Category Archives: Innumerable

LS32, Innumerable

Another Innumerable Day Before Day 1

Having begun last month with the explanation of the practice of the great Bodhisattvas, I want to conclude the great-being bodhisattvas wondrous power to do beneficial works.

These are the true companions of good influence for all living beings. These are bountiful spheres of kindness for all living beings. These are the spontaneous teachers of all living beings. These are centers of joyful tranquility, places of deliverance, shelters for protection, and great havens of reliability for all living beings. As such, they serve everywhere as extraordinary guides who are of benefit to all—capable of acting as eyes for those who do not see, as ears for those who do not hear, as a nose for those with no sense of smell, as a tongue for those who do not speak. They are able to make deficient faculties become whole, and to turn contrariness, unbalance, frenzy, and confusion into complete right mindfulness. They are the shipmasters and great captains that ferry living beings across the river of birth and death, landing them on nirvana ‘s shore. They are the greatest physicians and master doctors who distinguish the aspects of illnesses, know well the properties of medicines, offer remedies appropriate to an affliction, and have beings trustingly take them. They are directors and master directors who never lose control—like tamers of elephants or horses who are capable of training without fail. They are like valiant lions whose unconquerable majesty invites respect from all other beasts. Comfortably progressing in all bodhisattva practices of perfection, steadfast and immovable in the Tathāgata realm, serenely abiding in the strength of their resolve, and refining buddha lands far and wide, they will realize and achieve the full dynamic of ultimate enlightenment before long. All such great-being bodhisattvas possess this kind of wondrous power to do beneficial works.

For me, Buddhism is bodhisattva practice. As the translators note in their introduction:

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

LS32, Innumerable

Another Innumerable Day Before Day 1

As I prepare to begin my 45th cycle through the Lotus Sutra I set the stage with The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings. And, as I did yesterday, I’m starting at the beginning of the sutra with the explanation of the practice of the great Bodhisattvas.

Having obtained the greatest wisdom, they can understand all things deeply, completely understanding the reality of the nature and characteristics of things, clearly distinguishing their ontological status and their relative strengths and weaknesses and make clear the revelatory quality of reality.

Moreover, knowing well the abilities, natures, and desires of all, with incantations and unobstructed eloquence, they obediently and skillfully turn the Dharma wheel of the buddhas.

First, they have small drops of moisture fall to dampen the dust of desire, and by opening the gateway of nirvana, fanning the wind of liberation, and ridding themselves of the heat of worldly passions, they bring about the cooling quality of the Dharma.

Next, raining down the profound teaching of the twelve causes and conditions, pouring it on the ferocious, intense rays of suffering— ignorance, old age, illness, death, and so on—they pour out the unexcelled Great Vehicle, soak the good roots of all the living with it, scatter seeds of goodness over the field of blessings, and everywhere bring forth sprouts of awakening. With wisdom as bright as the sun and the moon, and timely use of skillful means, they make the enterprise of the Great Vehicle prosper and grow and lead many to attain supreme awakening quickly. Always living in the blessedness of a reality that is fine and wonderful, with immeasurable great compassion, they save the living from suffering. (Reeves, p24)

In pondering how to put into practice the Buddha’s teaching, this description of the Bodhisattva practice is a window onto an ideal scene.

21days, Innumerable

21 Days: Innumerable Instructions

The final quote from the The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings collected during my 21-Day Retreat (Reeves, p49):

At that time, the Buddha spoke to the great one Magnificently Adorned Bodhisattva and the other eighty thousand bodhisattva great ones: “You should deeply respect this sutra, practice it as the Dharma, transform everyone everywhere with it, and continue to diligently promulgate it. You should protect it carefully day and night, enabling the living to obtain the benefits of the Dharma. This is truly great kindness and great compassion. Using the divine power of your vows, you should protect this sutra and not let anyone put doubts or other obstacles in its way. Then you should have it practiced widely in Jambudvipa, and have all the living observe, read, recite, copy, and make offerings to it without fail. Because of this, you will be able to attain supreme awakening quickly.”

21days, Innumerable

21 Days: The Sutra for the Common People

Another quote (Reeves, p48) from the The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings to be kept handy:

“Good sons, such an unexcelled Great Vehicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings has extremely great divine power and is unsurpassed in value. It leads all the common people to attain sacred fruit, and forever frees them from life and death. This is why this sutra is called Innumerable Meanings. It makes the tree of blessings grow, prosper, and flourish, and it leads all the living, while at the stage of common people, to have innumerable buds of the way of all the bodhisattvas. Therefore this sutra is called ‘the inconceivable power of blessings.’ “

21days, Innumerable

21 Days: Where This Sutra Comes From

Gathering quotes from the The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, here’s the Buddha’s response to a question from Magnificently Adorned Bodhisattva (Reeves, p42):

“Good son, you ask where this sutra comes from, where is it headed, and where it will live. Now you should listen carefully. Good son, this sutra originally comes from the home of all the buddhas, goes toward the aspiration for awakening of all the living, and lives wherever bodhisattvas practice. Good son, this sutra comes like this, goes like this, and lives like this. Thus, having such innumerable blessings and amazing powers, this sutra enables people to attain unexcelled awakening quickly.”

LS32, Innumerable

The Innumerable Day Before Day 1

As mentioned yesterday, I am inserting the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings into my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice as a way to keep this sutra and The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva in my practice after concluding my 21-Day Retreat Encouraged by Universal Sage Bodhisattva.

Not everything in the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings is easy to digest. For me, I stumble over the many places where negation is used to emphasize the nature of emptiness. This comes early in the sutra when the Bodhisattvas are describing the Buddha (Reeves, p26-27).

His body is neither existing nor non-existing,
Neither caused nor conditioned,
Neither itself nor other,
Neither square nor round,
Neither short nor long.

It does not appear or disappear.
It is not born and does not die.
It is neither constructed nor raised up,
Neither made nor produced.

It is neither sitting nor lying,
Neither walking nor standing still,
Neither moving nor turning over,
Neither at rest nor idle.

It does not advance or retreat,
Knows not safety or danger,
Neither right nor wrong.
It is neither virtuous nor improper.

It is neither this nor that,
Neither going nor coming.

It is neither blue nor yellow,
Neither red nor white;
Neither crimson nor purple,
Nor a variety of colors.

Chih-i, the founder of the T’ien T’ai School upon which much Nichiren Doctrine rests, took such discussions as this and applied  the Threefold Truth – Emptiness, Provisional and Middleway. All things are essentially empty of any enduring, unchanging, self. What we perceive is our provisional existence that flows from causes and conditions of dependent origination. The Middle Way recognizes the non-duality of emptiness and provisional existence.

So what’s left with after all of those negations? The Middle Way.

Or at least that’s my understanding.  For an interesting discussion of how Chih-i applied the Threefold Truth to the Ten Suchnesses of Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra, see this quote from the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.

21days, Innumerable

21 Days: The Body of the Buddha

Having yesterday provided a detailed look at the white king elephant in The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva (Reeves, p402-404), I feel a need to offer the description of the Buddha provided by the 80,000 Bodhisattvas in The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings (Reeves, p26-27):

Born of precepts, concentration,
Wisdom, liberation, and insight,
He stems from contemplation,
The six powers, and the elements of the Way.

Springing from kindness and compassion,
The ten powers and courage,
He emerges from
The good actions of living beings.

He shows his body:

Sixteen feet tall,
Shining with purple gold,
Well proportioned,
Brilliant and very bright.

The tuft of curled hair is like the moon.
The light of the sun comes from the nape of his neck.
His curly hair is deep blue
And on the top of his head is a protuberance.

His pure eyes are like mirrors,
And work well in all directions.
His eyebrows are dark blue;
His mouth and cheeks well shaped.

His lips and tongue are a nice red,
Like a bright red flower.
His forty white teeth
Look like snowy jewels.

buddha_swatika_d
See this blog post

His forehead is broad,
His nose long and his face open.
His chest, marked with a swastika,
Is like the chest of a lion.His hands and feet are soft,
Marked with the spokes of a wheel.
Their soles and palms are well rounded,
And the grip is firm.

His arms are long,
His fingers straight and slender.
His skin is delicate and soft
And his hair curls to the right.

His ankles and knees are exposed.
His male organ is concealed,
Like that of a horse.

His muscles are smooth.
His joints are strong.
His legs are tapered,
Like those of a deer.

His back is as resplendent as his front,
Pure and without blemish,
Untainted, like clear water,
Unspotted by any dirt.

His distinguishing thirty-two characteristics
And the eighty different attractive features seem to be visible,
Yet in reality, his form is neither with nor without features.
All visible features are transcended.

Without having features
His body has features.
This is also true of the features
Of the bodies of all living beings.

They incite joy and respect
In living beings,
Eliciting devotion, esteem,
And courtesy toward him.

By cutting off pride and arrogance,
He has acquired such a glorious body.

Now we, the assembly of eighty thousand,
Together make obeisance
To the one who has extinguished
Reflective thought and consciousness.

Buddhism-swastika-seattle
For more about the swastika and Buddhism, see this story quoting Rev. Kanjin Cederman of Seattle Choeizan Enkyoji Nichiren Buddhist Temple
21days, Innumerable

Day 21 of 21

And concluding three weeks of reading The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, I offer this meaning (Reeves, p37-38):

“Good sons, after leaving the king of trees, when I turned the Dharma wheel of the four truths for the five men at Deer Park in Varanasi, Ajnata-Kaundinya and the others, I taught that all things are originally empty and calm, ceaselessly changing, arising and perishing in an instant.

“When I spoke in various places during the middle period, proclaiming the twelve causes and conditions and the six transcendental practices for monks and the group of bodhisattvas, I also taught that all things are originally empty and calm, ceaselessly changing, arising and perishing in an instant.

“Now, preaching the Great Vehicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings, I also teach that all things are originally empty and calm, ceaselessly changing, arising and perishing in an instant.

“Good sons, this is why the teachings at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end are the same in expression but different in meaning. Since the meaning is different, so too the understandings of living beings differ. And since understandings differ, so too attainments of the Dharma, of its fruits, and of the Way differ.

“Good sons, at the beginning, though I taught the four truths for those who sought to be śrāvakas, eight million heavenly beings came down to hear the Dharma and aspired to become awakened. In the middle, though I preached the profound twelve causes and conditions in various places for those who sought to be pratyekabuddhas, innumerable living beings aspired to become awakened or continue as śrāvakas. Next, though I proclaimed over many eons the practice of bodhisattvas by teaching the equality of the twelve literary forms of the Great Wisdom Sutra, and the vast Flower Garland Sutra, hundreds of thousands of monks, tens of thousands of millions of human and heavenly beings, and innumerable other living beings could remain as stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, or arhats in the Dharma of causes and conditions appropriate for pratyekabuddhas.

“Good sons, for this reason, it is known that while the teaching is the same, the meanings differ. Since the meanings differ, so too the understandings of living beings differ. And since understandings differ, so too attainments of the Dharma, of its fruits, and of the Way differ. Thus, good sons, from when I attained the Way and stood to teach the Dharma for the first time until I proclaimed the Great Vehicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings today, I have never ceased preaching about suffering, emptiness, impermanence, no enduring self, the absence of greatness, the absence of pettiness, original non-arising, present non-extinction, one character, absence of character, Dharma character, Dharma nature, non-corning, non-going, and the four modes by which all the living are driven.

“Good sons, this is why all buddhas everywhere respond to the variety of voices without a forked tongue and with one sound. Though each has only one body, they show bodies as innumerable and numberless as the sands of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Ganges. In each body, they display a number of similar types, countless as the sands of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Ganges. And in each type, they show forms as countless as the sands of hundreds of thousands of millions of billions of Ganges.

“Good sons, accordingly, this is the inconceivable and profound sphere of all the buddhas. The two vehicles cannot comprehend it, and even bodhisattvas at the tenth stage cannot reach it. Only among buddhas can it be fathomed well.

“Good sons, this is why I teach that the wonderful, profound, and unexcelled Great Vehicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings is truly correct in logic, unsurpassed in value, and protected by the buddhas of the past, present, and future. No demonic or non-Buddhist ways can damage it, nor can any wrong view of life and death defeat or destroy it.

“Therefore, bodhisattva great ones, if you want to attain unexcelled awakening quickly, you should practice and study the profound, unexcelled Great Vehicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings.”

Day 20 of 21

21days, Innumerable

Day 19 of 21

As I have recited The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings again and again for these three weeks, this quote (Reeves, p33-34) has always stood out as something I will want to refer to in the future. So, for safe keeping, I offer this gateway:

The Buddha said to Magnificently Adorned Bodhisattva and the eighty thousand bodhisattvas: “Good sons, there is a unique gateway to the Dharma that leads bodhisattvas to attain supreme awakening quickly. If a bodhisattva learns this gateway to the Dharma, he will attain supreme awakening.”

“World-Honored One, what is this gateway to the Dharma called? What does it mean? How does a bodhisattva practice it?”

The Buddha replied: “Good sons, this unique gateway to the Dharma is called innumerable meanings. A bodhisattva who wants to practice and study the gateway to the Dharma of innumerable meanings should observe that all things were originally, will be, and are in themselves empty and tranquil in nature and character; not large or small, not subject to arising or extinction, not fixed or movable, and neither advancing nor retreating. Like empty space, they are non-dualistic.

“All living beings, however, make delusory distinctions: weighing whether something is this or that; whether it is a gain or a loss. Bad thoughts come to them, producing a variety of evil actions. They transmigrate within the six states undergoing all kinds of suffering and harm, from which they cannot escape during innumerable billions of eons. Seeing this clearly, bodhisattva great ones cultivate sympathy and show great kindness and compassion in the desire to extricate others from suffering. What’s more, they penetrate deeply into all things.

“In accord with the character of Dharma, all things emerge. In accord with the character of Dharma, all things live. In accord with the character of Dharma, all things change. In accord with the character of Dharma, all things perish. In accord with the character of Dharma, bad things emerge. In accord with the character of Dharma, good things emerge, live, change, and perish. Bodhisattvas, observing these four modes and being thoroughly familiar with them from one end to the other, should next observe clearly that none of these things continues to live even for a moment, but emerges and perishes every moment, each emerging, living, changing, and perishing in an instant.

“After seeing this, the abilities, natures, and desires of living beings can be seen. As natures and desires are innumerable, sermons are innumerable, and as sermons are innumerable, meanings are innumerable. The innumerable meanings emerge from one Dharma. This one Dharma is characterless. Accordingly, this characterlessness manifests all characters. Neither having character nor being characterless is called true character.

“The compassion that bodhisattva great ones display after dwelling at peace in this true character of reality is clear and not in vain. They are truly capable of relieving living beings from suffering. Having given them relief from suffering, they teach the Dharma again, delighting all living beings.

“Good sons, if a bodhisattva practices well the gateway to the Dharma of innumerable meanings in this way, the bodhisattva will for certain attain supreme awakening soon.”

Cultivating sympathy and showing great kindness and compassion – the gateway to the Dharma of innumerable meanings.

Day 18 of 21Day 20 of 21

21days, Innumerable

Day 17 of 21

Concluding this review of the stages of the Ten Blessings in the Sutra of Innumerable Blessings, we consider the final three.

At the eighth stage, having found someone who has received this sutra:

[T]hey will make them revere and believe it exactly as if they saw the body of the Buddha, cherish and enjoy it, receive and embrace, read and recite, copy, and honor this sutra, follow and practice it according to the Dharma, firmly observing morality and endurance. At the same time, they will practice generosity and be deeply compassionate. And they will everywhere teach this unexcelled Great Vehicle Sutra of Innumerable Meanings for the sake of people.

If anyone for a long time does not at all recognize sin or blessedness, they will be shown this sutra, and with all sorts of skillful means be firmly led to have faith in it. Through the power of this sutra, their faith will be aroused, and they will convert suddenly. After having their faith aroused, they will bravely persevere, acquiring the virtues and powers of this sutra, and attaining the Way and its fruit. In this way, through the blessing of having undergone transformation, these good sons or good daughters, in their male and female bodies, will attain acceptance of the non-arising of all things, reach the upper stage, and, with bodhisattvas as their attendants, lead living beings quickly to fulfillment, purify buddha-lands, and soon attain unexcelled awakening. Good sons, this is called the eighth amazing power of blessing of this sutra./blockquote>

At the ninth stage those who dance with joy and everywhere explain this sutra’s meaning:

[T]hey will instantly destroy the heavy hindrance of sins resulting from actions in the past and become purified. They will acquire great eloquence, gradually take on the marks of transcendental practices, attain various concentrations, including very courageous concentrations, enter the great gateway of incantations, and rise to the upper stage quickly through the power of diligent perseverance. They will be embodied everywhere in all the lands of the ten directions and will save and free all the living beings who suffer greatly in the twenty-five states of existence. Such power can be seen in this sutra. Good sons, this is called the ninth amazing power of blessing of this sutra.

Finally the ultimate blessing for practicing for others:

[B]ecause of their powers of leading others to the practice of this sutra and to attaining the Way and its fruits, done through the power of working good-heartedly to transform others, all these good sons or good daughters in their bodies will be able to pursue innumerable teachings about incantation. As common people, from the beginning they will naturally make innumerable countless great vows and oaths, and deeply aspire to fulfill them in order to save all living beings. They will realize great compassion, thoroughly relieve the suffering of living beings, gather many good roots, and abundantly benefit all. They will extend the abundance of the Dharma and give water to the withered and dehydrated. They will generously give living beings the medicine of the Dharma, setting them all at ease, gradually elevating their views to live at the stage of the Dharma cloud. They will spread benevolence widely, always being kind and leading the living who suffer into the track of the Way. These people will be able to attain supreme awakening before long. Good sons, this is called the tenth amazing power of blessing of this sutra.

All done through the power of working good-heartedly.

Day 16 of 21Day 18 of 21