His wonderful voice [comes from] his perceiving the voice of the world.
It is like the voice of Brahman, like the sound of a tidal wave.
It excels all the other voices of the world.
Therefore, think of him constantly!
The Buddha gives this description of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva (Kannon, Kanzeon, Kuan Yin, Avalokitesvara) to Endless-Intent Bodhisattva in Chapter Twenty-Five of the Lotus Sūtra. This Bodhisattva is the embodiment of compassion. When we allow ourselves to hear and be present for all of the suffering that happens in the world, then we are hearing compassion. When we have the courage not to run away from misery but to face it and live through it, we bring this Bodhisattva to life in our world and inspire compassion in all beings.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma.
Having last month considered in gāthās the Buddha’s prediction for Rāhula, we conclude Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn.
The Buddha said to Ānanda, “Do you see these two thousand Śrāvakas, of whom some have something more to learn while others have nothing more to learn?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Ānanda! These people will make offerings to as many Buddhas, as many Tathāgatas, as the particles of dust of fifty worlds. They will respect those Buddhas, honor them, and protect the store of their teachings. They will finally go to the worlds of the ten quarters and become Buddhas at the same time. They will be equally called Treasure-Form, the Tathāgata, the Deserver of Offerings, the Perfectly Enlightened One, the Man of Wisdom and Practice, the Well-Gone, the Knower of the World, the Unsurpassed Man, the Controller of Men, the Teacher of Gods and Men, the Buddha, the World-Honored One. They will live for a kalpa. They will be the same in regard to the adornments of their worlds, the number of the Śrāvakas and Bodhisattvas of their worlds, the duration of the preservation of their right teachings, and the duration of the preservation of the counterfeit of their right teachings.”
Thereupon the World-Honored One, wishing to repeat what he had said, sang in gāthās:
I assure the future Buddhahood
Of these two thousand Śrāvakas
Who are now present before me.
They will become Buddhas in their future lives.
They will make offerings to as many Buddhas
As the particles of dust as previously stated.
They will protect the store of the teachings of those Buddhas,
And attain perfect enlightenment.
They will go to the worlds of the ten quarters.
Their [Buddha-]names will be the same.
They will sit at the place of enlightenment
And obtain unsurpassed wisdom at the same time.
Their [Buddha-]names will be Treasure-Form.
[The adornment of] their worlds, [the number of] their disciples,
[The duration of the period of] their right teachings,
[And that of] the counterfeit of them will be the same.
By their supernatural powers, they will save
The living beings of the worlds of the ten quarters.
Their fame will extend far and wide.
They will enter into Nirvana in the course of time.
Thereupon the two thousand Śrāvakas, of whom some had something more to learn while others had nothing more to learn, having heard the Buddha assure them of their future Buddhahood, danced with joy, and sang in a gāthā:
You, the World-Honored One, are the light of wisdom.
Hearing from you
That we are assured of our future Buddhahood,
We are as joyful as if we were sprinkled with nectar.
You, the World-Honored One, are the light of wisdom.
Hearing from you
That we are assured of our future Buddhahood,
We are as joyful as if we were sprinkled with nectar.
These verses are sung by two thousand of the Buddha’s disciples in Chapter Nine of the Lotus Sūtra. When these followers of the Buddha were told that they would become as enlightened as he was, then many others like them realized that they too had this capacity. The superiority of the Lotus Sūtra lies not in having better explanations of what the Buddha taught, or in some supernatural ability it has to change the world. The superiority of the Lotus Sūtra is its completeness. It leads all beings to the joy of enlightenment.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Some contemporary Buddhist scholars view the Lotus Sutra as exclusive, contentious, and sometimes even combative. This can be regarded as another of the criticisms of the Lotus Sutra. Evidence for it being exclusive is found, for example, in the incident of the “departure of the five thousand” in the second chapter, in which five thousand people who did not understand the Buddha’s teaching got up from their seats and left, and the Buddha did not stop them but called them the dregs of the assembly. Such scholars regard all of the Mahayana sutras as negative toward the Small Vehicle to some extent, but none as extremely so as the Lotus Sutra.
They also suspect that the extreme practices of martyrdom and self-sacrifice found in chapter 13 are examples of something created by a distinct social group that was exclusive, closed, and estranged from the general society. From this they try to prove the exclusivity of the Lotus Sutra. And they relate to this what they see as the exclusivity and contentiousness of Nichiren or his followers.
There are additional criticisms, but we have discussed the main ones. The interesting thing is that there were also evaluations completely to the contrary. That is, there were those who praised the Lotus Sutra for establishing the supreme and absolute unifying truth (the Wonderful Dharma of One Vehicle), for elucidating the ultimate reality of this universe (the reality of all things), and for integrating various ideas. Just as the Lotus Sutra refers to itself as “great impartial wisdom,” followers of the Small Vehicle, who had been detested because they were never to become buddhas, are acknowledged by the Lotus Sutra as future buddhas under the unifying and integrating truth of the impartial one vehicle. In this respect the Lotus Sutra was seen as being the opposite of exclusive, namely inclusive and abundantly tolerant.
Tears keep falling when I think of the current unbearable hardships, but I cannot stop tears of joy when I think of obtaining Buddhahood in the future. Birds and insects chirp without shedding tears. I, Nichiren, do not cry, but tears keep falling. These tears are shed not for worldly matters, but solely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore they should be called tears of nectar.
Nichiren wrote this as part of his letter to monk Sairen-bō in his Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality (Shohō-Jissō Shō). For the sake of the Lotus Sūtra, Nichiren endured two harsh exiles, his house being burnt down, ambushes by soldiers with swords, being placed on the execution mat himself, and the persecution of his followers. Despite all these obstacles, he held true to the Buddha’s teaching in the face of all opposition. Most of us who practice the Lotus Sūtra today have lives of relative comfort. It is wonderful that we have Nichiren’s example. He was a human being just like us, and we too are capable of his faith and determination.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Having last month considered the reaction of the twelve hundred Arhats, we consider the arhats understanding of the Parable of the Priceless Gem.
“You, the Buddha, are like his friend. We thought that we had attained extinction when we attained Arhatship because we forgot that we had been taught to aspire for the knowledge of all things by you when you were a Bodhisattva just as the man who had difficulty in earning his livelihood satisfied himself with what little he had earned. You, the World-Honored One, saw that the aspiration for the knowledge of all things was still latent in our minds; therefore, you awakened us, saying, ‘Bhikṣus! What you had attained was not perfect extinction. I caused you to plant the good root of Buddhahood a long time ago. [You have forgotten this; therefore,] I expounded the teaching of Nirvāṇa as an expedient. You thought that you had attained true extinction when you attained the Nirvāṇa [ which I taught you as an expedient].’
“World-Honored One! Now we see that we are Bodhisattvas in reality, and that we are assured of our future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Therefore, we have the greatest joy that we have ever had.”
You, the World-Honored One, saw that the aspiration for the knowledge of all things was still latent in our minds; therefore, you awakened us, saying, ‘Bhikṣus! What you had attained was not perfect extinction. I caused you to plant the good root of Buddhahood a long time ago.’
Five hundred of the Buddha’s monks give this explanation in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story, the Buddha has just assured them of reaching the same enlightenment he found. These monks had worked diligently for many years to rid themselves of suffering, and taught many other beings to become Bodhisattvas and reach the Buddha’s enlightenment, thinking they were not capable of reaching this wisdom. Not believing we are capable of something obscures the capability we have. When the Buddha proclaims that he leads all beings, he reminds us of this capacity and inspires us make efforts to bring all beings, including ourselves, to his joy.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Another criticism of the Lotus Sutra is that it is merely a vulgar work meant to attract stupid men and women. This is what Tenyu Hattori said. For example, in chapters 181 and 25 and elsewhere, the sutra preaches about the benefits to be gained in this life as a result of faith in the sutra, such as the elimination of suffering and having good fortune. “This is just inferior, shallow stuff, best laughed at, for alluring stupid men and women. It’s too inferior and shallow to think about,” he said. “Its purpose is wholly to attract stupid lay people.” Atsutane Hirata followed Hattori in this vein, remarking that chapter 25 had been highly valued for a long time, “becoming a separate sutra which ordinary Japanese people know as the Kannon Sutra,” but which “only serves to attract stupid lay men and women because it is utterly clumsy.”
There are many places in the section of the Lotus Sutra that is considered to have come third historically that emphasize the benefits to be obtained in this life, such as the wonderful powers of faith, overcoming suffering, and having good fortune. And generally speaking, in later times devotion to the Lotus Sutra became mainstream as a result of these chapters. This is why such criticisms arose. As we have already seen, the third part of the sutra was added in order to respond to the magical and esoteric Buddhist and folk religions of India. It adds to and supplements the earlier parts of the sutra and, if taken in a positive way, can be its applied part. It is not appropriate to characterize the whole sutra in that way by emphasizing the third part, though historically admiration for the Lotus Sutra in China and Japan generally rested on that part, so, in one sense, we can understand why there were such criticisms.
I believe this should be Chapter 19, The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma, not Chapter 18, The Merits of a Person Who Rejoices at Hearing This Sutra. return
Just as a reflection is seen
In a clear mirror,
All things in the world will be reflected
On the pure body of this [person, that is, of this] Bodhisattva.
No one but he
Will be able to see all things clearly.
The Buddha declares these lines to Constant-Endeavor Bodhisattva in Chapter Nineteen of the Lotus Sūtra, describing those who keep the Lotus Sūtra. When we encounter other beings in this world of conflict, we tend to filter our experience through our expectation. If it is a friend, we expect them to care about us and treat us well; an enemy, to harm us and treat us badly; a stranger, we compare them to other beings like them and expect them to be the same. When we use the Buddha Dharma to look for the complexity of all beings, and look for how we can bring out their ability to benefit and protect others, then we reflect back to them their true natures, rather than the clouds of their delusions.
The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com
Having last month considered in gāthās the enlightenment of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha, we consider in gāthās Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha teaching of the Dharma.
The Brahmans came also from the three other quarters,
From the four intermediate quarters, zenith, and nadir.
They strewed flowers, offered their palaces,
And begged the Buddha to turn the wheel of the Dharma, saying:
“It is difficult to meet you.
Open the gate of the teachings as sweet as nectar
Out of your great compassion towards us,
And turn the wheel of the unsurpassed Dharma!”
Assenting to their appeal,
The World-Honored One of Immeasurable Wisdom
Expounded the various teachings, that is,
The four truths and the twelve causes, saying:
“All the causes, from ignorance to aging-and-death,
Rise one after another.
You should know
All these illusions.”
When he expounded these teachings,
Sixty quadrillions of living beings
Eliminated sufferings,
And became Arhats.
At his second expounding of these teachings also,
Tens of millions of living beings, that is,
As many living beings as there are sands in the River Ganges,
Became Arhats because they gave up wrong views.
Those who attained the enlightenment [of Arhats] afterwards
Were also innumerable.
No one would be able to count them
Even if he tried to do so for a billion kalpas.
The sixteen princes renounced the world,
And became śramaṇeras.
They begged the Buddha to expound the teaching
Of the Great Vehicle, saying:
“We and our attendants wish to attain
The enlightenment of the Buddha.
May we have the purest eyes of wisdom
Just as yours!”
Knowing the wishes of the [princes who were] young boys
And the practices they performed in their previous existence,
The Buddha taught them the six paramitas
And many supernatural things
With innumerable stories of previous lives
And with various parables and similes.
The gāthās of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma
Were sung [by the Buddha] to expound the true teaching,
That is, [to expound] the Way which Bodhisattvas should practice.
The gāthās were as many as there are sands in the River Ganges.
To become qualified to perform the kaji kito ritual requires surviving a brutal 100-day ascetic practice. Rev. Igarashi has endured five of these sessions. The only other priests in the United States who are qualified to perform kaji kito services are Rev. Shokai Kanai, Bishop of the Nichiren Mission of Hawaii, and his son, Shoda Kanai, at the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada in Las Vegas. Rev. Shokai Kanai has completed three 100-day ascetic sessions; Rev. Shoda Kanai has completed two sessions.
Recently I’ve been enjoying the ability to upload source material to Google’s NotebookLM and have the Google’s AI assistant digest the information.
My query: Summarize what is kaji kito, incorporating both sources
Kaji Kito: A Blend of Empowerment, Prayer, and the Lotus Sutra
Kaji kito, often translated as “ritual prayer,” is a multifaceted practice deeply embedded in Nichiren Buddhism. Understanding it requires unpacking the layered meanings of its two components: “kaji” and “kito.”
Kaji: The Empowering Connection
“Kaji” represents a connection forged between an individual and a Buddha or a higher deity, often resulting in empowerment and blessings. This connection is closely tied to the concept of “sokushin jobutsu,” achieving Buddhahood in this lifetime, a central tenet of Nichiren Buddhism.
Kukai, a key figure in Japanese esoteric Buddhism, emphasized the reciprocal nature of this connection. He believed individuals could not only receive blessings from Buddhas but also “provide” for them and ultimately merge with them through dedicated practice.
Kito: Transmitting Energy Through Prayer
“Kito” simply means “prayer” and emphasizes the transmission of energy from a higher being to an individual or object. While historically people prayed directly to deities, the belief emerged that a spiritually trained priest could enhance the efficacy of prayers, leading to the merging of “kaji” and “kito.” This highlights the role of a skilled practitioner in facilitating this connection and guiding the flow of energy.
The Lotus Sutra: Foundation of Nichiren Kaji Kito
Nichiren, the founder of Nichiren Buddhism, placed the Lotus Sutra at the heart of his understanding and practice of kaji kito. He believed it was the purest and most powerful form of prayer, capable of bringing the greatest benefits.
He compiled the Kito Kyo, a collection of Lotus Sutra passages specifically for kaji kito, believed to hold a special power of prayer. This text is used by Nichiren priests (gyoja) to this day to address physical and spiritual challenges.
The Purpose of Kaji Kito: Happiness, Healing, and Protection
Nichiren emphasized “sokusai enmei” (living a trouble-free life) and “zaisho shometsu” (removing past sins) as central aims of kaji kito. He believed that through prayer and adherence to the Lotus Sutra, individuals could overcome challenges, achieve happiness, and purify their karma.
The sources mention various purposes for kaji kito, including healing, protection from calamities, and support for specific endeavors. This suggests a practical dimension to the practice, aiming to bring tangible benefits to people’s lives.
Kishimojin, a protective deity featured in the Lotus Sutra, is often a focus of kaji kito blessings. Once a child-stealing demon, she repented and vowed to protect all children, embodying transformation and compassion. Her inclusion in kaji kito reflects its aim of safeguarding well-being and fostering positive change.
Beyond Blessings: The Many Forms of Kaji Kito
Nichiren identified four types of kaji kito, encompassing prayers with specific objectives and those without, demonstrating a diverse understanding of prayer’s motivations. His own life exemplified this, as he performed kaji kito for healing, protection, and even to communicate with deities, suggesting a broader scope than just seeking blessings.
The Evolution of Kaji Kito: Integrating Traditions
After Nichiren’s death, different branches of Nichiren Buddhism emerged, each with its own variations on kaji kito, often integrating elements from other Buddhist schools. For example, the incorporation of bokken, a wooden sword-like object, and juzu, a Buddhist rosary, reflects the evolving nature of the practice. While their exact meaning remains unclear, it’s suggested they ward off negative forces (bokken) and invoke benevolent energies (juzu).
Aragyo: The Rigorous Path to Mastery
To become a kaji kito practitioner (gyoja), Nichiren priests undergo 100 days of intensive training called aragyo. The sources describe its harsh conditions: extreme cold, limited food and sleep, continuous chanting, and water purification rituals. This rigorous training purifies the body and mind, preparing the priest to handle the spiritual energy involved in kaji kito.
Kaji Kito in the Modern World: Enduring Relevance
Despite growing skepticism towards traditional practices, kaji kito continues to resonate because it addresses fundamental human needs for healing, protection, and connection to something greater. The practice might need to adapt to contemporary concerns, bridging ancient rituals with modern anxieties, to ensure its continued relevance in the future.
Google’s NotebookLM also allows you to create an audio dialogue, essentially a podcast, based on the sources. Below is what NotebookLM offered.
I have several complaints with this. For example, the podcasters erroneously say that priests are required to attend Aragyo five times. They also mangle the pronunciation of Nichiren’s name to a point that it’s sometimes unrecognizable. The concluding discussion is very disappointing. It aimlessly wanders between talking about the priest and the priest’s training to the prayer and its effects.
One of the “features” of working with NotebookLM is the ability to direct the focus of the AI assistant. In the first audio I only suggested that the AI speak to non-members of Nichiren Shu. Unhappy with the result, I deleted that and asked the AI to discuss the priest training while focusing on what it means to experience the kaji kito prayer.
This time NotebookLM came up with a podcast of just under 15 minutes. I noticed no factual errors this time and the topical confusion of the first effort is missing from this version.
Evaluations of the Lotus Sutra have traditionally run to the two extremes. In this respect, too, the sutra is indeed a wonder. First of all, one of the most severe criticisms of the sutra is the idea that it has no content. In chapter 25 of Emerging from Meditation, Nakamoto Tominaga comments that “the Lotus Sutra praises the Buddha from beginning to end but does not have any real sutra teaching at all, and therefore should not have been called a sutra teaching from the beginning.” Moreover, “the whole of the Lotus Sutra is nothing but words of praise.” In sum, the Lotus Sutra is nothing but words of praise either for the Buddha or for itself, teaches nothing like a doctrine, and therefore cannot properly be regarded as a sutra. In his book Nakedness, Tenyu Hattori comments similarly on the Lotus Sutra, saying, “It is only a big story in the sky,” meaning that it is only a big, empty, work of fantasy.
Atsutane Hirata, who abused Buddhism in vulgar and crude ways, ridiculed the Lotus Sutra in the third volume of his Laughter Following Meditation, saying, Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in eight fascicles and twenty-eight chapters is truly only snake oil without any really substantial medicine in it at all. If someone gets mad at me for saying this, I intend to tell him to show me the real medicine.” This criticism that the Lotus Sutra is merely snake oil devoid of content later became famous and highly regarded, and the theory that the Lotus Sutra has no real content, represented by Hirata, has since become quite common.
Actually, if one only glances through the Lotus Sutra one may get the impression that it is nothing but snake oil without real substance. We can find something like doctrines in the first half, but they are not analytical and no detailed theory is developed from them. The second half of the sutra vigorously teaches faith in the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra does praise only itself, to put it bluntly. Nor does the Lotus Sutra say what kind of thing it itself is. So it is not unreasonable that the above criticisms arose.
But it is not the case that there has been no defense against such criticism. Tiantai Zhiyi already rejected such criticism in early times, saying that if the Lotus Sutra “does not discuss all kinds of Mahayana and Small Vehicle forms of meditation, the ten powers, fearlessness, and various standards, it is because these things have already been taught in prior sutras. It discusses fundamental principles of the Tathagata’s teachings, but not the fine details.” In other words, in previous sutras the various detailed teachings and definitions are fully worked out, while the Lotus Sutra, generalizing upon them, aims to illuminate the fundamental and ultimate principles of Buddhism. Therefore, it does not discuss minute details of doctrine. In this sense, Tiantai Zhiyi calls the Lotus Sutra “genetic and essential,” “the great cause,” “the ultimate essence,” “the essential structure of the teachings,” “the Buddha’s device for saving people,” and so forth.
