Flowers, Light, Music, ACTION!

Returning to Chapter 1 (Introduction) of the Lotus Sutra, after Shakyamuni  finishes teaching the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, he enters samadhi (a state of meditation)

“At that time heaven rained down mandarava flowers, great mandarava flowers, manjushaka flowers, and great manjushaka flowers, scattering them over the Buddha and over the great assembly, and everywhere the Buddha world quaked and trembled in six different ways.”  (LSOC1, p37)

These omens signify something truly great is coming, and it’s something that is going to really shake up the world and shake up the lives of everyone who hears it.

Next, “The Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white hair between his eyebrows … lighting up eighteen thousand worlds in the eastern direction.  There was no place that the light did not penetrate, reaching down as far as the Avachi hells and upwards to the Akanishtha heavens” (LSOC1, p38)

This ray of light illuminated everything within those 18,000 worlds and the assembly could see people in those worlds struggling in the six paths of life, buddhas teaching various sutras, disciples carrying our various practices, and buddhas entering paranirvana. 

In the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Nichiren’s lectures on the Lotus Sutra recorded by Nikko), Nichiren describes this ray of light as “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”.  When we enter samadhi by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo before the Gohonzon, we are aligning ourselves with the wisdom of the universe and this beam of light comes from within us, illuminating the true aspect of all phenomena and the Mystic Law of the universe at work within our lives, the lives of others and within our environment.

The assembly is filled with great joy at these omens, but also wonders what these various signs mean.  On behalf of everyone, Bodhisattva Maitreya asks Manjushri what is going on.

Manjushri explains that many millions of years ago, these same omens occurred after Buddha Sun Moon Bright taught a sutra called “Immeasurable Meanings”, and this Buddha then preached “the great vehicle sutra called the Lotus of the Wonderful Law”.   Manjushri replies:

“I suppose that the Buddha, the world-honored one, wishes now to expound the great Law, to rain down the great Law, to blow the conch of the great Law, to beat the drum of the great Law, to elucidate the meaning of the great Law.”  (LSOC1, p46)

All of this leads us to understand that the message that Shakyamuni is about to teach, and explain to us, is a teaching that is shared by buddhas throughout history. 

It’s a teaching that will rain down on everyone, and when it rains, everyone gets wet.  The Lotus Sutra is a teaching that WILL affect everyone, whether it’s future bodhisattvas of the earth, who will embrace and propagate this teaching, or believers of earlier schools of Buddhism that actively choose to ignore the most profound and supreme teaching of Shakyamuni. 

The great Law is coming and it’s going to rain down on everyone equally, regardless of social status, gender, race, sexual orientation or age.  This is an incredibly profound teaching, especially from a country with such a strict caste system, and Shakyamuni had decided in his wisdom not to reveal it in the previous forty years.  This really is a teaching that many people at that time, and even today, would find “difficult to understand and difficult to enter”.

“To blow the conch of the great Law” and “to beat the drum of the great Law” are both sounds that have been used to rally armies before going into battle, and as well as clearly explaining the true aspect of all phenomena and the Mystic Law, Shakyamuni will inspire us with his words to go forth and spread this teaching far and wide. 

The Lotus Sutra is really shaking things up, and as well as being a teaching for everyone, Shakyamuni wants us to tell other people about it.  He doesn’t want us to keep this message to ourselves, he wants us to share this Great Law with others.

Later in this chapter of the Lotus Sutra, this point is explained again in the phrase “heavenly drums sounded of themselves”  (LSOC1, p50)  Nichiren Daishonin’s interpretation of this phrase in his Orally Transmitted Teachings is that, “The “heavenly drums” represents “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” and “sounded” refers to the sound of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo”.   “Sounded of themselves” also suggests "preaching spontaneously without being asked", so “heavenly drums sounded of themselves” implies that when spontaneously chanted by votaries of the Lotus Sutra “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo” will spread everywhere in the Latter Day of the Law’. Similarly, “Beating our own drum” and “blowing our own horn” are both ways to promote, publicize and advertise something that’s great about us, and within the context of Nichiren Buddhism we are proudly promoting the wonderful Law of the Lotus Sutra and publicly declaring the immeasurable benefits of chanting Nichiren’s mantra of “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo”

The Lotus Sutra is not a bedtime story to make you feel warm and fuzzy, it's a calling to spread this Buddhism far and wide.  The teaching to come, once Shakyamuni awakes from his meditation, is not only going to raise our spirits and make us feel good, but it will inspire us and motivate us to share the message with others for the benefit of all humanity.

Manjushri ends this first chapter by saying:

“Let us press our palms together and wait with a single mind.  The Buddha will rain down the rain of the Law to fully satisfy all seekers of the way.  You who seek the three vehicles, if you have doubts and regrets, the Buddha will resolve them for you, bringing them to an end so that nothing remains.”  (LSOC1, p55)

The Greatest Show on Earth

“At one time the Buddha was in Rajagriha, staying on Mount Gridhrakuta.  Accompanying him were a multitude of leading monks… Their names were Ajnata Kaudinya … Shariputra … nun Mahapajapati … nun Yashodhara … Bodhisattva Manjushri … Bodhisattva Maitreya … heavenly king Shakra … King Brahma … eight dragon kings … And there was King Ajatashatru, the son of Vaidehi, with several hundreds of thousands of followers.”  (LSOC1, p35-37)

EAGLE PEAK

Like many of Shakyamuni’s teachings, the introduction begins with a list of those that were attending this lecture and the place, which in this case was Eagle Peak, a rocky patch of land on Mount Gridhrakuta, which is probably suitable for a group of about a 100 people at most.

A CAST OF THOUSANDS…

In the next section we will look at some of the specific people present at the lecture, but in general terms, this is the largest gathering of men, women, monks, nuns, gods, creatures, etc. and is estimated to be anywhere from 300,000 to several million individuals!   The sheer size would make this particular meeting impossible for the venue, but the magnitude of characters present is testament to the greatness of this teaching and shows that people (and creatures) from all walks of life, realms and stages of learning can benefit from this teaching.

In “The Wisdom of The Lotus Sutra: Volume 1”, Katsuji Saito observes that this assembly has representatives from the nine worlds of hell to bodhisattva and that “the assembly of the “Introduction” chapter is a manifestation of all beings of the nine worlds enfolded within the Buddha’s own life.” (p86)

And we also see that as well as monks, there are nuns, laymen and laywomen.  So already we have an indication that this teaching is for everyone – it is not exclusively for monks, but also for laymen, and we also have an assembly that includes women (both nuns and laywomen)

…INCLUDING THESE INDIVIDUALS

Ajnata Kaudinya & King Ajatashatru	The first person mentioned in the assembly is Ajnata and the last person mentioned is King Ajatashatru.  This is another major sign that this is a teaching for everyone as Ajnata was Shakyamuni’s first disciple 42 years ago and King Ajatashatru is believed to be the last disciple at the time of this preaching.  So already we knoe that this is a teaching for ALL of his former students.  Everyone that has followed the earlier teachings has come to hear this latest and most complete teaching.  Incidentally, prior to becoming a follower of the Buddha, King Ajatashatru killed his father, tried to kill his mother, and even worked with Devadatta to try and kill Shakyamuni!!  This teaching really is for EVERYONE, even people that have commited the worst of crimes!
Shariputra, Manjushri & Maitreya	These were three of Shakyamuni’s most accomplished and wise disciples, so even people that have studied, learnt everything there is to know (so far) and faithfully carried out the way of bodhisattvas are going to benefit from this teaching.
Mahapajapati, Yashodhara*, Vaidehi (the mother of King Ajatashatru) & the eight dragon kings daughter	A mix of nuns, women, female creatures, etc. that are all here to show that they too can benefit from this great teaching.  Don’t forget in previous teachings, women couldn’t truly achieve enlightenment, unless through their wisdom and good causes in this lifetime, they were fortunate enough to be reborn as a man who could attain Buddhahood in the next life.

* One interesting fact about the Nun Yashodhara is that she is also Shakyamuni's wife, and the wife he abandoned (as well as his son) to embark on his journey to understand the causes of suffering and a method to overcome them.  This may seem like a terrible thing, but when Shakyamuni did return and started to preach about the workings of life and the Mystic Law, both his wife and son became disciples. In the Gosho "A Sage and An Unenlightened Man", Nichiren explains that "one can best repay one's debts of gratitude to one's parents and sovereign by embracing the correct Buddhist teaching and thus leading them to salvation."  (WND-1, p136) .  In Shakyamuni's case, I think the fact that both the wife and son he abandoned took faith demonstrates the eternal benefits they gained despite the sadness, doubts and challenges they may have faced while he was away.

"This Is What I Heard" - Recitation

"This is what I heard" (LSOC1, p 35)

In the previous post we saw how “This” is the Title of the Sutra, but in addition to the title, there is also the content of the teaching – “the twenty-eight chapters and 69,384 characters”.

SPREADING THE WORD

During Shakyamuni’s lifetime most of his sutra weren’t written down, so how did the message spread?

Once they had heard a new sutra, Shakyamuni’s closest disciples would devote their time to memorising that teaching.  They would then travel around their allocated districts to update existing Buddhist followers on the latest teachings and to try and introduce new followers to the teachings.  As most of the larger teachings included words to the effect that this teaching replaced previous ones, new followers could easily join even if they were ignorant of previous teachings.

GONGYO

This may sound like an impossible task, and we are obviously grateful to the many lay members and monks who worked tirelessly to memorize either complete sutra, or sections of a larger sutra, but we also continue this tradition today.

Every morning and evening during gongyo, we recite a passage from chapter 2 and a passage from chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra.  At first we may have followed along or read from a book, but now many members are able to recite these extracts from memory.  WE have MEMORIZED two essential extracts from the Lotus Sutra and even though we may not understand what we are saying, we are repeating “what we have heard”.  The back of the SGI liturgy books contain a translation of what we are saying, and this is an excellent place to start learning more about the Lotus Sutra, even if you don't want to study all twenty-eight chapters.

THE VOICE CARRIES OUT THE BUDDHA’S WORK

Within our own districts, communities and work places we also carry out the work of the Buddha, by talking to our neighbours, friends and co-workers about our faith and practice.  We may not know everything, but we can all teach others about the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra to the best of our ability, even if we can only share the most basic practice of chanting “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo”.  Shakyamuni also encourages us in the Lotus Sutra that we will receive benefits even if we can only share one verse or one phrase of the sutra.

In "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude", Nichiren writes:  "In Japan, China, India, and all the other countries of Jambudvipa, every person, regardless of whether wise or ignorant, will set aside other practices and join in the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  This teaching has never been taught before.  Here in the entire land of Jambudvipa, in all the 2,225 years since the passing of the Buddha, not a single person chanted it.  Nichiren alone, without sparing his voice, now chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."  (WND-1, p736)

"This Is What I Heard" - The Title

“

"This is what I heard" (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, Chapter 1, p 35)

"In the first volume of [T’ien-T’ai’s] The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra we find a passage that states, “The word ‘this’ [of ‘This is what I heard’] indicates the essence of a doctrine heard from the Buddha.” … 

The Flower Garland Sutra begins: “The Great and Vast Buddha Flower Garland Sutra. This is what I heard.”   The Wisdom Sutra begins: “The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra. This is what I heard.”   The Mahāvairochana Sutra begins: “The Mahāvairochana’s Protection through Supernatural Powers Sutra. This is what I heard.”   What does “this” indicate in these and all other sutras? It refers to the title of each sutra.   When the Buddha expounded a sutra, he put a title to it, revealing its ultimate principle. …

Our contemporaries think of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo only as a name, but this is not correct. It is the essence, that is, the heart of the Lotus Sutra.   …  

Myoho-renge-kyo is neither the scriptural text nor its meaning, but the heart of the entire sutra.   Those who seek the heart of the sutra apart from its title are as foolish as the turtle who sought the monkey’s liver outside the monkey, or the monkey who left the forest and sought fruit on the seashore.”  (“This Is What I Heard”, WND-1, p859 - 861)

One thing worth pointing out here is that the title of this sutra is NOT “The Lotus Sutra” (Renge Kyo) but “The Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra”  (Myoho Renge Kyo).  The meaning in the title, the heart of the teaching is that there is a Mystic Law running throughout the universe based on cause and effect as symbolised by the Lotus Flower which seeds and blossoms at the same time.  Similarly, the Lotus Flower is a thing of great beauty (a revelation of Buddhahood) that is rooted within the dirt and muddy water (the Saha world).  

Again it’s easy to imagine this beautiful blossom just floating on the water, but underneath the surface, we can see that this beautiful flower is deeply rooted within the dirt at the bottom of the muddy pond.  So the title of the sutra contains this imagery of a strict Mystic law, the workings of cause and effect within our lives, and the phenomena of birth and the attainment of enlightenment occurring right where we are in an impure environment.

So what did I hear?  I heard "Myoho Renge Kyo" - the teaching of a Mystic Law based on the causes I make and their effects, and which will enable me to blossom and manifest my own Buddhahood even within the impure world in which I live.

LOTUS SUTRA - 1. INTRODUCTION

The Lotus Sutra begins with the INTRODUCTION chapter which sets the scene for the rest of the teaching.

After introducing the numerous individuals present at the assembly, Shakyamuni teaches the IMMEASURABLE MEANINGS SUTRA which sets the scene for this prologue sutra in the Lotus Sutra trilogy, explains that previous sutras were leading people towards this supreme teaching and outlines the immeasurable benefits of the Lotus Sutra.  After teaching this sutra, various omens occur and one of Shakyamuni's disciples explains that these signs usually occur before a buddha teaches the Wonderful Law of the Lotus Sutra.

Here is a list of the blog entries for the Introduction Chapter of the Lotus Sutra (and the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra)


THE LOTUS SUTRA – CHAPTER ONE  (INTRODUCTION)

“This is What I Heard” – The Title

“This is What I Heard” – The Recitation

The Greatest Show on Earth

THE IMMEASURABLE MEANINGS SUTRA The Path to Buddhahood Life Begins At 40 Water, Water Everywhere Do You Hear What I Hear? The Benefit of Human Revolution Equal Benefits

Flowers, Light, Music, ACTION!