Category Archives: d17b

d17b, WONS

The Vow of the Female Dragon

Speaking of attainment of Buddhahood by this female dragon, therefore, Grand Master Miao-lê writes, “The great blessing despite little practice shows the power of the Lotus Sūtra.” As this female dragon is indebted to the Lotus Sūtra for attaining Buddhahood, how could she abandon practicers of the sūtra even without the Buddha’s command? So, she says in verse praising the Buddha,”I will widely disseminate Mahāyāna Buddhism to save the suffering people.” This vow of the female dragon is at the same time the vow of all the dragons who follow her, which is so deep that the mouth cannot express it and the mind cannot fathom it. The Sāgara Dragon King, father of the female dragon, was a beast in body but had a deep compassion for his children that he gave the greatest treasure in the ocean, a wish-fulfilling gem, to his daughter as a donation upon her attainment of Buddhahood with the present body. This gem was worth as much as all things in the whole world.

Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 63-64

stories, LS32, d17b

Challenging Our Assumptions About Gender and Gender Roles

Today much, if not all, of the world is gradually undergoing something of a transformation with respect to what people think about gender. Women insist on equality with men, resulting in some quite remarkable changes in social structures and cultural habits in much of the world. The story of the dragon princess can be used to support the ideal of equality between men and women, as that was its obvious purpose, at least with respect to the ability to become fully awakened.

That the story retains what we see as an incorrect assumption that buddhas are always male can be used as an occasion for us to challenge our own assumptions about gender and gender roles. It is easy for us to recognize that the assumption in the Sutra that buddhas must be male is both unnecessary and undesirable, but it is not as easy to see our own unchallenged assumptions about the nature and appropriate roles of men and women. We might even think that the assumption found in this Lotus Sutra story comes to us a gif from the Buddha – is an opportunity for us to become more awakened, especially with respect to gender issues.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p161-162
d17b, WONS

Thus Promises Are Kept

Thus promises are kept even with worldly matters, how much more so the way of the Buddha! A female dragon became a Buddha with her present body in a lecture meeting on Mt. Sacred Eagle although females were despised in Hinayāna sūtras for having the five hindrances and the three obediences (parents, husband and children) and abandoned in pre-Lotus sūtras for being unable to endure many aeons of practice. Although the Flower Garland Sūtra preaches, “They can attain enlightenment upon awakening aspiration for Buddhahood,” it asserts in name only, permitting no woman to become a Buddha. Thus, even females in the human and heavenly realms could not hope to become Buddhas, not to speak of a female born in the realm of beasts and birds and merely at the tender age of eight. Nevertheless, taught by Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, she listened to the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra in the ocean, attaining Buddhahood at the time when the Buddha preached the “Appearance of a Stupa of Treasures” chapter between the “Teacher of the Dharma” and “Devadatta” chapters. This is the rarest thing to ever have happened. Without the power of the Lotus Sūtra superior to all the sūtras preached by the Buddha during His lifetime, how could it have transpired?

Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 63

d17b, WONS

Attainment of Buddhahood by All Females

To begin with, in the sūtras numbering more than 5,000 or 7,000 fascicles expounded by Śākyamuni Buddha during His lifetime, women are discriminated against for being unable to attain Buddhahood. Only in the Lotus Sūtra, however, is it preached that women, too, can attain Buddhahood.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai stated in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “Prediction of future Buddhahood is not given to women.” This means that all the Buddhist scriptures except the Lotus Sūtra do not recognize the attainment of Buddhahood by women. Following the statement just cited, Grand Master T’ien t’ai declares, “In this sūtra, the prediction of future Buddhahood is given to all.” This means that through the merit of the Lotus Sūtra even a dragon girl attained Buddhahood and the attainment of Buddhahood by all females is guaranteed in the sūtra.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai Chih-che was born in China 1,500 years after the passing of Śākyamuni Buddha. He read all the scriptures of Buddhism as many as 15 times thereby discovering that no sūtra except the Lotus Sūtra expounds the attainment of Buddhahood by women. Grand Master Miao-lê interprets this in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “Attainment of Buddhahood by women is not preached in any other sūtra except the Lotus Sūtra.” This means that the concept of attaining Buddhahood by women preached in the Lotus Sūtra is not found in any other Buddhist scriptures.

Thus, the Lotus Sūtra is like the moon among stars, a king among people, Mt. Sumeru among mountains, or an ocean among bodies of water. As it is preached in this admirable sūtra that women can become Buddhas, how can it bother you that this is denied in all other sūtras? For instance, if one is spoken ill of by such unworthy people as thieves, prowlers, robbers, beggars, or lepers, but spoken highly of by the great king of a country, how happy one will be!

Nichigen-nyo Shakabutsu Kuyōji, Construction of a Statue of Śākyamuni Buddha by Lady Nichigen, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 125

Peaceful Action, d17b

Upon Entering Anuttara Samyak Sambodhi

This passage [showing the naga girl attaining Buddhahood] in the Sutra offers another glimpse into the ultimate dimension. Right in that very place and in that very moment, the entire assembly was able to see a young child instantly realize the fruit of anuttara samyak sambodhi, the highest, most perfect enlightenment. This is the world of the ultimate dimension; there is nothing more to do or learn in order to be a Buddha and serve as a Buddha. Once you have arrived in the ultimate dimension it becomes possible to relax and do everything you need to do joyfully, without fear or anxiety. You recognize your innate Buddha nature and in that very moment you are already a Buddha, you are already what you want to become.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p86
stories, LS32, d17b

The Naga Princess

That this girl is a dragon is interesting in itself. In the Indian text she is a naga, the daughter of the Naga King. Along with the garuda, nagas are very commonly found on South East Asian Theravada Buddhist temples. As was the case for most Indian mythical creatures, there were no corresponding mythical creatures in China. The Chinese had no nagas, but they did have dragons, and, both being associated with the sea, that was close enough to suggest translating “naga” into “dragon.” And so it is that in English one sometimes finds this girl referred to as a “Naga Princess.”

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p157

Reeves offers this footnote:

Nagas are a kind of sea serpent, often depicted as large king cobras. In Southeast Asia, however, they are thought of as mythical sea serpents and are often depicted a such in Southeast Asian Buddhist temples, usually resembling large snakes more than dragons. But Chinese translators of Buddhist texts did not have nagas in their imaginations. They were, however, quite familiar with dragons, an old symbol of good fortune in China. Thus, typically, naga was translated into lóng, the Chinese word for “dragon.” That is why dragons are so prominent in East Asian Buddhist temples and absent from those in Southeast Asia.

Though repeatedly referred to as a dragon princess, in this story it is as if the girl were human, and, apart from her introduction, that is the way she is treated in the story, and in subsequent Buddhist art. Almost always she is not imagined or depicted as a dragon but as a girl.

Peaceful Action, d17b

A Red Leaf

In [Chapter 12] we also learn about an eight-year-old girl, the daughter of the naga king, who has the capacity to become a Buddha. This girl has a jewel of incalculable value, equal to the trichiliocosm (the cosmos), which she offered to the Buddha. What is the meaning of this? When we have something that is very precious, we say that it is as valuable as the trichiliocosm. Suppose while practicing walking meditation in the autumn we pick up a red leaf. If we’re able to see the ultimate dimension of that leaf, all the phenomena of the universe that helped create it – the galaxies, the sun and moon, the clouds and rain, the rivers and soil – then quite naturally that one small leaf becomes a very precious jewel, as valuable as the trichiliocosm. And if we give that leaf as an offering to the Buddha, then the merit of our offering is no less than the merit of the daughter of the naga king who offered a precious jewel to the Buddha. So we must not think that if we do not have precious jewels or wealth, then we have nothing to offer the Buddha. A pebble or a leaf, if we are able to see its true nature, has the same value as an incalculably precious jewel. When we can see into the ultimate dimension of things in this way, we can see their true value as something infinitely precious.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p85
Peaceful Action, d1b, d17b

The Story of Devadatta and Ajātaśatru

The story of Devadatta is well-known. He was a very bright and highly charismatic monk who, because of his ambition, brought about a schism in the Sangha. Devadatta first tried to get the Buddha to appoint him leader of the Sangha. The Buddha was then over seventy years old, near the end of his life and ministry. But while he considered himself to be a teacher and an inspiration, the Buddha didn’t think of himself as the leader of the Sangha, and he didn’t want to appoint someone as a leader, either. So he refused Devadatta’s request.

Devadatta then allied himself with Prince Ajātaśatru, King Bimbisara’s son, and the two schemed to usurp the kingdom so that Ajātaśatru could ascend the throne and Devadatta could gain control of the Sangha. Devadatta went before an assembly of the Buddha’s Sangha and proposed a set of ascetic guidelines for the monks, trying to show that his way of practice was more serious and austere. The Buddha did not accept these new guidelines for the Sangha but said that any monk who wished to practice them was free to do so. Devadatta was highly charismatic, and he was able to persuade nearly 500 monks to join his new Sangha. Many of these monks were young and had not yet had much opportunity to learn from the Buddha.

In this way, Devadatta brought about the first schism of the Buddhist Sangha. He and his group went to live on Mount Gayashisa, and Ajātaśatru supported them with donations of food and medicine. Then Ajātaśatru initiated his plan to take over the kingdom. After an attempt on his father’s life was unsuccessful, he had his father put under house arrest and deprived him of food so that he would starve to death. Queen Vaidehi, wife of Bimbisara and Ajātaśatru’s mother, visited her husband every day, hiding food on her person, and for a while she was able to keep the king nourished. But her subterfuge was discovered, and Ajātaśatru barred her from seeing the king. The king eventually died in confinement. The Buddha’s personal physician, Jīvaka, also served Queen Vaidehi. Through Jīvaka, the Buddha learned of Ajātaśatru’s schemes and that Devadatta was behind them.

Devadatta was also behind three attempts on the Buddha’s life. The first time a swordsman was sent to assassinate him. But when he saw the Buddha sitting in meditation in the moonlight, he was not able to carry out the murder. Instead he knelt before the Buddha and confessed. According to the plan, once he had killed the Buddha, the assassin was to leave the mountain by a certain path, unaware that he himself would be killed in order to cover up the murder. So the Buddha advised him to go down a different path and then, with his mother, flee to the neighboring kingdom of Kosala for refuge.

In the second attempt, the would-be murderers rolled a big boulder down from the mountaintop. The stone struck the Buddha, and though it did not kill him, his left foot was badly wounded and he lost a lot of blood. In the third attempt, Devadatta’s men released a wild elephant to attack the Buddha, but the Buddha was able to calm the animal and was not harmed. The Buddha survived all three attempts on his life and he did not leave the kingdom, even though it was a very difficult time for him. He continued to stay and practice there, and through the practice, he exemplified nonviolent resistance.

Eventually, with the help of the bhikshus Śāriputra and Maudgalyāyana, who visited Devadatta’s Sangha to teach and help the young monks, nearly everyone returned to the Buddha and the schism in the Sangha was healed. Later on Devadatta became very sick and was near death. He was so weak and ill that he could not stand or walk on his own anymore, so he asked two monks to carry him to The Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain Peak. There, before the Buddha, Devadatta said, “1 take refuge in the Buddha, I go back to the Buddha and take refuge in him,” and the Buddha accepted him back into the Sangha.

Sometime later, Ajātaśatru was also struck down, by a mental illness. He was filled with remorse and afflicted in body and mind because he had killed his own father and had done many bad things in order to gain power. He consulted various teachers and healers, but no one could cure him. Finally, he consulted with Jīvaka, who advised him to go directly to the Buddha. Ajātaśatru was ashamed. He said, “I cannot go to the Buddha. He must be very angry with me!” But Jīvaka assured him, “No, the Buddha has a lot of compassion, he is not angry with you. If you go to him and ask him with all your heart, he will help you overcome this illness.”

Jīvaka arranged for Ajātaśatru to attend a Dharma talk by the Buddha in the Mango Grove at the foot of The Gṛdhrakūṭa Mountain Peak. The Buddha spoke on the fruits of the practice, and after the talk the king was invited to ask a few questions. The Buddha took this opportunity to undo the knots within Ajātaśatru and help him recover his health. That day the Buddha served as a skillful physician, a wise and patient psychotherapist to the king, and a good relationship between them was restored. In fact, in the opening scene of the Lotus Sutra we learn that Ajātaśatru is also in the audience, a detail that tells us the Sutra was delivered toward the end of the Buddha’s life, and which shows that Ajātaśatru had returned to the family of the Buddha. From the stories of Devadatta and Ajātaśatru we can see how great is the Buddha’s power of inclusiveness, tolerance, and patience. Even though these two men had committed the worst possible offenses, through his love and compassion the Buddha was able to help them transform and rejoin the family of humanity.

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p81-84
stories, LS32, d17b

Lifelong Learning

As we see in Chapter 12 of the Dharma Flower Sutra, there are two stories, both of which suggest the importance of enabling by seeing. The first is ostensibly a story about Devadatta, someone whom everyone, at least in the Buddhist world, knows is the epitome of evil. But in Chapter 12 we find none of this, which everyone knows already. Instead we find the Buddha telling a story about a previous life in which Devadatta was his teacher. We may think this story is mainly about Devadatta, but, more importantly, it is a story about the Buddha, especially about the Buddha’s ability to see the bodhisattva in Devadatta. The Buddha enables Devadatta by assuring him that he too is to become a buddha.

The second story in Chapter 12 is about the dragon princess who becomes a buddha in an instant. Present are two men, Shariputra, who thinks that it is impossible for a woman to become a buddha, and Accumulated Wisdom Bodhisattva, who thinks it is crazy to think that a little girl could become awakened suddenly. What the dragon princess says to them is very interesting. “Just watch,” she says, “use your holy powers to watch me become a buddha even more quickly than it took for Shakyamuni Buddha to take a jewel from my hand.” (LS 283) In a sense, a little girl becomes a buddha for them, but she can do this only if they used their “holy powers,” their vision, to allow her to be a buddha for them, to open themselves to her being a buddha for them.

Normally we think of Buddha Dharma as coming from the Buddha. This is correct, of course. But it is also essential to see that the Dharma, and therefore the Buddha, can come to us from many sources – if we open ourselves to it.

The title of the English version of the autobiography of the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai, Nikkyo Niwano, is Lifetime Beginner. The term “beginner” has connotations of being inexperienced or green. The implication of this is, of course, that one always needs to be learning, always needs to be open to new experience, new stories, new ideas. It is easy to think of this remarkable man as being self-taught, which in a sense he was. But he was self-taught only by learning from others, a great variety of others. He learned, for example, about Buddhist teachings from Buddhist scholars, including some very famous Buddhist scholars, but he also learned about Buddhism, and received the Buddha Dharma from ordinary members of Rissho Kosei-kai. He was a lifetime learner. The importance of being open to others, of learning from them, even of seeing the Buddha in them, is something we might learn from the story ofWonderful Voice Bodhisattva.

The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p266-267
d17b, WONS

The Only Sin that Refuses To Disappear

Even if women committed the sky-full of ten evil acts such as greed, jealousy and anger, and five rebellious sins, if they upheld this Lotus Sūtra without committing the sin of slandering the True Dharma, their sins will all disappear at once just as dew on plants all evaporate when blown by strong winds. They are like the thick ice born in the three months of cold winter that thaw in no time under the sunshine of mid-summer. The only sin that refuses to disappear is the sin of slandering the Lotus Sūtra. It is like Mt. Sumeru that cannot be burnt, even partially, by all the plants in the whole universe as firewood; or the ocean that cannot be dried up even if seven suns should appear at the same time and blaze on it for hundreds and thousands of days.

Zemmui-shō, Treatise on Śubhākarasiṃha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 55-56