Today, we wild-eyed heretics of Los Angeles had our monthly non-denominational Nichiren Buddhist Gathering of Friends at the home of Bill and Jean Anker in Granada Hills. There were two guests, who had come along with our regular Hindu participant, and so I was able to help one of them read along with a slow-ish sutra recitation. She kept up pretty well, and I really enjoyed being able to help her.
Our theme this month at the Gathering was the Bodhissatva Vows. These are vows which all traditional Mahayana Buddhist schools embrace to some extent or another, and since many of us at the Gathering occasionally read them aloud as part of our personal devotions, it seemed like a good topic for a discussion.
So, here goes with a four-part series on the Bodhissatva Vows and how we apply them in our practice of Nichiren Buddhism - I will, as always, be interested in your perspectives, dear readers.
#1: Living beings are innumerable. I vow to save them all.
Golly, could you get a little bit more grandiose? I mean, I don't think that's really big enough, know what I mean?
There are a lot of levels to this vow. Of course, the fact is that as part of our daily recitation of the "Life Span" Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, we do make this vow. The sutra we recite says:
Mai ji sa ze nen
I ga ryo shujo
Toku nyu mujo do
Soku joju busshin.
Or: "This is my constant thought. How can I cause all beings to enter the Buddha Way and swiftly obtain the body of a Buddha?"
I know I try to be conscious of this vow when I recite this part of the sutra every day. Mai ji sa ze nen. This is my constant thought. An SGI-USA Women's Division leader at my Women's Division general meeting last Friday night discussed this portion of the sutra, stating that this was our mandate to do shakubuku (introduce others to the practice of chanting Nam[u]-Myoho-Renge-Kyo). Basically my constant thought should be "how can I get this person to an SGI meeting and encourage them to start their practice of buddhism with this organization?"
At the Ankers' house we also talked about other kinds of "saving living beings". I talked about how "innumerable beings" sounds so huge and unattainable, but we do our work one-on-one and simply do what's in front of us. I talked about my literacy volunteer work, and how, for me, teaching my pupil to read was one way of "saving a living being". I also have a friend at work who is a cat rescue volunteer. She is constantly "saving living beings", as long as the living beings are felines. And she's very dedicated, too - she's sort of a "niche bodhissatva". If you think about it, most of us are "niche bodhisattvas". We can really only get to "all living beings" if we work as a team. You handle the cats, I'll take the illiterates. That way, it's a lot more manageable.
Frequently, when I chant, I try to imagine that I'm holding the Earth and surrounding it with golden waves of daimoku (me and my "washing Daimoku" again!) The Daimoku is just sent to where it's needed the most - I don't consciously try to control it or direct it, I just try to wash the world with it. Is this a way of "saving all beings"? Or at least a bunch of them? I don't know. I just developed the visualization and I like to use it.
Then, there's also the issue of the eternity of the Buddha's life, which means the eternity of our own lives. Maybe this lifetime I'm doing literacy work - maybe next time I'll do the cats, I don't know. We don't necessarily have to save all beings at once.
I will write some more about the Bodhissatva Vows next week - the discussion at the Ankers' house was very, very interesting. I will try to remember what I can -- stay tuned for vow #2. It's a doozy. In the interim, I'm interested in how you feel about "Living beings are innumerable - I vow to save them all."
Be compassionate, be dedicated, be cool.
Best, Byrd in LA
P.S. Enjoy the Oscars.
Byrd,
The Vows made to the Buddha are more relative to the Emerging from the Earth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, I believe.
I think the question is how can I use my life to encourage other people's lives to be happier?
I think the "innumerable" factor relates to the number of degrees or aproaches each of us is willing to entertain as necessary to encourage each person we meet in life t become happy.
Each person's life is unique and requires unique encouragement for each persons to desire to be happier than they are today.
Perhaps owning a sports car is adequate to encourage one person, while having a good lunch might suffice for another person.
I believe it is more about manifesting the 'correct actual proof' required to encourage each person we meet, until we have met everyone we can possibly meet, to chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo for their own happiness and the happiness of others.
I believe the happiness of others is what lies at the core of the Vow you mention, regarding saving innumerable lives.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at February 25, 2008 11:24 AMGreat post Patrick. In this month's Living Buddhism, the SGI-USA study magazine, there is a discussion of the bodhisattva vow that says, in part,"..The vow of the disciple, of a bodhisattva, is not an imposed obligation. It is freely declared and joyously put into action. Nam can be read as dedication or devotion. The vow, or wish, to awaken Buddhahood in ourselves and others is something we renew every time we chant nam-myoho-renge-kyo." I really like this idea of our vow being freely chosen, our karma being an expedient means that we've taken on to fulfill our fundamental mission of helping others and ourselves become happy. I think for anyone who practices in the SGI, like I do, bringing guests to SGI meetings and encouraging them to begin chanting is an important part of our practice, as we know the way we've been able to transform our own lives and want to give that opportunity to as many others as possible. But it's not just that, it also extends to how we occur in the world in general. How we react in the face of our problems, how we treat others, our behaviour as human beings, in every situation where we encounter other living beings. From that standpoint, for me, every encounter we have is an opportunity to "...cause all beings to enter the Buddha Way and swiftly obtain the body of a Buddha". Thanks.
Posted by: Kevin at February 25, 2008 11:59 PM