Tag Archives: LS31

LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month heard the sons request to go to become followers of Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha and the mother’s instruction to show their father some wonders, we witness the wonders displayed by the sons and the father’s reaction.

“Thereupon the two sons went up to the sky seven times as high as the tala-tree, and displayed various wonders because they were thinking of their father. They walked, stood, sat, and reclined in the sky. Then they issued water from the upper parts of their bodies, and fire from the lower parts. Then they issued water from the lower parts of their bodies, and fire from the upper parts. Then they became giants large enough to fill the sky, became dwarfs, and became giant again. Then they disappeared from the sky and suddenly appeared on the earth. Then they dived into the earth just as into water, and stepped on the surface of water just as on the earth. [Then they went up to the sky and stayed there.] By displaying these various wonders, they purified the mind of their father, that is, of the king, and caused him to understand the Dharma by faith.

“Seeing [these wonders displayed by] the supernatural powers of his sons, the father had the greatest joy that he had ever had. He joined his hands together towards his sons [staying in the sky], and said, ‘Who is your teacher? Whose disciples are you?’

“The two sons said, ‘Great King! Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha, who is now sitting on the seat of the Dharma under the Bodhi-tree of the seven treasures, is expounding the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to all the gods and men of the world. He is our teacher. We are his disciples.

“The father said to them, ‘I also wish to see your teacher. I will go with you.’

See Living Evidence Is Necessary to Lead Others

LS32, d31b, Buddhism For Today

Living Evidence Is Necessary to Lead Others

The quickest and simplest way to lead others to the Buddha’s teachings is to justify the teachings by our own practice of them. Our first consideration is to show others living evidence: “I have changed in this way since believing in the Buddha’s teachings and practicing them.” There is no more powerful and direct a way of leading others. However, we cannot show such living evidence to those whom we seldom see during the limited time we have together unless we have decisive evidence, such as recovery from disease or a favorable change in our circumstances. On the other hand, members of a family living together can sense clearly even little changes in one’s everyday actions and attitudes. If sons or daughters change through believing in the Buddha’s teachings, their parents will notice a great change in their speech, their attitude toward their parents, brothers, and sisters, and their attitude those outside the family. Such evidence will certainly influence each member of the family.

Conversely, in leading members of one’s family to the teachings, however repeatedly we explain to them their content and however much our explanation may satisfy them intellectually, it will not lead to any practical result unless we change our attitudes in our daily lives. We can spout fine words to outsiders, but we betray our true selves in the family. When a member of our family sees us acting contrary to what we say, he stops listening to our words and criticizes us: “The teaching may be good, but I can’t possibly believe it so long as you as a believer act like that.”

Buddhism for Today, p401
LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3
Having last month met Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha and King Wonderful-Adornment and his wife and two sons, we hear the sons request to go to become followers of Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha and the mother’s instruction to show their father some wonders.

“Thereupon that Buddha expounded the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, wishing to lead King Wonderful-Adornment also out of his compassion towards all living beings. The two sons, Pure-Store and Pure-Eyes, came to their mother, joined their ten fingers and palms together, and said, ‘Mother! Go to Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha! We also will go to attend on him, approach him, make offerings to him, and bow to him because he is expounding the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to all gods and men. Hear and receive [the sūtra]!’

“The mother said to them, ‘[Yes, I will. But] your father believes in heresy. He is deeply attached to the teachings of brahmanas. Go and tell him to allow us to go [to that Buddha]! ‘

“Pure-Store and Pure-Eyes joined their ten fingers and palms together, and said to their mother, ‘We were born in this family attached to wrong views although we are sons of the King of the Dharma.’

“The mother said to them, ‘Show some wonders to your father out of your compassion towards him! If he sees [the wonders], he will have his mind purified and allow us to go to that Buddha.’

See Leading Others to the Teachings of the Buddha

LS32, d31b, b4today

Leading Others to the Teachings of the Buddha

Let us now consider the important points of this story. First, we must think of the true meaning of the two sons’ showing their father many kinds of supernatural deeds. This does not mean that they became able to display supernatural deeds by means of the Buddha’s teachings, nor that they stimulated their father’s curiosity by showing him such deeds. Their performing various supernatural deeds means that they completely changed their character and their daily lives by studying and believing the Buddha’s teachings. Their showing their father supernatural deeds thus means nothing but the fact that before their father they proved the true value of the Buddha’s teachings by their deeds and led him to be aroused to the aspiration for Perfect Enlightenment.

When we lead others to the teachings of the Buddha, none will follow us only through hearing us praise the teachings. We must clearly show them the reason that the Buddha’s teachings are worshipful. It is important for us to explain the content of the teachings. We must elucidate the teachings to others’ satisfaction according to their level of understanding, sometimes simply, sometimes theoretically, sometimes by using parables, and sometimes in the light of modern science.

Buddhism for Today, p400-401
LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month concluded Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva, we begin again and meet Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha and King Wonderful-Adornment and his wife and two sons.

Thereupon the Buddha said to the great multitude:

“Innumerable, inconceivable, asaṃkhya kalpas ago, there lived a Buddha called Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom, the Tathāgata, the Arhat, the Samyak-sambuddha. His world was called Light-Adornment; the kalpa in which he lived, Gladly-Seen. Under that Buddha lived a king called Wonderful-Adornment. His wife was called Pure-Virtue. They had two sons, Pure-Store and Pure-Eyes by name. The two sons had great supernatural powers, merits, virtues and wisdom. A long time ago, they had already practiced the Way which Bodhisattva should practice. They had already practiced the dana-pāramitā, the sita-pāramitā, the kṣānti-pāramitā, the vīrya-pāramitā, the dhyāna-pāramitā, the prajña-pāramitā, and the pāramitā of expediency. They also had already obtained the four states of mind towards all living beings:] compassion, loving-kindness, joy and impartiality. They also had already practiced the thirty-seven ways to enlightenment. They had done all this perfectly and clearly. They also had already obtained the samādhis of Bodhisattvas: that is, the samādhi for purity, the samādhi for the sun and the stars, the samādhi for pure light, the samādhi for pure form, the samādhi for pure brightness, the samādhi for permanent adornment, and the samādhi for the great treasury of powers and virtues. They had already practiced all these samādhis.

See Family Lessons

LS32, d31b, b4today

Family Lessons

[Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva,] touches upon many important problems of actual life. We should take the various characters in the story as models, appreciating their attitudes according to their positions. The attitude of King Resplendent is an example of that which a person engaged in politics or national leadership should take toward the truth; the deeds of the two royal sons, Pure Treasury and Pure-Eyed, show how children may open their parents’ eyes to faith (this also applies to a wife’s opening her husband’s eyes to it); Queen Pure Virtue is a model of the attitude a mother ought to take in mediating between progressive sons and a conservative father in order to promote the truth. 403-404

LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month considered the king’s reaction and the role of the two sons, we conclude Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

“King Wonderful-Adornment came down from the sky and said to that Buddha [staying in the sky], ‘World-Honored One! You are exceedingly exceptional. You have merits and wisdom. Therefore, the fleshy tuft on your head shines bright. Your eyes are long, wide, and deep blue in color. The curls between your eyebrows are as white as a bright moon. Your teeth are white, regular and bright. Your lips are as red and as beautiful as the fruits of a bimba-tree.’

“Thereupon King Wonderful-Adornment, having praised the Buddha for his many hundreds of thousands of billions of merits including those previously stated, joined his hands together towards the Tathāgata, and with all his heart, said to that Buddha again, ‘World-Honored One! I have never seen anyone like you before. Your teachings have these inconceivable, wonderful merits. The practices performed according to your teachings and precepts are peaceful and pleasant. From today on, I will not act according to my own mind. I will not have wrong views, arrogance, anger or any other evil thought.’ Having aid this, he bowed to that Buddha and retired.”

The Buddha said to the great multitude:

“What do you think of this? King Wonderful-Adornment was no one but Flower-Virtue Bodhisattva of today. Queen Pure-Virtue was no one but the Light-Adornment-Appearance Bodhisattva who is now before me. She appeared in that world out of her compassion towards King Wonderful-Adornment and his attendants. The two sons were Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva of today. Medicine-King Bodhisattva and Medicine-Superior Bodhisattva have already obtained those great merits. Because they planted the roots of virtue under many hundreds of thousands of billions of Buddhas [in their previous existence], they obtained those inconceivable merits. All gods and men in the world should bow to those who know the names of these two Bodhisattvas.”

When the Buddha expounded this chapter of King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva, eighty-four thousand people released themselves from the dust and dirt of illusions, and had their eyes purified enough to see all teachings.

See Far From Ordinary

LS32, d31b, 2buddhas

Far From Ordinary

Nichiren referred to the two princes from the “Śubhavyūha” chapter in encouraging an unidentified couple, possibly Lord Matsuno of Suruga and his wife, who were mourning their deceased son and had apparently become more earnest in their Buddhist practice following his death. Nichiren’s disciple Nichiji, who was related to Matsuno and had reported the matter to Nichiren, informed him that the young man had not only been unusually handsome, but also straightforward and wise. According to Nichiren, Nichiji had told him that he had initially been struck with pity that so remarkable an individual should die young. “But on reflection, I realized that, because of this boy’s death, his mother aroused the aspiration for the way and his father began to take thought for his next life. This is far from ordinary, I thought. And the fact that they have placed faith in the Lotus Sūtra, which everyone opposes, must mean that their deceased son has been at their side, encouraging them to do so.” Nichiren told the parents that he fully concurred with Nichiji’s reading of events, adding, “The king Śubhavyūha was an evil monarch. But when guided by their two sons, the princes [Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra], father and mother were both able to place their trust in the Lotus Sūtra and become buddhas. The same must be true in your case as well!”

Two Buddhas, p252-252
LS32

Day 31

Day 31 covers Chapter 27, King Wonderful-Adornment as the Previous Life of a Bodhisattva.

Day 31 Text with annotationsPlay MP3

Having last month heard Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha’s prediction for King Wonderful-Adornment, we consider the king’s reaction and the role of the two sons.

“Thereupon the king abdicated from the throne in favor of his younger brother, renounced the world, and with his wife, two sons, and attendants, practiced the Way under that Buddha. After he renounced the world, the king acted according to the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma constantly and strenuously for eighty-four thousand years. Then he practiced the samādhi for the adornment of all pure merits. Then he went up to the sky seven times as high as the tala-tree, and said to that Buddha, ‘World-Honored One! These two sons of mine did the work of the Buddha. They converted me from wrong views by displaying wonders. They caused me to dwell peacefully in your teachings. They caused me to see you. These two sons of mine are my teachers. They appeared in my family in order to benefit me. They inspired the roots of good which I had planted in my previous existence.’

“Thereupon Cloud-Thunderpeal-Star-King-Flower-Wisdom Buddha said to King Wonderful-Adornment, ‘So it is, so it is. It is just as you say. The good men or women who plant the roots of good will obtain teachers in their successive lives. The teachers will do the work of the Buddha, show the Way [to them], teach them, benefit them, cause them to rejoice, and cause them to enter into the Way to Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Great King, know this! A teacher is a great cause [of your enlightenment] because he leads you, and causes you to see a Buddha and aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi. Great King! Do you see these two sons of yours, or not? They made offerings to six trillion and five hundred thousand billion Buddhas, that is, as many Buddhas as there are sands in the River Ganges, in their previous existence. They attended on those Buddhas respectfully. They kept the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma under those Buddhas, and caused the people of wrong views to have right views out of their compassion towards them.

See The Importance of Family Relations in Promoting Faith

LS32, d31b, 2buddhas

The Importance of Family Relations in Promoting Faith

Nichiren regarded King Śubhavyūha [King Wonderful-Adornment] as an example of an “evil man” attaining buddhahood through the power of the Lotus Sūtra. He often referenced this chapter in letters to his followers to stress the importance of family relations in promoting faith and to assuage the anxieties they sometimes felt about the postmortem fate of their deceased parents or children. One example occurs in a letter to his follower Jōren-bō, whose father had been a follower of Hōnen’s Pure Land teaching. Jōren-bō was presumably anxious about what karmic retribution his father would incur in his next life. Indeed, Nichiren says, those who support teachers who slander the dharma, such as Hōnen and other Pure Land teachers, must fall into the Avici hell. In this case, however, the father will surely be saved by the son’s devotion. He writes: “A ruler’s mind is broadened by his minister, and parents’ pain is eased by their children. Maudgalyāyana saved his mother from the sufferings of the realm of hungry ghosts, and the sons Vimalagarbha and Vimalanetra persuaded their father to rectify his false views. … The merit that you have acquired by embracing the Lotus Sūtra will become your father’s strength.”

Two Buddhas, p251