Chanting Growers Group

[Bonzo]

Shit!!!! that last one is HEAVY T, Gotta think about it for a minute, cause i went through alot of life changing thoughts today, but cant figure out if that post is about our practice or our daily lives as well, as in making changes for OURSELVES and not relying on, but not neccessarily denying ones help if offered, if that makes any sense.

Gotta chant.

ill be back

peace and love

bonz






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

 

[Bonzo]

Funny, now i clearly see the sentance: "We resolutely and cheerfully take responsibility to change ourselves, OUR SURROUNDINGS, society and the land we live in".

You see my friends, i feel i have to move on from my current surroundings, my place of residence, for many reasons. For one, i cannot force my mom to start practicing again and i feel it would help her tremedously. Reason being is she is constantly holding resentments towards my grandfather which makes her unhappy most of the time. Now i can sympathize and i chant for her to resolve this within herself, but like i said i cannot force her to do so , it is up to her to find it within herself. As much misery she seems to be in she does not seem to want to change things. well thats not correct , she just wants things to magically change without any effort on her part is best i can see and put it.

I chant every day for my fears to be replaced by FAITH, simply put. And it seems the more that takes hold the more i see i have to make changes for myself and not rely on or poit the finger at others cause things arent going as i would want them. Its a tough situation cause without my income the two of them alone could not keep up with the bills, rent, etc. On top of that my mom , if i were to move and they did have the money to support themselves, would still be miserable.

Bottom line is i dont have or make enough money to move out , and even if i did have the money to move out what about my mom and grandfather?

Any how i do not have a solution to my obstacle, but as my faith grows deeper and i see things clearer i KNOW it will work out. How do i know this, because i have FAITH and i am taking action, And that means taking action in all areas of my life, especially me being responsible and accountable for my actions as well as practicing and studying myself without having to be told or encouraged to do so. But i get so much enecouragement here and that is just icing on the cake.

You know at the last World Peace meeting when i got my Gohonzon , a guy spoke for a bit and one of his main topics was that he , after actively chanting for alot of years, was still pointing the finger to outside influence, for lack of a better word, for obstacles he was presented with. He also was one person i spoke with about a month or so ago who was so enthusiastic and had great energy and asked for my number so he could call me and take me to some meetings, he never called. Thats ok, i cotninued on without him and other people stepped into my life, and man i really feel blessed to know these people.

RAMBLING AGAIN!

Bottom line. i dont know what to do about my current living conditions, lotta negetive energy. I have to stay vigilante to not get enveloped by it.

I sure wish my mom would start chanting again.

well, i know i wandered a bit there but i guess im just runnin' my thoughts by ya'll and see what happens.

PEACE MY FRIENDS!!!!!

Bonz








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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Bonz, I wish you could be me so you could see you. I think you would be impressed. WoWzer! Boy you have changed a lot in a short time (seems to me)!!! What you have to say and how you are expressing yourself seems to have changed as well.

Fuck it! Do it yourself. It's the only way it'll ever really get done anyhow. Be grateful when people help you, and accept your karmic responsibility while having compassion for them, when they don't.

And keep chanting no matter what. It's workin', dude!

Deep respect,

T

(PS: Where you fucking live doesn't have one bit to do with what you must make happen for your mom. She's suffering, and you can see that. Your number one act of compassion has to be to see your mother happy. If you have the compassion to care for your mother in that way--to want to see her chant--that compassion will turn into the wisdom of the correct thinking to successfully change what needs to be changed so that can happen. You want to try and pull off some "Hell is the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light" stuff here, I think. Don't give in too quickly to splitting as the solution. Your mom's happiness is the solution. Figure out what that is and make it happen. You can do it!)

 

[Bonzo]

Hey T,Good mornin dude! Well lke i said im fuckin' stuck here for at least another 3 months before i will have any kind of money saved to do anything anyway so in that time ill' try my dang hardest to see that my mom finds what shes looking for.

ya know the other day we were talking about someone who was bein' a real deushebag and somethin had happened to him, nothing too serious,just an obstacle, but my mom said " thats Lotus Kharma for ya" it was a trip. She also said a couple weeks ago that she might like to go a meeting one of these days soon, but ya'll dont know my mom, shes the kindest, sweetest, most dear hearted lady you could possibly know (give you the shoes off her feet) but gettin' her to do certain things is like pullin' fuckin' teeth.



Im not given up yet.

I chant daily for that wisdom.

Thanks again brotha T, you have a bright, bright, bright, sunshiny day!!!! for reals!!!

peace

bonz






>>>>>>>>>> Nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Is it not the meaning of the sutra and commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one's present form.

[ The Essentials for Attaining Buddbahood, WND Page 746 ]

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

A Perspective on Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Used with kind permission from the folks at BuddhaJones.com

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is a chant or mantra. A mantra is a powerful phrase that is said with a certain concentration or intent. A mantra has meaning in and of itself, but the intention or concentration of the person who says it can make a big difference in the effect of the chant.

For example: Have you ever dated someone for a while and you were pretty sure that he or she loved you, and you loved that person too, but you hadn't told each other yet? You know that feeling? When you say, "I love you," it has the power to change your life in ways you probably can't imagine.

A mantra is like that. When you say it, it can fundamentally change your life.

Some people use "love" very casually. They say "I love this," or "I love it," or "Love ya." It doesn't have the same weight as when a person considers his or her feelings very seriously before saying "I love you."

Usually, the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is said over and over again. Maybe it would sound kind of crazy to chant "I love you I love you I love you" a thousand times a day.

It's not so crazy -- actually it's pretty common these days -- to hear cuss words out of someone's mouth a thousand times a day. "The f-ing this and the f-ing that." Sometimes, people repeat insults and complaints as if they are mantras. So, "chants" of one type or another are a part of everyday life.

Have you ever noticed that if you hang out with people who cuss a lot or use a certain phrase, after a while you end up using the same language? Sometimes it's really hard to break yourself of the habit. This is an unfortunate example of how a phrase can be engraved on a person's consciousness.

It's probably better to get in the habit of saying a phrase that has a more uplifting influence, such as Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

Why chant the same phrase over and over?

Chanters repeat the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo because, as mentioned, repetition engraves it in their consciousness (and their unconscious too.)

Since Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is such a great mantra, you might think that chanting it once or chanting it a thousand times would have the same effect. Well, not necessarily.

If you can say "Nam Myoho Renge Kyo " one time, but say it with profound faith, intention, concentration -- whatever you want to call it -- that one utterance packs a mighty wallop. But most of us are not at a place in our "spiritual development" where we can summon up such profound faith at any given moment.

When we chant, with each repetition of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo , we are rooting ourselves deeper in faith and deeper in the spiritual tradition of the Lotus Sutra.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is the heart and title of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra teaches the enlightenment of all living beings. The Lotus Sutra's essence (Nam Myoho Renge Kyo ) is the teacher of all Buddhas, past, present and future. When we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo we are strengthening our connection to and learning from the teacher of all Buddhas.

A very cool thing is that this great Buddha wisdom lives in each and every person. It is the essence of life itself. So we are not chanting to some god or imaginary power. We are chanting the name of our innate wisdom, compassion, courage and energy. We are calling it up. We are engraving it on our heart. We are becoming more and more in tune with it.

But why this mantra?

In many religious traditions, reciting a mantra is a well-established spiritual practice that has beneficial effects. There are lots of other mantras aside from Nam Myoho Renge Kyo . "Om mani padme hum" is a famous mantra, for example. Maybe "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee..." also qualifies as a mantra.

Mantras are different in that they have different meanings and create different vibrations. A mantra is basically a vibration.

It is said that when you strike a tuning fork to make it vibrate, it can make other nearby tuning forks that are pitched to the same frequency start to vibrate spontaneously. It sets off a "chain reaction" of vibration because the forks are all tuned into the same frequency.

Similarly, the vibe we create when we chant triggers vibration not only in the depths of our life, but in our surroundings. As we tune ourselves more and more to the vibe of this Buddha wisdom, we resonate with the Buddha vibe that is in other people and in our environment. The vibration of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo awakens innate Buddha qualities everywhere in a sort of chain reaction.

People have been chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo for centuries and there are lots of ways to explain it. While not everyone agrees on why it works, most chanters agree that it is a worthwhile devotional practice. The best way to understand it is to chant and see for yourself.

Nichiren describes the practice of chanting in his writings. A good place to start is On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime.

You can chant alone, but it helps to have someone to chant with. If you want to find people who chant, check out www.sgi-usa.org.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Bonz very much for sharing and I support you 100% your Buddhawisdom is a key to your success as is your faith chanting and continued practice for yourself and others, study and did I mention faith! I been tested up the wazooo lately but I am managing exceptionally well considering everything realistically and plan only on improving from here with no misteps or at the very least exponentially fewer errors, I am divising a plan for everything!

PTD, thanks for the study material so much I just downloaded the 89 pages for review over here, we can always study more!

Babba, thanks B, welcome back, much obliged for those great posts

Thanks again Bonzo and everyone else, I appreciate it very much.

 

[scegy]

bonzo: i love me, i love me, i love me no matter fucking what

 

[Babbabud]

I love you all ..." no matter f**king what !!"
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Gold can be neither burned by fire nor corroded or swept away by water, but iron is vulnerable to both. A worthy person is like gold, a fool like iron."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, September 19th, 2006

 

[Guest]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[Bonzo]

HELLO?

 

[Bonzo]

Talk to ya'll tomorrow.

i gotta tell ya this thread and all of you guys just BLOW ME AWAY!!

bedtime for bonz

peace and my deepest respect and love to you all!!!!!!!!!!

bonz












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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin states,
"... he (the lion king) roars;
the hundred cubs will then feel emboldened ..."*
When we encourage someone,
it is vital that we speak with conviction.
Let's speak words that are full of powerful life force
that will spur our fellow members' to have courage!

Daisaku Ikeda

* "Suppose a lion has a hundred cubs. When the lion king sees its cubs attacked by other beasts or birds of prey, he roars; the hundred cubs will then feel emboldened, and the head of those other beasts and birds of prey will be split into seven pieces. The Lotus Sutra is like the lion king, who rules over all other animals." - "The Drum at the Gate of Thunder", WND, page 949

 

[Guest]

Lion Sound King
[師子音王仏] (Skt.: Simhanadaraja; Jpn.: Shishionnobutsu)

*

A Buddha who is said to have appeared immeasurable kalpas ago. He is mentioned in the Non-Substantiality of All Phenomena Sutra and The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom. These works describe his land, in which all trees issue the Dharma sound that leads people to attain the way. After the death of Lion Sound King, however, the sound stops. In the latter age of this Buddha's teaching, the monk Root of Joy carries out only the practice of expounding the doctrine of the true aspect of all phenomena. In spite of being slandered by the monk Superior Intent for that, Root of Joy persists in his beliefs and attains Buddhahood.

(from the Buddhist Dictionary) (just wanted to share this)

The Drum at the Gate of Thunder

I have received one kan of blue-duck coins, one to of dried rice, and other articles. Tokusho Doji, who offered a mudpie to the Buddha, was reborn as King Ashoka, and an old woman who made the Buddha an offering of rice gruel was reborn as a pratyekabuddha.

The Lotus Sutra is the teacher of all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences. The Buddhas of the ten directions are the Buddha Zentoku in the east, the Buddha Muutoku in the southeast, the Buddha Sendantoku in the south, the Buddha Hose in the southwest, the Buddha Muryomyo in the west, the Buddha Ketoku in the northwest, the Buddha Sotoku in the north, the Buddha Sanjogyo in the northeast, the Buddha Koshutoku of the zenith, and the Buddha Myotoku of the nadir.

The Buddhas of the three existences are the thousand Buddhas of the past Glorious Kalpa, the thousand Buddhas of the present Wise Kalpa, and the thousand Buddhas of the future Constellation Kalpa, as well as all the other Buddhas depicted in the Mahayana and Hinayana, provisional and true, and exoteric and esoteric sutras, including the Kegon, Lotus and Nirvana sutras. These Buddhas, as well as the bodhisattvas in the worlds of the ten directions who are as numerous as particles of dust, all originate from the single character myo of the Lotus Sutra.

Therefore, the Fugen Sutra, the epilogue to the Lotus Sutra, says, "The three enlightened properties of the Buddha's life arise from the Hodo." The term Hodo derives from an Indian word and was translated in China as "great vehicle." Great vehicle, or Mahayana, is another name for the Lotus Sutra. The Agon sutras, when compared with non-Buddhist scriptures, are regarded as Mahayana sutras, or the sutras of the great vehicle. Similarly, the Kegon, Hannya, Dainichi and other sutras, when compared with the Agon sutras, are defined as Mahayana sutras; but they in turn fall within the category of Hinayana sutras, or the sutras of the lesser vehicle, when compared with the Lotus Sutra. As no sutra surpasses the Lotus Sutra, it is the one and only Mahayana sutra.

To illustrate, each ruler of the eighty-four thousand countries in Jambudvipa is called a great king within his country. But when compared with a wheel-turning king, he is called a minor king. In like manner, each of the kings of the six heavens of the world of desire and of the four meditation heavens may be called either a great king or a minor king, [depending on whom he is compared to;] but King Daibonten, who resides at the top of the world of form, is the one great ruler who can never be called a minor king.

A Buddha is a child, and the Lotus Sutra, its parents. If the parents of a thousand children are praised, those thousand children will rejoice. If one makes offerings to the parents, he makes offerings to their thousand children as well. One who makes offerings to the Lotus Sutra will receive the same benefit as he would by making offerings to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the ten directions, because all the Buddhas of the ten directions originate from the single character myo. Suppose a lion has a hundred cubs. When the lion king sees its cubs attacked by other beasts or birds of prey, he roars; the hundred cubs will then feel emboldened, and the heads of those other beasts and birds of prey will be split into seven pieces. The Lotus Sutra is like the lion king, who rules over all other animals.

A woman who embraces the lion king of the Lotus Sutra need not fear the beasts of Hell, Hunger, and Animality. All the offenses committed by a woman in her lifetime are like dry grass, and the single character myo of the Lotus Sutra is like a small spark. When a small spark is set to a large expanse of grass, not only the grass but also big trees and large stones will all be consumed. Such is the power of the fire of wisdom in the single character myo. Not only will all offenses vanish, but they will become sources of benefit. This is what changing poison into amrita means. For example, black lacquer will turn white when white powder is added. A woman's offenses are like the lacquer, and the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, like the white powder.

When one dies, if he is destined to fall into hell, his appearance will darken and his body will become as heavy as a stone that requires the strength of a thousand men to move. But in the case of a devotee of true faith, even if she should be a woman seven or eight feet tall and of dark complexion, at the hour of death, her countenance will become pure and bright, and her body will be as light as a goose feather and as soft and pliable as cotton.

It is a thousand ri across the sea and mountains from Sado to this province. You, as a woman, have held fast to your faith in the Lotus Sutra; and over the years you have repeatedly sent your husband here to visit me in your place. Surely the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Taho and all other Buddhas of the ten directions know of your devotion. For example, though the moon is forty thousand yojana high in the heavens, its reflection appears instantly in a pond on the earth; and the sound of the drum at the Gate of Thunder is immediately heard ten million ri in the distance. Though you remain in Sado, your heart has come to this province.

The way of attaining Buddhahood is just like this. Although we live in the impure land, our minds reside at Eagle Peak. Merely seeing each other's face would in itself be insignificant. What matters is one's heart. Someday let us meet at Eagle Peak, where Shakyamuni Buddha dwells. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

With my deep respect,
Nichiren

The nineteenth day of the intercalary tenth month in the first year of Koan (1278)

Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 5.

(from http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/Gosho/DrumGateThunder.htm)

Also please note this is the webpage for the Buddhist Study Review taking place right now. If your actively engrossed in this thread your already there, but in any event here on this link you will find the actual study material which is also available as a small book/pamphlet at the SGI bookstores...

http://www.sgi-usa-study.org/BLR_2006.pdf


LIKE THE ROAR OF THE LION KING always and forever, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO!!!!

ROARRRRR! NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO!!!! NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO!!!! NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO!!!! NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO!!!!

 

[Bonzo]

Good mornin my friends.

WOOO HOOOOO!!!!!! The Chanting Growers Group Steamroles onward and upward!!!!!!!

Thank you Gypsy and CO.

I had written a response to all your great posts and when i hit send, POOF the site was gone, the server went down. Was really strange too cause i had written about how much this thread and all of you here mean to me. So much encouragement for one another, its really pretty damn awesome!!!! Anyway by the time the site was back up it was past my bedtime.

FREAKED ME OUT MAN!!!!!! i thought i had lost ya'll there for a sec, and that would suck!!!!!

anyhow i hope and will be chanting that the site is up when i get home from work so i can post what i wanted to last night. Would like to now but gotta get ready for work. Time flies when im on this thread, its a trip, but it does.

So ill see you all when i get home.

My deepest thanks, respect and love to you all!!!!!!!

peace and have a golden day my friends!!!!!!

bonz








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

 

[Guest]

same thing happened here bonz, its happened before but its just more fuel for us to rally up and expound our uniqueness embracing Myoho-renge-kyo! Dance Dance, Sing and Dance because today is another marvelous day for more growth and happiness! Let's eminate the Mystic Law in every facet of our life and get our environments in synch with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Your a star B!

 

[Guest]

Gosho Excerpt:

"Is it not the meaning of the sutra and commentary that the way to Buddhahood lies within the two elements of reality and wisdom? Reality means the true nature of all phenomena, and wisdom means the illuminating and manifesting of this true nature. Thus when the riverbed of reality is infinitely broad and deep, the water of wisdom will flow ceaselessly. When this reality and wisdom are fused, one attains Buddhahood in one's present form."


The essentials for attaining Buddhahood,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 746)
Written to Soya Jiro Hyoe-no-jo Kyoshin on 8 August 1276 from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/746.html




Daily Encouragement:

Our existence in this world can be likened to a dream. The issue of by far the greatest importance and eternal relevance is how we face death, the inescapable destiny of all living beings. For in the face of death, external factors such as social status or position in the organization count for naught. Everything depends on one's faith, one's state of life.


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

 

[Guest]

More Valuable Encouragement from The Daishonin and President Ikeda

More Valuable Encouragement from The Daishonin and President Ikeda

Gosho Excerpt:

"All those who keep faith in the Lotus Sutra are most certainly Buddhas, and one who slanders a Buddha commits a grave offense. When one chants the daimoku bearing in mind that there are no distinctions among those who embrace the Lotus Sutra, then the blessings one gains will be equal to those of Shakyamuni Buddha."


The fourteen slanders,
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pg# 756)
Written to Matsuno Rokuro Saemon on 9 December 1276 from Minobu
http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/Nichiren/wnd/concord/pages.view/756.html




Daily Encouragement:

When your determination changes, everything else will begin to move in the direction you desire. The moment you resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in your being will immediately orient itself toward your success. On the other hand, if you think "This is never going to work out," then at that instant every cell in your being will be deflated and give up the fight, and then everything really will move in the direction of failure.


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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!