Chanting Growers Group

[mrwags]

More Questions For The Group

More Questions For The Group

Those who do not understand the distinctions between the two truths(relative and Absolute) do not understand the profound truth embodied in the Buddha's message.


Nagarjuna


Well group with all the words in this masterpiece of a thread I thought I might add something from a newbie who's been reading a few books only to find I've lived over 3/4 of my life the way I've been reading about in those books kinda neat if ya think about it. I came here almost from the beginning to learn how to grow the weed and somehow someway found (maybe) my direction and learned that going through life never judging and always having and open mind and wanting to live life through experience rather than teachings or sermons are maybe not such a bad thing after all rather the teachings are the tools and it is up to each individual to use those tools to build his or her house so to speak. But above all else keep it simple and make it for YOU.

How can we see the world as it comes to be in each moment rather than as what we think,hope,or fear it is?

How can we base our actions on Reality rather than on the longing and loathing of our hearts and minds?

How can we live lives that are wise,compassionate,and in tune with reality?

What is the experience of being awake?

I found these 4 little questions in my readings that I think to be fitting for the simple folk like myself that need a Cliff note to grab their attention and spark some interest and figure out what that part of you that you know in your life that has been missing. I can only hope in the near future I'm more educated on the subject to speak more,for now I say thank you thank you all for sharing because those of us ON THIS THREAD know that is what it's all about.


I'll Be Back

Mr.Wags

 

[Guest]

"Now Nichiren and his followers, those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are the original lord of teachings of the “Life Span” chapter. Generally speaking, the bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching are not the sort of persons who are qualified to handle this chapter. For they employ an approach in which the theoretical teaching is on the surface and the essential teaching is in the background, while Nichiren and his followers employ an approach in which the essential teaching is in the forefront and the theoretical teaching is in the background.

Be that as it may, this chapter does not represent the teaching that is essential for the Latter Day of the Law. The reason is that this chapter embodies the Buddhism of the harvest suitable for the time when the Buddha was in the world. But only the five characters of the daimoku constitute the Buddhism of the sowing that is suitable for the present time. Thus, the Buddhism of the harvest is for the time when the Buddha was in the world, and the Buddhism of sowing is for the time after his passing. Hence it is the Buddhism of the sowing that is needed in the Latter Day of the Law."

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, reach out and be active in your community. June 4th will be my 4th month as a member of this thread and this forum. I am in great appreciation of the site and also the participants and readers of this thread. Together we are implementing Kosen-rufu. It is my honour and pleasure to start my days with this thread and also end my days with this thread, within this thread you will find Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and many incredible guidance and explinations with incredibly thoughtful detail and profound resonating truth.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

When one carries out the single practice of exercising faith in Myoho-renge-kyo, there are no blessings that fail to come to one, and no good karma that does not begin to work on one's behalf. It is like the case of a fishing net: though the net is composed of innumerable small meshes, when one pulls on the main cord of the net, there are no meshes that do not move. Or it is like a garment: though the garment is composed of countless tiny threads, when one pulls on a corner of the garment, there are no threads that are not drawn along.

[ Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man - Part Two, WND Page 133 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

mrwags there's a short answer and a longer one...

mrwags there's a short answer and a longer one...

This is the short answer:

Next week I went to my meeting, met more new people, hugged them all and spoke to them as I speak to you, "Please tell me all you can regarding how you live your life?" Then more questions like " Please explain the devil of the 6th heaven and why I make mistakes if I am a buddha? " "Please tell me what I need to know right away"

HAHAHAHAHA, do you know what their answers where? I bet you do.....

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!

I owe scegy an answer to another Q first and then I will provide a more complete response to your questions as well. These are very good questions sir! I've been chanting about you and wondering when those questions you promised would be coming. Now I get to ponder how to most appropriately respond to them! Thank you! May I also extend my warm thanks and gratitude for your continuing support for the thread.

Wow folks! First week back and we will hit around 1,400 views for this week! Damn! It seems this is a more and more important place for a greater number of folks! That's a good thing--and it has nothing to do with me! If it weren't for the Buddhist gods that guard and support and house this thread, none of what is happening between us all would be occurring. Please let us all express our appropriate gratitude and goodwill toward ICMag, Gypsy and DG! Chant for their protection! The devil of the sixth heaven is going to have a hard-on for the house of the Law. FUCK HIM!

If we stick together and pray for their protection, then we are protected. In many respects this is the same debt of gratitude that one holds to their sovereign. It is an acknowledged fact that there are still challenges being faced by our brave friends. Please join me, from the bottom of your heart in asking the Universe to show actual proof to everyone that visits here, that no harm can come to those who have faith in the Law.

We may face challenges galore, but we kick all those challenges asses. These challenges refine and hone and strengthen our faith. We never give up. We never fear defeat. We have faith and take care of business. We chant rather than talk and talk and make strategies based on delusion. We manifest wisdom. We show the way. It is our mission and our responsibility--to ourselves and to all others.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! Chant for the house that we meet in!


From the bottom of my heart, thank you Gypsy and DG!

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nyaku noran sha zu ha shichibun

Those who vex and trouble [the practitioners of the Law] will have their heads split into seven pieces.

[the above phrase is inscribed on the face of the Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It is the heart that is important. No matter how earnestly Nichiren prays for you, if you lack faith, it will be like trying to set fire to wet tinder. Spur yourself to muster the power of faith."

(The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1000) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 15th, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Hey scegy!

Hey scegy!

the question....goes specialy to older members, once u started to walk the buddahood life, have u ever stopped practicing?

Hey scegy, thanks for your patience in getting a response to this question. If one were to define "practice" as diligently applying oneself every single day toward the attainment of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi (the sixth stage of practice per Nichiren / post # 2785 and 2786, in which one has overcome the influence of one’s own fundamental darkness—an influence also referred to as the devil of the sixth heaven), through a daily process of seeking one’s enlightenment by never failing to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, always doing Gongyo twice a day to the Gohonzon, studying the teachings of Nichiren and doing one’s best to consistently share one’s experiences; then my answer to that question would have to be in all honesty a resounding, “YES!!!”

I’m not that strong. Few people are, in my experience. But on the other hand, if one were to view “faith” from the perspective of the mercy of the Gohonzon, as being the guiding dictate of practice; then the answer would have to be a resounding, “NO!!!”

I have a very peculiar personal circumstance in the manner in which I found Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I have tried typing out the whole experience before, in order to share it here, but it’s still sitting incomplete in a word file on my hard-drive. In the absence of that story yet to be shared, let me just say that by the time I found out what Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was, I already knew that it worked.

I was in a desperate situation as a struggling young man, and when I was told I could just say the words over and over again (chant), without knowing what they meant or what they were or where they came from and just think about what I wanted to have happen—I did it. I mean, dude! For reals! All I knew was the words, and was told to say them and think about what I wanted to have happen and it would happen—I didn’t even know it was Buddhism.

EVERYTHING I chanted for happened. Mind boggling miracles. It was probably the most mystic phase of my life. I, in hindsight, now know that to embrace the Law so quickly, without hesitation or influence (The person that told me these few short sentences, with no other explanation, was gone from my life, as quickly as they entered it) is extremely unusual. And actually, it was a gigantic, wonderful act of pure faith. One that I am of the humble opinion, beyond anything that anyone could convince me of otherwise, precedes this lifetime and is reflective of a long and continuous relationship with the Law.

No one to ask questions to. No one to give me insight on how to do it or why. Just a scared nineteen year old skinny hippy dude from the midwest trying to make his way into the hippyland of Southern California back in 1972. Faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo came naturally for me, as it’s all I had to protect me in this world. No parents or family or friends to cling to. Just my “magic” words and me.

So when I received my Gohonzon in 1973, I was already of the mind that if I ever turned my back on my faith, I was fucking myself in a manner in which I might never recover. By then, my relationship with Mr. Matsuoka was in full bloom, as I met him at my second SGI meeting. I never ever ever ever ever ever ever ever want to risk not being born in my next life as anything but a disciple of the Buddha of Beginningless Time.

So based on that, though I have missed Gongyo (remember it was once much more arduous of a task than the Gongyo of the SGI today) many times, failed to chant for days at a time, neglected study for months at a time; I have NEVER stopped sharing the Law with others from day one, nor has my Gohonzon ever failed to be enshrined in my home. Have I always practiced this Buddhism with the SGI? No. Do I suggest that anyone attempting to practice this Buddhism do so with the SGI? ABSOLUTELY YES!!!

There is no sin in Buddhism, just value and non-value. Cause and effect. The mercy of the Gohonzon, of the Mystic Law of Life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is infinite. Based on developing your faith so you are always directed home, like a proverbial prodigal son, the Gohonzon--the Mystic Law of Life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo--will embrace you, shelter you, feed you, and protect you. With faith, one’s practice, which has become neglected, can be turned on a dime and become vibrant again instantaneously.

The key is to avoid the accumulation of slander, and develop your faith day by day. This is how one progresses from the first stage of practice to the sixth. Keep in mind that the fourth stage of “resemblance to enlightenment” precedes the fifth stage of “progressive awakening”. Your perspective and wisdom will be always changing and becoming more profound. Sometimes this is a process of practice, and sometimes one has to “suffer what there is to suffer” in order to perceive life in the manner that will allow them to genuinely “enjoy what there is to enjoy.”

The Universe is fully aware of the difficulty of sustaining faith. Your Tenth World knows how hard it is for you to sustain its dominance over your other lower Nine Worlds. Never stop chanting throughout your life and develop your faith by challenging the Law for those things that for you, give it meaning. Pray for the fortune to speak the Daimoku of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the last words you speak in this world.

In my opinion, if one does this, they will have practiced their whole life; regardless of what things took place in-between.

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

But your faith alone will determine all these things. A sword will be useless in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff.

[ Reply to Kyo'o, WND Page 412 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Many hear about and accept this sutra, but when great obstacles arise, just as they were told would happen, few remember it and bear it firmly in mind. To accept is easy; to continue is difficult. But Buddhahood lies in continuing faith. Those who uphold this sutra should be prepared to meet difficulties."

(The Difficulty of Sustaining Faith - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 471) Selection source: For Young Women's Division study meetings, Seikyo Shimbun, May 30th, 2006

 

[Guest]

Thank you for the excellent guidance and inspiration! We are in awe of your commanding presence as a vessel of the law, penetrating the lives of many!

I love life, and have greater appreciation these days than ever before in my life, I almost "skipped" gongyo this morning only to find myself before the Gohonzon just a few hours later today. Its really never too late for Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

We are in awe of your commanding presence as a vessel of the law, penetrating the lives of many!

I think you're laying it on a little thick there Brother, but thank you. I am doing nothing other than that which my heart tells me to do. You should never follow the person, you should always follow the Law. Never have your faith depend on another person. NEVER! Develop your personal experiences of faith on your own. Faith comes from manifesting the power of the Law. Get benefits and tell others about the process. Give others encouragement that helps them in their experiences that equally produces their own faith. If one considers themself a Bodhisattva of the Earth, then that's what you do.

Don't be in awe of me. Be in awe of an influence that could make me behave this way!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

 

[Babbabud]

nam myoho renge kyo

nam myoho renge kyo

Man Im glad its never too late for the law. Cause im an old guyhahahahha
All things are "vessels of the law".
The interaction and encouragement is awesome though. Many times I read the thread and want to comment but it seems that words cannot always describe how I feel. Or at least my words But believe me friends I am always here reading and absorbing every line typed. This thread has been an awesome "vessel of the law" and we all really do appreciate it so much. I appreciate GN and DG for housing it here and PTD for starting it . But most of all everyone who comes here and views it because I know they are the ones that it is for. Not everyone that reads this thread chooses to comment. In fact from the numbers on this thing it looks as though the majority of the people that follow it dont post. I hope the people that view but dont post feel as I do about this thread. It brings so much light into my life each day. Having you guys to bounce my feelings off of and to recieve so much encouragement from to go forward and face our days. Its great to have this thread reminding us why we choose to be positive and what it is that keeps us walking with our eyes open and our heads up.
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Guest]

I think you're laying it on a little thick there Brother, but thank you. I am doing nothing other than that which my heart tells me to do. You should never follow the person, you should always follow the Law. Never have your faith depend on another person. NEVER! Develop your personal experiences of faith on your own. Faith comes from manifesting the power of the Law. Get benefits and tell others about the process. Give others encouragement that helps them in their experiences that equally produces their own faith. If one considers themself a Bodhisattva of the Earth, then that's what you do.

Don't be in awe of me. Be in awe of an influence that could make me behave this way!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

I was originally going to post, "I'll have whatever he is having...." refering to your amazing post. When you write those lengthy, educating, inspiring posts PTD, I really am proud to be in your company. That "influence" is with me from time to time and to see you capture its essence and share an incredibly thoughtful post with incredible messages mainly NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO, leave me in awe of you and anyone else willing to expound the law in such a manner! Kudos to all!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

So reassure them that we have their back!

So reassure them that we have their back!

I appreciate GN and DG for housing it here..... But most of all everyone who comes here and views it because I know they are the ones that it is for. .....nam myoho renge kyo

Come on! Limber up your fingers and encourage our friends! PM Gypsy and DG and let them know that the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that you find here is alive in your desire for their protection. They are taking on great evil. Let them know that you are chanting for their victory--that they are not alone.

Let them know that you're chanting for them! Send them a message and let them know you care. And please join me in chanting for their protection every day. If nothing else, cut and paste,and send this:

Don't be afraid! Don't be defeated! Faith! Victory of GOLD!

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

True Cause

True Cause

Perhaps the most important teaching of the Lotus Sutra is that concerning exactly how long Shakyamuni has been a Buddha. "The Life Span of the Thus Come One" (sixteenth) chapter reveals his attainment of Buddhahood in the remote past overturning people's assumption that he attained enlightenment for the first time at around age of thirty, after meditating under the bodhi tree in India. Instead, he says: "In all the worlds the heavenly and human beings and asuras all believe that the present Shakyamuni Buddha, after leaving the place of the Shakyas, seated himself in the place of practice not far from the city of Gaya and there attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi [supreme enlightenment]. But good men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas (1) of kalpas (2) since I in fact attained Buddhahood" (The Lotus Sutra, chap. 16, p. 225).

The Buddha then explains with examples on a cosmic scale the astounding magnitude of this "life span" as a Buddha.

This has many profound implications. First, in all his teachings before the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha related stories of his practice in many lifetimes spanning countless kalpas in preparation for his attainment of buddhahood in the current lifetime. With this revelation, however, it becomes clear that he was already a Buddha while caring out these practices. His true identity is that of a Buddha since the inconceivably remote past. Hence his actions as an ordinary person for the sake of others over countless lifetimes were all expressions of, rather than means to attain, Buddhahood. This opens the way for the idea that ordinary persons can themselves be Buddhas who express their enlightenment through their mundane actions, particularly in their efforts to help others.

It also attests to the enduring nature of Buddhahood: Rather than being simply a hard-won state of spiritual attainment, it is an ever-present innate condition that transcends birth and death.

Shakyamuni's revelation of having attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago is an expression of the "mystic principle of true effect." That is, the "truth" of the Buddha's enlightenment (the effect of Buddhist practice) is that he had been enlightened since the remote past. But what of the cause of his enlightenment?

The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai of China identifies another statement in the "Life Span" (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way..," (LS16, 227) as referring to the true cause of Shakyamuni's original enlightenment. Shakyamuni, however, does not clarify what this "bodhisattva way" was. T'ien-t'ai interpreted it as a reference to a particular stage of Bodhisattva practice (3). Nevertheless, there is no precise reference to what practice or teaching enabled the Buddha to attain this state. Thus, the true cause of Shakyamuni's original attainment of enlightenment remained a mystery.

Nichiren Daishonin, however, identified that true cause as the fundamental Law that enables all Buddhas to attain enlightenment, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Regarding the significance of Shakyamuni's revelation he writes: "When we come to the 'Life Span' chapter of the essential teaching, the belief that Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood for the first time [in India] is demolished, and the effects [enlightenment] of the four teachings (4) are likewise demolished. When the effects of the four teachings are demolished, their causes are likewise demolished. 'Causes' here refers to Buddhist practice [to attain enlightenment] or to the stage of disciples engaged in practice. Thus the causes and effects expounded the both the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra are wiped out, and the cause and effect of the Ten Worlds in the essential teaching are revealed. This is the doctrine of original cause and original effect. It teaches that the nine worlds are all present in beginningless Buddhahood and that Buddhahood exists in the beginningless nine worlds. This is the true mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, the true hundred worlds and thousand factors, the true three thousand realms in a single moment of life" ("The Essence of the 'Life Span' Chapter," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 183).

"Original cause and original effect" in this passage are the same as :true cause" and "true effect." The "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra overturns the concept of Buddhahood stated in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings as well as those of the first-half, or theoretical teaching, of the Lotus Sutra. Later in the same letter, Nichiren Daishonin refers to the "true cause" of the Buddha's enlightenment, stating, "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the "Life Span" chapter, is the mother of all Buddhas" (WND, 184).

Nichiren Daishonin's teaching is known as the "Buddhism of the True Cause" because it elucidates the fundamental Law or principle by which all Buddhas attain their original enlightenment and by which all people can become Buddhas.

What does this principle of "true cause mean" to us ordinary practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism? Nichiren Daishonin quotes the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra: "If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present" (WND, p. 279).

In one sense, how we approach life and our Buddhist practice depends on whether we have a perspective of "true effect" or "true cause." A perspective of "true effect," only sees enlightenment, or happiness, a result of past causes. From the perspective of "true cause," enlightenment, or happiness, is an ever-present potential; the cause for bringing it forth can only be made right now, in the present moment. The moment we make the "true cause," enlightenment reveals itself.

From the standpoint of the mystic principle of true cause (Jpn hon'in-myo) past, present and future exist fully in this moment. We cannot change the past, yet there is no reason to let it bind or restrict us. All of us face setbacks, disappointments and crises from time to time, but whatever our circumstances or our past, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a strong resolve, we are creating a brilliant future in this moment. The true cause for enlightenment and the true effect of enlightenment are fully present at each moment as we exert ourselves in faith and practice.

Regarding the spirit of true cause, SGI President Ikeda said in a dialogue with young people, "The past is the past and the future is the future. You should keep moving forward with a steady eye on the future, telling yourself, "I'll start from today!' 'I'll start afresh from now, from this moment!' This is the essence of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of True Cause, the spirit of starting from the present moment. This is the heart of our daimoku" (World Tribune, November 1, 1996, p.11).

By Jeff Kriger, SGI-USA Study Department Vice Leader

1. Nayuta (Skt): An Indian numerical unit.

2. Kalpa (Skt): An extremely long period of time.

3. In particular, the eleventh of fifty-two stages through which a bodhisattva progresses toward Buddhahood.

4. Four Teachings: They are the Tripitaka, Connecting, Specific and Perfect Teachings.

(from: http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/buddhismtoday/bc035.htm )

 

[Guest]

We cannot change the past, yet there is no reason to let it bind or restrict us. All of us face setbacks, disappointments and crises from time to time, but whatever our circumstances or our past, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a strong resolve, we are creating a brilliant future in this moment. The true cause for enlightenment and the true effect of enlightenment are fully present at each moment as we exert ourselves in faith and practice.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! Let us move forward always victorious and triumphant.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring. Never, from ancient times on, has anyone heard or seen of winter turning back to autumn. Nor have we ever heard of a believer in the Lotus Sutra who turned into an ordinary person. The sutra reads, "If there are those who hear the Law, then not a one will fail to attain Buddhahood."

[ Winter Always Turns to Spring, WND Page 536 ]

 

[Guest]

I would like to further discuss our realationship and the very familiar aspects of recent events! I had a rare conversation with my older mother who has an interesting past with me, I have chanted for her well being and as a result the most incredible ocurrance manifested as a result of my prayers.

When I recieved my gohonzon I heard a speaker that day discuss their growth in SGI over the last 10 years and his reference to his mother's devote catholicism which I could also relate to. He had a tough life, but who hasn't? His mother supported his "Chanting" and when she reached a low point in her life she requested her son chant for her. He did, and she eventually recouped very well and began to also chant shortly after!

I love my mother, now even more than before because Nichiren Buddhism has helped me honor and respect my parents and our relationship even though it may usually be an uphill battle, but without those pitfalls I never would have reached the level of enlightenment she personally helped me achieve.

Now, my mother is also a devote christian but an educated woman who freely chooses to practice as she sees fit. She has practiced many different variations of the same christianity and also studied anthropology, sociology and a few major religions. She has studied the Lotus Sutra and is familiar with Shakymuni as well. She is aware of my former desire to seek Buddhism and of me recieving my Gohonzon.

I was speaking to her about my continued growth with SGI (she is already familiar to a slight degree with my growth in SGI) and telling her about Nichiren and how he is the Buddha just as Shakymuni is Buddha just as I am the Buddha. I said "mum I am the Buddha, I make my own benefits! I know why you gave me my name now, because your reference to 'god is with us(the meaning of name)' is a deeper reference to my Buddhanature and how it is within me!" She then said something that made perfect sense to me a well versed layperson of christianity including the new revelations attributed to the recent coptic translation of a purported Judas Gospel which portrays Judas not as a sinister betrayer but as Jesus' confidant and also proves to me my theory that Jesus was a gnostic communist Buddha of jewish descent. My mother said I know that Buddha and Jesus are both Buddhas! When she made reference to her "Jesus" as Buddha I immediately told her about Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and she said "What? Say it again" I told her 4 more times and gave her a rough translation of what it means and she said it seemed familiar! She felt happy to hear those words from me.

A woman who has been a devote christian her whole life and still will be, is compassionate and believes in the Buddha, and believes that I am the Buddha and seems to want to believe that She is also the Buddha with unlimited potential. My mother has told me all my life what a great person she felt I was going to be, to me that meant I was nothing until I was greater my own expectations and has set the bar so to speak incredibly high and led to much defeat, but her identifying and understanding Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and her further understanding of the significance behind what she interprets as Jesus and Buddha being the same person proves Nichiren's status as the Buddha of the True Cause.

Nichiren Daishonin's teaching is known as the "Buddhism of the True Cause" because it elucidates the fundamental Law or principle by which all Buddhas attain their original enlightenment and by which all people can become Buddhas.

All these posts are interconnected into our lives, I can always relate to the posts in this thread as a reference point to my life and how it relates to my life as a Buddhist because I make them the cause for these increasingly dramatic effects. In other words I live, like the roar of a lion Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! I am courageous, honorable, respectful, possessing unlimited self esteem and eloquence, enough to finally communicate with a person whom to me is now Beyond what I formerly considered the conceptual buddha. Have you read the translation of gongyo and read how Shakymuni says although he has appeared to go into extinction he is still close by, how we may see his land consumed in a fire but that is our befuddlement which is not so easy to look past.

What does this principle of "true cause mean" to us ordinary practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism? Nichiren Daishonin quotes the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra: "If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present" (WND, p. 279).

My mother has practiced countless religious practices and I know through our growth she has realized an untapped resource of inspiration and unlimited benefit. THAT IS THE LAW WE SPEAK OF IN THIS THREAD EVERYDAY! I knew she was always faithful in her "lord", but how could I understand till now that her faith is relative to mine and her consistency throughout her long life has become something I also strive for daily! She reinforces Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, Nichiren as the Buddha of the True Cause, My status as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, and our incredible gratitude for this thread.

The Benefits go beyond words. I told my mother to chant and join me for a meeting one day.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[Guest]

The heart of the Buddha's lifetime of teachings is the Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the "Never Disparaging" chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging's profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being.

The three kinds of treasure,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 851)
Written to Shijo Kingo on 11 September 1277 from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/851.html


Daily Encouragement:

A coward cannot become a Buddha. We cannot attain Buddhahood unless we possess the heart of a lion. The harsher the situation, the bolder the stand we must take. This is the essence of the Soka Gakkai spirit.


Lectures and articles about Nichiren Buddhism: http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Faith and Reason

Faith and Reason

Faith, or belief, and reason are commonly seen as being fundamentally in opposition to each other. Many people regard any kind of belief--and religious belief in particular--as some sort of paralysis of the faculty of reason, an intellectual crutch. Currently, however, this presumption of a sharp opposition between belief and reason, which has been the hallmark of modern thought, is being reexamined.

Twentieth-century philosophers such as Ludwig Wittgenstein and Jose Ortega y Gasset have pointed out that each of us lives, acts and thinks within a system of beliefs that is largely unconscious but without which we would be incapable of any thought or action. "Our beliefs are already operating in the depths of our lives when we begin to think something," writes Ortega y Gasset. Reason, in this sense, is founded on belief. If belief is the foundation of life, we don't really have a choice of whether to believe or not. We can choose, however, what to believe, what the substance of our faith will be.

Within the Buddhist tradition, the relationship between faith and reason has been the subject of sustained inquiry since ancient times. While this tradition has always held that the Buddha's enlightenment cannot be grasped or expressed in its entirety by reason or language, Buddhism has consistently held that reason and language should be highly valued.

While the Buddha's enlightenment may transcend the realm of reason, it is not irrational, nor does it resist rational examination. Faith in the Buddha's teaching is in fact the basis for a mode of intellectual examination which enlists not only analytical capacities but also seeks to develop the intuitive wisdom found in the deepest spiritual strata of the human being. Learning and knowledge can serve as the portal to wisdom; but it is wisdom that enables us to use knowledge in the most humane and valuable way. The confusion of knowledge and wisdom, arguably, is at the root of our societal distortions.

Nichiren likewise developed and presented his teachings very rationally. He is well known for his scholarship and his willingness to debate. Many of his important writings take the form of a dialectic question and answer in which doubts are presented, responded to and resolved.

Sraddha, prasada and adhimukti are three Sanskrit terms translated in the Lotus Sotra as "faith" or "belief." Sraddha, defined as the first stage of Buddhist practice, means "to arouse faith" and also "to possess curiosity about." The term thus includes the meaning of a sense of awe or wonder that seems to be at the root of all religious sentiment.

Prasada expresses the idea of purity and clarity. It could be said that, from the perspective of Buddhism, the proper purpose of faith is to cleanse the mind in order to enable our inherent wisdom to shine forth.

Adhimukti literally means intent, that is, the orientation of one's mind or will. This is the mental attitude of deepening one's understanding, cultivating and polishing one's life toward perfecting the sublime state of prasada. Faith thus purifies reason, strengthens it and elevates it and is an engine for continuous self-improvement. Daisaku Ikeda has defined faith as "an open, seeking mind, a pure heart and a flexible spirit."

The above terms can be contrasted with bhakti, another Sanskrit term for faith. Bhakti, originally meaning "to become part of," is a faith associated with a practice of surrender to--and unification with--a transcendent deity. This term is seldom, if ever, used in Buddhist texts.

The modern age seems convinced that intellect is an independent faculty, operating independently from feeling or belief. Yet it is becoming clearer that many trends, such as efforts to exert technological mastery over nature, rest on highly subjective beliefs or value judgements.

What is called for now is new unification of belief and reason encompassing all aspects of the human being and society, including the insights achieved by modern science. This must be an attempt to restore wholeness to human society, which has been rent asunder by extremes of reason artificially divorced from belief and irrational religious fanaticism.

This synthesis must grow from a dialogue based on mutual respect. Both sides must approach this dialogue, not with the desire to establish dominion over the other, but with a spirit of learning, of mining deeper and richer veins of truth. This will only be possible if all participants keep firmly in view the goal of human happiness. Does a particular position, approach or belief advance the human condition, or does it drive it back? Only on this basis can a dialogue between faith and reason produce true and lasting value for humankind.

(from: http://www.sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more04.htm )