Having reached Chapter 12 of the Lotus Sutra, Roshi wondered aloud whether we had yet asked ourselves an important question: was the author, the person who actually wrote down all of this dramatic, fantastical material, on drugs? Roshi offered four states of mind that he thought could have inspired the Lotus Sutra. First, it could…

Roshi continued with Chapter 11 of the Lotus Sutra. Chapter 11 starts with a contradictory pair of statements: those who live by the Lotus Sutra will find that their pain and suffering are relieved, however the Lotus Sutra may also cause more pain and suffering. It’s an interesting question: how can something that eases our…

As he promised last time, Roshi continued our exploration of the Lotus Sutra with a discussion of Shakyamuni’s cousin Ananda, whose role has gone largely underappreciated in the history of Buddhism.  Shakyamuni, in his prediction for Ananda, tells him that the two of them have been on this journey side by side for many lifetimes.…