Dharma Talk by Dr.Reeves - Ride the White Elephant

"Ride the White Elephant"
February 03, 2002

Rev. Gene Reeves gave a Dharma Talk this week entitled "Ride the White Elephant."

Universal Sage Bodhisattva, whose Sanskrit name is Samantabhadra, in Japanese is called "Fugen[i]." The literal meaning of the second Chinese character includes both "virtue" and "wisdom." The English translation, "sage" combines these two meanings. This Bodhisattva is often portrayed representing practical wisdom. He is usually found to the left of the Buddha, with Manjushuri[ii], representing wisdom, on the right.

Entering the Great Sacred Hall (Daiseido) of Rissho Kosei-kai, we find three portraits: Universal Sage Bodhisattva in center, Manjushuri Bodhisattva on the right and Maitreya[iii] Bodhisattva on the left. I think this order is unique, probably an idea of Nikkyo Niwano, the founder of Rissho Kosei-kai. It can identify an integration into daily practice of Manjushuri's wisdom and Maitreya's compassion.

In the Chapter 28 of the Lotus Sutra, "Universal Sage Bodhisattva," it is said that Universal Sage rides a white elephant, a symbol of purity. The elephant has six tusks that identify either the six perfections or purification of the six senses. The elephant usually walks on lotus flowers or wears them like shoes. His symbol is the cintamani, the wish fulfilling jewel.

Universal Sage Bodhisattva has two important aspects-- "interdependence" and "practice." He is an embodiment of these two virtues.

Interdependence is a central idea of Buddhism, an attempt to put its central vision into words, but it is extremely difficult to understand clearly. The primal purpose of the Flower Garland Sutra (Avatamsaka / Kegon) is to lead people to a certain kind of meditation, a visualization, in which people see this Bodhisattva in their mind's eye. Within the vision, Universal Sage sees all the Buddhas in all the worlds of the universe. Then within each of the atoms of those worlds, he sees a Buddha, and before each of those Buddhas there is another Universal Sage Bodhisattva who, in turn, sees all of the Buddhas. This is complicated, but the idea is that everything reflects everything else and is an integration of all things. It is a kind of Buddhist vision of the interrelatedness and unity of everything in the universe.

While Hinduism emphasizes that all is one and differences are illusions, Buddhism wants us to understand such differences as equally real but within an interrelated harmony. The vision of Universal Sage expresses the combination of a real many within a real unity through the ideas of interrelatedness or interconnectedness. The Tendai teaching of three thousands worlds in one moment of experience[iv] tells us that every experience is influence by the whole universe. Thus sometimes in meditation, we can gain a kind of feeling of oneness or interrelatedness. This interrelatedness of the whole universe in all beings is one of the aspects of Universal Sage Bodhisattva. That is why the Flower Garland Sutra is known in the West as an ecological sutra. In our capitalistic world, one of the highest virtues is independence, a kind of measure of maturity in Western culture. However, in recent years people have discovered that having independence a primary virtue can be a big mistake. People are coming to realize, as Buddhists did centuries ago, that all events in this world affect us directly or indirectly.

In the IBC we recite a "Transfer of Merit." This also comes from this aspect of Universal Sage Bodhisattva. It is very interesting that Buddhist teachings tell us that we can gain merit by transferring merit. It is a kind of "Win Win Game." It is similar to the idea of gaining one's own salvation by saving others, which is often taught in Buddhism. Thus, the Transfer of Merit is a ritual embodiment of the idea of interdependence.

The vision of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, and our vision of him, is an aesthetic vision--a vision which arises out of a profound sense integration, of relatedness, of wholeness, which is finally a vision of beauty.

The second aspect of Universal Sage Bodhisattva is "practice." There are many kinds of Buddhist practice. In America, meditation is often thought of as being equivalent to Buddhist practice. Americans sometimes ask, "how long do you practice every day?" In East Asia, however, the primary practice is sutra recitation. In the Sutra of Meditation on the Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, we are taught about "Repentance Practice." Visualization is another kind of practice, as is yoga. All of these are kinds of Buddhist practices and all are important.

The most important Buddhist practice, however, is embodying the Dharma, also known as the bodhisattva way. It is to have the Dharma alive in our daily lives in this world. In other words, it is doing the Buddha's work in this world. The Bodhisattva's vow or promise is to try to save all the living. Thus, the mission of Buddhists in this world is to make the Dharma live and to make the Buddha live. We need to embody the Dharma in this world in whatever ways we can, not only with our mouths and hearts, but with our whole bodies.

Universal Sage Bodhisattva is a symbol of the integration of two notions--one which is the most abstract and complicated of ideas, the interdependence of all, and the simple idea of embodying the Dharma in the world.

Embodying the Dharma with skillful means also requires an integration of wisdom and compassion. It is not just a matter of being wise or just a matter of being compassionate. It is important to be both. Practicing without intelligence is stupid. But we are not going to be motivated to practice without compassion. Wisdom, compassion and practice have to be together, and Universal Sage Bodhisattva symbolizes this.

The lion, carrying Manjushuri, the embodiment of wisdom, can represent the realization of truth, a kind of king of the universe. The cow, carrying Maitreya, the embodiment of compassion, can represent gentleness, generosity and caring for others. The great white elephant carrying Universal Sage, the embodiment of practice, can represent the sturdy determination and great power to do the Buddha's work in this world.

Like all other great bodhisattvas, including Wonderful Voice, Kuan-yin, Manjushuri, Maitreya and others, Universal Sage is famous for hidden practice, for being disguised as a very lowly person. He is said to be both everywhere in the universe and extremely difficult to see, but at times he can be seen anywhere, by anyone, and in anyone. He is among ordinary people, among us, practicing where we do not see him.

So, when we ride the lion or the cow or the elephant of these great bodhisattvas, we should not imagine ourselves riding above the masses of ordinary people, or riding to some place in the heavens above.

Rather, we should understand these great animals--the great king lion of Manjushuri, the wonderful and sad and compassionate cow of Maitreya, and the great white elephant with six tusks of Universal Sage Bodhisattva--as taking us to the people, taking us not onto the mountain tops, but into the valleys and low places where ordinary living beings struggle in this world where suffering has to be endured. It is only here that we can reveal our own bodhisattva natures.

[i]普賢

[ii]文殊

[iii]弥勒

[iv]一念三千