Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[CrazyDog]

Welcome Back PassTheDoobie! Hi all my fryend!

It's a cheerful and refreshing greeting
that opens the door to other people's hearts.
Let's always try to talk to others with a bright and friendly smile.
Trust and good friends are some of the most valuable treasures
that we can ever have in life!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Everyone has the potential to become a capable and talented person.
With the unwavering belief in the Buddha nature that each one of us has
let's continue to patiently and warmly encourage others.
Let's do our utmost to help people
to unlock their hidden talents and abilities!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Whatever trouble occurs, regard it as no more than a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra."

(Letter to the Brothers - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 502) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, March 18th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"How gratifying! You have associated with a friend in the orchid room and have become as straight as mugwort growing among hemp."

(On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 23) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's message, Seikyo Shimbun, March 26th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Society is filled with constant challenges and change. It is difficult to safely navigate our way without strong life force, unshakeable belief, and abundant wisdom -- the supreme source of which is faith in the Mystic Law."

SGI Newsletter No.8737, The New Human Revolution, Vol.26: Chap 2, Banner of the Law, translated 22nd March, 2013.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"How gratifying! You have associated with a friend in the orchid room and have become as straight as mugwort growing among hemp."

(Now that is kind of mystic! I did not italicize the word “hemp,” nor was it italicized in the text I cut and pasted from! But it got italicized when I posted here for the Chanting Growers to read!)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

What moves an era forwards is people's voices
brimming with a strong life force.
"No matter what type of person I talk to,
I'll definitely help them to understand
what our movement is about."
Let's have such an unyielding determination!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, but a person of considerable strength, when alone, may fall down on an uneven path."

(Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 598) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, March 21st, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The American futurist Hazel Henderson, a dear friend, observed with a smile that the way to blaze a trail is simply to take one courageous step forwards, and then follow it with another and another.[1]"

SGI Newsletter No. 8735, SGI President Ikeda’s Editorial, Spreading Joy from One Person to Another, from the April 2013 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 18th March 2013

[1] Translated from Japanese. Interview article in Seikyo Shimbun, February 26, 2012.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

We, the members of the Soka family
are eternal comrades who share the profound bonds of the Mystic Law
across the three existences.*
Come, let's advance towards our great goal of kosen-rufu
firmly united in heart!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Three existences: http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/resources/buddhist_concepts/bc24_three_existences.php

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Three Existences

The Three Existences

Everything Is Determined in This Moment

We often feel bombarded with one situation after another that make us wonder, "What did I do to deserve this?" or, "Why is this happening to me?" Especially when we are struggling in life, some of us might perceive ourselves as victims who have no clue about why we are suffering the way we are.

How do we answer the, "Why me's?" How do we improve our lives?

The renowned Chinese Buddhist scholar T'ien-t'ai (538–597) said: "If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present" ("The Opening of the Eyes," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 279).

Many people seem to look at life as if it is limited to this one existence. In Buddhism, however, we view life as eternal. Therefore, our lives are not just limited to this present existence. "Causes that existed in the past" refers not only to what we did yesterday or ten years ago, but also to previous existences since the remotest past. Though some of us like to wonder and even fantasize about what our past lives must have been like, because life is more vast and profound than we can imagine, it is difficult to fathom our actual past existences.

All the causes we made in the past have accumulated in lifetime after lifetime and these causes are manifested as karma. We create our own karma. The moment we do something, say something or think something, an effect is registered in the depths of our being. As our lives meet the right circumstances, the effects of those causes take shape in various forms. These various manifestations of our individual karma are what lead to the uniqueness of our appearance, the situations we face and our lives.

"If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present."

In order to understand our past causes, or our karma, we do not need to go to a psychic or a guru. In light of the eternal law of cause and effect, by simply looking at our life at present, we are able to understand what causes we made in the past.

Though we cannot undo the causes we made in the past, we can determine the way their effects influence our lives in the present. Reflecting on our experiences—and based on our own decisions and the actions we take—we either stagnate or advance forward. Each moment builds upon the previous one. So, how do we create the best causes for our future?

"If you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present."

Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism teaches us that in our present environment, regardless of how excruciating our suffering may be, we do have the power to determine our future. The actions we take at this present moment influence the outcome of our future. The greatness of Buddhism is that is shows us we are responsible for choosing how we lead our lives, and it teaches us how we can change our karma. Karma is not unchangeable like fate, which is a predestined path of what our life will be. We can change our karma based on the actions we take right here, right now. It is never too late to change our lives for the better.

For example, in the aftermath of a big earthquake, your house may have completely collapsed (with your entire family safe, of course) and you set yourself to the task of rebuilding your house. Given that you have all the resources you need to reconstruct your house, what course of action will you take? It would certainly be easier to rebuild the house according to the original plans, but how safe would you feel when the next earthquake rolls around? You are naturally determined to try and construct your new home to withstand the next earthquake. And now due to the tragedy of losing your first house, you have an idea of what kinds of adjustments you can make to try and avoid the same problem and improve your new home. The ultimate goal would be to rebuild your house to withstand all the earthquakes to come!

Likewise, instead of repeating the same cycle of suffering in our lives, we can choose to use our struggles as a springboard to fortify our inner strength. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which encapsulates the essential spirit of the Lotus Sutra, is the greatest resource available to us for constructing an eternally indestructible fortress of happiness in our lives. Chanting this phrase is the key to fusing with the law of life that exists throughout the universe. It is the greatest cause we can make for our lives. This cause remains in our lives throughout the three existences of past, present and future.

Chanting to the Gohonzon and teaching others about Buddhism represents the greatest possible good and accords with the law of life itself. It is the way to attain a state of eternal happiness.

Though we cannot see our past or future lives, we can find clear direction on how to live in this present life based on our understanding of the causal law of life operating across the three existences of past, present and future. Through chanting, we are able to elevate our life-condition and perceive our fundamental karma. Once we realize our karmic tendencies we are able to challenge them head on.

In "On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime," Nichiren Daishonin explains: "The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law. If you chant Myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime" (WND-1, 4).

Each moment of our lives is a struggle between creating good causes and giving in to our own weaknesses and negativity. We always have the choice of taking responsibility for our future and taking action with the strong conviction that it is never too late to change our lives for the better.

Nichiren Daishonin, in encouraging Shijo Kingo to live happily in the present without dwelling on past events or worrying about what might happen in the future, says: "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever" (WND-1, 681).

Happiness is not something that we will find somewhere off in the distance; it is to be found in the present. Both past and future are contained in the present, and though we know that life is eternal, everything exists in the present. There is no need to ponder too long on the "Why me's?" since we know that we alone are responsible for our present situations. Why waste time wallowing in the misery of the unchangeable past when there is so much joy and appreciation to gain in making each moment, each day, a valuable step toward the unlimited potential of the future?

Living Buddhism, April 2001, p. 6

 

[PassTheDoobie]

It kind of blows my mind, but in the less than sixty days since we started this new Chanting Growers Group thread, the old thread has gotten over 12,000 more views, even though it has drifted to page five of the Growers Forum! I think a lot of people must be visiting through Google! Have any of the equally long sticky'ed threads drawn that much traffic to ICmag? I kind of doubt it! The power of the Law is amazing!

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Nine Consciousnesses

The Nine Consciousnesses

"The most fundamental layer of consciousness is the ninth or amala consciousness. Unstained by the workings of karma, this consciousness represents our true, eternal self. The revolutionary aspect of Nichiren Buddhism is that it seeks to directly bring forth the energy of this consciousness--the enlightened nature of the Buddha--thus purifying the other, more superficial layers of consciousness."

The Buddhist teaching of the nine consciousnesses offers the basis for a comprehensive understanding of who we are, our true identity. It also helps explain how Buddhism sees the eternal continuity of our lives over cycles of birth and death. This perspective on the human being is the fruit of thousands of years of intense introspective investigation into the nature of consciousness. Historically, it is grounded in efforts to experience and explain the essence of Shakyamuni's enlightenment beneath the bodhi tree some 2,500 years ago.

The nine consciousnesses can be thought of as different layers of consciousness which are constantly operating together to create our lives. The Sanskrit word vijnāna, which is translated as consciousness, includes a wide range of activities, including sensation, cognition and conscious thought. The first five of these consciousnesses are the familiar senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The sixth consciousness is the function that integrates and processes the various sensory data to form an overall picture or thought, identifying what it is that our five senses are communicating to us. It is primarily with these six functions of life that we perform our daily activities.

Below this level of consciousness is the seventh consciousness. Unlike those layers of consciousness that are directed toward the outer world, the seventh consciousness is directed toward our inner life and is largely independent of sensory input. The seventh consciousness is the basis for our sense of individual identity; attachment to a self distinct to and separate from others has its basis in this consciousness, as does our sense of right and wrong.

Below the seventh consciousness, Buddhism elucidates a deeper layer, the eighth or ālaya consciousness, also known as the never-perishing or storehouse consciousness. It is here that the energy of our karma resides. Whereas the first seven consciousnesses disappear on death, the eighth consciousness persists through the cycles of active life and the latency of death. It can be thought of as the life-flow that supports the activities of the other consciousnesses. The experiences described by those who have undergone clinical death and been revived could be said to be occurrences at the borderline of the seventh and eighth consciousnesses.

An understanding of these levels of consciousness and the interaction between them can offer valuable insights into the nature of life and the self, as well as pointing to the resolution of the fundamental problems that humanity confronts.

According to Buddhist teachings, there are specific deep-seated delusions in the seventh consciousness regarding the nature of self. These delusions arise from the relationship between the seventh and eighth levels of consciousness and manifest as fundamental egotism.

Buddhist teachings describe the seventh layer as emerging from the eighth consciousness: it is always focused on the eighth consciousness of the individual, which it perceives as something fixed, unique and isolated from other things. In reality, the eighth consciousness is in a state of continual flux. At this level our lives constantly interact, exerting a profound influence on each other. The perception of a fixed and isolated self that the seventh consciousness generates is thus false.

The seventh consciousness is also the seat of the fear of death. Being unable to perceive the true nature of the eighth consciousness as an enduring flow of life energy, it imagines that upon death, the eighth consciousness will become permanently extinct. Fear of death thus has roots in the deep layers of the subconscious.

The delusion that the eighth consciousness is one's true self is also termed fundamental ignorance, a turning away from the interconnectedness of all being. It is this sense of one's self as separate and isolated from others that gives rise to discrimination, to destructive arrogance and unbridled acquisitiveness. Humanity's ravaging of the natural environment is another obvious result.

A Karmic River

Buddhism posits that our thoughts, words and deeds invariably create an imprint in the deep layers of the eighth consciousness. This is what Buddhists refer to as karma. The eighth consciousness is therefore sometimes referred to as the karmic storehouse--the place where these karmic seeds are stored. These seeds or latent energy can be either positive or negative; the eighth consciousness remains neutral and equally receptive to either type of karmic imprinting. The energy becomes manifest when conditions are ripe. Positive latent causes can become manifest as both positive effects in one's life and as positive psychological functions such as trust, nonviolence, self-control, compassion and wisdom. Negative latent causes can manifest as various forms of delusion and destructive behavior and give rise to suffering for ourselves and others.

While the image of a storehouse is helpful, a truer image may be that of a raging torrent of karmic energy. This energy is constantly moving through and shaping our lives and experience. Our resultant thoughts and actions are then fed back into this karmic flow. The quality of the karmic flow is what makes each of us distinct beings--our unique selves. The flow of energy is constantly changing, but, like a river, it maintains an identity and consistency even through successive cycles of life and death. It is this aspect of fluidity, this lack of fixity, that opens the possibility of transforming the content of the eighth consciousness. This is why karma, properly understood, is different from an unchanging or unavoidable destiny.

The question, therefore, is how we increase the balance of positive karma. This is the basis for various forms of Buddhist practice that seek to imprint positive causes in our lives. When caught up in a cycle of negative cause and effect, however, it is difficult to avoid making further negative causes, and it is here that we turn to the most fundamental layer of consciousness, the ninth or amala consciousness.

This can be thought of as the life of the cosmos itself; it is also referred to as the fundamentally pure consciousness. Unstained by the workings of karma, this consciousness represents our true, eternal self. The revolutionary aspect of Nichiren Buddhism is that it seeks to directly bring forth the energy of this consciousness--the enlightened nature of the Buddha--thus purifying the other, more superficial layers of consciousness. The great power of the ninth consciousness welling forth changes even entrenched patterns of negative karma in the eighth consciousness.

Because the eighth consciousness transcends the boundaries of the individual, merging with the latent energy of one's family, one's ethnic group, and also with that of animals and plants, a positive change in this karmic energy becomes a "cogwheel" for change in the lives of others. As SGI President Daisaku Ikeda writes, "When we activate this fundamentally pure consciousness, the energy of all life's good and evil karma is directed toward value creation; and the mind or consciousness...of humankind is infused with the life current of compassion and wisdom." Nichiren identified the practice of chanting the phrase Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the basic means for activating the ninth consciousness in our lives.

As the layers of consciousness are transformed, they each give rise to unique forms of wisdom. The wisdom inherent in the eighth consciousness allows us to perceive ourselves, our experience and other phenomena with perfect clarity and to profoundly appreciate the interconnectedness and interdependence of all things. As the deep-rooted delusions of the seventh consciousness are transformed, an individual is enabled to overcome the fear of death, as well as the aggression and violence that spring from this fear. A wisdom arises which enables us to perceive the fundamental equality of all living beings and to deal with them on an unchanging basis of respect. It is this type of transformation and wisdom that is sorely required in our world today.

[Courtesy April 2004 SGI Quarterly]

 

[CrazyDog]

I'm going to win, no matter what!" is such an important attitude to have.
It is precisely when we do make such a decision to win
that we are able to experience a wellspring of
great wisdom and courage in our lives!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Izu Exile / WND pg. 35

The Izu Exile / WND pg. 35

I have received the rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, sake, dried rice, peppers, paper, and other items from the messenger whom you took the trouble to send. He also conveyed your message that these offerings should be kept secret. I understand.

When, on the twelfth day of the fifth month, having been exiled, I arrived at that harbor I had never even heard of before, and when I was still suffering after leaving the boat, you kindly took me into your care. What karma has brought us together? Can it be that, because in the past you were a votary of the Lotus Sutra, now, in the Latter Day of the Law, you have been reborn as Funamori no Yasaburo and have taken pity on me? Though a man may do this, for your wife, as a married woman, to have given me food, brought me water to wash my hands and feet with, and treated me with great concern, I can only call wondrous.

What caused you to inwardly believe in the Lotus Sutra and make offerings to me during my more than thirty-day stay there? I was hated and resented by the steward and the people of the district even more than I was in Kamakura. Those who saw me scowled, while those who merely heard my name were filled with spite. And yet, though I was there in the fifth month when rice was scarce, you secretly fed me. Have my parents been reborn in a place called Kawana, in Ito of Izu Province?

The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “[I will send . . .] men and women of pure faith, to offer alms to the teachers of the Law.”(1) The meaning of this sutra passage is that the heavenly gods and benevolent deities will assume various forms such as those of men and women, and present offerings to help the persons who practice the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt that this refers to you and your wife being born as a man and a woman, and making offerings to Nichiren, the teacher of the Law.

Since I wrote to you in detail earlier, (2) I will make this letter brief. But I would like to mention one thing in particular. When the steward of this district sent me a request to pray for his recovery from illness, I wondered if I should accept it. But since he showed some degree of faith in me, I decided I would appeal to the Lotus Sutra. This time I saw no reason why the ten demon daughters should not join forces to aid me. I therefore addressed the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions, and also the Sun Goddess, Hachiman, and other deities, both major and minor. I was sure that they would consider my request and show some sign. Certainly they would never forsake me, but would respond as attentively as a person rubs a sore or scratches an itch. And as it turned out, the steward recovered. In gratitude he presented me with a statue of the Buddha that had appeared from the sea along with a catch of fish. He did so because his illness had finally ended, an illness that I am certain was inflicted by the ten demon daughters. This benefit too will surely become a benefit for you and your wife.

Living beings like ourselves have dwelt in the sea of the sufferings of birth and death since time without beginning. But they become votaries of the Lotus Sutra, and realize that their bodies and minds, which have existed since the beginningless past, are inherently endowed with the eternally unchanging nature; awaken to their mystic reality with their mystic wisdom; and attain the Buddha’s body, which is as indestructible as a diamond. How then could they be different from that Buddha?? Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, who said numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago, “I am the only person [who can rescue and protect others],” (3) refers to living beings like ourselves. This is the Lotus Sutra’s teaching of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, and the action of “I am always here, preaching the Law.”(4) Even though such an admirable Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha exist, ordinary people are unaware of it. The passage in the “Life Span” chapter that reads, “I make it so that living beings in their befuddlement do not see me even when close by,” refers to this. The disparity between delusion and enlightenment is like that between the four views in the grove of sal trees. (5) What is called the Buddha of three thousand realms in a single moment of life means that the entire realm of phenomena attains Buddhahood.

The demon who appeared before the boy Snow Mountains was Shakra in disguise. The dove that sought the protection of King Shibi was the god Vishvakarman. King Universal Brightness, who returned to the palace of King Spotted Feet [to be executed], was Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings. While the eyes of ordinary people are blind to this, the eyes of the Buddha see it. A sutra passage states that there are paths by which birds and fish come and go in both the sky and the sea. A wooden statue [of the Buddha] is itself a golden Buddha, and a golden Buddha is a wooden statue. Aniruddha’s gold turned into a hare and then a corpse.(6) In the palm of Mahanama’s hand, even sand turned into gold.(7) These things are beyond ordinary understanding. An ordinary person is a Buddha, and a Buddha, an ordinary person. This is what is meant by three thousand realms in a single moment of life and by the phrase “I in fact attained Buddhahood.”(8)

In that case, perhaps the World- Honored One of Great Enlightenment, the lord of teachings, has been reborn and has helped me as you and your wife. Though the distance between Ito and Kawana is short, our hearts are kept far apart. I write this letter for the sake of the future. Do not discuss it with others, but ponder it yourself. If people should learn anything at all about it, it will go hard with you. Keep it deep in your heart and never speak of it. With my deepest regards. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

The twenty-seventh day of the sixth month in the first year of Kocho (1261)

Sent to Funamori Yasaburo.

Background

In the eighth month of 1260, infuriated by Nichiren Daishonin’s refutation of the Pure Land school in his On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, a group of Nembutsu followers attacked his dwelling at Matsubagayatsu in Kamakura. The Daishonin narrowly escaped and went to the home of his loyal disciple Toki Jonin in Shimosa Province. In the spring of 1261, however, he returned to Kamakura and resumed his propagation efforts.

On the twelfth day of the fifth month, 1261, without any official investigation, the government sentenced the Daishonin to exile in the Izu Peninsula, which was a stronghold of the Pure Land school. The Daishonin was taken to Kawana, a small fishing village on the northeastern coast of the Izu Peninsula. Here he was given shelter and food by Funamori Yasaburo, a fisherman, and his wife, and the couple became his steadfast followers. The steward of Ito District in Izu, Ito Sukemitsu, learning of the Daishonin’s presence a month after his arrival, had the Daishonin summoned in order that he might offer prayers for Sukemitsu’s recovery from a serious illness. Sukemitsu regained his health, and it is said that he, too, became the Daishonin’s follower.

Both Yasaburo and his wife were concerned about the Daishonin’s safety when he went to Ito to pray for the steward’s health. Yasaburo sent a messenger to the Daishonin at Ito with various offerings. The Izu Exile is the Daishonin’s reply. The Daishonin’s exile ended on the twenty-second day of the second month, 1263, and he returned to Kamakura.

Notes

1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
2. Little is known about the letter referred to here; only the letter The Izu Exile is extant today.
3. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
4. Ibid., chap. 16.
5. Shakyamuni passed away after expounding his last teaching, the Nirvana Sutra, in a grove of sal trees. The Sutra on Resolving Doubts about the Middle Day of the Law describes that grove of sal trees in four different ways: (1) as a grove composed of earth, trees, plants, and stone walls; (2) as a place adorned with the seven kinds of treasures, including gold and silver; (3) as a place where all Buddhas practice Buddhism; and (4) as the eternal, enlightened land of the Buddha. The different views arise in accordance with the capacity and state of life of the people.
6. Aniruddha was one of Shakyamuni’s ten major disciples, known as the foremost in divine insight. This story is found in The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra. Long ago, a pratyekabuddha named Rida was engaged in the practice of begging alms, but could obtain nothing. Seeing this, a poor man offered him millet. Later, when the poor man went in search of more millet, a hare jumped on his back and then turned into a corpse. Frightened, the man tried to shake it off, but in vain. As soon as he returned home, however, the corpse fell off and turned into gold. Hearing of this, wicked men came to rob him, but to them it looked merely like a corpse. In the eyes of the poor man, however, it was genuine gold, and he became wealthy. Ninety-one kalpas later, he was born as Aniruddha.
7. Mahanama was one of the five monks who were ordered by Shakyamuni’s father, the king, to accompany Shakyamuni when he forsook the secular world and entered religious life. They followed and practiced asceticism with Shakyamuni, but left him when he renounced this path. Shortly after Shakyamuni obtained enlightenment, however, he preached his first sermon to them at Deer Park, and they became his first disciples. According to the Increasing by One Agama Sutra, Mahanama was said to possess occult powers. The story of “sand in his palm turning into gold” is found in Ts’ung-i’s Supplement to T’ien-t’ai’s Three Major Works.
8. Lotus Sutra, chap. 16. About this phrase, Nichiren Daishonin states in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings that “I” indicates all the people in each of the Ten Worlds, and that it means that the people of the Ten Worlds are all Buddhas eternally endowed with the three bodies.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Those who always have a prime point in their faith are strong
and never encounter deadlocks.
They never give up and resultantly are never defeated.
Remembering forever what we have promised ourselves to achieve,
let's soar into the future!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nichiren Daishonin writes of how the joy of the Law spreads from one person to another, and how merely hearing the voice of someone rejoice can cause another to rejoice in turn (cf.WND-1, 68).

"Let’s take another step forwards today! Powerfully chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is 'the greatest of all joys' (OTT, 212), and engaging in inspiring dialogues with one friend after another, let us adorn the 760th anniversary of the Daishonin’s declaration of his teaching this year [on April 28] with further triumphant progress in our movement.

"A lion’s roar
resounding with truth—
your voice can free
your friends from suffering
and illuminate society."

SGI Newsletter No. 8735, SGI President Ikeda’s Editorial, Spreading Joy from One Person to Another, from the April 2013 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 18th March 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!"

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, March 28th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Mount Sumeru is paltry in comparison to the towering debt you owe your father; the great ocean is shallow compared to the profoundness of the debt you owe your mother."

(The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2, page 637) Selection source: "Myoji no Gen", Seikyo Shimbun, March 31st, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A true victor is someone who can say, 'I did the very best I could do.'

"Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring' (WND-1, 536).

"It is because trees weather the harsh cold of winter that they bring forth beautiful, fragrant blossoms in the spring. No matter how cold it gets, trees endure patiently, slowly but surely taking in the nutrients they need.

"In every area of life, challenges and crises make us stronger."

SGI Newsletter No. 8740.* Dialogue for the Future: Travelling the Path of Victory Together with You, [7] Proudly Walk the Path of Self-Improvement, from the Nov. 1st, 2012 issue of the Mirai [Future] Journal, translated March 28th, 2013