Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

BUD!

What you just wrote gets my vote for post of the year! Let's engrain these ten points in our minds forever! These truly are the understandings of a Buddha--the wisdom of a Buddha! I salute you for bestowing them on all of us! Many blessings to you my Brother!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

easydisco! You make me so proud to know you dude. Remember back in the beginning when I said I thought you must be one of us? You may be our leader! Carry on dear Bodhisattva of the Earth! The Buddha of Beginningless Time smiles at your faith and enthusiasm, and the Devil of the Sixth Heaven plots to obstruct you. Shakubuku is the only way to wield the sword that defeats all enemies. The debt of gratitude of the Bodhisattva of the Earth towards the Buddha that has revealed The Way is to seek to fulfill this Buddha's will. The will of Nichiren Daishonin is the accomplishment of Kosen-Rufu by his followers. Shakubuku my friend!

This shall happen as surely as the fact that you are breathing if you are reading this!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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

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

These two men, Jikaku and Chisho, as we have seen, were disciples of Dengyo and Gishin, and in addition they journeyed to China and met eminent teachers of the T'ien-t'ai and True Word schools there. And yet it appears that they could not make up their minds as to the relative merit of these two schools. Sometimes they declared that the True Word is superior, sometimes that the Lotus is superior, and sometimes they said that the two are equal in terms of principle, but that the True Word is superior in terms of practice. Meanwhile, an edict warned that anyone attempting to argue the relative merit of the two schools would be judged guilty of violating the imperial decree.

These pronouncements of Jikaku and Chisho were clearly inconsistent, and it would appear that the followers of the other schools placed no trust in them whatsoever. Nevertheless, an imperial edict, as we have seen, states that the two schools are equal, putting this forward as the doctrine of the Tendai patriarch, the Great Teacher Dengyo. But in what work of the Great Teacher Dengyo is this view to be found? This is something that must be looked into carefully.

For me, Nichiren, to be challenging Jikaku and Chisho because of doubts over a matter pertaining to the Great Teacher Dengyo is like a person confronting his parents and arguing with them over who is older, or a person confronting the god of the sun and claiming that his own eyes shine more brilliantly. Nevertheless, those who would defend the views of Jikaku and Chisho must produce some sort of clear scriptural evidence to support their case. Only if they do so can they hope to gain credence for such views.

The Tripitaka Master Hsüan-tsang had been to India and seen a copy of The Great Commentary on the Abhidharma there, but that did not prevent him from being criticized by the Dharma Teacher Fa-pao, who had never been to India. The Tripitaka Master Dharmaraksha saw a copy of the Lotus Sutra in India, but that did not prevent a (47) man of China from pointing out that the "Entrustment" chapter was out of place in the translation he made of it, though that man had never seen the original text.

In like manner, though Jikaku may have studied under the Great Teacher Dengyo and received instruction from him, and though Chisho may have obtained the oral transmission from the Reverend Gishin, if they go against the teachings recorded in the authentic writings of Dengyo and Gishin, then how can they help but incur suspicion?

Clarification of the Schools by the Great Teacher Dengyo is the most secret of his writings. In the preface to that work, he writes: "The True Word school of Buddhism that has recently been brought to Japan deliberately obscures how its transmission was falsified in the recording [by I-hsing, who (48) was deceived by Shan-wu-wei], while the Flower Garland school that was introduced earlier attempts to disguise the fact that it was influenced by the (49) doctrines of T'ien-t'ai. The Three Treatises school, which is so infatuated with the concept of emptiness, has forgotten (50) Chia-hsiang's humiliation, and conceals the fact that he was completely won over to the T'ien-t'ai teachings by Chang-an. The Dharma Characteristics school, which clings to the concept (51) of being, denies that its leader Chih-chou was converted to the teachings of the T'ien-t'ai school, and that Liang-pi used those teachings in interpreting (52) the Benevolent Kings Sutra. . . . Now with all due circumspection I have written Clarification of the Schools in one volume to present to wise men of later times who share my convictions. The time is the reign of the fifty-second sovereign of Japan, the seventh year of the Konin era (816), the year (53) hinoe-saru."

Farther on, in the main text of the same work, it reads, "There was an eminent monk in India who had heard that the teachings of the priest T'ien-t'ai of T'ang China were most suitable for distinguishing correct from incorrect doctrines, and expressed a longing to become better acquainted with them."

It continues, "Does this not mean that Buddhism has been lost in India, the country of its origin, and must now be sought in the surrounding regions? But even in China there are few people who recognize the greatness of T'ien-t'ai's teachings. They are like the (54) people of Lu."

This work, as may be seen from these quotations, criticizes the Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, Flower Garland, and True Word schools. Now if the Great Teacher Dengyo believed that the Tendai and True Word schools are of equal worth, then why would he criticize the latter? Furthermore, he compares the Tripitaka Master Pu-k'ung and others to the ignorant people of the state of Lu. If he really approved of the True Word teachings as formulated by Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k'ung, then why would he speak ill of these men by comparing them to the people of Lu? And if the True Word teachings of India were identical with or superior to the teachings of the T'ien-t'ai school, then why did the eminent monk of India question Pu-k'ung about them and say that the correct teaching had been lost in India?

Be that as it may, these two men, Jikaku and Chisho, in words claimed to be the disciples of the Great Teacher Dengyo, but at heart they were not. That is why Dengyo wrote in the preface to his work, "Now with all due circumspection I have written Clarification of the Schools in one volume to present to wise men of later times who share my convictions." The words "who share my convictions" mean in effect "those who share my conviction that the True Word school is inferior to the Tendai school."

In the edict quoted earlier, which Chisho himself had requested, it says that they "do nothing but turn against the teachings of the patriarch [Dengyo] and instead follow the prejudices and inclinations of their own hearts." It also states, "On the path inherited from the master, one cannot neglect either the concentration and insight or the True Word teachings." But if we are to accept the words of the edict, we would have to say that Jikaku and Chisho themselves are the ones who have turned against their teacher Dengyo. It may be impertinent that I make charges of this kind, but if I do not do so, then the relative merit of the Mahavairochana and Lotus sutras will continue to be misunderstood as it is at present. That is why I risk my life to bring these charges.

[Since they themselves were mistaken,] it is altogether natural that these two men, Jikaku and Chisho, did not venture to accuse the Great Teacher Kobo of doctrinal error. Instead of wasting all those supplies and making work for other people by insisting upon traveling all the way to China, they should have made a more careful and thorough study of the doctrines of the Great Teacher Dengyo, who was their own teacher!

It was only in the time of the first three leaders of the Tendai school, the Great Teacher Dengyo, the Reverend Gishin, and the Great Teacher Encho, that the correct doctrine was taught on Mount Hiei. Thereafter the chief priests of the Tendai school were transformed into True Word leaders. The area continued to be called a Tendai Mountain, but was presided over by a True Word master.

The great teachers Jikaku and Chi-sho, as we have seen, contradict the passage in the Lotus Sutra concerning all the sutras that the Buddha "has preached (55), now preaches, and will preach." And having contradicted that passage of the scripture, are they not to be regarded as the archenemies of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions? One might have thought that the Great Teacher Kobo was the foremost slanderer of the Law, but Jikaku and Chisho taught errors that far surpass those of Kobo.

When an error is as far from the truth as water is from fire or the earth from the sky, people will refuse to believe it, and such errors will have no chance of acceptance. Thus, for example, the doctrines of the Great Teacher Kobo are so full of such errors that even his own disciples would not accept them. As for the practices and ceremonies of the school, they accepted his instructions, but they could not bring themselves to accept his doctrines concerning the relative merits of the sutras. Therefore, they substituted for them the doctrines of Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Jikaku, and Chisho. It is the doctrine of Jikaku and Chisho that declares the True Word and Tendai schools to be identical in principle, and all the people have accepted that declaration.

Recognizing this situation, even followers of the Tendai school, hoping to be asked to perform the eye-opening ceremony for the consecration of painted or wooden Buddhist images, adopt the mudras and mantras in which the True Word school is believed to excel. Thus in effect the whole of Japan goes over to the True Word school, and the Tendai school is left without a single follower.

A monk and a nun, a black object and a dark blue object, are so easily confused that a person with poor eye-sight might well mistake one for the other. But a priest and a layman, or a white object and a red object, even a person with poor eyesight would never confuse, much less someone with good eyes. Now the doctrines of Jikaku and Chisho are as easy to mistake for the truth as a monk is for a nun, or a black object for a dark blue one. Therefore, even wise men are led astray, and the ignorant fall into error. As a result, for the past four hundred and more years, on Mount Hiei, at Onjo-ji and To-ji, in Nara, the five provinces surrounding (56) the capital, the seven outlying regions, and indeed throughout the whole land of Japan, all the people have been turned into slanderers of the Law.

Notes:

47. "A man of China" refers to Miao-lo, who stated in his Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra" that Kumarajiva's placement of the "Entrustment" chapter is correct.
48. In The Annotations on the Mahavairochana Sutra given by Shan-wu-wei, the founder of the esoteric True Word school in China, I-hsing appropriated the T'ien-t'ai doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and interpreted it as belonging to the True Word teachings.
49. Fa-tsang established a classification of the Buddhist sutras, dividing them into five groups according to their level of teaching: the Hinayana teaching, the elementary Mahayana teaching, the final Mahayana teaching, the sudden teaching, and the perfect teaching. This system of the five teachings was modeled on T'ien-t'ai's classification of the five periods.
50. While giving a lecture, Chia-hsiang was criticized by Fa-sheng, a seventeen-year-old student of the T'ien-t'ai school.
51. The Dharma Characteristics doctrine maintains that all dharmas, or phenomena, arise from the alaya-consciousness and have actual existence. Being preoccupied with the characteristics of the dharmas, among the three truths, it emphasizes only temporary existence.
52. Chih-chou (678-733) was the third patriarch of the Dharma Characteristics school, who lived in P'u-yang and wrote a commentary on the Brahma Net Sutra on the basis of T'ien-t'ai's teachings. Liang-pi of Ch'ing-lung-ssu temple interpreted the Benevolent Kings Sutra, the concluding sutra to the Wisdom sutras, following T'ien-t'ai's annotations on the sutra.
53. The wording of the Japanese text has been expanded here.
54. This is actually Miao-lo's remark from his On "The Words and Phrases," which Dengyo quotes in his Clarification of the Schools Based on T'ien-t'ai's Doctrine. "Lu" in this passage is Confucius's native state in China. The people of Lu are said to have been unaware of the greatness of Confucius.
55. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
56. The five provinces are Yamashiro, Yamato, Kawachi, Izumi, and Settsu. The seven outlying regions are Tokaido, Tosando, Hokurikudo, San'indo, San'yodo, Nankaido, and Saikaido.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

If only you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then what offense could fail to be eradicated? What blessing could fail to come? This is the truth, and it is of great profundity. You should believe and accept it.

[ Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man - Part Two, WND Page 130 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Making Hope

Making Hope

By Daisaku Ikeda

Buddhism teaches that the same power which moves the universe exists within our lives. Each individual has immense potential, and a great change in the inner dimension of one individual's life has the power to touch the lives of others and transform society. When we change our inner determination, everything begins to move in a new direction.

Hope, in this sense, is a decision. When we possess the treasure of hope, we can draw forth our inner potential and strength. A person of hope can always advance.

Hope is a flame that we nurture within our hearts. It may be sparked by someone else--by the encouraging words of a friend, relative or mentor--but it must be fanned and kept burning through our own determination. Most crucial is our determination to continue to believe in the limitless dignity and possibilities of both ourselves and others.

Mahatma Gandhi led the nonviolent struggle for Indian independence from British colonial rule, succeeding against all odds. He was, in his own words, "an irrepressible optimist." His hope was not based on circumstances, rising and falling as things seemed to be going better or worse. Rather, it was based on an unshakable faith in humanity, in the capacity of people for good. He absolutely refused to abandon his faith in his fellow human beings.

Keeping faith in people's essential goodness, and the consistent effort to cultivate this goodness in ourselves--as Gandhi proved, these are the twin keys to unleashing the great power of hope. Believing in ourselves and in others in this way--continuing to wage the difficult inner struggle to make this the basis for our actions--can transform a society that sometimes seems to be plummeting toward darkness into a humane and enlightened world where all people are treated with respect.

There may be times when, confronted by cruel reality, we verge on losing all hope. If we cannot feel hope, it is time to create some. We can do this by digging deeper within, searching for even a small glimmer of light, for the possibility of a way to begin to break through the impasse before us. And our capacity for hope can actually be expanded and strengthened by difficult circumstances. Hope that has not been tested is nothing more than a fragile dream. Hope begins from this challenge, this effort to strive toward an ideal, however distant it may seem.

It is far better to pursue a remote, even seemingly impossible goal than to cheat ourselves of the forward motion that such goals can provide. I believe that the ultimate tragedy in life is not physical death. Rather, it is the spiritual death of losing hope, giving up on our own possibilities for growth.

My mentor, Josei Toda, once wrote: "In looking at great people of the past, we find that they remained undefeated by life's hardships, by life's pounding waves. They held fast to hopes that seemed mere fantastic dreams to other people. They let nothing stop or discourage them from realizing their aspirations. The reason for this, I feel certain, is that their hopes themselves were not directed toward the fulfillment of personal desires or self-interest, but based on a wish for all people's happiness, and this filled them with extraordinary conviction and confidence."

Here he pointed to a crucially important truth: real hope is found in committing ourselves to vast goals and dreams--dreams such as world without war and violence, a world where everyone can live in dignity.

The problems that face our world are daunting in their depth and complexity. Sometimes it may be hard to see where--or how--to begin. But we cannot be paralyzed by despair. We must each take action toward the goals we have set and in which we believe. Rather than passively accepting things as they are, we must embark on the challenge of creating a new reality. It is in that effort that true, undying hope is to be found.



A longer version of this essay first appeared in Hold Hope, Wage Peace (2005) edited by David Krieger and Carah Ong, available from www.wagingpeace.org

(from: http://www.sgi.org/english/Features/quarterly/0601/feature8.htm )

 

[Guest]

The triumph of invoking your buddhahood is relative to light passing through a prism. You will uncover the various shades within the light!

Your path in life coincides with the path of every other buddha in this exsistence, embrace the potency of the unification of practice. Invoke the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to release our total potential!

I am and have always been your brother. MYOHO!

This thread is a lotus flower within a murky pond. RENGE!

Read the explinations and the Goshos posted here, they are nourishment to your soul. KYO!


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"We cannot ask others to change our karma for us. Only through our own sincere and earnest faith can we dispel the clouds of fundamental ignorance and cause the sun of Buddhahood to rise brilliantly within our hearts. The Daishonin declares: “If you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching. . . . No expedient or provisional [i.e., inferior] teaching leads directly to enlightenment” (WND,3)."

SGI Newsletter No. 6766, The New Human Revolution—Volume 18: Chapter 3, Moving Forward 10, translated March 13th, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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

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

In the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha states, "Manjushri, this Lotus Sutra is the secret storehouse of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place."

If this passage of the scripture is to be believed, then the Lotus Sutra must represent the correct teaching that dwells supreme above the Mahavairochana and all the numerous other sutras. How then, one wonders, would Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho interpret this passage in the sutra and reconcile it with their beliefs?

Again, the seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise (57) foremost among all living beings." If this passage of the sutra is to be believed, then the votary of the Lotus Sutra must be like the great sea as compared to the various rivers and streams, like Mount Sumeru among the host of mountains, like the god of the moon amid the multitude of stars, like the great god of the sun amid the other shining lights, like the wheel-turning kings, like the lord Shakra, and like the great king Brahma among all various heavenly kings.

The Great Teacher Dengyo in his work entitled The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra writes, "This sutra likewise is foremost among all the sutra teachings . . . . A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise foremost among all living beings."

After quoting this passage from the Lotus Sutra, Dengyo notes a passage from the work entitled The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra by T'ien-t'ai that interprets the same passage of scripture, and explains its meaning as follows: "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 could it be mere self-praise?"

Later in the work just mentioned, Dengyo says, "Detailed explanations concerning how the various schools base their teachings upon the T'ien-t'ai doctrine are given in a separate work." Clarification of the Schools, referred to as the separate work, states: "Now the founder of our school, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, preached the Lotus Sutra and interpreted the Lotus Sutra in a way that placed him far above the crowd; in all of China, he stood alone. One should clearly understand that he was a messenger of the Thus Come One. 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 the hell of incessant suffering."

If we go by the Lotus Sutra and the interpretations of it put forward by T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo, then, in Japan at the present time, there is not a single votary of the Lotus Sutra!

In India, when Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, was preaching the Lotus Sutra as described in the "Treasure Tower" chapter, he summoned all the various Buddhas and had them take their seats upon the ground. Only the (58) Thus Come One Mahavairochana was seated within the treasure tower, on the (59) lower seat to the south, while Shakyamuni Buddha was seated on the upper seat to the north.

This Thus Come One Mahavairochana is the master of the Mahavairochana of the Womb Realm described in the Mahavairochana Sutra, and of the Mahavairochana of the Diamond Realm described in the Diamond Crown Sutra. This Mahavairochana, or Many Treasures Buddha, who has as his vassals the Thus Come Ones Mahavairochana of the two realms just mentioned, is in turn surpassed by Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, who sits in the seat above him. This Shakyamuni Buddha is a true practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. Such was the situation in India.

In China, in the time of the Ch'en emperor [Shu-pao], the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai defeated in debate the Buddhist leaders of northern and southern China, and was honored with the title of Great Teacher while still alive. As Dengyo says of him, he was "far above the crowd; in all of China, he stood alone."

In Japan, the Great Teacher Dengyo defeated in debate the leaders of the six schools and became the country's first and foremost great teacher, Great Teacher Kompon.

In India, China, and Japan, these three persons alone - Shakyamuni, T'ien-t'ai, and Dengyo - were what the Lotus Sutra calls "foremost among all living beings."

Notes:

57. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23.
58. "Mahavairochana" here indicates the Buddha Many Treasures.
59. The south here corresponds to the left, as the treasure tower faces the west. The south seat is "lower" because, accord-ing to Indian custom, the left is inferior to the right.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

THE BUDDHA'S "THREE RULES"

THE BUDDHA'S "THREE RULES"

For Improving Dialogue

Buddhism values dialogue. By sharing the thoughts, feelings and experiences of ourselves and especially of others, we expand our horizon of humanity and develop bonds of trust and friendship. To understand another person and be understood by her or him is to experience the joy and the strength of our common humanity.

When we experience benefit from our Buddhist practice, for example, we wish to share it with others. But sometimes our conversations may not go as we expect. In fact, enjoyable and meaningful dialogue rarely occurs without effort.

The Lotus Sutra expounds three key points to keep in mind when we dialogue with others, especially when we try to communicate the greatness of Buddhism. In the "Teacher of the Law" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha explains to Bodhisattva Medicine King and an assembly of eighty thousand bodhisattvas about what is commonly known as "the three rules of preaching":

"Medicine King, if there are good men and good women who, after the Thus Come One' has entered extinction, wish to expound this Lotus Sutra for the four kinds of believers', how should they expound it? These good men and good women should enter the Thus Come One's room, put on the Thus Come One's robe, sit in the Thus Come One's seat, and then for the sake of the four kinds of believers broadly expound this sutra" (LS10, p. 166).

Shakyamuni goes on to explain his metaphors of the Buddha's "room," "robe" and "seat": "The 'Thus Come One's room' is the state of mind that shows great pity and compassion toward all living beings. The 'Thus Come One's robe' is the mind that is gentle and forbearing. The 'Thus Come One's seat' is the emptiness of all phenomena. One should seat oneself comfortably therein and after that, with a mind never lazy or remiss, should for the sake of the bodhisattvas and the four kinds of believers broadly expound this sutra" (LSIO, 166).

The three rules of preaching, in other words, are
1) to enter the "room" of compassion for all people;
2) to put on the "robe" of gentleness and forbearance; and
3) to take the "seat" of the emptiness of all phenomena. In "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings Nichiren Daishonin explains this Buddhist concept: "Now Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are fulfilling the three rules of preaching each moment of their lives. The robe [of the Thus Come One] means the robe of gentleness and forbearance, that is, the armor of perseverance. The seat [of the Thus Come One] means carrying out one's religious practice without begrudging one's life. By carrying out such practice, one awakens to the emptiness
of all phenomena. The room [of the Thus Come One] is so called because he dwells in compassion and spreads [his teaching], just like a mother thinking of her child" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 737).

Compassion: Entering 'The Thus Come One's room'

The "Thus Come One's room" indicates the expanse of the Buddha's compassion. The Buddha's compassion embraces all people and protects their lives from suffering and confusion. So it is compared to a room. Our efforts in dialogue begin with our compassion for others. Here compassion may be also understood as friendship and respect. Since the Buddhist concept of compassion is based on the universality of Buddhahood, compassion is not one's pity for those who seem weaker or inferior; it is more like a sentiment of friendly respect amongst equals.

Without compassion, friendship and respect, dialogue becomes merely a disguise for a self-righteous "monologue" detached from the reality of people. The stronger our sincere desire to remove others' suffering and impart joy, the broader and deeper our lives become, capable of embracing everyone. This may be why the Daishonin compares the Buddha's compassion to a mother's unconditional love for her child. Indeed, compassion is like a warm, inviting room in which no heart can remain closed.

Gentle Forbearance: Putting on 'the Thus Come One's robe'

As clothes protect our bodies from the weather, "the Thus Come One's robe" is symbolic of gentle forbearance with which to continue our dialogue despite the misunderstanding and criticism of others. No matter how sincerely we may try to talk and listen, sometimes our words not only seem incapable of reaching the hearts of others, but also invite unkindness. At such moments, we may be tempted to lose our temper and return vengeful and harsh remarks. Or we may wish to retreat into selfish detachment and build walls around our fragile ego, thinking, "I don't care anymore."

To have fruitful dialogue, however, we must overcome such spiteful anger and egotistic isolation, which only highlight our own weaknesses. Dialogue, in this sense, offers an excellent opportunity to develop the inner strength to remain respectful and unswayed by negative circumstances. A Buddha's "gentleness" actually comes from her or his inner strength. A Buddha's "forbearance" is not a passive acceptance of verbal abuse from others, but an active search of new strength within to understand and embrace others' inner powerlessness that impels them to become abusive. To be "gentle and forbearing" in dialogue, therefore, is completely different from being a passive victim of verbal abuse.

If we simply try to "put up" with others against our will, sooner or later our suppressed frustration will erupt in rage. To avoid such an unpleasant outburst of emotions, some people may try to "let out steam" occasionally in a somewhat more controlled manner. The more fundamental solution, however, lies in broadening and strengthening our lives so that there may be less "putting up" with anyone. As we develop our inner strength of Buddhahood through prayer and practice, we can free ourselves from the destructive urge to get even and genuinely appreciate our capacity to embrace others. Each time we try to stretch our lives to embrace others, we can praise ourselves for our inner growth, instead of putting up with them and getting angrier inside. We "put up" with someone usually as a temporary concession with expectation of future reward - "I take what you're saying, but you'll be nice to me from now on." But if we are not rewarded as expected, we will feel betrayed and explode in anger. The true "forbearance" of a Buddha, however, derives from genuine inner strength so it does not build any negative pressure inside him. It is not a "bargain" we make with others in dialogue. Rather, whenever a Buddha embraces others with forbearance, she will be filled with joy and appreciation for her life.

Wisdom: Taking the 'Thus Come One's seat'

To take the "Thus Come One's seat" is to develop an elevated perspective from which we can put others and ourselves at ease, as people feel comfortable when they are seated In a nice chair. More specifically, to take the Buddha's seat is to develop wisdom to see the "emptiness of all phenomena." Put simply, the teaching of "emptiness" (also "non-substantiality" or "void") means that nothing exists on its own accord and that everything changes through its relationship with the environment.

In more practical terms, this teaching explains that whatever we think as absolutely fixed actually can be changed for the better. Or we may say that since nothing stays the same, we can make anything out of everything. Life is what we make of it. At the same time, we cannot pass judgment on or limit others, not allowing their other possibilities. Nor should we be attached to only one perspective and close our minds to anything else.

In this sense, to take the "Thus Come One's seat" is to discard our shallow attachments and develop open-mindedness and wisdom to create value in any circumstance. As the Daishonin explains, we can develop such open-mindedness and wisdom through our earnest, selfless Buddhist practice. When we take action for the sake of others' happiness, we can develop a profound state of life in which we are no longer attached to selfish gain or temporary fame. Instead we can rise above our shallow attachment to our appearance or material possession and see everything in life in its proper perspective at each moment. Taking "the seat of the Thus Come One," therefore, is truly a freeing experience.

As the Daishonin says, "Now Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are fulfilling the three rules of preaching each moment of their lives," ultimately we can develop those qualities of compassion, gentle forbearance and wisdom through praying earnestly to the Gohonzon to bring forth our innate Buddhahood and exerting ourselves for others. The three rules of preaching, therefore, are not intellectual exercise or rhetoric, but guidelines to develop our lives for truly enjoyable and meaningful communication.

By Shin Yatomi, SGI-USA Study Department Vice Leader, based in part on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[Guest]

the devil of the 6th heaven was doing push ups till yesterday, you called it thomas yesterday was not an "easy" day. Today I will try harder to avoid those evil distractions and let the negative feelings go. with that in mind, let us proceed...

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

I apologize for mispelling words in other parts of this thread and will correct them in due time.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Don't worry about misspelling words unless you're quoting Nichiren Daishonin (posting the Gosho).

 

[Guest]

thanks, t.

Talk about exhausted, I got alot of resting to do till sunday! I am very worn out and need to recharge the batteries. Thanks for all the great influence increasingly influencing my karma. Things are getting better slowly but surely and I am living proof.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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

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

Thus Outstanding Principles states: "Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai trusted and obeyed Shakyamuni and worked to uphold the Lotus school, spreading its teachings throughout China. We of Mount Hiei inherited the doctrine from T'ien-t'ai and work to uphold the Lotus school and to disseminate its teachings throughout Japan."

In the eighteen hundred years or more since the passing of the Buddha, there has been only one votary of the Lotus Sutra in China and one in Japan. If Shakyamuni Buddha himself is added to the number, that makes a total of three persons.

The secular classics of China claim that a sage will appear once every thousand years, and a worthy once every five hundred. In the Yellow River (60) where the Ching and Wei rivers flow into it, the flow of the two tributary rivers remains separate. But it is said that, once every five hundred years, one side of the river will flow clear, and once every thousand years, both sides of the river will flow clear. [In the same way, sages and worthies appear at fixed intervals.]

In Japan, as we have seen, only on Mount Hiei in the time of the Great Teacher Dengyo was there a votary of the Lotus Sutra. Dengyo was succeeded by Gishin and Encho, the first and second chief priests of the school, respectively. But only the first chief priest, Gishin, followed the ways of the Great Teacher Dengyo. The second chief priest, Encho, was half a disciple of Dengyo and half a disciple of Kobo.

The third chief priest, the GreatTeacher Jikaku, at first acted like a disciple of the Great Teacher Dengyo. But after he went to China at the age of forty, though he continued to call himself a disciple of Dengyo and went through the motions of carrying on Dengyo's line, he taught a kind of Buddhism that was wholly unworthy of a true disciple of Dengyo. Only in the matter of the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment established by Dengyo did he conduct himself like a true disciple.

He was like a bat, for a bat resembles a bird yet is not a bird, and resembles a mouse yet is not a mouse. Or he was (61) like an owl or a hakei beast. He ate his father, the Lotus Sutra, and devoured his mother, those who embrace the Lotus Sutra. When he dreamed that he shot down the sun, it must have been a portent of these crimes. And it must have been because of these acts that, after his death, no grave was set aside for him.

The temple Onjo-ji, representing Chisho's branch of the Tendai school, fought incessantly with the temple Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei, which represented (62) Jikaku's branch of the school, the two going at each other like so many asuras and evil dragons. First Onjo-ji was burned down, then the buildings on Mount Hiei. As a result, the image of Bodhisattva Maitreya that had been the special object of devotion of the Great Teacher Chisho was burned, and the special object of devotion of the Great Teacher Jikaku, as well as the great lecture hall on Mount Hiei, was likewise burned. The priests of the two temples must have felt as though they had fallen into the hell of incessant suffering while they were still in this world. Only the main hall on Mount Hiei remained standing.

The lineage of the Great Teacher Kobo has likewise ceased to be what it should have been. Kobo left written instructions that no one who had not received the precepts at the ordination platform [established by Ganjin] at Todai-ji should be allowed to become head of To-ji temple. The Retired Emperor (63) Kampyo, however, founded a temple [in Kyoto] called Ninna-ji and moved a number of priests from To-ji to staff it, and he also issued a decree clearly stating that no one should be allowed to reside in Ninna-ji unless he had received the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment at the ordination platform on Mount Hiei. As a result, the priests of To-ji are neither disciples of Ganjin nor those of Kobo. In terms of the precepts, they are Dengyo's disciples. However, they do not behave like true disciples of Dengyo. They turn their backs on the Lotus Sutra, which Dengyo considered to be supreme.

Kobo died on the twenty-first day of the third month in the second year of the Jowa era (835), and the imperial court sent a representative to offer prayers at his funeral. Later, however, his disciples gathered together and, bent on deception, announced that he [had not died at all but] had entered a state of deep meditation, and some of them even claimed that they had had to shave his head because his hair had grown long. Others asserted that while he was in China he had hurled a three-pronged diamond-pounder all the way (64) across the ocean to Japan; that in answer to his prayers the sun had come out in the middle of the night; that he had transformed himself into the Thus Come One Mahavairochana; or that he had instructed the Great Teacher Dengyo (65) in the eighteen paths of esoteric Buddhism. Thus by enumerating their teacher's supposed virtues and powers, they hoped to make him appear wise, in this way lending support to his false doctrines and deluding the ruler and his ministers.

In addition, on Mount Koya there are two main temples, the original temple and Dembo-in. The original temple, which includes the great pagoda, was founded by Kobo and is dedicated to the Thus Come One Mahavairochana [of the Womb Realm]. The temple called Dembo-in was founded by Shokaku-bo and is dedicated to the Mahavairochana of the Diamond Realm. These two temples fight with each other day and night, in the same way as Onjo-ji at the foot of Mount Hiei and Enryaku-ji on top of Mount Hiei. Was it the accumulation of deceit that brought about the appearance in Japan of these calamities?

You may pile up dung and call it sandalwood, but when you burn it, it will give off only the odor of dung. You may pile up a lot of great lies and call them the teachings of the Buddha, but they will never be anything but a gateway to the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering.

The stupa built by Nirgrantha Jnataputra over a period of several years conferred great benefit upon living beings, but when Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha bowed to it, it suddenly collapsed (67). The Brahman Demon Eloquence taught from behind a curtain and for a number of years succeeded in fooling others, but Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha berated him and exposed his (68) falsehoods. The non-Buddhist teacher Uluka turned himself into a stone and remained in that form for eight hundred years, but when Bodhisattva Dignaga berated him, he turned into water. The Taoist priests for several hundred years deceived the people of China, but when they were rebuked by the Buddhist monks Kashyapa Matanga and Chu Fa-lan, they burned their own scriptures that purported to teach the way of the immortals.

Just as Chao Kao seized control of (69) the country and Wang Mang usurped the position of emperor, so the leaders of the True Word school deprived the Lotus Sutra of the rank it deserves and declared that its domain belongs instead to the Mahavairochana Sutra. If the monarch of the Law has been deprived of his kingdom in this manner, can the monarch of people hope to remain peaceful and unharmed?

Japan today is filled with followers of Jikaku, Chisho, and Kobo - there is not a single person who is not a slanderer of the Law.

If we stop to consider the situation, it is very much like what prevailed in the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Great Adornment or the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha All (70) Bright King. In the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King, even though people repented of their wrongdoings, they still had to suffer for a thousand kalpas in the (71) Avichi hell. What, then, of the situation today? The True Word teachers, the followers of the Zen school, and the priests of the Nembutsu show not the slightest sign of repentance in their hearts. Can there be any doubt that, as the Lotus Sutra says, they "will keep repeating this cycle for a countless (72) number of kalpas"?

Because Japan is a country where the correct teaching is slandered, heaven has abandoned it. And because heaven has abandoned it, the various benevolent deities who in the past guarded and protected the nation have burned their shrines and returned to the Capital of Tranquil Light.

Notes:

60. Rivers in Shansi Province, China. The Ching River is always turbid and the Wei clear.
61. The owl was said to eat its mother, and the legendary hakei, a beast like a tiger, to eat its father.
62. Some time after Chisho's death, friction over doctrinal differences arose between his followers and those in the line of Jikaku. It culminated in a violent dispute over succession to the chief priesthood after the death of Ryogen, the eighteenth chief priest of Enryaku-ji. In 993, the followers of Chi-sho left Enryaku-ji and established themselves at Onjo-ji. The priests of the two temples attacked one another repeatedly.
63. Kampyo refers to the fifty-ninth emperor Uda (867-931) of Japan. After his abdication in 897, he took Buddhist vows and was known as the Retired Emperor Kampyo.
64. A ritual implement used for prayers in esoteric True Word Buddhism. This story appears in The Biography of the Great Teacher Kobo by the True Word priest Ken'i (1072-1145). According to this work, before Kobo left China, he hurled a three-pronged diamond-pounder into the air. Returning to Japan, he went to Mount Koya to carry out the practice of the esoteric teachings. There he found the same diamond-pounder resting in a tree's branches.
65. Esoteric practices employing eighteen different mudras, nine for the Diamond Realm and nine for the Womb Realm.
66. The original temple refers to Kongobu-ji, the head temple of the True Word school, located on Mount Koya.
67. This story appears in A History of the Buddha's Successors. King Kanishka happened to pass by the stupa adorned with seven kinds of treasures that Nirgrantha Jnataputra, one of the six non-Buddhist teachers and the founder of Jainism, had built. He mistook it for a Buddhist stupa and worshiped it, whereupon it collapsed. The Daishonin says that Ashvaghosha was the one who caused the stupa to collapse, probably because King Kanishka was converted to Buddhism by Ashvaghosha.
68. This story appears in Record of the Western Regions. In India there was a conceited Brahman named Demon Eloquence who amused himself with paradoxical theories and worshiped demons. He lived in a forest secluded from people. Because he conducted debates from behind a curtain, nobody had seen his true form. One day Ashvaghosha, together with the ruler, went to confront him in debate and argued him into silence. Then Ashvaghosha lifted the curtain, exposing his demonic appearance.
69. Wang Mang (45 BCE - CE 23) was a high official who lived toward the end of the Former Han dynasty and controlled the throne by appointing nine-year-old Emperor P'ing to succeed. Eventually he poisoned P'ing, usurped the throne, and established a new dynasty called the Hsin.
70. According to the Buddha Treasury Sutra, in the remote past after the death of Great Adornment Buddha, his followers split into five schools, and only the monk Universal Practice correctly upheld what the Buddha had taught. The leaders of the four other schools held erroneous views and persecuted Universal Practice. For this reason, they and their followers fell into hell, where they suffered for a long time. Later, they were able to encounter and practice the correct teaching of the Buddha All Bright King. However, because of their grave offenses in the past, not one of them was able to attain nirvana at that time but had to endure again the sufferings of hell. The Buddha Treasury Sutra does not specifically mention that they were reborn in the Latter Day of the Law of the Buddha All Bright King.
71. This refers to the people who persecuted Bodhisattva Never Disparaging after the death of the Buddha Awesome Sound King, as described in the Lotus Sutra, chap. 20.
72. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.


(to be continued)

 

[Delta9-THC]

Im still here and still with you .... keep up the good work PTD ....... I feel enlightened whenever I read your posts..... life is upon us ....... dear friends.......
PEACE

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nichiren Buddhism and Empowerment

Nichiren Buddhism and Empowerment

Yoichi Kawada, director of The Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Tokyo
(August 26, 1999, at the American Psychological Association Convention, Boston, USA)

Nichiren is the 13th-century Japanese Buddhist teacher whose teachings inspire the activities of the SGI. In this paper I would like to explore areas of contact between Nichiren Buddhism and the idea of self-empowerment.

Nichiren himself was thoroughly versed in the intellectual history of Buddhism. His understanding was rooted in the Sutras recording the teachings of Shakyamuni, and drew from the theories and exegeses of the Indian scholars Nagarjuna (c. 2-3 century C.E.), Vasubandhu (5th-century C.E.), the Chinese Buddhist T'ien T'ai School, and Japan's Saicho (8th-century C.E.). Thus, in discussing empowerment, I will start by exploring points of contact between modern Western psychology and the "eight consciousness" theories developed by Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, and adopted and developed by T'ien T'ai and Nichiren.

It was the historian Arnold Toynbee who said that the two great discoveries of this century were the theory of relativity in the realm of physics and the work of uncovering the unconscious in the realm of psychology. He further remarked that the discovery of the unconscious revealed that each individual is in fact a cosmos, a universe.

Credit for the discovery of the unconscious in Western psychology goes to Freud, whose work was followed by Adler, Jung, Maslow and others, who have dramatically extended our exploration of the psychic cosmos.

In the East some 2,500 years ago, Shakyamuni, widely known as the Buddha, creatively adapted and recast the ancient philosophy of the Upanishads as he developed his own philosophy. His awakening as he meditated beneath the bodhi tree may be considered a seminal event, a critical moment, in Eastern psychology. This awakening started with his insights into his own unconscious and expanded to illuminate a vast psychic cosmos.

His exploration of his inner world, this inner cosmos, moved beyond the individual level, deepening eventually to include all humankind. He continued to explore the bounds of selfhood, from commonality of all living things, to those depth realms where the self is fused with the Earth, the solar system and the entire universe. He finally awakened to the fundamental wisdom of life, the life of the universe itself, which gives rise to all phenomena as they evolve in harmonious unity with the psychic cosmos.

Later practitioners would refer to the cosmic life-force to which Shakyamuni awakened as the Buddha-nature. They would explore means and methods of practice by which all people can manifest the vast energy, dignity and wisdom of this life-state; methods, in other words , of self-empowerment.

A Three-Layered Structure of Consciousness

Here I would like to give a brief outline of the eight consciousness teaching that forms an important basis of Buddhist psychology.

The word that is translated as consciousness is the Sanskrit vijñana, which indicates a wide range of activities include sensation, cognition, affect and conscious thought. Vijñana can be thought of referring to the entire psychic cosmos.

According to the Yogacara School, vijñana comprises three layers: 1) the five senses and waking consciousness; 2) the mano consciousness; and 3) the alaya consciousness, with the alaya being regarded as the most core, or fundamental site of psychological activity. In other words, the content of the alaya layer makes it self known, and becomes manifest, in the activities of the mano layer, as well as in the five senses and the waking consciousness. Conversely, the activities of the more superficial layers are inscribed in the depths of the alaya consciousness. There is thus a constant and intimate interaction between the different layers of consciousness.

It should also be clarified at this point that the alaya consciousness should not simply be understood in an ontological sense, as existing, but as embracing a cognitive and even an ethical dimension.

The mano and alaya layers of consciousness in many senses correspond to the individual and collective unconscious in Jungian psychology.

I would like first to look at the mano consciousness, which is described as emerging from the alaya consciousness and as being focused in its "attention" on the alaya consciousness.

In this sense, the mano layer can be understood as the seat of the most basic consciousness of self. The Sanskrit verb from which this derives is manas, meaning to think or to consider. Thus the mano consciousness is always thinking about, considering, and in fact reifying the alaya consciousness of the individual, which it perceives as something unique and isolated from other things. It is from this strong attachment, or clinging, to a reified alaya consciousness that mano consciousness generates the sense of a limited, isolated self referred to in Buddhism as the lesser self.

When the mano consciousness functions in this manner it gives rise to a series of powerful delusions that manifest in the other, more immediate layers of perception and consciousness as attachment to and pride in this proscribed sense of selfhood. The delusion that the reified alaya conscious is one's true self is identified with fundamental ignorance, a turning away from the truth of the interconnectedness of all being. It is this sense of one's self as separate and isolated from others that gives rise to discrimination against others, to destructive arrogance and acquisitiveness.

The lesser self is deeply insecure, and vacillates between feelings of superiority and inferiority with regard to others; in the pursuit of its own fulfillment, the lesser self will unthinkingly harm or wound others. When the mano consciousness is filled with these delusions about the nature of the self, they give rise to a whole series of delusions that the early Buddhist took great pains to name, number and classify, but which I will omit here in the interest of time. Suffice it to say that the mano consciousness functions to create a strong sense of disjunction between self and others and to generate discriminatory attitudes towards those we experience as "other."

Characteristics of the Alaya Consciousness.

In the Trimsika-vijnapti, Vasubandhu ascribes the following characteristics to the alaya consciousness. First, it is not obscured by delusion and is morally neutral, that is, it is equally receptive to the karmic imprint of both negative and positive causes. Next, it is extremely dynamic; its flow is compared to that of a raging torrent. In Sanskrit the word alaya means to store, and it is in this consciousness that the latent causes, often described metaphorically as seeds, are retained.

Karma is, of course, a basic concept in Buddhism. It posits that our thoughts, words and deeds (whether conscious or in the unconscious realm of the mano layer) invariably exert an influence that is impressed or imprinted into the deepest layers of life, the alaya consciousness. When they encounter the right enabling conditions, these latent causes, or karmic seeds, become manifest as the functions of the mano or other more superficial layers of consciousness.

These karmic seeds can be either positive or negative. Positive latent causes become manifest in positive psychological functions such as trust, non-violence, self-control, compassion and wisdom. Negative latent causes become manifest as various forms of delusion and destructive behavior. In this sense the functioning of the alaya consciousness can be understood as prior to that of delusions; it is not stained or influenced by them. It remains neutral and equally receptive to either type of karmic imprinting.

As mentioned, the alaya consciousness interacts constantly and intimately with other layers of consciousness such as the mano consciousness, waking consciousness and the sensory functions. It is not a separate, independent thing or entity. It is better thought of as a fluid and vitally evolving flow. It is this lack of fixity, this fluidity, that opens the possibility to transforming the content of the alaya consciousness, and thus the functioning of the other layers of consciousness.

Transforming Consciousness and Gaining Wisdom

The idea of transforming consciousness and gaining wisdom is central to Buddhist psychology and perhaps represents Buddhism's most direct contribution to the idea of self-empowerment.

The Indian Yogacara School elucidated the eight-layered structure of the consciousness outlined above. It was the T'ien T'ai and Hua-yen (Kegon) schools in China that uncovered a ninth consciousness, an undefiled amala consciousness underlying, supporting and embracing the functioning of the alaya consciousness.

Taking up the thread of the nine consciousness teaching, Nichiren describes different types of wisdom that manifest in each layer of consciousness. The amala consciousness manifests the wisdom to understand that we are one with the cosmic life-force. This is the fundamental wisdom of the living universe, and it is by manifesting this most fundamental wisdom that we are able to transform the workings of the other layers of consciousness, including that of the alaya consciousness, where profound karmic causes reside. This transformation is the objective of Buddhist psychology and of Buddhist practice, including the pursuit of the altruistic bodhisattva way.

Buddhist practice impresses the seeds of positive causes in the alaya consciousness. The more and the stronger these causes, the more fully the content of the alaya consciousness is transformed. As the alaya consciousness is transformed, it shines with the light of a wisdom that can be likened to a great mirror, perfectly reflecting all phenomena in their true aspect. This is the wisdom of interdependence, the wisdom to perceive and understanding that, at the most profound level, we are all interconnected and interdependent.

When the alaya consciousness is transformed in this manner, it stimulates the arising in the mano consciousness of the wisdom to perceive the equality of all things. In other words, the mano consciousness no longer functions as the site of a fundamentally discriminatory consciousness, but can perceive its "own" alaya consciousness as equally part of a creatively evolving cosmic life-force. In other words, the mano consciousness ceases to generate a falsely proscribed sense of "self" in profound ontological conflict with others.

Overcoming the deep-rooted tendency to reify and cling to the alaya consciousness enables the individual to overcome feelings of fear and dread toward physical death. This is replaced by a profound awareness that the alaya consciousness is a flow of life, repeatedly undergoing cycles of life and death, supported and embraced by the fundamental vitality and wisdom inherent in the universe, that is, the amala, or ninth, consciousness). Death comes to be understood as the cyclical waning of the ability to support the active functioning of the mano consciousness, the waking consciousness and the sensory organs. These functions become latent within the alaya consciousness upon death, but the alaya consciousness does not undergo extinction when an individual dies, but maintains the continuity of the life-flow over the course of cycles of life and death.

When deep-seated delusions regarding the nature of the self and its existence are overcome, the mano consciousness can now function as the site of positive characteristics such as trust, self-control, and compassion.

The transformation of the deepest layers of consciousness impacts the functioning of cognition and perception, located in waking consciousness and the sensory apparatus. These become imbued with their own forms of wisdom, including the wisdom to freely control the functions of the senses and to act in a manner that most effectively advances one's own life and the lives of others.

A person who constantly strives to effect this kind of profound transformation of all layers of consciousness, and who seeks to inspire and aid others in this quest, is referred to as a bodhisattva.

The SGI Movement and the Way of the Bodhisattva

In Nichiren Buddhism, the fundamental practice is that of reciting the mantra Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the mandala inscribed by Nichiren for the purpose of enabling people to manifest the wisdom of the ninth or amala consciousness. In this manner, we seek to transform consciousness and gain wisdom, awaken the Buddha nature that is one with the cosmic life-force and to establish a boddhisattvic self.

Nichiren identifies four virtues of the bodhisattva as true self, eternity, purity and joy.

The virtue of true self might be understood as the experience of expansive freedom and hope that is rooted in a sense of unity with the life-force of the cosmos. Eternity indicates the creativity inherent in the life of the universe that drives constant renewal and rejuvenation; the vitality to surmount any obstacle. Purity is the function of the cosmic life to cleanse the restrictive egotism that stains and distorts the self. Finally, the virtue of joy is the quality of self-realization, a life-state of utter confidence and serenity based on one's identification with the universal life.

Nichiren asserts that a genuine bodhisattva manifests the entire spectrum of these four virtues. And it is these virtues, true self, eternity, purity and joy, that enable the bodhisattva to transform negative circumstances into the occasion for growth and the creation of value. It is for this reason that the bodhisattva does not avoid or retreat from the difficulties and challenges of life, but rather places her- or himself in their very midst, acknowledging and confronting them head-on.

Nichiren describes the benefit of the reciting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as that of transforming the inevitable sufferings of living--what Buddhism terms the "four sufferings" of birth, aging, illness and death--into the four virtues of true self, eternity, purity and joy. The bodhisattva, by transforming those experiences that are so often the cause of great suffering into the opportunity for development and advancement, inspires others to pursue a path of "transforming consciousness and gaining wisdom."

Through active engagement with others, we can continually strengthen and deepen this bodhisattvic self, in an endeavor that is not limited to the pursuit of personal happiness, but involves a commitment to the realization of peace, both for humankind and for the entire biosphere.

The work of the Soka Gakkai International to promote a contemporary movement of the Bodhisattva Way is rooted in the efforts of individuals to transform their inner, psychic cosmos. By manifesting wisdom in all layers of consciousness, and encouraging the development of this wisdom in our families, communities and societies, we seek to overcome the delusions that give rise to a host of well-rehearsed personal and social ills: from the sense of disempowerment that plagues so many people, to intra- and intersocietal conflicts, to ecological destruction. While the path of the bodhisattva may represent a gradualist approach, we are confident that it represents a fundamental transformation, with the power to change for the better the lives both of individuals and of all humankind.

(from: http://www.iop.or.jp/kawada2.htm )

 

[Babbabud]

Enlightenment

Enlightenment

Thanks so much PTD for taking the time and energy to post each day for us all. We a truly enjoy your post in this household and is the perfect way to start our day along with Gonyo . So thanks again for your time and energy. Hope all that view this thread are having a great weekend ... dont forget to spend some time chanting . Much love to the whole family from the Babba's .
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Guest]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

We also agree wholeheartidly on this end that we are very very greatful for all the enlightening posts the personally powerful empowering outstanding messages, support, examples and truths we nourish ourselves with everyday. To grow with each post is incredible to propagate this incredible sentiment is seemingly fluid. The truth within this thread is the growth and the direction that coincides with the general law of the universe. If you take the time to reflect on these posts a few times the incredibly potent meanings build upon each other and honestly take you to where you belong. Where you belong is where your truly believe. Where you go is beyond your expectations, how you get there is what has been improving, now if your still with me, where you are when you chant think of me! I am with you, the network is incredibly powerful, we are all interconnected and grateful of the empowerment and reawakening of the spirit that is bound to supreme law. Upon this foundation upon my own search, great teachers have come and gone but those that propagate answers which you believe grow as the lotus or the wild cannabis secluded in the brush.

the Gohonzon shall soon be with me again.

Thanks




Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"If only you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then what offense could fail to
be eradicated? What blessing could fail to come? This is the truth,
and it is of great profundity. You should believe and accept it."

(WND, 130)
Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man
Recipient unknown; written in 1265

 

[PassTheDoobie]

My deepest and most sincere CONGRATULATIONS IN ADVANCE to easydisco on this, his Gohonzon birthday. Today is the first day of the rest of your life! Enjoy it!

Sincere respect,

Thomas

And Delta, Bud, and easy--thanks for the thanks, but if I didn't owe you all this, it could never ever happen in the first place. I bow in obeisance to the debt of gratitude I owe you all! You all effect my life in the most positive way, and your expression of appreciation, make it a very simple thing to continue to do. Thank you!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

King Wonderful Adornment

King Wonderful Adornment

Sons' Abilities Inspire a King To Embrace Buddhism

"Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment," the twenty-seventh chapter of the Lotus Sutra, relates the story of a king named Wonderful Adornment, his wife, Pure Virtue, and his two sons, Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye.

The brothers, after receiving instruction from a Buddha named Cloud Thunder Sound Constellation King Flower Wisdom, devoted themselves to a bodhisattva practice, that is, practice based on a vow to save living beings from suffering. Consequently, the brothers acquired many supernatural powers.

The brothers cherished the wish that their parents would embrace Buddhism, and they invited their mother to go with them to listen to the Buddha preach. She agreed, and suggested that they devise a way to interest their father - a believer in Brahmanism - in joining them. She encouraged them to demonstrate for their father some of the mysterious and wonderful "supernatural" abilities they had obtained through their bodhisattva practice. They did so, and their father, impressed, asked who had taught them to perfect such abilities.

Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye told their father that they were disciples of a Buddha named Cloud Thunder Sound Constellation King Flower Wisdom, and the king developed a desire to see this Buddha. With his wife and children and a retinue of ministers and aides, the king went to visit the Buddha, heard him preach, and became his disciple. In the sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha prophesizes that the king would become a Buddha named Sal Tree King.

As Nichiren Daishonin says: "The Law cannot be propagated by itself. Since a person propagates the Law, the person and the Law are worthy of respect" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 856). Buddhism, although powerful, cannot propagate itself.

The brothers Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye converted their father to Buddhism by showing him the wonderful powers that they acquired through their practice. While the Sutra describes these abilities as "supernatural," depicting amazing feats, these can be thought of as symbolizing astounding improvement in terms of character, temperament or behavior. People come to understand the greatness of Buddhism and the Buddha by witnessing the conduct of Buddhist practitioners. In other words, the greatness of a teacher and a teaching is only truly understood through the greatness or integrity of the students. This is one aspect of the principle of oneness of mentor and disciple.

In this regard, SGI President Ikeda said of King Wonderful Adornment: "Family members in particular need to see actual proof, for they know us best of all. No matter how great we may present ourselves outside the home, our family can clearly see the reality of our situation. Of course, there are most likely also sides of us that our family is the last to know. "At any rate, parents can see the growth of their children, and a wife can tell when her husband has changed for the better. This human revolution amounts to 'supernatural abilities.'

"The fact that the Ikegami brothers of the Daishonin's time were able to guide their father, who had been adamantly opposed to their practice, to the Daishonin's teaching is surely a demonstration of their noble humanity to remain undaunted even in the face of their father's attacks" (August 2000 Living Buddhism, p. 36).

While the sutra refers to supernatural or transcendental powers, Nichiren Daishonin says, "Outside of the attainment of Buddhahood, there is no 'secret' and no 'transcendental"' (GZ, 753).

In other words, the amazing powers displayed by Buddhas and bodhisattvas as described in the sutra can be seen as symbolizing the admirable qualities of those who have developed their inner state of life, or Buddhahood.

A parent witnessing a child who had been habitually lazy suddenly gain enthusiasm for his or her studies, or a wife who sees her demanding and unappreciative husband become consistently considerate, may feel like they have witnessed a supernatural transformation. Such changes can convince people of the power of Buddhist practice. "Actual proof" in Buddhism refers in a sense to changing what had been perceived impossible to change about ourselves, or accomplishing something we had thought beyond our ability. When we improve the things about ourselves that are most difficult to change, we are accomplishing human revolution, which is in itself extraordinary.

In Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, T'ien-t'ai describes an episode from a previous life of King Wonderful Adornment and his family described in another sutra: "There were once four people who practiced Buddhism together. One among them cooked the meals and attended to the daily affairs of the other three so that they could devote all their time and energy to the practice of Buddhism. The three who engaged themselves completely in Buddhist practice attained enlightenment, but the one who managed the affairs of the household did not. Through supporting the others, however, he accumulated good fortune and as a result was reborn a king in lifetime after lifetime. This was King Wonderful Adornment. The other three were born as his wife and children who led him to practice Buddhism."

Nichiren Daishonin states: "It is no doubt because of karmic forces that they became my parents, and I, their child. If Nichiren is the envoy of the Lotus Sutra and the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, then his parents must also share this relationship. They are like King Wonderful Adornment and Lady Pure Virtue with their sons, Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye" ("Letter to Jakunichibo," WND, 993). In other words, Nichiren Daishonin compares himself and his disciples to Lady Pure Virtue and the brothers Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye, and the people and rulers of japan to King Wonderful Adornment.

According to the law of causality, the circumstances into which we are born in this life are a reflection of our actions in past lives. Life is in essence eternal, and nothing happens to us at random, outside the web of cause and effect that permeates past, present and future. Some are born to wealthy families and some to poor, some are born healthy and some sick, all effects of causes formed in the past. Buddhism asks us to accept responsibility for our situations, or lot in life, but not to be resigned to them. Instead, Buddhist practice is a source of confidence and hope that we can and will absolutely improve ourselves and our circumstances through the causes we make today. Because of the karmic connection we share, our relationships with our parents and family members are especially profound, and praying for family harmony and happiness is to pray and open the way to our personal happiness and fortune.


By Jeff Kriger, SGI-USA Study Department Vice Leader, based in part on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[Babbabud]

Congratulations Easydisco

Congratulations Easydisco

Congrats to our friend Easydisco !!!!! He has recieved his Gohonzon today. Woooohooooo wow a whole family of encouragement. So happy for you Easy. Way to go forward with a positive attitude and find your way to a great family. Your seeking spirit has led you to a great group of ppl and truly a large step in allowing your buddha nature to emerge. So happy for you brother !! much love from the Babba's
nam myoho renge kyo