The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p191-192None of these five items radically affirmed by the Dharma Flower Sutra – Shakyamuni Buddha, this world, the Dharma Flower Sutra itself, those who embrace and follow the Sutra, and the bodhisattva way – should be understood as being static or unchanging. All are alive and dynamic or they are nothing. All are in processes of learning and growth and change, often through enduring trials and suffering. This can be seen as an extension of the very basic Buddhist idea that all things are related and interdependent, always coming to be by being dependent on others.
It may seem strange to say that the Dharma Flower Sutra is alive, but what we mean by that is that unless the Sutra is somehow embodied and brought to life in the actual lives of someone, unless it makes a real difference in the actual lives of people, it amounts to nothing at all, or at least to no more than a dead book on some shelves. The Sutra does not spread itself. Its spread depends on Dharma teachers, human beings – on all of us.
Category Archives: stories
Nourishment
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p62[Shariputra] is nourished from the Buddha’s mouth. Just as inheritance is not only biological, nourishment is not only physical, but mental and spiritual as well. Where should we look for mental and spiritual nourishment? We should not, I believe, think that because we are Buddhists or followers of the Dharma Flower Sutra our spiritual nourishment must always come from the Dharma Flower Sutra or from Buddhist sources alone. One of the wonderful things about the Lotus Sutra, as we will see when looking at the simile of the plants, is its recognition that the Buddha Dharma nourishes the whole world, not just Buddhists.
One way of understanding this, then, is to imagine that the Buddha can speak to us and nourish us in innumerable ways. In other words, anything at all, if we penetrate into it deeply enough, can be a revelation to us of Buddha Dharma. No matter how good or bad a person or situation or thing may be, it can be something from which we can learn; if we are open to it, we can find in it something of great value.
Doing Good
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p45Doing good in the Dharma Flower Sutra means doing the good of all, including oneself.
Just as “doing good” appears often in the Dharma Flower Sutra, so too does the expression “to see countless buddhas” and the like. By doing good, we are told, Fame Seeker was able to see countless buddhas. What could this possibly mean?
Perhaps it means seeing the buddhas who are in the buddha lands in every direction. Or perhaps it means seeing countless buddhas of the past. But I do not think so. Though the idea was not formalized until much later, I believe the Dharma Flower Sutra would have us understand that the Buddha is to be found, is to be seen, in every living being. Thus to see countless buddhas is to see the buddha in others, in everyone one meets, just like Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva.
Thus doing good and seeing countless buddhas are truly connected. One does good because one sees the buddha both in oneself and in others, and seeing the buddha in others gives one a motivation for doing good, helping them in whatever ways are appropriate.
The Culture of the Buddha Dharma
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p236[T]he Buddha Dharma is at once both cultural and transcultural. That is, it can be found in many languages and cultures and in that sense is “beyond” culture. Though we may not know exactly what he and his assistants translated from, Kumarajiva’s translation is a translation into Chinese in which the Dharma Flower Sutra is embodied, for the most part, in Chinese terms and ways of thinking. Similarly, Japanized versions take on, to some degree, characteristics of Japanese language and culture. I have translated the Chinese version into English. In doing this, I know very well that a great deal is lost, but I also believe that it is possible that something is gained, for by being rendered in additional languages and cultural contexts, the transcultural Dharma Flower Sutra once again, to some extent, finds embodiment and life.
What It Means To Be A Reader of the Dharma Flower Sutra
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p36When contemplating any of the stories of the Dharma Flower Sutra, we would do well to ask oneself where we ourselves fit into the story – to remember in this case that I myself am a member of the great assembly gathered before the Buddha. That is what it means to be a hearer or reader of the Dharma Flower Sutra.
The Everyday Actions of Teachers of the Dharma
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p35We should … recognize that each preacher or teacher of the Dharma must be so in his or her own smaller world, be it a university, a business, a playground, a home, or whatever. There are buddhas in temples to inspire us, but what the Dharma demands of us is that it be shared, taught, and embodied everywhere, that is, wherever we are.
In other words, from the perspective of the Dharma Flower Sutra what is most important is not finally the miraculous actions of the gods and heavenly bodhisattvas and buddhas, but the everyday actions of the people of this world.
The Work Ahead
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p302[F]or the Dharma Flower Sutra one of the worst failings of human beings is an arrogance that leads to supposing that one has arrived at the truth and has no more to do. Anyone who truly wants to fulfill the Lotus Sutra and become a bodhisattva or buddha for others always has more to do. Followers of the Sutra refer to Shakyamuni Buddha as “Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni.” Some might misunderstand this appellation as meaning that the Buddha has arrived at his goal, is finished or perfect, and has no more to do. But in Chapter 16, which is entitled “Lifetime of the Tathagata” and is about the extremely long life of the Buddha, the Buddha says that he has been practicing the bodhisattva way, that is, helping others, for a fantastically long time – and that he is not yet finished. In other words, the long life of the Buddha, rather than being an indication that he has arrived at some static nirvana, indicates nearly the opposite – that he still has a lot of work to do. It follows, of course, that if the Buddha still has a lot of work to do, so do we. And, for that, we have to remain determined to be awakened.
The King and His Two Sons
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p286-287So the King’s beliefs are different, perhaps even more “orthodox” than those of the sons, who have decided to follow the Buddha of that time. What should the sons do in such a case? Here they are urged by their mother to continue to respect and honor their father.
Buddhism does not reject family life as such. And yet, by setting up an alternative, celibate, monastic institution, traditional Buddhism did have and continues to have a problematic relation to families. But the Lotus Sutra says little about monastic rules and life as such, emphasizing the importance of life in the world being dedicated to the work, especially to the teaching work, of the Buddha. Thus, we can understand this story as saying that it is good if a whole family can devote itself to the Buddha Way.
‘Lowland Buddhism’
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p281-282Another Chinese development in which Kwan-yin plays a unifying role is the common portrayal of her as being accompanied by, or served by, Sudhana and the dragon princess, a boy and a girl – one from the Avatamsaka Sutra, the other from the Lotus Sutra, two sutras which are closely associated with two different and rival schools of Buddhism.
All human beings, I believe, have both male and female qualities, but strict adherence to the ideas that all buddhas are male, and that nuns should always be subservient to monks, restricts access in both women and men to their female selves. By being a buddha who is both male and female, Kwan-yin provides a kind of balance to the overwhelmingly male-oriented weight of Buddhist tradition, enabling women to appreciate their value and men to appreciate the woman often hidden in themselves.
Kwan-yin, I have said on many occasions, represents a kind of “lowland Buddhism.” By this I mean that in contrast to those who would see religions as a matter of climbing to a mountaintop to enjoy some kind of “peak experience,” the Dharma Flower Sutra, especially as it is embodied in Kwan-yin, is a way that emphasizes the importance of being earthly, of being this-worldly, of being involved in relieving suffering. …
I believe that we should also be lowland Buddhists like Kwan-yin, seeking the low places, the valleys, even the earthy and dirty places, where people are suffering and in need. That is how we will meet the bodhisattva Kwan-shih-yin, at least if we are lucky or perceptive. That is where we will find those who hear and respond with compassion to the cries and sorrows of this world. They too are bodhisattvas of compassion, Kwan-shih-yin embodied.
A World of Interdependent Relationships
The Stories of the Lotus Sutra, p261-262Though life here may be very difficult, with suffering of many kinds all around, with many difficulties to face, we should consider ourselves fortunate to have so many opportunities to be of service, to practice the bodhisattva way of helping others, and, which is part of the same thing, being helped by others. This is a world in which interdependence, the mutual dependence of living beings upon one another, is abundantly realized. We depend upon our ancestors and our descendants depend upon us; we depend upon our neighbors and our neighbors depend upon us; we depend upon the Buddha and the Buddha depends upon us. This world is through and through a world of interdependent relationships.