The Lotus Sutra

Chapter 1
Introduction

1. The General Introduction - The Sequence

The first words of the Sutra:

"Like this I have heard. One time the Buddha was at Vulture's Peak in Rajagriha, with a great assembly..."

The Sutras customarily begin with these six conditions to set the stage:

The Prose and Verse of The Lotus Sutra (C. Fa-Hua Wen-Chu, J. Hokke Mongu) says:

• "Like this” - This indicates the embodiment of the Dharma that is heard.
• “I have heard” - This is the person that is able to embrace it.
• “One time” - With hearing and embracing being blended, there is the time in which they are not different.
• “The Buddha” - This is the time one hears from the Buddha.
• “Was at Vulture Peak in Rajagriha” - This where the words are heard and embraced.
• “With a great assembly of Bhiksus” - These are the companions that hear and embrace it..."

A. Establishment of truth or believability: (E. ‘Like this’, ‘Thus’, or ‘As-it-is’, C. Ju-Shih, J. Nyoze)

The expression "Like This", or "Thus", or even more precisely 'As-it-is' (C. Ju, J. Nyo = As, C. Shih, J. Ze = Is) is a reference to the one Dharma, the absolute spiritual reality that is always the same (S. Tathata, C. Ju, J. Nyo, E. Like, As) for all the Buddhas and in all situations. It is an affirmation that what follows is Buddhist truth. It is so whether or not a Buddha is enlightened to it, and whether or not it is heard or believed. It is the same 'As-It-Is' (C. Ju-Shih, J. Nyoze) that is later expressed in the 'Ten Aspects' of the second chapter of The Lotus Sutra.

B. Establishment of the believer (E. ‘I have heard’, C. Wo-Wen, J. Gamon)

By tradition the Sutras are said to be the recollections of Ananda, the Buddha's beloved disciple. Ananda was said to have remembered all the words of the Buddha by heart, and recollected them all for the disciples after the Buddha entered into Parinirvana. Therefore "I have heard" is literally an expression of Ananda's remembrance (S. Smriti). It also expressed the fact that he was not the Buddha, but was only faithfully recollecting His word. For us it is an expression of faith. Faith begins with the hearing and embracing of the word. The Sutra is the word of the Buddha being remembered and brought back to life. Only after hearing it is there is accepting, embracing, reading, reciting, copying, understanding, teaching, and practicing as it teaches, etc. The "I" is where we come in. As individuals, we are temporarily here in this world, relating to that which is abolute and remembering it in order to give meaning to it and pass it along to those that follow. Only with faith may we enter into it.

C. Establishment of the time: (‘One Time’) - In this case the Buddha has completed the provisional teachings and will now reveal the perfect teaching expressed in The Lotus Sutra. The Buddha has announced that he will soon enter Nirvana and therefore he must now reveal his quintessential teaching.

D. Establishment of the host: (‘The Buddha’) Here it is the Buddha Sakyamuni that has just finished teaching The Sutra on Limitless Meanings - there are three aspects of the Buddha that will be revealed in this Sutra.

• The Buddha that has been revealed before all living beings and teaches in reponse to the capacities of living beings.
  
• The Buddha that has become enlightened through the merit attained from His spiritual quest and His career teaching of the Dharma
• The Eternal Buddha - the ultimate enlightenment, which is revealed to be the same as that inherent in all living beings.

E. Establishment of the place: (‘was at Vulture's Peak in Rajagriha’)

Vulture’s Peak: Mt. Gridrakuta - There were five mountains that surrounded the ancient city of Rajagriha . The largest of these five mountains is Vulture's Peak (Mt. Gridhakuta), about four miles northeast of the ancient city. The peak of the mountain is said to look something like a vulture’s head, and at the time of the Buddha the south face of the mountain was said to have had a charnel ground (crematorium) that attracted vultures. The vultures here symbolize the impermanence of all living beings that live in this world of Life & Death. The Buddha spent much of His time teaching here. He will reveal the Treasure Tower and the eternal Buddha at this very site. This mountain will symbolize the eternal presence of the Three Treasures in the Saha World - the 'endured' world in which we all equally reside.

Rajagriha (modern Rajgir, meaning ‘Royal House’) was the capital and home of the king of the ancient north central Indian Kingdom of Magadha, hence the name. When Sakyamuni first became enlightened and began teaching of the Dharma, the King of Magadha was Bimbisara, who became an early patron and follower of the Buddha. Bimbisara was later killed by his own son, Ajatasatru. Ajatasatru usurped his father’s throne and imprisoned his mother. Later he too became a follower and patron of the Buddha. Rajagriha here represents the temporal authority of this world.

F. Establishment of the Audience: ("With a great assembly.")

Question: Is the believer (#2) the same as the audience (#6) since they both have heard and accepted the word of the Buddha with faith, or is the believer (#2) the same as the Buddha (#4) since they both are the person that is teaching of the Dharma to the audience?

Answer: Actually, Ananda was part of the original audience. Ananda here is remembering and retelling the Buddha's words and so he is bringing the Buddha back to life. In the same way, a member of the Sangha share in the life of the Buddha, that is the Buddha manifests his life through the member of the Sangha who hears, believes, understands, and recites the Buddha's words. This is the eternal ceremony of the Three Treasures and the transmission of the Wonderful Dharma.

Next, we will elaborate on the audience...
 

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