Chanting Growers Group

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Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (39)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (39)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

A Seeking Attitude Makes Our Lives Shine

Shu ken ga metsu-do. Ko kuyo shari. Gen kai e renbo. Ni sho katsu-go shin. Shujo ki shin-buku. Shichi-jiki i nyunan. Isshin yokken butsu. Fu ji shaku shinmyo. Ji ga gyu shuso. Ku shutsu ryojusen.

When the multitude see that I have passed into extinction,
far and wide they offer alms to my relics.
All harbor thoughts of yearning
and in their minds thirst to gaze at me.
When living beings have become truly faithful,
honest and upright, gentle in intent,
single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha,
not hesitating even if it costs them their lives,
then I and the assembly of monks
appear together on Holy Eagle Peak. (LS16, 229-30)

In working on this lecture, I composed this verse:

Each morning and evening,
reciting the "Hoben"
and "Juryo" chapters,
we luxuriate in
the song of the universe.

Gongyo, in the morning and evening, is a ceremony fusing the microcosm of our own lives in choral melody with the macrocosm of the universe. The sound of the Mystic Law, the sound of voices chanting daimoku, is the song of the universe.

Each morning and evening we immerse ourselves in the symphony of the Mystic Law that resounds throughout the universe. The Buddhas, bodhisattvas and Buddhist gods existing over the three existences and in the ten directions shower us with their praise and protection. With great conviction in this, I hope each of you will lead a thoroughly joyous and cheerful existence. This is my ardent wish.

As I mentioned last time (Feb. 16 World Tribune), we who dedicate ourselves to kosen-rufu are always together with the Buddha. In an age that for many could be called a "lonely hell," we are following an unparalleled path of peace and tranquillity, and of eternal joy.

Moreover, there are now friends, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, in every part of the world. There are comrades everywhere who share our heartfelt aspirations. Truly, we lead the most noble and wonderful lives.

We who dedicate our lives to this unsurpassed path can encounter the noble Buddha at any time and in any place. From the sutra passage we are studying this time, we gain a still deeper understanding of this point.

The Spirit of Yearning for the Buddha

From the Buddha's perspective, nirvana is an expedient means. In truth, the Buddha is always at our sides. People have a hard time grasping this truth. But when the Buddha dies, they develop a seeking spirit for --- they yearn for and thirst to gaze upon --- the Buddha.

Having sought to quell people's worries by saying, "As an expedient means I appear to enter nirvana" (LS 16, 229), and thus revealing the meaning of his death, the Buddha now offers profoundly merciful words.

He says in effect: "After I die, people will make offerings to my relics and thirst to see me. Someone who arouses an earnest seeking mind for the Buddha can meet me without fail. I will appear here on Eagle Peak with many disciples." These words abundantly convey the Buddha's spirit of concern for all those in the world after his passing.

The relationship between a Buddha and his disciples is not limited to a single lifetime. Fundamentally, the mentor-disciple relationship is maintained eternally over the three existences of past, present and future. I am always together with President Toda. This I understand from having struggled as I have.

Although the Buddha is close at hand, we cannot sense our connection with the Buddha if we just idly sit around. This passage of the sutra concretely elucidates the attitude we need to have toward the Buddha.

In the first place, it says "far and wide they offer alms to my relics." This should not be taken as encouragement to make offerings to relics in a literal sense. Rather, it teaches the importance of having a direct connection in faith with the Buddha.

The highest offering to the Buddha is not to worship something reminiscent of the Buddha. Rather, it is to inherit the Buddha's spirit. In other words, the highest offering lies in struggling to manifest --- as one's own spirit --- even a part of the spirit of the Buddha, who upheld the philosophy that everyone is a Buddha and tirelessly strove to save all from suffering.

Shakyamuni's spirit is embodied in the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin's spirit is embodied in the Three Great Secret Laws and the great undertaking of kosen-rufu to lead all people to happiness. For us today, "far and wide they offer alms to my relics" means chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon and developing activities for kosen-rufu.

Faith ultimately means wholeheartedly devoting oneself to the Gohonzon and arousing a spirit of yearning for and thirsting to gaze upon the Gohonzon.

In a letter to Myoichi-ama, Nichiren Daishonin writes:
What we call faith is nothing extraordinary. As a woman cherishes her husband, as a man will give his life for his wife, as parents will not abandon their children, or as a child refuses to leave his mother, so should we put our trust in the Lotus Sutra [the Gohonzon]... and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what is meant by faith. (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 5, p. 303)

The love between husband and wife or parent and child is an expression of unadorned humanity, of the pure human heart.

It may be that in the present age even such love has become weak and diluted. No matter how much honor or wealth someone may have, if the person loses touch with human affection he or she becomes miserable. There is no greater anguish.

Myoichi-ama, the recipient of this letter, was a woman who most highly treasured this spirit the Daishonin is talking about. While the circumstances she faced were severe, she possessed immense inner wealth. Moreover, for Myoichi-ama these words of the Daishonin were more than simply metaphor.

Amid the whirlwind of attacks against the Daishonin's followers that accompanied the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and the Sado Exile, Myoichi-ama and her husband steadfastly maintained their faith. They suffered various hardships on account of their faith in the Lotus Sutra, including that of having their fief confiscated. Moreover, Myoichi-ama's husband died before word could reach them of the Daishonin having been pardoned from exile. She also had sick children, and was herself in poor health.

Still, she fought heroically, keeping alive the flame of faith and practicing for both herself and her late husband. While her life was difficult, she sent her own laborers to work for the Daishonin at Sado and at Minobu. She fought hard, with the message of hope she received from the Daishonin sustaining her spirits: "Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, which never fails to turn into spring" (MW-1, 150).

The Daishonin also wrote her these words of encouragement:
Your husband gave his life for the Lotus Sutra.... Therefore he will certainly receive blessings as great as theirs [Sessen Doji and Bodhisattva Yakuo]. He may be watching his wife and children in the mirrors of the sun and the moon every moment of the day and night. Since you and your children are common mortals, you cannot see or hear him.... But do not doubt that he is close at hand protecting you. (MW-1, 150-51)

What courage and strength these words must have given Myoichi-ama!

The most miserable person deserves to become the happiest. This is Buddhism. This is the Daishonin's spirit.

The Gosho I quoted earlier, which begins with "What we call faith is nothing extraordinary," was sent to Myoichi-ama after she had continued her difficult struggle for as long as seven years without retreating a step.

Myoichi-ama had struggled hard enough for both herself and her late husband, and she had succeeded in splendidly raising her children. The Daishonin encouraged her to pray to the Gohonzon and chant daimoku with the same love and affection she felt toward her deceased husband and toward her children. This, he told her, is faith.

The ultimate meaning of faith is difficult to understand-and yet at the same time quite simple. Put succinctly, it is to maintain a seeking mind toward --- and not to forget --- the Gohonzon, no matter what our circumstances. When we seek the Buddha with an honest and pure spirit --- like that of a child in search of his or her mother calling "Mommy!" or a mother embracing her child --- a palace of indestructible happiness arises in our hearts.

By contrast, someone who has deep doubts, and lives as though behind a smoke screen, will be utterly incapable of connecting in faith with the great life of the Buddha. This is what the jigage teaches. Faith means yearning for and thirsting to see the Buddha. It is to be "honest and upright, gentle in intent"; to be thoroughly honest and gentle in one's spirit toward the Buddha, toward the Gohonzon. We must not have the rigid attitude of those whose hearts are callous and closed.

The Object of Worship of Faith

The sutra passage further indicates the proper attitude we should have in faith where it says "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives."

This is the attitude of wishing from the bottom of our hearts to see the Buddha, even at the cost of our own lives. When we practice unstintingly with such honest faith, such a seeking mind, the Buddha appears together with his many disciples at Eagle Peak. In other words, we can then see the Buddha at any time.

President Toda once lectured on this passage as follows:
When the Buddha solemnly manifests in our lives, we are undoubtedly free of all misery. In other words, when we worship the Gohonzon --- even though we may not be aware of it --- the Gohonzon appears within us. Our bodies become Eagle Peak. And the power of the Dai-Gohonzon, that is, the power of the Daishonin, fills our lives.

Those who practice with the attitude of "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives" can definitely attain the state of life indicated by "I and the assembly of monks appear together on Holy Eagle Peak."

These two passages are joined by the word then. What this reveals is that when our hearts are firmly set on "seeing the Buddha," then, at that time, we are unfailingly embraced in the Buddha's immense compassion.

Then here does not mean "eventually" or "in the future." It indicates the attainment of Buddhahood through the principle of "embracing the Law is itself enlightenment." When we stand up with strong faith in the Gohonzon, then --- at that time, at that very instant --- the life of the Buddha wells forth in our own lives. And the place where we are becomes Eagle Peak, the Buddha land, the place where the Buddha dwells.

Nichikan Shonin says:
When one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in this Gohonzon, one's life immediately becomes the object of worship of ichinen sanzen; it becomes the life of Nichiren Daishonin. (l)

The life of the Gohonzon, the life of Nichiren Daishonin, instantaneously manifests in our lives. There is no greater benefit than this.

Everyone, without exception, possesses in their hearts the supreme hidden treasure of Buddhahood. The "heart of the Lotus Sutra" is found in such equality. And the "heart of the Daishonin" has made it actually possible for all people of the Latter Day of the Law to open the "box" holding this treasure. The key to opening this box is the faith of "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha" and the practice of "not hesitating even if it costs them their lives." In other words, the basis for attaining enlightenment is a sincere seeking mind and an earnest practice.

However, "not hesitating even if it costs them their lives" naturally does not suggest any devaluation of life. To view life lightly goes against the spirit of the Lotus Sutra. The true meaning of this passage is that we should overcome, without hesitation, the ego that attaches to the lesser self and base our lives instead on the truly dignified and majestic greater self.

The true meaning of "not hesitating even if it costs them their lives" is to struggle to realize one's fullest potential, all the while dwelling in the real, mundane world, steadfastly basing oneself on the Mystic Law.

There is no limit to the extent to which we who uphold faith in the Mystic Law can expand or enrich our lives when we practice with this spirit. Toward this end, it is important in our practice of faith that we not hesitate to forgo the lesser self's demands. The Mystic Law enables us to lead the fullest and most brilliant of lives. The whole point of practicing this Buddhism is to ensure that we never find ourselves deadlocked in misery.

The Gohonzon is a "cluster of benefits"; it contains within it every kind of benefit. Our hearts, our faith, our practice hold the key to the benefit of the entire universe. The true "object of worship for observing one's mind" is the object of worship of faith. Nothing is greater than faith.

Therefore, a person of strong faith and seeking mind shines. The life of such a person itself becomes a jewel. This is the benefit of the Daishonin's Buddhism.

As I have mentioned before, the jigage is a song praising the greater self. You yourself --- your own mind --- opens the object of worship within your life. Therefore, as long as you possess an unshakable mind of faith, you can construct a dignified self and become like a great mountain that no storm can budge.

As the Daishonin says, "Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (MW-1, 161). True faith, to truly uphold the Mystic Law, means to persevere in our practice in times of both suffering and joy.


Notes:

1. From Nichikan Shonin's Kanjin no honzon sho mondan (Exegesis on "The True Object of Worship").

 

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Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (40)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (40)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

Sun of Eternal Joy, Arise Above the Sea of Suffering!

Once again we commemorate Feb. 11, the birthday of my mentor, Josei Toda. Every year when this day comes around, my heart leaps. The anniversary of President Toda's birth is now celebrated by people throughout Japan and around the world. Knowing this gives me great joy.

Of particular significance, this is the 50th year since President Toda began lecturing after the war on the Lotus Sutra. President Toda's lectures have constantly been on my mind. And I have composed each of the installments in this series out of the desire to pass on to future generations my mentor's lectures, which were profound and lucid, which resounded with his love of humanity.

Through these lectures, people throughout the world have had a new opportunity to study President Toda's limitlessly profound guidance of wisdom and conviction. Inspiration and determination are spreading. This is the greatest celebration of President Toda's birth. I feel as though I can see President Toda smiling broadly on Eagle Peak.

Speaking of Eagle Peak, in the previous lecture (Feb. 16 World Tribune) we studied the passage of the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter that reads:

[When living beings have become truly faithful,
honest and upright, gentle in intent,]
single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha,
not hesitating even if it costs them their lives,
then I and the assembly of monks
appear together on Holy Eagle Peak. (LS16, 230)

This passage reveals the key to attaining Buddhahood for people in the Latter Day of the Law. President Toda's enlightenment in prison, which became the prime point of the Soka Gakkai's development in the postwar period, means he read this passage of the jigage with his own life.

In this lecture, we will discuss on a still deeper level the meaning of these lines from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism.

The Solemn Assembly on Eagle Peak Has Not Yet Disbanded

As I have already mentioned, the jigage is a poem or song calling out to the people in the world after Shakyamuni's passing, and especially to those of the Latter Day. And within the jigage, the above passage in particular reveals the key for people of the Latter Day to attain Buddhahood.

That key is contained in the word single-mindedly. Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism elucidates and makes available the secret of single-mindedly to all people of the Latter Day in the form of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws.

Thus, in the "Letter to Gijobo," the Daishonin says:
The Jigage section of the chapter states, "... single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives..." I, Nichiren, have called forth Buddhahood from within my life by living this sentence. This means that I myself embodied the Three Great Secret Laws, or the reality of the three thousand realms in a single moment of life, implied in the Juryo chapter. (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2 [2nd ed.], 205)

He then clarifies the implicit meaning of single-mindedly by saying, "'Single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha' also means to see the Buddha in one's own mind, to concentrate one's mind on seeing the Buddha, and that to see one's own mind is to see the Buddha" (MW-2 [2nd ed.], 205).

The Daishonin interprets "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha" as meaning: "to see one's own mind is to see the Buddha." He thus indicates that the "mind of an ordinary person who seeks the Buddha" itself becomes and manifests the "mind of the Buddha." The Daishonin says that to perceive Buddhahood within one's own mind is to attain the effect of the Buddha eternally endowed with the three enlightened properties.

Herein lies the most profound secret of life. In this mind of faith, the ordinary person is a Buddha embodying the mystic principles of the mutual possession of the ten worlds and the reality of a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms.

For all of us in the Latter Day, the Daishonin manifested as the Gohonzon the "mind of the Buddha" and the "effect of the Buddha eternally endowed with the three enlightened properties" that he possessed in his own life. In the Latter Day, the Buddha whom we should seek single-mindedly is none other than the Gohonzon.

Accordingly, the lines that follow, "then I and the assembly of monks / appear together on Holy Eagle Peak," explain the appearance of the Gohonzon. This is clarified in the "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings": "The Gohonzon is the realization and manifestation of this passage" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 575).

The ceremony at Eagle Peak in the Lotus Sutra is a ceremony of life that reveals the world of Buddhahood existing in Shakyamuni's own heart. It reveals the life of the Buddha that is as vast as the universe.

In this passage, "I" indicates Shakyamuni or the world of Buddhahood; "the assembly of monks" refers to the bodhisattvas and people of the two vehicles; and "together" means all beings of the ten worlds. In short, the ceremony at Eagle Peak reveals the life of the Buddha embodying the mystic principles of the mutual possession of the ten worlds and a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms.

The Daishonin depicted the ceremony at Eagle Peak (i.e., the Ceremony in the Air); he manifested the world of Buddhahood existing in his life --- the life of the Buddha eternally endowed with the three enlightened properties --- in the form of the Gohonzon.

Therefore, the Daishonin says, "This passage refers to the assembly on the Holy Peak that continues in solemn state and has not yet disbanded" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 757). In other words, the ceremony at Eagle Peak is still being solemnly conducted and has not ended.

The Daishonin also says:
Wherever we dwell and practice the single vehicle, that place will be the capital of Eternally Tranquil Light. And, without having to advance a step, those who are our disciples and lay supporters can view Eagle Peak in India and day and night will go to and from the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light that has existed for all time. (MW-7, 27)

When we chant daimoku to the Gohonzon, we are taking our places at the solemn ceremony of the assembly at Eagle Peak. When we earnestly chant daimoku, the Eagle Peak in our hearts comes to brilliantly illuminate our lives. Our existence itself becomes the Ceremony in the Air. Our daily activities become in every respect the conduct of persons gathered at Eagle Peak. How wondrous!

Also, broadly speaking, it could be said that the SGI --- whose members, as followers of Nichiren Daishonin, are advancing toward kosen-rufu in the unity of many in body, one in mind --- itself represents "the assembly on the Holy Peak that continues in solemn state and has not yet disbanded."

While incarcerated during the war, President Toda had an experience in which he perceived himself at the Lotus Sutra's Ceremony in the Air as a Bodhisattva of the Earth. In other words, he experienced with his own life participating in "the assembly on the Holy Peak that continues in solemn state and has not yet disbanded." And President Toda's realization at that time of his mission as a Bodhisattva of the Earth became the prime point of the Soka Gakkai's development in the postwar era.

After President Toda's death, Nichijun Shonin, hearing us vow to advance one in mind toward the realization of kosen-rufu, said: "It seems to me that this body [the Soka Gakkai] truly represents 'the assembly on the Holy Peak that continues in solemn state and has not yet disbanded.' To put it another way, this body is the true pure land of Eagle Peak. It is the Buddha's great gathering, and as such commands my deepest respect."

The SGI is truly a sublime gathering of the Buddha's children. It is itself "the assembly on the Holy Peak that continues in solemn state and has not yet disbanded." The SGI is a gathering of Bodhisattvas of the Earth who, just as in the ceremony on Eagle Peak, have appeared in order to lead all people of the Latter Day to enlightenment and so fulfill their eternal vow. We are eternal comrades advancing together over the three existences toward kosen-rufu.

Ga ji go shujo.
Jo zai shi fu-metsu.
I ho-ben-rikko.
Gen u metsu fumetsu.
Yo-koku u shujo.
Kugyo shingyo sha.
Ga bu o hi chu.
I setsu mujo ho.
Nyoto fu mon shi.
Tan ni ga metsu-do.
Ga ken sho shujo.
Motsu-zai o kukai.
Ko fu i gen shin.
Ryo go sho katsugo.
In go shin renbo.
Nai shutsu i seppo.

At that time I tell the living beings
that I am always here, never entering extinction,
but that because of the power of an expedient means
at times I appear to be extinct, at other times not,
and that if there are living beings in other lands
who are reverent and sincere in their wish to believe,
then among them too I will preach the unsurpassed Law.
But you have not heard of this,
so you suppose that I enter extinction.
When I look at living beings
I see them drowned in a sea of suffering;
therefore I do not show myself,
causing them to thirst for me.
Then when their minds are filled with yearning,
at last I appear and preach the Law for them. (LS16, 230)

The Buddha Is like a Sun among the People

The Buddha is like a sun among the people.

The Buddha appears wherever people with seeking minds may be, and illuminates their lives with a sun-like brilliance.

One of Shakyamuni's disciples composed a poem praising the greatness of his mentor: "Behold the brilliance of the Great One! Does he not shine like the sun in the sky?"

The sun is always solemnly shining, even though at times it may be obscured by clouds and not visible from Earth. The Buddha, likewise, is always present in the world. "I am always here, never entering extinction" --- this describes the true aspect of the Buddha's life.

But if the Buddha were to remain constantly at people's sides, they would become utterly dependent on him. And so, to cause his disciples to become self-reliant, Shakyamuni, employing the "power of an expedient means," "at times appears to be extinct, at other times not." That is, he gives the appearance of sometimes dying, sometimes living.

Just because the sun is obscured by dark clouds in one place does not mean it is hidden from sight in another. "Other lands" in this passage indicates that the sunlight of the Buddha's compassion shines also on other worlds.

"If there are living beings in other lands who are reverent and sincere in their wish to believe, then among them too I will preach the unsurpassed Law." This indicates that the Buddha appears and expounds the unsurpassed Law where there are people who sincerely believe in him --- wherever they may be.

In terms of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the Buddha who is always here in the world and never enters extinction is the Gohonzon, or the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Thus Come One. The unsurpassed Law that this eternal Buddha expounds is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. When we chant daimoku with unhesitant faith, our voices, just as they are, become the voice of the Buddha who is always here expounding the unsurpassed Law. Through, for example, relating actual proof of benefit, this "voice of the Buddha" teaches us the unsurpassed power of the Mystic Law.

"I see them drowned in a sea of suffering" means that the great light of the Buddha's compassion shines upon all those whose lives are submerged in suffering. The Buddhist Law radiantly illuminates society --- which is a sea of suffering --- with the light of the sun of eternal joy.

In lecturing on the "Life Span" chapter, President Toda said:
At least among those active as adult members of society, there is probably no one who today could unequivocally and sincerely say that life in the real world is "joyful." True joy in life is not merely a matter of having money or good health; it is a state where joy wells forth from the very depths of one's being.

President Toda's prayer was for all members to attain the state of absolute happiness in which living is itself a great joy.

The Buddha's prayer is for all people to develop the same state of life he possesses. And the Lotus Sutra is the scripture in which he reveals the path to this end. "I want each of you to become a sun-like existence just like me": This is Shakyamuni's spirit as expressed in the "Life Span" chapter.

Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is the teaching that enables each person to become a "sun." It reveals the great path to true self-reliance.

The Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin (1799-1837) sings:

Before the bright dawn, even so
Shall flicker and die every sophistry jaded
At reason's unperishing spark.
Salute to the sunrise, and vanish the dark! (1)

Life is not all sunshine. There are cloudy days, and days that are cold and wet. There are times when we are chilled to the bone by blowing snow.

But at all times, and no matter what happens, let us dauntlessly advance with the sun in our hearts ever brilliantly blazing. Even in the coldest months of winter, the sunlight of spring is definitely drawing near. And with the arrival of spring, even the thickest walls of ice melt away, turning into water that moistens the earth, producing the floral pageantry of spring.


Notes:

1. Pushkin Threefold: Narrative, Lyric, Polemic, and Ribald Verse, trans. Walter Arndt (New York: E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc., 1972), p. 20.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

What we call faith is nothing extraordinary. As a woman cherishes her husband, as a man will give his life for his wife, as parents will not abandon their children, or as a child refuses to leave his mother, so should we put our trust in the Lotus Sutra [the Gohonzon]... and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what is meant by faith. (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 5, p. 303)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nichikan Shonin says:
When one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in this Gohonzon, one's life immediately becomes the object of worship of ichinen sanzen; it becomes the life of Nichiren Daishonin. (l)

The life of the Gohonzon, the life of Nichiren Daishonin, instantaneously manifests in our lives. There is no greater benefit than this.

Everyone, without exception, possesses in their hearts the supreme hidden treasure of Buddhahood. The "heart of the Lotus Sutra" is found in such equality. And the "heart of the Daishonin" has made it actually possible for all people of the Latter Day of the Law to open the "box" holding this treasure. The key to opening this box is the faith of "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha" and the practice of "not hesitating even if it costs them their lives." In other words, the basis for attaining enlightenment is a sincere seeking mind and an earnest practice.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The ultimate meaning of faith is difficult to understand-and yet at the same time quite simple. Put succinctly, it is to maintain a seeking mind toward --- and not to forget --- the Gohonzon, no matter what our circumstances. When we seek the Buddha with an honest and pure spirit --- like that of a child in search of his or her mother calling "Mommy!" or a mother embracing her child --- a palace of indestructible happiness arises in our hearts.

By contrast, someone who has deep doubts, and lives as though behind a smoke screen, will be utterly incapable of connecting in faith with the great life of the Buddha. This is what the jigage teaches. Faith means yearning for and thirsting to see the Buddha. It is to be "honest and upright, gentle in intent"; to be thoroughly honest and gentle in one's spirit toward the Buddha, toward the Gohonzon. We must not have the rigid attitude of those whose hearts are callous and closed.

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo !!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Positive and Negative
Relationship with the LAW

When you first encountered Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, what was your response? Did you happily accept most of what you heard and join the SGI right away? Or did you knit your brows in disbelief? Were you born into the practice? If so, you probably didn’t make conscious decisions about practicing until you were much older. Perhaps you accept what you have heard about this Buddhism but choose to support the SGI without becoming a member. Whatever the circumstances that led us to where we are, there is no doubt that we all have a deep connection with the Daishonin’s teaching based on the Lotus Sutra.

The Daishonin always encouraged his followers to introduce others to this practice. Most of us have done that with various levels of success. Some people understand and accept Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism right away, while others oppose it or even disparage it. Introducing others to Buddhism sows the seed for their future happiness, even if they don’t take faith now or not at all in this lifetime. According to the attitude people take when they first encounter the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, they can form either a positive relationship or a negative relationship with it.

The Lotus Sutra enables those who have a connection with it to attain Buddhahood, even if that connection might not be considered positive. In “Persecution by Sword and Staff,” the Daishonin recounts the story of a woman in India who, in a fit of rage toward her husband, trampled the Lotus Sutra that he had been studying. She later died and fell into hell interesting to note that her feet did not. The Daishonin goes on to say, “Though the wardens of hell tried to force them down by beating them with iron staves, her feet remained outside of hell as a result of the relationship, albeit a reverse one, that they had formed with the Lotus Sutra” (WND, 962). The benefit of your relationship with the Lotus Sutra lies in the fact that you will most certainly attain Buddhahood in the future, regardless of what kind of relationship you have.

There is an all-encompassing compassion in this principle. All people possess a Buddha nature, and the important thing is that the Lotus Sutra is a catalyst for bringing it out. Relating to the Lotus Sutra in any way is a good cause for enlightenment. Simply hearing a teaching is enough to lead us in that direction.

The “Devadatta” chapter of the Lotus Sutra perfectly elucidates this principle. Devadatta was a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha who was extremely jealous of him. He tried to kill Shakyamuni by setting wild elephants loose, and attempting to roll a boulder on him. He also spent much of his life creating a rift in the Buddhist Order and trying to destroy the community of Buddhists. Despite this, Shakyamuni predicts in the Lotus Sutra that Devadatta will most certainly attain enlightenment. Shakyamuni was very strict with Devadatta, but imagine the enormous compassion it takes to see the Buddha nature in someone who is trying to kill you. Further, the Daishonin says: “Whether by following it or opposing it, they will attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra. This is the message of the ‘Devadatta’ chapter” (WND, 964).

This principle is further expounded in the “Bodhisattva Never Disparaging” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging goes among the pole and vows to everyone he meets that they will attain Buddhahood. However, the people respond to him with hostility. They throw stones at him and try to beat him with sticks. Despite these attacks, he continues to tell the people, “I would never dare disparage you, because you are all certain to attain Buddhahood!” (LS20, 267). Because of this determination to respect all people, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging later attains enlightenment and leads everyone he comes in contact with one the same path.

There are two lessons we can take from “Bodhisattva Never Disparaging.” First, we should understand that bodhisattva practices hold the key to our happiness. If we want to bring out our innate Buddha nature, we must see that same potential in others as well and help them bring it out. The next lesson is that no matter how a person responds to the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, you have nevertheless sown the seed of their happiness, and he or she will become enlightened. It is as the Daishonin says in “Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light”: “It is because the Lotus Sutra saves those who oppose it as well as those who follow it. This is the blessing of the single character myo, or mystic” (WND, 457-58).

Some of us probably know people who have had a negative relationship with the Daishonin’s Buddhism. They could be friends, coworkers, spouses, parents or children. They may have been abusive toward us because of our practice. Even though we might have encountered a painful situation, our compassion for these people allows us to continue our bodhisattva practices. If someone has an incorrect notion about our faith or is critical of it, it is nevertheless important to have genuine dialogue with them. Doing so is a practice of compassion and our friends and family will blossom as a result. In many cases, these are the people who end up joining the SGI or becoming a supporter.

What is important is to speak the truth of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, the truth of people’s Buddha nature. It is important to dialogue with those in opposition to the practice, warmly encouraging them at times and strictly pointing out their mistaken views at other times.

We need not be overly concerned when one shows a negative relationship. When we speak with respect for everyone’s innate Buddhahood--no matter how indifferent they are--the Buddhahood in their lives appreciates our efforts and will respond accordingly.

Living Buddhism
December 2000
Page 6
By Alexis Trass, staff writer, based partly on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Soka Gakkai

Soka Gakkai

"Value-Creating Society." A Buddhist lay organization founded in Japan on November 18, 1930, by Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944), who became its first president, and his disciple, Josei Toda (1900-1958), later its second president. Makiguchi was an educator and scholar who had been developing an original pedagogical philosophy gleaned from his long experience as a teacher and elementary school principal. He regarded the creation of values that are conducive to a happy life as the purpose of education. In 1928 he encountered the teachings of Nichiren (1222-1282) and the Lotus Sutra and found in them resonance with his philosophy of value. In June of that year he converted to Nichiren Shoshu, one of the Nichiren schools.

Toda, also an educator, quickly followed his mentor in conversion. Makiguchi made the Lotus Sutra the foundation of his philosophy of education and wrote The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy, which Toda published. The publisher of the work was listed as the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai (Value-Creating Education Society) by the two educators, and its publication date, November 18, 1930, is regarded as the founding date of the Soka Gakkai. At that time, the group consisted principally of teachers and educators interested in Makiguchi's educational theories and practice.

Although the society met informally, it was not until 1937 that its inaugural ceremony was held in Tokyo with more than sixty attending. At its first general meeting, in December 1939, Makiguchi was named president of the society and Toda general director. Three hundred to four hundred members gathered at the second general meeting in 1940. By this time, Makiguchi was focusing his attention on Buddhism, specifically the teachings and practice of Nichiren, as a means for leading a life of the highest values and greatest good. He conducted discussion meetings at which members talked about the results of their Buddhist faith and practice, which he referred to as experimental evidence of its efficacy. The membership of the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai increased to some three thousand by the early 1940s.

By the 1930s, Japan was following the path of militarism, pursuing a war with China, and finally, in 1941, sparking the Pacific War with its attack on Pearl Harbor. To unite and rally the people for the war effort, the militarist government had adopted Shinto as the state religion as well as various measures to restrict freedom of thought, expression, and religion. In line with this, the government ordered all religious denominations to enshrine Shinto talismans in their places of worship, and private citizens to do so in their homes. People were required to worship the Sun Goddess, the legendary progenitor of the imperial line. Makiguchi refused such Shinto worship as contradictory to Nichiren's teachings. This led to his being detained by police in May 1943 for a week.

The following month, Soka Kyoiku Gakkai leaders were summoned to Taiseki-ji, the head temple of Nichiren Shoshu. Not only did the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood submit to the government demand but its administrators also suggested in the presence of its chief priest that Soka Kyoiku Gakkai members also accept the Shinto talisman. President Makiguchi refused to comply on the grounds that this would violate the teachings of Nichiren and his successor, Nikko. The priesthood's response to this was virtually to expel them from Nichiren Shoshu by barring them from visiting Taiseki-ji on pilgrimage.

In July 1943, charged with violation of the Peace Preservation Law of 1925, and with lese majesty against the emperor, Makiguchi and Toda were arrested and imprisoned; subsequently, nineteen other leaders of the organization were rounded up and imprisoned. Makiguchi died in prison at age seventy-three on November 18, 1944, having continued to challenge the religious and political views of his captors until the end.

While in prison, Toda immersed himself in the study of the Lotus Sutra, prayer, and contemplation, and experienced two kinds of realization. First, he came to realize that the Buddha described in the sutra is life itself. Second, he awakened to his identity as a Bodhisattva of the Earth as described in the Lotus Sutra. Consequently, he resolved to propagate the sutra's teachings as widely as possible and to reconstruct the organization he and Makiguchi had founded.

Toda was released on parole on July 3, 1945. Amid a war-ravaged Japan, he set out to reconstruct the organization, renaming it the Soka Gakkai in 1946. His dropping of "Kyoiku," or "Education," from the name reflected the objective he envisioned for the organization to include people from and contribute to all fields and strata of society, transcending its role as a society of educators. Toda became the second president on May 3, 1951, pledging on that occasion to achieve a membership of 750,000 households. At that time, the membership was only around 3,000. In August 1952, the Soka Gakkai was legally incorporated as an independent religious organization. By 1957, the membership had reached the goal of 750,000 set by Toda.

In September 1957, Toda issued a declaration calling for the abolition of atomic and hydrogen bombs, urging young people to work toward this end. In addition, Toda had a Grand Lecture Hall built and donated to Taiseki-ji, and events to celebrate the opening of this structure lasted throughout March 1958. On March 16, Toda attended a gathering of six thousand young people at Taiseki-ji, where he entrusted them with the future of the Soka Gakkai and propagation of Nichiren's teachings. He died on April 2, 1958.

On May 3, 1960, Daisaku Ikeda (1928- ) became the third president at age thirty-two. Ikeda had worked and studied under Toda for more than ten years, helping him rebuild his businesses after the war and playing a key role in achieving the membership target Toda had set for the Soka Gakkai. Under Ikeda's leadership, the organization grew rapidly during the 1960s and 1970s and expanded abroad. It broadened its focus to include activities in support of peace, culture, and education. In January 1975, in response to the needs of an increasing international membership, the Soka Gakkai International (SGI) was established, and Ikeda became its first president. As of 2002, it became a worldwide network of more than twelve million members in 183 countries and territories. Ikeda resigned as the third president of the Soka Gakkai in 1979 and became its honorary president, while retaining his position as president of the SGI. He was succeeded as Soka Gakkai president by Hiroshi Hojo (1923-1981), who was followed by Einosuke Akiya (1930- ) in 1981.

In pursuit of a lasting peace, Ikeda has tirelessly conducted dialogues and exchanges with scholars and cultural as well as political leaders from around the world. He has made various proposals concerning global issues such as disarmament, the abolition of nuclear weapons, and environmental protection. In 1968 Ikeda proposed the normalization of China-Japan relations and the conclusion of a bilateral peace and friendship treaty. He also acted to realize his proposals and build lasting friendship with China at the grassroots level. During his second visit to China in 1974, he met with Premier Zhou Enlai.

Ikeda has also established several institutions to promote peace, culture, and education, including Soka University and other Soka schools, the Min-On Concert Association, the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, and the Institute of Oriental Philosophy. In the 1990s he founded the Boston Research Center for the 21st Century and the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, both dedicated to peace studies. In addition, as nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) of the United Nations dedicated to peace, the Soka Gakkai and the SGI actively encourage support for the United Nations and sponsor peace and anti-nuclear weapons exhibits and fund-raising campaigns for refugees. The Soka Gakkai publishes numerous books and periodicals; its daily newspaper, Seikyo Shim-bun, had a circulation of about 5.5 million as of 2002.

In the 1950s, the Soka Gakkai sponsored candidates for political office, and in 1962 a political group supported by the Soka Gakkai was formed. In 1964 the political party Komeito(Clean Government Party) was founded. In 1970 Komeitobecame completely separate and independent from the Soka Gakkai. While Soka Gakkai members continued to form its prime constituency, it was stipulated that no members of Komeitocould hold positions in the religious organization.

In 1964 the Soka Gakkai built and donated a Grand Reception Hall to Taiseki-ji, and in 1972 the Grand Main Temple, or Sho-Hondo. Around 1977 a group of Nichiren Shoshu priests began to attack the Soka Gakkai, in a failed effort to establish direct control over the membership. Again, at the end of 1990, the priesthood, headed by Nikken Abe, launched a series of measures against the Soka Gakkai aimed at its dissolution, culminating in excommunication of the Soka Gakkai without prior notice in November 1991. In the process, the priesthood refused all requests for dialogue with the lay organization. Nikken Abe then began a program of destroying key temples and structures at Taiseki-ji that had been donated by the Soka Gakkai, including the celebrated Grand Main Temple. The Soka Gakkai outspokenly condemned these acts, pointing out the doctrinal and moral errors of the priesthood. Ultimately, however, these events marked a new era of self-determination and freedom for the Soka Gakkai, which was no longer bound by the priests' conservative ritualism or their authoritarian and dogmatic interpretations of doctrine.

Based on the practice and philosophy of Nichiren's teachings, the Soka Gakkai advocates an individual inner reformation it calls "human revolution," the ultimate goal of which is a peaceful world and the happiness of humanity. It upholds the Lotus Sutra philosophy that all people inherently possess within them the Buddha nature, the potential for attaining Buddhahood, and can bring it forth through Buddhist practice. Based on this teaching, the Soka Gakkai has been endeavoring to establish the sanctity of life and the dignity of humanity as fundamental universal ideals. The Soka Gakkai does not view Buddhism as an exclusively spiritual or metaphysical pursuit, but as an applied philosophy of life. It encourages Buddhist practice as a means for people to develop the character, wisdom, and strength to improve themselves and their circumstances, to contribute to society, and to help bring about happiness and peace in the world.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Wow!

Wow!

How did everything get on pg 86? That was all-encompassing great stuff! (took a long time tho to read) Thanks PTD for taking a break from the 'other' studies. Very encouraging and enjoyed.

There is sometimes a conflict on the concept of Charity/Kindness in Christianity and Buddhism. ie; "why give a man a fish is he is hungry; better to teach him how to fish".

Interesting reading on 'Kindness' I found below that really defined what 'Buddhist' charity is all about and some of the other motivations involved:

Professor Iwatsuki of Kagawa University in Japan stated that there
are five patterns in acts of kindness.

1. A person possesses a sense of obligation to be kind to others.
This is a reasonable motivation, but emotions are usually lacking.

2. A person performs a kindness, expecting to be reciprocated. This
is motivated by a contractual calculation in anticipation of a
return benefit.

3. A person performs a kindness to feel a sense of superiority. This
is a deliberate form of kindness performed by a person in power
towards someone who is weak.

4. A person performs a kindness based on a desire for self-
salvation. This is a kindness forced upon others without any regard
for them; as a result, one who performs this form of kindness is
unable to eliminate the emptiness in his own heart.

5. A person performs a spontaneous act of kindness. This describes a
person who spontaneously helps those in trouble, without ever giving
the matter any thought. This kindness is not characterized by any
conceptualized form of kindness.

The professor classified kindness into these five categories.
An act of kindness may seem identical on the surface, but, in fact,
it can be characterized by contemptible motivations or suffering as
much as it can be characterized by a precious natural urge. The more
honest the recipient of the kindness is, the better he is at
intuiting the real motive of the person who performs the kindness.

True kindness can only be understood by those who actually have
experienced a positive form of kindness. What, then, is a truly
positive form of kindness? Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following in
his gosho, "The Three Kinds of Treasure" (Sushun tenno gosho):
'More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of
the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of
all.'(MWND-2, p. 279)

The Daishonin instructed that it is most important to amass the
treasures of the heart. True kindness is not characterized by any of
the first four patterns described previously. It is, in fact, the
fifth form of kindness: "A person performs a spontaneous act of
kindness. This describes a person who spontaneously helps those in
trouble, without ever giving the matter any thought. This kindness
is not characterized by any conceptualized form of kindness." This,
indeed, describes not the treasures in a storehouse or the body but
the treasures of the heart. You may have friends and family members
who seem to be truly happy. However, based only on appearance, it is
impossible to determine whether or not they are truly happy. True
kindness is none other than the performance of shakubuku, based on
true kindness towards others.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

So what the hell does it mean to slander (according to Nichiren Dishonin's Buddhism)?

So what the hell does it mean to slander (according to Nichiren Dishonin's Buddhism)?

I must be one of the foremost and egregious slanderers of the Law in the saha world!

I have paid for the lessons that I have learned with my own suffering and anguish. Since the Daishonin has gone out of his way on so many occasions to distinguish what slander is, doesn’t it at least make sense to make this distinguishable to another, if at all possible? Of Course! And I am compelled to do so. Even if I should be myself, a slanderer!

We commit slander continuously, and for that reason pray each morning in the fourth prayer for this slander to be expiated. The Daishonin goes further to say that refutation of slander is the only way to absolve oneself of the karmic retribution of one’s own slander yet to be expiated. Surely, this is an important area of the teachings of Nichiren to be aware of, even if you do not have the faith to believe.

Because this forum lacks the interaction of life-to-life communication and relies on the emotion-neutral medium of the written word, much can be imagined about such a pejorative as the word “slander”. Purveyors of what is being discussed here deserve to at least be given the opportunity of understanding the nature of what is considered slander in the Buddhism of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Please understand that this issue has nothing to do with anyone or anything specifically. It helps to know what slander is if we are to minimize it's impact on our lives and the attainment of our goals. Slander is the means by which we loose the hard fought good fortune that we so earnestly strive toward. Slander creates self-denial of sustained happiness and the path to anuttara-samyak-sambodhi.

Just what is slander? As the weeks go by, we’ll get into that, I hope. In the mean time, here are some dictionary definitions.

Thomas

slander
[謗法] (Jpn.: hobo)
1. More specifically, slander of the Law. To deny, oppose, disparage, or vilify the correct Buddhist teaching. The "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter of the Lotus Sutra reads: "If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world... . When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell." Miao-lo (711-782) says in his Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra": "This [Lotus] sutra opens the seeds of Buddhahood inherent in the beings of each of the six paths. But if one slanders the sutra, then the seeds will be destroyed." According to the Nirvana Sutra, not to reproach those who slander the Law amounts to committing slander oneself. The sutra reads: "If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha's teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer." Nichiren (1222-1282) states, "Those who put their faith in it [the Lotus Sutra] will surely attain Buddhahood, while those who slander it will establish a 'poison-drum relationship' with it and will likewise attain Buddhahood" (882).
See also: fourteen slanders

fourteen slanders
[十四誹謗・十四謗法] (Jpn.: jushi-hibo or jushi-hobo)
1. Fourteen types of slander enumerated in The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra" by Miao-lo (711-782) based on the contents of the "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. They consist of fourteen offenses against the Law, or the Buddha's teachings, and against the people who believe in and practice it. They are (1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering, (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges. According to the "Simile and Parable" chapter, the last four offenses are leveled at the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. The chapter reads, "If this person should slander a sutra such as this, or on seeing those who read, recite, copy, and uphold this sutra, should despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against them, the penalty this person must pay- listen, I will tell you now: When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell."

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

 

[Babbabud]

Thank you Thomas
Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (41)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (41)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

An Indestructible Paradise Exists Within Our Lives

Jin-zu-riki nyo ze. O asogi ko. Jo zai ryojusen. Gyu yo sho jusho. Shujo ken ko jin. Dai ka sho sho ji. Ga shi do annon. Tennin jo juman. Onrin sho do-kaku. Shuju ho shogon. Hoju ta keka. Shujo sho yu-raku. Shoten gyaku tenku. Jo sasshu gi-gaku. U mandara ke. San butsu gyu daishu.

Such are my transcendental powers.
For asamkhya kalpas
constantly I have dwelled on Holy Eagle Peak
and in various other places.
When living beings witness the end of a kalpa
and all is consumed in a great fire,
this, my land, remains safe and tranquil,
constantly filled with heavenly and human beings.
The halls and pavilions in its gardens and groves
are adorned with various kinds of gems.
Jeweled trees abound in flowers and fruit
where living beings enjoy themselves at ease.
The gods strike heavenly drums,
constantly making many kinds of music.
Mandarava blossoms rain down,
scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly. (LS16, 230-31)

The World Seen by the Buddha

What is life's purpose? It is happiness. And what is the aim of religion or belief? Again, it must be human happiness.

What, then, is happiness? What is a happy life?

If happiness lay in fleeting pleasures, then the world would abound with happiness. If true happiness could be found in a life of amusement, then devoting ourselves to such an existence would be most appropriate. But viewed from the standpoint of life's eternity over past, present and future, such happiness is a phantasm and in the end it will prove hollow.

Buddhism teaches how we can realize eternally indestructible happiness or, as President Toda put it, a "state of life of absolute happiness." The passage we are studying this time clarifies what this essentially entails. To begin with, "For asamkhya kalpas /constantly I have dwelled on Holy Eagle Peak / and in various other places" literally means that the Buddha has dwelled at Eagle Peak for an extremely long period of time, and that he has also appeared in various worlds in the ten directions.

From the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, this indicates that the Gohonzon solemnly exists in our lives at all times and wherever we may be. The Gohonzon is always with us and "at our sides," not parting with us for even an instant. It is always with us. Let us engrave this in our hearts.

From the next line, "When living beings witness the end of a kalpa...," we get a description of two completely different worlds.

"When living beings witness the end of a kalpa / and all is consumed in a great fire" describes a world of suffering that reflects the state of people's lives. It is truly a hellish condition of suffering and fear.

But from the line, "this, my land, remains safe and tranquil," the scene changes completely. Here, there is peace, tranquillity and vibrancy. There is joy and brilliance, lively music and rich culture. This is the true world as perceived by the Buddha with his vast state of life.

These two worlds are in fact one and the same. Ordinary people and the Buddha perceive and experience the same world in totally different ways.

Nichiren Daishonin says that the "great fire" people perceive is the "great fire of earthly desires" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 757). It is not the world itself but their own lives being consumed in flames. And at this they tremble in fear.

And so the Buddha counsels them, saying in effect: "What do you have to fear or lament? The truth is not at all what you perceive!" And he tells them, "This land where I dwell is eternally peaceful and tranquil."

With these few words, the Buddha shatters people's illusions and opens up their shallow, limited states of life. These words of great compassion express the Buddha's desire to elevate all people, all humankind, to the great state of life of Buddhahood. The pre-Lotus Sutra teachings taught that the Buddha and ordinary people lived in different worlds . They explained that people had to cross over from "this world," the saha world, to the "other world" where the Buddha was said to dwell-and that this was only possible by practicing for an extremely long time.

But the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra explains that the Buddha eternally expounds the Law in this saha world. It teaches that this world is the Buddha land, and that the Buddha and ordinary people dwell in the same saha world.

In a Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin says:
Hungry spirits perceive the Ganges River as fire, human beings perceive it as water, and heavenly beings perceive it as amrita.(1) The water itself is the same, but it appears differently according to the karmic capacity of individuals. (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 5, p. 163)

What we see differs depending on our state of life. Moreover, when our state of life changes, the world in which we live also changes. This is the ultimate principle of actual ichinen sanzen, or a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms, found in the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren Daishonin says of his life of repeated persecution:
Day after day, month after month, year after year I have been subjected to repeated persecutions. Minor persecutions and annoyances are too numerous even to be counted, but the major persecutions number four. (MW-2 [2nd ed.], 96)

During his exile to Sado --- by any standard a persecution of the greatest severity --- Nichiren Daishonin calmly proclaimed: "I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now an exile" (MW-1, 94). From the vantage of a state of life as vast as the universe, he took in everything with imperturbable composure.

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the founding president of the Soka Gakkai, endured life in prison with the thought, "When I reflect on the Daishonin's sufferings on Sado, my difficulties are as nothing." He also wrote in a letter, "Depending on our frame of mind, we can experience joy even in hell."

A vast state of life is the product of profound humanity. As another example, I recall how the second president, Josei Toda, looked on the day his publishing company, having fallen on hard times, finally had to curtail its operations. I described the scene in my narrative history The Human Revolution.

At the time I was 21. As editor of the monthly magazine Boy's Japan, I had been filled with enthusiasm. Then suddenly the magazine was discontinued. It came as truly a great shock --- like being aboard a jet that came to a halt in midair.

But when I happened to glance at President Toda, I saw that he was enjoying a game of shogi(2) with a friend, looking completely calm and unperturbed. For a moment, I couldn't understand how he could carry on so at such a dire time. But then a moment later, I understood him: "He's fine. Nothing in him has changed. His appearance is a declaration that he will carry on the struggle." The sense of inspiration I then felt is still fresh in my mind.

No matter what violent storms of destiny might assail us, our fighting spirit should not falter in the least. Our mind of faith must not be destroyed at any cost. "This, my land, remains safe and tranquil" describes such a state of life.

I am Josei Toda's disciple. From the time I rallied under him at age 19 until today, I have created a history of roughly half a century, time and again weathering storms and navigating rough seas. I have therefore now developed the fortitude to withstand any and all difficulties without wavering in the least.

President Toda taught that "this, my land, remains safe and tranquil" refers to our homes, where the Gohonzon is enshrined; that our homes will definitely become "safe and tranquil" as a result of our practice.

No matter what, we absolutely must not be defeated. Let us proudly advance with a lofty state of life and this great spirit: Solid is the castle of my heart.

The Wonderful Workings of One's Mind

The passage from "constantly filled with heavenly and human beings" to "scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly" is like a poem to gladden our hearts when we recite the "Life Span" chapter every morning and evening. It is a pageant of truly dazzling images --- of shapes, colors and sounds vying to outshine one another. So joyous, bright and lively is the world of the Buddha of the Lotus Sutra!

When he lectured on this passage, President Toda had a look of true elation. And he seemed to embrace everyone with his merciful, warm voice.

It was the 1950s, and everyone was poor and had various worries. "Consumed in a great fire" indeed described the state of their lives.

Therefore, even though morning and evening they read the lines, "The halls and pavilions in its gardens and groves are adorned with various kinds of gems...," it probably seemed to them no more than a fairy tale.

But President Toda explained,
We must not suppose that this passage has nothing to do with us. Even though we may be poor, we can each still lead a splendid daily life-a life in which "the halls and pavilions in its gardens and groves are adorned with various kinds of gems."

To illustrate, if you plant some saplings in an orange crate and enjoy watering and tending to them every day, then isn't that having a splendid garden or grove? And as for halls and pavilions, while your home may only be a tiny 4.5-tatami mat room, it is still your palace. With this confidence you solemnly adorn it with gems. When a child brings home an outstanding report card, if the father and mother post it on the wall and take pleasure in it, then they are adorning their palace with a gem from their child. The treasures with which we adorn our palaces are the treasures of the heart.

Hearing him discuss the passage with such rich humor, everyone's hearts became bright and expansive. They determined: "While we may be poor, what do our happy homes really lack?" "Let's splendidly adorn our homes with 'treasures of the heart.'" "I will turn my home into a 'jewel palace of happiness.'"

Even a single flower can completely transform a room with a desolate atmosphere. The important thing is that we possess the spirit and determination to change and improve our environment, even just a little.

Moreover, it is absolutely impossible that someone with a spirit of earnest faith could fail to become happy and prosperous or that his or her environment could fail to be revitalized. This is the universal principle of Buddhism.

Your heart changes everything. This is the mystic nature of life. It is an unmistakable truth.

The Swiss philosopher Carl Hilty (1833-1909) said in his book of sayings, Bausteine: "Rather than being upset that the rose has thorns, we should delight that a thorny shrub puts forth flowers."(3)

So much do things change depending on our perception --- to the extent that even the most dreary, distasteful and dead-end situation can become bright, beautiful and expansive.

The Daishonin speaks of the "wonderful workings of one's mind" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 717). There is marvelous power and activity in the mind of someone who believes in the Gohonzon. Once we activate the fundamental energy of our minds, the gears of the 3,000 phenomena immediately engage. Everything changes. We can use every situation to create hope and good.

"Adorned with various kinds of gems" could also refer to cleaning and caring for our local community centers or training centers. Maintenance groups and local members, motivated by tremendous sincerity, are always cleaning, raising lovely flowers and trees and beautifully adorning these centers. Their sincerity is itself the supreme gem.

Moreover, pure-minded fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth joyfully gather at these "palaces of the Law," earnestly seeking a correct way of life and singing a song of hope and courage. These are indeed the joyful gardens the sutra describes as a gathering of "heavenly and human beings."

The SGI itself perfectly matches the description in this sutra passage. It is a gathering of fine people who are always bright, high-spirited and lively. "Constantly filled with heavenly and human beings" describes well this organization.

The purpose of the SGI's advance, bright and jubilant, is to turn our homes and communities, society, the world and this precious planet Earth into a paradise "adorned with various kinds of gems."

When we are embraced in the Buddha's immense state of life, then we ourselves, those around us and the land itself all shine with the light of happiness and hope. This is the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms --- it is the dynamic principle of change.

Basing ourselves on this great teaching, we are struggling in the very midst of society to change the world into a paradise of happiness. This is our movement of kosen-rufu.


Notes:

1. Amrita: ambrosia, regarded in ancient India as the beverage of the gods. In China it was thought it would rain down from heaven when the world became peaceful. Amrita, meaning immortality, is said to remove one's sufferings and confer everlasting life.
2. Shogi: Japanese chess.
3. Bausteine: Aphorismen und Zitate aus alter und neuerer Zeit (Building Stones: Aphorisms and Quotations from Past and Present), compiled by Carl Hilty (Leipzig: Walter Leopthien Verlag).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Moreover, it is absolutely impossible that someone with a spirit of earnest faith could fail to become happy and prosperous or that his or her environment could fail to be revitalized. This is the universal principle of Buddhism.

Your heart changes everything. This is the mystic nature of life. It is an unmistakable truth.

More truthful words have never been spoken...

Hope everyone is happy and filling their lives with joyful Daimoku! We are way A OK over here. Take care all!

The PTD's

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (42)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (42)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

A Life Dedicated to the Mystic Law --- a Life of True Happiness

Jin-zu-riki nyo ze. O asogi ko. Jo zai ryojusen. Gyu yo sho jusho. Shujo ken ko jin. Dai ka sho sho ji. Ga shi do annon. Tennin jo juman. Onrin sho do-kaku. Shuju ho shogon. Hoju ta keka. Shujo sho yu-raku. Shoten gyaku tenku. Jo sasshu gi-gaku. U mandara ke. San butsu gyu daishu.

Such are my transcendental powers.
For asamkhya kalpas
constantly I have dwelled on Holy Eagle Peak
and in various other places.
When living beings witness the end of a kalpa
and all is consumed in a great fire,
this, my land, remains safe and tranquil,
constantly filled with heavenly and human beings.
The halls and pavilions in its gardens and groves
are adorned with various kinds of gems.
Jeweled trees abound in flowers and fruit
where living beings enjoy themselves at ease.
The gods strike heavenly drums,
constantly making many kinds of music.
Mandarava blossoms rain down,
scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly. (LS16, 230-31)

Each passage of the Lotus Sutra crystallizes the Buddha's wisdom, illuminating the path of eternal happiness.

The Lotus Sutra speaks directly to the human heart. It calls upon people to ask themselves: For what purpose was I born in this world?

Are people born to suffer, to worry? No. Are they born to lament their destiny? No, definitely not.

In connection with the passage "where living beings enjoy themselves at ease," Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, always said: "We are born in the world to enjoy life. We are not born to suffer."

In other words, we have come here to enjoy ourselves, to live at ease. The sutra says that this world is a place "where living beings enjoy themselves at ease." These wonderful words overturn shallow views about the nature of life and happiness.

Of course, "enjoy themselves at ease" does not mean indulging in superficial or hedonistic pleasures. In the face of the turbulent waves of reality, such pleasures prove all too empty. The saha world, moreover, is a "world of endurance." How truly difficult it is to live, to endure life, in a world so replete with suffering and fear! If our life state is low, ultimately we will be defeated.

As seen with the eye of the Buddha, when we ordinary people open up the state of Buddhahood in our lives, this saha world itself becomes a paradise "where living beings enjoy themselves at ease." It could be said that we are enacting a human drama of joyfully living out our lives on the stage of the saha world.

Nichiren Daishonin says, "There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 161). When deep in our hearts we base ourselves on the Mystic Law, we can lead lives of supreme happiness in which we thoroughly savor both the sufferings and joys of this world.

Again, to analyze "enjoy themselves at ease": It could be said that "at ease" means "freely," and "enjoy themselves" means to "enjoy life thoroughly and wholeheartedly." In any event, our life state is the key.

In nature, too, there is drama. There is great joy in spring precisely because of the severe winter that has been withstood. The year is beautiful because of the changing seasons.

The same is true of human life. In the course of life, we encounter mountains and valleys. Because there are steep mountains, we can enjoy mountain climbing. And because there are waves, we can enjoy surfing. Similarly, as long as we possess strong life forces and abundant wisdom, we can overcome all of life's difficulties, at the same time leisurely enjoying ourselves. And we come to possess unshakable selves, unshakable lives endowed with the four virtues-eternity, happiness, true self and purity.

President Toda referred to this free and indestructible, diamond-like condition as a "life state of absolute happiness."

Furthermore, the Daishonin says that "enjoy themselves at ease" refers to the "joy derived from the Law.... [It] means to know that our lives --- both our bodies and minds, ourselves and our surroundings --- are entities of ichinen sanzen and the Buddha of absolute freedom" (MW-1, 161).

True happiness enriches our bodies and minds as well as our selves, our environment and all those around us, with the benefit of faith. We are praying and taking action not merely for our own happiness, but for the happiness of both ourselves and others. This is the spirit of the Lotus Sutra.

We are advancing along the path of supreme happiness, and leading lives of true enjoyment and ease.

'Constantly Making Many Kinds of Music'

In the line "The gods strike heavenly drums," the original meaning of "heavenly drums" is "thunder." It seems that in ancient India thunder was regarded as the joyful music of heaven announcing a merciful rainfall. On one level, it could be said that this line indicates a heart of joy reverberating with supreme happiness.

President Toda explained "The gods strike heavenly drums, / constantly making many kinds of music" as follows:

Where it says that they are constantly making music, this is not like having a radio going. Let's say a father comes home and says something to the effect of "I had a really pleasant day today because..."; the wife, also unable to contain her joy, enthusiastically remarks on the events of her day, saying something like, "Darling, today, I happened to hear our neighbor's cat cry out"; the son says, "I saw my teacher on the street"; and so on and so forth. Isn't a family that can live amid such mirth and laughter" constantly making many kinds of music"?

But if the father is always yelling with a voice like a broken drum, the mother is constantly screaming, and the children break out in tears, it doesn't make for very good music.

In our lives, from moment to moment and day to day, we are "constantly making many kinds of music." Everything is music in the key of our life state.

Since we are alive, let's make our lives resound with the marvelous music of hope and happiness. Let us sing the triumphant song of a splendid life.

The SGI constantly rings with the joyous, hope-filled and confident voices of people who are striving to live life to the fullest. It is truly a place where "the gods strike heavenly drums, / constantly making many kinds of music." Each of these voices is a "sutra" embracing people in tones of happiness, a living manifestation of "the voice [that] does the Buddha's work" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 708).

Nichiren Daishonin says, "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion" (MW-1, 119). The great sound of our voices chanting daimoku each day dispels the sad music of sorrow and lamentation, and is steadily and surely creating an age resounding widely with the triumphant song of the people.

The text then reads: "Mandarava blossoms rain down." Mandarava are heavenly flowers said to delight the heart. They float down from heaven to the world of the Mystic Law. In other words, we who dwell in the realm of the Mystic Law --- that is, we who steadily persevere in faith-are certain to be embraced by flowers of happiness and good fortune and celebrated by the Buddhist gods.

"Mandarava blossoms rain down" also indicates causing joy in people's hearts. To illustrate: When a child works hard at something and the parents praise him or her saying, "You did a really fine job," the child can then take further action with joy, in high spirits, and manifest still greater ability.

"Scattering over the Buddha and the great assembly" means that these flowers of good fortune and benefit fall equally upon the Buddha and all people. There is no discrimination.

As this suggests, the Buddha and the people dwell in the same saha world. Our stage for realizing eternal happiness is here and now.

Faith Entails a Great Revolution in Our Frame of Mind

Ga jodo fu ki. Ni shu ken sho jin. Ufu sho kuno. Nyo ze shitsu juman. Ze sho zai shujo. I aku-go innen. Ka asogi ko. Fu mon sanbo myo.

My pure land is not destroyed,
yet the multitude see it as consumed in fire,
with anxiety, fear and other sufferings
filling it everywhere.
These living beings with their various offenses,
through causes arising from their evil actions,
spend asamkhya kalpas
without hearing the name of the Three Treasures. (LS16, 231)

The Unity of the Three Mystic Principles

"My pure land is not destroyed." What power these words convey!

This saha world is the true land of the eternal Buddha. It is the true stage on which the undying Buddha resolutely struggles to lead all people to happiness. Therefore, it absolutely cannot be destroyed. So the Buddha declares. When we firmly base ourselves on these words of the Buddha, we are fearless. Our confidence that we dwell in an indestructible pure land manifests as indestructible courage and inexhaustible hope. And the power to transform an impermanent and impure world into an eternal pure land wells forth in our lives.

Nichiren Daishonin says: "There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds" (MW-1, 4). And:

You must quickly reform the tenets that you hold in your heart and embrace the one true vehicle, the single good doctrine [of the Lotus Sutra]. If you do so, then the threefold world will become the Buddha land, and how could a Buddha land ever decline? The regions in the ten directions will all become treasure realms, and how could a treasure realm ever suffer harm? (MW-2 [2nd ed.], 40)

The world changes completely depending on our frame of mind or single-minded determination. On the most fundamental level, peace can only be realized through a revolution in people's lives.

"Yet the multitude see it as consumed in fire" refers to the saha world as it appears to those who wander from illusion to illusion, from darkness to darkness. At the end of such wandering, they see only an abyss of despair and hopelessness. Therefore it appears to them that the world is consumed in the flames of an all-destroying fire that spells the world's end. But it is not actually an all-destroying fire; the flames they see are merely the fires of their own earthly desires.

Again, as indicated by the lines, "with anxiety, fear and other sufferings / filling it everywhere," to those who labor under such delusion, this world is rife with anxiety, fear and all manner of suffering.

Here, the word see is central to the meaning. It appears to people that the world is filled with suffering, but this is not the reality. As observed by the Buddha, this world is a solemn Buddha land, a pure land. Therefore the Daishonin says, "What ever trouble may occur, consider it as transitory as a dream and think only of the Lotus Sutra" (MW-1, 147).

Viewing the troubles and hardships of life as "transitory as a dream" entails having an immense spirit. This is the power of single-minded determination, the power of faith. Belief entails a great revolution in our frame of mind. And this revolution constitutes the driving force for transforming our lives and our surroundings.

Those unaware of this power are miserable. They are referred to in the subsequent passage: "These living beings with their various offenses, / through causes arising from their evil actions, / spend asamkhya kalpas / without hearing the name of the Three Treasures."

"Offenses" fundamentally means "disbelief in the Mystic Law." "Causes arising from their evil actions" means "endless wandering through earthly desires, karma and suffering."

Such people, while physically dwelling in the Buddha land, enshroud their surroundings in a mist, and so fail to see the Buddha who is before their very eyes. Owing to disbelief, they firmly close the doors to their hearts, and as a result cannot even hear about the three treasures, even after a duration of asamkhya kalpas.

The three treasures are: the Buddha, the Buddha's teaching (the Law), and the gathering of people who protect and spread that teaching (the Priest). The three treasures hold the key to people's salvation. Therefore they are most highly revered in Buddhism as treasures that lead people to happiness.

We solemnly recognize the correct three treasures of the Latter Day of the Law. The treasure of the Buddha is Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day. The treasure of the Law is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws And the treasure of the Priest is Nikko Shonin.

The Japanese term for priest (so) comes from the Sanskrit word sangha, which means "gathering." Therefore, in a broad sense, the treasure of the Priest refers to the harmonious gathering of people who correctly uphold and spread the Daishonin's Buddhism, exerting themselves to lead others to happiness and realize peace. Today, this harmonious gathering of people is of course the SGI.

Here I will mention something about the doctrine of the unity of the three mystic principles found in the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter. The passage that begins "When living beings witness the end of a kalpa," which we also studied in the previous installment (March 1 World Tribune), explains that the saha world is in truth an indestructible pure land. This is the revelation of the mystic principle of the true land indicated in the earlier, prose section of the chapter in such passages as, "I have been constantly in this saha world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting" (LS16, 225).

Again, passages like "it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood" (LS16, 225) and "since I attained Buddhahood, an extremely long period of time has passed" (LS 16, 227) explain that the Buddha is always in this world and that his life is inextinguishable. This is the mystic principle of true effect.

Finally, "originally I practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life span that I acquired then has yet to come to an end but will last twice the number of years that have already passed" (LS16, 227) explains the permanence of the life of the nine worlds. This is the mystic principle of true cause.

These three mystic principles are all expounded in the "Life Span" chapter, and this is termed the unity of the three mystic principles.

The unity of the three mystic principles in the essential teaching, or second half, of the Lotus Sutra --- indicating that the Buddha, the beings of the nine worlds and the land are all eternal and indestructible --- completes the Lotus Sutra's doctrine of ichinen sanzen, or a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms. This doctrine, transcending distinctions among the ten worlds and between life and its environment, clarifies that the 3,000 realms of all phenomena are all eternal and everlasting. It reveals the great and eternal entity of life that encompasses within it the 3,000 realms of all phenomena.

Nichiren Daishonin's teaching of actual ichinen sanzen opens the path whereby all people of the Latter. Day can manifest this great and eternal life, which he identified as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

We who earnestly embrace the Daishonin's Buddhism are therefore noble emissaries of the Buddha who put into practice in society this unity of the three mystic principles.

 

[Babbabud]

Thank you PTD for taking the time to post this beautiful lecture. We are so fortunate to live such a life of ease and beauty . Thank you so much my friend for taking the time to show this to me . Hope your studies are going great ... everything here with my family is wonderful and we will soon be blessed with a baby grandaughter

Nam myoho renge kyo !! Like the roar of the Lion !!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

It's all for you.

Thank you.

 

[Guest]

PTD,
Thanks for taking the time.

Avid

 

[Babbabud]

Observe your body
Mandala of the universe

Observe your body
Of ancient design
Holy temple of consciousness
Central stage of the oldest drama

Observe its structured wonders
Skin .... hair...... tissure
Bone.... vein.....muscle
Net of nerve

Observe is message
Does it merge or does it strain?
Does it rest serene on sacred ground
Or tilt, propped up by wire and sticks?

On tiptoe one cannot stand for liong
Tension retards the flow

Superflorous noise and redundant action
Stand ouit-square, proud , cramped
Against the harmony

Observe the mandala of your body

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Essay on the LS by David W. Chappell

Essay on the LS by David W. Chappell

I found this essay very interesting. SC

Organic Truth: Personal Reflections on the Lotus Sutra
- by David W. Chappell

The Highest Dharma as Inclusive

An important trait of the Lotus Sutra is the value of being inclusive. With the fires of Waco, Texas, still raging vividly in my memory, I realize that part of our task as religious thinkers is to find ways to connect with those driven into fundamentalism and isolationism - even as I recall the example of self-immolation in chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra that has been a model for numerous religious suicides in East Asia. Somehow this text has been able to encompass both fundamentalism and the fantastic within its extended time frame and within its context of critical awareness, stages of growth, compassion, responsiveness, maturity, and ultimate freedom. The Lotus Sutra recommends many practices that are usually rejected or condemned by conventional wisdom. This inclusion of such diverse practices may be seen as dangerous by some, but I value it and find few religious leaders in America who would be so open.

The Judas of early Buddhism is named Devadatta, and it is revealing that a late addition to the Lotus Sutra was a chapter on Devadatta. While usually cast as a troublemaker, he was seen by early Buddhism as too lazy, and then by later Buddhism as causing schisms by being too strict. However, in the Lotus Sutra used in East Asia, Devadatta is proclaimed as the teacher of Sakyamuni Buddha, who says: "All because Devadatta was a good friend to me, I was able to become fully enlightened." In addition, in the same chapter, Sakyamuni's practice is also surpassed by a young girl, the daughter of Dragon King Sagara. We learn that for "immeasurable kalpas" Sakyamuni "carried out harsh and difficult practices, accumulating merit, piling up virtue, seeking the way of the bodhisattva without ever resting," so that "throughout the thousand-millionfold world, there is not a spot tiny as mustard seed" where Sakyamuni did not "sacrifice his body and life for the sake of living beings." Nevertheless, the dragon king's daughter attained
enlightenment equal to his in the space of an instant. Even though the
dragon king's daughter still had to become a male in the process of
attaining buddhahood, for me this male prejudice is more than overcome by the overwhelming imagery of Guanyin as female in the East Asian Lotus tradition. Accordingly, what impresses me in this chapter is the role reversals whereby Sakyamuni is subordinated to Devadatta and the dragon king's daughter. This says to me that everyone and all people can and will and should be my teachers.

Even when the Lotus Sutra seems most exclusivistic and claims that only by the Buddha-vehicle will we attain liberation, in the next line we see this redefined in terms of "tactful teachings" which could include anything and everything - but under the Lotus perspective and at a time when it can be helpful to beings: "Only by the Buddha-vehicle will they [people] attain [real] extinction [of the three poisons]. There is no other vehicle except the tactful teachings of the Tathagata."

A startling example is the case of bodhisattvas who hide their true identity and appear as sravakas and pratyekabuddhas "by numberless tactful methods."

"They show themselves possessed of human passions
And seem to hold heretical views.
Thus do my disciples
Tactfully save all beings."

Accordingly, we must "never despise" other beings, since they might be
bodhisattavas in disguise, and certainly are destined to become buddhas (see chapter 20).

Although acknowledging the diverse ways of being religious - especially the three paths of the monastic sravaka, the independent pratyekabuddha, and the compassionate bodhisattva - the Lotus Sutra emphasizes that these are meaningful paths or phases of religious life, but that they are to be subsumed and completed in the ultimate attainment which is Buddhahood itself. Accordingly, while affirming the value of all practical practices, the Lotus Sutra also evaluates and ranks such practices in terms of the highest attainment of universal buddhahood. This context means that all practices are not included equally and forever, but only conditionally and temporarily, and that all are finally judged by the measure of buddhahood to which we are all called.

The Highest Dharma as Manifest Dialogically in Response

For me the core message of the Lotus is the affirmation that a highest
Dharma does exist and that it manifests to those who seek it or who need it according to their ability to understand and respond. According to Tiantai Zhiyi (538-97) this was expressed by the phrase gan-ying daojiao, meaning the communication of the eternal buddha-dharma in response to a person's need and request. Even though a person may not understand life or the Dharma, the Lotus gives the assurance that true reality (= the Eternal Buddha) is responsive to one's needs and assists a person and others to grow (as the rain assists different plants in chapter 5). This responsiveness becomes personified in chapters 24 and 25 by the diverse appearances of the Bodhisattvas Gadgadasvara and Guanyin, who are ready to meet the needs of believers. Since we have both faulty perception and a mistaken understanding about life, the responses of true reality to our needs sometimes take unusual forms, namely, well intentioned and wise deception. For example, the promise of future pleasures may be needed to get little children out of a
burning house (chapter 3), or the shock tactics of grief over the apparent death of their father may be needed to get irresponsible sons of a doctor to take their medicine (chapter 16); whereas for others a long period of preparation may be contrived before they are able to hear and respond (the poor son in chapter 4), and the periodic rest and recreation may be needed for others before the journey is complete (the magic city, chapter 7).

What is also important to emphasize is that the oneness of the Eternal
Buddha and the eternal flowering of the Dharma/lotus is manifest most often in the interpersonal arena, rather than in an introspective awareness of one's Formless Self (Hisamatsu or Lin-chi), or the overcoming of subject-object duality in a moment of pure experience (Nishida). While not denying these possibilities, the emphasis is much more on bringing the lotus into bloom in an interactive, interpersonal world in response to other beings with their needs and abilities.

Seiichi Yagi has proposed that the experience of religious awakening can take place in overcoming duality in at least three different but related spheres: (a) subject-object, (b) I-thou, (c) self-ego. I would propose that the main themes of the Lotus are mainly related to option (b). In contrast to the Perfection of Wisdom literature, the Lotus is not intent on asserting the unattainability or emptiness of any and all distinctions in the experience of emptiness, but of affirming that all vehicles are expedient means or helpful devices. Although this denies finality to any distinction, it does not deny their role as an expedient. Similarly, Chinese Tiantai used the idea of the Threefold Truth, which balanced emptiness with an awareness of the usefulness and presence of the three thousand worlds in a single moment of consciousness. Even though the fundamentalism, fantasies, and
fanaticism of the Lotus Sutra are not to be substantialized as externally real and enduring, neither are they to be dismissed as empty or as merely internal and subjective dreams or projections. Rather, in the Tiantai tradition they can be seen as the result of reality manifesting itself in terms of the capacities and patterns of our minds - being beyond and yet in our midst, being neither the same as nor different from (buyi buyi) our minds.

Basically, the Lotus Sutra affirms the wisdom and the eternity of the Dharma (chapter 16), the inherent capacity of all people to receive it and to achieve eventual fulfillment (chapter 8), and the process of transmission that is in accord with the level, capacities, and growth process for each living thing (chapter 5). in sum, within a vast vision of time and space, the Lotus affirms the capacities of all beings and affirms the goodness of all methods that are helpful. The ruling criterion is the growth and fulfillment of all beings. Accompanying this faith in the responsiveness of the Dharma (life) at its deepest levels and the confidence that it is good and intends growth, there is in turn an obligation: we, like the Dharma, are expected to be compassionate, responsive, and creative to help other beings
grow.

The Highest Dharma Sponsors Growth

While mutual responsiveness and cooperative creativity are the major modes of action expressed by the Lotus for me, the major religious and ethical criterion is that of growth. The inclusiveness of the sutra teaches us that all things are to be nurtured, none are final or supreme, and that our vocation is both to grow and to help others to grow. Accordingly, the chief end of life is not to glorify God and enjoy him forever, but to grow and blossom, "to be all that we can be," so that we can become something beautiful for the world, and to help others do the same. Accordingly, the dominant model for me is the universal rain of the Dharma that nurtures different plants in different ways, a model that presents the world as a garden. As a consequence, religious actions are valued for their balance and
nurturing quality within an organic view of life. Although diversity is
celebrated, all activities are interdependent and adjustable, and no one path has permanency or authority. This makes Lotus Buddhism a very adaptable and protean religion.

Based on chapter 14, there is an emphasis on peaceful practices that include great discretion and restraint in social conduct, an abiding awareness of the emptiness of all things, and the avoidance of contempt for other teachers, scriptures, or religions. No discouragement should be given to people choosing other religious paths. "Also one should never engage in frivolous debate over the various doctrines or dispute or wrangle over them. With regard to all living beings one should think of them with great compassion."

Nichiren, Rissho Kosei-kai, Soka Gakkai, Reiyukai, and others inspired by the Lotus Sutra have been important examples of how Lotus Sutra Buddhists are to be actively engaged in transforming society. Lotus Sutra Buddhists are not passive hearers of a finalized message, but their capacities and needs and foals help to shape the flowering of the Dharma here and now. Thus, they are both receivers and cocreators of the message and participate in the process of manifesting the Dharma. Accordingly, part of the task of our lives is to help creatively to realize the Dharma in each situation, and to bring it into being in our lives and in the lives of those who are in need and for a world in need.

Unlike the historical Jesus, the Lotus lacks a specific social agenda, or historical expectation, or a list of commandments, or a divine judgment. Since karma fulfills the role of moral judgment, and the Lotus claims to be potent even in a period of the decline of the Dharma, the main emphasis is not on an individual, group, or historic judgment, but on the individual as part of a cosmological process leading all beings toward ultimate buddhahood. Practitioners are to model themselves on the Dharma and should be compassionate and responsive to others, but the highly symbolic nature of the text, and the otherworldly imagery, does not connect them to specific social, economic, or political situations. By contrast, Jesus in the Christian Gospels advocates a social revolution.

The Lotus tradition is famous for its social and political activism in East Asia since the sutra itself gives vivid models of compassionate action. Although the Lotus lacks a program for social action, the text vividly shows bodhisattvas creating many expedient devices in the midst of a bewildering jumble of real but temporary distinctions that include and interpenetrate each other. Accordingly, to live in this world requires constant assimilation and evaluation because the distinctions, although real, are temporary and ever changing. Since practitioners must evaluate each situation themselves, they are called to constant participation, calmness, mindfulness, judgment, and creativity. This affirmation of our own capacities, roles, and duties in the work of Dharma-realization is one of the reasons that the Dharma blossoms are recurrently fresh.

On reflection, the tension between announcing that the Buddha is now about to preach the great Lotus sermon and the lack of an explicit Lotus sermon in the text may seem parallel to the tension felt by a Christian in experiencing that the kingdom is at hand while anticipation the kingdom that is to come. However, the text has many other sources of assurance that the Lotus sermon has already arrived: such as the announcement that all beings are destined for buddhahood, that all beings have the buddha-nature, that the Buddha only appeared to die but in fact is eternal, and that upholding this sutra will ensure great merit, salvation, and many worldly benefits.

While full buddhahood may await a future time, today the vows have been made and fulfillment has been promised to numerous practitioners mentioned in the sutra. Although the goal has not been completed, the Lotus has been preached. Unlike the promise of heaven, or the hope of rebirth in the Pure Land in the next life, or the kingdom that is to come, the divine deeds have been done and the Dharma is fully available now. The only delay is in our own growth. Although the human readiness to achieve complete buddhahood may lie in the future, the supernatural resources of the Lotus Sutra and the Dharma and the Eternal Buddha are here now. As the story of the dragon king's daughter shows, the timing is up to us. No waiting for another is needed. We are already in an eternal summer.

This work of growth is what gives direction and meaning to our lives. Our role as bodhisattvas is to be both coreceivers and cocreators as we seek to manifest a Dharma in this organic and interdependent world that will be good and beautiful.

Organic Truth

Common complaints about the Lotus Sutra in the past have included the charge that the historical Buddha is a Docetic figure who only appears to be born in history (chapter 16), but is actually just conjured up as an expedient device to teach and lead us. That this is not an isolated theme in the Lotus can be seen in the story of the magic city (chapter 7) that is similarly conjured up to give pilgrims a rest so that they can regain their strength and vision in order to complete their journey to nirvana. Similarly, in chapter 10 we see the Buddha teaching Medicine King that if anyone is teaching the Lotus alone and unprotected, the Buddha will send an audience of monastics and laity, as well as protectors, whom he has "magically conjured." Of course, these examples of deception are compounded by the many "expedient messages" throughout the sutra, including the false promises given to children to prompt them to flee from a burning house, or a job
offer given to a destitute son by a father who keeps his identity a secret, or a contrived situation to motivate the children of a doctor to take their medicine. In chapter 25 the sutra even personifies the Dharma in the figure of the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who promises to take any form that is needed in order to help people, and thirty-three forms are listed as examples. The text is filled with magic and deception.

In the first section I argued that the Lotus sermon in not shown in the text because the ultimate Dharma is beyond words. In this last section I want to argue that the Dharma that is shown as words in the sutra, or that is embodied in its stories, or shown as the Buddha or as Guanyin, as fellow disciples or as detractors, as protectors or as enemies, as Buddhists or as Christians, is not to be taken at face value. The message of the Lotus Sutra that emerges for me is that Dharmic truth is relational, it is dialogical, and it is organic. It shows that messages from the Buddha are responsive to need of people and conform to circumstances.

When reduced to objective truth and taken out of context, the Lotus
teachings can be shown as deceptive or false or perhaps poetic license.
however, I propose that this freedom to innovate and to transform truth
derives from the I-thou context of the sutra: namely, the dynamic
relationship between that Dharmic universe and the practitioner in which boundaries dissolve and the words or images that emerge transcend objective limits which are usually measured in isolation. The dialogical Lotus-truth transcends finitude, separation, and objective distinctions. It is more than pragmatic truth since its goal is not to get something done. Rather it is organic truth since it include the capacities and needs of people, it is dynamically evolved through interaction, and its goal is the growth of beings into something beautiful for themselves and others.

In the Lotus Sutra, truth is defined by what is helpful for growth,
specifically religious growth, so objectivity in the text is sacrificed for the sake of seeing goodness and freedom where there was none before, so that everyone might blossom. But Buddhism for me always involves two truths, and each must be respected and given its proper weight.

Organic truth turns into harmful lies and real deception when the words are taken as literally true, and the magic is taken for objective reality. It is crucial that we recognize that the Dharma-truth celebrated in the Lotus Sutra is poetic, and that religious truth emerges in the overcoming of finitude and division. however, it always needs to be balanced by the truth of history and finitude, life and death. lotus flowers cannot blossom alone in the sky, but only in the earth of local places and in response to local conditions. Each must be given its due: the truth that a real Gotama Sakyamuni Buddha did live and die must balance our awareness that an Eternal Buddha is still present for us. On the other hand, the Lotus Sutra reminds us that as the details and stresses of our own life consume and exhaust us, they also can provide enough dirt and water and sun to coax a lotus flower into bloom.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Bio on David W. Chappell

Bio on David W. Chappell

David Wellington Chappell, an author, scholar and educator on the history of Buddhism, a peace advocate and the principal founder of the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies.

A professor of religion at the University of Hawaii for three decades, Chappell moved to Southern California in 2000 to become professor of comparative studies at Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo.

He helped create the Society for Buddhist-Christian Studies in the 1980s and served as founding editor of its journal, Buddhist-Christian Studies.

Chappell, who earned several grants from peace organizations, worked throughout his life to apply religious teachings to achieving peace in troubled areas of the world. His books often embraced that effort.

In 2001, he published "Buddhist Peacework: Creating Cultures of Peace," after soliciting essays from religious and lay leaders. The concept for the book sprang from a 1994 UNESCO conference on how religion could help promote peace.

In reviewing the book, the International Journal on World Peace said that Chappell "has very skillfully drawn together essays from some of the leading figures of contemporary Buddhist thinking…. This is a useful book both for those who are familiar with Buddhist thought but are interested in its social applications, especially in peacemaking, and for those who know less of the philosophy."

Chappell's other books include "Buddhist and Taoist Practice in Medieval Chinese Society," "Tien-Tai Buddhism: An Outline of the Four-Fold Teachings" and "Unity in Diversity: Hawaii's Buddhist Communities."

A Canadian native, Chappell earned his bachelor's degree from Mount Allison University, his bachelor's of divinity from McGill University and a doctorate in the history of religions from Yale.