Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

Gratitude is the ultimate source of all good fortune. Well done Chris! And well done Forest!

May I again express our gratitude to Mr. Gypsy Nirvana, the provider of the platform from which we share our lives. Thanks Gypsy!

And thanks to everyone that contributes their posts so earnestly in the effort to support the faith and growth of others! YOU ARE ALL OF THE SAME MIND AS NICHIREN! YOU ARE TRUE BODHISATTVAS OF THE EARTH!

(Unlike you Mark! You are simply a slanderer! But I pray for your happiness as I should. Do you for mine? The honest answer to that question reveals who you really are.)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Gosho states: "..polished rice is not polished rice; it is life itself." The sincere seeking spirit of the noble members in this practice is certain to be praised by Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law! The benefits and great good fortune that we accumulate in our lives will continue to radiate for all eternity.

Daisaku Ikeda

* Gosho: The Gift of Rice, WND-1, Page 1126. "The blessings from this are in no way inferior to those Bodhisattva Medicine King gained by burning his arms, or the boy Snow Mountains gained by offering his body to a demon. Thus, what is appropriate for sages is offering in actuality [offering one’s life itself for the Law]. What is appropriate for ordinary people is offering in principle [sincerely offering what is important to one’s own life]. ... It [the Lotus Sutra] teaches that the mind itself is the great earth, and that the great earth itself is the grasses and trees. The meaning of the earlier sutras is that clarity of mind is like the moon, and that purity of mind is like a flower. But it is not so with the Lotus Sutra. It is the teaching that the moon itself is mind, and the flower itself is mind. You should realise from this that polished rice is not polished rice; it is life itself."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"How it fills my heart with delight
to see the smiling faces of those
who have achieved resounding victory
through surmounting the tempests
of the three obstacles and four devils.

"Winter turns to spring. This is a universal truth that nothing can stop. If we base our lives on the Mystic Law, we can definitely change the most painful winter of karmic suffering into a beautiful springtime of hope. This is an unfailing certainty.

"The life of Nichiren Daishonin, who triumphed over the most extreme persecution, is in itself irrevocable proof that winter always turns to spring.

Founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi declared that proof of faith in the Mystic Law is absolutely guaranteed to be forthcoming to all practitioners, calling it 'a principle that never misses the mark.' And he broadly proclaimed that by practising the Daishonin's Buddhism everyone could attain happiness without fail."

SGI Newsletter No. 7886,Winter Always Turns to Spring, from the Dec. 2009 issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, translated Nov. 19th, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province. It is stated that 'the seeds of Buddhahood sprout as a result of conditions, and for this reason they preach the single vehicle'"

(The Properties of Rice - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1117) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, Nov. 25th, 2009

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

I'm soooooooo Thankful for the Chanting Growers(and the Chanting Grower's Supporters)

I'm soooooooo Thankful for the Chanting Growers(and the Chanting Grower's Supporters)

I'm thankful for the Pillars of the Chanting Growers Group. I'm thankful for the MyohoTurkey we ate yesterday. I'm thankful for my dear brotherbud and sisterlove, I'm thankful for Tom's encouragement, I'm thankful for Socal dedication, I'm thankful for Scegy's brotherhood, I'm thankful for everyone's support on this thread. I always derive strength from these posts and feel more inspired to Shakubuku after posting or reading here everyday. When the Goshos are short I'll read them various times, when they are long I feel wise and humbled!

I'm thankful for Nichiren and all the teachers I have that inspire me through Nichciren's Life! I'm soo thankful and earnestly seeking to retain and uphold this practice for the rest of this life and every other subsequent life. I'm thankful that my friend Alex will be receiving his Gohonzon soon too! Helping our friend's get their Gohonzon's is important and without Shakubuku there is no Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism! Keep on Posting and Keep on Keeping on!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Moreover, as life does not go beyond the moment, the Buddha expounded the blessings that come from a single moment of rejoicing [on hearing the Lotus Sutra]."


(Questions and Answers About Embracing the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 55) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 26th, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"All of us at times feel stuck or at an impasse in our lives or undertakings. But it is precisely when we are deadlocked that our faith is put to the test; such a time represents a decisive moment to seize victory. The important thing is to always keep our mind focused on moving forwards. The challenge of triumphing over obstacles will itself definitely become the cause for substantially expanding our state of life. If we make active efforts to grapple with our problems, we can definitely change inside and transform our karma.

"In that sense, any time when we become stuck is really an opportunity for us to realise victory. And 'ever-stronger faith' is what gives us the power to break through such deadlocks. This is true both in terms of our individual struggles and the larger struggles of society.

"Broadly speaking, deadlock arising on the level of society, the economy, or a country as a whole points to a clear limitation of the existing ideals or philosophy that guide or underlie them. In fact, it is at such times that a new philosophy emerges. The burgeoning of powerful new ideas can transform deadlock into an opportunity to build a better society."

SGI Newsletter No. 7883, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [9] "The Supremacy of the Law"--Part 3 [of 3], Faith That Grows Stronger Is the Key to Eternal Victory, from the September 2009 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Nov. 6th, 2009

 

[Forest20]

"Broadly speaking, deadlock arising on the level of society, the economy, or a country as a whole points to a clear limitation of the existing ideals or philosophy that guide or underlie them. In fact, it is at such times that a new philosophy emerges. The burgeoning of powerful new ideas can transform deadlock into an opportunity to build a better society."

I love this passage it holds true to what is happen here in the United States. We need to look past the hypocrite ideals marijuana that we have lived under for so many years. Their needs to be a way towards coexist with the idea of having an open marijuana use here in the U.S.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Morning after morning we rise up with Buddha, evening after evening we lie down with the Buddha."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 737, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 83) Selection source: "Suntetsu", Seikyo Shimbun, November 27th, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Shakyamuni says: 'Hasten to do good, restrain your mind from evil. The mind of one who is sluggish about doing good finds amusement in evil.'

"Everything lies before us. Everything comes down to an inner struggle. It is our mind, our heart, that is important."

SGI Newsletter No. 7883, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [9] "The Supremacy of the Law"--Part 3 [of 3], Faith That Grows Stronger Is the Key to Eternal Victory, from the September 2009 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Nov. 6th, 2009

 

[TrichyTrichy]

Nam Myoho renge Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Naturally, selfless dedication to propagating the Law in the Daishonin's Buddhism in no way indicates a feudalistic spirit of self-annihilation or self-sacrifice for the sake of some greater public good. The purpose of Buddhism is to help all people attain genuine happiness and thereby transform the karma of humankind. On an individual level, by sharing the Mystic Law with others we can change our own karma and fundamentally transform our state of life. Such efforts represent the surest and most direct path to realising happiness for both ourselves and others."

SGI Newsletter No. 7883, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [9] "The Supremacy of the Law"--Part 3 [of 3], Faith That Grows Stronger Is the Key to Eternal Victory, from the September 2009 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Nov. 6th, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"... when one practises the Lotus Sutra under such circumstance, difficulties will arise, and these are to be looked on as 'peaceful' practices."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 750, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 115) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 28th, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

seven parables
[七譬] (Jpn shichi-hi )
The seven parables that appear in the Lotus Sutra. They are (1) the parable of the three carts and the burning house, related in the "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter; (2) the parable of the wealthy man and his poor son, in the "Belief and Understanding" (fourth) chapter; (3) the parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees, in the "Parable of the Medicinal Herbs" (fifth) chapter; (4) the parable of the phantom city and the treasure land, in the "Parable of the Phantom City" (seventh) chapter; (5) the parable of the jewel in the robe, in the "Five Hundred Disciples" (eighth) chapter; (6) the parable of the bright jewel in the topknot, in the "Peaceful Practices" (fourteenth) chapter; and (7) the parable of the skilled physician and his sick children, in the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter. The first, third, fourth, sixth, and seventh parables are related by Shakyamuni Buddha, and the second and fifth parables, by his disciples. The second parable is told by the four great voice-hearers (Maudgalyayana, Mahakashyapa, Katyayana, and Subhuti), while the fifth parable is shared by five hundred arhats. See the entry for each of the seven parables for a description of that parable.

parable of the three carts and the burning house
[三車火宅の譬] (Jpn sansha-kataku-no-tatoe )
Also, parable of the burning house. One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra. It appears in the "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter. Shakyamuni relates this parable to illustrate his statement in the "Expedient Means" (second) chapter that the sole purpose of the Buddhas' advent is to enable all people to attain Buddhahood, and that the three vehicles of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas are simply means to lead people to the one Buddha vehicle. Suppose, he says, there is a very rich man who has many children. One day a fire suddenly breaks out in his spacious but decaying house, and his children, totally absorbed in playing games, do not know that the house is in flames and ignore his cries of warning. He therefore resorts to an expedient means to induce them to come out of the burning house. He shouts to them that outside he has three kinds of carts they have long wanted: a cart pulled by a goat, another by a deer, and a third by an ox. Immediately they race outside. Having coaxed them to safety in this way, the rich man gives each of his children a cart—not one of the three kinds he had promised, but a much finer carriage, adorned with numerous jewels and drawn by a white ox. Shakyamuni compares the burning house in the parable to the threefold world, and the flames to the sufferings of birth and death. The rich man is the Buddha, who appears in this troubled world to save the people, the children are all living beings, and the games in which they are so absorbed are worldly pleasures. The three kinds of carts originally promised represent the three vehicles, or the provisional teachings, and the great white ox carriage symbolizes the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood, that is, the Lotus Sutra.

parable of the wealthy man and his poor son
[長者窮子の譬] (Jpn choja-guji-no-tatoe )
One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra. It appears in the "Belief and Understanding" (fourth) chapter. The four great voice-hearers—Subhuti, Katyayana, Maudgalyayana, and Mahakashyapa—relate this parable to show that they have understood the teaching of replacing the three vehicles with the one vehicle that Shakyamuni recounted in the "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter using the parable of the three carts and the burning house. Briefly, it tells of a wealthy man's son who runs away from his father in childhood. For some fifty years he wanders from one place to another in abject poverty, hiring himself out as a menial laborer. One day in his wanderings he chances upon his father's mansion. The rich old man is overjoyed to see his son again, as he wants to bequeath to him all his wealth and possessions. The son, however, does not recognize his father and runs away, overwhelmed by the splendor of the rich man's estate. The rich man sends a messenger to bring him back, but the son thinks the messenger has come to arrest him and faints in terror. Hearing this, the father tells the messenger to release him and instead sends two of his servants dressed in dirty clothes to offer the son the work of clearing away excrement. The impoverished son happily accepts this employment on his father's estate. After a while, his father disguises himself in dirty clothes so he can approach his son. He tells him that he can always work there, and that he will treat him like his own son. For twenty years the son works at clearing away excrement and gradually gains self-confidence. The rich man then promotes him, charging him with the administration of his property, and gradually he comes to understand all the rich man's affairs. Eventually the rich man senses death approaching. He invites his relatives, the king of the country, the high ministers, and others, and declares to them that his servant is actually his true son. He then transfers to his son the whole of his estate. The rich man in this parable represents the Buddha, whose sole desire is to let all people enjoy the same sublime state as his own, just as the rich man wishes to bequeath all his wealth to his son. The poor son represents ordinary people, who "wander about" transmigrating in the threefold world without encountering the one Buddha vehicle. To lead them to enlightenment, the Buddha first employs expedient means and preaches what is appropriate to their capacities, just as the rich man trains his son gradually. Thus the Buddha leads them gradually to higher teachings and ultimately reveals the one Buddha vehicle of the Lotus Sutra.

parable of the three kinds of medicinal herbs and two kinds of trees
[三草二木の譬] (Jpn sanso-nimoku-no-tatoe )
Also, parable of the medicinal herbs. One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni relates this parable to Mahakashyapa and others in the "Parable of the Medicinal Herbs" (fifth) chapter to reiterate his teaching in the previous three chapters ("Expedient Means," "Simile and Parable," and "Belief and Understanding") that the Buddha's true purpose is the revelation of the one vehicle of Buddhahood, but that, because of the differences in people's capacity, he first expounds the three vehicles and the five vehicles as provisional teachings. In the parable, a great cloud envelops the world and sends down life-giving rain equally upon all the grasses, flowers, trees, and medicinal herbs. Though the rain is the same, the plants, trees, and medicinal herbs absorb the moisture differently and grow to varying heights according to their individual natures. Similarly, the Buddha impartially expounds only the one vehicle of Buddhahood for all people, but they understand and benefit from it differently according to their respective capacities. The three kinds of medicinal herbs appearing in the parable are inferior medicinal herbs, intermediate medicinal herbs, and superior medicinal herbs; the two kinds of trees are small trees and big trees. Based on the description in the text, T'ient'ai (538-597), in The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, interprets the inferior medicinal herbs as ordinary people and heavenly beings, the intermediate medicinal herbs as persons of the two vehicles (voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones), and the superior medicinal herbs, small trees, and big trees as bodhisattvas. Among these, T'ient'ai says, the superior medicinal herbs represent bodhisattvas of the Tripitaka teaching, the small trees indicate bodhisattvas of the connecting teaching, and the big trees, bodhisattvas of the specific teaching.

parable of the phantom city and the treasure land
[化城宝処の譬] (Jpn kejo-hosho-no-tatoe )
Also, parable of the phantom city. One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra, related in the "Parable of the Phantom City" (seventh) chapter to illustrate the principle of replacing the three vehicles with the one vehicle. It tells of a group of people who want to travel five hundred yojanas to reach a remote place where there are rare treasures. Their leader is wise, experienced, and very familiar with the route, but the road they must take is steep and treacherous; midway they lose heart and want to turn back. Seeing this, their leader uses his powers of expedient means and, when they have gone three hundred yojanas along the steep road, he conjures up a city. There they go to rest and regain their spirits, convinced they can escape the dreadful road. Know-ing they have recovered from their exhaustion, the leader wipes out the phantom city and tells them that the treasure land, their true destination, is close by. In the "Parable of the Phantom City" chapter, the phantom city is compared to the three vehicles, or expedient means by which the Buddha leads people to Buddhahood, and the treasure land, the group's destination, is compared to the one vehicle of Buddhahood. The meaning of the parable is that, just as the guide conjures a city to lead his party of travelers to the treasure land, the Buddha employs the expedient means of the three vehicles to lead the people to the one vehicle of Buddhahood.

parable of the jewel in the robe
[衣裏珠の譬] (Jpn eriju-no-tatoe )
Also, parable of the gem in the robe or parable of the jewel sewn in the poor man's robe. One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra. It is related in the "Five Hundred Disciples" (eighth) chapter by five hundred arhats to demonstrate their understanding of the one vehicle teaching. It tells of an impoverished man who goes to visit a close wealthy friend. Being treated to wine, he becomes drunk and falls asleep. The wealthy friend must go out on business, but before leaving, he sews a priceless jewel into the lining of his sleeping friend's robe. When the poor man awakens, he has no idea that he has been given the jewel. He then sets out on a journey. To provide himself with food and clothing, he searches with all his energy, encountering great hardship. Being always in want, he is content with whatever little he can obtain. Later he happens to meet his old friend, who is shocked at his poverty and shows him the jewel in the robe. The man realizes for the first time that he possesses a priceless jewel and is overjoyed. The five hundred arhats explain that, just as this man was ignorant of the treasure he possessed, so the Buddha's disciples were unaware that the Buddha had caused them to plant the seeds of an unsurpassed aspiration and were instead satisfied with provisional teachings and a small portion of nirvana.

parable of the bright jewel in the topknot
[髻中明珠の譬] (Jpn keichu-myoju-no-tatoe )
Also, parable of the priceless gem in the topknot. One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra. It appears in the "Peaceful Practices" (fourteenth) chapter. After a battle, a wheel-turning king rewards those who have fought successfully with fields, houses, robes, gold, silver, and other treasures. There is one object he does not give away easily, a bright jewel he wears hidden in his topknot. Finally he takes the jewel from his hair and gives it to the soldier who has gained truly great distinction. Shakyamuni compares the jewel in the topknot to the Lotus Sutra, which the Buddha conceals while expounding preparatory teachings, and the treasures previously bestowed to the provisional teachings.

parable of the skilled physician and his sick children
[良医病子の譬] (Jpn roi-byoshi-no-tatoe )
Also, parable of the skilled physician. One of the seven parables in the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni relates it in the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter to explain that the Buddha uses his own death as a means to awaken in people a desire to seek his teaching. The parable describes a skilled physician who has a great many children. One day while he is away from home, the children mistakenly drink poison. Returning to find them writhing on the ground in agony, he quickly pre-pares for them a medicine that possesses excellent color, fragrance, and flavor. Some of the children take the medicine and are cured instantly, but others, their reasoning distorted by the working of the poison, refuse it despite their great agony. The father therefore devises an expedient to induce them to take the medicine. Telling them, "I will leave this good medicine here," he sets off for another land. From there he dispatches a messenger, who informs the children that their father has died. Grief-stricken, they finally come to their senses, take the medicine their father has left them, and are immediately cured. Thereupon their father returns. Shakyamuni explains that the Buddha is like this physician: If he were always present in the world, people would begin to take him for granted and would no longer seek his teaching. Therefore, although the Buddha's life is eternal, he uses his death as a means to arouse in people an aspiration for enlightenment.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Prayer Background

Prayers based upon the Lotus Sutra will definitely be answered, writes Nichiren Daishonin. In contrast, he emphasizes, prayers based upon mistaken teachings not only will go unanswered, but will create suffering both for those who offer them and for those on whose behalf they do so.

This is the theme of On Prayer, written by Nichiren Daishonin in the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272), when he was in exile on Sado Island. The writing is thought to be a reply to questions raised by Sairen-bo, a disciple of the Daishonin and former priest of the Mountain [Jikaku] branch of the Tendai school, who at the time was also living in exile on Sado Island.

Sairen-bo and the Daishonin exchanged a number of letters concerning various important Buddhist doctrines. In this letter, the Daishonin distinguishes between the efficacy of prayer based on schools that prevailed in Japanese society of the day— including the Flower Garland, Dharma Characteristics, Precepts, True Word, and Tendai schools— and prayer based upon the Lotus Sutra. The authorities of the contemporary imperial court and shogunate relied to a great degree upon the teachings and prayers of the True Word, Tendai, Zen, and Nembutsu schools.

It was because the prayers offered by priests of the True Word and Tendai schools were ineffectual, the Daishonin declares, that the imperial forces were defeated in the Jokyu Disturbance— a struggle for power between the imperial court and the Kamakura shogunate in 1221. Placing their trust in these schools, the court had requested that prayers be offered for its protection and victory.

Ultimately, however, despite such prayers, not only were the imperial forces defeated in battle, but three retired emperors were exiled to distant islands. Thus, concludes the Daishonin, such prayers do not simply go unanswered; they actually bring about misfortune.

On the other hand, prayers based on the Lotus Sutra are true prayers, the Daishonin says. He then states the reasons: all Buddhas, bodhisattvas, people of the two vehicles (voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones), and human and heavenly beings present in the assembly of the Lotus Sutra feel a great sense of gratitude because they attained Buddhahood through the sutra. To repay these debts of gratitude, they will certainly protect those who uphold the Lotus Sutra.

The Daishonin mentions the dragon king’s daughter and the evil Devadatta in particular, noting that because their attainment of Buddhahood was considered an especially remarkable achievement their debt of gratitude is correspondingly great; thus, he assures Sairen-bo, they, too, will never fail to guard the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra.

The Daishonin also firmly refutes the statement made by Kobo, the founder of the True Word school in Japan, who claimed in his work The Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Mind that the Mahavairochana Sutra ranks first, the Flower Garland Sutra second, and the Lotus Sutra third. To support his contention that True Word doctrines are misleading, the Daishonin cites this statement made by the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra, “I have preached various sutras, and among those sutras the Lotus is the foremost!”

The letter’s heading, “Nichiren, the shramana of Japan,” expresses his conviction that he is truly a shramana, or seeker of the way, and that he is the votary of the Lotus Sutra. Shakyamuni achieved enlightenment as a seeker of the way in India. In this sense this designation can also be said to convey the Daishonin’s conviction that he is the true shramana of Japan, and that he is the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.

In conclusion, the Daishonin urges Sairen-bo to offer prayers based upon the correct doctrines of the Lotus Sutra and to fulfill his true potential as a human being by aspiring to attain Buddhahood.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Prayer / WND pg. 336

On Prayer / WND pg. 336

Nichiren, the shramana of Japan


Question: Of the types of prayer that one offers based upon the teachings of the Flower Garland school, the Dharma Characteristics school, the Three Treatises school, the three Hinayana schools, (1) the True Word school, or the Tendai school, which type is effective?

Answer: Since they represent the preaching of the Buddha, they can all in some sense be considered prayer. But prayer that is based upon the Lotus Sutra is a prayer that is certain to be fulfilled.

Question: What is the reason for that?

Answer: The persons of the two vehicles, though they spent kalpas numerous as the dust particles of the land practicing the sutras that correspond to the four flavors, could never attain Buddhahood. But, by listening to the Lotus Sutra for just an instant, they became Buddhas. For this reason, Shariputra, Mahakashyapa, and the others who make up the twelve hundred [arhats] and the twelve thousand [arhats], (2) and all the others of the two vehicles who attained Buddhahood, will certainly respond to the prayers of those who practice the Lotus Sutra. And they will take upon themselves the pains of such practitioners.

Therefore, it is stated in the “Belief and Understanding” chapter [of the Lotus Sutra]: “The World-Honored One in his great mercy makes use of a rare thing, in pity and compassion teaching and converting, bringing benefit to us. In numberless millions of kalpas who could ever repay him? Though we offer him our hands and feet, bow our heads in respectful obeisance, and present all manner of offerings, none of us could repay him. Though we lift him on the crown of our heads, bear him on our two shoulders, for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands reverence him with all our hearts; though we come with delicate foods, with countless jeweled robes, with articles of bedding, various kinds of potions and medicines; with ox-head sandalwood and all kinds of rare gems, construct memorial towers and spread the ground with jeweled robes; though we were to do all this by way of offering for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands, still we could not repay him.”

In this passage from the sutra, the four great voice-hearers, having heard the message of the “Simile and Parable” chapter and learned how they can become Buddhas, are expounding on how difficult it is to repay one’s debt of gratitude to the Buddha and to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, we can understand that, to persons of the two vehicles, the practitioners of this sutra are more important than a father or a mother, than a beloved child, than their own two eyes or their body and life itself.

Though I do not think that the great voice-hearers such as Shariputra and Maudgalyayana would actually cast aside a practitioner who praised any of the teachings put forth by the Buddha in the course of his lifetime, still it is likely that they feel a small degree of resentment toward the various sutras that were preached previous to the Lotus Sutra. This is because in them a strong warning has been given that “within the Buddha’s teachings they [voice-hearers] are like seeds that have already been spoiled.”(3) But now these voice-hearers have become Thus Come Ones such as Flower Glow, Rare Form, and Universal Brightness, (4) a most unexpected stroke of good fortune. They must feel as though the K’un-lun Mountains had split open and they were able to enter those jewel filled mountains. That is why the passage of appreciation says, “This cluster of unsurpassed jewels has come to us unsought.”(5)

So there can be no doubt that all persons of the two vehicles will protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. Even lowly creatures know enough to repay a debt of gratitude. Thus the bird known as the wild goose will invariably carry out its filial duty to the mother bird when she is about to die. And the fox never forgets its old hillock. (6) If even animals will do such things, then how much more so should this be true of human beings?

A man named Wang Shou was traveling along a road when he became hungry and weary. Beside the road was a plum tree that was loaded with fruit. Wang Shou ate the fruit and thereby satisfied his hunger. But he said to himself, “I have eaten the fruit of this plum tree and thus restored my strength and spirits. It would not be right if I failed to repay this debt of gratitude.” So saying, he took off his robe and hung it on the plum tree before going on his way.

A man named Wang Yin was traveling along a road when he became thirsty. Crossing a river, he drank some of the water, and then he tossed a coin into the river as payment for the water he had drunk.

A dragon will invariably protect a monk who is wearing a Buddhist surplice. The reason is that a dragon once received a Buddhist surplice from the Buddha and, placing it around its beloved child in the dragon palace, was able to prevent the child from being eaten by garuda birds.

A garuda bird will invariably protect one who acts with filial duty toward one’s parents. Dragons would shake Mount Sumeru and eat the beloved chicks of the garuda bird after they fell from their nests. But the Buddha instructed the garuda bird to take the offerings of rice that Buddhist monks set aside from the alms given them by filial persons and to place these offerings on top of Mount Sumeru. In this way, the garuda bird was able to prevent its chicks from being eaten by dragons.

Heaven will invariably protect a person who observes the precepts and practices goodness. If people who are born into the human realm do not observe the precepts or practice goodness, then when they die, they will in most cases be reborn in the realm of the asura. And if those in the realm of the asura become very numerous, they will grow arrogant and will inevitably offend against heaven.

However, if people who are born into the human realm observe the precepts and practice goodness, when they die, they will invariably be reborn in the realm of heavenly beings. And if those in the realm of heavenly beings become very numerous, the asuras will be frightened and will not dare to offend against heaven. That is the reason why heaven invariably protects people who observe the precepts and practice goodness.

Persons of the two vehicles are more excellent in the virtue gained from their observance of the precepts and more astute in wisdom than ordinary people in the six paths. Therefore, how could they possibly ever abandon those who practice the Lotus Sutra, since the Lotus Sutra is the means that has enabled them to attain Buddhahood?

Moreover, although the bodhisattvas and ordinary people had practiced the teachings of the various sutras preached in the forty and more years previous to the Lotus Sutra for a period of countless kalpas in order to become Buddhas, none ever succeeded in attaining Buddhahood. But they were able to attain Buddhahood by practicing the Lotus Sutra. And now these Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions are endowed with the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics that distinguish a Buddha, and are looked up to by living beings in the other nine realms, just as stars cluster about the moon, as the eight mountains surround Mount Sumeru, as the people of the four continents look up to the sun, or as common people look up to a wheel- turning king. And is the fact that these Buddhas are looked up to in this manner not due to the benefit and blessing of the Lotus Sutra?

Therefore, in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha gives this warning: “There is no need to enshrine the relics of the Buddha there.” (7) And the Nirvana Sutra says, “What the Buddhas take as their teacher is the Law. Therefore, the Thus Come Ones honor, respect, and make offerings to it.” In the passage from the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha is saying that his relics need not be enshrined in the stupa alongside the Lotus Sutra. And the passage from the Nirvana Sutra indicates that the Buddhas should honor, respect, and make offerings to the Lotus Sutra.

The Buddhas, because they were enlightened by the Lotus Sutra, were able to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, if they should fail to preach the sutra to others, they would be withholding from others the seeds of Buddhahood and would be committing a fault. For this reason, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni made his appearance in this saha world and prepared to preach it. But the devil king of the sixth heaven, otherwise known as the fundamental darkness, entered into the bodies of all the people and caused them to hate the Buddha and impede his preaching.

Thus the king known as Virudhaka killed five hundred people of the Shakya clan; Angulimala chased after the Buddha; Devadatta rolled a huge stone down on him; and Chincha, the daughter of a Brahman, tied a bowl to her belly and claimed to be pregnant with the Buddha’s child.

The lord of a Brahman city proclaimed that a fine of five hundred ryo of gold should be levied against anyone who invited the Buddha into the city. As a result, the people of the city blocked the road with thorns, threw filth into the wells, built a barricade of spikes at the gate, and put poison in the Buddha’s food, all because of their hatred of him.

The nun Utpalavarna was murdered, Maudgalyayana was killed by Brahmans of the Bamboo Staff school, and Kalodayin was buried in horse dung, all because of animosity toward the Buddha.

Nevertheless, the Buddha managed to survive these various ordeals, and, at the age of seventy-two, forty-two years after he first began preaching the Buddhist teachings, at a mountain called Gridhrakuta northeast of the city of Rajagriha in central India, he began to preach the Lotus Sutra. He preached it for a period of eight years. Then, on the bank of the Ajitavati River at the city of Kushinagara in eastern India, in the middle of the night on the fifteenth day of the second month, when he was eighty years of age, he entered nirvana.

But before that, he had revealed his enlightenment in the form of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, the words of this sutra are indeed the very soul of Shakyamuni Thus Come One. And since every single word constitutes the soul of the Buddha, Shakyamuni Thus Come One will protect those who practice this sutra as though he were protecting his very own eyes. He will accompany them just as a shadow accompanies a body. How then could the prayers of such persons not be answered?

During the first forty and more years of the Buddha’s teaching life, the various bodhisattvas had tried to attain Buddhahood through the sutras beginning with the Flower Garland Sutra, but they were unable to do so. But when the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra was preached, announcing the concise replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle, (8) then “the bodhisattvas seeking to be Buddhas in a great force of eighty thousand, as well as the wheel-turning kings [who] come from ten thousands of millions of lands, all press their palms and with reverent minds wish to hear the teaching of perfect endowment.” And when, as a result, they heard the expanded replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle, then it was as the sutra states, “When the bodhisattvas hear this Law, they will be released from all entanglements of doubt.” (9)

After that, bodhisattvas from this world and from other regions assembled together like gathering clouds or so many stars. And when the “Treasure Tower” chapter was preached, the Buddhas of the ten directions gathered round, each accompanied by countless numbers of bodhisattvas.

Manjushri appeared from the sea accompanied by countless bodhisattvas, (10) and in addition there were the eight hundred thousand million nayutas of bodhisattvas (11) and the bodhisattvas more numerous than the sands of eight Ganges Rivers; (12) the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, who emerged from the earth; (13) the bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of six hundred and eighty ten thousands, millions, nayutas of Ganges Rivers who appear in the “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter; the bodhisattvas multiplied a thousand times; the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a world; the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a major world system; the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of an intermediate world system; the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a minor world system; the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of four four-continent worlds, or the dust particles of three four-continent worlds, two four-continent worlds, or one four-continent world; and the people as numerous as the dust particles of eight worlds.

There were the eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas of the “Medicine King” chapter; the eighty-four thousand bodhisattvas and the forty-two thousand heavenly sons of the “Wonderful Sound” chapter; the eighty-four thousand people of the “Universal Gateway” chapter; the sixty-eight thousand people of the “Dharani” chapter; the eighty-four thousand people of the “King Wonderful Adornment” chapter; and the bodhisattvas as numerous as the Ganges sands and the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a major world system of the “Encouragements” chapter.

If we were to count up all these bodhisattvas, they would be as numerous as the dust particles of the worlds of the ten directions, as the plants and trees in the worlds of the ten directions, as the stars in the worlds of the ten directions, or as the raindrops in the worlds of the ten directions. All of these beings attained Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra and are dwelling on the earth, under the earth, or in the sky of this present major world system.

The Venerable Mahakashyapa lives on Mount Kukkutapada, Manjushri lives on Mount Clear and Cool, Bodhisattva Earth Repository lives on Mount Kharadiya, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds lives on Mount Potalaka, Bodhisattva Maitreya lives in the Tushita heaven, Nanda and the countless other dragon kings and asura kings live at the bottom of the sea or at the seaside, Shakra lives in the heaven of the thirty-three gods, Brahma lives in the Summit of Being heaven, Maheshvara lives in the sixth heaven of Freely Enjoying Things Conjured by Others, the four heavenly kings live on the slopes of Mount Sumeru, and the sun, the moon, and the crowds of stars appear before our eyes and shine over our heads. The river gods, the stream gods, and the mountain gods were all among the honored ones present at the assembly when the Lotus Sutra was preached.

It has now been over twenty-two hundred years since the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra. Human beings have a short life span, and therefore there are no persons alive today who have seen the Buddha with their own eyes. But in the heavenly realm the span of a day is long, and the beings there have long lives; as a result, there are countless heavenly beings still alive who have seen the Buddha and listened to him preach the Lotus Sutra.

Fifty years in the life of a human being is equivalent to no more than one day and one night in the lives of beings in the heaven of the four heavenly kings. And these heavenly beings, passing such days and nights, with thirty such days to a month and twelve such months to a year, live to be five hundred years old. Therefore, twenty- two hundred or more years in the lives of human beings will be equivalent to only forty-four days in the lives of beings in the heaven of the four heavenly kings.

Hence from the point of view of the deities of the sun and moon and the heavenly king Vaishravana, it has been only forty-four days, or less than two months, since the Buddha passed away. And from the point of view of Shakra and Brahma, not even a month, not even an hour, has passed since the Buddha departed. In such a short time, how could these heavenly beings have forgotten the vow that they took in the presence of the Buddha, or the debt of gratitude they owe to the sutra that allowed them to attain Buddhahood, and thus abandon the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra? When we think of it in this way, we can feel greatly assured.

Therefore, we know that the prayers offered by a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will be answered just as an echo answers a sound, as a shadow follows a form, as the reflection of the moon appears in clear water, as a mirror collects dewdrops, (14) as a magnet attracts iron, as amber attracts particles of dust, or as a clear mirror reflects the color of an object.

Concerning the ways of the ordinary world, though a man may not be inclined to a certain act, if he is urged to it by his parents, his sovereign, his teachers, his wife and children, or his close friends, and if he is a person of conscience, he will overlook his own inclinations and will sacrifice his name and profit, and even his life, to perform that act. How much more earnest will he be, then, if the act is something that springs from his own heart. In such a case, even the restraints of his parents, his sovereign, or his teachers cannot prevent him from carrying out the action.

Thus it was that a worthy man named Fan Yü-ch’i cut off his own head so that it could be presented to Ching K’o, and Chi-cha, having pledged to present his sword to the lord of Hsü, hung it on the lord’s grave.

Similarly, at the gathering on Eagle Peak, the dragon king’s daughter attained Buddhahood in her present form. (15) In the Hinayana sutras, women were despised because they are hindered by the thick clouds of the five obstacles and bound by the strong cords of the three obediences; and in the Mahayana sutras expounded in the first forty and more years of the Buddha’s preaching, women were rejected, since they were thought to be incapable of carrying out religious practice over many kalpas. Or though it had been stated that “the first time they conceive the desire to do so, they can attain enlightenment,” (16) this was indicated as a possibility in name only, with no actual examples to support it. So, in effect, the attainment of Buddhahood by women was denied.

Thus, even a woman who was in the realm of human or heavenly beings had no hope of ever finding the way to become a Buddha. How much less hope was there for this woman [described in the Lotus Sutra], a humble being born among the creatures known as dragons, who had not yet reached maturity but was only eight years old. And yet, contrary to all expectations, through the instruction of Manjushri, in the short space of time between the “Teacher of the Law” and “Devadatta” chapters when the Buddha was preaching the “Treasure Tower” chapter, she attained Buddhahood in the midst of the ocean. This was a most wonderful happening! If it had not been for the power of the Lotus Sutra, the foremost among all the teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime, how could such a thing have come about?

Therefore, Miao-lo remarks of the event, “The sutra here demonstrates its power by revealing that practice is shallow but the benefit that results is profound indeed.”(17) And because the dragon girl was able to attain Buddhahood through this sutra, how could she ever abandon someone who is a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, even if she had not been admonished against it by the Buddha? Therefore, in the verse that she uttered in praise of the Buddha, she stated, “I unfold the doctrines of the great vehicle to rescue living beings from suffering.”(18)

Her oath was the oath taken by her retinue, or all the creatures known as dragons, whose number is so vast that “the mouth cannot express it, the mind cannot fathom it.”(19) The dragon king Sagara, though a lowly creature, cared profoundly for his daughter. Therefore, he took the finest treasure in all the great ocean, a wish-granting jewel, and had his daughter present it as alms to the Buddha, in recognition of the fact that she had attained Buddhahood in her present form. This jewel was equivalent in value to a major world system.

Notes:

1. The three Hinayana schools refer to the Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools.
2. The “twelve hundred [arhats]” refers to the Buddha’s disciples who received a prophecy of attaining Buddhahood in the “Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Disciples” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Each of them was given the title of the Thus Come One Universal Brightness. The “twelve thousand [arhats]” indicates those who assembled at the ceremony of the preaching of the Lotus Sutra.
3. A rephrasing of a passage in the Vimalakirti Sutra: “With regard to the Law of the Buddha, they have become like rotten seeds.”
4. Flower Glow and Rare Form are the names that Shariputra and Subhuti will acquire on attaining Buddhahood, as prophesied by the Buddha in the “Simile and Parable” chapter and the “Bestowal of Prophecy” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, respectively. With regard to the title of Universal Brightness, see n. 2.
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 4.
6. This appears in the “Nine Pieces” of Elegies of Ch’u. A commentary on Elegies of Ch’u by Chu Hsi of the Sung dynasty states, “The old fox dies, invariably turning its head toward the hillock. This is because it never forgets the place of its birth.” The source of the story of the wild goose is unknown.
7. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
8. Shakyamuni expressed the idea of “the replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle” concisely in the form of the revelation of the true aspect of all phenomena, that is, the ten factors of life. Hence the expression “concise.” In the “Expedient Means” chapter and in subsequent chapters Shakyamuni elaborates on this idea, and this more detailed explanation corresponds to the “expanded” replacement of the three vehicles with the one vehicle.
9. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
10. Ibid., chap. 12.
11. Ibid., chap. 13. This number of bodhisattvas made a vow before Shakyamuni Buddha to propagate the sutra in the worlds of the ten directions after his passing.
12. Ibid., chap. 15. These bodhisattvas from other worlds vowed to spread the sutra in the saha world after the Buddha’s passing.
13. Ibid. This refers to the numerous bodhisattvas known as the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
14. Vapor condenses on a mirror placed outside at night. It was said that the mirror drew this water down from the moon.
15. Lotus Sutra, chap. 12.
16. Flower Garland Sutra.
17. The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.”
18. Lotus Sutra, chap. 12.
19. Ibid.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Prayer (continued)

On Prayer (continued)

Devadatta was the grandson of King Simhahanu, the son of Shakyamuni Buddha’s uncle, King Dronodana, and an elder brother of the Venerable Ananda. His mother was a daughter of the rich man Suprabuddha. He was thus a member of the family of a wheel-turning king and held a high social position in the southern continent of Jambudvipa.

While he was still an ordinary member of society, the woman he had intended to marry, Yashodhara, was taken away by Prince Siddhartha, and he thereafter looked upon Siddhartha as he would an enemy from a past existence.

Later, he broke his ties with his family and joined the Buddhist Order, but when there were large gatherings of human and heavenly beings, the Buddha would censure him, calling him a fool or one who eats the spit of others. In addition, being a man who cared deeply about fame and personal profit, he envied the attention that was paid to the Buddha. He then began observing the five ascetic practices in an attempt to appear more admirable than the Buddha. He pounded iron to make a thousand-spoked wheel pattern [to imprint on the soles of his feet], gathered together fireflies to form a tuft of white hair between his eyebrows, and committed to memory sixty thousand and eighty thousand jeweled teachings. (20) He erected an ordination platform on Mount Gayashirsha and lured many of the Buddha’s disciples over to his side. He smeared poison on his fingernails and thus attempted to poison the feet of the Buddha. He beat the nun Utpalavarna to death and rolled a huge rock down on the Buddha, injuring the latter on the toe. He was guilty of committing three cardinal sins and, in the end, gathered about him all the evil men of the five regions of India and strove to harm the Buddha and his disciples and lay supporters.

King Bimbisara was the foremost of the Buddha’s lay supporters. Each day he dispatched five hundred carriages, day after day supplying alms to the Buddha and his disciples. But Devadatta, driven by his intense jealousy, talked to Prince Ajatashatru and in time persuaded him to attack his father, whereupon he pinned the king down with seven foot-long spikes.

In the end, the earth in front of the northern gate of the capital city of Rajagriha split open, and Devadatta fell into the great citadel of the Avichi hell. There was not a single being in the entire major world system who did not witness the event.

One would suppose that, as a result, Devadatta would never be able to escape from the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering, even though as many kalpas should pass as there are the dust particles of the land. And yet, amazing as it is, and admirable as well, in the Lotus Sutra he became a Thus Come One called Heavenly King. And if Devadatta could become a Buddha, then all the countless other evil people who were enticed by him, since they shared with him the same karmic cause and effect, must surely have been able to escape from the pains of the hell of incessant suffering.

This is entirely due to the benefit and blessing of the Lotus Sutra. Thus Devadatta and all the countless persons who attended him can now dwell in the house of the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra [in order to protect them]. What a comforting thought!

The various bodhisattvas, who were as numerous as the dust particles of the land, had advanced to the level of near- perfect enlightenment, which means they had freed themselves of all but their fundamental darkness. When they were fortunate enough to encounter the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, they thought that they would be able to smash this great boulder of fundamental darkness. But in the first forty and more years of his preaching life, Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, said that, while he could explain the causes of enlightenment, he could not explain its effects. Therefore, he did not make clear to them the benefits of perfect enlightenment. Hence not a single one of them could advance to the stage of perfect enlightenment. This was contrary to their expectations.

But during the eight years when he preached at Eagle Peak, the Buddha revealed the effects of enlightenment, which are called the one vehicle of Buddhahood. All the bodhisattvas thus advanced to the stage of perfect enlightenment, so that their enlightenment was equal to that of Shakyamuni Thus Come One. It was as though they had climbed to the very top of Mount Sumeru and could see in all four directions. All became bright and clear, as though the sun had appeared in the midst of a long night. Even if the Buddha had not instructed them to do so, could they have failed to resolve to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra or to take upon themselves the sufferings of its practitioners?

Therefore, they made a vow, saying, “We care nothing for our bodies or lives but are anxious only for the unsurpassed way,” (21) “Never begrudging our bodies or lives,” (22) or “We will preach this sutra far and wide.” (23)

Furthermore, Shakyamuni Buddha, who is like a kind father, Many Treasures Buddha, who is like a loving mother, and the Buddhas of the ten directions, who had appeared in order to add their testimony and who are like affectionate parents, were assembled together, so that it was as though two moons had come together, or two suns had appeared side by side.

At that time the Buddha spoke three times in warning, saying: “So I say to the great assembly: After I have passed into extinction, who can guard and uphold, read and recite this sutra? Now in the presence of the Buddha let him come forward and speak his vow!” (24)

Then the great bodhisattvas who filled four hundred ten thousand million nayutas of lands in each of the eight directions bent their bodies, bowed their heads, and pressed their palms together, and all raised their voices in unison, saying, “We will respectfully carry out all these things just as the World-Honored One has commanded.” (25) Three times they cried out, not sparing their voices. How then could they fail to take upon themselves the sufferings of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra?

Fan Yü-ch’i gave his head to Ching K’o, and Chi-cha hung his sword on the grave of the lord of Hsü; in both cases they acted so as not to go back on promises they had made. If even these persons of China, a land far from the birthplace of Buddhism, could, because of a promise made to a friend, sacrifice their own lives or hang on a grave a sword that meant more to them than life itself, then how much more can one expect from the great bodhisattvas, who from the first have been beings of great compassion and have taken profound vows to undergo suffering on behalf of others? How could they ever cast aside the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, even if the Buddha had not admonished them against doing so?

What is more, it was through the Lotus Sutra that these bodhisattvas attained Buddhahood, and because the Buddha fervently admonished them concerning it, they took solemn vows in the presence of the Buddha. There can be no doubt, therefore, that they will aid its practitioner.

The Buddha is the sovereign of the human and heavenly realms and the parent of all living beings. Moreover, he is the teacher who leads and opens the way. Though one may be a parent, if of humble station, one cannot at the same time assume the role of sovereign. And though one may be a sovereign, if not also a parent, one may inspire fear. And though one may be both a parent and a sovereign, one cannot be a teacher as well.

The various Buddhas [other than Shakyamuni], since they are known as World-Honored Ones, may be regarded as sovereigns. But since they do not make their appearance in this saha world, they are not teachers. Nor do they declare that “the living beings in it [the threefold world] are all my children.”(26) Thus Shakyamuni Buddha alone fulfills the three functions of sovereign, teacher, and parent.

Nevertheless, during the first forty and more years of his preaching life, Shakyamuni cursed Devadatta, censured the various voice-hearers, and refused to teach the bodhisattvas the doctrines pertaining to the fruits of enlightenment. Though people did not actually say so to others, they sometimes wondered in their hearts whether this Buddha was not in fact Papiyas, the devil king of the sixth heaven, so greatly did he trouble them.

They continued to harbor these doubts for forty and more years, until the preaching of the Lotus Sutra began. But then, during the eight years at Eagle Peak, the treasure tower appeared in the air, and the two Buddhas (27) sat side by side in it like the sun and the moon. The various other Buddhas ranged themselves over the ground like so many great mountains gathered together, the bodhisattvas who had emerged from the earth, as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds, ranged themselves in the air like so many stars, and the Buddha revealed the blessings that the various Buddhas enjoy as the result of their enlightenment. It was as though a storehouse of treasures had been unlocked and the contents presented to poor people, or as though the K’un-lun Mountains, with all their riches, had broken open.

During these eight years, the people who were present at the assembly became profoundly aware of the rarity and wonder of these events; it was as if they were gathering up nothing but gems. The bodhisattvas, unbegrudging of their lives, unstinting with their words, vowed to do as the Buddha had encouraged them. Then, in the “Entrustment” chapter, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni emerged from the treasure tower and closed its doors. The various other Buddhas thereupon returned to their respective lands, and the bodhisattvas who had appeared with them followed along in company with the Buddhas.

The people were feeling increasingly lonely, when the Buddha announced, “Three months from now I will enter nirvana.”(28) The announcement astounded them and made them feel even more forlorn.

Having heard the Lotus Sutra, the bodhisattvas, persons of the two vehicles, and the other human and heavenly beings were all imbued with a deep sense of gratitude for the Buddha’s compassion, and wanted to show the Buddha how willing they were to sacrifice their bodies and lives for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. How terrible it would be, they thought, their hearts in a turmoil, if the Buddha were to really enter nirvana as he said he would!

At that time, on the fifteenth day of the second month, during the hour of the tiger and the hour of the hare (3:00 to 7:00 A.M.), when the Buddha was eighty years old, on the bank of the Ajitavati River at the city of Kushinagara in the country of Shravasti in eastern India, the Buddha’s voice was heard announcing that he would pass into extinction. His voice radiated upward as far as the Summit of Being heaven and echoed abroad throughout the entire major world system. (29) Eyes grew dim, and hearts sank.

From throughout the five regions of India, its sixteen great states, its five hundred middle-sized states, its ten thousand small states, and its countless smaller states scattered about like grains of millet, the people gathered together, none having had time to prepare clothing or food, and without distinction as to class or status. Oxen and horses, wolves and dogs, eagles and vultures, gnats and gadflies, to the number of fifty-two different species, also gathered together. Those of any one species were more numerous than the dust particles of the land, to say nothing of the number of all fifty-two species together.

All these different species of beings brought flowers, incense, clothing, and food as their last offerings to the Buddha. Their voices resounded, crying out that the jeweled bridge for all living beings was about to collapse, that the eye of all living beings was about to be put out, that the parent, sovereign, and teacher of all living beings was about to pass away. Not only did their hair stand on end, but their tears flowed. Not only did their tears flow, but they beat their heads, pressed their hands to their chests, and cried aloud, not sparing their voices. The blood of their tears and the blood of their sweat fell upon Kushinagara more heavily than a torrential rain and flowed more abundantly than a mighty river. All this they did solely because the Lotus Sutra had opened for them the way to Buddha.ood, and they could never repay the debt of gratitude they owed the Buddha.

Even in this scene of grief, there were those who declared angrily that the enemies of the Lotus Sutra should have their tongues cut out, that they should never be allowed to sit with the others in the assembly. Bodhisattva Kashyapa vowed that he would appear in the form of frost and hail in the lands of the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. At that time the Buddha raised himself slightly from his reclining position and praised him, saying happily, “Well spoken! Well spoken!”

The other bodhisattvas, guessing where the Buddha’s wishes lay, supposed that if they declared their intention to attack the enemies of the Lotus Sutra this might prolong the Buddha’s life a little, and one by one they vowed to do so. In this way the bodhisattvas and the heavenly and human beings called upon the enemies of the Lotus Sutra to appear, hoping that if they could fulfill the oath they had taken in the presence of the Buddha then Shakyamuni Buddha as well as Many Treasures and the other Buddhas and Thus Come Ones would understand that, faithful to the vow they had made before the Buddha, they would begrudge neither their reputations nor their lives in defense of the Lotus Sutra.

One may ask why the results of these vows should be so long in appearing. And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, (30) the two heavenly deities, (31) and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, then above them they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas, and below they would be guilty of deceiving the beings of the nine realms. (32)

It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty; one does not ignore the sandalwood trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them; and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their vow.

Now that the Former and Middle Days of the Law are over, persons who observe the precepts are as rare as tigers in a marketplace, and persons of wisdom are harder to find than the horns of a ch’i-lin. While waiting for the moon to rise, one must rely upon a lantern, and when there are no true gems at hand, gold and silver must serve as jewels. The debt of gratitude one owes to a white crow may be repaid to a black crow, (33) and the debt one owes to a sage priest may be repaid to an ordinary priest.(34) So, if you earnestly pray that blessings be given to you without delay, how can your prayers fail to be answered?


Notes:

20. The “thousand-spoked wheel pattern” is one of the thirty-two features that a Buddha is said to possess, appearing as a mark on the sole of each foot. The “tuft of white hair” is another of a Buddha’s thirty- two features. It is said to radiate light. The “sixty thousand and eighty thousand jeweled teachings” refers to the teachings of Brahmanism and the teachings of Buddhism, respectively.
21. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.
22. Ibid.
23. Ibid., chap. 21.
24. Ibid., chap. 11.
25. Ibid., chap. 22.
26. Ibid., chap. 2. This is Shakyamuni Buddha’s own statement.
27. The two Buddhas refer to Shakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Buddha. This event occurred in the “Treasure Tower” chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
28. Universal Worthy Sutra, an epilogue to the Lotus Sutra.
29. This event is described in the Nirvana Sutra.
30. The bodhisattvas Medicine King and Brave Donor, who vowed to protect the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra in the “Dharani” chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
31. Vaishravana and Upholder of the Nation, two of the four heavenly kings.
32. The nine realms refer to the first nine of the Ten Worlds, which indicate transient and deluded states of life.
33. This story is found in Chang-an’s Annotations on “The Treatise on the Observation of the Mind.” When a snake was about to bite the king, who was lying on the grass resting, a white crow flew down to alert the king. Saved from the danger, the king ordered his vassals to find the bird, but they were unable to do so. Determined to express his appreciation, the king then bestowed his favor on a black crow.
34. “An ordinary priest” refers here to the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. The “sage priest” indicates Shakyamuni Buddha.


(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, the two heavenly deities, and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, then above them they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas, and below they would be guilty of deceiving the beings of the nine realms.

It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty; one does not ignore the sandalwood trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them; and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their vow.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

One of my favs! (could be my fav)

Thanks, T!

And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, the two heavenly deities, and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, then above them they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas, and below they would be guilty of deceiving the beings of the nine realms.

It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty; one does not ignore the sandalwood trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them; and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their vow.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"We must live with vibrant hope. Nothing is stronger than hope. The Mystic Law is itself eternal hope. Happiness belongs to those who never despair, no matter what happens."

"Some people are flashy; some are modest. Some people have advanced degrees; some do not. SOme people are wealthy; some are poor. While all people are different, the important question is who is truly happy?"

Quotes-Daisaku Ikeda