Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

It's what Bodhisattvas of the Earth DO!!!

It's what Bodhisattvas of the Earth DO!!!

The power of the Mystic Law is indeed unlimited!
All of our dedicated and selfless efforts for the sake of kosen-rufu
will definitely help us to cultivate an expansive life condition.
Confidently and with strong conviction,
let's engage in dialogue with as many people as we possibly can
(and help guide them towards leading truly happy lives)!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Good Morning fallen! It's almost midnight! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Good Morning fallen! It's almost midnight! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

substituting faith for wisdom
[以信代慧] (Jpn ishin-daie )

The principle that faith is the true cause for gaining supreme wisdom, and faith alone leads to enlightenment. In general, Buddhism describes supreme wisdom as the cause of enlightenment. According to the Lotus Sutra, however, even Shariputra, who was revered as foremost in wisdom, could attain enlightenment only through faith, not through wisdom. The "Simile and Parable" (third) chapter of the sutra states: "Even you, Shariputra, in the case of this sutra were able to gain entrance through faith alone. How much more so, then, the other voice-hearers. Those other voice-hearers—it is because they have faith in the Buddha's words that they can comply with this sutra, not because of any wisdom of their own." In Great Concentration and Insight, T'ient'ai (538-597) says, "Buddhism is like an ocean that one can only enter with faith." In his 1277 treatise On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice, Nichiren states, "Because our wisdom is inadequate, he [Shakyamuni Buddha] teaches us to substitute faith for wisdom, making this single word 'faith' the foundation" (WND/785).

(from: http://www.sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?id=2141 )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

WND/785

WND/785

Question: In the Latter Day of the Law, is it necessary for beginners in the practice of the Lotus Sutra to devote themselves to all three types of learning associated with the perfect teaching?

Answer: This is a very important question, and so I will be consulting the text of the sutra in answering you. In describing the first, second, and third of the five stages of practice, the Buddha restricts those at these stages from practicing precepts and meditation, and places all emphasis upon the single factor of wisdom. And because our wisdom is inadequate, he teaches us to substitute faith for wisdom, making this single word “faith” the foundation. Disbelief is the cause for becoming an icchantika and for slander of the Law, while faith is the cause for wisdom and corresponds to the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth.

T’ien-t’ai states: “When persons have reached the stage of resemblance to enlightenment, the benefits they have accrued will not be forgotten when they are reborn in another existence. But for persons at the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth or at the stage of perception and action, those benefits will be forgotten when they are reborn in succeeding existences, though there may be some among them who do not forget. Even in the case of persons who have forgotten those benefits, if they should encounter a good friend, then the roots of goodness that they planted in their previous existences will be revived. If they encounter an evil friend, they will lose their true mind.”

(From: "On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice")

http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=783&m=0&q=

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Mr. Toda also said: 'We are Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and we must struggle with firm resolve. We must win!'"

SGI Newsletter No. 7099, NEW YEAR'S REPRESENTATIVES CONFERENCE--PART 2 [OF 2], Breaking through Obstacles with Strong Prayer, Jan. 2nd, 2007. Translated Feb. 2nd, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There are trails in the sky where birds fly, but people cannot recognize them. There are paths in the sea along which fish swim, but people cannot perceive them."

(An Outline of the "Entrustment" and Other Chapters - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 915) Selection source: "Myoi no Gen", Seikyo Shimbun, February 18th, 2007

 

[Guest]

I'm sorry to say that I missed the last 376 pages but I believe that you always get back what you put forward; life; soil or whatever. Can't say that I actually chant but........

Nothin bad can ever come from being good to another no matter the penalty!

J.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

An Outline of the “Entrustment” and Other Chapters / WND pg. 911

An Outline of the “Entrustment” and Other Chapters / WND pg. 911

I HAVE received your offering of seven thousand coins. The essence of the “Entrustment” chapter of the Lotus Sutra is as follows: [Rising from his seat in the treasure tower,] the Buddha stood in open space and, in order to transfer the Lotus Sutra, patted no fewer than three times the heads of Bodhisattva Superior Practices and his followers, Manjushri and his followers, the great Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, the dragon kings, the ten demon daughters, and others. They had clustered before the Buddha as thickly as dewdrops, crowding four hundred ten thousand million nayutas of worlds, like the grasses of Musashino Plain(1) or the trees covering Mount Fuji. They knelt close to one another, bent their bodies so that their heads touched the ground, joined their palms together, and streamed sweat. Shakyamuni Buddha patted their heads just as a mother strokes the hair of her only child. Then Superior Practices, the gods of the sun and moon, and the others received the Buddha’s auspicious command and pledged to propagate the Lotus Sutra in the latter age.

As for the “Medicine King” chapter: In the past a bodhisattva called Gladly Seen(2) learned the Lotus Sutra from the Buddha Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue. So deeply moved was he by this favor received from his teacher and by the loftiness of the sutra that he exhausted all his precious treasures in offerings. Still unsatisfied, he anointed himself with oil and burned his body as an offering to the Buddha for a period of twelve hundred years, just as today we burn oil by inserting a wick and lighting it. Then, in his next lifetime he made torches of his arms and burned them for seventy-two thousand years as an offering to the Lotus Sutra. So if a woman makes offerings to the Lotus Sutra now in the last five-hundred-year period, this bodhisattva’s benefits will all be bequeathed to her without exception, just as a wealthy man transfers his entire fortune to his only son.

The “Wonderful Sound” chapter tells of a bodhisattva called Wonderful Sound who dwells in the land of the Buddha Pure Flower Constellation King Wisdom in the east. In the past, in the age of the Buddha Cloud Thunder Sound King, he was Lady Pure Virtue, the consort of King Wonderful Adornment. At that time, Lady Pure Virtue made offerings to the Lotus Sutra and was reborn as Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound.(3) When the Thus Come One Shakyamuni expounded the Lotus Sutra in the saha world, this bodhisattva came to attend the ceremony and pledged to protect those women who would embrace the Lotus Sutra in the latter age.

The “Perceiver of the World’s Sounds” chapter is also called the “Universal Gateway” chapter. The first part describes the merit of those who put faith in Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds; hence the title “Perceiver of the World’s Sounds” chapter. The latter part expounds the merit of those who embrace the Lotus Sutra, [the teaching of the Universal Gateway], which the bodhisattva upholds; hence the title “Universal Gateway” chapter.

The “Dharani” chapter describes how the two sages, the two heavenly gods, and the ten demon daughters will protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The two sages are Medicine King and Brave Donor, and the two heavenly gods are Vaishravana and Upholder of the Nation. The ten demon daughters are the ten major female demons, the mothers of all demons of the four continents. Moreover, these ten demon daughters have a mother, who is called the Mother of Demon Children.

It is the nature of demons to feed on human beings. Human beings are formed of thirty-six elements: excrement, urine, saliva, flesh, blood, skin, bone, the five solid internal organs,(4) the six empty internal organs,(5) the hair of the head, the hair of the body, energy, life, and so forth. Demons of inferior capacity feed upon excrement and the like. Demons of intermediate capacity eat bones and similar parts, while demons of superior capacity live on human vitality. As demons of superior capacity, the ten demon daughters subsist on human vitality. They are the powerful demons who bring about epidemics.

There are two kinds of demons, good and evil. Good demons feed upon enemies of the Lotus Sutra, while evil demons feed upon the sutra’s votaries. How should we interpret the great epidemics that have spread throughout Japan both this year and last? From one viewpoint, they are the work of good demons who are devouring enemies of the Lotus Sutra with the approval of Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings. Yet from another view, they are the work of evil demons who are feeding upon the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra at the urging of the devil king of the sixth heaven. Good demons devouring enemies of the Lotus Sutra are like government soldiers punishing enemies of the ruler. But evil demons eating votaries of the Lotus Sutra are like robbers and night thieves murdering government soldiers.

For example, when Buddhism was brought to Japan, the Chief Minister Mononobe no Moriya and others who opposed it were struck down by epidemics, but the Great Minister Soga no Umako and others [who espoused Buddhism] also fell ill.(6) Three successive emperors, Kimmei, Bidatsu, and Yomei, believed in Buddhism and the Thus Come One Shakyamuni in their hearts, but outwardly honored the Sun Goddess and the Kumano shrines,(7) abiding by the traditional rites of the nation. Because their faith in the Buddha and his teachings was weak, while their faith in the gods was strong, these three rulers were pulled by the stronger influence and succumbed to smallpox epidemics.

In light of these examples, you should ponder the two kinds of demons mentioned above, as well as the reasons why epidemics spread among the people of the world today and why some among my followers also fall ill and perish. It follows on the one hand that those who commit their lives for the sake of faith will not fall ill, or that, even if they should fall ill, they will recover. On the other hand, if they encounter great evil demons, they may be deprived of their lives. They might then be likened to Hatakeyama Shigetada,(8) who was finally destroyed by the sheer number of his enemies, though he was the most powerful general in Japan.

All the True Word teachers in Japan have turned into evil spirits, and evil demons are rampant throughout the country, inciting the Zen and Nembutsu priests to oppose Nichiren. On the other hand, the followers [good demons] of Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the ten demon daughters have also swarmed into Japan, each side battling fiercely to dominate over the other.

As the ten demon daughters pledged to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra in general, one may think they should protect all those who embrace the sutra. But even among people who embrace the Lotus Sutra, some are True Word teachers who read and recite it while asserting the superiority of the Mahavairochana Sutra. Such people are actually slandering the Lotus Sutra. And the same principle applies as well to any other school [whose followers practice the Lotus Sutra while believing in the superiority of their own sutras].

Even among those who embrace the Lotus Sutra according to its words, there are some who resent the votary of the Lotus Sutra either because of their greed, anger, and foolishness, because of worldly matters, or because of his various actions. Although such people believe in the Lotus Sutra, they will not obtain the benefit of faith, but will instead incur retribution. To explain, if a son disobeys his father and mother, he will be acting in an unfilial manner, except in a case where his parents are plotting a rebellion. Though a father may take his own son’s beloved wife, or a mother may steal her own daughter’s beloved husband, if the son or daughter should deviate even in the slightest from the path of filial piety, they will create causes that will lead them to be abandoned by the heavenly gods in this life and to fall into the Avichi hell in the next. Graver still is the act of going against a worthy ruler, who is superior to a father or mother. And even graver is that of going against a secular teacher, who is a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times superior to one’s parents or sovereign. How grave a matter must it be, then, to go against a Buddhist teacher who has forsaken the secular world; and even more so, the teacher of the Lotus Sutra!

It is said that the Yellow River becomes clear once in a thousand years, and that a sage likewise appears in the world once in a thousand years. A Buddha appears in the world once in countless kalpas. Yet even if one should meet a Buddha, it is far more difficult to encounter the Lotus Sutra. And even if one should encounter the Lotus Sutra, it is rarer still for an ordinary person of the latter age to meet the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The reason is that the votary who expounds the Lotus Sutra in the latter age surpasses [the Buddhas and bodhisattvas appearing in] the sutras of the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods and the twelve hundred and more honored ones(9) of the Mahavairochana and other sutras— who did not expound the Lotus Sutra. The Great Teacher Miao-lo states in his commentary, “Those who give alms [to the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra] will enjoy good fortune surpassing the ten honorable titles, while those who vex or trouble them will have their heads split into seven pieces.”(10)

The epidemics that the Japanese nation has suffered since last year, as well as those of the past Shoka era (1257–1259),(11) are totally without precedent in the reigns of the more than ninety emperors who have ruled since the beginning of the imperial era. These calamities appear to stem from the fact that the people hate the presence of a sage in this country. This is exactly what is meant when it is said that a dog that barks at a lion will have its bowels ripped open, and that an asura who tries to swallow the sun and moon will have his head broken. Two-thirds of all the people in Japan have already fallen ill in the epidemics, and half of these have perished. The remaining third may not be afflicted in body, but they are afflicted in mind. Visibly or invisibly, their heads have surely been broken.

There are four kinds of punishment: general and individual, inconspicuous and conspicuous.(12) If the people nurture hatred for a sage, general punishment will sweep across the entire country, extending to the four continents, the six heavens of the world of desire, and the four meditation heavens. When enmity is directed toward a worthy, only those who harbor it will suffer punishment. The epidemics now spreading in Japan are general punishment. Surely the people must have opposed a sage living in this country. Because a mountain contains a jewel, its plants and trees do not wither. Because a country has a sage, that country is protected from ruin. Ignorant people do not realize that plants and trees on a mountain do not wither because of the presence of a jewel. Nor do they realize that a country falls because of enmity toward a sage.

Though the sun and the moon shine, their light will not benefit the blind. Of what use is the sound of voices to the deaf ? The people in Japan are all as though blind or deaf. How immense would be the benefit if one could open all these eyes and ears, causing all the eyes to see and the ears to hear! Who could possibly fathom this benefit? And I may add that, although parents may give birth to a child who is endowed with both sight and hearing, if there is no teacher to instruct that child, then its eyes and ears will be no better than those of an animal.

Among the ten directions, all the people in Japan aspire to the west.(13) Among all Buddhas, they revere Amida Buddha, and among all practices, they invoke Amida’s name. Some make these three concerns their basis yet engage in other practices, while others devote themselves to the Nembutsu alone. In the more than twenty years since the fifth year of the Kencho era (1253) up until the present, I have first clarified the Buddha’s lifetime teachings in terms of their relative merit, sequence of preaching, and profundity, and upon that basis I have asserted the superiority of the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra over the invocation of the name of Amida Buddha. Yet no one, from the ruler on down to the common people, has heeded my words. They have questioned their teachers about me, appealed to their lords, talked with their companions, and spoken to their wives, children, and retainers, so that rumors concerning me have spread to every province, district, village, and hamlet, as well as to their temples and shrines. As a result, everyone has come to know my name, and they all say that, if one compares the Lotus Sutra with the Nembutsu, the Nembutsu is superior and the Lotus Sutra is no match for it, and that other priests are worthy of respect while I am contemptible. So, the ruler regards me with hostility, the people have come to hate me, and all Japan has become a great foe of both the Lotus Sutra and its votary. But if I say this, not only the people of Japan in general but also the ignorant among my followers will think that I am inventing groundless falsehoods in an attempt to make people believe me. I am saying all this, however, for the benefit of those men and women who believe in the principles of Buddhism, and I will leave it to them to judge for themselves.

The “King Wonderful Adornment” chapter of the Lotus Sutra is especially applicable to women, for it explains how a wife encouraged her husband. In the latter age as well, though her name may differ, a wife who leads her husband to take faith will enjoy the same benefit as Lady Pure Virtue. All the more fortunate is a case like yours, in which both wife and husband have faith! It is like a bird possessing two wings, or a cart having two wheels. What is there that you two cannot achieve? Because there is a heaven and an earth, a sun and a moon, the sun shines and the rain falls, and the plants and trees of benefit will surely blossom and bear fruit.

Next, we come to the “Encouragements” chapter. Though there were many monks among the disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, Mahakashyapa and Ananda always accompanied him on his right and left, just like the ministers of the right and left who attend the ruler. This was when the Buddha expounded the Hinayana sutras. Moreover, among all the innumerable bodhisattvas, Universal Worthy and Manjushri were distinguished as the ministers of the right and left of Shakyamuni Buddha. It was strange, therefore, that Bodhisattva Universal Worthy, one of Shakyamuni’s two ministers, should be absent during the eight years when the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, which surpasses all the other sutras of his lifetime teachings, in the ceremony where the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered in numbers exceeding those of the dust particles of the land. But when the “King Wonderful Adornment” chapter had been expounded and the preaching of the Lotus Sutra was drawing to a close, Bodhisattva Universal Worthy came hurrying belatedly from the land of the Buddha King Purity of Jeweled Dignity and Virtue(14) in the east, accompanied by the sounds of ten thousand million musical instruments and leading a retinue of countless numbers of the eight kinds of nonhuman beings. Probably fearing the Buddha’s displeasure at his tardy arrival, he assumed a serious expression and pledged in all earnestness to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age. The Buddha, no doubt pleased with Universal Worthy’s extraordinary sincerity in vowing to spread the Lotus Sutra throughout the continent of Jambudvipa, thereupon praised him— more warmly, in fact, than he had earlier praised the other bodhisattvas of higher rank.

It is no ordinary thing for a woman in the latter age to have resolved to make an offering to each of the twenty- eight chapters of this wonderful Lotus Sutra. At the ceremony of the “Treasure Tower” chapter, the Thus Come Ones Many Treasures and Shakyamuni, the Buddhas of the ten directions, and all bodhisattvas gathered together. When I ponder where this “Treasure Tower” chapter(15) is now, I see that it exists in the eight-petaled lotus flower of the heart within the breast of Nichinyo. This is like the lotus seed containing the lotus flower within it, or a consort carrying a crown prince in her womb. When someone, having observed the ten good precepts, is destined to be born a crown prince and awaits his birth in the consort’s womb, the heavenly gods will protect him. That is why a crown prince is called the Son of Heaven. Each of the 69,384 characters of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra is like a crown prince and is the seed of a Buddha.

There are shadows in the darkness, but people cannot discern them. There are trails in the sky where birds fly, but people cannot recognize them. There are paths in the sea along which fish swim, but people cannot perceive them. All people and things of the four continents are reflected in the moon without a single exception, but people cannot see them. But they are visible to the heavenly eye.(16) In like manner, ordinary people cannot see that the “Treasure Tower” chapter exists within the body of Nichinyo, but Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions perceive it. I, Nichiren, also presume this to be the case. How praiseworthy!

King Wen of the Chou dynasty was victorious in battle because he took care to provide for elderly people. During the thirty-seven reigns spanning eight hundred years in which his descendants ruled, there were some incidents of misgovernment, but on the whole the Chou dynasty prospered due to that fundamental virtue. King Ajatashatru, though a most evil man, was able to hold the throne for ninety years owing to the merit of his father, King Bimbisara, who had made offerings to the Buddha for several years. The same principle holds true today. I do not think the present regime will last long, as it opposes the Lotus Sutra. Yet, probably because of the excellent leadership of the late acting administrator and the former governor of Musashi(17) who became a lay priest, it appears to be secure for the time being. But in this case, too, the present government will eventually collapse if it continues its enmity toward the Lotus Sutra. The government officials mistakenly think that, while the Nembutsu priests are friendly to the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren is hostile to the Nembutsu; and they claim to believe in both teachings. I, Nichiren, say in rebuttal: If nothing is vitally wrong with the present government, then why have such unprecedented epidemics, famines, and wars broken out? Why have the authorities twice subjected the votary of the Lotus Sutra to grave punishment without allowing him to confront the other schools in open debate? How pitiful, how unfortunate!

Even under such circumstances, as a woman you have inherited the life of the Lotus Sutra. In fact, you have inherited the life of the parents of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions.(18) Is there anyone else in the entire land of Jambudvipa who possesses such good fortune??

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The twenty-fifth day of the sixth month

Reply to Nichinyo

Background

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the sixth month of the first year of Koan (1278) to Nichinyo in response to her sincere offerings. In this letter, the Daishonin outlines each of the last seven chapters of the Lotus Sutra, from the twenty-second, or “Entrustment,” chapter through the twenty-eighth, or “Encouragements,” chapter, and describes the benefit of each chapter. Hence the title of this letter.

First, the Daishonin discusses the “Entrustment” chapter, identifying as its heart the ceremony of the transfer of the Lotus Sutra. In the preceding “Supernatural Powers” chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha transfers the essence of the sutra specifically to Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth. In “Entrustment,” he makes a general transfer of the Lotus Sutra to all the assembled bodhisattvas.

Next, the Daishonin summarizes the “Medicine King,” “Wonderful Sound,” and “Perceiver of the World’s Sounds” chapters, describing the benefit and protection conferred by the bodhisattvas Medicine King, Wonderful Sound, and Perceiver of the World’s Sounds. These three chapters explain how these bodhisattvas, who have been entrusted with the Lotus Sutra in the preceding “Entrustment” chapter, will propagate the Buddha’s teachings while manifesting their own powers to the fullest and thereby saving people.

Nichiren Daishonin then turns to the twenty-sixth, or “Dharani,” chapter, in which the bodhisattvas Medicine King and Brave Donor, the two heavenly kings Vaishravana and Upholder of the Nation, and the ten demon daughters pledge to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra who will propagate the Buddha’s teachings in an evil age to come. Here, the Daishonin clarifies the workings of two kinds of demons, good and evil.

The last portion of this letter addresses the twenty-seventh, or “King Wonderful Adornment,” chapter and the final chapter, “Encouragements.” The “King Wonderful Adornment” chapter tells how Lady Pure Virtue led her husband, King Wonderful Adornment, to take faith in the correct teaching. Because Nichinyo and her husband were both his followers, the Daishonin emphasizes how great are the benefits that a husband and wife can receive by devoting themselves together to faith. The “Encouragements” chapter describes the protection of Bodhisattva Universal Worthy, who vowed to safeguard the Lotus Sutra and its votaries after the Buddha’s passing.

Then, the Daishonin praises Nichinyo’s faith in making an offering to each of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra. He declares that the Ceremony in the Air, which begins in the middle of the “Treasure Tower” chapter, is to be found in Nichinyo’s heart. The Daishonin depicted this Ceremony in the Air in the object of devotion. This passage corresponds to one in The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon, also written to Nichinyo a year earlier, which states, “Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (p. 832).

Notes

1. A wide plain encompassing present- day Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture.
2. Bodhisattva Gladly Seen, or Gladly Seen by All Living Beings, is a previous incarnation of Bodhisattva Medicine King.
3. In The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, T’ien-t’ai, interpreting a passage of the “Wonderful Sound” chapter, explains that Bodhisattva Wonderful Sound was Lady Pure Virtue in a past life.
4. The lungs, heart, spleen, liver, and kidneys.
5. The large intestine, small intestine, gallbladder, stomach, urinary bladder, and the “three organs.” According to ancient Chinese medicine, the “three organs” are regarded collectively as one of the six empty internal organs. One is located below the heart and above the stomach, while another is located inside the stomach. The third is located above the urinary bladder.
6. According to traditional accounts, in the fourteenth year of the reign of the thirty-first emperor, Bidatsu (538–585), Soga no Umako built a pagoda to enshrine the Buddha’s relics. When an epidemic broke out, Moriya attributed it to the anger of the native gods at the respect shown to the new religion; and he destroyed the pagoda on the first day of the third month. After this incident, the emperor, Moriya, and Umako all fell ill in the epidemic. However, the supporters of Buddhism steadily gained ground over the anti-Buddhist faction. Moriya lost his allies and was eventually killed in a skirmish with Umako’s soldiers in 587.
7. The Kumano shrines refer to the three shrines dedicated to indigenous Japanese deities. They are located in an area called Kumano that encompasses part of present- day Wakayama and Mie prefectures.
8. Hatakeyama Shigetada (1164–1205) was a warrior who helped establish the Kamakura shogunate and enjoyed the confidence of its founder, Minamoto no Yoritomo. After Yoritomo’s death, however, he was treated distantly by Hojo Tokimasa, who became the first Kamakura regent. In when Hatakeyama Shigeyasu, Shigetada’s son, quarreled with Hiraga Tomomasa, a relative of the Hojo clan, Tokimasa accused Shigeyasu of treason and had him killed. Hojo Yoshitoki, Tokimasa’s son, then led his forces against the Hatakeyama family. Shigetada resisted fiercely, but was too greatly outnumbered and was killed in battle.
9. The twelve hundred and more honored ones are venerable Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and others inscribed on the two mandalas of the Diamond and Womb realms.
10. The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.” The Daishonin here reverses the order of the original sentence, which begins, “Those who vex or trouble . . .” This statement originally refers to the Lotus Sutra, but Nichiren Daishonin uses it in context to refer to the sutra’s votary. The ten honorable titles are ten epithets for a Buddha.
11. The Daishonin refers here to the epidemics that broke out in the third year of the Shoka era (1259). At that time, the government ordered the priests of the various schools to offer prayers, but the epidemics continued unabated into the follow ing year, and a great number of people died.
12. General punishment is what falls upon the people as a whole, while individual punishment is what strikes only the individual. Inconspicuous punishment is karmic retribution that is not immediately recognizable, and conspicuous punishment is retribution that appears in clearly recognizable form.
13. This means that they aspire to rebirth in the western Pure Land of Amida Buddha.
14. In the “Universal Worthy” chapter, he is called the Buddha King Above Jeweled Dignity and Virtue.
15. The “Treasure Tower” chapter here indicates the Ceremony in the Air, which begins in this chapter. The eight-petaled lotus of the heart refers to the arrangement of the heart, lungs, and other organs in the chest cavity, which was thought to resemble an eight-petaled lotus blossom.
16. The heavenly eye is one of the five types of vision. It means the ability of heavenly beings to see beyond the physical limitations of darkness, distance, or obstruction.
17. The late acting administrator and the former governor of Musashi refer to Hojo Yoshitoki (1163–1224) and Hojo Yasutoki (1183–1242), the second and third regents of the Kamakura government, respectively. In the period from 1219 through 1238, Yasutoki was also the governor of Musashi Province.
18. “Parents” here indicates the Lotus Sutra, by which all Buddhas attain enlightenment.

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Greetings:

I was successful with Beth Ann, she was very encouraged at Sunday's discussion meeting. Introduced someone named David today to the practice and also gave him a Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! card.

This weekend I did soo much daimoku, an hour every session. I read the 14 Slanders Gosho and tried my best to remember each specific slander to keep conscious of them going forward, and damnit I FUCKED UP ROYALLY TODAY! I was slandering like a MOtha Fucka! I ended up apologizing to anyone I victimized with slander and tried to rectify my errors immediately. Even when I was under the influence of catholic ideology I would still feel as if I was going to hell for all my constant transgressions. Now I realize that if I slander a Buddha and Don't Greet them from Afar with the same admiration and respect I have for Nichiren or Thomas I setting myself up for countless kalpas (massive amount of time) of incessant suffering in the avichi hell. NO THANK YOU! Its so fucking clear, how I have a streak of bad karma, kinda like when you walk out of a toilet with toilet tissue on the bottom of your shoe, and you don't wanna touch it but you want to take it off.

So again, I resolve to make the seemingly impossible feeling of being a constant dick when I running on cruise control and really watch what I say, do, think, and react. I will accomplish this goal through an amazing amount of daimoku. So I had already qued up 1 million daimoku by march 26 for 40 shakubukus and now I will also do another 1 million to eradicate slander in my life. BOY OH BOY, I GOT ALOT OF CHANTING TO DO!

AND.... THis weekend was one of the best in my life, I really am happy chanting, sharing this practice and was fortunate enough to have someone share an experience on Sunday and this person said I have been pivotal in their practice with respect to keeping them encouraged and focused on chanting. In fact, my friend Harry and I have a meeting tonight, if any of you are in town your more than welcome to pop in. Chanting equals happiness, give it a shot, doesn't matter if you ever uttered the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! You can still take your karma into your own hands and develope some good fortune for yourself!

Last year around this time, I was in serious debt, hungary, barely making ends meet, no pot and before I could really notice any difference in my life, guess what My depression, pain and anxiety transformed into happiness, joy and now-a-days I rejoice for Buddhism, Mentor Disciple, Nichiren Daishonin, and especially Gohonzon!

Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon for our Happiness! Check it out!

Much love,
Myohodisco

 

[PassTheDoobie]

However, people all turn their backs on these sutra passages, and the world as a whole is completely confused with regard to the principles of Buddhism. Why do you persist in following the teachings of evil friends? T'ien-t'ai said that to accept and put faith in the doctrines of evil teachers is the same as drinking poison. You should deeply consider this and beware.

[ Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra, WND Page 61 ]

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"You who have embraced this great Law are millionaires rich in life force who possess good fortune surpassing the wealth of even the world’s richest people. Material possessions cannot be enjoyed after death. But millionaires rich in life force are able to freely make use of the treasures of the universe in lifetime after lifetime and enjoy a journey of eternal happiness."

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[SoCal Hippy]

The following is a summary of SGI President Daisaku Ikeda’s speech at an SGI joint training session held in the auditorium of the Soka University, Los Angeles, campus.

I am delighted to meet with all of you who are so dear to me. Among you are many graduates of Soka University and other Soka schools. Nothing fills my heart with more hope than knowing that Soka school alumni are vigorous and active here in America.

I would like to express my appreciation to the Soyukai (a group of former Soka Gakkai Headquarters staff members) in the women’s division for gathering here in high spirits; you look as lovely and youthful as ever. Also participating in this session are SGI-USA Culture Department and Pioneer Group members and friends from Canada and Latin America. Students of the Soka Women’s Junior College visiting for a language training course are listening to today’s proceedings in another room. My sincerest appreciation goes to all of you who have taken the trouble to come here on a Sunday.

We are gathered at a university, a seat of wisdom. Therefore, let me first speak about the significance of the university.

When the British poet John Masefield (1878-1967) wrote "There are few earthly things more beautiful than a university," he was not admiring the beauty of a university’s buildings or its appearance. Rather, its beauty lies in the fact that it is "a place where those who hate ignorance may strive to know, where those who perceive truth may strive to make others see."

In other words, the university is a place for the liberation of humankind. It leads people from the darkness of ignorance to the light of intelligence, from spiritual blindness to awakening, from barbarous chaos to civilized order, and from slavery of the soul to its independence. To put it another way, the university is a fortress where, led by the light of reason, human beings achieve spiritual development; it is also a castle for defending civilization against barbarism, a castle founded on the love of truth. A university no doubt is in the vanguard of the effort to expel ignorance, the basic cause for all miseries — from the earth. It is therefore aptly said that nothing in this world is more beautiful than a university. President John F. Kennedy once cited these impressive words of Masefield in an address.

Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947), a renowned twentieth-century philosopher who taught at Harvard University, remarked that "the task of a university is the creation of the future." He meant that universities, in the name of reason and civilization, determine the future of humanity, that they in fact shape the future course of history.

In this sense, because we have founded a university we have participated in the creation of a future. A university in the present is the epitome of society in the future. Therefore, please be convinced that the victory of our university will contribute to the victory of humankind.

One of the mottoes of the Soka University, Los Angeles, campus is: "Be a dynamic force in developing a Pan-Pacific culture." Soka University will host the second Pacific Basin Symposium on the campus this coming summer, with the participation of representatives from the United Nations University. It is argued from various angles that the twenty-first century will be an age in which Pan-Pacific nations flourish.

I hope that you study these viewpoints at school or on your own, but I would like to touch briefly on one aspect of the issue so as to give you food for thought.

A Soviet anthropologist, Serghei Aleksandrovich Arutiunov, once said: "It would not be an exaggeration to call the Pacific Ocean the inland sea of Ameraustralasia (the term he coined for the North and South American continents combined with the Asian-Pacific region). And the Pacific Ocean has played a pivotal role in this ‘super-continent’ . . . . Albeit on a different scale, the role of the Pacific could be compared to that of the Mediterranean Sea in the region of Afroeurasia (the combination of Africa and Eurasia), which shares a common destiny."

As scholars have recently pointed out, historically oceans are not great yawning abysses of division that separate people and civilizations from each other; rather oceans are zones that connect people and cultures. Northern Africa and southern Europe, for instance, were linked by the Mediterranean. This is clear from the deep relationships that existed between the civilization of Egypt and those of Greece and Rome. The Mediterranean was the mother of the civilizations of the regions surrounding it. It has continued to stimulate the development of various civilizations by facilitating the transmission of culture, people and information.

In the same way, those scholars assert, the Pacific Ocean, which links the North and South American continents, Asia and Oceania, has contributed to the development of civilizations in these regions. Although this hypothesis is largely yet to be verified, the concept that the Pacific Ocean is like an inland seas is an idea of tremendous scale, one that is well suited to the dawning era of global civilization

The "eastern capital" of this inland sea would be Los Angeles. On a broader scale, we could say that the entire state of California is the "eastern capital."

The Soka University campus founded in this eastern capital is still in its stage of infancy. However, we must remember that a huge tree does not immediately sprout from a seed. The question, then, is what is contained within that seed. Although the Soka University, Los Angeles, campus is still young, it has a tremendous mission and significance. I hope that all of you will help carefully nurture the growth of the seed of this school into a truly great tree.

Now I would like to talk about the meaning of success from the standpoint of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism.

America is the country of the success story. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, "America is another name for opportunity." Many people came to this country in pursuit of the American dream — the dream of success. At present, the society is growing more static and constrained than it was in the past. Be that as it may, the American dream still draws to your shores many who seem to believe that, so long as one has wits and good luck, he can easily become a millionaire.

The word for millionaire in Japanese is choja. In Buddhist scriptures, however, the word has a different connotation, that of a person of virtue and influence. Based on the formulation and terminology of T'ien-t'ai, Nichiren Daishonin distinguishes three types of choja in interpreting the parable of the three carts and the burning house that appears in the Hiyu (third) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

The first of the three categories consists of the choja of the secular world — or "secular choja" — those people, such as millionaires, who are highly successful in society. Second come choja who renounce the secular world, or "supraworldly choja." These are Buddhist Choja, specifically, the Buddha Shakyamuni. The third is the "mind-observing choja, by which Nichiren Daishonin means common mortals who embrace the Mystic Law. The first group might be characterized as people of external achievement, while the second and third groups are people of internal achievement. There are profound differences between these two types of achievement.

Buddhist scriptures describe "secular choja" as being of a good family, possessing wealth, having dignity, possessing profound wisdom, being pure in their actions, exhibiting proper manners and enjoying great prestige. In accordance with the teaching that "all laws are the Buddhist Law," it is worthwhile for us to strive to acquire the virtues of these choja. I hope that, basing yourself on faith, you will become wealthy people of virtue and influence who are widely respected.

I would like to add, however, that worldly success is not equivalent to true happiness. Achieving this requires that we have a profound understanding of the nature of life. There is much truth to the words of Benjamin Franklin that "Success has ruined many a man." If a person has wealth, he may become the target of robbers. A beautiful woman may arouse others’ jealousy and suffer on this account. A person with public status may exploit his authority and end up in misery.

A person of success in the true sense is one who can enjoy a free and unrestrained state of life. One who clings to the transient splendor of the world of Heaven or Rapture is not such a person of success. As is taught in Buddhism, those in the realm of Heaven experience the five signs of decay. The joy and success in the world of Heaven will inevitably fade and wither just as the leaves of a tree scatter in autumn.

The "supraworldly choja" is the Buddha. Attaining Buddhahood is true success; the Buddha is the eternal choja. The Buddha possesses the treasure of the Law, as well as all good qualities and all virtues. He defeats all obstacles and attains all kinds of wisdom. His heart is as vast as the ocean, he always abides in a state of limitless freedom and bliss.

In other words, the Buddha, or "supraworldly choja, is characterized by abundant and strong life force. However, it was generally thought that becoming a Buddha required an incredibly long and difficult practice. Shakyamuni’s teachings do not set forth a practice that anyone would be able to fulfill. This is a problem.

Third, the "mind-observing choja" are "Buddhas who are at the same time common mortals," that is, they are the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. This term "votary of the Lotus Sutra" specifically refers to Nichiren Daishonin, but in general it includes us followers of the Daishonin who are dedicating our lives to kosen-rufu.

Put simply, "mind-observing" means to observe one’s own mind and find the world of Buddhahood inherent within oneself, or to realize that in our lives we possess the limitless treasure house of all riches gathered from throughout the universe. When we open and make free use of this treasure house, we can lead a proud and joyful life with the composure of a great choja. Like the lion king, we fear nothing and are unaffected by fleeting joys and sorrows. This is what it means to be a "mind-observing choja." In Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, to observe one’s own mind means faith in the Gohonzon. Therefore, a "mind-observing choja is a "choja of faith." Such a choja is one who perceives and believes that his life is itself the supreme treasure house and who opens this treasure-house.

In Shakyamuni’s Buddhism, it was in fact only special people who could become choja, it was a goal beyond the reach of ordinary people. In contrast, Nichiren Daishonin taught the principle that "embracing the Gohonzon is itself enlightenment." Thus, by believing in and embracing the Gohonzon, which embodies the state of Buddhahood and the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, one can observe, and manifest, the world of Buddhahood existing in his own life.

Some scholars compare Shakyamuni’s Buddhism to aristocracy or elitism in Buddhism, and Nichiren Daishonin’s to democracy, because where the former can lead only a select few to attain Buddhahood, the latter addressed the needs of all. The practice of Shakyamuni’s Buddhism might be compared to climbing step by step toward the summit of Buddhahood, as though attempting to reach the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains. What’s more, though people of the most advanced ability may attain the summit in this way, they will end their lives before attempting to save others or contribute to society.

Nichiren Daishonin’s Bddhism, however, teaches how in one’s present circumstances, one can open up the great earth of one’s life and excavate the jewel of Buddhahood existing therein. Daimoku and one’s ichinen of faith are the key to opening the treasure house of Buddhahood. Or, to employ the metaphor of mountain climbing, the Daishonin’s Buddhism could be likened to a helicopter that brings one directly to the summit of Buddhahood, from where, gazing with composure down upon the other realms of life, one can channel the invigorating breeze of Buddhahood into society.

Nichiren Daishonin teaches that whether walking, standing, sitting or lying down, the Buddha’s children who dwell on the great earth of the true entity of life, or the world of Buddhahood, perform the actions of the Buddha. Since these are all actions of the Buddha, they are naturally carried out with supreme wisdom and virtue.

This is what Nichiren Daishonin means when he states: "The behavior of people (who base themselves on the land of the Mystic Law as children of the Buddha) is the same as the behavior of the Buddha. It is also the behavior of people of great virtue and influence (choja)" (GoshoZenshu, p. 819). Neither the splendid residence of a "secular choja" nor the special powers of a "supraworldly choja" is proof of one’s being a true person of wealth and integrity, or "mind-observing choja." The everyday actions that we carry out as children of the Buddha who embrace the mystic Law and advance kosen-rufu are in themselves the supremely blissful actions of a great choja.

While accumulating in our lives the treasures of the Law as well as the treasures of material wealth, we dedicate ourselves to sowing the seeds of enlightenment in others’ lives, thereby creating the fundamental rhythm of peace and prosperity in society. Each day in our life becomes a golden day, a rich and precious day of value. Such is the life of a "mind-observing choja."

Nichiren Daishonin also states: "Such a person (the votary of the Lotus Sutra) shall be called a Buddha. How can he not be called a person of wealth and integrity?" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 819). "Such a person" here refers to Nichiren Daishonin himself, but from a broader perspective it also indicates all who embrace the Gohonzon. In other words, he is saying that those who persevere in the practice of Buddhism and dedicate themselves to the struggle for kosen-rufu are Buddhas; they are people of wealth and integrity.

The Daishonin concludes his teaching, "Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are the people of great virtue and influence (of whom the sutra speaks) who have gained the supreme cluster of jewels when they least expected it." (Gosho Zenshu, p. 819)

Therefore, you who have embraced this great Law are millionaires rich in life force who possess good fortune surpassing the wealth of even the world’s richest people. Material possessions can not be enjoyed after death. But "millionaires rich in life force" are able to freely make use of the treasures of the universe in lifetime after lifetime and enjoy a journey of eternal happiness. That is what constitutes proof of true victory in life.

Of course, in order to accumulate such great good fortune, you have to persevere in the Buddhist practice. However, when you cultivate your life in this way, you will tap an inexhaustible source of good fortune within your life. It is as though, by unlocking and opening a magical treasure chest, you gain access to infinite treasures.

Therefore, you should never discard faith or slacken in your practice. You should never allow any obstacle to hinder your advance. Otherwise, you will ruin the seed of Buddhahood which is the source of all good fortune.

I earnestly hope that each of you, firmly upholding the Mystic Law, strives to produce a new success story in this country. Please be confident that we who dwell in the world of the mystic Law will be the main players in the true story of success. With this I conclude my speech.

 

[Bonzo]

Hello my friends

hey fallen, i did not fall off the planet..............he he he............but it was close.

however:


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

faith has never once left my heart, so here i am, and i want to scream out in victory for that.

i love all ya'll from the bottom of my heart,






peace

bonz

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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When you shake your head, your hair sways; when your mind begins to work, your body moves. When a strong wind blows, the grass and trees can no longer remain still; when the earth shakes, the seas are atremble. Thus if one can move Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, can the grass and trees fail to respond, can the waters remain calm?"

(Concerning the Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha Fashioned by Nichigen-nyo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 811) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 27th 2007

 

[Babbabud]

Wooohooo Bonzo Faith is the food of life brother We all must eat. Good to see everyone posting and smiling
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Bonzo]

"When you shake your head, your hair sways; when your mind begins to work, your body moves. When a strong wind blows, the grass and trees can no longer remain still; when the earth shakes, the seas are atremble. Thus if one can move Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, can the grass and trees fail to respond, can the waters remain calm?"

(Concerning the Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha Fashioned by Nichigen-nyo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 811) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 27th 2007

That hits me like a knife in the heart (thats a good thing)

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Hi Thomas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i need to say hi to everyone and thank you for all you have done for me that you dont even know.

however, i need to chant, laetly chanting is just blowing my mind, its hasd to put into words but i can feel it entering my body, working its way around and them WHAM it hits me right in the heart and either a small tear forms or a lil' smile comes across my face, its heavy man!!


i love you all!!!!








peace

bonz


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

 

[Bonzo]

Babba!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you snuck that in there on me , damn im slow, SOOOOOOOO GOOD TO SEE YOU MY FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

how are you!!!!!!! Your trip sounded like fun even though it didnt go quite as planned, but i think its so cool you guys chanted there anyway, thats doin' it!!!!!!!!!!

Daimoku time!!!!!!!!!!!






peace

bonz

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

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"... who chants the daimoku, is the Thus Come One's emissary. Also, one who perseveres through great persecutions and embraces the sutra from beginning to end is the Thus Come One's emissary."

(The Farther the Source, the Longer the Stream - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 942) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 21st 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Farther the Source, the Longer the Stream / WND pg. 940

The Farther the Source, the Longer the Stream / WND pg. 940

I HAVE received one thousand coins and respectfully reported in the presence of the Lotus Sutra that this is an offering from Yorimoto.(1) I believe that, from afar, Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas of the ten directions, and, close at hand, the gods of the sun and moon in their heavenly palaces will certainly watch over you.

If someone excels in this world, then even those who are regarded as worthies and sages, to say nothing of ordinary people, will all become jealous and bear grudges against that person. Three thousand court ladies harbored jealousy against Wang Chao-chün, the favorite of the emperor of the Han dynasty. Shakra’s consorts, who numbered ninety-nine million nayuta, all envied Kaushika.(2) Minister Fujiwara no Saneyori bore a grudge against Imperial Prince Kaneakira, and Fujiwara no Tokihira, jealous of Sugawara no Michizane, spoke falsely of him to the emperor, causing him to be exiled.(3)

Consider your own situation in light of these examples. [Your lord] the lay priest Ema’s domain used to be vast, but has now diminished. He has many sons who could succeed him, and there are also many retainers who have long served him. His retainers must be possessed by growing envy, just as fish become agitated when the water of their pond decreases, or as birds vie with one another to secure branches when autumn winds begin to blow. Moreover, since you have disobeyed your lord and gone against his wishes from time to time, the calumnies made to him against you must have been all the more numerous. However, even though you have been forced to relinquish your fief time and again, in your letter you said that he has now conferred an estate upon you. This is indeed wondrous. This is precisely what is meant by the statement that unseen virtue brings about visible reward. It must have happened because of your profound sincerity in trying to lead your lord to faith in the Lotus Sutra.

King Ajatashatru, though once the Buddha’s enemy, came to take faith in the Lotus Sutra at the urging of his minister Jivaka, so that he was able to prolong his life and continue his rule. King Wonderful Adornment corrected his mistaken views at the exhortation of his two sons.(4) The same is true in your case. Lord Ema has now softened probably as a result of your admonishment. This is solely because of your deep faith in the Lotus Sutra.

The deeper the roots, the more luxuriant the branches. The farther the source, the longer the stream. All sutras other than the Lotus Sutra have shallow roots and short streams, while the Lotus Sutra has deep roots and a distant source. That is why the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai stated that the Lotus Sutra would survive and spread even in the evil latter age.

Many people have taken faith in this teaching. But because great persecutions, both official and otherwise, have repeatedly befallen me, though they followed me for a year or two, all of them later either abandoned their faith or turned against the Lotus Sutra. Or if they have not given way in their practice, they have done so in their heart. Or if they have not given way in their heart, they have done so in their practice.

Shakyamuni Buddha, the heir to King Shuddhodana, was a great king who reigned over Jambudvipa’s 84,210 countries. All kings of this land bowed to him, and he had a hundred thousand million servants. Nevertheless, he left the palace of King Shuddhodana at the age of nineteen and entered Mount Dandaka, where he was to carry out ascetic practices for twelve years. At that time he was attended by five men5) Ajnata Kaundinya, Ashvajit, Bhadrika, Dashabala Kashyapa, and Prince Kolita. Of these five, however, two left Shakyamuni during the sixth year, while the remaining three deserted him in the next six years. Alone, Shakyamuni continued his practice and became the Buddha.

The Lotus Sutra is even more difficult to believe in than Shakyamuni, and therefore the sutra itself states that it is “the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand.”(6) Moreover, in the Latter Day of the Law, persecutions are far more frequent and intense than in the lifetime of Shakyamuni Buddha. The sutra states that a votary who perseveres despite these adversities will gain benefits greater than those obtained by offering alms to the Buddha for the space of an entire kalpa.

It is now some 2,230 years since the Buddha’s passing. Those who spread Buddhism in India for more than a thousand years thereafter are recorded in history without omission, and those who disseminated Buddhism in China for a thousand years and in Japan for seven hundred are also clearly listed. Very few of them, however, met persecutions as terrible as those of the Buddha. Many described themselves as sages or worthies, but not one has ever experienced the sutra’s prediction: “[Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world], how much more will this be so after his passing?”(7) Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo met great persecutions for the sake of Buddhism, but none as great as those the Buddha describes in the sutra. This is because they were born before the time when the Lotus Sutra is to be spread.

We have now already entered “the last five-hundred-year period,” or the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law. This time period is like the sun at the summer solstice on the fifteenth day of the fifth month, or the harvest moon on the fifteenth day of the eighth month. T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo were born too early to see it; those born after will regret that they came too late.

The main force of the enemy(8) has already been defeated, and the remainder is no match for me. Now is the very time that the Buddha predicted: “the last five-hundred-year period,” or the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, and the age indicated by the passage, “How much more will this be so after his passing?” If the Buddha’s words are not false, a sage must certainly have appeared in the land of Jambudvipa. According to the sutras, the greatest war the land has ever seen will break out as a sign of this sage’s advent, and since such a war(9) has already occurred, the sage must already have appeared in Jambudvipa. The appearance of a legendary beast called ch’i-lin told Chinese contemporaries that Confucius was a sage, and there is no doubt that the resounding of a village shrine heralds a sage’s coming. When the Buddha made his advent in this world, the growth of sandalwood trees informed his contemporaries that he was a sage. Lao Tzu was recognized as a sage because at birth the sole of one foot was marked with the Chinese character “two” and the other with the character “five.”(10)

Then how does one recognize the sage of the Lotus Sutra in this latter age? The sutra states that one who “can preach this sutra”(11) or who “can uphold this sutra”(12) is “the envoy of the Thus Come One.”(13) In other words, one who embraces the eight volumes, or a single volume, chapter, or verse, of the Lotus Sutra, or who chants the daimoku, is the Thus Come One’s emissary. Also, one who perseveres through great persecutions and embraces the sutra from beginning to end is the Thus Come One’s emissary.

Since I am but a common mortal, my mind may not be that of the Thus Come One’s envoy. However, since I have incurred the hatred of the three powerful enemies and been exiled twice, I am like the Thus Come One’s envoy. Though my mind is steeped in the three poisons and my body is that of a common mortal, because my mouth chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I am like the Thus Come One’s envoy. If I seek an example in the past, I may be likened to Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. If I look at the present, I have been living the sutra’s description of persecution “with swords and staves, tiles and stones.”(14) In the future, I will doubtless proceed to the place of enlightenment, and those who have sustained me will also dwell together in the pure land of Eagle Peak. I have many other things to tell you, but I will stop here and leave the rest for you to conclude.

The ailing acolyte has recovered, which makes me very happy. Acharya Daishin(15) died exactly as you foresaw. Everyone here praises you, saying that even a latter-day Jivaka would be no match for you. I think they may well be right. We have been telling each other that your predictions about Sammi- bo and Soshiro(16) have come true exactly, just as two tallies match precisely. I entrust my life to you and will consult no other physician.

Nichiren

The fifteenth day of the ninth month in the first year of Koan (1278), cyclical sign tsuchinoe-tora

To Shijo Kingo

Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the ninth month, 1278, to Shijo Kingo, a staunch follower who was well versed in both medicine and the martial arts. In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin states, “Even though you have been forced to relinquish your fief time and again, in your letter you said that he [Lord Ema] has now conferred an estate upon you.” In a letter addressed to Kingo the next month, the Daishonin states, “So your lord has granted you new fiefs! I cannot think it to be true; it is so marvelous that I wonder if it is a dream” (p. 945). It is reasonable to assume, then, that Shijo Kingo first reported to the Daishonin an informal notice from his lord Ema and next conveyed the official announcement. This is why the Daishonin expresses his unreserved joy in the letter of the tenth month.

Lord Ema had for several years disapproved of Kingo’s belief and, prompted by false accusations made against Kingo by jealous colleagues, eventually ordered him either to abandon his faith in the Daishonin’s teaching or move to a remote province. In 1277, however, Ema fell ill, and Kingo’s treatment effected a cure. Ema renewed his trust in him and, the next year, bestowed upon him a far larger fief than the one he already had.

Delighted with Kingo’s victory, Nichiren Daishonin says that unseen virtue brings about visible reward, meaning that Kingo’s sincere faith and effort to lead his lord to faith in the Lotus Sutra were rewarded in this manner. He also describes the merit of the Lotus Sutra with the words, “The farther the source, the longer the stream.” Hence the title of this letter. He says, “In the future, I will doubtless proceed to the place of enlightenment, and those who have sustained me will also dwell together in the pure land of Eagle Peak.” The Daishonin implies that he is “the envoy of the Thus Come One” referred to in the Lotus Sutra, and that those who support him will attain Buddhahood.

Notes

1. Yorimoto is Shijo Kingo’s given name. His full name and title are Shijo Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo Yorimoto. Kingo denotes his official position Saemonnojo.
2. Kaushika is the name of Shakra when he was once a Brahman, according to The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, but in this context it would seem to indicate his wife.
3. Fujiwara no Saneyori (900–970), a court official, was apparently disappointed in his hopes that his son Yoritada would be appointed minister of the left, and so he bore a grudge against Imperial Prince Kaneakira, the son of the sixtieth emperor Daigo, who achieved that position. Though Fujiwara no Tokihira (871–909) was minister of the left and ranked above the minister of the right, he became jealous of Sugawara no Michizane (845–903), another adviser of Emperor Uda, when Michizane was appointed minister of the right, since Michizane was a man of superior learning and character. Tokihira falsely accused him to the emperor, and as a result Michizane was demoted and sent to the westernmost part of Japan, where he died in despair. Michizane was deified after his death, and a shrine, Kitano Shrine in Kyoto, was dedicated to him. The Japanese persons, whose names appear in the text and are mentioned here, are referred to in the Japanese text by their titles, except Michizane, who is referred to by his posthumous title.
4. A reference to chapter 27 of the Lotus Sutra. The two sons are Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye.
5. The five men are known as the five ascetics. Prince Kolita is better known as Mahanama.
6. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
7. Ibid.
8. “The main force of the enemy” refers here to the doctrines of the influential schools of the day, the True Word, Nembutsu, Zen, and Precepts. These doctrines were refuted by Nichiren Daishonin on the basis of the Lotus Sutra.
9. This refers to the vast campaign of conquest then being waged by the Mongol empire. The better part of the Eurasian continent was under either the rule or direct influence of the empire, which had been founded by Genghis Khan. His grandson Khubilai Khan launched massive naval attacks against Japan in 1274 and 1281, but did not succeed.
10. According to ancient Chinese legend, when a sage is born, the sole of one foot is marked with the character “two” and the other with the character “five.” This is mentioned in Records of the Historian.
11. Lotus Sutra, chap. 11.
12. Ibid., chap. 17.
13. Ibid., chap. 10.
14. Ibid.
15. Daishin was a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin who was born in Shimosa Province and is thought to have been a relative of the Soya family. He taught the believers in Kamakura and took responsibility for guiding them while the Daishonin was in exile on Sado Island.
16. Soshiro was probably a follower of the Daishonin who later turned against him.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Since you now appear certain to attain Buddhahood, perhaps the heavenly devil and evil spirits are using illness to try to intimidate you. Life in this world is limited. Never be even the least bit afraid!

[ The Proof of the Lotus Sutra, WND Page 1109 ]

 

[WAMEN]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo