Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin??

Brother, you can also buy it online here:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/Merchant2/me...re_Code=SOS&Product_Code=1100&Category_Code=S

Easy has already provided a link to free online viewing of the WND. In my opinion, a copy or access, to the Dictionary is very important as well.

Buy it:

http://www.sgi-usa.org/Merchant2/me...re_Code=SOS&Product_Code=1102&Category_Code=S

Or view it free online:

http://www.sgilibrary.org/dict.html

Enjoy!

Good to see you SoCal! You are constantly in my Daimoku and it encourages me GREATLY to see you post! Thanks you! Bud, how are you man? Easy, keep showing your Myoho!

Bonz, you know you can't relax! Get to the center, get to the center, get to the center!

Much love to all my Brothers and Sisters!

Fight hard every day between now and the end of the year! Your ichinen going out in '07 will be reflected in the year you have in '08. The only thing that exists is this moment, and in a single moment we can change our lives forever. It is up to each of us to keep fighting the Devil of the Sixth heaven living in our lives, robbing us of the life condition to freely give of ourselves as Buddhas.

We are all Thus Come Ones of original enlightenment eternally endowed with the three bodies. We all have the same Dharma body! Let us use our manifest bodies to demonstrate the reward body of our minds, as we continue our efforts to compassionately and correctly encourage each other!

Much love and deep respect!

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

PS to Def: Dude, you asked for Major Writings? They are no longer available for sale and have been out of print for years. I have all seven (which were re-translated into the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin), but the first two volumes have been collectors items for MANY years. While they were once available online at sgi-usa.org, they are not any longer.

The WND is the way to go anyway.

T

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Doing great over this way . Hope you all are doing well. Just got home from a small group chant. Its so nice to chant with others and recieve and give the encouragement that comes along with it. Thankyou all so much for keeping this thread rocking. Its my first stop every morning and my last stop every night Much love to you all
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[HenDokuYaku]

T,

Hello to you too as well. Thank you so much for keeping our hearts vulnerable and our minds open.

Best Wishes!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Buddhism enables us to transform our 'earthly desires' into 'enlightenment'*. All the difficulties and painstaking struggles that we might encounter for the sake of achieving kosen-rufu will definitely transform into good fortune and benefit and become magnificent treasures that will brilliantly adorn our lives!

Daisaku Ikeda

* "In the 'Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings,' the Daishonin says: 'The essence of the Lotus Sutra is that earthly desires are in themselves enlightenment and that the sufferings of birth and dearth are in themselves nirvana'; and 'The doctrine that a single moment of life contains three thousand realms removes suffering and imparts pleasure' (GZ, 773).

"The sole purpose of Buddhism, the sole purpose of the SGI, is to save people from suffering. The SGI is doing its utmost of bring happiness to humanity. It has no other reason for existing."

"Even difficult situation, the kind we can only ascribe to our negative karma, are precious, never-to-be-repeated opportunities to fulfil our original mission.

"In that respect, those who understand the wisdom of the true entity of all phenomena can transform any kind of karma into a radiantly brilliant mission. When you are absolutely confident of this, you will be filled with hope. Every person and every experience you encounter will become a precious and unique treasure." (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1, page 190)

 

[deftones34]

Thanks for the information!!!

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Everyday is a new Sunrise, on a cloudy day your daimoku will clear the WAY!

Everyday is a new Sunrise, on a cloudy day your daimoku will clear the WAY!

"You have associated with a friend in the orchid room and have become as straight as mugwort growing among the hemp. If you will truly give consideration to the troubles I have been describing and put entire faith in these words of mine, then the winds will blow gently, the waves will be calm, and in no time at all we will enjoy bountiful harvests."
Reference:

WND Page 23
Page 6 On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land
Written to Hojo Tokiyori on 16 July 1260 from Kamakura


(*WOW, WHAT AN AWESOME QUOTE! THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!*)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Enlightenment

Enlightenment

Enlightment:

Each person has the potential to become a Buddha. Nichiren Buddhism starts from the realization that the supreme life-condition of Buddhahood exists in each of us. It is a teaching that makes it possible for us to achieve the most profound inner transformation—a transformation of our fundamental attitude or mind-set.

The most basic Buddhist teaching is that everything is change, a never-ending series of changes. Nothing is ever still. What Buddhism seeks to do is, in the midst of that changing reality from which we can never divorce ourselves, in the midst of the “mud” of reality, to help us achieve a state of the highest hope and fulfillment and to lead society and our environment in the direction of peace and prosperity.

Nichiren writes, “If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way.” Please be confident that the higher your flame of altruistic action burns, the more its light will suffuse your life with happiness. Those who possess an altruistic spirit are the happiest people of all.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"The Buddha’s objective is to enable every individual to manifest his or her true identity. In other words, Buddhism lies in respecting yourself to the utmost, revering others to the fullest and making it possible for both you and others to blossom equally as individuals.

Attaining enlightenment is not about embarking on some inconceivably long journey to become a resplendent godlike Buddha; it is about accomplishing a transformation in the depths of one’s being. In other words, it is not a matter of practicing in order to scale the highest summit of enlightenment at some point in the distant future. Rather, it is a constant, moment-to-moment, inner struggle between the opposing courses of revealing our innate Buddha nature or allowing ourselves to be ruled by our fundamental negativity and delusion. This unceasing effort to polish our lives is the heart and essence of Buddhist practice.

A life lived without purpose or value, the kind in which one doesn’t know the reason why one was born, is joyless and lackluster. To just live, eat and die without any real sense of purpose surely represents a life pervaded by animality. On the other hand, to do, create or contribute something that benefits others, society and ourselves and to dedicate ourselves as long as we live to that challenge—that is a life of true satisfaction, a life of value. It is a humanistic and lofty way to live.

The point where Buddhism radically departs from the thought in religion that had existed previously is that it uncovered within the individual’s own life the “Law,” or limitless inner power, for resolving all suffering on the most essential level. Buddhism is a teaching of unparalleled humanism that believes in the boundless potential within human beings."


D. Ikeda

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Depending on the use to which it is put, religion can be a demonic force. Religion should bring us together, but it is exploited by some to create greater schisms among us. Nothing could be more unfortunate. Religion must always be for the people. People do not exist for the sake of religion. This must be the fundamental guideline of religion in the twenty-first century."



D. Ikeda

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

This is from Lectures on the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the Lotus Sutra; 1-Expedient Means Chapter, by Daisaku Ikeda.

As long as we always live based on the Gohonzon, then any and all sufferings become expedient means for us to strengthen and deepen the world of Buddhahood in our lives. Sufferings and joys and everything thing that happens to us become expedient means for us to reveal the power of the Mystic Law.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[scegy]

??????

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The Daishonin was committed to bringing Buddhism to all and leading them to the highest state of being, the attainment of Buddhahood in this lifetime. The word rufu in kosen-rufu means 'to flow like a mighty river,' or 'to spread out like a huge fabric.' It signifies spreading or flowing out to all humanity. As I have said repeatedly, kosen-rufu is not the end point of a process but rather the process, the flow, itself. There is no particular destination, no completion of kosen-rufu. We can speak metaphorically about what kosen-rufu is, but in fact it has no definitive form.

"The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddhism of True Cause--a teaching of moving ever forwards from this moment on. It is the correct teaching that is always flowing towards the future. It is a philosophy for the eternal future of the Latter Day of the Law. To devote oneself to kosen-rufu is to keep striving and challenging oneself eternally."

SGI Newsletter No. 7422, Moving Ever Forward from This Moment On, (From a speech given at a joint training session for representatives from western Japan, the Education Department, and the Academic and Science Division, held on August 21st, 2007), translated Dec. 5th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Or it is like the case of a single flame, no bigger than the light of a firefly, which, when applied to a thousand-ri plain of dried grass, in the space of an instant burns first one blade of grass, then two, then ten, a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand, so that the grass and trees over an area of ten or twenty cho are consumed all at once. A dragon who places one small drop of water in its claws and ascends to the heavens can cause rain to fall upon the major world system. When performed as an offering to the Lotus Sutra, even a small act of goodness produce benefits that are equal in magnitude of these."

(The Teaching That accords with the Buddha's Mind - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 967) Selection source: Gosho for December discussion meetings, Seikyo Shimbun, December 7th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

There is nothing we need be afraid of!
Courageously and cheerfully,
let's keep on moving forwards, no matter what!
Let's live out our lives absolutely true to ourselves
and our own unique abilities.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

we can make a difference, it's a fact

I agree, but we (especially me) must be very careful everyday not to try and "reinvent the wheel". I think its very important to have Gohonzon there when your chanting my friend, I tried chanting for a couple months without a Gohonzon and it was just me and the book, or my girlfriend and me. I didn't realize the true Treasure was the One Great Secret Law which is Gohonzon.


One Great Secret Law
[一大秘法] (Jpn ichidai-hiho )

The object of devotion of the essential teaching, one of the Three Great Secret Laws in Nichiren's teaching. The other two of the Three Great Secret Laws are the daimoku of the essential teaching and the sanctuary of the essential teaching. Here, the essential teaching refers to the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo implicit in the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The object of devotion of the essential teaching is the basis of the Three Great Secret Laws. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the object of devotion is the daimoku of the essential teaching, and the place where one enshrines the object of devotion and chants the daimoku is the sanctuary of the essential teaching. Thus the object of devotion encompasses all Three Great Secret Laws within itself and is called the One Great Secret Law.


The silent prayer you do after daimoku during Gongyo which mentions "The Three Secret Laws", have you looked up that definition....

Three Great Secret Laws
[三大秘法] (Jpn sandai-hiho )

The core principles of Nichiren's teaching. They are the object of devotion of the essen-tial teaching, the daimoku of the essential teaching, and the sanctuary of the essential teaching. Here, "essential teaching" refers to the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and not to the essential teaching, or the latter fourteen chapters, of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren (1222-1282) established these three essential principles to enable people in the Latter Day of the Law to attain Buddhahood. They are called secret because they are implicit in the text of the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra and remained hidden or unknown until Nichiren revealed them. Nichiren regarded them as the vital teaching that Shakyamuni Buddha transferred to Bodhisattva Superior Practices in the "Supernatural Pow-ers" (twenty-first) chapter of the sutra. He regarded his mission as one with that of Bodhisattva Superior Practices.The Three Great Secret Laws represent Nichiren's embodiment of the Mystic Law, to which he was enlightened, in a form that all people can practice and thereby gain access to that Law within their own lives. He associated the Three Great Secret Laws with the three types of learning set forth in Buddhism—precepts, meditation, and wisdom. Specifically, the object of devotion corresponds to meditation, the sanctuary to precepts, and the daimoku to wisdom. Concerning the three types of learn-ing based on the Lotus Sutra, Dengyo(767-822), in his Questions and Answers on Regulations for Students of the Tendai Lotus School, states, "The spacelike immovable precept, the spacelike immovable meditation, and the spacelike immovable wisdom—these three all together are transmitted under the name 'Wonderful Law.'" The three types of learning based on the Lotus Sutra are called "spacelike" and "immovable" because, like space, which represents the ultimate truth, they are immovable, or imper-turbable. Nikko, Nichiren's successor, stated that in Nichiren's teachings the object of devotion corresponds to the spacelike immovable meditation, the sanctuary to the sapcelike immovable precept, and the daimoku to the spacelike immovable wisdom.Nichiren mentions the Three Great Secret Laws in several of his writ-ings (all dated after his near execution at Tatsunokuchi and subsequent exile to Sado Island in 1271), and in a work known as On the Three Great Secret Laws, he offers a detailed definition.At the core of the Three Great Secret Laws is the One Great Secret Law. This is the object of devotion of the essential teaching, or Nichiren's embodiment in the form of a mandala of the eternal Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which he fully realized and manifested in his life. He writes in The Person and the Law, "Deep in this mortal flesh I preserve the ulti-mate secret Law inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, at Eagle Peak" (1097). Because embracing this object of devotion called the Gohonzon is the only precept in Nichiren's teaching, the place where it is enshrined corresponds to the place where one vows to observe the Buddhist precepts—the ordination platform, or sanctuary, of the essential teaching. The term precept in Buddhism implies preventing error and putting an end to evil. The daimoku of the essential teaching indicates the invocation or chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the object of devotion; it includes chanting the daimoku for oneself and teaching it to others. Thus, both the sanctuary and the daimoku derive from the object of devotion.Later Nichikan (1665-1726), the twenty-sixth chief priest of Taiseki-ji temple, classified the Three Great Secret Laws into Six Great Secret Laws. First, the object of devotion is viewed in terms of both Person and Law. The Person indicates Nichiren himself, who achieved the enlightenment and virtues of the eternal Buddha and who established the Buddhism of sowing for all people in the Latter Day of the Law. The object of devotion in terms of the Law is the Gohonzon, which embodies Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Second, the sanctuary also has two aspects, the specified sanctuary and the general sanctuary. The former is the sanctuary to be built at the time of kosen-rufu, or wide propagation, in accordance with Nichiren's instruction. This is the place where the object of devotion Nichiren inscribed for all humanity (commonly known as the Dai-Gohonzon) is to be enshrined when his teaching has been widely spread and established. The general sanctuary is any place where one enshrines the object of devotion and engages in practice. Third, the daimoku of the essential teaching also has two aspects: the daimoku of faith and the daimoku of practice. The former means to believe in the Gohonzon, and the latter means to chant the daimoku and spread it.According to Nichikan's "Interpreting the Text Based upon Its Essen-tial Meaning," the Six Great Secret Laws are considered a crystallization of the Buddha's eighty-four thousand teachings, the Three Great Secret Laws a crystallization of the Six Great Secret Laws, and the One Great Secret Law a crystallization of the Three Great Secret Laws.

My friend, we have fixed Karma and unfixed Karma. Even the fixed Karma can be changed by faithfully enshrining and practicing with Nichiren Daishonin in your room or house. Nichiren Daishonin is the Gohonzon, invite him in my friend. I remember you mentioned once a misunderstanding in my opinion of Gohonzon, now that you are seeing your truly unlimited potential I think I could tell you, the enshrinement of Gohonzon in your home will provide the backbone or spine or better yet HEART is necessary to fulfill your mission as a Bodhisattva of the Earth. Without your "center" your still floating around! I am one of those that has to "center" himself more often in front of Gohonzon and two times a day is simply not enough!

Tom once told me something "What bird has learned to fly to that was afraid to spread his wings?" FAITH, MY FRIEND continue to expand upon this current vibe your experiencing and goto your Community Culture Center and secure your own Gohonzon.

How many more times are you going to create obstacles to impede your most amazing progress to date!

Those obstacles are the Devil of the 6th Heaven and that character is a Buddha within the Gohonzon! Lead the way for you and your girlfriend as I did, I have not looked back since!

"A single life is worth more than the major world system. You still have many years ahead of you, and moreover you have encountered the Lotus Sutra. If you live even one day longer, you can accumulate that much more benefit. How precious your life is!"
Reference:

WND Page 955
Page 954 On Prolonging One's Life Span
Written to Myojo in 1279 from Minobu

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"No matter what happens, don’t betray your dreams.
No matter what happens, don’t become judgmental about yourself.
No matter what the situation in your life, you must turn it around."

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[SoCal Hippy]

The Power of Daimoku

The Power of Daimoku

Daimoku = Chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

At a recent meeting, a member was sharing an experience about the power of Daimoku. He told us that his father was seriously ill in the hospital and was not expected to survive.

Refusing to accept this, he told us that he chanted for four hours, and continued chanting in the car during the journey to the hospital, absolutely determined that his father should recover.

He arrived at the hospital to find the doctors completely baffled. His father had regained consciousness and his condition was improving.

The ensuing conversation revolved around the interconnectedness of all life, and the extraordinary effect we can have on ourselves and our surroundings, and that people sometimes struggle to understand in depth what actually is happening during such a process.

It is more important, however, just to trust that it just works, and there followed an excellent example to illustrate the point:

Most people do not understand the complexities of an electronic engine management system, but just trust that getting into their car, starting the engine and driving it will take them from A to B.

Daimoku is like driving a car. Every day, you get in the car and drive a bit further. Now and again you might glance over your shoulder, and notice how far you have already travelled.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Where can we find the royal road to reformation and change? Emerson
declared: 'Not he is great who can alter matter, but he who can alter
my state of mind.' He strongly urged us to undergo an inner
reformation. I want you to be assured that the challenge to which we
set ourselves day after day -- that of our human revolution -- is the
royal road to bringing about a reformation in our families, local
regions and societies. An inner revolution is the most fundamental and
at the same times the ultimate revolution for engendering change in
all things."

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"...even when one attains the enlightened state of Buddhahood, it doesn't mean one will stop having problems or be able to avoid living in an impure land. Nevertheless, if we establish a state of absolute and indestructible happiness in the depths of our lives as ordinary human beings, we will never be consigned to misery. By saying. 'Our hearts reside in the pure land of Eagle Peak,' the Daishonin explains that we can bring forth within us the supremely noble state of Buddhahood that will not be swayed by any problem or circumstance."

SGI Newsletter No. 7387, LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN <NEW SERIES> [1] "The Drum at the Gate of Thunder," "It Is the Heart That Is Important"--Continuously Strive to Deepen and Strengthen the Bonds of Mentor and Disciple, Foreword to the New Lecture Series, translated Nov. 7th, 2007