Stories of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter 16: The Dragon Princess

[Bion]

image-30.jpg Hello everyone,

I hope you all had a good weekend. Thank you once again for your practice and your dedication to the sangha’s activities. Our Sunday zazenkai had record attendance, and the event with Prof. Heine was also very well received.

Since it is Monday, we move on to a new chapter in our book. This is another of those stories that are well known to many, and I have a hunch this one will stir the pot quite a bit.

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 16 – The Dragon Princess

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Please read it mindfully, reflect on it carefully, and then let’s discuss. As always, consider what new insights you are discovering and what lessons might be useful for us today. Acknowledge what challenges you, and take note of anything you disagree with. By the way, you were all fantastic in engaging with last week’s chapter, and I am grateful for your contributions.

Next Saturday, the 23rd, we’ll meet for our usual Zoom gathering, so please mark your calendars if you wish to participate. I hope you do! Remember, we also have a Study Page for our Book Club.

Enjoy the reading!

With metta, and in gassho
sat lah

[Taiji]

Hey, All!

I enjoyed this chapter quite a bit. While it doesn't feel, on the surface, as "heavy" as the content from the last one, I think it's pointing at a concept that's just as important. As Reeves points out, there's a lot going on here related to challenging conventional wisdom and expectations.

Among the things that stood out most strongly to me was the significance of the Dragon Princess being just a kid. She's eight, and yet she's already so far along the path that most folks can't even wrap their heads around the notion, to the extent that Shariputra indulges in a bit of "Well, actually..." to explain how she's wrong. What immediately struck me is the idea that kids can often show us: sometimes, you can do the "impossible" if you don't know it's supposed to be impossible. The Dragon Princess, at least starting out, might have been unaware that she "couldn't" accomplish what she has accomplished. She just determined to do it and then did it. Maybe only afterward did she learn she wasn't supposed to have been able to do it, which is probably pretty amusing, given that, well, she did.

Shariputra et al.'s hangup on her having not gone through an allegedly mandatory male incarnation, manifesting a basketful of miraculous physical Buddha traits, is an interesting point, too. For the Dragon Princess and for Buddha himself, this isn't necessary. It struck me that the moment the princess offered the jewel to Buddha and he accepted it, he was simply acknowledging that she had already attained awareness of her own buddhahood. They're both on the same level; they both get it. So when Shariputra steps in to sort of "monksplain" the whole situation, and the Dragon Princess obliges him with her instant transformation into a (presumably adult) dude achieving all the Buddha-things at at once, this is really just for the benefit of those who can't see the more subtle signs—who aren't there yet, themselves, and are still held back by their own preconceptions of what embodying Buddha has to look like. I feel, too, like there's a childlike playfulness in the way the Dragon Princess engages with the whole situation. She doesn't argue; she doesn't lecture. She just seems to laugh, grin, and say, "Oh, okay! Watch me, then!"

Given her connection to Kanzeon/Kannon, who can take on any form to help others, and given the text's strong emphasis on Skillful Means, I am inclined to think of her performance of this miraculous transformation is, like Reeves suggests, a way to help Shariputra and others like him see beyond their mental limitations—by first working within them. Magic and miracles and the ongoing All Buddhas Flying Stupa Spectacular and Laser-Light Show might not be objectively necessary for awakening right here, right now...but if somebody needs that tool to help them get where they're going (at which point they can see it was actually never necessary all along), then it's a useful tool. Playfully and with joy, the Dragon Princess seems to use Shariputra's own limitations to help him and others step outside of them.

All of that seems profoundly important for us today, and it suggests to me that we could benefit from really looking at where we hold ourselves and others back by becoming mired in our preconceived notions about how things have always been and therefore always must be.

Running long again, though, so I'll hit pause there. Looking forward to everyone's thoughts!

Gassho,
Taiji
Sat/LAH Today

[Maro]

It's difficult, after all, to express oneself in a light-hearted and humorous way in a foreign language. And to formulate thoughts quickly enough as Taikyo said once no matter how adequately well one speaks the language.

In short, thank you Taiji for your post :-)
Gassho
Maro
satlah

[Tenryu]

Taiji , thank you for that wonderful post. It really felt like a full tour through the chapter and touched most of the things that stood out to me too.

Especially that playful feeling around the Dragon Princess. She does not really argue or defend herself. She just kind of turns the whole situation upside down and keeps going.

While reading, I kept wondering how often the Lotus Sutra returns to this question of seeing the Buddha in others. Reeves even describes it almost like a kind of “holy power.” Maybe not something supernatural, but more a willingness to look beyond the labels and assumptions we tend to build so quickly.

And honestly, how often do we quietly sort people into categories without even noticing? Who seems wise, who seems immature, who is “far along,” who is not. I catch myself doing that too.

Maybe that is part of why the Dragon Princess story lands the way it does. It loosens those fixed ideas a little.

At least that was the feeling I was left with while reading.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
sat&lah

[Chikyou]

Taiji I couldn’t have said it better myself.

really enjoyed this chapter. I can’t help but reflect on how often religious texts turn the status quo on its head- how countercultural they often are. And yet, they’re often used as justification for enforcing the very things they seem to be trying to dismantle.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[MikeH]

The part of the Sutra that really stood out for me is when the dragon princess handed the precious jewel to the Buddha and afterwards claimed that she could become a Buddha herself even more quickly than she performed that action. The physical act of handing a jewel to someone takes very little time and involves very little physical effort. So the lesson I took from the claim that becoming a Buddha is even easier than this is that becoming a Buddha takes no time and takes no effort--it's non-action rather than action. That's the only way I can make sense of her words. The only effort involved in giving the jewel seems to come from the fact that it's precious. So you have to give something up that's worth a lot to you. So the lesson for me, putting the two pieces together, is that the non-action of becoming a Buddha is not-valuing things. I feel like I knew this already, yet "knowing it" is not what the princess did, and that's why I'm a lot older than she is and far from being a Buddha!

Gassho,
Mike
Satlah

[Bion]

So the lesson I took from the claim that becoming a Buddha is even easier than this is that becoming a Buddha takes no time and takes no effort--it's non-action rather than action. That's the only way I can make sense of her words.

The lesson of effortless practice is important, but I wonder if we risk overlooking the pre-existing conditions and causes that were already in place. The princess had already cultivated morality and wisdom; she was already perfected in compassion and other essential factors of enlightenment. It’s like when we recite the words, “Strive to awaken. Awaken! Do not squander your lives.” The striving is to engage wholeheartedly in cultivation—in practice itself—rather than in its results.

gassho
sat lah

[Maro]

For me what stood out in this chapter are two sentences from the part where Reeves relates the story.

One is “Shariputra then spoke to the girl, expressing conventional belief…” and the next one is where the girl goes to Shakyamuni, bows deeple before him “expressing the thought that only he could know whether or not she is qualified …”

Drawing from a very bitter experience I had when I first met the teachings, these two points brought to mind the role of the Sangha.

Shariputra is definitely a senior member of Sangha and yet he has no qualms expressing conventional beliefs - is he not even aware I wonder of what he is saying? And then, I assume out of some bewilderment, the girl turns to Shakyamuni with the trust that only he can know.

So I ended up reflecting on, for yet another time, who this “only he” is really? What is this “only he” that I turn to when I get entangled by my and others’ conventional beliefs?

Gassho
Maro
satlah

[Maro]

A correction to the previous post: no, I don't think that it was out of bewilderment that the girl turned to Shakyamuni.

[Hokuu]

Who is Miss Dragon Girl in my life?
Sleeping mornings and sleepy zazen? Ordinary coffee and not-so-ordinary Fujian White Peony tea? Answering customers' emails and raising shareholders' share value? Eating rice and chicken again and again? Training in the gym and resting afterward? Suffocating in the ordinariness of life and enjoying the beauties of being?


satlah

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

I find this whole story quite humorous. Firstly, if one truly believes in countless rebirths, shifting forms across lifetimes, and beings moving through the forms of gods, humans, animals, spirits, male, female, and beyond, then becoming too attached to one’s present form seems like a rather strange thing to cling to!

If consciousness has worn innumerable forms, why hold so tightly to this one as spiritually limiting?

The second thing about the Dragon Princess story that gives me a chuckle is that she does not win through debate; she simply demonstrates awakening directly. At that point, the sutra almost seems to mock conceptual hierarchy. While the scholars are still arguing categories, the Dragon Princess is already gone.

The monks say, “Impossible! She cannot become Buddha!”
The Dragon Princess says, “Cool story,” and then awakens before they finish talking.

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Menmoku]

Well, this is topical isn't it?
With all the controversy about sex and gender.
As a monk I have always tried to see myself in a category outside of sex and gender.
In spite of being happily married, my wife Shizuka and I have been celibate for the last ten years and we both have questioned our male and female conditioning...
I think one of the most important things here is to see that our true nature is beyond form, beyond man and woman, old and young, beyond all the apparent opposites.

[Taiji]

Loving the discussion!

The gender issue is interesting to me, too, as a gender-nonconforming person. (I came equipped at birth with a female body, and if that's how people see me, then that's how they see me, but I don't particularly feel that that body defines who I am or what I am.) I have found the idea that gender is a socially dependent and performative construct to be a really interesting way to look at the situation. In that context, for Shariputra and others in the story who are deeply steeped in their society's conventional wisdom, Buddha-ness is inherently a subset of the traits and behaviors that are encompassed by the concept of maleness, it would seem. If so, then for them, it's inconceivable that anyone who isn't also otherwise demonstrating maleness in a very specific way could, independent of that, demonstrate Buddha-ness. Shakyamuni and the Dragon Princess see past this limitation, but the Dragon Princess also seems to understand that to meet Shariputra where he is, she needs to work somewhat within his framework of understanding. I find it really interesting that she just goes with it, rather than giving him a scolding or a lecture. (Of course, she also has the power to change her form at will, so she's able to be flexible this way.) It really seems like an act of compassion on her part to me, and it seems as though she's really set ego aside here.

Also, in a really fortunate coincidence, I was looking for something else in Shobogenzo (ed. Tanahashi, Shambhala, 2010) last night and actually encountered a reference to the Dragon Princess. I imagine many of you will already be aware of it, but it was new for me, so I thought I'd share it here:

In Fascicle 9, "Receiving the Marrow by Bowing," Dogen spends a lot of time really emphasizing the details of the idea that when one seeks a guiding teacher, various superficialities, such as gender, should be unimportant. He points out that "Both men and women attain the way. You should honor attainment of the way" (p. 77). Somewhat later, he also brings other factors into his discussion, including age, and he says that "Even seven-year-old girls who practice buddha dharma and express buddha dharma are guiding teachers of the four types of disciples [monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen]; they are compassionate parents of sentient beings. They are like dragon princesses who have attained buddhahood. You should make an offering and respect them just as you respect buddha tathagatas" (pp. 77-78).

So it seems like Dogen was still dealing with the same issues in the 1200s in Japan that the Lotus Sutra's authors were contending with, and that we still contend with today. He also seems to be saying something similar to what the current and last chapter in Reeves' book are saying, too, in that literally anybody can be a teacher.

The whole scenario makes me think of many times in my life when I've been like Shariputra and have folded my arms and insisted I knew better than someone else, or refused to accept something or someone because they were different or made me uncomfortable, or because my biases and preconceptions inclined me to dismiss them. I can also think of times when I've been the person presenting the new or uncomfortable reality, and I've had the opportunity to meet someone where they are with compassion...and maybe didn't respond to that opportunity with skill and clarity. Both things really present opportunities for me to learn, for which I'm grateful.

I'm running long again, though, so enough of all that!

Gassho,
Taiji
Sat/LAH Today

[Tairin]

Ryūdō touched on two points I was going to comment on

First…. There seems to be a lot of focus on how the girl attained awakening so quickly without considering all the preparation before hand. Relatively speaking Shakamuni attained awakening quickly. From a human perspective, he did so in one life time. What we learn in the sutras is that in fact Shakamuni spent countless eons through previous lives to get to that point. One assumes the girl did as well

Second…. Why spend energy debating one whether one is awakened to a Buddha? It isn’t a debatable fact. We see this in countless stories in our own tradition. A teacher simply recognizing the enlightenment of the student. No debate. No final quiz. Just recognizing what is. Buddha twirled the flower and Mahākāśyapa smiled.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Taikyo]

Reading the chapter about the Dragon Girl raised many questions rather than conclusions or opinions.

The story seems to challenge many assumptions about awakening,
spiritual capacity, and even the meaning of “sudden” realization.

How quickly does the Dragon Girl awaken to Buddhahood?

When we wake up from sleep, can we even point to the exact moment of awakening?
Does awakening depend on effort, will, and prior preparation, or on the unfolding momentum of inner aspiration?

And how could body, age, gender, or social status matter at all in relation to awakening?

Gassho
Taikyo
sat/lah