Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

"Strengthen your resolve more than ever. Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue dye comes from indigo, but when something is repeatedly dyed in it, the color is better than that of the indigo plant. The Lotus Sutra remains the same, but if you repeatedly strengthen your resolve, your color will be better than that of others, and you will receive more blessings than they do."

(The Supremacy of the Law - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 615) Selection source: Q & A on Buddhism, Seikyo Shimbun, August 20th, 2006

 

[treehuggers]

Good evening!

I admint, I got nothing as smart as PTD or BabbaBud to say... I just miss you guys, so i droped by...

First week of working hard payed off. My first results of my work are here and they are good. I got the biggest thing tomorrow tho... oh pray for me!

Delta: Hey man.. how is it goin? I hope you are well just as all others chanting growers! Hope you drop by soon!

I'm gonna go chant now. Than go to sleep. I hope everybody feels better than me!

Take care my friends!

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!!

 

[Guest]

I'll join you tree,

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

Then enjoy some morning Daimoku and start the day off on the right foot. Remember when Adrianne told Rocky "You can't Win you seen him you know how strong he is!", I can't be beat no matter what, this past week was proof and this coming week shall further reinforce this. Upward and Onward!

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Tree and EasyD: Make it happen, dudes!

Tree and EasyD: Make it happen, dudes!

It is time for our new start.
Let's make every possible effort to improve and maintain our health
and take every possible precaution so that we can stay absolutely safe!
Buddhism is all about how to live successfully each day!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[Bonzo]

Howdy my friends!!!!!!!!!!! How is everyone? Great i hope! My life has been a bit crazy so i havnt posted up for a few but i got alotta neat stuff to share with ya but im beat up from the feet up tired out so i'll post it tomorrow i promise!

i missed you all!!!!

have a great day/evening!!!!

see you in the morning

peace

bonz





>>>nam myoho renge kyo>>>

 

[scegy]

hello fella's
i've been away a few days and i already missed a lot as i can see
things with the appartment are moving, i talked to my father and i accepted his help as i saw that things are not as dark as they seem as i always do they never prevail, they just usually leave some sorrow in me, which YOU most definetly blew it away for me

as i wrote this i read your post DISCO, don't know why but your thoughts seem weirdly the same as mine....i've done the same thing yesterday (about your co-worker) and i think i've planted the seed in my fellow grower and his misstress, maybe he'll show up here on this thread, i hope he will as he is a natural boddhisattva just waiting to be opened....i must say i feel joy doing this because i know how much good IT brought to me and i wish all the best to them.
disco: i always have doubts, even about the sgi.....but i'm gonna trick myself you see, i realized that my doubts are more and more visible to me as parts of my chanting and they should not truble me nor stop me(as they ever could ) why i doubt in sgi? first off all i gotta attend a meeting to get to know these ppl....actuallly, i do not doubt in sgi i doubt in myself to be able to touch ppl in way that they would listen because of my weaknesses that appear. you'r right doobie all the way i know, i must seek the ghonozon it's the only way to go further....damn you made ne nervouse now...i'm calling the sgi representative now!...hmm i did, gotta wait 5 min to get another phone number from veronika yeah you go scegy you pussy! calling again...mkay guys veronika said that they'r gonna set up a small meeting for me in wednesday, she's calling this evening to give me all the details, so much action just for me
i think i'm gonna meet some nice ppl, nam yoho renge kyo!
good day ppl!

p.s. for doobie
thank you

 

[Delta9-THC]

@ scegy
thats no mean feat. hope you go through with it ... and I sincerely am with you through it..and no they cant stop us

@ TH .... Yes Im still here ! Well done for passing.... Good luck for nest week like you need it!

@ PTD ... you know me well ... Thanks for the PM

EVERYONE CONTINUE STRIVING TOWARDS YOUR GOALS and remember Im with you if you want me to be ! Just ask : )


Wow what a turnaround

Peace

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Well done scegy!!!!!

Well done scegy!!!!!

T'ien-t'ai states, "By observing the fury of the rain, we can tell the greatness of the dragon that caused it, and by observing the flourishing of the lotus flowers, we can tell the depth of the pond they grow in." Miao-lo says, "Wise men can perceive the cause of things, as snakes know the way of snakes." When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs.

[ The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind Established in the Fifth Five-Hundred-Year Period after the Thus Come One's Passing, WND Page 376 ]

 

[Hitman]

You Go! Everyone! Thanks for the inspiration! Making this day the best!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Although I and my disciples may encounter various difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts, we will as a matter of course attain Buddhahood."

(The Opening of the Eyes - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 283) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 21st, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Oneness of Good & Evil:

The Oneness of Good & Evil:

Developing the Courage To Accept our Innate Good and Evil

The evil of destruction is like a shadow cast by the good of creation. Nature gives and takes life. Even on the cellular level of the human body, the evil of decay and death exists side by side with the good of growth and health.

For example, while the precise mechanism of cancer remains unknown, research has demonstrated that the malignant transformation of a cell is linked to cancer-causing genes called oncogenes. In normal cells, oncogenes are called proto-oncogenes, which promote cellular growth and are regulated by cellular genes called tumor-suppressor genes. Tumor-suppressor-genes, in other words, control growth-promoting genes, which could potentially turn malignant. ("Cancer: Causation.""The Cause of Disease: Abnormal Growth of Cells." Encyclopedia Britannica, CD 1999). Thus, the potential for cancer not only exists in every cell of the body, but also supports cell's growth and health.

Concerning the nature of good and evil, Nichiren Daishonin states: "Good and evil have been inherent in life since time without beginning...The heart of the Lotus school is the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which reveals that both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest stage of perfect enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Brahma and Shakra, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the devil king of the sixth heaven" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 1113). The Daishonin explains that all people are endowed with supreme good and evil, as well as all the possible life states in between. We can be either as godly as "Brahma and Shakra" or as devilish as the "devil king."

Good and evil, in other words, are innate, inseparable aspects of life. This Buddhist concept is called the "oneness of good and evil." This teaching however, does not mean that evil is good, nor does it imply that the distinction between good and evil is irrelevant. Instead, it teaches us to perceive and triumph over evil inside - thereby conquering evil on the outside - through faith in the universal goodness of life.

In the context of the Daishonin's teaching, good means the "fundamental nature of enlightenment," or absolute freedom and happiness resulting from profound self-knowledge. Evil indicates the "fundamental darkness," or life's innate delusion negating the potential of enlightenment and causing suffering for oneself and others. This inner darkness echoes with the despair that our lives are ugly and meaningless; it drives a wedge of fear that splits the hearts of people into "us" and "them." The Daishonin's concept of good and evil, in this sense, may be better understood as the dynamic, innate workings of life that become manifest or dormant, rather than the external moral codes determined by cultural and social conditions.

A Buddha is someone who has the courage to acknowledge those two fundamental aspects of life. As the Daishonin states, "One who is thoroughly awakened to the nature of good and evil from their roots to their branches and leaves is called a Buddha" (WND, 1121). Buddhas accept their innate goodness without arrogance because they know all people share the same Buddha nature. Buddhas also recognize their innate evil without despair because they know they have the strength to overcome and control their negativity. Buddhas understand the hearts of people in myriad conditions and circumstances. Buddhas are capable of guiding others to their own awakening. This is because Buddhas share the same conditions as others, yet have the strength and wisdom to control their own evil.

Much of our difficulty in discerning the workings of good and evil is due to our unwillingness to acknowledge the potential of both supreme good and evil within our own lives. We don't want to see ourselves as either very good or very bad, hiding instead behind a collective moral mediocrity that requires neither the responsibility of goodness nor the guilt of evil. To flee from the responsibility to realize the full potential of our innate goodness, we say, "I can't be as good as..." (Fill in the blanks with the names of those whom you think supremely good and bad respectively, or "Buddha" in the former blank and "devil" in the latter.)

For some of us, our moral ambiguity of the self, however, seems to demand quick judgment of others - those who serve our interest as "good people" and those whom we dislike as "bad people" - as if to counterbalance our inner confusion with our forced clarity outside. Others seem unable to denounce the clearly manifest evil of humanity for fear of being judged in return. Such people fear the judgment of others because they themselves lack the courage to see their own potential for good and evil. As a result, our view of the world becomes narrow, if not distorted.

Paul Tillich, a noted philosopher and theologian of the last century, said, "The courage to affirm oneself must include the courage to affirm one's own demonic depth" (The Courage to Be, p.122).

In the same regard, Carl Jung said, "Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is" (Psychology and Religion, p.93). Jung also made the following observation of a person who develops the courage to face the potential of evil within: "Such a man knows that whatever is wrong with the world is in himself, and if he only learns to deal with his own shadow then he has done something real for the world" (ibid pp. 101-02).

The Daishonin had the courage to see his own "demonic depth," as he candidly wrote: "Although I, Nichiren, am not a man of wisdom, the devil king of the sixth heaven has attempted to take possession of my body. But I have for some time been taking such great care that he now no longer comes near me" (WND, 310). The Daishonin had the courage to see his own fundamental darkness. In spite of this sober reality, he summoned forth faith in his innate Buddhahood and thus overcame life's tendency to deny its own highest reality. As he said, "A sharp sword to cut through the fundamental darkness is to be found in faith alone" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 751).

The faith that enables us to experience the freedom and happiness of Buddhahood is synonymous with the courage to see our potential for both good and evil. The process of accepting and challenging our fundamental darkness is necessarily the process of revealing our innate enlightenment. Likewise, our efforts to help others become aware of their own self-negating delusion must be accompanied by our efforts to help them become aware of their own self-affirming power of enlightenment. Without one, another is impossible.

To see our innate good and evil is to experience the joy of accepting our whole being. As Tillich said, "Joy is the emotional expression of the courageous Yes to one's own true being" (The Courage to Be, p.14). Such honest and courageous acceptance of the self also marks the beginning of the essential transformation of our lives and the world around us.

By Shin Yatomi, based in part on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[Bonzo]

Hello all my chanting friends!! Good morning and good to see you ALL!!

So i had a pretty cool day yesterday. I was a bit of a rough mornin due to the fact that 4 years ago yesterday my brother moved on due to cancer.

So i had been informed of a mens meeting at the SGI Friendsip Center and allmost wrote it off. Something clicked, i picked my ass up got in my truck and went to the center, nervous ,anxious and all that crap. Half way there im chanting as im drivivg and i just kinda started to laugh at myself and how i let these negetive thoughts fuck up my quest. So my troubled mind cleared as i drove.

Lately ive been enjoying these posts T has been puttin' up about famous people that chant, they are inspirirng. So i get to the doors of the auditourium and Audrey stopped and greeted me and youll nevver guess what she said.

She said "you just missed Oralando Bloom sharing" but go in theres still 45 minute of the meeteing left.

I allmost fell over when she said Orlando Bloom had just shared, not because hes a star but because T had just put up 2 or 3 posts referring to Mr Bloom!!, I swear ya'll i imediatly thought T knew he was gonna be there and this and that, but nope, i PM,d T and he was as blown away as i was, as T put it " IS THAT SOME MYSTIC SHIT OR WHAT!!!!" it really did throw me for a loop. TOO COOL MAN EH?!!!!!!!

shit my puter is startin' to flip out

ill be back

peace

bonz



>>>>>>>>>nam myoho renge kyo>>>>>>>>>>>!!!!

 

[Guest]

Congrats Bonz!

Scegy, we live parellel lives at the same time. I know your "intuition" and socratic nature are hallmarks of your chracter and I salute the fact that your questioning nature will one day find much solace and emancipation from your budding practice. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, when the going gets rough, when times are 'too good to be true', its our sail & wind in our sailboat of life, its the subatomic particles fueling the Suns continued life, its you and me. I am preparing a written report on Faith in the Gohonzon, since I know with faith in the Gohonzon you will overcome any obstacle and be protected from harm. Also please note dear brother that the heart of the LION KING is the Spirit of Mentor & Disciple ( you here this often but here in this thread is were you can observe its true essence among the accelerating human interaction and daily progress or regression of each of us). Courageous faith in the Gohonzon is the key to victory!

We all can appreciate the "little things" in life sometimes, I hope from this point forward my overwhelming efforts will equate to further appreciation of these so called "little things" in life and also grant me the serenity I have been embracing and hope to always hold on tight to as my practice continues. Its not easy, I really have been trying my best to up the ante everyday and as a result we will all continue to benefit, if your striving for Kosen-rufu your on my wavelength! Our master Nichiren is the Lion King and we are the cubs of the Lion King, Be fierce and be strong and have faith we will always be protected as long as we have faith!

Look at Nichiren Daishonin's life, how much more grateful can a person ever be, in light of his extreme persecutions and attempts on ending his life his triumph and victories in fuedal Japan are also our victories and daily guidance, he is the model of perseverance and thus a reflection of my truest intentions now in the years 2000+! I know it began with Nichiren inscribing his life in sumi ink, and now it continues everyday with our bold efforts and the confidence that we will always continually triumph and overcome!

thanks for the nice posts delta, tom, babba, tree and everyone else.

 

[scegy]

nam Myoho renge kyo, yeah i can do it good night all

 

[Bonzo]

Thanks easy!

I wanted to say that who i did get to see speak was the SGI director of the entire USA, Danny (i forget his last name) He was truly inspiring, but what got me is that all of the sudden he went into talking about another thing T said recently about your situation scegy (which seems to be working out for you) He said the same thing: "Wow you have a great opportunity with this challenge facing you" and i immidietely thought of you scegy and what T had posted. I know it hinda threw me for a loop too. Ya know i have my doubts about alot of things as well, but every day i think my doubts are being replaced with faith. Later that evening i went to my first "house" meeting and it was good ,very nice people, but i met a guy who was very inspiring to me who offered to show me around to some meetings as well. Ultimatly the one i get the most out of is the one i will frequent most.

By the way i just happened to run into Orlando when the meeting was over, I introduced myself shook his hand and said thank you for coming and he said nice to meet you and thank you, really a nice normal guy, very cool encounter.

I cant wait to hear about your first meeting scegy, your an awesome person and im sure your gonna find some awesome people to meet and chant with, all the best bro!!!

any how that was my day, blew me away i tell ya.

peace my friends

bonz








>>>>>>>>>>>nam myoho renge kyo>>>>>>>>>>>>!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

You guys make me really freaking happy!

You guys make me really freaking happy!





Thank you!

 

[Hitman]

wow!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Now that's Rhythm!

 

[Babbabud]

Keep an eye out for Tina Turner Bonzo. She has been practicing for quite a long time I understand. But remember this .. ask the Big question. How do I get my Gohonzon and how soon can we make this happen Much love brother Im so happy to hear you made it to a meeting
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo !!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

enlightenment of plants
[草木成仏] (Jpn.: somoku-jobutsu)

Also, enlightenment of insentient beings. The enlightenment of grass, trees, rocks, the land itself, or anything else that has neither emotion nor consciousness. The doctrine that insentient beings can attain Buddhahood derives from T'ien-t'ai's doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. One of the component principles of this doctrine is the realm of the environment, or the insentient objective world. The doctrine teaches the mutually inclusive relationship of living beings and their environments, or that of sentient and insentient beings, thereby revealing that both manifest the same state of life. Therefore, when living beings manifest the state of Buddhahood, their environment simultaneously manifests the state of Buddhahood as well. In The Diamond Scalpel, Miao-lo (711-782) refuted the arguments of Ch'eng-kuan, the fourth patriarch of the Chinese Flower Garland (Hua-yen) school, who asserted that insentient beings do not possess the Buddha nature. Miao-lo wrote, "A plant, a tree, a pebble, a speck of dust-each has the Buddha nature, and each is endowed with cause and effect and with the function to manifest and the wisdom to realize its Buddha nature."

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Opening the Eyes of Wooden and Painted Images / WND pg. 85

Opening the Eyes of Wooden and Painted Images / WND pg. 85

The Buddha possesses thirty-two features. All of them represent the physical aspect. Thirty-one of them, from the lowest, the markings of the thousand-spoked wheel on the sole of each foot, up to the unseen crown (1) of his head, belong to the category of visible and non-coextensive physical (2) attributes. They can therefore be depicted in tangible form, such as pictures or statues. The remaining feature, the pure and far-reaching voice, belongs to the category of invisible and coextensive (3) physical attributes. It therefore cannot be captured either in a painting or in a wooden image.

Since the Buddha's passing, two kinds of images, wooden and painted, have been made of him. They possess thirty-one features but lack the pure and far-reaching voice. Therefore, they are not equal to the Buddha. They are also devoid of the spiritual aspect. The Buddha in the flesh is as different from a wooden or painted image as the heavens are from the earth, or clouds from mud. Why, then, does The Epilogue to the Mahaparinirvana Sutra state that both the living Buddha and a wooden or painted image made of him after his passing bestow equal benefit? Indeed, the Jeweled Necklace Sutra absolutely declares that a wooden or painted image is inferior to the living Buddha.

When one places a sutra in front of a wooden or painted image of the Buddha, the image becomes endowed with all thirty-two features. Yet even though it has the thirty-two features, without the spiritual aspect it is in no way equal to a Buddha, for even some human and heavenly beings possess the thirty-two features. When the Five Precepts Sutra is placed before a wooden or painted image having thirty-one features, the image becomes equal to a wheel-turning king. When the discourse on the ten good precepts is placed before it, the image becomes equal to the lord Shakra. When the discourse on emancipation from the world of desire is placed before it, the image becomes equal to the king Brahma. But in none of these cases does it in any way become equal to a Buddha.

When an Agama sutra is placed in front of a wooden or painted image, the image becomes equal to a voice-hearer. When one of the common (4) teachings on wisdom, which were preached at the various assemblies held during the Correct and Equal and the Wisdom periods, is placed before it, the image becomes equal to a causeawakened one. When one of the specific or perfect teachings preached during the Flower Garland, Correct and Equal, or Wisdom period is placed before it, the image becomes equal to a bodhisattva. Yet in none of these cases, either, does it in any way become equal (5) to a Buddha. Buddha Eye's mudra and Mahavairochana's mantra described in the Mahavairochana, Diamond Crown, and Susiddhikara sutras are useless, for although their names represent the Buddha eye and the great sun, in reality they do not possess these qualities. Similarly, even the Buddha who appears in the Flower Garland Sutra is not the Buddha of the perfect teaching, though his name [Vairochana] suggests (6) that he is.

When the Lotus Sutra is placed before an image possessing thirty-one features, the image never fails to become the Buddha of the pure and perfect teaching. It is for this reason that the Universal Worthy Sutra, referring to the Buddha of the Lotus Sutra, explains, "A Buddha's three types of bodies are born from this correct and equal sutra." The correct and equal sutra in this phrase does not mean the sutras of the Correct and Equal period; it indicates the Lotus Sutra. The Universal Worthy Sutra also states, "This great vehicle sutra is the eye of the Buddhas. It is through this sutra that the Buddhas are able to acquire the five (7) types of vision."

The written words of the Lotus Sutra express in visible and non-coextensive form the Buddha's pure and far-reaching voice, which is itself invisible and coextensive, and so possess the two physical aspects of color and form. The Buddha's pure and far-reaching voice, which once vanished, has reappeared in the visible form of written words to benefit the people.

A person gives utterance to speech on two occasions: On one occasion, it is to tell other people what one does not oneself believe in an effort to deceive them. That person's voice in this case "accords with others' minds." On the other, it is to voice what one truly has in mind. Thus one's thoughtsare expressed in one's voice. The mind represents the spiritual aspect, and the voice, the physical aspect. The spiritual aspect manifests itself in the physical. A person can know another's mind by listening to the voice. This is because the physical aspect reveals the spiritual aspect. The physical and spiritual, which are one in essence, manifest themselves as two distinct aspects; thus the Buddha's mind found expression as the written words of the Lotus Sutra. These written words are the Buddha's mind in a different form. Therefore, those who read the Lotus Sutra must not regard it as consisting of mere written words, for those words are in themselves the Buddha's mind.

For this reason, T'ien-t'ai in his commentary states: "When the Buddha begins preaching after repeated entreaties from his listeners, he expounds the heart of his teaching. The heart of his teaching is the Buddha's mind, and the Buddha's mind is itself the Buddha's wisdom. The Buddha's wisdom is extremely profound. Therefore, the Buddha refuses three times to proceed with his preaching, and his listeners entreat him four times to con-tinue to preach. The preaching of the Lotus Sutra was accompanied by such difficulties. Compared to the Lotus Sutra, the preaching of the other sutras (8) was an easy matter." In this commentary, T'ien-t'ai uses the term "Buddha's mind" to indicate that the sutra, itself a physical entity, actually embodies the Buddha's spiritual aspect.

Because the Lotus Sutra manifests the Buddha's spiritual aspect, when one embodies that spiritual aspect in a wooden or painted image possessing thirty-one features, the image in its entirety becomes the living Buddha. This is what is meant by the enlightenment of plants.

It is for this reason that T'ien-t'ai states, "All things having color or fragrance are manifestations of the MiddleWay."(9) Commenting on this, Miao-lo adds: "However, although people may admit that all things having color or fragrance are manifestations of the Middle Way, they are nevertheless shocked and harbor doubts when they hear for the first time the doctrine that insentient beings possess the Buddha nature." (10) Ch'eng-kuan of the Flower Garland school stole T'ien-t'ai's doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, using it to interpret the Flower Garland Sutra. Then he wrote: "Both the Lotus and Flower Garland sutras reveal the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. The Flower Garland Sutra, however, is the teaching of enlightenment for people of the sudden teaching, because it was preached earlier, while the Lotus Sutra is the teaching of enlightenment for people of the gradual teaching, because it was preached later. The Flower Garland Sutra is the root, because it preceded all the other sutras. The Lotus Sutra consists of nothing but branches (11) and leaves." He puffed himself up like a mountain, thinking that he alone had mastered the true teaching. In reality, however, he did not know about the enlightenment of plants, the heart of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Miao-lo ridiculed the ignorance Ch'eng-kuan showed in the above-quoted statement.

Our contemporary scholars of the Tendai school think that they alone have mastered the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Yet they equate the Lotus Sutra with the Flower Garland Sutra or with the Mahavairochana Sutra. Their arguments do not go beyond even Ch'eng-kuan's views but remain on the same level as those of Shan-wu-wei and Pu-k'ung. In the final analysis, when the (12) eye-opening ceremony for a newly made wooden or painted image is conducted by True Word priests, the image becomes not a true Buddha buta Buddha of the provisional teachings. It does not even become a Buddha of the provisional teachings. Even though it may resemble the Buddha in appearance, in reality it remains the same insentient plant from which it originated. Moreover, it does not even remain an insentient plant; it becomes a devil or a demon. This is because the erroneous doctrine of the True Word priests, expressed in mudras and mantras, becomes the mind of the wooden or painted image. This is like those instances in which the mind causes a person to alter and turn into a rock, as happened with Uluka or Kapila.

Unless one who has grasped the essence of the Lotus Sutra conducts the eye-opening ceremony for a wooden or painted image, it will be as if a masterless house were to be occupied by a thief, or as if, upon death, a demon were to enter one's body. When, in present-day Japan, eye-opening ceremonies for the Buddha images are conducted according to the True Word rite, demons occupy them and deprive people of their lives, for a demon is also known as a robber of life. More-over, devils enter those images and deprive people of benefits; another name for a devil is a robber of benefit. Because the people worship demons, they will bring the country to ruin in their present lifetime, and because they revere devils, they will fall into the hell of incessant suffering in the next.

When the spirit departs from the body after death, a demon may enter in its place and destroy one's descendants. This is what is meant by a hungry demon that devours even itself. However, if a wise person extols the Lotus Sutra and inspirits the dead person's remains, then, although the deceased's body remains human, that person's mind will become the Dharma body. This accords with the doctrine that one can in one's present form attain the stage where one perceives the non-birth and non-extinction of the phenomenal world. A wise person who has mastered the perfect teaching of the sutras of the Flower Garland, Correct and Equal, or Wisdom period can bring a dead person's remains into the stage of realizing the non-birth and non-extinction of all phenomena. This is what the Nirvana Sutra means when it states, "Although his body remains human, his mind will become equal to that of the Buddha." Chunda set an example of attaining in his present body the realization of the non-birth and non-extinction of all phenomena.

If a wise person enlightened to the Lotus Sutra conducts a service for a deceased person, the deceased's body, just as it is, will become the Dharma body. This is what the phrase "in one's present form" means. Then the wise person will retrieve the departed spirit, bring it back into the remains of the deceased, and transform it into the Buddha's mind. This is what the phrase "attaining Buddhahood" indicates. The words "in one's present form" represent the physical aspect, and "attaining Buddhahood," the spiritual. The deceased person's physical and spiritual aspects will be transformed into the mystic reality and mystic wisdom of beginningless time. This is attaining Buddhahood in one's present form.

Thus the Lotus Sutra states, "This reality [of all phenomena] consists of the appearance (the body of the dead person), nature (the mind), entity (the (13) true entity of body and mind) . . . ." It also reads, "He profoundly understands the signs of guilt and good fortune / and illuminates the ten directions everywhere. / His subtle, wonderful pure Dharma body / is endowed with (14) the thirty-two features." In this last quotation, the first two lines indicate the realization of the non-birth and non-extinction of all phenomena, and the latter two, the attainment of Buddhahood in one's present form. The model of the latter is the dragon king's daughter, while that of the former is Chunda.

Background:

This letter is thought to have been written in the first year of Bun'ei (1264), while Nichiren Daishonin was living in Kamakura. But the recipient of the letter is not named. In this letter, the Daishonin deals with the concept of the enlightenment of insentient beings, first in terms of Buddha images and then in terms of the deceased.

The letter begins with reference to the thirty-two features that the Buddha is said to possess. They represent the Buddha's capacity, virtues, abilities, and so forth. Of the thirty-two features, thirty-one can be depicted in pictures or statues; only the Buddha's pure and far-reaching voice cannot.

Next, Nichiren Daishonin compares a wooden or painted image to the living Buddha. Wooden and painted images of the Buddha are inferior to the living Buddha because they lack not only the feature of the pure and far-reaching voice but also the Buddha's mind, that is, his spiritual aspect. The pure and far-reaching voice is the manifestation of the Buddha's mind. The Buddha's compassion to save the people manifests itself in his voice, that is, in his teachings. Thus, when a sutra is placed before a Buddha image (that is, used to "open the eyes" of the image or consecrate it), it is the same as if it possessed the pure and far-reaching voice. This is because a sutra embodies the Buddha's teachings conveyed by his voice.

However, the Daishonin goes on to explain that the kind of sutra used to consecrate an image will determine the nature of the spiritual aspect that the image manifests. He concludes that, since the Lotus Sutra embodies the Buddha's true spiritual aspect, when the Lotus Sutra is used to "open the eyes" of a Buddha image, that image will become equal to the living Buddha. This accords with the principle of the attainment of Buddhahood by plants, "plants" here representing all insentient life.

This concept of the enlightenment of plants in turn derives from the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which teaches that all life - insentient and sentient - possesses the Buddha nature.

Subsequently the Daishonin sharply attacks the use of True Word rituals to open the eyes of Buddha images. He points out that using distorted teachings such as those of the True Word to consecrate images will cause demons or devils to occupy them - that is, it will bring forth not the Buddhahood but the diabolical nature inherent in the insentient life of the image, causing suffering for individual believers and disaster for the land in which they live.

In the final section, the Daishonin touches on the subject of prayers for the deceased. The idea of the spirit departing from the dead person's body and a demon taking its place actually stems from popular folk belief. The Daishonin employs it to make readily understandable to his contemporaries the concept that the religious conduct
of the living has an influence on the lives of those who have passed away. In this context, he explains two levels of enlightenment: the realization of the non-birth and non-extinction of all phenomena and the attainment of Buddhahood in one's present form. Both can of course be achieved while one is alive, but since the subject of this letter is the enlightenment of insentient beings, the Daishonin explains both in terms of the deceased - death being life's insentient phase - as represented by the dead person's remains. In the text, "a wise person [who simply] extols the Lotus Sutra" is anyone but "a wise person enlightened to the Lotus Sutra" that specifically indicates Nichiren Daishonin. The Daishonin embodied his perfect enlightenment to the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the form of the Gohonzon.

Notes:

1. A Buddha is said to possess the markings of a wheel of the Law on the sole of each foot. The "unseen crown of his head" is also often cited as a protuberant knot of
flesh resembling a topknot on the crown of the Buddha's head. The top of the Buddha's head is said to be invisible, indicating his inconceivably great wisdom, the boundlessness of his enlightened life, and so forth.
2. The category of visible and non-coextensive physical attributes is the first of the three categories of physical attributes enumerated in The Heart of the Abhidharma. "Non-coextensive" here means that the physical attributes in this category cannot simultaneously occupy the same space. The second category is that of invisible and non-coextensive physical attributes, and the third, invisible and coextensive physical attributes. Mention of this third category immediately follows in the text.
3. According to The Dharma Analysis Treasury, all sounds and voices including the Buddha's pure and far-reaching voice fall under the category of invisible and non-coextensive physical attributes. However, the Daishonin assigns the Buddha's pure and far-reaching voice to the category of invisible and coextensive physical attributes, probably to emphasize that it embodies the Buddha's teaching.
4. "The common teachings on wisdom" refers to the teachings on wisdom which were expounded in common for both voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones of the two vehicles and for novice bodhisattvas. Wisdom here means the wisdom that illuminates all phenomena and their essential truth. In terms of the four teachings of doctrine set forth by T'ien-t'ai, the common teachings on wisdom correspond to the connecting teaching.
5. Buddha Eye is one of the Buddhas who appear in the esoteric teachings. Also called Buddha Mother, this Buddha is said to give birth to all other Buddhas.
6. The Buddha of the perfect teaching refers to the Buddha expounded in the Lotus Sutra. Vairochana, the Buddha of the Flower Garland Sutra, means "coming from or belonging to the sun."
7. The Universal Worthy Sutra actually reads, "This correct and equal sutra is the eye of the Buddhas." "This great vehicle sutra" also means the Lotus Sutra.
8. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
9. Great Concentration and Insight.
10. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
11. This assertion appears in Ch'eng-kuan's Meaning of the Flower Garland Sutra Based on An Earlier Commentary, though the wording differs slightly. Ch'eng-kuan asserted that, although both the Lotus Sutra and the Flower Garland Sutra lead to enlightenment, the Buddha taught the former as the conclusion of a gradual process of instruction, but expounded the latter to people of superior capacity directly from his own enlightenment without giving any prior instruction. For this reason, he declared the Flower Garland Sutra superior to the Lotus Sutra.
12. Ceremony for consecrating a newly made Buddha image. By means of this ceremony, it is said, the image is endowed with the Buddha's spiritual property, thus making it an object of devotion.
13. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
14. Ibid., chap. 12.