It is March 2016 as we begin examining the manifestation of the Chapter II, Expedient Means, from the Lotus Sutra. There is so much to explore in this, the longest chapter in the Lotus Sutra. For this chapter and probably for other chapters in the Lotus Sutra I will not be limiting myself, or you, to only the Murano translation. There are good words and good phrases in other translations which sometimes elicit more images and examples so why not use them. I will, however probably only use the Murano translation and the Threefold Lotus Sutra translation for the art work since I have the most copies of them. If I run across some inexpensive Hurvitz copies I know I’ll use them, because I like the phraseology there as well.
Looking at Chapter II I am going to skip any discussion of the 10 Suchnesses and any doctrinal discussion of what the first portions means. I’ve discussed and written about that in my book Lecture on the Lotus Sutra as well as other posts and recorded lectures. I see no reason to say what’s been said again.
At the start of this chapter the Buddha says to Shariputra, the most knowledgeable of his disciples, that he doesn’t know the truth or heart of Buddhas. He lets Shariputra know that intellect isn’t the way to enter the gate of the wisdom of Buddhas. To me this sounds like someone telling another person, you think you know but you really have no clue. It is as if the Buddha is saying, you think you’re so smart but you aren’t. It isn’t being said harshly or sarcastically though. I hear a softness in the Buddha’s ‘voice’ when I read this. There is a small amount of reproach for sure, but it is only to perhaps open Shariputra’s eyes a little.
When I think about this and think about perhaps what Shariputra may have felt, or how I would feel in his situation I am reminded of times when I thought I understood something when I didn’t. One example of this is a preconceived idea that Buddhism is about sitting quietly under a tree. The idea that everything is mellow, that extremes of emotions are eliminated and that all anger is removed and no longer exists within my life. I’m not the only one who has had that idea or concept of what Buddhism is about.
Yet, in reality, as we learn from the Lotus Sutra, anger is never eliminated just as enlightenment is present even when we are experiencing or acting out of anger. The reality of only mellow emotions is not the reality of the Buddha’s life, nor is it to be the reality of our lives. Sometimes being a Buddhist is about engaging in fierce battles. We engage in these struggles to oppose our lazy tendencies, or to resist acting out of emotions or feelings which if left unchecked could cause us or someone else harm. The battle against fear of failure, or the fear of success; yes some people do fear succeeding.
Fearlessness is an idea the Buddha mentions in many places in the Lotus Sutra. In Chapter II the word fearless is mentioned five times. That is a fairly high number of times to use a word and perhaps an indication we should not ignore this idea. In the remainder of the Lotus Sutra it the word fearlessness is mentioned another 19 times. I am guessing there are some who like myself did not originally think of Buddhism from the perspective of fearless.
Fear and Fearlessness is an important subject to consider. What are your fears is frequently explored in hospital chaplain work. What are the things that keep you from being happy, what are you afraid of? In Chapter II the Buddha says:
“I am now joyful and fearless.
I have laid aside all expedient teachings.
I will expound only unsurpassed enlightenment
To Bodhisattvas.”
Fear holds us back from experiencing life with joy. What the Buddha is saying is when we can also, as he has done, cast aside our fears then we can experience the limitless joys of life and enlightenment. Realizing that all things are impermanent and changing liberates us from the need to fear and creates the space for enlightenment to emerge. Even enlightenment is an ever expanding experience, though unavailable if we live in fear.
I am envisioning two pieces of art for this chapter. The first one was inspired by the following quote:
“The Dharma cannot be shown.
It is inexplicable by words.
No one can understand it
Except the Buddhas
And the Bodhisattvas
Who are strong in the power of faith.”
In this image, as has been the case so far, the text from the page of the Lotus Sutra where the quote occurs is mostly obscured. The particular quoted text is readable, though not so clearly in the photograph as in the piece itself. There are all sorts of things going on, obscured flowers and patterns. Most of the patters are circular. The obscurity is the static noise that thinking and mental processes can produce. Notice I say ‘can produce’, it isn’t always the case though frequently it is. Circles and round dots are indicative to me of the endless ways in which the mind can keep us busy with rationalizing, analyzing, measuring, parsing, evaluating and others which prevent feeling and being. The waves over the ears at the back of the head and the waves over the mouth represent the static and noise we hear and speak. These are the static which is both physical and mental. The conversations we have with our selves, the stories we tell ourselves about life, the messages we hear which are not verified or clarified. The constant drum of stuff which is often misleading, harmful, or distracting. All of these keep us from experiencing the joy of faith, the joy of life, the joy of enlightenment we each have.
This little illustration is done on page 26 from the Murano translation. I have not pointed out that depending upon which translation I use the size of the art piece will be different, but only slightly so. I used acrylics, water colors, rubber stamps, stencils, and pen and ink. The paper was slightly texturized using a plate printing process. In that process the plate was coated and as the paper was removed the ink pulled and lifted of the paper. This caused a crackled appearance in many of the future layers. There are roughly 7 layers of paint, image, rubbing, drawing and so forth, one on top of another. For the most part the back side of the paper is clean with little evidence there is anything on the other side. The first layer on these pages is a clear gesso to seal the paper and prevent any show through or bleeding. While these are not necessarily archival, they will last a long time, and I wanted the evidence of the removal from a book present even if unclear on the front of the piece.
