Question Rev. Mikawa, After witnessing Buddha’s great powers of illumination of countless worlds how is it in the coming chapter 5000 people from the audience get up and leave ? I mean if l were privileged enough and endowed with good karma to be there and witness miraculous powers of insight why would l be offended and prideful? I can never imagine myself doing such a thing or anyone else, and yet in the Lotus Sutra it did happen. I’m reminded of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible and all the miraculous happenings that his God made happen and still the children of Israel worshiped a calf of gold. I enjoy so much reading this wonderful Sutra and believe it to be true.
Thanks for raising this excellent point! Yes, you are right that a common answer to your question is that these monks are complacent and prideful and hence are no longer interested in learning further in spited of their witnessing the Buddha's miraculous power. You are trying to go further than this common answer, which I found encouraging and exciting! I think a deeper and uncommon answer to your question is to say that even these backsliders, those who seem to be too far from becoming a buddha, will become a buddha without an exception. I think this is secretly a textual strategy of the Lotus Sutra by way of which the sutra implicitly makes its point of the universal Buddhahood.
I heard a korean monk in youtube once said... the point of the lotus sutra is 皆以成佛 meaning everyone's already a buddha... you're saying everyone will become a buddha. do you think you can reconcile this ?
That's also what Reverend Ichishima of the Tendai school told me in Kyoto, in a taxi. That that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. As @AwakenYourInnerBuddha says it is a contradiction between "always already are" and "becoming" that are both true simultaneously, the way you can think about it is something the amazing Robert Thurman said that he experiences his current life as if a reflection (or retrospection) of his own future Buddhahood looking back on its own past.
@@AirSandFire Wow, thank you so much for sharing this wisdom and your experience! Buddha looking back at its own past. Yes, what we see as present is buddhas past and that Buddha is us. LS chapter 20 implies that too.
Thank you for sharing with us these important explanations!
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo!
Thank you for showing your presence here :)
Thank you!! ☺️ great explanation
Question Rev. Mikawa,
After witnessing Buddha’s
great powers of illumination
of countless worlds how is it
in the coming chapter 5000
people from the audience get up and leave ? I mean if l were privileged enough and endowed with good karma to be there and witness miraculous powers
of insight why would l be offended and prideful?
I can never imagine myself doing such a thing or anyone else, and yet in the Lotus Sutra it did happen.
I’m reminded of Moses in the Old Testament of the Bible and all the miraculous
happenings that his God made happen and still the children of Israel worshiped
a calf of gold. I enjoy so much reading this wonderful Sutra and believe
it to be true.
Thanks for raising this excellent point! Yes, you are right that a common answer to your question is that these monks are complacent and prideful and hence are no longer interested in learning further in spited of their witnessing the Buddha's miraculous power. You are trying to go further than this common answer, which I found encouraging and exciting! I think a deeper and uncommon answer to your question is to say that even these backsliders, those who seem to be too far from becoming a buddha, will become a buddha without an exception. I think this is secretly a textual strategy of the Lotus Sutra by way of which the sutra implicitly makes its point of the universal Buddhahood.
I heard a korean monk in youtube once said... the point of the lotus sutra is 皆以成佛 meaning everyone's already a buddha... you're saying everyone will become a buddha. do you think you can reconcile this ?
Great point. Sitting with contradictions that are not being solved is the first step for understanding the wondrous world of the Lotus Sutra.
That's also what Reverend Ichishima of the Tendai school told me in Kyoto, in a taxi. That that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra. As @AwakenYourInnerBuddha says it is a contradiction between "always already are" and "becoming" that are both true simultaneously, the way you can think about it is something the amazing Robert Thurman said that he experiences his current life as if a reflection (or retrospection) of his own future Buddhahood looking back on its own past.
@@AirSandFire Wow, thank you so much for sharing this wisdom and your experience! Buddha looking back at its own past. Yes, what we see as present is buddhas past and that Buddha is us. LS chapter 20 implies that too.