SUMMARY

There are two topics in this Chapter. One is the Enlightenment by an evil-minded person, and the other is Enlightenment by a female.

Devadatta was a cousin of Sakyamuni Buddha. Their age must be about the same. They both were very smart and talented; therefore, they competed often on various occasions. It is said that they challenged each other to marry Yasodhara. As a result of the games, Sakyamuni won over Devadatta and married Yasodhara.

Devadatta was jealous of the Buddha's fame and position. He tried to take over the Buddha's Sangha. Once, he wounded the Buddha by pushing off a cliff a huge rock onto a trail where the Buddha was traveling. He also tried to murder Sakyamuni with an angry elephant. Devadatta disturbed the Buddha's Sangha by misguiding his disciples.

Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra reveals the relationship between Sakyamuni and Devadatta. Although Devadatta is infamous as an evil person, he will attain Buddhahood in the Future because he has been Sakyamuni's teacher a his previous existence.

The last half of this Chapter shows the attainment of enlightenment by a female with an example of an eight year old daughter of Dragon-King. According to Hindu customs at the time in India, females were considered to be sinful. They cannot enter the five superior existences:

However, braking the tradition, the eight year old daughter of the Dragon-King proved the attaining of enlightenment by a woman with the Buddha's acceptance of her gem. Then she transformed herself into a boy and supernaturally performed the Bodhisattva practices required by tradition.

The enlightenment by the evil person and the woman are not surprising in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra. It teaches that all living beings - male, female, young, old, human, non human - are potential Buddhas.

EXPLANATIONS

"In my previous existence, I sought the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma." (P.195, L.3.):

The Lotus Sutra always talks of the three times: past, present and Future. Buddha Sakyamuni sought the Lotus Sutra in his former lives, too. The Lotus Sutra here does not mean the sutra written in letters rather it implies the absolute truth.

"I practiced almsgiving in order to complete the six paramitas." (P.195, L.7.):

The Six Paramitas are the six kinds of practice by which bodhisattvas are able to attain enlightenment. They are giving, keeping precepts, perseverance, assiduity, meditation and wisdom. Here the king in the Buddha's previous life, first practices giving. The king never grudged elephants, horses, the treasures, countries, wives, children or servants. He did not spare his head, eyes, marrow, brain, flesh, hands, feet or even his life.

We are ordinary people, we spare our bodies, spouses and children. But we can donate money, labor and time. We can teach, or we can smile to others. They are all parts of giving.

"I collected fruits, drew water, gathered firewood, and prepared meals for him. I even allowed my body to be his seat" (P.196, L.2.):

The king prepared drinks, foods, firewood and bedding for Ashita the Hermit for many years. He never felt tired in body and mind. Is not this what a mother is doing everyday? In this Chapter, there is no indication that the hermit teaches the dharma. In other words, what we are doing everyday is the practices of the Bodhisattva. Without daily lives, the practice of Bodhisattvas are useless.

When Kingo Shijo asked advise of his master, Nichiren, about quitting his work and obtaining ordination. Nichiren Shonin told him:

"To serve your master (at work) is the way of Buddhists. Daily lives are nothing but the practice of Buddhism."

"The king at that time was a previous life of myself. The seer at that time was a previous life of Devadatta. Devadatta was my teacher.' (P.197, L.10.):

Senchu Murano translated the word, "zen-chishiki" as a teacher. But the word, "zen-chishiki" has a deeper meaning. Literally zen means good, while chishiki, wisdom. Other translators of the sutra use "friend" or "friendship" for the word chishiki.

The relationship of the Devadatta and the Buddha cannot be separated with the relationship between the king and the hermit. Because of that relationship, the wicked Devadatta will become a Buddha.

Nichiren Shonin also says that Yoritsuna Hei-no-saemon is my real zen-chishiki. Yoritsuna tried to execute the saint at Tatsu-no-kuchi, Kamakura. Because of the execution, Nichiren realized that he was the rebirth of Jogyo Bodhisattva.

There must be a few people who criticize you bitterly. Can you take the criticism as a good lesson or not? If you can accept the criticizer as good teachers or friends, you can grow spiritually to a higher level. Then they are your zen-chishiki.

"Devadatta will become a Buddha after innumerable kalpas." (P.197, L.23.):

It is said that Devadatta fell into a crack in the ground at the time of an earthquake and went into hell. I wonder, what he is doing for innumerable kalpas? I guess he is repenting his wrong conducts.

"Repentance is the mysterious medicine which cures illness and the sacred dharma to change one's fate." -- Prayers of Repentance (sange-mon)

It is a saying in Japan: "If a person is very bad, he could be very good, too, after repentance." A good example in the Lotus Sutra is Kishimo or Mother of Devil revealed in Chapter 26. I will discuss about her in a later Chapter.

In Buddhism there is no absolute bad or good. The doctrine of the One Hundred Stages of One's Mind teaches us that even the Buddha has the mind of hell; therefore, he can understand the people in hell. Even people in hell or a murderer has the stage of mind of a Buddha.

"Good men or women with faithful respect caused by their pure minds, and have no doubts, will not fall into hell. ... They will reborn before the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten quarters. ... When they are reborn before the Buddhas, they will appear in lotus-flowers." (P.198, LL.21-30):

These phrases are often quoted at the end of memorial service prayers.

"Manjusri had sprung up from the palace of Dragon-King Sagara in the great ocean, gone up to the sky and traveled through the sky to Mt. Sacred Eagle." (P.199, L.8.):

Manjusri was probably the first overseas minister. The country could be present Ceylon. His propagation was not only to the sea but also to the sky which symbolize that the Buddha's compassion reaches to all living beings in the ocean, on the earth and in the sky.

"There is a daughter of Dragon-King Sagara among those whom I taught. She is eight years old. She is cleaver. She knows the karmas of all living beings. She obtained dharanis." (P.200, L.17.):

Dragon-King Sagara is present together with other dragon-kings in the congregation in Chapter 1. (See P. 2.) Dai-Chidoron , a commentary on a sutra by Nagarjuna, comments that the dragon-kings are manifestations of great bodhisattvas in order to save animals. I am not sure that the daughter of Dragon-King Sagara who attained enlightenment is animal or human being. She could be a person or a dragon.

It was unbelievable for the people in India at that time that a woman could become a Buddha. Women have almost always been neglected in most countries until very recently. Even in the United States, woman got the power to vote in 1920 after World War I.

"The body of a woman is too defiled to be a recipient of the teachings of the Buddha. How can she attain unsurpassed Bodhi? ... A woman has five impossibilities. She cannot become 1. the Brahman-Heavenly-King, 2. King Sâkra, 3. King Mara, 4. a wheel-turning-holy-king, and 5. a Buddha." (P.201, L.24.):

Women were considered defiled in India at that time. A woman could not be a heavenly leader named Bonten or Taishaku, a leader of devils, a leader of a country or a Buddha according to tradition in India. Today we know a few female presidents and female prime ministers in some countries. I wonder when a woman will become a president in the United States. I guess it would be easier for a woman to become a Buddha than to become the president of the United States.

"The enlightenment of the Buddha is far off. It can be attained only by those who perform the Bodhisattva practices with strenuous efforts from innumerable kalpas." (P.201, L.26.):

We have already learned that Buddha Sakyamuni had practiced the ways of Bodhisattvas in many previous lives. Then finally he was born as a prince of Kapilavatthu, India. After he renounced the luxurious life in the palace, he became a homeless monk. After six years of ascetic practices, he meditated under a Bodhi tree and at last attained Enlightenment. This is the way we have learned and other schools of Buddhism teach. However Chapter 16 of the Lotus Sutra reveals that he has been a Buddha since eternal kalpas ago.

Because the prince became a Buddha, we are not required to practice the ways of Bodhisattva for innumerable kalpas. For instance when you drive a car; Do you have to make an engine, a body, sterling wheels, etc. by yourself? You don't need to do so. You just need a key and know how to drive. When you use a computer, you do not need to know how the computer works. The hard parts have been done by someone else. We receive their hard work and use the car and computer comfortably.

Today it is an instant time. You do not need to understand the whole meaning of the Lotus Sutra. For those who do not like to study, Nichiren Shonin presented us the Odaimoku for our instant salvation. Of course study and practice help you understand Buddhism, but even an ignorant person who cannot read and write can be a Buddha instantly by faith.

"The Daughter of the dragon-king changed into a man all of a sudden." (P.202, L.12.):

Many people have explained why the girl had to change into a boy. I know a few reasons, but these explanations were made by men. I would like to know how a woman would explain why the girl had to change her appearance and body to a boy.

Some of the reasons explained by men are: