Reading of Lotus Sutra, Chapter 8: “Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Disciples” and The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2: “On the Protection of the Nation”
After chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo today (read about this here), I decided to end my one-day indefinite break from posting on Substack and return to why I created this space in the first place: to let people read and hear the Lotus Sutra.
The recording isn’t perfect. I didn’t use my fancy-wancy podcast setup. I just sat in my open-bedroom altar area, right after my evening prayer, and recorded it on my phone. You can hear echos and my spit. Maybe you can hear my spit even when I use my setup. But, this time, you’ll definitely hear it.
Still, it was either post a flawed recording—or nothing at all—on a day when I needed to remind myself why I’m here in the first place. (Instead of spiraling into “Woe is me; why-oh-why am I here?”)
Again, the reason is to let you read and hear the Lotus Sutra. And to show—by continuing to fight and win, even when it seems impossible—that we common mortals are Buddhas.
Today, I had a few small-but-good-enough victories:
I got a text from one of my kids.
Another came over, weed-wacked my lawn, and stayed for breakfast; we chilled a little.
I didn’t get curt with their father.
I didn’t get curt with my sister either.
(I wanted to get curt with them both — yay, progress!)
I cut my grass and my neighbor’s grass (because they won’t).
I didn’t sink into depression—even though I easily could’ve.
And—drum roll—I posted this entry on Substack.
Click the links to read along with the recording: Lotus Sutra, Chapter 8: “Prophecy of Enlightenment for Five Hundred Disciples” and The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2: “On the Protection of the Nation”
By the way, I ran this all through ChatGPT. This is the first and last time I’m mentioning that. From now on, just assume I did.
If you’ve made it this far, drop a comment—even just a “Hey.” I’d love to know what you think about the passages (or/and) my ramblings too.
I created a free study guide, based on Nichiren’s writings, to accompany you on your Lotus Sutra journey.
Read The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Chapters, Translated by Burton Watson (2009), Nichiren’s writings, and the Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism at NichirenLibrary.org.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
“Devotion to the Wonderful Law of the Lotus Flower Teaching of the Buddha”
Hear Deva Pramal, Mitten, and Manose chanting:
Connect
lotussutrabuddhism@substack.com
To learn more about the tech platform that powers this publication, visit Substack.com.
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