Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p166Maha-Prajapati Bhikṣunī was present with her six thousand attendants. Yasodhara Bhikṣunī, the mother of Rahula, was also present with her attendants.
Listed next are the group of mendicant nuns (bhiksunis). Mahāprajāpatī means, in Chinese, [the one who] loves the path (tao) greatly.
Rāhula’s mother Yaśodharā [Yaśodharā] means, in Chinese, “keeps hearing from afar.”
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 9, 2025
Anyone who understands why the Buddhas expound [many] sūtras,
Who knows the position of Myōhō Renge Kyō in the series of sūtras,
And who expounds Myōhō Renge Kyō after my extinction
According to Myōhō Renge Kyō‘s true meaning,
Will be able to eliminate the darkness
Of the living beings of the world where he walks about,
Just as the light of the sun and the moon
Eliminates all darkness.He will be able to cause innumerable Bodhisattvas
To dwell finally in the One Vehicle.
Tao-sheng: Hinayāna Identical to Bodhisattva Path
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p166They were great Arhats well known to the multitude.
All these voice hearers (Śrāvakas) had “their virtues firmly established within and their fame reported without.” [People] far and near admired them [wholeheartedly]; who did not know them? This is why their names are listed and their virtues praised.
Great [of great arhats] tells that the Dharma of the Lesser Vehicle (Hinayāna) is identical with the path of the bodhisattvas.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 8, 2025
The Bodhisattvas who have practiced the Way
For the past innumerable kalpas,
Will believe my longevity
When they hear of it.They will receive Myōhō Renge Kyō on their heads,
And wish:
“May we live long and save all living beings
Just as the World-Honored One of today,
Who is the King of the Śākyas, [saves them]
By expounding the Dharma without fear
At the place of enlightenment
With [a voice like] a lion’s roar!
When we sit at the place of enlightenment,
Respected by all living beings,
May we preach that we also shall live
As long [as the World-Honored One of today]!”
Tao-sheng: The Arhats By Name
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p164-166They included Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya, Mahā-Kāśyapa, Uruvilvā-Kāśyapa, Gaya-Kāśyapa, Nadi- Kāśyapa, Śāriputra, Great Maudgalyāyana, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Gavampati, Revata, Pilindavatsa, Bakkula, Maha-Kausthila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Pūrṇa who was the son of Maitrāyanī, Subhūti, Ananda, and Rahula.
- Ājñātakauṇḍinya
- Ājñā(ta) means, in Chinese, attaining the unlearned knowledge.” Kauṇḍinya is a surname. He was the first one who attained the Tao; hence, the name.
- Mahākāśyapa
- Mahā means “great.” Kāśyapa is a surname. Because he was an elder and virtuous, he was thus called by this name. Kāśyapa is a Brahman surname.
- Uruvilvākāśyapa
- It is the name of a papaya grove. As he stayed always in this grove, the place became his name.
- Gayākāśyapa
- Gayā is the name of a town. He stayed by the town; thus, it became his name.
- Nadīkāśyapa
- It is the name of a river. He was born at the bank of this river. Because of this, he got the name.
- Śāriputra
- Śāri refers to his mother’s name. His mother’s eyes were like those of the Śāri bird (stork); hence, this name. Putra means “son.” This Śāriputra’s mother was highly talented and skillful in debates. She was known all over the land. Therefore he came to have the name Śāri, after his mother.
- Mahāmaudgalyāyana
- His first name was Kolita. The surname came from a Brahman clan.
- Mahākātyāyana
- It was a surname of a Brahman (clan) of South India. So what originally used to be a surname became his name.
- Aniruddha
- In Chinese, it means non(a)extinction (nirodha) (i.e., unextinguishable).
- Kapphina
- It is a first name; it is untranslatable.
- Gavampati
- Gavam means cow (go); pati means foot (pad). When he was born, his feet were like cow’s feet; hence, his name, “cow feet.”
- Revata
- It is the name of a constellation. He was born when this constellation appeared in the sky; got the name.
- Pilindavatsa
- Pilinda is the first name: Vatsa is a surname.
- Bakkula
- The name [translated into Chinese] is Fei-ch’eng (“fertile and prosperous”).
- Maha-Kausthila
- The [Chinese] name is Ta-hsi (“great knee”).
- Nanda
- The [Chinese] name is Huan-hsi (“joy”) (Ānanda). He was the Buddha’s younger brother.
- Sundarananda
- The [Chinese] name is Jou-ju (“gentle and smooth”). It means “handsome” (suedara) and “joy” (Ānanda).
- Pūrṇa Maitrāyanīputra [who was the son of Maitrāyanī]
- Pūrṇa is a surname; Maitrāyanīputra is a first name. He is also called [in Chinese] Man-yüan (“fulfilled wish”). Maitrāyanī was his mother’s name. His mother’s talent for debate and great wisdom were known to many people. People honored his mother. Hence, the son’s name was taken from his mother’s surname.
- Subhūti
- The [Chinese] name is Shan-chi (“good and lucky”). It also means “empty birth” (su-bhū).
- Ānanda
- He had a handsome appearance. People were delighted to see him. He was born on the day of the Buddha’s enlightenment. Thus, he was called Huan-hsi (“joy”) (Ānanda).
- Rāhula
- In Chinese, it means “not letting go” (not released). He was in the womb for six years. He thus came to be called not letting go.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 7, 2025
[T]he merits to be given to the person who fills the one thousand million Sumeru-worlds with the seven treasures and offers that amount of the seven treasures to the Buddhas, to the Great Bodhisattvas, to the Pratyekabuddhas, and to the Arhats, are less than the merits to be given to the person who keeps even a single gāthā of four lines of Myōhō Renge Kyō.
Tao-sheng: The Specific Cohearers
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p163He was accompanied by twelve thousand great bhikṣus.
If it is said that [the transmitter] heard [the preaching] by himself, one would find it difficult to believe other factors, too. If he simply said we and everybody [vaguely, not specifically] he would not be any better than “excepted from being” a solitary [witness]. [So] he lists all the [specific] cohearers. These are all that I mentioned as [the five factors] witnessing the sūtra. Bhikṣu is a general term referring to those who are in the process of destroying evils. Why are the voice hearers (śrāvakas) listed first and then the bodhisattvas? This has to do with the difference of inner and outer; inner-directedness has a limited scope, whereas outer-directedness has no restrictions. Hence, it should be in that order. It also suggests that the Buddha’s transformative teaching covers all; starting from the near, extending to the distant; there is no place where [his] Tao is not existent. Great (Mahā) refers to the assembly of people that can [counter] ninety-six kinds [of heretical views or arguments].
Two Tongues in the Ashes
When I was selecting examples of Miraculous Tales from The Dainihonkoku Hokekyō of Priest Chingen, I deliberately excluded the tales of self-immolation. After reading Thich Nhat Hanh’s Peaceful Action, Open Heart and his recollection of Thich Quang Duc, the first monk to immolate himself in the 1960s to protest Vietnam’s anti-Buddhist laws, I changed my attitude about such stories. I’ve decided to include one example of pious self-immolation from Daniel B. Stevenson’s “Tales of the Lotus Sutra.”
Buddhism in Practice, p434In Jingzhou there lived two bhikṣunīs who were sisters. Their names have been forgotten, but they both recited the Lotus Sūtra, held a deep loathing for the physical body, and together conceived the desire to give up their lives [in offering to the dharma]. [To this end,] they set restrictions on clothing and diet and prescribed for themselves a regimen of painful austerities. They ingested various perfumed oils and gradually reduced their intake of coarse rice, until they gave up grains altogether and took only fragrant honey. [Even then,] their energy and spiritual determination remained as vigorous and fresh as ever. They announced [widely] to the monks and laity [around them] that at an appointed time in the future they would immolate themselves.
On the evening of the eighth day of the second month during the third year of the Zhenguan era [629], they set up two high seats in the middle of one of the large boulevards of Jingzhou. Then they wrapped their bodies from head to foot in waxed cloth, leaving only their faces exposed. The crowds gathered like a mountain; their songs of praise filled the air like clouds. The two women together began to chant the Lotus Sūtra. When they reached the “Medicine King” (Bhaiṣajyarāja) chapter, the older sister first ignited the head of the younger sister, and the younger in turn lit the head of the older sister. Simultaneously the two blazed up, like two torches in the clear night. As the flames crept down over their eyes, the sound of their voices became even more distinct. But, as it gradually arrived at their noses and mouths, they grew quiet [and their voices were heard no more]. [They remained seated upright] until dawn, linked together on their two seats. Then, all at once, the fire gave out. [As the smoke and flame cleared,] there amidst their charred and desiccated bones lay two tongues, both perfectly intact. The crowd gasped in awe. [A short time later] a tall stūpa was constructed for them.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Jan. 6, 2025
“The perfect body of a Tathāgata is in this stūpa of treasures. A long time ago there was a world called Treasure-Purity at the distance of many thousands of billions of asaṃkhyas of worlds to the east [of this world]. In that world lived a Buddha called Many-Treasures. When he was yet practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas, he made a great vow: ‘If anyone expounds Myōhō Renge Kyō in any of the worlds of the ten quarters after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stūpa-mausoleum to spring up before him so that I may be able to prove the truthfulness of Myōhō Renge Kyō and say ‘excellent’ in praise of him because I wish to hear Myōhō Renge Kyō [directly from him].”
Tao-sheng: At One Time
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p163The Buddha once {At One Time}1 lived on Mt. Gṛdhrakūṭa in the City of King-House.
Even though words be in accord with li, if they do not match the occasion they will still be empty statements. Hence, next comes “at one time.” What time means is that the “subtle, triggering mechanism force (chi)” within beings stimulates (kan) the Sage, and the latter responds [appropriately and helpfully] (ying) to them; when religious interaction between ordinary people and the Sage does not miss a favorable opportunity (chi), we call it at one time.
Although there is no place where the Dharma body is not present, if the place where the preaching took place were not recorded, it would look vague and diffuse. Given that [the transmitter] had to introduce it in order to give evidence for the preaching, and there were five places in this mountain, [namely,] Rājagṛha, which is the one where the preaching took place? It was at the monastery on Gṛdhrakūṭa mountain (“Vulture Peak”).
- I’ve used Senchu Murano’s translation of the Lotus Sutra when quoted by Tao-sheng. When he uses a phrase not used by Murano, I’ve inserted the phrase in {curly brackets}.return