Chanting Growers Group

[Bonzo]

>>>>>>>>>> NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>> NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>

 

[Bonzo]

I dont know how i missed your post last night scegy, and your right, i will take my time, with the study that is, as far as the chanting, im with easy on that one i just seem to chant wherever i am and whenever i feel like it, it makes me feel good and that cant be bad eh?

Thanks T for the references!!. I will defenitly look at the Dictionary and all others you have pointed out. I have access to 2 SGI bookstores so theres no problem just walkin' in and pickin' it up, and it will be fun lookin' at all the other stuff they have.
I wanna get some incense as well, fun fun fun!!!!

Does anyone need anything while im there? one of the bookstores is one of, if not the biggest SGI bookstores in the US. Gonna be fun!

ps. im eagerly awaiting chapter 4!!

Hey easy, thanks as well for the insight and i do the same thing , especially in my car, sometimes ill notice someone has pulled up next to me at a light and im chanting away with my window down and at first this kinda bugged me, i felt i bit wierd, but now i just keep on chanting! Sometimes ill roll my car forward just a bit so there not right next to me, LOL. I will defenitely look into the WRITINGS OF NICHERIN DIASHONIN, sounds good.

HEY BABBA!!!!!! I never said welcome home, WELCOME HOME BABBA! I sure wish you would post more!!

PEACE and my DEEPEST RESPECT and LOVE to EVERYONE HERE!!!!!!!

Bonz





>>>>>>>>>> NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO !!!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Chapter 4 : Nikko Shonin and Fuji School and Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu

Chapter 4 : Nikko Shonin and Fuji School and Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu

Nikko Shonin and His School and Sokagakkai and Nichiren Shoshu

On Nichiren Daishonin’s death in 1282, Nikko Shonin[1] (1246-1333) returned to Kuon temple at Mount Minobu with the Daishonin’s ashes, following the Daishonin’s will as stated in the ‘Two Transfer Documents’. There, as chief priest of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, he built a tomb where he placed the ashes and, in accordance with Buddhist tradition, held a memorial service on the hundredth day after his death, attended by all the Daishonin’s senior priest disciples. Later, to protect the tomb, he set up a monthly rota system for eighteen leading disciples, including himself and the other five senior priests – Nichiji, Niko, Nichiro, Nissho and Nitcho.

There was a particularly strong master and disciple bond between Nikko and Nichiren Daishonin. Nikko had become the Daishonin’s disciple when he was only thirteen, during the latter’s stay at Jisso-ji temple in 1258, where Nichiren Daishonin wrote his treatise ‘Rissho Ankoku Ron’ (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land). The young priest had been with his master for twenty-four years and had acquired a deep understanding of the Daishonin’s mission as the original Buddha. He had been with him during the exiles to Izu and to Sado Island, and was the only one of Nichiren Daishonin’s priest-disciples to personally guard and protect him. The other senior priests lived far from their master and had had few opportunities to spend much time with Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko.

Perhaps as a consequence of this, none of the priests, apart from Nikko himself, complied with their rota duty, distancing themselves from Mount Minobu. Even though Nikko had been named as successor in the two transfer documents, the other senior priests did not understand the deep master-disciple relationship between him and Nichiren Daishonin, and fundamentally disagreed with his appointment. Furthermore, they failed to regard Nichiren Daishonin as the original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and took statues of Shakyamuni as their object of worship rather than the Gohonzon. Declaring themselves to be priests of the Tendai school to avoid persecution by the government, they also asserted that only the writings authored by Nichiren Daishonin in classical Chinese calligraphy should be kept for posterity. Many of the letters written by the Daishonin to his followers in popular Japanese calligraphy they considered unworthy and so failed to preserve them. Nikko therefore eventually denounced the five senior priests in his ‘Guidelines for Believers of the Fuji School’[2] and ‘On Refuting the Five Priests’,[3] tracts that pointed out their errors and praised the correct teachings of Nichiren Daishonin.

By contrast, Nikko remained true to the entirety of the Daishonin’s Buddhism. The school he founded - the Nikko or Fuji School - recognises Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and the Dai-Gohonzon, inscribed by the Daishonin on the 12 October 1279 for the happiness of the entire world, as the true object of worship of the Latter day. The Dai-Gohonzon has been preserved at Taiseki-ji at Mount Fuji, which became the head temple of first the Nikko School, then Nichiren Shoshu (Orthodox School of Nichiren Buddhism) when the school was renamed in 1912.

The return of Niko

Around 1285, Niko Mimbu, one of the five senior priests, visited Mount Minobu. Nikko was delighted to see him – he had tried to remain in contact with the other senior priests, and at this point, some three years after the Daishonin’s death, their departure from his teachings had not yet become clear. So Nikko decided to appoint Niko chief instructor of the priests at Minobu, doubtless also hoping to encourage Niko in his faith.

But the move backfired. Niko was a man of compromise who tended to follow the general relaxed tendency of Buddhist schools in Kamakura towards doctrines and religious principles. His influence was felt by Hakiri Sanenaga, the steward of the Minobu area, who had been converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism by Nikko. At first, Hakiri recognized Nikko as the Daishonin’s legitimate successor. However, as he became acquainted with Niko he estranged himself from Nikko, who was very strict in matters of faith. Eventually Hakiri committed four violations against the purity of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings:

1) he commissioned a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha;

2) he made pilgrimages to Shinto shrines;

3) he contributed to the building of a pure land school monument; and

4) he build a pure land school temple.

Hakiri did not accept Nikko’s frequent warnings, and eventually told him, ‘I am a disciple of Niko and not of you.’ Nikko was deeply concerned that because of Niko and Hakiri Sanenaga Mount Minobu was becoming a place that was betraying Nichiren Daishonin’s spirit. In his letter ‘Reply to Mimasaka’ he wrote that his master had said that: ‘If the steward of this region does not abide with the Mystic Law, I also will not live there.’[4] So Nikko decided to comply with the Daishonin’s will and left Mount Minobu in order to safeguard the correct transmission of his teachings. His heartbreak at that time can be felt in the following ‘Letter to Hara-Dono’:

My pain and sadness at leaving Minobu Valley is beyond description and is far from my original intention. But when I think deeply of this matter, I have come to the conclusion that the most important thing is, no matter where I may live, to pass on Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings to posterity and to prove his righteousness to the world. Every senior priest of Nichiren Daishonin has turned their back on their master, except me, Nikko, who alone understands Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings correctly. I seem to have the mission to fulfill the purpose of Nichiren Daishonin’s advent in this world, which I will never fail to achieve.[5]

Departure from Minobu

In 1289 Nikko and his disciples left Mount Minobu, carrying the Dai-Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin’s ashes and other treasures. They moved to Nanjo Tokimitsu’s estate in Ueno, at his invitation, where Tokimitsu gave Nikko a parcel of land at a place called Oishigahara, at the foot of Mount Fuji. Tokimitsu’s late father had been the steward of Ueno district and a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin, while Tokimitsu had been nurtured in faith by Nikko himself and was a central figure for the believers in this area. At Oishigahara Nikko and his disciples set about building a lodging temple, the Dai-bo, which was completed on 12 October 1290. This accorded with Nichiren Daishonin’s will that the high sanctuary of his Buddhism be established on a site near Mount Fuji.

A few years later, in 1298, Nikko opened a seminary in the neighbouring Omosu district, where he devoted himself to training his disciples and giving lectures on Nichiren Daishonin’s major teachings. He was deeply aware of the great importance of fostering capable disciples who were well trained in the master’s doctrines, and the propagation carried out by his disciples extended to all provinces of Japan. He also continued to collect and preserve Nichiren Daishonin’s writings, promote his teachings and remonstrate with the authorities.

In 1332, Nikko transferred the Dai-Gohonzon which Nichiren Daishonin had entrusted to him to his successor Nichimoku (1260-1333), stating: ‘I will transfer to Nichimoku the Dai-Gohonzon of the second year of Koan (1279) which, conferred to me, I have protected with my whole life.’ He also gave him a transfer document which reads in part: ‘As for Taiseki-ji, Nichimoku must look after its halls and the tomb, keep them in good condition, carry out the practice of gongyo and await the time of kosen-rufu.’

In January 1333 Nikko wrote ‘Twenty-six Admonitions’, a series of instructions regarding the propagation and protection of the Daishonin’s teachings in the future. He explains:

‘The merciful sun [of true Buddhism] that spreads in the Latter Day illuminates the darkness of the extreme evil of slander, and the mystic wind of the ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One’ chapter of kuon[6] blows away the gate of the provisional teaching that the Buddha achieved supreme enlightenment for the first time in Gaya...

We have fortunately been able to encounter this sutra [i.e. the Gohonzon] due to a deep karmic connection. Accordingly, I will here set forth some articles for the sake of later students of Buddhism. This is solely because I treasure the [Daishonin’s] golden words regarding kosen-rufu.[7]

In other words, this was an important document to be considered as a firm set of principles, never to be abandoned, which includes the passage ‘Until kosen-rufu is achieved, propagate the Law to the full extent of your ability without begrudging your life.’ In the concluding passage, Nikko strictly warns his disciples: ‘Those who violate even one of these articles cannot be called disciples of Nikko.’

A month after completing the ‘Twenty-six Admonitions’, on 7 February 1333, Nikko passed away at the age of eighty-seven.

After Nikko

Nichimoku succeeded Nikko but survived him by only a few months, dying in November 1333. As a disciple he had exerted himself in propagation and on dozens of occasions had remonstrated with the Kamakura government, the imperial court and leading nobles and samurai; in fact, he passed away en route to Kyoto to remonstrate with the Emperor, and urge him to embrace the Daishonin’s Buddhism. The two disciples who were with him – Nichizon and Nichigo - went on to accomplish the task.

Nichimoku had named a successor, Nichido, and transferred the office of high priest to him before leaving for Kyoto. But Nichigo returned to Taiseki-ji with Nichimoku’s ashes and confronted Nichido with the claim that on his deathbed Nichimoku had willed him a lodging temple and some land at the head temple. This dispute created a split in the school, with the disciples of the two priests occupying different areas of Taiseki-ji. The conflict lasted for some seventy years, until it was finally resolved in 1405, during the administration of the sixth high priest, Nichiji.

The ninth high priest Nichiu (1402-1482) is regarded as a restorer of the school, both physically and spiritually. He instigated extensive works to repair the buildings at Taiseki-ji, which had suffered because of the long dispute. More importantly, he clarified the teachings and was active in propagating them throughout the country. He also systematized the ceremonies of the school, which are recorded in his writing ‘On the Formalities of Original Buddhism’.

His stewardship was not trouble-free, however - during one propagation trip the priest who Nichiu left in charge of the head temple decided to sell it to a feudal lord. When Nichiu returned some months later he was forced to raise a large amount of money to buy the temple back.

Despite his efforts as high priest, however, Nichiu found himself forced to appoint as his successor a 14-year-old boy from a powerful family, probably hoping in this way to ensure the survival of the school. The appointment of a young boy as high priest was repeated three times during the next hundred years, a period that also saw the introduction of the concept of the infallibility of the high priest - doubtless to bolster the authority of these children when settling disputes arising within the priesthood. This concept of the high priest’s infallibility is wholly alien to Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, however, as Article 17 of Nikko’s ‘Twenty-six Admonitions’ clearly indicates: ‘Do not follow even the high priest if he goes against the Buddha’s law and propounds his own views.’ Nikko strictly warned against things that could happen in the future and which did actually happen. The fact that his warnings were ignored shows how far the Nikko school had already degenerated.

Moreover, with the passing of time the uncompromising attitude of the Daishonin and his direct successor, Nikko, were no longer understood by the successive high priests. Some of them even asked for financial support from the government and or sought help from other powerful schools that enjoyed the favour of the imperial court. In 1596 Taiseki-ji fell under the influence of a powerful Nichiren temple in Kyoto, the Yoho-ji, which had been founded by Nichizon, one of the two priests who had accompanied Nichimoku on his last journey. Despite the credentials of its founder, the temple was no longer following the doctrines of the Nikko school and considered the original Budda to be not Nichiren Daishonin but Shakyamuni. For the following 100 years and more the independence of the Nikko school was totally lost as its next nine high priests were appointed by Yoho-ji.

The situation began to change in the mid-seventeenth century, with the establishment by the Tokugawa shogunate of the so-called danka system. This obliged temples to hold registers of the people living in the area, who were not allowed to change their temple affiliation. This system, in which the temples effectively acted as an administrative branch of central government, had several aims, the most important of which was to avoid the development of Christianity in Japan. It also gave the temples financial security - the offerings from a stable base of parishioners - and so permitted Taiseki-ji (among others) to regain some of its wealth.

It was not until 1718, however, when Nichikan became the twenty-sixth high priest, that Taisekiji was re-established as the orthodox school of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. Nichikan was a samurai who decided to become a priest relatively late in life, at the age of 28. An outstanding scholar, he worked tirelessly to clarify Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings, exposing the errors and misconceptions that had developed over the centuries in his ‘Commentary’ (Mondan), an explanation of the Daishonin’s Gosho, and ‘Six-volume Writings’ (Rokkan-sho). He also supervised the physical restoration of Taiseki-ji.

After Nichikan

Within a few years of the passing of Nichikan, however, the school once again began to degenerate. The strict warnings of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko to maintain the purity of the teachings were ignored by Nichikan’s successors, who were more inclined to conform with the tendencies of the time and look for aide and protection from those in power.

With the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the Meiji restoration of 1868, the imperial authorities sought to strengthen the authority of the emperor in a number of ways. Key was the promotion of Shinto, which taught the divinity of the emperor, and attempts to weaken the influence of Buddhism. Among the initiatives that were adopted was the abolition of celibacy in the Buddhist priesthood. Article 25 of Nikko’s ‘Twenty-Six Admonitions’ clearly prohibits his successors from marrying, but the priests of the Taiseki-ji simply behaved as the majority of Buddhist priests did in Japan at that time and embraced the relaxation with enthusiasm.

By the early years of the twentieth century Taiseki-ji had gradually become interested only in maintaining its own role and managing the ceremonies and the events that could bring the priesthood some personal advantage: its lay followers were very few. Crucially, the doctrinal distinctions that had characterised the legacy of Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko had been lost. The bulk of the priesthood had no interest in clarifying the fundamental teachings of their school’s masters, or distinguishing them from the doctrines that had derived over the centuries from various disciples of the five elder priests.

During the 1920s and 1930s Nichiren Shoshu priesthood was beset by factional in-fighting. So seriously had the situation deteriorated that when the Soka Gakkai was formed, in November 1930, the beacon of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism had almost been extinguished.

[1] [1] ‘Shonin’, meaning ‘sage’, is an honorific title for priests of high virtue.
[2] Gosho Zenshu, p. 1601.
[3] Ibid., p. 1610
[4] Gosho Chronicle Edition, p. 1729.
[5] Ibid., p. 1733.
[6] The remotest past
[7] Gosho Zenshu. p. 1617.

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/chapter_4.htm )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Faith Practice & Study

Faith Practice & Study

1. Faith, practice and study

There is a famous passage in the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, which reads:

Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase.[1]

This passage is very important and we can consider it the starting-point in examining the practical implications of Buddhist faith.

As the Daishonin says, in his teachings faith is the starting point, the fundamental element that enriches the life of the believer. In another Gosho passage, he says: ‘That ordinary people born in the latter age can believe in the Lotus Sutra is due to the fact that the world of Buddhahood is present in the human world.’[2] In other words, faith is an actual expression of the life condition of Buddhahood. Faith is thus key to our progress in life.

It is essential to understand this point to grasp correctly the role and the aims of practice and study. Practice and study both arise from, and are expressions of, faith. At the same time, they are instruments the believer uses to deepen his faith. In this sense, faith, practice and study form a ‘virtuous circle’, where deep faith is the starting-point for, and simultaneously the result of, practice and study.

Faith

The Chinese ideogram for ‘faith’ comprises two characters: shin, which means ‘to believe’, and jin, which means ‘heart’. Thus, the literal meaning of the Chinese word is to believe with one’s heart; that is, sincerely and strongly.

Nichiren Daishonin in his writings explains faith from many viewpoints. For example, in the letter, The Meaning of Faith he writes:

What is called faith is nothing unusual. Faith means putting one’s trust in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and the heavenly gods and benevolent deities, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a woman cherishes her husband, as a man lays down his life for his wife, as parents refuse to abandon their children, or as a child refuses to leave his mother.[3]

In another letter he explains how strong faith can be:

The mighty warrior general Li Kuang, whose mother had been devoured by a tiger, shot an arrow at the stone he believed was the tiger. The arrow penetrated the stone all the way up to its feathers. But once he realized it was only a stone, he was unable to pierce it again. Later he came to be known as general Stone Tiger. This story applies to you. Though enemies lurk in wait for you, your resolute faith in the Lotus Sutra has forestalled great dangers before they could begin. Realising this, you must strengthen your faith more than ever.[4]

The Daishonin also explains that his followers should continually strive to deepen their faith, as stated in another famous letter: ‘Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take advantage.’[5]

An important teaching relating to faith is the need to substitute faith for wisdom (Jap: isshin taie). The development of the Buddha’s wisdom is a fundamental goal for believers in Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching, but since we all are ordinary people, stained by negative karma and with inadequate wisdom, the Buddha teaches that faith must be the foundation of our growth, not our intellect. On this basis, and consistent effort, we can develop the Buddha wisdom that we all inherently possess. Again, a sentence in the Gosho can help us understand the point:

“Knowledge without faith” describes those who are knowledgeable about the Buddhist doctrines but have no faith. These people will never attain Buddhahood. Those of “faith without knowledge” may lack knowledge but have faith and can attain Buddhahood… If Shariputra could not attain Buddhahood through his wisdom, how can we ordinary people, with limited knowledge of the doctrines, dare to dream that we may attain Buddhahood when we do not have faith?[6]

Practice

The spirit of Buddhist practice is demonstrated by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, disciples of the Buddha who appear in the Lotus Sutra, and who make constant efforts to relieve people from their sufferings through spreading the Law.

This spirit is embodied in the Japanese term jigyo keta, which means ‘practice for oneself and others’. Practice for oneself means to sincerely chant daimoku and perform gongyo in front of the Gohonzon. Individual strength is essential and this is the fundamental way by which anyone can cause his life force well up from within. At the same time, the correct spirit of Buddhist practice is to help other people overcome their suffering, even if this involves tremendous efforts on our part. Specifically, practice for others means to teach other people about the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin; more generally, it means to encourage others to overcome their difficulties through faith in the Gohonzon and so establish absolute happiness in their lives. In this regard, it is not important how capable a person is to teach others. As the Gosho says, what matters more is the sincere spirit to do this ‘to the best of your ability’.

Fundamentally, Buddhism teaches that ‘practice for oneself and others’ cannot be separated – the strength we gain through practising for ourselves is used to help others grow strong, while helping others also brings benefit back to us.

Study

As with practice, study in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is based on faith. In essence, this means that we should strive to establish the regular study of the writings of Nichiren and SGI President Ikeda alongside our practice for self and others. When we come to a deadlock in life, we can find a solution by returning to the teachings of the Buddha. At the same time, studying regularly means that we can continually check and polish our faith. As SGI President Ikeda warns:

Without a thorough knowledge of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings, one’s practice can easily become self-cantered, and one may begin interpreting Buddhism in his own way. Study will deepen one’s confidence in faith and direct him to a correct path towards kosen-rufu.[7]

It is important to understand that study is a means, not an end in itself. Its purpose is to deepen our faith, not to demonstrate how learned we are. One of Nichiren Daishonin’s disciples was a renowned scholar called Sammibo Nichigyo. More than once the Daishonin had to warn him against trying to impress the imperial court with his learning in an attempt to gain favour, but Sammibo refused to listen. Eventually he turned against Nichiren Daishonin and ultimately came to an unhappy end.

In other words, Buddhist learning in itself has only a limited value in daily life. What is most important is that through our study we can always refresh and deepen our confidence in the Gohonzon, in order to challenge our different realities.

2. The heritage of faith

The concept of the heritage of faith refers to the transmission of the Law from master to disciple, or more generally, from the Buddha to the people.[8] In the Lotus Sutra this transmission happens during the ceremony in the air, in the central chapters of the sutra, and the recipients of this transmission are the bodhisattvas of the earth, led by the Bodhisattva Superior Practices. The Japanese word for heritage, kechimyaku, means ‘lifeblood’, indicating continuity through past, present and future. In this sense, the heritage of faith is a fundamental requirement for the Buddha’s disciples, whose mission it is to adhere to and transmit the true spirit of their master, and never abandon it or let it fade. It is a core point of Buddhist faith, as Nichiren notes in a well-known letter entitled Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life:

Be resolved to summon up the great power of faith, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death. Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life. Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.[9]

Earlier, the same letter focuses on three conditions that are essential for inheriting the Law. The first is referred to in the sentence that reads:

Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realisation is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death.[10]

In practical terms this means that all Nichiren’s followers and believers are equal in their nature and potential to become Buddhas. This teaching acknowledges an absolute equality of all living beings and respects them all as the Buddha’s disciples.

The second condition is mentioned in the sentence which reads: ‘The heritage of the Lotus Sutra flows within the lives of those who never forsake it in any lifetime whatsoever, whether in the past, the present, or the future.’[11] The Daishonin explains here that all people who take faith in his teaching do so thanks to the strong ties they have created in the past with the Law; at the same time, he clarifies that an active and committed attitude in one’s faith is important to perpetuate this bond. His disciples should always make utmost efforts to deepen their faith and attain Buddhahood.

The third condition is unity, as explained in the following passage:

All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind, transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and. Herein lies the true goal of Nichiren’s propagation.[12]

The practice of Buddhist faith is not solitary speculation. The Daishonin teaches that all believers should fight together for the same goal of kosen-rufu, sharing their experiences and giving encouragement to each other in the spirit of itai doshin (many in body, one in mind). This unity does not mean a denial of individuality, but rather urges the bridging of the gaps between people that arise from self-centeredness. Striving together for kosen-rufu helps us to develop our Buddha nature.

These three conditions can be used at any time to check the condition of our faith. For example, before morning gongyo we could ask ourselves, ‘Am I happy to do this? Do I feel lucky to have such a great opportunity to develop my good fortune?’ The answer to this question is a sort of measuring stick by which we can gauge the status of our faith. For example, if our mood towards gongyo is like what we feel when reading a tax demand, we probably need to do something to refresh our faith!

Gongyo and daimoku (provisional position)

Gongyo is the daily practice that the followers of Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching perform as an expression of, and in order to strengthen, their faith and their Buddha nature. The meaning of the term is ‘assiduous practice’. It is performed twice a day, in the morning and evening, and is composed of two main parts, the primary and the secondary practice. The primary practice is the invocation of the daimoku; that is, to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Daimoku means title, and refers to the fact that Myoho-renge-kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra. Placing the Sanskrit word nam before this means to devote one’s life to the law of the universe expounded by the sutra, and to gain life force from it.

The secondary practice, which supports the primary practice, is the recitation of two key sections from the ‘Expedient Means’ and ‘Life Span of the Thus Come One’ chapters of the Lotus Sutra, combined with various silent prayers. The Daishonin clearly defined these two chapters as foremost in the sutra. In the Gosho The Recitation of the ‘Expedient Means’ and ‘Life Span’ chapters he wrote:

As I said before, though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible, among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the ‘Expedient Means’ chapter and the ‘Life Span’ chapters are particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters are all in a sense the branches and leaves of these two chapters. Therefore, for your regular recitation, I recommend that you practise reading the prose sections of the ‘Expedient Means’ and ‘Life Span’ chapters.[13]

Reciting parts or all of the Lotus Sutra is referred to in the text of the sutra itself in several places, and had already become an important element of Buddhist practice before Nichiren Daishonin’s time.

Explaining the relationship between the primary and the secondary practice, the twenty-sixth high priest Nichikan (1665-1726) wrote that daimoku and gongyo can be compared to rice and its seasoning. Rice possesses nourishment in itself, while the seasoning is used to enhance its flavour; it would be of little use if there were no rice.

This prompts the question of what we should do if we no time to perform a full gongyo. SGI President Ikeda touched on this question during a discussion with leaders of High School Division of the Soka Gakkai:

Skipping gongyo occasionally is certainly not going to erase all one’s previous efforts. There is no need to worry about that. If you are running late for school and don’t have time, there is no need to be anxious about missing gongyo. In such cases, for example, if your mothers are practising and are chanting for you, their prayers will protect you. More importantly, as long as you have sincere faith in the Gohonzon, the fortune you have accumulated will stay with you. You needn’t feel guilty when you miss a gongyo. Of course, I’m not saying that it is all right to neglect gongyo. If you fall into the mindset that you don’t have to do gongyo, your heart will gradually grow estranged from prayer. Nevertheless, because faith exists within daily life, there is no need to take things so far as to make yourself late for school because of gongyo.

…Those who don’t have time for gongyo, or find it difficult to do it, should chant daimoku... If you can do at least a short gongyo (the portion from the Hoben chapter and the verse portion of the Juryo chapter) along with some daimoku, then you will feel even greater satisfaction. Of course, it goes without saying that doing a full morning and evening gongyo is ideal. (SGI Newsletter Monthly 186, November 1998)

An important element to be considered in performing gongyo is that Buddhist thought places great emphasis on the rhythmic aspects of life. Life itself is a rhythm, a pulsating force that manifests in all phenomena. So we are encouraged to develop a regular, daily rhythm to our faith and practice, which will be reflected in our daily lives and our growing Buddhahood.

3. Doubt-free faith (mugi wasshin)

Doubt-free faith is not to be confused with blind faith, which does not exist in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. The Japanese term, mugi wasshin, can help us understand - ‘no doubt (mugi) means faith (wasshin)’. We are encouraged to always maintain a seeking spirit and continually challenge our doubts in order to deepen our faith and understanding. As the Daishonin says, ‘If you do not question and resolve your doubts, you cannot dispel the dark clouds of illusion, any more than you could travel a thousand miles without legs.’[14] On the basis of practice and study, we can use any doubts we might have actually to deepen our faith, if we choose to look at them from a positive angle. The same doubt can constitute an opportunity to reflect on ourselves, and to test the power of the Gohonzon and the truth of Buddhist teachings; or an insurmountable obstacle that leads to a decline in our faith. What is most important is that we always consider our lives and experiences from the standpoint of faith, and use our practice to the Gohonzon to all our problems. With this attitude, we will always be able to confront difficult circumstances in the best possible way.

Moreover, in Buddhism faith and reason support one another, as second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda noted: ‘Reason produces faith, and faith seeks reason. The reasons sought further deepen one’s faith.’[15] Together, reason and faith work to build unshakable belief.

4. Prayer

In Nichiren Daishonin’s philosophy the concept of prayer has a particular meaning that distinguishes it from prayer in other religious traditions. The difference derives from the fact that Buddhism is not based on the concept of a divinity, as in the Judaeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. Buddhism teaches that a Law underlies all phenomena in the universe and that each living being, like all aspects of our environment, is a manifestation of this same essential Law. Prayer, therefore, is not a form of supplication, a humble request for help from some greater external power. Rather, through chanting with a particular goal (prayer) in mind, we summon up life force from within our own lives, which appears in the form of wisdom, courage and compassion. Instead of looking for spiritual grace from some divinity, we try with all our might to develop our own inner power. While many people in one way or another are able to tap their own inherent power, through faith in the Gohonzon anyone can gain access to the source of this power and use it to create value in their lives and society. Nichiren Daishonin explains that our prayer should be characterized by three elements: it should be sincere, strong and deep. When we pray in this way, we gain the conviction, strength and life force to challenge any obstacle.

5. The four powers of the Mystic Law

This principle was elaborated by the twenty-sixth high priest Nichikan Shonin in his Commentary to the Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, based on a sentence from the Gosho The Entity of the Mystic Law:

In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the physical body that the disciples and followers of Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from their fathers and mothers at birth. Such persons, who honestly discard expedient means, put faith in the Lotus Sutra alone, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, will transform the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering into the three virtues of the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. The threefold contemplation and the three truths will immediately become manifest in their minds, and the place where they live will become the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. The Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the essential teaching, who is both inhabiting subject and inhabited realm, life and environment, body and mind, entity and function, the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies - he is to be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren. Such persons embody the true entity of Myoho-renge-kyo; this is all due to the meritorious workings that the spontaneous transcendental powers inherent in it display. Could anyone venture to doubt it? Indeed it cannot be doubted![16]

According to the interpretation of Nichikan, this sentence explains that thanks to the strength of one’s faith and practice, we will be able to activate the powers inherent in the Gohonzon, that is the power of the Buddha and the power of the Law. Specifically, he explains, the power of faith is expressed in the words ‘put faith in the Lotus Sutra alone’; the power of practice is mentioned in the words ‘and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo’; the power of the Law is expressed in the words ‘the Buddha who is the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo’; and the power of the Buddha is mentioned in the words ‘the spontaneous transcendental powers inherent in it’.

In short, the powers of the Buddha and of the Law manifest themselves entirely according to the depth of our faith and the strength of our practice. Strong faith and practice on our part are essential to fully appreciate the benefits of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. His is a teaching that gives primary importance to the role of the individual. Each of us should feel completely responsible of our own life condition and confident that, through faith in the Gohonzon, we will be able to overcome any difficulty or suffering. When we chant daimoku to the Gohonzon with strong conviction, the powers of the Buddha and the Law definitely emerge, revealing previously unimaginable energy and potential. Nichiren Daishonin encourages us:

But your faith alone will determine all these things. A sword is 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.[17]

6. To receive and embrace equals observing the mind

This sentence is the translation of the Japanese juji soku kanjin. These three words directly introduce us to the fundamental aim of Buddhist faith - the attainment of Buddhahood - and to the core of Buddhist philosophy.

Juji means ‘to receive and embrace (a teaching)’; soku is translated in various ways – ‘equals’, ‘is the same as’ – but embraces the meaning of transformation. The word kanjin was used by T’ien-t’ai (558-597; also known as Chi-i), a Chinese monk and scholar was an important reformer of the Lotus Sutra tradition. The term means to observe one’s own mind to perceive the true nature of life. T’ien-t’ai taught that meditating on the ‘region of unfathomable’ in this way as means to enlightenment. Nichiren Daishonin comments: ‘Kanjin means to observe one’s own mind and to find the ten worlds within it.’[18] Essentially, this means to recognise one’s Buddhahood, as the other nine worlds can be seen in one’s life without the need to observe one’s mind. Nichikan Shonin interprets the Daishonin’s statement thus:

‘To observe one’s own mind’ means to believe in the Gohonzon. ‘To find the Ten Worlds within it’ means to chant [the daimoku of] the Mystic Law. If only you believe in the Gohonzon and chant the Mystic Law, then the Ten Worlds of the Gohonzon will become the Ten Worlds of your life.[19]

Putting these three words together, then, juji soku kanjin means that the act of ‘receiving’ and ‘embracing’ the Gohonzon is itself enlightenment. In its fullest sense, to ‘receive’ and ‘embrace’ means to follow the path of faith, practice and study without begrudging our lives.

7. The three treasures

The three treasures are often mentioned in Buddhist scriptures and refer to the fundamental objects of devotion and respect for a believer. They are the Buddha, the Law and the Samgha; that is, the Buddhist order or more generally the community of the Buddha’s disciples. The Buddha is worthy of respect because it is thanks to his great efforts and compassion that the Law was revealed. The Law is worthy of respect because, through awakening to it, ordinary people can become enlightened to the truth of life. The Samgha is worthy of respect because it upholds the Law and ensures its transmission to present and future generations.

Different Buddhist schools interpret the three treasures in different ways. The Soka Gakkai considers the treasure of the Buddha to be Nichiren Daishonin, the Law to be the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, and the Samgha to be the school founded by Nikko Shonin, the direct successor of Nichiren Daishonin. This third treasure needs some explanation.

After the Daishonin’s death, five of the six priests he had designated as the most senior of his followers failed to accept his instruction that Nikko should succeed him. Ignoring Nikko’s guidance and fearing persecution by the authorities, in time they started to proclaim themselves as disciples of the Tendai School. They failed to acknowledge Nichiren Daishonin as the treasure of the Buddha or the Gohonzon as the treasure of the Law, recognising instead Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra respectively. Therefore, only the school founded by Nikko is considered by the Soka Gakkai to be purely connected to the Daishonin’s teachings.

There is a complication, however. The Sanskrit word samgha is rendered in Japanese characters as ‘priest’. Traditionally, since Nikko’s time the treasure of the Samgha has been referred to as the treasure of the Priest; specifically Nikko himself, and more generally his successors. But with the passing of the centuries, the clergy of the Nikko school came to regard the priesthood alone as the treasure of the priest, and lay believers as inferiors whose main function was to support them in their supposedly sacred life. In this, again they ignored the words of Nichiren Daishonin that stressed the equality of the ‘four kinds of believers’ – priests, nuns, lay men and lay women; for example: ‘The Lotus Sutra…was preached equally for all, including the eight kinds of nonhuman beings and the four kinds of believers.’[20] Eventually, this attitude led to a major schism between the vast bulk of the laity, represented by the Soka Gakkai and SGI, and the majority of the priests of what the Soka Gakkai now calls ‘the Nikken School’. This school identifies the high priest alone as the treasure of the priest.[21]

8. The three proofs

In his efforts to reaffirm the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra among all the Buddhist scriptures, Nichiren Daishonin established three criteria by which to evaluate religious teachings. In the letter, Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain, he states: ‘In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the proof of actual fact’.[22]

The first of these criteria is reason, also called theoretical proof. Any teaching should accord with reason, as far as it goes. The second is documentary proof, written evidence of the teaching that is being expounded. Concerning this Nichiren Daishonin states:

Even when great bodhisattvas such as Universal Worthy and Manjushri, men who have returned to the stage of near perfect enlightenment, expound the Buddhist teachings, if they do not do so with the sutra text in hand, then one should not heed them.[23]

Documentary proof is necessary to avoid personal and arbitrary distortions of the teachings, which obviously create confusion and discord among the believers. The Daishonin himself was extremely well versed in the all the Buddhist texts that were extant in his day, and continually referred to them to clarify Shakyamuni’s true intent in expounding the Lotus Sutra, and his own mission as the Buddha of the Latter Day.

The third and most important criterion is actual proof – what actually happens when the teaching is put into practice. In his treatise of 1260, On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, for example, Nichiren Daishonin predicted that by following incorrect teachings Japan would surely meet the two great calamities of internal strife and of foreign invasion. This prediction was itself based on documentary proof in various Buddhist texts. As a result of these statements he was persecuted for many years and made many enemies, but his words actually came true: in February 1272 an elder brother of the regent Hojo Tokimune made an abortive attempt to seize power; and in 1274 and 1281 the mighty empire of the Mongol leader Kublai Khan twice tried to invade the country. This was actual proof not only of the error of the prevailing Buddhist schools in Japan, but of the correctness of the Daishonin’s own teachings.

On a more personal level, it is very important that we receive clear actual proof of our faith in our daily lives, in terms of both conspicuous and inconspicuous benefit. Not only does this encourage us to continue to make efforts to deepen our faith; it is also the best demonstration we can offer to others of the validity of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings.

9. The writings of Nichiren Daishonin

During the sixty years of his life Nichiren Daishonin wrote an incredible number of works. They can be divided into two main categories - individual letters to his disciples, and treatises, generally addressed to some specific person but clearly intended as milestones in the establishment of his teaching.

The Japanese term for the writings, ‘Gosho’, was first used by Nikko Shonin and means ‘writings worthy of the highest respect’, since they are the writings of the Buddha of the Latter Day. SGI President Ikeda describes the Gosho as ‘a record of the Daishonin’s intense struggles over the course of his lifetime. In order to fulfil his mission, he endured great persecution and left behind a monumental teaching. The Gosho crystallizes his spirit, action, and instruction. We should therefore read it as the scripture for the Latter Day of the Law.’[24] The Japanese edition is a volume of more than 1,500 pages, and was published by the Soka Gakkai in 1952 to celebrate the seven hundredth anniversary of founding of Nichiren’s Buddhism. It was compiled largely thanks to the efforts of Josei Toda and the retired high priest and renowned Buddhist scholar Nichiko Hori.

From a doctrinal point of view there are ten major works (judaibo), in which the Daishonin explained all the fundamentals of his teaching and entrusted the future attainment of worldwide propagation to his disciples. The titles of these ten treatises are:

1) Sho Hokke Daimoku Sho (On the Recitation of the Lotus Sutra?)

2) On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land

3) The Opening of the Eyes

4) The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind

5) The Essence of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke Shujo Sho)

6) The Selection of the Time

7) On Repaying Debts of Gratitude

8) On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice

9) Letter to Shimoyama

10) Questions and Answers on the Object of Devotion (Honzon Mondo Sho)

Among these, five major works are recognised as being of fundamental significance: On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land; The Opening of the Eyes; The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind; The Selection of the Time; and On Repaying Debts of Gratitude. Apart from the first of these (which Nichikan Shonin defined as marking the beginning and end of Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching), all belong to the period following the Tatsunokuchi persecution and the Sado exile. The Daishonin’s commented on their significance thus: ‘As for my teachings, regard those before my exile to the province of Sado as equivalent to the Buddha’s pre-Lotus Sutra teachings.’[25] (WND, page 896) This is because it was only after these major persecutions that Nichiren revealed his true identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, started to teach the essence of his doctrine directly, and started to inscribe the Gohonzon for his close followers.

Even during the most difficult periods of his life, such as the more than two years that he was exiled on Sado, Nichiren always made every effort to encourage his followers. He wrote as many letters as he could to support to those confronting great difficulties, some simply for being his disciples. As a result, and thanks to the efforts of Nikko Shonin and others who in the centuries that followed collected and copied the original manuscripts, today we can refer directly to the Daishonin’s words whenever we need encouragement or clarification, or find ourselves at critical points in life. In the Gosho we can always find answers to our questions and for this reason it is very important to read it again and again, a little each day if possible. In this way, the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin will gradually permeate our lives. In the words of Daisaku Ikeda:

Among all life forms, human beings are unique in their ability to manifest the power of Buddhahood in their character and actions. To do so, the heart, the spirit, is crucial.

In his writings, the Daishonin repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the heart in Buddhist practice. While on the one hand he teaches that faith and courage are the powers and functions of the heart that enable us to open the world Buddhahood in our lives, he also cautions against such negative functions of the heart as disbelief and cowardice, which close us off to our potential for Buddhahood. The Gosho is really a teaching about the heart.[26]

10. Oneness of master and disciple

The oneness of master (or mentor) and disciple (shitei funi) is a term first used in relation to Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism by Nichikan Shonin, in his major work, Commentary on the Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. ‘Oneness’ is a translation of the Japanese word funi, which is a shortened form of a phrase that literally means ‘two but not two; not two, but two’. It refers to different phenomena that are inextricably linked, that are distinct yet inseparable: life and its environment (esho funi), and body and mind (shikishin funi) are two examples. Funi used to describe the relationship of master and disciple indicates that each has his own role and function, while both are necessary for the achievement of the Buddha’s will - the widespread propagation of the teachings to bring about the happiness of all human beings. As Nichiren Daishonin explains in the Gosho Flowering and Bearing Grain:

It is said that, if a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell. If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything.[27]

The most important point is that the Buddha’s disciples need to awaken to the Buddha’s true intent, and realise it in their own lives. This means to awaken to their own inherent Buddhahood, their own unique mission, and to freely dedicate their lives to the movement for kosen-rufu. As SGI President Ikeda explains:

We can change even painful destiny into mission. The Lotus Sutra teaches this strong and resilient way of life. This is what the ‘Teacher of the Law’ chapter explains when it speaks of the great bodhisattvas who, while capable of being born into pure lands if they so desired, choose instead to be born into impure worlds so that they can expound the Lotus Sutra to help those suffering. We who now spread the Mystic Law in this world are the bodhisattvas to whom the sutra refers. We are enacting a grand drama that we ourselves chose.[28]

The oneness of master and disciple is not limited by time or space, in that master and disciple do not necessarily live in the same age or place. Even so, an inseparable bond links the two – total commitment to realising the same goal of kosen-rufu. The Daishonin refers to this when he quotes a sentence from the Lotus Sutra in the Gosho Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, saying: ‘It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this... The sutra’s statement, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers” cannot be false in any way.’[29] The disciple consciously chooses to follow and learn from his master and, because of this decision, acts regardless of any obstacle or difficulty.

SGI president Ikeda explains this point in the following passage. Referring to his relationship with Soka Gakkai’s second president. Josei Toda, he makes a clear distinction between the path of master and disciple and that of the oneness of master and disciple:

In the 1956 [propagation] campaign, Josei Toda sent to various parts of the country many of his disciples whom he had personally trained for a long time. For him this was the first opportunity to see whether they took the master-disciple relationship merely in the general sense of the word or considered it personally as the oneness of master and disciple. Is the master’s intention being truly realized or not? This one can easily judge from the way in which the disciple acts. It is vital that the master’s intention should pulse in the disciple’s life and that he acts spontaneously, for only then is the master-disciple bond honed to the point where master and disciple are truly one. The lifeblood which flows between master and disciple - this is the fundamental force which binds the two. In order to attain this state, the disciple must first grasp the source from which the master’s innermost intention derives, and then make it his own. This is a difficult process which can be accomplished through strong faith. The source for the power of both master and disciple is, needless to say, none other than the Gohonzon. Shin’ichi Yamamoto for one squarely faced the difficult task and accomplished it. For months preceding the Osaka campaign he had continuously taxed his life with incredible effort until he was finally able to manifest the oneness of master and disciple in his own actions. Many disciples shy away from such difficulty. They do not in any way intend to go against the master’s intention, but the fact is that they only have a one-sided understanding of it. For this reason, when confronted with severe realities some of them panic and then content themselves by mechanically forcing their master’s intention upon other members without first grasping it themselves. Others, although mindful of their master’s intention, decide that they are faced with a special case, and impatiently try to conform to it by utilizing shallow wisdom which does not derive from faith. All such disciples are totally unaware that they are disrupting the flow of the lifeblood between master and disciple by their own actions. Only when the result of the disciple’s serious concern coincides with the master’s thought does the lifeblood of faith begin the flow in powerful torrents. It is quite easy for a disciple merely to mechanically follow the master’s intention, but rarely does a disciple attain the state of mind in which he penetrates the source of the master’s intention and shares that source. However, the oneness of master and disciple totally depends on the accomplishment of this difficult task.[30]

As this passage implies, a fundamental equality lies at the heart of the concept of the oneness of master and disciple. The master does not simply give instructions and the disciple carry them out. Each lives according to his own individuality, but both share the same commitment to the Buddha’s will and take full responsibility for propagating the Law. The master is always concerned with how best to foster his disciples, while the disciples are always wracking their brains about how better to realise their master’s will.

11. The three virtues

The three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent represent the three dominant characteristics of the life condition of the Buddha, as mentioned in various passages in the ‘Life Span’ (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. ‘This, my land, remains safe and tranquil’[31] indicates the virtue of the sovereign. ‘Constantly I have preached the Law, teaching, converting’[32] indicates the virtue of the teacher. The virtue of the parent is indicated by the line, ‘I am the father of this world’.[33]

The virtue of the sovereign refers to the fact that the Buddha has the power to protect all living beings; the virtue of the teacher refers to the power to instruct and lead all people to enlightenment; the virtue of the parent clarifies that the Buddha has the compassion to nurture and support people.

Nichiren Daishonin discusses the concept of the three virtues at length in the Gosho The Opening of the Eyes. The first line states: ‘There are three categories of people that all human beings should respect. They are the sovereign, the teacher and the parent.’[34] His conclusion is that ‘I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people of Japan.’[35] In this statement he is alluding to his true identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, whose mission is to protect, instruct and nurture all Japanese people – in fact, all people – in the Latter Day; to awaken their Buddha nature so that they can overcome their sufferings and difficulties and establish a peaceful and creative world.

It follows from this that the three virtues are not reserved for the Daishonin alone, but represent an ideal for our practice and faith. In protecting, guiding and nurturing in faith other people, everyone who follows the Daishonin’s teachings can display the three virtues, and thus gain the love, trust and respect of others. Leaders in the SGI especially have a responsibility to uphold the three virtues. As SGI President Ikeda notes:

Leaders must have the ability to provide training, protection, guidance and instruction. When someone has a problem, they need to provide kind guidance as well as necessary instruction. By so doing, they can ensure that people do not become deadlocked. A genuine leader protects people when they are tired, and nurtures them by providing training appropriate to their level of development.[36]

They should not expect respect and appreciation simply because of their position. Rather, it is only thanks to their efforts to help others day by day that they can come to be respected and appreciated by other people.

[1] WND, p. 386
[2] Ibid., p. 358
[3] WND, p. 1036
[4] Ibid., p. 953
[5] Ibid., p. 997
[6] Ibid., p. 1030
[7] Buddhism in Action, Vol. 1, p. 23
[8] The Nikken school claims that transmission means the passing on of a secret teaching, reserved to designated priests; the Soka Gakkai maintains that no teaching exists beyond what Nichiren Daishonin expounded in the Gosho, which can be directly shared and understood by each and every follower, regardless of status.
[9] WND, p. 218
[10] Ibid., p. 216
[11] Ibid., p. 217
[12] Ibid.
[13] WND, P. 71
[14] WND, p. 1031
[15] from a speech at the Soka Gakkai leaders meeting, February 1953.
[16] WND, p. 420
[17] Ibid., p. 412
[18] Ibid., p. 356
[19] ‘Exegesis on ‘The True Object of Devotion for Observing One’s Mind’.
[20] WND, p. 1039
[21] For further reading, see ‘Confirming Our Path of Faith’ (SGI-USA, 1999).
[22] WND, p. 599
[23] Ibid, p. 109
[24] ‘The World of the Gosho (1)’ SGI Newsletter, No. 5003
[25] WND, p. 896.
[26] ‘The World of the Gosho (1)’ SGI Newsletter, No. 5003
[27] WND, p. 909.
[28] ‘Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra’, 16.
[29] WND, p. 217
[30] The Human Revolution, Vol. 10
[31] LS16, 230
[32] Ibid., 229
[33] Ibid., 231
[34] WND, p. 220.
[35] Ibid., p. 287.
[36] ‘Learning from the Gosho, the Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin’: Lecture Six – On The Opening of the Eyes, Part Two.

(with edits from: http://www.guidestud.org/faith_practice.htm )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Buddhist learning in itself has only a limited value in daily life. What is most important is that through our study we can always refresh and deepen our confidence in the Gohonzon, in order to challenge our different realities.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Doubt-free faith is not to be confused with blind faith, which does not exist in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism. The Japanese term, mugi wasshin, can help us understand - ‘no doubt (mugi) means faith (wasshin)’. We are encouraged to always maintain a seeking spirit and continually challenge our doubts in order to deepen our faith and understanding. As the Daishonin says, ‘If you do not question and resolve your doubts, you cannot dispel the dark clouds of illusion, any more than you could travel a thousand miles without legs.’[14] On the basis of practice and study, we can use any doubts we might have actually to deepen our faith, if we choose to look at them from a positive angle. The same doubt can constitute an opportunity to reflect on ourselves, and to test the power of the Gohonzon and the truth of Buddhist teachings; or an insurmountable obstacle that leads to a decline in our faith. What is most important is that we always consider our lives and experiences from the standpoint of faith, and use our practice to the Gohonzon to all our problems. With this attitude, we will always be able to confront difficult circumstances in the best possible way.

Moreover, in Buddhism faith and reason support one another, as second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda noted: ‘Reason produces faith, and faith seeks reason. The reasons sought further deepen one’s faith.’[15] Together, reason and faith work to build unshakable belief.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

In Nichiren Daishonin’s philosophy the concept of prayer has a particular meaning that distinguishes it from prayer in other religious traditions. The difference derives from the fact that Buddhism is not based on the concept of a divinity, as in the Judaeo-Christian and Islamic traditions. Buddhism teaches that a Law underlies all phenomena in the universe and that each living being, like all aspects of our environment, is a manifestation of this same essential Law. Prayer, therefore, is not a form of supplication, a humble request for help from some greater external power. Rather, through chanting with a particular goal (prayer) in mind, we summon up life force from within our own lives, which appears in the form of wisdom, courage and compassion. Instead of looking for spiritual grace from some divinity, we try with all our might to develop our own inner power. While many people in one way or another are able to tap their own inherent power, through faith in the Gohonzon anyone can gain access to the source of this power and use it to create value in their lives and society. Nichiren Daishonin explains that our prayer should be characterized by three elements: it should be sincere, strong and deep. When we pray in this way, we gain the conviction, strength and life force to challenge any obstacle.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

In his writings, the Daishonin repeatedly emphasizes the importance of the heart in Buddhist practice. While on the one hand he teaches that faith and courage are the powers and functions of the heart that enable us to open the world Buddhahood in our lives, he also cautions against such negative functions of the heart as disbelief and cowardice, which close us off to our potential for Buddhahood. The Gosho is really a teaching about the heart.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Mr. Toda said: 'An organisation pervaded by the attitude that only those with academic credentials are worthy is bound to fail.' The Soka Gakkai is an organisation founded on faith. There is absolutely no reason to give preferential treatment to someone just because they have strong academic credentials. As a matter of fact, we have seen leaders of the Gakkai who graduated from top universities grow arrogant, look down on their fellow members, and foolishly abandon their faith.

"Faith is what matters. We must value and cherish those who are striving wholeheartedly for the sake of the Gakkai, the members, and kosen-rufu.

"Mr. Toda also said: 'Don’t let infighting occur because of jealousy, personal ambition, or the desire to be important. Nothing is more disgraceful.' We must never destroy the unity of our movement for kosen-rufu out of selfish greed or a wish for personal glory, nor should we permit anyone else to do so."

SGI Newsletter No. 6962, NATIONWIDE EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE—SESSION 2 [OF 4], Self-Development Is the Key to Fostering Others, held on July 31st, 2006, and translated Sep. 12th, 2006)

 

[Guest]

I ASPIRE IN MY ACTIONS TO BE A VOTARY OF THE LOTUS SUTRA LIKE PRESIDENT TODA!!!

I ASPIRE IN MY ACTIONS TO BE A VOTARY OF THE LOTUS SUTRA LIKE PRESIDENT TODA!!!

Gosho Excerpt:


"I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province."


The properties of rice,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 1117)
Written to Takahashi Rokuro Hyoe from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/1117.html




Daily Encouragement:

How can we create the greatest value in the short span of a lifetime? Those of us who embrace the Mystic Law know the answer. Our faith in and practice of the Daishonin's Buddhism enables us in this lifetime to solidify the world of Buddhahood in our lives and establish a state of eternal happiness. That is the purpose of faith in the Mystic Law, the purpose of our Buddhist practice.

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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Emptiness

Emptiness

The concept of shunyata (Sanskrit), or ku (Japanese), has been variously translated as latency, non-substantiality, emptiness and void. One of the first detailed articulations of this idea comes from the Buddhist scholar Nagarjuna, living in India between 150 and 250 C.E. Nagarjuna believed that the state of "neither existence nor nonexistence" described in this concept expressed the true nature of all things. The paradoxical nature of this idea, however, makes it somewhat foreign to Western dualist logic, and has helped contribute to a stereotype of Buddhism as a detached, mystical philosophy which sees the world as a grand illusion. The implications of ku, however, are much more down-to-earth, and are in fact consistent with the findings of contemporary science.

Modern physics, in attempting to discover the essence of matter, has arrived at a description of the world that is very close to that of Nagarjuna. What scientists have discovered is that there is no actual, easily identifiable "thing" at the basis of matter. Subatomic particles, the building blocks of the physical world that we inhabit, appear to oscillate between states of being and nonbeing. Instead of a fixed "thing" in a particular place, we find only shifting waves of probability. At this level, the world is actually a highly fluid and unpredictable place, essentially without substance. It is this non-substantial nature of reality that the concept of ku describes.

Ku also elucidates the latent potential inherent in life. Consider how, when we are in the grip of a powerful emotion, such as anger, this expresses itself in our entire being--our glaring expression, raised voice, tensed body and so on. When our temper cools, the anger disappears. What has happened to it? We know anger still exists somewhere within us, but until something causes us to feel angry again, we can find no evidence of its existence. To all intents and purposes, it has ceased to exist. Memories are another example; we are unaware of their existence until they suddenly rise into our consciousness. The rest of the time, as with our anger, they are in a state of latency, or ku: they exist and yet they do not.

In the same way, life (in all its manifestations) contains vast potentials and possibilities which are not always apparent or obvious, but which, given the right circumstances, can become manifest. This infinite potential is, in fact, the very nature of life.

An understanding of ku, therefore, helps us to see that, despite how we may see them, things--people, situations, relationships, our own lives--are not fixed, but dynamic, constantly changing and evolving. They are filled with latent potential which can become manifest at any time. Even the most seemingly hopeless situation has within it astoundingly positive possibilities.

It is very natural for us to apply various types of definitions to people, situations and ourselves, in order to make sense of the world. Unless we are careful about the nature of our thoughts and opinions, however, we can easily become trapped in narrow and often negative views: "He's not a very nice person," "I'm no good at relationships," "There will never be peace in the Middle East." As soon as we make up our minds about something in this way, we impose a limitation on it, shutting out the possibilities of positive growth and development.

When we choose to view things in term of their infinite positive potential, however, our thoughts and actions become a constructive influence, helping create the conditions for that potential to become a reality.

Because of the intimate interconnectedness of all things, each of us, at each moment, has a profound impact on the shared reality of life. The way we see things has a definite, defining effect on reality. Realizing this enables us to act with the confidence that we can shape reality toward positive outcomes.

The most positive and constructive view is to believe in the unbounded positive potential inherent in all life. Buddhism terms this potential--the real nature of life--"Buddhahood," which Nichiren defined as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren encouraged his followers to chant this mantra with the firm conviction that by doing so they are tapping the latent potentiality of Buddhahood in themselves and in the situations they are part of.

(from: http://www.sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more34.htm )

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth. And since you are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, there is not the slightest doubt that you have been a disciple of the Buddha from the remotest past. The Yujutsu chapter states, "I have taught these people since the remotest past." There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku.

from the SGI site.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the wealth of great information PTD!

Thanks for the wealth of great information PTD!

Congrats on the Moderator Status for Babba!

Gain momentum and serve The Law! Today we will continue to grow!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Middle Way

The Middle Way

The Middle Way is a Buddhist term with rich connotations. Most simply, it implies a balanced approach to life and the regulation of one's impulses and behavior, close to Aristotle's idea of the "golden mean" whereby "every virtue is a mean between two extremes, each of which is a vice."

While the word middle denotes balance, however, the Middle Way should not be confused with passivity or a kind of middle-of-the-road compromise. To tread the Middle Way rather implies ongoing effort.

In the broadest sense, the Middle Way refers to the correct view of life that the Buddha teaches, and to the actions or attitudes that will create happiness for oneself and others. Thus, Buddhism itself is sometimes referred to as "the Middle Way," indicating a transcendence and reconciliation of the extremes of opposing views.

All these ideas are exemplified by Shakyamuni's own life, as conveyed to us by legend. Born a prince, Shakyamuni enjoyed every physical comfort and pleasure. However, dissatisfied with the pursuit of fleeting pleasures, he set out in search of a deeper, more enduring truth. He entered a period of extreme ascetic practice, depriving himself of food and sleep, bringing himself to the verge of physical collapse. Sensing the futility of this path, however, he began meditating with the profound determination to realize the truth of human existence, which had eluded him as much in a life of asceticism as in a life of luxury. It was then that Shakyamuni awakened to the true nature of life--its eternity, its deep wellspring of unbounded vitality and wisdom.

Later, in order to guide his followers toward this same Middle Way, he taught the eightfold path: eight principles, such as right conduct, right speech, etc., by which individuals can govern their behavior and develop true self-knowledge.

Since then, at various points in the history of Buddhism, Buddhist scholars have attempted to clarify and define the true nature of life. Around the third century, Nagarjuna's theory of the non-substantial nature of the universe (see April 2001 SGI Quarterly) explained that there is no permanent "thing" behind the constantly changing phenomena of life, no fixed basis to reality. For Nagarjuna, this view was the Middle Way, the ultimate perspective on life.

Nagarjuna's ideas were further developed by T'ien-t'ai (Chi-i) in sixth-century China. All phenomena, he stated, are the manifestations of a single entity--life itself. This entity of life, which T'ien-t'ai called the Middle Way, exhibits two aspects--a physical aspect and a non-substantial aspect. Ignoring or emphasizing either gives us a distorted picture of life. We cannot, for example, realistically conceptualize a person lacking either a physical or a mental/spiritual aspect. T'ien-t'ai thus clarified the indivisible interrelationship between the physical and the spiritual. From this viewpoint stem the Buddhist principles of the inseparability of the body and the mind and of the self and the environment.

Nichiren (1222-1282), in turn, gave concrete, practical form to these often quite abstract arguments. Based on the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren defined the Middle Way as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and taught that by reciting this phrase one can harmonize and energize the physical and spiritual aspects of one's life, and awaken to the deepest truth of one's existence.

From this perspective, life--the vital energy and wisdom that permeates the cosmos and manifests as all phenomena--is an entity that transcends and harmonizes apparent contradictions between the physical and the mental, even between life and death. SGI President Daisaku Ikeda takes the same view when he states that it is life that gives rise to DNA, not the other way around.

According to Buddhism, individuals and societies as a whole have a tendency toward either a predominantly material or spiritual view of life. The negative effects of the materialism that pervades the modern industrialized world are apparent at every level of society, from environmental destruction to spiritual impoverishment. Simply rejecting materialism out of hand, however, amounts to idealism or escapism and undermines our ability to respond constructively to life's challenges.

The historian Eric Hobsbawm titled his volume on the 20th century "The Age of Extremes." Indeed, the violence and grotesque imbalances of that era drive home the need to find new ways of peacefully reconciling apparent opposites. What is most essential, if humanity is to find a middle way toward a creative global society in the 21st century, is a new appreciation and reverence for the inviolable sanctity of life.

(from: http://www.sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more33.htm )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Let's create a fresh wind of movement!
Let's challenge something new!
Let's make an effort to try to talk to people we haven't spoken to before
and build new friendships.
It is through having such a ceaseless challenging spirit
that we will be able to develop a new age!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[Guest]

and to further elaborate on the above post....


"IT ALL BEGINS WITH YOU!"

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Nine Consciousnesses[1]

The Nine Consciousnesses[1]

‘It is now widely recognised that ideologies premised on changing the human being through social reform have failed to achieve their goal, and that while scientific progress has brought much benefit to the world, it has also brought much harm.

The great lesson of the 20th century, therefore, has been that global change and even our very survival hinge on our own inner transformation. When human beings change, all else will follow.’[2]

These words by Daisaku Ikeda strongly emphasise the need of self-reformation or human revolution. If we human beings do not change then any religion or philosophy that we practise will be useless to us. If we do not change then our needless suffering will continue, and humanity may ultimately perish.

Everything is changing, from the tiniest particle of matter to the vast universe. Everything is subject to the eternal flux of change, the rhythm of the universe. But many people are frightened by the uncertainty this brings, the uncertainty of life itself. Since ancient times people have been searching for something they can base their lives on and trust in. The fear of the impermanence of all phenomena is found in the human being’s self or ego. The ego’s greatest fear is to lose control over itself and its surroundings and, ultimately it is the fear of its own disintegration; in other words, its death.

How can we free ourselves from the fear of impermanence and death? And how can we live in harmony with the rhythm with the universe? Buddhism teaches that this results from following the path of Buddhahood, the supreme and happiest state of life. The Buddhist concept of the nine consciousnesses can help us to understand this.

We live in a continuous exchange with the world around us. Through our five senses, - smell - sight, touch, hearing and taste, we constantly perceive information from the external world. These five senses correspond to what are called the first five of nine consciousnesses. The sixth and seventh consciousnesses are the perceptive functions of the human mind. The sixth consciousness integrates the perceptions of the five senses into coherent images. The seventh or mano-consciousness has the power of thinking in and pondering about abstract concepts. It discerns therefore the inner spiritual world. The eighth or alaya-consciousness is the realm which stores all memories, habits and karma. The ninth or amala-consciousness is called the fundamentally pure consciousness and is the life of the universe itself. Nichiren Daishonin teaches that this ninth consciousness is none other than the Mystic Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

In Buddhist philosophy the ability of discernment, comprehension or perception is called in Sanskrit vijnana. This word is translated as ‘consciousness’ although its meaning is somewhat different. The function of vijnana was included by Shakyamuni among the ‘five components’ (go’on) that constitute a living being. The five components are form, perception, conception, volition and consciousness. When these five components disintegrate the living entity dies. ‘When death approaches, the integrative power of life is lost and the five components, which have hitherto been held in a state of temporary union, disintegrate. Life’s physical and spiritual functions subsequently recede into latency, and the union of the five elements is also lost.’[3]

The concept of the nine consciousnesses explains the component of ‘consciousness’ in more depth.

The first five consciousnesses and the sixth consciousness

In Buddhism the five senses are attributed the faculty of consciousnesses because each single sense organ acts like a consciousness of its own in that it discerns external stimuli; that is, every sense organ makes a selection from the external information it receives and sends only this to the brain.

The sixth consciousness integrates the perceptions of the five senses into coherent images; it is the function of intelligence to make inferences and judgements about the external world. From the sixth consciousness we respond – through the five senses - to the external world. The first five consciousnesses together with the sixth consciousness therefore simply perceive and respond to the external world. In this sense, the six consciousnesses correspond to the first six of the Ten Worlds, in which we react primarily to external stimuli.

Between the third and the first centuries BC the Abhidharma schools of Theravada Buddhism put forward the idea that the sixth consciousness was the ultimate basis of life and that the first five consciousnesses (the five senses) were its specific functions. In fact, all living beings which have a central nervous system, be it simple or as complex as that of a human being, posses this sixth consciousness. However, because the workings of the six consciousnesses all arise in response to external circumstances, Buddhism was faced with the problem of exactly where resided the continuing subject that undergoes the cycle of birth and death. Or in other words, what is it that remains once a living entity dies ? What continues after death, or will life revert to nothingness ?

The seventh or mano-consciousness

In the fourth or fifth century AD Vasubandhu expounded his Consciousness-Only doctrine. This postulated the existence of the seventh or mano-consciousness, saying that it operated below the level of the sixth consciousness. The word mano derives from the Sanskrit word manas, meaning mind, intellect or thought, and indicates that this consciousness owes its name to the fact that it performs the act of thinking. Unlike those of the first six consciousnesses, the functions of the mano-consciousness are mental and spiritual, and represent a very deep, unconscious awareness of self. We can see this awareness in operation when a person, perhaps through a car crash, ends up in a coma. Despite the fact that the person is totally unconscious of what is going on, he or she nevertheless breathes and makes efforts to stay alive. The awareness of one’s self, therefore, spans the border from the conscious to the unconscious level. Because of this, the mano-consciousness includes a strong attachment to the self.

Since the end of the nineteenth century attempts had been made in the West to explore different levels of human consciousness, leading to the development of the science of psychology early in the twentieth century. Sigmund Freud, for example, advanced the theory that repressed sexual and aggressive drives give rise to hysteria and other neuroses. In Buddhism, however, the sexual, aggressive and other instinctual drives at work via the mano-consciousness are defined as ‘earthly desires’, such as greed, anger and ignorance. These so-called ‘three poisons’ are considered to be fundamental delusive passions that give rise to other, derivative ones.

The mano-consciousness is capable of perceiving a truth beyond the physical external world, transcending day-to-day matters. In this regard it corresponds to Learning and Absorption, the eight and ninth of the Ten Worlds. Its positive qualities, for example, include self-reflection, the intellectual faculties of concentration, wisdom and devotion, and exercise of reason. However, its inherent character is to be attached to the self, the ego. So while on the one hand it may grasp a partial truth of life, on the other, being under the influence of the three poisons, it tends towards a self-centred logic.

Moreover, the mano-consciousness does not give us a solution to the questions of what will happen after death and of how karma, which binds us to certain patterns of feeling, thought and behaviour, is transmitted and operates from the past through the present into the future.

The eighth or alaya-consciousness

In addition to the mano-consciousness, the Consciousness-Only school proposed that there was an eighth or alaya-consciousness, which it said lies deeper still.

The Sanskrit word alaya means a dwelling or receptacle, indicating that all of our thoughts, words and deeds are imprinted, moment by moment, into the realm of the alaya-consciousness as energies which have the potential to influence our patterns of feeling, thought and behaviour in the present as well as in the future. These impressions are called ‘seeds’, so the realm of the alaya-consciousness is sometimes described as the ‘storehouse consciousness’ or the ‘repository of seeds’. The seeds in the alaya-consciousness represent karma, or the latent power of our actions to produce future effects.

Both good karma and bad karma are stored there like seeds in a granary. The term ‘storehouse’ conjures up the image of an actual structure into which things of substance can be placed. But in fact it may be more accurate to say that the life-current of karmic energy itself constitutes the eighth consciousness.’[4]

This karmic energy is said to continue eternally, transcending life and death. While the functions of all the consciousnesses up through the seventh consciousness cease upon death, it is the alaya-consciousness that continues to function over the three existences of past, present and future.

In Buddhist literature the alaya-consciousness is likened to a ‘rushing stream’. If one were be able to observe this rushing stream with one’s eyes one would see a gigantic flow of everything, transcending the present, back into the past and forward into the future, giving rise to birth and death, all in one and the same moment of timelessness.

The view of such a rushing stream is not something one can experience easily; most of us will probably never have the chance to do so. This is because you cannot see the stream of karmic energy with your eyes while alive. Only at the moment of death or when one is in the process of dying will one plunge into the alaya-consciousness, and then, and only then, will one experience this rushing stream. This tallies with reports of near-death experiences that people see their entire life flashing before them in a succession of panoramic scenes. From a Buddhist viewpoint they are witnessing their karma - every thought, every word, and every deed that has been etched into the alaya-consciousness. What is most interesting is that near-death experiences have a number of features that seem to be universal, transcending any cultural and religious differences. This suggests that there might be some universal fact of existence that all people encounter upon death.

What happens to people at the moment of death may vary considerably depending on their state of life. However, it seems that the core content of an individual’s experience at the time of death is not greatly influenced by cultural, religious or personal factors. There is a surprisingly high degree of similarity, such as reports of out-of-body experiences. To give just one example, a personal account of a woman. Suffering a recurrence of meningitis, she lost consciousness, developed a high fever and a very irregular pulse, and finally her pupils dilated, indicating that she was about to die. Those around her evidently began discussing funeral arrangements, going so far as to begin talking about what photo of her to use at the memorial service. However, she later came to and remarked:

At that time, I felt a cone-shaped object emerge from my head and my mind went completely blank. The object attached itself to a corner of the ceiling of the room and watched the scene below. The part of me looking down from above had left the self that was lying on the bed. And I could see the forms of everyone in the room moving back and forth. …[5]

This experience indicates that a person in a near-death state is able to ‘see’ things around her. Other people, who were in a coma, later reported that they were able to ‘see’ by identifying, for example, the clothing worn by relatives and people who had come to visit them and could tell what they had spoken. The psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in her work On Death and Dying (1969), reports on the case of a blind person who could describe in detail the clothing of all the people gathered at his bedside, proving by this that in a out-of-body state even blind people are able to ‘see’ perfectly well.

Moreover, the alaya-consciousness transcends the boundaries of the individual and interacts with the karmic energy of others - one’s family, one’s ethnic group, and of humanity as a whole - and also with that of animals, plants, rocks and waters, and with the whole universe. The Indian Mahayana scholar Nagarjuna (c. 150-250 AD), in his Commentary on the Ten Stages, interpreted this idea in relation to sentient and non-sentient existence: ‘Sentient beings are born by virtue of individual karma, and non-sentient beings by virtue of shared karma.’ In other words, individual lives come into existence by way of their individual actions whereas non-sentient life-forms – such as mountains, rivers and the earth itself – derive their existence from shared karma.

In a sense it can be said that the alaya-consciousness embraces the notion of the ‘collective unconsciousness’ formulated by CG Jung. His theory was that every human being possesses the entirety of the human heritage within the recess of his or her own psyche – that is, that each one of us shares with all our fellow humans a common psychic base, the collective unconscious. Therefore, we all share the common feelings such as fear of darkness and of death as a legacy from our remote ancestors.

The alaya-consciousness holds the potential effects of all of our actions, both good and evil, but in itself it cannot be described as either intrinsically good or intrinsically evil. People try in various ways to change their destiny – for example, by accumulating benefit through good deeds, but we are easily influenced by our karmic energy and tend towards the lower six worlds. As Daisaku Ikeda notes:

Sooner or later we are liable to do something that erases the good causes we have made, just as in piling up stones we can only get so high before we upset what we have worked to create. That is particularly so in an age when society, to its very depths, is swirling with negative energy.’[6]

The way of battling the negative forces within one’s life through altruistic acts is the way of a bodhisattva and of self-reformation. In this sense the alaya-consciousness corresponds to the world of Bodhisattva.[7] But the energy of negative karma can defeat even a Bodhisattva:

The great demon of fundamental darkness can even enter the bodies of bodhisattvas who have reached near-perfect enlightenment and prevent them from attaining the Lotus Sutra’s blessing of perfect enlightenment. How easily can he then obstruct those in any lower stage of practice![8]

How, then, can we change our karma and free ourselves from the attachments and illusions of the ego, including the fear of death ?

The ninth or amala-consciousness

When Shakyamuni Buddha was lying on his death bed, his disciple Ananda, who had constantly waited in service upon the Buddha, asked him: ‘On what should we rely in our practice after you have passed away?’ Shakyamuni replied: ‘Ananda, you should make yourself an island and depend on yourself. Without depending on others, you should make the Law an island and your foundation.’[9] Behind Ananda’s question we can find the very human feelings of loneliness and fear of impermanence, as mentioned above. Everything is subject to the eternal flux of change, every living entity will die one day, and we will then have to say ‘Good bye. Fare well.’

This fear originates from our ego, but what is our ego? In Buddhism, the ego means the sixth and the seventh consciousnesses together; and since the subconscious ego is also active in one’s karma, the ego actually reaches and extends into the eighth consciousness, and vice versa. This ego which originates from the sixth to the eighth consciousness has no real substance, because it is always changing and vanishing, coming and going, and undergoes the cycle of birth and death. Furthermore it is under the influences of the three poisons and self-centred thinking which stems from the four illusions.[10] This ego is therefore called the small ego or ‘small self’ in contrast to the greater ego or ‘greater self’, which Nichiren Daishonin identifies with the world of Buddhahood.

Theravada Buddhism proclaims that no such ‘greater self’ exists: the goal of Buddhist practice is nirvana, which literally means ‘to blow out’ or extinguish, indicating liberation from constant rebirth into this world of suffering. The Lotus Sutra, however, teaches that this understanding of nirvana did not reflect the Buddha’s true intention. The Lotus Sutra not only rejects this ‘doctrine of annihilation’, but also the idea of an unchanging and eternal ‘soul’. Rather, Shakyamuni’s conclusion is that ‘Essentially, it is the energy of karma that continues beyond birth and death.’[11] When we die our individual lives – which are akin to a field of individual karmic energy - fuse with the life of the universe, the totality of cosmic karmic energy.

It’s not a matter of there being a soul; rather, our life, as an entity of the oneness of body and mind, returns to the universe. The universe itself is one great living entity. It is a vast ocean of life. It nurtures all things, gives all things life, enables them to function. When things die, they return again to its embrace, and receive new vitality. There is a boundless and overflowing ocean of life which is always in motion. As it moves and changes, it enacts the rhythm of life and death. Our individual lives are like waves produced from the great ocean that is the universe; the emergence of a wave is ‘life’, and its abatement is ‘death’. This rhythm repeats eternally.[12]

The true intent of Shakyamuni Buddha’s reply to Ananda’s question was to lead Ananda to the great self of the amala-consciousness.

This ninth consciousness exists at a level of life even deeper than the alaya-consciousness. The Sanskrit word amala means ‘pure’, ‘unstained’ or ‘spotless’ because it remains eternally untainted by karmic accretions. It is fundamentally free of impurities and of the ceaseless struggle between good and evil represented by the alaya-consciousness. It is therefore also called the fundamentally pure consciousness. When we tap into the fundamentally pure consciousness ‘we can at once change both the negative and positive karmic energy in our life into ‘supremely positive’ energy’.[13] The amala-consciousness has such supremely positive energy because it is the life of the universe that underlies all the other consciousnesses.

The amala-consciousness activates all consciousnesses from the eighth to the seventh and sixth and purifies our five senses, the first five consciousnesses. The purification of our six senses equates to manifesting Buddhahood in our lives. It is the fusion of our small ego or self with the greater self of the universe.

As long as we hold fast to our small ego we experience the fear of the impermanence of all phenomena and of death. This fear comes from the small ego looking at the rushing stream of alaya, the karmic energy. Since it cannot hold fast to anything it suffers. This natural impulse to hold on to something is the origin of suffering and of fear. At the same time it originates in ignorance of the greater self. In Buddhism this ignorance is called ‘fundamental darkness’ (mumyo) in contrast to enlightenment. The greater self of the fundamentally pure consciousness is as eternal as the universe and the enlightened state of life of the Buddha.

The Buddha is ‘the ‘eternal Buddha’ of the ‘Life Span’ (sixteenth) chapter who ‘could be called an expression in human form of this fundamentally pure consciousness that is without beginning or end’.[14] Nichiren Daishonin calls this fundamentally pure consciousness the ‘unchanging reality which reigns over all life’s functions’.[15]

He makes clear how important it is for us to transform our small self into, or fuse it with, the greater self, without denying our lives of the small self, saying:

Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality which reigns over all life’s functions.’[16]

He also says: ‘Base your heart on the ninth consciousness and your practice on the six consciousnesses.’[17]

Thus, Nichiren Daishonin shows us the way to carry out the reformation: by chanting Nam- myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon we open up the most profound and sacred dimension of life, the ninth consciousness. This is possible according to the principle of the simultaneity of cause (the nine worlds, or the life of ordinary people) and effect (the world of Buddhahood). To ‘Base your heart on the ninth consciousness’ means to make faith and study the mainspring of one’s actions; while to base one’s practice ‘on the six consciousnesses’ means to take this action amid the realities of daily life and society, contributing to others’ happiness and working to establish a peaceful world. In the conversations on the ‘Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra’ SGI President Ikeda states:

The essence of Buddhism lies in developing oneself through one’s own determination and tenacious effort - not by depending on anyone or anything else. We need to have the spirit to stand on our own initiative without relying on anyone. We don’t need others’ sympathy or sentimentality. We have to stand up and advance, even if there is no one to encourage us. We resolutely and cheerfully take responsibility to change ourselves, our surroundings, society and the land where we live. That is the principle of ichinen sanzen, or three thousand realms in a single moment of life. What Buddhism teaches is not abstract theory; it is not a weak-kneed way of life of constantly clinging to something for support. At the same time, neither is it to be confused with the egoism to arrogantly suppose, ‘I alone am correct and respect worthy.’ To believe in the great life force within oneself is at once to believe in the great life force existing within all people. Buddhism teaches that we should treasure the lives of others just as highly as we treasure our own.[18]


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1] This article draws substantially on the chapter ‘Nine Consciousnesses – Probing the Depths of Life’ in the book Unlocking the Mysteries of Birth and Death: Buddhism in the Contemporary World, by Daisaku Ikeda (Macdonald, London, 1988); and is supplemented by material from a number of other sources, as acknowledged in the footnotes.

[2] SGI President Daisaku Ikeda’s Message for 2001 May 3, Soka Gakkai Day

[3] Daisaku Ikeda in: Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 35

[4] Daisaku Ikeda in: Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 35

[5] see Haruo Suda in: Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 34

[6] Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 35

[7] see Daisaku Ikeda ebd., p. 171

[8] Letter To The Brothers, in: Writings Of Nichiren Daishonin (WND), p. (493) 496

[9] see Haruo Suda in: Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 27

[10] The four illusions are: 1. illusion that the self is absolute and unchanging; 2. illusion leading to theories that the self is absolute and unchanging; 3. illusion that leads to conceit; 4. illusion that leads to self-attachment. See: Daisaku Ikeda, Unlocking The Mysteries Of Birth And Death: Buddhism In The Contemporary World, p. 159

[11] Daisaku Ikeda in: Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 35

[12] ibid

[13] ibid.

[14] ibid.

[15] WND, p. 832

[16] Ibid.

[17] WND, p. 458

[18] Daisaku Ikeda in: Wisdom Of The Lotus Sutra 27

(from: http://www.guidestud.org/nine consc.htm )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Theravada Buddhism proclaims that no such ‘greater self’ exists: the goal of Buddhist practice is nirvana, which literally means ‘to blow out’ or extinguish, indicating liberation from constant rebirth into this world of suffering. The Lotus Sutra, however, teaches that this understanding of nirvana did not reflect the Buddha’s true intention. The Lotus Sutra not only rejects this ‘doctrine of annihilation’, but also the idea of an unchanging and eternal ‘soul’. Rather, Shakyamuni’s conclusion is that ‘Essentially, it is the energy of karma that continues beyond birth and death.’ When we die our individual lives – which are akin to a field of individual karmic energy - fuse with the life of the universe, the totality of cosmic karmic energy.

It’s not a matter of there being a soul; rather, our life, as an entity of the oneness of body and mind, returns to the universe. The universe itself is one great living entity. It is a vast ocean of life. It nurtures all things, gives all things life, enables them to function. When things die, they return again to its embrace, and receive new vitality. There is a boundless and overflowing ocean of life which is always in motion. As it moves and changes, it enacts the rhythm of life and death. Our individual lives are like waves produced from the great ocean that is the universe; the emergence of a wave is ‘life’, and its abatement is ‘death’. This rhythm repeats eternally.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The essence of Buddhism lies in developing oneself through one’s own determination and tenacious effort - not by depending on anyone or anything else. We need to have the spirit to stand on our own initiative without relying on anyone. We don’t need others’ sympathy or sentimentality. We have to stand up and advance, even if there is no one to encourage us. We resolutely and cheerfully take responsibility to change ourselves, our surroundings, society and the land where we live. That is the principle of ichinen sanzen, or three thousand realms in a single moment of life. What Buddhism teaches is not abstract theory; it is not a weak-kneed way of life of constantly clinging to something for support. At the same time, neither is it to be confused with the egoism to arrogantly suppose, ‘I alone am correct and respect worthy.’ To believe in the great life force within oneself is at once to believe in the great life force existing within all people. Buddhism teaches that we should treasure the lives of others just as highly as we treasure our own.

 

[Bonzo]

GOOD EVENING MY FRIENDS!!!!!!

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!!!

WOOOOOO HOOOOOO!!!!!!

oops back in a sec

bonz