Stories of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter 20: The Good Physician

[Bion]

The Good Physician.jpg Hello, everyone.

I hope you’re all having a great Monday! I’m excited to take our book to a new chapter. I’m curious to see if it’ll be a good medicine and what health issues we might uncover.

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 20 - The Good Physician

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After you’ve finished this chapter, please share your thoughts with everyone. We’re diving back into stories about fathers and their children who are a bit of a handful, and we’ll return to the idea of doing things skillfully and with kindness.

I’m looking forward to seeing you all on Zoom this Saturday at our usual time. You can find all the details and the link to join on our Study Page. Feel free to come along, even if you haven’t participated in the Book Club yet!

Take your time reading, and I’m really excited to hear what you think.


With metta, in gassho
sat lah

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

This chapter really highlighted for me that, ultimately, it's up to each of us to do the work. The physician can prepare the medicine, offer the medicine, and explain the medicine, but he cannot swallow it for the children. In much the same way, the Dharma can be presented to us, but we still have to practice it ourselves.

One thing I'm not entirely convinced by is Reeves' interpretation that the medicine represents different forms of Dharma. The physician's challenge doesn't seem to be finding different medicines so much as getting the children to take the medicine that is already available.

To me, the heart of the story is not diversity of treatment, but willingness to receive treatment. The medicine has been offered. The question is whether we will take it. Of course, that's easier said than done. People are often frightened, attached, confused, comfortable, proud, or simply not ready. The poisoned children are not evil; they're poisoned.

This also feels like an important lesson for anyone who teaches, or hopes to teach, the Dharma. The challenge isn't finding the medicine. The challenge is helping people recognize that medicine is needed in the first place.

And perhaps there's an even more important reminder hiding in the story:
Before worrying whether others are taking the medicine, we'd best make sure we're swallowing our own!

______

The children ask, "Where can we find the medicine?"
The physician points to the bottle already in their hand.
Then they ask, "When should we take it?"
The physician sighs...
The bottle gathers dust.


Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[carolynz]

Hi all,

I am attracted by the idea of "skillfulness" - maybe that's because I've never heard that word before from world religions. In these Sutras, it is not recommended that we stand on the street corner handing out pamphlets for our next meeting, ring doorbells, or harangue our friends and neighbors. The father in this story was very canny and tried to save his sons in several ways, finally pretending that he died, a story of using "whatever works".

I do know that Soto Zen is not a "religion", but a way of becoming "free of suffering", by helping the suffering in the world. Yet It seems to me that a "whiff" of "God" appears in these Sutras, for want of a better word, when it is explained that Shakyamuni Buddha, who sat under a tree thousands of years ago, was actually Shakyamuni Buddha for "countless eons" before that, saving countless beings through time and space, even other worlds.

Does that mean we all actually have a bit of the Buddha in us, waiting to be developed? Are these Sutras ancient maps, showing us how to do that?

Gassho,
Carolyn
Sat/lah

[Maro]

Hi friends!

I am interested how you understand this statement but Reeves: Shakyamuni Buddha has inherited this word. (It's after the discussion about Medicine Buddha).
Emphasis on the word inherited.

Gassho
Maro
sat lah

[Bion]

This also feels like an important lesson for anyone who teaches, or hopes to teach, the Dharma. The challenge isn't finding the medicine. The challenge is helping people recognize that medicine is needed in the first place.

And perhaps there's an even more important reminder hiding in the story:
Before worrying whether others are taking the medicine, we'd best make sure we're swallowing our own!

Two very important points! Of course, a good doctor needs to know what medicine to reach for depending not only on the illness but also on the patient. There can be 3 different pills for the same condition, but if the patient is resistant to one of them, or maybe they have another condition which is incompatible with one of the pills, the doctor needs to know their stuff well, to give the right medicine.

gassho
sat lah

[MikeH]

I'm struggling with this story of the good physician for two reasons, and would love everyone's help! I'm probably over-analyzing as usual, and looking for things that aren't supposed to be there.

First, why would learning of the death of their father lead the sons to take the medicine he left them? That feels very implausible to me. It seems more likely to me that hearing of their father's death would lead the sons to feel regret for not listening to their father while he was alive. Regret is a destructive feeling, in my experience, that does not usually lead one to come to their senses, and can often lead to reinforcing bad habits. I think it's more likely that the sons would take more poison to forget their regret rather than take the medicine, which would remind them of their regret and make it worse!

Second problem with this story (but come to think of it, it's a problem I now have with all the stories of the Sutra). Imagine the father said to the sons: "I'm going to pretend to die to get you to take the medicine." Then a few days later, the sons get the message that the father has died. Would they take the medicine? No, they would say, "Oh, that's just dad pretending to be dead like he said he would do. Never mind." But aren't we in the position of these sons, since we've just been told by the Lotus Sutra that the Buddha's stories, including his entry into Nirvana, are often not true, but are "merely" skillful means? Doesn't the doctrine of skillful means undermine the effectiveness of skillful means? Isn't the Lotus Sutra a bit like a magician who shows the audience how all of the tricks work? Kinda takes the magic away, doesn't it?

My guess? Problems like these highlight that the Lotus Sutra is not always intended as a "Buddhist practice manual" and is sometimes more of a revolutionary commentary on previous Buddhist doctrines that needs to be read in historical context. But I might be wrong.

Gassho,
Mike
satlah

[Bion]

I'm struggling with this story of the good physician for two reasons, and would love everyone's help! I'm probably over-analyzing as usual, and looking for things that aren't supposed to be there.

First, why would learning of the death of their father lead the sons to take the medicine he left them? That feels very implausible to me. It seems more likely to me that hearing of their father's death would lead the sons to feel regret for not listening to their father while he was alive. Regret is a destructive feeling, in my experience, that does not usually lead one to come to their senses, and can often lead to reinforcing bad habits. I think it's more likely that the sons would take more poison to forget their regret rather than take the medicine, which would remind them of their regret and make it worse!

Second problem with this story (but come to think of it, it's a problem I now have with all the stories of the Sutra). Imagine the father said to the sons: "I'm going to pretend to die to get you to take the medicine." Then a few days later, the sons get the message that the father has died. Would they take the medicine? No, they would say, "Oh, that's just dad pretending to be dead like he said he would do. Never mind." But aren't we in the position of these sons, since we've just been told by the Lotus Sutra that the Buddha's stories, including his entry into Nirvana, are often not true, but are "merely" skillful means? Doesn't the doctrine of skillful means undermine the effectiveness of skillful means? Isn't the Lotus Sutra a bit like a magician who shows the audience how all of the tricks work? Kinda takes the magic away, doesn't it?

My guess? Problems like these highlight that the Lotus Sutra is not always intended as a "Buddhist practice manual" and is sometimes more of a revolutionary commentary on previous Buddhist doctrines that needs to be read in historical context. But I might be wrong.

Gassho,
Mike
satlah

Both questions are valid. I had the same thought as you did with the first question. However, let’s consider the meaning behind the Lotus Sutra. The authors intended to convey that the Buddha hadn’t actually died. He adopted a conventional life to benefit all beings and then pretended to die to prevent people from taking the Dharma for granted and becoming complacent. In the parable, the father’s death is meant to awaken the children from their madness and make them rational enough to accept the medicine. This is the author’s logic.

If we wanted to pick the story apart, we might consider other elements as well. For example, if the children were on the floor, writhing in pain and suffering, how could the father have time to fake a complete journey and send messengers to announce his death, and for the children to say he died in distant lands? Clearly, he couldn’t fake his death two hours after leaving the house. So, the text doesn't necessarily try to offer a realistic story.

As for your second question, context is crucial. We are now reinterpreting the sutra and discussing it in the present tense, contemplating its potential significance for us. When it was written, its purpose was to validate new beliefs and teachings within a segment of the Mahayana community and address criticism from non-Mahayana practitioners. I view it as a “here’s what actually happened” text intended to strengthen faith in the Mahayana and convert non-believers. Therefore, your last comment in your reply is quite accurate.

Considering the text’s success and popularity, it clearly achieved its goal of presenting satisfactory or appealing explanations.

gassho
sat lah

[Tairin]

Hi All

For me this story and the commentary really touches on an important aspect of Buddhism for me. Basically, there is no deity that is going to save me (us). We have to do the hard work ourselves. We have to take responsibility for ourselves and for others.

As for the question MikeH asks above. I had a similar question, why would the father dying encourage the kids to take the medicine? I basically dismissed it as “noise”. No parable is perfect. They often seem to have reasoning gaps. I personally chose to gloss over that since it wasn’t really the message. Simply a means to an end. Not sure if that perspective helps.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Choujou]

Hi friends!

I am interested how you understand this statement but Reeves: Shakyamuni Buddha has inherited this word. (It's after the discussion about Medicine Buddha).
Emphasis on the word inherited.

Gassho
Maro
sat lah

Hi Maro,

For me, since Shakyamuni was the first to awaken, he in essence “inherited” this world… (a father to all us children so to speak) the first to take the Bodhisattva vows of saving all sentient beings, transforming delusions, perceiving reality, and attaining the enlightened way. Through compassion for all life, he has inherited not only this world, but all worlds and beings who are all suffering, and the responsibility to end that suffering. And so, he is represented through all space and time by all who awaken and take their first steps on the path of the Bodhisattva, continuing the Buddha’s work to help save/free all sentient beings everywhere.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Choujou]

Hi all,

I am attracted by the idea of "skillfulness" - maybe that's because I've never heard that word before from world religions. In these Sutras, it is not recommended that we stand on the street corner handing out pamphlets for our next meeting, ring doorbells, or harangue our friends and neighbors. The father in this story was very canny and tried to save his sons in several ways, finally pretending that he died, a story of using "whatever works".

I do know that Soto Zen is not a "religion", but a way of becoming "free of suffering", by helping the suffering in the world. Yet It seems to me that a "whiff" of "God" appears in these Sutras, for want of a better word, when it is explained that Shakyamuni Buddha, who sat under a tree thousands of years ago, was actually Shakyamuni Buddha for "countless eons" before that, saving countless beings through time and space, even other worlds.

Does that mean we all actually have a bit of the Buddha in us, waiting to be developed? Are these Sutras ancient maps, showing us how to do that?

Gassho,
Carolyn
Sat/lah

Hi Carolyn,

Yes! How I understand it…Once awakened to the truth, you see the face of the Buddha in your own face, the faces of others… Separation from the “oneness beyond oneness” is a temporary illusion, A condition of this reality… but the truth is that everyone, as well as everything is Buddha. I like to use the metaphor of the ocean and waves. When perceiving the ocean, we see waves as separate individual things… some big, some small, some violent, some calm etc… but ALL are the ocean. We are all waves, expressing Buddha nature in different ways, but all Buddha.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[Bion]

Hi friends!

I am interested how you understand this statement but Reeves: Shakyamuni Buddha has inherited this word. (It's after the discussion about Medicine Buddha).
Emphasis on the word inherited.

Gassho
Maro
sat lah

In my interpretation of Reeves’ words, Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment during his existence in this world, not as a creator, but as a being capable of guiding it out of suffering. Upon his awakening, the Buddha’s initial impulse was to remain in the state of nirvana, as he perceived his teachings as too profound and challenging for the suffering beings to comprehend. He had no intention of teaching. However, he was eventually compelled by compassion. As a unique being, a Tathagatha, two of his defining qualities are his unsurpassed ability to lead individuals to enlightenment and his role as a teacher to both devas and humans. Consequently, he had the unique opportunity to take the dharma-less world left by his predecessors and illuminate it with wisdom.


Gassho
sat lah

[carolynz]

[QUOTE=Bion;n571991]

In my interpretation of Reeves’ words, Shakyamuni Buddha attained enlightenment during his existence in this world, not as a creator, but as a being capable of guiding it out of suffering. Upon his awakening, the Buddha’s initial impulse was to remain in the state of nirvana, as he perceived his teachings as too profound and challenging for the suffering beings to comprehend. He had no intention of teaching. However, he was eventually compelled by compassion. As a unique being, a Tathagatha, two of his defining qualities are his unsurpassed ability to lead individuals to enlightenment and his role as a teacher to both devas and humans. Consequently, he had the unique opportunity to take the dharma-less world left by his predecessors and illuminate it with wisdom.


Bion,
Many thanks for this insight. I appreciate the info about Buddha's awakening. In many ways, this such a great story -. Buddha had the choice of living in nirvana which was very comfortable. However, he was "compelled by compassion to be a teacher to both devas and humans." What a great teaching. What a Buddha!!!

Gassho,
Carolyn
sat lah

[carolynz]

[QUOTE=Choujou;n571990]

Hi Carolyn,

Yes! How I understand it…Once awakened to the truth, you see the face of the Buddha in your own face, the faces of others… Separation from the “oneness beyond oneness” is a temporary illusion, A condition of this reality… but the truth is that everyone, as well as everything is Buddha. I like to use the metaphor of the ocean and waves. When perceiving the ocean, we see waves as separate individual things… some big, some small, some violent, some calm etc… but ALL are the ocean. We are all waves, expressing Buddha nature in different ways, but all still Buddha.


Chojou,

Thanks for filling in this picture. Love the waves!!

[Tenryu]

What if we are not only the children in this story, but also the physician?

On one level, it is easy to see ourselves as the children who have swallowed the poison and need the medicine. But Reeves keeps returning to the idea that the Buddha’s work continues through bodhisattvas, through ordinary people living and sharing the Dharma.

So I found myself wondering whether the story can also be read from the other side.

Most of us have probably experienced moments when someone offered us exactly the medicine we needed—a kind word, a difficult truth, an example, a teaching, or simply their presence. And perhaps we have done the same for others from time to time, often without even realizing it.

Nobody can force another person to take the medicine. The physician in the story does not do that either. He simply creates the conditions for healing to become possible.

Reading the chapter this way, the roles start to feel a little less separate. Sometimes we are the children. Sometimes we are the physician. Often, I suspect, we are both.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
sat and lah

[Choujou]

Hi everyone,
For me, this chapter is obviously another example of skillful means, but also the importance of taking action in our lives. It takes us actively receiving and using/embodying the Dharma in our lives to awaken… in doing so we become the “parent” and through compassion we see “the father” , or the Buddha, within ourselves, everyone, and everything. We then realize and take on the great responsibility of helping others to become bodhisattvas, thus continuing the life of the Buddha in our own, and all that follow the Buddha’s way. Reeves states this clearly with:

“The father returns home after the children have been shocked into taking the medicine and have recovered. The children are able to see him once again. By taking good medicine, the Dharma, people are able to see the Buddha, even though he died some twenty-five hundred years ago. To incorporate the Dharma into one’s life is to be able to see the Buddha. The Buddha can be found in anybody and anything at all. This is what it means for the Buddha to be universal: he is to be found whenever and wherever we look for him.”
“…The purpose of the Dharma, in other words, is to lead people to act like buddhas, that is, to be doers of the bodhisattva way, and, in this sense, the wider purpose is to enable each of us to be the Buddha in the world for anyone to see. When we do that, when we make it possible for others to see the Buddha, we ourselves will be able to see countless buddhas, not only when we are dreaming, but even when we are most awake.”

This chapter for me also follows the old saying “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” We do our best using all skillful means to help others awaken to their true natures, but sometimes there are some that dig in their heels, resist, or just plain don’t want to see the moon we are pointing to. It can take skills of many different kinds to get them to snap out of their delusions and see reality, and so we continue to learn and work with the Dharma, increasing our skillful means as we do so, and in doing so increase our ability to inspire others to the Buddha’s path. But THEY must “take the medicine”…

“One other lesson we might see is that the same medicine is not always good or equally effective for all. Some of the children are immediately cured by the father’s medicine; others are not because they don’t take it. This medicine is like the rain of the Dharma in Chapter 5, the same rain that goes everywhere to nourish all kinds of plants, but is received differently because people are different in their abilities, in what they like and dislike, and in their backgrounds. In other words, Buddha-medicine needs to be different for different people. What is important is to discern what medicine will actually work for someone. The medicine prepared for and given to the children is not really medicine at all for them until they actually take it. A medicine that is not taken, no matter how well prepared and no matter how good the intentions of the physician, is not effective, not skillful, not yet really medicine.

The same is true of the Buddha Dharma. It has to be taken or embraced by somebody, has to become real spiritual nourishment for someone, in order to be effective. Again, this is why in the Dharma Flower Sutra teaching is always a two-way relationship. The Dharma is not the Dharma until it is received and embraced by someone. And, of course, people are different—so the Dharma has to be taught in a great variety of ways, using different stories, different teachings, poetry as well as prose, and so on.”

It is said that variety is the “spice of life”… so best to stock up your spice rack when you start cooking!

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today