July 29, 2009
Holy Mother Goddess, Batman!
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Years ago, when someone introduced me to chanting the odaimoku, I figured if I was going to chant the title of a book over and over again, that I should know what the book was like. So I bought the Watson version of the Lotus Sutra, and read it immediately. I didn't understand a lot of it, to be honest. Particularly the Dharani chapter, which seemed a bit strange. |
My mystification deepened when the Houston Nichiren temple introduced me to a recording of the recitation of the dharani. One really cool place to hear this is located at
Still, I had no clue as to what it meant. Well, finally I've found a tentative translation as interpreted by Keisho Tsukamoto in the book "Source Elements of the Lotus Sutra, Buddhist Integration of Religion, Thought and Culture". What was kind of cools was that the dharanis are addressed to a female deity. Here's a snippet of the dharani as given by Medicine King boddhisattva :
"Oh, she who is exceptional!
Oh she who is known, Oh she who is in all respects exceptional!
Oh she who has thought consciousness,
Oh she who doesn't have thought consciousness... "
It ends with:
"... Oh saviour difficult to understand"
So, in short reciting the dharanis is basically praying to a female deity. Smells like goddess worship to me.
Who knew?
(The book "Source Elements" can be pedantic and hard to wade through but it definitely reveals the breadth and scope of thought, religions and local culture that molded what we now know as the "Lotus Sutra". I enjoy it because it increases my appreciation and understanding of the Lotus Sutra).
Learning and teaching incantations were considered monastic offenses according to Pali Vinaya precepts , but the Mahayana world view was different, and permitted blessings, as well as beings to pray to. Just another "phantom city" to get people on the road to Buddhahood, I think.
I have some more thoughts about the whole notion of blessings and incantations but I'll save that for a later post.
Stay on the good course!
Kris
I really can't conceive of god as anything other than a symbol to be used to mark the end of human understanding.
If there is a God who has created existence out of themselves it would seem to me to be female.
Maybe there is a male god to destroy existence.
Female goddesses are from the earth and for worshipping life.
Male gods are from the sky and for worshiping death and war.
Clownhidden,
Personally, I think gods/goddesses are mental/emotional constructs that represent qualities found in humans.
The book touches on how the Lotus sutra is the result of integration of religions and philosophies of the time - and that includes the goddesses of the Dravidians and the gods of the Aryans. It's a fascinating thing to me.
Cheers,
Kris
Hi Kris,
Very interesting post. The Dharani chapter recitation is
quite powerful to hear in person. The freedom to have Kwan
Yin (and other traditional statues/dieties)
in my life now is wonderful. They're great reminders
and of the history I share with all other Buddhists.
I enjoy your thoughts here. Patty
Great topic and good comments. Sorry to close comments early, but too many spam comments.
Posted by: Michele at August 1, 2009 06:42 PM