The Confessional Samadhi of the Lotus Sutra, continued...

The Confessional Samadhi of the Lotus Sutra, page 9

6. Worshipping the Buddhas

Having already praised the Three Treasures, the practitioner should have a single mind, an erect body and a dignified bearing, and worship the Buddhas in sequence. Worshipping of the Buddhas should be done with an attitude of reverent reflection and remembrance.

And each of the Buddhas has a Spiritual Body that is like empty space - they present their shape before one's eyes and they receive one's worship. One's mind does not become distracted or disordered.

Then, while worshipping the Buddhas, one recognizes that in one's own body and mind there is emptiness and serenity, and that the reality of the worship is transcends its aspects and appearances. One also recognizes that this body, although unreal and like a dream, is not without a visible reflection. Each and all of the Buddhas before one have this body in the Spiritual Realm.

Six times a day for three weeks, one worships the Buddhas in the sequence described below with the head bowed.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Original Teacher, the Buddha Sakyamuni.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Buddha of the Past, Abundant Treasures.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Emanations of the Buddhas in the Ten Directions:

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships eastward to the Buddha Virtue of Goodness & all the Buddhas in the east.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships southeastward to the Buddha Virtue Without Lament & all the Buddhas in the southeast.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships southward to the Buddha Sandal Virtue & all the Buddhas in the south.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships southwestward to the Buddha Offering Treasure & all the Buddhas in the southwest.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships westward to the Buddha Limitless Brilliance & all the Buddhas in the west.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships northwestward to the Buddha Blossom of Virtue & all the Buddhas in the northwest.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships northward to the Buddha Signs of Virtue & all the Buddhas in the north.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships northeastward to the Buddha Practicing the Three Vehicles & all the Buddhas in the northeast.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships upward to the Buddha Spreading Many Virtues & to all the Buddhas up above.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships downward to the Buddha Brilliant Virtue & to all the Buddhas below.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships all of the Buddhas of the past, present, & future, including the Seven World Honored Ones & the thousand Buddhas from the Age of Virtue².

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the 20,000 myriad Buddhas of the Past in The Lotus Sutra, like

The Buddha Bright Lamps of the Sun & Moon³,
The Buddha Great Penetrating Wisdom with Sixteen Princes⁴,
& all the other Buddhas of the Past.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships all of the Buddhas of the Present in The Lotus Sutra, like

The Buddha Royal Constellation of Pure Blossoms of Wisdom⁵,
The Buddha Most Royal Treasure of Dignity and Virtue⁶,
& all the other Buddhas of the Present.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships all the Buddhas of the Future in The Lotus Sutra like

The Buddha Blossom of Light⁷,
The Buddha Possessing a Million Signs of Light⁸,
& all the other Buddhas of the Future.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the relics left in the world⁹, the images of the honored ones¹⁰, the caityas¹¹, and the wonderful towers in the ten directions¹², as well as the Treasure Tower of the All Inclusive Body that is The One That Has Come Abundant Treasures¹³.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Great Vehicle that is The Sutra Lotus Blossom of the Wonderful Dharma¹⁴, all of the honored Sutras of the Ten Directions, and all Twelve Parts of the Sutra¹⁵ that are the Treasury of the Dharma.

With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Manjusri and Maitreya.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Medicine King and Best Medicine.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Observing the Sounds of the World and Inexhaustible Will.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Wonderful Sound and Blossom of Virtue.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Ever Diligent and Attaining Great Energy & Power.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Great Eloquence and Gathering of Wisdom.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattvas Royal Constellation of Blossoms, Offering Valor, and Embracing the Earth.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships the Bodhisattva Supreme Conduct, and all of the boundless, countless Bodhisattva Mahasattvas springing up from the earth.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships Sariputra and all of the disciples in The Lotus Sutra.
With all one’s heart, one reverently worships all the honored great provisional Bodhisattvas of the ten directions¹⁶, as well as all the disciples and those that are self-awakened that will attain enlightenment¹⁷ in the Sangha of the virtuous and noble¹⁸.
With all one’s heart, one worships the Bodhisattva Mahasattva Universal Virtue. Three times one worships this Bodhisattva, who is the master of the confession in The Lotus Sutra. One should face this Bodhisattva and, with one’s right knee on the ground, expound on one's sins, confess and raise one’s vows with all one’s heart.

All of the other Buddhas will be completely realized and made clear during three weeks practice like this.

One vows to abolish the three obstacles¹⁹ for the sake of the four blessings that are found throughout in the three realms of existence²⁰ as well as for all living beings in this spiritual realm²¹. One devotes one's life to them and confesses.

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Footnotes:

1. Emanations of The Buddhas of the Ten Directions: In the 11^th Chapter (The Treasure Tower) Sakyamuni tells the assembly that because of the original vow of Buddha Abundant Treasures, the Buddha who is expounding The Lotus Sutra must first reassemble in one place all the Buddhas who are presently expounding The Lotus Sutra in the ten directions as His Emanations; only then can the Tower be opened and the Buddha Abundant Treasures be revealed. Sakyamuni assembles his countless Emanations (calling on the Buddha from the east first, Virtue of Goodness) and the Tower opens, revealing the Buddha Abundant Treasures. Abundant Treasures (the ‘Whole Body’) is the original Buddha (Dharmakaya) whereas Sakyamuni represents the manifestation of the Buddha (Nirmanakaya). The Buddha-Emanations of the Ten Directions (the ‘Parts of the Body’) represent the virtues & wisdom attained by the Buddha & are the Body of Reward (Sambhoga-Kaya). The names of the Buddhas of the Ten Directions are described in the 5^th Chapter (‘Easy Practices’, i.e. Worship of the Buddhas) of Nagarjuna’s Discourse on the Ten Stages. The Buddhas Virtue of Goodness (of the east) and Sandal Virtue (south) are cited in The Sutra on the Observation of the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue.

2. The Seven World Honored Ones: The Seven Buddhas that were said to be the most recent, up to including Sakyamuni, namely #1 Vipasyin #2 Sikhin #3 Visvabhu #4 Krakucchanda #5 Kanakamuni #6 Kasyapa #7 Sakyamuni – the first three were the last of the last Kalpa (‘The Glorious Kalpa’) and the last four of these are said to be the first of the present kalpa. and the thousand Buddhas from the Age of Virtue (Bhadra Kalpa): Each Kalpa is said to have a thousand Buddhas. The last kalpa was the ‘Glorious Kalpa’ or ‘Kalpa of Adornment’ (Alamkaraka Kalpa). The current Kalpa is the ‘Kalpa of Virtue’ (Bhadrakalpa), and the next will be the ‘Kalpa of the Constellations’

3. The Buddha Bright Lamp of the Sun & Moon: (S. Candra-Surya Pradipa) In Chapter One of The Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni has just taught The Sutra of Limitless Meanings and deeply entered into the Samadhi of Limitless Meanings. There have been many auspicious signs such as the quaking of the earth, the raining of blossoms, and the appearance of a ray of light from between the brow of the Buddha, illuminating all the realms from the lowest Avici Hell to the highest Akanistha Heaven. The Bodhisattva Maitreya asked the Bodhisattva Manjusri to explain this. Manjusri explained that long before the Buddha Bright Lamp of the Sun and Moon exhibited the same signs after entering into the Samadhi of Limitless Meanings and then taught the highest teaching of all, The Lotus Sutra, and that Sakyamuni would now do the same. There are said to have been 20,000 such appearances of this Buddha in the ancient past.

4. The Buddha Great Penetrating Wisdom: (S. Mahabhijna Jnanabhibhu) In the 7^th Chapter (The Magic City), eons ago there was a Buddha Great Penetrating Wisdom who before leaving home had 16 sons that were taught the Dharma including The Lotus Sutra. All became Buddhas, including Sakyamuni (the 16^th). The sixteen sons:

East	#1 Aksobhya	#2 Peak of Sumeru
Southeast	#3 Sound of the Lion	#4 Sign of the Lion
South	#5 Dwelling in Empty Space	#6 Ever Extinguished
Southwest	#7 Sign of Indra	#8 Sign of Brahma
West	#9 Amitabha	#10 Saving the World From Suffering
Northwest	#11 Penetrating Fragrance of Tamalapattra	#12 Sign of Sumeru
North	#13 Cloud of Mastery	#14 Royal Cloud of Mastery
Northeast	#15 Destroyer of Fear	#16 Sakyamuni

5. The Buddha Royal Constellation of Pure Blossoms of Wisdom is in the 24^th Chapter in the Land Adorned With Pure Light, where there is His follower the Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound.

6. The Buddha Most Royal Treasure of Dignity and Virtue is in the 28^th Chapter: Buddha from the eastern realm Wonderful Purity from which the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue came when He visited Sakyamuni.

7. The Buddha Blossom of Light: (S. Padmaprabha) In the 3^rd Chapter (The Parable) of The Lotus Sutra, Sakyamuni make a prophecy that his disciple Sariputra will become the Buddha Blossom Light, the first such prophecy. The Land of this Buddha is Undefiled, and the Age is Adorned With Great Treasure.

8. The Buddha Possessing a Million Signs of Light: In the 13^th Chapter (Encouragement in Embrace of the Sutra), Sakyamuni predicts his wife Yasodhara will be the Buddha Possessing a Million Signs of Light.

9. Relics left in the world: Relics (S. Sarira) usually refers to the remains or ashes left by the Buddha or his followers, which have been used as objects of worship. Although Sakyamuni discouraged his followers from the use of sarira (In the Mahaparinirvana Sutra he admonished “Depend on the Dharma not on a person”), the ashes were divided up and given to the laity for worship. They put the relics in great towers (S. Stupas), which were used for worship by the masses. The common people were considered to need a more concrete representation of enlightenment. Interestingly our word for religion comes from the same source as the word ‘relic’. More broadly the Spiritual Body (S. Dharmakaya) can be considered as that ‘left in the world’ by the Buddha after his extinction, and The Lotus Sutra is considered to be its quintessential representation. This idea of that which has been ‘left in the world’ is explained in the 16^th Chapter (Measuring the Life of The One That Has Come).

10. Images: Paintings, depictions, statues, symbols; visual representations

11. Caityas: Mausoleums; places where the ashes of the Buddhas were kept, and so where the Sutras or images were placed. There were eight famous caityas in India where the ashes of the Buddha were kept: Lumbini (where He was born), Bodh-Gaya (where He became enlightened), Varanasi, Jetavana, Kanyakubja, Rajagriha, Vaisali (sites where He taught), and the Sala Grove in Kusinagara (where He entered Nirvana).

12. The Towers: (S. Stupas) Structures that rise towards heaven. Built to hold relics of a Buddha or saint. King Asoka is said to have split up the ashes of the Buddha from the 8 original Caityas into 84,000 stupas.

13. The Treasure Tower of the All Inclusive Body of The One That Has Come Abundant Treasures: From the 11^th Chapter (The Treasure Tower), representing the Treasury of the Dharma from the Original Buddha (The All Inclusive or ‘Whole’ Body of the Dharma) of which the Buddhas of the present and the future are spiritual emanations (The ‘Separate’ Bodies of the Dharma).

14. The Sutra on the Lotus Blossom of the Wonderful Dharma: (S. Saddharma Pundarika Sutra, C. Miao-Fa Lien-Hua Ching, J. Myoho Renge Kyo). The title of the Sutra is said to incorporate the essential meaning of the entire Sutra and of the highest purpose of the Dharma. One of Chih-I’s three major works, The Hidden Meaning of the Lotus Sutra (Miao-Fa Lien-Hua Ching Hsuan-I) is an exegesis on the meaning of the title.

15. The Twelve Parts of the (Mahayana) Scriptures: #1 Sutras - prose discourse of the Buddha #2 Geyas – verses reiterating the prose discourses #3 Gathas – verses that stand by themselves #4 Nidanas – historical narratives #5 Itivrittakas – past lives of the Buddha’s disciples #6 Jatakas – past lives of the Buddha #7 Adbhuta Dharmas – miracle stories #8 – Avadanas – Allegories or Parables #9 Upadesas – doctrinal expositions, often in question & answer form #9 Udanas – teachings of the Buddha unprompted by disciples’ questions #11 Vaipulyas – Sutras that deal with broad topics #12 Vyakaranas – the Buddha’s prophecies of the disciples’ enlightenment

16. Provisional Bodhisattvas: This refers to the Bodhisattvas personifying the wisdom and virtues.

17. All the disciples ... that will attain enlightenment in The Lotus Sutra: See chart of disciples

18. The Virtuous and the Noble: A reference to the 42 Stages of the Bodhisattva path, which is called the three virtuous ranks and the ten noble ranks. The virtues are said to be preliminary: the (ten) abodes of inspiration, the (ten) practices of virtue, & the (ten) transfers of merit. Then come the ten final groundings (bhumis) of the Bodhisattva. After these are the two steps to full enlightenment.

19. The three obstacles: #1 Karmic deeds (causes) #2 Suffering (effects) #3 Emotional Distress

20. The Four Blessings: #1 One’s father & mother #2 One’s teachers & elders #3 One’s king & country, and #4 The Three Treasures and the Three Realm of Existence: the Realms of those living in mortal existence #1 Desire #2 Form #3 Formlessness

21. Spiritual Realm (Dharma-dhatu): The realm of spiritual reality from the lowest hell to the supreme enlightenment

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