Chapter 11
Beholding the Stupa of Treasures

 SUMMARY

There upon a stupa of the seven treasures sprung up from underground and hung in the sky before the Buddha. A loud voice of praise was heard from within the stupa, "Excellent, excellent, what you, Sakyamuni Buddha, have expounded is all true." Seeing these supernatural phenomena, the congregations were so surprised and wondered why these things occurred. The Buddha explains that Many-Treasure or Taho Buddha is in the stupa and the Buddha always appears when the Lotus Sutra is expounded, and he praises the truth of the teachings.

Answering the wish of the congregation to see the Buddha in the stupa, Sakyamuni Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows. The illumination caused the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten directions to summon them to Sakyamuni and Many-Treasure Buddhas. At that moment, Sakyamuni Buddha purified the place. He repeated this three times.

Then the Buddha Sakyamuni ascends into the air to open the door of the stupa. Many-Treasure Buddha offered him half of his seat. Since the seat of the two Buddhas is too high for the congregation to see, Sakyamuni raises them up into the sky by his supernatural powers.

Then he says to them, "I shall soon enter into Nirvana. Is there anyone who is willing to expound the Lotus Sutra in this world after my extinction? I wish to hand it on to someone so that it can be perpetuated."

Many supernatural phenomena are revealed in this Chapter. We should not think they are merely superstitions, because all supernatural phenomena in the Lotus Sutra have some meaning. Buddha Sakyamuni tries to expound that the truth transcends time and space.

We intend to judge things through what we have already learned, but Buddha wisdom is too difficult for us to understand with our knowledge only. We must transcend our knowledge and try to understand Buddha wisdom. It is the main reason why people are raised to the sky and stay there. The Chapters from 11 through 22 are revealed in the sky.

"Thereupon a stupa of the seven treasures sprang up from underground and hung in the sky." (P.181, L.3):

When a Buddha appears, his stupa or palace also moves as he moves (cf. P.138). You may wonder how a house can move together with a person. However when we move to some other place, we naturally need a place to live. The place could be a rented apartment room, a house, a mansion or an estate. It depends on one's karma, ability and status. Therefore the stupa of Taho Buddha shows his virtue. Since the stupa is decorated with the seven treasures, he has tremendous virtue and goodness.

Moreover the stupa means one's Buddha nature. The ground means the society in which one lives. The springing up of the stupa means that salvation in Buddhism is not given from heaven, rather one must strive for himself by his own effort.

"Excellent, excellent, You, Sakyamuni have expounded to this great multitude the Lotus Sutra" (P.181, Last Paragraph.):

You are familiar with this sentence. It is a part of "Yokuryo Shu" in our service books. We often read this paragraph in our daily services. In our society, there are many differences like the rich and poor, the wise and fool, black and white, male and female; however, Buddhas see no difference because everyone has Buddha nature, so everyone can become a Buddha. It is one of the reasons why the Lotus Sutra is excellent.

"Why did this stupa of treasures spring up from underground? Why was that voice heard from within the stupa?" (P.182, L.9):

Bodhisattva Great-Eloquence raised this question. He always represents the congregation to ask questions and to make requests in this Chapter.

"Many-Treasure Tathagata caused his stupa to spring up from under ground in order to hear the Lotus Sutra direct from me. Now he praised me.' (P.182, Last paragraph of the page.):

Sakyamuni Buddha answers the Bodhisattva and says that in his last life, Many-Treasure Buddha once lived in a world named Pure-Treasure, located at a great distance to the East. When he was still a Bodhisattva, he made a vow: "If anyone expounds the Lotus Sutra after I become a Buddha and pass away, I will cause my stupa to spring up before him, wherever he may be, so that I may be able to prove the authenticity of the sutra." That was the reason Taho Buddha sprung up from underground and why he praised Sakyamuni Buddha.

All Buddhas have their own vows. For example, Sakyamuni Buddha vowed to save all living beings on this earth while Amida Buddha made 48 vows to lead the people who have trust in him to the Pure Land in the West after their death.

"World Honored One! We wish to see that Buddha." (P.183, L.2.):

Responding to Great-Eloquence Bodhisattva's request, Sakyamuni Buddha emitted a ray of light from the white curls between his eyebrows. The ray of light illumined all ten directions of the world. Illuminated by the light, those Buddhas in the ten directions came pouring into Mt. Sacred Eagle with their bodhisattvas. These Buddhas are his replicas. Sakyamuni Buddha can produce Buddhas in his likeness by his supernatural powers and dispatch them to the worlds of the ten quarters for propagation. Now they have come to hear this sutra directly from Sakyamuni. This idea of the replica is first introduced here in the Lotus Sutra.

"At that instance the Saha World was purified." (P.184, L. 9):

Sakyamuni Buddha purified the land three times. These symbolize the limitless power of the Buddha Sakyamuni.

The idea that "The Saha World is identical with the Pure Land of Tranquil Light" originated from this Chapter.

The land was purified not because all replicas of the Buddha came, but because it was the place where the important teaching of the Lotus Sutra was going to be revealed. Therefore Nichiren Daishonin says, "This place is pure because the teaching is supreme. The person is honored because he expounds the supreme teachings." Thus, when all people on the earth believe in the Lotus Sutra, peace and security will prevail on earth. That is Nichiren Daishonin's constant wish.

"Now he opened the door of the stupa of the seven treasures with his fingers of his right hand" (P.186, L.28.):

It is very ceremonial. The door cannot be opened until all the Buddhas of his replicas had arrived and sat on their seats and their attendants wished to see the stupa opened. Everyone is waiting with their hands together in Gassho. The sound of the opening the door made a sound as large as the noise of the removal of the bolt and lock at a gate of a great city. Finally the door was open.

"Thereupon Many-Treasure Buddha in the stupa of treasures offered a half of his seat to Sakyamuni Buddha, saying, 'Please sit here!.'" (P.187, L.5.):

There are many different forms of Sakyamuni Buddha. When you see a statue of two Buddhas sitting side by side with a stupa between them symbolizes Chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra, this shows that Sakyamuni Buddha is preaching the Lotus Sutra. In Nichiren Shu, this style of statue is often enshrined as a gohonzon.

Many-Treasure Buddha is a past Buddha while Sakyamuni Buddha is the present Buddha; therefore both Buddhas sitting together means transcendence of time and space. Sakyamuni Buddha reveals the truth that is more spiritual while Many-Treasure Buddha appears with materialistic seven treasures; that is to say, the truth can be proved with the physical. For example we can see the existence of gravity by dropping an object. Further more, it means that the Lotus Sutra reveals the oneness of spirituality and reality, mental world and physical world, and spirit and matter.

"The seat of the Buddhas is too high. Raise us up by your supernatural powers so that we may be able to be with you in the sky." (P.187, L.16.):

Answering the request of the great multitude, the Buddha raised them up to the sky. The aim is not for them to walk or stay in the sky but to be ambitious and to improve themselves. It is sometime important to get out of our fixed ideas and to see things from different view points. When we go up to the top of a mountain, everything looks so small. We feel free from the sufferings down below.

"Who will expound the Sutra of the Lotus Sutra in this Saha World? Now is the time to do this. I shall enter into Nirvana before long." (P.187, L.21.):

Sakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra for eight years before his death. His body was also mortal. He realized his death was approaching; therefore he asked someone to take over his place. But he also warned that it would not be an easy task to expound the Lotus Sutra.

~ Namu Myohorengekyo ~