Chanting Growers Group

[Guest]

I am copying this thread onto the harddrive, b/c with Gypsy abandoning ship on us, how safe is it to chant here on this site anymore.

I am sorry for being hasty but I chant with the same love in my heart as yesterday and the day before. My resolve is absolute and my conviction that this thread can continue anywhere else (perhaps a new chanting forum) would alleviate the stressors that some of the seven devils seem to be spreading elsewhere, specifically beyond this thread, otherwise I will stand by all of you and continue to express my newfound appreciation for life and Nicheren Buddism.


Thank you for opening up my heart to the truth, and continuing to do so with every post!

Let all chant with conviction and love,

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Babbabud]

are you able to copy this whole thread ???
oh my
please let me know ??
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Me too easy. If you can do that then you are a Buddhist God manifesting at the crucial moment. I will go along with everyone else. We are all in this together. If Gypsy is gone, we may need to find a new home. I would not be the best person to find that I'm afraid. I could use some help and direction. Comments

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690

Nichiren


The old fox never forgets the (1) hillock where he was born; the white turtle repaid the kindness he had (2) received from Mao Pao. If even lowly creatures know enough to do this, then how much more should human beings! Thus Yü Jang, a worthy man of old, fell on his sword in order to repay the (3) debt he owed his lord Chih Po, and the minister Hung Yen for similar reasons cut open his stomach and inserted the liver of his dead lord, Duke Yi of (4) Wei. What can we say, then, of persons who are devoting themselves to Buddhism? Surely they should not forget the debts of gratitude they owe to their parents, their teachers, and their country.

But if one intends to repay these great debts of gratitude, one can hope to do so only if one learns and masters Buddhism, becoming a person of wisdom. If one does not, one will be like a man who attempts to lead a company of the blind over bridges and across rivers when he himself has sightless eyes. Can a ship steered by someone who cannot even tell the direction of the wind ever carry the traveling merchants to the mountains where treasure lies?

If one hopes to learn and master Buddhism, then one cannot do so without devoting time to the task. And if one wants to have time to spend on the undertaking, one cannot continue to wait on one's parents, one's teachers, and one's sovereign. Until one attains the road that leads to emancipation, one should not defer to the wishes and feelings of one's parents and teachers, no matter how reasonable they may be.

Many people may think that counsel such as this runs counter to secular virtues and also fails to accord with the spirit of Buddhism. But in fact secular texts such as The Classic of Filial Piety make clear that there are times when one can be a loyal minister or a filial child only by refusing to obey the wishes of one's sovereign or parents. And in the sacred scriptures of Buddhism it is said, "By renouncing one's obligations and entering the Buddhist life one can truly repay those obligations (5) in full." Pi Kan refused to go along with his sovereign's wishes and thereby came to be known as a worthy (6) man. Prince Siddhartha disobeyed his father King Shuddhodana and yet became the most outstanding filial son in all the threefold world. These are examples of what I mean.

Once I had understood this and prepared to cease deferring to my parents and teachers and instead to delve into the truths of Buddhism, I found that there are ten clear mirrors that reflect the sacred doctrines of the Buddha's lifetime of teachings. These are the ten schools of Buddhism known as the Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, Precepts, Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, True Word, Flower Garland, Pure Land, Zen, and Tendai Lotus schools. Scholars today believe that, with these ten schools as enlightened teachers, one should understand the heart of all the sacred scriptures and claim that these ten mirrors all in an accurate manner reflect the path of the Buddha's teachings. However, we may set aside for now the three Hinayana schools [Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts]. They are like a message that is somehow sent to a foreign country by a private citizen and therefore lacks authority. But the seven Mahayana schools are a great ship that can carry us across the vast sea of the sufferings of birth and death and take us to the shore of the pure land. By practicing and understanding them, we can save ourselves and at the same time lead others to salvation. When, with this thought in mind, I began to examine them, I found that each of the seven Mahayana schools sings its own praises, saying, "Our school, and our school alone, represents the very heart of the Buddha's lifetime of teachings!"

There are men such as Tu-shun, (7) Chih-yen, Fa-tsang, and Ch'eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school; Hsüan-tsang, Tz'u-en, Chih-chou, and Chi-sho (8) of the Dharma Characteristics (9) school; Hsing-huang and Chia-hsiang of the Three Treatises school; Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho of the True Word school; Bodhidharma, Hui-k'o, (10) and Hui-neng of the Zen school; and Tao-ch'o, Shan-tao, Huai-kan, and (11) Genku of the Pure Land school. Basing themselves on the particular sutras and treatises favored by their respective schools, these leaders of the various schools all claim that "our school” understands all of the myriad sutras, that "our school" has grasped the innermost meaning of the Buddha's teachings.

Thus, some of these men claim, "The Flower Garland Sutra is first among all the sutras; other sutras such as the Lotus and the Mahavairochana are its underlings." Again, the leaders of the True Word school claim, "The Mahavairochana Sutra is first among all the sutras; the other sutras are like crowds of little stars." The men of the Zen school say, "The Lankavatara Sutra is first among all the sutras." And so forth for the men of the various other schools. The many Buddhist teachers whose names I have listed above are honored by the people of our time, who pay reverence to them in the way that all the heavenly deities pay reverence to the lord Shakra and follow them in the way the hosts of stars follow the sun and the moon.

For ordinary people like us, whomever we may take as our teacher, if we have faith in him, then we will not think him inadequate in any way. But though others may still revere and believe [in the teachers of their respective schools], I, Nichiren, have found it difficult to dispel my doubts.

When we look at the world, we find each of the various schools saying, "We are the one, we are the one!" But within a nation, there can be only one man who is sovereign. If two men try to be sovereign, the country will know no peace. Likewise, if one house has two masters, it will surely face destruction. Must it not be the same with the sutras?

Among the various sutras, there must be one that is the monarch of all. Yet the ten schools and seven schools I have mentioned all argue with one another over which of the sutras it is and can reach no consensus. It is as though seven men or ten men were all trying to be the monarch of a single nation, thus keeping the populace in constant turmoil.

Wondering how to resolve this dilemma, I made a vow. I decided that I would not heed the claims of these eight or ten schools, but would do as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole teacher, in this way determining which of the various teachings of the Buddha's lifetime are superior and which are inferior. With this in mind, I began to read through all the sutras.

In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, "Rely on the Law and not upon persons." Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushri or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.

In the same sutra, the Buddha also says, "Rely on sutras that are complete and final and not on those that are not complete and final." When he speaks of the "sutras that are complete and final," he is referring to the Lotus Sutra, and when he speaks of "those that are not complete and final," he means the Flower Garland, Mahavairochana, Nirvana, and other sutras preached before, during, and after the preaching of the Lotus Sutra.

If we are to believe these dying words of the Buddha, we must conclude that the Lotus Sutra is the only bright mirror we should have, and that through it we can understand the heart of all the sutras.

Accordingly, let us turn to the text of the Lotus Sutra itself. There we find it stated that "This Lotus Sutra [is the secret storehouse of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones]. Among the sutras, (12) it holds the highest place." If we accept these words of the sutra, then, like the lord Shakra dwelling on the peak of Mount Sumeru, like the wish-granting jewel that crowns the wheel-turning kings, like the moon that dwells above the forest of trees, like the (13) knot of flesh that tops the head of a Buddha, so the Lotus Sutra stands like a wish-granting jewel crowning the Flower Garland, Mahavairochana, Nirvana, and all the other sutras.

If we set aside the pronouncements of the scholars and teachers and rely upon the text of the sutra, then we can see that the Lotus Sutra is superior to the Mahavairochana, Flower Garland, and all the other sutras as plainly and as easily as a sighted person can distinguish heaven from earth when the sun is shining in a clear blue sky.

And if we examine the texts of the Mahavairochana, Flower Garland, and the other sutras, we will find that there is not a word or even a brushstroke in them that resembles the above-cited passage of the Lotus Sutra. True, at times they speak about the superiority of the Mahayana sutras as compared to the Hinayana sutras, or of the Buddhist truth as opposed to secular truth, or they praise the truth of the Middle Way as opposed to the various views that phenomena are non-substantial or that they have only temporary existence (14). But in fact they are like the rulers of petty kingdoms who, when addressing their subjects, speak of themselves as great kings. It is the Lotus Sutra that, in comparison to these various rulers, is the true great king.

The Nirvana Sutra alone of all the sutras has passages that resemble those of the Lotus Sutra. For this reason, the Buddhist scholars who preceded T'ien-t'ai in both northern and southern China were led astray into declaring that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Nirvana Sutra. But if we examine the text of the Nirvana Sutra itself, we will find that, as in the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, the comparison is being made between the Nirvana Sutra and the sutras of the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods that were expounded during the first forty and more years of the Buddha's preaching life. It is in comparison to these earlier sutras that the Nirvana Sutra declares itself to be superior.

Moreover, the Nirvana Sutra, comparing itself with the Lotus Sutra, says: "When this [Nirvana] sutra was preached . . . the prediction had already been made in the Lotus Sutra that the eight thousand voice-hearers would attain (15) Buddhahood, a prediction that was like a great harvest. Thus, the autumn harvest was over and the crop had been stored away for winter [when the Nirvana Sutra was expounded], and there was nothing left for it [but a few gleanings]." This passage from the Nirvana is saying that the Nirvana is inferior to the Lotus Sutra.

The above passages [from the Lotus and Nirvana sutras] are perfectly clear on this point. Nevertheless, even the great scholars of northern and southern China went astray, so students of later ages should take care to examine them very thoroughly. For the passage [from the Lotus Sutra] not only establishes the superiority of the Lotus Sutra over the Nirvana Sutra, but indicates its superiority over all other sutras in the worlds of the ten directions.

Earlier, there were those who were misled concerning these passages, but after the great teachers T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo had clearly indicated their meaning, one would suppose that any person with eyes would understand them. Nevertheless, even such men as Jikaku and Chisho of the Tendai school failed to understand these passages correctly, so what can one expect from the members of the other schools?

Someone might doubt my words, saying that, although the Lotus Sutra is the finest among all the sutras that have been brought to China and Japan, in India, in the palaces of the dragon kings, the realms of the four heavenly kings, the realms of the sun and moon, the heaven of the thirty-three gods, or the Tushita heaven, for instance, there are as many sutras as there are sands in the Ganges. Among these, may there not be one that is superior to the Lotus Sutra?

I would reply that, by looking at one thing, you can surmise ten thousand. This is what is meant by the statement that you can come to know all under heaven without ever going out of your garden gate. But a fool will have doubts, saying, "I have seen the sky in the south, but I have not seen the sky in the east or west or north. Perhaps the sky in those other three directions has a different sun in it from the one I know." Or he will see a column of smoke rising up beyond the hills, and although the smoke is in plain sight, because he cannot see the fire itself, he will conclude that the fire may not really exist. Such a person is my questioner, an icchantika, or person of incorrigible disbelief, no different from a man with sightless eyes!

In the "Teacher of the Law" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, uttering words of absolute sincerity from his golden mouth, establishes the relative superiority of the various sutras he expounded during the fifty or so years of his preaching life, saying, "The sutras I have preached number immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, millions. Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand."

Though this statement is the declaration of a single Buddha, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, all the bodhisattvas from the stage of near-perfect enlightenment on down should honor it and have faith in it. For the Buddha Many Treasures came from the east and testified to the truth of these words, and the [emanation] Buddhas assembled from the ten directions and extended their long broad tongues up to the Brahma heaven just as Shakyamuni Buddha did. Afterward, they all returned to their respective lands.

The words "have preached, now preach, and will preach" include not only the sutras preached by Shakyamuni in his fifty years of teaching, but all the sutras preached by the Buddhas of the ten directions and three existences without setting aside a single character or even a single brushstroke. It is in comparison to all of these that the Lotus Sutra is proclaimed to be superior. At that time the Buddhas of the ten directions indicated their agreement beyond all doubt. If, after they had returned to their respective lands, they had told their disciples that there was in fact a sutra that is superior to the Lotus Sutra, do you suppose their disciples would ever have believed them?

If there are those who, though they have not seen it with their own eyes, nevertheless suspect that there may be a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra somewhere in India or in the palaces of the dragon kings, the four heavenly kings, or the gods of the sun and moon, I would say this. Were not Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, and the dragon kings present when Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra? If the sun and moon and the other deities should say, "There is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra; you merely do not know about it," then they would be a sun and moon who speak great falsehoods!

In that case, I would berate them, saying: "Sun and moon, you dwell up in the sky rather than on the ground as we do, and yet you never fall down -this is because of the power you gain by observing most strictly the precept of never telling a lie. But now if you tell this great lie by saying there is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra, I am certain that, even before the kalpa of decline arrives, you will come plummeting down to earth. What is more, you will not stop falling until you have reached the depths of the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering that is surrounded by solid iron! Beings who tell such great lies should not be allowed to remain a moment longer in the sky, circling above the four continents of the earth!" That is how I would berate them.

Yet such men of great wisdom, such great teachers and Tripitaka masters as Ch'eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school or Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho of the True Word school, proclaim that the Flower Garland and Mahavairochana sutras are superior to the Lotus Sutra. Though it is not for me to judge in such matters, I would say that, in the light of the higher principles of Buddhism, such men would appear to be archenemies of the Buddhas, would they not? Beside them, evil men such as Devadatta and Koka-lika are as nothing. In fact they are in a class with Mahadeva and the Great Arrogant Brahman. And those who put faith in the teachings of such men -they too are a fearful lot indeed.

(Continued on pg. 694)

Notes:

1. This appears in "Nine Pieces" of Elegies of Ch'u and other Chinese works. A commentary on Elegies of Ch'u by Chu Hsi of the Sung dynasty states: "The old fox dies, invariably turning his head toward the hillock. This is because he never forgets the place of his birth."
2. This story appears in A Collection of Stories and Poems. When the young Mao Pao, who later became a general of the Chin dynasty, was walking along the Yang-tze River, he saw a fisherman about to kill a turtle he had caught. Moved to pity, he gave the fisherman his clothing in ex-change for the turtle and thus saved its life. Later, pursued by enemies, he reached the banks of the Yangtze. There the turtle he had saved in his youth appeared and carried him to the opposite shore.
3. According to Records of the Historian, Yü Jang of Chin first served the Fan and Chung-hang families but was not given an important position. Later, Yü Jang served under Chih Po, who treated him with great favor. In time, Chih Po was killed by Hsiang-tzu, the lord of Chao. To avenge his lord, Yü Jang disguised himself as a leper by lacquering his body, made himself a mute by drinking lye, and in this way attempted to approach Hsiang-tzu. But his attempt at assassination failed, and he was caught. Hsiang-tzu, understanding his feeling of loyalty, gave Yü Jang his robe. Yü stabbed it three times to show his enmity for the man who had killed his lord and
then turned his sword upon himself.
4. This story appears in Records of the Historian. While Hung Yen was away on a journey, enemies attacked the state of Wei and killed his lord, Duke Yi, and devoured his body, leaving only the duke's liver. Then they left the land. When Hung Yen returned, he saw the disastrous scene and wept. He slit open his own stomach and inserted the liver to save his lord from dishonor, and so died.
5. Salvation by Men of Pure Faith Sutra. Though this sutra is no longer extant, this passage from it is quoted in The Forest of Gems in the Garden of the Law. "The Buddhist life" in the sutra's context means a monastic life, but here the Daishonin interprets it as a life based on faith in the Mystic Law.
6. This story is found in Records of the Historian. King Chou of the Yin dynasty was so absorbed in his affection for his consort, Ta Chi, that he totally neglected affairs of state. When his minister Pi Kan remonstrated with him, King Chou flew into a rage and killed him.
7. Tu-shun (557-640), Chih-yen (602-668), Fa-tsang (643-712), and Ch'eng-kuan (738-839) are the first four patriarchs of the Flower Garland school in China.
8. Hsüan-tsang (602-664), Tz'u-en (632- 682), Chih-chou (678-733), and Chisho were scholars of the Dharma Characteristics school. Hsüan-tsang is generally regarded as the founder of the school, and Tz'u-en who formally established the school is consid-ered his successor. Chih-chou is the fourth patriarch counting from Hsüan-tsang. Chi-sho is thought to refer either to Chiho (Kor Chipong), who studied the Dharma Characteristics doctrine under Chih-chou, or to Dosho, who studied under Hsüan-tsang and founded the school in Japan.
9. Hsing-huang, more commonly known as Fa-lang (507-581), and Chia-hsiang, known also as Chi-tsang (549-623), were establishers of the Three Treatises school.
10. Bodhidharma (n.d.), Hui-k'o (487- 593), and Hui-neng (638-713) are the first, second, and sixth patriarchs of Zen in China.
11. Tao-ch'o (562-645) and Shan-tao (613-681) are listed as the second and third patriarchs of Pure Land Buddhism in China. Huai-kan (seventh century) studied under Shan-tao's guidance. Genku is another name for Honen, the founder of the Pure Land school in Japan.
12. Lotus Sutra, chap. 14.
13. The knot of flesh is one of the thirty-two features of a Buddha.
14. This refers to the three truths of non-substantiality, temporary existence, and the Middle Way, which are expounded in the provisional teachings as being separate and independent of one another.
15. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

a message for a friend...

a message for a friend...

"In discussing the meaning behind the Chinese character for king, or ruler, the Daishonin writes: 'Like Mount Sumeru, which rises up out of the great earth and never sways, one whose presence pervades the realms of heaven, earth, and humanity and who does not waver in the slightest is called the ruler' (WND, 1063).

"Please become individuals who neither waver nor retreat, no matter what hardships may come. Deflect the raging winds of adversity––or rather, forge a life that shines with indomitable brilliance even in the midst of the storm."

SGI Newsletter No. 6744, - Leading Lives of Unparalleled Happiness and Fulfilment (At a representatives conference celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai’s founding, held at the Yamanashi Training Centre in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, on September 2, 2005, translated Feb. 22nd, 2006)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Great Teacher Miao-lo remarked: "Those who vex or trouble [the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles."

Letter to Horen / WND Page 507

 

[always2theLeft]

although i dont speak up alot, i dont miss a post.
if this thread does move please let me know where to,
] thanks alot
-always

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Comments: i agree with Always that we should get our email to someone either by PM or otherwise and if and when this site doesn't exist we could continue on another thread/blog on the net. PTD has my email allready.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Always! Be safe dude! Duly noted, but even if you are sure that can't get tracked back to you, please edit that post! Thanks! You are a Bodhisattva of the Earth. We aren't going anywhere without you. In fact, I doubt we are going anywhere. Let's wait and see...(You never know--Nam-myoho-renge-kyo makes mystic things happen)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Today there are people who have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The belief
of some is like fire while that of others is like water. When the
former listen to the teachings, their passion flares up like fire, but
as time goes on, they tend to discard their faith. To have faith like
water means to believe continuously without ever regressing."

(WND, 899)
The Two Kinds of Faith
Written to Nanjo Tokimitsu on February 25, 1278

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Buddhism teaches that life at each moment embraces all phenomena. This
is the doctrine of a life-moment possessing three thousand realms,
which is the Lotus Sutra's ultimate teaching and Buddhism's essence.
Because of the profound way our lives interact with people around us,
it is vital that we reach out to others, that we be engaged with our
environment and with our local community. A self-absorbed practice or
theory without action is definitely not Buddhism."

Daisaku Ikeda

from SGI-USA
"For Today & Tomorrow"

 

[Guest]

I have been successful in downloading the last 50 pages (working on the rest) and have the go ahead to repost this thread in another forum on the internet, by the guidance of Nicheren and my mentors PTD, Babba, and SoCal this thread shall live on and inspire others as it has enlightened myself.

I long to engage in more fruitful discussions, lessons, and guidance! Let the Chanting continue on from the heart reflecting from the universe back from whence it came reverberating through all our soul now and forever.


nam myoho renge kyo

 

[bartender187]

nam myoho renge kyo

bless jah, bless everyone.

hope all is well with those who need it most.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Making the Best of Everything: THE TEN FACTORS OF LIFE

Making the Best of Everything: THE TEN FACTORS OF LIFE

Life is dynamic--its capacity for change from one moment to the next is immense. A hungry baby who was crying a minute ago now smiles in the arms of its mother. A heated dispute between lovers suddenly turns into an affectionate embrace. Does this means that we are always at the mercy of whatever happens to us, that we must rely on pleasant experiences and circumstances at every moment to be consistently happy? It need not be so. Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism explains how we can make the best of everything--positive or negative--and take control of our lives.

Our lives express any of what Buddhism describes as the Ten Worlds[1]--from the state of Hell to Buddhahood--at each moment, like each frame of a movie film projecting its image one at a time. Another set of ten--the ten factors--describes the workings of our lives in the context of the Ten Worlds and how we manifest change from one moment to the next. The concept of the ten factors, in other words, provides a philosophical still shot of our lives. It clarifies the functions common to all life in any given condition at any given moment.

The ten factors are described in the second, or “Expedient Means,” chapter of the Lotus Sutra: “The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, inherent cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end” (The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson, p.24).

The first three factors--appearance, nature and entity--make up life itself. “Appearance” describes the visible, outward aspect of life such as facial expressions and behavior. “Appearance” thus represents the physical or material aspects of life. “Nature” indicates the invisible inner quality and tendencies of life, for example, our disposition and character. “Nature” thus represents the spiritual aspect of life. “Entity” means life as a whole or the essence of life itself from which the material and spiritual aspects of life are manifest.

The rest of the ten factors describe the workings of life and their characteristics. “Power” is the capability latent within life. When this latent power becomes manifest, it is called “influence.” “Inherent cause” refers to our karmic orientations or tendencies formed by our past actions, that is, our thoughts, words and deeds. It refers to the internal causes or karma active at the moment we exert “influence” on our environment. “Relation” refers to our relationships with external circumstances, through which inherent causes become manifest. In this sense, “relation” may be viewed as an external cause. “Latent effect” is the result simultaneously implanted in one’s life when an “inherent cause” acts in “relation” with an external event. “Latent effect,” however, is not yet manifest. When a “latent effect” becomes visible, it is called “manifest effect.” From the standpoint of a “manifest effect”--that is, if manifest effect is the only recognized effect--“inherent cause,” “relation” and “latent effect” collectively constitute a cause. “Consistency from beginning to end” means that life’s appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, inherent cause, relation, latent effect and manifest effect all consistently express the condition that life is in at any particular moment.

For example, when doctors tell their patients that they have a serious illness, despair may result. The patients’ complexions may pale (“appearance”), and they may feel depressed (“nature”). The body and mind, that is, their whole existence (“entity”) expresses a state of suffering. This hellish state can be also explained as follows: Upon hearing the diagnosis (“relation”), the fear of illness (“inherent cause”), developed through past experience, is brought forth. The patients’ latent feat is now realized, and they feel hopeless (“latent effect”). They become anxious, break into a sweat and breathe heavily (“manifest effect”). When they hear this unfortunate news, all aspects of their entire being consistently manifests the state of Hell (“the consistency from beginning to end”). But if they later find out that their illness is much less serious, they may experience a state of joy.

What state or condition of being we manifest at any given moment determines how we experience our environment. On the deepest level, it is not our environment or external circumstances that determine our state of life but the nature of our “relation” without environment. The same event, for example, may cause different reactions in different people. Some may feel defeated by illness or relationship problems while similar difficulties may inspire others to further develop their strength and character. Angry people are upset by small things while optimistic, confident people tend to remain calm regardless of their circumstances. The Ten Worlds are potentials within each of us. What we experience day to day, however, differs vastly from one person to another.

From the standpoint of Buddhism, how we relate to our environment largely depends upon how we have lived our lives, not only in this lifetime but in our past lives as well. Our past actions from karmic orientations, or what we might term life-habits, which constitute “inherent causes.” Based on these deep inner tendencies, we sometimes react automatically, either positively or negatively, to stimuli in our environment. Our reactions to our environment are often beyond conscious control or intellectual understanding. It is hard to explain why we hate certain animals or insects or feel attracted to a certain type of person.

The concept of the ten factors, therefore, teaches us the importance of developing good karmic habits in our lives so that we may consistently form positive “relations” with the events in our environment regardless of what they are. No matter how adverse our current circumstances, if our karmic tendencies are firmly grounded in the states of Bodhisattva or Buddhahood, our lives can transform every hardship into personal growth. Without such grounding, we tend to react negatively top negative situations and cause further confusion and suffering for ourselves and others. Our Buddhist practice--praying to the Gohonzon and encouraging others to practice--is the key to solidifying within us the states of Bodhisattva and Buddhahood, thus developing the habits or “inherent causes,” of happiness.

June 2000
Living Buddhism
By Shin Yatomi, SGI-USA vice Study Department chief, based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study), published by the Seikyo Press, 1994.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] The Ten Worlds are distinct realms or categories of beings. From the lowest to the highest; they are the realms of 1) hell, 2) hungry sprits, 3) animals, 4) asuras, 5) human beings, 6) heavenly beings, 7) voice-hearers, 8) cause-awakened ones, 9) bodhisattvas, 10) Buddhas. The Ten Worlds are also interpreted as states of life (from “Glossary,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 1274). In the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, those Ten Worlds are viewed as states of being that we experience from moment to moment, rather than distinctive physical realms. The Ten Worlds, therefore, may be understood as the states of hellish suffering, insatiable hunger, animality, belligerence, tranquil humanity, heavenly yet momentary joy, learning, self-realization, altruism and the supreme state of being characterized by compassion and wisdom.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

My deepest most heartfelt gratitude to you easydisco!!! Please take your time but take it ALL (if you are willing). You are my Buddhist God!

Thanks!

Tom

 

[Guest]

My deepest most heartfelt gratitude to you easydisco!!! Please take your time but take it ALL (if you are willing). You are my Buddhist God!

Thanks!

Tom

Your my soul brother/guide/mentor and newest friend. I love you T and your expression of gratitude inspires me to even greater hieghts. I am actively persuing "lessons" with a fellow brother here, and we have most recently discussed my procurement of a Gongyo. I was listening this morning on the sgi site to audio of chanting and it was refreshing and helped me fine tune my bi-daily ritual.

I am a most grateful apprentice and humbly thank You, Socal, Babba and everyone else for the infusion of love motivating my positive flow and direction.

I chant for all saying nam myoho renge kyo!

 

[Babbabud]

wooohoo

wooohoo

what an awesome thread Just keeps bringing more happiness
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The sutra known as the Lotus Sutra is a scripture that has no match
among all the sacred teachings of the Buddha's lifetime. And, as
indicated by its words "between Buddhas," it can only be understood
between one Buddha and another. Those at the stage of near-perfect
enlightenment or below, on down to ordinary mortals, cannot fathom it.
This is why bodhisattva Nagarjuna stated in his Treatise on the Great
Perfection of Wisdom that persons below the level of Buddha should
simply have faith, and in that way they can attain Buddhahood."

(WND, 1072)
Reply to the Mother of Ueno
Written to the lay nun Ueno on October 24, 1280

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Originally, every person's life is a brilliantly shining mirror.
Differences arise depending on whether one polishes this mirror. A
polished mirror is the Buddha's life, whereas a tarnished mirror is
that of a common mortal. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is what polishes
our lives."

Daisaku Ikeda

from SGI-USA
"For Today & Tomorrow"

 

[SativaJoe]

So tell me Cali Growers....

Due to the cancellation of 420 cup in Amsterdamn, is anyone holding some MJ freindly events in Cali for us Prop 215 people?

Lets get us local 215 peeps together and celebrate our rights.....