Chapter 20
Never-Despising Bodhisattva

SUMMARY

The previous chapter revealed that those who keep, read, recite, expound, or copy the Lotus Sutra will be able to obtain eight hundred merits of the eye, nose, and body and twelve hundred merits of the ear, tongue, and mind. Thus, we encourage doing the five practices (of keeping, reading, reciting, expounding, and copying the Lotus Sutra) for teachers of the Dharma. On the other hand, this chapter reveals the practice of bowing to others without performing the above five practices. Never-Despising Bodhisattva kept the practice of only bowing to the four kinds of devotees and praising them, saying, "I respect you deeply. I do not despise you because you will be able to practice the Way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas." In actuality, Never-Despising Bodhisattva was Sakyamuni Buddha himself in his previous existence.

EXPLANATIONS

"Anyone who speaks ill of or abuses or slanders the bhiksus, bhikusunis, upasakas or upasikas who keep the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, will incur the retributions previously stated." (P.285, L.5.):

Bhiksus are male priests and monks. Bhikusunis are nuns. Upasakas are laymen while upasikas are laywomen.

In Chapter 3, "A Parable," it says, "In my lifetime or after my extinction, some will slander this sutra and despise the person who reads or recites or copies or keeps this sutra. When their present lives end, they will fall into the Avici Hell. They will live there for a kalpa and will have their rebirth in the same hell. Their rebirth will be repeated for innumerable kalpas." (See P. 81) Avici means no interval. Those who fall into Avici Hell will constantly receive pain and suffering for thousands of years. Therefore, we should not speak ill of our Dharma friends, otherwise we may fall into the Avici Hell after death.

"At that time there lived a Bodhisattva called Never-Despising. He took the form of a bhiksu. Great-Power-Obtainer! Why was this bhiksu called Never- Despising? It was because every time he saw bhiksus, bhiksunis, upasakas or upasikas, he bowed to them and praised them, saying, ‘I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is that? It is because you will be able to practice the Way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas.’ He did not read or recite sutras." (P.286, L.21)

It is not easy to bow at people and praise them by saying, "I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. It is because you will be able to practice the way of Bodhisattvas and become Buddhas." Why could he do that? Never-Despising Bodhisattva probably bowed at one’s Buddha nature. When we face the Gohonzon and bow, the Gohonzon bows to us, too, because the names of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, deities, disciples and other people are written on both sides of the Odaimoku, just as we put our right and left palms together.

"When he said this, people would strike him with a stick, a piece of wood, a piece of tile or a stone. He would run away to a distance, and say in a loud voice from afar, ‘I do not despise you. You will become Buddhas." (P. 287, L. 6):

Why did the bodhisattva bow as he did even though others tried to harm him with a stick, a tile, or a piece of stone? It was because he wished them to make "en" or be in a relationship with the Buddha’s teachings. It was the cultivation of Buddha Seeds within themselves. Even though others speak ill of, abuse, or slander the Dharma-Practitioner at least, they make contact with him, a practitioner of the sutra. In the prelude to Nichiren Shu service, we always read "Kaikyo-ge," Verses for Opening the Sutra, which contains the following sentence: "All beings, believing or even slandering the teaching, shall attain their Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra."

"When he was about to pass away, he heard a voice in the sky, which was the twenty thousand billion gathas of the Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma, which had been expounded by the Powerful-Voice-King Buddha. Having kept all these gathas, he was able to have his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind purified as previously stated." (P.287, L.11):

"A voice in the sky" means a voice from the spiritual realm that transcends place and time. It is a voice from the eternal world, a voice from the universe. It is important for a dying person to hear the voice of our chanting of the sutra and the Odaimoku. Reverend Shokai Kanai always explains to members of his temple to chant the Odaimoku at someone’s deathbed. Even after someone has passed away, he tells the family of the deceased to have a pillow service at the side of the deceased as soon as possible. Then the six senses of the deceased will be purified.

"Having his sense-organs purified, he was able to prolong his life for two hundred billions nayuta more years. (P. 287, L.16.):

Even though all human beings are in the cycle of birth and death countless times, one whose six sense organs are purified is able to live long in the spiritual realm without the sufferings of worldly matters. He stays in the spiritual realm for a LONG time.

"The Never-Despising Bodhisattva at that time was no one but myself. If I had not kept, read, or recited this sutra or expounded it to others in my previous existence, I should not have been able to attain Anuttara-samyak-sambodhi so quickly. (P.288, L.7.):

The Never-Despising Bodhisattva was a previous existence of Gautama Siddhartha who became a Buddha. Chapter 19 explains to us to exercise the five practices after the Buddha’s extinction while Chapter 20 reveals the bodhisattva who never exercises the five practices. However, the above quotation explains to us that without the practices in his previous lives, the Never-Despising Bodhisattva would not have been able to attain Buddhahood so quickly. Therefore, we must still keep, read, recite, expound, and copy the Lotus Sutra for quicker attainment of Buddhahood.

"The four kinds of devotees who always abused that Bodhisattva at that time are now present here in this congregation in the persons of the Five Hundred Bodhisattvas, bhiksunis and upasakas. Now they do not falter in seeking Anuttara-Samyak-Sambodhi." (P.288, L.22.):

The four kinds of devotees (500 of them) in the congregation were former abusers and slanderers against the Never-Despising Bodhisattva. Although they were in hell, they had made "en" or a contact with the Lotus Sutra and they were able to listen to the Buddha Sakyamuni preaching the Lotus Sutra. It was their karma. Whether they believed or slandered, they shall attain Buddhahood through this sutra. We might also have been slanders before, but we are fortunately now able to attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra.

In your daily lives, there may be some conflict among members of your family or at your work. At that time, you may not be able to bow to your parents, spouse, a child, or a co-worker by putting your palms together in gassho. Try to do so when they are not facing you, then you can do it. Try to put your palms together and bow at them. Because of your changed attitude of respecting, they will change their attitude, too. Respect each other. It is the teaching of the Never Despising Bodhisattva.

~ Namu Myohorengekyo ~