Educational Views of the Lotus Sutra

By Rosemary Duong
04/19/2009

On April 19, 2009, Venerable Chang Hwa, Director of CMC, gave a talk entitled "Educational Views in the Lotus Sutra". The Buddha, considered the greatest educator on Earth, spent 49 years spreading the Dharma and he spent the last 8 years of his life speaking of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra summarizes the Buddha's 49 years expounding the Dharma and is the reason why it is known as the king of all sutras. What is in the contents of the Lotus Sutra?

In the Chapter of "Expedient Means", it speaks of ripened causes and conditions that all sentient beings will gain and benefit from the Lotus Sutra. In the Simile and Parable Chapter, the Buddha tells the story of the Three Carts and the Burning House by use of expedient means. The Three Carts are the three vehicles of practitioner: Learner, Hearer, and Bodhisattva and in truth that there is only one vehicle, the path of Buddhahood.

The conceptual guidelines and principles of the Lotus Sutra states that 1) all beings are equal, i.e., there is no differentiation and that all will gain and benefit from the Dharma and 2) all sentient beings have Buddha-nature. To illustrate #1, in the Chapter of The Parable of the Medicinal Herbs [for details, see article Lotus Sutra 5 of 8 (11/02/2008)], the rain is the Dharma and the plants that receive the rain represent sentient beings receiving the Dharma regardless of their sizes and stature. To illustrate #2, in the Chapter of Devadatta (cousin of the Buddha) attempted to take the life of the Buddha and gave the Buddha all sorts of difficulties. The Buddha states that even Devadatta, his worst enemy will become a Buddha. The Buddha said the same about the dragon girl and that all sentient beings will become Buddhas. The Parable of the Gem in the Jacket [for details, see article: Lotus Sutra 8 of 8 (11/23/2008)] shows that the gem sewn inside the coat of the poor man is an analogy that we will discover our Buddha-nature that is already within us.

The faith and belief that we will become Buddhas is crucial. The strong faith and belief is demonstrated in the story of Master Sundried Candle. He was named Master Sundried Candle for laying out candles to dry under the sun. Sarcastically, he was encouraged and told that he would become a great Dharma Master. Master Sundried Candle became a great Dharma Master because he truly believed and had great faith that he will become a great Dharma Master. This is the same faith and belief the Buddha has in all of us that we will become Buddhas.

The Universal Gate Chapter states the type of education employed must be in accordance with the audience. Different methods apply for different types of audience are the various expedient means used by the Buddha. The Parable of the Wealthy Man and the Poor Son [for details, see article: Lotus Sutra 8 of 8 (11/23/2008)] illustrates the method used by the Buddha to expound the Dharma. Thus, the Dharma is tailored to the audience based on who the audience is, the audienceís level of understanding, and the needs of the audience.

The contents of the Lotus Sutra is categorized by 1) actual words of the Buddha piece together by his disciples and 2) the education through the Buddha's own actions and behavior when encountered with obstacles and difficulties. The most powerful secret expounded in the Lotus Sutra is to transcend the limitations of time and space because it is time and space that creates existence.