Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[BushyOldGrower]

Tom, I have been thinking and last night I concluded that through faith in the principles that are true and faith in ourselves we can succeed.

I know that despite my failings that I will become worthy. But is it enough to learn when you should teach. To become enlightened without enlightening. To chant without understanding so many things?

I feel stupid sometimes and I fear my concentration and attention span becomes less with age. Sometimes I think I know nothing.

Just what is the message of the Lotus Sutra Tom? When I try and think of it my head hurts because I am confused. Many concepts intertwined. The higher laws I do understand but how do we make Kosen Rufu happen?

I guess by practicing and learning and teaching and believing. Faith in the outcome is really what it's all about. The power is in the faith. All religions believe a lot of the same things. Faith is hardest when thinking of the faith in ourselves.

It's easy for me to see and know right from wrong. Easy to read the Higher Laws and I do promise to obey. Please chant for us all.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is a cheer for the goodness we find in everyones heart. So simple to chant but walking in the light would be the goal.

One day the Buddha will stand up in all of us...

...bowing in humble appreciation to you Tom. bog

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Tom, I have been thinking and last night I concluded that through faith in the principles that are true and faith in ourselves we can succeed.

I know that despite my failings that I will become worthy. But is it enough to learn when you should teach. To become enlightened without enlightening. To chant without understanding so many things?

I feel stupid sometimes and I fear my concentration and attention span becomes less with age. Sometimes I think I know nothing.

Just what is the message of the Lotus Sutra Tom? When I try and think of it my head hurts because I am confused. Many concepts intertwined. The higher laws I do understand but how do we make Kosen Rufu happen?

I guess by practicing and learning and teaching and believing. Faith in the outcome is really what it's all about. The power is in the faith. All religions believe a lot of the same things. Faith is hardest when thinking of the faith in ourselves.

It's easy for me to see and know right from wrong. Easy to read the Higher Laws and I do promise to obey. Please chant for us all.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is a cheer for the goodness we find in everyones heart. So simple to chant but walking in the light would be the goal.

One day the Buddha will stand up in all of us...

...bowing in humble appreciation to you Tom. bog

Tom, I have been thinking and last night I concluded that through faith in the principles that are true and faith in ourselves we can succeed.

(Then you nailed it. This is the only realization that matters.)

I know that despite my failings that I will become worthy.

(THIS IS KEY—The Lotus Sutra as practiced in the Latter Day of the Law on the basis of Nichiren’s teaching of, and revealing of, the Gohonzon of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, says YOU ARE ALREADY WORTHY AND THERE IS NOTHING MORE TO BE DONE TO BECOME WORTHY THAN TO REALIZE IN THE DEPTHS OF YOUR LIFE THAT YOU ARE AND HAVE ALWAYS BEEN WORTHY.)

But is it enough to learn when you should teach. To become enlightened without enlightening. To chant without understanding so many things?

(Yes! Because Buddhahood is never a static state at which one “arrives”. It is eternally expansive, as is your karmic debt of gratitude expressed by sharing of the Law with others, AS YOU ALREADY HAVE BEEN DOING FOR COUNTLESS LIFETIMES!)

I feel stupid sometimes and I fear my concentration and attention span becomes less with age. Sometimes I think I know nothing.

(The Nine Worlds never leave us for a moment, even when we enter the Tenth World of Buddhahood. Don’t ever expect to become some kind of know-it-all supernatural being! Nichiren teaches that is not Buddha! If you never come to realize how much more there is to know for the sake of others, if not for one’s self, how can you eternally expand your life state? Would any truly wise person ever come to the conclusion that they already know everything? It is the fact that we keep seeking until the last moment of our lives that allows us to reveal this ever expansive nature that already exists in each of us as a hidden and dormant potential.)

Just what is the message of the Lotus Sutra Tom?

(In short, it is that that YOU are the Thus Come One in the Sutra itself—YOU YOURSELF ARE THE BUDDHA ETERNALLY ENDOWED WITH THE THREE BODIES—THE DHARMA BODY, THE REWARD BODY AND THE MANIFEST BODY—EXACTLY AS YOU ARE! Reread all of post #498! As Nichiren states at the conclusion of point one:

“Speaking of the chapter as a whole, the idea of gradually overcoming illusions is not the ultimate meaning of the “Life Span” chapter. You should understand that the ultimate meaning of this chapter is that ordinary mortals, just as they are in their original state of being, are Buddhas.

And if you ask what is the action and practice carried out by the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies, it is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.”

When I try and think of it my head hurts because I am confused. Many concepts intertwined. The higher laws I do understand but how do we make Kosen Rufu happen?

(By continuing in faith that Kosen Rufu WILL happen, to the last moment of our lives.)

I guess by practicing and learning and teaching and believing. Faith in the outcome is really what it's all about. The power is in the faith. All religions believe a lot of the same things. Faith is hardest when thinking of the faith in ourselves.

(SEE??? That was a BUDDHA TALKING!)

It's easy for me to see and know right from wrong. Easy to read the Higher Laws and I do promise to obey. Please chant for us all.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is a cheer for the goodness we find in everyones heart. So simple to chant but walking in the light would be the goal.

(AS LONG AS YOU ARE CHANTING YOU ARE ALREADY WALKING IN THE LIGHT!)

One day the Buddha will stand up in all of us...

(This is the promise of the Lotus Sutra! For each of us, when that day occurs is entirely up to us—to our faith; but always remembering that faith without action is not faith at all. It is idealism.)

...bowing in humble appreciation to you Tom. bog

(IT IS ME WHO HUMBLY APPRECIATES YOU MY FRIEND! YOUR CONTINUING CONTRIBUTION TO THIS DIALOG IS ESSENTIAL TO US SPREADING THIS LAW OF NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE CAN. Thank you Brother!!!!!!!!!!!!)


Bowing in humble obeisance with deepest love and respect,

Tom

 

[Babbabud]

Great question and great answers !! Thankyou
Nam myoho renge kyo !!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Essential Teaching is to “Return To The Original Life”

Ikeda: “The Life Span of the Thus Come One,” the sixteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra, describes the Buddha enlightened since the remote past, or the eternal Buddha. Just who is this Buddha? Commenting on the passage in the Lotus Sutra that reads, “it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood" (LS16, 225), the Daishonin explains: “I” represents the living beings of the Dharma realm. Everyone in the Ten Worlds is referred to here in the word “I”. (GZ, 753)

The eternal Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter means all living beings. We are all “eternal Buddhas.” Ordinary people are Buddhas just as they are.

There are no grades or distinctions among people. We are all equal; we are all equally Buddhas. The only difference among people has to do with whether, or the extent to which, we realize this in our hearts. From the standpoint of Buddhism, that is the only meaningful distinction.

A Buddha is not someone displaying the thirty-two features or eighty features. Our lives, originally are the Buddha. The appearance of the sun is a function of compassion. The illumination of the moon is also compassion, as is the beautiful respiration of green plants and trees. The entire universe is a great living entity carrying out activities of compassion from the beginningless past through the eternal future. This vast organism of compassion is the Eternal Buddha. And the life of every living being in the Ten Worlds is one with this Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter. Faith in the Mystic Law is the key to enabling us to “return” to this original life.

Saito: Returning to the original life—that’s the Lotus Sutra’s essential teaching.

Ikeda: Exactly: The Daishonin clearly states in the “Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings,” “The Life Span” chapter reveals the original life of all beings in the Ten Worlds. This chapter is called the essential teaching, or hommon, because it is the gate (Jpn mon) to the truth of eternity (Jpn hon)” (GZ,799)

Suda: The great life of the Buddha enlightened since the remote past is the “original life” of the beings of the Ten Worlds. The essential teaching is so called because it enables us to return to this original life.

Endo: Since this original life is fundamentally a property of one’s own life, there is no limit to the extent to which we can tap the power of the original Buddha.

Ikeda: The entire universe is like our own personal bank account. The amount of fortune we can withdraw depends solely on our faith. Faith means battling life’s negative functions. Justice means opposing evil. Buddhist practice means struggling against adversity.

At one point, the Daishonin’s follower Shijo Kingo, who was known for his spirited practice, was so overwhelmed by difficulties that he unwittingly began complaining: “I thought that those who believe in the Lotus Sutra were supposed to enjoy peace and security in this life.” When the Daishonin heard this, he instructed him as follows: “The pine tree lives for ten thousand years, and so its boughs become bent and twisted…The votary of the Lotus Sutra is the Thus Come One whose life span is immeasurable; no wonder his practice is hindered, just as the pines tree’s branches are bent or broken” (WND, 471). Just as the pine tree stands up to the wind and snow, showing proof of its immense longevity, practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, through enduring difficulties, manifest their true identities as Buddhas of eternal life. The Daishonin stresses to Shijo Kingo that now is the time to reveal the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood. At this time when you are about to receive supreme benefit, he questions, what can you possibly have to complain about?

Saito: In the same writing, the Daishonin also says, “Those who uphold this sutra should be prepared to meet difficulties”: but he assures Shijo Kingo that “Buddhahood lies in continuing faith” (WND, 471).

Ikeda: It’s a matter of embracing the Mystic Law. We need to steadfastly uphold the Mystic Law through every obstacle, confident that we truly have a mission for kosen-rufu.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!

 

[CrazyDog]

Let's follow through with our resolutions with unrelenting strong belief.
No paths open for people who try to live on pretence or show.
Let's boldly and courageously advance along the road of victory!
Nam myoho renge kyo!

 

[BushyOldGrower]

I will reread the passage...

I will keep trying to understand that which I was once shown.

By chanting we do stand up and gain the strength to take action.

Thanks Tom for reminding me that there is a Buddha inside me and all of us.

Bows to all...smiles at Thomas. bog

 

[Payaso]

Thank you BOG for asking those questions familiar to us all...

And Thomas... your wisdom as always is truly appreciated.

Now I must ponder this also...

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin reminds us,
"The wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat."*
It is indeed in the midst of all the hard struggles of life
that people's lives are polished.
Let's advance aiming towards
our own untrodden summit of life!

Daisaku Ikeda

*"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", WND-I, page 637

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If one's heavy karma from the past is not expiated within this lifetime, one must undergo the sufferings of hell in the future, but if one experiences extreme hardship in this life [because of the Lotus Sutra], the sufferings of hell will vanish instantly."

(Lessening One's Karmic Retribution - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin,
Vol.1, page 199) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 15, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"From the Soka Gakkai's very inception, its emphasis on the mentor-disciple relationship has been based on the spirit that there is no path in life more admirable, joyous, or triumphant than basing oneself on the unsurpassed Mystic Law and striving together with an unsurpassed mentor.

"Ultimately, however, everything depends on the disciple's faith. As the Daishonin warns the lay priest Takahashi: 'But if you have doubts, I am powerless to help you' (WND-1, 610).

"Faith is another word for conviction. A person with conviction continues to move forwards and is always filled with hope. A person with conviction is victorious."

SGI Newsletter No. 8777, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory , [48] 'Reply to the Lay Priest Takahashi,' Striving with Conviction and Boundless Hope, from the January 2013 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 7th, June, 2013.

 

[Payaso]

~Nam Myoho Renge Kyo~

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The lion king is said to advance three steps, then gather himself to spring, unleashing the same power whether he traps a tiny ant or attacks a fierce animal."

(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 412)Selection source: President Ikeda's essay: Our brilliant path to Victory, Seikyo Shimbun, May 24th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Kosen-rufu is a struggle to transform people's lives by breaking through the fundamental darkness[1] that resides within them and awakening their inherent Buddha nature. The essence of the Daishonin's ideal of 'establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land' lies building a network dedicated to good among awakened, ordinary people. But because this struggle involves a transformation on the most fundamental level of people's lives, it can arouse intense resistance in some quarters - in particular, fierce opposition and persecution from arrogant false sages, the third and most formidable of the three powerful enemies.[2] Winning in this great struggle is the key to creating a realm of true peace and happiness, a Buddha land."

SGI Newsletter No. 8777, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory , [48] 'Reply to the Lay Priest Takahashi, Striving with Conviction and Boundless Hope, from the January 2013 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 7th, June, 2013.

[1] Fundamental darkness: The most deeply rooted illusion inherent in life, said to give rise to all other illusions. The inability to see or recognise the truth, particularly, the true nature of one's life.
[2] Arrogant false sages: One of the three powerful enemies who appear after Shakyamuni's death to persecute the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The term "arrogant false sages"� refers to high-ranking priests who instigate such persecution. Not wishing to be identified as the agents of those wicked acts, they make false claims to society's leaders and plot the persecution of the votary of the Lotus Sutra.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"No matter what lofty ideals one may espouse for the betterment of society, speeches alone will not change the world. The surest path to forging a hopeful future is reaching out to the young people in our immediate environment and sincerely encouraging them."

SGI Newsletter No. 8780, Encouragement for Soka Educators, (3) Illuminating Your Communities with the Light of Education—Part 2 [of 3], from 29th April, 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 11th June, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."

(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 345) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 12, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When we initiate dialogue with the courage to recognise and accept others’ differences, new horizons will open up before us. This has been the spirit with which I have engaged in dialogues with leading thinkers around the world.

"We must learn from the differences that make each of us unique, and even make them a source of value creation. In our world today, where people often misinterpret self-indulgence for freedom, and pleasure for happiness, and see differences as a cause for discrimination, it is necessary for us to reconsider what we want our children to learn from differences."

SGI Newsletter No. 8780, Encouragement for Soka Educators, (3) Illuminating Your Communities with the Light of Education—Part 2 [of 3], from 29th April, 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 11th June, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Let's follow through with our resolutions with unrelenting strong belief.
No paths open for people who try to live on pretence or show.
Let's boldly and courageously advance along the road of victory!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It is said that, if a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell. If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything."

(Flowering and Bearing Grain - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 909) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 13, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage."

(On Repaying Debts of Gratitude - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 712)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 14, 2013