The Prose & Verse of The Lotus Sutra

Chapter 2
Ways & Means

 Page 6

D. Quoting Literal Proof From the Sutras

These ten meanings include all teachings and penetrate both the great and small doctrines.

We further quote from this Sutra:

1. Principle & Phenomenon:
   “Not like those of Threefold Realm see themselves”
   The phenomenon is the Threefold Realm.
   The principle that one sees is ‘not like the Threefold Realm’
2. Principle & Doctrine:
   “The serene and extinguished aspect of all things is impossible to express in words” This is the principle.
   “With the power of ways and means the five Bhiksus were taught” This is the doctrine.
3. Doctrine & Practice:
   “If one listens to this Sutra one will skillfully practice the path of the Bodhisattvas”
   This is literal proof of the doctrine and the practice.
   And there is “You who practice this Bodhisattva path are the Buddha’s children. Having practiced the path, in the future you will attain enlightenment.”
   And there is “With various kinds of causes and conditions they seek the path of enlightenment.”
4. Attachment & Liberation:
   “Although being free of falsehood is called liberated understanding, it is not yet attaining complete liberated understanding.”
5. Cause & Effect:
   “In exhaustively practicing the ways of the Buddhas, they will attain the fruit at the seat of enlightenment”¹
6. Embodiment & Application:
   “Observing with my enlightened eye, I see the living beings of the six paths.”
7. The Gradual & The Sudden Teachings:
   “First I saw your life and heard your teaching, and then everywhere I faithfully accepted and entered into the spiritual insight of The One That Has Come, discarding the habits learned in the study and cultivation of the small vehicle.”
8. Separation & Union:
   “The vagrant first ran away... Then as a guest he shoveled dirt... Later the wealth was bestowed upon him.”²
9. The General & Specific Benefits:
   “First they stopped at the magic city... later they were led to the treasure trove.”³
10. The Four Siddhanta:
    “Living beings have various kinds of desires, natures, and thoughts...”

This is generally quoting literal proof from the whole Sutra. Now we specifically quote from this single chapter. Although they are not in sequential order, the words fully possess the ten ideas.

1. “The wisdom of the Buddhas is very deep and without measure. The door to this wisdom is hard to understand and hard to enter.” All the phenomena and principles, objects and wisdoms, etc., are called ‘the reality’. In giving and establishing spoken and cognitive explanations, there were the Agamas which were the spoken doctrines. They were the doors to this wisdom. This is literal proof of principle & doctrine, and their provision and reality.
2. “It is hard to understand and hard to enter. All of the spiritual disciples and the self-awakened are unable to understand it.” This is on the provision and reality of attachment & liberation.
3. From “This is because the Buddhas have already been intimately close” to “their names are heard everywhere”… This is on the provision and reality of doctrine & practice.
4. From “Realizing the very deep spirituality (Dharma) never before experienced” to “the conditions of the mind being difficult to understand”…This is on the provision and reality of embodiment & application.
5. “Since I have attained enlightenment and come…” Attaining enlightenment is the effect. The effect certainly has a cause. This is on the provision and reality of cause & effect.
6. From “Various kinds of reasoning and various kinds of illustrations” to “Making them free of their attachments” is on the provision and reality of the gradual & sudden teachings.
7. “This is because the knowledge and vision of ways and means is already completely perfect in The One That Has Come.” This is on the provision and reality of separation & union.
8. “All the Buddhas have appeared in this world for one great cause and work, to make all living beings open up, reveal, awaken and enter into the knowledge and vision of enlightenment.” This is on the provision and reality of the general & specific benefits.
9. “To take the essence of these words, the Buddha completely realizes….” This is the realization of the Three Siddhanta. “No more, no more, it is not necessary to teach…” This is the Siddhanta of the Highest Significance. This is on the provision and reality of the Four Siddhanta.
10. From “The Buddha has realized the rarest…” to “The true spiritual aspect of all things” is on the principle. “The appearance as-it-is, the nature as-it-is, etc…” refers to the phenomena. This is on the provision and reality of principle & phenomena.

Although The Discourse on The Lotus Sutra¹ understands ‘The wisdom of the Buddhas is very deep…” as being ‘the realization of that which is very deep’, there are five parts of this that is ‘very deep’.

1. The Meaning that is very deep
2. The Embodiment of Reality that is very deep
3. The Inner Realization that is very deep
4. That On Which All Depends which is very deep²
5. That Which is Most Deep, which is the realization of the Great Enlightenment³

• That called ‘The door to this wisdom’ is the teaching of the Agamas which is The Meaning That is Very Deep. This is the same idea as that on the provision and reality of principle & doctrine.
• The Discourse understands ‘The Buddha has been intimately close to hundreds of thousands of Buddhas” as being The Cultivation of Practice That is Very Deep and “With a bravery, valor and diligence, their names are heard everywhere” as being The Development of Merits and Virtues That is Very Deep. This is the same idea as the provision and reality of doctrine & practice.
• The Discourse understands “Realizing the spirituality (Dharma) never before experienced” as being The Subtle & Wonderful Phenomena That is Very Deep and ‘The conditions of the mind that are difficult to understand…” as being That Which is Most Deep. ‘Entering into the very deep’ is the same idea as the provision and reality of embodiment & application.
• The Discourse understands “Since I have attained enlightenment and come into this world…” as explaining The Realization of the Merits and Virtues of The One That Has Come. This is the same idea as the provision and reality of cause & effect.
• The Discourse understands “Countless ways and means” as being The Realization of Doctrinal Influence & the Teaching of the Dharma. This is the same idea as the provision and reality of the gradual & sudden teachings.
• The Discourse understands from “The knowledge and vision of ways and means in The One That Has Come…” to “…deeply enter the boundless…” as being The Realization of the Inconceivable Sphere in one’s own life that surpasses all of the Bodhisattvas, which is the benefit of illumination.
• The Discourse understands “…capable of various kinds of distinctions, and teaching and pleasing a multitude of minds…” as being The Realization of Benefits in Words and Language. These two benefits (in words and in illumination) are the same idea as the provision and reality of the benefits.
• The Discourse understands “To take the essence of these words” and “No more, it is not necessary to teach…” as being the possibility to Spiritual Influence Living Beings. This is the same idea as the provision and reality of the Four Siddhanta and the possibility or impossibility of spiritually influencing living beings.
• The Discourse understands “This can only ultimately be fathomed between Buddhas” as being The Realization of Limitless Blessings. That which the Buddhas are able to fathom is The Embodiment of the Spiritual Life (Dharmakaya) of The One That Has Come that is unchanging. Upon awakening to it there is the ability to attain realization of it in one’s own life and the ability to adapt it and teach of it to living beings. This is “the true spiritual aspect in all things”, and is the same idea as the provision and reality of principle & phenomena.

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 Footnote:

1. The Discourse on the Lotus Sutra: Early commentary attributed to Vasubandhu

2. That On Which All Depends which is very deep: S. Bhuta-tathata, the absolute reality

3. That Which is Most Deep, which is the realization of the Great Enlightenment: S. Maha-Bodhi

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