Suffering.” (Page 33-34)


From Lotus Seeds:

Right View is fully understanding life as revealed by the Four Noble Truths.

Right Intention is thinking clearly without the distortion of greed, hatred, or delusion. We are sincere and do not harbor ulterior motives.

Right Speech is the avoidance of deceit, gossip, slander, and other forms of verbal abuse and dishonesty. Instead, we speak only to benefit others and to reveal the truth.

Right Action is conducting oneself in an ethical manner and acting to benefit others. We refrain from killing, stealing, sexual deception or exploitation, and other activities harmful to ourselves and to others.

Right Livelihood is making a living without harming or exploiting others. Right livelihood precludes such activities as dealing in armaments, drug dealing, fraud, insider trading and any other means of living that involves the exploitation or harming of others. In other words, our work should be in accord with the rest of the Eightfold Path.

Right Effort is making every effort to develop good habits while curbing our bad habits.

Right Mindfulness is developing an ongoing awareness of all aspects of our life, including our physical condition and actions, our feelings, moods, ideas, our general enviroument, and our relations with others. Through such careful attention we are able to see more deeply into the true nature of our lives.

Right Concentration is making every effort to develop our Buddhist practice in order to acquire tranquility, insight into the true nature of life, and liberation from false views.


From Open Your Eyes by Ryuei Shonin

In Treatise on protecting the Nation, Nichiren provides citations from various sūtras to justify this time scheme of the five periods. These five flavors or periods were then made to correspond to certain analogies used in the sūtras. One analogy comes from the Nirvāṇa Sūtra and relates the teachings to milk and its products – cream, curds, butter, and clarified butter. …

[The second period] The Deer Park – for the next twelve years beginning with the Deer Park discourse, the Buddha exclusively taught the tripiṭaka doctrine for the śrāvakas. At this stage the Buddha taught the four noble truths and the twelvefold chain of dependent origination in order to free people from worldly attachments and to overcome self-centeredness.


From Lotus Seeds:

Of the Four Higher Worlds – voice­ hearers, privately awakened ones, bodhisattvas, and buddhas – voice­ hearers is the world as viewed from the perspective of the Four Noble Truths: suffering, the cause of suffering, freedom from suffering, and the way to eliminate suffering. Those who live in this state of mind look to the Buddha for insight and guidance, and strive to free themselves from the Six Lower Worlds.


From Introduction to the Lotus Sutra:

The First Noble Truth is, “All is suffering.” Suffering here refers to the situation in which we cannot meet our desires or wishes. This truth implies that all life is suffering as long as we are dominated by greed, ignorance of the law, and hostility towards others. Our desires can never be fully satisfied.

The Second Noble Truth states, “The cause of sufferings is ignorance.” This means that suffering in life is caused by ignorance arising from our instincts, such as thirst, hunger, sex, and fear.

The Third Noble Truth states, “The extinction of ignorance is nirvana.” The sravakas took this to mean that ignorance could be extinguished only by quenching human desires.

The Fourth Noble Truth maintains, “The Way to Nirvana is by practicing the Eightfold Path.” The Eightfold Path consists of (1) right views (a correct understanding of the Four Noble Truths), (2) right thoughts (the ability to reflect on the Four Truths), (3) right speech (speaking only the truth and words of kindness), (4) right deeds (proper acts—that is, morality), (5) right livelihood (making a living without harming others), (6) right effort (or exertion), (7) right memory (memory of things beneficial to enlightenment), and (8) right concentration of mind (correct meditation).


From Basic Buddhist Concepts:

Buddhism begins with a direct examination of suffering, which figures prominently in most basic Buddhist teachings. For instance, one of the most fundamental of Buddhist doctrines is the four seals of the Law – suffering, impermanence, absence of a permanent self, and nirvana. The first of the Four Noble Truths is that birth is suffering, and in the Twelve-linked Chain of Dependent Origination, the final link, aging and death, is described as lamentable and pitiable suffering. Because of the numerous mentions of suffering in the most ancient scriptures, some people criticize Buddhism as pessimistic or argue that it is too otherworldly and aloof from the affairs of everyday life. But to overcome suffering is the purpose of all religions. The ultimate goal of Buddhism, too, is to conquer suffering, transcend the cycle of transmigrations, and attain the tranquility called nirvana.


Again from Basic Buddhist Concepts:

Put to use in everyday life, the Eightfold Path can enhance health, keep people on the proper moral and ethical road, increase efficiency at work, establish a correct view of the world and humankind, and cultivate wisdom. But Mahayana Buddhism rejected sole reliance on the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path as insufficient for its goal, which is to work diligently not only for personal enlightenment but also for the improvement of one’s fellow human beings and all society. Though Mahayana followers recognized the value of the Hinayana truths and principles of action for self-improvement, they decried the absence of altruistic ideals. In the stead of the solitary arhat, they adopted the ideal of the bodhisattva, whose first consideration is the benefit and happiness of other beings. The Eightfold Path, which cannot serve as a complete teaching for bodhisattvas, was replaced with the Six Perfections as the model for religious action.


Again from Basic Buddhist Concepts:

No more permanent than any other aspect of the world, suffering can be converted into happiness. But seeking the reason for suffering’s existence is the necessary first step toward achieving this transformation. Only by examining the causal relationship giving rise to sorrows is it possible to discover a logical way to eliminate them. Shakyamuni did precisely this. The second of the Four Noble Truths gives the cause of suffering as craving. (The Twelve-linked Chain of Dependent Origination … is a more detailed explanation of the cause of suffering.) The third and fourth Noble Truths enunciate the way to eliminate suffering, testifying to a state in which suffering is extinct and teaching the Eightfold Path as the way to reach that state. Thus we see the close interrelation of the seals of the Law, the Four Noble Truths, and the law of dependent origination.


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

Sui-hsin-hsing Wei (Position of the practice following faith) is the first of the Seven Saintly Positions. The name of this position Sui-hsin-hsing (Skt., śraddhānusārin) is derived from the person with dull faculties (Ch., Tun-ken; Skt., mṛdvindriya). He enters the Path of Vision (Ch., Ju Chien-tao; Skt., niyāmāvakramapa) by his belief in what he is told by others, but not by his own intellect.

Sui-fa-hsing Wei (Position of the practice following the Dharma) is the second of the Seven Saintly Positions. In opposite to the above one, the person with relatively sharp faculties (Ch., Li-ken; Skt., t̄kyṣṇēndriya) achieves this position Sui-fa-hsing (Skt., dharmānusārin), because he enters the Path through his own contemplation of the Four Noble Truths. The first and this second position are at the initial stage of religious path and are referred to as the “Path of Vision” (Ch., Chien-tao; Skt., darśanamārga) (which entails no practice). (Vol. 2, Page 202-203)


From Nizen Nijō Bosatsu Fu-sabutsu Ji, Never-Attaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles and Bodhisattvas in the Pre-Lotus Sūtras, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 221-222

It is stated in the Discourse on the Diamond Scalpel by Grand Master Dengyō:

“The truth that motivates the bodhisattvas to take the Four Great Vows is the Four Noble Truths (the truth regarding the suffering, the cause of suffering, the extinction of suffering, and the path to enlightenment). Delusion of life and death that everything in the universe (3,000 Existences in the 100 Realms) repeats is the truth that life is full of suffering. Realizing in mind and body that this delusion of life and death is itself enlightenment is called the ‘vow to save all the people.’


From Hokke Daimoku Shō, Treatise on the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 36

How then can it be denied that something wonderful happens with the Lotus Sūtra? Even a parrot is said to have been reborn in the realm of heavenly beings just by repeating the name of the Four Noble Truths of the Hinayāna teaching. Moreover, a man who dedicated himself to the Three Treasures – the Buddha, Dharma, and Saṃgha – was able to escape the attack of a monster fish in the ocean. Imagine the wonders that would occur with the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, the essence of all the 80,000 teachings, and the eye of all the Buddhas. Do you still hold the belief that you cannot escape the four kinds of evil realms by just chanting the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra?

Measures of Faith

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Each PostIt arrow represents one complete recitation the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra in shindoku
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The cover of Myohorengekyo Romanized is beginning to show wear from my daily handling.

Today marks one of those artificial milestones meant to measure progress along a linear path. On this blog, it would be distance traveled in a 500 yojanas journey to a place of treasures. I have now recited the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra in shindoku 64 times since March 2015. There’s no real value to having reached this milestone.

Each morning I pick up Mohorengekyo Romanized and recite that day’s portion of the sutra. The eight fascicles of the sutra are divided into four parts, rendering the sutra’s 28 chapters in 32 parts.  I mark my place in the book with a PostIt Note arrow and at the end of the cycle I tape the arrow in the inside cover of my Myohorengekyo Romanized book. When I complete a row of 16 cycles – an arbitrary number that corresponds to the number of arrows that fit in a column – I dutifully comment on the occasion:

While I feel compelled to mark this milestone, I do not believe I’m on a linear journey. Having progressed this far along this path I’ve come to understand the importance of the moment – the 3000 realms in a single thought moment, the constant arising and perishing of each instant.

What I want to come back to today is that moment of faith, the step along this 500 yojanas journey. Yes, there was a first step, but each moment is another step, a confirmation of faith in the path of the One Vehicle leading to supreme perfect enlightenment.

For the past few weeks I’ve been participating in the Enkyoji Buddhist Network’s Online Class. One of the lessons concerned the topic of Faith, Practice and Study. My answer to a question about faith fits well with this discussion of moments:

In Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra we learn of the wise physician whose children have poisoned themselves while he was away on business. Some of these children are worse off than others. Seeing their plight the father creates a medicine to cure them. This medicine is guaranteed to look appealing, smell appetizing and taste delicious. Some of the children take the medicine immediately and are cured instantly. The other children, those so badly poisoned that they have lost their right minds, refuse to take the medicine. These children see that the medicine looks appealing and agree that it smells appetizing, but these children refuse to believe that it will taste delicious. These children lack fatih.

Faith is required in order to practice Buddhism. Faith is the initial step that begins the journey, the key that unlocks the gate leading to the path. We are not expected to blindly step off a cliff and have faith that gravity will disappear. Instead, we are asked to believe that the medicine left behind by the Eternal Buddha not only looks and smells great, but tastes good as well. Having faith, we begin our practice and as we continue our practice we validate and deepen our faith.

Each moment of faith, equal and unique, rising over and over.

Purifying the Great Outdoors

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The new normal.

Attended the monthly Kaji Kito service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. The masked crowd was given a socially distanced purification prayer by Rev. Kenjo Igarashi. Judging by California’s revised guidelines it will be at least five weeks before services will again be allowed inside. The grass in the courtyard between the Social Hall and the Temple is already showing signs of wear and Rev. Igarashi, who serves as the church gardener in his spare time, is worried that the grass will not survive.

I wish I were able to detail Rev. Igarashi’s Dharma talk but I didn’t record it. The subject, however, was about the need for religion to meet the needs of individual before focusing on wider goals. This was the subject of Rev. Igarashi’s Lecture published in the church’s November/December 2016 newsletter. After discussing Nichiren Shonin and his various forms of prayer for differing purposes, Rev. Igarashi writes:

However, I personally think that we must first attempt to practice what I like to call “rissho anshin” or “establishing one’s peace of mind”, before embarking on a path to help others. We cannot expect someone who is suffering or unhappy with his or her life to have the capacity to pray for world peace. However, we can use the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, or the “right teaching” as Nichiren Shonin called it, to work towards attaining happiness, after which we can pray for peace within one’s family, the country, and then the world. Thus, we can take small steps that would allow us to ultimately practice what Nichiren Shonin stated in his Rissho Ankoku Ron.

Focusing on Rissho Anshin Before Rissho Ankoku

Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa

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Available for download or purchase
Continuing with my summer Office Lens house cleaning, I’ll be reprinting a selection of quotes from The Commentary on the Lotus Sutra by Vasubandhu.

From the Translator’s Introduction:

The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa (Jpn. Myōhorengekyō upadaisha) is a commentary on the Lotus Sutra attributed to the eminent Buddhist philosopher Vasubandhu. According to the Hokke Denki (Taishō no. 2068, 52c25-29), over fifty commentaries were written on the Lotus Sūtra (Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra) in India, including one by the renowned philosopher Nāgārjuna. The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa (hereafter also referred to as the Commentary) has the distinction of being the only Indian commentary on the Lotus Sūtra to have been preserved in any Buddhist canon; it may, however, be an apocryphal text.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 87

The Saddharmapuṇḍarīka-sūtra-upadeśa is one of four documents contained in the Tiantai Lotus Texts, which was published in 2013 as part of the BDK English Tripiṭaka Series. In addition to the commentary, the book includes The Infinite Meanings Sutra, The Sutra Expounded by the Buddha on Practice of the Way through Contemplation of the Bodhisattva All-embracing Goodness and A Guide to the Tiatai Fourfould Teachings attributed to the Korean monk Chegwan.

These four texts are considered essential for studying the doctrine of the Tiantai Lotus school, which is the foundation of Nichiren’s teachings.

The commentary begins with this dedication:

Fascicle One

A commentary by Vasubandhu, the Commentator on the Great Vehicle

Translated by Bodhiruci, the Tripitaka Master from Northern India, with the Buddhist monk Tanlin and others in Yexia, between 509-535 during the Later Wei dynasty.

I give reverence to the Sea of Perfect Enlightenment (Buddha), the Immaculate Doctrine (Dharma), and the Immutable Assembly (Sangha). For those of profound intellect I shall elucidate an explanation [of the Lotus Sutra].

In honor of the Venerable Sage, the bodhisattvas, and the disciples, I shall briefly put forth this synopsis in order to have the Dharma benefit myself and others.

I pay homage to the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past, present, and future.

With their extensive benevolence and overwhelming supernatural powers, I entreat them to bestow me with self-confidence.

Having great compassion and stopping the four Māras, they protect the dominant factor for enlightenment.

Vasubandhu's Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p 93

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