The unsatisfactoy nature of life is summarized in Buddhism by the “Four Sufferings,” which are birth (called suffering because it inevitably leads to the next three), old age, sickness and death. A more complete explanation of suffering – and a further expansion on why birth is considered suffering – is found in the “Eight Sufferings.” These eight include the Four Sufferings and adds the suffering of being separated from loved ones and other things one desires to keep, encountering people or circumstances that one dislikes, not being able to get things that one desires, and being attached to things that are impermanent, including one’s own mind and body.
Awakening to the LotusQuotes
Be Nice
My father would frequently say that you should always be nice to people because you never know when you might be running for sheriff or when you might be running from the sheriff.
The Magic City: Studying the Lotus SutraThe Great Self
This Truth is to be found everywhere and always— in the past, the present, and the future ; it exists in every part of space, above and below, to the right and to the left, in front and behind. Look up – there are the sun, the moon, and millions of stars; look down – there are mountains, rivers, plants, trees, and minerals; between these there are human beings, animals, birds, reptiles and insects. Well, all these things are nothing but subjective phases in consciousness of each man’s individual Self. They are all contained in a single act of thought; in fact, there is no distinction between the individual Self and the whole external world. When once this Truth is apprehended, we are said to have attained to the Great Self, that is, the summit of all enlightenment. This attainment is referred to in the words of Buddha as found in the [Lotus Sutra]: “I have been the Buddha of Original Enlightenment from all eternity.”
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Considering the Suffering of Others
The numbers are sobering. Every year some 15 million people die of hunger. Do we even know what 15 million is, can we comprehend that number? New York city has a population of 8.3 million, and Los Angeles is 9.8 million. So if we eliminated the entire population of Los Angeles and half the population of New York city every year that would be a fair representation of the number of people who die from hunger in one year. Now do that every year. It is frightful. This doesn’t even address the number of children who die as infants, the number of homeless, and so on. We just aren’t doing a very good job of taking care of each other. In the United States, we live in relative comfort for the most part. We consume as if there is no end to resources and completely oblivious to the suffering taking place all over the globe. Life goes on. You know I have written a lot about our personal practice, our practice to attain enlightenment. We cannot understand enlightenment without considering the suffering of others. We will not truly become happy until we enable all other to do so as well. The first of the Bodhisattva vows speaks of enabling all living beings to become enlightened, even before we do so.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1A Lifelong Application of a Spiritual Practice
The practice of Buddhism is not a guarantee of a life of complete ease and trouble-free living. To believe that is to believe in a fantasy. Buddhism is a lifelong application of a spiritual practice, one of awakening by degrees. The practice of Buddhism is working to overcome obstacles that test us and then making changes we would otherwise overlook. This is why the medicine of the Lotus Sutra sometimes does not appear to be of good flavor. The taste of practice and devotion is not always sweet, even though the outcome tastes of nectar, of ambrosia.
Physician's Good MedicineThe Truth of the Everlasting Relationship
The full-opened eyes see the Truth of the everlasting relationship between ourselves and the eternal Buddhahood, in which the Buddha, as revealed in the chapter on the Eternal Life of the Tathagata, is the Lord ruling over all subjects, the Master leading his pupils to maturity, and the Father who gives birth to the children. We are, from all eternity, subjects of the Buddha, his disciples, and his children; being essentially like him through the eternal Truth. When seen in this light, every religion and ethical system, compared with Nichiren’s religion revealed in the Lotus, is one of the preliminary steps leading up to the ultimate truth. Yet men are blind or squinting and do not see the whole truth in its full light.
Nichiren, The Buddhist ProphetAll the Wisdom and Compassion of the Buddha
Chanting Odaimoku, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, is our primary practice. This is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and includes all the wisdom and compassion of the Buddha.
Nichiren Shonin said, “All the good deeds and virtues of the Buddha are manifested in the title of the Lotus Sutra, that is, in the five characters, Myo, Ho, Ren, Ge, and Kyo. However sinful we may be, we shall be naturally endowed with all the deeds and virtues of the Buddha, if we adhere to these five characters.”
– Kanjin Honzon-sho
Unification
The unification of the spirit of the Buddha, the mind of the Buddha, and the teachings of the Buddha are clearly stated when he says that he knows all, and he knows the Way. He states that he has opened the path up to us based upon his wisdom and skill. Even when the Buddha seemed to be teaching different paths to enlightenment he was in fact teaching the true single way to eliminate suffering. He has experienced the truth of the equality of all Buddhas through his own life, he is teaching this to us through his many teachings leading up to the ultimate of the Lotus Sutra, and because of these he has made it possible for all beings to attain what he himself has attained.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraThe Perfection of Energy
Of the Six Perfections – generosity, discipline, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom – the perfection of energy involves enthusiasm and unflagging dedication to the practice of Buddhism. We use our energy to make continuous efforts to weed out bad habits, avoid starting any new bad habits, cultivate good habits, and develop new good habits.
Lotus SeedsA Window and a Map
The Lotus Sutra provides us with a window to see other possibilities for our lives and it also provides us with a map that we can use to get to those other ways of being.
The Magic City: Studying the Lotus Sutra