In considering how to practice the Lotus Sutra, I find it helpful to think of all the Buddha’s teachings as specific pieces of lumber crafted for specific purposes, ridge poles, beams, doors, windows, flooring and roof tiles. It is with the use of the Lotus Sutra that we are able to take those expedient teachings and build our wonderful practice hall, to see the One Buddha Vehicle encompasses and doesn’t replace these teachings, to realize the Eternal Sakyamuni Buddha is ever present and ever active performing Bodhisattva practices. Academics who study just the words and miss the meaning of the sutra, complain that there is no actual teaching there. It is just a preface to a sutra that is never delivered. What these academics miss is that the every emptiness of the Lotus Sutra provides the space within the structure of the expedient teachings within which we can pursue the Buddha Way, both for ourselves and all other beings.
“Can someone chant Odaimoku with adoration for the Lotus Sutra (especially with it’s focus on Ekayana (one vehicle) and Upaya (skillfully means)), while also practicing zazen or vipassana, or should one give up all other practices and practice the mantra alone?”
I’ve raised this concept of the Lotus Sutra practice space before and eventually I hope to expand this into a more detailed thesis incorporating Chih-i’s teaching. I’m posting this here so that I can come back to this at that time.
Rejecting idle speculation, Shakyamuni was concerned – as all Buddhists must be – with the present life, its joys, sorrows, loves, hates, and infinite choices. In other words, instead of being concerned with existence as an abstract study, Buddhist philosophy deals with the nature of the human condition in this life and the manner in which human beings respond to it. Basic Buddhist Concepts
Last August, at the suggestion of a good friend, I created a page here where people new to Nichiren Shu could receive some direction. Where to Begin.
I was particularly happy to be able to provide the basic Nichiren Shu service so that those new to the practice could follow along with recordings of the various parts of the service and practice their pronunciation. The Basic Nichiren Shu Service
Today – more than seven months later – I am deeply embarrassed to have discovered that the shindoku text I provided for Hoben Pon was missing words and entire lines. Had I done a simple test of following along with the recording while reading the shindoku, I would have caught this back in August.
These errors in the Hoben Pon shindoku have been corrected along with some additional typos in other areas where words ran together.
I apologize for having failed to adequately check my work.
Today I was scanning my news feed and ran across an article at Buddhistdoor entitled, Frequencies, the Brain, and Wisdom Traditions, which explores the effects of sound frequencies and music on mental states. The take-away point for me was this:
The use of sound has been historically central also in the Buddhadharma. In the Mahayana traditions (which includes Vajrayana), every practice is transmitted first and foremost through sound, irrespective of whether or not the recipient understand the meaning of the words being transmitted. It is said that only hearing the sound of a particular Buddhist teaching initializes the mindset necessary to benefit from Dharma practices.
This is exactly why Nichiren Buddhists chant the Lotus Sūtra in Shindoku. As Ryuoh Michael Faulconer explains in the introduction to Myoho Renge Kyo Romanized:
Around the world, the Lotus Sūtra is traditionally read in shindoku, a reading of the Chinese translation of the Sūtra with a Japanese pronunciation. It is a form of faith reading done as a practice which our inner Buddha nature understands.
And, of course, this is also the foundation of why we chant Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō:
QUESTION: If someone chanted Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō without understanding its meaning will the benefit of understanding still be received?
ANSWER: When a baby nurses, it does not comprehend the taste; nevertheless, it receives the benefits of the milk naturally. Did anyone know the ingredients or formula for Jīvaka’s wondrous medicines? Water is without intent but it can extinguish fire; and even though fire consumes many things, can we say it does this deliberately? This is Nāgārjuna and T’ien-t’ai’s idea! I am merely repeating it.
Shishin Gohon-shō, The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice,
Volume 4, Page 106-107
Got up this Sunday morning at 6am to do my regular morning service and followed that at 7am with Ryusho Shonin‘s broadcast from Syracuse. Just me and a man from North Carolina today.
Then at 12:30pm I joined the first-ever broadcast service by the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area. The service was led by Mark Ryugan Herrick from his house (right) and followed by a lecture on the Vimalakirti Sutra by Michael Ryuei McCormick. While I enjoy taking Amtrak from Sacramento to Oakland to attend the Bay Area services, it was a treat to do this from home.
Unfortunately, the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church doesn’t have the capacity to broadcast services. Perhaps I can do something about that.
For this evening’s service I welcomed an old friend, my Senchu Murano translation of the Lotus Sutra. For the past 10 cycles through my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice I have been working my way through all of the English translations of Kumarajiva’s Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra, beginning with “The Scripture of the Lotus Blossom of the Fine Dharma,” the translation of the Lotus Sutra made by Leon Hurvitz, and concluding with Burton Watson’s translation for Soka Gakkai. I suspect that Rissho Kosei-kai’s translation, “The Threefold Lotus Sutra: A Modern Translation for Contemporary Readers,” which was published in 2019, will become the modern standard. The Nichiren Shu Buddhist Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area intends to use this translation rather than Murano’s for its service booklet. Personally, I’m not convinced that the translators’ aggressive effort to remove gender bias is beneficial. I wrote about this in a January blog post.
In any event, on this 51st cycle through the Lotus Sutra, I’m very happy to return to Murano’s translation.
The COVID-19 precautions are keeping me home and canceling the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church services but that doesn’t impede my virtual sangha. Today I joined Rev. Ryusho Jeffus’ Myoshoji service. Ryusho Shonin is in Syracuse, New York, and the other two attendees joined from different parts of North Carolina, where Ryusho once had a physical temple. The Myoshoji services often include Nichiren Shu practitioners from several European countries.
I had a fun epiphany this morning while doing Gonyo. No, not the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi, but a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience. Is there a Buddhist term for epiphany?
Anyway, this revelation involved the Seven Happy Gods on my altar. I discussed the addition of these gods to my practice back in July during my 21-Day Staycation Retreat Encouraged by Universal Sage. Read about it here. What is important to this story is the encouragement Rev. Kenjo Igarashi gave me before he performed an eye-opening for the gods.
“He cautioned, I would need to make them part of my practice. He said the figurines had been eye-opened before but the effect had withered. Basically they had starved to death.”
So, ever since I’ve added the Seven Happy Gods to my daily practice. Each morning and evening I devote a portion of my Daimoku to each god, reciting the god’s name and which virtue the god represents and chanting three Daimoku.
When I first placed the gods on my altar I had them in this order:
I chose this order because that was how they appeared on the cover of their box.
I bring this up because the order plays an important part in all of this.
This order changed in November of last year. I saw water cups with symbols for Daikoku and Kishimojin available at Gasshodo.com. I figured adding these would be another way of involving the gods in my practice.
When I got the cups it necessitated rearranging things. I moved Kishimojin to the left and Daikoku to the right since that is how they appear on the altar of the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. I chose Bishamon to be the first god because he appears in the upper-left corner of the Gohonzon. It was only after I had finished arranging that I realized this must have been the order they were designed to follow. The central god, Jurōjin, is the only one in yellow attire. The two gods with orange hats are on the ends. Next are gods with green clothing and on either side of Jurōjin are gods in matching color clothing. (Is this coral or pink?)
Now, finally, we can get to the epiphany. Thanks for hanging in there.
With seven gods I’ve given each one a day of the week and in the morning I recite some details about that day’s god before offering my morning prayer to the Sanjubanshin, the 30 Guardians of the Lotus Sutra.
But seven is also the number of characters in the Daimoku. And when I considered each character and each god’s attribute, I discovered I had the essential arrangement.
Namu — Dignity and Honesty
With dignified and honest reverence, I devote myself.
Wonderful — Joy
Joyfully realizing how wonderful this all is.
Dharma — Wisdom
Realizing the wisdom of the Dharma
Lotus — Longevity
Longevity, the key of the Lotus Sutra: the Eternal, every-present nature of Śākyamuni Buddha
Flower — Happiness
Happiness flowering daily
Sutra — Fortune
Boundless Fortune flowing from this sutra.
Namu Myō Hō Ren Ge Kyō
Dignity, Honesty, Joy, Wisdom, Longevity, Happiness and Fortune
On Sunday, March 3, I got up early, did my regular morning service and then drove to the Sacramento Amtrak station downtown to catch the 9 am Capitol Corridor train to Oakland.
A group of rowers on Lake Merritt on Sunday morning.
It is a little more than 3 miles from the Oakland Jack London Square Amtrak station to Greenbank Avenue in Piedmont. From the Second Street station, I walk to Jackson Street and then to Lake Merritt. I walk around Lake Merritt to Grand Avenue and then continue up the hill to Greenbank Avenue. The only physical difficulty is my bladder. At 68 I’m prone to extra trips to the potty, especially after drinking tea on the two-hour train trip. Anyway, thank you, Safeway, for providing public toilets.
The altar and practice area at Mark Herrick’s home.
The train trip and the walk get me to Herrick’s house some time after noon. Services are scheduled to begin at 12:30 pm, with a lecture by Michael Ryuei McCormick Shonin following. In addition to Ryuei and Ryugan and me, there were two other men who attended. I was told fear of the Corona Virus was keeping a couple of regulars away. The quarters are tight and vigorous chanting could fill the air with pathogens. This will be the last service at Herrick’s house until the virus scare has passed.
Michael Ryuei McCormick Shonin
Ryuei Shonin’s lectures are part of his Buddhist Study Program. You can read more about that here. Today’s topic was Chapter 5 of The Vimalakirti Sutra.
The Burton Watson translation opens Chapter 5:
INQUIRING ABOUT THE ILLNESS
At that time the Buddha said to Manjushri, “You must go visit Vimalakirti and inquire about his illness.”
Manjushri replied to the Buddha, “World-Honored One, that eminent man is very difficult to confront. He is profoundly enlightened in the true nature of reality and skilled at preaching the essentials of the Law. His eloquence never falters, his wisdom is free of impediments. He understands all the rules of bodhisattva conduct, and nothing in the secret storehouse of the Buddhas is beyond his grasp. He has overcome the host of devils and disports himself with transcendental powers. In wisdom and expedient means he has mastered all there is to know. Nevertheless, in obedience to the Buddha’s august command, I will go visit him and inquire about his illness.” (Page 34)
Of particular interest for me was Vimalakirti’s explanation of his own illness in response to Manjushri:
“Layman, this illness of yours—can you endure it? Is the treatment perhaps not making it worse rather than better? The World-Honored One countless times has made solicitous inquiries concerning you. Layman, what is the cause of this illness? Has it been with you long? And how can it be cured?”
Vimalakirti replied, “This illness of mine is born of ignorance and feelings of attachment. Because all living beings are sick, therefore I am sick. If all living beings are relieved of sickness, then my sickness will be mended. Why? Because the bodhisattva for the sake of living beings enters the realm of birth and death, and because he is in the realm of birth and death he suffers illness. If living beings can gain release from illness, then the bodhisattva will no longer be ill.
“It is like the case of a rich man who has only one child. If the child falls ill, then the father and mother too will be ill, but if the child’s illness is cured, the father and mother too will be cured. The bodhisattva is like this, for he loves living beings as though they were his children. If living beings are sick, the bodhisattva will be sick, but if living beings are cured, the bodhisattva too will be cured. You ask what cause this illness arises from – the illness of the bodhisattva arises from his great compassion.” (Page 35-36)
Which brings us to the topic of this blog post: This photo.
The service concluded at 2:30 pm and I caught a Lyft ride back to the Jack London Square station in time to get a seat on the 3 pm Capitol Corridor train for Sacramento. The ride was relaxing and uneventful until congestion in the Sacramento station caused our train to come to a halt across the Sacramento River in West Sacramento.
Looking out the window I saw a man climb our of his tarp shelter and proceed to inject something into his left arm. I took a photo and posted it on Instagram on my @jomariworks account.
When I eventually arrived home I did my regular evening service and my daily 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra posts. I then did a quick post of the photo and the first Bodhisattva Vow.
And so here I am today attempting to put that photo into the context of the Bodhisattva compassion shown in Vimalakirti’s illness.
If nothing else, this offers graphic illustration of the difficulty of the Bodhisattva path.
