After reviewing the guidelines for practice, take the following as your contemplation:
Just as the rich elder,
Knowing his son's inferior disposition,
By his skillfulness
Trains his mind,
And afterward gives him
All his wealth,
So it is with the Buddha
In his display of rarities.
Threefold Lotus Sutra, p. 123, translation altered slightly. Posted in honor of Labor Day. Lotus Sutra Chapter 4 is an extended parable invoking the role of labor in everyday life and in the Buddhist path.
Showing posts with label Lotus Sutra. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lotus Sutra. Show all posts
01 September 2014
07 October 2013
Contemplation: The Great Cloud (Redux)
Review the guidelines for practice and take this up as your object of contemplation:
excerpted from The Lotus Sutra, chapter 5, as recited at the Tendai Buddhist Institute
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The teaching of the Buddhas
Is always of one flavor
And fulfills the entire world.
Anyone who practices little by little
Obtains the fruit of the path.
O Kashyapa,
The Dharma which the Buddha teaches
Is just like the great cloud which enriches human flowers
With the rain of one flavor,
So that each attains its fruits.
O Kashyapa!
You should know that I reveal the Buddha-path
Using various explanations and illustrations
And that this is my skillful means.
All of the Buddhas are just like this.
I will now teach the highest truth for your sake:
There are no shravakas who attain Nirvana.
What you practice is the bodhisattva-path;
And if you practice step by step,
You will all become Buddhas.
excerpted from The Lotus Sutra, chapter 5, as recited at the Tendai Buddhist Institute
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02 October 2013
Complete Lotus Sutra Study Guide Now Available
Earlier this year, our sangha read the Lotus Sutra together chapter by chapter. I posted some guidance for each week's reading on this very blog. Taken together, these offer a useful if informal approach to reading this fundamental Buddhist scripture. I put them together in this document (just follow the links) in exactly that spirit.
I hope this is useful and helps people actualize the heart of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in their everyday lives. Enjoy!
I hope this is useful and helps people actualize the heart of the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in their everyday lives. Enjoy!
19 July 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 28
With Chapter 28, the Lotus Sutra comes to a conclusion. This chapter introduces us to the bodhisattva Samantabhadra (his name is Fugen in Japanese, and sometimes translated as Universal Sage Bodhisattva in English). Samantabhadra makes a series of vows to protect the Lotus Sutra teachings, and to protect those who put them into practice. This comes after Buddha Shakyamuni explains what one must do in order to access these teachings in the time after his passing (which is to say, right now):
1. Secure the protection of the Buddhas, 2. plant the roots of virtue, 3. reach the stage of steadiness [in proceeding to enlightenment], and 4. resolve to save all living beings (pp.336-337, Murano translation).Samantabhadra is associated with action and activity in the world. What does it mean that the Lotus ends by giving him the last word? Looking back through all 28 chapters, what relationship do you see between the contemplative teachings and the activities described in this sutra?
10 July 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 27
Chapter 27 of the Lotus Sutra describes the importance of family and family relations in Buddhist practice. This is expressed in somewhat mythic terms in the sutra. The most important point is to consider the ways in which familial relationships can become fundamental aspects of everyday Dharma practice: how we relate to others is a fundamental aspect of how we conduct ourselves, and with whom do we interact more than our families and the members of our household? Our parents, siblings, children, and extended family can encourage us in practice, and help us work through doubt and distraction--and we can do the same for them.
Family can also function as a metaphor for how members of a sangha can cooperate together on the basis of mutual respect and care. The contemporary writer and practitioner Peter Hershock has an excellent essay on this topic at the Journal of Buddhist Ethics; while Hershock's language is a bit wonky, his ideas are very much worthy of careful reflection.
How does this chapter describe family relationships among Dharma practitioners? Do you notice anything unusual or extraordinary about the particular family described in this chapter? More generally, what does a healthy and supportive family look like? What is the relationship between our conduct with each other and our practice of Dharma together?
Family can also function as a metaphor for how members of a sangha can cooperate together on the basis of mutual respect and care. The contemporary writer and practitioner Peter Hershock has an excellent essay on this topic at the Journal of Buddhist Ethics; while Hershock's language is a bit wonky, his ideas are very much worthy of careful reflection.
How does this chapter describe family relationships among Dharma practitioners? Do you notice anything unusual or extraordinary about the particular family described in this chapter? More generally, what does a healthy and supportive family look like? What is the relationship between our conduct with each other and our practice of Dharma together?
26 June 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 26
When it comes to Chapter 26 of the Lotus Sutra, "Study Questions" are not exactly possible from the point of view of practice. This is because the practice described in it is not amenable to discussion. It is not a teaching to be contemplated; it is something to be tried and experienced. You have to be "game" for it, willing to try with an open mind. By analogy: you can try to question and discuss what the flavor of honey is, debate it and dissect it conceptually, take a stand for or against this or that characteristic you ascribe to it... or you can be smart about it and just taste some honey yourself.
This practice is the chanting of dharani. Each dharani is a series of syllables, not unlike a spell or incantation, that is charged with a certain capacity. For instance, in Chapter 26, a number of dharani are transmitted to the assembly by different bodhisattvas, with the approval of Buddha Shakyamuni, in order to protect those who practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Chanting dharani is a spiritual practice that can serve a particular function in ordinary life, but are ultimately intended as means to the realization of the Dharma.
This practice is the chanting of dharani. Each dharani is a series of syllables, not unlike a spell or incantation, that is charged with a certain capacity. For instance, in Chapter 26, a number of dharani are transmitted to the assembly by different bodhisattvas, with the approval of Buddha Shakyamuni, in order to protect those who practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Chanting dharani is a spiritual practice that can serve a particular function in ordinary life, but are ultimately intended as means to the realization of the Dharma.
12 June 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 25
Chapter 25 of the Lotus Sutra is among the most frequently chanted Buddhist texts in East Asia. Its popularity may reflect its accessibility and the profundity of its message. In content, this chapter sings the praises of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, whose name is translated in the Chinese editions variously as the one who hears the cries of the world, the world-voice-perceiver, the cry regarder; in all these translations, the essential point is that Avalokiteshvara represents the capacity to recognize and respond to the sufferings of others, even at a distance. This capacity is compassion.
When the sutra calls on us to contemplate the power of the Cry Regarder, what the sutra is asking us to do on one level is to contemplate the power of compassion, and to cultivate that ability in ourselves. We have the capacity to do it. It is in our power to develop in this way. We ought to do it. This is how I have been taught to understand this chapter.
Other meanings are also available, and can be just as meaningful in regards to practice. For instance, in some traditions practitioners are advised to recite the name of Avalokiteshvara, calling on her by name for aid (in the form of Guan Yin, Kanzeon, or Kwanseum). This is another way to understand the sutra's repeated insistence that we should contemplate the power of the Cry Regarder. And the famous Tibetan mantra OM MANI PEME HUM? That, also, is an invocation to Avalokiteshvara; it is considered by many in this tradition to be the most important of Buddhist practices, and also the most accessible to all. Anyone can cultivate this capacity, and more than one method exists to do it. As the sutra says, this is a "Universal Gate" of practice.
Please take this contemplation to heart. Consider: what are some contexts in which you can start to this contemplation on the power of compassion?
When the sutra calls on us to contemplate the power of the Cry Regarder, what the sutra is asking us to do on one level is to contemplate the power of compassion, and to cultivate that ability in ourselves. We have the capacity to do it. It is in our power to develop in this way. We ought to do it. This is how I have been taught to understand this chapter.
Other meanings are also available, and can be just as meaningful in regards to practice. For instance, in some traditions practitioners are advised to recite the name of Avalokiteshvara, calling on her by name for aid (in the form of Guan Yin, Kanzeon, or Kwanseum). This is another way to understand the sutra's repeated insistence that we should contemplate the power of the Cry Regarder. And the famous Tibetan mantra OM MANI PEME HUM? That, also, is an invocation to Avalokiteshvara; it is considered by many in this tradition to be the most important of Buddhist practices, and also the most accessible to all. Anyone can cultivate this capacity, and more than one method exists to do it. As the sutra says, this is a "Universal Gate" of practice.
Please take this contemplation to heart. Consider: what are some contexts in which you can start to this contemplation on the power of compassion?
05 June 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 24
Chapter 24 of the Lotus Sutra tells the story of someone named Wonderful Voice bodhisattva (Gadgadasvara in Sanskrit, Myo-on in Japanese). Much of the chapter gives an elaborate frame narrative that describes Wonderful Voice's intentions toward and relationship with Shakyamuni Buddha. The portion of this chapter that is likely of most relevance to our sangha's current survey of the sutra overall is this one, in the words of Shakyamuni Buddha:
Keep an eye on this idea of a Bodhisattva appearing in different forms to suit the capacities of those who need help in future chapters of this sutra.
"This Wonderful-Voice Bodhisattva protects all living beings in this Saha-World. He transforms himself into one or another of these various living beings in this Saha-World and expounds this sutra to all living beings without reducing his super-natural powers, [his power of] transformation, and his wisdom. He illumines this Saha-World with the many [rays of light] of his wisdom, and causes all living beings to know what they should know. He also does the same in the innumerable worlds of the ten quarters, that is, in as many worlds as there are sands in the River Ganges. He takes the shape of a Sravaka and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Sravaka. He takes the shape of a Pratyekabuddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Pratyekabuddha. He takes the shame of another Bodhisattva and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Pratyekabuddha. He takes the shape of a Buddha and expounds the Dharma to those who are to be saved by a Buddha. He takes these various shapes according to the capacities of those who are to be saved" (page 313).Does this recall to memory any themes you have encountered so far in your study of this sutra? Is it directly in line with these themes, or does it introduce something new or unfamiliar to you?
Keep an eye on this idea of a Bodhisattva appearing in different forms to suit the capacities of those who need help in future chapters of this sutra.
30 May 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 23
This is about trust, faith, and commitment: sticking to something that is sacred, something you value, even when you do not know how it will turn out, and even if it means making intensive sacrifices of one kind or another to make it work. That is Chapter 23, which is presented as a past-life story of Medicine King Bodhisattva.
As the story goes, in a time long ago one Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva made an offering of his body to a Buddha named Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue by consuming fine incense and fragrant oils and setting his body alight with the pure intention of dedicating himself to the Dharma. There was no way to know how this method would turn out, but in the story, it worked: he was transformed, radiating intense light for an exceptionally long interval of time, and after finally dying, he took rebirth again in the company of the same Buddha. After building many multitudes of stupas (monuments) for that Buddha's own mortal remains, Gladly-Seen Bodhisattva burnt off his own arms as an offering out of devotion to those stupas, again without knowing in advance how this would work. His body was restored to health, intact, and he learned from the experience.
Sakyamuni Buddha goes on in this chapter to state that "Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe" (304). There are Buddhist communities in which this practice is taken literally to this day; one can speculate that the self-immolations that have become famous in the last hundred years in Buddhist countries may have some relation to this practice. In any event, I do not wish for anyone to do this in our sangha. Instead, I suggest what may be more difficult sacrifices:
*Offer your doubts and fears to the Buddha in your heart and set them on fire, imagining them to smell like sweet incense and to shine with the light of ten thousand suns.
*Offer your ignorance, arrogance, short-sightedness, cowardice, closed-mindedness, selfishness, hatred, jealousy, impatience, pride, aggression, and any other poisons of the heart in the same way, in a spirit of devotion.
*Respect the multitude of sentient beings you meet as though they contain the living relics of the Buddha in the way this ancient Bodhisattva did. Because they do. Use both arms if you can.
This leaves only one question: what remains after these poisons are burned away and resolve into emptiness? What is left behind?
As the story goes, in a time long ago one Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva made an offering of his body to a Buddha named Sun-Moon-Pure-Bright-Virtue by consuming fine incense and fragrant oils and setting his body alight with the pure intention of dedicating himself to the Dharma. There was no way to know how this method would turn out, but in the story, it worked: he was transformed, radiating intense light for an exceptionally long interval of time, and after finally dying, he took rebirth again in the company of the same Buddha. After building many multitudes of stupas (monuments) for that Buddha's own mortal remains, Gladly-Seen Bodhisattva burnt off his own arms as an offering out of devotion to those stupas, again without knowing in advance how this would work. His body was restored to health, intact, and he learned from the experience.
Sakyamuni Buddha goes on in this chapter to state that "Anyone who aspires for, and wishes to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, should offer a light to the stupa of the Buddha by burning a finger or a toe" (304). There are Buddhist communities in which this practice is taken literally to this day; one can speculate that the self-immolations that have become famous in the last hundred years in Buddhist countries may have some relation to this practice. In any event, I do not wish for anyone to do this in our sangha. Instead, I suggest what may be more difficult sacrifices:
*Offer your doubts and fears to the Buddha in your heart and set them on fire, imagining them to smell like sweet incense and to shine with the light of ten thousand suns.
*Offer your ignorance, arrogance, short-sightedness, cowardice, closed-mindedness, selfishness, hatred, jealousy, impatience, pride, aggression, and any other poisons of the heart in the same way, in a spirit of devotion.
*Respect the multitude of sentient beings you meet as though they contain the living relics of the Buddha in the way this ancient Bodhisattva did. Because they do. Use both arms if you can.
This leaves only one question: what remains after these poisons are burned away and resolve into emptiness? What is left behind?
15 May 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 22
Chapter 22 of the Lotus Sutra is very brief. In it, Buddha Shakyamuni entrusts or transmits (depending on the translation) the teachings to the assembly. He is asking them to "keep, read, recite, and expound" the teachings presented in this Sutra. Following this, many of the supernatural elements that so prominently feature in the second half of the sutra are sent away from sight, including the Buddha Ancient Treasures.
Practically speaking, what does it mean to keep and expound or uphold this teaching? In terms of practice or conduct in everyday life, what is the Buddha asking for? What kind of practice is outlined in this Sutra, as you understand it?
Practically speaking, what does it mean to keep and expound or uphold this teaching? In terms of practice or conduct in everyday life, what is the Buddha asking for? What kind of practice is outlined in this Sutra, as you understand it?
01 May 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 21
Chapter 21 of the Lotus Sutra describes the miraculous supernatural activities of the Buddhas. These are capacities that exceed the ordinary, repetitive, and mundane expectations and limits we experience in everyday samsaric life. Of interest in this chapter is the relationship between this extraordinary Buddha-capacity and the opportunities for Buddhist practice that present themselves in this life.
The first kind of supernatural activity of the Buddhas is described here (all quotations from the Murano translation of the Lotus Sutra):
The second kind of supernatural activity of the Buddhas is a bit more subtle.
The first kind of supernatural activity of the Buddhas is described here (all quotations from the Murano translation of the Lotus Sutra):
[The Buddha] stretched out his long and broad tongue upwards until the tip of it reached the World of Brahman. Then he emitted rays of light with an immeasurable variety of colours from his pores. The light illumined all the worlds of the ten quarters. The Buddhas who were sitting on the lion-like seats under the jewelled trees also stretched out their broad and long tongues and emitted innumerable rays of light. Sakyamuni Buddha and the Buddhas under the jewelled trees displayed these supernatural powers of theirs for one hundred thousand years. Then they pulled back their tongues, coughed at the same time, and snapped their fingers. These two sounds [of coughing and snapping] reverberated over the Buddha-worlds of the ten quarters, and the ground of those worlds quaked in the six ways. (pp. 292-293)I have been taught that the long, broad tongue of the Buddha represents the teachings of the Buddha s represented in the sutras and commentaries: a deep and extensive canon of material, far-reaching. Reflect on the light and sounds and unnaturally flexible duration of time described in this passage. What might the different elements here mean if understood as symbolic language? What is this passage attempting to communicate in its imagery?
The second kind of supernatural activity of the Buddhas is a bit more subtle.
all the teachings of the Tathagata, all the unhindered, supernatural powers of the Tathagata, and all the profound achievements of the Tathagata are revealed and expounded explicitly in this sutra (p. 294).Review what you have learned so far in this sutra. What are the most important achievements and capacities of the Buddha as presented in this sutra? Just what teaching is the Buddha asking his disciples to follow, and how is he instructing them to practice here? This chapter may offer a helpful point of departure in reflecting on this.
24 April 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 20
Lotus Sutra chapter 20 tells the story of a bodhisattva called Never Despising (a previous incarnation of Buddha Shakyamuni). This bodhisattva's life describes a helpful and profound practice that benefits oneself and others. I encourage everyone to work with this practice. Here is the gist of it:
Bodhisattva Never Despising responded internally to anyone he met in the same way, regardless of whether they agreed with him or treated him unkindly:
How is this helpful? Well, for starters:
Through this practice, Never Despising helped those around him transform hatred and ignorance into wisdom.
This week's study question is rhetorical: are you willing to give this practice a try?
Bodhisattva Never Despising responded internally to anyone he met in the same way, regardless of whether they agreed with him or treated him unkindly:
"I do not despise you
Because you will practice the Way
And become Buddhas."
Lotus Sutra, p. 289, Murano translation.What does this mean? It means that in all situations, Never Despising refused to give up on anyone as worthless, valueless, or hopeless. He refused to assume anyone was, in the last analysis, his enemy, or some source of evil. Instead, he recognized in everyone without exception their capacity for awakening, a capacity he himself was cultivating. Put differently, he understood the spiritual unity of all life, and made it his practice to recognize this in everyone.
How is this helpful? Well, for starters:
Those who were attached to [wrong] viewsLotus Sutra, p. 290
Were led into the Way
To the enlightenment of the Buddha
By this Bodhisattva.
Through this practice, Never Despising helped those around him transform hatred and ignorance into wisdom.
This week's study question is rhetorical: are you willing to give this practice a try?
17 April 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 19
Lotus Sutra chapter 19 describes the merits of someone who teaches the meaning of the Lotus Sutra to others. These merits involve an extraordinary refinement of the five senses and the discriminative mind (citta). For instance, such a one can gain unusual kinds of knowledge through the sense of hearing, including the voices of beings that people do not ordinarily hear.
This chapter suggests that teaching is itself a kind of spiritual practice, and that this practice bears certain kinds of fruit: from teaching comes knowledge, that is the pattern. Thinking back on earlier chapters in this Sutra, where do you see ideas about teaching and learning develop? What kinds of knowledge is valued in this Sutra? How does this chapter fit into that context?
This chapter suggests that teaching is itself a kind of spiritual practice, and that this practice bears certain kinds of fruit: from teaching comes knowledge, that is the pattern. Thinking back on earlier chapters in this Sutra, where do you see ideas about teaching and learning develop? What kinds of knowledge is valued in this Sutra? How does this chapter fit into that context?
10 April 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 18
The topic of Lotus Sutra chapter 18 is rejoicing in practice and in learning. Rejoicing is a spiritual practice in its own right. It also has a role in magnifying, if you will, the energy or effect of the activities one rejoices in. Karma is like that: for an action to be complete, one first forms an intention to do something, then carries out the intended act, and finally takes satisfaction in having done it. Two thirds of all karma (at least) is mental and volitional, having to do with intentions regarding future actions and attitudes regarding past actions.
All of this means that intentionally and earnestly celebrating the attainments of others amounts to participating in that attainment, karmically-speaking. Rejoicing in one's own virtuous actions, one's Buddhist activities, redoubles the strength of the seeds planted. Seeds bear fruit:
I encourage you to rejoice in the wholesome deeds and activities of others, and the good qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Having heard much of the Lotus Sutra and hopefully taken it to heart, what is to be rejoiced in? Reflect on what you have learned so far: How can you incorporate these teachings into your spiritual practice? Into your everyday conduct with others and on your own?
All of this means that intentionally and earnestly celebrating the attainments of others amounts to participating in that attainment, karmically-speaking. Rejoicing in one's own virtuous actions, one's Buddhist activities, redoubles the strength of the seeds planted. Seeds bear fruit:
Needless to say, boundless will be the meritsLotus Sutra, Murano translation, p. 268
Of the person who hears this sutra with all his heart,
And expounds its meanings,
And acts according to its teachings.
I encourage you to rejoice in the wholesome deeds and activities of others, and the good qualities of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Having heard much of the Lotus Sutra and hopefully taken it to heart, what is to be rejoiced in? Reflect on what you have learned so far: How can you incorporate these teachings into your spiritual practice? Into your everyday conduct with others and on your own?
27 March 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 17
Chapter 17 of the Lotus Sutra describes the merits of someone who learns, understands, and "upholds" or teaches to others the meaning of this sutra, particularly in regard to the previous chapter on the lifespan of the Buddha. The Buddha advises his listeners that, if they should happen to meet such a person...
I should emphasize here that this is not out of the capacity of ordinary laypersons and householders. It merely requires the willingness to listen to the teachings, reflect on them, and integrate them into your everyday life activities as much as you can: to practice them.
Reviewing earlier chapters: what does it mean to teach or "uphold" this sutra? Are words necessary? What is the relation between practice and teaching in this sense?
You should think:Lotus Sutra, Murano translation, p. 262
'He will go to the place of enlightenment before long.
He will be free from asravas and free from causality.
He will benefit all gods and men'
I should emphasize here that this is not out of the capacity of ordinary laypersons and householders. It merely requires the willingness to listen to the teachings, reflect on them, and integrate them into your everyday life activities as much as you can: to practice them.
Reviewing earlier chapters: what does it mean to teach or "uphold" this sutra? Are words necessary? What is the relation between practice and teaching in this sense?
20 March 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 16
Buddha Shakyamuni, at the end of Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra, states:
Chapter 16 is a significant and often-discussed chapter. In it, Buddha Shakyamuni makes two startling claims that fly in the face of convention and expectation. To summarize: while the Buddha appears to live and die as an ordinary man, in reality, this is simply a trick or a ruse; the real Buddha is by nature very, very ancient, not dying and not taking birth, but the personal or historical Buddha appears to be mortal. Why does the Buddha take this appearance? So that beings will not become complacent in practice or take the teachings for granted in their present lives.
Question: What Buddha is eternal and always abiding, according to the teachings you have read so far in the Lotus Sutra? On behalf of whom or what is Buddha Shakyamuni speaking here?
I am always thinking:Murano translation, p. 249
"How shall I cause all living beings
To enter into the unsurpassed Way
And quickly become Buddhas?"
Chapter 16 is a significant and often-discussed chapter. In it, Buddha Shakyamuni makes two startling claims that fly in the face of convention and expectation. To summarize: while the Buddha appears to live and die as an ordinary man, in reality, this is simply a trick or a ruse; the real Buddha is by nature very, very ancient, not dying and not taking birth, but the personal or historical Buddha appears to be mortal. Why does the Buddha take this appearance? So that beings will not become complacent in practice or take the teachings for granted in their present lives.
Question: What Buddha is eternal and always abiding, according to the teachings you have read so far in the Lotus Sutra? On behalf of whom or what is Buddha Shakyamuni speaking here?
13 March 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 15
Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sutra strongly emphasizes supernatural and fantastic narrative elements: Buddha Shakyamuni, for instance, emanates many replicas of himself into space. While these characteristics of the chapter may test some readers' willingness to suspend disbelief, they serve an important function in presenting new shades of meaning in teaching. Here is one example:
Remember how the Buddha named Ancient Treasures appeared before the assembly to congratulate the Buddha on teaching the core doctrines of the Lotus Sutra, the absolute view that all beings have the nature of Buddhas? In this chapter, a similar-but-different event happens. Now that the Buddha has given some detailed instructions on how to practice and live the teachings, we see next...
*Compare and contrast these two situations: the Buddha Ancient Treasures appearing in Chapter Eleven, and the uncountable bodhisattvas emerging in response the Buddha's teaching in Chapter Fourteen as presented here in Chapter Fifteen. What can be learned from these repeated motifs in new contexts?
*What is the relationship between the exhortations to practice in a rigorous way and the previous teachings presented in this sutra on the availability of Buddhahood to all?
Remember how the Buddha named Ancient Treasures appeared before the assembly to congratulate the Buddha on teaching the core doctrines of the Lotus Sutra, the absolute view that all beings have the nature of Buddhas? In this chapter, a similar-but-different event happens. Now that the Buddha has given some detailed instructions on how to practice and live the teachings, we see next...
the ground of the Saha-World, which was composed of one thousand million Sumeru-worlds, quaked and cracked, and many thousands of billions of Bodhisattva-mahasattvas sprang up from underground simultaneously. Their bodies were golden-coloured, and adorned with the thirty-two marks and with innumerable rays of light [...]. They came up here because they heard these words of Sakyamuni Buddha.Lotus Sutra chapter 15, pp. 228-229, trans. Murano.
*Compare and contrast these two situations: the Buddha Ancient Treasures appearing in Chapter Eleven, and the uncountable bodhisattvas emerging in response the Buddha's teaching in Chapter Fourteen as presented here in Chapter Fifteen. What can be learned from these repeated motifs in new contexts?
*What is the relationship between the exhortations to practice in a rigorous way and the previous teachings presented in this sutra on the availability of Buddhahood to all?
06 March 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 14
The previous chapter found the assembly of the Buddha making a public commitment to practice and promote the teachings, without really knowing just what they were committing to, out of trust in the Buddha and faith in the Dharma. This is very much like any meaningful relationship, in which one enters in good faith and accepts that the outcome may be very different from anything one might have reasonably expected.
Chapter 14 finds the Buddha giving specific instructions to the assembly on how one who upholds the Lotus Sutra should conduct him or herself in the world. This conduct is simultaneously a form of practice and a way of teaching others (with or without words). These instructions are quite detailed; here is a representative selection (despite the gendered language in this translation, I have been taught that the Buddha's advice applies to both men and women equally):
How does this advice relate to the teachings on Buddha-nature and skillful means we have seen in earlier chapters?
As a thought experiment, consider what a community might be like in which everyone aspires to the sort of conduct that the Buddha outlines in the passage above.
Chapter 14 finds the Buddha giving specific instructions to the assembly on how one who upholds the Lotus Sutra should conduct him or herself in the world. This conduct is simultaneously a form of practice and a way of teaching others (with or without words). These instructions are quite detailed; here is a representative selection (despite the gendered language in this translation, I have been taught that the Buddha's advice applies to both men and women equally):
Anyone who wishes to expound this sutra(Lotus Sutra, Murano translation, p. 219).
Should give up jealousy, anger, arrogance,
Flattery, deception, and dishonesty.
He should always be upright.
He should not despise others,
Or have fruitless disputes about the teachings.
He should not perplex others by saying to them,
"You will not be able to attain Buddhahood."
Any son of mine who expounds the Dharma
Should be gentle, patient and compassionate
Towards all living beings.
He should not be lazy.
In the worlds of the ten quarters,
The great Bodhisattvas are practicing the Way
Out of their compassion towards all living beings.
He should respect them as his great teachers.
How does this advice relate to the teachings on Buddha-nature and skillful means we have seen in earlier chapters?
As a thought experiment, consider what a community might be like in which everyone aspires to the sort of conduct that the Buddha outlines in the passage above.
27 February 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 13
With Chapter 13, we have reached the midpoint of the Lotus Sutra. After hearing the teachings of the Ekayana and the potential for awakening of all beings, those assembled to hear the sutra promise the Buddha to put the teachings into practice:
As we will see in later chapters, particular instructions on how to practice this teaching follow from this vow. For now, it is worthwhile to reflect on the power of making a firm commitment to doing something honorable, even if you might not know exactly what that entails or what the consequences may be.
Just what are the Buddha's disciples committing to here? What is the nature of that commitment?
Because we are your messengers,(Murano trans., p. 208-209).
We are fearless before multitudes.
We will expound the Dharma.
Buddha, do not worry!
As we will see in later chapters, particular instructions on how to practice this teaching follow from this vow. For now, it is worthwhile to reflect on the power of making a firm commitment to doing something honorable, even if you might not know exactly what that entails or what the consequences may be.
Just what are the Buddha's disciples committing to here? What is the nature of that commitment?
20 February 2013
Lotus Sutra Study Questions 12
Historians have shown that Chapter Twelve of the Lotus Sutra is a later addition to the text; it was not in Kumarajiva's translation from the Sanskrit to the Chinese (this was done around the year 400 CE). It is noteworthy in part because it seems to come in out of nowhere, disrupting the flow of the narrative, and differs from the previous chapters stylistically.
The content of the chapter is in keeping with the rest of the sutra, however. The all-beings-can-become-Buddhas theme is reiterated with the example of a girl who, through the purity of her practice, becomes fully realized in an instant.
What does this mean in terms of practice?
The content of the chapter is in keeping with the rest of the sutra, however. The all-beings-can-become-Buddhas theme is reiterated with the example of a girl who, through the purity of her practice, becomes fully realized in an instant.
What does this mean in terms of practice?
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