Scanned image
This chapter opens with the parable about the cloud of rain that waters the plants in the land. Even though the plants have many differences they all are equally nourished by this rain. Early on in this project I did a piece of art which I donated to Myokei Shonin, Bishop of NONA.
In the parable mention is made of roots, stems, branches and leaves of trees and grasses. This often does not get explained when talking about this famous parable. I have included an image of a tree on the piece of art I did for this section and would like to talk about its symbolic meaning. The roots in the parable represent faith, the stem is the precepts, branches are firm mind, and leaves are wisdom. These also represent in an abbreviated form faith, practice, and study. In the Shoho Jisso Sho, Nichiren encourages us and reminds us that without practice and study there is no Buddhism. Without all three of these, or the four as presented in the parable by roots, stem, branches, and leaves, then we do not have favorable conditions for enlightenment to occur in our lives. The roots, our faith, provide nourishment to our practice and study by making those more than merely mechanical or formulaic. Without faith, after a while the practice can quickly become something other than a means for enlightenment. Also it is the strength of the roots which hold the plant upright. Here in Charlotte the inner city trees are classified as an Old Growth Forest because of the age of most trees being over 100 years old, which is very old for oak trees. Today with so many of these trees exceeding the normal life expectancy there is concern that not enough has been done to ensure new trees are mature as the old ones come down. Besides disease and old age another cause of a loss of tree here is due to the roots giving out. Well, sometimes it isn’t the roots that give out it is the clay soil gives out and there is nothing for the roots to cling to. At any rate without a good root structure and firm hold the plant will come down, big or small, the roots provide support.
The stem or trunk represents the precepts. The trunk transports fluids and nutrients in both directions in a plant. The bark takes things in one direction and the trunk core takes things in another direction. That is why if you remove the bark completely from around a tree it will kill it. This is a frequent cause of death due to weedeaters whacking off the bark from a young sapling or immature tree. I suppose it would be easy to say the trunk is the most important part of a plant, if we merely went with what we can see with our eyes. Yet what is visible to the eye is not always the entire story. As I write this I wonder what part of your story of the Lotus Sutra in your life is not seen, either by you or others, yet is crucial in supporting your life and faith? By the way, since I just thought of this question I don’t have a personal response. So I am keeping the question in my mind and will consider how I might answer it for myself. The question arose, is there something there for me to learn?
Branches represent a firm mind or an unwavering determination and commitment. Sometimes, people think that questioning the principles of ones faith, or asking questions for clarification might in some way represent doubt. I would like to propose that not asking is the doubt, asking is faith. Even if the response to your question causes you to doubt the path you’ve chosen, then that would be a good thing in my mind. This would be an opportunity to determine if what you have chosen is appropriate, valuable, important, worthy of continuing, and a whole bunch of other important questions. In your life the questions that arise in your mind are critical to your happiness and should not be discounted or done away with easily. Just as above, a question arose, I wrote it down, and now will consider my response from my life and what I might learn in the process. Asking questions, is an expression of faith in yourself, and faith in your religion. It provides a method by which you can embrace and manifest your faith so faith and life are congruent with each other. That question you have may be an important part of the puzzle to realizing and manifesting the oneness of self and object: you being self and the object being the Lotus Sutra.
The leaves represent wisdom. When I first learned this I recall thinking that leaves would represent benefit, since there was no mention of flowers I figure it had to be leaves. In the section I chose for this art work I would like to point out that there is actually no promise of any material benefit from practicing the Lotus Sutra. I know many of us may have been brought into Nichiren Buddhism with the promise of ‘anything you want, just chant for it’. The trick in life is figuring out what you need to make you happy. Material things are what we choose first. It is in some ways the natural way of an infant who reaches for things both to explore and to claim. Children then learn to express the desire by using simple words like want, mine, and so forth. Simple concepts, I do not have that thing, it looks shiny and fun, I will be shiny and fun if it is mine. So many of that is how our practice began, chanting for stuff.
I’ll not go into a discussion on whether this approach is right, appropriate, good, bad and so on. It works some of the time for some people. A good leader will teach appropriately just as the Buddha did for his many disciples. I will say that a formulaic approach to propagation is not the best method. It can only go so far, just as the teaching of the Buddha only went so far. I wonder if you were to teach yourself the Lotus Sutra from your early days to now, what you would have taught yourself? If you look at the lessons you have learned along the way I wonder if you teach yourself the same lessons? Are you able to identify in yourself the kind of teaching you best need?
The art work for this section focusses on this section:
“I will cause all living beings to cross [the ocean of birth and death] if they have not yet done so. I will cause them to emancipate themselves [from suffering] if they have not yet done so. I will cause them to have peace of mind if they have not yet done so. I will cause them to attain Nirvana if they have not yet done so.” Lotus Sutra Chapter V
This section read during our Seigaki service where we ceremonially ‘feed the hungry ghosts’. In fact much of the service is built from or on this section. There are references, visually and symbolically, throughout the service based upon these four things the Buddha promises.
I would like to make special note of the fact that the Buddha only says he will cause these things. It is up to you to respond to the things in your life with skill and wisdom in ways that will enable you to become truly happy, to become enlightened. All the circumstances for your enlightenment are present in your life, enlightenment will occur based upon how you live your life in these moments. It is all there, there are no other things necessary, and there is no better place for it to happen than where you are.
This art piece was done using page 109 from the Murano third edition. Most of the text is obscure though it can be seen to varying degrees throughout. I put masking medium over the text I wanted to ensure would be clearly visible at the end of the creating process. I was unsure if it would work since I was going to do things which the masking medium was not originally designed for. Fortunately it worked, I’m not sure what I would have done if it had not. While the shiny gold mandala at the top of the page is prominent it isn’t the important part. In some ways it is a distraction, as many things in our lives are.
Photographed image
The bottom portion of the piece is where I have represented the four parts of the passage I chose. I have been wanting to do a framed image. I have also wanted to do some things in panels. This is the first piece where it has seemed appropriate. I built up a heavy thick frame to enclose the four panels. The frame has been painted a dark purple and then embellished with gold, both iridescent and opaque. This creates different ‘golds’ depending upon the viewing angle.
Inside the frame there is a light application of a texture. Over this I drew in the four quadrants and then in water color and water soluble medium I applied the four colors I chose to represent ‘ocean of birth and death’ grey; sea of suffering, red; peace of mind, green; and nirvana, purple. I debated on the green for a little bit going back and forth with green and blue. The original image that came to my mind when I was conceptualizing this was a field of gently blowing grasses, and that is what stuck with me throughout. I have mentioned several times after services that I am generally trying to avoid cliche in these pieces, when possible. I decided in this case that simple lines would do best and so I drew lines to represent an ocean with waves, a sea with swirling tempest, softly blowing grasses, and finally nothing or emptiness. Originally I thought about drawing a little path through the four areas and then in the end decided I wouldn’t.
