Chanting Growers Group

[SoCal Hippy]

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

(WND, 4)
On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime
Written to Toki Jonin in 1255

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In “On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,” the Daishonin thoroughly explains that we cannot achieve enlightenment without a profound change in our lives themselves—that is, a change in our hearts and minds. First of all, he says that the mystic truth with which all living beings are endowed reveals “the principle of the mutually inclusive relationship of a single moment of life and all phenomena” (WND, 3). What this means is that our lives or our minds at each moment both embody all phenomena and pervade all phenomena. This could be described as a state of life of oneness with the universe.

"Also, the Daishonin warns that if we seek the Mystic Law outside ourselves, then no matter how much daimoku we chant, we will not be able to attain enlightenment; on the contrary, our Buddhist practice will only “become an endless, painful austerity” (WND, 4). He clearly states: “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” (WND, 3).

"The Daishonin explains that summoning up deep faith is the key to chanting daimoku, and declares that when we do so, we can polish our lives and attain enlightenment. He writes: “Therefore, when you chant myoho and recite renge [i.e., chant daimoku], you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself [lit. your mind at each moment]” (WND, 3); and “Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (WND, 4).

"In addition, the Daishonin speaks of “the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality” (WND, 4)—in other words, the mystic, inscrutable nature of life, of our hearts and minds, that manifests as Buddhahood. In this way, he indicates that Myoho-renge-kyo is the mystic law of life, of the inner realm of our beings. On that basis, he asserts that when we chant daimoku with deep faith in the Mystic Law, we can attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

"The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life [lit. our mind or inner reality], 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)"

SGI Newsletter No. 6753, SGI President Ikeda’s Study Lecture Series, LECTURES ON “ON ATTAINING BUDDHAHOOD IN THIS LIFETIME” [1] Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime—The Fundamental Purpose of Life And a Source of Hope for Humankind. Translated March 1st, 2006

 

[Delta9-THC]

Om Mani Padme Hum
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!
I too have been interested for ages now...this is really opening up into a real passion for me....Buddhism is a sense of self ans respect for all living things... I too will be chanting...! Peace and Love ... to all that are holy!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

By the way easydisco, you fucking blew me away with that introspective view of yourself!

Teachers and students--students and teachers; Buddhism teaches they are one. A teacher is never a teacher without a student, and a student is never a student without a teacher. One has no greater worth than the other. Each only exists because of the other. They are interchangeable, lifetime after lifetime.

Devadatta was Shakyamuni Buddha's teacher in a previous lifetime. We all exist because of each other. Look up! At each moment we exist, we are a part of everything else that exists. Think of everyone else in the world alive at this moment, and everything else that must exist alive out in space into infinity. All of the things that are manifest, temporarily; and all the things latent, awaiting the correct conditions to manifest again. Each life moment contains the Universe, and the Universe contains each life moment.

Thank you for sharing easydisco. Don't forget to do what you must to receive your Gohonzon. You're definitely going to need one since you have decided to embark on the journey. After all, it would never be prudent to go mountain climbing without rope!

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Welcome Delta. I hope you will read enough to be convinced that it is a mistake to recite Om Mani Padme Hum in the Latter Day of the Law. I am not giving you a hard time, just doing what I must according to the teachings of the Daishonin. You are always welcome here, and understand that I will always be trying to convince you to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exclusively. Please don't chant anything else!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I need audio files of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for a friend. As a computer idiot, could anyone help me out with a post of some? (I don't even have my MM speakers connected right now!)

Thanks in advance for anyone that can help.

T

 

[mrwags]

Here ya go sir:

http://members.freezone.co.uk/sunspark/nmhrk/audio.htm


Mr.Wags

 

[Babbabud]

So glad to see so many seeking spirits dropping in
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

sincere thanks wags!

sincere thanks wags!

"In the Daishonin’s Buddhism, attaining enlightenment is not about embarking on some inconceivably long journey to become a resplendent godlike Buddha; it is about accomplishing a transformation in the depths of one’s being. This revolutionary view of realizing enlightenment fundamentally changed the whole meaning of Buddhist practice as it was traditionally viewed.

"In other words, it is not a matter of practicing in order to scale the highest summit of enlightenment at some point in the distant future. Rather, it is a constant, moment-to-moment, inner struggle between the opposing courses of revealing our innate Dharma nature or allowing ourselves to be ruled by our fundamental darkness and delusion. This unceasing effort to polish our lives is the heart and essence of Buddhist practice.

"Only by winning over our inner darkness and negativity can we be victorious in life and reveal our full potential. The same is true if we wish to savour true fulfilment in our lives. In that sense, I want to emphasize that the practice set forth in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism in order to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime is the only means to conquer the darkness and delusion that are the fundamental source of human evil, and cultivate true independence, construct a solid self, and achieve a state of life of boundless happiness and peace of mind. Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime thus becomes the fundamental purpose of an individual’s life."

SGI Newsletter No. 6753, SGI President Ikeda’s Study Lecture Series, LECTURES ON “ON ATTAINING BUDDHAHOOD IN THIS LIFETIME” [1] Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime—The Fundamental Purpose of Life And a Source of Hope for Humankind. Translated March 1st, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime thus becomes the fundamental purpose of an individual’s life."

 

[Guest]

By tommorrow evening I will be reciting the GONGYO! The excitement is tantmount to my joy and growing satisfaction. Humbly embracing what I am very grateful for, helps me in the path I chose to lead in this life. Above all becoming a buddha or entering buddhahood is what I must do again! For I feel that perhaps all these posts, reading, research, analysis over the past three months has been because I was almost "predisposed" to accept and become who I should be! In other words not only is chanting and adjusting my life in the proper direction natural to me but incredibly appealing and all encompassing within my journey this time around on earth.

I consider each of you very special and offer myself to assist in any way shape or form in order to return the cosmic favorable good each of you has done to me.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Life is not that simple. It is extremely complex and subtle. A person who has been happy until now may fall into the depths of despair tomorrow. A person whose life has been a series of unhappy events may suddenly have a complete change of fortune. Moreover, there are many who may seem on the outside to enjoy the most fortunate of circumstances but in fact are miserable inside. And likewise, there are people whose circumstances may seem unfortunate but who are actually leading the most fulfilling and vibrant lives.

"Happiness is a matter of the heart. This is not mere spiritualism. Our hearts are precious vessels endowed with the treasure of Buddhahood. When we strive earnestly in faith and practice and reveal our Buddhahood, we are able to walk along the sure and steady path to happiness and attain a state of complete fulfilment and satisfaction. Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Fortune comes from one’s heart and makes one worthy of respect' (WND, 1137). I hope that all of you will follow this correct course in life. To do so, it’s crucial to continue advancing in the pure realm of faith that is the Soka Gakkai.

"In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, the Daishonin states:

"'Nichiren and his followers, those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one and all will “together reach the place where the treasure is.” This one word “together” means that, as long as they are together with Nichiren, they will reach the treasure land. But if they are not together with him, they will fall into the great citadel of the Avichi Hell [i.e., the hell of incessant suffering]. (OTT, 77–78).'

"The Soka Gakkai has striven in faith, practice, and study in complete accord with the Daishonin’s teachings and fought resolutely against the three obstacles and four devils and the three powerful enemies. We have exerted ourselves 'bravely and vigorously' (LS2, 23) for kosen-rufu as a harmonious body of believers united in the spirit of 'many in body, one in mind,' just as the Daishonin instructs. To live out our lives with the Soka Gakkai, therefore, is the sole path by which we can walk together with the Daishonin and 'reach the place where the treasure is.'"

SGI Newsletter No. 6756, YOUNG WOMEN’S AND WOMEN’S DIVISIONS JOINT CONFERENCE—PART 1 [OF 2], Buddhism Is the Key to Inner Transformation, Feb 14th, 2006, translated March 3rd, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

Question: Do you really proclaim that Ch'eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school, Chia-hsiang of the Three Treatises school, Tz'u-en of the Dharma Characteristics school, and Shan-wu-wei and the others of the True Word school on down to Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho are the enemies of the Buddha?

Answer: This is a very important question, a matter of the gravest concern to the Buddha's teachings. Yet, on examining the text of the sutra, I find that, if someone should declare that there is a sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra, then regardless of who that person may be, he or she cannot escape the charge of slandering the Law. Therefore, if we go by what the sutra says, then persons such as this must be regarded as enemies of the Buddha. And if, out of fear, I fail to point out this fact, then the distinctions of relative merit made among the various sutras will all have been made in vain.

If, out of awe of these great teachers of the past, I should simply point at their latter-day followers and call them enemies of the Buddha, then these latter-day followers of the various schools would say: "The assertion that the Mahavairochana Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra is not something that we ourselves invented on our own. It is the doctrine taught by the patriarchs of our school. Though we may be no match for them in observing the precepts, in wisdom and understanding, or in status, when it comes to the doctrines that they taught, we never diverge from them in the slightest." And in that case, one would have to admit that they are guilty of no fault.

Nevertheless, if I know that this assertion is false and yet, out of fear of others, I fail to say so, then I will be ignoring the stern warning of the Buddha, who said, "[It is like a royal envoy who] would rather, even though it costs him his life, in the end conceal (16) none of the words of his ruler."

What am I to do? If I speak up, I face fearful opposition from the world at large. But if I am silent, I can hardly escape the condemnation of failing to heed the Buddha's stern warning. Forward or backward, my way is blocked.

Yet perhaps it is only to be expected. For, as the Lotus Sutra states, "Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more (17) will this be so after his passing?" Again elsewhere, "It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to (18) believe."

When Shakyamuni Buddha had been conceived by his mother, Lady Maya, the devil king of the sixth heaven gazed down into Lady Maya's womb and said, "My archenemy, the sharp sword of the Lotus Sutra, has been conceived. Before the birth can take place, I must do something to destroy it!" Then the devil king transformed himself into a learned physician, entered the palace of King Shuddhodana, and said, "I am a learned physician, and I have brought some excellent medicine that will insure the safe delivery of the child." In this way he attempted to poison Lady Maya.

When the Buddha was born, the devil king caused stones to rain down on him and mixed poison in his milk. Later, when the Buddha left the palace to enter the religious life, the devil king changed himself into a black venomous serpent and tried to block his way. In addition, he entered the bodies of such evil men as Devadatta, Koka-lika, King Virudhaka, and King Ajatashatru, inciting them to hurl a great stone at the Buddha that injured him and drew blood, or to kill many of the Shakyas, the Buddha's clansmen, or murder his disciples.

These great persecutions were planned long ago, schemes that were designed to prevent the Buddha, the World-Honored One, from preaching the Lotus Sutra. It is persecutions such as these that the sutra means when it says, "Hatred and jealousy toward the sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world."

In addition to these troubles arising long before the Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra, there were others that occurred later when he expounded the sutra itself. [These were the doubts that arose when Shakyamuni revealed that] for forty-some years, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, and the great bodhisattvas had in fact been among the archenemies (19) of the Lotus Sutra.

But the sutra says, "How much more will this be so after his passing?" By this we know that, in a future age after the passing of the Buddha, there are bound to be persecutions and difficulties even greater and more fearful than those that occurred during his lifetime. If even the Buddha had difficulty bearing up under such persecutions, how can ordinary people be expected to bear them, particularly when these troubles are destined to be even greater than those that occurred during the Buddha's lifetime?

Though one might wonder what great persecutions could possibly be more terrible than the huge rock thirty feet long and sixteen feet wide that Devadatta rolled down on the Buddha or the drunken elephant that King Ajatashatru sent charging after him, if persecutions greater than those that arose during the Buddha's lifetime keep occurring again and again to someone who is not guilty of the slightest fault, then one should realize that that person is a true votary of the Lotus Sutra in the age after the Buddha's passing. (20)

Notes:

16. A part of the following passage from the Nirvana Sutra: "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."
17. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
18. Ibid., chap. 14.
19. The translation has been expanded here for the sake of clarity. The two major revelations of the Lotus Sutra, that people of the two vehicles can attain Buddhahood and that Shakyamuni has been the Buddha since the remote past, awoke great doubts on the part of the voice-hearer disciples (represented by Shariputra and Maudgalyayana) and the great bodhisattvas, respectively. Because the two groups had been unaware of these crucial teachings before the Lotus Sutra was revealed, the Daishonin says they were its "archenemies."
20. The successors of the Buddha are the twenty-four successors who inherited the lineage of Shakyamuni's Buddhism and propagated it in India in the Former Day of the Law. See also twenty-four successors in Glossary.

(to be continued)

 

[Delta9-THC]

pass the doobie... Im not trying to go against you .... I would never do that / Im gonna stick around and read some more although i may have read enough : )
simply I feel my soul has been changing its ways and I have been changing mine ..... not always for the better .... but I was very depressed quite recently .... and I feel like this has been my only real way out .... no-one else (except on this forum) will know about this... its just for my own .....belief for want of a better word.... my life has been a little less than ordinary.... and sometimes ... very bad .... not always by my own doings.... but I see now that the only way to true enlightement is through experience and I will preserve what I fell I have left and rebuild what I have lost....
Peace

 

[Delta9-THC]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

 

[Guest]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Looking forward to reciting the Gongyo, should be tonight!

 

[Babbabud]

Delta9thc
youve said the words its as easy as that ... just continue brother.
Your seeking spirit has brought you here. Chant for what you need....if its encouragement , a friend, all kinds of happiness can be had through nam myoho renge kyo. Its all there for you
brother just chant for what ya need Drop in again Delta always someone close by
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

The successors of the Buddha were among the four ranks of bodhisattvas; they were messengers of the Buddha. Yet Bodhisattva Aryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, the Venerable Aryasimha had his head cut off by the king Dammira, Buddhamitra had to stand for twelve years under a red flag [before he could attract the notice of the ruler], and Bodhisattva Nagarjuna had to stand seven years under a similar flag. Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha was sold to an enemy country for the sum of three hundred (21) thousand coins, and the Scholar (22) Manoratha died of chagrin. These are examples of troubles that took place in the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law.

We come now to a time five hundred years after the beginning of the Middle Day of the Law or fifteen hundred years after the passing of the Buddha. At that time in China there was a wise man who was at first known as Chih-i and later as the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che. He determined to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in their true form. There had been thousands and thousands of wise men who preceded T'ien-t'ai, and they had held various opinions concerning the teachings set forth by the Buddha in his lifetime, but in general, they were grouped into ten schools or traditions, the so-called three schools of the south and seven schools of the north. Of these, one school emerged as foremost among them. This was the third of the three southern schools, the school of the Dharma Teacher Fa-yün of the temple called Kuang-che-ssu.

Fa-yün divided the teachings of the Buddha's lifetime into five periods. From among the teachings of these five periods, he selected three sutras, the Flower Garland, the Nirvana, and the Lotus. He declared that, among all the sutras, the Flower Garland Sutra ranks first and is comparable to the monarch of a kingdom. The Nirvana Sutra ranks second and is like the regent or prime minister, while the Lotus Sutra ranks third and is like one of the court nobles. All the other sutras are inferior to these and are comparable to the common people.

Fa-yün was by nature extremely clever. Not only did he study under such men of great wisdom as Hui-kuan, Hui-yen, Seng-jou, and Hui-tz'u, (23) but he refuted the doctrines of various teachers of the northern and southern schools, and retired to the seclusion of the mountain forest, where he devoted himself to the study of the Lotus, Nirvana, and Flower Garland sutras.

As a result, Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty summoned him to court and had a temple called Kuang-che-ssu built for him within the palace grounds, paying him great honor. When Fa-yün lectured on the Lotus Sutra, flowers fell down from the heavens just as they had done when Shakyamuni Buddha first preached it.

In the fifth year of the T'ien-chien era (CE 506), there was a great drought. The emperor had the Dharma Teacher Fa-yün lecture on the Lotus Sutra, and when he reached the verses in the "Parable of the Medicinal Herbs" chapter that read, "The rain falls everywhere, coming down on all four sides," soft rain began to fall from the sky. The emperor was so overwhelmed with admiration that he appointed Fa-yün on the spot to the rank of administrator of priests, and he served him in person as the heavenly deities served the lord Shakra and as the common people look up in awe to their sovereign. In addition, it was revealed to someone in a dream that Fa-yün had been lecturing on the Lotus Sutra ever since the time of the Buddha Sun Moon Bright in the distant past.

Fa-yün wrote a commentary in four volumes on the Lotus Sutra. In this (24) commentary he stated, "This sutra is not truly eminent," and spoke of it as "an unusual expedient means." By this he meant that the Lotus Sutra does not fully reveal the truth of Buddhism.

Was it because Fa-yün's teachings met with the approval of the Buddha that the flowers and the rain came down on him from the sky? In any event, as a result of the wonderful and unusual things that happened to him, the people of China came to believe that the Lotus Sutra was in fact perhaps inferior to the Flower Garland and Nirvana sutras. This commentary by Fa-yün was in time disseminated to the kingdoms of Silla, Paekche, and (25) Koguryö, and to Japan, where people in general came to hold the same opinion as that prevalent in China.

Notes:

21. This story appears in The Record of the Western Regions. When Ashvaghosha, the twelfth successor, was preaching Buddhism in Pataliputra in Magadha, King Kanishka led his army against Pataliputra and demanded a huge sum in tribute. The defeated king offered Ashvaghosha in place of the money. Later, with the support of Kanishka, Ashvaghosha propagated Buddhism in northern India.
22. This story appears in Record of the Western Regions. Manoratha is thought to have been the teacher of Vasubandhu. King Vikramaditya of Shravasti resented Manoratha and plotted to humiliate him. He assembled one hundred scholars from various schools to debate with Manoratha. Ninety-nine yielded, but the last, in collusion with the king, refused to yield to Manoratha. As a result, Manoratha is said to have bitten off his tongue and died.
23. Hui-kuan (368-438), Hui-yen (363- 443), Seng-jou (431-494), and Hui-tz'u (434 -490) were all celebrated priests during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period.
24. This presumably refers to Fa-yün's Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, though the two quotations below are not found in this commentary.
25. This means that The Annotations on the Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, attributed to Prince Shotoku, is based on Fa-yün's Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.

(to be continued)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The more gold is heated in the flames, the brighter will be its color;
the more a sword is whetted, the sharper it will become. And the more
one praises the blessings of the Lotus Sutra, the more one's own
blessings will increase. Bear in mind that the twenty-eight chapters
of the Lotus Sutra contain only a few passages elucidating the truth,
but a great many words of praise."

(WND, 673)
The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra
Written to Myomitsu on March 5, 1276

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The efforts made by one individual can be immensely important.
Nichiren Daishonin repeatedly states that victory depends not on
numbers but on a group or individual's attitude or resolve. In one
passage he writes: "Everyone in Japan, from the sovereign on down to
the common people, all without exception tried to do me harm, but I
have survived until this day. This is because, although I am alone, I
have firm faith [in the Lotus Sutra]" (MW-3, 198). In other words, his
strong faith enabled him to emerge triumphant. I find this passage
deeply moving."

Daisaku Ikeda

from SGI-USA
"For Today & Tomorrow"