Chanting Growers Group

[Guest]

*&#$*&(#@$ (*#$&#$& I came into work cursing a storm, pissed off for being late, just a plain old shitty mood, questioning my faith and bad karma and this thread is a pretty amazing thing. I was just reminded of my mission again, I have a hard time remembering things apparently.

I need to chant for a few hours everyday, otherwise I am wasting my time once again. My brain and I need it. Good thing for me is I chanted on the way in this morning.

I am renewing my lease for another 6 months before I move because I think its the best thing for me right now, but then again my living conditions usually suck and I am feeling apprehensive about moving and killing my little grow early because I really will need those meds come early next year in the cold months. Either way, I got faith although I let myself down I can and will overcome this lack of everything I feel I am missing.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, if you didn't attend a meeting this week please do so, hi there PersonalMeds, hello Socal.

Thanks alot Bonz and Tom, this thread is like a lifeboat of my journey swimming through the seven seas. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the vehicle to get me to the shores of peace and happiness for mankind.

This moment going forward, guess I'll get back on the horse again and keep galloping.

 

[Guest]

Thank you Babba for letting us know to chant for Jolene. I will chant for her too.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Dude, let's be clear about this...

Dude, let's be clear about this...

"It is not certain that, because one is ill, one will die."

(The Good Medicine for All Ills - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 937) Selection source: Soka Gakkai member's experience, Seikyo Shimbun, October 28th, 2006

Our prayers should be that you can do a full court press and shakubuku her some how. The doctors may give up, but she shouldn't. Nor should we in hoping that she will chant the Daimoku for herself.

You gotta sell her on this, remember?:

Taken from the World Tribune

In "A Message From Matilda" titled "When We Face Disappointment" SGI-USA Women's Division Leader Matilda Buck says: "I would like to share some guidance from SGI Vice President Yasunori Takimoto and his wife Suzuko. I asked them how they both overcame fourth-stage cancer, and they described four determinations that they made. I realized that the heart of their message addresses all obstacles: illness, relationships, work and, of course, our own internal battles, like disappointment or hopelessness."

1) Through this experience, I will become someone who does not doubt the Gohonzon, no matter what happens.

2) As a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to experience this, and as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I have the mission to create a victory.

3) I will share the power of Buddhism with others, even as I grapple with this experience.

4) I won't let my spirits stay down. I won't make a place in my life for negativity to settle.

No fate is unchangeable until the moment it occurs. That's why we never give up. Convince her not to. The connection to the Law she creates in this lifetime will carry forward in all future existences until enlightenment is achieved. She can actually still achieve enlightenment in this lifetime.

Death is just a doorway. Help her experience her Buddha Nature before she goes through. The whole deal is about faith in one's final moments. You have read it here many times. We should all chant for this to be her experience. I will begin to do that now.

Good luck in your efforts for her Bud. You can do it!

Deep respect,

T

PS: For anyone not knowing who Shin Yatomi is, go to here:

http://sgi-usa.org/buddhism/buddhismtoday/

and see that he authored about half of those articles which we have shared freely here and have been an important source of wisdom for all of us reading the thread.

I will chant for him too.

 

[Babbabud]

Thankyou T for your guidance my resolve is to have her chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with me

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The reason that you have survived until now when so many have died was so that you would meet with this affair."

(Reply to Yasaburo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 829) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 1st, 2006

 

[Guest]

"The reason that you have survived until now when so many have died was so that you would meet with this affair."

(Reply to Yasaburo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 829) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 1st, 2006

Even on 11/2/2006 this message is perfect for me.

Thanks for the awesome post above this one too, totally hits the spot.

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[fallenangel]

my lord babba ,, i will chant for jolene . my troubles seem so small now . i read your post abought her with a tear in my eye .. nam myoho renge kyo

 

[fallenangel]

i have a weird question for all of you ... why the hell have i become so sensitive ?? i used to be pretty hard , abought everyone and everything . now , freinds and familey i would have done anything for ,but if you werent in my circle .. i didnt really give a fuck . now it seems like that i have been chanting for the last couple of months , im just a big sensitive tattoed looking scarey guy (lol). i tell you , it seems like i have so much more empethy , and patience . just plain weird . now i dont know if this is just weather change (im affected by the weather , i know it sounds stupid ) or is this change on the inside , my soul . im leaning toword the latter . i dont know ,, maybe this is all in my head . i mean i try to read all the posts that everyone puts up on the teachings , but to be truthfull i dont know what the hell all that stuff is . dont get me wrong , im not stupid . i get the jist of it , but on the long ones i tend to drift off (a.d.d.) i love the personal posts , how everyone uses this belief in their lifes . so i chant . i chant for personal strength , understanding , growth , and most of to be a better person . so i ask everyone , if im practicing this , sort of blindley , could i be actually reaping these rewards ? am i just nuts? what the hell is going on ???

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Wow fallen!

Wow fallen!

"so i chant . i chant for personal strength , understanding , growth , and most of to be a better person . so i ask everyone , if im practicing this , sort of blindley , could i be actually reaping these rewards ?"

"Question: Is it possible, without understanding the meaning of the Lotus Sutra, but merely by chanting the five or seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo once a day, once a month, or simply once a year, once a decade, or once in a lifetime, to avoid being drawn into trivial or serious acts of evil, to escape falling into the four evil paths, and instead to eventually reach the stage of non-regression? Answer: Yes, it is."

[ The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, WND Page 141 ]

"i have a weird question for all of you ... why the hell have i become so sensitive ??"

You ARE revealing your Buddha Nature. The things you chant for are a very impressive list of the issues involved in doing that. Kudos to you!

Well done! You are making tremendous progress! Continue! You deserve all the credit!

Deep respect,

Thomas

(don't forget the space in the family room for your alter. time to get to a meeting)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Your boils have resulted from only one offense - slandering the correct teaching. The Mystic Law you now embrace surpasses the moon-loving meditation. How could your boils possibly not be healed and your life span not extended?

[ On Curing Karmic Disease, WND Page 634 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Ha! The wife out of the clear blue just suggested we spring for a couple of massages at the spa. So I'm getting ready to go to this wonderful spa where you sit in those things that zip up to your neck and get vaped, then steam, then the ice cold pool, then a refreshing shower, then a full hour (or two) with a professional chiropractor doing his thing combined with massage. Then you sit around in this nice lounge in a robe and slippers and drink tea soaking up the post massage glow. It is euphoric.

And not cheap. Nice benefit! Thanks Gohonzon! I needed this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Hello my friends. Chants are a powerful thing. Yesterday morning I asked that you all chant for Jolene so she would not have to suffer. I made plans to take her my volcano saturday as her husband had said her lungs were bothering her a bit and she was having trouble smoking. When we talked about the volcano he said bring it this weekend or soon after as she would love to share a puff with me. Well Jolene didnt suffer. Jolene decided to not wait. What a beautiful girl . She knew her husband had been through way to much already and wasnt really equiped to handle the next couple months. I made a resolve yesterday that Ill never be able to keep. I resolved to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with Jolene before she moved to the next life. I never had that chance. Jolene left us yesterday... I chant for her now !!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Like the Roar of the Lion!!

 

[Bonzo]

i chant with you Babba.

Nam myoho renge kyo
Nam myoho renge kyo
Nam myoho renge kyo

peace be with Jolene







peace

bonz




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

 

[Guest]

Hello my friends. Chants are a powerful thing. Yesterday morning I asked that you all chant for Jolene so she would not have to suffer. I made plans to take her my volcano saturday as her husband had said her lungs were bothering her a bit and she was having trouble smoking. When we talked about the volcano he said bring it this weekend or soon after as she would love to share a puff with me. Well Jolene didnt suffer. Jolene decided to not wait. What a beautiful girl . She knew her husband had been through way to much already and wasnt really equiped to handle the next couple months. I made a resolve yesterday that Ill never be able to keep. I resolved to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with Jolene before she moved to the next life. I never had that chance. Jolene left us yesterday... I chant for her now !!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo Like the Roar of the Lion!!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Hey Bud! I am so sorry to hear that this has transpired. I do know that I chanted for her several times today. As I know you have. As I am sure many of us did. Thanks to you she left on the the wings of the Daimoku of several Buddhas whose conection to the Law cannot be questioned and therefore her connection to the Law cannot be questioned. She in fact will chant with you one day. Never doubt that.

Whenever we know anyone who is terminal, we should do our best to encourage them to say Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at least once. Even just one Daimoku makes a difference, whether one can fathom that fact or not. Do it on faith if nothing else--get them to say it. The Daishonin's teachings say that the path to enlightenment and eternal happiness starts with even a single Daimoku.

Believe him.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Trust that Jolene will be in my fifth prayer from this time forward, for the rest of my life.

(MsG, Southern Girl, SoCal, Easy--your loved ones are already there; I never forget them.)

 

[Guest]

The Eternity of Life

The Eternity of Life

Living Buddhism
Buddhist Concepts for Today's Living (30)



We often take our lives for granted especially when we're young. We think we're going to live forever. But, from one moment to the next, nobody knows what will happen. A person could be alive and well one moment and dead the next. Perhaps it was sobering thoughts such as these that Nichiren Daishonin exhorted believers to "First study death, and then study other matters" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1404).

I've always found this quote intriguing. How exactly does one study death? After all, can anyone really say what happens when we die? Death is the "great unknown," and that's why it's so frightening. Furthermore, we perceive the inevitability of death long before it happens, which can be worrisome, even tormenting. This fear and suffering keeps us from thinking seriously about death and impedes our happiness.

Buddhism addresses the fundamental questions of life and death in a way that can alleviate if not erase the fear of death and the consequent suffering; it elucidates the eternity of life. In the "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings" the Daishonin offers the following perspective: "Regarding life and death with abhorrence and trying to separate oneself from them is delusion, or partial enlightenment. To clearly perceive life and death as the essence of eternal life is realization, or total enightenment. Now Nichiren and his disciples who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo awaken to the ebb and flow of birth and death as the innate workings of life that is eternal" (GZ, 745).

In the "Life Span" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the eternity of life is expressed by the passage, "There is no ebb and flow of life and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction" (LS16, 226).

Though it is natural to see birth as a beginning and death as an end, this is an incomplete perspective. Buddhism teaches that we repeat the cycle of birth aand death continuously. Death can be likened to sleep. We feel rejuvenated when we wake from a good night's rest. Similarly we can view death as a time to refresh our lives for our next existence. Death then, just like sleep, is not something to be feared.

The "Life Span" chapter clarifies that the Buddha's life is eternal and that we are in no way separate from the life of the Buddha. It describes the Buddha as life itself and defines that eternal life as the Mystic Law. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can experience the reality of the life-state of Buddhahood, not just learn it as a philosophical concept. Through this practice of chanting the Mystic Law we come to understand the oneness of life and death with our lives.

Although life is eternal, we must not stop striving to improve our circumstances in this lifetime simply because we can "wait for the next life." President Toda described rebirth as follows: "While our lives melt into the universe, they do not blend in with the lives of others. Each life retains its integrity and experiences joy and sadness depending on the person's actions while alive - as though crying or laughing in a dream" (Lectures on the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 3, p. 111).

It is fundamental to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism that cause and effect operates throughout past, present and future. Similarly our lives are continuous from existence to existence. The causes we've made in past existences are manifested as joy and suffering in this life, and the causes we make in the present shape our future. A carefree, live-for-the-moment attitude is living with perpetually missed opportunities; we will always be accountable for the causes we make.

Though it is preferable to die of old age, merely living a long life doesn't guarantee that it will be fulfilling. And measured against eternity, a short or long life makes little difference. What's important is that we each strive to live a life of quality based on a sense of mission.

Shakyamuni is said to have lived until the age of eighty. Nichiren Daishonin lived until he was sixty. Soka Gakkai President Makiguchi lived until seventy-three and Josei Toda, till fifty-eight. Though their life spans varied, each one dedicated himself without restraint for the sake of kosen-ruf. They fulfilled their respective missions and attained Buddhahood in life and death. In examining our own lives, regardless of the circumstances of our deaths, if we dedicate ourselves fully in our unique missions, we will likewise experience Buddhahood.

There may be times when peoples' deaths confuse us. In our attachment to the idea that living long is the deciding factor for a victorious life, we can become discouraged if someone we know and care about dies unexpectedly or doesn't live a long life. However, in The New Human Revolution, President Ikeda states: "Even if a person who practices this Buddhism should die young, his or her life would not have been in vain. That person's life and death will have profound meaning and will serve to teach something very important to those who remain" (World Tribune, August 17, 2001, p. 9). With faith, it is possible to discover this meaning. As we experience the death of loved ones, we can turn them into opportunities to learn about death in a way that will help us learn how to live.

The saying "To live well is to die well" takes on great meaning. Our challenge as Buddhists to improve ourselves is the correct way to live happy, fulfilled lives, and in doing so we are guaranteed that wehn our time comes we will die happy.

Too often we find ourselves putting off important matters precisely because we don't take death seriously. We find ourselves saying things like, "I'll practice Buddhism more devoutly when I have more time." "I'll care for my health," or "I'll spend more quality time with my family and friends." Before we know it, years have passed and we find we have not kept any of these promises.

Buddhism teaches us to live and practice faith "with the profound insight that now is the las moment" of life. Imagine if we challenged ourselves to approach life with this attitude, how much more alive we would feel. How much more appreciation we would have for our very lives. How much more of ourselves would we invest in every opportunity to interact with other people. The efforts we make toward our own and other peoples' happiness based on the Mystic Law - be it reciting the sutra, making dinner, or offering a kind word to a stranger - would be joyful rather than burdensome. In making every moment count, we'll have lived a life without regret no matter when we die.

President Ikeda summarizes the importance of being true to ourselves succinctly: "Death will come to each of us some day. We can die having fought hard for our beliefs and convictions, or we can die having failed to do so. Since the reality of death is the same in either case, isn't it far better that we set out on our journey toward the next existence in high spirits with a bright smile on our faces, knowing that everything we did, we did the very best we could, thrilling with the sense 'That was truly an interesting life'?" (The Buddha in Your Mirror, p. 202).
By Stephanie Celano, Based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

*Nam-myoho-renge-kyo*

 

[Guest]

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO! NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!

Thank you again babba for showing us the way.....

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!

Jolene and her family are in my chants...

and so is everyone else here and all of man kind...

Thank you Passthedoobie thank you Easydisco ,Bonzo, Babbabud Fallen....and everyone else here...

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!!

 

[fallenangel]

nam myoho renge kyo .... my thoughts are with her