DESCRIPTION

In this chapter the Buddha addresses Nityodyukta Bodhisattva (Constant Vigor) saying, "If good men or good women receive and uphold this Lotus Sutra, whether reading, reciting, explaining, or writing it, these people will obtain 800 merits of the eye, 1200 merits of the ear, 800 merits of the nose, 1200 merits of the tongue, 800 merits of the body, and 1200 merits of the mind. With these merits, they will ‘adorn’ their six sense organs, making them all pure.”

In the Surangama Sutra, these numbers are explained as follows, with 1200 signifying the greatest possible efficacy:

• Eyes = 800 (functioning in three directions but not in all four).
• Ears = 1200 (able to hear in all ten directions, distant or far, unbounded in silence).
• Nose = 800 (between inhaling and exhaling, the breath is lacking one of three aspects).
• Tongue = 1200 (languages differ from place to place, but meanings know no boundary).
• Body = 800 (lacking awareness once there is separation).
• Mental Faculty = 1200 (silently inclusive of all phenomena within its scope).

The Buddha then proceeds to describe the enhanced sense organs of the Dharma teacher with beautiful meditative passages and verse summaries.

With the purified, ordinary physical organs ‘given by their parents’:

• Their eyes will have the power of the Divine Eye
• They will be able to hear and know all sounds, both internal and external, everywhere.
• They can smell and know all scents, or foretell events from scents
• Whatever touches their tongue, transforms into a supreme flavor, like heavenly ambrosia And they produce profound and wondrous sounds that can penetrate the hearts of all, causing everyone to be joyful and happy.
• They obtain a pure body, like pure lapis lazuli, and all beings are reflected within it
• With a pure mental faculty, they will comprehend limitless and boundless meanings.