Chapter 25
The Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva 

SUMMARY

Chapter 25, which deals with the Kannon Bodhisattva, the Universal Gate of World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva or Avalokitesvara, is a part of the Lotus Sutra of course; however, there are countless number of faithful men and women who take this chapter as an independent sutra regardless of whether they believe in the Lotus Sutra or not. We can see a lot of statues of Kannon in Japan, China, Thailand and other Asian countries. They are enshrined not only inside the temples but also outside.

Why is the Kannon so popular? I think that it is because the Buddhas are too superior for ordinary people and too difficult for them to understand. For instance, in a household the children talk more easily to their mother than their father.

It is the same with faith. The Buddhas are too superior and difficult to approach, but the Bodhisattvas are closer to ordinary people and may listen to our complaints and desires. It is the Kannon Bodhisattva who perceives our sufferings, listens to our desires with his compassion, and saves us.

However, there is one condition: the sutra says, "Call his name with all their hearts." In Nichiren-shu, it is not necessary to call the Bodhisattva's name, because the Odaimoku contains his and other Buddhas' and Bodhisattvas' names in it.

EXPLANATIONS

"If many hundreds of thousands of thousands of billions of living beings hear the name of World-Voice Perceiver Bodhisattva and call his name with all their hearts when they are under various sufferings, World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will immediately perceive their voices, and cause them to emancipate themselves from the sufferings." (P.316, L.9.):

It says to call his name with all their hearts. It is not enough to utter the name or the Sacred Title of the Lotus Sutra with your mouth only. It requires calling his name or chanting the Odaimoku with your mouth, mind and body (i.e., three actions). Buddhism talks about the relationship of mind and matter. When you chant the name of Kannon with your mouth, you may imagine his compassionate face and his power in your mind, and then you will feel better, just as when you look at a mirror and laugh, you will feel happy. When you become happy, your suffering will disappear. Why is Kannon able to perceive your suffering immediately? It is because you are a Kannon Bodhisattva. To chant his name or to chant the Odaimoku is to attain oneness with Kannon or the Eternal Buddha Sakyamuni. This realization could not be attained without one's heart.

"Those who keep the name of this World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva will not be burned … will be able to take ground when they are washed by an inundation … all crew will be saved from the attacks …the sword or stick raised against him will suddenly break asunder … those devils will not able even to see him … those things in which he is bound up will break asunder, and he will be saved … you will be saved from the attacks of these bandits. (P.316, L. 14 – P.317, L.14):

These are the seven calamities that the Bodhisattva can save us from.

They are calamities of

1.     fire,

2.     water,

3.     human-eating demons (bacteria?)

4.     swords and clubs,

5.     demons,

6.     the calamity of chains and shackles, and

7.     the calamity of bandits.

If someone calls the name of this Bodhisattva, he or she will be able to avoid these seven calamities. Such benefits, by which one can avoid calamities and obtain happiness, are material gain. He gives us spiritual gain, too.

To obtain the above-mentioned benefits we must have pure hearts. The Buddha and the Bodhisattvas grant such benefits only to those people who practice sincerely. The purpose of calling the name of Kannon is to show our sincerity to him. So the sutra emphasizes here again to have sincerity.

"Those who have much lust will be saved from lust if they constantly think of the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much anger will be saved from anger if they constantly think of the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him. Those who have much stupidity will be saved from stupidity if they constantly think of the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva and respect him." (P.317, L.20.):

Lust, anger and stupidity (ignorance to the Buddha's teachings) are called the ‘Three Poisons" in Buddhism. The seven calamities listed above are material and physical sufferings of human nature, and the three poisons are mental sufferings. Material sufferings come upon us because the mental sufferings exist already as their basis. If our suffering minds are healed of the three poisons, we can expect material calamities to disappear, too. Therefore it is important to control your mind.

"A woman who, wishing to have a boy, bows and makes offerings to the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva, will be able to give birth to a boy endowed with merits, virtues and wisdom. A woman who wishing to have a girl, does the same, will be able to give birth to a beautiful girl who will be loved and respected by many people because of the roots of virtue which the newly-born girl planted in her previous existence" (P.317, L.29.):

I give these quotations to a lady who wishes to have a baby or to a mother to be and tell her to recite these quotations everyday together with the Odaimoku, so that she may have a good baby. One's life is not only once, but there were many previous lives; therefore, it is important to have a boy endowed with merits and virtues and wisdom to carry into this world, or a girl who has the roots of virtues planted in her previous existences. It is a similar concept when a mother tries to educate her baby before birth by means of listening to music and keeping a relaxed and gentle mind.

"How does he (the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva) expound the Dharma to the living beings? What expedients does he employ? '" (P.318, L.20.):

Truth is one, but there are many different ways to explain the truth. A good teacher at a school knows how to teach smart kids, slow-leaning kids, and lazy kids in his class. He must use different method to teach them. The World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva expounds the Dharma, but he uses his different approaches for different levels of understanding; they are expedients. The Bodhisattva takes 33 different shapes for ordinary people to make it easy for them to approach him and makes their wishes become reality; then he expounds the Dharma. He takes the shapes of a Buddha, a king, a god, a great general, a rich man, a householder, a prime minister, a wife, a dragon, a man of pure faith, a boy, a girl, a nonhuman being, and so on.

We have different colors of skin, different cultures, different levels of education, different beliefs, different social status, different occupations, and so forth, but we are all the same human beings. A leader must understand people's feelings and desires. That is why this Bodhisattva transforms himself into other shape of living beings.

Kannon Bodhisattva is not only the statues standing at temples, but in reality he appears as shapes of many different people as mentioned above. It is because when we pray hard or call his name with all our heart, energy (Chi or Ki) develops. That energy harmonizes with someone else who has the same energy or extra energy. Then he or she appears to save you as an embodiment of Kannon.

There are many different statues of Kannon Bodhisattva, having one face, three faces, eleven faces, two arms, six arms, one thousand arms etc. Each face is different, and each arm holds different symbolic objects because each person has different desires to be fulfilled.

Many people stay at the level of fulfillment of their desires, but the Bodhisattva's real intention is to expound Dharma. Nichiren Shu has many expedients such as kito blessing, ofudas and omamori amulets, and also enshrines many different deities. They are all expedients to lead people to be saved. But we must not forget to learn and to practice a higher level of Buddhism to attain Buddhahood.

"The Endless-Intent Bodhisattva said to the Buddha, ‘World Honored One! Now I will make an offering to the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva.'" (P.319, L. 31.):

The Endless-Intent Bodhisattva was so impressed by what he heard about the World-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva that he wanted to make him an offering. He took a necklace of many gems from his neck and tried to give it to the Kannon Bodhisattva, who would not accept it. Thereupon Buddha Sakyamuni told him to receive it out of his compassion toward the Endless-Intent Bodhisattva. Although Kannon received it, he divided the necklace into two parts and offered one part of it to Sakyamuni Buddha and the other to the stupa of Many-Treasures Buddha. The reason he did not accept the offering was that he was very humble and that he thought he was not worthy to receive an offering from others. He believed all his power of saving others came from the Buddhas; therefore, he divided the necklace into two and gave one part of it to Sakyamuni Buddha and offered the other half to the stupa of Many Treasures Buddha. Remember, the door of the stupa of the Many-Treasures Buddha was closed at the end of chapter 22 of the Lotus Sutra.

The logical explanations of the Lotus Sutra end at Chapter 22; however, it is difficult for us to practice it in our daily lives. Therefore, the Buddha prepared another six chapters for us to practice the Dharma through the examples of previous lives of Bodhisattvas and explanations of protection by deities. The next chapter also contains explanations by protections of other deities.

~ Namu Myohorengekyo ~