Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

Each of you should summon up the courage of a lion king and never succumb to threats from anyone. The lion king fears no other beast, nor do its cubs. Slanderers are like barking foxes, but Nichiren's followers are like roaring lions.


[On Persecutions Befalling the Sage, WND Page 997 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin states,
"If you want to understand what results
will be manifested in the future,
look at the causes that exist in the present."*
Now is the time to chant daimoku most earnestly
with the absolute determination
that we will be most certainly, and magnificently,
successful in the future!

Daisaku Ikeda

* "The Opening of the Eyes" - WND, page 279

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Beware, beware, for there are persons who clearly would like to do harm to you both! Should you fail to act in harmony, you will be like the snipe and the shellfish who, because they were locked in combat with one another, fell prey to the fisherman."

(Brothers One in Mind - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 914) Selection source: Guides for Victory by SGI President Ikeda, Seikyo Shimbun, March 10th, 2007

 

[Dutchgrown]

As always, very inspiring quotes posted by you PTD....and really enjoyed reading the
meaning of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo! Thanks for providing such great info!


Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo!

The Reclining Buddha, Bangkok, Thailand...pics from Jan 2007! Massive!! Won't fit in one pic!

 

[Babbabud]

Wow DG thanks for the great pics whoa amazing !!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[Dutchgrown]

Thanks Babba...glad you liked the pics...is spine-tingling to see it up close in person! I am completely taken away by the beauty and harmony felt in Bangkok...a truly inspiring place! Here's a few more from our Jan trip.

Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo!




An artist at work painting gold-leaf on murals in a temple....such intricate detail!

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Inconspicuous benefit (Jpn myoyaku )

Benefit deriving from Buddhist practice that accumulates over a period
of time and is not immediately recognizable. The term is contrasted
with conspicuous benefit, or benefit that appears in clearly
recognizable form. In The Teaching, Practice, and Proof, Nichiren
(1222-1282) explains conspicuous and inconspicuous benefit,
respectively, as the benefit of the Buddhism of the harvest and that
of the Buddhism of sowing.

Those who attained Buddhahood during Shakyamuni's lifetime and in the
subsequent two thousand years of the Former Day and Middle Day of the
Law had already received the seed of Buddhahood from Shakyamuni in the
remote past and nurtured it over many kalpas until their capacity for
enlightenment had all but matured. Therefore, they were able to reap
the fruit of enlightenment when they practiced Shakyamuni Buddha's
teachings during his lifetime or in the Former Day and Middle Day of
the Law. The fruit or benefit of their enlightenment was conspicuous
and ready for harvest.

In the Latter Day of the Law, however, people receive the seed of
Buddhahood in their lives for the first time. The growth of this seed
is not immediately recognizable. Therefore, the benefit of the
Buddhism of sowing is called inconspicuous benefit.

Practically speaking, conspicuous and inconspicuous benefits are not
two different types of benefit but two different ways in which benefit
appears. Inconspicuous benefit is likened to the gradual growth of a
tree—the growth is real, but difficult to recognize in the short run.
In the long run, however, the shade or fruit the tree provides can be
conspicuously appreciated. In a similar manner, the inconspicuous
benefit that derives from the practice of the correct teaching in the
Latter Day eventually finds conspicuous expression in the pres-ent
life of the practitioner.

Source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. 'All others who bear you enmity or malice will likewise be wiped out.' These golden words will never prove false. The heart of strategy and swordsmanship derives from the Mystic Law. Have profound faith. A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered."

(The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1001) Selection source: Guides for Victory by SGI President Ikeda, Seikyo Shimbun, March 13th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The Daishonin writes: 'I, Nichiren, [based on the fundamental power of the Mystic Law,] have also put my trust in this deity [the god of the sun], and in this manner have carried on my struggles in Japan over the past several years. Already I have the feeling that I have achieved victory' (WND-1, 685).. The Daishonin forged ahead in his great struggle with a lofty and invincible state of life, activating the heavenly deities and making the entire universe his ally. This is the way of life of a genuine practitioner of Buddhism.."

SGI Newsletter No. 7143, 5TH SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 1 [OF 3], Win with Courage, Perseverance, and Unity!, March 7th, 2007, translated March 16th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"One never in any way disobeys a parent; is always mindful of providing a parent with all manner of good things, and if this happens to be impossible, in the course of a day one at least smiles twice or thrice in their direction."

(The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 636) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's speech at the Graduation Ceremony of the Soka Schools, Seikyo Shimbun, March 17th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A great human revolution in just a single person will
help achieve a change in the destiny of a nation."*
To you my dearest friend who has such a great mission,
please ceaselessly strive to be victorious throughout your life!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Human Revolution: http://sgi.org/buddhism/daily-life/list/hr.html

 

[PassTheDoobie]

So if a woman makes offerings to the Lotus Sutra now in the last five-hundred-year period, [Bodhisattva Gladly Seen's] benefits will all be bequeathed to her without exception, just as a wealthy man transfers his entire fortune to his only son.

[An Outline of the "Entrustment" and Other Chapters, WND Page 911 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"... become the master of your mind rather than let your mind master you."

(Letter to The Brothers - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 502) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, April 6th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

If you try to treat someone's illness without knowing its cause, you will only make the person sicker than before.

[The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra, WND Page 774 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Above all, both you and your husband are upholders of the Lotus Sutra. You will surely bear a jewel of a child who is going to inherit the seed for the propagation of the Lotus Sutra. I wholeheartedly congratulate you. The child is one who will inherit both your physical and spiritual aspects.

[Easy Delivery of a Fortune Child, WND Page 186 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"I would like to say something regarding the Buddhist principle of causality that operates over the three existences of past, present, and future. An important point, first of all, is that in his discussions of causality, the Daishonin always places primary focus on the present. In 'The Opening of the Eyes,' he quotes a passage from the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra on the workings of causality over the three existences:

"'If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present'.(WND-1, 279)

"I was deeply struck by these words when I first read them in my youth, because they drove home to me that nothing is more important than the present and our own faith when it comes to cause and effect. This sutra passage and the Daishonin's related explanation in 'The Opening of the Eyes' clarify that the essence of the Buddhist view of causality lies in changing our present self. We see the Daishonin express both unassailable confidence in being able to transform any negative karma from the past, and boundless hope in the certainty of enjoying immense happiness in future lifetimes--all achieved as a result of his present actions for the sake of the Law (cf. WND-1, 287).

"The Daishonin's Buddhism enables us to establish a solid self in the present so that we can transform past sorrows and misery into inexhaustible hope for the future. The heart of the Daishonin's teaching is that no matter what difficulties we may now face, we should earnestly challenge the present with unflagging optimism and the belief that we can change the future.

"In any event, our faith, our Buddhist practice, in this existence determines the direction of all of our lifetimes throughout past, present, and future--that is, whether they will be pervaded by happiness and compassion, or by sorrow and darkness.

"Faith means infinite hope. There is not the slightest doubt that we can create the causes for our eternal future happiness in this present lifetime and in this present moment."

SGI Newsletter No. 7165, SGI President Ikeda's Study Lecture Series, LECTURES ON "THE HERITAGE OF THE ULTIMATE LAW OF LIFE" [7] Maintaining Lifelong Faith--Our Faith in This Lifetime Secures Our Happiness over the Three Existences, from the February 2007 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai study journal, translated April 4th, 2007.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month."

(On Persecutions Befalling the Sage - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 997) Selection source: SGI-Australia member's experience, Seikyo Shimbun, April 8th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Only by defeating a powerful enemy
can one prove one's real strength."*
"Come on, I'm ready!"
Brimming with such a courageous and challenging spirit,
let's forever move forwards, onwards and upwards!

Daisaku Ikeda

* "Only by defeating a powerful enemy can one prove one's real strength. When an evil ruler in consort with priests of erroneous teachings tries to destroy the correct teaching and do away with a man of wisdom, those with the heart of a lion king are sure to attain Buddhahood." - "Letter from Sado", WND, page 302

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"We will never become strong if we only rely on others....When we have a powerful sense of mission, we are able to tap our inner potential. When we shoulder full responsibility, we find the wisdom we need to succeed."

SGI Newsletter No. 7166, Dialogues with World Citizens, Jin Yong--Renowned Chinese Novelist, from the July 16th, 2006, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated April 4th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The sutra's statement, 'Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,' cannot be false in any way."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, April 5th, 2007