The Lotus Sutra is the complete Dharma, it is not lacking in any teaching of the Buddha, it does not contain more nor less of the essential teachings to enable all people to attain enlightenment equal to all Buddhas. The Lotus Sutra is the heart and intent as well as the truth of all Buddhas throughout time and space. There is not one character too much nor one character too few. If one character is missing then the truth is incomplete. If an extra character is added it destroys the truth in excess.
Within the Lotus Sutra are these fundamental teachings of the Buddha representing the complete Dharma.
1. Chapter III – “The Buddha turned the wheel of the teaching of the Four Truths
At Vārāṇasī a long time ago.
He taught that all things are composed of the five aggregates
And that they are subject to rise and extinction.” [Four Noble Truths]
2. Chapter III – “The Buddha turned the wheel of the teaching of the Four Truths At Vārāṇasī a long time ago. He taught that all things are composed of the five aggregates And that they are subject to rise and extinction.” [Four Noble Truths]
3. Chapter III – “The Buddhas expound
The [eight right] ways as expedients.” [Eightfold Path]
4. Chapter III – “The extinction of suffering
Is called the third truth.” [Of the Four Noble Truths]
5. Chapter III – “In order to attain this extinction,
The [eight right] ways must be practiced.
Freedom from the bonds of suffering[,]
[That is, from illusions] is called emancipation.”
6. Chapter VII – “Then he expounded the teaching of the twelve causes, saying, ‘Ignorance causes predisposition. Predisposition causes consciousness. Consciousness causes name-and-form. Name-and-form causes the six sense organs. The six sense organs cause impression. Impression causes feeling. Feeling causes craving. Craving causes grasping. Grasping causes existence. Existence causes birth. Birth causes aging-and-death, grief, sorrow, suffering and lamentation. When ignorance is eliminated, predisposition is eliminated. When predisposition is eliminated, consciousness is eliminated. When consciousness is eliminated, name-and-form is eliminated. When name-and-form is eliminated, the six sense organs are eliminated. When the six sense organs are eliminated, impression is eliminated. When impression is eliminated, feeling is eliminated. When feeling is eliminated, craving is eliminated. When craving is eliminated, grasping is eliminated. When grasping is eliminated, existence is eliminated. When existence is eliminated, birth is eliminated. When birth is eliminated, aging-and-death, grief, sorrow, suffering and lamentation are eliminated.” [Twelve Link Chain of Causation]
These quotes indicate that the Lotus Sutra firms and embraces all of the fundament truths the Buddha has taught previously. These are merely a few of the instances where the Buddha that what has been previously taught in the Four Noble Truths, the Eightfold Path, and the Twelve-Link Chain of Causation are included in the doctrine presented in the Lotus Sutra. It is not to be thought that because they are mentioned perhaps only briefly or not as fully as taught previously that they are less important. Since the Buddha has previously expounded on them in great detail it is not necessary to do so again.
As we learn in other places in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha uses these previous teaching and goes further into the truth and heart of the reasons for the appearance of Buddha.
Let us return again to the words. As I have laid out earlier each word of the Lotus Sutra is a complex thought that includes the literal meaning, the origin of the thing pointed to, as well as all the potentials possible from that word. Recall the word ‘car’ is not just the vehicle, it is all the processes it takes to make a car, the mining of ore, the shaping of metal, the casting of rubber, the birth of babies who grow to adults to work on the factory floor. It includes the religious beliefs, philosophical ideas, every thought which arises to accomplish the tasks required. It includes the meals required to sustain and give strength to the people who design and build the car. It includes the teachers in elementary school, middle school, high school, college and so on. The word car is more than a single item, more than a single use, more than a single shape, it is in a sense and whole Indra’s net, a Car Indra’s Net if you will.
I wonder if you have ever thought in this way about the word used in your communications with others. It is easy to ignore these thoughts as we speak with the shorthand of ‘car’.
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