The Lotus Sutra: mindfulness, meditation, sunyata

[dyanaprajna2011]

Like Dogen, I'm a Zen practitioner who is highly devoted to the Lotus Sutra. I think that understanding it from the Zen perspective has been quite interesting. However, this has led me to a few questions:

1. Does the Lotus Sutra say anything about mindfulness? If so, what?
2. What does it teach about meditation?
3. And what does it say about sunyata?

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

It's interesting that I haven't gotten any answers, but then again, it's not an easy question. The Lotus Sutra is highly metaphorical, and it's teachings aren't often found on the surface. While the Lotus Sutra does teach about meditation (mostly it's importance, not necessarily a method, at least that I've found so far), and sunyata (seeing it as the last experience before full Buddha-hood), mindfulness almost seems to be absent from the sutra, even though it's importance cannot be overstated. However, as a higher teaching of the Buddha, and one of his last sermons, it's expected one is already familiar with most of the other teachings of Buddhism, as one of the primary roles of the sutra is the teachings on upaya and the infinite life span of the Buddha. With the sutra being highly devotional, I've found that mindfulness can actually be found throughout, particularly in the mindfulness of the Buddha, and mindfulness of the Dharma. The Lotus Sutra has many meanings, and it sometimes takes much practice and meditation on it to dig out the deeper aspects. The very recitation of the sutra, with it itself teaches as one of it's practices, is a type of mindfulness and meditation. But this is one of the reasons why I think it's important to understand it from the Zen perspective, to be able to dig out those deeper meanings that cannot be found on the surface. It turns out to be a highly mystical text, with much esoteric meaning involved.

 

[Northern Lights]

Well the Lotus Sutra is a point of ignorance to me; in that, in the 16 years I've been interested in Buddhism, it's not a sutra I've studied or learnt anything about, beyond the absolute basics. - I guess it's always had this aire of complexity, metaphor and perhaps even inapproachability about it.

Perhaps, it is lesser known or studied in terms of the membership here.

That will change for me, as I am practicing Nichiren-Shu, and have ordered a bundle of study materials all related to the Lotus Sutra. However, with limited knowledge or interest in Zen, I think even if I came back in a year, having studied the LS, I may still not be able to offer a worthy response to your OP!

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

Looking forward to it.

 

[Northern Lights]

Well, I'm about 1/10th into reading "The Threefold Lotus Sutra", which is an excellent translation of the Lotus Sutra and it's two associated 'mini-sutras' (Innumerable Meanings and Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue).

The more I read the Lotus Sutra, the more I truly love it. It meanders from very explicit descriptions of emptiness, dependent origination and karmic law, to completely uncomprehendable metaphors and conversations! I think I 'get' about 30% of it's teachings at an intellectual level, but the other 70%, I'm not sure can be explained literally. There is some stuff in there that I can see the Zen schools have taken inspiration from, and of course also there is a lot of stuff that I see in Nichiren Buddhism. The Sutra even states that it should be 'held, read, chanted and copied', which are key supporting practices in most Nichiren schools including my own.

I'm just currently reading all the emphasis on the eternalness of the Buddha and how he makes himself 'unseen' to encourage those who discover the 'law' to be able to then 'see' him (in the law) and realize their own buddhahood. Some of what I'm reading reminds me of the Pure Land Sutras and Amitabha; in terms of this mystical 'universal and eternal' Buddha.

You're very right in your post above - Mystical is definitely the word, where the Lotus Sutra is concerned!

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram :namaste

thank you for raising this subject dyanaprajna ji , it has been a long time since I read the lotus sutra but I remember it having a profound efect on my thinking regarding the nature of Sunyata and of the Buddhas .

the only problem I see in discussing the lotus sutra is that what I see , especialy from my reading of it that there is more than sunyata , that the void is a tranitory state and that Buddhas are eternal omnicient , omnipotent and omnipresent entities , ...and when ever I say this I get attacked by the everything is void school of thought so it is better I dont discuss it .

personaly I am totaly cool to the idea of others having an opinion as one needs to develop opinions to realise that opinions themselves are transitory , upon realising this one realises that these opinions are just stages on the path and beyond opinion is realisation , pure clear knowledge , pure wisdom .

quote NL ...

The Sutra even states that it should be 'held, read, chanted and copied', which are key supporting practices in most Nichiren schools including my own.

this is so beautifull , as only by holding a sacred text on receives blessings , by reading , copying and chanting ones mind becomes indelibly etched .

the sadest thing is that I lost a lot of my books when we moved , I have tried to practice non atatchment , but still loosing books makes me very sad

 

[Ablaze]

Here are some reflections:

1. The Lotus Sutra's teachings on mindfulness are subtle and not what one might automatically assume of mindfulness. They touch upon recollection or mindfulness of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) and other such methods that naturally led to the development of niànfó or nembutsu in the Pure Land tradition. Rather than taking the breath as an object as in ānāpānasati, or work as an object as in the Zen practice of samu, the Buddha or bodhisattvas (often Amitābha Buddha or Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva) become the object of one's mindfulness. In fact, the Lotus Sutra is one of the first sutras to recommend this type of recollection or mindfulness as a means to deliverance from suffering:

Be not afraid, young gentlemen, be not frightened; invoke, all of you, with one voice the Bodhisattva Mahâsattva Avalokitesvara, the giver of safety; then you shall be delivered from this danger by which you are threatened at the hands of robbers and enemies; if then the whole caravan with one voice invoked Avalokitesvara with the words: Adoration, adoration be to the giver of safety, to Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Mahâsattva! then, by the mere act of pronouncing that name, the caravan would be released from all danger.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 24

2. The Lotus Sutra describes meditation as one of various paths of liberation taken by the bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings. While some cultivate meditative absorption secluded in mountain caves, others become masters of the sutras or of sense-restraint. The Lotus Sutra does not praise any single one of these paths more than any other, considering them all equally valid in accomplishing the same end. As a couple of examples of the specific teachings on meditation found in the Lotus Sutra, see some of the following excerpts:

35. Who, with avoidance of any distraction of thoughts and with attentive mind, during thousands of kotis of years have meditated in the caves of the wilderness; these strive for enlightenment by dint of meditation.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 1

71. Immovable, unshaken, firm in patience, devoted to contemplation, and absorbed in meditation are seen the true sons of the Sugatas while they are striving for supreme enlightenment by dint of meditation.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 1

71. If thou art desirous of omniscience, direct thy attention to transcendent wisdom; then betake thy self to the wilderness and meditate on the pure law; by it thou shalt acquire the transcendent faculties.

72. The man catches the meaning, goes to the wilderness, meditates with the greatest attention, and, as he is endowed with good qualities, ere long acquires the five transcendent faculties.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 5

24. Let the sage first, for some time, coerce his thoughts, exercise meditation with complete absorption, and correctly perform all that is required for attaining spiritual insight, and then, after rising (from his pious meditation), preach with unquailing mind.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 13

67. Again he sees his own person occupied with meditating on the law in mountain caverns; and by meditating he attains the very nature of the law and, on obtaining complete absorption, sees the Gina.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 13

25. Let him, always zealous, strenuous, studious, of good memory, without any other pre-occupation in his mind, practise meditation, during kotis of.Æons;

26. Let him, whether living in the forest or entering upon a vagrant life [i.e. a Yogin, a contemplative mystic.], go about, avoiding sloth and torpor, for kotis of Æons;

27. Let him as a philosopher, a great philosopher who finds his delight in meditation, in concentration of mind, pass eight thousand kotis of Æons;

28. Let him energetically pursue enlightenment with the thought of his reaching all-knowingness, and so arrive at the highest degree of meditation;

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 16

3. The Lotus Sutra's teachings on śūnyatā are consistent with the overall Mahāyāna account of emptiness, namely that all phenomena (dharmas) are empty of own-being or inherent existence (svabhāva). This builds off the Theravāda notion of suññatā in which all phenomena (dhammas) are empty of self (att&#257. The Lotus Sutra even recommends meditating on emptiness in order to see clearly into the nature of things as they truly are, as in the next excerpt:

All phenomena
are empty, without being,
without any constant abiding,
without arising or extinction.
This I call the position
the wise person associates himself with.
From upside-down-ness come distinctions,
that phenomena exist, do not exist,
are real, or not real,
are born, are not born.
Place yourself in quiet surroundings,
learn to still your mind,
remain tranquil, and moving,
like Mount Sumeru.
Look upon all phenomena
as having no existence,
like empty space,
as without firmness or hardness,
not born, not emerging,
not moving, and regressing,
constantly abiding in a single form -
this I call the place to draw near to.

Lotus Sutra: Chapter 14

Hope that helps.

 

[ratikala]

namaskaram ablaze ji

Here are some reflections:

1. The Lotus Sutra's teachings on mindfulness are subtle and not what one might automatically assume of mindfulness. They touch upon recollection or mindfulness of the Buddha (buddhānusmṛti) and other such methods that naturally led to the development of niànfó or nembutsu in the Pure Land tradition. Rather than taking the breath as an object as in ānāpānasati, or work as an object as in the Zen practice of samu, the Buddha or bodhisattvas (often Amitābha Buddha or Avalokiteśvara Bodhisattva) become the object of one's mindfulness. In fact, the Lotus Sutra is one of the first sutras to recommend this type of recollection or mindfulness as a means to deliverance from suffering:

I think here we need to be very specific as to the meaning of mindfulness and the differences between mindfulness and meditation .
the lotus sutra as I see it is a devotional text therfore its empasis is on a more contemplative form of meditation .

2. The Lotus Sutra describes meditation as one of various paths of liberation taken by the bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings. While some cultivate meditative absorption secluded in mountain caves, others become masters of the sutras or of sense-restraint. The Lotus Sutra does not praise any single one of these paths more than any other, considering them all equally valid in accomplishing the same end.

agreed in that the lotus sutra refers numerous times to the meditations of the bodhisatvas and beings upon the path , but stresses that such meditation is ones acumulation of merit , it is that which sets one aside from mundane absorbtion and clenses one of delusion.
but to me the difference in mahayana texts is the empasis on the compassion and skillful means employed by the Buddha to liberate us from suffering .

3. The Lotus Sutra's teachings on śūnyatā are consistent with the overall Mahāyāna account of emptiness, namely that all phenomena (dharmas) are empty of own-being or inherent existence (svabhāva). This builds off the Theravāda notion of suññatā in which all phenomena (dhammas) are empty of self (att&#257. The Lotus Sutra even recommends meditating on emptiness in order to see clearly into the nature of things as they truly are, as in the next excerpt:

is it not accepted that the lotus sutra is the font of mahayana thought , and that the texts simply lay dormant untill the time became ripe for their understanding and dissemination , of course one must meditate upon the inherent emptiness of apparent phenomena to go beyond it to the realisation of the true nature of phenomena .


I think that where the lotus sutra is concerned it is not helpfull to take small extracts out of context , as there is allways a danger of empasising the portions that enforce our own conceptions whilst remaining un aware of their true relevance in relation to the text .

as the lotus sutra relys heavily upon the use of parables we may reflect upon these repeatedly and find many levels of meaning , thus finding such gems we rejoice and pay homage , to the purity of the lotus born out of the mud of ignorance .

 

[Northern Lights]

I think that where the lotus sutra is concerned it is not helpful to take small extracts out of context, as there is always a danger of emphasising the portions that enforce our own conceptions whilst remaining un aware of their true relevance in relation to the text .

I very much agree.

I am personally finding the Lotus Sutra to be a potential life time study. It is certainly becoming the 'core' of my own Nichiren practice. Chanting Gongyo and Daimoku becomes so much more substancial when you start to study the Sutra.

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

I agree with Ablaze's analysis. That's pretty much what I understand the sutra to say on these subjects. But ratikala makes a good point- there are many layers of meaning in the sutra, depending on the level of one's practice. This is one of the interesting things to me about the sutra, which is why I view it as a mystical text.

 

[von bek]

I very much agree.

I am personally finding the Lotus Sutra to be a potential life time study. It is certainly becoming the 'core' of my own Nichiren practice. Chanting Gongyo and Daimoku becomes so much more substancial when you start to study the Sutra.

The Lotus Sutra is worth taking the time to study. Every time I read it, I learn. I give thanks to the Tathagata for revealing the Lotus Sutra for the benefit of all suffering beings.

 

[Twilight Hue]

There was an immensely interesting and extensive series of seminars held at Berkley Zen Center in 1999 by Ryuei Michael McCormik involving the Lotus Sutra engaging both practitioners of Nichiren Shu and Zen.

I think upon the onset of reading, you will find the provided transcripts to be quite amazing in it's own right, interesting, and wholly extensive, so be forewarned, it's going to take quite awhile here. Not that it is a bad thing imo. ;0)

For those interested following the seminars regarding Zen and the Lotus Sutra, enter here at the Nichiren coffeehouse.......

Zen and the Lotus Sutra: Chapters 1-4

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

There was an immensely interesting and extensive series of seminars held at Berkley Zen Center in 1999 by Ryuei Michael McCormik involving the Lotus Sutra engaging both practitioners of Nichiren Shu and Zen.

I think upon the onset of reading, you will find the provided transcripts to be quite amazing in it's own right, interesting, and wholly extensive, so be forewarned, it's going to take quite awhile here. Not that it is a bad thing imo. ;0)

For those interested following the seminars regarding Zen and the Lotus Sutra, enter here at the Nichiren coffeehouse.......

Zen and the Lotus Sutra: Chapters 1-4

I started taking a look at that awhile back, but I haven't got through it all yet. I'm currently reading Thich Nhat Hanh's "Peaceful Action, Open Heart"; it's his commentary on the Lotus Sutra.

 

[Aupmanyav]

"The tradition in Mahayana states that the sutra was written down at the time of the Buddha and stored for five hundred years in a realm of snake gods (nāgas)." (Wikipedia)

Can it be ascribed to Buddha or it is a later development?

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

"The tradition in Mahayana states that the sutra was written down at the time of the Buddha and stored for five hundred years in a realm of snake gods (nāgas)." (Wikipedia)

Can it be ascribed to Buddha or it is a later development?

Most scholars believe different parts were written in phases, with the earliest part dating to about the 1st century CE.

 

[von bek]

"The tradition in Mahayana states that the sutra was written down at the time of the Buddha and stored for five hundred years in a realm of snake gods (nāgas)." (Wikipedia)

Can it be ascribed to Buddha or it is a later development?

We believe it is from the Buddha. As you know, all of the sutras were first recorded in oral form, memorized, and passed down. The Lotus Sutra was first written down in this world, as far as I know, some centuries after the Buddha walked the earth.