35 Day Practice Day 28
Read Lotus Sutra
M p. 289 “There was once a Buddha…(continue to end of chapter)”
R p. 340 “In the past there was a Buddha…(continue to end of chapter)”
Never Despising Bodhisattva
Yes, you guessed it, after you finish today’s reading spend the remainder of your time split between chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo and reading the Shindoku of Chapter 16. As you chant today consider how difficult it is to respect every person we have contact with in our lives, even the people who bug us or who sometimes may present difficult behaviors to us.
It was a tough choice today deciding on which section to read. One of the pitfalls of picking bits and pieces out of the Lotus Sutra for you to read is that much has been omitted. Up until this point I have not said, and it may not have been obvious to you, that what is said in the prose sections is repeated in the verse sections, though sometimes differently.
Frequently the verse sections repeat what the prose sections have but with a slightly different twist. I think for the most part I have given you selections from the prose sections, which may not have been the most colorful and so you may have missed this. Each part is important and perhaps after you finish with this 35 day practice guide you will go back and read the selections that mirror what I have given you to read.
Today we read about a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra from the past who’s sole practice, or who’s sole expression of the Lotus Sutra was to bow to, respect, revere and praise all whom he came into contact with. In the course of praising them and honoring their eventual enlightenment, he faced criticism, abuse and hatred. He continued to follow this practice and not once did he respond in a negative way towards those who sought to cause him grief or harm.
If you are anything like me, this will be a difficult practice to follow. Sometimes it is difficult to see the good in people when they are presenting something otherwise. I think the idea of presenting is important because no one is all bad, it is just perhaps what we are seeing in them in the moment.
From the perspective of the Lotus Sutra, and as we have learned in our previous readings, everyone regardless of the life condition they are presenting in this moment, has Buddhahood within their lives. Remember Devadatta, the cousin of the Buddha who tried to kill the Buddha and who tried to destroy the Sangha? Even this worst of the worst person is guaranteed to become a Buddha.
Whatever life a person may be manifesting in this moment does not diminish or deny their inherent Buddha, the Buddha of their enlightened life.
As practitioners of the Lotus Sutra you might say that our practice is to bow to everyone we meet so that we can awaken their Buddha within. Think of it in this way. When someone calls you by name you become alert and pay attention. So too when we bow to the Buddha in another, we are calling a wake up to that Buddha potential within them. We are saying “hello, time to wake up.”
This may sound crazy, but if you have Buddhahood within you, and you do, then so too does every other living being. Part of the reason why I have encouraged you to consider your connections to other, to consider your dependence on other was to help you develop an appreciation of the Buddha within other people, people you may not even be aware of. When you express appreciation for those efforts of others, when you can respect them you are calling out to the Buddha within them as well.
This section we read about is talking about a practice based upon relationship and also something called seed planting. We create a relationship, or rather we become aware of the relationship that exists between ourselves and countless others and we praise that relationship and the other people we are connected to. We also plant the seeds to their own eventual awakening and we further nourish it by continually calling out to the Buddha in the other person.
So, as you carry on throughout your day today, continue contemplating your connections to the countless others and practice your four Right Ways. Also as you go through your day see if you can become aware of those times when it is difficult for you to praise the Buddha in other people.
