Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Having last month covered the prose section introducing Sakyamuni’s previous life as a king seeking someone to teach him the Great Vehicle, it’s time to repeat what we learned in gathas.

I remember that I became a king in a kalpa of the past. Although I was a king,
I did not indulge in the pleasures of the five desires Because I was seeking the Great Dharma.

I tolled a bell, and said loudly in all directions;
‘Who knows the Great Dharma?
If anyone expounds the Dharma to me,
I will become his servant.’

There was a seer called Asita.
He came to [me, who was] the great king, and said:
‘I know the Wonderful Dharma.
It is rare in the world.
If you serve me well,
I will expound the Dhanna to you.’

Hearing this, I had great joy.
I became his servant at once.
I offered him
Anything he wanted.

I collected firewood and the fruits of trees and grasses,
And offered these things to him respectfully from time to time.
I never felt tired in body and mind
Because I was thinking of the Wonderful Dharma.

I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

Although I was the king of a great country,
I sought the Dharma strenuously.
I finally obtained the Dharma and became a Buddha.
Therefore, I now expound it to you.

For me the most important aspect of this section is Sakyamuni’s declaration that his compassion for all livings beings, not self-interest, motivated his search for enlightenment.

The Daily Dharma from July 20, 2016, offers this:

I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Having last month covered Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, it’s time to return to the story of Devadatta.

Thereupon the Buddha said to the Bodhisattvas, gods, men and the four kinds of devotees:

“[When I was a Bodhisattva] in my previous existence, I sought the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma for innumerable kalpas without indolence. I became a king [and continued to be so] for many kalpas. [Although I was a king,] I made a vow to attain unsurpassed Bodhi. I never faltered in seeking it. I practiced alms-giving in order to complete the six paramitas. I never grudged elephants, horses, the seven treasures, countries, cities, wives, children, menservants, maidservants or attendants. I did not spare my head, eyes, marrow, brain, flesh, hands or feet. I did not spare even my life.

In those days the lives of the people of the world were immeasurably long. [One day] I abdicated from the throne in order to seek the Dharma[, but retained the title of king]. I entrusted the crown prince with the administration of my country. I beat a drum and sought the Dharma in all directions, saying with a loud voice, ‘Who will expound the Great Vehicle to me? If there is anyone, I will make offerings to him, and run errands for him for the rest of my life.’

Thereupon a seer came to [me, who was] the king. He said, ‘I have a sutra of the Great Vehicle called the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma. If you are not disobedient to me,·I will expound this satra to you.’

Having heard this, I danced with joy, and immediately became his servant. I offered him anything he wanted. I collected fruits, drew water, gathered firewood, and prepared meals for him. I even allowed my body to be his seat. I never felt tired in body and mind. I served him for a thousand years. In order to hear the Dharma from him, I served him so strenuously that I did not cause him to be short of anything.

From Rev. Ryusho Jeffus‘ Lecture on the Lotus Sutra:

In the Devadatta chapter we learn that this person who caused the Buddha so much grief in the Buddha’s current lifetime was actually responsible for the Buddha being able to become the Buddha. In a previous lifetime Sakyamuni was a king who gave up his kingdom to his prince and sought the Dharma, going about the land beating a drum, seeking someone who could teach him. He came across a great seer who said that he would teach the Great Vehicle of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower on the condition the king would serve him without becoming disobedient.

This is a wonderful example of how even the most evil person is at the same time not all bad, and also how we too may have a deep karmic connection with that person.
Lecture on the Lotus Sutra

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

So I was reviewing Day 17, what I wrote last month and the month before and the month before that, and apparently I haven’t said a thing about Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra, since January 2016. Go figure.

An important point is made.

We begin Chapter 13 with Medicine-King Bodhisattva-mahasattva and Great-­Eloquence Bodhisattva-mahasattva, together with their 20,000 attendants who were also Bodhisattvas, answering the Buddha’s request at the end of Chapter 11 for people to vow to expound this sutra after his extinction:

World-Honored One, do not worry! We will keep, read, recite and expound this sutra after your extinction. The living beings in the evil world after [your extinction] will have less roots of good, more arrogance, more greed for offerings of worldly things, and more roots of evil. It will be difficult to teach them because they will go away from emancipation. But we will patiently read, recite, keep, expound and copy this sutra, and make various offerings to it. We will not spare even our lives [in doing all this].

The Daily Dharma from June 29, 2016, offers this perspective:

Medicine-King Bodhisattva, his attendants and other Bodhisattvas make this vow to the Buddha in Chapter Thirteen of the Lotus Sūtra. Once we awaken to our Bodhisattva nature and resolve to benefit all beings, we may still hold on to the belief that those beings should gratefully receive the teaching and and keep progressing towards enlightenment. We may even become discouraged in our practice of the Wonderful Dharma when these beings do not live up to our expectations. The vow of these great Bodhisattvas reminds us of how difficult is is for us ordinary beings to keep the Lotus Sūtra, and of the determination it takes to create benefit in the world.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

Underline here our Bodhisattva nature and resolve to benefit all beings and then consider what 500 Arhats who already had been assured of their future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, who offered:

World-Honored One! We also vow to expound this sutra[, but we will expound it] in some other worlds [rather than in this Saha-World].

And then the 8,000 Sravakas, some of whom had something more to learn while others had nothing more to learn, who also had been assured of their future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, who vowed:

World-Honored One! We also will expound this sutra in some other worlds because the people of this Saha-World have many evils. They are arrogant. They have few merits. They are angry, defiled, ready to flatter others, and insincere.

Finally, the bhiksunis who are re-assured of their future Buddhahood in this chapter vow:

World-Honored One! We also will expound this sutra in other worlds.

What does it say of the Arhats, the Sravakas and the bhiksunis that only the Bodhisattvas, grudging as they are, can see themselves even attempting to preach in this Saha World?

Waiting in the sky below the Saha-World is the answer to the Buddha’s question, but we’ll leave that for Day 19.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

There’s much to enjoy in this chapter – Devadatta as the person responsible for Sakyamuni’s enlightenment and the example of the 8-year-old Dragon girl – and yet what I enjoy more is Sakyamuni’s explanation of why he sought enlightenment at the time when Devadatta was his teacher:

I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

Although I was the king of a great country,
I sought the Dharma strenuously.
I finally obtained the Dharma and became a Buddha.
Therefore, I now expound it to you.

I look forward to the fulfillment of this promise:

Good men or women in the future who hear this chapter of Devadatta of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with faithful respect caused by their pure minds, and have no doubts [about this chapter], will not fall into hell or the region of hungry spirits or the region of animals. They will be reborn before the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters. They will always hear this sutra at the places of their rebirth. Even when they are reborn among men or gods, they will be given wonderful pleasures. When they are reborn before the Buddhas, they will appear in lotus-flowers.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Last month I discussed the “problems” with this chapter, but it serves an important purpose.

In this chapter, Sakyamuni illustrates how his teaching is beyond commonly held beliefs.

The story of the evil Devadatta as a teacher of Sakyamuni in a previous life and a Buddha in a future life illustrates that everyone is a Buddha.

Rev. Ryusho Jeffus offers this comment on the Devadatta lesson:

This passage, from the Devadatta Chapter tells how the Buddha served Devadatta in a previous life so that he could be taught the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra. When I think about the truth of the Buddha being present in all beings as taught by Never-Despising Bodhisattva I can’t help but think that we can begin to really understand the teaching of the Lotus Sutra when we serve other beings, when we can help them as the Buddha did seeking the Dharma from Devadatta.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1

And then there is the example of the 8-year-old daughter of the dragon king. She overcame both the commonly held belief that enlightenment requires ages of practices and the belief that a female could not become a Buddha, no matter how long she practiced.

Here’s how the 1983 Doctrines of Nichiren described this:

It is not difficult for any one to become a Bodhisattva, or even a Buddha. Women, too, may succeed, in spite of the exceptional difficulty which popular Buddhist teaching attributes to the female sex in such a quest. Why, even a female dragon is said to have attained to Buddhahood; and if that is true, why not a female human bing? Devadatta became a Buddha in spite of his infernal character. Why, then, not another man?
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)

And so I embrace the Buddha’s prediction:

Good men or women in the future who hear this chapter of Devadatta of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with faithful respect caused by their pure minds, and have no doubts [about this chapter], will not fall into hell or the region of hungry spirits or the region of animals. They will be reborn before the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters. They will always hear this sutra at the places of their rebirth. Even when they are reborn among men or gods, they will be given wonderful pleasures. When they are reborn before the Buddhas, they will appear in lotus-flowers.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Chapter 12, Devadatta, has some problems. As Senchu Murano explains in the Introduction:

Chapter [12], which is an insertion, betrays discrepancies from Chapter [11] in the following points.

1. Sakyamuni Buddha and Many-Treasures Buddha are on Mt. Sacred Eagle, not in the stupa handing in the sky.
2. Many-Treasures buddha came from the nadir, not from the east.
3. Many-Treasures buddha is accompanied by a Bodhisattva.
4. At the beginning of this chapter, Manjusri Bodhisattva is at the palace of Dragon-King Sagara in the sea.
5. There is no response to the wish of the Buddha to transmit this sutra to someone.

And yet . . .

[Sakyamuni] said to the bhiksus:

Good men or women in the future who hear this chapter of Devadatta of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma with faithful respect caused by their pure minds, and have no doubts [about this chapter], will not fall into hell or the region of hungry spirits or the region of animals. They will be reborn before the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters. They will always hear this sutra at the places of their rebirth. Even when they are reborn among men or gods, they will be given wonderful pleasures. When they are reborn before the Buddhas, they will appear in lotus-flowers.

No doubts here despite the discrepancies.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

Today’s reading in Chapter 12 includes Sakyamuni’s description of his previous life as a king:

I remember that I became a kjng in a kalpa of the past.
Although I was a king,
I did not indulge in the pleasures of the five desires
Because l was seeking the Great Dharma.

The bottom line of this tale is, of course, that the king seeks a teacher and finds a seer who was a previous life of Devadatta.

But what stood out for me today was this explanation of why he, a king, sought the Dharma:

I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

Such selfless compassion.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

The Devadatta chapter might as well be titled “Improbable.” Last Month, I focused on the Devattta’s role as a teacher of the Lotus Sutra in a previous life of Sakyamuni and the promise of future Buddhahood for Devadatta despite his efforts to kill the Buddha and split the sangha. As improbably as that might seem, there’s that 8-year-old daughter of Dragon King Sagara.

Manjusri said, “In the sea I expounded only the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”

Accumulated-Wisdom asked Manjusri:

“The sutra is exceedingly profound and wonderful. This is the treasure of all the sutras. It is rare in the world. Do you know anyone who acted according to this sutra so strenuously that he has already been qualified to become a Buddha quickly?”

Manjusri answered:

“Yes. There is a daughter of Dragon-King Sagara [among those whom I taught]. She is eight years old. She is clever. She knows the karmas of all living beings. She obtained dharanis. She keeps all the treasury of the profound and hidden core expounded by the Buddhas. She entered deep into dhyana-concentration, and understood all teachings. She aspired for Bodhi in a ksana, and reached the stage of irrevocability. She is eloquent without hindrance. She is compassionate towards all living beings just as a mother is towards her babe. She obtained all merits. Her thoughts and words are wonderful and great. She is compassionate, humble, gentle and graceful. She [has already been qualified to] attain Bodhi[, and to become a Buddha quickly].”

Despite Accumulated-Wisdom’s disbelief that anyone, especially a girl, can become a Buddha “in a moment” and Sariputra’s insistence that the “five impossibilities” – she cannot become 1. the Brahman-Heavenly-King, 2. King Sakra, 3. King Mara, 4. a wheel-turning-holy-king, and 5. a Buddha – will prevent such a feat, the dragon girl is not deterred when she sings to Sakyamuni in gathas:

You know the sins and merits
Of all living beings.
You illumine the worlds of the ten quarters.
Your wonderful, pure and sacred body
Is adorned with the thirty-two major marks
And with the eighty minor marks.

Gods and men are looking up at you.
Dragons also respect you.
None of the living beings
Sees you without adoration.

Only you know that I [am qualified to] attain Bodhi
Because I heard [the Dharma].
I will expound the teachings of the Great Vehicle
And save all living beings from suffering.

And so she does. In an instant the dragon, a representative of the animal world, is transformed into a man, becomes enlightened and sets about teaching the Dharma.

After that, one wonders why Maha-Prajapati Bhiksuni, the sister of the mother of the Buddha, and Yasodhara Bhiksuni, the mother of Rahula, would need reassurance of their eventual enlightenment.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

So, again, my one-topic-a-day vow forces me to ignore the Dragon girl who defies all convention concerning female virtues, animal or otherwise, and quickly becomes a Buddha and also the reassurance given to Sakyamuni’s aunt and the mother of Rahula that when Sakyamuni said all sravakas would eventually attain enlightenment he meant all, both men and women. I’ll return to these in the coming months.

Today, what grabbed was the role that the teacher played in the king’s search for bodhi. This king, of course, was Sakyamuni in a previous life and the seer, Devadatta. Hear is what the teacher did:

Devadatta was my teacher. He caused me to complete the six paramitas. He caused me to have loving-kindness, compassion, joy and impartiality. He caused me to have the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks [of the Buddha]. He caused me to have my body purely gilt. He caused me to have the ten powers and the four kinds of fearlessness. He caused me to know the four ways to attract others. He caused me to have the eighteen properties and supernatural powers [of the Buddha]. He caused me to have the power of giving discourses. I attained perfect enlightenment and now save all living beings because Devadatta was my teacher.

Devadatta was a good friend of Sakyamuni, at least he was in that lifetime.

Day 17 covers all of Chapter 12, Devadatta, and opens Chapter 13, Encouragement for Keeping this Sutra.

In this chapter we underline with examples that the teaching of the Lotus Sutra applies to everyone and all are eligible to become Buddhas.

We begin with a story about Sakyamuni’s past life as a king who made a vow to attain unsurpassed Bodhi.

I sought the Great Dharma strenuously
Because I wished to save all living beings.
I did not wish to benefit myself
Or to have the pleasures of the five desires.

Although I was the king of a great country,
I sought the Dharma strenuously.
I finally obtained the Dharma and became a Buddha.
Therefore, I now expound it to you.

The king learned the dharma from a seer named Asita. “He caused me…”

The seer at that time was a previous life of Devadatta. Devadatta was my teacher. He caused me to complete the six paramitas. He caused me to have loving-kindness, compassion, joy and impartiality. He caused me to have the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks [of the Buddha]. He caused me to have my body purely gilt. He caused me to have the ten powers and the four kinds of fearlessness. He caused me to know the four ways to attract others. He caused me to have the eighteen properties and supernatural powers [of the Buddha]. He caused me to have the power of giving discourses. I attained perfect enlightenment and now save all living beings because Devadatta was my teacher.

Devadatta, the most evil of men of Sakyamuni’s time, was once his teacher and in the future will a Buddha who expounds the Dharma.

The other example of the universality of the Lotus Sutra comes from the daughter of Dragon-King Sagara, who was taught my Manjusri.

To begin we learned that those taught by Manjusri only heard the One Vehicle:

All these Bodhisattvas had been led [into the Way to Bodhi] by Manjusri. They had already performed the Bodhisattva practices. [Up in the sky] they [began to] expound the six paramitas. Some of them were formerly Sravakas. When they were Sravakas, they expounded the Sravaka practices in the sky. Now they were acting according to the truth of the Void of the Great Vehicle.

As Manjusri explained:

In the sea I expounded only the Sotra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.

And who was his best pupil? Who “has already been qualified to become a Buddha quickly?” None other than an 8-year-old female dragon.

In reading the dragon girl’s qualifications I was reminded of the Sidney Poitier movies of my childhood. In these discussions of race relations, Poitier’s character was always so overqualified for his job, that to dislike him could only be attributed bias based on the color of his skin.

The qualifications of the daughter of Dragon-King Sagara:

She is eight years old. She is clever. She knows the karmas of all living beings. She obtained dharanis. She keeps all the treasury of the profound and hidden core expounded by the Buddhas. She entered deep into dhyana-concentration, and understood all teachings. She aspired for Bodhi in a ksana, and reached the stage of irrevocability. She is eloquent without hindrance. She is compassionate towards all living beings just as a mother is towards her babe. She obtained all merits. Her thoughts and words are wonderful and great. She is compassionate, humble, gentle and graceful. She [has already been qualified to] attain Bodhi[, and to become a Buddha quickly].

Accumulated-Wisdom Bodhisattva argues against the idea of Buddhahood being something that can be attained quickly. Sariputra argues against the idea of a woman becoming a Buddha at all:

You think that you will be able to attain unsurpassed enlightenment [and become a Buddha] before long. This is difficult to believe because the body of a woman is too defiled to be a recipient of the teachings of the Buddha. How can you attain unsurpassed Bodhi? The enlightenment of the Buddha is far off. It can be attained only by those who perform the [Bodhisattva] practices with strenuous efforts for innumerable kalpas. A woman has five impossibilities. She cannot become 1. the Brahman-Heavenly-King, 2. King Sakra, 3. King Mara, 4. a wheel-turning-holy-king, and 5. a Buddha. How can it be that you, being a woman, will become a Buddha, quickly [or not]?

The daughter of the dragon-king proves the naysayers wrong and in the process completes the assurance that anyone and everyone is qualified to become a Buddha by following the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.

In the next chapter we reinforce this message when Sakyamuni notices that his step-mother, Maha-Prajapati Bhiksuni, feels she hasn’t been assured of her future attainment of Buddhahood.

Thereupon the World-Honored One said to Gautami:

Why do you look at me so anxiously? You do not think that I assured you of your future attainment of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi because I did not mention you by name, do you? Gautami! I have already said that I assured all the Sravakas of their future attainment [of Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi].

Again, the sex of the practitioner is irrelevant. The important thing is to adopt the Bodhisattva practices. As Sakyamuni explains to the mother of Rahula, Yasodhara Bhiksuni:

You will perform the Bodhisattva practices under hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas in the future. You will become a great teacher of the Dharma under those Buddhas. You will walk the Way to Buddhahood step by step, and finally become a Buddha in a good world.