On most Mondays I take the wife to the train station to begin her commute to work and return home to do my morning practice followed by some yoga, reading at Starbucks and weekly grocery shopping. It helps to have a routine when you’re retired.

But Monday, Aug. 21, 2017, wasn’t a normal day. Everyone was hyped about the TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE. I wasn’t excited to see the eclipse – I watched what could be seen from Sacramento on the last eclipse, Monday, February 26, 1979 – but the hype put me in a mood to do something special to mark the occasion.

So I created my Eclipse Protection ceremony.

First I donned the samue I purchased for the Seattle Choeizan Enkyoji Buddhist Temple retreat last month. Might as well dress for the occasion.

A quick Google search gave the local parameters. The moon would start to cross in front of the sun at 9:02am and reach the maximum coverage at 10:17am. The eclipse would end locally at 11:39am.

For the ceremony I decided on 20 minutes of chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo at the start of the eclipse and again for the final 20 minutes. In the middle, I would do 30 minutes of chanting centered on the 10:17am maximum eclipse point, with 15 minutes before and after. Between the chanting, I would do my regular morning service along with today’s English text from the Lotus Sūtra.

I highly recommend the Insight Timer app for situations like this.

So to begin I set up my altar with water, lit the candles and started a stick of incense. I bowed three times and kneeled on my floor cushion and waited for 9:02am.

At the appointed time, I started the timer and began chanting at a measured pace of one Namu Myoho Renge Kyo per breath. While chanting I imagined the moon beginning to eat at the edge of the sun’s disk of light.

After 20 minutes of chanting I started my normal morning practice, reciting Dōjōge to purify my altar and Sanborai to honor the Three Treasures. This was followed by the Invocation (Kanjo) and Kaikyoge, the Verses for Opening the Sūtra. (I do Kaikyoge in Japanese and then English.)

After Kaikyoge I recited the title of the Lotus Sūtra– Myoho Renge Kyo – and then recited today’s portion of the Sūtra in shindoku, the traditional Japanese reading of the Chinese characters.

When I finished reciting the Sūtra I had a few minutes before the start of the middle portion of chanting. I used that time to stretch my legs in silent walking meditation.

By 10:02am I was seated again. I lit another stick of incense and started the timer. This time I accompanied my chanting with my Uchiwa Daiko, pausing on Namu and then striking the fan drum on Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, Kyo. I chanted at the pace we normally chant during services at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church.

The timer rang a bell at exactly 10:17am. The 0.83 percent coverage of the sun above Sacramento made the sky outside look as if it were overcast. As I continued chanting and striking the drum I imagined watching the sliver of light grow in brightness as the sun’s disk was uncovered.

Once the 30 minutes of chanting was complete, I opened my English copy of The Lotus Sūtra to my bookmark and began reciting aloud the last half of Chapter 2, Expedients, which was today’s portion of my 32-day cycle.

I’m including the full text here. While you read, imagine the world around you getting brighter and brighter.

Day 4
Chapter 2: Expedients (Continued)

Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:

Some bhikṣus and bhikṣunīs
Were arrogant.
Some upāsakās were self-conceited.
Some upāsikās were unfaithful.
Those four kinds of devotees
Were five thousand in number.

They could not see their own faults.
They could not observe all the precepts.
They were reluctant to heal their own wounds.
Those people of little wisdom are gone.
They were the dregs of this congregation.
They were driven away by my powers and virtues.

They had too few merits and virtues
To receive the Dharma.
Now there are only sincere people here.
All twigs and leaves are gone.

Śāriputra, listen attentively!
The Buddhas, having attained the Dharma,
Expound it to all living beings
By their immeasurable power to employ expedients.

I caused all living beings to rejoice
By telling them stories of previous lives,
Parables, similes and discourses,
That is to say, by employing various expedients
Because I knew their thoughts,
The various teachings they were practicing,
Their desires, their natures,
And the good and evil karmas they have previously done.

The sūtras were composed of prose, gāthās, and geyas.
The contents of them were
Miracles, parables, similes, upadesas,
And stories of the previous lives
Of Buddhas and of their disciples.
The reasons why the sūtras were expounded were also given.

I expounded the teaching of Nirvana to the dull people
Who wished to hear the teachings of the Lesser Vehicle,
Who were attached to birth and death,
And who were troubled by many sufferings
Inflicted on them because they have not practiced
The profound and wonderful teachings under innumerable Buddhas.

l expounded this expedient teaching in order to cause them
To enter the Way to the wisdom of the Buddha.
I never said to them:
“You will be able to attain the enlightenment of the
Buddha.” I never said this
Because time was not yet ripe for it.
Now is the time to say it.
I will expound the Great Vehicle definitely.
I expounded various sūtras of the nine elements
According to the capacities of all living beings.
I expounded various sūtras
Because those sūtras were a basis for the Great Vehicle.

Some sons of mine are pure in heart, gentle and wise.
They have practiced the profound and wonderful teachings
Under innumerable Buddhas
[ln their previous existence].
I will expound this sūtra of the Great Vehicle to them,
And a sure them of their future Buddhahood, saying:
“You will attain the enlightenment of the Buddha
In your future lives.”

Deep in their minds they are thinking of me,
And observing the pure precepts.
Therefore, they will be filled with joy
When they hear they will become Buddhas.
I know their minds.
Therefore, I will expound the Great Vehicle to them.

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

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

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

Only this is true; the other two are not.
The Buddhas do not save living beings by the Lesser Vehicle.
They dwell in the Great Vehicle.
The Dharma they attained is adorned
With the power of concentration of mind
And with the power of wisdom.
They save all living beings by the Dharma.

l attained unsurpassed enlightenment,
The Great Vehicle, the Truth of Equality.
If I lead even a single man
By the Lesser Vehicle,
I shall be accused of stinginess.
It is not good at all to do this.

l do not deceive
Those who believe me and rely on me.
I am not greedy or jealous
Because I have eliminated all evils.
Therefore, in the worlds of the ten quarters,
I am fearless.

I am adorned with the physical marks of a Buddha.
I am illumining the world with my light.
To the countless living beings who honor me, I will expound
The seal of the truth, that is, the reality of all things.

Know this, Śāriputra!
I once vowed that l would cause
All living beings to become
Exactly as I am.
That old vow of mine
Has now been fulfilled.

I lead all living beings
Into the Way to Buddhahood.
Seeing people of no wisdom, l thought:
“If I teach them only the Way to Buddhahood,
They will be distracted.
They will doubt my teaching, and not receive it.
I know that they did not plant
The roots of good in their previous existence.
They are deeply attached to the five desires.
They suffer because of stupidity and cravings.
Because they have many desires,
They will fall into the three evil regions,
Or go from one to another of the six regions
Only to undergo many sufferings.
Through their consecutive previous existences,
Their small embryos have continued to grow up
To become men of few virtues and merits.
They are now troubled by many sufferings.
They are in the thick forests of wrong views.
They say “Things exist,”
Or “Things do not exist.”
They are attached to sixty-two wrong views.
They are deeply attached to unreal things.
They hold them firmly, and do not give them up.
They are arrogant, self-conceited,
Liable to flatter others, and insincere.
They have never heard of the name of a Buddha
Or of his right teachings
For thousands of billions of kalpas.
It is difficult to save them.”

Therefore, Śāriputra!
I expounded an expedient teaching
In order to eliminate their sufferings.
That was the teaching of Nirvana.
The Nirvana which I expounded to them
Was not true extinction.

All things are from the outset
In the state of tranquil extinction.
The Buddhas’ sons who complete the practice of the Way
Will become Buddhas in their future lives.

l expounded the teaching of the Three Vehicles
Only as an expedient.
All the other World-Honored Ones also
Expound the teaching of the One Vehicle [with expedients].

The great multitude present here
Shall remove their doubts.
The Buddhas do not speak differently.
There is only one vehicle, not a second.

The number of the Buddhas who passed away
During the past innumerable kalpas was
Hundreds of thousands of billions,
Uncountable.

All those World-Honored Ones expounded
The truth of the reality of all things
With various stories of previous lives, parables and similes,
That is to say, with innumerable expedients.

All those World-Honored Ones expounded
The teaching of the One Vehicle,
And led innumerable living beings [with expedients]
Into the Way to Buddhahood.

All those Great Saintly Masters
Who knew the deep desires
Of the gods, men, and other living beings
Of all the worlds,
Revealed the Highest Truth
With various expedients.

Those who met a past Buddha,
Who heard the Dharma from him,
And who obtained various merits and virtues
By almsgiving or by observing the precepts
Or by patience or by making endeavors
Or by dhyāna or by wisdom,
Have already attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who, after the extinction of a Buddha,
Were good and gentle,
Have already attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who, after the extinction of a Buddha,
Erected billions of stupas,
And who purely and extensively adorned [those stupas]
With treasures
Such as gold, silver, crystal,
Shell, agate, ruby, and lapis lazuli,
And who offered those adornments to his śarīras;
Or those who made the mausoleum [of the Buddha]
With stone, bricks, or clay,
Or with many kinds of wood,
Such as candana, aloes, or agalloch;
Or those who made the mausoleum of the Buddha
With heaps of earth
In the wilderness;
Or the boys who made the stupa of the Buddha
With heaps of sand by playing,
Have already attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who carved an image of the Buddha
With the [proper] physical marks in his honor
Have already attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who made an image of the Buddha
With the seven treasures;
Or those who made it
Of copper, copper-gold alloy, nickel,
Pewter lead, tin, iron, wood, or clay;
Or those who made it in plaster work,
Have already attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who drew or caused others to draw in color
A picture of the Buddha adorned with his physical marks,
Each mark representing one hundred merits,
Have already attained the enlightenment of the Buddha.

The boys who by playing drew
A picture of the Buddha
With a piece of grass or wood,
Or with a brush,
Or with the back of their fingernails,
Became able to accumulate merits one by one.
Having great compassion towards others,
They attained the enlightenment of the Buddha,
Taught only Bodhisattvas,
And saved many living beings.

Those who respectfully offered
Flowers, incense, streamers, and canopies
Enshrined in a stupa-mausoleum;
Or those who caused men to make music
By beating drums, by blowing horns and conches,
And by playing reed-pipes, flutes, lyres, harps,
Lutes, gongs, and copper cymbals,
And offered the wonderful sounds produced thereby
To the image or picture of the Buddha;
Or those who sang joyfully in praise of him for his virtues;
Or those who just murmured [in praise of him],
Have already attained
The enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who, without concentrating their minds,
Offered nothing but a flower to the picture of the Buddha,
Became able to see
Innumerable Buddhas one after another.

Those who bowed to the image of the Buddha,
Or just joined their hands together towards it,
Or raised only one hand towards it,
Or bent their head a little towards it
And offered the bending to it,
Became able to see innumerable Buddhas one after another.
They attained unsurpassed enlightenment,
Saved countless living beings,
And entered into the Nirvana-without-remainder
Just as fire dies out when wood is gone.

Those who entered a stupa-mausoleum
And said only once “Namo Buddhaya,”
Without even concentrating their minds,
Have already attained the enlightenment of the Buddha.

Those who heard the Dharma
In the lifetime of a past Buddha
Or after his extinction
Have already attained the enlightenment of the Buddha.

The World-Honored Ones in the future
Will be countless in number.
Those Tathāgatas also
Will expound the Dharma with expedients.

The Tathāgatas save all living beings
With innumerable expedients.
They cause all living beings to enter the Way
To the wisdom-without-āsravas of the Buddha.
Anyone who hears the Dharma
Will not fail to become a Buddha.

Every Buddha vows at the outset:
“I will cause all living beings
To attain the same enlightenment
That I attained.”

The future Buddhas will expound many thousands
Of myriads of millions of teachings
For just one purpose,
That is, for the purpose of revealing the One Vehicle.

The Buddhas, the Most Honorable Bipeds,
Expound the One Vehicle because they know:
“All things are devoid of substantiality.
The seed of Buddhahood comes from dependent origination.”

The Leading Teachers expound the Dharma with expedients
After realizing at the place of enlightenment:
“This is the abode of the Dharma and the position of the Dharma.
The reality of the world is permanently as it is.”

Gods and men are making offerings
To the present Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters.
The Buddhas as many as there are sands in the River Ganges
Who appeared in these worlds,
Are expounding the Dharma
For the purpose of giving peace to all living beings.

They know the Highest Truth of Tranquil Extinction.
They have the power to employ expedients.
Although they expound various teachings,
Their purpose is to reveal the Buddha-Vehicle.

Knowing the deeds of all living beings,
And their thoughts deep in their minds,
And the karmas they have done in their previous existence,
And their desires, natures, and powers to make efforts,
And also knowing whether each of them is keen or dull,
The Buddhas expound the Dharma according to their capacities,
With various stories of previous lives, parables, similes and discourses,
That is to say, with various expedients.

I also do the same.
I show the enlightenment of the Buddha
With various teachings
In order to give peace to all living beings.

I know the natures and desires of all living beings
By the power of my wisdom.
Therefore, I expound various teachings expediently,
And cause all living beings to rejoice.

Śāriputra, know this!
Seeing with the eyes of the Buddha
The living beings of the six regions, I thought:
“They are poor, and devoid of merits and wisdom.
They incessantly suffer because they are taken
To the rough road of birth and death.
They cling to the five desires
Just as a yak loves its tail.
They are occupied with greed and cravings,
And blinded by them.
They do not seek the Buddha who has great power.
They do not seek the Way to eliminate sufferings.
They are deeply attached to wrong views.
They are trying to stop suffering by suffering.”

My great compassion was aroused towards them.
I for the first time sat at the place of enlightenment[,]
[And attained enlightenment].
For three weeks afterwards,
I gazed on the tree,
Or walked about, thinking:
“The wisdom I obtained is
The most wonderful and excellent.
The living beings [of the six regions]
Are dull, attached to pleasures,
And blinded by stupidity.
How shall I save them?”

On that occasion King Brahman,
Heavenly-King Śakra,
The four heavenly world-guardian kings,
Great-Freedom God, and other gods [of each world],
And thousands of millions of their attendants
Joined their hands together [towards me] respectfully,
Bowed to me,
And asked me to turn the wheel of the Dharma.

I thought:
“If I extol only the Buddha-Vehicle,
The living beings [of the six regions] will not believe it
Because they are too much enmeshed in sufferings to think of it.
If they do not believe but violate the Dharma,
They will fall into the three evil regions.
I would rather enter into Nirvana quickly
Than expound the Dharma to them.”

But, thinking of the past Buddhas who employed expedients,
I changed my mind and thought:
“I will expound the Dharma which l attained
By dividing it into the Three Vehicles.”

The Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters
Appeared before me when I had thought this.
They consoled me with their brahma voices:
“Good, Śākyamuni, Highest Leading Teacher!
You attained the unsurpassed Dharma.
You have decided to expound it with expedients
After the examples of the past Buddha
We also expound the Three Vehicles
To the Living beings
Although we attained
The most wonderful and excellent Dharma.
Men of little wisdom wish to hear
The teachings of the Lesser Vehicle.
They do not believe that they will become Buddhas.
Therefore, we show them
Various fruits of enlightenment.
Although we expound the Three Vehicles,
Our purpose is to teach only Bodhisattvas.”

Śāriputra, know this!
Hearing the deep, pure, and wonderful voices
Of the Lion-Like Saints,
l joyfully called out, “Namo Buddhaya!”
I thought:
“I appeared in the defiled world.
Just like the other Buddhas,
I will expound the Dharma
According to the capacities of all living beings.”
Having thought this, I went to Varanasi,
And expounded the Dharma to the five bhikṣus
With expedients
Because the state of tranquil extinction of all things
ls inexplicable by words.
That was my first turning
Of the wheel of the Dharma.
Thus the words: Nirvana, Arhat, Dharma,
and Sangha
Came into existence.

I said to them:
“For the past innumerable kalpas
I have been extolling the teaching of Nirvana
In order to eliminate the sufferings of birth and death.”

Śāriputra, know this!
Then I saw many sons of mine,
Thousands of billions in number,
Seeking the enlightenment of the Buddha.
They came to me respectfully.
They had already heard
Expedient teachings
From the past Buddhas.

I thought:
“I appeared in this world
In order to expound my wisdom.
Now is the time to do this.”

Śāriputra, know this!
Men of dull capacity and of little wisdom cannot believe the Dharma.
Those who are attached to the appearances of things are arrogant.
They cannot believe it, either.

I am now joyful and fearless.
I have laid aside all expedient teachings.
l will expound only unsurpassed enlightenment
To Bodhisattvas.

The Bodhisattvas who hear the Dharma
Will be able to remove the mesh of doubts.
The twelve hundred Arhats also
Will become Buddhas.

All the Buddhas in the past, present, and future
Expounded, are expounding, and will expound
In the same manner the Dharma beyond comprehension.
I also will expound it in the same manner.

The Buddhas seldom appear in the worlds.
It is difficult to meet them.
Even when they do appear in the worlds,
They seldom expound the Dharma.

It is difficult to hear the Dharma
Even during innumerable kalpas.
It is also difficult to meet a person
Who listens to the Dharma attentively.
It is as difficult as seeing an udumbara-flower.
This flower, loved by all living beings,
And treasured by gods and men,
Blooms only once in a long time.

Anyone who rejoices at hearing the Dharma
And utters even a single word in praise of it
Should be considered to have already made offerings
To the past, present, and future Buddhas.
Such a person is rarely seen,
More rarely than the udumbara-flower.

[The Buddha said to the great multitude:]

All of you, do not doubt me!
I am the King of the Dharma.
I say to you:
“I will expound the teaching of the One Vehicle
Only to Bodhisattvas.
There is no Śrāvaka among my disciples.”

Śāriputra, other Śrāvakas, and Bodhisattvas!
Know this!
This Wonderful Dharma is
The hidden core of the Buddhas.

The living beings
In the evil world of the five defilements
Are attached to many desires.
They do not seek the enlightenment of the Buddha.

Evil people in the future will doubt the One Vehicle
When they hear it from a Buddha.
They will not believe or receive it.
They will violate the Dharma, and fall into the evil regions.

Extol the teaching of the One Vehicle
In the presence of those who are modest,
Who are pure in heart,
And who are seeking enlightenment of the Buddha!

Śāriputra [and others], know this!
As a rule, the Buddhas expound the Dharma
With billions of expedients as stated above,
According to the capacities of all living beings.

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

[Here ends] the First Volume of the Sūtra of the Lotus flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

End of Day 4

When I finished reciting the Sūtra I concluded my morning practice with Hotoge, in shindoku and English, and then Eko, the dedication prayer, followed by the Four Great Bodhisattva Vows and ending with Sanki (taking refuge in the Three Treasures) and Buso (sending home the spirits who watch over our practices).

I had time for another period of silent meditation before the final 20 minutes.

At 11:19am I lit a final stick of incense and began slowly chanting, one Namu Myoho Renge Kyo for each breath, while imagining the final sliver of the moon departing from the face of the sun.

At 11:39am, the timer bell rang and I bowed, got up and put out the candles.

I showered, changed clothes and went grocery shopping. It was still Monday, after all.

Attended the Obon service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church with my wife. In addition to honoring our ancestors, we were there for the eye-opening of a memorial tablet for my wife’s mother, Mary “Michiko Wada” Buchin. Rev. Igarashi purchased the tablet and had it inscribed in Japan during a recent visit. This is the same process I went through for my parent’s memorial tablet.

Following the prayers for ancestors and the eye-opening, Rev. Igarashi gave his annual Obon lecture. (See last year.) And added a little science this time.

Each of us is, he explained, the product of our ancestors and carry our ancestors with us in our DNA. While they may have died, they live on in our bodies. It is out of this connection that we honor our ancestors and pray for their spirits.

I’ve had my DNA analyzed by 23andMe. On the health side I find that I have one of the recessive genes that could have given my son Cystic Fibrosis. I’m glad I didn’t know that before my son was conceived.

On the ancestry side I enjoyed the discovery that my 99.4% European ancestry (74.6% British & Irish; 3.7% French & German; 0.9% Scandinavian) is seasoned with 0.3% Sub-Saharan African (0.1% West African and 0.2% Broadly Sub-Saharan African.) The remaining fraction is 0.2% unassigned and a tantalizing less than 0.1% East Asian & Native American.

Imagine all of those ancestors.

This is taken from Page 3 of the June 1, 2017, Nichiren Shu News, which is published by the Head Office of Nichiren Shu Buddhism and the Nichiren Shu Overseas Propagation Promotion Association (NOPPA).

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EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is the second in a series of translations and explanations of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s writings made by Bishop Senchu Murano. It has been published before in Nichiren Shu News, but we are printing it again now for our newer readers.

Bishop Senchu Murano, Head Priest, Myochoji Temple, Kamakura

The reality of all things, Shoho Jisso, is analyzed into ten suchnesses, or nyoze, in Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra. Tendai interpreted “all things,” shoho or sarvadharma in Sanskrit, as “living beings” when he explained the ten nyoze as follows:

Nyoze-so: All living beings are different from each other in appearance such as they are.

Nyoze-sho: All living beings are different from each other in nature such as they are.

Nyoze-tai: All living beings are different from each other in physique (entity) such as they are.

Nyoze-riki: All living beings are different from each other in power such as they are.

Nyoze-sa: All living beings are different from each other in action such as they are.

Nyoze-in: The present conditions of various living beings are the cause of their variety of future conditions as they are.

Nyoze-en: The present environments of various living beings are the cause of their variety of future environments as they are.

Nyoze-ka: All living beings are different from each other in their present conditions such as they are because their present conditions are the effects of past activities, which were different from each other.

Nyoze-ho: All living beings are different from each other in their rewards and retributions such as they are because their past activities in their past environments were different from each other.

Nyoze-hommatsu-kukyo-to: Not-withstanding all these differences, all living beings who are investigated here in regard to the first nyoze through the ninth and last nyoze, are equal to each other such as they are after all.

Leased a new 2017 Chevy Volt the other day and took it down to the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church to take advantage of the opportunity to have the car protected by Ven. Kenjo Igarashi. After completing the ceremony, Rev. Igarashi said to me, “Along with your religious piety, you are now 100% protected.”

I’m not a big fan of Facebook. I participate in order to distribute the content of this website. It’s automatic. I hope people appreciate what’s offered. But when I go to Facebook and view my newsfeed, I feel as if I’m being forced to rummage around in a pile of discards as I search for the buried gem. Still, gems do exist.

I have copied one such gem below in order to save it for future reference.

The Twenty-Eight Unique Concepts of Lotus Sutra
法華経28個獨特的概念 – 英文版

This post is largely inspired by a Buddhist whom had posted an article about 28 main differences between Buddhism and other religions. I wish not to discuss the correctness of that article but it is interesting to note that some points are in contrary to what Lotus Sutra has taught. I have no idea why would a proclaimed Lotus Sutra Practitioner, supposedly a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, have shared that.

Since the Lotus Sutra also happens to have 28 chapters, I thought of gathering and sharing 28 concepts that are taught in the Lotus Sutra that are unique and stands out from the Buddhism that is commonly known.

1. Sakyamuni Buddha has been commonly taught as a Teacher in Buddhism, sometimes also taught as being a mere mortal too. In Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra, it is revealed that the Buddha plays three important roles in our spiritual life. He is our Sovereigner, our Father and our Saviour. The Buddha’s description as our Father are also found in Chapter 2, 4 and 16 of the Lotus Sutra. This shows that the Lotus Sutra teaches that we have much closer relationship with the Buddha than most Buddhists thought.

2. Dharmakaya, a concept that is commonly accepted in Mahayana, describes as the unmanifested, inconceivable, a state which all Buddhas will return to after their dissolution. However, in Chapter 11 and 16, it is understood that the Dharmakaya is Sakyamuni Buddha Himself and not a separate entity. This gives rise to the concept and understanding that Sakyamuni Buddha is the Eternal Buddha.

3. Buddhism in general likes to teach that the Sakyamuni Buddha was a mere human that became Enlightened through six years of practice and is His final realization. However, in the Lotus Sutra, it is taught that this is an expedient mean in introducing Sakyamuni Buddha in this world when in fact He is the Eternal Buddha.

4. In Buddhism, it is also taught that Sakyamuni Buddha had spent three asamkyha time to achieve Buddhahood and enter His final dissolution. However, it is taught in Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra that Sakyamuni Buddha had spent on perfecting His Bodhisattva path is the multiply of His lifespan. This paradoxical concept teaches two important things: firstly, the concept of Eternal Buddha, and secondly, that the Sakyamuni Buddha remains active in His Bodhisattva vows. This leads to the active type of Bodhisattva practices that the Lotus Sutra is teaching.

5. In Buddhism, the 3 common groupings are Theravada, (Chinese) Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism. These are segregated by regions and by latter Buddhists. Whereas in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha segregated practitioners in terms of their spiritual achievements – Arahant, Pratyekabuddha and Bodhisattva; in which, the earlier 2 achievements are part of the Bodhisattva paths. That means, the Buddha ever had one goal in mind, to bring everyone to His level, the Buddhahood and nothing inferior.

6. When you mention Lotus Sutra in Buddhism, it is not uncommon to realise that most Buddhists only heard of Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra. This can be understood that this is because Guanyin (Avalokitasvara) is widely loved and accepted in the Chinese Buddhist community, however, Guanyin is not the protagonist of the Lotus Sutra. The protagonist in Lotus Sutra is the Eternal Buddha identified as Sakyamuni Buddha. This is highlighted in Chapter 25 when an offering was made to Guanyin and he declined. The offering was later accepted under the instruction of Sakyamuni Buddha for the benefit of the audience. Guanyin followed the advice in receiving the offering and redirect the offering to Sakyamuni Buddha and Many-Treasure Stupa.

7. In Buddhism, there were people who cited a portion in Chapter 2 and deliberately twisted its meaning to teach that Lotus Sutra supports the recitation of a particular buddha in some faraway place. This is very untrue. A careful study of that portion actually meant that a sincere verbal veneration to any buddha instead. However, understanding the essence of Lotus Sutra would allow one to know that all buddhas are manifestation of the Eternal Buddha and that, in portion, in its most profound meaning means a sincere verbal veneration to Sakyamuni Buddha.

8. Contrary to what Buddhism teaches in general that the Buddha had entered Parinirvana, it is taught in the Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra that the Buddha had not really entered Parinirvana. Instead, He is often here and in other worlds, to preach the Dharma.

9. While Buddhism general teaches self-reliance, the Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra teaches that we can connect to the essence of the Eternal Buddha by practicing the various virtues in the Lotus Sutra, having a gentle mind and being a person of integrity.

10. Buddhism in general teaches that our world is full of sufferings and in Mahayana Buddhism these days, it encourages people to aim to go to some faraway purelands after one’s demise. The Buddha taught in Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra that our world is pure but we fail to see it otherwise out of fear and dissatisfaction. This is important because this points that the Buddha is teaching the power of living in the present by acquiring the correct perspective instead of lusting what is going to happen after your demise of this life.

11. Buddhism often teaches people to practice non-detachment. This is easily overcome by asking them to detach their possessions and assets and give them to you. The Lotus Sutra does not have this problem.

12. In Buddhism, it is often taught that you must undertake practices over long periods of time to attain some sort of spiritual progressions, however, in Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra, there are descriptions on various acts, there is one as trivial as like a child’s play, that equates to the accomplishment of Buddhahood. This is related to the concept of Grace and how the Eternal Buddha had already laid the path before us.

13. In Buddhism, it is taught that everyone has the potential to become a buddha. In Lotus Sutra, this potential is embedded in us by the Eternal Buddha. This also leads to the concept of Grace.

14. The concept of karma that is often mistaken as a simplistic reaping what you sow is replaced in the Lotus Sutra by the teachings of the Ten Suchness in Chapter 2. It is meant to equip Lotus Sutra practitioners a more holistic way in viewing and understanding the nature of an incident, rather than simply using karma as a reason or excuse for the good and bad things that happen to them.

15. Buddhism in general teaches that worshiping the Buddha’s relics is a way of commemorating Buddha and also symbolizes the presence of the Buddha. However, according to Chapter 10 of the Lotus Sutra, you need not house or worship relics anymore as any place that preaches, reads, recites, writes and safekeeping the scripture of the Lotus Sutra represents the full presence of the Buddha.

16. In Buddhism, it is common that the teaching role is often done by monks (or nuns). Laymen teachers is a minority and still expected to prostrate to the monks (and nuns). In Chapter 10 of the Lotus Sutra, the Teachers of the Dharma can be either laity or clergy, so long that person understands that Lotus Sutra and meet the requirements as stipulated, that means, in theory, it is possible for a monk (or nun) to prostrate to a laity too.

17. Buddhism in general believes that a person can make merits by offering alms to monks (or nuns). This is due to the belief of assuming a higher spiritual authority due to identity. The stark difference in Lotus Sutra is the actual conduct, that one can accumulate merits by making offerings to a laity Dharma Teacher provided that this laity fulfil the three requirements of the Teachers of the Dharma and is really teaching the essence of the Lotus Sutra.

18. In Buddhism, there is a teaching on the Five Unrepentant Sins and one gets to reborn into the avici hell realm for a very long time. Lotus Sutra is one of the few scriptures that talks about the eradication of such reborn if one chooses to accept the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. In Chapter 10 of the Lotus Sutra, not only was Devadetta liberated from avici hell, he also received the commission of his future attainment by the Eternal Buddha.

19. In Buddhism, there are still traditions and denominations that believes in esoteric practices and not surprisingly building cloud of mysticism around the practices. However, in Chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra, the Eternal Buddha had already stated that the essence of the secret (or esoteric) has already been taught in the Lotus Sutra openly. There is no mysticism or any special and private initiation or empowerment like those you can find in Buddhism.

20. In Buddhism, especially the Chinese Mahayana tradition, it is commonly taught that hindrances and misfortunes in life are caused by beings that you have no idea how you had offended them in your previous existences. This is known as karmic creditors and they can manifest as difficult people in your real life or spirits that follow you for many lifetimes. The Lotus Sutra does not have this belief and understanding the Ten Suchness correctly, the concept of karmic creditors does not hold water.

21. Following the previous point, in Buddhism, if a person is believed to be plagued by karmic creditors, this person will be advised to perform varied rituals wishing to get forgiveness to move on in life. Relying on the essence of the Lotus Sutra, this may seem silly because no one can say for sure whether is a person plagued by spirits in the first place. Regardless, even if there is, the ideal way to help the estranged spirits is by undertaking the Five Practices of the Lotus Sutra.

22. While the front part of the Lotus Sutra (the expedient segments) also records exquisite or even extravagant material offerings to the Buddha, the best offerings to the Eternal Buddha as taught by the Lotus Sutra is none other than the Five Practice – acceptance and practice, read and recite, recollect correctly, study and practice, and writing.

23. In Buddhism, it is commonly taught that taking refuge with the Triple Gems as an indicator to be known as a Buddhist. In Lotus Sutra, the Triple Gems represents three spiritual ideals that one can rely on. Let us take a look on the definition of Sangha.
. Buddhism teaches that Sangha includes any monastic members but the Lotus Sutra meant the Bodhisattva-sangha as compare to mortal ones. This is still not as important and vital as maintaining one’s belief in the Eternal Buddha and connect to Him directly.

24. Buddhism in general considers temples to be properly built buildings that house statues or relics and probably be managed by monks (or nuns). In Lotus Sutra, in particularly Chapter 21, it is taught that a temple can be any place, from a laity’s house to the wilderness, if it houses the Lotus Sutra with the condition that the person dwelling there undertake the Five Practices said earlier. This place will also be which people attaining Enlightenment, teaching the Dharma and enter the Parinirvana.

25. In Buddhism, especially Chinese Mahayana and Tibetan Buddhism, there are mantras taught in their functional manner largely to either fulfill worldly wishes or assuming the mantras can promise some supernatural abilities. In Lotus Sutra, the Dharani Practices aims to strengthen and fortified a Lotus Sutra practitioner, especially the Dharma Teacher’s spiritual, mental and emotional well-being. A Lotus Sutra practitioner need not lust for good fortune of any sort because Chapter 17 to 19 had talked about it.

26. In Buddhism, bodhisattvas are worshipped for their different functions. By the essence of the Lotus Sutra, bodhisattvas are worshipped by having Lotus Sutra practitioners to follow their conducts and learning their traits.

27. In Buddhism, there are Buddhists who insist practicing compulsory vegetarianism, some to the extent of teaching that being a vegetarian can eradicate past karma. This is not a requirement in practicing the Lotus Sutra and hence do not regard a dietary observation can lead to supernatural results.

28. Buddhism across traditions believes that the next Buddha to be Matreiya Bodhisattva but a person who understands the Eternal Buddha as revealed in the Lotus Sutra will know that it is not.

Hope you enjoy!

Homage to Lord Buddha!

Link to Facebook post

Attended services at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church Sunday. After each service I take a photo of the flowers arranged by Rev. Kenjo Igarashi‘s wife, Nihoko. Periodically, Google likes to volunteer an enhanced version of the photo and that’s what I’ve got here. (Here’s the original.)

And flowers are one of the things I enjoy most about difference between Soka Gakkai (and by extension Nichiren Shoshu) and Nichiren Shu. I never could understand why offering flowers would be frowned upon. After all, offering flowers is one of the specific ways of showing faith in the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

Each week I offer new flowers. This week I got a little carried away.

Went to the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church today. It was something of a pot-pourri of Buddhism.

The day began with the annual Hanamatsuri service. During the chanting of Odaimoku, the parishioners ladle sweet tea over a statue of baby Sakyamuni and then offer incense.

Following that Ven. Kenjo Igarashi performed his kaji kito blessing on each attendee. Normally this is a separate service held on the last Sunday of the month but Rev. Igarashi needs to travel to Japan and can’t hold the service next week.

And after all that we got to watch as Rev. Igarashi “purified” a parishioner’s new car. This particular member travels more than two hours to attend services so everyone agreed she needs all the protection she can get. I knew that Rev. Igarashi offered this but had never observed it. The ceremony involves many of the same tools used in the purification ceremony. In addition, uncooked rice and salt are tossed on the ground and water and saki poured around the car.

Finally we had a lunch prepared by the women’s club. In all, we had 24 diners, which is a nice size crowd.

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I’m going to finish with a short tale. It is the type of tale that might be put to use later as a lesson for something. For now, I just want to tell what happened.

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We have a new member, a woman who struggles financially. Each month she mails the church $20 in cash.

This woman was practicing Buddhism with Nichiren Shoshu for more than 40 years before joining our church. She is anxious to understand the differences between that sect and Nichiren Shu. Today’s Hanamatsuri service, for example, is the first she has participated in. Apparently nothing like that occurs at the Nichiren Shoshu temple in Pinole.

While riding to church today, she mentioned that she has been using stamps that feature prominent black history figures on the envelopes she mails to the church. She wondered if that was OK. Is there some prohibition about using such stamps for letters addressed to the church?

“Not that I am aware of,” I replied. “Why do you think it might be a problem.”

The woman explained that she received an envelope from the church and inside were generic postage stamps.

“Ahh!,” I said. “I’m certain that the stamps were not sent as a criticism. The priest appreciates that it costs you money to mail your money each month. He is offering the stamps as a gift to you.”

The woman was greatly relieved.

Personally, I was deeply impressed that Rev. Igarashi had done this. It is another of the many examples I’ve witnessed that underscore his care and concern for those he serves.