Back in April I complained about Nikkyō Niwano’s penchant for symbolic interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. The sutra says what it means and means what it says, I asserted. But what about when what the sutra is saying isn’t clear? That’s often the case in The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue (Universal Sage). Into that void steps Nikkyō Niwano.
The need for symbolic interpretation is especially needed when considering Universal Virtue’s six-tusk, seven-leg white elephant.
Buddhism for Today, p430-431The Buddha continued: “The elephant walks quietly and slowly, and goes before the follower of the Great-vehicle, raining large, jeweled lotus flowers. When this elephant opens its mouth, the precious daughters, dwelling in the bathing pools on the elephant’s tusks, play music whose sound is mystic and extols the way of one reality in the Great vehicle.” The phrase “extols the way of one reality in the Great-vehicle” means that anyone who devotes himself to the practice of the Buddha’s teachings will surely attain enlightenment.
“Having seen this wonder, the follower rejoices and reveres, again further reads and recites the profound sutras, salutes universally the innumerable buddhas in all direction, makes obeisance to the Stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures and Śākyamuni Buddha, and salutes Universal Virtue and all the other great bodhisattvas. Then the follower makes this vow: ‘Had I received some blessings through my former destinies, I could surely see Universal Virtue. Be pleased, honored Universal Fortune, to show me your form and body!” The expression “the follower makes this vow” means not only to make a vow but also to make all possible efforts to realize it.
The efforts one should make in order to realize his vow are indicated in the following words: “Having thus made his vow, the follower must salute the buddhas in all directions six times day and night, and must practice the law of repentance; he must read the Great-vehicle sutras and recite them, think of the meaning of the Great-vehicle and reflect on its practice, revere and serve those who keep it, see all people as if he were thinking of the Buddha, and treat living beings as if he were thinking of his father and mother.” This teaches us that when a person makes all possible efforts to realize his vow, he will become deeply conscious of the honorable virtues and works of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue.
“When he finishes reflecting thus, the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue will at once send forth a ray of light from the white hair-circle, the sign of a great man, between his eyebrows. When this ray is displayed, the body of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue will be dignified as a mountain of deep gold, so well ordered and refined that it possesses all the thirty-two signs. From the pores of his body he will emit great rays of light which will illuminate the great elephant and turn it to the color of gold. All the transformed elephants will also be colored gold and all transformed bodhisattvas will be colored gold. When these rays of light shine on the innumerable worlds in the eastern quarter, they will turn them all to the color of gold. So, too, will be it in the southern, western, and northern quarters, in the four intermediate directions, in the zenith and the nadir.
“Then in each quarter of all directions there is a bodhisattva who, mounting the six-tusked white elephant king, is exactly equal to Universal Virtue. Like this, by his transcendent powers, the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue will enable all the keepers of the Great-vehicle sutras to see transformed elephants filling the infinite and boundless worlds in all directions.”
This passage indicates that one good deed (a transformed elephant) produces more good deeds (more transformed elephants). Good deeds increase by geometrical progression, until finally the worlds in all directions are filled with good deeds. This idea teaches us that the believers in this sutra can gain the deep conviction of the realization of an ideal society in this sahā-world.
Another example:
Buddhism for Today, p440-441“Thereupon the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue will again emit the ray of light, the sign of a great man, between his eyebrows, and put it into the heart of the follower. After this ray has entered into his heart, the follower himself will remember that under the countless hundreds and thousands of buddhas in the past he received and kept, read and recited the Great-vehicle sutras, and he will himself plainly and clearly see his former lives. He will possess the very faculty of transcendent remembrance of former states of existence. Immediately attaining a great enlightenment, he will acquire the dhārāṇi of revolution and a hundred thousand myriad koṭis of dhārāṇis.”
“Immediately attaining a great enlightenment” does not mean that we can then end our practice of repentance. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even if we believe ourselves to have attained enlightenment, there is a great difference between the Buddha’s enlightenment and ours. Therefore we must not neglect the practice of polishing our buddha-nature as long as we live.
Having said all this, I want to go back to my original complaint back in April. That involved a discussion of Chapter 11, Beholding the Stūpa of Treasures.
Nikkyō Niwano’s entire discussion focused on the symbolism of the stupa. Nothing was said of the meaning of the stupa’s arrival and Many Treasures Buddha’s confirmation of the truth of what Śākyamuni had preached. He stressed:
In this chapter, grasping the meaning of the text as a whole is more important than understanding the meaning of specific verses or words.
With that context in mind, it was interesting to find a different meaning to the stupa in the context of The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue.
Buddhism for Today, p444As preached in chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha Abundant Treasures appears in order to bear testimony that all that the Tathāgata Śākyamuni says is true. Thus, the follower should be stern toward himself and not deceive himself. If he does not have a full understanding of any of the Buddha’s teachings, he must criticize himself for his imperfection and repent of it.
The first time through Buddhism for Today I set aside a number of quotes from the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue to use with my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice. I’ve used a half-dozen quotes so far. Rather than wait until the quotes become relevant to the portion of the sutra I’m focusing on each month, I’ve decided to publish the quotes daily starting today at 6pm PDT.
NOTE: These links will be broken until each quote is published.