Stories of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter 9: Doing the Common Good

[Maro]

Hello friends

What resonated with me in this chapter is this part:
All of those words, even those darkened by shadows, were suddenly filled with light, so that people could see each other well for the first time, and they exclaimed, "Where have all these living being suddenly come from?"

and a bit further down Reeves continues:
leading the kings of the Brahma heavens to wonder what was going on, and to discuss this strange business among themselves.

Finally:
one day, if quite suddenly you were able to see, you might say in surprise, "Who are all these people?" The buddhas bring light to the dark places of our lives, enabling us to see more than we could see before, surprising us.

I don't know what is "just sit" - I have some ideas about it together with the trust that they are not what "just sit" is.
But I do continue to sit (seeing more clearly all these ideas about gain and loss or the boredom when there is not a crisis that needs to be addressed). One day I might be surprised!

Another thing that came as if from the back door (because it seemed a bit irrelevant although it is not really) was an appreciation of the practice that is expressed in general and towards everything "Thank you for your practice"

Dear friends, thank you for your practice

Gassho
Maro
satlah

[MikeH]

What stayed with me after reading is the question: what benefit or useful message can I draw from this that I can apply in my daily practice? These incredible descriptions leave me indifferent; in fact, I skimmed over them without giving them much importance, searching instead for the essential message that might be hidden there and prove useful.

I’ve been very surprised by my response to the Lotus Sutra and to Reeves. I’m normally very skeptical and secular and averse to anything too miraculous or devotional or whatever I happen to think of as “woo woo” in my practice. But these stories with all their images are moving me for some reason and I think this Sutra will change me. After I read Homer’s poetry with its metaphors of the “wine dark sea” and “rosy fingered dawn”, I couldn’t look at the sea or a sunrise again without these words and images coming to mind. Now the words and images of the Lotus Sutra are staying with me during the day and coming to mind at work when I teach, at home when I parent, and even when I sit zazen. It’s early to say, but I think my practice will be changed because of this Sutra.

gassho
satlah
Mike

[Chiko]

I don't know what is "just sit" - I have some ideas about it together with the trust that they are not what "just sit" is.
But I do continue to sit (seeing more clearly all these ideas about gain and loss or the boredom when there is not a crisis that needs to be addressed). One day I might be surprised!

Maro I agree! Lately I've been trying to just "be in the room."

What a coincidence that I was just listening to a talk by Norman Fischer about Dogen's essay Shoaku Makusa, where Dogen writes that refraining from unwholesome action is itself a Buddha activity, and creates conditions for others to awaken and flourish. Enlightenment is nowhere to be found, except when brought forth by our activity (or lack of). I find this very encouraging, that our wholehearted practice is exactly the activity of Buddhas. It's comforting to think this do-good practice might reverberate out from my life in ways I'll never understand. Excuse the digression, but it felt relevant to this chapter!

Gassho,
Chiko
st/lah

[Bion]

It's comforting to think this do-good practice might reverberate out from my life in ways I'll never understand. Excuse the digression, but it felt relevant to this chapter!

Gassho,
Chiko
st/lah

Yes! We put in place causes for our own happiness and for that of others. We have the good fortune of understanding interdependence and of knowing that nothing we do is unimportant, so we engage in beneficial action at all times. Thanks for that!

Gassho
sat lah

[Tairin]

Thank you all. I am not sure I have much meaningful to contribute to this chapter. The story itself is pretty straightforward I felt and the only really fantasy part is the mammoth time scale that is alluded to.

I have been reading each chapter twice or three times, highlighting as I go. The most surprising thing to me is that this is the least dense chapter in terms of my own highlights which probably means I found this chapter to be pretty straightforward. No real "ah ha" moments.

One of the appeals of our Zen Practice to me is the extremely practical nature of it. It isn't overly flowery. Reading the Lotus Sutra really seems like I am reading the Buddhist equivalent of the Christian Bible. That is pretty obvious I think but it sort of hit me as I was reading.


Tairin
sat today and lah