Chanting Growers Group

[SoCal Hippy]

“Nichiren Daishonin writes: ‘A person of wisdom is not one who practices Buddhism apart from worldly affairs’ (WND-1, 1121). Society is the place where Buddhist practitioners put their faith into practice and carry out their activities. As such, contributing to society itself is part of their proud mission.”

"Calling forth the three powerful enemies and defeating them makes one a votary of the Lotus Sutra. It is only natural, then, when we advance upon the correct path of mentor and disciple originating with the Daishonin, we will encounter obstacles. By battling the three powerful enemies, we become genuine disciples of the Daishonin. In that respect, the authenticity of the path of mentor and disciple followed by the first three presidents of the Soka Gakkai has been proven beyond doubt."

"When you devote yourself to achieving your goal, you will not be bothered by shallow criticism. Nothing important can be accomplished if you allow yourself to be swayed by some trifling matter, always looking over your shoulder and wondering what others are saying or thinking. The key to achievement is to move forward along your chosen path with determination."

quotes - Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When first Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi was being interrogated during his imprisonment, he confidently discoursed on the correct teachings of the Daishonin's Buddhism and the activities of the Soka Gakkai based thereon. One of the sutra passages he quoted at that time was from the 'Supernatural Powers of the Thus Come One' (21st) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, describing the mission of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth: 'As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person [a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day] as he passes through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings' (LS21, 276). I also heard from Mr. Toda that Mr. Makiguchi often cited this passage.

" 'Let's go out into society, out among the people! Let's bring people hope so they can break through the darkness of their suffering! Let's aid and assist them, guiding them to human victory!'--this sincere wish for the happiness of others has been the proud foundation of the Gakkai's activities since the time of Mr. Makiguchi. This has been our spirit thus far, and let's keep winning with this spirit. There is no more wonderful gathering in the world than the Soka Gakkai."

SGI Newsletter No. 7128, 4th SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 2 [OF 2], Couragehe Most Important Quality of All, Feb 8th, 2007. translated March 2nd, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin states,
"... when a lion roars all the other beasts are silenced"*
It is vital that we have the determined and decisive spirit to
relentlessly refute (what is not true and all other injustice!)
Confidently and with conviction,
let's speak, without any hesitation, of what is indeed true and just
to as many people as we possibly can!

Daisaku Ikeda

* "The One-eyed Turtle and the Floating Log" - WND, page 959

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A woman who embraces the lion king of the Lotus Sutra never fears any of the beasts of hell or of the realms of hungry spirits and animals."

(The Drum at the Gate of Thunder - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 949) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's speech, Seikyo Shimbun, March 4th, 2007

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Traveller

Whence Come you

And whither did you go?

The moon is down

But the sun is not yet risen

In the darkness before dawn

Seeking the light

I advance

To dispel the dark clouds of mind

To find a great tree unbowed by the tempest

I emerged from the Earth

**Shin'ichi Yamamoto** (pen-name for Daisaku Ikeda in the novel, Human Revolution. This poem was written at age 19 after 1st being introduced to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Hey guys! Send some Daimoku to Southwind. OK? Our Brother could use some pep more than just talk. Compassionate prayer for his well being is deeply appreciated.

Thanks for the help!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Two Kinds of Illness

The Two Kinds of Illness

The illnesses of human beings may be divided into two general categories, the first of which is illness of the body. Physical diseases comprise one hundred and one disorders of the earth element, one hundred and one of the water element, one hundred and one of the fire element, and one hundred and one of the wind element, for a total of (1) four hundred and four maladies. These illnesses can be cured with the medicines prescribed by skilled physicians (2) such as Water Holder, Water Carrier, Jivaka, and Pien Ch'üeh (3).

The second category is illness of the mind. These are the three poisons (4) and the eighty-four thousand illnesses. Only a Buddha can cure them; thus they are beyond the healing powers of (5) the two deities and the three ascetics, not to mention those of Shen Nung (6) and Huang Ti.

Illnesses of the mind differ greatly in severity. The three poisons and the eighty-four thousand illnesses that afflict ordinary people of the six paths can be treated by the Buddha of the Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools, which derive from the Tripitaka teaching of Hinayana. However, if one tries to use the Hinayana teachings to cure the three poisons and eighty thousand illnesses that arise from slandering the Mahayana sutras, such as the Flower Garland, Wisdom, and Mahavairochana sutras, these illnesses will merely become worse and never be cured. They can be treated only with the Mahayana teachings. Moreover, if one attempts to use the Flower Garland, Wisdom, and Mahavairochana sutras, or the teachings of the True Word and Three Treatises schools to cure the three poisons and eighty thousand illnesses that arise when the practitioners of the various Mahayana sutras oppose the Lotus Sutra, those sicknesses will become all the more serious. To illustrate, the flames emitted by burning wood or coal can easily be extinguished by water, but if one pours water over a fire produced by burning oil, it will only burn more intensely, the flames mounting still higher.

The epidemics that have been raging in Japan since last year cannot be categorized within the four hundred and four illnesses of the body. Thus they are beyond the healing powers of Hua T'o (7)and Pien Ch'üeh. Nor do they correspond to any of the eighty-four thousand diseases that can be treated with the Hinayana or provisional Mahayana teachings. For this reason, the prayers offered by the priests of the schools based on those teachings not only fail to end the epidemics, but rather aggravate them all the more. Even if the epidemics should subside this year, they will surely break out again in years to come. Probably they will come to an end only after something dreadful has happened.

The Lotus Sutra says, "Though he might practice the art of medicine and by its methods cure someone's disease, the person would grow sicker from some other malady and perhaps in the end would die. . . it would only make his condition worse (8).” The Nirvana Sutra states: "At that time King Ajatashatru of Rajagriha . . . boils broke out over his entire body. . . . [The king said to his mother], 'These boils have their origin in the mind; they do not arise from the four elements. Though people say that there is a physician who can cure them, that could not possibly be.'" Miao-lo said, "Wise men can perceive the cause of things, as snakes know the way of snakes (9)."

The present epidemics are like the virulent boils of King Ajatashatru that could not be cured by anyone but the Buddha. They can only be eliminated by the Lotus Sutra.

I developed diarrhea on the thirtieth day of the twelfth month of last year, and up until the third or fourth day of the sixth month of this year, it grew more frequent by the day and moresevere by the month. Just when I was thinking that it must be my immutable karma, you sent me good medicine. Since taking it, my complaint has diminished steadily and is now a mere one-hundredth fraction of its former intensity. I wonder if Shakyamuni Buddha has entered into your body to help me, or perhaps the Bodhisattvas of the Earth have bestowed upon me the good medicine of Myoho-renge-kyo. (10) Chikugo-bo will explain all this to you in more detail.

Postscript: Your messenger arrived at the hour of the dog (7:00-9:00 PM) on the twenty-fifth day of this month. The things you have sent me are beyond counting. Please convey my appreciation to Toki for his offering of a summer robe. Also please tell your wife how saddened I am at the passing of her grandfather.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The twenty-sixth day of the sixth month

Reply to Nakatsukasa Saemon-no-jo


Background

This letter was written at Minobu and sent to Shijo Kingo in Kamakura in the first year of Koan (1278). Its content closely resembles that of another letter, The Treatment of Illness, written to Toki Jonin on the same date. Indeed, the opening passage is virtually identical to the one in The Treatment of Illness (p. 1111).

The Daishonin's life at Minobu was by no means easy. Winters were bitterly cold, and his shelter was inadequate. Food was another problem. Moreover, for nearly the entire first half of 1278, he had suffered from debilitating and chronic diarrhea. Shijo Kingo, who was well versed in the art of healing, had prescribed a medicine and sent it to the Daishonin, along with other offerings. This letter expresses the Daishonin's appreciation for Kingo's offerings.

The Daishonin refers to two kinds of illness: illness of the body, which arises primarily from physical causes, and illness of the mind, which arises from the three poisons. He explains that, although illness of the body can be cured by sufficiently skilled physicians, illness of the mind cannot; only Buddhism provides a remedy for such disorders. He also attributes the epidemics then ravaging Japan to slander of the Lotus Sutra. Neither the Hinayana nor provisional Mahayana teachings will be able to stem them, he says. Faith in the Lotus Sutra alone will eradicate the offense of slander and remove the people's suffering.

Notes

1. Earth, water, fire, and wind were regarded by ancient Indians as the constituent elements of all things. In terms of the human body, earth corresponds to flesh, bone, skin, and hair; water, to blood and sweat; fire, to body temperature; and wind, to the function of breathing. The number "one hundred and one" indicates not an exact number of illnesses, but rather simply a great many.
2. Water Holder and Water Carrier are father and son, both excellent physicians mentioned in the Golden Light Sutra. At one time, an epidemic broke out and spread throughout their country. Water Holder was too old to provide treatment, but Water Carrier mastered the medical arts and, in his father's stead, saved the people from the ravages of the epidemic.
3. Pien Ch'üeh was a physician of the Spring and Autumn period (770-403 BCE) in China. In his boyhood he studied the medical arts and is said to have been skilled in treating almost any kind of disease.
4. "Eighty-four thousand illnesses" here simply means a great many. Hereafter these are referred to as either eighty-four thousand or eighty thousand illnesses. These illnesses arise from the three poisons inherent in human life.
5. The two deities refer to Shiva and Vishnu, and the three ascetics to Kapila, Uluka, and Rishabha. For three ascetics, see also Glossary.
6. Shen Nung and Huang Ti are two of the Three Sovereigns, legendary ideal rulers of ancient China. According to Records of the Historian, they are also said to have been skilled in medical matters, and were revered as the patron deities and inventors of medicine.
7. Hua T'o was a physician of the Later Han (25-220), said to have been especially skilled in surgery. When acupuncture and medicine proved ineffectual, he would give the patient narcotics and perform surgery. He devised a system of physical exercises that he himself practiced. As a result, he is said to have been active and vigorous even at the age of one hundred.
8. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
9. The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra."
10. Chikugo-bo is another name for Nichiro (1245-1320), one of the Daishonin's six senior priest-disciples

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Curing Karmic Disease / WND pg. 631

On Curing Karmic Disease / WND pg. 631

I see from your letter that you have been stricken with a painful affliction. On the one hand, knowing that you are in agony grieves me, but on the other, I am delighted. The Vimalakirti Sutra states: "At that time the wealthy Vimalakirti thought to himself, 'I am ill, lying on my bed, [yet why does the World-Honored One, man of great compassion, not take pity on me]?' . . . At that time the Buddha said to Manjushri, 'Go visit Vimalakirti, and inquire after his illness.'" The Nirvana Sutra says, "At that time the Thus Come One . . . assumed the appearance of one who is ill in body and lay on his right side like a sick man." The Lotus Sutra states, "[The Thus Come One is well and happy], with few ills and (1) few worries." The eighth volume of Great Concentration and Insight states: "Vimalakirti lay on his sickbed in Vaishali, making his illness a pretext to promote the teachings . . . Through his death, the Thus Come One taught the eternity [of life], and through illness, the power [of Buddhism]." It also says: "There are six causes of illness: (1) disharmony of the four elements; (2) improper eating or drinking; (3) inappropriate practice of seated meditation; (4) attack by demons; (5) the work of devils; and (6) the effects of karma."

The Nirvana Sutra reads: "There are three types of people whose illness is extremely difficult to cure. The first is those who slander the great vehicle; the second, those who commit the five cardinal sins; and the third, icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief. These three categories of illness are the gravest in the world."

It also states: "One who creates evil karma in this life . . . will surely suffer in hell. . . But by making offerings to the three treasures, one avoids falling into hell and receives the retribution in this life, in the form of afflictions of the head, eye, or back." Great Concentration and Insight states, "Even if one has committed grave offenses . . . the retribution can be lessened in this life. Thus, illness occurs when evil karma is about to be dissipated." In his Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna says: "Question: . . . [Answer]: If that is so, then none of the sutras, from the Flower Garland to the Wisdom sutras, is a secret teaching, but the Lotus Sutra is secret. . . [The Lotus Sutra is] like a great physician who can change poison into medicine." T'ien-t'ai explained the quotation further, saying: "This can be likened to a skilled physician who can change poison into medicine. . . That persons of the two vehicles were given the prophecy of their enlightenment in this sutra means that it can change poison into medicine. This is what Great Perfection of Wisdom means when it says, 'The various sutras are not secret teachings; only the (2) Lotus Sutra is secret.'" Great Concentration and Insight says, "The Lotus Sutra can cure them [illnesses], which is why it is called myo, or wonderful." Miao-lo says, "Because it can cure what is thought to be incurable, it is called myo, (3) or wonderful."

The Nirvana Sutra states: "King Ajatashatru of Rajagriha was wicked by nature . . . He killed his father, and thereafter, in a fit of remorse, he developed a high fever. . . Because of the fever from remorse, boils broke out over his entire body. They were foul and evil-smelling, so that none could come near. At that time his mother, Vaidehi, tried to help by applying various medicines, but this only made the boils worse; there appeared to be no hope of recovery. The king said to his mother, 'These boils have their origin in the mind; they do not arise from the four elements. Though people say that there is a physician who can cure them, that could not possibly be . . .' Then the World-Honored One, the compassionate and merciful teacher, entered into (4) the moon-loving meditation for the king's sake. Upon entering meditation, he emitted a brilliant ray of light. This ray of clear coolness fell upon the body of the king, and instantly the boils were healed."

The Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, which is the great wisdom of equality, says in its seventh volume: "This sutra provides good medicine for the ills of the people of Jambudvipa. If a person who has an illness is able to hear this sutra, then his illness will be wiped out and he will know neither (5) old age nor death."

In light of the above quotations, it would seem that your illness cannot have originated in anything other than the six causes of disease. I will set aside the first five causes for the moment. Illnesses of the sixth, which result from karma, are the most difficult to cure. They vary in severity, and one cannot make any fixed pronouncements, but we know that the gravest illnesses result from the karma created by slandering the Lotus Sutra. Even Shen Nung, Huang Ti, Hua T'o, and Pien Ch'üeh (6) threw up their hands, and Water Holder (7), Water Carrier, Jivaka, and Vimalakirti likewise kept silent. Such illnesses can only be cured by the good medicine of the one Buddha Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra, as that sutra itself explains.

The Nirvana Sutra, referring to the Lotus Sutra, states: "Even the offense of slandering this correct teaching [will be eradicated] if one repents and professes faith in the correct teaching. . . No teaching other than this correct teaching can save or protect one. For this reason one should take faith in the correct teaching." The Great Teacher Ching-hsi (8) said, "The Nirvana Sutra is itself pointing to the Lotus Sutra and (9) saying that it is the ultimate." He further said: "It is like the case of a person who falls to the ground, but who then pushes himself up from the ground and rises to his feet again. Thus, even though one may slander the correct teaching, one will eventually be saved from the evil paths." (10)

Bodhisattva Vasubandhu was originally a scholar of Hinayana Buddhism. In an effort to prevent Mahayana Buddhism from spreading throughout the five regions of India, he wrote five hundred treatises on Hinayana. Later, however, he encountered Bodhisattva Asanga and abandoned his erroneous views on the spot. Facing Asanga, he said that, in order to eradicate this offense all at once, he wanted to cut out his own tongue. Asanga stopped him, saying, "Vasubandhu, use that tongue to praise Mahayana." Vasubandhu immediately wrote five hundred Mahayana treatises in which he refuted Hinayana. He also made a vow that, as longas he lived, he would never place the Hinayana teachings on his tongue. In this way he eradicated his past offense and was later reborn in the heaven (11) where Bodhisattva Maitreya dwells.

Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha, a native of eastern India, was thirteenth among the successors of the Buddha's teachings. At one time Ashvaghosha had been a leader of Brahmanism. When he debated with the Buddhist monk Punyayashas over the validity of their respective teachings, however, he quickly realized the superiority of Buddhist teachings. Ashvaghosha was prepared to behead himself in order to pay for his past offense, saying, "I have been my own worst enemy, leading myself to hell." But Punyayashas admonished him, saying, "Ashvaghosha, do not behead yourself! Use that head and mouth to praise Mahayana." Ashvaghosha soon thereafter wrote The Awakening of Faith in the Mahayana, in which he refuted Brahmanism and Hinayana. This marked the beginning of the spread of Mahayana Buddhism in India.

The Great Teacher Chi-tsang of Chia-hsiang-ssu temple was among the most outstanding scholars in China. He was the founder of the Three Treatises school, and lived on Mount Hui-chi in Wu. Believing that none could equal him in knowledge, he raised the banner of his pride to its highest. He challenged the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai to discuss the meaning of the passage that states, "Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, [this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand (12)]." In the debate Chi-tsang was soundly defeated and thereupon renounced his misguided beliefs. In order to expiate his serious offense of slander of the correct teaching and of those who uphold it, he gathered more than one hundred eminent scholars and begged the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che to lecture to them. Chi-tsang used his body as a bridge for the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai to climb [onto the preaching platform], supporting T'ien-t'ai's feet with his head. Moreover, he served T'ien-t'ai for seven years, cutting firewood and drawing water for him. He ceased giving lectures of his own, dispersed his followers, and in order to purge himself of his great conceit, refrained from reciting the Lotus Sutra. After the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai's death, Chi-tsang had an audience with the emperor of the Sui dynasty to pay his respects. As he was leaving, he clutched His Majesty's knees and tearfully bade him farewell. Sometime later, Chi-tsang looked into an old mirror and, seeing his reflection, condemned himself for his past errors. All these many acts of penitence were done to eradicate his karmic disease.

The Lotus, the wonderful sutra of the single vehicle, is the golden words (13) of the three kinds of Buddhas. Likened to a bright jewel, it ranks highest among all the sutras that "I have preached, now preach, and will preach." There are passages in the Lotus Sutra that say, "Among the sutras, it [the Lotus Sutra] holds the highest place," and "[Among those sutras] the Lotus (14) is the foremost!" The Great Teacher Dengyo said that [the Lotus school is] the school founded by the Buddha (15) himself.

I have made a thorough study of the various True Word sutras, such as the Mahavairochana, Diamond Crown, and Susiddhikara, but have found nothing written in them to compare with the above passages of the Lotus Sutra. The claim [that these sutras are superior to the Lotus] appears to be no more than a prejudiced view held by Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Pu-k'ung, Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho. From this we realize that the true intent of the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Mahavairochana lay just in the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. When the three great teachers Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho, the founders of the True Word teachings in Japan, went to China during the T'ang dynasty, they inherited from Hui-kuo and Fa-ch'üan the deceptions and delusions originally held by the three Tripitaka masters Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k'ung. When on returning to Japan they propagated the Lotus Sutra and the True Word teachings, they hid the brilliant moon of the Lotus Sutra, the supreme vehicle that surpasses all the other sutras of the past, present, and future, and showed the firefly glimmer of the True Word (16) mandalas of the two realms. Not only that, but they slandered the Lotus Sutra, saying that it was a work of "childish theory" and belonged to "the region of darkness." These comments, however, were like a dagger turned against those who made them. It is not the Lotus but the Mahavairochana Sutra that is filled with childish theory and is in the region of darkness. The founders of the True Word teachings were warped to begin with. So how could their disciples and followers be upright? Contamination at the source of a river will pollute its entire length. Because of this, the Land of the Sun has had a long, dark night, and the Sun Tree is now about to be blighted by an (17) alien frost.

Although you were not in the mainstream of the True Word school, you were still a retainer of a patron of that teaching. You lived for many years in a house whose family was devoted to an erroneous doctrine, and month after month your mind was infected by the teachers of error. Though huge mountains may crumble and the great seas dry up, this offense of yours will not easily pass away. However, because of the influence of karmic bonds and the compassion with which you are imbued in this lifetime, you met me, a priest of humble learning, when you least expected it, and you determined to reform your ways. Therefore, though at the moment your offense has brought on these boils from which you suffer, in the future you will be spared worse suffering.

King Ajatashatru suffered from severe boils because he committed the five cardinal sins and slandered the correct teaching. But his boils disappeared instantly when the light produced by the Buddha's moon-loving meditation illuminated his body. And, though it had been predicted that the king had only twenty-one days left to live, his life span was extended by forty years. In deep appreciation, he earnestly requested one thousand arhats to record the golden words of the Buddha's entire (18) lifetime, thus spreading the Buddha's teachings into the ages of the Former, Middle, and Latter Days of the Law.

Your boils have resulted from only one offense - slandering the correct teaching. The Mystic Law you now embrace surpasses the moon-loving meditation. How could your boils possibly not be healed and your life span not extended? If these words of mine prove untrue, you should shout: "The Buddha, the eye of the entire world, is a great liar, and the Lotus, the wonderful sutra of the single vehicle, is a scripture of clever flourishes. The World-Honored One should give me proof if he cares about his good name. All the sages and worthies should come to protect me if they do not want to be false to their vows."

A letter cannot convey all that one would like to say, and words cannot fully express what is in the heart. The rest will have to wait until the next time we meet.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The third day of the eleventh month

Reply to the lay priest Ota


Background

This letter is a reply to Ota Jomyo's report that he was suffering from a skin disease. Written in the eleventh month of the first year of Kenji (1275), it was sent from Minobu to Ota Jomyo, who lived in Shimosa Province. One of the Daishonin's most devout believers, Ota was a government official who was converted to the Daishonin's teachings by Toki Jonin. Around 1278, Ota received tonsure and was given the Buddhist name Myonichi (Wonderful Sun).From the content of another letter sent to him by the Daishonin, it appears that he and the Daishonin were the same age.

In this letter, citing T'ien-t'ai's Great Concentration and Insight, Nichiren Daishonin refers to the six causes of illness and declares that diseases resulting from one's karma are the most difficult to cure, but that even those can be recovered from with the "good medicine of the Lotus Sutra."

Notes

1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 15. This is the answer to a question addressed to Shakyamuni Buddha by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth: "Is the World-Honored One comfortable, with few illnesses, few worries?"
2. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
3. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
4. Moon-loving meditation: Here the boundless compassion of the Buddha is compared to moonlight, which releases one from anxiety and brings about peace of mind.
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23.
6. Shen Nung and Huang Ti were two of the Three Sovereigns, legendary ideal rulers of ancient China who were skilled in medical matters. Hua T'o was a physician of the Later Han dynasty, said to have been especially skillful in surgical operations. Pien Ch'üeh was a physician of the Spring and Autumn period (770-403 BCE) in China.
7. Water Holder and Water Carrier were father and son. Said to have been excellent physicians, they are described in the Golden Light Sutra.
8. Another name for Miao-lo. Ching-hsi was the name of Miao-lo's birthplace.
9. The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra."
10. Ibid.
11. The story is detailed in Chi-tsang's Annotations on The One-Hundred-Verse Treatise. The heaven where Maitreya is said to live is the Tushita heaven, the fourth of the six heavens in the world of desire. Vasubandhu is said to have been reborn in this heaven and to be expounding the Law to the heavenly beings there.
12. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
13. Shakyamuni Buddha, Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas of the ten directions.
14. The first quotation is from chapter 23; the second, from chapter 10.
15. Adapted from a passage in The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra.
16. The Womb Realm mandala, described in the Mahavairochana Sutra, and the Diamond Realm mandala, described in the Diamond Crown Sutra.
17. The Land of the Sun refers to Japan, and the Sun Tree is an ancient name for Japan that appears in a Chinese document.
18. Reference is to the First Buddhist Council, which began the task of compiling the Buddha's teachings. With the support of King Ajatashatru, this council was convened in the Cave of the Seven Leaves near Rajagriha in Magadha shortly after the Buddha's passing.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Our contemporaries think of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo only as a name, but this is not correct. It is the essence, that is, the heart of the Lotus Sutra. . . . Those who seek the heart of the sutra apart from its title are as foolish as the turtle who sought the monkey's liver outside the monkey, or the monkey who left the forest and sought fruit on the seashore.

[ "This Is What I Heard", WND Page 861 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

A sutra says: "Rely on the Law and not upon persons. Rely on the meaning of the teaching and not upon the words. Rely on wisdom and not upon discriminative thinking. Rely on sutras that are complete and final and not on those that are not complete and final." The meaning of this passage is that one should rely not upon the words of the bodhisattvas and teachers but should heed what was established by the Buddha.

[ How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra, WND Page 872 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"THE REAL ASPECT OF THE GOHONZON"

"THE REAL ASPECT OF THE GOHONZON"

- Gohonzon Somyo Sho -

Gosho Study

Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself... the unchanging reality which reigns over all fife's functions.

THE SUPREME POTENTIAL LIES WITHIN US

This is a very well-known and important passage. In it, the Daishonin dispels the idea that Buddhahood exists anywhere apart from our own lives and the reality in which we live. Herein lies the greatness of his Buddhism, which is unsurpassed in bridging the gap between ultimate truth and the ordinary person.

The Gohonzon, as we have stated, embodies the life of Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. However, the fundamental Law of life to which the Daishonin was enlightened also exists within ourselves. Thus there is no essential difference between the Buddha's life and the life of common mortals. There is, however, a definite difference 'in terms of life-condition. The Buddha realizes that one's own life is the Mystic Law, while common mortals, blinded by delusion, do not. As the Buddha of the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon so that we, common mortals, could awaken to the Mystic Law within ourselves and attain the same life-condition as himself. Because his aim was to awaken us to the entity of our own lives, he admonishes, "Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself." If we thought of the Gohonzon as some external or supernatural power that we must beseech for help, that would hinder us from discovering the ultimate truth within ourselves. The Daishonin therefore cautions us against this attitude in several Gosho. In "On Attaining Buddhahood," for example, he writes:

Even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching.... Therefore, when you chant the Mystic Law and recite the Lotus Sutra, you must summon up deep conviction that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself. (MW-I, 3-4)

To give an analogy, no matter how perfect our eyesight, we cannot see our own faces. Only when we look into a mirror can we see what we look like. Similarly, being common mortals of limited wisdom, we cannot see our own Buddha nature. However, when we face the mirror of the Gohonzon, we can discover the treasure of Buddhahood (the Gohonzon) within.

Herein we find a significant point of difference between the Daishonin's Buddhism and those religious teachings in which people are taught to depend on supernatural powers outside themselves, either begging their aid or seeking to avert their wrath. Historically, this perceived gap between people and their object of worship has not only blinded them to the truth within their own lives but opened the way for those claiming to be intermediaries of the deity to gain and exercise power over the lives of others. Nichiren Daishonin's teaching denies any essential gap between human beings and the ultimate reality. Instead, it teaches that the supreme potential lies within us and shows us how to manifest it "within our mortal flesh" by embracing the Gohonzon.

The Gohonzon is the sole, perfect manifestation of the Mystic Law in our environment, placed there by the compassion and wisdom of Nichiren Daishonin. When we fuse our lives with the Gohonzon by chanting Nam-myohorenge-kyo, we can witness the reality of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo emerging in our own lives, in both their internal and external dimensions. This happens by what Buddhism terms "the interaction of the four powers." The Gohonzon embodies the powers of the Buddha and the Law, which are absolute. However, these powers can be activated only by our own powers of faith and practice. By believing in and chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon, we can manifest its power in every aspect of our lives.

The fusion of our lives with the Gohonzon can be described as the tapping of the nine consciousness. The doctrine of the nine consciousnesses represents a Buddhist analysis of the functions of mind. Briefly, the first five consciousnesses correspond to the five senses of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. The sixth consciousness, mind, integrates the impressions of the five senses into coherent images, so that one can make judgments about the outer world.

The seventh or mano-consciousness is the realm of abstract thought. Spanning both conscious and unconscious realms, it also entails attachment to self extending even below the conscious level.

The eighth, alaya-consciousness, is an unconscious realm where all experiences of the present and past lifetimes - karma - are stored. This consciousness undergoes change from one moment to the next as one continually performs new actions, whether positive or negative. The karmic content of the alaya-consciousness affects the perceptions of the first seven consciousnesses, and these perceptions 'in turn predispose us to our own particular karmic patterns. The alaya-consciousness forms the framework of individual existence and is that which undergoes the cycle of birth and death.

Some earlier Buddhist traditions, such as the Consciousness-Only school, regard the alaya-consciousness as the basis of all life's functions. However, the T'ien-t'ai school posited a ninth consciousness, the amala-consciousness or "fundamental pure consciousness" lying beneath the alaya-consciousness. Untainted by karmic accretions, it is the imperishable, unchanging realm of the universal Buddha nature, endowed with the four virtues of true self, eternity, purity and happiness.

In saying, "The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness " Nichiren Daishonin emphasizes that the potential for Buddhahood exists within us. He taught that by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can gain access to this ninth consciousness, the ultimate depth of life. Activated by our daimoku, its light, so to speak, floods upward to illuminate the workings of the other eight conscious times, so that the entire interlocking network of causes and effects forming our individual existence comes to be based on enlightenment. By tapping the Buddha nature or the ninth consciousness within, we can fundamentally change our karma for the better and establish an unshakable state of life.


To be "endowed with the Ten Worlds" means .... .. Only with faith can one enter Buddhahood"

THROUGH FAITH, ONE CAN ACQUIRE BUDDHA WISDOM AND ATTAIN ENLIGHTENMENT

The Gohonzon is called a mandala, a Sanskrit word translated into Chinese and meaning "perfectly endowed" or "cluster of blessings." Here the Daishonin interprets these expressions to mean that the Gohonzon is endowed with all ten worlds. As mentioned above, the various figures inscribed to the right and left of "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren" in the center of the Gohonzon represent the ten worlds of the original. Buddha's life.

For example, Shakyamuni and Taho Buddhas represent his world of Buddhahood; the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth as well as the bodhisattvas of the theoretical. teaching, such as Fugen and Monju, represent his world of Bodhisattva; Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, the two vehicles; the various Buddhist gods, the world of Heaven; the Ashura king, the world of Anger; and Devadatta, the world of Hell. All ten worlds of the Daishonin's life are present without exception.

Earlier in the Gosho, the Daishonin writes: "Illuminated by the five characters of the Mystic Law, they display the enlightened nature they inherently possess. This is the true object of worship" (MW-I, 212). Mandalas used as objects of worship in other sects, such as Shingon, depict only Buddhas and bodhisattvas, reflecting the shallow, incomplete view that we rid ourselves of the lower states when we attain enlightenment. But the Gohonzon is endowed with all ten worlds.

The Daishonin taught that each of the ten worlds has all ten within itself, meaning that even the so-called "evil paths" of Hell, Hunger, and Animality contain the potential for enlightenment. The ten worlds of the original Buddha's life embodied in the Gohonzon are all "illuminated by the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo" and work in an enlightened way to create value and lead others to happiness.

The great difference between the Daishonin and us is that, left to our own devices, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo would never be at the center of our lives. A graphic representation of our lives might show the Ashura king in the center, indicating Anger, or the demon Kishimcjin, indicating Hunger. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo might be somewhere off in a corner, so to speak.

But through the practice of gongyo and daimoku, we bring Nam-myoho-renge-kyo back to the center of our lives. Then, all our inherent states of life from Hell to Buddhahood come to be illuminated by the Mystic Law, rather than being shrouded by delusion and out of harmony with one another.

Similar to the way 'in which an ordinary piece of metal becomes magnetized through repeated contact with a magnet, as we continue to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon, our ten worlds align themselves with the ten worlds of the original Buddha's life and begin working in the most positive way to benefit both ourselves and others.

In his commentary on "The True Object of Worship," Nichikan Shonin, the twenty-sixth high priest of Nichiren Shoshu, writes, "If only one believes in the Gohonzon and chants the Mystic Law, then the ten worlds of his or her own life will become those of the object of worship."

The fusion with the Gohonzon that enables our innate Buddha nature to well forth is possible only through our faith. Thus the Daishonin admonishes, "This Gohonzon is found 'in faith alone." Provisional sutras often stressed the development of wisdom as the key to attaining Buddhahood. However, in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha's enlightenment is shown to be so profound that no ordinary wisdom could possibly grasp it.

The opening passage of the "Hoben," or second chapter, of the Lotus Sutra, which we recite every morning and evening during gongyo declares: Sho-but chi-e. finjin muryo. Go chi-e mon. Nange nannyu. Issai shomon. Hyaku-shi-butsu. Shofu no chi. (The wisdom of all Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable. The portal to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. Neither men of Learning (shomon) nor men of Realization (engaku) can comprehend it.) - let alone, of course, common mortals. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra stresses faith as the key to attaining enlightenment.

Even Shariputra, the Buddha's most outstanding shomon disciple famed as the "foremost in wisdom" could attain enlightenment only when he took faith in the Buddha's teaching. The third chapter, "Hiyu," reads: "Even you, Shariputra, where this sutra is concerned, gained entrance through faith. How much more so the other shomon disciples!" Thus the Lotus Sutra emphasizes, "Only with faith can one enter Buddhahood."

Nichiren Daishonin also teaches the principle of "gaining wisdom through faith," which means that through faith, one can acquire the Buddha wisdom and attain enlightenment. In the Gosho "Shishin Gohon Sho" (The Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice) he writes: "And because our wisdom is inadequate, he teaches us to substitute faith, making this single word 'faith' the foundation.... While faith is the cause for wisdom" (mw-6, 216).

From another perspective, we can say that faith 'in the Gohonzon is itself an expression of one's innate Buddha nature. As Nichiren Daishonin says in "The True Object of Worship," "That common mortals born in the Latter Day of the Law can believe in the Lotus Sutra is due to the fact that the world of Buddhahood is present in the world of Humanity" (MW-I, 53).

And Nichikan Shonin says in his "Sanju Hiden Sho" (Threefold Secret Teaching), "Strong faith in the Lotus Sutra is itself Buddhahood."


Since Nichiren's disciples, both priests and laymen,... Faith is still more powerful in the world of Buddhism.

FAITH DEEPENS THROUGH THE SPECIFIC ACTIONS OF PRACTICE AND STUDY

This portion of the Gosho elaborates from various angles on the fundamental importance of faith, citing T'ien-t'ai's Maka Shikan, Miao-lo's commentary on it, and also the Chinese classics. First, the Daishonin indicates that an important component of faith is the ability to "honestly discard the provisional teachings." The provisional teachings are those expounded before the Lotus Sutra, which reveal only partial aspects of the truth and were valid only during the Former and Middle Days of the Law - a relatively short time of human history.

In contrast, the Lotus Sutra, which is called the "round" or perfect teaching (engyo), reveals the truth in its entirety and is valid for all time. In inscribing the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, Nichiren Daishonin embodied the truth implicit in the Lotus Sutra in practicable form for this, the Latter Day of the Law.

To cling to the provisional teachings once this true teaching has been revealed, he taught, is to commit slander; in effect, we would be mistaking the part for the whole and thus bases ourselves on a distorted view of life.

The Daishonin's contemporary followers came from other sects of Buddhism, which were based on the provisional sutras. He adamantly insisted that they forsake all misleading prayers, beliefs and notions associated with these incomplete teachings, emphasizing that enlightenment can be attained only by devoting oneself wholeheartedly to the complete teaching found in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws.

For those raised in the Judeo-Christian tradition of the West, slander caused by attachment to provisional Buddhist teachings does not pose the problem that it did for people of thirteenth-century Japan. Nevertheless, we may still carry with us various attitudes, outlooks or other habits of thought and behavior incompatible with what the Daishonin teaches us about faith in the absolute power of the Gohonzon and our own Buddha nature.

For example, we may fall into thinking that we cannot be happy until others change, or we may expect some outside force to magically solve our problems. Since mistaken attitudes of this sort will hinder our development, when we recognize them in ourselves, we should strive to "honestly discard" them and "chant only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" as the Daishonin teaches, relying more fully on the power of our faith in the Gohonzon. Then we can more fully manifest the unimaginable potential we have within, establishing good fortune both for this life and the life to come.

Our sincere faith, the Daishonin says, will allow us to 96 enter the Treasure Tower of the Gohonzon." This means to enter the world of Buddhahood. In this connection, we can note something very interesting about the aspect of the Gohonzon itself. Because the Gohonzon is inscribed on paper or wood, it appears flat, but the ceremony it depicts is three-dimensional, centered around Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In other words, as we sit facing the Gohonzon, the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Taho are facing outward, toward us, while Bodhisattva Jogyo and the other representatives of the nine worlds are facing in the same direction as ourselves.

In the act of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we take part in the ceremony with them and enter the Gohonzon's world. The Buddha's life, which is embodied in the ceremony of the Gohonzon, and which wells up within us and our environment as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, fills the entire universe. It is indeed "a vast ocean" as T'ien-t'ai says. But without faith in the Gohonzon -that is, without actually chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - we cannot enter and experience it.

In studying this part of the Gosho, it may be helpful to remember that the development of faith is an ongoing process. No one has unwavering faith from the outset. At the very beginning of our practice, faith might perhaps be thought of as the spontaneous will to trust or to believe, or simply as the expectation or even the hope that life win become happier as a result of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This spontaneous will to believe is inherent in all people, a natural expression of the Buddha nature. In this sense, even the newest member may be said to have faith. As we continue to chant daimoku, we receive benefit and experience our prayers being answered, and our faith accordingly deepens to 'include the aspect of conviction in the truth and power of the Gohonzon. This conviction in turn impels us toward further efforts in practice and study. Over the months and years, our conviction deepens toward absolute faith, the faith of which Nichikan Shonin says, "Strong faith in the Lotus Sutra is itself Buddhahood."

Nichiren Daishonin fully understood that developing one's faith is a lifelong process. That is why he continually urged even strong believers to further deepen their faith. As he writes in the Gosho, "The Embankments of Faith," "You must bail the sea water of doubt and slander out of the ship of your life and solidify the embankments of your faith" (MW-I, 159). As anyone who has ever sailed knows well, bailing demands persistent effort.

We need not torment ourselves with guilt or anxiety because we experience doubts or feel insincere from time to time; rather, the important thing is that we continue striving to resolve our doubts through earnest prayer and action. In this way, we can steadily deepen our faith.

It is also important to bear in mind here that faith deepens through the specific actions of practice and study. Nichiren Daishonin touches on the relationship of these three fundamental elements in citing the passage from Miao-lo's Guketsu: "To 'believe in the perfect teaching' means to awaken faith through doctrine and make faith the basis of practice." Practice and study are integral to faith.

The Daishonin himself makes this point in a famous passage from "The True Entity of Life": "Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself, you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith" (MW-1, 95).

Faith does not exist as an abstract mental state, but finds expression -in practice, both for ourselves and for others, and in study, which 'in turn serve to deepen faith. Our deepened faith then motivates us to make more serious efforts in practice and study. In this process, our enlightenment emerges.

With the two examples from Chinese history, the Daishonin teaches us that faith, though itself invisible, is a very real power that produces visible results. The first story concerns the founder of the Later Han dynasty. Once, when the future emperor was still struggling for power, he was retreating from a battlefield in the dead of winter, hard pressed by the enemy.

Knowing that a wide river lay ahead, he dispatched his most reliable captain to see if it could be forded. The officer found the river uncrossable, but, not having the heart to convey such devastating news, he reported that it was frozen over. According to tradition, because the future emperor had complete faith in this report, when he arrived at the river with his army he found it solidly frozen and crossed in safety.

The second story is known to many of us from the Gosho "General Stone Tiger." General Li Kuang of the Former Han dynasty, believing a boulder the grass to be the tiger that had killed his father, shot an arrow into solid rock. These two stories teach that the power of faith can make the impossible a reality "Faith is still more powerful in the world of Buddhism" the Daishonin says, because it is based on an immutable Law.

Especially when tired or discouraged, it may be human to wonder at times if we can ever overcome our problems, or if the great task of kosen-rufu can ever be achieved. However, when we give in to such doubts, we ourselves limit our capacity to manifest the Gohonzon's boundless benefit. The greatness of faith lies 'in its power to let us see beyond the limitations and sufferings of the present into the unlimited and joyous future that we are creating through our prayer and our action based upon it.

The Daishonin urges us to use our given circumstances, whatever they may be, as an opportunity to strengthen our faith in the Gohonzon, so that we can more fully manifest our Buddha nature and thus bring a more enlightened reality into being.


Embracing the Lotus Sutra and chanting.. will give you more details later

EMBRACING THE GOHONZON IS IN ITSELF ENLIGHTENMENT

Nichiren Daishonin taught that 'in the Latter Day of the Law, embracing the Gohonzon is in itself enlightenment Yuji soku kanjin), and that this single practice contains the benefit of all other good practices. As he writes 'in "The True Object of Worship": "Shakyamuni's practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the single phrase, Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in that phrase, we shall naturally be granted the same benefits as he was" (MW-I, 64).

The "five practices" mentioned above are to embrace, read, recite, teach and transcribe the Lotus Sutra. The "Hosshi" chapter says that one who embraces, reads, recites, teaches or transcribes even a single verse of the sutra will without fail attain Buddhahood. In the Latter Day of the Law the Daishonin declares, all five practices are contained in the single practice of "embracing the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo," which can be understood to mean practice as the Buddha taught - exerting ourselves in the three aspects of practice: faith, practice (for oneself and others) and study.

"The practice which appears in the Jinriki chapter" refers to a passage from the twenty-first chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which reads: "After my death, one should embrace this sutra. Concerning that person's attainment of Buddhahood, there can assuredly be no doubts." The Daishonin's "Ongi Kuden" (Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings) interprets this as follows: "It is clear from this passage that in the Latter Day of the Law, when the Pure Law has become obscured and lost, Bodhisattva Jogyo will make his advent and, abbreviating four of the five practices, will attain Buddhahood by the single practice of embracing the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo."

As the original Buddha of the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin embodied the "five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo" in concrete form as the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws. Embracing the Gohonzon is a universally feasible practice that anyone, regardless of ability or circumstances, can carry out. In this way, he brought the possibility of attaining Buddhahood within reach of all people. Having been fortunate enough to meet this teaching, we can have full confidence that so long as we adhere to the single practice of embracing the Gohonzon and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the Daishonin teaches, we are certain to attain enlightenment in this lifetime.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

From August 27th, 2004...

From August 27th, 2004...

A Comparison of the Lotus and other Sutras (written in 1280)

Question: The "Teacher of the Law" chapter in the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra reads, "[This Lotus Sutra is] the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand." What is the meaning of this passage?

Answer: More than two thousand years have passed since the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra in India. It took a little more than twelve hundred years before this sutra was introduced to China, and two hundreds more years before it was brought from China to Japan. Since then, more than seven hundred years have already passed.

After the demise of the Buddha, there were only three persons who realized the true meaning of this passage of the Lotus Sutra. In India, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna said in his 'Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom: "[The Lotus Sutra is] like a great physician who can change poison into medicine." This is the same way he explained the meaning of the passage, "the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand." In China, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che interpreted it in the light of its context: "Among all those I [Shakyamuni Buddha] have preached, now preach or will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand." And in Japan, the Great Teacher Dengyo elaborated on it as follows: "All the Sutras of the first four periods preached in the past, the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra now being preached, and the Nirvana Sutra to be preached in the future are easy to believe and easy to understand. This is because the Buddha taught these sutras in accordance with the capacity of his listeners. This Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and to understand because in it the Buddha directly revealed what he had attained."

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Why the most difficult to believe and understand?

I am not a buddhist scholar, but will at least venture forth the issues that I understand to be some of the basis of these statements by subsequent Buddhas to Shakyamuni. First of all, please understand that 'Buddha' means 'Enlightened One'. Yes Shakyamuni is the first Buddha to reveal this enlightenment in the saha world (this world in which we live as common mortals), but it is in the Lotus Sutra that he reveals that he is not the Original or First Buddha. So probably the biggest issue of difficulty to believe and understand, is the issue of sanzen-jintengo and gohyaku-jintengo. It is in the Lotus Sutra that Shakyamuni clarifies that he did not attain enlightenment for the first time under the Bodhi tree, but rather had been enlightened for the first time in the remotest past (sanzen-jintengo) to the Law which existed from time without beginning (gohyku-jintengo). This is the first time he mentions life as being without beginning or end. Thousand of years before we as mankind had conceptualized and discovered scientifically that the Universe is infinite, Shakyamuni had revealed that in the Lotus Sutra. He also revealed that there were other places in the Universe where life exists, beyond earth (something only now being corroberated by modern science). Buddhism never has dwelled upon Humans as being the end all of life. Life is manifest as form, perception, conception, volition, and consciousness; the temporary gathering of the five components. Life is neither created nor extinguished.
He also threw a huge one out there that western philosophy is still just beginning to grasp! MEN AND WOMEN ARE EQUALS!!! He also reveals that everything he has said before, in his teachings has been preparatory to what he is revealing in the Lotus Sutra, and admonishes the listener to understand that this is his enlightment being revealed specifically and exactly, and that only sutras that are complete should be utilized for the correct persuit of enlightenment. He reveals that there are countless followers of this Law (of cause and effect) Myoho Renge Kyo, that will uphold, teach, and protect it in the times after his death. He reveals that the the source of the enlightened wisdom of Buddhahood, will make it's advent in the form of a teacher to be born in a certain place, under certain circumstances, enduring certain travails, but establishing the correct practice for all people in the saha world to achieve enlightenment in their present form (their lifetime). He reveals the concept of 'expedient means', in which the truth of Buddhahood is delivered in processes in scale to the capacity of the practioner to grasp it. He reveals that through this process, earthly desires equal enlightenment. He reveals the ten worlds, the fact that each of the ten worlds contains the ten worlds, the ten factors of life, and the three realms of existence (ichinen sanzen). And he reveals that the only difference between him, as a Buddha, and a common mortal, is the awakening to this Law of Life (later clarified as the essence of the Lotus Sutra by Nichiren Daishonin) Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

He basically blows everyones mind. He definitely blows mine. Lots more that I left out. He taught the Lotus Sutra at Eagle Peak for a period of years. Difficult to believe and difficult to understand? <smile>...........

Thomas

Gee! That seems so long ago!

 

[Bonzo]

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

TO THE CENTER!!!!!!!!!

ALL MY LOVE AND DEEPEST RESPECT TO YOU ALL MY FRIENDS!!!!!!






PEACE

BONZ

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Nm myoho renge kyo>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

ps, thanks again T, WOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"It is important to win in life, to triumph over one's weaknesses, to succeed in society, to be successful in exams. The important thing is to first be victorious. And then gain the nourisment you need for your happiness.

Life is about winning. Buddhism is about winning too. Society is concerned with reputation; government is concerned with punishment and reward; and Buddhism is concerned with winning or losing.

Society is based on opinion, whether others say good things or bad things about us. The nation rewards those who do good things and punishes those who do bad. Both society and government operate based on such relative values.

But Buddhism is win or lose -- there is no halfway. What is life's purpose? To be a winner, to be happy. What is happiness, then? At it's essence it is fulfillment. When you are fulfilled, you wear the golden crown of your own deep, personal satisfaction.

What, then, is fulfillment? It is fighting against difficulties, Without difficulties, without challenges, there can be no fulfillment. And without fulfillment, there is no happiness.

There is no happiness without hardship; it simply can't exist without hardship. Everyone forgets the process -- the road -- of battling hardships and searches only for the end result -- the destination -- of happiness. Overcoming hardship and suffering is happiness replete with true fulfillment."
-- Daisaku Ikeda

 

[southwind]

This right here, is it for me.

This right here, is it for me.

This post says it all for me.

How can I say "Thanks"?

Hmmm deeply satisfied.

"It is important to win in life, to triumph over one's weaknesses, to succeed in society, to be successful in exams. The important thing is to first be victorious. And then gain the nourisment you need for your happiness.

Life is about winning. Buddhism is about winning too. Society is concerned with reputation; government is concerned with punishment and reward; and Buddhism is concerned with winning or losing.

Society is based on opinion, whether others say good things or bad things about us. The nation rewards those who do good things and punishes those who do bad. Both society and government operate based on such relative values.

But Buddhism is win or lose -- there is no halfway. What is life's purpose? To be a winner, to be happy. What is happiness, then? At it's essence it is fulfillment. When you are fulfilled, you wear the golden crown of your own deep, personal satisfaction.

What, then, is fulfillment? It is fighting against difficulties, Without difficulties, without challenges, there can be no fulfillment. And without fulfillment, there is no happiness.

There is no happiness without hardship; it simply can't exist without hardship. Everyone forgets the process -- the road -- of battling hardships and searches only for the end result -- the destination -- of happiness. Overcoming hardship and suffering is happiness replete with true fulfillment."
-- Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

This post says it all for me.

How can I say "Thanks"?

Chant only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and get better!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction. Then the place where you chant daimoku will become the dwelling place of the treasure tower.

[ On the Treasure Tower, WND Page 299 ]

 

[Wicked]

Im not sure what its all about but you all sound like your in a great place, and nam-myoho-renge-kyo has a very calming effect when I say it. Im intrigued and will look up the book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying. Peace in Life to you!

 

[bartender187]

Is Bartender or anyone else still backing this up on another medium?

I have not been backing this up. If no one else is currently doin it, then it would be my pleasure to do it. Ill start on it this week. Thanks to all my friends!!! be peaceful, bartender187

nam myoho renge kyo
nam myoho renge kyo