Stories of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter 21: Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva

[Bion]

never disrespectful 2.jpg Hello, Dharma friends.

Happy Monday to everyone! Thank you so much for joining us at sangha events this past weekend. You all came so enthusiastically to the Friday and Sunday Zazenkai, attended our book club meeting on Saturday, the poetry club on Sunday, and then to our Fusatsu ceremony. I’m so grateful for the time and practice we shared together. May the merit of it benefit all beings!

Let’s dive into a new chapter in our book!

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 21 - Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva

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Once you’ve finished reading and reflecting, let’s chat! I’m eager to hear what you think this character means to us today. Do you see yourself as Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva, or do you sometimes feel like one of the arrogant townspeople?

If you’d like to catch up on last weekend’s Zoom meeting, you can now do so from the Rewatch section of our Study Page, which is linked here.

Take your time with the reading; there’s no rush! Enjoy.


With metta, in gassho
Bi
sat lah

[Chikyou]

I really enjoyed this chapter. I can’t say it really stood out to me as I read the chapter in the Sutra itself, but Reeves made it come alive for me here. Two things I feel deserve comment:

The idea that Never Disrespectful bodhisattva is meant to be an example to us all. I freely admit that I struggle with never being disrespectful. I get tired, grouchy, fed up…with mundane things like work and much bigger things like geopolitical situations, wars and oppression. I can’t say I’ve never despised anyone, although I try not to.

So Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva is an ideal to try to live up to (and fail, and try again).

When I first read this story in the sutra though, I didn’t get this at all. It almost read to me like it was sarcastic, or at least, others in the story took it that way. Like Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva was going around giving everyone backhanded compliments. So I’m really happy to read Reeves’ take on it here, as it flipped my perspective on its head.

The other thing that stood out to me was the discussion on “formal dharma”. This is something I do experience- if I’m being totally honest, many times my heart “isn’t in it” but I do it anyway. I do feel this has value. Like going to the gym when I really don’t feel like it, it strengthens my “practice muscles” and often leads to a deeper experience that I didn’t think I would have when I went to my cushion with my head not in the game but doing it anyway.

Over time this continued practice for practice sake grew roots and blossomed into a practice that I can’t imagine my life without. But often I still go to the cushion with my head not in the game, and I’m often surprised by where that takes me.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Menmoku]

Hi everyone,
I liked this chapter.
In my youth, you could have described me as 'Ever disrespectful' Punkisattva!
Someone once said to me "Tom, is your motto; 'If it moves, insult it!'?"
I replied; "Yes w-nk-r, something like that!"
i had an exaggerated Punkish disrespect for everyone and everything - except for a few very strong, clean individuals who I admired; Mahatma Gandhi, MLK, Jesus...
I knew I could never live up to those people, so I didn't even try.
Over the years I have developed an ever growing admiration, love and respect for so-called ordinary people.
I can honestly say that I can see the potential Buddha in everyone...even me.
Gassho Buddhas,
MM

[Tairin]

What a beautiful message! There’s a lot to aspire to in the example of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva.

The three phases of the Dharma are interesting. Admittedly, my practice waxes and wanes. While I have continued to sit (almost) daily for over ten years, there are times where my enthusiasm has drifted and I feel more like I am going through the motions. Often it is the Treeleaf Sangha that lifts me up.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Taikyo]

This chapter made me reflect on how I interact with people in daily life. I’ve never been able to deliberately say or do something that I knew would hurt another person, even when they were arrogant or negative toward me. What used to feel like an unconscious boundary now seems more like awareness that everyone acts under the weight of their own ignorance, insecurities, or circumstances. That realization makes me more inclined to feel compassion and try to understand the person and the conditions behind the mask that make them act as they do, rather than react aggressively.

Do you think compassion without confrontation is enough, or does it risk ignoring harm?

Gassho
sat/lah
Taikyo

[Naiko]

I really enjoyed this chapter. This is the first time I’ve read the entire story of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. Sarcasm was always my mother tongue, and I fear I can be sharp at times, both intentionally and unintentionally. Age, awareness, and practice have helped, but I’m always striving to do better. I think Reeves discusses cultivating genuine respect in a very grounding manner.

I also liked the way he discussed the phases of the Dharma, removing the solid borders between them and making the subject very personally relatable. Finding something positive even in what he calls formal Dharma or image Dharma is very compassionate. That’s a pretty good lesson for the times that I beat myself up for not feeling it. And if I’m honest, that has been a lot lately. It’s why I have made myself keep up with the Sutra readings. I left my last hospital stay very, very angry. I know it’s wasted energy, it’s not helping me, but I can’t think my way out of it apparently. I just have to muddle my way through my practice and ride the wave.

Naiko
stlah

Our Hero (Bodhisattva Never Disparage) with Sensei Alan Senauke.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=klLCd07s-Uw&ra=m

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

A few things stood out to me in this chapter.

First was Reeves’ story about the Buddha in the art museum. I really appreciated the reminder that it doesn’t matter so much how sacred or touristy a place appears on the surface, but rather what value or insight it brings to the person encountering it. A person may visit a great temple and feel nothing, while another might stumble across a dusty Buddha statue in a noisy museum and walk away deeply changed. Another reminder that there are as many paths up the mountain as there are people to walk them.

Second was Never Disrespectful himself, who feels like a very direct example of how we should meet others. Not naïvely, not blindly trusting or approving of harmful behavior, but refusing to reduce people to their current ignorance, confusion, or conduct. It’s easy to have an opinion on what “kind” of person someone is. Much harder to leave room for Buddha-nature.

The third thing that stuck with me was the discussion of the True Dharma, Merely Formal Dharma, and End of Dharma. I’m not convinced these need to be understood as fixed historical stages or cycles. To me, they feel more like shifting conditions within practice itself.

Sometimes practice feels alive, clear, and deeply transformative.
Sometimes the forms remain, but the spirit feels thin.
Sometimes we feel completely disconnected from it all.

Like waves shaped by shifting sands, these conditions seem to change constantly. Sometimes this way, sometimes that. Sometimes barely at all.

People may ask, “Are we living in the End of Dharma?”
I wonder if a more useful question might be, “How is the Dharma alive in this moment?”

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[Bion]

Thanks everyone for sharing your thoughts!

I felt the same way about Never Disrespectful. His straightforward way of showing appreciation reminds me of Metta, which is so simple that it's a bit childish. It’s pure and free from judgments. This character seemed to act similarly, not adding any judgments about people’s worthiness to the goodwill he felt for everyone.


Gassho
sat lah

[Tenryu]

The passage about images of the Buddha really resonated with me.

I think I understand what Reeves is pointing to. I do not look at a Buddha statue as an image of a god or something supernatural. But at the same time, its presence is not meaningless either.

Sometimes I joke that Shakyamuni is my roommate.

Just seeing the Buddha on my altar does something. It reminds me of a person who walked this path before me. A teacher. A source of inspiration. Even on days when practice is the last thing on my mind, one glance is often enough to nudge me toward the cushion.

Is that what Reeves means by “formal Dharma”? Maybe. I am not entirely sure.

What I do know is that the reluctance has never survived the practice itself. Every time I sit down despite not feeling like it, I end up grateful that I did.

That seems good enough for me.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
sat&LaH

[Chiko]

Forgive me while I go on a slight tangent after spending the week with family and old friends...

I pictured Never Disrespectful being kicked and prodded, and thought about how it can often seem like the world hates virtue even more than intellect. This can be tricky to navigate when I genuinely want to connect with people in my life, but it seems like their language and entire way of being in the world is based in judgement and gossip. Not grave sins, after all...these are generally kind and trustworthy people. But it's the conviction in their deluded perspectives (if I may judge a little myself) that I find very difficult to work with. What does the work of a Bodhisattva look like when trying to help people who are so locked into their narrow view that waking up isn't even a consideration?

I also really enjoyed Reeves' description of the cycles of dharma coming in and out of existence. I feel very lucky to be alive here and now, and to enjoy reality as it is with the benefit of this practice as a net to catch me when I forget. The more I'm helped along the path, the more imperative it seems to maintain this practice for its own sake and for the sake of others. Thank you all for your comments!

Gassho,
Chiko
st/lah

[Bion]

What does the work of a Bodhisattva look like when trying to help people who are so locked into their narrow view that waking up isn't even a consideration?


Gassho,
Chiko
st/lah

The good example of wholehearted practice of the dharma is sufficient. Not even the Buddha tried to drag people into Nirvana.

Gassho
sat lah

[Choujou]

Hello everyone,

i apologize for the long post and my rambling before hand…

This chapter made me cry… mainly because as hard as I try, sometimes I fail to be respectful. I do try to be mindful to always respect others and see the Buddha in them… but I find it hard at times. When I’m tired and grouchy, when I am in pain, when something goes wrong… small mind takes hold. I also find it hard to do so while working… I work in sales. Let me ask, when you think of a “salesman”, what image comes to mind? For some it conjures up an image of a slick haired, greasy, lying, cheating, and insincere jerk. While in some cases this can be true, it is not by any means how all salespeople are. Yet, I find that a lot of people approach me in this way… untrusting, closed, guarded, and impolite at times. They feel that I just want to sell them something. While my job is to do so, I personally try to approach it as providing a need, and the product that is right for them. As a mattress salesman, I don’t try to just always sell the most expensive mattress, but the RIGHT mattress for them. The one that will meet their needs and help them sleep better and heal. I find that it is a more sincere way of doing my job, and one that respects my customer as a person, not just as a consumer. I seek to help them, to improve their life, rather than to make as many bucks as possible. I find this to be a more respectful approach and also more aligned with our practice. My goal is to have my customer be delighted enough to lose the image of “salesman” they hold, and instead replace it with “friend”. If we part ways as such, then I feel I have accomplished what I have sought to do with them. Sometimes though… I fail. I take offense, I get indignant… this chapter was a reminder to me to stay respectful, and to see the Buddha even in my rude, harsh customers.

This chapter for me was also about sincerity. Not only in our interactions, but with our practice as well. The phases portion of this chapter also reminded me of the last few years of my life… when I started with Treeleaf I was deep into practice, learning, devotion… then my life changed. Suddenly I was depressed, anxious, thrown completely off course. I withdrew. I shut myself away, both physically, mentally, even with practice. I stopped posting on the forum for a time… stopped sharing and interacting. I still sat every day, but many times my mind would be scattered, unfocused, and cloudy. Still… I didn’t want to give up, and I was sincere in that feeling. Our practice is important to me. So, I kept going… my life settled more, and I eventually found peace amongst the rubble that was my previous life so to speak. If we are sincere in our practice, in following and holding the Dharma in our hearts, then respect and devotion naturally flows forward from us, even when we may not feel at our best, even when disaster strikes, or in our interactions with unkind, rude, or mean spirited people.

Lastly, I was reminded of Jukai, and receiving the precepts… in the three devotions, we all state that we will practice and accept the devotions with respect and sincerity:

The Three Devotions

Kaishi says:

And so, now receive the Precepts precisely. Thus, first we undertake the Three Devotions:

During the reception, the Kaishi bestows the Precepts, joining his hands in "Gassho", and

the Recipients accept the Precepts in the same way.

Please repeat after me …

Respectful devotion to Buddha, Respectful devotion to Dharma, Respectful devotion to

Sangha.

(Respectful devotion to Buddha, Respectful devotion to Dharma, Respectful

devotion to Sangha.)

Devotion to Buddha, the Guiding One; Devotion to Dharma, the Reality & Teaching;

(Devotion to Sangha, the Embracing Community.

Devotion to Buddha, the Guiding One; Devotion to Dharma, the Reality &

Teaching; Devotion to Sangha, the Embracing Community.)

Sincere devotion to Buddha, Sincere devotion to Dharma, Sincere devotion to Sangha.

(Sincere devotion to Buddha, Sincere devotion to Dharma, Sincere devotion

to Sangha.)

…

The giving of the Precepts of Three Devotions is like this. From now on, Gautama

Buddha and All Buddhas are your Great Teachers. Never devote yourself to false

teachings, harmful teachings, or the like. These Precepts were retained by Buddhas of

the past; they were transmitted by the Ancestors. Now I give them to you. You should

retain them sincerely.


Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today

[carolynz]

I enjoyed this chapter very much, even though I didn't expect to. I wondered why there was such a description of the two-phase and three-phase dharma and what that had to do with the never disrespectful boddisatva. Then I realized, that we can appreciate everyone and everything, even ourselves when we realize how far we are from the Never Disrespectful Boddhisatva. "There is a boddhisatva to be respected in everyone we meet". How incredibly kind that this includes us, as well as the merely formal buddhas!
Now I am wondering, Why is it so difficult when my brother visits for three days? Why am I in a funk for unspecified time afterwards? On the international scene, I can't bear to even think about current events. In my mind, I am capable of Never Disrespectful, but the reality is different. Is it back to the cushion for me, or what?

[Naiko]

I enjoyed this chapter very much, even though I didn't expect to. I wondered why there was such a description of the two-phase and three-phase dharma and what that had to do with the never disrespectful boddisatva. Then I realized, that we can appreciate everyone and everything, even ourselves when we realize how far we are from the Never Disrespectful Boddhisatva. "There is a boddhisatva to be respected in everyone we meet". How incredibly kind that this includes us, as well as the merely formal buddhas!
Now I am wondering, Why is it so difficult when my brother visits for three days? Why am I in a funk for unspecified time afterwards? On the international scene, I can't bear to even think about current events. In my mind, I am capable of Never Disrespectful, but the reality is different. Is it back to the cushion for me, or what?

Carolyn Bodhisattva, I find family relationships to be the most challenging of all. These interactions trigger some reactions and emotions that were hardwired ever so long ago. It’s more difficult for me to see the person in front of me as they are in this moment without bringing a lifetime of baggage and interactions along for the ride.

Naiko,
stlah

[Maro]

Hello friends!

This morning I listened to the recording of he last discussion (June 20) and I said to myself “oh! what a good discussion!” And then I remembered that there was another discussion that there was the same response. The common thing being that both times I listened to the recording.

Now starts a parenthesis: amongst the many things that spark reflection from this discussion is that I found myself being very comfortable with an acknowledgment that I might be slow and perhaps a bit dim/stupid/slow to understand! Please don’t take this wrongly and attempt to dissuade this perception, because it doesn’t matter whether it is true or not. It doesn’t bother me if I am dim or not or if I just take a longer time to chew and digest. And this is the end of the parenthesis.

Anyway I just wanted to express my appreciation for the various moments in this discussion like Bion’s questions “whose seeds are these?”, Menmokus reflection on resistance and also the two examples he related from how Alistair tried to explain his way of seeing things, the distinction between karma and causes and conditions.


Gassho
Maro
sat lah