The Threefold Lotus Sutra

The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law

Sad Dharma Pundarika Sutra

Myoho Renge-kyo

1 – Introductory – Celebrations

The Buddha sends forth but a single ray
and I with all the assembly
see that these domains
are extraordinarily wonderful.
Rare are the divine powers
and wisdom of the enlightened ones;
sending forth a single ray,
they illuminate innumerable domains.
We beholding this
attain that which has never been before.

reading these words for the first time revealing infinite domains illuminated by “the Buddha’s single ray,” continuing to feel part of a great drama, a celebration of life itself. When the Buddha in Chapter 1 emits this ray, Maha (Great) Bodhisattva Maitreya who “dispels darkness with his infinite compassion,” sees with others the “ray of light emanating from the Buddha” and declares, “We beholding this, attain that which has never been before.” Maitreya reflects on why the Buddha displays so great a ray.

  In a long and exquisite verse section, Maitreya first questions why the Buddha universally radiates so great a ray to describe the various natures and activities of those he sees seeking the Supreme-way, revealing characteristics, causes and natures of humankind and the effect this seeking has on these worlds of extraordinary beauty, and the innate power and potential to reach enlightenment of beings found there—revealed for all to behold, even for us in today’s worlds as we celebrate the sutra, if our minds and hearts are open to the miracle of existence:

  Bodhisattvas calm in perfect meditation who though honored by gods and dragons, count it not a joy; who seek association with the wise and with all their minds get rid of distraction; dwelling in forests emitting a radiance that saves the sufferers and causes them to enter the Buddha-way; preaching the law of tranquility to numberless living beings; observing the nature of existence, not in opposing forms, but like space. Tathagatas who of themselves have accomplished the Buddha-way, their appearances like mountains of gold, wonderful in their majesty; as within pure lapis lazuli a golden image is made apparent, so the World-honored one in the great assembly expounds the meaning of the profound law.

  Stumbling upon the Weatherhill-Kosei English translation of The Threefold Lotus Sutra at the Bodhi Tree bookstore in West Hollywood in 1982, and later recording it, were two of the most exciting “beginnings” of my life. It should be noted that in September of 1982, I “discovered” the Timothy Ferris article in the New York Times, “Beyond Newton and Einstein,” beginning further study of “new frontiers in physics.”

  Now, continuing with the fortieth year of daily encounters with the sutra, contemplating, reciting, studying, copying—and hopefully aligning my life the sutra—has affirmed what I’ve always believed—that birth as a human being is a miracle we should cherish; that assuredly we are free to create (and must take responsibility for) whatever worlds we wish to create.

  The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law begins:

THUS HAVE I HEARD. Once the Buddha was staying at the City of Royal Palaces on Mount Gridhrakutha with a great assemblage of great bhikshus, in all twelve thousand; all of them worthy of respect and veneration (arhats), faultless, free from earthly cares, self-developed, emancipated from all bonds of existence, and free in mind. Their names were Ajñata Kaundinya, Maha-Kashyapa, Uruvilva-Kashyapa, Gaya-Kashyapa, Nadi-Kashyapa, Shariputra, Maha-Maudgalyayana, Maha Karyayana, Aniruddha, Kapphina, Gavampati, Revata, Pilindavasta, Vakkula, Maha-Kashthila, Maha-Nanda, Sundara-Nanda, Purña, son of Maitrayani, Subhuti, Ananda, and Rahula [the Buddha’s son]—all such great arhats are well known to everybody.

  In addition there were two thousand under training and no longer under training; the bhikshuni, Mahaprajapati [the Buddha’s aunt], with six thousand followers; the bhikshuni, Yashodhara, the mother of Rahula, also with her train; there were eighty thousand Bodhisattva-Mahasattvas, all free from backsliding in regards to Perfect Enlightenment, all having obtained dharani (magic spells), endowed with knowledge of eloquent discourse, and rolling the never-retrograding wheel of the Law; who had paid homage to countless hundreds of thousands of buddhas; under whom they had planted all the roots of virtue, constantly being extolled by them; who cultivated themselves by charity, entered well into the Buddha-wisdom, penetrated the greatest knowledge, and reached the other shore; whose fame became universally heard in innumerable worlds, they being able to save numberless hundreds of thousands of living beings.

  The Buddha preaches the Innumerable Meanings sutra, contemplating the boundless truth that comes forth from one law. At this time “the sky rains mandarava, maha-mandarava, mañjushaka, and maha-mañjushaka flowers over the Buddha, while the universal enlightened world shakes in six ways. Then the Buddha sends forth from the circle of white hair between his eyebrows a ray of light, which illuminates eighteen thousand worlds in the eastern quarter, so that there is nowhere it does not reach, downward to the Avici hell and upward to the Akanishtha heaven,  “the heaven of final form.”

  Maitreya Bodhisattva (who personifies compassion) reflects on why the Buddha displays so great a sign and questions Mañjushri (who personifies wisdom), and asks Mañjushri the reason for these auspicious signs. The others in the assembly also question these signs.

  Maitreya Bodhisattva observes the doubts and questions of the assembly, as well as his own, and inquires of Mañjushri to explain, first questioning why the Buddha “from the white hair between his eyebrows” universally radiates so great a ray, poetically describing this ray and its effect on “the whole world” that “all the earth is replete with splendor.” Maitreya continues in long and resounding verses, what he perceives as the result of this auspice, in part proclaiming that it “reveals the Buddha-law, and opens the understanding of all creatures.”

  Maitreya then reveals his vision:

Mañjushri!
abiding here,
I see and hear such things as these;
these things so numerous
let me now briefly describe.”

. . . the various natures and activities of those who seek after the Supreme-way, and in the process, reveals the characteristics, causes and natures of all humankind who seek the Buddha-way, and the effect this seeking has on the world:

“Mañjushri!
All the Buddha sons and daughters for worshiping the relics
so splendidly adorn the stupas
that all the domains are thereby made extraordinarily wonderful and fine,
like the king of celestial trees in full bloom.
The Buddha sends forth but a single ray
and I with all the assembly see that these domains
are extraordinarily wonderful.
Rare are the divine powers and wisdom of the enlightened ones;
sending forth a single pure ray,
they illuminate innumerable domains.

“We, beholding this, attain that which has never been before.

“Son of Buddha, Mañjushri!
do you resolve all their doubts!
All of the four groups joyfully expecting,
gaze on thee, O virtuous one, and on me.
Why has the World-honored One
emitted such a ray of light?

Son of Buddha! now give answer;
Remove all our doubts and make us glad.
For what abundant benefits
has he spread such a ray of light?
Seated on the wisdom throne,
the Wonderful law which he has obtained—
does the Buddha wish to preach it?
Is he going to prophesy?

He shows us all the buddha-lands,
ornate and pure with precious things,
and we see the buddhas there;
this is not for any trivial reason.

Know, Mañjushri!
All the four groups, the dragons and spirits,
are gazing on and questioning thee
as to what thou wilt say.”

  Mañjushri answers that the Buddha now is intending to preach the Great Law, to pour the rain of the Great law, to blow the conch of the great Law, to beat the drum of the great Law, and to expound the meaning of the great Law; telling the story of Sun Moon Light Tathagata, in essence outlining all the teachings of Shakyamuni already preached and now again to be preached.

  “All ye good sons and daughters! in time of yore, infinite, boundless, inconceivable asankhyeya kalpas ago, there then was a buddha styled Sun Moon Light Tathagata, Worshipful, All Wise, Perfectly Enlightened in Conduct, Well Departed, Understander of the World, Peerless Leader, Controller, Teacher of Gods and Living Beings, Buddha, World-honored One. He proclaimed the Right Law, which is good at its commencement, good in its middle, and good at the end; which is profound in its meaning, subtle in its terms, pure, unadulterated, perfect, flawless, and noble in practice. For those who sought to be shravakas he preached response to the Law of the Four Noble Truths for the overcoming of birth, old age, disease and death, and finally leading to nirvana; for those who sought pratyekabuddhahood he preached response to the Law of the Twelve Causes; for the bodhisattvas he preached response to the Six Paramitas to cause them to attain Perfect Enlightenment and to accomplish perfect knowledge.”

  The story of the twenty thousand buddhas all bearing the same name, Sun Moon Light Tathagata spans an infinite period of time, and includes “the eight royal sons” who were sons of the last of the buddhas named Sun Moon Light. These eight sons are: Possessing the Will, Excellent Will, Infinite Will, Precious Will, Increasing Will, Undoubting Will, Echoed Will, and Law Will . . . all of whom “constantly practiced noble deeds, and all became teachers of the Law.”

  Through the “Means” of a bodhisattva called Mystic Light, the Buddha Sun Moon Light preaches the Great-vehicle sutra called the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law. Mañjushri identifies himself as this Mystic Light who carries on the teaching after Sun Moon Light enters the nirvana of no remains. Mystic Light instructs the eight sons of Sun Moon Light. The last of the sons to become a buddha is Burning Light. One of Burning Light’s disciples is called Fame Seeker, because he constantly seeks fame and gain at the expense of retaining the teaching of the Law-Flower. Mañjushri identifies Fame Seeker as the present Maitreya.

  Mañjushri announces his meaning again in verse, concluding Chapter 1:

“Be aware, all of you!
Fold your hands and with all your mind await!
the Buddha will pour the rain of the Law
to satisfy those who seek the Way.
If those who seek after the three vehicles
have any doubts or regrets,
the Buddha will rid them of them
so that none whatever shall remain.”

/ / / following, Chapter 2, “Tactfulness” or Expedient Means in which the Buddha challenges his chief disciple, Shariputra, and distinguishes between practice of the three vehicles (Persons of Learning, Self-attained Enlightened Ones, and Bodhisattvas), and the One-vehicle, the Lotus Sutra.