Finally we come to the fourth peaceful practice, which is vow peaceful practice. The whole of Chapter XIV has been devoted to the four peaceful practices and this chapter comes right on the heels of the Buddha asking the assembled congregation for volunteers to spread the Lotus Sutra in this Saha World after his death.
We could think of this chapter as an instruction by the Buddha on how to practice in the Saha world and do so in a way, which will enable us to successfully carry out his desire for the Lotus Sutra to continue on into the future. Remember there were some in the congregation who wanted to volunteer but were unwilling to do so because they did not want to spread the Lotus Sutra in the Saha world because it was too defiled for them to deal with. Of course this was not acceptable to the Buddha because his main intent was to have the Lotus Sutra available to people who needed it the most, ordinary humans in our world.
In fact in several places during the giving of the peaceful practices the Buddha is saying listen if you want to teach Buddhism to this really tough bunch of people in this really adverse setting of the Saha world these are the things you will need to be proficient at. Peaceful practices are not so much practices that are in themselves peaceful as they are practices that will make it peaceful.
If a person truly wants to help the Buddha by ensuring his message is spread to difficult people in a difficult time then the four practices are the way to make it possible to tame the circumstances so you will be able to do as the Buddha instructs which is to ensure his teaching of the Lotus Sutra continues beyond his physical life.
In the last of the peaceful practices we have vow peaceful practice. I like to think of vow peaceful practice not so much as our vow to teach others, but as the ability to hold in our hearts the vow of the Buddha. Now the two are the same in that in my personal vow to teach others and share with them the Lotus Sutra and the Buddhas desire to share the Lotus Sutra with all beings are seemingly about sharing the Lotus Sutra and teaching others.
I think what is important here is to recall the Buddha’s original vow, the original vow of all Buddhas and make that our vow. When we can make the Buddha’s wish and our wish the same then we will be able to make our efforts peaceful.
I have written before about the distinction between having the appearance of something and actually having that something. Usually I talk about it in terms of Nichiren’s harsh words sometimes directed towards believers in other Buddhism. I caution against using the words without the actual heart of the Nichiren. It is tricky business to be able to act as our teacher without actually deeply having rooted out all of our selfish and egotistical feelings.
The peaceful practices, and this vow peaceful practice is encouraging us to really deeply embed in our lives the heart and sole intent of the Buddha to save all beings, to enable all beings to become Buddhas, first and foremost.
I don’t believe it is solely a matter of converting someone to the Lotus Sutra, but about enabling enlightenment. Yes the ultimate goal of all Buddhas the heart of all Buddhas is presented in the Lotus Sutra, but there is a path to the Lotus Sutra that includes all manner of Buddhist practices. The Buddha carefully and lovingly lead the people of his time and throughout time step by step to this ultimate teaching.
If we believe, as the Lotus Sutra teaches us that all beings possess Buddha already, that all beings are fundamentally Buddhas, that the seed to Buddha and enlightenment is already in each living being then what is there to convert? If the person I am talking to is already a Buddha, what is my job? If we look at it from this perspective I believe the whole conversation changes from trying to change a person to trying to help a person awake to what they already are.
If we truly believe the person in front of us is a Buddha then our hearts should have nothing but ‘loving-kindness’ towards them, and ‘great compassion.’ They may not know anything about Buddhism or their inherent Buddha potential, so our job then becomes finding out how we can enable them to awake to their potential. This then becomes a completely different conversation and approach to relating to others who do not believe exactly as we might.
If the other person is already complete and not somehow deficient then my relationship changes and becomes different from viewing someone as not being complete and deficient. In the first instance my mission becomes helping them awaken to what they have and in the later it is one of trying to give them what I think they need to be complete or better or meet my standards of wholeness. These are two different dynamics and two different relationships. We need to be very mindful of this distinction, always mindful of what role we are casting others into and what role we think we are playing.
“Although they do not ask a question about this sutra, or believe or understand it, I will lead them and cause them, wherever they may be, to understand the Dharma by my supernatural powers and by the power of my wisdom when I attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Manjusri! A Bodhisattva-mahasattva who performs this fourth set of peaceful practices after my extinction, will be able to expound the Dharma flawlessly.” Lotus Sutra, Chapter XIV
The peaceful practice is to carry out the Buddha’s vow and make that our vow. When we not just make the vow our vow but when our life becomes the manifestation of the Buddha’s vow and the two become one then teaching others about the Dharma in this Saha world will be a peaceful practice.
Remember, our friends and acquaintances are Buddhas who live and work along side of us who are unaware of the enlightened life existing in the core of their beings. Just as we ourselves are ever awakening so to will they in response to our increasing enlightenment. Our growth our practice then becomes important not just for our own benefit but for the benefit of others. I am sure you have heard that Buddhism is a practice for self and others. Frequently we may think the way to do that is by teaching directly and converting, but fundamentally practicing for others means practicing ourselves in a way which will enable the Buddha in others to awaken and respond to our own lives. This is our fundamental challenge.
