Lotus Sutra

OM MANI PADME HUM - The Jewel is in the Lotus.

      "We have every reason to believe that dreams mirror exactly the underground processes of the psyche.  And if we get there, we literally get at the "roots" of the disease.

   Chapter 1 - The Lotus Sutra 

"I remember, young men of good family, that in the days of yore, many immeasurable, inconceivable, immense, infinite, countless Æons, more than countless Æons ago, nay, long and very long before, there was born a Tathâgata called Kandrasûryapradîpa, an Arhat, endowed with science and conduct, a Sugata, knower of the world, an incomparable tamer of men, a teacher (and ruler) of gods and men, a Buddha and Lord. He showed the law; he revealed the duteous course which is holy at its commencement, holy in its middle, holy at the end, good in substance and form, complete and perfect, correct and pure. That is to say, to the disciples he preached the law containing the four Noble Truths, and starting from the chain of causes and effects, tending to overcome birth, decrepitude, sickness, death, sorrow, lamentation, woe, grief, despondency, and finally leading to Nirvâna; and to the Bodhisattvas he preached the law connected with the six Perfections, and terminating in the knowledge of the Omniscient, after the attainment of supreme, perfect enlightenment.

The Buddha says that this Sutra has ten merit powers.

They are:

1. This teaching will raise your life condition. If you are merciless, you will discover the joy of mercy. If you are lazy you will discover the joy of work. If you are ignorant you will discover the joy of wisdom.

2. If you hear this teaching only once you will begin to understand many things and you will keep the law, or obey it instinctively. Hearing this sutra is like planting one seed that produces one hundred thousand seeds. These seeds give rise to even more seeds and the process continues until the seeds cannot be counted.

3. Your delusions, although they exist, will become as non-existent. You will develop the mind of great compassion, obey the laws, and you will have no fear when moving between birth and death.

4. The student will help others attain realizations even though he is not enlightened himself. He will interpret the law for people when necessary. The example used for number four is very important. The Buddha (or your Buddha wisdom) understands this sutra and you become a Bodhisattva who will purify his life (or shake his Three Thousand Great Thousand fold World).

5. Number five is the beginning of a giant change in the thought process of the Buddhist student. Go back to the top of this list (in the text): it reads, "Good Sons, first this sutra…" Now look at number two, "If a living being can hear this sutra…" a small change, but significant. Number five reads, "If good sons or good daughters…" This is the first time that women are included in the possibility of attaining Buddhahood; Indian society was very prejudiced against women and the Buddha would address this issue in the main text of "The Lotus Sutra," which is where we will also talk about it. Number five says that if good sons or daughters’ keep, read, recite, and copy "The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings" they will become Great Bodhisattvas even though they have faults and are still deluded.

6. If these same good sons or good daughters keep, read, recite, and copy this sutra they will preach the law and help beings end their suffering and delusion.

7. If good sons or good daughters hear this sutra and rejoice, believe, raise the mind of faith, keep, read, recite, copy and teach it, if they practice properly, want to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, then the six paramitas will be naturally present in them, even thought they are not advanced enough to practice them. They will have a realization on death, ending that suffering, and their delusions will be instantly destroyed.

8. Good sons and good daughters will help raise the life conditions of others who are looking for the truth, leading to the creation of more pure lands, this is how Kosen Rufu will be established.

9. If good sons and good daughters explain these sutras ("The Threefold Lotus Sutra") widely but discriminatingly, (not teaching it before the student is ready) they will instantly destroy negative karma, become pure, acquire eloquence, realize all paramitas, wholly grasp the Dharma, and rise to the upper stages of practice quickly with strenuous efforts.

10. Goods sons and good daughters will lead all suffering beings to the Buddha Way.