Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

Always!!! Dude I was just about ready to PM you to see that you're OK! Great! The thanks go to you and everyone else. Contributing to this thread is my honor! I have gotten much more back than I have given out. Just to have met Babbabud and Mrs.Babba has been a priceless reward. It only happened by virtue of the 'Cosmic Glue' that we are ALL attached to each other here. Kenzoku-myo!

I look forward to meeting all of you some day!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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

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

Question: Is there anyone from times past who has spoken the way you have just done?

Answer: The Great Teacher Dengyo states: "One should understand that the sutras on which the other schools base their teachings are not foremost among the sutras, and those people who can uphold such sutras are not foremost among the multitude. But the Lotus Sutra, which is upheld by the Tendai Lotus school, is the foremost of all the sutras, and therefore those who can uphold the Lotus are foremost among living beings. This is borne out by the words of the Buddha himself. How (170) could it be mere self-praise?"

A tick that attaches itself to the tail of a ch'i-lin can race a thousand miles in one day, and a worthless man who accompanies a wheel-turning king can circle in an instant about the four continents of the world. Who would question the truth of such matters? Dengyo's words, "How could it be mere self-praise?" should be kept in mind.

If what he says is correct, then a person who upholds the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches must be superior to the king Brahma and more worthy than the lord Shakra. If you have asuras to help you, you can lift and carry even Mount Sumeru. If you have dragons in your employ, you can drain all the water in the ocean until it runs dry.

The Great Teacher Dengyo says: "Those who praise him will receive blessings that will pile up as high as Mount Calm and Bright, while those who slander him will be committing a fault that will condemn them to (171) the hell of incessant suffering." And the Lotus Sutra states, "If this person [should slander a sutra such as this], or on seeing those who read, recite, copy, and uphold this sutra, should despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against them . . . . When his life comes to an (172) end he will enter the Avichi hell."

If these golden words of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, are true, if the testimony to their truth given by Many Treasures Buddha is not false, and if the sign of assent given by the Buddhas of the ten directions when they extended their tongues is to be trusted, then there can be no doubt that all living beings in Japan at the present time are destined to fall into the hell of incessant suffering.

The eighth volume of the Lotus Sutra says, "In later ages if there are those who accept, uphold, read, and recite this sutra. . . . Their wishes will not be in vain, and in this present existence they will gain the reward of good fortune (173)." It also says, "If there is anyone who offers alms to them and praises them, then in this present existence he (174) will have manifest reward for it."

In these two passages are the words "in this present existence they will gain the reward of good fortune" and "in this present existence he will have manifest reward for it." These two statements in their Chinese original each comprise eight characters. If these sixteen characters are meaningless, and if Nichiren does not receive some great reward in this present life, then these golden words of the Thus Come One will be in the same category as the empty lies of Devadatta, and the testimony of Many Treasures Buddha that guaranteed their truth will be no different from the baseless assertions of Kokalika. Then none of the people who slander the correct teaching will ever be condemned to the Avichi hell, and the Buddhas of the three existences will not exist! But could such a thing be possible?

Therefore, I say to you, my disciples, try practicing as the Lotus Sutra teaches, exerting yourselves without begrudging your lives! Test the truth of Buddhism now! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Question: In the Lotus Sutra we find this passage "We care nothing for our bodies or lives but are anxious only (175) for the unsurpassed way." And the Nirvana Sutra says: "For example, it is like a royal envoy skilled in discussion and clever with expedient means who, when sent on a mission to another land, would rather, even though it costs him his life, in the end conceal none of the words of his ruler. Wise persons too do this. In the midst of ordinary people and without begrudging their lives, those who are wise should without fail proclaim the Thus Come One's prize teaching from the correct and equal sutras of the great vehicle, that is, all living beings possess the Buddha nature." But under what circumstances should one be prepared to sacrifice one's life and safety? I would like you to explain the matter to me in detail.

Answer: When I first embarked upon the Buddhist practice, I supposed that the statement "We care nothing for our bodies or lives" meant receiving the imperial command and traveling to China the way men like Dengyo, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho did, or that it meant setting out from China as the Tripitaka Master Hsüan-tsang did, traveling all the way to India, dying six times in the attempt and striving again with each rebirth. Or I thought that it meant throwing away one's life the way the boy Snow Mountains did in order to learn the second half of a verse, or burning one's arms as an offering for seventy-two thousand years the way Bodhisattva Medicine King did. But if we go by the passage of scripture that you have quoted, these are not the kind of thing that is meant.

As to this passage in the sutra, "We care nothing for our bodies or lives," the sutra earlier describes the three types of enemies who will vilify and attack one with swords and staves, and in all likelihood deprive one of life and body. And to understand the passage in the Nirvana Sutra that speaks of carrying out one's duty "even though it costs him his life," we should look at the passage later on in the same sutra that says, "There are icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief. They pretend to be arhats, living in deserted places and speaking slanderously of the correct and equal sutras of the great vehicle. When ordinary people see them, they all suppose that they are true arhats and speak of them as great bodhisattvas."

Speaking of the third of the three types of enemies, the Lotus Sutra says, "Or there will be forest-dwelling monks wearing clothing of patched rags and living in retirement . . . they will be respected and revered by the world as though they were arhats who possess the six transcendental powers (176)." And the Parinirvana Sutra says, "There are also icchantikas who resemble arhats but who commit evil deeds."

These passages from the sutras speak of powerful enemies of the correct teaching. Such enemies are to be found not so much among evil rulers and evil ministers, among non-Buddhists and devil kings, or among monks who disobey the precepts. Rather they are those great slanderers of the Law who are to be found among the eminent monks who appear to be upholders of the precepts and men of wisdom.

The Great Teacher Miao-lo, speaking of such men, says, "The third [group] is the most formidable of all. This is because the second and third ones are increasingly harder to recognize (177) for what they really are."

The fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra says, "This Lotus Sutra is the secret storehouse of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place." In this passage we should note the words "it holds the highest place (178)." The phrase comprises four characters in the original. If we are to believe this passage, then we must say that the votary of the Lotus Sutra is one who proclaims the Lotus Sutra to stand supreme above all the other sutras.

Let us suppose now that there are many people who are held in great respect by the ruler, and that these people claim that there are sutras superior to the Lotus Sutra, disputing with the votary of the Lotus Sutra on this point. They enjoy the trust and support of the ruler and his ministers, while the votary of the Lotus Sutra is a person of low station and humble learning; therefore, the whole nation joins in heaping abuse on him. If at that time he conducts himself in the manner of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging or the Scholar Bhadraruchi and continues to assert the superiority of the Lotus Sutra, he will almost certainly lose his life. To practice with such resolve in the face of this threat is the most important thing of all.

Now I, Nichiren, am confronting just such a situation. Though I am a humble man, I have proclaimed that the great teachers Kobo and Jikaku, the Tripitaka masters Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k'ung, and others of their kind are potent enemies of the Lotus Sutra, and that, if the words of the sutra are to be trusted, they have without doubt fallen into the hell of incessant suffering. To proclaim such a thing as this is a very grave step. It would be easier to walk naked into a raging fire, easier to take up Mount Sumeru in one's hands and toss it away, easier to hoist a great stone on one's back and walk across the ocean, than to do what I have done. To establish the correct teaching in this country of Japan is indeed a difficult thing.

If Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, of the pure land of Eagle Peak, Many Treasures Buddha of the World of Treasure Purity, the Buddhas of the ten directions who are Shakyamuni's emanations, the bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds who sprang up out of the earth, Brahma and Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings do not, conspicuously or inconspicuously, give me their protection and lend me aid, then they will never know a single day or a single hour of peace and safety!

Background

This treatise, counted among Nichiren Daishonin's five major writings, was written at Minobu in the first year of Kenji (1275) and was entrusted to a believer named Yui who lived in Nishiyama of Suruga Province. As with a number of his other important works, it is written in the form of a dialogue between the Daishonin and a hypothetical questioner.

The Daishonin had met and remonstrated with Hei no Saemon, who represented the regent Hojo Tokimune, in the fourth month of 1274, after returning from his exile to Sado. When this, his third and last admonition to the government, went unheeded, the Daishonin left to live in the forest of Mount Minobu. In the tenth month of 1274, Mongol forces launched an invasion of Japan just as the Daishonin had predicted to Hei no Saemon during their meeting. News of the invasion, the first in Japan's history, came as a profound shock. Though the invasion ultimately failed, people were terrified that the Mongols would seize the next opportunity to launch a second attack. It was amid this uneasy situation that the Daishonin wrote The Selection of the Time.

"Time" in the title, The Selection of the Time, refers to the Latter Day of the Law, when the "pure Law" of Shakyamuni's teaching was to become obscured and lost and the "great pure Law" of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was to be spread.

Nichiren Daishonin set forth elsewhere five guides or criteria for the propagation of Buddhism: namely, a correct understanding of (1) the teaching, (2) the people's capacity, (3) the time, (4) the country, and (5) the sequence of propagation. The Selection of the Time places the greatest emphasis upon the factor of the time.

In this writing, the Daishonin refers to the five five-hundred-year periods described in the Great Collection Sutra to outline the events of Buddhism over the first twenty-five hundred years following Shakyamuni's passing. (1) In the first five hundred years of the Former Day of the Law, Mahakashyapa, Ananda, and others propagated the Hinayana teachings in India. (2) The second five hundred years of the Former Day saw the advent of Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, and others, who propagated the provisional Mahayana teachings. (3) In the first five hundred years of the Middle Day of the Law, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai appeared in China and propagated the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra. (4) The second five hundred years of the Middle Day saw the Great Teacher Dengyo propagate the theoretical teaching in Japan and establish the ordination platform for administering Mahayana precepts. (5) The first five hundred years of the Latter Day is the time when, according to the Great Collection Sutra, "the pure Law will become obscured and lost." Nichiren Daishonin proclaims that during this period the great pure Law will be spread far and wide throughout the entire world.

Nichiren Daishonin then states that one who spreads the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law is the votary of the Lotus Sutra who possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent.

The Daishonin describes the Law that will spread in the Latter Day as follows: "Unbelievable as it may seem, there clearly appears in the text of the Lotus Sutra a correct Law that is supremely profound and secret, one that, though expounded in full by the Buddha, in the time since his passing has never yet been propagated by Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, or Vasubandhu, nor even by T'ien-t'ai or Dengyo" (p. 560). The latter half of the treatise exposes the errors of the Nembutsu, Zen, and True Word schools, pointing out these mistakes as the root causes of the calamities besetting Japan at that time. In On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, the Daishonin focused his criticism on the Nembutsu doctrine as a primary source of disaster. In The Selection of the Time, he reveals, among others, the fallacies of the True Word school whose leading priests had by this time won the confidence of the ruling class, who in turn relied on the school to offer prayers for subduing enemies. The Daishonin points out the futility of such prayers by referring to the Mongol expeditionary force that had attacked Japan in 1274 and to the Jokyu Disturbance of 1221, when the imperial court placed its faith in the True Word prayer rituals and was nonetheless defeated by the Kamakura government.

The Daishonin points out the doctrinal error of the True Word school. True Word patriarchs incorporatedT'ien-t'ai's doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life into their own teaching and then asserted that it is to be found in the Mahavairochana Sutra, the basic scripture of their own school. They even went so far as to accuse T'ien-t'ai of stealing the supreme doctrine of the True Word. They asserted the superiority of the Mahavairochana Sutra over the Lotus Sutra, and of Mahavairochana Buddha, who appears in that sutra but is not an actual historical figure, over Shakyamuni Buddha.

Then he declares, "In China and Japan in the past, sages of outstanding wisdom and ability have from time to time appeared. But none, as an ally of the Lotus Sutra, has faced such powerful enemies within his country as have I, Nichiren. From the facts present before your very eyes, it should be apparent that Nichiren is the foremost person in the entire land of Jambudvipa" (p. 574).

The Daishonin next attributes the underlying cause of calamities to failure of the nation's ruler to honor the Lotus Sutra and its votary.

The Buddhist and non-Buddhist texts say that a sage is one who knows the future. By this account, the Daishonin is a great sage, because, as he says, "Three times now I have gained distinction by having such knowledge" (p. 579). The predictions he made on the three occasions he remonstrated with the authorities all came true. In his third remonstration, he said to Hei no Saemon, "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" (p. 579). This can be taken as a bold expression of freedom of thought and belief, a rare statement in thirteenth-century Japan.

He further says that although he is a mere common mortal, because he is the votary of the Lotus Sutra, he de-serves to be called the foremost Great Man in Japan. "Great Man" is one of the titles of a Buddha.

In response to this statement, the questioner in this writing criticizes him, saying that his arrogance is beyond measure. The Daishonin replies, in effect, that what seems like arrogance on his part is actually sublime conviction in the superiority of the Law that he embraces. Then he turns to his followers: "Therefore, I say to you, my disciples, try practicing as the Lotus Sutra teaches, exerting yourselves without begrudging your lives! Test the truth of Buddhism now" (p. 584). In conclusion, the Daishonin declares that he himself has lived up to the passage in the "Encouraging Devotion" chapter of the Lotus Sutra: "We care nothing for our bodies or lives but are anxious only for the unsurpassed way." That is, in order to reveal the correct teaching, he has struggled continually without begrudging his life in the face of persecution by the three powerful enemies - especially those of the third group, respected priests who induce secular authorities to persecute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra.


Notes:

170. Outstanding Principles.
171. A Clarification of the Schools Based on T'ien-t'ai's Doctrine.
172. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
173. Ibid., chap. 28.
174. Ibid.
175. Ibid., chap. 13.
176. Ibid.
177. On "The Words and Phrases."
178. Lotus Sutra, chap. 14.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Therefore, I say to you, my disciples, try practicing as the Lotus Sutra teaches, exerting yourselves without begrudging your lives! Test the truth of Buddhism now! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Be sure to strengthen your faith, and receive the protection of the
Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions.
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."

(WND, 386)
The True Aspect of All Phenomena
Written to Sairen-bo Nichijo on May 17, 1273

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Object of Observing the Mind", page 359,(WND).

"The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds is as difficult to believe as fire
existing in a stone or flowers within a tree. Yet under the right conditions
such phenomena actually occur and are believable. To believe that Buddhahood
exists within the human world is the most difficult thing of all - as difficult
as believing that fire exists in water or water in fire. Nevertheless, the dragon
is said to produce fire from water and water from fire, and although people
do not understand why, they believe it when they see it occur. Since you now
believe that the human world contains the other eight worlds, why are you
still unable to include the world of Buddhahood? The Chinese sage kings
Yao and Shun were impartial toward all people. They manifested one aspect of
Buddhahood within the human world. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging saw
the Buddha in everyone he met, and Prince Siddhartha was a human who
became a Buddha. These examples should help you believe."

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"This lifetime will never come again; it is precious and irreplaceable.
To live without regret, it is crucial for us to have a concrete
purpose and continually set goals and challenges for ourselves. It is
equally important that we keep moving toward specific targets steadily
and tenaciously, one step at a time."

Daisaku Ikeda

from SGI-USA
"For Today & Tomorrow"

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Even an ignorant person can obtain blessings by serving someone who
expounds the Lotus Sutra. No matter if he is a demon or an animal, if
someone proclaims even a single verse or phrase of the Lotus Sutra,
you must respect him as you would the Buddha. This is what the sutra
means when it says, "You should rise and greet him from afar, showing
him the same respect you would a Buddha." You should respect one
another as Shakyamuni and Many Treasures did at the ceremony in
the "Treasure Tower" chapter."

(WND, 757)
The Fourteen Slanders
Written to the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on December 9, 1276

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Others read the Lotus Sutra with their mouths alone, in word alone, but they do not read it with their hearts. And even if they read it with their hearts, they do not read it with their actions. It is reading the sutra with both one's body and mind that is truly praiseworthy!"

(Letter to Priest Nichiro in Prison - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 204)Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 21st, 2006

 

[spicecowboy]

Interresting thread!


Oh brother see, we are born to this world again.

Love is the key, and the key is the name my friend,

when will we see that we´re traveling int time...

One Love,


spice

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will be your staff to take you safely over the
mountains of death. The Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, as well
as the four bodhisattvas headed by Superior Practices, will lead you
by the hand on your journey. If I, Nichiren, precede you in death, I
will come to meet you at your last moment. If you should precede me, I
will be sure to tell King Yama all about you. Everything that I tell
you is true. According to the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren is the guide who
knows the passes and gorges along the way."

(WND, 451-52)
The Swords of Good and Evil
Written to Hojo Yagenta on February 21, 1274

 

[Guest]

recognizing and engaging in positivity alleviates most ailments...

Nam Myoho Renge KYO!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Lotus Sutra Translated by Burton Watson

The Lotus Sutra Translated by Burton Watson

Chapter Fifteen: Emerging from the Earth

At that time the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas who had gathered from the lands of the other directions, greater in number than sands of eight Ganges, stood up in the midst of the great assembly, pressed their palms together, bowed in obeisance and said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, if you will permit us in the age after the Buddha has entered extinction to diligently and earnestly protect, read, recite, copy and offer alms to this sutra in the saha world, we will preach it widely throughout this land!"

At that time the Buddha said to the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas: Leave off, good men! There is no need for you to protect this sutra. Why? Because in this saha world of mine there are bodhisattvas and mahasattvas who are as numerous as the sands of sixty thousand Ganges, and each of these bodhisattvas has a retinue equal to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges. After I have entered extinction these persons will be able to protect, read, recite and widely preach this sutra.

When the Buddha spoke these words, the earth of the thousand millionfold countries of the saha world all trembled and split open, and out of it emerged at the same instant immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions of bodhisattvas and mahasattvas. The bodies of these bodhisattvas were all golden in hue, with the thirty-two features and an immeasurable brightness. Previously they all had been dwelling in the world of empty space beneath the saha world. But when these bodhisattvas heard the voice of the Shakyamuni Buddha speaking, they came up from below.

Each one of these bodhisattvas was the leader of his own great assembly, and each brought with him a retinue equal in number to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges. To say nothing of those who brought retinues equal to the sands of fifty thousand, forty thousand, thirty thousand, twenty thousand, or ten thousand Ganges. Or a retinue equal to as little as the sands of one Ganges, half a Ganges, one fourth of a Ganges, or as little as one part in a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayutas of Ganges. Or those whose retinue was only one thousand ten thousand million nayutas. Or only a million ten thousand. Or only a thousand ten thousand, a hundred ten thousand, or just ten thousand. Or only one thousand, one hundred, or ten. Or who brought with them only five, four, three, two or one disciple. Or those who came alone, preferring to carry out solitary practices. Such were they, then, immeasurable, boundless, beyond anything that can be known through calculation, simile or parable.

After these bodhisattvas that emerged from the earth, they each one proceeded to the wonderful tower of seven treasures suspended in the sky where Many Treasures Thus Come One and Shakyamuni Buddha were. On reaching it, they turned to the two World-Honored Ones, bowed their heads and made obeisance at their feet. They also all performed obeisance to the Buddhas seated on lion thrones underneath the jeweled trees. Then they circled around to the right three times, pressed their palms together in a gesture of respect, utilizing the bodhisattvas' various methods of praising to deliver praises, and then took up a position to one side, gazing up in joy at the two World-Honored Ones. While these bodhisattvas and mahasattvas who had emerged from the earth were employing the bodhisattva's various methods of praising to praise the Buddhas, an interval of fifty small kalpas passed by.

At that time Shakyamuni Buddha sat silent, and the four kinds of believers likewise all remained silent for fifty small kalpas, but because of the supernatural powers of the Buddha, it was made to seem to the members of the great assembly like only half a day.

At that time the four kinds of believers, also because of the supernatural powers of the Buddha, saw these bodhisattvas filling the sky over immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, and millions of lands. Among these bodhisattvas were four leaders. The first was called Superior Practices, the second was called Boundless Practices, the third was called Pure Practices, and the fourth was called Firmly Established Practices. These four bodhisattvas were the foremost leaders and guiding teachers among all the group. In the presence of the great assembly, each one of these pressed his palms together, gazed at Shakyamuni Buddha and inquired: "World-Honored One, are your illnesses few, are your worries few, are your practices proceeding comfortably? Do those whom you propose to save readily receive instruction? Does the effort not cause the World-Honored One to become weary and spent?

At that time the four great bodhisattvas spoke in verse form saying:

Is the World Honored One comfortable,
with few illnesses, few worries?
In teaching and converting living beings,
can you do so without fatigue and weariness?
And do living beings
receive instruction readily or not?
Does it not cause the World-Honored One
to become weary and spent?

At that time in the midst of the great assembly of bodhisattvas the World-Honored One spoke these words: "Just so, just so, good men! The Thus Come One is well and happy, with few ills and few worries.

The living beings are readily converted and saved and I am not weary and spent. Why? Because for age after age in the past the living beings have constantly received my instruction. And also they have offered alms and paid reverence to the Buddhas of the past and have planted various good roots. So when these living beings see me for the first time and listen to my preaching, they all immediately believe and accept it, entering into the wisdom of the Thus Come One, with the exception of those who earlier practiced and studied the Lesser Vehicle. And now I will make it possible for these persons to listen to this sutra and enter the wisdom of the Buddha."

At that time the [four] great bodhisattvas spoke in verse form, saying:

Excellent, excellent,
Great hero, World-Honored One!
The living beings
are readily converted and saved.
They know how to inquire about
the most profound wisdom of the Buddha,
and having heard, they believe and understand it.
We are accordingly overjoyed.

At that time the World-Honored One praised the great bodhisattvas who led the group, saying: "Excellent, excellent, good men! You know how to rejoice in your hearts for the Thus Come One."

At that time the bodhisattva Maitreya and the multitude of bodhisattvas equal in number to the sands of eight thousand Ganges all thought to themselves: Never in the past have we seen or heard of such a great multitude of bodhisattvas and mahasattvas as these who have emerged from the earth and now stand before the World-Honored One pressing their palms together, offering alms, and inquiring about the Thus Come One!

At that time the bodhisattva and mahasattvas Maitreya, knowing the thought that was in the minds of the bodhisattvas as numerous as the sands of eight thousand Ganges, and wishing also to resolve his own doubts, pressed his palms together, turned to the Buddha and made this inquiry in verse form:

Immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions,
a great host of bodhisattvas
such as was never seen in the past -
I beg the most honored of two-legged beings to explain
where they have come from,
what causes and conditions bring them together!
Huge in body, with great transcendental powers,
unfathomable in wisdom,
firm in their intent and thought,
with the power of great perseverance,
the kind living beings delight to see -
where have they come from?
Each one of these bodhisattvas
brings with them a retinue
immeasurable in number
like the sands of the Ganges.
Some of these great bodhisattvas
bring numbers equal to sixty thousand Ganges sands.
And this great multitude
with a single mind seek the Buddha way.
These great teachers
equal in number to sixty thousand Ganges sands
together come to offer alms to the Buddha
and to guard and uphold this sutra.
More numerous are those with followers
like the sands of fifty thousand Ganges,
those with followers like the sands of forty thousand,
thirty thousand,
twenty thousand, ten thousand,
one thousand, one hundred,
or the sands of the single Ganges,
half a Ganges, one-third, one-fourth,
or only one part in a million ten thousand;
those with one thousand, ten thousand nayutas,
ten thousand, a million disciples,
or half a million-
they are more numerous still.
Those with a million or ten thousand followers,
a thousand or a hundred,
fifty or ten,
three, two or one,
or those who come alone without followers,
delighting in solitude,
all coming to where the Buddha is-
they are even more numerous than those described above.
If one should try to use an abacus
to calculate the number of this great multitude,
though he spent as many kalpas as Ganges sands
he could never know the full sum.
This host of bodhisattvas
with their great dignity, virtue and diligence -
who preached the Law for them,
who taught and converted them and brought them to this?
Under whom did they first set their minds on enlightenment,
what Buddha's Law do they praise and proclaim?
What sutra do they embrace and carry out,
what Buddha way do they practice?
These bodhisattvas
possess transcendental powers and the power of great wisdom.
The earth in four directions trembles and splits
and they all emerged from out of it.
World-Honored One, from times past
I have seen nothing like this!
I beg you to tell me where they come from,
the name of the land.
I have constantly journeyed from land to land
but never have I seen such a thing!
In this whole multitude
there is not one person that I know.
Suddenly they have come up from the earth -
I beg you to explain the cause.
The members of this great assembly now,
the immeasurable hundreds, thousands, millions
of bodhisattvas,
all want to know these things.
Regarding the causes that govern the beginning and end
of this multitude of bodhisattvas,
possessor of immeasurable virtue, World-Honored One,
we beg you to dispel the doubts of the assembly!

At that time the Buddhas who were emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha and had arrived from immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions of lands in other directions, were seated cross-legged on lion seats under the jeweled trees in the eight directions. The attendants of these Buddhas all saw the great multitude of bodhisattvas who had emerged from the earth in the four directions of the thousand-million-fold world and were suspended in the air, and each one said to his respective Buddha: "World-Honored One, this great multitude of immeasurable, boundless asamkhyas of bodhisattvas - were did they come from?"

At the time each of the Buddhas spoke to his attendants, saying: "Good men, wait a moment. There is a bodhisattva and mahasattva named Maitreya who has received a prophecy from Shakyamuni Buddha that he will be the next thereafter to become a Buddha. He has already inquired about this matter and the Buddha is now about to answer him. You should take this opportunity to listen to what he says."

At that time Shakyamuni Buddha said to the bodhisattva Maitreya: "Excellent, excellent, Ajita that you should question the Buddha about this great affair. All of you with a single mind should don the armor of diligence and determine to be firm in intent. The Thus Come One wishes now to summon forth and declare the wisdom of the Buddhas, the freely exercised transcendental power of the Buddhas, the power of the Buddhas that has the lion's ferocity, the fierce and greatly forceful power of the Buddhas.

At the time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

Be diligent and of a single mind,
for I wish to explain this affair.
Have no doubts or regrets -
the Buddha wisdom is hard to fathom.
Now you must put forth the power of faith,
abiding in patience in goodness.

A Law which in the past was never heard
you will now be able to hear.
Now I will bring you ease and consolation -
do not harbor doubts or fears.
The Buddha has nothing but truthful words,
his wisdom cannot be measured.
This foremost Law that he has gained
is very profound, incapable of analysis.
He will now expound it -
you must listen with a single mind.

At that time the World-Honored One, having spoken these verses, said to the bodhisattva Maitreya: "With regard to this great multitude I now say to you. Ajita, these bodhisattvas and mahasattvas who in immeasurable and countless asamkhyas have emerged from the earth and whom you have never seen before in the past - when I had attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in this saha world, I converted and guided these bodhisattvas, trained their minds and caused them to develop a longing for the way. These bodhisattvas all have been dwelling in the world of empty space underneath the saha world. They read, recite, understand the various scriptures, ponder them, make distinctions and keep them correctly in mind.

Ajita, these good men take no delight in being in the assembly and indulging in much talk. Their delight is constantly to be in a quiet place, exerting themselves diligently and never resting. Nor do they linger among human or heavenly beings, but constantly delight in profound wisdom, being free from all hindrances. And they constantly delight in the law of the Buddhas, diligently and with a single mind pursuing unsurpassed wisdom."

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

Ajita, you should understand this.
These great bodhisattvas
for countless kalpas
have practiced the Buddha wisdom.
All have been converted by me;
I caused them to set their minds on the great way.

These are my sons,
they dwell in this world,
constantly carrying out dhuta practices,
preferring a quiet place,
rejecting the fret and confusion of the great assembly,
taking no delight in much talk.
In this manner these sons
study and practice my way and Law.
And in order that day and night with constant diligence
they may seek the Buddha way,
in this saha world
they dwell in the empty space in its lower part.
Firm in the power of will and concentration,
with constant diligence seeking wisdom,
they expound various wonderful doctrines
and their minds are without fear.
When I was in the city of Gaya,
seated beneath the bodhi tree,
I attained the highest, the correct enlightenment
and turned the wheel of the unsurpassed Law.
Therefore I taught and converted them,
caused them for the first time to set their minds on the way.
Now all of them dwell in the stage of no regression,
and all in time will be able to become Buddhas.
What I speak now are true words -
with a single mind you must believe them!
Ever since the long distant past
I have been teaching and converting this multitude.

At that time the bodhisattva and mahasattva Maitreya, as well as the countless other bodhisattvas, found doubts and perplexities rising in their minds. They were puzzled at this thing that had never happened before and thought to themselves: How could the World-Honored One in such a short space of time have taught and converted an immeasurable, boundless asamkhya number of great bodhisattvas of this sort enabled them to dwell in anuttara-samyak-sambodhi?

Thereupon Maitreya said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, when the Thus Come One was crown prince, you left the palace of the Shakyas and sat in the place of practice not far from the city of Gaya, and there attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Barely forty years or more have passed since then. World-Honored One, how in that short time could you have accomplished so much work as a Buddha? Was it through the authoritative powers of the Buddha, or through the blessings of the Buddha, that you were able to teach and convert such an immeasurable number of great bodhisattvas and enable them to achieve anuttara-samyak-sambodhi? World-Honored One, a multitude of great bodhisattvas such as this - a person might spend a thousand, ten thousand, a million kalpas counting them and never be able to reach the end or discover the limit! Since the far distant past, in the dwelling place of immeasurable, boundless numbers of Buddhas, they must have planted good roots, carried out the bodhisattva way, and engaged, constantly in Brahma practices. World-Honored One, it is hard for the world to believe such thing!

Suppose, for example, that a young man of twenty-five, with ruddy complexion and hair still black, should point to someone who was a hundred years old and say, 'This is my son!' or that the hundred year old man should point to the youth and say, 'This is my father who sired and raised me!' This would be hard to believe, and so too is what the Buddha says.

"It has in fact not been long since you attained the way. But this great multitude of bodhisattvas have already for immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions of kalpas applied themselves diligently and earnestly for the sake of the Buddha way. They have learned to enter into, emerge from and dwell in immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of samadhis, have acquired great transcendental powers, have over a long period carried out brahma practices, and have been able step by step to practice various good doctrines, becoming skilled in questions and answers, a treasure among persons, something seldom known in all the worlds. And today, World-Honored One, you tell us that, in the time since you attained the Buddha way, you have caused these persons for the first time to aspire to enlightenment, have taught, converted and led them, and directed them toward anuttara-samyak-sambodhi!

"World-Honored One, it is not long since you attained Buddhahood, and yet you have been able to carry out this great meritorious undertaking! We ourselves have faith in the Buddha, believing that he preaches in accordance with what is appropriate, that the words spoken by the Buddha are never false, and that the Buddha's knowledge is in all cases penetrating and comprehensive. Nevertheless, in the period after the Buddha has entered extinction, if bodhisattvas who have just begun to aspire to enlightenment should hear these words, they will perhaps not believe or accept them but will be led to commit the crime of rejecting the Law. Therefore, World-Honored One, we beg you to explain so we may put aside our doubts, and so that, in future ages when good men hear this matter, they will not entertain doubts!

At that time the bodhisattva Maitreya, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

In the past the Buddha departed from the Shakya clan,
left his household, and near Gaya
set under the bodhi tree.
Little time has passed since then,
yet these sons of the Buddha
are immeasurable in number!
Already for a long time they have practiced the Buddha way,
dwelling in transcendental powers and the power of wisdom,
skillfully learning the bodhisattva way,
unsoiled by worldly things
like the lotus flower in the water.
Emerging from the earth,
all display a reverent and respectful mind,
standing in the presence of the World-Honored One.
This is difficult to fathom -
How can one believe it?
The Buddha attained the way very recently,
yet those he has helped to gain success are so many!
We beg you to dispel the doubts of the assembly,
to make distinctions and explain the truth of the matter.
It is though a young man
just turned twenty-five
were to point to a hundred year old man
with gray hair and wrinkled face
and say, I sired him!'
And the old man were to say, 'This is my father!'
The father youthful, the son old -
no one in the world could believe this!
World-Honored One, your case is similar.
Only very recently you attained the way.
These bodhisattvas
are firm in will, in no way timid or immature.
For measurable kalpas
they have been practicing the bodhisattva way.
They are clever at difficult questions and answers,
their minds know no fear.
They have firmly cultivated a persevering mind,
upright in dignity and virtue.
They are praised by the Buddhas of the ten directions
as able and adept at preaching distinctions.
They have no wish to remain among the crowd
but constantly favor a state of meditation,
and in order to seek the Buddha way
they have been dwelling in the space under the earth.
This we have heard from the Buddha
and have no doubts in the matter.
But for the sake of future ages we beg the Buddha
to explain and bring about understanding.
If with regard to this sutra
one should harbor doubt and fail to believe,
he will fall at once into the evil paths.
So we beg you now to explain.
These immeasurable bodhisattvas -
how in such a short time
did you teach them, cause them to have aspiring minds,
and to dwell in the stage of no regression?

(from: http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Buddhism/LotusSutra/text/Chap15.htm )

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Since the Lotus Sutra defines our body as the Dharma body of a Thus
Come One, our mind as the reward body of a Thus Come One, and our
actions as the manifested body of a Thus Come One, all who uphold and
believe in even a single phrase or verse of this sutra will be endowed
with the benefits of these three bodies."

(WND, 922)
The One Essential Phrase
Written to the lay nun Myoho on July 3, 1278

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The sutra teaches that women, evil men, and those in the realms of
animals and hell - in fact, all the beings of the Ten Worlds - can
attain Buddhahood in their present form. [This is an incomparably
greater wonder than] fire being produced by a stone taken from the
bottom of a river, or a lantern lightning up a place that has been
dark for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years. If even the
most ordinary things of this world are such wonders, then how much
more wondrous is the power of the Buddhist Law!"

(WND, 923)
The One Essential Phrase
Written to the lay nun Myoho on July3, 1278

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. Propagation will unfold this way in the future as well. Does this not signify 'emerging from the earth'?" - "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND, page 385

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth." - "The True Aspect of All Phenomena", WND, page 385

 

[Guest]

I am chanting for all of us,


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo!! Like the Roar of the Lion !!

Nam myoho renge kyo!! Like the Roar of the Lion !!

Then we are all chanting together !!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Your seeking spirit assures you happiness easydisco. Im so glad that we are all chanting. We are so fortunate to be born in the latter day. Even more fortunate that Nichiren Daishonin revealed the mystic law for all of our benefit . Lets chant nam myoho renge kyo !! for kosen-rufu together.
MrsBabba has made some real new friends at our SGI meetings and seems to look forward to wed. nights. Our small local group has now easily tripled in size since I first joined. Cool PTD what a great ride. So cool to have started building friendship memories Much love to all that read this thread.
Nam myoho renge kyo !!

 

[Master Kush]

Fun thread

I was just wondering who here went through the old priest hood ceremony, where you were gonged over the head with some massive padded stick. I remember my mother forcing me to go at age 12, it was a very strange experience, lots of incense and chanting. I remember being forced to attend nightly meeting and my mom going on shaka buku runs with her district members. Very crazy times.

I haven't practiced since I was 16, I'm not sure why I stopped :/ But I can tell you this, I'll never forget walking into a full meeting with 50+ members all chanting in unison, with that crazy positive energy flowing through the door and seeing mountains of shoes at the front step. It really was something special, I'll never forget it.

Nam Myoho Renge KYO

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Master Kush! Start chanting again right now!

You are talking about the Gojukai ceremony that was conducted by a Nichiren Shoshu priest. Me and SoCal most certainly did. I assume giantmanbags must have as well.

If anyone else did, please post to say so!!! Don't forget the raffle for the Gypsy Nirvana stash box at the end of the month.

Master Kush, I sincerely hope that todays post is the beginning of your re-investigation of those childhood memories! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo dude!

My deepest respect to all!

T

PS: Mrs.B! I am so happy to hear this! I know I owe you a PM! All my love to you two. You are ALL in my prayers, and I thank you for yours! I feel them!

Also! My most sincere regards to GordyP and Southern Girl. We miss you two here!