Chanting Growers Group

[Desiderata]

nam myoho renge kyo........you are faster than light!.............

 

[Babbabud]

So Great to see you posting and chanting Desiderata
nam myoho renge kyo

where you at SoCal ?? much love brother
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Guest]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!


Please remember to attend a meeting this week, Buddhism is practiced with the people! Reach out into your community and take part, I have faith this will help you overcome more than you anticipate even if you have been going most of your life.

Gosho Excerpt:

"The Buddha dwells within our hearts. For example, flint has the potential to produce fire, and gems have intrinsic value. We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts.

New Year's Gosho,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 1137)
Written to Lady Omosu on 5 January from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/1137.html




Daily Encouragement:

Chanting daimoku is the foundation of the Daishonin's Buddhism. When we chant sonorous daimoku, the sun rises in our hearts. We are filled with power. Compassion wells forth. Our lives are lit with joy. Our wisdom shines. All Buddhas and Buddhist gods throughout the universe go to work on our behalf. Life becomes exhilarating.

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

!** ANOTHER SPECIAL BONUS ENCOURAGEMENT**!

In Buddhism, we either win or lose-there is no middle ground. Now and in the future, let us advance, determined to win in every sphere of our lives. By winning in our lives, we are advancing kosen-rufu; and by advancing kosen-rufu, we win in our lives.


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


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, is the answer to your questions and prayers.

{p.s. 40,000+ views is amazing! lets chant through the next 40,000!}

 

[Babbabud]

Meetings

Meetings

Your so right Easy. Meetings are very important to attend. The encouragement you give and recieve from your brothers and sisters in the Soka Gakkai is priceless. I know our experiences are so diff but yet so much the same. I live in a super rural small area and we meet at a private residence even for our largest meetings there is only 20 or so. Your meetings are huge im sure in the area that you live in but the encouragement recieved is the same priceless encouragement and means so much. Im a real recluse and I thought I would just attend the meetings long enough to recieve my gohonzon and then continue to practice here at home. But the truth of the matter is that I love the people Ive meet through the Soka Gakkai and view them as family now. I so look forward to the meetings each week and chanting with my family and exchanging encouragement to go forward and work toward kosen rufu in our own lives and the others we come in contact with on a daily basis. Im beat down from work this week and a couple health issues .....im chanting daily .... but so look forward to chanting with the group and really feeling the energy. Just looking for that boost much love to everyone who sees this
nam myoho renge kyo

PS Hope everything is going great with the new little buddhas PTD ... much love to the whole family

PSS. SoCal we really would love to hear from you brother

Nam myoho renge kyo!!

 

[bartender187]

Nature's Compendium - wrote this awhile back, thought ide share.... Nam myoho renge kyo

Sweet raindrops of redemption,
Wash away the filth
Reborn into an innocent you,
Staring through naive eyes,

We Realize

Earth's majestic forces
Consumes captialist desire,
Left Numb,
Blind
To this world of infinity,

Slowly

We crawl from the cave
To face inspiration's master
From songbird to river's edge

We Are Reborn

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

nam myoho renge kyo

nam myoho renge kyo

.......Thanks all......the chanting seems to be working.........

...Your cumilative efforts are keeping it all happening here.....

 

[Guest]

In last night's discussion meeting we discussed many interesting topics but having our forum and thread in mind, the most significant theme discussed that relates directly to this thread was the universal acceptance of the law and its all inclusive nature.

Here in this cannabis based site we all have a common ground, mainly cannabis. We also all have another common ground which I am realizing has always been with me but I could never "put my finger on it" until I chanted Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and realized that only through my own self-reliance can I attain that which I seek. That is Myoho and defined on www.sgi.org as:

Myoho literally means the Mystic Law, and expresses the relationship between the life inherent in the universe and the many different ways this life expresses itself. Myo refers to the very essence of life, which is "invisible" and beyond intellectual understanding. This essence always expresses itself in a tangible form (ho) that can be apprehended by the senses. Phenomena (ho) are changeable, but pervading all such phenomena is a constant reality known as myo.

We spoke about how many of us have been seeking answers but placing them beyond ourselves and letting the environment dictate the outcome such as; self help books by Tony Robbins or Doctor Phil et al. When you are letting someone else take upon your duties you are not realizing your potential and simply passing on your duties elsewhere. Understanding that everything begins with you and that your constant birth and death should be a guiding factor to our continued chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, there is no birth or death really since the original entity of life is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Ok, don't lose me now.. Here is an SGI study document for reference:

Birth and Death Are Phases of the Great Rhythm of the Mystic Law

Sho-i sha ga. Nyorai nyo jit^chiken. Sangai shi so. Mu u shoji. Nyaku tai nyaku shutsu. Yaku mu zai-se. Gyu metsu-do sha. Hi jitsu hi ko. Hi nyo hi i. Fu nyo sangai. Ken no sangai. Nyo shi shi ji. Nyorai myo ken. Mu u shaku-myo.

"Why do I do this? The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is. There is no ebb or flow of birth and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction. It is neither substantial nor empty, neither consistent nor diverse. Nor is it what those who dwell in the threefold world perceive it to be. All such things the Thus Come One sees clearly and without error." (The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson, p. 226)

The Buddha Perceives the World Exactly As It Is

In this passage, Shakyamuni clarifies the Buddha's magnificent perspective on life, which could be said to represent the essence of Buddhism. This sutra passage, in other words, holds the key to elevating the state of life of all people.

For human beings, there is probably nothing so remotely mysterious while yet so close at hand as birth and death. I am convinced that the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter provides at once the most fundamental and most convincing solution to this enigma. And this passage contains an important part of that solution.

Nichiren Daishonin says, "First study death and then study other matters" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1404), thus indicating the centrality of the issue of birth and death to Buddhism.

Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, often said, "The final problem that Buddhism must solve is that of death."

How does one address the issue of birth and death? I think that offering a viable solution will be an important requisite for religions in the twenty-first century. It is partly with this future in mind that we now study the profound teachings of the "Life Span" chapter.

In this passage, Shakyamuni explains the Buddha's wisdom to perceive the true aspect of life in the threefold world exactly as it is.

Previously, in the "Expedient Means" (2nd) chapter, he had explained the Buddha's wisdom in terms of the "true entity of all phenomena." In this passage, he focuses on the life and death of living beings and explains the Buddha's wisdom to perceive the truth of the oneness of birth and death.

With his initial question, "Why do I do this?" he is asking why the Buddha, enlightened since the remote past, can appear in various forms, appropriately expound a variety of teachings, and unerringly guide all people. To explain, he says: "The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is."

The threefold world refers to the world of unenlightened beings who transmigrate within the six paths (from Hell through the realm of heavenly beings). This world is made up of the world of desire, the world of form (or material world) and the world of formlessness (or world of the spirit). These are all "worlds of illusion" in which life is dominated by ignorance (darkness). This ignorance is itself the fundamental source of human misery and suffering.

The Buddha enlightened since the remote past is the Buddha who struggles eternally to lead all people to happiness. This Buddha perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is in order to liberate people from the "suffering of birth and death." In other words, the statement, "The Thus Come One perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is," indicates the Buddha's wisdom to lead all people to enlightenment.

Shakyamuni then clarifies the nature of the threefold world that he correctly perceives with this wisdom, saying: "There is no ebb or flow of birth and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction."

In other words, he indicates that in the threefold world there is neither birth nor death, and that beings neither appear nor disappear. Accordingly, there is no distinction between those present in the world and those not.

That there is no birth and death strikes one at first as most surprising, for people generally regard birth and death as solemn facts of human existence.

This sutra passage, however, is not denying the phenomena of birth and death. Rather, while recognizing their reality, it offers a reappraisal of birth and death from a more profound perspective on life.

What is being explained here is the true aspect of the life of the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past. This Buddha is in fact an entity of life without beginning or end who dwells eternally in the saha world. Accordingly, there is no fundamental distinction between birth and death, between existing in this world and later entering extinction. Even so, the Buddha appears in the world and then enters extinction as an expedient means to lead people to enlightenment.

In this passage Shakyamuni is directly applying the reality of the life of the Buddha enlightened since the remote past to the beings of the threefold world. And the comparison is entirely valid; there is in fact no difference between the true entity of life of beings of the threefold world and that of the Buddha enlightened since the remote past. This, therefore, is an exact description of the true nature of the lives of all beings of the threefold world.

Faith in the Gohonzon Leads to a Life Free of Error

Nichiren Daishonin clarifies this in no uncertain terms:

"Thus Come One" indicates the living beings of the threefold world. When we observe these living beings through the eye of the "Life Span" chapter, we can perceive these beings in the Ten Worlds exactly as they are in their original state. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 753)

The Thus Come One and the living beings of the threefold world are each entities of life inherently possessing the ten worlds. Accordingly, the Thus Come One of the "Life Span" chapter represents none other than the living beings of the threefold world. The Daishonin indicates that to view living beings in this way is to perceive them exactly as they are in their original state.

Needless to say, the original entity of life is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the entity of the life of Nichiren Daishonin. And the Daishonin manifested this entity as the Gohonzon that is endowed with the ten worlds.

When we look at things in this way, we realize on a profound level that even our own birth and death are the birth and death of life in its "original state"; that is, of the entity of our "greater life." Birth and death are simply alternating phases of this entity.

Therefore, the Daishonin says, "Myo represents death, and ho represents life" (MW-1, 21); and "the life and death of all phenomena are simply the two phases of Myoho-renge-kyo" (MW-1, 22). To put it another way, birth and death are part of the great rhythm of the Mystic Law, the very wellspring of the cosmic life.

Accordingly, the Daishonin says that all phenomena in the universe exhibit the phases of birth and death and perform the rhythm of the Mystic Law. To thus see the universe exactly as it is is to "perceive the true aspect of the threefold world."

Our lives in their original state exist eternally together with the life of the universe; they are without beginning or end. When certain conditions are attained, we manifest birth. And, in time, we recede again into the universe, entering a state of rest. This is the nature of our death. It is not the case that our lives are terminated through death; rather, it could be said that death is an expedient means necessary for us to lead a fresh and vigorous existence in the future.

Fundamentally, there is no ebb or flow of birth and death; life, as thus conceived, embodies the oneness of birth and death. Our lives exist eternally and are inextinguishable. Those who thoroughly grasp this truth will neither take birth lightly nor needlessly fear death.

In other words, we can correctly fix our gaze on the present moment, and advance along the path of continual self-improvement --- succumbing neither to impatience nor to negligence. This is the way of life of one who "perceives the true aspect exactly as it is."

The American philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) confidently remarked: "It is the depth at which we live and not at all the surface extension that imports. We pierce to the eternity ,and, really, the least acceleration of thought and the least increase of power of thought, make life to seem and to be of vast duration."1

What matters is the "depth at which we live," the "power of thought" we manifest. A person who leads such a truly profound life can make each day worth 10 days or even a month. In a year, he or she can create the value of 10 or even 100 years. This is the true measure of one's "life span"; it is not decided simply on the superficial basis of length of time.

I have lived my life struggling with this awareness, and I am determined to continue to do so. Therefore, no matter what happens, I have no fear. I can overcome anything with composure and with the spirit of a lion king.

When we base ourselves on this view of life as spanning the three existences of past, present and future, we can overcome the fundamental sufferings of birth and death. We can manifest a state of life of great peace of mind like that of the Buddha. Then, we need fear nothing. We can wholeheartedly devote ourselves to the happiness of all people and the realization of world peace --- to the eternal struggle to create value that is the Buddha's will. We are all children of the Buddha who can lead a dignified and grand existence.

In the sutra passage, Shakyamuni further explains the threefold world that the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past correctly perceives, saying, "It is neither substantial nor empty, neither consistent nor diverse. Nor is it what those who dwell in the threefold world perceive it to be."

In short, the Buddha perceives the threefold world exactly as it is with his perfect wisdom of the Middle Way. His view is not biased as are the views of those dwelling in the threefold world.

Interpreting this passage in terms of its implicit meaning, the Thus Come One who "perceives the true aspect of the threefold world exactly as it is" is Nichiren Daishonin.

The Daishonin embodies the life of compassion and wisdom existing eternally since kuon ganjo --- the life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo contained in the depths of the "Life Span" chapter.

The Gohonzon we worship is the Daishonin's life of compassion and wisdom. In a lecture, President Toda remarked:

When we reverently chant daimoku-to the Gohonzon and feel the life of the Gohonzon in ourselves, the power of the Gohonzon wells forth abundantly in our lives, because our own lives themselves are Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. When that happens, we will be free of great error in our judgment --- regarding the affairs of society or whatever.

Through our faith, we feel the power of the Gohonzon, and this enables us to unerringly make our way through the world. This is what we assert. Let's lead lives free of error through believing in the Gohonzon.

In the present age, in which we are surrounded by evil, nothing is more difficult than to lead a life free of error. At the same time, nothing is more important. Through faith in the Gohonzon, we feel the Buddha's heart of compassion and the Buddha's wisdom to perceive things exactly as they are, and as a result, we can advance correctly through life.

1. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Society and Solitude (Boston and New York: Houghton, Mifflin and Company, 1904), p. 183.

Are you still following me, it begins with Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Have the strength and courage to pick yourself up and chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! Chant to display your Buddhahood and bring forth that strength, joy, vibrant life condition and faith!

Remember to chant to consistently manifest your Buddhanature and rise above your basic tendancies.

 

[Guest]

Gosho Excerpt:

"Furthermore, human beings have two heavenly gods who always accompany them, just as a shadow follows the body. One is named Same Birth and the other Same Name. Perched on one's left and right shoulders, they protect one [by reporting all of one's deeds to heaven]. Therefore, heaven never punishes those who have committed no error, let alone people of merit. That is why the Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, "The stronger one's faith, the greater the protection of the gods." So long as one maintains firm faith, one is certain to receive the great protection of the gods."


The supremacy of the law,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 614)
Written to Nichimyo Shonin on 4 August 1275 from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/614.html




Daily Encouragement:

The Daishonin teaches the meaning of true happiness and the true purpose of life. Fame and momentary glories are no more than illusions. True happiness lies in cultivating the great state of Buddhahood within one's life. This is life's true purpose. By chanting daimoku, we can change all of our sufferings into the ingredients for attaining a Buddha's lofty state of life.

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

 

[Desiderata]

nam myoho renge kyo, so good to hear about your meeting easy and I will find a group, besides our's of cource. Hiya Babba! You brought me here.......I love you for that! Bartender....wow.....what an insightful poem! Doobie, I know you must be glowing inside with the twins! I've been under the weather with a bug that keeps lingering.........babba, like you, also drained from work. Plus my cat sparky died {18 1/2} a peaceful slow death.......he was abandoned at a work camp by his mom in the dead of cold in February '88 and I rescued him in my paint shop. One of the inmates found a doll baby milk bottle and I kept him alive........he ate fried white fish every Friday nite and tuna during the week. My sister came and got him until I was released and he's been a part of my family since...........so goes the chanting..........and easydisco like your excerpt on death and dying really helps...........nam myoho renge kyo!............as every thing you share bro..........much love to all!........babba's garden is getting bigger day by day!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Don't have time to say much, but I just want to thank Gypsy for his post and ask everyone to remember him and DG in their prayers and Daimoku. We should never take for granted the fight he is in, or doubt the fact that his victory is ours. I trust DG and Gypsy are chanting their Daimoku for ICMag, and hope eveyone else remembers to not relax in their resolve to be their Brothers and Sisters in faith and help them see this through to a final conclusion. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

It took a lot to put that out there Gypsy and give credit where credit is due for all to see. Thank you! May this experience ultimately be the great benefit for you and DG to see the unequivocal power of the Law. Turn poison into medicine. I know you can!

You are in my prayers always--both of you! Keep chanting!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Thomas

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Greetings fellow Bodhisatvas!!!

Greetings fellow Bodhisatvas!!!

1st I would like to thank all who has had a concern for me and had me in their prayers. Thank you so much!

My benefit last week was that I was laid off a job that made me miserable; I was up before the sun and got home late at night. It was very difficult to find the necessary time to chant let alone when I did make time, to have the correct attitude in faith. It was critical in the situations I am facing to chant and chant abundantly. I have done some real self reflection and chanted alot of daimoku this past week and am really determined once and for all to squelch the fundamental darkness (Devil of the Sixth Heaven) that had been kicking my ass for months.

After this thread got back up and running I had to read over 20+ pages to catch up from where I last left off. I am amazed at the incredible seeking minds that have joined in and my deepest appreciation goes out to those continuing the struggles to not make this valuable thread disappear and for all who contribute their time and insights on a regular basis. My prayers are joined with yours.

All my fears and stresses have transformed into a real strong conviction and courageous determination that I will overcome every single one of my obstacles that I face once and for all. This is how you transform and become a Buddha, am I not right? No other way my friends.

In the Letter to Niike Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin says it takes 12 days to see the beautiful moon over the capital. Well, before that 12th day, I decided to stray off the path to what I thought a easier way to go; How I got misdirected!!! Be sure that I am back on that path and will definetly without a doubt share with you all soon my great victory in this journey of mine.

Thanks again everyone!!!

Rob

 

[SoCal Hippy]

…Strive ever harder in faith, and never give in to negligence. All the people appear to believe sincerely when they first embrace the Lotus Sutra, but as time passes, they tend to become less devout; they no longer revere or make offerings to the priest, giving themselves up to arrogance and forming distorted views. This is most frightening. Be diligent in developing your faith until the last moment of your life. Otherwise you will have regrets. For example, the journey from Kamakura to Kyoto takes twelve days. If you travel for eleven but stop with only one day remaining, how can you admire the moon over the capital?
No matter what, stay close to the priest who knows the heart of the Lotus Sutra, keep learning from him the principles of Buddhism, and continue your journey of faith…..


AND

….Deep in the Snow Mountains lives a bird called the cold-suffering bird that, tortured by the numbing cold, cries that it will build a nest in the morning. Yet when day breaks, it sleeps away the hours in the warm light of the morning sun without building its nest. So it continues to cry vainly throughout its life. The same is true of human beings. When they fall into hell and gasp in its flames, they long to be reborn as humans and vow to put everything else aside and serve the three treasures in order to gain enlightenment in their next life.
But even on the rare occasions when they happen to be reborn in human form, the winds of fame and profit blow violent ly, and the lamp of Buddhist practice is easily extinguished. Without a qualm they squander their wealth on meaningless trifles, but begrudge even the smallest contribution to the Buddha, the Law, and the Buddhist Order. This is very serious, for then they are being hindered by messengers from hell. This is the meaning of “good by the inch and evil by the foot…..


L E T T E R TO N I I K E
WND Page 1027

Buddhism = Daily Life..................Faith = Daily Live

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Ah yes! The konkucho bird!

Ah yes! The konkucho bird!

Welcome home SOCAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fuck, have I missed you!

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

Isn't the moon spectacular this evening? Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Much love and deep respect,

T

 

[Babbabud]

SoCal my brother ) So glad you have found your way back we have truly missed you my friend and hope that you will continue to post your encouragement here and inturn recieve encouragement from your brother and sisters. Woooohoooo you had us wondering when we would see you again. We are so glad you are home
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Babbabud]

Gypsy

Gypsy

wooohooo Gypsy we are so glad things are looking up. Looks like we have the Devil of the Sixth Heaven on the run now so lets all send as much Daimoku as we can and kick that dudes ass So happy to hear good things. Seems like DG's chanting is really starting to take effect.
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Guest]

Welcome 4 pounds 9.7 ounces healthy baby boy nephew born today!

Welcome 4 pounds 9.7 ounces healthy baby boy nephew born today!

Hello Socal!

I was just telling my wife, "wait honey, i need to get on the internet because sometimes I can get so sidetracked in life= when I not in my Buddha state of being, I find myself with a thick pair of "goggles" obstructing my view and I have to go home and check my thread so I can read the fine print (then chant to the Gohonzon)."

I love you all, continue to overcome and triumph, the collective with one mind is more potent than the individual with one mind!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is what I proclaimed as I held my new family member!

 

[Babbabud]

Congrats on the new family member easy
nam myoho renge kyo !!!
so great to see you back posting SoCal
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Behind on a lot I wish to say but...

Behind on a lot I wish to say but...

.... Nam myoho renge kyo

Sweet raindrops of redemption,
Wash away the filth
Reborn into an innocent you,
Staring through naive eyes,

We Realize

Earth's majestic forces
Consumes captialist desire,
Left Numb,
Blind
To this world of infinity,

Slowly

We crawl from the cave
To face inspiration's master
From songbird to river's edge

We Are Reborn

Words wouldn't adequately describe how impressed I was with this poem anyway! Thanks man! That was outstanding!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Letter to the Lay Nun of Ko / WND pg. 595

Letter to the Lay Nun of Ko / WND pg. 595

I have received three hundred coins from the wife of Abutsu-bo. Since you two are of the same mind, have someone read this letter to you and listen to it together.

I have also received the unlined robe you sent all the way from the province of Sado to the mountain recesses of Hakiri Village in Kai Province. The "Teacher of the Law" chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states: "If there is someone who seeks the Buddha way and for the space of a kalpa presses palms together in my presence and recites numberless verses of praise, because of these praises of the Buddha he will gain immeasurable blessings. And if one lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra, one's good fortune will be even greater." This passage means that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law surpass those from earnestly making offerings with one's words, thoughts, and deeds for the space of an entire medium kalpa to a Buddha such as Shakyamuni. Though this seems impossible, you must never doubt it, because these are the Buddha's golden words.

In addition, a man called the Great Teacher Miao-lo further clarified this passage from the sutra, saying, "Those who slander [the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune (1) surpassing the ten honorable titles." The meaning of this commentary is that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces.

I, Nichiren, am the most perverse person in Japan. The reason is as follows. The seven reigns of the heavenly deities I will set aside, and the five reigns of the earthly deities are beyond my comprehension, but for the ninety reigns from the first human emperor Jimmu until the present, or during the period of more than seven hundred years since the reign of Emperor Kimmei, no one has ever been so universally hated by people in connection with either secular or Buddhist matters as Nichiren. Moriya burned down temples and pagodas, and the lay priest Kiyomori had Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji temples (2) destroyed, but the people of their clans did not hate them. Masakado and (3) Sadato rebelled against the imperial court, and the Great Teacher Dengyo was detested by the priests of the seven major temples of Nara, but they were still not hated by the priests, nuns, laymen, and laywomen of the entire land of Japan. In my case, however, parents, siblings, teachers, and fellow priests - every single person from the ruler on down to the common people - torment me as if I were their parents' enemy, or even more than if I were a rebel or a robber.

Thus, sometimes I have been vilified by several hundred people; other times, besieged by several thousand, I have been attacked with swords and staves. I have been driven from my dwelling and ousted from my province. Finally, I twice incurred the wrath of the country's ruler and was exiled first to the province of Izu and then to the island of Sado. And when, with neither provisions to sustain my life nor even garments made of wisteria vine to cover my body, I was banished to Sado in the northern sea, the priests and lay believers of that province hated me even more than the men and women of Sagami (4) Province did. Abandoned in the wilderness and exposed to the snow, I sustained my life by plucking grasses.

I realized through my own experiences what it was like for Su Wu, who survived by eating snow in the land of the northern barbarians for nineteen years, and for Li Ling, who suffered in a rocky cave by the northern sea for six years. This was not because of any fault of my own, but solely because I meant to save the country of Japan.

While I was there, however, you and your husband, the lay priest of Ko, being apprehensive of the eyes of others, brought me food in the middle of the night. Never fearing even punishment from the provincial officials, you are persons who were ready to sacrifice yourselves for me. Thus, though it was a harsh land, when I left, I felt as if the hair that had been shaved from my head were being tugged from behind and as if with each step I took I were being pulled back.

Just when I was wondering what sort of karmic bonds from the past this was due to, and when I least expected it, you sent your most precious husband as your messenger all the way here. Is it a dream or an illusion? Even though I cannot see you, I am certain that your heart is here. If you find that you miss me, always look at the sun that rises [in the morning] and the moon that rises in the evening. Whatever the time, I will be reflected in the sun and the moon. And in our next life, let us meet in the pure land of Eagle Peak. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

The sixteenth day of the sixth month

To the lay nun of Ko in Sado Province

Background:

This letter was written at Minobu in the sixth month of the first year of Kenji (1275) to a lay nun who lived in a village that was the seat of the provincial government of Sado Island. Ko means provincial office. Hence the name "the lay nun of Ko." While the Daishonin was in exile on Sado, she and her husband, known as the lay priest of Ko, converted to his teachings, presented him with offerings, and helped protect him. After the Daishonin was pardoned and left Sado, her husband, like Abutsu-bo, made the long journey to Minobu to visit him.

Notes:

1. A rephrasing of a passage in The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra." The ten honorable titles are the ten epithets for a Buddha, which express his power, wisdom, virtue, and compassion.
2. Moriya is Mononobe no Moriya (d. 587), a powerful minister who opposed the introduction of Buddhism. Kiyomori is Taira no Kiyomori (1118-1181), warrior and leader of the Heike clan. In 1177 he uncovered a plot against the Heike clan in Nara and had Taira no Shigehira raze Todai-ji and Kofuku-ji as punishment for their support of the conspirators.
3. Masakado is Taira no Masakado (d. 940), a warrior who wielded power in eastern Japan, and Sadato is Abe no Sadato (1019-1062), the head of a powerful family in eastern Japan. They both were killed in a battle with the imperial forces.
4. The province where Kamakura, the seat of the warrior government, was located.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The "Teacher of the Law" chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states: "If there is someone who seeks the Buddha way and for the space of a kalpa presses palms together in my presence and recites numberless verses of praise, because of these praises of the Buddha he will gain immeasurable blessings. And if one lauds and extols those who uphold this sutra, one's good fortune will be even greater." This passage means that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law surpass those from earnestly making offerings with one's words, thoughts, and deeds for the space of an entire medium kalpa to a Buddha such as Shakyamuni. Though this seems impossible, you must never doubt it, because these are the Buddha's golden words.

In addition, a man called the Great Teacher Miao-lo further clarified this passage from the sutra, saying, "Those who slander [the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will have their heads split into seven pieces, but those who give alms to them will enjoy good fortune (1) surpassing the ten honorable titles." The meaning of this commentary is that the blessings from making offerings to a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age exceed even those from making offerings to a Thus Come One endowed with the ten honorable titles, while those who persecute a votary of the Lotus Sutra in the defiled age will have their heads split into seven pieces."