Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

The Eternity of Life

The Eternity of Life

As a philosophy, Buddhism has always stressed the importance of squarely confronting the reality of death. Death, along with illness and aging, is defined in Buddhism as one of the fundamental sufferings that all people must face.

Because of this emphasis, Buddhism has sometimes been associated with a pessimistic outlook on life. Quite the opposite is, in fact, the case. Because death is inevitable, any attempt to ignore or avoid this most basic "fact of life" condemns us to a superficial mode of living. A clear awareness and correct understanding of the nature of death can enable us to live without fear and with strength, clarity of purpose and joy.

Buddhism views the universe as a vast living entity, in which cycles of individual life and death are repeated without cease. We experience these cycles every day, as millions of the some 60 trillion cells that comprise our bodies die and are renewed through metabolic replacement. Death is therefore a necessary part of the life process, making possible renewal and new growth. Upon death our lives return to the vast ocean of life, just as an individual wave crests and subsides back into the wholeness of the sea. Through death, the physical elements of our bodies, as well as the fundamental life-force that supports our existence, are returned and "recycled" through the universe. Ideally, death can be experienced as a period of rest, like a rejuvenating sleep that follows the strivings and exertions of the day.

Buddhism asserts that there is a continuity that persists over cycles of life and death, that our lives are, in this sense, eternal. As Nichiren wrote: "When we examine the nature of life with perfect enlightenment, we find that there is no beginning marking birth and, therefore, no end signifying death."

In the fifth century C.E., the great Indian philosopher Vasubandhu developed the "Nine-Consciousness Teaching" that provides a detailed understanding of the eternal functioning of life. In this system, the first five layers of consciousness correspond to the senses of perception and the sixth to waking consciousness. The sixth layer of consciousness includes the capacity for rational judgment and the ability to interpret the information supplied by the senses.

The seventh layer of consciousness is referred to as the mano-consciousness. This layer corresponds to the subconscious described in modern psychology and is where our profound sense of self resides.

Beneath this is the eighth, or alaya-consciousness. It is this layer of consciousness that contains the potential energy, both positive and negative, created by our thoughts, words and deeds. This potential energy, or profound life-tendency, is referred to as karma.

Again, contrary to certain assumptions, Buddhism does not consider karma to be fixed and unchangeable. Our karmic energy, which Buddhist texts describe as the "raging current" of the alaya-consciousness, interacts with the other layers of consciousness. It is at this deepest level that human beings exert influence upon one another, on their surroundings and on all life.

It is also at this level that the continuity of life over cycles of birth and death is maintained. When we die, the potential energy which represents the "karmic balance sheet" of all our actions--creative and destructive, selfish and altruistic--continues to flow forward in the alaya-consciousness. It is this karma that shapes the circumstances in which the potential energy of our lives becomes manifest again, through birth, as a new individual life.

Finally, there is the ninth level of consciousness. This is the very source of cosmic life, which embraces and supports even the functioning of the alaya-consciousness. The purpose of Buddhist practice is to stimulate and awaken this fundamentally pure amala-consciousness, or wisdom, which has the power to transform the most deeply established flow of negative energy in the more shallow layers of consciousness.

The questions of life and death are fundamental, underlying and shaping our views of just about everything. Thus, a new understanding of the nature of death--and of life's eternity--can open new horizons for all humankind, unleashing previously untapped stores of wisdom and compassion.

(from: http://www.sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more14.htm )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime / WND pg. 3

On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime / WND pg. 3

If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life.

The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, true and correct in both word and principle. Its words are the ultimate reality, and this reality is the Mystic Law (myoho). It is called the Mystic Law because it reveals the principle of the mutually inclusive relationship of a single moment of life and all phenomena. That is why this sutra is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

Life at each moment encompasses the body and mind and the self and environment of all sentient beings in the Ten Worlds as well as all insentient beings in the three thousand realms, including plants, sky, earth, and even the minutest particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the entire realm of phenomena and is revealed in all phenomena. To be awakened to this principle is itself the mutually inclusive relationship of life at each moment and all phenomena. Nevertheless, even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching. "Inferior teaching" means those other than this [Lotus] sutra, which are all expedient and provisional. No expedient or provisional teaching leads directly to enlightenment, and without the direct path to enlightenment you cannot attain Buddhahood, even if you practice lifetime after lifetime for countless kalpas. Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is then impossible. Therefore, when you (1) chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself.

You must never think that any of the eighty thousand sacred teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime or any of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three existences are outside yourself. Your practice of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life. If you seek enlightenment outside yourself, then your performing even ten thousand practices and ten thousand good deeds will be in vain. It is like the case of a poor man who spends night and day counting his neighbor's wealth but gains not even half a coin. That is why the T'ien-t'ai school's commentary states, "Unless one perceives the nature of one's life, one cannot eradicate one's grave offenses (2)." This passage implies that, unless one perceives the nature of one's life, one's practice will become an endless, painful austerity. Therefore, such students of Buddhism are condemned as non-Buddhist. Great Concentration and Insight states that, although they study Buddhism, their views are no different from those of non-Buddhists.

Whether you chant the Buddha's name, (3) recite the sutra, or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits and roots of goodness in your life. With this conviction you should strive in faith. The Vimalakirti Sutra states that, when one seeks the Buddhas' emancipation in the minds of ordinary beings, one finds that ordinary beings are the entities of enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. It also states that, if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds.

It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being. When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. 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.

What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our life from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend or words express. When we look into our own mind at any moment, we perceive neither color nor form to verify that it exists. Yet we still cannot say it does not exist, for many differing thoughts continually occur. The mind cannot be considered either to exist or not to exist. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor non-existence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality. Myo is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and ho, to its manifestations. Renge, which means lotus flower, is used to symbolize the wonder of this Law. If we understand that our life at this moment is myo, then we will also understand that our life at other (4) moments is the Mystic Law. This realization is the mystic kyo, or sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law.

If you chant Myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. That is why the sutra states, "After I have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha (5) way." Never doubt in the slightest.

Respectfully.

Maintain your faith and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

Background:

This letter was written to Toki Jonin in the seventh year of Kencho (1255), two years after Nichiren Daishonin established his teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. At the time of this letter, the Daishonin was thirty-four years old and was living in Kamakura, the seat of the military government. Toki was a staunch follower of the Daishonin who lived in Wakamiya in Shimosa Province. He received some thirty letters, including Letter from Sado and one of the major treatises, The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. A retainer of Lord Chiba, the constable of Shimosa, Toki had become a follower of the Daishonin around 1254.

Of all his writings from the mid-1250s, On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime focuses most clearly on the tenets of the Daishonin's Buddhism;many of the other works of this period are aimed chiefly at refuting the erroneous doctrines of other schools and discussing theoretical questions. This short essay not only reflects the theories T'ien-t'ai formulated based on the Lotus Sutra, but also reveals the concrete practice for attaining Buddhahood - namely, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - that is missing in T'ien-t'ai's theoretical framework.

Myoho-renge-kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra, but to the Daishonin it is much more; it is the essence of the sutra, the revelation of the supreme Law itself. Apparent in this work are both the depth of his thought and his conviction that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the only teaching that can lead people to Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Notes:

1. "Chant myoho and recite renge" means to chant the daimoku of the Mystic Law, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
2. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
3. As used here, "the Buddha's name"denotes Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
4. This sentence can also be interpreted to read, "If one understands that one's life is myo, then one also understands that others' lives are all entities of the Mystic Law."
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 21.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"What good karma you must have formed in the past, then, to have been
born a person able to recite even so much as a verse or a phrase of
the Lotus Sutra!

(WND, 69)
The Recitation of the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters
Written to Hiki Daigaku Saburo Yoshimoto's wife on April 17, 1264

 

[Babbabud]

Hangin out feelin super fine in the Latter Day what a bunch of "lucky dogs " ..
hope you guys are having a great weekend and your life condition is as high as the sky
We love all you guys .. thanks for being here with us
nam myoho renge kyo !!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Dudes! Did you ever think we would get to 150 pages?


(Don't forget everyone's posts for the rest of the month give them a shot at a Gypsy Nirvana Stash Box.)

 

[Babbabud]

Dudes! Did you ever think we would get to 150 pages?

I can imagine 1k

 

[Guest]

Yesterday my wife found .75 cents in a jacket she was wearing then she gave it to me and a few minutes later she reached into the same pocket and pulled out another .75 cents.

I love each and everyone of you with me in spirit, today is a lovely day. Although I am lacking the Gohonzon my resolve and mindset is fortified chanting,

Nam myoho renge kyo

special thanks to my advisors and links within this thread. (I recently enjoyed reading the "four stages of faith and five stages of practice")

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"What a joy it is for us to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to have shared in the propagation of the Lotus Sutra! How pitiful are those who, though born in this time, cannot believe in this sutra!.'"

(Letter to Niike - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1026) Selectio source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 11th, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Selection of the Time / WND pg. 538 (continued)

The Selection of the Time / WND pg. 538 (continued)

Question: The great earthquake of the Shoka era, the huge comet of the Bun'ei era - what caused these to appear?

Answer: T'ien-t'ai says, "Wise men can perceive the cause of things, as (147) snakes know the way of snakes."

Question: What do you mean by this statement?

Answer: When Bodhisattva Superior Practices appeared from beneath the earth, the other bodhisattvas such as Maitreya, Manjushri, Perceiver of the World's Sounds, and Medicine King, though they had severed themselves from the first forty-one of the forty-two levels of ignorance, had not yet severed themselves from the last one, or fundamental darkness. Hence they were in effect ignorant persons, and consequently failed to understand that this bodhisattva, Superior Practices, had been summoned so that he might widely propagate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the "Life Span" chapter in the Latter Day of the Law.

Question: Is there anyone in Japan, China, or India who understands this matter?

Answer: Even the great bodhisattvas who have eradicated the illusions of thought and desire and severed themselves from the forty-one levels of ignorance cannot understand such a thing. How then could persons who have not rid themselves of even one iota of illusion be expected to do so?

Question: But if there is no wise person who understands why these calamities have arisen, then how can proper steps be taken to deal with them? If one does not understand the origin of an illness, though one may try to treat the sick person, the treatment will surely fail and the patient will die. Now, if the people resort to prayers without understanding the basic cause of these disasters, can there be any doubt that the nation will in time face ruin? Ah, how dreadful to think of it!

Answer: They say that snakes know seven days in advance when a heavy rain is going to occur, and that crows know what lucky or unlucky events are going to take place in the course of a whole year. This must be because snakes are followers of the great dragons who make the rains fall, and crows have for a long time studied such matters of divination. Now I am only an ordinary person, and therefore have no understanding of the cause of these disasters. Nevertheless, I believe I can generally instruct you concerning this matter.

In the time of King P'ing of the Chou dynasty, persons appeared who let their hair hang down and went about naked. A court official named Hsin Yu divined on the basis of this and said, "Within a hundred years this dynasty will come to an end." In the time of King Yu of the Chou, the mountains and rivers collapsed and were destroyed and the earth shook. A courtier named Po Yang, observing this, said, "Within twelve years our great ruler will meet with some dire happening."

Now the great earthquake and the huge comet that have appeared are calamities brought about by heaven, which is enraged because the ruler of our country hates Nichiren and sides with the Zen, Nembutsu, and True Word priests who preach doctrines that will destroy the nation!

Question: How can I believe that?

Answer: The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, "Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, the stars and constellations, along with the winds and rains, all fail to move in their proper seasons."

If this passage from the sutra is correct, then there can be no doubt that evil people exist in this country, and that the ruler and his ministers put their trust in such people. Moreover, there can be no doubt that a wise person exists in this country, and that the ruler of the nation hates and treats him as an enemy.

The same sutra also says, "The deities of the heaven of the thirty-three gods will all feel rage in their hearts, . . . and strange and unusual shooting stars will fall to earth, two suns will come out at the same time, marauders will appear from other regions, and the people of the country will meet with death and disorder."

Already in this country we have had unusual disturbances in the heavens as well as strange occurrences on earth, and the men of a foreign country have come to attack us. Can there be any doubt that the thirty-three heavenly gods are angry?

The Benevolent Kings Sutra states: "Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, or the other princes, and take it upon themselves to preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, listens to and puts faith in such doctrines."

The same work also refers to a time "when the sun and moon depart from their regular courses, when the seasons come in the wrong order, when a red sun or a black sun appears, when two, three, four, or five suns appear at the same time, when the sun is eclipsed and loses its light, or when one, two, three, four, or five coronas appear around the sun."

These passages mean that, if evil monks fill the nation and deceive the ruler, the crown prince, and the other princes, preaching doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist Law and the downfall of the nation, and if the ruler and the other high officials allow themselves to be deceived by these monks and come to believe that such doctrines will in fact ensure the protection of the Buddhist Law and the nation, and act accordingly, then the sun and the moon will behave strangely, and great winds, rains, and fires will make their appearance. Next will come internal disorder, relatives and kin turning against one another and bringing about armed revolt. Many allies and supporters of the ruler and other high officials will be struck down, and then invaders will come from other nations to attack them, until they are forced to commit suicide or are captured alive or obliged to surrender. This will come about entirely because they heed doctrines that lead to the destruction of the Buddhist Law and cause the downfall of the nation.

The Protection Sutra says: "The teachings preached by the Thus Come One Shakyamuni cannot be in the least bit harmed by the various devils of heaven, or by the non-Buddhists, or by evil men, or by seers who have attained the five transcendental powers. And yet they can be so thoroughly destroyed by those evil monks who are monks in name and appearance only that nothing whatsoever remains of them. In this respect they are like Mount Sumeru. Though one might gather all the grass and wood from the major world system, pile them up as fuel, and burn it for a long period of time, Mount Sumeru would not suffer the least degree of injury. But when the conflagration that marks the end of the kalpa of decline breaks out and fire appears from within the mountain itself, then in an instant the whole mountain will be consumed by the flames and not even ashes will remain."

The Lotus-like Face Sutra says: "The Buddha said to Ananda: 'It is like the case of a lion who has died. No creature that lives in the air, in the soil, in water, or on land will venture to eat the flesh of the dead lion. Only the worms that are born from the body of the lion itself will feed on the lion's flesh. In the same way, Ananda, the Buddha's teachings cannot be destroyed by outside forces. But the evil monks who exist within the body of my teachings - they are the ones who will destroy these teachings that the Buddha has labored over and worked to establish for a period of three great asamkhya kalpas.'"

What do these passages from the sutras mean? In the past, the Buddha Kashyapa described to King Kriki the Latter Day of the Law of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni and revealed what sort of people would destroy (148) Shakyamuni's teachings. Evil men might appear such as King Mihirakula, who burned all the Buddhist halls and monasteries of India and murdered all the monks and nuns of its sixteen major States (149), or Emperor Wu-tsung of China (150), who destroyed more than 4,600 temples and pagodas in the nine regions of China and forced 260,500 priests and nuns to return to lay life. But such men could not destroy the teachings preached by Shakyamuni Buddha. It is the priests themselves, who wrap their bodies in the three robes permitted to them, hang a single begging bowl about their necks, store up in their minds the eighty thousand teachings, and with their mouths recite the twelve divisions of the scriptures - they are the ones who will destroy the Buddha's teachings.

It is like the case of Mount Sumeru, the golden mountain. Though one might gather all the grass and wood in the major world system, pile them up until they completely filled the heaven of the four heavenly kings as well as the others of the six heavens of the world of desire, and burn them for one year, two years, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a million years, the mountain would not suffer the slightest injury. But when the time comes for the great fire that ends the kalpa of decline, a tiny flame no bigger than a bean will break out at the base of the mountain, and not only will Mount Sumeru be consumed, but the entire major world system will likewise be destroyed.

If the Buddha's predictions are to be believed, then it would appear that the Buddhist priests of the ten schools or the eight schools of our country will be the ones to burn up the Mount Sumeru of the Buddha's teaching. The priests of the Hinayana schools of the Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts will be the flames of anger that burn with jealous hatred of the Mahayana schools. And priests such as Shan-wu-wei of the True Word school, San-chieh of the Zen school, and Shan-tao of the Pure Land school are the worms that are born from the body of the lion that is the Buddha's teaching. The Great Teacher Dengyo in his writings described the eminent scholars of the Three Treatises, Dharma Characteristics, Flower Garland, and other schools of Japanese Buddhism as six (151) kinds of worms. I, Nichiren, would dub the founders of the True Word, Zen, and Pure Land schools the three kinds of worms, and Jikaku, Annen, and Eshin of the Tendai school the three worms who devoured the lion-body of the Lotus Sutra and the Great Teacher Dengyo.

So long as Nichiren, who is working to expose the root of these great slanders against the correct teaching, is treated with animosity, the heavenly deities will withhold their light, the gods of the earth will be angered, and disturbances and calamities will appear in great numbers. You must understand that, because I speak concerning the most important matter in the entire land of Jambudvipa, my words are accompanied by portents of the first magnitude. How tragic, how pitiful,that all the people of Japan should fall into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering! But how fortunate, how joyous, to think that with this unworthy body I have received in my heart the seeds of Buddhahood!

Just see how it will be! When tens of thousands of armed ships from the great kingdom of the Mongols come over the sea to attack Japan, everyone from the ruler on down to the multitudes of common people will turn their backs on all the Buddhist temples and all the shrines of the gods and will raise their voices in chorus, crying Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! They will press their palms together and say, "Priest Nichiren, Priest Nichiren, save us!"

In India King Mihirakula was obliged to press his palms together in submission before King Baladitya, and in Japan Taira no Munemori was forced to pay reverence to Kajiwara (152) Kagetoki. This is in accord with the principle that men of great arrogance should end by bowing before their enemies.

Those vicious and arrogant monks described in the Lotus Sutra in the beginning armed themselves with sticks and staves and used them to belabor Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. But later they pressed their palms together and repented of their error. Devadatta inflicted an injury on Shakyamuni Buddha that drew blood, but when he was on his deathbed, he cried out, "Namu (Devotion)!" If only he had been able to cry, "Namu Buddha (Devotion to the Buddha)!" he would have been spared the fate of falling into hell. But so grave were the deeds he had committed that he could only utter the word "Namu" and could not pronounce the word "Buddha" before he died.

And soon the eminent priests of Japan will no doubt be trying to cry out, "Namu Nichiren Shonin (Devotion to the Sage Nichiren)!" But most likely they will only have time enough to utter the one word, "Namu!" How pitiful, how pitiful!

In the secular texts it says, "A sage is one who fully understands those things that have not yet made their appearance." And in the Buddhist texts it says, "A sage is one who knows the three existences of life - past, present, and future."

Three times now I have gained distinction by having such knowledge. The first time was the first year of the Bunno era (1260), cyclical sign kanoe-saru, on the sixteenth day of the seventh month, when I presented my On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land to His Lordship, the lay priest of Saimyo-ji, by way of the (153) lay priest Yadoya Mitsunori. At that time, I said to the lay priest Yadoya, "Please advise His Lordship that devotion to the Zen school and the Nembutsu school should be abandoned. If this advice is not heeded, trouble will break out within the ruling clan, and the nation will be attacked by another country."

The second time was the twelfth day of the ninth month of the eighth year of the Bun'ei era (1271), at the hour of the monkey (3:00-5:00 PM), when I said to Hei no Saemon-no-jo: "Nichiren is the pillar and beam of Japan. Doing away with me is toppling the pillar of Japan! Immediately you will all face 'the calamity of revolt within one's own domain,' or strife among yourselves, and also 'the calamity of invasion from foreign lands.' Not only will the people of our nation be put to death by foreign invaders, but many of them will be taken prisoner. All the Nembutsu and Zen temples, such as Kencho-ji, Jufuku-ji, Gokuraku-ji, Daibutsu-den, and Choraku-ji, should be burned to the ground, and their priests taken to Yui Beach to have their heads cut off. If this is not done, then Japan is certain (154) to be destroyed!"

The third time was the eighth day of the fourth month of last year (the eleventh year of the Bun'ei era), when I said to Saemon-no-jo: "Even if it seems that, because I was born in the ruler's domain, I follow him in my actions, I will never follow him in my heart. There can be no doubt that the Nembutsu leads to the hell of incessant suffering, and that the Zen school is the work of the heavenly devil. And the True Word school in particular is a great plague to this nation of ours. The task of praying for victory over the Mongols should not be entrusted to the True Word priests! If so grave a matter is entrusted to them, then the situation will only worsen rapidly and our country will face destruction."

[Hei no Saemon-no-jo] Yoritsuna then asked, "When do you think the Mongols will attack?"

I replied, "The sacred scriptures do not indicate the time. But the signs show that heaven is extremely angry. It would appear that the attack is imminent. It will probably occur before this year has ended."

Yet it was not I, Nichiren, who made these three important pronouncements. Rather it was in all cases the spirit of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni that had entered into my body. And having personally experienced this, I am beside myself with joy.

This is the all-important doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life taught in the Lotus Sutra. What does the Lotus Sutra mean when it says, "This reality [the true aspect of all phenomena] consists of the appearance (155). . .?" "Appearance," the first of the ten factors of life, is the most important of them all; this is why the Buddha appeared in the world. "Wise men can perceive the cause of things, as snakes know the way of snakes."

Little streams come together to form the great ocean, and tiny particles of dust accumulate to form Mount Sumeru. When I, Nichiren, first took faith in the Lotus Sutra, I was like a single drop of water or a single particle of dust in all the country of Japan. But later, when two people, three people, ten people, and eventually a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, and a million people come to recite the Lotus Sutra and transmit it to others, then they will form a Mount Sumeru of perfect enlightenment, an ocean of great nirvana. Seek no other path by which to attain Buddhahood!


Notes:

147. This statement appears in Miao-lo's On "The Words and Phrases."
148. This story appears in the Protection Sutra. King Kriki was the father of Kashyapa Buddha, the sixth of seven Buddhas of the past, the last of whom is Shakyamuni. One day, he dreamed about ten monkeys. Nine of the monkeys harassed the people of the city, robbed them of their food and drink, and went on a destructive rampage. One of the ten, however, would not join them but remained sitting in a tree. He was therefore tormented and expelled from the community of monkeys. When King Kriki asked Kashyapa Buddha about this dream, the Buddha said, "It represents the evil latter age after the death of Shakyamuni Buddha. The ten monkeys represent his ten kinds of disciples, only one of whom is a true shramana (practitioner) who renounces the world and endeavors to seek the way."
149. King Mihirakula, according to Record of the Western Regions, attacked Bala-ditya, a king of Magadha, who was a Bud-dhist, but was instead captured by him. Released through the intercession of Bala-ditya's merciful mother, Mihirakula fled to Kashmir and later killed its king. He went on to attack Gandhara where he destroyed temples and stupas. As a result, when he was about to die, the earth trembled and a storm arose, and he fell into the hell of incessant suffering.
150. Wu-tsung (814-846) was the fifteenth emperor of the T'ang dynasty. He initiated a nationwide persecution of Buddhism in 845 during the Hui-ch'ang era.
151. Dengyo's Clarification of the Precepts likens the scholars of the six Nara schools to six kinds of worms who devour and destroy the Buddha's teaching.
152. Taira no Munemori (1147-1185) was a leader of the Heike clan who held a high position at court. When the Heike fought with the Genji clan at Dannoura, he was captured and had to humble himself before Kajiwara Kagetoki (d. 1200), a Genji warrior who was originally from the Heike clan.
153. Yadoya Mitsunori (n.d.) was an official of the Kamakura government. He is said to have been one of the seven individuals permitted access to the lay priest of Saimyo-ji, Hojo Tokiyori, when the latter was on his deathbed.
154. Here the Daishonin purposely mentions the burning of temples and the execution of priests in order to impress Hei no Saemon with the gravity of the offense of slandering the correct teaching. In On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, however, the Daishonin explains the meaning of the Nirvana Sutra that describes the killing of slanderous monks. He says, "According to the Buddhist teachings, prior to Shakyamuni slanderous monks would have incurred the death penalty. But since the time of Shakyamuni, the One Who Can Endure, the giving of alms to slanderous monks is forbidden in the sutra teachings" (p. 23). He admonished the acting regent to abandon the government support of the Nembutsu and Zen priests who contradicted Shakyamuni Buddha's teaching. If they did not, he said, Japan would face destruction.
155. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Little streams come together to form the great ocean, and tiny particles of dust accumulate to form Mount Sumeru. When I, Nichiren, first took faith in the Lotus Sutra, I was like a single drop of water or a single particle of dust in all the country of Japan. But later, when two people, three people, ten people, and eventually a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, and a million people come to recite the Lotus Sutra and transmit it to others, then they will form a Mount Sumeru of perfect enlightenment, an ocean of great nirvana. Seek no other path by which to attain Buddhahood!"

 

[Babbabud]

President Ikeada's encouragment for feb12

President Ikeada's encouragment for feb12

The important thing is to hold firm to your beliefs without being influenced or swayed by what others do or say. Those who live this way are strong and free of regret. What matters most is how you lead your life-not what those around you are doing.'
nam myoho renge kyo !

 

[Guest]

Nam myoho renge kyo

Nam myoho renge kyo

today is another glorious day.

nam myoho renge kyo

 

[all messed up]

Tashe Delek! Great thread.

What a long read! Whew!

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Thus faith is the basic requirement for entering the way of the
Buddha. In the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice, the first ten
stages, dealing with faith, are basic, and the first of these ten
stages is that of arousing pure faith. Though lacking in knowledge of
Buddhism, a person of faith, even if dull-witted, is to be reckoned as
a person of correct views. But even though one has some knowledge of
Buddhism, if one is without faith, then one is to be considered a
slanderer and an icchantika, or person of incorrigible disbelief."

(WND, 141-42)
The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra
Recipient unknown; written on January 6, 1266

 

[SoCal Hippy]

I am in Nam myoho renge kyo.......................how can you not be???

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Seek no other path by which to attain Buddhahood!"

 

[SoCal Hippy]

woo hoooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

b i n g o]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

THE THREE EXISTENCES

THE THREE EXISTENCES

Everything is determined in this moment.

We often feel bombarded with one situation after another that make us wonder, “What did I do to deserve this?” or, “Why is this happening to me?” Especially when we are struggling in life, some of us might perceive ourselves as victims who have no clue about why we are suffering the way we are.

How do we answer the, “Why me’s?” How do we improve our lives?

The renowned Chinese Buddhist scholar T’ien-t’ai (538-597) said: “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, p. 279).

Many people seem to look at life as if it is limited to this one existence. In Buddhism, however, we view life as eternal. Therefore, our lives are not just limited to this present existence. “Causes that existed in the past” refers not only to what we did yesterday or ten years ago, but also to previous existences since the remotest part., Though some of use like to wonder and even fantasize about what our past lives must have been like, because life is more vast and profound than we can imagine, it is difficult to fathom our actual past existences.

All the causes we made in the past have accumulated in lifetime after lifetime and these causes are manifested as karma. We create our own karma. The moment we do something, say something or think something, an effect is registered in the depths of our being. As our lives meet the right circumstances, the effects of those causes take shape in various forms. These various manifestations of our individual karma are what lead to the uniqueness of our appearance, the situations we face and our lives.

“If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present.”

In order to understand our past causes, or our karma, we do not need to go to a psychic or a guru. In light of the eternal law of cause and effect, by simply looking at our life at present, we are able to understand what causes we made in the past.

Though we cannot undo the causes we made in the past, we can determine the way their effects influence our lives in the present. Reflecting on our experience--and based on our own decisions and the actions we take--we either stagnate or advance forward. Each moment builds upon the previous one. So, how do we create the best causes for our future?

“If you want to understand the cause that exited in the past, look at the as results as they are manifested in the present.”

Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism teaches us that in our present environment, regardless of how excruciating our suffering may be, we do have the power to determine our future. The greatness of Buddhism is that is shows us we are responsible for choosing how we lead our lives, and it teaches us how we can change our karma. Karma is not unchangeable like fate, which is a predestined path of what our life will be. We can change our karma based on the actions we take right here, right now. It is never too late to change our lives for the better.

For example, in the aftermath of a big earthquake, your house may have completely collapsed (with your entire family safe, of course) and you set yourself to the task of rebuilding your house. Given that you have all the resources you need to reconstruct your house, what courses of action will you take? It would certainly be easier to rebuild the house according to the original plans, but how safe would you feel when the next earthquake rolls around. You are naturally determined to try and construct your new home to withstand the next earthquake. And now due to the tragedy of losing your first house, you have an idea of what kinds of adjustments you can make to try and avoid the same problem and improve your new home. The ultimate goal would be to rebuild your house to withstand all the earthquakes to come!

Likewise, instead of repeating the same cycle of suffering in our lives, we can choose to use our struggles as a springboard to fortify our inner strength. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which encapsulates the essential spirit of the Lotus Sutra, is the greatest resource available to us for constructing an eternally indestructible fortress of happiness in our lives. Chanting this phrase is the key to fusing with the law of life that exists throughout the universe. It is the greatest cause we can make for our lives. This cause remains in our lives through the three existences of past, present and future.

Chanting to the Gohonzon and teaching others about Buddhism represents the greatest possible good and accords with the law of life itself. It is the way to attain a state of eternal happiness.

Though we cannot see our past our future lives, we can find clear direction on how to live in this present life based on our understanding of the causal law of life operating across the three existences of past, present and future. Through chanting, we are able to elevate our life-condition and perceive our fundamental karma. Once we realize our karmic tendencies we are able to challenge them head on.

In “On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime,” Nichiren Daishonin explains: “The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law. If you chant Myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime” (WND, 4).

Each moment of our lives is a struggle between creating good causes and giving in to our own weaknesses and negativity. We always have the choice of taking responsibility for our future and taking action with the strong conviction that it is never too late to change our lives for the better.

Nichiren Daishonin, in encouraging Shijo Kingo to live happily in the present without dwelling on past events or worrying about what might happen in the future, says: “Suffer what there sis 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? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever” (WND, 681).

Happiness is not something that we will find somewhere off in the distance; it is to be found in the present. Both past and future are contained in the present, and though we know that life is eternal, everything exists in the present. There is no need to ponder too long on the “Why me’s?” since we know that we alone are responsible for our present situations. Why waste time wallowing in the misery of the unchangeable past when there is so much joy and appreciation to gain in making each moment, each day, valuable step toward the unlimited potential of the future?

April 2001
Living Buddhism
Page 6
By Rika Hashimoto, based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment":Taking Control Of Our Lives

"Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment":Taking Control Of Our Lives

AS THE SEXUAL BEHAVIOR of politicians surges to the forefront of public debate, two contrasting undercurrents of American thinking rise into view. One side tells us to suppress desires because they are nothing but trouble—the suppression or even denial of desire should be celebrated as a sign of virtue. Meanwhile, the other tells us that human desire is natural (and good!); that we should trust our feelings and desires, and do whatever they move us to do, so long as we do not infringe on the rights of others. Experience, however, tells us that neither the suppression of nor abandonment to desires leads to satisfaction in life. Then how do we live with the reality of our abundant desires and still become happy and fulfilled?

Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism helps shed light on this issue through the concept called “earthly desires are enlightenment.” The original term in Japanese is bon’no soku bodai. The Japanese word bon’no derives from the Chinese interpretation of the Sanskrit word klisa (or klesa), which means defilement, pain, affliction, distress, evil passion, moral depravity, worry, trouble, infection or contamination. The Chinese interpretation also implies delusions or temptations arising from passions or ignorance that disturb and distress the mind. The Japanese word soku means to be immediately present or to be the same as. And finally the Japanese word bodai is a transliteration of the Sanskrit bodhi, which means knowledge, understanding, perfect wisdom or the enlightened mind. Put simply, this Buddhist concept tells us that our desires and suffering—all that torments our mind— can be the source of wisdom and happiness.

On the surface, however, this concept is contradictory. Our desires often cause delusion and suffering, which are the exact opposite of wisdom and happiness. In this sense, defining desires as an obstacle to enlightenment, rather than as enlightenment, seems more reasonable. So the logical extension of this line of thought will be that we have to eliminate our desires in order to attain enlightenment. This is exactly what was taught in the monastic Theravada Buddhism, which the populist Mahayana (“Greater Vehicle”) Buddhists called Hinayana (“Lesser Vehicle”). Taking this view of desires to the extreme, Theravada Buddhism taught the annihilation of self through religious austerities. In other words, as long as we have a body and mind, we will continue to suffer from our desires. So we must reduce ourselves to nothing, or so those Theravada monks thought.

The Daishonin’s Buddhism, however, explains that both “earthly desires” and “enlightenment” are intrinsic to our lives. So any intent to deny either is itself a delusion. In this regard, the Daishonin states: “Among those who wish to become Buddhas through attempting to eradicate earthly desires and shunning the lower nine worlds, there is not one ordinary per-son who actually attained enlightenment. This is because Buddhahood cannot exist apart from the lower nine worlds” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 403). The Daishonin defines “earthly desires” as “the obstacles to one’s practice which arise from greed, anger, stupidity and the like” (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 145). Earthly desires such as greed, anger, stupidity, arrogance and doubt have a negative influence upon our lives, causing delusion and suffering. The Daishonin teaches that since such earthly desires are ever-present, we must develop wisdom and inner strength so that they do not influence us negatively, and so that we may transform these functions into a driving force for our spiritual growth.

The Daishonin stresses the importance of inner strength to control our “earthly desires” as he encourages us to “keep the three paths of earthly desires, karma and suffering in check” (GZ, 984). Desires give rise to actions, but when those desires are steeped in delusion, those actions create negative karma, which in turn leads to suffering, which gives rise to more desire, and so on.

THE key for us to develop inner strength to stem this negative cycle lies in our prayer to the Gohonzon, in our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The Daishonin states: “Believe in this mandala [the Gohonzon] with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?” (MW-1, 119). Though this was written to the parents of a child suffering from a physical illness, “sickness” can be broadly interpreted as earthly desires or all that causes spiritual or physical anguish such as problems with health, relationships, family harmony, money or career. As long as we firmly believe in the Gohonzon and continue to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no suffering or hardship can be an obstacle to our happiness. With a powerful prayer to the Gohonzon, our earthly desires not only cease to cause suffering, but also become an impetus for our wisdom and happiness. The fact that they motivate us to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a strong prayer in itself suggests the transformation of earthly desires into enlightenment. To illustrate this point, the Daishonin states: “Through burning the firewood of earthly desires, one can manifest the wisdom-fire of enlightenment” (GZ, 710).

Because we have earthly desires, that is, suffering and delusion, we pray to the Gohonzon. Our hardships are often our greatest motivation to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. When we make a determination that our desires and hardships are yet another opportunity to strengthen our faith and our life, they no longer function as earthly desires that torment us.

Through our prayer we can sublimate our base desires into noble and creative causes. Through the Buddhist practice, an egoist whose only concern in life is to gain material wealth can change into a person of magnanimity who gladly uses wealth for the sake of others’ peace and happiness. Sexual desires can be destructive. Shakespeare writes about them as: perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame, /Savage, extreme, rude cruel, not to trust (Sonnet 129).

Passion, however, if imbued with wisdom, can become an impetus for our affectionate expression of humanity as the Daishonin states: “Even during the physical union of man and woman, when one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then earthly desires are enlightenment and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana” (MW-2, 200).

We cannot avoid our passions. But whether, when they arise, we act wisely and compassionately, or foolishly and selfishly, may determine happiness or suffering in life. The spirit to use whatever desires arise as fuel or “firewood” to empower our prayer to the Gohonzon and thus to bring forth wisdom, is the key to making the principle that “earthly desires are enlightenment” a reality. If we leave the “firewood of earthly desires” alone, they will simply remain a source of suffering. Only when we ignite the firewood with the spark of faith in the Gohonzon, can we bring forth a bright flame of wisdom and happiness from within. Through the concept that “earthly desires are enlightenment” the Daishonin teaches us how to create the greatest possible value from our natural desires and suffering, while neither denying them nor abandoning ourselves to them. This Buddhist principle thus offers us a new approach to the problem of human desire—one that is neither self-denying nor hedonistic.

Viewed from the standpoint of delusion—desire does not “equal” enlightenment. But viewed from the standpoint of enlightenment itself, earthly desires are indeed enlightenment. This is because a Buddha experiences desires while maintaining full control of them, always bringing forth their enlightened quality to the fullest benefit of self and others. .

(This series of Buddhist concepts was prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department)

Title: Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment: Taking Control Of Our Lives
Subject: Living Buddhism 02/99 v.99 n.2 p.6 LB9902p06
Author:
Keywords: Buddhist Concepts Control Desires Earthly Enlightenment Lives Study Taking Terms