[F]ourteen chapters in the essential section can be regarded as one sūtra with three parts: the preface, the main discourse, and the epilogue. The first half of the fifteenth chapter, “Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,” is the prologue. The second half of the fifteenth chapter, the sixteenth chapter, “The Life Span of the Buddha,” and … Continue reading The Lord Who Preaches Here Is the Eternal Buddha
Today I participated in another of the Enkyoji Buddhist Network’s online classes. This one dealt with the Four Noble Truths. The assignment prior to today’s Zoom class was straightforward: Please take a critical look at basic translations of the Four Noble Truths you find online and compare them. Informed by your own faith and practice, … Continue reading Reviewing the Four Noble Truths
Speaking of the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra, it is preached solely for those living in the beginning of the Latter Age. At first glance it appears that the seed of Buddhahood was planted in them by the Eternal Buddha in the eternal past or 500 dust-particle kalpa ago. The seed germinated and grew … Continue reading Embodied in the Five Characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō
[T]he Buddhas in all the worlds throughout the universe have attained Buddhahood by making the “jiga-ge” verse their True Teacher. The “jiga-ge” is, therefore, like the parents of all beings in the world. Accordingly, those who uphold the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter in the Lotus Sūtra can be said to be the inheritors … Continue reading Inheritors of the Life of Buddhas in the World
[W]hen the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra, this world of endurance (Sahā World) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world. It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of … Continue reading The Eternal Pure Land
The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, “Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,” who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Śākyamuni who resides within our minds. They are like T’ai-kung-wang and Duke of Chou, retainers of King Wu of … Continue reading Bodhisattvas Who Reside in the Minds of Ordinary People
QUESTION: I have learned that the “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine was first expounded in the fifth fascicle of the Great Concentration and Insight, one of the three major works of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai. Now I would like to know the meaning of spiritual contemplation (kanjin) of the “3,000 existences contained in one … Continue reading Seeing Our Reflection in the Clear Mirror of the Lotus Sūtra
QUESTION: How does the term “1,000 aspects contained in 100 realms” (hyakkai senyo) differ from “3,000 existences contained in one thought” (ichinen sanzen)? ANSWER: Speaking of a mind having “1,000 aspects contained in 100 realms,” we consider sentient beings only. When we talk about “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” we consider both sentient as … Continue reading Hyakkai Senyo vs. Ichinen Sanzen
QUESTION: If even insentient beings possess “ten aspects, does it mean that even grass and trees possess senses so that they can obtain Buddhahood just like sentient beings? ANSWER: This is difficult to comprehend and difficult to believe in. In fact, T’ien-t’ai is hard to understand and hard to believe in two aspects: one is … Continue reading Worshiping Wooden Icons and Portraits
It is stated in the Discourse on the Diamond Scalpel by Grand Master Dengyō: “The truth that motivates the bodhisattvas to take the Four Great Vows is the Four Noble Truths (the truth regarding the suffering, the cause of suffering, the extinction of suffering, and the path to enlightenment). Delusion of life and death that … Continue reading Four Great Vows and Four Noble Truths