Samadhi of the Dharma Flower
Samadhi of the Dharma Flower
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Dharma is the Buddha Dharma also called the Wonderful Dharma. “Wonderful Dharma” means magical, miraculous that cannot measure.
Flowers are Lotus flowers as using the lotus flowers as example. It means using the wonderful dharma to govern the flowers, as a subject for this samadhi.
Samadhi means unmovable or total concentration
Samadhi of the Dharma Flower is one of the samadhi in the Lotus Flower Sutra. This samadhi uses the Samadhi of the Dharma Flower as the name. Wonderful Dharma is a dharma, Lotus Flower is an example. This samadhi is very profound, it is not easy for us to understand, so Buddha use flowers as example, so this samadhi takes the dharma and lotus to give it a name.
Flowers have many different types. There are “wild flowers without fruit”, flowers that doesn’t bear fruit. For example: those who let go of the truth, lie, just say without actually do it. They are also the examples of pagan . Because of the left-wing views, the facade seems to be very divine, they also use spiritual practice, cultivate all kinds of austerities, but without real results, ultimately not successful. Just like the wildflowers with no fruit.
And there are the “flower bear lot of fruits”, that is, for example, the children make offerings to their parents, to the monk, all kinds of acts of filial piety. Because of taking care their parents, they earn lot of merit. These merits, in the future, will also result in many fruits, either being born in heaven, or being born into the human realm of the rich. It is indeed a fruitful flower.
And there are the “flower bear one fruit”, it is an expression of Pratyekabuddha. Pratyekabuddha cultivates the renunciation, cultivates this practice, then enters the deep mountain forest, to attain only the fruit of the Pratyekabuddha.
And there are tree that bear the fruit then the flower”, like the first level Arhat, they witnessed the result of first level Arhat, but later they still need to continue to cultivate.
And there are tree that have the flower then the fruit”, this is the manifestation of the Bodhisattva, the Bodhisattva must first practice, later attain the Bodhisattva fruit.
However, the above-mentioned flowers cannot, for example, be miraculous, nor can they be compared to the lotus. Only the lotus can truly exemplify the dharma, because the lotus is a flower that can bear fruit at the same time, a true representation of the opening of the provisional to manifest the real.
The lotus blooming and bearing fruit simultaneously also represent the “opening of the provisional to manifest the real. The flower blooms along with the fruit. The provisional is the flower. Truth is the fruit. But, to bring truth give provisional , why is there a flower?
Flowers is used because we attached to results. All of the Flower Adornment Sutra, Shurangama and Heart Sutra were to lead to the Lotus Flower Sutra. That is why he spoke those beginning sutra. The Dharma that had spoken before is the provisional dharma, (the means dharma), but not the true Dharma. Until the time of the Lotus Flower Sutra, the true dharma is revealed, the teaching of the truth, bringing the provisional to show or to express the most visible truth.
The flower that best represent the Samadhi of the Dharma Flower is the lotus, because when the flower blooms the lotus seed appears, to represent the opening of the provisional to manifest the real. Flower dies the lotus seeds are ripen means to leave the provisional to take the truth. Leaving the provisional behind and revealing the real dharma. The highest level dharma is the genuine dharma.
The lotus is an unique flower. It blooms and bears fruit at the same time. When the lotus blooms, the lotus seeds appear. The lotus takes root in the mud and its stem grows up through the water. The flower is neither in the mud nor the water, but blooms above the surface of the water. The root in the mud represents common people. The stem in the water represents those of the small vehicle – Hīnayāna. Common people are attached to existence; the mud is an analogy for “existence.” Those in the small vehicle are attached to emptiness; the stem in the water represents emptiness. The lotus flower, which blooms above the water, represents the transcendence of emptiness and existence and represents the Absolute Principle of the Middle Way in which there is neither falling into emptiness nor going to the extreme of existence. Emptiness and existence are the two “extremes.” To be unattached to either of the two extremes is the Absolute Principle of the Middle Way.
Why do we say that the lotus flower represents the Absolute Principle of the Middle Way, the Great Teaching, Perfect and Complete? We say this because the lotus flower’s blooming and bearing fruit simultaneously represent the non-duality of cause and effect. As the cause is thus, thus is the effect. If the cause planted is one of Buddhahood, the effect will be one of Buddhahood. The lotus blooming and bearing fruit simultaneously also represent the “opening of the provisional to manifest the real. The blooming of the lotus represents the “opening” of the provisional dharma. The lotus seeds which are revealed when the lotus blooms represent the real Dharma. Provisional Dharma refers to expedient devices and real Dharma is the genuine, “not-false” Dharma, the Principle of the Real Mark.
If you want to practice the Samadhi of the Dharma Flower, you must understand that cause and effect are not two. The cause is the effect , the effect is the cause. Cause and effect happen at the same time, like a lotus flower. The lotus flower blooms while seeds appear, and when the flower dies the seed’s ripen. That is, the provisional and truth are not two things. The provisional is a skillful means. Truth is unspoiled truth. Because of the truth, we use the mean. Because the truth dharma, we uses the provisional methods. Open the provisional to show the truth. After done showing all the provisional, the truth prevails. Both are not separate things, provisional and truth are not two things, they are one, that is why it is called Samadhi of the Dharma Flower
Lotus flowers bloom and bear fruit and also represent “temporary opening to express the truth. The flowering of the lotus symbolizes the “opening” of the temporary dharma. The Dharma temporarily refers to the existing devices and the Dharma is the true Dharma, “not fake”, the truth of the true imprint.
