Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick of the Shingan-ji [True Vow Temple] in the San Francisco Bay Area has an excellent lecture on Transmigration and Karma. Very imformative and a great introduction.
The Composition of Buddhalands
Recently I read a copy of the Buddhist Text Translation Society’s Vimalakīrti Sūtra. This is at least my third reading of this sūtra and what struck me this time through was the discussion of Buddhalands.
In Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sūtra we’re told:
[This] pure world of mine is indestructible.
But the [perverted] people think:
“It is full of sorrow, fear, and other sufferings.
It will soon burn away.”
Morning and evening each day in the service prayer we vow, “May we realize this world is the Eternal Buddha’s Pure Land!”
That’s always been hard to understand. The Vimalakīrti Sūtra sheds some light on this.
In the sūtra, Vimalakīrti shows his audience a distant Buddhaland called Myriad Fragrances in which the Buddha Collection of Supreme Fragrances reigns. Everything in this world is composed of fragrance, even the Dharma.
Later in the sūtra Ananda discusses with the Buddha what happened at Vimalakīrti ‘s house:
Ananda said to the Buddha, “This is unprecedented, World Honored One! This fragrant food is able to accomplish the Buddhas’ work!”
The Buddha said, “Indeed, Ananda! Indeed! There are some Buddhalands where the brilliance of the Buddha’s light accomplishes the Buddhas’ work; where the myriad Bodhisattvas accomplish the Buddhas’ work; where people conjured by the Buddha accomplish the Buddhas’ work; where bodhi trees accomplish the Buddhas’ work; where the Buddha’s robes and bedding accomplish the Buddhas’ work; where food accomplishes the Buddhas’ work; where gardens, groves, and pavilions accomplish the Buddhas’ work; where the thirty-two hallmarks and eighty subsidiary characteristics accomplish the Buddhas’ work; where the Buddha’s body accomplishes the Buddhas’ work; or where empty space accomplishes the Buddhas’ work. In response to these conditions, living beings are led to undertake the practice of the precepts.
“There are places where dreams, illusions, shadows, echoes, reflections in a mirror, the moon’s reflection in water, mirages in the heat, and other such analogies accomplish the buddhas’ work; or where sounds, language, and words accomplish the Buddhas’ work. There are pure Buddhalands where tranquil silence, the absence of words, explanations, comments, and opinions, nonaction, and the unconditioned accomplish the Buddhas’ work. In this way, Ananda, there is nothing about the Buddhas’ deportment, nothing in what they do, that does not accomplish the Buddhas’ work.
“Ananda! Living beings are troubled by the four demons and the eighty-four thousand afflictions; through these troubles, the Buddhas carry out their work. This is to enter the Dharma-door of all Buddhas. Bodhisattvas who enter this door do not give rise to joy, craving, or conceit when they see pure and well-adorned Buddhalands, nor do they give rise to worry, aversion, or contempt when they see impure Buddhalands. They have only pure thoughts toward all Buddhas and feel unprecedented joy and reverence.
“The merit of all Buddhas is equal. In order to teach living beings, the Buddhas manifest different Buddhalands.”
I’m reminded of the verse in the Sūtra of Innumerable Meanings in which we learn that the Buddha “emerges according to the good karmic actions of living beings.”
I also want to note that I enjoyed the translation. Compared to the BDK America 2004 translation, this is more readable, but not quite as good as Burton Watson’s 1997 Columbia University Press translation.
An example of the difference can be seen on page 106, where Vimalakīrti has just shown everyone the Buddha Collection of Supreme Fragrances and his Bodhisattvas sitting down for a meal.
Then Vimalakīrti asked the assembled Bodhisattvas, “Humane Ones, who among you can go to that Buddha for food?” But all of them were silenced by Mañjuśrī’s awe-inspiring spiritual power. Vimalakīrti said, “Humane Ones, is none of you ashamed?”
Mañjuśrī said, “Didn’t the Buddha say not to look down on those not yet learned?”
In reading this I stumbled. Mañjuśrī isn’t doing anything. What’s going on? Watson’s translation offers this on page 113:
Then Vimalakirti addressed the bodhisattvas, saying, “Sirs, who among you can bring us some of that Buddha’s food?”
Out of deference to Manjushri’s authority and supernatural powers, however, all of them remained silent.
[Addressing Manjushri,] Vimalakirti said, “Sir, a great assembly such as this this is shameful, is it not?”
Manjushri replied, “As the Buddha has told us, never despise those who have yet to learn.”
I suppose one could argue that Watson has inserted his opinion rather than simply translating the Chinese text, but I find his version to more readable as a result and therefore better for it.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Feb. 10, 2025
“Great-Eloquence! Now Many-Treasures Tathāgata caused his stūpa to spring up from underground in order to hear Myōhō Renge Kyō [directly from me].
Tao-sheng: The ‘Respondent in the Dialogue’
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p186Thereupon the World-Honored One emerged quietly from his samādhi, and said to Śāriputra:
As [the Buddha] has been to the profound realm [in his samādhi,] his recondite words are also [necessarily] deep. Because Mañjuśrī resolved Maitreya’s doubts about the rain flowers and earth trembling, as mentioned earlier [in the first chapter], should this not have shaken off their confusion and cleansed their minds? Their minds being emptied, they would be ready to accept the One Vehicle. Thereupon ‘the Sage set forth the track,’ acquiesced and ‘moved,’ and then rising from his concentration, started speaking. What he said must be profound and proper. It being profound and proper, those who receive it must naturally become earnest.
The reason why [the Buddha] proclaimed to Śāriputra [in particular] is because, although his trace seemed close in rank to the voice hearers, his actual illumination surpassed his peers, thus qualifying him to be ‘respondent in the dialogue’ [with the Buddha].
Five Schools of One Buddhism
This year I’m going to be immersed in Chinese Master Hsuan Hua’s fourteen volume commentary on the Lotus Sutra. In addition, I’m currently using the Buddhist Text Translation Society’s translation of the Lotus Sutra in my daily practice. The sutra itself is volume 15 of the commentary. In addition, I’m reading a number of other books published by the Buddhist Text Translation Society.
Why? I want to read everything about the Lotus Sutra. In the past I’ve discussed Dogen’s view of the Lotus Sutra and Thich Nhat Hanh’s interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. Hsuan Hau makes a third Chan master with something to say about the Lotus Sutra. So there’s nothing unusual in all of this.
As for my reading outside the Lotus Sutra – I recently re-read the Vimalakīrti Sūtra – that too comes from the Lotus Sutra, specifically Chapter 2.
“Śāriputra! I also expound various teachings to all living beings only for the purpose of revealing the One Buddha-Vehicle. There is no other vehicle, not a second or a third. Śāriputra! All the present Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters also do the same.
As Nichiren explains, all of the streams of the Buddha’s teaching flow into the ocean of the Lotus Sutra:
All the sūtras entering the ocean of the Lotus Sūtra take up the one flavor of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō because of the wonderful merit of the ocean of the Lotus Sūtra. There is no reason why they have to be referred to by other names such as Nembutsu, Ritsu, Shingon, or Zen.”
Shoshū Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers Regarding Other Schools, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 165 (2022)
Yes, Nichiren was adamant about rejecting the practices of Nembutsu, Ritsu, Shingon and Zen, but I’d argue that that doesn’t preclude Nichiren followers from studying all of these streams.
Since I’m reading Hsuan Hua’s commentary, I want to acknowledge where he is coming from in his view of the Lotus Sutra.
Buddhism: A Brief Introduction includes a useful interview between Hsuan Hua and Karl Ray, which originally appeared in the Shambala Review under the title “Back to the Source.”
Karl Ray: (KR)
The first question I would like to ask is based on an article in which you suggest that Buddhists forget sectarian lines. Can you suggest practical steps that Buddhist organizations can take to bring this about?
Master: (M)
Before the Buddha came into the world there was no Buddhism. After the Buddha appeared, Buddhism came into being, but there was not as yet any division into sects or schools. Sectarianism is a limited view, a view of small scope, and cannot represent Buddhism in its entirety. The complete substance of Buddhism, the totality, admits no such divisions. When you divide the totality of Buddhism into sects and schools, you merely split it into fragments. In order to understand Buddhism in its totality, one must eliminate views of sects and schools and return to original Buddhism. One must return to the root and go back to the source.
KR: That brings me to a question about the different teachings taught here at Gold Mountain Monastery. I understand that you teach five different schools, including the Ch’an School, the Teaching School, the Vinaya School, the Secret School, and the Pure Land School. Can they all be taught like this together? Do they all belong to the original corpus of Buddhist teachings?
M: The Five Schools were created by Buddhist disciples who had nothing to do and wanted to find something with which to occupy their time. The Five Schools all issued from Buddhism. Since they came forth from Buddhism, they can return to Buddhism as well. Although the Five Schools serve different purposes, their ultimate destination is the same. It is said,
There is only one road back to the source, But there are many expedient ways to reach it.
Although there are five different schools, they are still included within one “Buddhism”. If you want to understand the totality of Buddhism, you need not divide it up into schools or sects. Originally there were no such divisions. Why make trouble when there is none? Why be divisive and cause people to have even more false thoughts than they already have?
People think that the Five Schools are something really special and wonderful. In fact, they have never departed from Buddhism itself. It is just like the government of a country. The government is made up of different departments. There is a Department of Health, a Department of Economics, a State Department, a Department of the Interior, and so forth. People may not realize that all these different departments are under a single government. All they recognize is the department, and they don’t recognize the government as a whole. Their outlook is narrow. Now, we wish to move from the branches back to the roots. In the analogy, the roots are the government and the branches are the various departments. People should not abandon the roots and cling to the branches. If you only see the individual departments and fail to recognize the government, you will never be able to understand the problems faced by the country as a whole. You will have no idea what they are all about.
KR: Then one should feel free to pursue any or all of the teachings?
M: Of course. Religion cannot be allowed to tie one up.
KR: And if one chooses to follow only one certain school, can one reach the goal that all of them aim for?
M: All roads lead to Rome. All roads come to San Francisco. All roads will take you to New York. You may ask, ‘Can I get to New York by this road?’ but you would do better to ask yourself, ‘Will I walk that road or not?’
Buddhism: A Brief Introduction, p83-84
Another interesting glimpse into the thinking of Hsuan Hua comes from the Forward to the Dharma Realm Buddhist Association‘s translation of the Vimalakīrti Sūtra.
The Venerable Hsuan Hua’s Vision
Buddhism in the modern Western world isn’t even at the kindergarten level. But what Master Hua could see at the grand scale was that three things were necessary for Buddhism to come into the West. Not just Buddhism in the West, either. To ensure the future of humanity, there were three essential things: translation, education, and maintaining the monastic tradition. Basically, Master Hua could see that humanity would have to start all over again, from a seed; it might preserve some of what we have now, but it would more or less have to start over.
The first essential element in starting over is to maintain the monastic tradition as a choice. It has to be available as a choice. People only really have two modes of living: at-home and left-home. If you live at home, you have to engage with the conditional at some level; you have to participate in some kind of strategic construct-working for a living or whatever-that will take up some amount of time. As a monastic, that’s taken care of. In exchange, you take on the responsibility of maintaining the Dharma in one way or another. As a layperson, you can stay away from spouses and pets as much as you like, but you still have to pay for your apartment and so on; you have to get involved with the conditional, and you can throw in a little meditation here and there. As a monastic, you avoid that, but you have to be a Bodhisattva. That’s the trade-off. Master Hua was very clear: when it comes down to it, it’s one or the other. Maintaining the monastic tradition is vital, as a practical issue, not a just a metaphysical one. On the one hand, people need to have this choice available to them; on the other, someone needs to maintain the Dharma.
The other two elements–education and translation–are intertwined. Whatever framework of reality is operating within a culture at a given time, it comes primarily through the educational construct. So having a thriving system, from elementary up through post-graduate studies, is indispensable to a healthy future. Translation acts a kind of liaison in that process; it can influence the educational construct and help to create an alternative to the one we have now. We’ve barely even scratched the surface of translating the Dharma into English. As more texts become available, people will be faced with a lot of different things. The Buddha was very flexible. He taught to all kinds of conditions. As more of the Dharma is brought into English, plenty of opportunities will open up for people to look at things in a new way.
Master Hua wanted to see hundreds of people working together on translation. He wanted to bring people together from all over the world. Like a Borobudur of translation. The problem is our imagination. We think so small. We don’t really consider just how big a project this could be, and how many people could work on it together. Master Hua wanted to bring everyone together. If our translation work could be like this, it could really be what he envisioned as an essential part of ensuring a better future for all of us.
Doug Powers
Vice President for Finance and Administration,
Professor, Dharma Realm Buddhist UniversitySeptember 27, 2020
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Feb. 9, 2025
The Buddha said to the rākṣasas:
“Excellent, excellent! Your merits will be immeasurable even when you protect the person who keeps only the name of Myōhō Renge Kyō. Needless to say, so will be your merits when you protect the person who keeps Myōhō Renge Kyō itself, and makes to a copy of Myōhō Renge Kyō hundreds of thousands of offerings such as flowers, incense, necklaces, powdered incense, incense applicable to the skin, incense to burn, streamers, canopies, music, and various lamps like lamps of butter oil, oil lamps, lamps of perfumed oil, lamps of sumanas-flower oil, lamps of campaka flower oil, lamps of vārṣika-flower oil, and lamps of utpala-flower oil. Kunti! You [rākṣasas] and your attendants should protect this teacher of the Dharma.”
Tao-sheng: Expedient Means
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p185In the past [the Buddha] has hidden [his teaching proper] within the traces of the three vehicles, which his followers [mistakenly] regarded as the teaching proper. Now [the Buddha] wishes to reveal the One reality, showing what is true and right. Because he clarifies what is right by means of what is wrong, this chapter is titled “Expedient Devices.” As the previous three vehicles are indicated as expedient devices, the One reality is clearly postulated here and, though how it is so is not mentioned, it is self-evident. If it is titled “One Vehicle,” li will look like one. Hence, [the chapter] is referred to as Expedient Devices, and yet it is still expressive of ‘the realm [of the One reality] which only superlative description (or praise) may befit’ (or the ‘ineffable realm’).
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Feb. 8, 2025
The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones,
Expound Myōhō Renge Kyō only once
In hundreds of millions of billions of kalpas,
That is, in an inconceivable number of kalpas.Therefore, anyone who hears Myōhō Renge Kyō
And practices the Way
After my extinction,
Should have no doubts about Myōhō Renge Kyō.He should expound Myōhō Renge Kyō with all his heart;
Then he will be able to meet Buddhas
Throughout all his existences,
And quickly attain the enlightenment of the Buddha.
Tao-sheng: The Reality of the Greater Vehicle
Tao-sheng Commentary on the Lotus Sutra, p177The good omen I see now is like that of old.
This is an expedient employed by the Buddhas.
The present Buddha is also emitting a ray of light
In order to reveal the truth of the reality [of all things].There is no more falsehood of the two vehicles. He preaches only the reality of the Greater Vehicle.
Myōhō Renge Kyō Promise for Feb. 7, 2025
I expounded this expedient teaching in order to cause them
To enter the Way to the wisdom of the Buddha.
I never said to them:
“You will be able to attain the enlightenment of the
Buddha.” I never said this
Because time was not yet ripe for it.
Now is the time to say it.
I will expound Myōhō Renge Kyō definitely.
I expounded various sūtras of the nine elements
According to the capacities of all living beings.
I expounded various sūtras
Because those sūtras were a basis for Myōhō Renge Kyō.