Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

Blessings to all.

When should one consider getting a Gohonzon, how do you do it.?

I have been looking at them and reading about them but never looked how you get one?

One should consider getting Gohonzon as soon as they have inspired the seeking mind to seek it. It won't happen immediately anyway. If you've been looking at them on the net, be advised that there is only one manner which we suggest to secure your own. The images that you have seen are made available by people that do not believe in Gohonzon, and in that lack of reverence, decide arrogantly that they have a right to publish these pictures. They are not doing so on the basis of any doctrine that has Nichiren defined in the manner in which we revere him here.

As a thirty-three year practioner, as someone who has thoroughly researched this issue; take my advice and seek the Gohonzon from the SGI. This is the Gohonzon that I have, that Babba has, that MyohoDisco has, that SoCal has, that Bonzo has; as it is for several others that post on this thread. It has been revealed though the course of karmic history to be the Gohonzon of Kosen-Rufu. You receive it from the SGI. All of us have received it in the same manner.

You start by checking out an SGI meeting. PM anybody from the group above and they will surely help you. Here is a link to SGI activity centers in the US. There are local meetings virtually EVERYWHERE. Do not hesitate to pick up the phone and make a call.

http://www.sgi-usa.org/thesgiusa/findus/allcenters.html

Well done sir!

 

[southwind]

crazy making

crazy making

Yes PTD that was what I found so strange!

The article on Wikipedia was sayin that portraiture or photos or images of the Gohonzon was not allowed or , I cant thin of the right expression, but defiling
is the idea and then go and show photos of it!!!!!

I thought that was wrong!



I felt like looking was wrong!


I have gotten rid of the images in my temporary directory, for karmic reasons.

After my tests are over I may just check out a meeting.


I am in the clinic almost everyday this week or dealing with the cleaning out/after math of tests.

I am not sure I want to do this for the first time all messed up.


I send out blessing good feelings to all.

One should consider getting Gohonzon as soon as they have inspired the seeking mind to seek it. It won't happen immediately anyway. If you've been looking at them on the net, be advised that there is only one manner which we suggest to secure your own. The images that you have seen are made available by people that do not believe in Gohonzon, and in that lack of reverence, decide arrogantly that they have a right to publish these pictures. They are not doing so on the basis of any doctrine that has Nichiren defined in the manner in which we revere him here.

As a thirty-three year practioner, as someone who has thoroughly researched this issue; take my advice and seek the Gohonzon from the SGI. This is the Gohonzon that I have, that Babba has, that MyohoDisco has, that SoCal has, that Bonzo has; as it is for several others that post on this thread. It has been revealed though the course of karmic history to be the Gohonzon of Kosen-Rufu. You receive it from the SGI. All of us have received it in the same manner.

You start by checking out an SGI meeting. PM anybody from the group above and they will surely help you. Here is a link to SGI activity centers in the US. There are local meetings virtually EVERYWHERE. Do not hesitate to pick up the phone and make a call.

http://www.sgi-usa.org/thesgiusa/findus/allcenters.html

Well done sir!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Wooohooo SouthWind so happy to hear you are seeking your Gohonzon. If you live where i think you live I believe there is a large group of chanters down your way. Should be lots of great encouragement. Now would be a great time to get started. If I can be of any help feel free to shoot me a pm anytime.
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Gohonzon is waiting for you

The Gohonzon is waiting for you

Yes PTD that was what I found so strange!

The article on Wikipedia was sayin that portraiture or photos or images of the Gohonzon was not allowed or , I cant thin of the right expression, but defiling is the idea and then go and show photos of it!!!!!

I thought that was wrong!



I felt like looking was wrong!


I have gotten rid of the images in my temporary directory, for karmic reasons.

After my tests are over I may just check out a meeting.


I send out blessing good feelings to all.

Hey Brother, your Buddha Nature is alive and well. Seek the Gohonzon earnestly. It begins with the desire to seek it. But you will be shocked, as many can attest to here, at the karmic influences that can conspire to intervene and block such progress towards Buddhahood.

Make sure you start chanting about your desire to receive it right away.

Warm regards and deep respect,

Thomas

 

[southwind]

Hey Brother, your Buddha Nature is alive and well. Seek the Gohonzon earnestly. It begins with the desire to seek it. But you will be shocked, as many can attest to here, at the karmic influences that can conspire to intervene and block such progress towards Buddhahood.

Make sure you start chanting about your desire to receive it right away.

Warm regards and deep respect,

Thomas

I believe you!

I know from experience with other spiritual ventures this has happened.

The day I went to do my Step 5 I got a stone and went to emergency but my sponsor took me and we finished when I was out of the hospital.

I do not know if that is on the same level of this, but it has happened other ways also.

Its like some part of something DOES NOT WANT IT TO HAPPEN!

Like something wants to block the GOOD thing!????!!!????!!!


i DONT understand WHY DOES THAT HAPPEN??

Is it MY karma? Is is my subconscious wanting to prove my dad was right and his kids are cursed? is it even POSSIBLE to be cursed?

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Its like some part of something DOES NOT WANT IT TO HAPPEN!

Like something wants to block the GOOD thing!????!!!????!!!


i DONT understand WHY DOES THAT HAPPEN??

Is it MY karma? Is is my subconscious wanting to prove my dad was right and his kids are cursed? is it even POSSIBLE to be cursed?

The whole point of the Daishonin's Buddhism is to refute the notion of being cursed by becomming a Buddha in one's present form. The reason for what you just described exists within us all--not just you, your Dad, or your family members. The issue is how can one fight one's own fundamental darkness?

According to the teachings of Nichiren, this is ultimately the entire reason that we chant. To become a Buddha in one's present form, one conquers fundamental darkness. This is absolutely impossible to have happen in the absence of faith, or the absence of embracing of the Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind (Gohonzon).

T

fundamental darkness
[元品の無明] (Jpn.: gampon-no-mumyo)

Also, fundamental ignorance or primal ignorance. The most deeply rooted illusion inherent in life, said to give rise to all other illusions. Darkness in this sense means inability to see or recognize the truth, particularly, the true nature of one's life. The term fundamental darkness is contrasted with the fundamental nature of enlightenment, which is the Buddha nature inherent in life. According to the Shrimala Sutra, fundamental darkness is the most difficult illusion to surmount and can be eradicated only by the wisdom of the Buddha. T'ien-t'ai (538-597) interprets darkness as illusion that prevents one from realizing the truth of the Middle Way, and divides such illusion into forty-two types, the last of which is fundamental darkness. This illusion is only extirpated when one attains the stage of perfect enlightenment, the last of the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice. Nichiren (1222-1282) interprets fundamental darkness as ignorance of the ultimate Law, or ignorance of the fact that one's life is essentially a manifestation of that Law, which he identifies as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In The Treatment of Illness, Nichiren states: "The heart of the Lotus school is the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which reveals that both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest stage of perfect enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Brahma and Shakra, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the devil king of the sixth heaven" (WND pg. 1113). Nichiren thus regards fundamental darkness as latent even in the enlightened life of the Buddha, and the devil king of the sixth heaven as a manifestation or personification of life's fundamental darkness. The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings reads, "Belief is a sharp sword that cuts off fundamental darkness or ignorance."

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

( *This is why we are always taking about the Devil of the Sixth Heaven in here. The Devil of the Sixth Heaven for each of us is us. Only by conquering this Devil's effect on our lives--not by ridding ourselves of him because this function is a part of us and cannot be separated--are we said to attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, or "supreme perfect enlightenment." Ultimately, it is only because of this influence that we are able to attain enlightenment in our present form. )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Buddha taught that the blessings of a single offering to the votary of this sutra are a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater than those of offering countless treasures to Shakyamuni for eighty million kalpas. When one encounters this sutra, one will overflow with happiness and shed tears of joy. It seems impossible to repay one's debt to Shakyamuni. But by your frequent offerings to me deep in these mountains you will repay the merciful kindness of both the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha.

[ Letter to Niike, WND Page 1027 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Life of Nichiren

The Life of Nichiren

Nichiren (1222-1282), the priest who established the form of Buddhism practiced by the members of the SGI, is a unique figure in Japanese social and religious history. In a society where great emphasis has often been placed on keeping conflict hidden from sight, Nichiren was outspoken in his criticism of the established Buddhist sects and secular authorities. His chosen method of propagation was "shakubuku"--a sharp and relentless dialectic between different perspectives in quest of truth. The appraisal offered by Uchimura Kanzo, the renowned Japanese Christian thinker and writer, in his 1908 Representative Men of Japan, expresses the ambivalent reaction Nichiren continues to provoke: "Nichiren minus his combativity is our ideal religious man."

While Nichiren demonstrated a severely critical stance toward what he regarded as distortion or corruption of the core message of Buddhism, his letters of guidance and encouragement to his followers record a tender concern for people who were disregarded within medieval Japanese society. For instance, he wrote many letters to female lay believers in which he showed a remarkable understanding of their sufferings and emphasized the Lotus Sutra's message that all people can become enlightened as they are, men and women.

Nichiren's sympathy for the downtrodden in society is related to the circumstances of his birth. His father was a fisherman on the seacoast to the east of what is now Tokyo, and as such Nichiren identified himself as "the son of a chandala [untouchable caste] family." Life in feudal Japan was harsh and brutal, especially for the masses at the bottom of the strict social hierarchy. Experiencing firsthand the misery of the common people, Nichiren had from an early age been driven by a powerful desire to find a way of resolving the problem of human suffering.

What we know of Nichiren's life and thought comes to us principally through his voluminous writings. In addition to major treatises on doctrinal issues, he penned many hundreds of letters addressed to his followers. Some of his most important writing was done under dire circumstances--in exile, for example, on a snow-blown island in northern Japan.

Announcing the Teachings

When Nichiren was 12, he began studying at a temple near his birthplace. There he was tutored in the teachings of the major schools of Buddhism of the time. And there he prayed with the earnest wish and vow to become, in his words, "the wisest man in Japan." In response to his prayer, Nichiren writes, he was bestowed with a "great jewel" of wisdom.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has noted that the wisdom we are able to unleash from within is proportionate to our sense of responsibility. The young Nichiren was moved by a burning sense of responsibility to alleviate the enormous misery he saw about him, and it was this that enabled him to gain insight into the essential nature of human life and reality.

Nichiren began an exhaustive study of the multitude of often contradictory teachings and sutras of Buddhism. From age 16 to 32, Nichiren traveled to Kamakura and Kyoto, visiting the major centers of Buddhism, studying the massive volume of sutras, treatises and commentaries. The conclusion he reached was that the heart of Shakyamuni's enlightenment is to be found in the Lotus Sutra and that the principle or law to which all Buddhas are enlightened is expressed in the phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," from the title, or daimoku, of that sutra.

At the same time, he understood clearly that to promote faith in the Lotus Sutra as the exclusive vehicle for enlightenment would be to engage in public criticism of existing schools of Buddhism, many of which taught that access to the Buddha Land was only possible after death. While Nichiren advocated using Buddhist practice to challenge one's circumstances and develop inner strength, the traditional schools encouraged resignation and passivity. A strong counterreaction could be anticipated, and Nichiren writes of his own inner struggle over the question of whether or not to speak out.

Persecution

Deciding that to remain silent would be to lack compassion, on the 28th day of the fourth month (according to the lunar calendar) of 1253, Nichiren made a public declaration of his beliefs. As anticipated, his insistence on the sole efficacy of the Lotus Sutra--with its core tenet that all people are in fact Buddhas--in the present era of confusion and corruption was met with disbelief and hostility. The steward of the region, a devout follower of the Pure Land school, took steps to have Nichiren arrested. And from this point on, Nichiren's life would be a succession of harassment, persecution and abuse.

One reason for this is that the authorities recognized Nichiren's uncompromising insistence on the equality of all people as a direct threat to the established power structure, which victimized the impoverished majority. The established schools of Buddhism had been incorporated into this structure, providing an effective means for the feudal authorities to strengthen and extend their power over the populace. Priests of these schools, who occupied a privileged position within the social hierarchy, were deeply implicated in this exploitative system and had no reason to challenge the status quo. This is a further reason why Nichiren was able to attract a significant following despite the risks that such allegiance would entail.

The Lotus Sutra predicts that those who attempt to spread its teachings in the corrupt latter days will meet severe trials. Nichiren interpreted the persecutions that befell him as evidence that he was fulfilling his mission in life.

In 1260, in the wake of a series of devastating natural disasters, Nichiren wrote his most famous tract, the Rissho ankoku ron (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land). In it, he developed the idea that only by reviving a spirit of reverence for the sanctity and perfectibility of human life through faith in the Lotus Sutra could a truly peaceful order be restored and further disaster forestalled. He presented this treatise to the highest political authorities of Japan and urged them to sponsor a public debate with representatives of other schools of Buddhism. The call for public debate--which Nichiren would repeat throughout his life--was ignored, and he was banished to the Izu Peninsula.

The years that followed brought further banishment and the decisive crisis of his life--an attempt to execute him on the beach of Tatsunokuchi. By his account, moments before the executioner's sword was to fall, a luminous object--perhaps a meteor--traversed the sky with such brilliance that the terrified officials called off the execution. Nichiren was banished to Sado Island where, amidst extreme deprivation, he continued to make converts and write treatises and letters.

In part because the predictions he had made in the Rissho ankoku ron had come true, after almost two and a half years on Sado, Nichiren was pardoned and returned to the political center of Kamakura. It is said he was offered a temple and official patronage if he would desist from his criticism of other schools of Buddhism, but he refused. Nichiren retreated to Mount Minobu, and there he wrote copiously and trained his successors.

Transmission

During this period, the priest Nikko, who had accompanied Nichiren throughout his tumultuous career and would inherit the teachings, was gaining converts in nearby Atsuhara village. The priests of a Tendai temple in the area, angered at this, began harassing the converts. Eventually, they instigated an attack by samurai against unarmed peasant converts and their arrest on false charges of theft. Twenty of the peasants were arrested and tortured, and three were executed in 1279. .

Where earlier persecutions had targeted Nichiren himself, this time it was the lay believers who were the victims. Despite their lack of an in-depth theoretical knowledge of their newly adopted faith, these peasant followers remained steadfast in the face of the ultimate threat. For Nichiren, this signaled a crucial turning point, inspiring his confidence that his teachings would be maintained and practiced after his own passing. Where he had to date inscribed sacred mandalas (Gohonzon) for individual believers, he now inscribed the mandala explicitly dedicated to the happiness and enlightenment of all humankind. This symbolized the establishment of Nichiren Buddhism as a universal faith. Nichiren died of old age three years later, his mission complete. Transmission of his teachings and the fulfillment of his vision of peace founded on respect for the sanctity of life is the central inspiration for SGI members worldwide.

[ Courtesy October 2004 SGI Quarterly ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

The Meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

People first coming into contact with the religious practice of the Soka Gakkai International may be struck by the stress placed on the phrase "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." It may appear that everything starts from and returns to this single phrase. This does, however, accurately reflect Nichiren's (1222-82) view of its importance and the value he placed on its repeated invocation. As he put it: "[T]he soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." Indeed, Nichiren regarded Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the Mystic Law, the natural principle governing the workings of life in the universe, the law to which all Buddhas are enlightened and the true aspect of our own lives. He saw the practice of repeatedly invoking this law as the "direct path to enlightenment."

The Voice

Many people associate Buddhist religious practice with silent, interior meditation. But the practice of vocalizing, reciting and chanting various teachings has played a vitally important role in the history of Buddhism. To voice one's innermost conviction and vow in prayer is an intensely public act. The emphasis on audible chanting as opposed to silent meditation reflects a core stance of Nichiren's Buddhism. Rather than simply exploring and withdrawing into the private realms of the inner life, religious practice is focused on bringing forth our highest inner potential in relation to and for the benefit of our fellow humans and human society. Nichiren often quotes the words of an earlier Buddhist philosopher that "The voice does the Buddha's work."

Using our voices to express and convey the state of our inner life--whether that be one of joy, gratitude, despair or determination--is central to our identity as humans. It is likely that the quintessentially human act of "prayer" grew from such semi-instinctual pleas, cries and thanks--directed toward the inscrutable forces of nature and prior to any consciously formulated system of doctrine or belief. Likewise, it is through song, the voice, that human beings have given primary expression to their innermost feelings of--and desires for--harmony with all life. The voice serves as a vital link between ourselves, our fellow humans and a universe that is itself vibrant with the rhythms of life and death.

Nichiren viewed the Lotus Sutra, with its message that all people are capable of becoming Buddhas--that, at the deepest level, all people already are enlightened Buddhas--as the ultimate teaching of Buddhism with an enduring and universal applicability. In line with earlier schools dedicated to the Lotus Sutra, he considered the five Chinese characters of the title of the sutra--myo, ho, ren, ge, kyo--as embodying the essence of the sutra, the Mystic Law to which Shakyamuni and other Buddhas are enlightened. Thus, when on April 28, 1253, he declared that to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was to activate its promise of universal enlightenment, Nichiren was establishing a form of practice that would open the way to enlightenment for all people--regardless of class or educational background. This was borne out in the diverse range of people who gathered around Nichiren, becoming his followers and fellow practitioners; they included people with a highly developed understanding of Buddhist doctrine and history as well as farmers with little if any literacy. It is also borne out in the astonishing diversity of people practicing Nichiren Buddhism globally today.

The Mystic Law

Nichiren devoted great energy to encouraging his followers to muster profound faith that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a practice by which they can bring forth their inherent Buddha nature--strengthening their capacity for wisdom, courage, confidence, vitality and compassion--to successfully meet the challenges of daily life and establish a state of unshakable happiness in this world.

What, then, does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean? The phrase can be literally translated as "I devote myself to the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law." In a number of his many writings--which include treatises, petitions, records of lectures as well as letters to individual believers--Nichiren delves into the deeper significance of each of the component characters.

Nam (or Namu) derives from the Sanskrit and means to venerate or dedicate oneself. (It is often translated as "hail" or "take refuge in," but from the perspective of Nichiren Buddhism, with its stress on the fact that the Law is inherent in all people, this cannot be considered the optimal translation.) Myoho-renge-kyo is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese characters comprising the title of the Lotus Sutra, or "Saddharma Pundarika Sutra" in the original Sanskrit.

Nichiren comments that the entire formulation thus fuses elements of Sanskrit and Chinese, the two great civilizations of his known world. This may be understood as expressing the universalist orientation of Nichiren Buddhism, its active embrace of human culture and civilization.

Myoho corresponds to Saddharma and may be translated as "wonderful or mystic Law." As Nichiren comments in one letter: "What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our life from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend or words express."

Nichiren further cites three attributes of the character myo: To open, to be fully endowed, and to revive. Ho is the dharma or law, and together the two characters of myoho refer to the Mystic Law. As SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has written: "The great power of the Mystic Law ... embraces everything, brings out the positive possibilities of all situations, transforming everything toward the good, reviving and giving new life to all experiences."

Myo and ho are also identified by Nichiren as corresponding to life and death, which Buddhism regards as the two aspects--one active and manifest, the other latent and unseen--of a deeper life-continuum. This continuum is permeated and shaped by the law of causality, or cause and effect, which Nichiren identifies with renge, the lotus flower.

Specifically, the fact that the lotus flower already contains seeds when it opens symbolizes the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect, the idea that causes we make are engraved in the deepest, most essential realms of life, and on this plane we immediately experience the effects of our thoughts, words and deeds. In terms of Buddhist practice this means that "Anyone who practices this Law will obtain both the cause and effect of Buddhahood simultaneously." The fact that the lotus flower sends forth pure white blossoms from roots sunk deep in muddy water expresses the idea that our highest nature is brought forth through committed engagement with the often difficult or disagreeable realities of life and society.

Finally, kyo signifies the sutra, the voiced and transmitted teaching of the Buddha. The Chinese character for kyo indicates the threads that run continually through a woven fabric. Nichiren writes: "Kyo represents the words and voices of all living beings.... Kyo may also be defined as that which is constant and unchanging in the three existences of past, present and future."

Elsewhere Nichiren associates each of the characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with parts of the human body: head, throat, chest, abdomen and legs, respectively. This may be understood as indicating that the mystic principle or law that guides and governs the living cosmos is in no way separate from the concrete realities of our lives.

By invoking the Mystic Law and bringing forth our highest, most enlightened nature, we naturally inspire those around us to strive toward the highest, most creative and compassionate way of life. This develops into a "virtuous circle" of mutually reinforcing celebration of the infinite dignity and value of all human beings. Nichiren uses a poetic metaphor to describe this process: "[W]hen a caged bird sings, birds who are flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and when the birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strives to get out. When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, our Buddha nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge."

[ Courtesy January 2006 SGI Quarterly ]

 

[fallenangel]

just wanted to drop by and wish everyone the best today .. i am being taken to task myself .. but im up for the challenge .. here we go !

 

[Bonzo]

Good mornin' my friends!!!! Nam myoho renge kyo!

Thank you for all good readin' this mornin' T!!

fallen, we gotta stop meeting this way! I thinkim just gonna follow you around for awhile, it will be fun!!!! Wooooooo Hooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

peace

bonz






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

 

[southwind]

time is time was times past

time is time was times past

Those are some long reads.

I need to save them to HD for printing.


I absolutely believe in my Higher Power



I absolutetly believe that there was an intense and eye opening Power
that led me to contact Babba and in turn led me here

I absolutely have faith in this

Reason also comes to the aid of this Faith

And where reason fails Faith will see me through

I Hope for Faith that Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo
will be a new beginning.


I feel this

 

[Bonzo]

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

This is for you SouthWind, it is a natural progression; A higher plain, you deserve all the best, its waiting for you now, reach out and grab it my friend, you wont be sorry.

peace and love from the bottom of my heart

bonz






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

 

[southwind]

YES YES

YES YES

You are so great Bonz!

SERIOUSLY

 

[SoCal Hippy]

In Book One of 'The Human Revolution', Dr. Daisaku Ikeda wrote about his mentor, Josei Toda, capturing a flea. Using his finger he gently pressed the insect and killed it in an instant. Through his thick glasses and under the light, he watched the flea as it transited from the realm of life to one of death. Undeniably the insect was endowed with a life, but where would this 'life' go, after the insect had died, Toda Sensei pondered. It is this simple yet the most fundamental question that humans failed to face it squarely and answer. Some religions say the 'life' would not enter 'heaven', as it does not qualify itself for the entry, while others say the life ends where it stops breathing.

In the beginning of this new Millennium, it would be vital for humans to first take a step to ponder on the origin of not just our lives, but the million others which share the same planet as ours, namely the animals and insects. In Buddhism, they are collectively being referred to the 'sentient beings', a group that we humans are included in as well. That first step will, I believe, come to lead humanity to understand and view their 'living counterparts' on this planet with a whole new pespective, thereby leading to a fresh approach of respecting and treasuring the existences of these interesting, lively and certainly amazing living beings.

 

[Bonzo]

INDEED SOCAL!!!!!! Oh but first, SouthWind YOU my friend are so great!!!! YOU , YOU, YOU, Then, when you just even just get a small grasp of how great you really are, you share your greatness with others, Getting your gohonzon will help you greatly understand this, its Cause and Effect, its Propogation of The Law, which i have found to be the most satsfying aspect of this Practice, Are you smiling today SouthWind? Are people in turn smiling back at you? Granted we areant allways smiling all of the time but since i started this thing my smiles come from deep within my heart and i can see people smilng back from their heart, its a little overwhelming at times but thats why i stress chnating for a foundation of faith, the deeper the faith the further down that smile comes from. In time and you can take this to the bank, someone you are in contact with on a regular basis with either ask you or coment on how you are so happy, and the trippy thing is they may say something as simple as 'youve changed' and you will know when you hear it that they seek what you have and your heart will open up to them and Shakubuku you will!!!!! You may find yourself so excited to share what you have discovered and been tuaght that your allmost short of breath from the excitement you feel from their seeking spirit, its the ultimate joy. Its Propogation of the Law which is leading us to Kosen Rufu. How can that not be exciting!!!!! To me its the ultimate and its for real, its very , very real indeed.

just watch.

So Cal my Brother!!!!! You are one Heavy Dude!! whaen i read what you posted it made me think of my cat and how she makes me realize how all living beings on this planet are all part of a whole, something like that, none better than others or more importane than others, i had i all in a flash but im losin' my train of thought dangit! Better go to the hardware store to clear my thoughts

peace to all and deepest respect to all!!!! once again please excuse my absence and the reason i ask your forgiveness is i was here the whole time and didnt even say hi, i wonder why?

hmmmmmmmmmm

peace

bonz






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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"But although the three inherent causes, or potentials, of the Buddha nature are possessed by all beings, if such beings do not encounter the right conditions by meeting a 'good friend' or teacher, then they will not become awakened, they will not understand, their Buddha nature will not manifest itself."

(The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to be Abandoned and Which Upheld - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 861) Selection source: Soka Gakkai President Harada's encouragement, Seikyo Shimbun, January 21st, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

If we can take all kinds of hardships
as good opportunities for us to grow,
we will truly shine as human beings.
Let's meet with as many people as we can
and dedicate ourselves to helping others to become happy!
More enthusiastically than anyone else,
let's take on every challenge that might confront us
for the sake of other people's happiness!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[Bonzo]

"But although the three inherent causes, or potentials, of the Buddha nature are possessed by all beings, if such beings do not encounter the right conditions by meeting a 'good friend' or teacher, then they will not become awakened, they will not understand, their Buddha nature will not manifest itself."

(The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to be Abandoned and Which Upheld - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 861) Selection source: Soka Gakkai President Harada's encouragement, Seikyo Shimbun, January 21st, 2007

This is one of the most awesome aspects i have come to realize as being such an important circrle of givivg and recieving, funny its allmost like they become one once learned how to be done with sincere willingness to give and sincere gratitude to recieve. Its a trip but giving and recieving doesnt come easily to everyone , it has to be tought. Do you know for the longest time in my life i didnt know how to say thank you and just stop there, i used to feel pressured to make a complmentory statement back to the person who complimented me or gave me a present, or some thing, anything that just, in reality really only required a sincere thank you. I know whaen i give a sincere compliment or gift all i expect in retun is a sincere thank you, simple eh!? Not that it is wrong to say something complimentory in return, but i know when i give some thing to someone, a compliment or a gift with true sincerity, all i expect in return is a sincere thank you.

wow did i go into left field with that one! excuse my rambling.

So thank you T for awakening me to my Buddha Nature. I am truly and sincerely gratefull and i imagine you and i will be giving and recieving ti one another for a longe time to come, each time bringing great joy to each other weather giving or recieving.

I love you Brother.

Bonz







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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Brother I love you too!

Brother I love you too!

You must never think that any of the eighty thousand sacred teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime or any of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three existences are outside yourself. Your practice of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life.

[ On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime, WND Page 3 ]