A Lay Buddhist's Dharma Musings, #11 (The Sutra of Innumerable Meanings)

[@juliawagner8552]

Thank you!! This is exactly what I needed to hear.

[@namoamidabuts]

Hi Julia. It is good to hear from you. I am glad that, for you, this video "hit the mark". -John 🙏

[@juliawagner8552]

I randomly decided to play a video, and it's this one. So no, I'm not tired of you talking about the Lotus Sutra. I almost searched for something specific, then decided to let "fate" decide, and here we are. Thank you!

[@namoamidabuts]

My pleasure. I hope you are well, my friend. -John

[@Hamza_12348]

Thank you very much Sir John ❤️🙏🏻

[@namoamidabuts]

My pleasure, Hamza. With palms together. -John

[@sifurayshepard5254]

Good morning, my friend. Deep bow of appreciation for another of your masterful guidance through Mahayana. Dharma. The lay person's perspective you offer is practical and greatly appreciated. Namo Myoho Renge Kyo Gassho Ray

[@namoamidabuts]

I am glad to know, Ray, that you seem to feel there is more clarification than confusion in my meandering musings. Sometimes I am not sure. Namu Myo Renge Kyo. Gassho, John

[@NoahC-]

Never tire of hearing you reflect on the Lotus 🪷 that same Threefold Lotus Sutra Kosei struck my mind and practice like a bolt of lightning. Thank you 🙏

[@namoamidabuts]

Yes, Noah. "Bolt of lightning" is a great description. I am grateful beyond words that I was able to encounter it, or should I say that it's teachings encountered me. 🙏

[@stevenbelzer9768]

John , because The Lotus is seminal to you, I’m historical context to Japanese Buddhism I listened MANY times to TLS. The World Honored One , The Four Fold Assembly all consider this to be THE Sutra .❤ I love tour reading of it m helped me

[@namoamidabuts]

Thank you Steven, for your affirming comments. I am pleased that my readings have helped you. -John 🙏

[@bodhisattvaFM]

I recently learned that many of the people who came to be monks and nuns of the assembly were orphans or otherwise outcast. They would get bullied by the Brahman priests who'd say things like "we are Brahma's children born from Brahma's mouth. Whose child are you?" and Siddhartha would tell them to answer that they are the Buddha's children born from the Buddha's mouth and the true noble Brahman class. So "Good sons and daughters" was yet another way the Buddha had of taking his customary stand against caste. I'm also learning the Lotus Sutra's role in the growth of all kinds of Mahayana practices. In the same way the Lotus Sutra endorses Avalokiteshvara practices in chapter 25 other passages endorse early forms of devotion for Medicine Buddha, Aksobhya, and others including of course Amida. Amida's practice is especially recommended for oppressed women because his vow of the genderless pure land apparently made it into the Lotus. When it says One Vehicle it really ain't kidding. The Lotus Sutra doesn't make any promises about rebirth from its practice except that you'll be reborn where the sutra is preached I think. I've long held a view of the Lotus Sutra's setting similar to your own mythopoetic one. I'm beginning to regard it as an unspoken promise of the sutra that from its practice you will begin to find yourself in it narrative. For instance, perhaps I was in the assembly of the dragon king Manasvin. Amazing seats bro, we were right next to Lord Indra's crew. You should've seen the crowd go nuts when Ananda got his Buddhahood prophecy. Man, I don't think the crowd would've let Many Treasures go back underground if Ananda didn't get a prophecy after all that work! After all if it can happen for Venerable Ananda there's hope for all of us. 🪷

[@namoamidabuts]

Thanks for your points about caste and gender. Meawnhile, it pleases me to know that the notion of us being together in the assembly resonates with you as well. There is hope!

[@bodhisattvaFM]

I missed that the Samanthabhadra chapter is very specific about directions to Tushita heaven with Maitreya. Buddhism is Earth's best posthumous travel agency.

[@namoamidabuts]

Yes, I do recall that from the Samantabhadra chapter. I love your characterization of Buddhism! Seriously, how do you think about the "afterlife"? Some Shin Buddhists emphasize the importance of considering it (in terms of Amida's Pure Land) and others speak more about the Pure Land that can be experienced in this life. I am curious about whether you give it much thought, and if so, with what content.

[@bodhisattvaFM]

@@namoamidabuts I think that one of the reasons the Mahayana happened is because it's not until the assembly was around the level of arhat that they were even sane enough to begin hearing what the Buddha had to say. We're no different. I'm much more concerned with getting (and keeping!) us out of the mess of aggregated existence. Afterlife, doctrinally at least, tends to take care of itself with that. So far as Amida practices it seems to me - as a lay internet bodhisattva - the best is to care for those in hospice, to meet with those who are looking Amida in the face in the very moment. And the best practice other than that would be any that plants roots to benefit that work. To be quite honest though both as a Buddhist and just as a person when I think about eternity I tend to think about it almost entirely astronomically.

[@namoamidabuts]

Thanks for your thoughtful reply. It is interesting that you mention hospice. When I was deepest into my sense of spirituality (with a Buddhist perspective) I helped to start a hospice program and served as its first director. That is very meaningful work, indeed. And so very relevant to the big questions of life and death.