Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month begun Maitreya’s gāthās, we continue with the Buddhas Maitreya sees.

I also see the Buddhas,
The Saintly Masters, the Lion-like Ones,
Who are expounding
The most wonderful sūtra
With their pure and gentle voices,
And teaching
Many billions of Bodhisattvas.
The brahma voices of the Buddhas
Are deep and wonderful,
Causing people to wish to hear them.

I also see the Buddha of each of those worlds
Expounding his right teachings to all living beings
In order to cause them to attain enlightenment.

He explains his teachings
With stories of previous lives,
And with innumerable parables and similes.

To those who are confronted with sufferings,
And tired of old age, disease, and death,
The Buddha expounds the teaching of Nirvana,
And causes them to eliminate these sufferings.

To those who have merits,
Who have already made offerings to the past Buddhas,
And who are now seeking a more excellent teaching,
The Buddha expounds [the Way of] cause-knowers.

To the Buddha’s sons
Who are performing various practices,
And who are seeking unsurpassed wisdom,
The Buddha expounds the Pure Way.

We are seeing in Śākyamuni’s light Buddhas giving their “right teachings to all living beings in order to cause them to attain enlightenment.” Tomorrow, Mañjuśrī will recall in the past having seen Buddhas giving their “right teachings to all living beings in order to cause them to attain enlightenment.” And for the rest of the month we will have Śākyamuni giving his “right teachings to all living beings in order to cause them to attain enlightenment.” Among the various meanings of “Introductory,” the title of this first chapter, is this: “intended to persuade someone to purchase something for the first time.” To purchase with faith.

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month covered Maitreya’s reaction to the ray of light illuminating the worlds to the east in prose, we repeat in gathas.

Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva, wishing to repeat what he had said, asked him in gathas:

Mañjuśrī!
Why is the Leading Teacher
Emitting a great ray of light
From the white curl between his eyebrows?

[The gods] rained mandarava-flowers
And manjuaka-flowers.
A breeze carrying the fragrance of candana
Is delighting the multitude.

Because of this, the ground has become
Beautiful and pure;
And this world quaked
In the six ways.

The four kinds of devotees
Are joyful.
They are happier than ever
In body and mind.

The light from [the white curls]
Between the eyebrows of the Buddha illumines
Eighteen thousand worlds to the east.
Those worlds look golden-colored.

I see from this world
The living beings of the six regions
Extending down to the Avici Hell,
And up to the Highest Heaven

Of each of those worlds,
I see the region to which each living being is to go,
The good or evil karmas he is doing,
And the rewards or retributions he is going to have.

I’m pondering, as I always do at this point, what it would be like to “see the living beings of the six regions, extending down to the Avici Hell and up to the Highest Heaven” and to know “the region to which each living being is to go, The good or evil karmas he is doing, And the rewards or retributions he is going to have.”

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month covered the ray of light emitted from the white curls between Sakyamuni’s eyebrows that illumined all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east, we consider Maitreya’s reaction.

Thereupon Maitreya Bodhisattva thought:

“The World-Honored One is now displaying a wonder [, that is, a good omen]. Why is he displaying this good omen? The Buddha, the World-Honored One, has entered into a samadhi. Whom shall I ask why he is displaying this inconceivable, rare thing? Who can answer my question?”

He thought again:

“This Manjusri, the son of the King of the Dharma, has already met innumerable Buddhas and made offerings to them in his previous existence. He must have seen this rare thing before. Now I will ask him.”

At that time the bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, gods, dragons, and other supernatural beings thought, “Whom shall we ask why the Buddha is emitting this ray of light, that is, why he is displaying this wonder?”

At that time the congregation included the four kinds of devotees: bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas. They also included gods, dragons, and other supernatural beings. Maitreya Bodhisattva, wishing to have his doubts removed, and also understanding the minds of the congregation, asked Manjusri:

“Why is the World-Honored One displaying this good omen, this wonder? Why is he emitting a great ray of light, illumining eighteen thousand worlds to the east, and causing us to see those beautifully-adorned worlds of the Buddhas?”

And with this we underscore an important message early in this sutra: When in doubt, ask for clarification. There are no stupid questions.

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month covered the preliminaries, its time for the light.

Thereupon the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows, and illumined all the corners of eighteen thousand worlds in the east, down to the Avici Hell of each world, and up to the Akanistha Heaven of each world. The congregation saw from this world the living beings of the six regions of those worlds. They also saw the present Buddhas of those worlds. They also heard the Dharma expounded by those Buddhas. They also saw the bhisus, bhiksunis, upasakas and upasikas of those worlds who had already attained [the various fruits of] enlighterunent by their various practices. They also saw the Bodhisattva-mahasattvas [of those worlds] who were practicing the Way of Bodhisattvas [in various ways] according to the variety of their karmas which they had done in their previous existence, and also according to the variety of their ways of understanding [the Dharma] by faith. They also saw the past Buddhas [of those worlds] who had already entered into Parinirvana. They also saw the stupas of the seven treasures which had been erected to enshrine the sariras of those Buddhas after their Parinirvaha.

The Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1 offers this perspective:

Because of the ray of light the Buddha emitted those present in the congregation were able to see far into the past. They were able to see Buddhas, and stupas of those Buddhas. In various places in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha reveals the past causes of a variety of people so they can know the causes made that enabled them to become Buddhas.

We may think that these are not things we can accomplish, yet through our daily practice of the Odaimoku and faith in the Lotus Sutra, we are able to reveal the historical truth of the Bodhisattvas who arose from beneath the earth. We can, by chanting Odaimoku, manifest the life of these great Bodhisattvas and reveal our infinite connection with the Eternal Buddha.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month introduced King Ajatasatru after introducing all of the others present, we move now to the preliminaries.

Thereupon the four kinds of devotees, who were surrounding the World-Honored One, made offerings to him, respected him, honored him, and praised him. The World-Honored One expounded a sutra of the Great Vehicle called the “Innumerable Teachings, the Dharma for Bodhisattvas, the Dharma Upheld by the Buddhas.” Having expounded this sutra, the Buddha sat cross-legged [facing the east], and entered into the samadhi for the purport of the innumerable teachings. His body and mind became motionless.

Thereupon the gods rained mandarava-flowers, maha­mandarava-flowers, manjusaka-flowers, and maha-manjusaka­flowers upon the Buddha and the great multitude. The world of the Buddha quaked in the six ways. The great multitude of the congregation, which included bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas, upasikas, gods, dragons, yaksas, gandharvas, asuras, garudas, kimnaras, mahoragas, men, nonhuman beings, the kings of small countries, and the wheel-turning-holy-kings, were astonished. They rejoiced, joined their hands together [towards the Buddha], and looked up at him with one mind.

This seems so inconsequential read separately, but within the context of what is to be revealed it represents the here and now that will be confirmed tomorrow by Manjusri’s recollections of what happened before, all of which foretells what is to come.

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month discussed the gods and other non-humans present in the gathering who are protective deities, I should mention King Ajatasatru, who gets a special mention in the introduction:

King Ajatasatru, who was the son of Vaidehr, was also present with his hundreds of thousands of attendants. They each worshipped the feet of the Buddha, retired, and sat to one side.

Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick‘s “Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon,” offers this about the king, who was chosen by Nichiren for inclusion on the Mandala Gohonzon:

King Ajatashatru was the king of Magadha, whose capital city was Rajagriha, at the time that Shakyamuni Buddha taught the Lotus Sutra. Vulture Peak, where the Lotus Sutra was taught, is located just outside of Rajagriha to the northeast. King Ajatashatru and his attendants appear in the assembly in the first chapter.

In the Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, King Ajatashatru represents the icchantika. An icchantika is an incorrigible disbeliever who, according to some teachings, is utterly devoid of the seeds of buddhahood. The Mahayana Mahaparinirvana Sutra, however, teaches that even icchantika such as Ajatashatru have buddha-nature. The Lotus Sutra’s prediction of Devadatta’s eventual buddhahood is taken to mean that even the icchantika’s buddha-nature will someday come to full flower.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having last month discussed the Arhats, Sravakas and Bodhisattvas present in the audience at the start of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower, I need to discuss the others present.

Sakra-Devanam-Indra was also present. Twenty thousand gods were attending on him. There were also Beautiful-Moon God, Universal-Fragrance God, Treasure-Light God, and the four great heavenly-kings. Ten thousand gods were attending on them. Freedom God and Great-Freedom God were also present. Thirty thousand gods were attending on them. Brahman Heavenly-King who was the lord of the Saha-World, Great Brahman Sikhin, and Great Brahman Light were also present. Twelve thousand gods were attending on them.

There were also the eight dragon-kings: Nanda Dragon-King, Upananda Dragon-King, Sagara Dragon-King, Vasuki Dragon­.Kng, Taksaka Dragon-King, Anavatapta Dragon-King, Manasvin Dragon-King, and Utpalaka Dragon-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants. There were also the four kimnara-kings: Dharma Kimnara-King, Wonderful-Dharma Kimnara-King, Great-Dharma Kimnara-King, and Dharma­Keeping Kimnara-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were also the four gandharva-kings: Musical Gandharva­King, Musical-Voice Gandharva-King, Beautiful Gandharva-King, and Beautiful-Voice Gandharva-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were also the four asura-kings: Balin Asura-King, Kharaskandha Asura-King, Vemacitrin Asura-King, and Rahu Asura-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

There were also the four garuda-kings: Great-Power-Virtue Garuda-King, Great-Body Garuda-King, Great-Fulfillment Garuda­King, and Free-At-Will Garuda-King, each accompanied by hundreds of thousands of attendants.

In my brief time as a Nichiren Shu practitioner I’ve discovered that the perceived importance of the protective deities varies widely. The Ven. Kenjo Igarashi strongly believes of their existence and their protection powers. Others I’ve talked with seem to want the subject to be one of those matters of historical interpretation and not relevant to modern practice.

To me, Buddhism without the deities is like a photograph without color. Yes, you can understand a picture of shades of gray, but how much more wonderful and beautify is the world in color.

These deities were important to Nichiren. That’s why they are included in the Mandala Gohonzon. I highly recommend “Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon,” by Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

And so it starts again. Moving, as I do, one point at a time, I’m back at the beginning to underscore the importance of those present.

Thus have I heard. The Buddha once lived on Mt. Grdhrakuta in the City of King-House. He was accompanied by twelve thousand great bhiksus. They were Arhats. They had already eliminated asravas, and had no illusions. They had already benefited themselves, broken off the bonds of existence [in the world of birth and death], and obtained liberty in their minds. They included Ajnata-Kaundinya, Maha-Kasyapa, Uruvilva-Kasyapa, Gaya-Kasyapa, Nadi-Kasyapa, Sariputra, Great Maudgalyayana, Maha-Katyayana, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Gavarppati, Revata, Pilindavatsa, Bakkula, Maha-Kausthila, Nanda, Sundarananda, Purna, who was the son of Maitrayani, Subhuti, Ananda, and Rahula. They were great Arhats well known to the multitude.

There were also two thousand [Sravakas], some of whom had something more to learn while others had nothing more to learn. Maha-Prajapatri Bhiksuni was present with her six thousand attendants. Yasodhara Bhiksuni, the mother of Rahula, was also present with her attendants.

There were also eighty thousand Bodhisattva-mahasattvas. They never faltered in [seeking] Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. They had already obtained dharanis, turned the irrevocable wheel of the Dharma with eloquence according to the wishes [of all living beings], made offerings to many hundreds of thousands of Buddhas, and planted the roots of virtue under those Buddhas, by whom they had always been praised. They had already trained themselves out of their compassion towards others, entered the Way to the wisdom of the Buddha, obtained great wisdom, and reached the Other Shore so that their fame had already extended over innumerable worlds. They had already saved many hundreds of thousands of living beings. They included Manjusri Bodhisattva, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, Great-Power-Obtainer Bodhisattva, Constant­Endeavor Bodhisattva, Never-Resting Bodhisattva, Treasure­Palm Bodhisattva, Medicine-King Bodhisattva, Brave-In-Giving Bodhisattva, Treasure-Moon Bodhisattva, Moon-Light Bodhisattva, Full-Moon Bodfosattva, Great-Power Bodhisattva, Immeasurable­Power Bodhisattva, Transcending-Triple-World Bodhisattva, Bhadrapala Bodhisattva, Maitreya Bodhisattva, Accumulated­Treasure Bodhisattva, and Leading-Teacher Bodhisattva. Eighty thousand Bodhisattva-mahasattvas such as these were present.

Having passed this point more than 13 times before, I appreciate the importance of these people. These Arhats and Sravakas will hear promises denied to them in other sutras. And equally important (from this modern observer’s perspective) the inclusion of women of prominence, who will also hear a new truth denied them in other sutras.

Watch and listen. Something special is coming.

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

This is the 12th time through this exercise. It feels like a December. Someday I want to go through Maitreya’s description of what he sees the Bodhisattvas doing and match those activities with the events described later in the Lotus Sutra. For now, I invite tomorrow’s confirmation with Maitrey’s plea:

Manjusri, Son of the Buddha!
Remove our doubts!
The four kinds of devotees
A.re looking up with joy at you and me,
Wishing to know why this ray of light is emitted
By the World-Honored One.

Son of the Buddha, answer me!
Remove our doubts and cause us to rejoice!
For what purpose is the Buddha
Emitting this ray of light?

Does he wish to expound the Wonderful Dharma
Which he attained when he was sitting
At the place of enlightenment?
Does he wish to assure us of our future Buddhahood?

He shows us the worlds of the Buddhas
Adorned with many treasures.
We can see the Buddhas of those worlds.
This cannot be for some insignificant reason.

Manjusri, know this!
The four kinds of devotees and the dragons
Are looking at you, thinking:
“What is he going to say?”

Day 1 covers the first half of Chapter 1, Introductory

Having seen the light last month, I promised to return with Maitreya Bodhisattva’s personal visions this time around. I’ve decided to break that vision into two parts, leaving the detailed vision of the bodhisattvas for next month.

For now, it is important to remember that what Maitreya sees now lays a foundation for what will be revealed in the remainder of the Lotus Sutra.

The light from [the white curls]
Between the eyebrows of the Buddha illumines
Eighteen thousand worlds to the east.
Those worlds look golden-colored.

I see from this world
The living beings of the six regions
Extending down to the Avici Hell,
And up to the Highest Heaven
Of each of those worlds.
I see the region to which each living being is to go,
The good or evil karmas he is doing,
And the rewards or retributions he is going to have.

I also see the Buddhas,
The Saintly Masters, the Lion-like Ones,
Who are expounding
The most wonderful sutra
With their pure and gentle voices,
And teaching
Many billions of Bodhisattvas.
The brahma voices of the Buddhas
Are deep and wonderful,
Causing people to wish to hear them.

I also see the Buddha of each of those worlds
Expounding his right teachings to all living beings
In order to cause them to attain enlightenment.

He explains his teachings
With stories of previous lives,
And with innumerable parables and similes.
To those who are confronted with sufferings,
And tired of old age, disease, and death,
The Buddha expounds the teaching of Nirvana,
And causes them to eliminate these sufferings.

To those who have merits,
Who have already made offerings to the past Buddhas,
And who are now seeking a more excellent teaching,
The Buddha expounds [the Way of] cause-knowers.

To the Buddha’s sons
Who are performing various practices,
And who are seeking unsurpassed wisdom,
The Buddha expounds the Pure Way.