Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[PassTheDoobie]

Those who have experienced the greatest hardships and suffering
can definitely lead the happiest of lives.
Our faith and practice is the very source of boundless hope.
Today also, let's stride together towards happiness!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"No matter how poor these estates might be, avoid complaining of it, either to others or to your lord. If you say, 'They are excellent, excellent lands,' your lord may add to your fiefs again. But if you say things like, 'The lands are poor,' or 'There are no profits,' you could very well be forsaken by both heaven and other people. You should bear this in mind."

(The Receipt of New Fiefs - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 945) Selection source: "Myoji no Gen", Seikyo Shimbun, February 24th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Buddhism is like the body, and society like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow' (WND-1, 1039). The humanistic philosophy of Nichiren Buddhism provides a solid backbone in life and a golden pillar in society.

"A youth who decides to embrace and practise the Mystic Law—the supreme teaching of the dignity of life—will definitely be able to bring positive change to their family, workplace, and community. That is why talking to young people about our Buddhist practice and helping more and more of them form a connection with Nichiren Buddhism is the most practical and surest way forwards in our efforts for world peace and the happiness of humanity."

SGI Newsletter No. 8720. SGI President Ikeda’s Editorial - My Young Friends, Be Confident and Positive! Translated 18th Feb. 2013 from the March 2013 issue of Daibyakurenge.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"For example, the journey from Kamakura to Kyoto takes twelve days. If you travel for eleven but stop with only one day remaining, how can you admire the moon over the capital?"

(Letter to Niike - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1027) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, December 14th 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"'Be diligent in developing your faith until the last moment of your life. Otherwise you will have regrets. For example, the journey from Kamakura to Kyoto takes twelve days. If you travel for eleven but stop with only one day remaining, how can you admire the moon over the capital?' - From 'Letter to Niike'� (WND-1, 1027).

"This is a Gosho passage that I engraved in my life together with my beloved Kansai members during the Osaka Campaign of 1956.

"In any struggle, those who keep striving to the very end, firmly resolved to win, will be victorious. By fighting our hardest at a crucial moment, we can put our lives on an imperishable trajectory forever imbued with the four noble virtues of eternity, happiness, true self, and purity.

"Chanting powerful daimoku that resounds like a lion's roar, let's exert ourselves bravely and vigourously each day."

SGI Newsletter No. 8688, Living the Gosho: Words of Encouragement from SGI President Ikeda, (99) Living Each Day without Regret, from the 13th Dec., 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 14th Dec. 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The determinations we make in the "present"
open up our "future" in unimaginable ways.
Come, let's plunge ourselves into action.
Let's put our very best into this day
with the spirit to tackle the matters at hand
and come out at the end of the day with a decisive victory!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It is the nature of beasts to threaten the weak and fear the strong."

(Letter from Sado - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 302) Selection source: President Ikeda's Guidance, Seikyo Shimbun, January 13th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"'Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light': 'When he was alive, he was a Buddha in life, and now he is a Buddha in death. He is a Buddha in both life and death. This is what is meant by that most important doctrine called attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form. The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "If one can uphold this [sutra], one will be upholding the Buddha’s body" [LSOC11, 220]' (WND-1, 456).

“This passage is from a letter that Nichiren Daishonin wrote to the lay nun Ueno, the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu, known as ‘Ueno the Worthy,’ and the wife of Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro. After her husband died, the lay nun Ueno splendidly raised their nine children and remained pure-hearted in her faith.

“Here, the Daishonin says that when her husband, Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, was alive, he was a ‘Buddha in life,’ and now, after his death, he is a ‘Buddha in death.’ He was a Buddha in both life and death, the Daishonin writes.

“Why? Because all of us, who have appeared in this world to carry out kosen-rufu, are the true disciples of Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and courageous Bodhisattvas of the Earth. The fact that we have made the same great vow as the Daishonin to propagate the Lotus Sutra and are striving for kosen-rufu for the happiness of others is proof that we ourselves are Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Earth. That is because only Buddhas and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth can carry out the sacred work of kosen-rufu.

“To find utmost enjoyment in Soka Gakkai activities, in sharing this Buddhism with others, and in chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; to brim with enthusiasm for taking on new challenges, and to feel that life itself is joy—this is the life-state of Buddhahood, of being a ‘Buddha in life.’"

SGI Newsletter No. 8707, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 1, Atsuta 42,translated 21st Jan. 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The sutra reads, '. . . where living beings enjoy themselves at ease.' How could this passage mean anything but the boundless joy of the Law?"

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 681) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 25th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

That determination that we make right now
is what opens up the way to our future.
Based on our strong faith and practice,
let's stand up and take action now!
The crucial moment that changes our lives is
something that we ourselves create.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Mr. Makiguchi declared: 'When we establish a big goal, our small and medium goals become clear and the way to achieve them also comes to light.' We have the ultimate big goal of kosen-rufu and attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. There is no stronger, truer, or meaningful path in life.

"I am reminded of an anecdote related by my friend the microbiologist René Dubos (1901–1982). There were three men carrying stones. A passerby asked them, 'What are you doing?' One of the men answered, 'I am carting stones.' The second answered, 'I am working on a wall.' And the third answered proudly, 'I am building a cathedral.' Though all three seemed to be doing the same task, the third worked with a grand and inspiring vision.[1]

"The moral of the story is that we shouldn’t just carry out a designated task mechanically, nor see it only in terms of its narrow, immediate goal. Instead, we should try to be aware of the greater, underlying purpose and work for its realisation as our own proud aspiration.

"Kosen-rufu is the great and noble undertaking where each of us strives to build happiness in our life, while at the same time creating a world of lasting peace and harmony, the long-cherished dream of all humankind. The key is to apply ourselves to our work or the challenges before us with earnestness, attention, and diligence, always holding in our hearts a shining aspiration as vast as the universe itself.

"From this month of the Soka Gakkai’s founding, let’s make astonishing new strides forwards. Let’s raise the curtain on a new drama of human revolution. I am personally determined to strive even harder to write another immortal page in this great endeavour. Together, let’s achieve a brilliant victory that will shine forever in the annals of kosen-rufu, and make our jubilant cheers resound throughout the world.

"The power for victory
surges forth
from the bastion of mentor and disciple."

SGI Newsletter No. 8675, Our Brilliant Path to Victory, Making a Fresh Vow on the Day of the Soka Gakkai’s Founding, translated 21st Nov. 2012, from 15th November, 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun,

[1] René Dubos, The Torch of Life: Continuity in Living Experience (New York: Pocket Books, Inc., 1963), pp. 151–52.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Suppose a lion has a hundred cubs. When the lion king sees its cubs attacked by other beasts or birds of prey, he roars; the hundred cubs will then feel emboldened, and the heads of those other beasts and birds of prey will be split into seven pieces. The Lotus Sutra is like the lion king, who rules over all other animals."

(The Drum at the Gate of Thunder - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 949) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's guidance, Seikyo Shimbun, November 25th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The crucial moment that changes our lives is something that we ourselves create.

Daisaku Ikeda

Every moment of every day....

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In his writing 'On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,' the Daishonin states:

"A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (WND-1, 4)

"Vibrantly chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo day after day enables us to polish the mirror of our lives. Faith is a supreme source of light, allowing our lives to shine with a brilliance that cannot be dimmed even by the harshest adversity, just like the sun which shines with fresh radiance each day."

SGI Newsletter No. 8705, Encouragement for Soka Educators. (1) Creating a New Age of Education Where Teacher and Student Grow Together—Part 3 [of 3],from the 3rd Feb., 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 18th Jan, 2013

 

[easyDaimoku]

"There is one passage of the Orally Transmitted Teachings that I have always taken deeply to heart since my days of supporting and assisting Mr. Toda: ‘If in a single moment of life we exhaust the pains and trials of millions of kalpas, then instant after instant there will arise in us the three Buddha bodies[1] with which we are eternally endowed. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is just such a “diligent” practice’ (OTT, 214).”

"This passage teaches the essence of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. 'The three Buddha bodies with which we are eternally endowed' refers to the boundless life-state of Buddhahood within us. The key to manifesting this life-state in each instant is to expend in a single moment of life millions of kalpas’ worth of strenuous effort. 'Millions of kalpas' means an infinite expanse of time. Through practising Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism with this kind of concentrated effort, we can bring forth our inherent Buddha wisdom and life force.

“The Daishonin teaches that only through intense struggle, undaunted by hardships, can we attain Buddhahood in this lifetime, carry out our human revolution, and transform our life-condition. In a sense, my days have been a continuous, arduous, all-out struggle. I have been through inconceivably bitter experiences time and again.

“On those occasions, this passage sustained me, helping me renew my resolve, chant daimoku, overcome all hardships, and emerge triumphant.

“It is important that you courageously exert yourself, too, for the sake of kosen-rufu, the happiness of others, and your own future."

SGI Newsletter No. 8721, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 1, Atsuta 56, translated 19th Feb. 2013

[1] The three bodies of the Buddha refer to the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body. The Dharma body is the fundamental truth, or Law, to which a Buddha is enlightened. The reward body is the wisdom to perceive the Law. And the manifested body is the compassionate actions the Buddha carries out to lead people to happiness.

It goes without saying I come here for the encouragement, study and especially the chanting growers. Babba, Mrs. Babba, PTD, GIS, Bonzo, Socal, Desi, Trichy, Hitman, Forest, Always, Scegy, everyone with or without a Gohonzon - THANK YOU. I'm chanting to the Gohonzon that all my friends chant too because that's my mission and daily aim in life, to help other's attain enlightenment in this lifetime.

I've been experiencing some troubles recently, but I'm steadfast in my faith and committed to the best outcome. My plan is to report significant progress and results by my 7th Gohonzon bday in a month's time. However, I'm still able to crack a healthy smile in the face of adversity and tough decisions. Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism truly helps you overcome radical obstacles and become happy in this lifetime just as we are, right where we live.

THANK YOU!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Unbelievably, the old thread has gotten 4,500 hits since we started this one!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"You must be firmly resolved. Do not begrudge your fief; do not think of your wife and children. And do not depend on others. You must simply make up your mind."

(Reply to Yasaburo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 829) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, September 20th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Myo means to revive, that is, to return to life."

(The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 149) Selection Source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shinbun September 24th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Our efforts to talk with others about our kosen-rufu movement
will remain as a meaningful
"memory of your present life in this human world."(*)
Let's enthusiastically help others to form a connection with Buddhism!
And while joyfully opening up our hearts to tell people about this practise,
let's elevate our life condition
and at the same time accumulate good fortune and benefit.

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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The more we broaden our own minds, the more we can inspire and foster the growth of others. That is why self-cultivation is indispensable to our efforts to nurture others."

SGI Newsletter No. 8637, Our Brilliant Path to Victory, The Future Division: Our Successors and Hope—Part 2 [of 2], from 22nd Aug., 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 26th Sep. 2012