Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[SoCal Hippy]

"Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring."

Winter Always Turns to Spring - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 536

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Working for the happiness of others and sincerely valuing the person right in front of us requires having absolute faith in the positive potential inherent within each individual. That faith and conviction are the driving force for building a network of hope and opening the way to a brighter future."

Daisaku Ikeda

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Weird]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"I am praying that, no matter how troubled the times may become, the Lotus Sutra and the ten demon daughters will protect all of you, praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood, or to obtain water from parched ground."

(On Rebuking Slander of the Law and Eradicating Sins - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 444)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The Daishonin states that we should respect one another as we would a Buddha."*

"Let's always respect and praise our fellow members who are challenging themselves in various different ways to share this Buddhism and its philosophy with others. Let's gather in joyful perfect solidarity and achieve great victories!"

Daisaku Ikeda

*"Even an ignorant person can obtain blessings by serving someone who expounds the Lotus Sutra. No matter if he is a demon or an animal, if someone proclaims even a single verse or phrase of the Lotus Sutra, you must respect him as you would the Buddha. This is what the sutra means when it says, 'You should rise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha.' You should respect one another as Shakyamuni and Many Treasures did at the ceremony in the 'Treasure Tower' chapter." - The Fourteen Slanders, WND-I, page 757

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Therefore, we know that the prayers offered by a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will be answered just as an echo answers a sound, as a shadow follows a form, as the reflection of the moon appears in clear water, (as a mirror collects dewdrops, as a magnet attracts iron, as amber attracts particles of dust, or as a clear mirror reflects the colour of an object.)"

Gosho: "On Prayer", Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol 1, page 340

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"And could not this illness of your husband's be the Buddha's design, because the Vimalakirti and Nirvana sutras both teach that sick people will surely attain Buddhahood? Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way."

(The Good Medicine for All Ills - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 937)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"We strive in our Buddhist practice in order to overcome all of life’s trials and tribulations and become happy. To do that, we need invincible strength. So, what is strength?

“Strong people are often said to have a firm sense of purpose in life, or deeply held convictions, or true friends. We, in the Soka Gakkai, have all three. We have the lofty purpose of realising kosen-rufu and attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. And we have the unshakable conviction that in upholding Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism we can achieve indestructible happiness for ourselves and others. Finally, we have trusted comrades in faith and a Soka family united in a network of friendship, where we mutually encourage and support one another.

"In other words, we possess the best possible conditions to become strong, and it is faith in the Mystic Law that allows us to demonstrate this and become happy.”

Daisaku Ikeda

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Weird]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. 'All others who bear you enmity or malice will likewise be wiped out.' These golden words will never prove false."

(The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1001)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The key to us being victorious in life lies in the single word 'courage.'
Let's advance proudly with our heads held high! Let's make the memory of our present lives remain as the only memory of our present life in this human world."*

Daisaku Ikeda

*"Single-mindedly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and urge others to do the same; that will remain as the only memory of your present life in this human world." - "Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra", WND-I, page 64

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"“In ‘The Fourteen Slanders,’ the Daishonin writes about the fourteen types of slander of the Lotus Sutra.[1] The last four are despising, hating, envying, and bearing grudges, especially against those who embrace the Gohonzon. This describes, in other words, ill feelings or hostility towards one’s fellow members.

“Because Nichiren Daishonin considers these fourteen slanders as extremely grave offenses, he writes, ‘You must be on guard against them’ (WND-1, 756). Slander and jealousy not only erase your own benefit and good fortune, they also undermine our organisation that is working for kosen-rufu. That’s what makes them so harmful.

“Looking closely at local organisations where members have trouble uniting, things don’t run smoothly, and members are giving their all but aren’t receiving benefit, you can see that the underlying problem is slander and jealousy.”

SGI Newsletter No. 8786, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 2, Banner of the Law

[1] Fourteen types of slander enumerated in The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra” by Miao-lo (711-782) based on the contents of the “Simile and Parable” (3rd) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. They consist of fourteen offenses against the Law, or the Buddha’s teachings, and against the people who believe in and practice it. They are (1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering, (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges. According to the “Simile and Parable” chapter, the last four offenses are leveled at the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. The chapter reads, “If this person should slander a sutra such as this, or on seeing those who read, recite, copy, and uphold this sutra, should despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against them, the penalty this person must pay—listen, I will tell you now: When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell.” (LSOC, 110)

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"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?"

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 681)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Dialogue is a heart-to-heart symphony. It can produce a dynamic rhythm of progress, a harmony of mutual trust, and a melody of fresh creativity. "The renowned Danish educator Hans Henningsen declared: 'Dialogue has meaning precisely when opinions, views, and personalities are entirely different.'[1]

"It takes courage to initiate a dialogue, but when we do so, we open the way for fresh concord and mutual understanding."

SGI Newsletter No. 8785, Win with Courage and Conviction!

[1] Daisaku Ikeda and Hans Henningsen, Ashita o Tsukuru Kyoiku no Seigyo: Denmaku to Nihon Yujo no Katarai (The Sacred Work of Education for Shaping the Future: Denmark-Japan Friendship), (Tokyo: Ushio Shuppansha, 2009), p. 332. Quoted from the original English text.

 

[Desiderata]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!


"I'm so glad, I'm glad I'm glad I'm glad," (Cream) that this pristine Omnis Natural thread still exists, it give me real hope in human kind to think & behave smartly and fairly in his/her daily transactions with other beings. It all starts with how we treat ourselves.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith."

(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 412)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Based on the boundless view of life taught in Nichiren Buddhism, all people possess the Buddha nature; all embody the 'mutual possession of the Ten Worlds' and the 'three thousand realms in a single moment of life.' As members of the SGI, we reach out to others in dialogue, respecting each person’s individuality, and seek to share with them the humanistic ideals of Nichiren Buddhism for the sake of happiness and peace for all people."

Daisaku Ikeda

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Let's establish in our local community, the type of society that is full of hope and
where the dignity of life is truly upheld.

Towards achieving the great lofty goal of kosen-rufu*, together with our respectworthy fellow members,
let's devote ourselves boldly and confidently to our activities!"

Daisaku Ikeda

*Kosen-rufu = World Peace

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo