THE SINS OF ONE'S EYES. The spirit of repentance that the follower must maintain is shown clearly in the following words: "In your innumerable former lives, by reason of your organ of the eye, you have been attached to all forms. Because of your attachment to forms, you hanker after all dust. (1) Because of your hankering after dust, you receive a woman's body and you are pleasurably absorbed in all forms everywhere you are born age after age. Forms harm your eyes and you become a slave of human affections. Therefore forms cause you to wander in the triple world. Such fatigue of your wandering there makes you so blind that you can see nothing at all. You have now recited the sutras of Great Extent, the Great Vehicle. In these sutras the buddhas of all directions preach that their forms and bodies are not extinct. You have now been able to see them--is this not true? The evil of your eye organ often does much harm to you. Obediently following my words, you must take refuge in the buddhas and Shakyamuni Buddha, and confess the sins due to your organ of the eye, saying: 'Law water of wisdom eye possessed by the buddhas and the bodhisattvas! Be pleased, by means of it, to wash me and to let me become pure!'

"Having finished speaking thus, the follower should universally salute the buddhas in all directions, and turning to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Great Vehicle sutras, he should again speak thus: 'The heavy sins of my eye organ of which I now repent are such an impediment and are so tainted that I am blind and can see nothing at all. May the Buddha be pleased to pity and protect me by his great mercy! The Bodhisattva Universal Virtue on board the ship of the great Law ferries the company of the countless bodhisattvas everywhere in all directions. Out of compassion for me, be pleased to permit me to hear the law of repenting the evil of my eye organ and the impediment of my evil karma!'

"Speaking thus three times, the follower must prostrate himself down to the ground and rightly reflect on the Great Vehicle without forgetting it. This is called the law repenting the sin of the organ of the eye. If there be anyone who calls upon the names of the buddhas, burns incense, strews flowers, aspires to the Great Vehicle, hangs silks, flags, and canopies, speaks of the errors of his eyes, and repents his sins, such a one in the present world will see Shakyamuni Buddha, the buddhas who emanated from him, and countless other buddhas, and will not fall into the evil paths for asamkhyeya kalpas. Thanks to the power and to the vow of the Great Vehicle, such a one will become an attendant of the buddhas, together with all the bodhisattvas of dharani. Anyone who reflects thus is one who thinks rightly. If anyone reflects otherwise, such is called one who thinks falsely. This is called the sign of the first stage of the purification of the eye organ."

Next the Buddha teaches the follower that he should not be satisfied with the purification of his eye organ but should further practice repentance. How he should do this the Buddha shows him in the following words: "Having finished purifying the organ of the eye, the follower should again further read and recite the Great Vehicle sutras, kneel and repent six times day and night, and should speak thus: 'Why can I only see Shakyamuni Buddha and the buddhas who emanated from him, but cannot see the Buddha's relics of his whole body in the stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures? The stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures exists forever and is not extinct. I have defiled and evil eyes. For this reason, I cannot see the stupa.' After speaking thus, the follower should again practice further repentance."

As preached in chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha Abundant Treasures appears in order to bear testimony that all that the Tathagata Shakyamuni says is true. Thus, the follower should be stern toward himself and not deceive himself. If he does not have a full understanding of any of the Buddha's teachings, he must criticize himself for his imperfection and repent of it. After seven days, his repentance will be rewarded as follows: "After seven days have passed, the stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures will spring out of the earth. Shakyamuni Buddha with his right hand opens the door of the stupa, where the Buddha Abundant Treasures is seen deep in the contemplation of the universal revelation of forms. From each pore of his body he emits rays of light as numerous as the atoms of the sands of the Ganges. In each ray there dwells one of the hundred thousand myriad kotis of transformed buddhas. When such a sign appears, the follower will rejoice and make procession around the stupa with praising verses. When he has finished making procession around it seven times, the Tathagata Abundant Treasures with a great voice praises him, saying: 'Heir of the Law! You have truly practiced the Great Vehicle and have obediently followed Universal Virtue, repenting the sins of your eye organ. For this reason, I will go to you and bear testimony to you.' Having spoken thus, the Tathagata extols the Buddha, saying: 'Excellent! Excellent! Shakyamuni Buddha! You are able to preach the great Law, to pour the rain of the great Law, and to cause all the defiled living to accomplish their buddhahood.' Thereupon the follower, having beheld the stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures, again goes to the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, and joining his palms together and saluting him, speaks to him, saying: 'Great teacher! Please teach me the repentance of my errors.'"

The contemplation of the universal revelation of forms means the contemplation in which the bodies or forms of the Buddha Abundant Treasures appear everywhere. This expression teaches us that if we attain the mental stage of realizing thoroughly the absolute truth of the Buddha's teachings, we can see the Buddha Abundant Treasures at any time.

THE SINS OF ONE'S EARS. The Buddha continued: "Universal Virtue again speaks to the follower, saying: 'Through many kalpas, because of your ear organ, you dangle after external sounds; your hearing of mystic sounds begets attachment to them; your hearing of evil sounds causes the harm of one hundred and eight delusions. Such retribution of your hearing evils brings about evil things and your incessant hearing of evil sounds produces various entanglements. Because of your perverted hearing, you will fall into evil paths, faraway places of false views, where the Law cannot be heard. At present you have recited and kept the Great Vehicle, the ocean-store of merits. For this reason, you have come to see the buddhas in all directions, and the stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures has appeared to bear testimony to you. You must yourself confess your own errors and evils and must repent all your sins.'"

Good advice for everyone is included in the above paragraph. Ordinary people have a regrettable tendency to take amiss what others say. This habit is shown at its worst in gossip. When we interpret unfavorably what others say, we become obsessed by prejudice and foster the spirit of hatred and enmity. We must be most careful to guard against such a habit in our daily lives.

"Then the follower, having heard thus, must again further join his palms together, and prostrating himself down to the ground, he must speak thus, saying: 'All Wise, World-honored One! Be pleased to reveal yourself and bear testimony to me! The sutras of Great Extent are the masters of compassion. Be pleased to look upon me and hear my words!'" The sentence "The sutras of Great Extent are the masters of compassion" is most important. It indicates the idea that the teachings of the Great Vehicle are the masters of compassion, that these teachings are the foundation of one's compassionate practice. One cannot truly raise the spirit of compassion and practice deeds of compassion until one realizes that all people equally possess the buddha-nature.

"'Until my present life, for many kalpas, because of my ear organ, I have been attached to hearing evil sounds, like glue sticking to grass; my hearing of evil sounds causes the poison of delusions which are attached to every condition and I am not able to rest even for a little while; my raising evil sounds fatigues my nerves and makes me fall into the three evil ways. Now having for the first time understood this, I confess and repent it, turning to the world-honored ones.' Having finished repenting thus, the follower will see the Buddha Abundant Treasures emitting a great ray of light which is gold-colored and universally illuminates the eastern quarter as well as the worlds in all directions, where the countless buddhas appear with their bodies of pure gold color. In the sky of the eastern quarter there comes a voice uttering thus: 'Here is a buddha, the world-honored one named Excellent Virtue, who also possesses innumerable emanated buddhas sitting cross-legged on lion thrones under jewel trees. All these world-honored ones who enter into the contemplation of universal revelation of forms speak to the follower, praising him and saying: "Good! Good! Good son! You have now read and recited the Great Vehicle sutras. That which you have recited is the mental stage of the Buddha."'"

After repenting thus, the follower purifies his mind still more and comes to be firmly aware that he is following the way to the mental stage of a buddha. However, his repentance does not end with this stage. The Bodhisattva Universal Virtue urges the follower to practice further repentance: "After these words have been spoken, the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue will again further preach to the follower the law of repentance, saying: 'In the innumerable kalpas of your former lives, because of your attachment to odors, your discrimination and your perception are attached to every condition and you fall into birth and death. Do you now meditate on the cause of the Great Vehicle! The cause of the Great Vehicle is the Real Aspect of All Things.'

"Having heard these words, the follower should again further repent, prostrating himself down to the ground. When he has repented, he should exclaim thus: 'Namah Shakyamuni Buddha! Namah stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures! Namah all the buddhas emanated from Shakyamuni Buddha!' Having spoken thus, he should universally salute the buddhas in all directions, exclaiming: 'Namah the Buddha Excellent Virtue in the eastern quarter and the buddhas who emanated from him!' The follower should also make obeisance to each of these buddhas as wholeheartedly as if he saw them with his naked eyes, and should pay homage to them with incense and flowers. After paying homage to the buddhas, he should kneel with joining his palms together and extol them with various verses. After extolling them, he should speak of the ten evil karmas and repent all his sins. Having repented, he should speak thus, saying: 'During the innumerable kalpas of my former lives, I yearned after odors, flavors, and contacts and produced all manner of evils. For this reason, for innumerable lives I have continuously received states of evil existence including hells, hungry spirits, animals, and faraway places of false views. Now I confess such evil karmas, and taking refuge in the buddhas, the kings of the Righteous Law, I confess and repent my sins.'

"Having repented thus, the follower must again read and recite the Great Vehicle sutras without negligence of body and mind. By the power of the Great Vehicle, from the sky there comes a voice saying: 'Heir of the Law! Do you now praise and explain the Law of the Great vehicle, turning to the buddhas in all directions, and before them do you yourself speak of your errors! The buddhas, the tathagatas, are your merciful fathers.'"

The words "the buddhas, the tathagatas, are your merciful fathers" are very important. Because the follower has repeatedly practiced repentance to the point of being extremely severe with himself, some people, taking a superficial view of such repentance, may feel oppressed. Other people may regard the repenting follower as a pitiable person who trembles with fear and prostrates himself before a ruler sternly scrutinizing his sins, confesses them, and begs the ruler's pardon. However, such an idea is greatly mistaken. The buddhas are our merciful fathers, who think only of the salvation of all living beings. Therefore the buddhas praise us because through our repentance we remove defilements from our mind little by little. We do not practice repentance because we fear the buddhas but rather with the hope of being extolled by the buddhas, for whom we cherish a longing desire and a thirsting heart. The expression "the buddhas, the tathagatas, are your merciful fathers" has this profound significance.

THE SINS OF ONE'S TONGUE. Following is the description of the repentance of the sins of one's tongue. One's tongue, moved by evil thoughts, produces various kinds of sins. Rectifying these necessitates rectifying one's mind. Conversely, careless words often cause one to develop evil thoughts. One ought to be especially cautious of one's tongue because both mind and words can be the cause as well as the effect of evil.

"Do you yourself speak of the evils and bad karmas produced by your organ of the tongue, saying: 'This organ of the tongue, moved by the thought of evil karmas, causes me to praise false speaking, improper language, ill speaking, a double tongue, slandering, lying, and words of false views, and also causes me to utter useless words. Because of such many and various evil karmas I provoke fights and dissensions and speak of the Law as if it were not the Law. I now confess all such sins of mine.'"

"Useless words" may be regarded as not particularly harmful. However, if a person indulges in idle talk, his mind will become dulled and he will depart from the habit of thinking of and discussing meaningful things. This is why we should try to refrain from useless and meaningless talk.

"Having spoken thus before the world's heroes, the follower must universally revere the buddhas in all directions, prostrating himself down to the ground, and joining his palms together and kneeling salute them, and he must speak thus, saying: 'The errors of this tongue are numberless and boundless. All the thorns of evil karmas come from the organ of the tongue. This tongue causes the cutting off of the wheel of the Righteous Law. Such an evil tongue cuts off the seeds of merits. Preaching of meaningless things is frequently forced upon others. Praising false views is like adding wood to a fire and further wounding living beings who already suffer in raging flames. It is like one who dies drinking poison without showing sores or pustules. Such reward of sins is evil, false, and bad, and causes me to fall into evil paths for a hundred or a thousand kalpas. Lying causes me to fall into a great hell. I now take refuge in the buddhas of the southern quarter and confess my errors and sins.'

"When the follower reflects thus, there will come a voice from the sky saying: 'In the southern quarter there is a buddha named Sandalwood Virtue who also possesses countless emanated buddhas. All these buddhas preach the Great Vehicle and extinguish sins and evils. Turning to the innumerable buddhas and the great merciful world-honored ones in all directions, you must confess such sins, false evils, and repent them with a sincere heart.' When these words have been spoken, the follower should again salute the buddhas, prostrating himself down to the ground.

"Thereupon the buddhas will send forth rays of light which illuminate the follower's body and cause him naturally to feel joy of body and mind, to raise a great mercy, and to reflect on all things extensively. At that time the buddhas will widely preach to the follower the law of great kindness, compassion, joy, and indifference, and also teach him kind words to make him practice the six ways of harmony and reverence. Then the follower, having heard this royal teaching, will greatly rejoice in his heart and will again further recite and study it without laziness."

Joy and indifference are two of the four infinite virtues. The infinite virtue of joy means enjoying the sight of those who have obtained happiness. That of indifference signifies abandoning attachment to the benefits one gives to others and even to the harm he receives from his enemies. Taken all together, the words "joy and indifference" indicate a mental attitude in which one abandons attachment to himself and thinks only of the benefit of others.

The expression "kind words" means affectionate words, one of the four virtues of the bodhisattva. The six ways of harmony and reverence are the six kinds of practices through which believers harmonize with and respect each other in the course of seeking enlightenment.

THE SINS OF ONE'S BODY AND MIND. The Buddha continued: "From the sky there again comes a mystic voice, speaking thus: 'Do you now practice the repentance of body and mind! The sins of the body are killing, stealing, and committing adultery, while the sins of the mind are entertaining thoughts of various evils. Producing the ten evil karmas and the five deadly sins is just like living as a monkey, like birdlime and glue, and the attachment to all sorts of conditions leads universally to the passions of the six sense organs of all living beings. The karmas of these six organs with their boughs, twigs, flowers, and leaves entirely fill the triple world, the twenty-five abodes of living beings, and all the places where living beings are born. Such karmas also increase ignorance, old age, death, and the twelve sufferings and infallibly reach through to the eight falsenesses and the eight circumstances. Do you now repent such evil and bad karmas!'"

The five deadly sins are killing one's father, killing one's mother, killing an arhat, injuring the body of a buddha, and causing disunity in the community of monks. Those who commit these five sins will fall into the Avici hell. The twenty-five abodes of living beings are the four evil worlds (the hells, animals, hungry spirits, and asuras), the four continents of the world of men, the six heavens of the world of desire, the seven heavens of the world of form, and the four heavens of the formless world. The eight circumstances indicate the eight conditions in which one is unable to see the Buddha or hear the Law. These are hell, animals, hungry spirits, the heaven of long life, remote places, the state of being blind or deaf, secular prejudice, and the period of the Buddha's absence.

"Then the follower, having heard thus, asks the voice in the sky, saying: 'At which place may I practice the law of repentance?'

"Thereupon the voice in the sky will speak thus, saying: 'Shakyamuni Buddha is called Vairocana Who Pervades All Places, and his dwelling place is called Eternally Tranquil Light, the place which is composed of permanency-paramita and stabilized by self-paramita, the place where purity-paramita extinguishes the aspect of existence, where bliss-paramita does not abide in the aspect of one's body and mind, and where the aspects of all laws cannot be seen as either existing or nonexisting, the place of tranquil emancipation or prajna-paramita. Because these forms are based on permanent law, thus you must now meditate on the buddhas in all directions.'"

The expressions "Vairocana Who Pervades All Places" and "Eternally Tranquil Light," like those that follow, signify the transcending of all limitations of time and space, based on the idea of sunyata, or the emptiness (explained below). Positively, it means the absolute universality of the Buddha and the Buddha land.

"Then the buddhas in all directions will each stretch out their right hands, laying them on the head of the follower, and will speak thus: 'Good! Good! Good son! Because you have now read and recited the Great Vehicle sutras, the buddhas in all directions will preach the law of repentance. The bodhisattva practice is not to cut off binding and driving nor to abide in the ocean of driving. In meditating on one's mind, there is no mind one can seize, except the mind that comes from one's perverted thought. The mind presenting such a form rises from one's false imagination like the wind in the sky, which has no foothold. Such a form of the law neither appears nor disappears. What is sin? What is blessedness? As one's own mind is emptiness of itself, sin and blessedness have no existence. In like manner all the laws are neither fixed nor going toward destruction. If one repents like this, meditating on his mind, there is no mind he can seize. The law also does not dwell in the law. All the laws are emancipation, the truth of extinction, and quiescence. Such an aspect is called the great repentance, the greatly adorned repentance, the repentance of the non-sin aspect, and the destruction of discrimination. He who practices this repentance has the purity of body and mind not fixed in the law but free as flowing water. Through each reflection, he will be able to see the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue and the buddhas in all directions."

"Thereupon all the world-honored ones, sending forth the ray of light of great mercy, preach the law of nonaspect to the follower. He hears the world-honored ones preaching the Emptiness of the first principle. When he has heard it, his mind becomes imperturbable. In due time, he will enter into the real bodhisattva standing."

"Binding and driving" is a Buddhist term denoting defilement, which binds human beings to transmigration and drives them to the world of sufferings. The bodhisattva practice is the middle way between excessive austerity and excessive indulgence. In the words "emptiness of itself," "emptiness," sunyata in Sanskrit, means first nonsubstance, and second nonattachment. The expression "sin and blessedness have no existence" signifies the state of nonatatchment, that is, sunyata. When a person reaches the state of nonattachment, the problem of good and evil is eliminated.

The Buddha addressed Ananda: "To practice in this manner is called repentance. This is the law of repentance which the buddhas and great bodhisattvas in all directions practice. After the extinction of the Buddha, if all his disciples should repent their evil and bad karmas, they must only read and recite the Great Vehicle sutras. These sutras of Great Extent are the eyes of the buddhas. By means of the sutras the buddhas have perfected the five kinds of eyes. The three kinds of the Buddha's bodies grow out of the sutras of Great Extent. This is the seal of the great Law with which the ocean of nirvana is sealed. From such an ocean are born the three kinds of pure bodies of the Buddha. These three kinds of the Buddha's bodies are the blessing field for gods and men, and the supreme object of the worship. If there be any who recite and read the sutras of Great Extent, the Great Vehicle, know that such are endowed with the Buddha's merits, and having extinguished their longstanding evils, are born of the Buddha's wisdom."

The five kinds of eyes are the physical eye, the divine eye, the wisdom eye, the Dharma eye, and the Buddha eye.

Then the World-honored One repeated the gist of his teaching in verse:

If [one] has evil in the organ of the eye
And the eyes are impure with the impediment of karmas,
[That one] must only recite the Great Vehicle [sutras]
And reflect on the first principle.
This is called the repentance of the eyes,
Exhausting all bad karmas.
The organ of the ear hears disordered sounds
And disturbs the principle of harmony.
This produces a demented mind,
Like [that of] a foolish monkey.
[That one] must only recite the Great Vehicle [sutras]
And meditate on the emptiness and nonform of things,
Forever extinguishing all the evils,
[So that] with the heavenly ears that one may hear [sounds] from the ten directions.
The organ of smell is attached to all odors,
Causing all contacts according to lusts.
The nose, thus deluded,
Gives birth to all dust [of delusion] according to lusts.
If [one] recites the Great Vehicle sutras
And meditates on the fundamental truth of things,
[That one] will become forever free from evil karmas,
And will not again produce them in future lives.
The organ of the tongue causes five kinds
Of bad karmas of evil speech.
Should [one] wish to control it by oneself,
[One] must zealously practice compassion,
And, considering the true principle of quiescence of the Law,
Should not conceive discriminations.
The organ of thought is like [that of] a monkey,
Never resting even for a little while.
Should [one] desire to subdue [this organ],
[One] must zealously recite the Great Vehicle [sutras],
Reflecting on the Buddha's greatly enlightened body,
The completion of [his] power, and [his] fearlessness.
The body, the master of its organs,
As dust rolls in the wind
Wanders among the six defilements
Freely, without obstacles.
If [one] desires to destroy these evils,
To be removed forever from all the dust of delusions,
Ever dwelling in the city of nirvana,
And to be at ease with tranquil mind,
[One] should recite the Great Vehicle sutras
And reflect on the mother of bodhisattvas. (2)
Innumerable surpassing means of tactfulness
Will be obtained through [one's] reflection on the true aspect [of all things].
These six teachings
Are called [the doctrine of purification of] the six sense organs.
The ocean of impediment of all karmas
Is produced from [one's] false imagination.
Should [one] wish to repent of [it],
[One] should sit upright and meditate on the true aspect [of all things].
All sins are just as frost and dew,
[So] wisdom's sun can disperse [them].
Therefore intently
[One] should repent of the six sense organs.

The essence of repentance in Buddhism is summed up in the following lines from the above verses:

[One] should sit upright and meditate on the true aspect [of all things].
All sins are just as frost and dew,
[So] wisdom's sun can disperse [them].

These lines are so sacred and important that we should learn them by heart and constantly keep them in mind.

THE MERITS OF REPENTANCE. Having spoken these verses, the Buddha again addressed Ananda: "Do you now repent of these six organs, keep the law of meditating on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, and discriminate and explain it widely to all the gods of the universe and men. After the extinction of the Buddha, if all his disciples receive and keep, read and recite, and expound the sutras of Great Extent, whether in a quiet place or in a graveyard, or under a tree, or in a place of the aranya, they must read and recite the sutras of Great Extent, and must think of the meaning of the Great Vehicle. By virtue of the strong power of their reflecting on the sutras, they will be able to see myself, the stupa of the Buddha Abundant Treasures, the countless emanated buddhas from all directions, the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, the Bodhisattva Manjusri, the Bodhisattva Medicine King, and the Bodhisattva Medicine Lord. By virtue of their revering the Law, these buddhas and bodhisattvas, abiding in the sky with various wonderful flowers, will extol and revere those who practice and keep the Law. By virtue of their only reciting the sutras of Great Extent, the Great Vehicle, the buddhas and bodhisattvas will day and night pay homage to those who keep the Law.

"I as well as the bodhisattvas in the Virtuous kalpa (3) and the buddhas in all directions, by means of our thinking of the true meaning of the Great Vehicle, have now rid ourselves of the sins of birth and death during hundreds of myriad kotis of asamkhyeya kalpas. By means of this supreme and wonderful law of repentance, we have each become the buddhas in all directions. If one desires to accomplish Perfect Enlightenment rapidly and wishes in his present life to see the buddhas in all directions and the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, he must take a bath to purify himself, wear clean robes, and burn rare incense, and must dwell in a secluded place, where he should recite and read the Great Vehicle sutras and think of the meaning of the Great Vehicle.

"If there are living beings who desire to meditate on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, they must meditate thus. If anyone meditates thus, such is called one who meditates rightly. If anyone meditates otherwise, such is called one who meditates falsely. After the extinction of the Buddha, if all his disciples obediently follow the Buddha's words and practice repentance, let it be known that these are doing the work of Universal Virtue. Those who do the work of Universal Virtue see neither evil aspects nor the retribution of evil karmas. If there be any living beings who salute the buddhas in all directions six times day and night, recite the Great Vehicle sutras, and consider the profound Law of the Emptiness of the first principle, they will rid themselves of the sins of birth and death produced during hundreds of myriad kotis of asamkhyeya kalpas in the short time it takes one to snap his fingers. Anyone doing this work is a real Buddha son who is born from the buddhas. The buddhas in all directions and the bodhisattvas will become his preceptors. This is called one who is perfect in the precepts of the bodhisattvas. Without going through the ceremony of confession, he will of himself accomplish bodhisattvahood and will be revered by all the gods and men."

A preceptor is a teacher who gives the Buddhist precepts to one who is becoming a monk in a ceremony in which the latter vows to observe the precepts. Here it is confirmed that the buddhas in all directions and the bodhisattvas will become the preceptors of a real Buddha son, one who is perfect in the precepts of the bodhisattvas.

The "ceremony of confession," called karman in Sanskrit, is a ceremony in which a person confesses transgressions of the rules of discipline that the Buddha set forth for monks and nuns. Here it is said that without going through such ceremony of confession, a real Buddha son will of himself accomplish bodhisattvahood and will be revered by all the gods and men.

Next, the Buddha teaches the follower to practice repentance in the following way if he desires to be perfect in the precepts of the bodhisattva: "At that time, if the follower desires to be perfect in the precepts of the bodhisattva, he must join his palms together, dwell in the seclusion of the wilds, universally salute the buddhas in all directions, and repent his sins, and must himself confess his errors. After this, in a calm place, he should speak to the buddhas in all directions, saying thus: 'The buddhas, the world-honored ones, remain forever in this world. Because of the impediments of my karmas, though I believe in the sutras of Great Extent, I cannot clearly see the buddhas. I have now taken refuge in the buddhas. Be pleased, Shakyamuni Buddha, All Wise and World-honored One, to be my preceptor! Manjusri, possessor of great compassion! With your wisdom, be pleased to bestow on me the laws of pure bodhisattvas! Bodhisattva Maitreya, supreme and great merciful sun! Out of your compassion for me, be pleased to permit me to receive the laws of the bodhisattvas! Buddhas in all directions! Be pleased to reveal yourselves and bear testimony to me! Great bodhisattvas! Through calling each upon your names, be pleased, supreme great leaders, to protect all living beings and to help us! At present I have received and kept the sutras of Great Extent. Even if I should lose my life, fall into hell, and receive innumerable sufferings, I would never slander the Righteous Law of the buddhas. For this reason and by the power of this merit, Shakyamuni Buddha! Be now pleased to be my preceptor! Manjusri! Be pleased to be my teacher! Maitreya in the world to come! Be pleased to bestow on me the Law! Buddhas in all directions! Be pleased to bear witness to me! Bodhisattvas of great virtues! Be pleased to be my friends! I now, by means of the profound and mysterious meaning of the Great Vehicle sutras, take refuge in the Buddha, take refuge in the Law, and take refuge in the Sangha.'"

The Buddha tells the follower to say this three times. The faith and desires of Buddhists are summed up in this paragraph. The expressions "Be pleased to reveal yourselves and bear testimony to me" and "Be pleased to bear witness to me" mean, "I call all the buddhas to witness whether I practice my vows or not." The words "supreme great leaders" refer to the bodhisattvas.

"Even if I should lose my life, fall into hell, and receive innumerable sufferings, I would never slander the Righteous Law of the buddhas": this is the mental attitude of a true believer. When people do not obtain any apparent merit from their religious practices because of longstanding evil karmas from their former lives, they tend to slander God or the Buddha. In doing so, they let go their hold on the lifeline that can save them from suffering. No one who believes in the Righteous Law of the Buddha can fall into hell. Even if a believer in the Righteous Law should come to this, he must maintain his determination to persevere to the end. Such a person, having a pure mind devoted to his faith, will be saved naturally from his sufferings.

In the invocation "Manjusri! Be pleased to be my teacher!" the word "teacher" means an eminent priest who, as the assistant of a preceptor, gives instruction to novices in the ceremony in which they receive the Buddhist precepts. "Maitreya in the world to come! Be pleased to bestow on me the Law!" indicates the follower's desire to receive the Law from the Bodhisattva Maitreya, who it is believed will appear in this saha world 5,670,000,000 years after the parinirvana of Shakyamuni Buddha. "Be pleased to be my friends!" signifies the follower's wish for the bodhisattvas of great virtues to instruct him as his companions on the way to enlightenment. The final sentence mentions that the follower must take refuge in the Three Treasures of the Buddha, the Law, and the Sangha. The meaning of the Three Treasures has been discussed in detail in chapter 16.

The Buddha continued: "The follower must speak thus three times. Having taken refuge in the Three Treasures, next he must himself vow to receive the sixfold laws. Having received the sixfold laws, next he must zealously practice the unhindered brahma-conduct, raise the mind of universally saving all living beings, and receive the eightfold laws. Having made such vows, in the seclusion of the wilds, he must burn rare incense, strew flowers, pay homage to all the buddhas, the bodhisattvas, and the sutras of Great Extent, the Great Vehicle, and must speak thus, saying: 'I have now raised the aspiration to buddhahood: may this merit save all the living!'

"Having spoken thus, the follower should again further prostrate himself before all the buddhas and the bodhisattvas, and should think of the meaning of the sutras of Great Extent. During a day or three times seven days, whether he be a monk or a layman, he has no need of a preceptor, nor does he need to employ any teacher; even without attending the ceremony of karman, because of the power coming from his receiving and keeping, reading and reciting the Great Vehicle sutras and because of the works which the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue helps and inspires him to do--they are in fact the eyes of the Righteous Law of the buddhas in all directions--he will be able, through this law, to perform by himself the five kinds of Law bodies: precepts, meditation, wisdom, emancipation, and knowledge of emancipation. All the buddhas, the tathagatas, have been born of this Law and have received the prediction of their enlightenment in the Great Vehicle sutras."

The sixfold laws are the following six Buddhist precepts: not to take life, not to steal, to refrain from wrong sexual activity, not to lie, not to drink intoxicants, and not to speak of other people's faults. The eightfold laws are the preceding six precepts plus two others: not to conceal one's faults and not to emphasize other people's shortcomings rather than their good points.

THE REPENTANCE OF THE THREE MAJOR CLASSES. Next the Buddha preaches the repentance that must be practiced by each of the major classes: shravakas (monks), upasakas (male lay devotees), and all people, including kings, ministers, Brahmans, citizens, elders, state officials, and so on. "Therefore, O wise man! Suppose that a shravaka breaks the threefold refuge, the five precepts, and the eight precepts, the precepts of bhiksus, of bhikusunis, of sramaneras, of sramaneris, of siksamanas and their dignified behavior, and also suppose that because of his foolishness, evil, and bad and false mind he infringes many precepts and the rules of dignified behavior. If he desires to rid himself of and destroy these errors, to become a bhiksu again and to fulfill the laws of monks, he must diligently read the sutras of Great Extent, considering the profound Law of the Emptiness of the first principle, and must bring this wisdom of the Emptiness to his heart; know that in each one of his thoughts such a one will gradually end the defilement of all his longstanding sins without any remainder--this is called one who is perfect in the laws and the precepts of monks and fulfills their dignified behavior. Such a one will be served by all gods and men."

The five precepts are not to take life, not to steal, to refrain from wrong sexual activity, not to lie, and not to drink intoxicants. The eight precepts are the preceding five plus three others: to avoid perfume, dancing, and the theater; not to sit or sleep in an adorned chair; and not to eat after noon. A sramanera is a novice who has received the ten precepts, after which he may become a sramana, a monk or ascetic. A siksamana is a female novice between the ages of eighteen and twenty who practices the five general precepts and the additional one of not eating at unregulated hours.

The Buddha continued: "Suppose any upasaka violates his dignified behavior and does bad things. To do bad things means, namely, to proclaim the errors and sins of the Buddha Laws, to discuss evil things perpetrated by the four groups, and not to feel shamed even in committing theft and adultery. If he desires to repent and rid himself of these sins, he must zealously read and recite the sutras of Great Extent and must think of the first principle. Suppose a king, a minister, a Brahman, a citizen, an elder, a state official, all of these persons seek greedily and untiringly after desires, commit the five deadly sins, slander the sutras of Great Extent, and perform the ten evil karmas. Their recompense for these great evils will cause them to fall into evil paths faster than the breaking of a rainstorm. They will be sure to fall into the Avici hell. If they desire to rid themselves of and destroy these impediments of karmas, they must raise shame and repent all their sins.

"Why is it called a law of repentance of Kshatriyas and citizens? The law of repentance of Kshatriyas and citizens is that they must constantly have the right mind, not slander the Three Treasures nor hinder the monks nor persecute anyone practicing brahma-conduct; they must not forget to practice the law of the six reflections; they must again support, pay homage to, and surely salute the keeper of the Great Vehicle; they must remember the profound doctrine of sutras and the Emptiness of the first principle. One who thinks of this law is called one who practices the first repentance of Kshatriyas and citizens. Their second repentance is to discharge their filial duty to their fathers and mothers and to respect their teachers and seniors--this is called one who practices the law of the second repentance. Their third repentance is to rule their countries with the Righteous Law and not to oppress their people unjustly--this is called one who practices the third repentance. Their fourth repentance is to issue within their states the ordinance of the six days of fasting and to cause their people to abstain from killing wherever their powers reach. One who practices such a law is called one who practices the fourth repentance. Their fifth repentance is to believe deeply the causes and results of things, to have faith in the way of one reality, and to know that the Buddha is never extinct--this is called one who practices the fifth repentance."

The law of the six reflections means to reflect on the six important things: the Buddha, the Law, the Sangha, the precepts, gift-giving, and the heavens. Here we can interpret "the heavens" as meaning to remain untainted with worldly defilements. The six days of fasting are the days of purification, on which offerings are made to the dead. The six days are the eighth, fourteenth, fifteenth, twenty-third, twenty-ninth, and thirtieth days of the month, on which laymen observe the eight precepts; in Japanese they are called the roku sainichi, or six days of fasting. Interpreted in modern terms, the expression "to issue within their state the ordinance of the six days of fasting and to cause their people to abstain from killing wherever their powers reach" means that all people should respect the lives of all living beings.

The phrase "the cause and result of things," found in the fifth repentance, indicates the fundamental principle that if one sows good seed, he will surely reap a good harvest; if he sows bad seed, he must inevitably reap a bad harvest. Though the results may appear quickly or slowly, everyone will be sure to receive the results that accord with their actions. Anyone who has deeply understood this principle will never do evil. In the phrase "the way of one reality," "one reality" means only one truth, namely, the immutable one existence (truth, or the Buddha) among the various changing phenomena of this world.

"The Buddha addressed Ananda: 'If, in future worlds, there be any who practices these laws of repentance, know that such a man has put on the robes of shame, is protected and helped by the buddhas, and will attain Perfect Enlightenment before long.' As these words were spoken, ten thousand divine sons acquired pure spiritual eyes, and also the great bodhisattvas, the Bodhisattva Maitreya and others, and Ananda, hearing the preaching of the Buddha, all rejoiced and did as the Buddha commanded."

The Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue ends with these words. I am afraid that some readers may have found it hard to understand fully some parts of the sutra because it is very profound and difficult in content. However, we may say in conclusion that repentance is to learn the teaching of the Great Vehicle and to practice it. Repentance means not compromising with oneself, not having a lukewarm or equivocal attitude, but polishing one's buddha-nature by gradually removing delusions and defilements from one's mind. The practice of repentance consists in the bodhisattva practice, through which one not only polishes his buddha-nature but also renders service to others. Repentance is an indispensable requisite of religious life. It is to be hoped that all people will repeatedly read and recite this sutra on repentance, realize its essence, and put it into practice in their daily lives.

Here ends the commentary on the Threefold Lotus Sutra. When you have read through the entire Threefold Lotus Sutra and have examined yourself in the light of its teachings, you may find that the actual state of your mind is so imperfect as to seem hopeless, and you may feel at a loss as to what to do. I was told that someone confessed that he found it hard to approach the Lotus Sutra again after having read it because of its extreme profundity. I can understand why he felt cowed by the profundity of the sutra. I suspect, however, that he had not read the sutra deeply enough, and that if he had read it repeatedly, he would have come to regard it as the teaching capable of leading all of us directly to salvation. We should start our practice from even one teaching in the Lotus Sutra and from even the smallest act in our daily lives. The sutra itself exhorts us not to think that its teachings are beyond our capacities.

There is an appropriate story in the Sutra of a Hundred Parables (Hyakuyu-kyo) with which I would like to conclude. Once there was a very stupid man. As he was parched with thirst, he roamed here and there looking for water. While walking about, he luckily arrived at the shore of the Indus River. For some reason, however, he just stood on the riverbank instead of drinking. A friend nearby wondered at his behavior and asked him, "Why don't you drink the water in the river?" The man answered, "I am dying for a drink! But the river has so much water that I cannot possibly drink it all. So I am hesitating as to whether I should drink or not."

I sincerely hope that no one will harbor such a foolish idea toward the teaching of the Threefold Lotus Sutra.

end

(1) This symbolizes delusions, because the delusions preventing living beings from attaining wisdom are as innumerable as atoms of dust.

(2) This refers to the doctrine of the Great Vehicle as the mother and supporter of the bodhisattvas.

(3) The present kalpa, also known as the kalpa of the sages.