Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

“This Person Advances through the World" / WND pg. 1011

“This Person Advances through the World" / WND pg. 1011

Just when I had not heard from you for some time, your letter arrived. In addition, I have received a quilted robe with a blue lining, a hat, a sash, one thousand coins, and a basket of chestnuts.

The present time corresponds to the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law. Passages of the sutra clearly state that at this time Bodhisattva Superior Practices will appear and bestow the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo on all the people of Japan. And they reveal that he will face exile and execution. I am also like the envoy of Bodhisattva Superior Practices because I spread this teaching.

The "Supernatural Powers" chapter states, "As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he advances through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings." In this passage from the sutra, in the five-character phrase "this person as he advances through the world," to whom do you think "this person" refers? I believe that it must be the person who is the reincarnation of Bodhisattva Superior Practices. The sutra states, "After I have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without doubt will (1) attain the Buddha way."

I am sure that you, too, are one who assists Bodhisattva Superior Practices in his propagation efforts.

Nichiren

The third day of the twelfth month in the second year of Koan (1279), cyclical sign tsuchinoto-u

Reply to Uemon no Tayu

Background

This letter was written at Minobu to Ikegami Uemon no Tayu Munenaka, the elder of the Ikegami brothers. Nichiren Daishonin indicates here that he is Bodhisattva Superior Practices, who, according to predictions made in the Lotus Sutra, will appear in the world in the Latter Day of the Law and propagate the Mystic Law. The sutra says that Bodhisattva Superior Practices "as he advances through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings." Also, the sutra predicts in the "Encouraging Devotion" chapter that Superior Practices will be subjected to persecutions such as exile and execution. "Exile" indicates the Daishonin's banishment to Izu from 1261 to 1263, and to Sado Island from 1271 to 1274. "Execution" refers to the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in 1271, when the Daishonin was nearly beheaded.

In concluding, the Daishonin encourages Ikegami Munenaka in faith by praising him as one who is helping Bodhisattva Superior Practices spread the doctrine of the Lotus Sutra.

Note
1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 21.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

a new child(s)+++???

a new child(s)+++???

Congrats to the Doobie family. Everyone have a great weekend

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Sutra of True Requital / WND pg. 928

The Sutra of True Requital / WND pg. 928

In the first year of the Koan era (1278), with the cyclical sign tsuchinoe-tora, on the sixth day of the seventh month, the lay nun Sennichi sent a letter via her husband, Abutsu-bo, from Sado Province to a mountain recess called Mount Minobu, in Hakiri Village, in Kai Province, in the same country of Japan.

In the letter she says that, though she had been concerned about the faults and impediments that prevent women from gaining enlightenment, since according to my teaching the Lotus Sutra puts the attainment of Buddhahood by women first, she relies upon this sutra in all matters.

One might ask, “Who was the Buddha who preached the sutra known as the Lotus?” To the west of this land of Japan, west again from China, far, far west beyond the deserts and the Pamirs, in a land called India, there was a crown prince, the son of a great king named Shuddhodana. When the prince reached the age of nineteen, he cast aside his rank, withdrew to Mount Dandaka, and took up the religious life. At the age of thirty he became a Buddha. His body took on a golden color, and his spirit reflected the three existences. The Buddha, who illuminated as though in a mirror all that had happened in the past and would happen in the future, taught all the various sutras of his teaching life over a period of fifty years.

Even though all these sutras were gradually spread throughout the land of India during the first thousand years after the Buddha's passing, they had still not been introduced in China or Japan. Even though it is said that Buddhism was first brought to China 1,015 years after the demise of the Buddha, the Lotus Sutra had still not been introduced.

Some two hundred or more years after Buddhism was brought to China, a man known as the Tripitaka Master Kumarayana lived in a country called Kucha, located between India and China. His son, Kumarajiva, journeyed from Kucha to India, where he received instruction on the Lotus Sutra from the Tripitaka Master Shuryasoma. On entrusting Kumarajiva with the sutra, Shuryasoma said to him, "This Lotus Sutra has a deep connection with (1) a country to the northeast."

With these words in mind, Kumarajiva set out to carry the sutra to the region east of India, to the land of China. Thus it was more than two hundred years after Buddhism had been introduced to China, during the reign of a ruler of the Later Ch'in dynasty, that the Lotus Sutra was first brought to that country.

Buddhism was introduced to Japan during the reign of the thirtieth sovereign, Emperor Kimmei, on the thirteenth day, a day with the cyclical sign kanoto-tori, of the tenth month in the thirteenth year of his reign, a year with the cyclical sign mizunoe-saru (552), by King Syöngmyöng of the kingdom of Paekche to the west of Japan. This occurred four hundred years after the introduction of Buddhism to China, and more than fourteen hundred years after the Buddha's passing.

Although the Lotus Sutra was among the texts introduced then, Prince Shotoku, a son of the thirty-second sovereign, Emperor Yomei, sent an envoy to China for a copy of the Lotus and propagated it throughout Japan. Since then, more than seven hundred years have passed.

Already, over 2,230 years have passed since the demise of the Buddha. More-over, the lands of India, China, and Japan are separated from each other by mountain after mountain, river after river, and sea after sea. Their inhabitants, their ways of thinking, and the character of their lands all differ from each other, and their languages and customs vary. How, then, can ordinary human beings like ourselves possibly understand the true meaning of the Buddhist teachings?

The only way to do so is to examine and compare the words of the various sutras. These sutras all differ from each other, but the one known as the Lotus is in eight volumes. In addition to these, there are the Universal Worthy Sutra, which urges the propagation of the Lotus, and the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, which serves as an introduction to the Lotus, each consisting of one volume. When we open the Lotus Sutra and look into it, it is as though we were seeing our own face in a bright mirror, or as though the sun had come out and we were able to discern the colors of the plants and trees.

In reading the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, which serves as an introduction, we find a passage that says, "In these more than forty years, I [Shakyamuni Buddha] have not yet revealed the truth." In the first volume of the Lotus Sutra, at the beginning of the "Expedient Means" chapter, we read, "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth." In the fourth volume, in the "Treasure Tower" chapter, there is a passage that clearly states, "The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law . . . all that you [Shakyamuni] have expounded is the truth!" And the seventh volume contains the splendid passage that reads, "Their tongues reach to the (2) Brahma heaven."

In addition to these passages, we should note that the other sutras that precede or follow the Lotus have been compared to the stars, to streams and rivers, to petty kings, and to small mountains, and that the Lotus has been compared to the moon, to the sun, and to such things as the great ocean, (3) a great mountain, and a great king.

These statements are not my words. They are all the golden words of the Thus Come One, and they are the words that express the judgment of all the Buddhas in the ten directions. All of the bodhisattvas and persons of the two vehicles, Brahma, Shakra, and the gods of the sun and moon, which hang in the sky now like bright mirrors, watched and heard these statements being made. The words of the deities of the sun and moon also are recorded in this sutra. All the ancient gods of India, China, and Japan were also present in the assembly. The gods of Japan, such as the Sun Goddess, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and the deities of Kumano (4) and Suzuka, are unable to dispute these statements.

This sutra is superior to all other sutras. It is like the lion king, the monarch of all the creatures that run on the ground, and like the eagle, the king of all the creatures that fly in the sky. Sutras such as the Devotion (5) to Amida Buddha Sutra are like pheasants or rabbits. Seized by the eagle, their tears flow; pursued by the lion, fear grips their bowels. And the same is true of people like the Nembutsu adherents, the Precepts priests, the Zen priests, and the True Word teachers. When they come face to face with the votary of the Lotus Sutra, their color drains away and their spirits fail.

As for what sort of doctrines are taught in this wonderful Lotus Sutra, beginning with the "Expedient Means" chapter in the first volume, it teaches that bodhisattvas, persons of the two vehicles, and ordinary people are all capable of attaining Buddhahood. But as of yet no examples exist to prove this assertion. It is like a guest whom we meet for the first time. His appearance is attractive, his heart is brave, and on hearing him speak, we have no reason to doubt him. Yet because we have never seen him before and have no proof of the things he says, we find it difficult to believe him on the basis of his words alone. But if we repeatedly see evidence to support the major points he makes at this time, we will be able to trust what he says from now on as well.

For all those who wished to believe the Lotus Sutra and yet could not do so with complete certainty, the fifth volume presents what is the heart and core of the entire sutra, the doctrine of attaining Buddhahood in one's present form. It is as though, for instance, a black object were to become white, black lacquer to become like snow, an unclean thing to become clean and pure, or a wish-granting jewel to be placed into muddy water [to make it transparent]. Here it is told how the dragon girl became a Buddha in her reptilian form. And at that moment there was no longer anyone who doubted that all men can attain Buddhahood. This is why I say that the enlightenment of women is expounded as a model.

For this reason, the Great Teacher Dengyo, the founder of Enryaku-ji temple on Mount Hiei, who was the first to spread the true teachings of the Lotus Sutra in Japan, commented on this point as follows: "Neither teacher nor disciples need undergo countless kalpas of austere practice in order to attain Buddhahood. Through the power of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law they can do so in their present (6) form." And the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che of China, who expounded the true meaning of the Lotus Sutra first in that country, stated, "The other sutras only predict Buddhahood . . . for men, but not for women; . . . This sutra (7) predicts Buddhahood for all."

Do not these interpretations make clear that, among all the teachings of the Buddha's lifetime, the Lotus Sutra is first, and that, among the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, that of women attaining Buddhahood is first? For this reason, though the women of Japan may be condemned in all sutras other than the Lotus as incapable of attaining Buddhahood, as long as the Lotus guarantees their enlightenment, what reason have they to be downcast?

Now I, Nichiren, was born as a human being, something difficult to achieve, and I have encountered the Buddha's teachings, which are but rarely to be met with. Moreover, among all the teachings of the Buddha, I was able to meet the Lotus Sutra. When I stop to consider my good fortune, I realize that I am indebted to my parents, indebted to the ruler, and indebted to all living beings.

With regard to the debt of gratitude owed to our parents, our father may be likened to heaven and our mother to the earth, and it would be difficult to say to which parent we are the more indebted. But it is particularly difficult to repay the great kindness of our mother.

If, in desiring to repay it, we seek to do so by following the non-Buddhist scriptures, such as the Three Records, the Five Canons, or The Classic of Filial Piety, we can provide for our mother in this life, but we cannot hope to do anything for her next life. Although we can provide for her physically, we will be unable to save her spiritually.

Turning to the Buddhist scriptures, we find that, because the more than five thousand or seven thousand volumes of Hinayana and Mahayana sutras teach that it is impossible for women to attain Buddhahood, it is impossible to repay the debt owed to our mother. The Hinayana teachings flatly deny that a woman can attain Buddhahood. The Mahayana sutras in some cases seem to say that a woman may attain Buddhahood or may be reborn in a pure land, but this is simply a possibility mentioned by the Buddha, and no examples of such a thing actually having happened are given.

Since I have realized that only the Lotus Sutra teaches the attainment of Buddhahood by women, and that only the Lotus is the sutra of true requital for repaying the kindness of our mother, in order to repay my debt to my mother, I have vowed to enable all women to chant the daimoku of this sutra.

The women of Japan, however, have all been led astray by priests like Shan-tao of China, or Eshin, Yokan, and Honen of Japan, so that throughout the entire country not one of them chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which should be their foundation. All they do is chant Namu Amida Butsu once a day, ten times, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a million times a day, or thirty thousand or a hundred thousand times. All their lives, every hour of the day and night, they do nothing else. Both those women who are steadfast in their pursuit of enlightenment and those who are evil make the invocation of Amida's name their foundation. And the few women who seem to be devoting themselves to the Lotus Sutra do so only as though whiling away time waiting for the moon to rise, or as though reluctantly spending time with a man who does not please them until they can meet their lover.

Thus among all the women of Japan, not one is in accord with the spirit of the Lotus Sutra. They do not chant the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, which is essential for their loving mothers, but instead devote their hearts to Amida. And because they do not base themselves on the Lotus Sutra, Amida extends no aid. Reciting the name of Amida Buddha is no way for a woman to gain salvation; rather it will invariably plunge her into hell.

In grieving over what is to be done if we wish to assist our mothers, [I have realized that] the recitation of the name of Amida Buddha creates karma that destines a person to the hell of incessant suffering. Such recitation is not included among the five cardinal sins, and yet it is worse than the five sins. A person who murders his father and mother destroys their physical bodies, but he does not condemn them to fall into the hell of incessant suffering in their next existence.

The women of Japan today, who could without fail attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra, have been deceived into reciting exclusively the formula Namu Amida Butsu. Since it does not appear to be evil, they have been misled. Since it is not the seed of Buddhahood, they will never become Buddhas. By clinging to the minor good of reciting Amida Buddha's name, they deprive themselves of the major good of the Lotus Sutra. Thus this minor good of the Nembutsu is worse in its effect than the great evil of the five cardinal sins.

It is like the case of Masakado, who during the Shohei era (931-938) seized control of eight provinces in the Kanto region, or like Sadato, who during the Tengi era (1053-1058) took possession of the region of Oshu. Because these men caused a division between the people of their region and the sovereign, they were declared enemies of the imperial court and in the end were destroyed. Their plots and rebellions were worse than the five cardinal sins.

Buddhism in Japan today is exactly like this. It is merely plots and rebellions in a different form. The Lotus Sutra represents the supreme ruler, while the True Word school, Pure Land school, Zen school, and the Precepts priests, by upholding such minor sutras as the Mahavairochana Sutra and the Meditation on the Buddha Infinite Life Sutra, have become the deadly enemies of the Lotus Sutra. And yet women throughout Japan, unaware of the ignorance of their own minds, think that Nichiren, who can save them, is their foe, and mistake the Nembutsu, Zen, Precepts, and True Word priests, who are in fact deadly enemies, for good friends and teachers. And because they look upon Nichiren, who is trying to save them, as a deadly enemy, these women all join together to slander him to the ruler of the country, so that, after having been exiled to the province of Izu, he was also exiled to the province of Sado.

Here I, Nichiren, made a vow and declared: "There is absolutely no fault on my part. And even if I should be mistaken, the fact remains that I have made a vow to save all the women in Japan, and that sincerity cannot be ignored - especially since what I am saying is in complete accord with the Lotus Sutra.

"If the women of Japan do not choose to put faith in me, then they should let the matter rest there. On the contrary, however, they set about having me attacked. But am I in error?

"How will Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, the Buddhas of the ten directions, the bodhisattvas, the people of the two vehicles, Brahma, Shakra, and the four heavenly kings deal with this? If I am in error, show me how! In particular, the gods of the sun and moon are right before me. And since, in addition to listening to the words of Shakyamuni Buddha, you also vowed to punish those who persecute the votary of the Lotus Sutra, saying, 'Their (8) heads will split into seven pieces,' what then do you intend to do?" Because Nichiren strongly called them to task in this manner, the heavenly gods have inflicted punishment on this land, and these epidemics have appeared.

By rights the heavenly gods should command another nation to punish our country, but too many people on both sides would perish. Thus, the design of the heavenly gods is to avoid a general conflict and instead to first destroy the people [in this epidemic] - which is in effect cutting off the ruler's hands and feet - thereby compelling the ruler and high ministers of this nation [to honor the Lotus Sutra]. In this way they intend to wipe out the enemies of the Lotus Sutra and make way for the propagation of the correct teaching.

Nevertheless, when I was exiled to the province of Sado, the constable of the province and the other officials, following the design of the ruler of the nation, treated me with animosity. And the people went along with those orders. In addition, the Nembutsu, Zen, Precepts, and True Word priests in Kamakura sent word that by no means should I be allowed to return from the island of Sado, and Ryokan of Goku-raku-ji and others persuaded the former (9) governor of the province of Musashi to issue his own letters of instruction, which were carried to Sado by Ryokan's disciples, ordering that I be persecuted. Thus it seemed that I could not possibly escape with my life. Whatever the design of the heavenly gods in the matter may have been, every single steward and Nembutsu believer worthy of the name kept strict watch on my hut day and night, determined to prevent anyone from communicating with me. Never in any lifetime will I forget how in those circumstances you, with Abutsu-bo carrying a wooden container of food on his back, came in the night again and again to bring me aid. It was just as if my deceased mother had suddenly been reborn in the province of Sado!

Once in China there was a man (10) known as the governor of P'ei. Because there were signs indicating that he would become the ruler, the First Emperor of the Ch'in dynasty decreed that unparalleled rewards would be bestowed upon anyone who would kill him. The governor thought it would be too dangerous to try to conceal himself in the country villages, and so he entered the mountains, where he remained hidden for seven days, and then for another seven. At that time, he believed that his life was as good as lost. But the governor had a wife of the Lü family who went searching for him in the mountains and from time to time would bring him food to keep him alive.

Being the governor's wife, she could not help but feel compassion for him. But in your case, had you not been concerned about the life to come, would you have shown me such devotion? And that is also the reason why you have remained steadfast throughout, even when you were driven from your land, fined, and had your house taken from you. In the Lotus Sutra, it is said that one who in the past has made offerings to a hundred thousand million Buddhas will, when reborn in a (11) later existence, be unshakable in faith. You, then, must be a woman who has made offerings to a hundred thousand million Buddhas.

In addition, it is easy to sustain our concern for someone who is before our very eyes, but quite a different thing when that person is far away, even though in our heart we may not forget him. Nevertheless, in the five years, from the eleventh year of the Bun'ei era (1274) to this year, the first year of the Koan era, that have already passed since I came to live here in the mountains, you have sent your husband from the province of Sado to visit me three times. How great is your sincerity! It is firmer than the great earth, deeper than the great sea!

When he was Prince Sattva in a previous existence, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni gained merit by feeding his body to a starving tigress, and when he was King Shibi, he gained merit by giving his flesh to a hawk in exchange for the life of a dove. And he declared in the presence of Many Treasures and the Buddhas of the ten directions that he would transfer this merit to those who believe in the Lotus Sutra as you do in the Latter Day of the Law.

You say in your letter that the eleventh day of the eighth month of this year marks the thirteenth anniversary of your father's passing. You also note that you are enclosing an offering of one thousand coins. It is extremely kind of you to do so. Fortunately, I happen to have a copy of the Lotus (12) Sutra in ten volumes that I would like to send you. When you think longingly (13) of me, have Gakujo-bo read it and please listen to it. And in a future existence, you may use this copy of the sutra as a token of proof with which to search me out.

In view of the epidemics that raged the year before last, last year, and this year, I was so concerned about how all of you were faring that I prayed earnestly to the Lotus Sutra, but still I felt uneasy. Then, on the twenty-seventh day of the seventh month, at the hour of the monkey (3:00-5:00 PM), Abutsu-bo appeared. I asked him first how you were, and how the lay priest (14) of Ko was. He told me that neither of you had fallen ill, and that the lay priest of Ko had set out along with him, but because the early rice was nearly ripe, and because he had no sons to help him harvest it, he had had no choice but to turn back.

When I heard all this, I felt as if I were a blind man who had recovered his sight, or as if my deceased father and mother had come to me in a dream from the palace of King Yama, and in that dream I had felt great joy. It is a strange and wonderful thing, but both here and in Kamakura, very few of my followers have died from this plague. It is as if all of us were riding in the same boat and, though it would be too much to expect that we should all survive, still, just when disaster seemed to be upon us, another boat came out to rescue us. Or it is as if the dragon deities were watching over us and making it possible for us to reach the shore in safety. It is indeed wondrous!

Concerning the lay priest Ichinosawa (15), please tell his wife, the lay nun, that I am grieved to hear of his death. But I have already told her quite clearly how matters stand with her husband, and she will no doubt recall my words. Regardless of the fact that he had a hall in his house dedicated to Amida Buddha, Amida Buddha will never save an enemy of the Lotus Sutra. On the contrary, such a person renders himself a foe of Amida Buddha. After his death, he must have fallen into the evil paths of existence and been filled with deep regret. It is a great pity.

I am mindful, however, that the lay priest Ichinosawa on several occasions saved my life by hiding me in a corridor of his residence, and I have therefore tried to think of something that can be done for him. Will you please ask Gakujo-bo to read the Lotus Sutra regularly at his grave? Even so, I do not think that this will enable him to reach enlightenment. Please tell his wife, the lay nun, that I grieve at the thought of how desolate and lonely she must feel. I will write more at another time.

Nichiren

The twenty-eighth day of the seventh month

To the wife of Abutsu-bo, in the provincial capital of Sado

Background

This letter was written at Minobu on the twenty-eighth day of the seventh month of the first year of Koan (1278), the day after Abutsu-bo, a lay follower, arrived on his third journey from Sado Island to visit Nichiren Daishonin. This letter is the Daishonin's answer to one that Abutsu-bo had delivered from his wife, the lay nun Sennichi.

Some scholars maintain that the lay nun Sennichi served as an attendant to a court lady accompanying the Retired Emperor Juntoku during his banishment to Sado after the Jokyu Disturbance of 1221, but it is more likely that she was a native of the island. She and her husband were devoted followers of the Daishonin and supplied him with food, writing materials, and other necessities for more than two years, until his pardon in 1274. After the Daishonin's move to Minobu, the lay nun sent her husband with offerings to visit him there at least three times.

In the first portion of this letter, the Daishonin emphasizes the superiority of the Lotus Sutra from the standpoint of its teaching that women can attain Buddhahood. The provisional teachings, he says, deny that women can be-come Buddhas; only the Lotus Sutra clearly reveals that they are able to do so. The Daishonin declares that the enlightenment of women as taught in the Lotus Sutra shows that all living beings can attain Buddhahood in their present form.

He then takes up the subject of repaying one's debt of gratitude to one's parents, especially to one's mother. Since the Lotus is the only sutra that guarantees the enlightenment of women, he says, it is also the only one that truly enables one to requite one's mother's kindness. Nevertheless, the women of Japan reject both the Lotus Sutra and its votary, and chant only the name of Amida Buddha. But, says the Daishonin, Amida will never protect an enemy of the Lotus Sutra. Thus he shows that the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra is the basis of all Buddhist teachings.

While in exile on Sado, the Daishonin was harshly treated by many of the islanders. The lay nun Sennichi and her husband, however, risked their person-al safety to serve him and maintained their faith despite many hardships.

Notes

1. The Afterword to the Lotus Sutra Translation, a work written by Seng-chao (384- 414), one of Kumarajiva's disciples, attributes this statement to Shuryasoma.
2. Lotus Sutra, chap. 21.
3. These are among the ten comparisons set forth in the "Medicine King" chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
4. Kumano refers to the three Shinto shrines located in the Kumano district of Wakayama Prefecture. They are Kumano Nimasu Shrine, which enshrines the god Ketsumiko no Kami; Kumano Hayatama Shrine, which enshrines the god Kumano Hayatama no Kami; and Kumano Nachi Shrine, which enshrines the god Kumano Fusumi no Kami. Suzuka refers to a district in Ise Province (now northern Mie Prefecture), the location of an important barrier station on the route connecting Yamato and Ise provinces. It is the site of many old temples, shrines, and archaeological remains.
5. Devotion to Amida Buddha Sutra: The Amida Sutra. The Daishonin may have referred to it this way to indicate its as-sociation with the Nembutsu, the chanting of Amida Buddha's name in the formula Namu Amida Butsu (Devotion to Amida Buddha), a practice that was widespread in his day.
6. The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra.
7. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Su-
8. Lotus Sutra, chap. 26.
9. The former governor of the province of Musashi refers here to Hojo Nobutoki, the constable of Sado Province, who lived in Kamakura.
10. The governor of P'ei refers to Liu Pang (247-195 BCE), the founder of the Former Han dynasty. He and another warlord, Hsiang Yü, contended for power, taking advantage of the confusion following the death of the First Emperor of the Ch'in to raise troops and attempt to overthrow the dynasty. A protracted struggle between the two ended in the victory of Liu Pang, who founded the Han dynasty in 202 BCE. The episode referred to in the text appears in Records of the Historian.
11. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
12. "The Lotus Sutra in ten volumes" refers to the entire Lotus Sutra, consisting of eight volumes together with the one-volume Immeasurable Meanings Sutra and the one-volume Universal Worthy Sutra, which serve respectively as prologue and epilogue to the Lotus Sutra.
13. Gakujo-bo (d. 1301), a disciple of the Daishonin, is said to have lived at Ichi-nosawa on Sado Island. Originally a True Word believer, he converted to the Daishonin's teaching and devoted himself to propagating it, founding a temple called Jisso-ji.
14. The lay priest of Ko was a follower of the Daishonin. Ko means a provincial office or its location; the lay priest was so called because he lived in Ko, the provincial seat of Sado Island. He and his wife made offerings to the Daishonin and helped protect him.
15. The lay priest Ichinosawa (d. 1278) was a follower of the Pure Land school. The Daishonin lived for a large part of his exile on Sado at his residence. Ichinosawa never abandoned his Pure Land beliefs, but made efforts to protect the Daishonin.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

It is like a guest whom we meet for the first time. His appearance is attractive, his heart is brave, and on hearing him speak, we have no reason to doubt him. Yet because we have never seen him before and have no proof of the things he says, we find it difficult to believe him on the basis of his words alone. But if we repeatedly see evidence to support the major points he makes at this time, we will be able to trust what he says from now on as well.

 

[Babbabud]

Thanks for taking the time

Thanks for taking the time

PTD just want to take a moment to thankyou for taking the time to post each day for all of us. Its great that you show the love and compassion to spend your time posting to help the rest of keep our center on the things that really matter. Your work towards kosen rofu does not go unnoticed. Im sure there are many of us that get up each day and read these words and start our day with the proper thought atttude and renewed faith. Im like a chalk board and wake up each day with a clean slate .... its great to start my day with words from your post.
Congratulations to your whole family on the upcoming birth of another very lucky child....or children to be born into such a loving family.
Thanks for caring about us all PTD


Some trainwreck my friend ?

 

[nattynattygurrl]

hellow my friends!!!

hellow my friends!!!



hello, my friends!!!

i hope that ths finds every1 of the Chanting Growers doin & feelin well!!!

..just "fyi", for chronologic's sake, ..i actually wrote most of this a cpl days ago, but started to get too sore, & couldn't finish/edit it, so i sent it to myself as a PM, lol!! just incase it seems "off topic" or outta place ..& in the intrest of "full discloser" too, of course..LOL :wink: .........



hello, my friends!!! :wave
i hope tht ths finds u all well!!!
it sounds like there's a lotta good news floatin aroud here!!! :wink: (& i certainly hope that is the case for u all!!!)


PTD, i'm so happy to hear ur family's wonderful news!!! Congratulations, Congratulations!!, to u & ur beautiful, & expanding, family!!!!



while i'm postin, let me add too, my genuine thanks to all of u, who post[/I] & make this thread, so much more than just a thread!!! :smile: (PTD, of course, included...this IS (1 of) his baby/ies!!!! ) ...it's such a breath of fresh air, to read!!! & altho, i can't always keep up, & may not hv much to say, (i guess i'm a bit of a "lurker" here... lol), i hv much for u all, & i always enjoy reading ur posts, here in this place of teaching, learning & sharing.. it definately lifts my spirits!!!


i hope this finds all of u, & urs, doin & feelin well!!! :smile: my best to u all!!!
& Congratulations, once again, to the PTD family!!!


be peaceful, my friends!!!
~natty

.
.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Well there isn't a post I would rather see than yours Natty! I am sure everyone is completely lifted in the knowledge you have been lurking and not gone. You know that big fat book, and it's companion for helping you understand what the big one is saying, are wonderful things to sit down with on the weekend, or if you're up late one night, but don't want to get on the net. We miss seeing you here Natty! Thank you for saying such nice things, but always remember your perspective is just as respectworthy as any other ones posted, and that goes for everyone.

And Bud, the wife and I are trying to figure out how we can pull off some side trips for our visit to the Western Hemisphere in the next couple of months. Save a taste of that wreck just in case OK? The love and support of both of you is felt all the way over here and is deeply appreciated by both of us. We love you too!

We are very grateful for all of the well wishes for the new kiddo(s) coming. I keep thinking what if it is multiple births again? What if it's even like triplets again or something?!? Oh shit!

(On the other hand, the more Buddhas in my family the better.)

The sufferings of birth and death ARE nirvana!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The One Essential Phrase / WND pg. 922

The One Essential Phrase / WND pg. 922

For you to inquire about the Lotus Sutra and ask its meaning is a rare source of good fortune. In this age of the Latter Day of the Law, those who ask about the meaning of even one phrase or verse of the Lotus Sutra are far fewer than those who can hurl Mount Sumeru to another land like a stone, or those who can kick the major world system away like a ball. They are even fewer than those who can embrace and teach countless other sutras, thereby enabling the monks and lay believers who listen to them to obtain the six transcendental powers. Equally rare is a priest who can explain the meaning of the Lotus Sutra and resolve people's doubts concerning it. The "Treasure Tower" chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra sets forth the important principle of the six difficult and nine easy acts. Your asking a question about the Lotus Sutra is among the six difficult acts. This is a sure indication that, if you embrace the Lotus Sutra, you will become a Buddha in your present form.

Since the Lotus Sutra defines our body as the Dharma body of a Thus Come One, our mind as the reward body of a Thus Come One, and our actions as the manifested body of a Thus Come One, all who uphold and believe in even a single phrase or verse of this sutra will be endowed with the benefits of these three bodies. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is only one phrase or verse, but it is no ordinary phrase, for it is the essence of the entire sutra. You asked whether one can attain Buddhahood only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and this is the most important question of all. This is the heart of the entire sutra and the substance of its eight volumes.

The spirit within one's body of five or six feet may appear in just one's face, which is only a foot long, and the spirit within one's face may appear in just one's eyes, which are only an inch across. Included within the two characters representing Japan is all that is within the country's sixty-six provinces: the people and the animals, the rice paddies and the other fields, those of high and low status, the nobles and the commoners, the seven kinds of treasures and all the other precious gems. Similarly, included within the title, or daimoku, of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the entire sutra consisting of all eight volumes, twenty-eight chapters, and 69,384 characters, without the omission of a single character. Concerning this, (1) Po Chü-i stated that the title is to the sutra as the eyes are to the Buddha. In the eighth volume of his Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra," Miao-lo states, "When for the sake of brevity one mentions only the daimoku, or title, the entire sutra is by implication included therein." By this he means that, although for the sake of brevity only the title of the sutra is spoken, the entire sutra is contained in the title alone.

Everything has its essential point, and the heart of the Lotus Sutra is its title, or the daimoku, of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Truly, if you chant this in the morning and evening, you are correctly reading the entire Lotus Sutra. Chanting daimoku twice is the same as reading the entire sutra twice, one hundred daimoku equal one hundred readings of the sutra, and one thousand daimoku, one thousand readings of the sutra. Thus, if you ceaselessly chant daimoku, you will be continually reading (2) the Lotus Sutra. The sixty volumes of the T'ien-t'ai doctrines give exactly the same interpretation. A teaching this easy to uphold and this easy to practice was expounded for the sake of all living beings in the evil world of this latter age. A passage from the Lotus Sutra reads, "In the Latter Day of the Law (3). . .". Another reads, "If a bodhisattva or mahasattva in the latter age here-after, when the Law is about to perish, should accept and embrace, read and recite this sutra . . .". A third states, "In the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law if there is someone who can (4) uphold this sutra . . .". A fourth reads, "In the last five-hundred-year period you must spread it [the Lotus Sutra] (5) abroad widely." The heart of all these passages is the admonition to embrace and believe in the Lotus Sutra in this Latter Day of the Law. The learned authorities in Japan, China, and India have all failed to comprehend this obvious meaning and have slandered the sutra. They follow and practice the Hinayana and the provisional teachings upheld by the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, and Precepts schools, thereby discarding the Lotus Sutra. They misunderstand the Buddha's teachings, but the people are ignorant of their mistakes. Because they appear to be true priests, the people trust them without the slightest doubt about what they preach. Therefore, without realizing it, the people who follow them have become enemies of the Lotus Sutra and foes of Shakyamuni Buddha. It is obvious from the sutra that not only will all their wishes remain unfulfilled, but their lives will be short, and after this life, they will be doomed to the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. (6)

Even though one neither reads nor studies the sutra, chanting the title alone is the source of tremendous good fortune. The sutra teaches that women, evil men, and those in the realms of animals and hell - in fact, all the beings of the Ten Worlds - can attain Buddhahood in their present form. [This is an incomparably greater wonder than] fire being produced by a stone taken from the bottom of a river, or a lantern lighting up a place that has been dark for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years. If even the most ordinary things of this world are such wonders, then how much more wondrous is the power of the Buddhist Law! We ordinary beings are fettered by evil karma, earthly desires, and the sufferings of birth and death. But due to the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature - innate Buddhahood, the wisdom to perceive it, and the actions to manifest it - we can without doubt reveal the Buddha's three bodies - the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body. The Great Teacher Dengyo states, "Through the power of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law (7) they can do so in their present form." He is referring to the example of the dragon king's daughter, who achieved Buddhahood in her reptilian form through the power of the Lotus Sutra. Do not doubt this in the least. Please tell your husband that I will explain this in detail when I see him.

Nichiren

The third day of the seventh month in the first year of Koan (1278)cyclical sign tsuchinoe-tora

Reply to the lay nun Myoho

Background

Nichiren Daishonin sent this letter from Minobu in the seventh month, 1278, to the lay nun Myoho, who lived in Okamiya Village in Suruga Province. Very little is known about Myoho. This letter was written in response to a letter she had sent the Daishonin, asking whether one can attain enlightenment by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone.

A later letter from the Daishonin to Myoho tells us that the lay nun's husband died shortly after the present letter was written, and that her inquiry was most likely made on behalf of her sick husband. She survived her husband and her elder brother. She was a sincere believer and received several letters from the Daishonin, who apparently placed great trust in her.

Notes

1. Po Chü-i (772-846) is a famed Chinese poet, much admired in Japan.
2. T'ien-t'ai's three major works, The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, and Great Concentration and Insight, and Miao-lo's commentaries on them.
3. Lotus Sutra, chap. 14. The next quotation is from the same chapter.
4. Ibid., chap. 17.
5. Ibid., chap. 23.
6. This statement is based on a passage of the "Simile and Parable" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which 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."
7. The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra. The full passage reads, "Neither teacher nor disciples need undergo count-less kalpas of austere practice in order to attain Buddhahood. Through the power of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law they can do so in their present form."

 

[Babbabud]

Natty great to see you post. Great running into you in chat also
Hope some of the other ppl lurking can post up and share some love
Nam myoho renge kyo !

 

[SoCal Hippy]

NattyG, good to see ya still around even its lurking now and then. Babba, don't worry; with all the looks on this thread the causes are allready made and the 'seeds' of Myoho planted for many.

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings / WND pg. 1128

The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings / WND pg. 1128

The sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra deal with the bodies and minds of ordinary beings. The Buddha preached them in terms that would be accessible to the minds of ordinary people, and therefore, though they represent the preachings of the Buddha, they do not go beyond the scope of the minds of ordinary people. Hence they are called the sutras that were preached in accordance with the minds of others.

To illustrate, suppose that there are parents who do not care for sake themselves, but who have a beloved son who is extremely fond of it. Feeling tenderly toward their son and desiring to win his affection, they urge him to have some sake and in so doing pretend that they themselves like it, too. The foolish son thereupon concludes that his father and mother in fact like sake.

The Trapusha Sutra (1) deals with the realms of human and heavenly beings. The Agama sutras deal with persons of the two vehicles. The Flower Garland Sutra deals with bodhisattvas. The Correct and Equal and the Wisdom sutras in some respects resemble the Agama and Trapusha sutras, and in others, the Flower Garland Sutra.

When ordinary people in this latter age read these various sutras, they suppose that these sutras accord with the mind of the Buddha. But if we ponder the matter closely, we will see that in fact what they are reading is only a reflection of their own minds. And since their own minds are naturally uncultivated, there is little merit to be gained thereby.

The Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, is known as a sutra that was preached in accordance with the Buddha's own mind. Because the Buddha's mind is an excellent mind, persons who read this sutra, even though they may not understand its meaning, will gain inestimable benefit.

Mugwort that grows in the midst of hemp, or a snake inside a tube [will as a matter of course become straight], and those who associate with people of good character will consequently become upright in heart, deed, and word. The Lotus Sutra exerts a similar influence. The Buddha will look upon one who simply puts faith in this sutra as a good person.

Concerning the Lotus Sutra, however, the form of its teaching will vary depending upon the people's capacity, the time, the country, and the individuals who propagate it. Yet it seems that even bodhisattvas who have reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenment do not understand these relationships. How much less can ordinary people in the latter age ever fathom them!

In general, there are three kinds of messengers. The first kind is extremely clever. The second is not particularly clever but is not foolish, either. The third is extremely foolish but nevertheless reliable.

Of these three types, the first will commit no error [in transmitting the message]. The second, being somewhat clever but not quite as clever as the first type, will add his own words to his lord's message. Thus he is the worst possible type of messenger. The third type, being extremely foolish, will not presume to insert his own words and, being honest, will relay his lord's message without deviating from it. Thus he is a better messenger than the second type, and occasionally may be even better than the first.

The first type of messenger may be likened to the four ranks of sages in India. The second type corresponds to the teachers in China. And the third type may be likened to the ignorant but honest persons among the ordinary people of this latter age.

I will set aside here the period when the Buddha lived in this world. The period of a thousand years that followed from the day after his passing is known as the Former Day of the Law. This thousand-year period of the Former Day is divided into two. During the first five hundred years, the teachings of the Hinayana sutras spread. The persons who propagated them were Mahakashyapa, Ananda, and others. In the second five hundred years, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, and others spread the teachings of the provisional Mahayana sutras. Some among these scholars wrote about parts of the Lotus Sutra, and others made no mention of it whatsoever. Of the scholars who appeared after this thousand-year period of the Former Day, their views in a few cases resembled the Buddha's own teaching, but for the most part they fell into error. Of those who [appeared in the Former Day and] were not in error, but whose treatises were incomplete, we may name Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu.

In the thousand-year period of the Middle Day of the Law, Buddhism was introduced to China. But at first, because of controversy with the Confucians, there was apparently no time to delve into the internal divisions of Buddhism, such as the distinction between Mahayana and Hinayana, and between provisional and true teachings.

As the Buddhist teachings spread more widely and one doctrine after another was introduced from India, some persons who had earlier seemed discerning now appeared, in the light of more recently introduced sutras and treatises, to have been foolish. There were also some who had earlier been thought foolish, but who were now seen to have been wise. In the end, (2) ten different schools developed, and a thousand or ten thousand different interpretations were propounded. Ignorant people did not know which to adhere to, while the attachment to their own views of those thought to be wise was extreme.

In the end, however, there was one opinion that all agreed upon. It was, in short, that of all the teachings set forth in the course of the Buddha's lifetime the Flower Garland Sutra ranked first, the Nirvana Sutra, second, and the Lotus Sutra, third. No one from the ruler on down to the common people disputed this interpretation, because it was shared by the Dharma Teacher Fa-yün, the Dharma Teacher Chih-tsang, and the other leaders of the ten schools, who were all looked up to as great sages.

Then, in the time of the Ch'en and Sui dynasties during the Middle Day of the Law, there appeared a young priest named Chih-i, who was later to be known as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che. Although he taught many doctrines, his teachings ultimately centered upon this single issue of the relative superiority of the Lotus, Nirvana, and Flower Garland sutras.

The Dharma Teacher Chih-i declared that the teachers of Buddhism had these three works ranked upside down. The ruler of the Ch'en dynasty, in order to determine the truth of the matter, thereupon summoned a group of more than a hundred men, including the Administrator of Priests Hui-heng, the Supervisor of Priests Hui-k'uang, the Dharma Teacher Hui-jung, (3) and the Dharma Teacher Fa-sui, all among the most eminent leaders of the ten schools of the north and south, and had them confront Chih-i in debate.

The Dharma Teacher Chih-i said: "The Lotus Sutra itself says, 'among (4) the sutras, it holds the highest place.' It also says, 'Among the sutras I [Shakyamuni] have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult (5) to understand.' The Immeasurable Meanings Sutra makes clear that the sutras the Buddha already 'has preached' here refer to 'the teaching of great wisdom and the Flower Garland teaching of the ocean-imprint meditation' and so forth. And with regard to the sutras he 'will preach,' the Nirvana Sutra says, '. . . from the prajna-paramita (the teachings of the perfection of wisdom) he brought forth the Nirvana Sutra.' These scriptural passages show that the Lotus Sutra is superior to the Flower Garland and Nirvana sutras; they make it abundantly clear, clear as could possibly be. You should understand accordingly."

Rebuked in this manner, some of his opponents simply shut their mouths, others spewed out abuse, while still others turned pale. The Ch'en ruler then rose from his seat and bowed three times, and all the hundred officials pressed their palms together in reverence. Powerless to prevail, the leaders of the other schools conceded defeat. Thus it was established that the Lotus Sutra holds the highest place among the teachings of the Buddha's lifetime.

Then, during the latter five hundred years of the Middle Day of the Law, (6) new translations of the sutras and treatises appeared one after another. In the third year of the Chen-kuan era (629) in the reign of Emperor T'ai-tsung, a priest named Hsüan-tsang journeyed to India. He spent seventeen years mastering the various Buddhist doctrines of the five regions of India and re-turned to China in the nineteenth year of the same era (645), introducing the Profound Secrets Sutra, The Treatise on the Stages of Yoga Practice, The Treatise on the Consciousness-Only Doctrine, and the other teachings of the Dharma Characteristics school.

Hsüan-tsang declared, "Although there are many different schools in India, this school is the foremost." Emperor T'ai-tsung was one of the worthiest rulers China has known, and he took Hsüan-tsang to be his teacher.

In essence, what this school teaches is that for some persons the three vehicles are a mere expedient and the one vehicle represents the truth, while for others the one vehicle is an expedient and the three vehicles represent the truth. It also teaches that the five natures are completely separate, and that those sentient beings whose nature pre-destines them [to the two vehicles] or who lack the nature of enlightenment can never attain Buddhahood.

Such doctrines were as incompatible with those of the T'ien-t'ai school as are fire and water. But by this time both the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai and the Great Teacher Chang-an had passed on, and their successors were not the men they ought to have been. Hence it appeared that the T'ien-t'ai school had already gone down in defeat.

Later, during the reign of Empress Wu, the Flower Garland school appeared in China. The translation of the Flower Garland Sutra in sixty volumes, which the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai had criticized, was set aside, and thereafter the school was established on the basis of a new translation of the Flower Garland Sutra in eighty volumes, introduced (7) by the Tripitaka Master Jih-chao.

In general, this school teaches that the Flower Garland Sutra represents the "root teaching" of the Buddha while the Lotus Sutra represents the "branch teachings." Empress Wu was a Buddhist nun, and she had a certain degree of understanding of both the Buddhist and non-Buddhist scriptures. In her arrogance she looked down upon the T'ien-t'ai school. Between the Dharma Characteristics and Flower Garland schools, the Lotus Sutra thus became doubly obscured.

Later, in the reign of Emperor Hsüan-tsung, the three Tripitaka masters Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k'ung traveled to China from India, bringing with them the Mahavairochana, Diamond Crown, and Susiddhikara sutras. In both their character and doctrine, these three men were quite beyond comparison with the earlier teachers of Buddhism in China. And, in addition, because they introduced mudras and mantras, which had been previously unknown, it was thought that Buddhism had not really existed in China before their arrival. These men declared that the T'ien-t'ai school was superior to the Flower Garland, Dharma Characteristics, and Three Treatises teachings, but that it could not measure up to the doctrines of the True Word sutras.

Still later, the Great Teacher Miao-lo produced refutations of the Dharma Characteristics, Flower Garland, and True Word schools, schools that the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai had of course not criticized. But he did not carry out his refutations in a public debate, as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai had done. Thus the Lotus Sutra became like a piece of fine brocade worn in the dark of night, while the mudras and mantras, which are not to be found in the Lotus Sutra, were clearly visible before people's eyes. Therefore, everyone believed the True Word school to be superior.

During the Middle Day of the Law, Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth year of the reign of Emperor (8) Kimmei. During the more than two hundred years from the reign of Emperor Kimmei to the reign of Emperor Kammu, the six schools -the Three Treatises, Establishment of Truth, Dharma Characteristics, Dharma Analysis Treasury, Flower Garland, and Precepts - were propagated. The teachings of the True Word school were introduced during the reign of the forty-fourth sovereign, Empress Gensho, and those of the T'ien-t'ai school, during the reign of the forty-fifth sovereign (9), Emperor Shomu. But neither of these teachings was propagated at the time.

During the reign of Emperor Kammu, there lived the priest Saicho, who was later known as the Great Teacher Dengyo. Before journeying to T'ang China, he mastered the teachings of the six schools, and in addition, he spent fifteen years in seclusion on the mountain (10) examining the doctrines of the T'ien-t'ai and True Word schools. Therefore, even before going to China he was able to criticize the earlier six schools from the viewpoint of the T'ien-t'ai teachings, and his criticisms persuaded all the leaders of the seven major temples of Nara to acknowledge themselves as his disciples. Thus the doctrines of the six schools were refuted.

Later, in the twenty-third year of the Enryaku era (804), he journeyed to China, returning to Japan in the twenty-fourth year of the same era. At that time he propagated the T'ien-t'ai and True Word teachings in Japan. But as far as their relative superiority was concerned, though he discerned it in his heart, it appears that he did not expound it to others.

During this same period lived Ku-kai, later known as the Great Teacher Kobo. He, too, went to China in the twenty-third year of the Enryaku era and returned to Japan in the third year of the Daido era (808). He studied only the teachings of True Word and propagated them in Japan. In his opinion, the Lotus Sutra could not measure up even to the Flower Garland Sutra, much less to the True Word teachings.

The Great Teacher Dengyo had a disciple named Ennin, who was later known as the Great Teacher Jikaku. He went to China in the fifth year of the Jowa era (838) and returned to Japan in the fourteenth year of the same era. During those ten years he studied both the True Word and T'ien-t'ai doctrines. While in Japan, he had thoroughly studied the Tendai and True Word doctrines under the Great Teacher Dengyo, Gishin, and Encho, and in addition, during his ten years in China he studied True Word under (11) eight distinguished teachers and received instruction in the T'ien-t'ai (12) teachings from Tsung-jui, Chih-yüan, and others. After returning to Japan, he announced that the T'ien-t'ai and True Word schools alike represented the flavor of ghee, and that the sutras of both schools were profound and subtle. An imperial edict was issued supporting these opinions.

After him there appeared Enchin, later known as the Great Teacher Chi-sho. Before journeying to China, he was a disciple of the Reverend Gishin. While in Japan, he studied the Tendai and True Word teachings under Gishin, Encho, Ennin, and others. In addition, he went to China in the third year of the Ninju era (853), returning in the first year of the Jogan era (859). During his seven years in China, he made a thorough study of the two teachings of the T'ien-t'ai and True Word schools under such men as Fa-ch'üan (13) and Liang-hsü.

He declared that the relative merits of the two schools of Tendai and True Word were as clear as though reflected in a mirror, but that this point would surely be disputed in later times, and so he would settle the matter. He therefore stated his opinion that the two schools of Tendai and True Word were comparable to the two eyes of a person or the two wings of a bird. Those who held interpretations at variance with this were going against the founder, the Great Teacher Dengyo, and should not remain on the mountain. An imperial edict was again promulgated in support of this position, and Enchin spread his interpretation throughout the country.

Thus it would appear that, though there have been many wise persons in both China and Japan, there have been none who could refute this interpretation. If it is valid, then those who practice in accordance with it are certain to attain Buddhahood, and those rulers who pay respect to it are bound to enjoy peace and safety in their realm.

I had thought that, should I venture to share my own opinion with others, they would not only refuse to heed it but in fact would try to do me harm, and that my disciples and lay supporters who heard my views would also be placed in peril. And in fact everything has turned out just as I anticipated.

Nevertheless, I believe that the interpretations put forth by the persons I have mentioned simply do not accord with the Buddha's true intention. Judging from the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, if there should be any other sutra that surpasses it, then the Lotus Sutra would represent no more than a gathering of the Buddhas of the ten directions who came together to pile up great lies. But in fact when we examine the Flower Garland, Nirvana, Wisdom, Mahavairochana, and Profound Secrets sutras, we do not find any passage that controverts the Lotus Sutra's clear statement that "among the sutras, it holds the highest place."

Thus, although Shan-wu-wei, Hsüan-tsang, Kobo, Jikaku, Chisho, and the others put forth a variety of clever arguments, they could produce no passage of scripture proving the Lotus Sutra to be inferior to the Mahavairochana Sutra. Their whole argument rests solely on the question of whether the sutra includes mudras and mantras. Rather than writing hundreds of volumes of argument, traveling back and forth between China and Japan with their unending schemes, and arranging for the promulgation of imperial edicts in order to intimidate people, they would have been better off producing some clear passage of proof in the sutras themselves. Who then could have doubted their assertions?

Dewdrops accumulate to form a stream, and streams accumulate to form the great ocean. Particles of dust accumulate to form a mountain, and mountains accumulate to form Mount Sumeru. And in the same way, trifling matters accumulate to become grave ones. How much more so in the case of this matter, which is the gravest of all! When these men wrote their commentaries, they should have exerted themselves in examining both the principles and documentary evidence of the two teachings, and when the court issued imperial edicts, it, too, should have delivered its admonitions after thoroughly investigating both sides and citing some clear passage of proof.

Not even the Buddha himself could repudiate his statement that, among all the sutras he has preached, now preaches, and will preach, [the Lotus Sutra stands supreme]. How much less, then, can scholars, teachers, and rulers of states use their authority to do so! This statement [of the Buddha] has been heard by Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings, and duly recorded in their respective palaces.

So long as the people truly did not know of this statement, it seems that the false interpretations of the teachers I mentioned spread without anyone incurring retribution. But once a person of forceful character has come forward to make this sutra passage known in a bold and uncompromising fashion, then grave matters are certain to occur. Because people have looked down on this person and cursed him, struck him, sent him into exile, or attempted to take his life, Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings have risen up in anger and become that votary's allies. Thus unexpected censures have come down from heaven, and the people are about to be wiped out and the nation destroyed.

Though the votary of the Lotus Sutra may be of humble background, the heavenly deities who protect him are fearsome indeed. If an asura tries to swallow the sun or moon, its head will (14) split into seven pieces. If a dog barks at a lion, its bowels will rot. And as I view the situation today, the same sort of retribution is happening here in Japan.

On the other hand, those who give alms and support to the votary will receive the same benefit as though making offerings to the Lotus Sutra itself. As the Great Teacher Dengyo says in his commentary, "Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to the hell of incessant (15) suffering."

The person who offered a humble meal of millet to a pratyekabuddha became the Thus Come One Treasure (16) Brightness. He who offered a mud pie to the Buddha became the ruler of (17) Jambudvipa. Though one may perform meritorious deeds, if they are directed toward what is untrue, then those deeds may bring great evil, but they will never result in good. On the other hand, though one may be ignorant and make meager offerings, if one presents those offerings to a person who upholds the truth, one's merit will be great. How much more so in the case of people who in all sincerity make offerings to the correct teaching!

In addition, we live today in a time of trouble, when there is little that ordinary people can do. And yet, busy as you are, in your sincerity you have sent me thick-stemmed bamboo shoots (18) of the moso variety as offerings to the Lotus Sutra here in the mountains. Surely you are sowing good seeds in a field of fortune. My tears never cease to flow when I think of it.

Background

The opening and concluding portions of this letter have been lost, so its date and recipient are both unknown. From the contents of this existing portion, however, it would seem that Nichiren Daishonin wrote it at Minobu to one of his devoted believers.

In the beginning of this letter, the Daishonin declares that all the sutras expounded before the Lotus Sutra are to be classified as "according with the minds of others." That is, they are provisional teachings accommodated to the people's understanding. The Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, is said to "accord with the Buddha's own mind." It is the teaching in which the Buddha directly revealed his own enlightenment. The provisional teachings set forth only partial aspects of the truth, for they are expounded in accordance with the people's capacity, while the true teaching or Lotus Sutra reveals the truth in its entirety. The Daishonin asserts that those who take faith in the
Lotus Sutra, even without understanding its meaning, will naturally gain immeasurable benefit.

He then briefly traces the history of the transmission of the Lotus Sutra in India, China, and Japan during the Former, Middle, and Latter Days of the Law. In so doing, he uses the analogy of three kinds of messengers, who correspond respectively to the Buddhist teachers of the Former, Middle, and Latter Days of the Law.

The greater part of his discussion in this letter focuses on the Middle Day of the Law, when the message of the Lotus Sutra became overshadowed by other teachings. In China, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai made clear the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra when he met in debate with leaders of the ten schools of the north and south. After T'ien-t'ai's death, however, the central position of the Lotus Sutra was obscured by the introduction from India of the Dharma Characteristics, Flower Garland, and True Word schools. The Great Teacher Miao-lo to some extent revived T'ien-t'ai's teaching, but his efforts fell short of restoring the Lotus Sutra to its former uncontested place of honor.

In Japan, the supreme position of the Lotus Sutra was established by the Great Teacher Dengyo, the founder of the Japanese Tendai school. However, during the same period, Kobo established the esoteric True Word school, and Dengyo's successors eventually fell under its influence, placing the Lotus Sutra on the same level as the esoteric teachings. Thus the teaching of the Lotus Sutra became obscured.

The Daishonin here criticizes the arguments of such teachers as Shan-wu-wei, Hsüan-tsang, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho, pointing out that they have no basis in the Buddhist sutras. In contrast, the "Teacher of the Law" chapter of the Lotus Sutra clearly states: "Among the sutras I [Shakyamuni Buddha] have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand," thus showing the Lotus Sutra to be the most profound teaching. When he sought to make the purport of this passage clear to all, the Daishonin says, he met with persecution; this, in turn, became the cause for various calamities. In contrast, he explains that those who support the votary of the Lotus Sutra will gain the same benefit as they would by serving the Lotus Sutra itself.

Notes

1. A sutra, now lost, in which Shakyamuni is said to have expounded the five precepts and the ten good precepts for the sake of Trapusha and Bhallika, two merchants who had offered him barley and honey soon after his enlightenment. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra cites a teacher of northern China who assigned this sutra to the category of teachings for human and heavenly beings.
2. Three schools of southern China and seven schools of northern China.
3. Hui-heng (515-589), Hui-k'uang (534-613), and Hui-jung (d. 586) were priests of the Northern and Southern Dynasties period. Hui-heng was appointed general administrator of priests in 586. His debate with the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai is mentioned in The Continued Biographies of Eminent Priests. According to the work, Hui-k'uang was instrumental in propagating the teachings of The Summary of the Mahayana and The Treatise on the Consciousness-Only Doctrine translated by Paramartha. Hui-jung was a disciple of Fa-yün, who was revered as one of the three great teachers of the Liang dynasty. Fa-sui (n.d.) was a priest of Ting-lin-ssu temple, who lived during the Ch'en and the Sui dynasties. According to The Biography of the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che of the Sui Dynasty, when T'ien-t'ai lectured on the title of the Lotus Sutra at Wa-kuan-ssu temple in Chin-ling, the capital of the Ch'en, Fa-sui attended it in his capacity as the chief priest of Ting-lin-ssu and, deeply affected by T'ien-t'ai's doctrine, became his follower on the spot.
4. Lotus Sutra, chap. 14.
5. Ibid., chap. 10.
6. Translations made by Hsüan-tsang (602-664) and those who came after him. They tend to be more literal than the "old translations," which preceded them.
7. Jih-chao (Skt Divakara, 613-687) was a monk from central India. He went to China in 676, where he produced the translations of eighteen texts. It is not certain in what sense the Daishonin says that Jih-chao "introduced" the eighty-volume Flower Garland Sutra. He may be referring to the fact that the Flower Garland patriarch Fa-tsang used the "Entering the Dharma Realm" chapter of the Flower Garland Sutra that Jih-chao had translated to supplement a deficiency in the old translation.
8. Today the date usually given for the official introduction of Buddhism to Japan is 538.
9. A Brief History of Japan quotes an unidentified source to the effect that the True Word master Shan-wu-wei visited Japan in the first year of the Yoro era (717) during Empress Gensho's reign. Though most probably not factual, it is a tradition that seems to have been accepted in the Daishonin's time. The priest Ganjin (Chin Chien-chen) brought T'ien-t'ai's three major works from China in 754 when he journeyed to Japan at Emperor Shomu's invi-tation to instruct priests and nuns in the Buddhist precepts.
10. The mountain refers here to Mount Hiei, located between Lake Biwa and the imperial capital at Kyoto. Later it became the site of Enryaku-ji, the head temple of the Japanese Tendai school.
11. Fa-ch'üan, Yüan-cheng, Tsung-jui,Ch'üan-ya, I-chen, Pao-yüeh, K'an, and Wei-chin.
12. Tsung-jui (n.d.) was a priest of Hsi-ming-ssu temple in Ch'ang-an, different from the Tsung-jui listed in the preceding note. According to The Genko Era Biographies of Eminent Priests, Ennin studied San-skrit with Tsung-jui when he went to 838. Chih-yüan (768844) T'ang China in was a priest of the T'ien-t'ai school during the T'ang dynasty, who lived at Hua-yen-ssu temple on Mount Wu-t'ai.
13. Fa-ch'üan (n.d.) was a True Word priest of the T'ang dynasty. He is said to have instructed both Ennin and Enchin in the esoteric teachings when they journeyed to China. Liang-hsü (n.d.) was a priest of the T'ien-t'ai school during the T'ang dynasty.
14. According to The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, when the asura king Rahula threatened to swallow the moon, the Buddha reproved him, saying that, if he did so, his head would split into seven pieces. A version of the same story in The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra says that Rahula threatened to engulf both the sun and moon.
15. A Clarification of the Schools Based on T'ien-t'ai's Doctrine.
16. Probably this refers to Aniruddha, a cousin of Shakyamuni and one of his ten major disciples. He was predicted to become the Thus Come One Universal Brightness according to the Lotus Sutra, who is referred to in the text as Treasure Brightness.
17. This refers to the boy Virtue Victorious who offered a mud pie to Shakyamuni Buddha. According to The Story of King Ashoka, as a result of this offering, a hundred years after the Buddha's death the boy Virtue Victorious was reborn as King Ashoka.
18. The name moso (Chin meng-tsung) came from the filial son Meng-tsung who lived at Wu during the period of the Three Kingdoms (220-280). According to Tales of Times Now Past, bamboo shoots were a favorite food with his mother. One winter morning, she could not get any bamboo shoots, for the ground was frozen with the snow. When Meng-tsung lamented to heaven at this, bamboo shoots spontaneously sprouted in the garden.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

In general, there are three kinds of messengers. The first kind is extremely clever. The second is not particularly clever but is not foolish, either. The third is extremely foolish but nevertheless reliable.

Of these three types, the first will commit no error [in transmitting the message]. The second, being somewhat clever but not quite as clever as the first type, will add his own words to his lord's message. Thus he is the worst possible type of messenger. The third type, being extremely foolish, will not presume to insert his own words and, being honest, will relay his lord's message without deviating from it. Thus he is a better messenger than the second type, and occasionally may be even better than the first.

The first type of messenger may be likened to the four ranks of sages in India. The second type corresponds to the teachers in China. And the third type may be likened to the ignorant but honest persons among the ordinary people of this latter age.

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Hi all...

Natty is another special member here who has impressed me with her spirit of goodness. Humility seems part of the nature of a wise person because the wise person knows how limited his or her own knowledge is.

Tom has helped many of us to see that a simple truth can set us all free and he does nothing but try and spread this wonderful news! It is his karma to be blessed again and why is this so?

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo of course. Congratulations to Tom and all who intend to understand and embrace the truth found in the one ocean that all rivers lead to.

My heart has grown bigger while chanting... BOG

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Article from "Living Buddhism"

Article from "Living Buddhism"

The Teaching Of Sunyata: Non-Substantiality

Overcoming selfishness helps you find a world of new possibilities
within!

Have you seen the patterns formed by sand dunes? Depending on the size
and shape of the sand grains, the direction of the winds and the
surface features of the land, shifting sands can form myriad dune
patterns. The scaly or wavy patterns are constantly changing. Just
like those ever-shifting sand patterns, everything around us
(ourselves included) is constantly changing. And like dunes of sand,
how things or people change is a function of their relations with
their surroundings.

Nagarjuna, the Buddhist teacher believed to have lived in India
sometime around the late second century and the early third century,
expounded the teaching of sunyata (Jpn ku), which is variously
translated as non-substantiality, void or emptiness. He developed the
concept of non-substantiality from Shakyamuni's principle of dependent
origination (Skt pratityasamutpada; Jpn engi).

Nagarjuna asserted that since everything arises and continues to exist
by virtue of its relationship with other phenomena (i.e., dependent
origination), it has absolutely no fixed or independent substance of
its own (i.e., non-substantiality). Viewed from this perspective,
there is nothing that cannot be changed. Nothing exists entirely on
its own, and no form is absolute and immutable. The universe, then, is
full of new situations at every moment.

This open-ended nature of the universe also applies to human beings.
Our lives are full of new possibilities for the future. It all depends
upon how we view ourselves—how well we recognize these
possibilities—and what kind of relationship we create with our
surroundings.

According to the perspective of non-substantiality, everything changes
not only in its appearance or shape but also in its nature or meaning.
A raft, for example, may be useful for a traveler to cross a river.
But it would be foolish for him to carry the raft a long distance
after crossing the river. The raft then becomes a heavy burden, an
obstacle to his journey. In this sense, the concept of
non-substantiality suggests that it is foolish for us to base our
lives on and grow attached to things that we possess, such as wealth
or position. Like the raft, they are only of immediate value, and
attachment to them can even become a burden on our journey toward
self-perfection. And from the standpoint of eternity, they are nothing
at all.

The important thing is that we create a positive relationship with our
ever-shifting surroundings at every moment and thereby create value.
If we base our lives on the belief that there is permanent value and
meaning in money or social status, our expectation will be miserably
betrayed sooner or later. For example, we would be endangering
ourselves if we were to cling to a bundle of dollar bills rather than
a jug of water when walking across a desert. If we attach ourselves to
material wealth while ignoring our spiritual well-being, we will
eventually become miserable as well. At the same time, if we develop
the ability to utilize material wealth to support our happiness and to
benefit others, neither shunning it nor enslaving ourselves to it, our
lives can be more fulfilling.

Nagarjuna's concept of non-substantiality points out that there is no
absolute value— good or evil—assigned to the things or events in our
lives. Their meanings are essentially what we make of them. No matter
how painful or unfortunate an event we may encounter, we can still
create a positive meaning from it, depending upon how we view it and
what we do about it. Our views and resulting actions, however, are
determined not merely by our intellectual understanding but by our
essential consciousness or the state of our innermost being. This is
where our practice of Buddhism can effect positive change.

The concept of non-substantiality also helps us discover within us a
world of new possibilities. Sometimes we limit our potential, thinking
that we will remain the way we are forever. "This is something that I
was born with. It'll never change!" As the concept of
non-substantiality illustrates, however, nothing is exactly the same
from one moment to the next. As much as things may get worse, they may
also get better. Changing our lives for the better is therefore always
possible, and it is always up to us. In this sense, putting
limitations on ourselves amounts to living under the illusion that our
present self-image is a fixed reality. In reality, it is
non-substantial and changeable.

Probably the most important implication of the teaching of
non-substantiality is that we do not exist entirely on our own. The
meaning of our lives—and our happiness—arises through our
interconnectedness with those around us, with the community and world
in which we live. An analogy used to describe this principle in
Buddhism is that of two bundles of reeds that remain standing as long
as they are leaning on each other. The implication is that there is no
fundamental distinction between our happiness and that of others. To
fall under the illusion that we are independent of others is to
alienate ourselves from the world around us. This kind of selfishness
becomes self-defeating. The concept of non-substantiality teaches that
all things, including our lives, exist as they are only in the
con-text of their relations with other phenomena. Nothing has an
independent substance of its own. For instance, a human being in the
vacuum of space will be quickly transformed into a lifeless
mass—scorched to coal on one side by the direct rays of the sun and
frozen on the other. Without air and water and other forms of life to
provide nourishment, a human being will die. And in our modern world,
few of us could easily survive without the system of commerce that
surrounds us, which includes transportation, food distribution, etc.
Many people are involved in these endeavors and all of us depend on
them. To fail to recognize and appreciate this due to an illusion of
independent identity will cause imbalance and unhappiness.

Isolated, our lives lose meaning. But depending upon how we relate to
others and our environment, we can realize the infinite potential we
possess and our own value to the world around us. In this sense, the
most unfortunate are those who withdraw to the prison of their own
self-centeredness and lock the door from the inside by insisting that
their lives are fundamentally separate. In an ironic reversal of
intent, those who seek absolute value in their own existence while
ignoring the happiness of others are, in fact, voiding their lives of
meaning and substance. With the absence of such relationships, all
that remains is "non-substantiality" or "emptiness."

In the final analysis, the concept of non-substantiality is a teaching
through which we awaken compassion and transcend our selfish ego so
that we may actively engage with others. When we view the happiness of
others as our own and extend them genuine care, our lives transform
themselves from "emptiness" to "substance." In this regard, Nichiren
Daishonin states: "To dwell in the seat of non-substantiality is to
practice with selfless dedication" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 737). As the
Daishonin succinctly explains here, when we live for the sake of
others' happiness with selfless dedication, we are putting the
teaching of non-substantiality into action. As noted Buddhist scholar
Hajime Nakamura explains, Nagarjuna himself esteemed and upheld the
values of "thankfulness" and "the ideal of the bodhisattva." [1] He
saw the importance of realizing the interconnectedness of all lives as
well as of expressing appreciation and compassion in altruistic
action. The concept of non-substantiality suggests that selflessness
may be the shortest path to meaningful selfhood.

By Shin Yatomi, Associate Editor based on the book Yasashii Kyogaku
(Easy Study), Tokyo: Seikyo Press

Title: The teaching of sunyata: non-substantiality
Subject: Living Buddhism 08/99 v.99 n.8 p.6 LB9908p06*
Author: Shin Yatomi
Keywords: Buddhist Concepts Daily Life non-substantiality Shin sunyata
teaching Yatomi
Living Buddhism
Buddhist Concept For Today's Living (6)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Freeing the Caged Bird Within

Freeing the Caged Bird Within

Freeing the Caged Bird Within – A History of the Buddha Nature
Five Reasons Why the Buddha Nature Is Taught
By Shin Yatomi, SGI-USA Study Department Leader

February 2005 "Living Buddhism"*, pp. 22-27

To deeply understand these five reasons why the Buddha nature is
taught is, perhaps, to understand and manifest our inherent Buddha nature.

"All living beings have the Buddha nature" – why is this taught in
Buddhism? The Analysis of the Jeweled Nature (Skt Ratnagotravibhaga) –
one of the most systematic treatises on the Buddha nature concept –
lists the following five reasons,

First, the Buddha nature is taught in order to encourage people to
overcome their habit of "self-depreciation."[1] The starting point of
Buddhist practice is, one's aspiration for Buddhahood – that is, one's
vow to achieve a state of absolute happiness for oneself and others.
All Buddhist practitioners make this vow and constantly renew it in
the course of their practice. But some people – thinking that they are
completely incapable of attaining Buddhahood – do not even develop
such an aspiration. The Buddha nature is expounded to encourage such
people to make a vow to attain absolute happiness.[2]

Second, people may begin their Buddhist practice to cultivate their
inherent Buddha nature, but some of them may think that they alone
possess the Buddha nature while looking down on others, especially
those who have not yet begun practicing Buddhism. To prevent such
"thoughts of extreme contempt,"[3] it is taught that all people – not
selected few – have the Buddha nature.

Third, people are often attached to the illusion of unchanging
selfhood, consumed with selfish desires, constantly thinking this or
that is "mine." To help people overcome their attachment to "that
which is unreal"[4] – that is, the illusion of lesser ego – and awaken
to the "true state of things"[5] – that is, the greater self of
Buddhahood – the teaching of the Buddha nature is taught.

Fourth, having learned the teaching of non-substantiality or void,
some Buddhists may think that nothing is of permanent value,
depreciating even the "virtuous properties that are true"[6] – that
is, the universal truth that all people possess the magnificent
potential of the Buddha nature. To refute such a nihilistic view of
life, the teaching of the Buddha is taught.

Finally, because of their selfishness, some people "cannot perceive
the equality of oneself and other living beings/and become full of
love for them."[7] In order to teach the equality of all people in
their capacity to attain Buddhahood and encourage mutual love and
respect, the teaching of the Buddha nature is taught.

These five reasons may also be viewed as the process of awakening to
the Buddha nature inherent in our lives as well as in the lives of
others. To awaken to this greatest potential of life, one must
challenge self-depreciation, arrogance, attachment to lesser ego,
nihilism, and selfishness. Put another way, challenging these
delusions may be described as the very process of revealing one's
Buddha nature. To deeply understand these five reasons why the Buddha
nature is taught is, perhaps, to understand and manifest our inherent
Buddha nature.

One word sometimes makes a world of difference. When the practitioners
of Mahayana Buddhism – the popular, altruistic Buddhist movements that
arose around the first century of the Common Era partly in reaction to
the ascetic traditions of earlier Buddhism – added the word nature to
the word buddha, this newly coined term caused a radical
transformation of how Buddhism was viewed and practiced, especially in
East Asian countries such as China and Japan.

Buddhism was the sacred teaching taught by the Buddha, but with the
development of the Buddha nature concept, it also came to be
understood as the "Buddha vehicle" – that is, the teaching by which to
become a Buddha.

The Buddha nature refers to the potential for attaining Buddhahood, a
state of awakening filled with compassion and wisdom. Although the
Buddha nature and Buddhahood are sometimes used interchangeably,
strictly speaking , the Buddha nature is one's potential for becoming
a Buddha, and Buddhahood is the manifest state of that potential.
Through the development of the Buddha nature concept, Buddhahood
became the universal principle of authentic happiness rather than the
isolated awakening of one gifted person.

It takes resolute courage to believe in the Buddha nature dormant
beneath our layers of delusion. Only by believing that it exists,
however, can we begin the wonderful journey of self-discovery.
Believing in our innate Buddha nature is difficult – especially when
our past experience tells us that we are unworthy of happiness, when
our present circumstances tell us that despair is the only choice.
Even when things are going well, we may think, Who needs this Buddha
nature anyway?

Perhaps, it is for those who stubbornly refuse to believe in the
Buddha nature that ancient Buddhist teachings came up with so many
analogies to teach the importance of faith.

The Tathagatagarbha Sutra, for example, is a repository of fine
metaphors for the innate Buddha nature hidden beneath our delusions.
For example, the Buddha proclaims: "When I regard all beings with my
buddha eye, I see that hidden within the klesas [delusions] of greed,
anger, and stupidity there is seated augustly and unmovingly the
tathagata's wisdom, the tathagata's vision, and the tathagata's body.
Good sons, all beings, though they find themselves with all sort of
klesas, have a tathagatagarbha [the Buddha nature] that is eternally
unsullied, and that is replete with virtues no different from my own."
[10]

Furthermore, the sutra claims that the Buddha nature in all living
beings is a fact of life, regardless of whether the Buddha teaches of
its existence: "Whether or not buddhas appear in the world, the
tathagatagarbhas of all beings are eternal and unchanging. It is just
that they are covered by sentient beings' klesas." [11]

The noteworthy Tathagatagarbha Sutra metaphors for the Buddha nature
include describing it as pure honey surrounded by a swarm of angry
bees. [12] The Buddha skillfully removes the angry bees – that is,
delusions – and then shares the honey with many people, encouraging
them to enjoy the pure honey within their own lives. Sometimes, people
do feel as if covered with angry bees ready to sting, especially when
they try to reach into the happier part of their lives. Through our
Buddhist practice, however, we can develop the wisdom to calm and
control our destructive impulses, and this process of challenging our
dark desires is in itself the process of revealing our innate Buddha
nature.

The Tathagatagarbha Sutra also compares the Buddha nature to a kernel
of wheat in a husk. [13] A poor, hungry person discards wheat,
thinking it useless because it is covered with prickly husks he cannot
eat. So the Buddha teaches: "But although the outside seems like
something useless, / The inside is genuine and not to be destroyed. /
After the husks are removed, / It becomes food fit for a king." [14]
Again, the removal of the husk of negativities is in itself the
revelation of the Buddha nature kernel. Do not judge your life as
useless, the Buddha teaches here, merely by its appearance.

Other metaphors of the Buddha nature in this sutra include the finding
of gold in a pit of excrement. [15] This metaphor emphasizes the
unchanging value of the Buddha nature and that this "pure gold" is to
be found in the place least expected, the trouble-ridden lives of
ordinary people.

The sutra also depicts the Buddha teaching: "[The Buddha nature] is
just like the pit of a mango fruit / Which does not decay. / Plant it
in the earth / And inevitably a great tree grows." [16] This metaphor
underscores the importance of cultivating the Buddha nature through
Buddhist practice as well as of recognizing life's greatest potential
despite surface appearances. With a tree more familiar to those living
in North America, this analogy may be rephrased as the following:
instead of judging the little, mud-covered acorn by its appearance,
one must see in it the giant oak tree of happiness.

Freeing the Caged Bird Within

In a sense, the history of the Buddha nature concept ends with the
appearance of Nichiren Buddhism, which clarifies the universally
accessible method of manifesting this truth of life. Through
Nichiren's teaching, however, the real history of each individual's
Buddha nature begins – the baby Buddha is first discovered and
nurtured, it then starts taking its toddler steps, and ultimately it
grows into a strong, full-fledged Buddha inspiring many others to
awaken their own sleeping baby Buddhas within.

Nichiren writes: "Myoho-renge-kyo is the Buddha nature of all living
beings.... The Buddha nature that all these beings possess is called
by the name Myoho-renge-kyo" ("Conversation between a Sage and an
Unenlightened Man," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 131).
Regarding how to manifest one's innate Buddha nature, Nichiren
explains: "When we revere Myoho-renge-kyo inherent in our own life as
the object of devotion, the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth
and manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what is
meant by `Buddha.' To illustrate, when a caged bird sings, birds who
are flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strives to
get out. When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, our Buddha
nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge" ("How Those Initially
Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra,"
WND, 887).

In Nichiren's metaphor, our innate Buddha nature, whose name is
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is a bird trapped in the cage of ignorance. In
other words, our deluded minds create this cage that imprisons our
Buddha nature. But when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon,
which expresses Nichiren's enlightened life and the potential of all
people, our dormant Buddha nature becomes activated.

The singing of the caged bird is our chanting, and the birds flying in
the sky are the Buddha nature within our lives and the Buddha nature
inherent in the universe begin their dynamic interaction.

For Nichiren's metaphor to work, however, it is necessary for the
caged bird to recognize the bird's in the sky as being its own kind.
In other words, when we pray to the Gohonzon, rather than thinking of
it as an external power or deity, we must think of it as the mirror
image of our own Buddha nature. If the caged bird thinks of itself as
an elephant, it is unlikely to give the slightest thought to flying.

Nichiren Buddhism clarifies that the teaching of the Buddha nature is
a teaching of faith and practice. All people have it, but not many
people can believe in it. Furthermore, some of those who believe in
their Buddha nature may not practice to manifest it, erroneously
thinking – I'm already a Buddha, so I don't have to do anything. One's
faith in the Buddha nature must be expressed in one's actions to
manifest it.

Those who see the universal Buddha nature of oneself and others and
work to awaken it in all people are already Buddhas, for such actions
belong to none other than a Buddha. As we cultivate our inherent
Buddha nature through our conviction and actions to manifest it no
matter our circumstances, we begin to see it and experience it. In our
everyday lives, seeing may be believing. But in the world of Buddhism,
believing in the Buddha nature is the first step toward seeing it.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Though one may be born into a wealthy family or have a marriage that is the envy of all, such things don’t necessarily guarantee happiness. Happiness isn’t a matter of temporary circumstances; it is determined by one’s inner state of life. Truly happy are those who have built a strong self that cannot be shaken by changes in their status or circumstances.

"Happiness doesn’t depend on others. It comes down to oneself. It is a matter of what kind of person one is. The purpose of faith is to enable us to build a diamond-like self that cannot be shaken or swayed by anything."

SGI Newsletter No. 6598, Youth Are the Future, July 20, 2005, translated
Oct. 7th, 2005

 

[Guest]

HiYa Natty! nice to hear from you as always. grinning.

I hope everyone is happy today!

Avid

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Very Happy indeed... Welcome AnnaC to our group if he comes to visit. The man has been writing me and he should be here. BOG

Thanks to Tom for a recent message he sent me.

 

[Guest]

Bow and Curtsy to you So Cal Hippy!

Bow and Curtsy to you So Cal Hippy!

Thank you so much my friend for your posting "Freeing the Caged Bird", The 5 reasons for Buddha Nature Concept.
Those reasons were answers to alot of questions during daimoku and guidance that I have sought from senior leaders in the past 2 months. We never know where the answers will come from or the source.....
BUT BLESS YOUR HEART!
Greetings to all and good to see some old faces! My love and best to you all, Southern Girl

 

[Babbabud]

Southern Girl

Southern Girl

So nice to see you Southern Girl. Awesome that you should drop in and find the teaching youve searching for. Come back more ofter sister this is a very encouraging place. This thread lead me straight to the gohonzon!!
Nam myoho renge kyo!!!