Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[PassTheDoobie]

"Buddhism teaches the concept of 'the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light that has existed for all time' (WND-1, 313). We can make the place where we are striving for kosen-rufu shine as such a land. The Land of Eternally Tranquil Light is not some ideal realm that exists somewhere far removed from our everyday life.

"​Please be sure to support your community and put down solid roots there. We must value our communities. Let's take the lead in positively transforming them so that they brim with trust and friendship.

"​What matters are our efforts to forge heart-to-heart bonds and foster mutual understanding and support. Let's strive to be good neighbours, whom others like and respect. This is putting into practise the principle that Buddhism is manifested in society."

SGI Newsletter No. 8827, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu—II, (15) Putting Down Solid Roots of Trust and Friendship, translated 16th Aug. 2013, from the 13th April, 2013 Seikyo Shinbun

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Let's never be defeated by the obstacle of sickness.
With composure, let's be victorious!
The power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,
the roar of a lion king, is unrivaled.*
Let's live out our lives by fulfilling our missions
as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and
become the champions of good health and longevity!

Daisaku Ikeda

*"Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?"- "Reply to Kyo'o", WND-I, page 412

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Those people who try to have high ideals in life
are the ones who lead deep and profound lives.
Such are the people our times are yearning for.
Let's use words that overflow with hope
and that have the power to encourage others!
Let's base ourselves on our great philosophy of human revolution!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, said: 'From now on, it's the age of the youth. We must treasure the youth, talk freely with them about everything, and communicate all our thoughts and feelings to them. The future development of our movement depends solely on having them carry on the baton.'

SGI Newsletter No. 8827, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu—II, (15) Putting Down Solid Roots of Trust and Friendship, translated 16th Aug. 2013, from the 13th April, 2013 Seikyo Shinbun

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"All the characters in which the Lotus Sutra is written represent living Buddhas. But because we have the eyes of common mortals, we see them as characters. (It is like the example of the Ganges River. Hungry spirits see the waters of the river as fire, human beings see them as water, and heavenly beings see them as amrita. The waters are the same in all cases, but each type of being sees them differently, according to the effects of its karma.")

(Letter to Horen - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 517) Selection Source: President Ikeda's essay: Our Brilliant Path of Victory - 111, Seikyo Shinbun, August 10th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A famous passage from Nichiren Daishonin urges us: 'Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take advantage' (WND-1, 997).

"Even small matters should be taken seriously. Therefore, we must be constantly vigilant. It’s important that we solidify our alliance for kosen-rufu.

"When you set a goal, exert yourself to the fullest to achieve it. Never hold back; do what needs to be done. That is the key.

"A citadel of the people cannot be built through halfhearted efforts."

SGI Newsletter No. 8797, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu—II, (4) Build a Noble Citadel of the People, translated 8th July, 2013 from 28th January, 2013, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?"

(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 412) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, July 10th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"You must simply make up your mind. Look at the world this year as a mirror. The
reason that you have survived until now when so many have died was so that you would meet with this affair. ... This will determine whether you win honour or disgrace your name."

(Reply to Yasaburo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 829) Selection source: Gosho study for YWM, Seikyo Shimbun, June 25th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If we use an irresponsible senior leader as an excuse to justify retreating in faith, we are the ones who will lose out and suffer in the end. The fact that someone else’s actions are wrong does not make it right to respond in such a way. The right course of action in Nichiren Buddhism is to persevere in faith, no matter what happens. If we do so, we will be able to carry out our human revolution, transform our karma, and build a happy life.

"Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Whether tempted by good or threatened by evil, if one casts aside the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo], one destines oneself for [a life-state of] hell' (WND-1, 280).

SGI Newsletter No. 8791, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 2, Banner of the Law 34, translated 28th June, 2013

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[GordyP]

Thank you for searching and sharing these words, brother PTD! As I have now begun this journey, it has become clearer to me the enormity of the task of properly interpreting words written, and images described so long ago, and bringing them to life in this 21st century mind of mine.

 

[GordyP]

...in response to your post on 8/21, 8:19pm.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase."

(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 386) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's guidancen", Seikyo Shimbun, August 18th, 2013

...in response to your post.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If one gives food to others, one will improve one's own lot, just as, for example, 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, August 17th, 2013

...in response to your post.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"All the characters in which the Lotus Sutra is written represent living Buddhas. But because we have the eyes of common mortals, we see them as characters. (It is like the example of the Ganges River. Hungry spirits see the waters of the river as fire, human beings see them as water, and heavenly beings see them as amrita. The waters are the same in all cases, but each type of being sees them differently, according to the effects of its karma.")

(Letter to Horen - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 517) Selection Source: President Ikeda's essay: Our Brilliant Path of Victory - 111, Seikyo Shinbun, August 10th, 2013

First of all, to fully understand a quotation, you need to understand the Gosho itself and very importantly, whom it was written to. This particular Gosho is already here, within these 1100 pages of the Chanting Growers Group, in at least two or three places. You can also find it here:

http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=505&m=0&q=

For now, try and understand the background to this Gosho, and the text that preceeds that quotation:


T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

LETTER TO HOREN

LETTER TO HOREN

Background

Soya Kyoshin, to whom this letter was addressed, lived in Soya Village in Katsushika District of Shimosa Province. Sometime around 1260 he converted to the Daishonin’s teachings. Then, around 1271, he became a lay priest, whereupon Nichiren Daishonin bestowed upon him the Buddhist name Horen (Law Lotus). At the time he received this letter, Kyoshin had been practicing the Daishonin’s Buddhism as one of the leading believers in the area for about fifteen years.

This somewhat lengthy letter was written at Minobu in the fourth month of the first year of Kenji (1275), when the Daishonin was fifty-four years old. It is one among nine extant writings that the Daishonin sent to Kyoshin, two of which were written in classical Chinese, their contents clearly indicating that he was highly educated.

The Daishonin had just received from Kyoshin a written declaration of the sort commonly read aloud at a memorial service, in which he explained that he had recited the Lotus Sutra to commemorate the thirteenth anniversary of his father’s death. In addition, Kyoshin mentioned that he had been performing a recitation of the verse section of the sutra’s “Life Span” chapter daily since the time of his father’s passing. In response, the Daishonin tells him that his devotion to the sutra is the truest form of filial piety, since only the Lotus Sutra can lead one’s parents, and all other living beings, to Buddhahood.

Here the Daishonin introduces the ancient Chinese story of the calligrapher Wu-lung and his son I-lung in order to illustrate how immeasurable the merit is that Kyoshin has been transferring to his deceased father through his continued recitation of the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter.

In the story, the calligrapher I-lung transcribes the title of each volume of the Lotus Sutra. As a result, he is able to save his father from his terrible distress in the hell of incessant suffering. But even such benefits as these, the Daishonin encourages Kyoshin, cannot compare to the benefits to be obtained from reciting the sutra. The Daishonin tells him that the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter represents the very heart of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, and that the benefits to be gained from reciting it can only be calculated and expressed by a Buddha.

The Daishonin also gives his disciple instructions in various other teachings. He discusses the wonderful rewards to be gained by one who praises and makes offerings to the votary of the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day of the Law. He also discusses the great gravity of the offense incurred by one who slanders the votary.

With regard to specific details about the practice of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin points out that the way to practice its teachings will necessarily vary with the times, and that a person of wisdom is one who perceives the times correctly and spreads the teachings accordingly. And he declares that practice in the Latter Day means spreading the Lotus Sutra without begrudging one’s life. Because he himself has carried out precisely this sort of practice, the Daishonin says, he has been persecuted by the authorities and is detested by all the people of Japan. And, he notes, he was earlier forced to live under bitter conditions at a bleak and desolate location in exile on Sado Island and is now dwelling where there are no provisions at all, in an isolated mountain valley called Minobu. The Daishonin mentions how moved he is that Kyoshin has come all the way to see him in such a forsaken place.

Commenting upon his three remonstrations with the Kamakura authorities, the Daishonin proclaims that it is their disregard for his warnings and persecution of him that have brought down upon the country a string of major calamities.

And at the very end of this letter, the Daishonin explains why some people who slander the Lotus Sutra seem not to receive any punishment at all. Those who slander the correct teaching in existence after existence, he says, are condemned to the hell of incessant suffering and will receive no further warnings in this lifetime for their slanderous deeds.

For further details regarding this matter, the Daishonin asks Horen to refer to the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra. It is also discussed in The Opening of the Eyes (pp. 279–80).

WND pgs. 516-518

The Lotus Sutra represents the bone and marrow of all the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime, and the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter represents the soul of the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra. The various Buddhas of the three existences look upon the “Life Span” chapter as their very life, and the bodhisattvas of the ten directions likewise regard the chapter’s verse section as their eye.

But it is not for me to describe the blessings deriving from the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter. Rather I refer to the subsequent “Distinctions in Benefits” chapter, which elaborates on them. It says that those people who became Buddhas after hearing the above verse section are equal in number to the particles of dust in a minor world system or a major world system. Moreover, those who attained enlightenment by listening to the six chapters from the “Medicine King” chapter on are merely those who had remained unenlightened after gaining blessings from the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter. And in the forty volumes of the Nirvana Sutra the Buddha once more explained the blessings to be derived from the verse section to the fifty-two types of beings who were gathered there.

So it becomes clear that the great bodhisattvas, heavenly beings, and others, numerous as the dust particles of the lands of the ten directions, who gathered together like clouds on the occasion of the Buddha’s preaching [of the Flower Garland Sutra] at the place of enlightenment; the various sages who attended on the occasion of his preaching of the Great Collection and Larger Wisdom sutras; and the twelve hundred and more honored ones who listened to the Mahavairochana Sutra and the Diamond Crown Sutra— it becomes clear that at some time in the past these people listened to the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. But because their faith was weak, they failed to attain enlightenment, even though incalculably long periods— major world system dust particle kalpas and numberless major world system dust particle kalpas— passed by. However, when they encountered Shakyamuni Buddha, the blessings of the Lotus Sutra began to work for them, so that they were able to gain enlightenment through the sutras preached prior to the Lotus Sutra, and did not have to wait until the assembly at Eagle Peak to do so.

Consequently, the Buddhas throughout the ten directions looked up to the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter as their teacher and attained Buddhahood. This verse section is like a father and a mother to the people of the world.

A person who embraces the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra is sustaining the life of the Buddhas. Would any Buddha, then, abandon a person who embraces the very sutra through which that Buddha attained enlightenment?? If any Buddha should abandon such a person, it would be as though he were abandoning himself.

Suppose there was a woman who had given birth to three thousand outstanding warriors of the caliber of Tamura or Toshihito.(26) Would one choose to make an enemy of such a woman? To do so would be like handing three thousand generals over to the side of one’s opponent, would it not? In the same way, anyone who would treat a person who embraces the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter as an enemy would be making an enemy of all the Buddhas of the three existences.

All the characters in which the Lotus Sutra is written represent living Buddhas. But because we have the eyes of common mortals, we see them as characters. It is like the example of the Ganges River. Hungry spirits see the waters of the river as fire, human beings see them as water, and heavenly beings see them as amrita. The waters are the same in all cases, but each type of being sees them differently, according to the effects of its karma.

As for the characters of the Lotus Sutra, a blind person cannot see them at all. A person with the eyes of a common mortal sees them as black in color. Persons of the two vehicles see them as the void. Bodhisattvas see various different colors in them, while a person whose seeds of Buddhahood have reached full maturity sees them as Buddhas. So the sutra states, “If one can uphold this [sutra], one will be upholding the Buddha’s body.”(27) And T’ient’ai said: “The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, before which I bow my head, in its single case, with its eight scrolls, twenty-eight chapters, and 69,384 characters, is in each and every one of its characters the true Buddha who preaches the Law for the benefit of living beings.”(28)

In light of all this, we can say that each morning [when he recites the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter] the priest Horen is sending forth golden-hued characters from his mouth. These characters are 510 in number, and each character changes into a sun, and each sun changes into a Thus Come One Shakyamuni. They emit great beams of light that penetrate the earth and shine upon the three evil paths and the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. They also shine toward the east, west, north, and south, and upward, ascending to the realm where there is neither thought nor no thought.(29) They visit the realm where your departed father is dwelling, wherever it may be, and there hold discourse with him.

“Who do you think we are?” they say. “We are the characters of the verse section of the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the Lotus Sutra that your son Horen recites each morning. These characters will be your eyes, your ears, your feet, your hands!” Thus do they earnestly converse with him.

And at that time your departed father will say, “Horen is not my son. Rather he is a good friend to me.” And he will turn and pay respects in the direction of the saha world. For what you are doing is an act of true filial devotion.

We speak of upholding the Lotus Sutra. But although there is only one sutra, the manner in which we uphold it may vary from one period to the next. There may be times when a person literally rends his flesh and offers it to his teacher, and in this way attains Buddhahood. Or at other times a person may offer his body as a couch to his teacher, or as so much firewood. At yet other times a person may bear the blows of sticks and staves for the sake of the sutra, or may practice religious austerities or observe various precepts. And there may be times when, even though a person does the things described above, he still does not attain Buddhahood. It depends upon the time and is not something fixed.

Therefore, the Great Teacher T’ient’ai declared, “The method chosen should be that which accords with the time.”(30) And the Great Teacher Chang-an said, “You should let your choices be fitting and never adhere solely to one or the other.”(31)

Notes:

26. Tamura is Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758–811), a military leader who was designated “Great General Who Subdues the Barbarians” for his successful campaign against the Ezo people of northern Japan, through which he established the authority of the imperial court in that region. Toshihito is Fujiwara no Toshihito (n.d.), a distinguished Fujiwara warrior who lived during the Heian period (794–1185). In 915 he became the chief of the military headquarters in northern Japan.
27. Lotus Sutra, chap. 11.
28. Source unknown.
29. The world of formlessness being divided into four realms, this refers to the uppermost. See also threefold world in Glossary.
30. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.
31. The Annotations on the Nirvana Sutra.


Bowing in humble obeisance, my dear old friend!!!



T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

WND pgs. 516

The Lotus Sutra represents the bone and marrow of all the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime, and the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter represents the soul of the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra. The various Buddhas of the three existences look upon the “Life Span” chapter as their very life, and the bodhisattvas of the ten directions likewise regard the chapter’s verse section as their eye.

The verse section of the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings translated by Burton Watson

Chapter Sixteen: The Life Span of the Thus Come One

Point one, concerning Chapter sixteen, The Life Span of the Thus Come One Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, volume nine, says: “Thus Come One is a general designation for the Buddha of the ten directions and the three existences, the two Buddhas,* the three Buddhas, the Buddha of the essential teaching, and the Buddha of the theoretical teaching. Specifically, it is a special designation for the three Buddhas of the original state. Juryo, or Life Span, refers to an overall reckoning. It indicates an overall reckoning of the benefits of the two Buddhas, the three Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences. Therefore the chapter is called the Juryo-hon, or [Reckoning of] the Life Span Chapter.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The Title of this chapter deals with an important matter that concerns Nichiren himself. This is the transmission described in the “Super-natural Powers” chapter. The Thus Come One is Shakyamuni Buddha or, more generally, all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences. Or, more specifically, it refers to the Buddha of the original state who is eternally endowed with the three bodies.

Now it is the understanding of Nichiren and his followers that, generally speaking, the term “Thus Come One” refers to all the living beings. More specifically, it refers to the disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren.

This being the case, the term “eternally endowed with three bodies” refers to the votaries of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law.

The title of honor for one who is eternally endowed with the three bodies is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what the three great concerns of actuality* of the “Life Span” chapter refer to.

Speaking in terms of the six stages of practice, the Thus Come One in this chapter is an ordinary mortal who is in the first stage, that of being a Buddha in theory. When one reverently accepts Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one is in the next stage, that of hearing the name of the words of the truth. That is, one has for the first time heard the daimoku. When, having heard the daimoku, one proceeds to put it into practice, this is the third stage, that of perception and action. This is the stage one perceives the object of devotion that embodies the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. When one succeeds in overcoming various obstacles of illusions, this is the fourth stage, that of resemblance to enlightenment. When one sets out to convert others, this is the fifth stage, that of progressive awakening. And when one comes at last to the realization that one is a Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies, then one is a Buddha of the sixth and highest stage, that of ultimate enlightenment.

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 or practice carried out by the Buddhas eternally endowed with the three bodies, it is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Point Two, regarding the words “You must listen carefully and hear of the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This passage supports the concept of one who is eternally endowed with the three bodies. Various interpretations on these words have been transmitted.

As for the transcendental powers, the action that are carried out instant by instant, motion by motion, by us living beings are regarded as transcendental powers. Thus the voices of the wardens of hell punishing the offenders are all to be termed transcendental powers. The countless living things in the three thousand realms that undergo the process of birth, abiding, change, and extinction, are all in themselves embodiments of transcendental powers.

But in the view of Nichiren and his followers, the realization and understanding of the concept of the attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form is what is meant by “the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.” For outside of the attainment of Buddhahood, there is no “secret” and no “transcendental powers.”

The eternally endowed three bodies mentioned here are gained through a single word. And that single word is “faith” or “to believe.” Therefore the sutra says, “We will believe and accept the Buddha’s words” (chapter sisteen). You should stop and consider the meaning of these two words “believe” and “accept.”


I HOPE THAT ALL HELPED!!!

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Point Three, regarding the words “But good men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: “I in fact” is explaining that Shakyamuni in fact attained Buddhahood in the inconceivably remote past. The meaning of this chapter, however, is that “I” represents the living beings of the Dharma-realm. “I” here refers to each and every being in the Ten Worlds. “In fact” establishes that “I” is a Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies. This is what is being called “fact.” “Attained” refers both to the one who attains and to the thing attained. “Attain” means to open or reveal. It is to reveal that the beings of the Dharma-realm are Buddhas eternally endowed with the three bodies. “Buddhahood” means being enlightened to this.

In the word “since” (irai), the element i (already, or having passed) refers to the past, and the element rai (coming) refers to the future. And the present is included in these to elements i and rai.

The passage is thus saying that “I [or the beings of the Dharma-realm] in fact revealed” the Buddhood that is immeasurable and boundless in both past and future. It is referring to the hundred words, and thousand factors and the three thousand worlds in a single moment of life. The two words “hundred” and “thousand” in the sutra passage refer to the hundred worlds and thousand factors. These then represent the reality of three thousand worlds in a single moment of life.

Now Nichiren and his followers, those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are the original lord of teachings of the “Life Span” chapter. Generally speaking, the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching are not the sort of persons who are qualified to handle this chapter. For they employ an approach in which the theoretical teaching is on the surface and the essential teaching is in the background, while Nichiren and his followers employ an approach in which the essential teaching is in the forefront and the theoretical teaching is in the background.

Be that as it may, this chapter does not represent the teaching that is essential for the Latter Day of the Law. The reason is that this chapter embodies the Buddhism of the harvest suitable for the time when the Buddha was in the world. But only the five characters of the daimoku constitute the Buddhism of the sowing that is suitable for the present time. Thus, the Buddhism of the harvest is for the time when the Buddha was in the world, and the Buddhism of sowing is for the time after his passing. Hence it is the Buddhism of the sowing that is needed in the Latter Day of the Law.


Point Four, regarding the passage “The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is. There is (u) no (mu) ebb or flow of birth and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted teachings says: “The Thus Come One” is the living beings of the threefold world. When we look at these living beings through the eyes of the “Life Span” chapter, we can see and understand the true aspect of these beings who in their original state possess the Ten Worlds.

The aspect or characteristics of the threefold world are birth, aging, sickness, and death. But if we look at birth and death in terms of their true nature, then there is no birth and death. And if there is no birth and death, then there is no ebb and flow. Not only do birth and death not exist. To look on birth and death with repulsion and to try and escape from them is termed delusion, or a viewpoint of acquired enlightenment.* Seeing and understanding the originally inherent nature of birth and death is termed awakening, or original enlightenment.

Now when Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they realize the originally inherent nature of birth and death, and the originally inherent nature of ebb and flow.

We may also say that nonexistence (mu) and existence (u), birth and death, ebbing and flowing, existing in this world and entering extinction, are all, every one of them, actions of the eternally abiding inherent nature.

“Nonexistence” indicates that the actions of Myoho-renge-kyo are none other than the Dharma-realm. “Existence” indicates that hell, just as it is, is the total entity of the Wonderful Law originally endowed with the Ten Worlds. “Birth” indicates the Wonderful Law appearing as birth in accordance with changing circumstances. “Death” is death as seen through the “Life Span” chapter, in which the Dharma-realm is at the same time the true aspect of reality. Because there is “ebb,” there is “entering extinction,” and because there is “flow,” there is “existing in this world.”

Thus [in terms of the three truths], nonexistence, death, ebbing, and extinction represent the truth of non-substantiality or emptiness. Existence, birth, flowing, and existing in the world represent the truth of temporary existence. And [the true aspect of the threefold world that] the Thus Come One perceives exactly as it is, is the truth of the Middle Way.

[In terms of the three bodies], nonexistence, death, ebbing, and extinction represent the eternally endowed reward body. Existence, birth, flowing, and existing in the world represent the eternally endowed manifested body. And [the true aspect of the threefold world that] the Thus Come One perceives exactly as it is, is the eternally endowed Dharma body.

These three bodies are our own single bodies. This is why [Words and Phrases, volume nine] says, “The single body is none other the three bodies, a statement that is secret.” And this is also why it says, “The three bodies are none other than the single body, a statement that is secret.”

Thus the Buddha of the Lotus that is the entity of the Law (chapter eleven, point six), who is eternally endowed with the three bodies, is Nichiren and his disciples and lay supporters. That is because they embrace the title of honor, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.


* “Acquired enlightenment” is used in contrast with “original enlightenment.” According to the doctrine of original enlightenment, enlightenment is not something one acquires through religious practice but something that exists in one’s original state of life. From this viewpoint, “acquired enlightenment” falls into the category of delusion, not true enlightenment.


T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

(In my humble opinion )

The verse section of the Life Span chapter reveals our original state as Buddhahood, and that we have never truly been "born" nor will we ever "die." The point was that by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we awaken this state to bring that life condition forth from its innate position within our lives and develop the wisdom to perceive its true nature: that as disciples of Nichiren who chant and propagate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, we are all already Buddhas, exactly as we are. In such an awakened state one perceives all other livings beings to have that same true identity.

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Originally Posted by PassTheDoobie

"All the characters in which the Lotus Sutra is written represent living Buddhas. But because we have the eyes of common mortals, we see them as characters. (It is like the example of the Ganges River. Hungry spirits see the waters of the river as fire, human beings see them as water, and heavenly beings see them as amrita. The waters are the same in all cases, but each type of being sees them differently, according to the effects of its karma.")

(Letter to Horen - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 517) Selection Source: President Ikeda's essay: Our Brilliant Path of Victory - 111, Seikyo Shinbun, August 10th, 2013

"All the characters in which the Lotus Sutra is written represent living Buddhas." […because in all cases, Buddhahood was obtained ONLY through their karmic relationship with the original Buddha of the Life Span chapter of the Lotus Sutra]

“But because we have the eyes of common mortals, we see them as characters.” […common mortals exist in the dream state of delusion in the nine worlds, never becoming awakened to the tenth world of Buddhahood yet to be awakened within them. Thus they do not perceive the true nature of the Lotus Sutra as representing “the bone and marrow of all the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime,” and that “the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter represents the soul of the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra.” They lack the karmic relationship with a correct teacher to the correct teaching that, “The various Buddhas of the three existences look upon the “Life Span” chapter as their very life, and the bodhisattvas of the ten directions likewise regard the chapter’s verse section as their eye.”]

”(It is like the example of the Ganges River. Hungry spirits see the waters of the river as fire, human beings see them as water, and heavenly beings see them as amrita.” […AS AN EXAMPLE OF THE EFFECTS OF KARMA AND FORTUNE ON OUR CAPACITY AS LIVING BEINGS IN THE TEN WORLDS TO CORRECTLY PERCEIVE THE DREAM STATE OF THE NINE WORLDS AND TRUTH RELATING TO BIRTH AND DEATH]

"The waters are the same in all cases, but each type of being sees them differently, according to the effects of its karma.") […whether we perceive ourselves as living a life enduring in the saha world, or one prospering in the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light, the physical location is the same. The perception and life that we experience are in all cases the effects of karma (which we create for ourselves).

This is what the passage means to me….

T