World Peace Buddhists  

     Stanford University                           SGI-USA

* Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra

 

Three meetings in Two Places : Exchange between eternity and the present moment (Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol 1 Chapter 5)

 

1. Background

 

The Lotus Sutra is basically a record of the three meetings :

Eagle Peak : Chapter 1 – Chapter 10

Ceremony of the Air : Chapter 11 – Chapter 22

Eagle Peak : Chapter 23 – Chapter 28

 

Participants :

Represent all nine worlds of beings. All being can achieve buddhahood.

-         The nuns : Women can be Buddha

-         The first and last Disciples of Shakyamuni : Both the being in the world of Bodhisattvas and hell can be in Buddhahood.

-         Pairs of enemies both present in the ceremony : represent peace and harmony

 

The Eagle Peak : is actually a bare rock outside the ancient capital of the Magadha Empire. Hence we can infer that the gathering is more of a symbol than a solid historical fact.

 

2 What The Two places represent ?

 

Eagle Peak : The day to day life, present moment

Ceremony in the air : The state of eternity, Buddhahood

 

Description of the Treasure Tower (Ceremony of the air)

 

The ceremony of the air is the buddha immense sense of being. All the world of the ten directions of the past, as well as all the world of the direction of the future are encompass in that actuality. The State of Buddhahood Transcend space and time. When we awaken the realm expounded at the ceremony of the Air, we attain power to accomplish anything. - Prof Shakya in Nepal

 

The supreme wondourus state of buddhahood is latent within each of our lives. The power and nature of this stage of life is beyond our imagination and our ability to describe in words. Yet we can manifest this state in our own lives. The ceremony that take place in the "Emergence of Treasure Tower" chapter reveal that we too can manifest the state of Buddhahood within us. – Toda

 

3. Why Three meetings ?

 

The first meeting represents the state of life before enlightenment, The second meeting in the air represent the state of buddhahood. The return back to daily life is to illustrate the fact that Buddhahood can only be attained in the earthly life experiences.

 

Actually we go through the three assemble each day : The chanting is like ceremony of the air. Indeed, a lot of those god and goddess in the Gohonzon are in present in the ceremony of the air. After chanting, we’ll bring our high living condition to the society.

 

Suffer what is to suffer, enjoy what is to enjoy, Regard both suffering and joy as fact of life, and continue chanting Nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo is the practice that enable us to achieve this perspective.

 

It’s that the nine worlds contain Buddhahood and the Buddhahood contains the nine worlds. The lotus sutra entrust the propagation of the law to those who didn't climb up to the mountain on theoretical teaching, but to those who'd already climbed to the mountain top and return back to the earth.

 

4. Totality of Life  - the three meetings in two places illustrate nature of life.

 

The life condition at the Eagle peak is like we’re limited in our small self. The ceremony of the air is like fusing ourselves to the universe. Coming back means finding our own identity.

 

Hence ceremony of the air is like spatially fusing with the universe and temporally represent eternity. The Eagle peak spatially represent our own self and temoporally means the present moment. Buddhism teach that each single moment of life contains cause and effect of the eternal past and eternal future. It’s important to do well in each moment.

 

We can also interpret eagle peak as the state of living itself and the ceremony of the air as the state of death. In our daimoku. Myo means  death / ceremony of the air, and Ho means life / Eagle peak. Hence the three meetings in two places represent the eternity of life.