Stories of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter 10: A Fantastic Castle City

[Bion]

image-14.jpg Hello, good friends in the Dharma,

I hope you're having a wonderful post-retreat Monday.

First, thank you for participating in the retreat, the zazenkai, and the Fusatsu this past weekend. We devoted a lot of energy to nurturing the bodhicitta we’ve been discussing, and I hope you feel supported and enriched by this more intensive period of practice.

As on every Monday, we now turn to a new chapter of our book. Reeves takes up the parable of the magical city and offers his commentary on it. You’ll likely recognize themes that echo earlier chapters, as well as some clear foreshadowing of what is to come. The Dharma Flower Sutra is quite relentless in returning to certain core topics, and we won’t be straying very far from them.

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 10 - A Fantastic Castle City

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I’m very much looking forward to reading your reflections. Take your time with the chapter: read, pause, and ponder—whether something arises in you immediately or the text initially leaves you unmoved.

???? We’ll meet again on Zoom next Saturday, April 11th, and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. On our Study Page, you can watch the recording of our previous meeting if you haven’t yet, or if you weren’t able to join us two weeks ago.

Happy reading, and let’s talk whenever you’re ready.

P.S. I’d still like to encourage those of you who signed up for the book club but haven’t posted yet to share a few comments when you can. Everyone will benefit from your contribution.

With metta, and in gassho
sat lah

[Maro]

Hello friends
I found this relevant to our new chapter :-)

Please meet Elvis!

https://youtube.com/shorts/HJvJ472U0b4?is=lApk1Vo8lXU1QvxQ

[Hokuu]

I'm very much for applying skillful means skillfully, but at the same time, I'm very much for keeping the general tenets of the philosophical scaffolding.
I think that Buddha's being a normal human being who died and remains such is vitally important for the correct view. Introducing the idea that he's still somehow alive makes him more than a human, which in turn leads to the notion that I can't be like him because, well, I'm merely a man.

gassho
satlah

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

In my own experience, I’ve found this chapter reminded me of what I mentioned about Gate 106, attainment of realization of the Dharma of non-appearance. Moments of realization can feel like entering a fantastic castle-city; a place where, for a while, one can rest. Over time though, the city fades, along with the memory, reminding us to stretch a bit, slip our waraji (or geta if you're feeling fancy ) back on, and continue the journey.

The city was never real, but the rest was.
So don’t curse the illusion.
Just don’t build a house there.

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Chikyou]

The thing that stood out to me in this chapter is the emphasis on rest and the use of illusion as skillful means for attaining rest. I think it’s really easy to come to believe that illusion is always bad. This chapter reminds us that no, it’s not (so long as its use is skillful). There’s a time and a place for everything, even illusion.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Bion]

Thanks, guys, for jumping in! I really appreciate your comments and what you´re able to extract from the chapter!

gassho
sat lah

[Maro]

Oh there's an awful lot, for me, that I can extract from this chapter. I would have to write a very long text to express my gladness (and gratitude and relief) for preconceptions that have vanished over time, without even realising that this has happened :-)

[Bion]

Oh there's an awful lot, for me, that I can extract from this chapter. I would have to write a very long text to express my gladness (and gratitude and relief) for preconceptions that have vanished over time, without even realising that this has happened :-)

Holding on to views is one of those things we really don't want to do! So, I'd say you're on the right track!

gassho
sat lah

[MikeH]

This chapter has me wondering where my current practice of just sitting fits in. Is just sitting the difficult path? Is it the illusory magical city? Is it the destination with the rare treasure? Or have I failed even to get started on the difficult path? Or does this chapter not apply to my practice because it's about something else? Or am I asking all the wrong questions here?

I'm also thinking about all the spiritual journeys I've undertaken and didn't finish in my life because I found them too hard. Ango 2025, for example. I'm wondering whether I can use anything from this story to help myself next time. I tend to be very hard on myself when it comes to this sort of thing and think: "rare treasures or nothing for me!" The magical city seems to suggest a middle between the extremes.

Gassho,
satlah,
Mike

[MikeH]

This short (9-minute) film reminds me of the story in this chapter. Our story is Buddhist, while the film is medical science fiction, but they both involve building magical cities to bridge the gap between people in an unawakened state and those in a wakened state, so there's that. Anyway, if you're bored, it's pleasing to watch and doesn't take too long:

Gassho,
satlah,
Mike

[Maro]

Holding on to views is one of those things we really don't want to do! So, I'd say you're on the right track!

gassho
sat lah

One of the views that has been challenged over time had to do with the necessity of challenges! Because now I can also see a great deal of arrogance and lack of skill (or trust and compassion) mixed with the view held that challenges are necessary - as if it's a kind of duty of a fellow practitioner to provide a challenge coming across as a kind of encouragement!
I am not sure if I was able to express appropriately something, I think, is quite subtle ...

Gassho
Maro
satlah

[Bion]

This chapter has me wondering where my current practice of just sitting fits in. Is just sitting the difficult path? Is it the illusory magical city? Is it the destination with the rare treasure? Or have I failed even to get started on the difficult path? Or does this chapter not apply to my practice because it's about something else? Or am I asking all the wrong questions here?

I'm also thinking about all the spiritual journeys I've undertaken and didn't finish in my life because I found them too hard. Ango 2025, for example. I'm wondering whether I can use anything from this story to help myself next time. I tend to be very hard on myself when it comes to this sort of thing and think: "rare treasures or nothing for me!" The magical city seems to suggest a middle between the extremes.

Gassho,
satlah,
Mike

Great questions, and you might not have a good answer for some of them in the context of the Lotus. It deals very little with topics of meditation or sitting practice. It does, however, deal significantly with one's goals, motivations, and dedication.

"Just sitting" is merely one thing we do that is part of the Buddha's Way. We also want to cultivate qualities like the ones described by the paramitas, generosity, patience, morality, diliigence and wisdom. We also want to work with our vows, benefit beings, eliminate our own delusions, and penetrate the dharmas. Many things form this path, besides "just sitting".

gassho
sat lah

[Chikyou]

This chapter has me wondering where my current practice of just sitting fits in. Is just sitting the difficult path? Is it the illusory magical city? Is it the destination with the rare treasure? Or have I failed even to get started on the difficult path? Or does this chapter not apply to my practice because it's about something else? Or am I asking all the wrong questions here?

I'm also thinking about all the spiritual journeys I've undertaken and didn't finish in my life because I found them too hard. Ango 2025, for example. I'm wondering whether I can use anything from this story to help myself next time. I tend to be very hard on myself when it comes to this sort of thing and think: "rare treasures or nothing for me!" The magical city seems to suggest a middle between the extremes.

Gassho,
satlah,
Mike

Hi Mike,

The first year I planned to take Jukai (2023 if I recall correctly) all kinds of life stuff happened and, for personal reasons, I decided not to go through with the Jukai preparations and ceremony at that time.

I completed Jukai in 2024. As it turned out, when I did undertake Jukai, I was more sure than ever that it was the right path for me, and I wound up being very glad that I postponed in 2023.

My advice is to grow in your practice this year (which…if you keep practicing, it’s hard not to!) and try again next year, and you’ll likely see that 2025 wasn’t a failure after all.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Tairin]

This is an interesting chapter. I was a little surprised by the notion that nirvana isn't an end goal but instead a convenient skillful means to encourage us to keep going. I did find the suggestion that Buddha was not extinct to be awkward. It harkens a little bit too much to that other religion but after some reflection I realize that the Buddha in this case isn't necessarily the man Shakyamuni but instead the manifestation of Buddha in everyone and every thing.

Ultimately what I got out of this chapter (and frankly just about every aspect of Buddhism) is that the "goal" is notional. Like the North Star. It guides us forward. It is literally impossible for us to walk to the North Star but in the dark it provides us a path forward. I am comfortable with that. I don't ever expect to attain nirvana but I recognize the value in this Path and the wisdom it presents to my life. My main goal is to continue to work towards that.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[MikeH]

Hi Mike,

The first year I planned to take Jukai (2023 if I recall correctly) all kinds of life stuff happened and, for personal reasons, I decided not to go through with the Jukai preparations and ceremony at that time.

I completed Jukai in 2024. As it turned out, when I did undertake Jukai, I was more sure than ever that it was the right path for me, and I wound up being very glad that I postponed in 2023.

My advice is to grow in your practice this year (which…if you keep practicing, it’s hard not to!) and try again next year, and you’ll likely see that 2025 wasn’t a failure after all.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

Thank you so much for your encouragement. Your experience resonates with me, and your example of perseverance gives me hope!

Gassho,
satlah,
Mike