Overview of the Lotus Sutra
Tonight I am going to briefly recap a couple of the points from
last week about the role of the Lotus Sutra in the whole context of the
Buddha's teachings. I also want to say a few words about the structure of
the Lotus Sutra before I go into the discussion of bodhicitta, the
aspiration to attain enlightenment, which will be tonight's theme. After
that I will say a few words about the role of chanting in Buddhist
practice.
Last week I told the story of the Parable of the Prodigal Son which
is in the fourth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In that parable a young boy
runs away from home, takes his inheritance and leaves and ends up in
poverty taking odd jobs. Meanwhile, his father becomes a very wealthy man
who nevertheless misses his son. Eventually the son passes by the estate of
the father, and the father recognizes the son and sends a servant out to
bring him back home. But the son does not recognize his father and being
very poor and presumably homeless is very frightened that this wealthy man
is sending his security guards to drag him back in to the estate. He is so
afraid that his father sees this and says, "Let him go, let him go on his
way." The father then tries another tactic of sending out a more humble
looking servant to hire the son to work on the estate clearing out manure
and doing other menial jobs, which he agrees to. Eventually the son is
given more and more responsibility on the estate until he is finally
managing the wealth and assets of the father. At the end of the parable the
father is on his deathbed and decides that the time has come to reveal to
family and friends, and everyone on the estate, that the manager is
actually his son and that he will inherit his father's wealth.
This parable is showing how the Buddha at first, under the Bodhi
Tree, revealed the Flower Garland Sutra. Although actually he did not speak a word in that sutra. The various bodhisattvas who appeared before him
taught about the bodhisattva way in that sutra. The Mahayana tradition
teaches that this was such an exalted teaching that it was very
intimidating to the average person; just as the son was intimidated and
scared when he was brought back to his father's estate the first time. When
the Buddha got up from the Bodhi Tree and ended the Flower Garland period
he began to teach the four noble truths and the eightfold path so that
people could purify their minds, and this was equivalent to the time when
the son was clearing out the manure. Eventually, as the son matured he
gained more responsibility. Likewise, the Mahayana teaches that the
disciples of the Buddha matured in their understanding and more and more
were able to take on the six perfections of the bodhisattva: generosity,
virtue, patience, effort, meditation and wisdom. More and more they were
able to understand the teaching of emptiness and to understand that
compassion is the other side of wisdom. The Lotus Sutra corresponds to the
part of the parable where the father finally reveals that the manager of
the estate was his son all along and will inherit the father's wealth,
because it is in the Lotus Sutra that the Buddha states that all the
disciples, even those who only thought of themselves as shravakas or
pratyekabuddhas who aspired only to the state of nirvana, would become
buddhas. They would not merely attain nirvana, but buddhahood itself. They
too would be able to help all sentient beings and not merely themselves.
That is where the Lotus Sutra fits in the whole context of the Buddha's
teaching. It is the final maturation of the teaching.
The Lotus Sutra itself can be divided up in a lot of different
ways. One can divide it in half. The first half is called the Trace Gate
and consists of the first fourteen chapters in which the Buddha is still
the historical Shakyamuni Buddha who was a prince in India who attained
enlightenment 2,500 years ago. The last half of the sutra is then taken to
be the Original Gate. In this part, the Buddha reveals that his
enlightenment is actually endless, with no beginning or end, no appearance
or disappearance, because these categories do not apply to enlightenment.
Another way of analyzing the sutra is from the perspective of the
three assemblies in two places. This refers to the first ten chapters of
the Lotus Sutra in which the assembly takes place on the ground, on this
earth, at a place called Vulture Peak 2,500 years ago. Then, in the central
part of the Lotus Sutra, chapters 11-22, the action shifts to what is
called the Ceremony in the Air, which I will be talking about next week. This is the more transcendent part of the Lotus Sutra. Finally, in the last six chapters, where the bodhisattva practices are related, the assembly
returns to the ground. In other words, it returns to the practical
realities of this world but now infused with the understanding of the
transcendent aspect of enlightenment. I mentioned last week that this parallels the Zen saying:
Before Zen, mountains are mountains and rivers are rivers. During Zen,
mountains and rivers are no longer mountains and rivers. After Zen,
mountains and rivers are again mountains and rivers.
The sutra as a whole is following this pattern. My sensei, the
Venerable Ryusho Matsuda, pointed out that the sutra was actually written
or composed in this way. First the verses were written down coming from an
oral tradition, and then the prose sections were added as elaborations to
the verse parts. Chapters one through ten were probably written first as a
sutra just by itself. Later on, chapters eleven through twenty-two were
added. Finally somebody tacked on the last six chapters to show the various
aspects of bodhisattva practice. But if you did not know that, you would
read the sutra and see that it works. It flows. It is an organic whole. You
don't need to concern yourself with the history of its compilation.
However, the reason I bring all this up is because these different
divisions have different emphases. These different sides or emphases show
the different aspects of the unfolding of our practice. The first ten
chapters, which I will talk about tonight, are about that aspect of our
practice which could be called bodhicitta, the aspiration to attain
enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. The middle chapters are
about ashraya paravirti, which is a technical Consciousness-Only School
term which means the "turn-about at the basis of consciousness." This is
where delusion is overturned and transformed into enlightenment. Finally,
the last six chapters are about parinirmana, another technical term which
means the "dedication of merit to all beings." I will cover that the week
after next week.
Bodhicitta
Now, let's turn to bodhicitta. The first thing that needs to be
understood is that to outsiders Buddhism often seems very sterile, almost
cold and aloof, but it is not. The Lotus Sutra really shows the emotional
side, the warmth of enlightenment. Let me share with you a passage in the
Lotus Sutra where Shariputra is responding to the Buddha's teaching that
all people can attain enlightenment. This is from chapter three:
At that time Sariputra, ecstatic with joy, instantly rose up, folded his
hands, and looking up at the honorable face, spoke to the Buddha, saying:
"Now, hearing the sound of the Dharma from the World-honored One, I am
filled with ecstasy, obtaining that which I have never experienced before.
Wherefore? Because of yore when I heard of such a Dharma as this from the
Buddha and saw bodhisattvas who were predicted to become buddhas, we were
never prepared for these things and greatly distressed ourselves at having
lost the Tathagata's infinite knowledge... Ever since then I have passed
whole days and nights in self-reproach. But now, on hearing from the Buddha
the unprecedented Dharma which I have never heard before, I have ended all
doubts and regrets, am at ease in body and mind, and am happily at rest.
Today I indeed know that I am really a son of the Buddha, born from the
mouth of the Buddha, evolved from the Dharma, and have obtained a place in
the Buddha-law."
So there is an ecstatic joy that is involved here. There is a real
celebration. This happens again and again throughout the Lotus Sutra, and
not just with Shariputra, but will the other major disciples of the Buddha.
Again, what was it that the Buddha taught? It was the One Buddha
Vehicle, that no one was incapable of realizing buddhahood. As Shariputra
mentions in that passage, he and the other monastic disciples thought that
the Mahayana teachings were directed at someone else. They were being
directed at people who were a little more capable, a little more energetic,
and whose aspirations were much higher. They didn't realize that they were
being included also, until the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. This is the
teaching that Shariputra was responding to:
The Buddha addressed Sariputra: "Such a wonderful Law as this is
[only] preached by the buddha-tathagatas on [rare] occasions, just as the
udambara flower is seen but once in [long] periods. Sariputra, believe me,
all of you; in the Buddha's teaching no word is false. Sariputra, the
meaning of the laws which the buddhas expound as opportunity serves is
difficult to understand. Wherefore? [Because] I expound the laws by
numberless tactful ways and with various reasonings and parabolic
expressions. These laws cannot be understood by powers of thought or
discrimination; only the buddhas can discern them. Wherefore? [Because] the
buddhas, the world-honored ones, only on account of the one [very] great
cause appear in the world. Sariputra, why [do I] say that the buddhas, the
world-honored ones, only on account of the one [very] great cause appear in
the world? Because the buddhas, the world-honored ones, desire to cause all
living beings to open [their eyes] to the Buddha-knowledge so that they may
gain the pure [mind], [therefore] they appear in the world; because they
desire to show all living beings the Buddha-knowledge, they appear in the
world; because they desire to cause all living beings to apprehend the
Buddha-knowledge, they appear in the world; because they desire to cause
all living beings to enter the way of the Buddha-knowledge, they appear in
the world. Sariputra, this is why it is [only] on account of the one [very]
great cause that buddhas appear in the world.
This great cause of opening, showing, apprehending, and entering
the buddha-knowledge is the theme of Dogen's essay Hokke-ten-hokke. He goes
back to this again and again. This is why the buddhas appear in the world.
This is why throughout the first ten chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the
disciples are so ecstatic with joy. Some translations even say that their
minds danced with joy. The Watson translation says that. The passage goes on to say:
The Buddha addressed Sariputra: "The buddha-tathagatas teach only
bodhisattvas. Whatever they do is always for one purpose, that is to take
the Buddha-knowledge and reveal it to all living beings. Sariputra! The
Tathagata, by means of the One Buddha-vehicle, preaches to all living
beings the Law; there is no other vehicle, neither a second nor a third.
Sariputra! The laws of all the buddhas in the universe also are like this.
Sariputra! The buddhas in times past, by infinite, numberless tactful ways
and with various reasonings and parabolic expressions, expound the laws for
the sake of all living beings. All these laws are for the One
Buddha-vehicle, [so that] all those living beings, who have heard the Law
from the buddhas, might all finally obtain perfect knowledge."
What he is saying is that the Buddha previously taught the Shravaka
Vehicle, the disciple vehicle, for those who are ready for the four noble
truths and the eightfold path. Those who needed to work on themselves you
might say. He taught the Pratyekabuddha or private-buddha vehicle for those
who wished to contemplate the causes and conditions which is the true
nature of this world. But those vehicles are included within this One
Buddha Vehicle. That if one is truly following the four noble truths, if
one is truly realizing dependent origination, the causal and conditional
nature of things, one will arrive at compassion and not merely insight or
aloofness. Compassion is integral to real insight. This is what the Buddha
is saying. This is what bodhicitta is all about, the aspiration to attain
enlightenment, to realize what it really means to follow the four noble truths.
Bodhicitta is also about confidence and trust in the Buddha. One
can aspire to enlightenment on one's own, but to have the teacher, the
Buddha, directly predict your enlightenment puts the stamp of approval on
your aspirations. This should fill us with confidence. That is what is
really going on in these first ten chapters. Because, in that second
chapter, "Expedients," the Buddha explains the One Buddha Vehicle. The
Buddha explains that it is possible for all beings to attain enlightenment.
But, the disciples can't quite get themselves to believe it. That is why,
after the second chapter, the Buddha tells various parables and gives
predictions by name to those who will become buddhas in the future. It is
this face-to-face sharing, this face-to-face bestowal of confidence which
really brings about that opening of heart and the mind. This happens
through different means. Some of the disciples are able to get it
conceptually. Shariputra gets it after the second chapter, when he hears
this teaching of the One Vehicle. Some of the other disciples are able to
pick up on this artistically through the various parables, which I will
move on to in just a moment. Some of the disciples are able to get it
directly through actual causes and conditions. In the latter part of these
first ten chapters the Buddha actually talks about past-life connections
with the disciples. So it is more than just hearing a song or a parable or
studying a teaching. It is a relationship, a relationship with the Buddha,
a relationship with others, that opens the disciples up to this possibility
of attaining enlightenment for themselves.
Parables of Encouragement
In the Parable of the Herbs, which is in the fifth chapter, the
Buddha compares the Dharma to a cloud which covers the whole world and
rains down upon all the grass, and all the herbs, and all the trees. We
should keep in mind that the Buddha was talking to an Indian audience who
were thinking in terms of the dry season and the rainy season in India.
Before the monsoon season started, that region of India would become
desperately dry and hot, where the ground is baked and cracking. So for
them, there is no question of saying, "Rain, rain go away, come again
another day." These clouds are a great relief, a great blessing. This is
what the Buddha is comparing his Dharma to. He points out in the parable,
that while it is the same rain that falls upon the ground, each herb, each
blade of grass, each tree, and each shrub is able to use that rain in a
different way to bring life to the various properties which they may have.
The flowers with their wonderful scents, different herbs with their
medicinal properties, the fruit trees, each of them has a different way of
appropriating that rain, the Dharma. In the same way, each of the
disciples, each of us who study these teachings is going to be affected in
a way that is appropriate to us and to our situation. The lesson of the
Parable of the Herbs is that not only will each of us benefit in a
different way, but we should not be discouraged by any of our shortcomings.
We should not be envious if others are becoming great teachers or speakers,
or if others are becoming great artists and making wonderful thangkas or
scrolls like the one over there of Bodhidharma. Each of us have different
talents, so there is no need to get discouraged, no need to push ourselves
too much. We should just do what we can with what we have and that is
enough if we keep advancing. This parable is really trying to encourage us
to practice right where we are as we are.
Now we move on to the Parable of the Magic City, which is in
chapter seven. Before I go into this parable, let me point out something.
The Lotus Sutra is constantly showing two sides to everything. It's
constantly giving on the one hand and taking away on the other. Trying to
pull the rug out from under you so that you do not get too comfortable. One
big overriding pattern in the Lotus Sutra is that on the one hand it is
trying to make the teachings very accessible, and on the other hand it
tries to make the Dharma so exalted that you wonder if you can ever get it
at all. For instance, towards the end of the second chapter it says that if
you even scribble a picture of the Buddha, or if you even halfheartedly nod
to the Buddha's image you will become a Buddha in the future. That's really
easy. But on the other hand, you get to some passages further on which say
that this sutra is difficult to understand and difficult to believe. In the
eleventh chapter it says that it is easier to put the world on your toenail
and kick it off into space than it is to understand these teachings. So
which is it? Is it impossible to get, or is it as easy as falling off a
log? Well, it's both and neither. That's not the only dichotomy that the
Lotus Sutra is setting up. The parables play off of each other in the same
way. While the Parable of the Herbs is saying, "Try to understand the
Dharma in whichever way you can and just work with that," the Parable of
the Magic City is saying, "Don't get too complacent. Don't get too
comfortable with your understanding. Keep moving, keep going."
In the Parable of the Magic City, what we have is the story of a
great treasure which exists on the other side of a desert, a wild region
inhabited by bandits and various other creatures. It almost sounds to me
like a Dungeons and Dragons adventure. I see a party of treasure hunters
off to find this great mound of gold and defeat whatever dragon is there to
guard it. In this case, the treasure at the other side is not gold but
buddhahood itself; and the dragon is not some kind of monster on the
outside but the fear, discouragement,and frustrations of the travelers
themselves. The story relates that the guide who carries them through the
desert realizes that they are at the point where they are just ready to
give up and turn back. In terms of our own practice-journey we may be
thinking, "We've had enough of this. How much longer am I going to have to
sit here staring at a blank wall, with my knees screaming in pain." In my
tradition, "How much longer am I going to have to sit here chanting with my
vocal cords burning out. How much longer am I going to have to try to be
such a nice person to everybody so that I can be a good Buddhist." There
are all these discouragements, all these frustrations. So the guide says,
"Right on the other side of that dune is a city. We can go there and we can
rest." Now I have an image of the Emerald City in the Wizard of Oz. I
imagine them topping the crest of a dune and there it is. They go inside
and receive manicures and nice new clothes and all kinds of refreshments.
Very much like the treatment Dorothy and her companions received in the
Wizard of Oz. After they are all rested and have their second wind, the
guide tells them, "Guess what, we're not done yet. This is a great place,
but I created it through my magical power as a way of giving you a place to
rest, and now we need to keep moving. The treasure is just a little further
off. We were almost there. In fact, we are 3/4 of the way there. Now that
you have your energy back, we can get there."
What this parable is trying to relate is the difference between two
different kinds of nirvana that crop up in the Mahayana tradition. It is
important to keep this is mind. There is what is called pratistha nirvana
and apratistha nirvana. Now forget the Sanskrit. I will tell you what it
means straight out. Pratistha means abiding and apratistha means
non-abiding. So there is abiding nirvana and non-abiding nirvana. Abiding
nirvana, sometimes called static nirvana, is the goal of the shravakas and
the pratyekabuddhas, the disciples and the private-buddhas, who just want
peace of mind. There was a play several years ago called "Stop the World I
Want to Get Off," and that is what they want to do. They want to stop the
world and get off. They've had enough of this wild ride. That is abiding
nirvana. They get to the other shore and that's it. They've arrived and
have no need to move anymore. The goal of the bodhisattva, and judging from
the Lotus Sutra the goal of the Buddha, is the non-abiding nirvana. A
nirvana which is a peace that, while it transcends this world, is not fixed
to any other world either. It is somehow a peace that is in the midst of
the various fluctuations and problems and issues of this world. It does not
abide anywhere. It does not even abide in peace, necessarily. But also it
does not abide, the way most of us usually do, in the kind of greed, anger
and frustration that most of us are used to. It moves. It flows. It is
flexible and dynamic. It is a sharing, as opposed to a removal. The magic
city is the abiding nirvana, and the non-abiding nirvana is the actual
treasure itself, the real nirvana. The Buddha says, later on in the tenth
chapter, and the seventh chapter as well, that this non-abiding nirvana is
the only real nirvana. It can not be classified as either of this world or
of another world. Any other kind of nirvana that you can talk about it just
a way of helping people to find a resting point. Perhaps I should point out
that it is not just that it is not real. All of us need time out on
occasion, but it does not end there. We all need to move on beyond that.
Parables of Buddha-nature
Next, is the Parable of the Hidden Gem, and following that the
Parable of the Gem in the Topknot. Here we have another dichotomy. On the
one hand, in the Parable of the Hidden Gem, there is a discussion of the
inherent buddha-nature within us, but in the Parable of the Gem in the
Topknot there is the idea that enlightenment is a gift that is bestowed
upon us. Both of these are true, and neither of these are true. Let me tell
you about the parables.
The Parable of the Hidden Gem in chapter eight is the story of two
friends who are out drinking. One of them is very poor, and the other one
is very wealthy. Now the wealthy one has to go on a business trip, so he
wants to make sure that his friend is able to take care of himself when he
is gone, so he takes this precious gem and ties it or somehow folds it into
the robe of his poor friend. The next day he gets up and reminds his friend
that the gem is there, "You can cash that in and take care of yourself
until we see each other again." Then he goes off on his trip.
Unfortunately, the poor friend is so hung over that he forgets completely
about this hidden gem and spends the next few years begging in the streets
and trying to find some menial jobs, a place to stay and scraps to eat.
Eventually he runs into his wealthy friend again. The friend looks at him
and says, "Why are you living like this? I gave you this gem. You should be
living very comfortably right now. You should be living in a nice penthouse
due to the value of that jewel and not a cardboard box in an alley." The
poor man says, "I didn't even realize I had this." He finds that all along
the wealth was already there. The idea is that this is how most of us are
with our buddha-nature. We have this wealth. It's there. The possibility of
awakening is there in each and every moment, but we are so wrapped up in
our issues and our problems, our usual confusion that we don't see it. We
don't take the time to look or remember that it is there. Really, that is
what our practice is about. Every time we practice, every time we sit down,
or in my tradition whenever we chant, recite the title of the Lotus Sutra,
whenever we come before the Buddha, is the meeting between the wealthy man
and the poor man. It is where the wealthy man says, "Look! That gem is
right there. Right there."
Now the next parable, the Parable of the Gem in the Topknot takes a
different perspective on this. In this story, the Buddha is compared to a
great sovereign, a great emperor who sends his armies out to conquer the
enemies of the Dharma. Of course the enemies are actually greed, anger, and
ignorance, the armies of Mara. The bodhisattvas are the heroes of this
army, the great generals and commanders. In the old days, one wouldn't just
receive medals or commendations, one would actually receive some of the
spoils from the battle. One might even receive some of the personal
treasures of the ruler that one was fighting for. The sovereign would give
various treasures to his different commanders and generals; in the Buddha's
case the bodhisattvas are the recipients. But there is one gem, the gem in
the topknot, which is the crown jewel, the sign of his kingship, and that
is the one thing he can not give. But in the parable, there is a victory
that is so great, that the sovereign decides that now is the time when he
will give even this, his own jewel, to these heroes. In the same way, in
our practice, we are not just practicing by ourselves, we are practicing
with all sentient beings. We are practicing with the Buddha in the presence
of the Buddha. Our practice is also pulling something out from within
ourselves. From another point of view, we are opening ourselves up to
reality as it is. It is allowing us to receive what is there right in front
of us. That is the gem in the topknot, the Buddha Dharma itself, buddhahood
itself.
Having looked at those two parables I do want to point out that
this is all rhetoric. The buddha-nature is not something that can be owned
or given, received, lost, or found. It is not some little thing or photon
that exists in the pineal gland or anything else. The buddha-nature is the
dynamic process of life itself. It is the process of our practice, of
opening up to life, opening up to ourselves, opening up to others, opening
up to the Buddha in others. This is what it is. It is not a thing. In fact,
in the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, there are a couple of passages in
the verse section that I find particularly noteworthy. The one says:
All things are devoid of substantiality. The seed of buddhahood comes from
dependent origination.
The seed of buddhahood comes from dependent origination. Our
buddha-nature is the dynamic relationality of life itself. The other
passage states:
All things are from the outset in the state of tranquil extinction.
Wow. That is difficult. Especially when you watch the evening news
or you get in a fight with your wife or a friend. Where is the tranquil
extinction in that situation? But it is there. It is there. As soon as you
drop all of these unnecessary burdens of greed, anger, and ignorance that
you have picked up, there it is. It is very difficult though. That is why
the Lotus Sutra says that on the one hand it is so easy, because it is
right there. All you have to do is drop everything. On the other hand it is
so difficult, like kicking this world off to the other end of the universe.
We don't want to drop this stuff. We are so comfortable with our confusion
that God forbid we get rid of it, because then what would we do? In a
sense, that is what practice is all about. Helping us loosen up. Helping us
learn that we can drop it all, and that it will be o.k.
Absolute and Relative Bodhicitta
Let me wrap up tonight's discussion with a talk about ultimate and
relative bodhicitta. This is another dichotomy that appears in the Lotus
Sutra. In the East Asian tradition, this idea of ultimate and relative
bodhicitta has not received much attention. I'm not even sure if it's been
explicitly recognized. The Tibetans talk about it a lot. I've found it very
useful, so I would like to share it with you. These are two aspects of the
same thing. These are also different aspects of our practice. Ultimate
bodhicitta is the aspiration to attain enlightenment, to attain insight
into emptiness and dependent origination. Relative bodhicitta is the
aspiration to liberate all beings. They are really two sides of the same
coin. Once you aspire to the enlightenment that perceives the emptiness of
all things, once you go through with that aspiration, once you actually
begin to get a little bit of an understanding of this, getting your feet
wet on the edge of the pool of sunyata, or emptiness, then you will
simultaneously realize that your life is inextricably bound with all
others. This emptiness means that there is no barrier between yourself and
others. That is the actual basis of compassion. So you can not separate
this relative and this ultimate bodhicitta. This understanding of
emptiness, and the actual living out of that emptiness in one's
relationships with others in the spirit of generosity and the spirit of
caring and patience is one and the same thing.
In chapter fourteen, "Peaceful Practices," they talk about the four
peaceful practices of the bodhisattvas: the ministry of the body, the
ministry of the speech, the ministry of thought, and ministry of the vow. I
would invite you, if you have a copy of the Lotus Sutra, to examine them on
your own. It's a little too involved to go into tonight. But if you are
able to read chapter fourteen, I really encourage you to do so and to look
at the constant interplay between the relative and the ultimate aspects.
They are constantly moving back and forth, constantly interrelated.
I will close this discussion with a few more passages from chapter
ten which also shows the relative and ultimate aspects of bodhicitta:
Medicine King! If there be any good son or good daughter who after
the extinction of the Tathagata desires to preach the Law-Flower Sutra to
the four groups, how should he preach it? That good son or good daughter,
entering into the abode of the Tathagata, wearing the robe of the
Tathagata, and sitting on the throne of the Tathagata, should then widely
proclaim this sutra to the four groups [of hearers].
The abode of the Tathagata is the great compassionate heart within
all living beings; the robe of the Tathagata is the gentle and forbearing
heart; the throne of the Tathagata is the voidness of all law. Established
in these, then with unflagging mind to bodhisattvas and the four groups [of
hearers] he will preach this Law-Flower Sutra.
We are being invited here to put ourselves in the place of the
Buddha, and by doing that to have the same compassion, the same insight
into emptiness, interrelatedness, as the Buddha himself.
Here is another passage from chapter ten, where the Buddha says:
Medicine King! Do you see in this assembly innumerable gods, dragon
kings...human and non-human beings...? All such beings as these, in the
presence of the Buddha, if they hear a single verse or a single word of the
Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra and even by a single thought delight in it, I
predict that they will attain Perfect Enlightenment... Moreover, after the
extinction of the Tathagata, if there be any people who hear even a single
verse or a single word of the Wonderful Law-Flower Sutra, and by a single
thought delight in it, I also predict for them Perfect Enlightenment...
these people have already paid homage to ten myriad kotis of buddhas and
under the buddhas performed their great vows; therefore, out of compassion
for all living beings they are born among men... Know, Medicine King! These
people will of themselves abandon the recompense of their purified karma,
and after my extinction, out of pity for all living beings, will be born in
the evil world and widely proclaim this sutra. If these good sons and good
daughters, after my extinction, should be able [even] by stealth to preach
to one person even one word of the Law-Flower Sutra, know these people are
Tathagata-apostles sent by the Tathagata to perform Tathagata-deeds. How
much more so those who in great assemblies widely preach to others.
On the one hand, this bodhicitta, raising the aspiration to attain
enlightenment, seems very difficult and very heroic. It is an effort that
could last many, many ages and eons and in fact, when you understand the
implications of non-abiding nirvana, is actually supposed to be endless. On
the other hand, it comes down to a moment. A single moment of rejoicing. A
single moment of taking faith in even one word of the sutra. Being able to
share even one word, one verse, one phrase. It really comes down to the
moment that you are living in.
Maylie Scott: Could you say something about the title, "Tathagata."
Michael: When the Buddha predicts the enlightenment of Shariputra, this is
what he says:
Shariputra! In a world to come, after infinite, boundless, and
inconceivable kalpas, when you shall have served some thousand myriad kotis
of buddhas, maintained the Right Dharma, and completed the way which
bodhisattvas walk, you shall become a buddha whose title will be Flower
Light Tathagata...
Then he goes into a list of names, epithets, that always follow the
prediction of the Buddha. In fact, this comes from the Pali Canon and
earlier sources where it comprised the good reputation the Buddha had among
all the people of India at that time. The list reads:
...Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed,
Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and
Men, Buddha, World Honored One...
And of course Tathagata, Flower Light Tathagata in this case, was
the first title. These are all the different ways that you can appreciate
the Buddha, and Tathagata is an especially suggestive term because it can
be interpreted in one of two ways. Tathagata can mean the "One Who Comes"
from the realm of truth, or the "One Who Goes" to the realm of truth.
Strangely enough, this idea pops up in the Gospels too, where they talk
about the Son of Man who can be seen coming and going from Heaven. There
was this idea that the Buddha somehow inhabited both worlds. At the same
time, the Buddha was pulling us into a different way of seeing things. The
Buddha was returning to us from his perspective and rejoining us in our way
of seeing things so there could be a relationship, communication. That is
the position that we are also being asked to join him in, in that position
of going and coming, coming and going from the Dharmadhatu, the Realm of
Truth. But there is no coming or going actually.
Q&A from Session 2
Question: I want to see if I am reading more into this than you said. I
know that in some early Buddhism, not like early Pali Canon Buddhism, but
early in the tradition, in order to become a buddha you needed to have a
prediction of buddhahood. So then there was a lot of attention to merit
making activity in order to be born in the time of the Buddha in order to
get the prediction, etc, etc, etc... So, are you saying that in the Lotus
Sutra, everyone is basically getting a prediction to buddhahood?
Michael: Everyone, everyone. I will explain the logic of this. The Lotus
Sutra is doing something interesting. It's taking the logic of those
earlier forms of Buddhism at their word, but playing with them, working
with them, revealing implications that really opens it all up because they
are very narrow when you first hear about them. In chapter eight, the
five-hundred disciples receive the prediction of their destiny. The Buddha
moves from just predicting that certain disciples will attain enlightenment
to bestowing a prediction upon whole groups of people en masse. In theory
he states in the second chapter that they will all become buddhas, and then
he actually names people in the following chapters. Finally, in chapters
eight, nine, and ten he opens it up to whole groups of people. He gives a
prediction of buddhahood to the five hundred arhats. Then the Buddha
extends his prediction to all his disciples, including those who are no
longer present, and to all who rejoice upon hearing the Lotus Sutra.
Now does anyone realize the significance of the five hundred
arhats? After the Buddha died the first assembly was called so that the
original historical disciples of the Buddha could get together and agree on
what his teachings were and what the discipline was that he had laid down.
This first assembly was composed of five hundred arhats. Ananda, the one
who opens all the sutras with "Thus I have heard" is also included.
Although he squeaked in at the last minute. He attained enlightenment after
an all night meditation binge. In fact, it wasn't his desperate last ditch
efforts which allowed him to attain enlightenment, it was the fact that
early in the morning of the first day of the counsel he realized "I'm just
not going to get it after all. I give up." Bang! That was it. Strangely
enough it was letting go of his need to attain enlightenment which allowed
him to attain it. Another one of those dichotomies. Nevertheless, when the
Buddha predicted enlightenment for those five hundred arhats, that is the
same as saying that even that first assembly, that source of the Buddhist
tradition itself, the so-called Hinayana teachings, has been endowed with
buddhahood through the sutra. Really, nobody is left out.
He elaborates on this in the seventh chapter, where he talks about
his past-life relationships with all of the disciples. There he says that,
"In the past all of you disciples had made the aspiration to attain
enlightenment. In the past you were taught by all of these various buddhas,
but you have forgotten." What the Lotus Sutra is saying is that maybe in
this lifetime you haven't met a buddha, and haven't received any kind of
prediction, but your life is more than just what you think it is. It is
more than just this body, this mind, and these particular circumstances. It
reaches out to all time and space, and within that it is almost certain
that you have been able to meet not just one buddha but countless buddhas
and have most likely already had your enlightenment predicted. This is
going to get even more radical next week when we talk about the middle
chapters where there is the implication that we have not only had our
prediction in the past, even though we may not remember it, but we have
actually had our awakening in the distant past. But I will save that for
next week.
So the Lotus Sutra is really opening things up. Since you have
brought it up, chapter 12 is also worth looking at, where Devadatta, the
so-called Buddhist Judas, the one who was constantly trying to roll
boulders over the Buddha or stampede elephants or send assassins after him,
the Dr. No of Buddhism, even he has his enlightenment predicted. Then the
dragon king's daughter, an eight year old dragon girl, kind of like a
mermaid, comes up from the sea and she becomes a buddha in an instant.
Nichiren, the founder of the tradition I belong to, said, "This proves that
if even someone as evil as Devadatta can become a buddha, then all of our
fathers can become buddhas too, and if even an eight year old dragon girl
can become a buddha in an instant, then even our mothers can become buddhas
as well." So chapter 12 is the chapter of filial piety for Nichiren because
that is the chapter that you can use to encourage your parents to become
buddhas.
Question: I was wondering if you could talk about the different
translations here. I think that there are two translations of the Lotus
Sutra in English.
Michael: More than that. There are a plethora. This might be a good time to
plug my books. There is the Threefold Lotus Sutra, which is available in
most bookstores that have good selections on Buddhism. I personally like
this one a lot, even though it's language is occasionally awkward, because
it is the only translation which includes the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings
and the Sutra of Meditation on Bodhisattva Universal Virtue. I personally
find those very important. That is why it is called the Threefold Lotus
Sutra, because of its inclusion of the prologue and epilogue sutras. So
this is a good translation.
Maylie: Shambhala has it in stock.
Michael: There is also Senchu Murano's translation of The Lotus Sutra.
Senchu Murano is a bishop and one of the most revered scholars in the
Nichiren school back in Japan. His translation is very readable and Murano
is a very careful scholar. So this is a good one to get.
Then there is there is the Bukkyo Dendo, also known as the Numata
Translation Society. They have been trying to translate the whole Taisho,
the Japanese collection of all the sutras and commentaries and writings in
East Asia. It is a monumental task that they are taking on. They have
already translated around a dozen texts so far, and one of those is the
Lotus Sutra. That one I haven't heard such great reviews on.
Then there is the Hurvitz translation. That is one the best scholarly translations. Especially because of the appendix with the Sanskrit sections which differ from the Chinese of Kumarajiva's
translation. Kumarajiva, for whatever reasons, decided to leave whole
sections out and switch other things around.
Then there is the Burton Watson translation with the Monet lotus flowers on the front. That is also a very readable translation. I especially like Watson's prose. So that is a good one.
Those are the ones that are available. The ones that you will have
the most ease finding are the Threefold and the Watson translation. As far
as I am concerned, it comes down to whether or not you want the epilogue
and the prologue. That's my long answer to a short question.
Question: During your lecture you read two or three statements about the
nature of buddha-mind or buddha-nature and they turned my mind inside out.
I can't remember what they were. Are they written down somewhere?
Michael: Yes, they are from the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra in the
verse section. In fact, I think one or both of them appear in the Lotus
Petals book. They are not in the hand-out. I could read them again if you
would like. In fact, why don't I do that. The passages read:
All things are devoid of substantiality. The seed of buddhahood comes from
dependent origination.
And then:
All things are from the outset in the state of tranquil extinction.
Dogen, of course, wrote about buddha-nature being impermanence. He
also wrote, in his essay Buddha-nature, that we don't have buddha-nature,
we are buddha-nature. I find that those statements tie in very well with
those passages in the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra. I would have to
reread his essays again, but he might have even referred directly to those
passages. I'm not sure, but most likely he had them in mind when he was
writing them.
Anybody else? Questions, comments, answers? I have a lot of
questions too.
Question: Just one question. What is your question?
Michael: My question is to find out what Namu Myoho Renge Kyo really means.
That's my question. That's what's been pulling me along all these years.
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo. Thank you for reminding me of my question.
Question: You mentioned several times the New Testament and you started off
with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. My first thought was of the New
Testament rendition of that universal parable.
Michael: I'm sure the story was traveling back and forth along the silk
route.
Question: Or it is part of human nature. Very interesting. But the reading
of it is quite different. Do you have any suggestions about looking at the
two of them? Would you look at them side by side.
Michael: I would. I wouldn't equate them necessarily. I wouldn't say that
they are the same parable. The Parable of the Herbs is also one that Jesus used. In fact, there is a great parallel or many parallels I should say between Buddha's teaching in the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra and the
Last Supper speech in the Gospel of John. Earlier on in John, Jesus refers
to himself as a shepherd with other flocks that the disciples do not know
about, which is what the Buddha also says in the 16th chapter. So there are
a lot of strange parallels and similarities between the Lotus Sutra and
some of the gospels. I suspect that some of this might be, as you said,
universal human nature. Some of it might be certain Gospel writers in
Alexandria hearing Buddhist stories from the merchants or even from
missionary monks who might have passed through. Who knows?
In brief, the Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Bible is really
about, on the one hand, the most superficial level, the forgiveness of the
father who takes the son back. But it is also about, and this may be the
actual point, the son who stayed at home who thought, "Well, I've been here
all along. How come there isn't a feast for me?" That adds a whole other
dimension to that parable which has nothing to do with the parable in the
sutra. The Parable of the Prodigal Son in the Lotus Sutra is not an instant
welcome back. It is not the "sudden enlightenment" of the parable of Jesus,
but a gradual awakening, a gradual maturation, and a gradual change in
teaching tactics of the father, or the Buddha, with us. So they are kind of
the same story, but they go in very different directions.
Question: We talk about being turned by the sutra or turning the sutra.
Could you say a little more about that? I'm not sure that I understand what
is meant by "turning."
Michael: For those of you who might not have been here or may not remember,
last week we were talking about the meeting between the 6th Patriarch and a monk named Fa-ta. In the story, the monk Fa-ta had been reciting the sutra
3,000 times and had still been unable to get the point, so the 6th
Patriarch taught that if he were enlightened he would be able to turn the
Lotus Sutra, but if he were not enlightened then his practice was just the
Lotus Sutra turning him. Dogen took this as the theme for Hokke-ten-Hokke
and broadened and expanded it. In the original story of the 6th Patriarch,
the idea is that if we turn the Lotus Sutra into a fetish, an idol, an
object of bibliolatry as it were, then we are being turned by the sutra. It
is using us. We are living for the sake of the sutra and that is silly.
This is a book. More than that, of course. Myoho Renge Kyo, the Wonderful
Dharma of the Lotus Flower Teaching, is not just a book but the teaching;
and not just the teaching but the enlightenment of the Buddha itself. But
even as the enlightenment of the Buddha itself, if we don't get it, if we
are trying to grasp it or cling to it, or use it as a way of feeling
superior to others, if we feel like we are in on the big secret and no one
else is getting it, then it is turning us. It is making our minds confused
and turning us around. Once we understand the true value of the sutra, the
true value of the teaching which the sutra embodies, the true value of
enlightenment itself and are living it from the depth of our life then we
turn the sutra. We turn it and share it with others. Now the sutra is
serving us. Now the sutra is helping us. Now the sutra is being turned in
the sense of bringing harmony and relationship into a situation where
before there might have been indifference, coldness, confusion. Dogen took
this to a whole new level when he said that the Flower of the Dharma was
turning the Flower of the Dharma. In one sense, it is not that there is me
and then there is this teaching of the Lotus Sutra, or there is me and the
enlightenment of the Buddha. I am also the teaching. I am the enlightenment
of the Buddha. There is no dichotomy here. But until I realize that, I am
still confused. But even in my confusion this world is still what it is.
This world is still the Buddha's world. But if I awaken to it, then I am at
home. I am at ease. So in the one case, I am still the Flower of Dharma,
but I am the confused Flower of Dharma. I am being turned by it. But in the
other case, I am the Flower of Dharma in harmony with the Flower of Dharma,
bringing consciousness and compassion into the Flower of Dharma for my own
part. It is still the Flower of Dharma turning the Flower of Dharma. Of
course, it is better to have it that way than the other way, where the
Flower of Dharma is turning the Flower of Dharma but we don't know it. We
are missing out on the big picture. Missing out on what is right there in
front of us. Does that clear it up at all?
Question: I was thinking of another place in Dogen, where he states that
the self advancing to confirm the myriad dharmas is delusion; while the
myriad dharmas advancing to confirm the self is enlightenment. I was
wondering if there was any relationship there?
Michael: I would think that they are different ways of expressing the same
thing. Maybe Maylie could say something about that.
Maylie: Yes, I would say that completely. That if I am putting myself forth
and seeing things from my grasping point of view, that is all I get. But if
I can get out of the way, and receive, be, what is coming to me, then I am
confirmed by all beings. I think it is really wonderful. This is a very
difficult teaching. What is buddha-nature? You hear that things are in a
state of tranquil extinction and you think "What?" But after you have heard
it maybe ten times, you begin to have some relationship with it. You've
heard it before. It is entered. And a wonderful way of integrating this is
to read the Crooked Cucumber, which many of us are doing. David Chadwick is
sitting in the back seat of a car driving Suzuki Roshi somewhere or other
and he decides he is just going to ask a really bad question. He asks
Suzuki Roshi, "What's the teaching? What is all this business about? Tell me
the secret." It is just like the Lotus Sutra. "Tell me!" Suzuki Roshi
doesn't usually respond to such bad questions, but he turns around and
says, "Everything is changing." If you just read the Crooked Cucumber or go
back and read Ma >Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind again, always a good thing to do,
you just hear the Lotus Sutra. That is what I think.
Question: I just wanted to mention that the name of the monk who was
confused, Fa-ta, actually means "Great Understanding."
Michael: Ah, that is interesting. I didn't know that.
Question: I have heard this before about the first vehicle and the second
vehicle. So, is the idea that the Buddha at one period of his life
expressed the first vehicle and some years later expressed the second
vehicle? What is the chronology?
Michael: It's very strange because there are three vehicles according to
the first part of the Lotus Sutra. There is the vehicle of the shravakas,
which means one who hears the Dharma while sitting at the Buddha's feet.
Then there is the vehicle for the pratyekabuddhas, who are the
private-buddhas, the ones who realize enlightenment for themselves without
the help of a teacher. Then there is the bodhisattva vehicle. Well this is
very strange because the second vehicle is for those who do not even come
into contact with the Buddha. So how can he be teaching them a vehicle? How
can it be a vehicle for people who do not want a vehicle? They want to go
off on their own. Or they are born in a time when there is no buddha. So
really, the vehicle of the pratyekabuddhas doesn't fit in chronologically
anywhere in the Buddha's teachings, whether Hinayana or Mahayana. The
shravaka vehicle is taught primarily in the first few years of the Buddha's
life after he gets up from the Bodhi Tree according to the Mahayana
tradition. While he is sitting beneath the Bodhi Tree, that is the Flower
Garland period, and that is the full-blown Mahayana with no concessions to
anybody's understanding at all. It is just "Here it is! Get it or not.
There you go." Then, starting with the Deer Park sermon on up to the
Vimalakirti Sutra or the Pure Land Sutras, he just teaches the four noble
truths, the eightfold path, and the precepts for the Hinayana monks and
nuns. That is the shravaka vehicle. After that he starts to tell people,
"Now I am going to tell you about these pure lands. Now I am going to tell
you about these great bodhisattvas who have made vows to save all beings.
Now I am going to tell you about all these buddhas in the other regions of
the universe who are helping us. Now I am going to tell you about the six
perfections and how you too can become a buddha. And now I am going to
criticize these people who think that nirvana is the end all and be all of
Buddhism." This last part refers to the static nirvana. The Vimalakirti
Sutra is a really good example of this if you ever read it. Again, I highly
recommend it. It is short, sweet and hilarious. The idea is that he shifts
from teaching the four noble truths to then criticizing the people who
followed them for not aspiring high enough. It sets up a new aspiration,
this time for buddhahood, and it reveals the possibility of entering into
the pure lands so that one can then become a buddha. After that he teaches
the Prajnaparamita or emptiness teachings to clear away all these
dichotomies between nirvana and this world, between bodhisattvas and those
who are not bodhisattvas. You see this in the Heart Sutra where he negates
the four noble truths and the twelve-fold chain of dependent origination.
He says, "There is no birth and death, there is no ignorance." All of this
he just sweeps away. In the Lotus Sutra, he finally brings it all together.
He says: "Well, look, I know I was criticizing you disciples before, but
actually all along I was just trying to get you to move to the bodhisattva
vehicle. From the beginning the four noble truths were just the first step
to get you into the one vehicle of the bodhisattvas." So the last period of
his life was the period of integration.
The pratyekabuddha vehicle, the private-buddha vehicle, is equated
in the Lotus Sutra with the teaching of dependent origination. As I
mentioned before, he couldn't have taught the private-buddhas dependent
origination because they were not there. If they were there, they wouldn't
be private-buddhas anymore. I believe the private-buddha vehicle is equated
with dependent origination because the idea is that even if you are born in
a country with no Buddha Dharma, even if you never hear the words Buddha,
Dharma, Sangha, even if you are a member of another religion, if you can
realize dependent origination you will be able to wake up, at least for
yourself. You may not have the ability to teach it. You may be unable to
articulate it. You may have to articulate it in terms of whatever religion
you were born into, and that might distort it. The idea is anyone can
realize that for themselves, even without explicit contact with the Buddha
Dharma. You could read Rumi for instance, and you will see that he is saying many of the same things about emptiness that Buddhism does. Rumi, of
course, had a lot of warmth and compassion as well. You might read Meister Eckhart, another example of someone who seems to have realized these things. The private-buddha vehicle really stands outside the Buddha's
teachings and is available to everybody in whatever tradition they belong
to, or even if they do not belong to any tradition. Does that help?
Question: The Lotus Sutra is the final teaching according to the Lotus
Sutra?
Michael: Right. I will point out that the place of the Lotus Sutra as the
pinnacle of the Buddha's teachings is the mainstay of the T'ien-t'ai
tradition, the Chinese scholastic school. In Japanese Zen, Tendai Buddhism is the underlying ideology or scholastic background of Dogen, and Hakuin
and others. All Mahayana schools recognize that the Lotus Sutra was taught
towards the end of the Buddha's life as a way of integrating everything.
The Hua-yen tradition, the Flower Garland tradition, that was the rival of the T'ien-t'ai in China and has since become the underlying source for the
Chinese schools and is extremely influential in Korean Zen, teaches that
the Flower Garland Sutra is the most important because it makes no
concessions. It does not attempt to bring the Dharma down to anyone's
level. It is simply direct. The T'ien-t'ai tradition and the Nichiren
tradition which I follow argue that this shows how there is another step
which the Flower Garland needed to take to include the others. It is not
good enough to just present the Buddha Mind. It has to be the Buddha Mind
in relation to others. That is what is going on there.
Odaimoku
Thank you for your questions. Now we'll come to the more devotional
aspect. Let me tell you a little bit about chanting practice in Buddhism.
Chanting, of course, is the mainstay of the Nichiren tradition that I
belong to, especially chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra - Namu Myoho
Renge Kyo. Namu is "I devote myself to;" Myoho is Wonderful Dharma; Renge is Lotus Flower; and Kyo is Teaching. That is our practice, and other forms
of Buddhism have different mantras that they chant. Other schools of
Buddhism, as well as the Soto Shu in Japan, will also recite passages from
the Sutras. In fact, the Soto Shu in Japan regularly recites the 16th and
the 25th chapters of the Lotus Sutra. These are also popular in Tendai as well. All this chanting is not just a Mahayana innovation. It goes back to
even the Pali Canon tradition which has several short suttas like the Metta
Sutta, the sutta on friendliness or loving-kindness, which is recited
especially by lay people in that tradition. I believe the monks and nuns
also recite it. There are also different protective spells that you can
find in the Pali Canon which are recited to call upon different spirits to
protect the practitioner of the Dharma. This idea of reciting passages is
something that has a very long history and goes back to the very beginnings
of Buddhism. In an oral tradition, in a society that passed down
information orally, the Buddha's teachings had to be recited. They had to
be memorized and repeated so that they would not be lost. It was only about
500 years later that they were finally written down. All along there is
this idea that one interacts with the Dharma by reciting it. Through
repetition one brings it into one's heart and mind.
In fact, one of the practices in early Buddhism are the six
recollections where one meditates upon the qualities of the Buddha, the
Dharma, the Sangha, generosity, virtue, and the heavenly realms. There are
different little formulas for each one of those topics that one memorizes
and then repeats over and over again, whether out loud or silently in
meditation in order to identify with those qualities in oneself. The
practice that is most relevant here is Dharmanusmrti, which is mindfulness
or recollection of the Dharma. In this case it is the Dharma of the Lotus
Flower Teaching.
As always, this has to go beyond mere verbal repetition. It can not
be just flapping our gums. Nichiren also recognized this and here is a
passage from one of his writings where he says:
Others read the Lotus Sutra with their mouths alone, reading only the words
but they do not read it with their hearts. And even if they read it with
their hearts, they do not read it with their actions. Praiseworthy indeed
are those like you who read the sutra with both body and mind.
Even those traditions where the Dharma is engaged through voice as
well as posture, heart, and mind, and where the voice carries one's
dedication to the Dharma and energizes it, one has to go beyond that. It
has to be a full realization in the moment of the meaning of what you are
reciting. Also, Nichiren said this:
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. If two or three moments were required, this could no longer be
called the original vow of the Buddha of indifferentiating wisdom, the
single vehicle of the teaching of immediate enlightenment that enables all
beings to attain buddhahood.
That goes back to the passage from the tenth chapter that I read
earlier this evening, the merit of even a single moment of rejoicing. In
this case, Nichiren taught that simply reciting the title of the Lotus
Sutra, Namu Myoho Renge Kyo, which takes just a moment - Namu Myoho Renge
Kyo - that is an expression of the single moment of rejoicing. In doing
that we can open ourselves up to that rejoicing, that faith, and the full
realization in the moment of what the Dharma is as our own life.
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