Robin Beck

Blue October Skies and Green (and Yellow and Red) Peppers

Skylar and Noah {grandchildren; almost 4 and 7 months.} are here. Skylar asked me for noodle soup, but she really wanted some vegetable soup we had made. She calls all soup noodle soup.The sky here was awesome today. It was very blue with rows of little clouds that look faces if you look at them a certain way.

I took photos. The sun was low in the western sky, making for some interesting angles and contrasts. As I took photos, the Dead's version of "I know You Rider" ran through my mind. "The sun will shine in my back door someday. The sun will shine in my
back door someday. March winds will blow all my troubles away."

Well, a gentle October breeze is close enough. My wife was standing on the back porch, holding Noah, and giving me instructions. So the sun was shining in my dark door. The leaves are turning, but it is fairly warm, so they are only a sort of drab orange; none of the brilliant hues that come after a frost. We could get frost tonight {Teusday}; we may have to pick the rest of the peppers in the garden.

Dial Up Internet

The Answer is Inside

The Lotus Sutra ~~ parables & symbolic imagery.

"We yawn at sermons, but we gladly turn, To moral tales, and so amused, we learn."-- Jean de la Fontaine

He explains that he has other disciples to carry out this mission, of illuminating the darkness of humanity. Then, a whole bunch of very advanced Bodhisattvas come out of the underground. The audience wonders how the Buddha could have acquired these disciples, and trained them to maturity, in his life span, The Buddha then explains that he did not actually first awaken under the Bodhi Tree, that he first awoke in the remote past; and had been training these guys, who came from the underground, ever since.

So who are these guys? They have four leaders named Purified Practices, Firmly Established Practices, Boundless Practices, and Superior Practices. Someone who is familiar with Buddhist concepts will maybe recognize the Four [Inherent] Virtues or Four Unconditioned Attributes; which are found in the Nirvana Sutra, a Mahayana teaching. These virtues are called guna; which are the attributes of a fully awake being. The four virtues, in turn, point to a concept found in the Pali Canon, called The Four Misconceptions or Derangements {vipallasa}; the virtues are the opposites of the derangements. These, in turn, point to other sets of fours.

So we can see that these impossible events going on in the Lotus Sutra mean things. They help sort out the basic teaching of Buddhism; which is how to overcome the inherent stressfulness and frustration of human existence. The Lotus Sutra seems to say that merits and skills like ethics, morality, healing, patience, artistic culture, discernment, kindness, and compassion are all good things that make life better. However, they do not change the troublesome facts that our existence is inherently unwholesome, unsatisfying, inconstant, and largely driven by a false, self centered ego.

The Lotus Sutra seems to propose that there are answers to these fundamental problems; and these answers exist within us, as the Buddha Nature. The qualities of the Buddha Nature are an inner wholesome beauty, firmly established bliss, an unending constancy, and an authentic, superior selfless sense of self. The visual imagery of the Lotus Sutra dramatizes and conveys these teachings on a non-discursive level. The Mandala Gohonzon designed by Nichiren depicts the Ceremony in the Sky, the central event of the Lotus, using Chinese writing. I think picture mandalas are helpful in seeing this. Of course, we still need to know who is depicted on there, and what they represent.

It is nice to know that we have answers to the fundamental problems of life and death within us, but how do we actualize these answers? The Lotus Sutra seems to say we do that by embracing {faith}, reading {trying to understand the meaning}, reciting {chanting], expounding {explaining to ourselves and others}, and copying {vusualizing} it. Meanwhile, we can patiently study the basic teachings of Buddhism that the Lotus Sutra takes as assumptions.

I get a lot out of numbered lists teachings; especially those that are given in sets of threes and fours. For example, the Lotus Sutra takes the concept of Three Vehicles for granted. I found it best to first understand what Theravada Buddhism means by those vehicles. The threefold training, which is the core of the Eight fold path, is another basic concept. Also, there are the Three Bodies of the Buddha, the Three Refuges, and the Three virtues. Many other sets of threes express variations and nuances of meaning, rooted in the same principles, concepts, and methods.

The main thing is to have some trust that the answers will come, be patient with study, and continue to practice to the best our present ability. Sometimes I am like the fox who could not reach the grapes and decided they must be sour anyway. At other times, I figure out, with some effort, I can improve my reach.