Stories of the Lotus Sutra - Chapter 22: Divine Powers of a Buddha

[Bion]

Divine Powers.jpg Hello everyone,

Happy Monday and happy end of June.

It is time to move on to a new chapter in our book, which we are slowly coming to the end of. Can you believe that?

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Reading Assignment: Chapter 22 - Divine Powers of a Buddha

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I expect this chapter to resonate with some more than others. I think the flavor of it is different from the previous ones. Do spend time reading and pondering it, however, before you decide how you feel about it. I did notice that you all seemed quieter about last week’s chapter. Feel free to continue posting on that discussion as well, in case you were busy, distracted, or just didn’t get to it.


The next Zoom meeting may be a bit problematic for many of you, since it falls on the 4th of July. I totally understand if some of you will not be able to attend. We will make sure to record it, as always.

Enjoy the reading. I am curious to see what your impressions of this chapter are.

For anyone wanting to catch up with discussions and the Zoom meetings, use our Study Page.


With metta,

in gassho


sat lah

[MikeH]

I took great consolation in a passage from Reeves' chapter quoted from the Lotus Sutra itself:

"Wherever a volume of the [Lotus] Sutra is kept, whether in a garden, or in a woods, or under a tree, or in a monk's cell or a layman's house, or in a palace, or in a mountain valley or an open field, in all these places you should put up a stupa and make offerings. Why? You should understand that all such places are places of the Way. They are where the buddhas attain supreme awakening; they are where the buddhas turn the Dharma wheel; they are where the buddhas reach complete nirvana."

I sat with that passage this morning as a copy of the Lotus Sutra sat on a table next to me.

Gassho,
Mike
satlah

[carolynz]

Yes Mike, I found this entire chapter to be very optimistic for the future of an awakened world. I especially liked where the light of many colors was (is?) the light of truth, and that ignorance and delusion will become truth and reality, and that there is no difference in the capacity to receive Dharma. Also that the "vast majority" of Bodhisattvas have been ordinary lay people.

This Sutra also talked about diversity, and everyone need not be the "same", even animals are included. (we think our cat....well, I won't go into that, but he IS special).

I love hearing about the billions of bodhisattvas from under the earth, and all the buddhas on lion seats under the jewel trees, who "drew back their tongues," coughed and snapped their fingers simultaneously, and ended up throwing jewels towards this world! I would like to have been there to see that!

Gassho,
Carolyn
sat lah

[Ryūdō-Liúdào]

What stood out most to me in this chapter were two quiet threads lying beneath the groovy cosmic imagery.

First, the emphasis on “light” felt important, but not so much in a vague, feel-good way. In a world full of wellness slogans, spiritual bypassing, and toxic positivity, I appreciated the reminder that this isn’t about forced brightness. It’s more like a light of truth and compassion that illuminates things as they are, including suffering, confusion, and delusion. Not avoiding darkness, but meeting it clearly.

Second, I really like how Reeves pointed out that it’s not only the famous teachers or monastics who carry the Dharma forward. It’s also ordinary practitioners, laypeople living ordinary lives, who keep the Dharma alive through how they actually show up in the world. In that sense, the Bodhisattva path isn’t somewhere “out there” or reserved for a few. It’s here, in how we live, relate, and respond in the middle of daily life.

When practice is real, it doesn’t belong only to temples or texts. It shows up in kitchens, workplaces, relationships… and yes, even in things like washing dishes or cleaning up after those cute little furry "bodhisattvas of doom." *meow!*

Gasshō,
流道-Ryūdō-Liúdào
Satlah

[ItinerantNick]

Good morning, sangha

what a groovy chapter —

1. the section about the buddhas coughing simultaneously will make me never hear a cough before a speech/presentation the same way — I will perk up and think “nimonkyo’itsu”

2. the snapping of fingers explanation makes me think of Never Disrespectful Bodhisattva. two gateways one humanity — sympathy, empathy, compassion. The key in the sutra.

3. perhaps the most important part for me is that of unity in practice. I’m also part of a nondenominational sangha and it is marvelous to be witness to the practices of other Buddhists. This is great textual support that no matter our differences we are all people walking different paths to the same destination.

let us put our hands together in gassho, face this world, and praise the Buddha, together

namo myōhō renge kyō,

nick

[Tairin]

Hi All,

I don’t really have much meaningful to add beyond the comments above. I found the imagery in this chapter to be particularly “out there”. Overall though I found Reeve’s commentary to be particularly positive and affirming.


Tairin
sat today and lah

[Menmoku]

Hi Everybody,
I enjoy the psychadelic nature of this chapter, though it doesn't remind me of the two acid trips I took in my life but more of early meditation experiences.
When I first started meditating I often got stuck in 'wrong concentration' resulting in wierd and wonderful, sometimes scary waking dreams and hallucinations.
What it reminded me of most was one very long session of Metta - several hours I think - where I went into outer space and encountered millions of shining golden beings.
I actually think that one might have been real....

I have to admit though that I found Brother Reeve's commentary a little irritating this time.
The emphasis on a utopian political aspiration just doesn't sit well with me.
I don't believe that heaven on earth is a reasonable thing to expect.
Whilst I am sure that there are 'world ages' when it is better or worse to inhabit the human and animal realms; they never get too pleasant or too awful.
Beings get born here from lower realms and thinking this is paradise, run around trying to grab all they can or from higher realms and thinking it is hell they try to insulate themselves with money, art, music, philosophy... or from the last human lifetime and they might even be bored, weary and truly depressed about being here....or power hungry or revolutionary.....
How can all these totally different beings all be human? But they are....
I think we have to do our bit here to make it nice because if we don't the wreckers will take over entirely but we also need to accept that human conflict is inevitable, as we are all so differently motivated and the nicest and wisest of us often leave for other realms, because it is truly exhausting here.
The extra nice ones (Bodhisattvas) come back to help out but I am sure even they get tired and need a break.
It reminded me that I really do believe that Buddhist cosmology is real (rebirth, other realms, gods, demons etc.) but also that when we do finally make this planet impossible to live on (could be pretty soon now) - there are Trillions of other planets where we can be reborn....

So, we have to keep doing our best to improve ourselves and the world around us because life is dynamic and takes work; if we don't work at selflessness then selfishness comes right back in....at the same time we need to sit quietly and let go of everything - including the relentless improvement. We need to sense the vast system sustaining us all and eternally generating life for life's sake.

[Chiko]

Reverberating through the cosmos,
what is the sound of a million Buddhas coughing?
Take your seat among those unafraid to stop and see.
Avalokitesvara still says, “lend me your hands,”
and allow the Buddha to be alive in the world.

I’ll be at a party on Saturday, probably lighting things on fire, but I’ll try to join in for a while!

Gassho,
Chiko
st/lah

[Chikyou]

The more I read about this chapter, the more I like it. It seems to reflect the Parable of the Plants- wherever there are beings in need of awakening, there is the Dharma, for each according to their need. And wherever there is the Dharma, in the infinite diversity of beings, there is sacred ground.

Gassho,
SatLah,
Chikyō

[Maro]

Hello friends

For me, this chapter was condensed to one sentence: “The Dharma Flower Sutra proclaims over and over that the Dharma is not only a human thing but a cosmic reality”.

Then Reeves says “we should be moved, even shaken, from our normal pursuits, to the point of actually following the teachings in daily life”.

While reading this, what came to mind was something Suzuki Roshi said: “usually we are not interested in the nothingness of the ground. Our tendency is to be interested in something that is growing in the garden, not in the bare soil.”

The “cosmic reality” related, in my mind, to the nothingness of the ground and the “human thing” to the tendency to be interested in what grows in the ground.

In this light, as Reeves puts it, “ ignorance can be understood as an absence of truth, and delusion as an absence of reality. The Dharma Flower Sutra encourages us to focus not on the negativities of darkness, ignorance, and delusion, but on ways to limit and overcome them by spreading light and truth and compassion”.

This encouragement to the change of focus so as to find ways to spread light, truth and compassion is, for me, in alignment with what Suzuki Roshi says “the Buddha’s teachings is not about the food itself but about how it is grown, and how to take care of it.” :-)



Gassho
Maro
satlah

[Tenryu]

I found myself nodding along with much of what you wrote, Menmoku

I also struggle a little with Reeves' almost utopian language at times. Human beings seem capable of tremendous kindness and tremendous cruelty, often within the same lifetime. I don't think we should stop trying to make this world a better place, but I also think we have to accept that things don't always unfold in the direction we hope for. Sometimes things get worse before they get better.

The imagery in this chapter is so vast that it opens up a sense of the whole universe participating in the Dharma for me. Sitting with that, the idea of practice feels less abstract.

The Bodhisattva vow has always made sense to me for the same reason. It doesn't wait for the world to become peaceful.
It begins right here, in this beautiful, messy, compassionate, violent, inspiring, exhausting world.

Gasshō,
Tenryū
sat+lah

[Bion]

I also struggle a little with Reeves' almost utopian language at times. Human beings seem capable of tremendous kindness and tremendous cruelty, often within the same lifetime. I don't think we should stop trying to make this world a better place, but I also think we have to accept that things don't always unfold in the direction we hope for. Sometimes things get worse before they get better.

I mean, if the human realm became a paradise, then it would be a heavenly realm... A heavenly realm is absolutely a great thing, but it offers too much bliss. There is a clear reason as to why the human realm is fertile ground for awakening and nirvana. We have just the right blend of suffering and joy in this existence.

Gassho
sat lah

[Bion]

Reminder to all Book Club members and friends... Tomorrow, we get together again for our Zoom meeting. If you can make it, we'll have a lot of fun! Everyone's invited

Gassho
sat lah

[Naiko]

Please accept my gratitude to you all for your insightful posts every week. I struggled with this chapter because the particular imagery just didn’t speak to me. As I was reading, I understood what it meant, but I didn’t feel particularly inspired. I needed Reeve’s commentary, and yours, to fully appreciate it. I think I have been unable to disconnect from work concerns this week.
Gassho
stlah

[Choujou]

Hello all,
I’m sorry to be a little late and have enjoyed everyone’s thoughts, so I won’t go long here. For me, the key element of this chapter is the concept of unity within diversity. It is one vehicle we all ride in, and yet contained within are many different vehicles; different opinions, interpretations, views and perspectives, different religions, different ways of life, different countries, (different planets or dimensions of you really want to get “beyond normal” with me ) and yet, the Buddha is universal. All beings, all things, all places and times, all ONE thing. When we consider this, the unity of all of existence, compassion comes forth. We soften towards things that we’ve maybe hardened against. We start to see ourselves in all that is, even in aspects we would normally shy away from. We try to open and understand more… and we begin to see the Buddha everywhere we look. In the good, in the bad, in the beautiful, in the ugly, in the light, in the dark, (in the human, and non-human… sorry, getting weird again…) there is no difference really. All things are expressions of emptiness… All is Buddha. Unified. One thing. For me, this also opens up the ability to celebrate those differences rather than reject them. We begin to illuminate the darkness of ignorance and the notion of “separateness”. We all can’t eat the same piece of one pie. We each have a slice of our own, however, It’s all one pie… some slices are apple, some are blueberry, some cherry… but all the same pie. Rather than throwing the pie in others faces, we begin to taste the other slices even in our own. We realize that all the flavors are there. We begin to see the Buddha everywhere, in everyone, and in all things… and we realize that no matter what, we are all in the same vehicle together. Diversely One. Whole and complete just as it is.

Gassho,
Choujou

sat/lah today