Chapter 23. Former Affairs of Medicine King Bodhisattva
This chapter recounts the past deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva as told by the Buddha during the Lotus Assembly. In the era of the Buddha Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue—immeasurable kalpas ago— this Bodhisattva was named “Gladly Seen by All Beings.” After hearing the Lotus Sutra, he began his practice and attained the “Samadhi of Manifesting All Physical Forms.” What kind of divine power is this? It means his body could manifest all physical forms and transform into anything in this world. Those familiar with Journey to the West know that Sun Wukong has seventy-two transformations, but he could only take seventy-two forms. This Bodhisattva, however, could manifest all appearances of the world—a state of profound meditative samadhi. His body had already become light-based, surely a very beautiful, dignified, and exquisite form. When he attained such a beautiful and spiritually endowed body, he thought: “I have attained this body because I heard the Lotus Sutra.” To repay the Buddha’s kindness, he wondered what he could offer.
Bodhisattva Gladly Seen by All Beings considered many things, but felt that offerings like incense or flowers were insufficient. Finally, he thought: “In this world, what I love most is this dignified and beautiful body of mine, which can transform into countless things. Very well! I shall use this as an offering.” He then consumed various wonderful fragrances for one thousand two hundred years. From this description, we can see he was not a being of the human realm, yet he still had a body. It’s not that he didn’t cherish his body because he wasn’t human; he loved his body just as we love our physical bodies. He consumed various fragrances for one thousand two hundred years and then anointed his body with fragrant oils. In the presence of Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue Tathagata, he wrapped his body in heavenly jeweled garments, poured various fragrant oils over himself, and used his divine power and the power of his vows to set his body ablaze. Having perfected his divine powers, he ignited what he loved most as an offering to the Buddha. The light emitted from this act illuminated worlds as numerous as the sands of eighty billion Ganges Rivers.
All the Buddhas within these Dharma realms praised him with one voice, saying: “Excellent! Excellent! Good man, this is true diligence; this is a true Dharma offering to the Tathagata!” Why do the Buddhas call this a Dharma offering and not a physical offering? It is because if this Bodhisattva Seen with Joy by All Living Beings did not have deep faith in the One Vehicle teachings of the Lotus Sutra and the Buddha-Dharma, he could not have performed such an act.
First, he deeply realized that this beautiful body—no matter how magnificent and solemn—is like a flower in a mirror or the moon in the water, illusory and unreal. Out of gratitude and great love, he used it as an offering. Because he deeply believed in the Buddha-Dharma and had truly realized and entered the Buddha’s wisdom from within, his act was a Dharma offering. It truly concerns the state of the mind. If you have no realization of the essential meaning of the Dharma and understand nothing, then burning the body is useless. One must first have deep faith and understand the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Furthermore, we can see here that this Bodhisattva Seen with Joy by All Living Beings was not from the human realm; he was a celestial being.
Second, he possessed a body of light and had already attained the samadhi of manifesting all physical forms, possessing supernatural powers. Therefore, when we study each chapter, we should not simply imitate the external actions. For example, some people today burn their fingers as an offering to the Buddha; we should not copy the surface appearance but rather learn the internal spirit. His burning of the body refers to his ability to let go of the “view of the body”—to relinquish greed and attachment to the physical form. This is the true burning of the body to offer to the Buddha. In our daily lives in this world, we must use our bodies to realize the Way, letting go of our habitual tendencies and desires. This is a Dharma offering to the Buddha; your realization through the body is your way of practicing the Medicine King Bodhisattva’s offering. Just as I mentioned before regarding the “hundred-day foundation building,” when you sit on your cushion and let go of various temptations, remaining there even as you are “burned” by the fires of desire, you are practicing this. This Bodhisattva used his supernatural vows to burn his body, but in those moments when we have not yet realized the One Vehicle teaching, we are “burned” by the fires of desire. By enduring external temptations, sitting still, abstaining from food, and resisting the lures of fine cuisine and lust during the hundred-day foundation, we are also using our bodies to offer to the Buddha. Thus, realizing the Way through the body is the same as burning the body for the Buddha.
In the human realm, people are very attached to their bodies. Regardless of whether we are considered beautiful or ugly, we love to dress ourselves up because of a misunderstanding: we think that if our bodies become ugly, “we” become ugly. If this body dies, “we” die. But it is not so. You are the Tathagata, neither born nor destroyed; it is not the case that you become ugly just because your face changes. That is an illusion born from a lack of wisdom. In the human realm, we spend most of our time on this physical body, attending to its feelings of cold, heat, hunger, and thirst. We pamper it, adorn it, and cannot bear to let go of it, then use it to satisfy various desires for fame, wealth, and lust. All of this is a lack of wisdom. It is because of this lack of wisdom that we are so attached to this body; this is called “body view”—the attachment to the physical form.
As for the Bodhisattva Seen with Joy by All Living Beings, this was not limited to a single lifetime. After he burned his body as an offering, that life ended, and he was transformed into a new birth— celestial beings are born through transformation. After being reborn, he returned to the presence of the same Buddha, the Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue Tathagata, who was still in the world. He then offered his two arms by burning them. Over countless eons, he repeatedly offered himself in this way, letting go of his attachment to the body before finally attaining Unsurpassed Complete Enlightenment.
This chapter primarily tells the story of this Bodhisattva’s physical offering to remind us of the great importance of severing the “body view.” At the end of this chapter, the Buddha says that in the Age of Dharma Decline, sentient beings will gain great merit by hearing the Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva. Why? Because the Buddha knows that what sentient beings in this final age are most reluctant to part with is the body. Because of our selfishness, the hardest thing to give up is ourselves. If we do not relinquish our body view, it will be very difficult to realize our all-pervading and omnipotent Dharma Body, the Buddha Body. If you do not let go of the body view, you cannot become one with all things in the universe, and you cannot return to your Buddha-nature. Letting go of the body view is ofparamount importance.
In our daily lives, we should not be attached to the various sensations of the body and mind. Do not place too much importance on your own joy or anger, or your own gains and losses. Do not focus all your attention on yourself—wondering how I am today, if I am happy or unhappy, or if I am annoyed. Stop saying “I” this and “I” that. Do not use your whole mind on the sensory experiences of the body. Do not chase after various physical and mental entertainments and stimulations, wasting your life and time, for there is no end to them. Because those physical and mental stimulations change from day to day without limit, and your desires are never-ending. From now until your death, you will never be able to fully satisfy them. Since physical desires and habits arise constantly, if you spend all your life’s energy and time trying to satisfy their demands, you will be busy forever and accomplish nothing else. Therefore, we must liberate ourselves from the shackles of the body and mind so that we can achieve the Way; this is the importance of letting go of the body view.
If one wishes to relinquish the body view and find liberation from various sensations, the best method is cultivation. Shakyamuni Buddha has prepared a miraculous medicine for us—the Six Perfections: Giving, Precepts, Patience, Vigor, Concentration, and Wisdom—the practice of the Bodhisattva Path.
In this chapter, the Buddha again praises the Lotus Sutra and its One Vehicle teachings. Throughout this entire scripture, you can see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas praising the Lotus Sutra everywhere. After every chapter, there is praise, urging everyone to accept it and practice it faithfully. I will mention the praise from this chapter, as it is quite representative. The Buddha said to Star King Flower Bodhisattva: “Just as among all rivers and streams, the ocean is the first, so it is with this Lotus Sutra. Among all the sutras taught by the Tathagatas, the Lotus Sutra is the most profound and vast.
Furthermore, just as among the Earth Mountains, Black Mountains, Small Iron Encircling Mountains, Great Iron Encircling Mountains, and the Jewel Mountains, Mount Sumeru is the first, so it is with this Lotus Sutra; among thousands of millions of varieties of sutras, the radiance of this sutra is the brightest. Furthermore, just as among the stars, the moon is the first, so it is with this Lotus Sutra; among thousands of millions of varieties of sutras, the radiance of this sutra is the brightest. Furthermore, just as the sun can dispel all darkness, this sutra is also like this; it can pierce through all the darkness of unwholesomeness. Furthermore, just as among kings, the Wheel- Turning King is the first, so it is with this sutra; it is the most honored among all sutras. Furthermore, just as Lord Shakra is the king of all the gods in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three, so it is with this sutra; it is the king of all Buddha-sutras. Furthermore, just as the Great Brahma King is the father of all living beings, so it is with this sutra.”
Here, the Buddha says the Great Brahma King is the father of all living beings as a metaphor. For instance, when someone practices and reaches the realm of the Great Brahma Heaven, they believe they have given birth to all things. They have a certain level of realization where they become the void, and all things manifest from within their emptiness. They experience this state; it does not mean Great Brahma literally gave birth to all things, but that he has this level of realization. The Buddha says that just as Great Brahma King is the father of all living beings in his own realm, this sutra is the same; it is the father of all sages, those who have attained the fruits of the Small Vehicle (both those still learning and those beyond learning), and all sentient beings who have vowed to practice the Bodhisattva Path. “Furthermore, just as among all ordinary people, the Srotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami, Arhat, and Pratyekabuddha are the first (the first four being the titles of the four stages of Arhatship in their transliterated forms), so it is with this sutra. Among all the various sutras spoken by Tathagatas, Bodhisattvas, or Voice-Hearers, this sutra is the first. One who can receive and uphold this scripture is also like this; among all living beings, they are the first. Just as the Bodhisattva is the first among all Voice-Hearers and Pratyekabuddhas, so it is with this sutra; among all the various sutras, it is the most supreme. Just as the Buddha is the King of all Dharmas, so it is with this sutra; it is the King among all scriptures.”
This is the Buddha’s praise for this sutra, followed by: “Star King Flower, this scripture can save all living beings. This sutra can cause all living beings to leave behind all afflictions and distress. This sutra can bring great benefit to all living beings and fulfill their vows. It is like a clear, cool pond that can satisfy all who are thirsty and exhausted. It is like the cold finding fire, the naked finding clothes, a merchant finding customers, a child finding its mother, a traveler finding a boat to cross a river, a sick person finding a good doctor, someone in darkness finding a bright lamp, the poor finding a treasure, the people meeting their king, a trader finding jewels in the sea, or a torch dispelling the darkness. This Lotus Sutra is just like this; it can cause living beings to distance themselves from all suffering and illness, and can release them from all the shackles of birth and death. If there is someone who hears this Lotus Sutra, or copies it themselves, or causes others to copy it, the merit they obtain is such that even with the Buddha’s wisdom, it could not be fully measured! If, after copying this scripture, one can offer flowers, incense, necklaces, burnt incense, powdered incense, ointments, jeweled canopies, banners, clothing, and various oil lamps to the scrolls, the merit obtained is likewise immeasurable!” This tells us that we should not merely copy the text and offer flowers and lamps mechanically. Instead, we must arouse a heart of reverence within ourselves. It is not just a matter of completing a teacher’s assignment to copy a sutra and then running off to play. Rather, in the process of copying, you go from never having seen the Lotus Sutra to seeing it, then gradually understanding it, gradually entering into it, and gradually realizing it. Through this process, you slowly develop a heart of reverence for the Tathagata and the Buddha. And of course, reverence for yourself—reverence for your own self! Because each of us is a Buddha! The end of this chapter describes the merit one can obtain from hearing the “Chapter on the Ancient Deeds of Medicine King Bodhisattva,” which we will recite together at the end.