Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[PassTheDoobie]

"All your efforts for kosen-rufu will become your good fortune. There will definitely come a time when you experience this for yourself. That’s why it’s important to exert yourselves energetically for the sake of Buddhism and the happiness of others."

SGI Newsletter No. 8703, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 1, Atsuta 37, translated 16th Jan, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Misfortune comes from one's mouth and ruins one, but fortune comes from one's heart and makes one worthy of respect."

(New Year's Gosho - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 1137) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, January 24th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

You, my dear friends who are struggling to look for employment
on the battlefield of severe financial conditions,
no matter what, never be defeated, never give in!
With sincerity and perseverance
we can all open up a victorious path towards our respective missions in life!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The great life-state of the Buddha, of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, pulses in the determination to dedicate one’s life to kosen-rufu."

SGI Newsletter No. 8667, The New Human Revolution––Volume 26: Chapter 1, Atsuta 18, translated 12th Nov. 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Our practice is the force for attaining absolute victory.
There is not a single wall or obstacle
that cannot be overcome through our faith!
Let's make a fresh departure
towards the highest pinnacle of life and of kosen rufu,
starting first of all with invincible daimoku!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[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, May 23rd, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In the words of the Armenian poet Avetik Isahakyan (1875–1957): 'Maintain your dignity and pride, whatever happens.'[1]

"Self-confidence is the backbone of the human spirit. People with self-confidence are strong. As long as one has confidence, one won’t be defeated by the harshest adversity."

SGI Newsletter No. 8519, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 25: Chap. 2, Shared Struggle 59, translated 17th May, 2012

[1] Translated from Russian. Avetik Isahakyan, Stikhotvoreniya i poemyi (Verses and Poems) (Leningrad: Sovetskii Pisatelj, 1975), p. 119.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

We are in the season again of sudden and dramatic fluctuations in the weather. Let's keep a close tab on our health and remind our friends as well to take the necessary steps to avoid catching a cold or any other sickness. Together, let's advance, keeping "our good health" as our top priority!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If one lights a fire for others, one will brighten one's own way."

(On the Three Virtues of Food - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 1060) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 1st, 2013

 

[easyDaimoku]

So much to study! Wow, thank you so much for transcribing this most amazing dailogue! Sensei, Mr. Endo, Mr. Saito, and Mr. Suda contributed to such deep amazingly rich study for us! Here is a snippet of what I'm focusing on:

Ikeda: Yes, time without beginning is another name for life that is without beginning or end. It pertains, not to the doctrine of time, but to the doctrine of life.

The truth in the depths of life, the very life of the universe that continues to function ceaselessly, is referred to by the term time without beginning. This can also be called the “Thus Come One originally endowed with the three enlightened properties.”

Regarding the term “time without beginning” which in Japanese is kuon ganjo, the Daishonin says, “Kuon means neither created or adorned but remaining in one’s original state” (OTT, 141). “Not created” means inherently endowed; it does not indicate a specific point in time. “Not adorned” means not possessing the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics; it refers to ordinary people just as they are. “Remaining in one’s original state” means eternally existing.

Kuon signifies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; it signifies the Gohonzon. When we pray to the Gohonzon, that very instant is beginningless time. For us, each day is beginningless time. Each day we can cause the supreme, pure, eternal life of time without beginning to well forth from our entire being. Each day we start anew from time without beginning, the starting point of life.

I'm going through these last two pages because herein lies the definition of our practice, this is what got me going in the original thread 7 years ago. Let's all attain Buddhahood in this lifetime! I'm sooo diggity down with thissss!

Thank you T for taking the time out for this!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Wow! The old thread has already had over 1,000 hits since we moved! I'm sure there are going to be a lot of people copying stuff out of there for awhile. As a source of information, there is nothing quite like it on the web.

We all did it together. It's so readable!!! Chris, I hope you will seriously guard that priceless treasure!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

THANKS TO SKIP AND GYPSY!!!

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"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, Vol. 1, page 279) Selection source: Thoughts on the New Human Revolution, Seikyo Shimbun, January 14th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Instead of comparing ourselves with others
it's far better to focus on winning over ourselves!
Today, more than yesterday,
tomorrow, more than today,
it's important that each day of our lives is spent
polishing and developing ourselves.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) grappled with the question of human selfishness, including his own, pondering the cause of people’s self-centeredness and estrangement from others. He later reached the conclusion: “They and I are one. Everyone alive now, or in the past or the future, are all one; they are all one with me. My life is dependent on theirs, and their lives dependent on mine.”[1] This became his guiding philosophy. His view of human life has much in common with Buddhism, which teaches that we remain linked to those in our lives throughout the three existences of past, present, and future, and that self and other are inseparable. It is important, therefore, for us to encourage each other and lead lives of great meaning and value by allowing the unsurpassed jewel of Buddhahood to shine forth brightly within us.

"When we help others shine, our lives shine, too. Dialogue enables us to appreciate our connection with others. The path of dialogue is the path of joy for both ourselves and others; it is the path of happiness."

SGI Newsletter No. 8523, To My Young Friends—Leaders of a New Age, [3] Bringing People Together—The Power of Human Ties—Part 3 [of 3], from the 29th March, 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 23rd May 2012

[1] Translated from Japanese. Leo Tolstoy, Torusutoi Nikkisho (Abridged Diary of Tolstoy), translated by Yoshitaro Yokemura (Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1954), p. 111.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month."

("On Persecutions Befalling the Sage", The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 997
Selection source: Myoji no Gen, Seikyo Shimbun, May 23rd, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"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."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 681) Selection source: SGI Sweden member's experience, Seikyo Shimbun, February 15th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nichiren Buddhism teaches that the highest life-state of Buddhahood does not exist somewhere separate from us ordinary human beings or our daily reality, but within us. It teaches that we ourselves are Buddhas.

"Nichiren Daishonin likens the difficulty people have in believing this truth to the inability to see one’s own eyelashes because they are so close. In the same way that beautiful blossoms emerge from the rough-barked branches of the cherry tree, he says, we ordinary people can bring forth the life-state of Buddhahood from within our lives.[1]

"In short, it is the ultimate power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that brings the supreme flower of life that is Buddhahood to bloom. This is an absolute and unfailing principle."

SGI Newsletter No. 8716, 63rd Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, Bringing Forth Flowers of Happiness and Victory in Our Lives, translated 13th Feb. 2013

[1] The Daishonin writes: “We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts. . . . [It is like the way that] the graceful cherry blossoms come forth from trees” (WND-1, 1137).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

When we sincerely talk with others
we naturally will begin to develop trust with them.
And when we chant daimoku for the happiness of our friends
and courageously take action for their well-being,
our own life condition will be elevated.
This is the way we will achieve kosen-rufu!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Today, I would like to make a pledge together with all of you—a pledge to bring flowers of victory into full bloom in our lives.

"The life of each one of us is infinitely noble and filled with immeasurable potential. Nichiren Buddhism teaches that even a single day of life is more precious than all the treasures of the universe.

"Many scientists have described the human body itself as a universe of its own, with a staggering 60 trillion cells working together in exquisite harmony, constantly defending against threats from without. Our hearts beat approximately 100,000 times a day, pumping roughly eight tons of blood through our bodies. There is an astronomical network of 14 billion neurons in our cerebral cortex alone, with an unlimited power for growth and creativity. That is why it is said that the more we use our brains, the sharper they become."

SGI Newsletter No. 8716, 63rd Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting, Bringing Forth Flowers of Happiness and Victory in Our Lives, translated 13th Feb. 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat."

(The Three Obstacles and Four Devils - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 637) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 14th, 2013