06 February 2013

Lotus Sutra Study Questions 10

In Chapter Ten of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha explains how one should teach the Lotus Sutra.  Here is one particularly relevant passage:

How should the good men or women who live after my extinction expound this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to the four kinds of devotees when they wish to?  They should enter the room of the Tathagata, wear the robe of the Tathagata, sit on the seat of the Tathagata, and then expound this sutra to the four kinds of devotees.  To enter the room of the Tathagata means to have great compassion toward all living beings.  To wear the robe of the Tathagata means to be gentle and patient.  To sit on the seat of the Tathagata means to see the voidness of all things.  They should do these [three] things and then without indolence expound this Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to Bodhisattvas and the four kinds of devotees.
 Lotus Sutra, trans. Senchu Murano, p. 177

As the text progresses, look for other instances where both the literal meaning of a passage and its metaphoric meaning (as in the room, robe, and seat of the Buddha this time) offer insights into practice.  What does the Buddha expect of someone who would attempt to expound this text?

From what you have read so far in this sutra, can you infer what the Buddha might expect of someone who is interested in learning the Dharma?

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