Chanting Growers Group

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Hope everyone is doing great today PTD I hope you feel better soon. I hope everyones chants come to fruition.

Today is a big day in the Babbas house. After many many months of care and love our first real plant will be harvested today. Its not as big as we would have liked but we knew that we would be smoking off this plant early in the season before harvest. But it is the first plant that to be harvested that went from very beginning to end in our grow. We did harvest a very small sourbubble plant that was put in late and harvested early. But this bogglegum is our first real full term. So today is a big day for the Babbas and we finally feel like we can see the finish in site. Wow unbelievable. Stay tuned to the Babbas thread for some great full melt clear dome pics as this day/weekend go on. So much love to you all . Thankyou all so much for the encouragement that has gotten us to this day
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I won today because even though I was very ill, I still got my Daimoku in. And now I do feel much better. As a result all of you got Daimoku from me today. I am so greatful to know you all! Thank you for the Daimoku sent my way! Without the influence of my good friends here, there is no doubt I would have succumbed to my own fundamental darkness and been thrown off course.

Ha! I wasn't! Dragon, your ass is mine!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Prolonging One's Life Span

On Prolonging One's Life Span

There are two types of illness: minor and serious. Early treatment by a skilled physician can cure even serious illnesses, not to mention minor ones. Karma also may be divided into two categories: fixed and unfixed. Sincere repentance will eradicate even fixed karma, to say nothing of karma that is unfixed. The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "This sutra provides good medicine for the (1) ills of the people of Jambudvipa." These words can be found in no other sutra. All the sacred teachings of Shakyamuni's lifetime are the golden words of the Thus Come One; for countless kalpas, they have never contained the slightest falsehood. The Lotus Sutra is the truth of all truths taught by the Buddha, for it includes his declaration of "honestly discarding expedient (2) means." Many Treasures Buddha confirmed the truth of the Lotus Sutra, and all the other Buddhas lent their tongues in testimony. How, then, could it be false? Moreover, this sutra contains the greatest of all secrets. It tells of a woman who suffers from illness in the last five-hundred-year period of the twenty-five hundred years following the Buddha's passing.

King Ajatashatru broke out in virulent sores all over his body on the fifteenth day of the second month of his fiftieth year. Not even the skills of the great physician Jivaka were enough to cure him. It was fated that he would die on the seventh day of the third month and fall into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering. All the pleasures of his fifty years suddenly vanished, and the sufferings of an entire lifetime were gathered into twenty-one days. His death was predetermined by his fixed karma. But then the Buddha reiterated the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, entitling it the Nirvana Sutra and conferring it on the king. The king immediately recovered from his illness, and the grave offenses that had burdened his heart vanished like dew-drops.

More than fifteen hundred years after the Buddha passed away, there lived (3) a man [in China] called Ch'en Chen. It was prophesied that he would die at the age of fifty, but by following the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, he was able to prolong his life by fifteen years and lived to be sixty-five. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging also transformed his fixed karma and prolonged his life through his practice of the Lotus Sutra. The sutra says, "His life span was (4) increased." The persons mentioned above were men, not women, but they prolonged their lives by practicing the Lotus Sutra. Ch'en Chen lived before the last five-hundred-year period, so his change of karma was as extraordinary as rice ripening in winter or chrysanthemums blossoming in summer. In this age, it is as natural for a woman to change her fixed karma by practicing the Lotus Sutra as it is for rice to ripen in fall or chrysanthemums to bloom in winter.

When I prayed for my mother, not only was her illness cured, but her life was prolonged by four years. Now you too have fallen ill, and as a woman, it is all the more timely for you to establish steadfast faith in the Lotus Sutra and to see what it will do for you. In addition, you can go to Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo [Shijo Kingo], who is not only an excellent physician but a votary of the Lotus Sutra.

Life is the most precious of all treasures. Even one extra day of life is worth more than ten million ryo of gold. The Lotus Sutra surpasses all the other sacred teachings of the Buddha's lifetime because of the "Life Span" chapter. The greatest prince in the land of Jambudvipa would be of less consequence than a blade of grass if he died in childhood. If he died young, even a person whose wisdom shone as brilliantly as the sun would be less than a living dog. So you must hasten to accumulate the treasure of faith and quickly conquer your illness.

I could ask Shijo Kingo on your behalf, but, while some people would prefer to be approached by an intermediary, others may feel it reflects a lack of earnestness on the part of the individual concerned. It is extremely difficult to fathom another person's mind. I have experienced such difficulties on several occasions. Shijo Kingo is one who would feel offended if the request came from anyone but the person directly concerned, so in his case, it would not be advisable for me to intercede. Just ask his assistance yourself, frankly and sincerely, without an intermediary. When he came to see me in the tenth month of last year, he told me how grieved he was about your illness. He said that you were probably not overly concerned then because your illness was not yet serious, but that it would surely become critical by the first or second month of this year. His words deeply saddened me. He also said that Toki depends on you as a staff to lean on and a pillar for support. He was very concerned about you. He is a man who never gives in to defeat and who greatly values his friends.

If you are unwilling to make efforts to heal yourself, it will be very difficult to cure your illness. One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the major world system, so first you must muster sincere faith. This is the meaning of the passage in the seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra that states that burning a finger as an offering to the Buddha and the Lotus Sutra is better than donating all the treasures of (5) the major world system. A single life is worth more than the major world system. You still have many years ahead of you, and moreover you have encountered the Lotus Sutra. If you live even one day longer, you can accumulate that much more benefit. How truly precious your life is!

Write down your name and age yourself and send your messenger with it to me so that I can pray to the gods (6) of the sun and moon. Your son Iyo-bo is also extremely worried about you, so he will offer the recitation of the verse section of the "Life Span" chapter to those gods.

Respectfully,

Nichiren

Reply to the lay nun

Background:

Nichiren Daishonin sent this letter in 1279 to the lay nun Toki, the wife of Toki Jonin, whom she had married after her first husband died. When Toki Jonin became a lay priest, she became a lay nun, calling herself Myojo (Wonderful Eternity).

This letter explains the principle of changing karma or destiny. Buddhism characterizes karma as either fixed or unfixed, depending on whether the time when one is to receive the reward or retribution from that karma is fixed. Both types may be either good or bad. Unfixed karma has a weaker influence and can be overridden through simple effort. Fixed karma is more deeply rooted and harder to change. It is the determining force of the basic tendency of one's life. Fixed karma may also be interpreted as karma whose effects are destined to appear at a fixed time (Ajatashatru, for example, was destined to die on the seventh day of the third month).

While Buddhist scriptures describe a variety of causes of karma, the Daishonin's Buddhism teaches that the deepest causes are one's support or slander of the Mystic Law. These causes lie deep within one's life, beyond the ability to sense or conceive. Nevertheless, On Prolonging One's Life Span asserts positively that strong faith and sincere repentance can change even fixed karma.

Notes:

1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23.
2. Ibid., chap. 2.
3. Ch'en Chen (n.d.) was an elder brother of T'ien-t'ai and a general of the Ch'en
dynasty.
4. Lotus Sutra, chap. 20.
5. This statement is based on a passage in chapter 23 of the Lotus Sutra.
6. Iyo-bo is another name for Nitcho (1252-1317), one of the Daishonin's six senior priest-disciples. He was either Toki Jonin's adopted son or his wife's son by her first husband.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If you are unwilling to make efforts to heal yourself, it will be very difficult to cure your illness. One day of life is more valuable than all the treasures of the major world system, so first you must muster sincere faith. This is the meaning of the passage in the seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra that states that burning a finger as an offering to the Buddha and the Lotus Sutra is better than donating all the treasures of the major world system. A single life is worth more than the major world system. You still have many years ahead of you, and moreover you have encountered the Lotus Sutra. If you live even one day longer, you can accumulate that much more benefit. How truly precious your life is!"

 

[Guest]

V FOR VICTORY!!!!!

V FOR VICTORY!!!!!

I won today because even though I was very ill, I still got my Daimoku in. And now I do feel much better. As a result all of you got Daimoku from me today. I am so greatful to know you all! Thank you for the Daimoku sent my way! Without the influence of my good friends here, there is no doubt I would have succumbed to my own fundamental darkness and been thrown off course.

Ha! I wasn't! Dragon, your ass is mine!!!

Daily Encouragement:

Mr. Toda once told me: "You can make a defeat the cause for future victory. You can also make victory the cause for future defeat." The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddhism of the True Cause, the Buddhism of the present and future. We don't dwell on the past. We are always challenging ourselves from the present toward the future. "The whole future lies ahead of us! We have only just begun!"-because we advance with this spirit, we will never be deadlocked.


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

GO ON WITH YOUR BADASS SELF TEACHER AND KEEP SHOWING THEM AND US HOWS ITS DONE! *PUMPING MY FISTS IN THE AIR FOR YOU HERE CHANTING NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO NICE AND LOUDLY FOR ALL HEAR!* YES!

I BOW IN OBEISANCE TO YOU!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The results we achieve in the future
depend on the causes we make right now.*
One by one, step by step,
let's patiently continue to plant the seeds for our dreams and goals.
Let's be victorious in what we are challenging now
so that we will, no doubt, be successful in the future!

Daisaku Ikeda

* "If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present." - "The Opening of the Eyes", WND, page 279

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."

(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 345) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, October 4th, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

It seems to me that on the path to attain Buddhahood it may invariably be when one has done something like lay down one's life that one becomes a Buddha. I think that perhaps it is encountering such difficulties as have already been explained in the sutra--being cursed, vilified, attacked with swords and staves, shards and rubble, and banished again and again--that is reading the Lotus Sutra with one's life. My faith springs up all the more, and I am confident about my next existence.

[ Banishment to Sado, WND Page 202 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It is extremely rare to meet the lion king."

(Enbudaichu gosho - Gosho Zenshu, page 1589) Selection source: "Myoji no Gen", Seikyo Shimbun, October 6th, 2006

 

[Guest]

It seems to me that on the path to attain Buddhahood it may invariably be when one has done something like lay down one's life that one becomes a Buddha. I think that perhaps it is encountering such difficulties as have already been explained in the sutra--being cursed, vilified, attacked with swords and staves, shards and rubble, and banished again and again--that is reading the Lotus Sutra with one's life. My faith springs up all the more, and I am confident about my next existence.

[ Banishment to Sado, WND Page 202 ]

Thats me! I am not afraid either anymore because the truth is I am MyohoDisco and I stand up for The Lotus Sutra and chose to protect all the Practioners of the Lotus Sutra and the disciples of Nichiren Daishonin The Buddha of The Latter Day of The Law! Creating Value in this World Every Step Of The Way!

Thank you Teacher for another great timely quote to cap off a great week of substantial growth and emancipation from the previously seemingly ingrained errorneous teachings that bewilder, lead to grief, meaningless pain and cause insanity. With Nichiren Daishonin's teachings as my reference and Gohonzon I am sure the best is on the way! The glass is truly half full, always has been!

I went through alot this week and somethings even lingered and tried to derail me yet again but I see now the nuetral nature of these occurences and remember Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I will make the benefits because I believe Gohonzon and I are inseperable! I cannot lose.

Just as I have come to find peace in knowing that my Teacher and Mentors have sparked me to prepare for greatness I now know that greatness is the Propagation of the WORLD EMBRACING GOHONZON. Kosen-rufu going in the right direction with my daily efforts and even when others give you that nutty look, smile and show them the same Mercy and Compassion Gohonzon has for us. Teach others what you are learning here, on your own and in your meetings, have faith that the Protective Forces, PasstheDoobie, Sensei Toda, Ted Osaki, Tony Matsuoka have got your back! Your best to watch your front and know that you can overcome your Fundamental Darkness (enlightened within Gohonzon) every step of the way, Do NOT DESPAIR, Its from this moment going forward.

Much love to all.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[Bonzo]

DEEP ,DEEP, FAITH, FAITH and more FAITH. Chant for your faith to deepen, i do anyway, EVERYDAY!

Good mornin my great golden friends!!!

How ya feelin' there BIG T? Ya eatin' your soup? I had some awesoem homeade (by my friends Italian mom) Ravioli!! Good stuff i tell ya!

Hi easy! good mornin' broham! Glad you made it through your tough week. I MEAN THAT!!!!!

Ive been reading and skiping around this massive thread and wow!!!.... it is something to behold indeed, i wish i knew how to use the "QUOTE" thingy, anyone?

i came accross somethin' T had said that went somethin like

"Chanting is free, it maks us feel soo good, so why would one choose not to do it?"

something to that effect but there was a bit more to it.

It just kinda struck a chord cause i have chosen to DO IT! and MAN DO I FEEL FUCKIN' GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i want to elaborate further but it will have to wait, i gotta go to my saturday morning chantathon, 2 1/2 hours strait through, oh, i can feel my back now, and it HURTS SO GOOD!!!! why would i put myself through this?

i chant, I FEEL GREAT!!!!

i dont chant, I FEEL LIKE SHIT and MAKE MOUNTAINS OUT OF MOLEHILLS!!!!!!

(remember that T?)

MAN DO I LOVE ALL OF YOU HERE AND THIS THREAD SOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

peace and love to you all

bonz





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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Hey Bonz and Easy!

Hey Bonz and Easy!

Your posts made my day!

Thank you!!!

T

(Congrats to Babbabud for the outstanding grow of all of 2006! Ain't no one got nothin on you, Bud! Much love to you Mrs.B! )

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Reng Kyo!!

Nam Myoho Reng Kyo!!

Wooohooooo slept 3 hours past my normal wake up time...amazing. Woke up to some awesome post Everyone sounds like their days are going well. May the rest of you day be a great one. Gohonzon time for me. I wish you guys were here. I love all you guys!!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If you fear failure, you cannot move forward. If you avoid criticism, you can’t expect to grow."

SGI Newsletter No. 6980, TOKYO NO. 2 AREA EXECUTIVE CONFERENCE––PART 1 [OF 2], Open the Way to Victory, June 4th, 2006, translated Oct. 3rd, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The word 'way' stands for the Lotus Sutra."

* Regarding "which living beings/practice the way, and which do not," the "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings" reads, "Now Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are those who 'practice the way,' while those who do not chant are those who 'do not [practice the way]'" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 758). In the same place, he explains that the "way" indicates the Lotus Sutra.

President Toda interpreted this sutra passage as explaining the immense power of the Gohonzon:

Practicing the way means believing in and propagating faith in the Gohonzon. Not practicing the way means not doing so. The Gohonzon knows what people are doing and considers how best to save them, producing punishment or reward according to their stance. The Gohonzon does not frown upon people simply because they do not have faith but contrives to lead them to happiness on that basis. This passage says that the Buddha definitely knows whether one is practicing the way.

Who is fighting hard? Who is slacking off? The Gohonzon knows everything about us, down to the very core of our being. We need simply continue advancing, fully confident that the Gohonzon is watching over us.

This is the "way." We are advancing along the way called the Mystic Law. And the way of kosen-rufu, which lies in spreading faith in the Mystic Law throughout the world, is the unsurpassed way. It is the great way of happiness. (Lectures on the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the Lotus Sutra by Daisaku Ikeda, Volume 3, page 173)

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 758, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 139) Selection source: Photos and Poems by SGI President Ikeda, Seikyo Shimbun, October 7th, 2006

 

[Guest]

WHEN YOUR EARNEST PRAYERS REACH FRUITION, ITS A TIME FOR REJOICING!




After my first session 'protecting the Gohonzon' as a gajokai during the morning at the culture center, I will come back and share my expirience with my family here. goodnite after great day, remember evening gongyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Today also,
let's do our very best to help others to become happy!
There is no other way of life that is more noble than this.
Let's all advance together along this unsurpassed "way"
(towards happiness for both ourselves and others)!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[Bonzo]

You know T, i have had the wierdest last few days. Ive been so happy that wherever i seem to go, strangers are smiling when i come in contact with em, and the more they smile the more i smile and so on and so forth, like a domino effect of happiness! Defeinitly goosebump kinda stuff. The trippiest thing is i cant figure out what im so happy about? Im totally broke, im being sued by 2 insurance companies, am i just happy to be living each day knowing how precious life is? I know one thing that has come to light in my life is that i have allways had goals and dreams of things i wanted to do but i allways just dreamed of them, now i see them as though they are or that i can make them happen. But it goes even deeper than that, i actually feel so much confidence that these things can happen for me that im actually trying to decide what i want to make happen first. Im not used to this way of thinking, its kinda hard to grasp, but i like it. Its kinda like i never wanted some selfmade millionare to just give me a pile of money i would rather be shown and taught how to earn it myself.

im rambling way off topic and dont know if im makin any sense.

Back to your post and the topic at hand, making others happy makes me so happy that i cant help but do it as much and as often as i can. I truly and deeply feel that part of my destiny is to help others, that ,well, need help! I have come to realize though that i can only help others to the point that i help myself. I guess kinda like when they say you cant love someone untill you learn to love yourself? Somethin like that i think.

I do know this; Since i started practicing Nichiren Buddhism and seeing the changes in me, the best way i can help someone is to get them to chant Nam myoho renge kyo. SHAKUBUKU!! I guess that also means helping them to learn how to help themselves through chanting, seems like the domino effect again eh?

Hmmmmmm Kosen Rufu! eh?

I really love the idea of "Lets all advance together along this unsurpassed "way". THAT IS WHAT I WANT TO SEE HAPPEN!!!

Hey! thats whats happening right here, right now, on this thread! HOW COOL IS THAT!!!!

goosebumps man!!!!! woooooo hooooooo!!!!!!

peace and goodnite my friends

bonz






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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Great Post Bonz! You Encouraged Me! Thanks!

Great Post Bonz! You Encouraged Me! Thanks!

Where there is water, fish dwell. Where there are woods, birds gather. On the mountain island of P'eng-lai there are many jewels, and on Mount Malaya sandalwood trees grow. There is gold in the mountains from which the river Li-shui flows. Now this place, too, is like that. It is the place of the cluster of blessings where the Buddhas and bodhisattvas dwell.

[ The Place of the Cluster of Blessings, WND Page 1070 ]

 

[Guest]

Daily Encouragement:

What will the future be like? No one knows the answer to that question. All we know is that the effects that will appear in the future are all contained in the causes that are made in the present. The important thing, therefore, is that we stand up and take action to achieve great objectives without allowing ourselves to be distracted or discouraged by immediate difficulties.


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

Daily Encouragement:

When you encounter a wall, you should tell yourself, "Since there is a wall here, a wide, open expanse must lie on the other side." Rather than becoming discouraged, know that encountering a wall is proof of the progress that you have made so far. I hope that you will continually advance in your Buddhist practice with this conviction blazing ever more strongly in your heart.


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

"Read Nichiren Daishonin's writings, even if only one sentence. Speak to someone about Buddhism, even if one word or phrase. If you exert yourselves in your Buddhist practice, using your voices and taking action, a fresh and vibrant surge of life force will begin to flow within you in tune with the rhythm of the universe", President Ikeda's guidance.

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!