This Lotus Sutra Seminar at the Berkeley Zen Center was given on April 1, 8, 15, 22, and 29 in 1999. The first four sessions consisted of discussions about the Lotus Sutra followed by recitation of passages of the Lotus Sutra. The fifth session consisted of Shodaigyo Meditation followed by a session of general questions and answers. All of this was made possible by Maylie Scott of the Berkeley Zen Center who invited me to come and speak about the Lotus Sutra and share the practice of Shodaigyo meditation. Maylie Scott was a Zen priest and had received transmission (inka) from Sojun Mel Weitzman in the Soto Zen lineage of Shunryu Suzuki. Sadly, Maylie Scott passed away on May 10, 2001, of liver cancer while I was attending Shingyo Dojo at Mt. Minobu. I will always be grateful to her for giving me the opportunity to share the Lotus Sutra and the Odaimoku with her Sangha, who otherwise might never have heard the Lotus Sutra taught from the perspective of Nichiren Buddhism or have encountered the practice of Odaimoku. Maylie struck me as a teacher with an open mind and a warm heart. Though she was entitled to call herself a Zen Master, she did not insist on that title, and seemed very eager to learn from and listen to others. I did not have many chances to hear her give teachings, but the few times I did during the seminar and in a follow-up session that she led afterwards (which was not recorded), I was impressed by her deep calm, thoughtfulness, and rich experience.
This writing is based on transcripts of the original seminar which Maylie sponsored, but has been modified to be more coherent and in some cases it has been expanded with additional material for clarification.
I dedicate it to the memory of Kushin Seisho Maylie Scott (March 29, 1935 - May 10, 2001).
Rev Ryuei McCormick and Kunshin Seisho Maylie Scott - 1999
