Chapter III: Part 3 – Rejoice

Chapter III provides me with many different inspirational passages which have defined my practice of the Lotus Sutra and how I have tried to encourage others.  I am using page 81 from the Murano 3rd edition translation of the Lotus Sutra.  You may have by now noticed a trend or theme in my choices so far.  Mostly I have selected passages which have allowed me to highlight my joy of practice.  This is perhaps a…

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Chapter III: Part 2 – Peaceful as the Sea

In this passage  we have Shariputra telling the Buddha about how confused he was, about how perplexed, and even afraid.  He had begun to suspect that Mara was impersonating his beloved teacher, his doubt had become so great.  As a teacher I have had people react to me in similar and even harsher ways when I’ve not made myself clear and my message has become confusing.  There have been times too, as a student when…

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Chapter III: Part 1 – Greatest Joy

The first time I heard a recounting of this chapter from the Lotus Sutra the story teller had Shariputra leaping with joy upon learning that he too would become a Buddha.  That image up leaping joyfully has stayed with me through many years.  Those exact words do no appear in any translation of the sutra, yet I don’t feel it is inaccurate.  Some of the words used to describe the emotional condition of Shariputra are,…

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Chapter II: Part 2 – Even Children In Their Play

King Asoka was the benevolent ruler of the Maurya Dynasty who ruled almost the entire Indian subcontinent from 304-232 BCE. One of the stories I was told when I first began practicing Buddhism was about the previous life of King Asoka. I was reminded of that story as I was working on creatively expressing how I experienced the portion of the sutra about children drawing images of the Buddha in the dirt using sticks. According…

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