Going through each of the senses and their karmic consequences – the sense faculty of sight, the sense faculty of hearing, the sense faculty of smell, the sense faculty of speech and the sense faculty of the body and mind – we continue with sense faculty of hearing.

The practitioner, having seen the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha, must then turn again to Universal Sage Bodhisattva, place his or her palms together, pay homage, and say:

“Great Teacher, teach me the way of self-amendment for my faults!”

Universal Sage will respond, saying:

“Throughout many kalpas, the function of your sense faculty of hearing has caused you to chase after and follow external sounds. When you hear wonderful sounds, your mind develops infatuation and attachment. When you hear unwholesome sounds, one hundred and eight kinds of delusive worldly passions arise to do you harm. Adverse conditions are the consequences reaped from such a dysfunctional ear, and your constant hearing of unwholesome sounds gives rise to numerous complications. Because you hear things contrary to reality, you fall into bitter conditions, or into faraway realms where there are wrong views and where the Dharma is not heard.

“You now internalize and keep faith with the Great Vehicle – the treasury of an ocean of beneficial effects. You see the buddhas in the ten directions by reason of this cause! The stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha appears to you as proof! Accordingly, you must express your errors and faults yourself, and amend yourself of impurities!”

Then, having heard these words, the practitioner must again place palms together, cast his or her body upon the ground, and speak thus:

“Fully Enlightened World-honored One! Manifest and bear witness for me that the comprehensive sutras are the core of mercy and compassion! May you commune with me and hear my words!

“Throughout many kalpas – up to my existence at this point – my sense faculty of hearing has caused me to become deluded and to become attached to the sounds I hear, just as glue adheres to straw. The poisons of delusive worldly passions are stirred up whenever I hear unwholesome sounds, and I become deluded and attached to them unceasingly everywhere. Being around these hollow sounds exhausts my mental functions, and I fall into the three unwholesome realms. My awareness of this is now awakened for the first time. I face the World-honored One to make acknowledgement and amend myself!”

See The Everyday Actions of Teachers of the Dharma

Going through each of the senses and their karmic consequences – the sense faculty of sight, the sense faculty of hearing, the sense faculty of smell, the sense faculty of speech and the sense faculty of the body and mind – we begin with the heavy impurities obstruct, cloak, defile, and cloud the sense faculty of sight.

Throughout innumerable existences, the function of your sense faculty of sight has caused you to yearn for and become attached to various kinds of forms. Because of your attachments to various forms, you are passionate about the smallest of matters. Because of your passions for the smallest of matters, your body is derived from a woman.22 Wherever you take birth, in life after life, you are attracted and attached to all kinds of forms. Forms spoil your eyes, and you become a slave to emotion and passion: forms thus make you23 wander throughout the three realms. Such impairment renders you blind, so that you can perceive nothing.

Now, take the comprehensive Great Vehicle sutras to heart! In these sutras it is taught that forms and embodiments of the buddhas of the ten directions never cease to exist: you must now be able to recognize whether or not this is true! The dysfunction of your sense faculty of sight does you great harm! Heed what we are saying: Take refuge in the buddhas and in Śākyamuni Buddha! Regarding the impurities and faults in your sense faculty of sight, say this:

“May I be cleansed and be made to become pure by means of the Dharma water of the profound insight24 of buddhas and bodhisattvas!”

After saying these words, the practitioner must pay homage to the buddhas of the ten directions and, directing his or her heart and mind toward Śākyamuni Buddha and the Great Vehicle sutras, speak again, saying:

“I now recognize that heavy impurities obstruct, cloak, defile, and cloud my sense faculty of sight: I am blinded and can perceive nothing! May the Buddha, with great mercy and compassion, protect me! O Bodhisattva Universal Sage – aboard the great ship of Dharma in company with countless bodhisattvas of the ten directions, universally ferrying all living beings: Out of compassion and sympathy for me, please accept my way of amending myself of the unwholesome and harmful encumbrances of my sense faculty of sight!”

The practitioner must say this three times, prostrate him- or herself on the ground, and maintain right mindfulness of the Great Vehicle, neither forgetting nor forsaking it. This is called the method of self-amendment regarding impurities of the sense faculty of sight.

One who calls upon the buddhas by name, burns incense, scatters flowers, generates a Great Vehicle consciousness, hangs banners, flags, and canopies, speaks to the faults and afflictions of the eye, and undertakes self-amendment for his or her impurities will behold Śākyamuni Buddha in this present world and innumerable buddhas emanated from him as well. He or she will not fall into bitter conditions for countless kalpas of time. Through the affirmation and the power of the Great Vehicle, such a person will constantly be among and accompany all of the bodhisattvas that possess Dharma-grasping empowerments. Producing such a focus of mind is the effecting of right mindfulness; focusing on other things is described as aberrant thought. This is said to be the condition of the first stage with regard to the sense faculty of sight.

See Buddha Dharma

As promised last month, I’m going to go through each of the senses and their karmic consequences – the sense faculty of sight, the sense faculty of hearing, the sense faculty of smell, the sense faculty of speech and the sense faculty of the body and mind – but before that I need to set the stage for the practitioner:

Emerging from the specialized focus of mind, the practitioner will perceive, in front of him- or herself, all the emanated buddhas sitting on lion seats beneath numerous jewel trees. He or she will also perceive soil of lapis lazuli, resembling clusters of lotus flowers, springing up from the space below the ground. Between each flower are untold countless numbers of bodhisattvas sitting in the lotus posture. The practitioner will also discern bodhisattvas emanated from Universal Sage giving praise to the Great Vehicle within their own assemblies.

Then, with one voice, the bodhisattvas will instruct the practitioner on the purification of the six sense faculties.

One instruction says: Be steadfastly mindful of the Buddha!
Another instruction says: Be steadfastly mindful of the Dharma!
Another says: Be steadfastly mindful of the Sangha!
Another says: Be steadfastly mindful of your attitude toward the behavioral principles!
Another says: Be steadfastly mindful to have consideration for others!
Another instruction says: Be steadfastly mindful that blissful conditions exist!

Becoming mindful in these six ways constitutes the aspiration for enlightenment and gives birth to bodhisattvas! Now, therefore, face the buddhas, avow your past wrongdoings, and sincerely undertake self-amendment!

See Little Gems of Stories

In reciting The Sutra of Contemplation of The Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva I was struck by a minor line early in the sutra:

“Hear me clearly! Hear me clearly, and consider this well! In the past, on Mount Vulture Peak and at other places, the Tathāgata has already expounded the one genuine path from many perspectives. And now, at this place, for the benefit of all living beings in the future who wish to follow the Supreme Way that is the Great Vehicle—and who wish to learn and follow the practice of Universal Sage,3 I will now expound the method4 for that, which I have kept in mind. Impurities, in any number, should be eliminated whether one perceives Universal Sage or not. This I will now explain to you, accordingly, in great detail.

This idea of one genuine path from many perspectives ties nicely with the Three-Fold Lotus Sutra.  Looking in book order, we have the Innumerable Meanings:

Seeing that conditioned desires are innumerable, the bodhisattva expounds the teachings in infinite ways. Because there are infinite ways of exposition, there are infinite meanings as well. The infinite meanings stem from a single dharma.

The Lotus Sutra follows with:

I know that all living beings have various desires. I also know that they have attachments deep in their minds. Therefore, I expound various teachings to them with stories of previous lives, parables, similes and discourses, that is to say, with various expedients according to their natures.

Śāriputra! I do all this for the purpose of causing them to realize the teaching of the One Buddha-Vehicle, that is, to obtain the knowledge of the equality and differences of all things. Śāriputra! There is not a second vehicle in the worlds of the ten quarters. How can there be a third?

And finally today’s reminder that what he have heard are many perspectives on the one genuine path.

From the morning portion of my recitation of The Sutra of Contemplation of The Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva I set aside this section:

At that moment there will be a bodhisattva mounted on a white, six-tusked king of elephants facing each of the ten directions, each bodhisattva equal to and no different than Universal Sage, and the ten directions will correspondingly be filled with innumerable and limitless manifested elephant forms. Through his wondrous capabilities, Universal Sage Bodhisattva enables a practitioner who has kept faith with the sutras to perceive all of this. Seeing the bodhisattvas at that moment, the practitioner’s body and mind will fill with joy, and he or she should then pay homage to them and address them, saying:

“Most merciful and compassionate ones: Out of sympathetic concern for me, expound the teachings for my benefit!”

When the practitioner says these words, the bodhisattvas will then speak in unison – each expounding the pure teachings found in the Great Vehicle sutras and reciting verses in praise of the practitioner. This is said as beginning the first stage of contemplating the bodhisattva Universal Sage.

Having perceived these things, the practitioner should then concentrate on the Great Vehicle unceasingly day and night. In dreams while sleeping, the practitioner will see Universal Sage expounding the teachings for his or her benefit, which will ease and comfort the practitioner’s mind exactly as though he or she were awake. Even so, the bodhisattva will say these words as well:

“In the parts you have taken to heart and kept, you have forgotten this phrase; you have made a mistake in this verse.”

Hearing Universal Sage Bodhisattva’s comments at such times, the practitioner will deeply grasp their meaning and objective and, without forgetting, will always keep them in memory. His or her mind will gradually increase in clarity as day after day passes in this way.

When I read this I smiled at the idea of a great Bodhisattva nicely reminding me, “In the parts you have taken to heart and kept, you have forgotten this phrase; you have made a mistake in this verse.” The reason for the smile was a recent revelation of an error I had made on this blog.

I’ll explain.

Last Sunday I left home early in order to set up the chairs and the altar for the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church service being held outside because of COVID-19 precautions. But when I arrived I was greeted by a puzzled Rev. Igarashi, who asked if I received his voicemail? Everything was already in place.

With no setup to do, Rev. Igarashi and I sat on the chairs and waited for others to arrive. I commented on the Mandala Gohonzon he had hung on the makeshift altar and he mentioned that it was one that he had received after completing his third aragyo training, the 100-day ascetic practice. This is the mandala he uses when he travels to Southern California to serve his members there.

Mention of the aragyo training reminded me of a longstanding question I had about the deities enshrined on the Sacramento church’s main altar.

I said to Rev. Igarashi, “I understand Kishimojin’s place since she appears in the Lotus Sutra. But what is Daikokuten’s role?”

“Daikoku,” he replied, “was established as a protector under Tendai Daishi and was adopted by Nichiren.”

I asked, “I understand you can install Kishimojin after the first 100-day aragyo practice. When can you install Daikokuten?”

“Daikoku,” he replied, “can be installed after the third aragyo.”

It was at this point that I realized that I was being gently corrected. Ever since I first added the Seven Happy Gods to my altar (see this post) I’ve been babbling on about Daikokuten.

“In the parts you have taken to heart and kept, you have forgotten this phrase; you have made a mistake in this verse.”

Yes. Daikokuten describes the God Daikoku, but the name is Daikoku. I searched for all references on my blog to Dailkokuten and replaced them with Daikoku.

And just for trivia purposes I’ll add that art history professor Donatella Failla has written, “Worship of Daikoku is said to have been introduced to Japan in the early ninth century by Saichō 最 澄 (767–822), and Daikoku assumed a role as one of the protective deities of the Tendai center on Mt. Hiei.”

Last month I mentioned the goal of practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, this month I was struck by the equality and differences in this.

Ānanda! When monks, nuns, laymen, laywomen, heavenly beings (devas), nāgas, others of the eight classes of ever-present guardian spirits, or any living beings are internalizing6 the Great Vehicle sutras, practicing in accordance with the Great Vehicle, aspiring to a Great Vehicle consciousness, and would be pleased to see an embodiment of the bodhisattva Universal Sage, take joy in seeing the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha, be happy to see Śākyamuni Buddha as well as buddhas that emanate from him, and be glad to achieve purification of the six sense faculties, they should learn this way of contemplation. Beneficial effects of this contemplation are the elimination of encumbrances and the perception of extraordinary and wondrous things.

As a result of resolutely internalizing and keeping faith with it, and wholeheartedly pursuing mastery of it, a practitioner will become continuously conscious of the Great Vehicle without immersion into a specialized focus of mind, and he or she will gain perception of Universal Sage within the course of one to three-times-seven days. A practitioner who has great encumbrances will gain perception of him after seven-times-seven days have passed. A practitioner with greater encumbrances will gain perception after one more rebirth, and a practitioner with yet more serious encumbrances will gain perception after two more rebirths. Further, a practitioner with even graver encumbrances will gain perception after three more rebirths. Karmic consequences differ like this—that is why there are variations in my ways of explanation.

It is fitting that the closing sutra of the Threefold Lotus Sutra reminds us that the promises made will reward everyone. We are all equal. It is the encumbrances of our past karma that create the illusion of differences in individual rewards. This is markedly underscored in Chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra in the discussion of The Variety of Merits received by those who had heard from the Buddha that the duration of his life was so many kalpas.

In my morning reading of The Sutra of Contemplation of The Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva I was struck by the stated goal of this practice:

“World-honored One! After you have passed away, O Tathāgata, how do living beings produce the bodhisattva mind, practice in accordance with the comprehensive sutras of the Great Vehicle (Mahayana), and, with right mindfulness, bring their thoughts into the realm of one reality? How do they avoid losing sight of the aspiration for ultimate enlightenment (bodhicitta)? Moreover, without cutting off worldly passions and without abandoning the five desires, how do they achieve purity of the sense faculties and eliminate accumulated impurities? Without giving up the five desires, how can they still become capable of seeing events and things free from encumbrance with the pure natural eyes received from their parents at birth?”

Underscore: Without giving up the five desires, how can they still become capable of seeing events and things free from encumbrance with the pure natural eyes received from their parents at birth?

Keeping this in mind during my evening service, I was struck by the gāthās summarizing the impact of the impurities of the senses:

Then, expounding further, the World-honored One spoke in verse:

“When the sense faculty of sight is corrupted
By karmic encumbrances that make it impure,
You must resolutely internalize the Great Vehicle
And ponder its ultimate principle!
This is called doing self-amendment for the eye
To bring unwholesome karmic influences to an end.
The sense faculty of hearing gives ear to disruptive sounds
And spoils your sense of accord.
Because such confusion occurs,
You become just like a foolish monkey.
You must resolutely internalize the Great Vehicle
And contemplate the emptiness and formlessness of all things!
You will lastingly bring an end to unwholesomeness
And hear in all ten directions with a celestial ear!
The sense faculty of smell has attachments to scents
And, so affected, drives you to make contacts.
The nose is thus crazed and seduced,
And, so affected, begets impure perceptions.
When you internalize the Great Vehicle sutras
And contemplate the true reality of all things,
You will lastingly part from harmful karmic actions
And, in lives to come, not produce them again!
The sense faculty of speech promotes the five wrong views29–
An unwholesome karmic cause resulting from the wanton use of words.
When you aspire to effect self-control,
Diligently foster a heart of compassion!
Reflect on how the tranquil true reality of all phenomena
Has no aspects for you to discern!
The sense faculty of the mind, just as a monkey,
Takes not even one moment of rest.
When you aspire to govern it,
You must diligently internalize the Great Vehicle!
Focus on the buddhas – on their fully awakened embodiments,
With the capabilities and dauntlessness they have achieved!
The material body, the agency of actions,
Behaves like dust blown about by the wind:
Six thieves have their way within it–
Without limit and free from control.
When you aspire to end this inferior condition,
To lastingly part from overwhelming desires,
To abide always in the city of nirvana,
And to be serene and have a calm mind,
You must internalize the Great Vehicle sutras
And turn your mind to the mother of bodhisattvas!
Countless surpassing skillful means are gained
By reflecting on the true reality of all things.
These six ways
Are thus named the governing of the six sense faculties.
The ocean of all karmic encumbrances
Is produced by deluded perceptions.
When you aspire to amend yourself of them,
Focus on the true reality of all phenomena while sitting upright and properly!
All impurities, like frost and dew,
Can be dispelled by wisdom’s sun;
Accordingly, with utmost dedication,
Do self-amendment for the six sense faculties!”

Underscore: All impurities, like frost and dew,
Can be dispelled by wisdom’s sun;

See Meaning Behind the Symbolism

Text of the Contemplation of Universal Sage

Walking slowly and with quiet purpose, raining numerous jewel-like flowers, the procession will pass before the practitioner. The elephant will open its mouth, and the exquisite maidens in the pools at the tips of its tusks will sing and strum pleasant music, their sublime voices lauding the one genuine path of the Great Vehicle. Feeling both joy and reverence after perceiving this, the practitioner should further internalize and recite the extremely profound sutras, pay homage to all of the innumerable buddhas respectively in the ten directions, pay homage to the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha and to Śākyamuni, likewise pay homage to Universal Sage and the various eminent bodhisattvas, and speak aloud this declaration:

“If I am worthy of seeing Universal Sage as a happy result of past actions, I petition you, O Universally Virtuous One, to show me your body and form!”

Having made this appeal, the practitioner must pay homage to the buddhas of the ten directions at the six specified times of day and night, and must practice ways of self-amendment: internalize the Great Vehicle sutras, recite the Great Vehicle sutras, reflect on the Great Vehicle’s principle, be mindful of the Great Vehicle’s application, revere and render service to those who keep faith with the Great Vehicle, regard all people in the same manner as buddhas would regard them, and regard each living thing in the same manner as would a mother or father.

When I read this in the morning, the final part of this quoted section reminded me of my discussion earlier about Practicing the Lotus Sutra. Here explicitly is outlined what it means to practice:

Internalize the Great Vehicle sutras, recite the Great Vehicle sutras, reflect on the Great Vehicle’s principle, be mindful of the Great Vehicle’s application, revere and render service to those who keep faith with the Great Vehicle, regard all people in the same manner as buddhas would regard them, and regard each living thing in the same manner as would a mother or father.

See A Great Encouragement to Us in the Age of Degeneration