Chanting Growers Group

[Guest]

Actually....

Actually....

You are of course correct with what you thought and felt in the beginning. Noone would argue that point. Only you know that. However, an intent takes on a life of its own when others lifes and karma come into play. And yes, its purpose is different for different people and its importance.
The reference to daimoku and purpose....there were MANY of us behind the scene chanting an abundance of daimoku in the past 2 months, for fear you would pull the plug PTD. Apologies in prayer on my part for anything that I said or did that would create a cause for this thread to cease to be. Because it has become a way to shakabuku and learn of this practice whether it be your intent or not, for those old and new alike. As well as coming together to smoke one on line and support one another in our endeavors and life journey. There are always things to be learned from everyone regardless of their time or place in the practice of Nichiren Daishonin Buddhism or other spiritual quests. Southern Girl

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I knew there was a reason to get online one more time

I knew there was a reason to get online one more time

Southern Girl,

I appreciate the fact that daimoku was chanted, regardless of what it was chanted about. If you look back somewhere, I made the statement that the thread would end when no one had anything else to say. That never happened. But the unity shown among us who are believers should never be allowed to be showing strain. When two points of view fall into discussion of divergent opinion, if someone doesn't get off their high horse and stop the "last word" escalation--stop the breaking of unity; then that strain may be shown. That's a very bad thing. Check it out:

five cardinal sins
[五逆・五逆罪] (Jpn.: go-gyaku or go-gyakuzai)

The five most serious offenses in Buddhism. Explanations vary according to the sutras and treatises. The most common is (1) killing one's father, (2) killing one's mother, (3) killing an arhat, (4) injuring a Buddha, and (5) causing disunity in the Buddhist Order. It is said that those who commit any of the five cardinal sins invariably fall into the hell of incessant suffering. The last three offenses are collectively referred to as the three cardinal sins. Devadatta is well known for committing these three.

(From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism)

So what does one do when they have nothing to say, and are not enjoying the reaction to what they are saying when they do? If you are speaking and people are not able to hear you, do you continue talking? I chose to try and resist myself. My mouth almost made me commit that number five. Hell if I was going to do that! There was much to listen to. This thread needs to be able to go on without me if it really has grown that important to others.

I now believe it would.

Peace,
T

(Isn't it cool that the thought that a Buddha could be killed isn't even ever considered? That has always given me the biggest fucking smile and the happiest feeling inside.)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

From:http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/SokaGakkai/Study/LectLS/Lectur01.htm

From:http://www.sgi-usa.org/buddhism/library/SokaGakkai/Study/LectLS/Lectur01.htm

SGI-USA Study Curriculum

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Myoho-renge-kyo is the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day

Featuring SGI President Ikeda's series of lectures on the "Hoben "(Expedient means) and "Juryo" (Life Span of the Thus Come One) chapters of the Lotus Sutra. President Ikeda titled this "Preliminary Thoughts."

To this day, memories of my mentor, Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, lecturing on the Lotus Sutra, come vividly to mind like scenes in a great painting.

After the war, the Soka Gakkai was in a state of ruin as a result of the campaign of suppression that had been waged against it by the militarist government. At that time, President Toda began efforts to reconstruct the organization by delivering lectures on the Lotus Sutra to a handful of members.

As a participant in the seventh series of lectures he gave, I heard him speak on Sept. 13, 1948. That was in the autumn of my 21st year. The venue was the old Soka Gakkai Headquarters in Nishi-Kanda.

"I see that everyone's arrived," he began. There were 50 to 60 people present. President Toda, his eyes sparkling behind his glasses, gazed around the meeting place, which consisted of two small rooms. Then he cleared his throat and began lecturing in a frank and open manner.

I was instantly awestruck, electrified by the profound ideas, the great and intense confidence, the compassionate cry of concern for the world and humankind that seemed to gush from his very being.

President Toda would never toy or joke around with difficult ideas or concepts. His lectures were compassionate, straightforward and lucid. Yet they glowed with the light of extremely profound truth. They conveyed philosophy rooted directly in life experience and in the Law that pervades the infinite universe. They were filled with breathtaking drama and joyous music. At one point, as I listened to him speak, the sun seemed to rise in my heart, and everything became illuminated brilliantly before my eyes.

That night, while still filled with the thrill and excitement I felt during the lecture, I wrote a poem in the pages of my journal:

How I marvel at the greatness and profundity of the Lotus Sutra.
Isn't it the path to salvation for all humankind?
The teaching that enlightens one to the origin of life and the universe,
The fundamental principle revealed to enable all people to acquire the loftiest character and happiness ---
Are not all these to be found in the Lotus Sutra?

I am 21 years old.

Since setting out on my journey of life, what did I contemplate, what did I do, what did I make the wellspring of my happiness?
From this day on, I will advance bravely.
From this day on, I will live resolutely.
I will live within the life of the Great Law, win over my sufferings.
True sadness inspires one to lead a great life.
I now see the true Great Path and perceive the true nature of life.

Astonished at his profundity and breadth of knowledge, someone once asked President Toda, "When did you study these things?"

Smiling warmly, he replied: "While in prison during the persecution, I chanted sincere daimoku, and I studied. As a result, these things seem to have come to me. The 80,000 sutras in fact refer to my own life."

These lectures arose from the vast state of life of President Toda, who had awakened to the essence of Buddhism while in prison.

The Lotus Sutra of the Former, Middle and Latter Days

Later on, President Toda developed the format for his lectures on the Lotus Sutra. He instituted beginners classes on the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters specifically for those who had recently taken faith.

His lectures, so brilliant and full of conviction, planted the essence of Buddhism in the hearts of his listeners, even without their being aware of it. For these persons new to faith, many of whom thought of Buddhism only in terms of Shakyamuni, President Toda began each series of lectures by emphasizing that although people in different times spoke of the "Lotus Sutra," the form in which the Lotus Sutra is expressed differs according to the age --- depending on whether it is the Former, Middle or Latter Day of the Law.

President Toda used to say:

Everyone casually assumes that the Lotus Sutra indicates the 28 chapter text by that name. But there are in fact three kinds of Lotus Sutra.

The first is the Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni. This is the 28 chapter sutra of that name; this Lotus Sutra benefited people during Shakyamuni's lifetime and during the Former Day of the Law. Presently, in the Latter Day, however, even if you should carry out the practices [of the Former Day] of reading and reciting this sutra and copying it, you will gain no benefit thereby. Our recitation of the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters during morning and evening Gongyo does not come from this earlier practice --- it has a different significance.

The Lotus Sutra of the Middle Day of the Law is T'ien-t'ai's Maka Shikan (Great Concentration and Insight). The Lotus Sutra for this period of the Latter Day is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the "seven-character Lotus Sutra" hidden in the depths of the "Juryo" chapter. You need to understand that there are three kinds of Lotus Sutra and how they are related to one another. In addition to these, there is another Lotus Sutra that, while not capable of being substantiated in a precise historical sense, was recognized alike by Nichiren Daishonin, Shakyamuni, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo; this is the "24 character Lotus Sutra" expounded by Bodhisattva Fukyo.

Shakyamuni of India taught the "28 chapter Lotus Sutra" for those alive during his lifetime and in the Former Day. T'ien-t'ai of China expounded the Maka Shikan for human beings of the Middle Day of the Law. And Bodhisattva Fukyo expounded the so-called "24 character Lotus Sutra" for the people of the Middle Day of a Buddha called lonno.

President Toda explained that despite the differences in the age and the form in which the teaching was expressed, these are all in fact the same Lotus Sutra. President Toda called the Lotus Sutra as thus conceived the "manifold Lotus Sutra."

The Lotus Sutra, therefore, is not simply the "Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni." It is also the "Lotus Sutra of T'ien-t'ai" and the "Lotus Sutra of Bodhisattva Fukyo." To President Toda, who had become enlightened to the Lotus Sutra's essence, this was clear.

In the course of listening to his broad-ranging lectures, his listeners, as a matter of course, could engrave distinctions between the "Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni" and the "Lotus Sutra of Nichiren Daishonin" in their lives.

What do the different expressions of this "manifold Lotus Sutra" have in common? Ultimately, it is the teaching that "everyone equally has the potential to become a Buddha." There are, however, great differences in how Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin expressed this teaching.

Whereas Shakyamuni expressed it as the "28 chapter Lotus Sutra." Nichiren Daishonin, to enable all human beings of the Latter Day to attain Buddhahood, revealed the ultimate principle of the Lotus Sutra as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

In the "Essence of the Lotus Sutra" (Hokke Shuyo Sho) the Daishonin says: "Nichiren throws away the general and the outlined and selects the essential. The essence is the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo transmitted to Bodhisattva Jogyo" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 336).

The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which constitute the Lotus Sutra's essence --- that is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws --- are the Lotus Sutra appropriate to this age of the Latter Day of the Law. President Toda therefore termed the Daishonin's teaching the "Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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The Lineage of Votaries of the Lotus Sutra
Someone who expounds a teaching that can enable all people to attain Buddhahood is certain to encounter persecution. Even Shakyamuni underwent a succession of great persecutions.
Moreover, the Lotus Sutra itself states that whoever spreads the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law is certain to encounter numerous persecutions even greater than those Shakyamuni faced. Such passages and phrases as: "Since hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?"; "the three powerful enemies"; and "hatred abounds, and it is hard to believe"; and the teaching of "the six difficult and nine easy acts" all serve to clarify this point.
A votary who endures all of these great persecutions and perseveres in spreading the teaching among the people of the Latter Day embodies the heart of the Lotus Sutra. Enduring persecution to spread the teaching to others is, in fact, an expression of compassion.
Just as the sutra predicts, the life of Nichiren Daishonin, who appeared in the Latter Day, was a succession of great persecutions. The Daishonin, noting that he had encountered persecutions matching in every respect those that the sutra predicts will befall its votary, declares himself to be the "votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day" and the Buddha of the Latter Day.
At the same time, the Daishonin also designates Shakyamuni, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo as votaries of the Lotus Sutra of their respective ages. They were all predecessors who expounded the Lotus Sutra out of their desire for the people's happiness; and they were persecuted as a result.
In addition, in many places in the Gosho, the Daishonin praises and offers the greatest encouragement to his followers, such as Shijo Kingo, who struggled to overcome great difficulties and persevered with faith, not begrudging their lives. He called them "votaries of the Lotus Sutra." To one woman (the mother of Oto Gozen) who visited him in exile on the island of Sado, bringing her young daughter with her on the arduous journey, he goes so far as to say, "You are undoubtedly the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra among all the women of Japan" (MW-3, 52). And he gives her the name Nichimyo Shonin (Sage Nichimyo).
Buddhism Means Taking Action --- Among People and in Society
He also writes, "At the time of kosen-rufu, all people in the entire world will become votaries of the Lotus Sutra" (Gosho Zenshu, P. 834). He thus indicates the principle that anyone in the world may become a votary of the Lotus Sutra.
"Votaries of the Lotus Sutra" refers to those who dedicate themselves to the mission of saving all people throughout the entire world and over the 10,000 years and more of the Latter Day of the Law. And kosen-rufu indicates a situation in which individuals, basing themselves on the Mystic Law, contribute to others and to society as "votaries," that is, as people of action.
Accordingly, the Soka Gakkai's founding president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and the second president, Josei Toda, who struggled against the country's militarist regime and propagated the Law for the people's happiness without begrudging their own lives, certainly have a place in this lineage of votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
The 65th high priest, Nichijun, lauded President Makiguchi as "an emissary of the Buddha from birth," and he praised President Toda as "the forerunner of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth."
President Toda initiated the great struggle to spread the "Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day" for those laboring in extreme distress under the conditions that ensued following World War II.
"I want to banish the word misery from this world." "I want to rid the world of poverty and sickness [by enabling all to become prosperous and healthy]." This roar of my mentor, who, like a lion, stood up alone, still resounds in my ears. This cry of the spirit is none other than the "heart of the Lotus Sutra."
Buddhism always means action and practice. Enabling people to overcome their difficulties and establish lives of supreme happiness requires dialogue, thoroughgoing dialogue. In such action and practice beats "the heart of the Lotus Sutra."
The "Buddhism Hidden in the Depths of the Sutra" Is Open to All
In his lectures, President Toda often spoke as follows:
Nichiren Daishonin read the Lotus Sutra from the standpoint of its most profound inner-level recesses. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai read the surface meaning of the Lotus Sutra and interpreted its passages and phrases most skillfully...
When I say Nichiren Daishonin read the Lotus Sutra, bear in mind that he was not reading the Lotus Sutra Shakyamuni expounded just as it was, he was reading it in terms of the meaning contained in its depths, from his state of life as the Buddha of the Latter Day. This is what he indicates when he refers to "the theoretical teaching that I read" and "the 'Juryo' chapter in my inner enlightenment."
In his lectures, President Toda strictly distinguished between the "surface reading," or reading from the standpoint of Shakyamuni and T'ien-t'ai, and the "deep reading," or reading from the standpoint of Nichiren Daishonin; and he explained the correct way to read the sutra in the Latter Day.
Just what kind of reading is this "deep reading"? In a nutshell, it is to read the sutra from the standpoint of the vast state of life of the original Buddha who desires to enable all people of the Latter Day to attain true happiness.
The Daishonin "read the Lotus Sutra with his life" by practicing with the spirit of not begrudging his life. The essence of the Lotus Sutra the Daishonin risked his life to propagate is the "Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day," the "Lotus Sutra hidden in the depths of the sutra" --- that is, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Considered from this standpoint, the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sutra become in their entirety an explanation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. A "deep reading," hence, is to read the Lotus Sutra from the standpoint of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
When we recite the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters during Gongyo, we do so not from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra of the Former or Middle Day of the Law but from that of Nichiren Daishonin's teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Commentary With Great Wisdom for People's Happiness, Rooted in Daily Life
Nichiren Daishonin lectured on the 28 chapter Lotus Sutra from the standpoint of the teaching hidden in its depths, and Nikko Shonin recorded his lectures in the form of the "Ongi Kuden" (Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings). To revive the heart of the Lotus Sutra and enable all people of the Latter Day to attain Buddhahood, the Daishonin, out of his immense compassion, explains exactly how the passages of the sutra should be read.
This deep reading of the Lotus Sutra might be termed an "interpretation from the standpoint of the Daishonin's enlightenment." It is not simply a theoretical explanation of the sutra but a reading that articulates the spirit of the sutra passages from the single perspective of how all people in the world can become happy.
In other words, it was a commentary geared to action, for practice. It was a commentary for all human beings, on human life and on living. Rather than representing simply "knowledge," the "Ongi Kuden" is a "reading" of great wisdom that precisely and boldly clarifies the Lotus Sutra's relevance to the age and to reality.
"Hidden in the depths" may give an impression of some mystery closed off to most people. But that is certainly not the case. On the contrary, the true value of the "Buddhism hidden in the depths" lies in its being widely open to all people and becoming a living, pulsing force that invigorates the age and society.
The members of the Nikken sect have turned this basic tenet completely on its head. They twist the teaching of the "Buddhism hidden in the depths," get hung up on rigid interpretations, and cloak themselves in a shell of authority. They have turned the world of priests and temples into a world of special privilege, and they have turned the Gohonzon into a tool for controlling people. While not carrying out a satisfactory practice themselves, they spend their time in desultory pursuits, allowing the roots of their humanity to decay. Their conduct is truly fearful. They have killed the Daishonin's spirit.
At any rate, in these lectures I would like to discuss the Lotus Sutra's connection with the age and with society, reading from the "Ongi Kuden" and basing my words on President Toda's lectures.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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The Benefit of Reciting the Sutra
As you know, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, is termed the "prime practice" and reading or reciting the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters is called the "supplementary practice."
The 26th high priest, Nichikan, explains the relationship between the primary and supplementary practices by comparing them to food and seasoning, respectively. In other words, when eating rice or noodles, the "primary" source of nourishment, you use salt or vinegar as seasoning to help bring out, or "supplement," the flavor.
The benefit from carrying out the primary practice is immense. When you also recite the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters, it has the supplementary function of increasing and accelerating the beneficial power of the primary practice.
Our basic way of Gongyo is to regard chanting daimoku as its primary component and reciting the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters as supplementary.
The benefit of chanting daimoku is immeasurable and boundless. Indeed, there is infinite power in, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo just one time. The Daishonin says, "If you recite these words of the daimoku once, then the Buddha nature of all living beings will be summoned and gather around you" (MW-5, 112). Also, he teaches that the benefit of chanting one daimoku is equal to that of reading the entire Lotus Sutra, that of chanting 10 daimoku is equal to reading the sutra 10 times, that of 100 daimoku is equal to reading the sutra 100 times, and that of 1,000 daimoku is equal to reading the sutra 1,000 times.
Accordingly, there is no need to go to unreasonable lengths to read the sutra when, for example, you are sick. If, as a result of forcing yourself to do a complete Gongyo at such times, your condition should worsen, then, rather than increasing your benefit, it may in fact have the opposite effect of destroying your joy in faith and thus generating negative value.
At such times, it may be best to simply read the "Hoben" and Jigage portions of the sutra and chant daimoku, or to just chant daimoku. Buddhism is reason. The important thing, therefore, is for each person to make wise judgments that will enable him or her to carry out a practice of Gongyo filled with joy.
The Lotus Sutra As Read From the Daishonin's Standpoint
The primary practice of the Daishonin's Buddhism is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate truth of the highest Buddhist teaching. Since we are carrying out the supreme primary practice, anything less than the highest supplementary practice would be of no help at all.
The supplementary practice the Daishonin chose is the Lotus Sutra, which represents the purpose of Shakyamuni Buddha's advent in this world. Of the sutras 28 chapters, he chose for recitation the "Hoben" chapter, which is the "essence of the theoretical teaching" (Gosho Zenshu p. 1015), and the "Juryo" chapter, , "the essence of the essential teaching" (Ibid., p. 1016).
During the Daishonin's time, as well, his followers read and recited these two chapters. In one Gosho, for example, he says:
Among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the "Hoben" chapter and the "Juryo" chapter are particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters are in a sense the branches and leaves of these two chapters. Therefore for your regular recitation, I recommend that you practice reading the prose sections of the "Hoben" and " Juryo" chapters (MW-6, 10).
He teaches that since the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters constitute the foundation of the Lotus Sutra's 28 chapters, these two chapters should be read dally.
Gongyo and daimoku are the roots that, as it were, enable you to grow into a great tree. The tree of your life strengthens and thickens as a cumulative result of your continuing practice of Gongyo and daimoku. While it may not be possible to see any changes from one day to the next, because of the daily nourishment a consistent practice affords, your life will one day become towering and vast like a great tree. As you carry out a steady practice, you will develop a state of life of absolutely indestructible happiness.
As I mentioned earlier, however, it goes without saying that the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters we recite are those of the Lotus Sutra as seen from Nichiren Daishonin's standpoint of the "teaching hidden in depths."
Nichikan explains that we read the "Hoben" chapter to "refute" its surface meaning and "borrow" its phrases, and that we read the "Juryo" chapter to "refute" its surface meaning and "reveal" the profound message hidden in it. Reading these chapters from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, we refute their surface meaning; it is as though we are saying: "The Lotus Sutra of Shakyamuni has no power of benefit in the Latter Day."
At the same time, from the Daishonin's standpoint, we also read it "to lend praise to the greatness of the Gohonzon through the Lotus Sutra." This way of reading it corresponds to "borrowing" its words and "revealing" its hidden teaching.
While there are meticulous arguments to support and substantiate this explanation, for the time being I would simply like to confirm the point that in reading the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters, we do so from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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Your Chanting Voices Reach the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
I imagine some of you may wonder how reading sutra passages you cannot understand could bring about any benefit. Let me reassure you that definitely there is benefit from carrying out this practice.
The Daishonin says:
A baby does not know the difference between water and fire, and cannot distinguish medicine from poison. But when he sucks milk, his life is nourished and sustained. Although one may not be versed [in various sutras]... if one listens to even one character or one phrase of the Lotus Sutra, one cannot fail to attain Buddhahood (MW-7, 104-05).
Just as a baby grows larger without realizing it by drinking milk, if you earnestly chant the Mystic Law with faith in the Gohonzon, your life definitely will come to shine with immeasurable good fortune and benefit.
To cite another example: Dogs have a language in the world of dogs, and birds have a language in the world of birds. While people cannot understand these languages, fellow dogs and fellow birds can certainly communicate with one another. Also, even though some people do not understand scientific jargon or a particular language, others can communicate very well through these languages.
Similarly it might be said that when we are doing daimoku, we are speaking in the Buddhas and bodhisattvas language. Even though you may not understand what you are saying, your voice definitely reaches the Gohonzon, all Buddhist gods and all Buddhas and bodhisattvas over the three existence's and in the 10 directions; and that, in response, the entire universe bathes you in the light of good fortune.
At the same time, it is certainly true that if you study the meaning of the sutra based on this practice and with a seeking mind, you can as a matter of course deepen your confidence and strengthen your faith still further.
A Practice for Revitalization
When we do Gongyo and chant daimoku, we conduct a ceremony in which we praise the Gohonzon and the great Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. On one level, it could be said that Gongyo is a poem or a song of the highest and utmost praise for the Buddha and for Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the fundamental law of the universe. At the same time, when we do Gongyo, we praise the eternal life of the universe and the world of Buddhahood in our own lives.
President Toda once said:
When we turn to the east and salute the Buddhist gods, then and there the Buddhist gods within our own hearts soar out into the universe. Then, when we face the Gohonzon during the second prayer, the Buddhist gods all take their seats behind us.
If I were to salute the Buddhist gods right now, then, regardless of whether it was night or day, they would all take their seats behind me and salute the Gohonzon. And these Buddhist gods would all work to bring about what I desire.
When we worship the Gohonzon, right then and there the doors of the microcosm within us open completely to the macrocosm, and we can experience a sense of serene and great happiness, as though gazing out over the entire universe. We sense tremendous fulfillment and joy, and gain access to a great and inexhaustible source of wisdom. The microcosm that has been embraced by the universe in turn embraces the universe.
Gongyo is an invigorating "ceremony of time without beginning" that revitalizes us from the very depths of our being. Therefore, the important thing is to do Gongyo each day filled with a feeling of rhythm and cadence --- like a horse galloping through the heavens. I hope you will do Gongyo when you are relaxed and refreshed in both body and mind, and that you will perform this practice in such a manner that you can experience great satisfaction and fulfillment.
Practicing the "King of Sutras" Makes People Strong and Wise
The Lotus is the "king of sutras," the "scripture that calls out to all people." It is a scripture "living" right now; it embodies the Buddha's compassion and egalitarian outlook. It is a "renaissance scripture," overflowing with the spirit of revitalization, that makes human beings strong and wise. And the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters are the "eye" of the sutra.
No practice is as universally accessible to all people as the practice that Nichiren Daishonin set forth of reading the sutra and chanting daimoku. This is the Buddhist practice most accessible to all people.
During the Daishonin's lifetime, both priests and lay people assiduously recited the sutra and chanted daimoku. In modern society, however, for many people in Japan, sutras have become something distant and remote; the only exposure that most people in Japan have to the sutras is when they hear a priest intoning them at a funeral.
This state of affairs, this tendency to depend on priests --- which has come to be regarded as so natural that no one questions it --- has produced a spiritual foundation of blind obedience to religious authority. And it is the "fundamental evil" that has allowed members of the clergy to grow arrogant and decadent.
Today, however, as a result of the development of the Soka Gakkai International, people not only in Japan but in countries throughout the world are joyously chanting the Mystic Law and reciting the "Hoben" and "Juryo" chapters. This is a grand undertaking wholly without precedent in the history of Buddhism. This represents the great religious revolution of the 20th century.
Nichiren Daishonin's "people's Buddhism" is generating a great light of peace and happiness throughout the world. Millions are experiencing the beneficial power of the Mystic Law and are acting out the wonderful drama of their human revolution. More than anything else, it is this fact that most eloquently attests to the correctness of the SGI, which carries on the spirit of the Lotus Sutra in the present age.
As I work on these lectures, I have images of these many friends in mind. I would like to proceed as though carrying on a discussion with each of you while gazing up into a clear, blue sky, or strolling leisurely along a path through a field filled with fragrant, blooming flowers.

 

[Babbabud]

Your Chanting Voices Reach the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas

I imagine some of you may wonder how reading sutra passages you cannot understand could bring about any benefit. Let me reassure you that definitely there is benefit from carrying out this practice.

The Daishonin says:

A baby does not know the difference between water and fire, and cannot distinguish medicine from poison. But when he sucks milk, his life is nourished and sustained. Although one may not be versed [in various sutras]... if one listens to even one character or one phrase of the Lotus Sutra, one cannot fail to attain Buddhahood (MW-7, 104-05).

Just as a baby grows larger without realizing it by drinking milk, if you earnestly chant the Mystic Law with faith in the Gohonzon, your life definitely will come to shine with immeasurable good fortune and benefit.
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How can we not say the words At Least once ?!!

Nam myoho renge kyo

wow post 420 interesting

 

[Babbabud]

The Conscious Application of Strength

Force recoils
But
The time comes
When there is nothing to do
Except act conciously
With courage

Chant
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Chant for all mankind
Chant for all life

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Hoben Chapter

The Hoben Chapter

The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
Chapter Two: Expedient Means
At that time the World-Honored One calmly arose from his samadhi and addressed Shariputra, saying: "The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasurable. The door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter. Not one of the voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas is able to comprehend it.

"What is the reason for this? A Buddha has personally attended a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million, a countless number of Buddhas and has fully carried out an immeasurable number of religious practices. He has exerted himself bravely and vigorously, and his name is universally known. He has realized the Law that is profound and never known before, and preaches it in accordance with what is appropriate, yet his intention is difficult to understand.

"Shariputra, ever since I attained Buddhahood I have through various causes and various similes widely expounded my teachings and have used countless expedient means to guide living beings and cause them to renounce attachments. Why is this? Because the Thus Come One is fully possessed by both expedient means and the paramita of wisdom.

"Shariputra, the wisdom of the Thus Come One is expansive and profound. He has immeasurable [mercy], unlimited [eloquence], power, fearlessness, concentration, emancipation, and samadhis, and has deeply entered the boundless and awakened to the Law never before attained.

"Shariputra, the Thus Come One knows how to make various kinds of distinctions and to expound the teachings skillfully. His words are soft and gentle and delight the hearts of the assembly.

"Shariputra, to sum it up: the Buddha has fully realized the Law that is limitless, boundless, never attained before.

"But stop, Shariputra, I will say no more. Why? Because what the Buddha has achieved is the rarest and most difficult-to-understand Law. The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, inherent cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect, and their consistency from beginning to end."

At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

The hero of the world is unfathomable.
Among heavenly beings or the people of the world,
among all living beings,
none can understand the Buddha.
The Buddha's power, fearlessness,
emancipation and samadhis
and the Buddha's other attributes
no one can reckon or fathom.
Earlier, under the guidance of countless Buddhas
he fully acquired and practiced various ways,
profound, subtle and wonderful doctrines
that are hard to see and hard to understand.
For immeasurable millions of kalpas
he has been practicing these ways
until in the place of practice he achieved the goal.
I have already come to see and know completely
this great goal and recompense,
the meaning of these various natures and characteristics.
I and the other Buddhas of the ten directions
can now understand these things.
This Law cannot be described,
words fall silent before it.
Among the other kinds of living beings
there are none who can comprehend it,
except the many bodhisattvas
who are firm in the power of faith.
The many disciples of the Buddhas
in the past have given offerings to the Buddhas,
have already cut off all outflows
and now are dwelling in their last incarnation.
But even such persons as they
have not the power needed.
Even if the whole world
were filled with men like Shariputra,
though they exhausted their thoughts and pooled their capacities,
they could not fathom the Buddha's knowledge.
Even if ten directions were all filled with men like Shariputra
or like the other disciples,
though they filled the lands in the ten directions
and exhausted their thoughts and pooled their capacities,
still they could not understand it.
If pratyekabuddhas, acute in understanding,
without outflows, in their last incarnation,
should fill the worlds in the ten directions,
as numerous as bamboos in a grove,
though they should join together with one mind
for a million or for countless kalpas,
hoping to conceive of the Buddha's true wisdom,
they could not understand the smallest part of it.
If bodhisattvas newly embarked on their course
should give offerings to numberless Buddhas,
completely mastering the intent of the various doctrines
and also able to preach the Law effectively,
like so many rice and hemp plants, bamboos or reeds,
filling the lands in the ten directions,
with a single mind, with their wonderful knowledge,
for kalpas numerous as Ganges sands
should all together pool their thoughts and capacities,
they could not understand the Buddha's knowledge.
If bodhisattvas who never regress,
their number like Ganges sands,
with a single mind should join in pondering and seeking,
they could not understand it either.
I also announce to you, Shariputra,
that this profound subtle and wonderful Law
without outflows, incomprehensible,
I have now attained in full.
Only I understand its characteristics,
and the Buddhas of the ten directions do likewise.
Shariputra, you should know
that the words of the various Buddhas never differ.
Toward the Law preached by the Buddhas
you must cultivate a great power of faith.
The world-honored One has long expounded his doctrines
and now must reveal the truth.
I announce this to the assembly of voice-hearers
and to those who seek the vehicle of the pratyekabuddha;
I have enabled people to escape the bonds of suffering
and to attain nirvana.
The Buddha, through the power of expedient means,
has shown them the teachings of the three vehicles
prying living beings loose from this or that attachment
and allowing them to attain release.

At that time among the great assembly there were voice-hearers, Arhats whose outflows had come to an end, Ajnata Kuandinya and the others, twelve hundred persons. And there were monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen who had conceived a desire to become voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas. Each of these had this thought: Now for what reason does the World-Honored One so earnestly praise expedient means and state that the Law attained by the Buddha is profound and difficult to understand, that it is very difficult to comprehend the meaning of the words he preaches, that not one of the voice-hearers or pratyekabuddhas can do so? If the Buddha preaches but one doctrine of emancipation, then we too should be able to attain this Law and reach the state of Nirvana. We cannot follow the gist of what he is saying now.

At that time Shariputra understood the doubts that were in the minds of the four kinds of believers, and he himself had not fully comprehended. So he addressed the Buddha, saying, "World-Honored One, what causes and conditions lead you to earnestly praise expedient means, the foremost device of the Buddhas, the profound, subtle and wonderful Law that is difficult to understand? From times past I have never heard this kind of preaching from the Buddha. Now the four kinds of believers all have doubts. We beg that the World-Honored One earnestly praise this Law that is profound, subtle and wonderful, difficult to understand?"

At that time Shariputra, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse from, saying:

Sun of wisdom, great sage and venerable one,
at long last you preach this Law.
You yourself declare you have attained
power, fearlessness, samadhis,
concentration, emancipation, and these other attributes,
and the Law that is beyond comprehension.
This Law attained in the place of practice
no one is capable of questioning you about.
'My intention is hard to fathom,
and no one can question me."
No one questions, yet you yourself preach,
praising the path you walk on.
Your wisdom is very subtle and wonderful,
that which all the Buddhas attain.
The arhats who are without outflows
and those who seek nirvana
now have all fallen into the net of doubt,
wondering for what reason the Buddha preaches this.
Those who seek to become pratyekabuddhas,
monks and nuns,
heavenly beings, dragons and spirits,
along with the gandharvas and others,
look at one another, filled with perplexity,
gazing upward at the most honored of two-legged beings.
What is the meaning of all this?
I beg the Buddha to explain it for us.
Among the assembly of voice-hearers
the Buddha has said I am foremost,
yet now I lack the wisdom
to solve these doubts and perplexities.
Have I in fact grasped the ultimate Law,
or am I still on the path of practice?
The sons born from the Buddha's mouth
press palms together, gaze upward and wait.
We beg you to put forth subtle and wonderful sounds
and at this time explain to us how it really is.
The heavenly beings, dragons, spirits, and the others,
their numbers like Ganges sands,
the bodhisattvas seeking to be Buddhas
in a great force of eighty thousand,
as well as the wheel-turning sage kings
come from ten thousands of millions of lands,
all press their palms and with reverent minds
wish to hear the teaching of perfect endowment.

At that time the Buddha addressed Shariputra, saying, "Stop, stop! There is no need to speak further. If I speak of this matter, then the heavenly and human beings throughout the worlds will all be astonished and doubtful."

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Hoben Chapter (continued)

The Hoben Chapter (continued)

The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
Chapter Two: Expedient Means

Shariputra once more spoke to the Buddha, saying, "World-Honored One, we beg you to preach! We beg you to preach! What is the reason? Because this assembly of countless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhyas of living beings in the past have seen the Buddhas; their faculties are vigorous and acute and their wisdom is bright. If they hear the Buddha preach, they will be capable of reverent belief."

At that time Shariputra, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

Dharma King, none more highly honored,
speak, we beg you, without reserve!
In this assembly of numberless beings
are those capable of reverent belief.

The Buddha repeated, "Stop, Shariputra! If I speak of this matter, the heavenly and human beings and asuras throughout the worlds will all be astonished and doubtful. The monks who are overbearingly arrogant will fall into a great pit."

At that time the World-Honored One repeated what he had said in verse form:

Stop, stop, no need to speak!
My Law is wonderful and difficult to ponder.
Those who are overbearingly arrogant
when they hear it will never show reverent belief.

At that time Shariputra once more spoke to the Buddha, saying, "World-Honored One, we beg you to preach! We beg you to preach! In this assembly at present the persons like myself number in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions. In age after age we have already attended the Buddhas and received instruction. People of this kind are certain to be capable of reverent belief. Throughout the long night they will gain peace and rest and will enjoy many benefits."

At that time Shariputra, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

Supremely honored among two-legged beings,
we beg you to preach this foremost Law.
I who am regarded as the Buddha's eldest son
ask you to favor us by preaching distinctions.
The countless members of this assembly
are capable of according reverent belief to this Law
The Buddhas have already in age after age
taught and converted them in this manner.
All with a single mind and palms pressed together
desire to hear and receive the Buddha's words.
I and the other twelve hundred of our group,
as well as the others who seek to become Buddhas,
beg that for the sake of this assembly
you will favor us by preaching distinctions.
When we hear this Law
we will be filled with great joy.

At that time the World-Honored One said to Shariputra, "Three times you have stated your earnest request. How can I do other than preach? Now you must listen attentively and carefully ponder. For your sake I will now analyze and explain the matter."

When he had spoken these words, there were some five thousand monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen in the assembly who immediately rose from their seats, bowed to the Buddha, and withdrew. What was the reason for this? These persons had roots of guilt that were deep and manifold, and in addition they were overbearingly arrogant. What they had not attained they supposed they had attained, what they had not understood they supposed they had understood. And because they had this failing, they did not remain where they were.

The World-Honored One was silent and did not try to detain them.

At this time the Buddha said to Shariputra, "Now this assembly of mine is free of branches and leaves, made up solely of the steadfast and truthful. Shariputra, it is well that these persons of overbearing arrogance have withdrawn. Now listen carefully and I will preach for you."

Shariputra said, "So be it, World-Honored One. We are eager to listen!"

The Buddha said to Shariputra, "A wonderful Law such as this is preached by the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones, at certain times. But like the blooming of the udumbara, such times come very seldom. Shariputra, you and the others must believe me. The words that the Buddhas preach are not empty or false.

"Shariputra, the Buddhas preach the Law in accordance with what is appropriate, but the meaning is difficult to understand. Why is this? Because we employ countless expedient means, discussing causes and conditions and using words of simile and parable to expound the teachings. This Law is not something that can be understood through pondering or analysis. Only those who are Buddhas can understand it. Why is this? Because the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, appear in the world for one great reason alone. Shariputra, what does it mean to say that the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, appear in the world for one great reason alone?

"The Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones , wish to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, to allow them to attain purity. That is why they appear in the world. They wish to show the Buddha wisdom to living beings, and therefore they appear in the world. They wish to cause living beings to awaken to the Buddha wisdom, and therefore they appear in the world. They wish to induce living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom, and therefore they appear in the world. Shariputra, this is the one great reason for which the Buddhas appear in the world."

The Buddha said to Shariputra, "The Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones, simply teach and convert the Bodhisattvas. All the things they do are at all times done for this one purpose. They simply wish to show the Buddha wisdom to living beings and enlighten them to it.

"Shariputra, the Thus Come Ones have only a single Buddha vehicle which they employ in order to preach the Law to living beings. They do not have any other vehicle a second one or a third one. Shariputra, the Law preached by all the Buddhas of the ten directions is the same as this.

"Shariputra, the Buddhas of the past used countless numbers of expedient means, various causes and conditions, and words of simile and parable in order to expound the doctrines for the sake of living beings. These doctrines are all for the sake of the one Buddha vehicle. These living beings, by listening to the doctrines of the Buddhas, are all eventually able to attain wisdom embracing all species.

Shariputra, when the Buddhas of the future make their appearance in the world, they too will use countless numbers of expedient means, various causes and conditions, and words of simile and parable in order to expound the doctrines for the sake of living beings. These doctrines will all be for the sake of the one Buddha vehicle. And these living beings, by listening to the doctrines of the Buddhas, will all eventually be able to attain wisdom embracing all species.

"Shariputra, the Buddhas, the World-Honored Ones, who exist at present in the countless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, and millions of Buddha lands in the ten directions, benefit and bring peace and happiness to living beings in large measure, these Buddhas too use countless numbers of expedient means, various causes and conditions, and words of simile and parable in order to expound the doctrines for the sake of living beings. These doctrines are all for the sake of the one Buddha vehicle. And these living beings, by listening to the doctrines of the Buddhas, are all eventually able to attain wisdom embracing all species.

"Shariputra, these Buddhas simply teach and convert the Bodhisattvas. They do it because they wish to show the Buddha wisdom to living beings. They do it because they wish to use the Buddha wisdom to enlighten living beings. They do it because they wish to cause living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom.

"Shariputra, I too will now do the same, I know that living beings have various desires. Attachments that are deeply implanted in their minds. Taking cognizance of this basic nature of theirs, I will therefore use various causes and conditions, words of simile and parable, and the power of expedient means and expound the Law for them. Shariputra, I do this so that all of them may attain the one Buddha vehicle and wisdom embracing all species.

"Shariputra, when the age is impure and the times are chaotic, then the defilements of living beings are grave, they are greedy and jealous and put down roots that are not good. Because of this, the Buddhas, utilizing the power of expedient means, apply distinctions to the one Buddha vehicle and preach as though it were three.

"Shariputra, if any of my disciples should claim to be an arhat or a pratyekabuddha and yet does not heed or understand that the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones, simply teach and convert the bodhisattvas, then he is no disciple of mine, he is no arhat or pratyekabuddha.

"Again, Shariputra, if there should be monks or nuns who claim that they already have attained the status of arhat, that this is their last incarnation, that they have reached the final nirvana, and that therefore they have no further intention of seeking anuttara-samyaksambodhi, then you should understand that such as these are all persons of overbearing arrogance. Why do I say this? Because if they are monks who have truly attained the status of arhat, then it would be unthinkable that they should fail to believe this Law. The only exception would be in a time after the Buddha had passed away, when there was no Buddha present in the world. Why is this? Because after the Buddha has passed away it will be difficult to find anyone who can embrace, recite, and understand the meaning of sutras such as this. But if persons at that time encounter another Buddha, then they will attain decisive understanding with regard to this Law.

"Shariputra, you and the others should with a single mind believe and accept the words of the Buddha. The words of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones, are not empty or false. There is no other vehicle, there is only the one Buddha vehicle.


(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Hoben Chapter (continued)

The Hoben Chapter (continued)

The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
Chapter Two: Expedient Means

"At that time the World-Honored One, wishing to state his meaning once more, spoke in verse form, saying:

There are monks and nuns
who behave with overbearing arrogance,
laymen full of self-esteem,
laywomen who are lacking in faith.
Among the four kinds of believers, the likes of these
number five thousand.
They fail to see their own errors,
are heedless and remiss with regard to the precepts,
clinging to their shortcomings, unwilling to change.
But these persons of small wisdom have already left;
the chaff among this assembly
has departed in the face of the Buddha's authority.
These persons were of paltry merit and virtue,
incapable of receiving this Law.
This assembly is now free of branches and leaves,
made up only of those steadfast and truthful.
Shariputra, listen carefully,
for the Law which the Buddhas have attained,
through the power of countless expedient means
they preach for the benefit of living beings.
The thoughts that are in the minds of living beings,
the different types of paths they follow,
their various desires and natures,
the good and bad deeds they have done in previous existences--
all these the Buddha takes cognizance of,
and then he employs causes, similes and parables,
words that embody the power of expedient means,
in order to gladden and please them all.
Sometimes he preaches sutras,
verses, stories of the previous lives of disciples,
stories of the previous lives of the Buddha, of unheard-of things.
At other times he preaches regarding causes and conditions,
uses similes, parables, passages of poetry
or discourses.
For those of dull capacities who delight in a little Law,
who greedily cling to birth and death,
who, despite the innumerable Buddhas,
fail to practice the profound and wonderful way
but are perplexed and confused by a host of troubles--
for these I preach nirvana.
I devise these expedient means
and so cause them to enter into the Buddha wisdom.
Up to now I have never told you
that you were certain to attain the Buddha way.
The reason I never preached in that manner
was that the time to preach so had not yet come.
But now is the very time
when I must decisively preach the Great Vehicle.
I use these nine devices,
adapting them to the living beings when I preach
my basic aim being to lead them into the Great Vehicle,
and that is why I preach this sutra.
There are sons of the Buddha who minds are pure,
who are gentle and of acute capacities,
who under innumerable Buddhas
have practiced the profound and wonderful way.
For these sons of the Buddha
I preach this sutra of the Great Vehicle.
And I predict that these persons
in a future existence will attain the Buddha way.
Because deep in their minds they think of the Buddha
and practice and uphold the pure percepts,
they are assured they will attain Buddhahood,
and hearing this, their whole bodies are filled with great joy.
The Buddha knows their minds and their practices
and therefore preaches for them the Great Vehicle.
When the voice-hearers and bodhisattvas
hear this Law that I preach,
as soon as they have heard one verse
they will all without doubt be certain of attaining Buddhahood.
In the Buddha lands of the ten directions
there is only the Law of the one vehicle,
there are not two, there are not three,
except when the Buddha preaches so as an expedient means,
merely employing provisional names and terms
in order to conduct and guide living beings
and preach to them the Buddha wisdom.
The Buddhas appear in the world
solely for this one reason, which is true;
the other two are not the truth.
Never do they use a lesser vehicle
to save living beings and ferry them across.
The Buddha himself dwells in this Great Vehicle,
and adorned with the power of meditation and wisdom
that go with the Law he has attained,
he uses it to save living beings.
He himself testifies to the unsurpassed way,
the Great Vehicle, the Law in which all things are equal.
If I used a lesser vehicle
to convert even one person,
I would be guilty of stinginess and greed,
but such a thing would be impossible.
If a person will believe and take refuge in the Buddha,
the Thus Come One will never deceive him,
nor will he ever show greed or jealousy,
for he has rooted out evil from among the phenomena.
Therefore throughout the ten directions
the Buddha alone is without fear.
I adorn my body with the special characteristics
and shine my light upon the world.
I am honored by numberless multitudes
and for them I preach the emblem of the reality of things.
Shariputra, you should know
that at the start I took a vow,
hoping to make all persons
equal to me, without any distinction between us,
and what I long ago hoped for
has now been fulfilled.
I have converted all living beings
and caused them all to enter the Buddha way.
If when I encounter living beings
I were in all cases to teach them the Buddha way,
those without wisdom would become confused
and in their bewilderment would fail to accept my teachings.
I know that such living beings have never in the past cultivated good roots
but have stubbornly clung to the five desires,
and their folly and craving have given rise to affliction.
Their desires are the cause
whereby they fall into the three evil paths,
revolving wheel-like through the six realms of existence
and undergoing every sort of suffering and pain.
Having received a tiny form in the womb,
in existence after existence they constantly grow to maturity.
Persons of meager virtue and small merit,
they are troubled and beset by manifold sufferings.
They stray into the dense forest of mistaken views,
debating as to what exists and what does not,
and in the end cling to such views,
embracing all sixty-two of them 2 .
They are profoundly committed to false and empty doctrines,
holding firmly to them, unable to set them aside.
Arrogant and puffed up with self-importance,
fawning and envious, insincere in mind,
for a thousand, ten thousand, a million kalpas
they will not hear the Buddha's name,
nor will they hear the correct Law--
such people are difficult to save.
For these reasons, Shariputra,
I have for their sake established expedient means,
preaching the way that ends all suffering.
And showing them nirvana.
But although I preach nirvana,
this is not a true extinction.
All phenomena from the very first
have of themselves constantly borne the marks of
tranquil extinction.
Once the sons of the Buddha have carried out this path,
then in a future existence they will be able to become Buddhas.
I have employed the power of expedient means
to unfold and demonstrate this doctrine of three vehicles,
but the World-Honored Ones, every one of them,
all preach the single vehicle way.
Now before this great assembly
I must clear away all doubts and perplexities.
There is no discrepancy in the words of the Buddhas,
there is only the one vehicle, not two.
For numberless kalpas in the past
countless Buddhas who have now entered extinction,
a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million types
in numbers incapable of calculation-
such World-Honored Ones,
using different types of causes, similes, and parables,
the power of countless expedient means,
have expounded the characteristics of teachings.
These World-Honored Ones
have all preached the doctrine of the single vehicle,
converting countless living beings
and causing them to enter the Buddha way.
And these great sage lords,
knowing what is desired deep in the minds
of the heavenly and human beings and the other living things
throughout all the worlds,
have employed still other expedient means
to help illuminate the highest truth.
If there are living beings
who have encountered these past Buddhas,
and if they have listened to their Law, presented alms,
or kept the precepts, shown forbearance,
been assiduous, practiced meditation and wisdom, and so forth,
cultivating various kinds of merit and virtue,
then persons such as these
all have attained the Buddha way.
After the Buddhas have passed into extinction,
if persons are of good and gentle mind,
then living beings such as these
have all attained the Buddha way.
After the Buddhas have passed into extinction,
if persons make offerings to the relics,
raising ten thousand or a million kinds of towers,
using gold, silver and crystal,
seashell and agate,
carnelian, lapis lazuli, pearls
to purify and adorn them extensively,
in this way erecting towers;
or if they raise up stone mortuary temples
or those of sandalwood or aloes,
hovenia or other kinds of timber,
or of brick, tile clay or earth;
if in the midst of the broad fields
they pile up earth to make a mortuary temple for the Buddhas,
or even if little boys at play
should collect sand to make a Buddha tower,
then persons such as these
have all attained the Buddha way.
If there are persons who for the sake of the Buddha
fashion and set up images,
carving them with many distinguishing characteristics,
then all have attained the Buddha way.
Or if they make things out of the seven kinds of gems,
of copper, red or white copper,
pewter, lead, tin
iron wood, or clay,
or use cloth soaked in lacquer or resin
to adorn and fashion Buddha images,
then persons such as these have all attained the Buddha way.
If they employ pigments to paint Buddha images,
endowing them with the characteristics of hundredfold merit,
if they make them themselves or have others make them,
then all have attained the Buddha way.
Even if little boys in play
should use a piece of grass or wood or a brush,
or perhaps a fingernail
to draw an image of the Buddha,
such persons as these
bit by bit will pile up merit
and will become fully endowed with a mind of
great compassion;
they all have attained the Buddha way.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Hoben Chapter (continued)

The Hoben Chapter (continued)

The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
Chapter Two: Expedient Means

Merely by converting the bodhisattvas
they bring salvation and release to numberless multitudes.
And if persons, in the presence of such memorial towers,
such jeweled images and painted images,
should with reverent minds make offerings
of flowers, incense, banners or canopies,
or if they should employ persons to make music,
striking drums or blowing horns or conch shells,
playing pipes, flutes, zithers, harps,
balloon guitars, cymbals and gongs,
and if these many kinds of wonderful notes
are intended wholly as an offering;
or if one with a joyful mind
sings a song in praise of the Buddha's virtue,
even if it is just one small note,
then all who do these things have attained the Buddha way.
If someone with a confused and distracted mind
should take even one flower
and offer it to a painted image,
in time he would come to see countless Buddhas.
Or if a person should bow or perform obeisance,
or should merely press his palms together,
or even should raise a single hand,
or give no more than a slight nod of the head,
and if this were done in offering to an image,
then in time he would come to see countless Buddhas.
And if he himself attains the unsurpassed way
and spreads salvation abroad to countless multitudes,
he will enter the nirvana of no remainder
as a fire dies out when the firewood is exhausted.
If persons with confused and distracted minds
should enter a memorial tower
and once exclaim, "Hail to the Buddha!"
Then all have attained the Buddha way.
If from past Buddhas
when they were in the world or after their extinction,
they should be those who heard this Law,
then all have attained the Buddha way.
The World-Honored Ones of the future,
whose numbers will be incalculable,
these Thus Come Ones
will also employ expedient means to preach the Law,
and all these Thus Come Ones
through countless expedient means
will save and bring release to living beings
so that they enter the Buddha's wisdom which is free
of outflows.
If there are those who hear the Law,
then not one will fail to attain Buddhahood.
The original vow of the Buddhas
was that the Buddha way, which they themselves practice,
should be shared universally among living beings
so that they too may attain this same way.
The Buddhas of future ages,
although they preach hundreds, thousands, millions
a countless number of doctrines,
in truth do so for the sake of the single vehicle.
The Buddhas, most honored of two-legged beings,
know that phenomena have no constantly fixed nature,
that the seed of Buddhahood sprout through causation,
and for this reason they preach the single vehicle.
But that these phenomena are part of an abiding Law,
that the characteristics of the world are constantly abiding--
this they have come to know in the place of practice
and as leaders and teachers they preach expedient means.
The presently existing Buddhas of the ten directions,
whom heavenly and human beings make offerings to,
who in number are like Ganges sands,
they have appeared in the world
in order to bring peace and comfort to living beings,
and they too preach the Law in this way.
They understand the foremost truth of tranquil extinction
and therefore employ the power of expedient means,
and though they point out various different paths,
in truth they do so for the sake of the Buddha vehicle.
They understand the actions of living beings,
the thoughts that lie deep in their minds,
the deeds they have carried out in the past,
their desires, their nature, the power of their exertions,
and whether their capacities are acute or dull,
and so they employ various causes and conditions,
similes, parables, and other words and phrases,
adapting what expedient means are suitable to their preaching.
Now I too am like this;
in order to bring peace and comfort to living beings
I employ various different doctrines
to disseminate the Buddha way.
Through the power of my wisdom
I know the nature and desires of living beings
and through expedient means I preach these doctrines,
causing all living beings to attain joy and gladness.
Shariputra, you should understand
that I view things through the Buddha eye,
I see the living beings in the six paths,
how poor and distressed they are, without merit or wisdom,
how they enter the perilous road of birth and death,
their sufferings continuing with never a break,
how deeply they are attached to the five desires,
like a yak enamored of it's tail,
blinding themselves with greed and infatuation,
their vision so impaired they can see nothing.
They do not seek the Buddha, with his great might,
or the Law that can end their sufferings,
but enter deeply into erroneous views,
hoping to shed suffering through great suffering.
For the sake of these living beings
I summon up a mind of great compassion.
When I first sat in the place of practice
and gazed at the tree and walked around it,
for the space of three times seven days
I pondered the matter in this way.
The wisdom I have attained, I thought,
is subtle, wonderful, the foremost.
But living beings, dull incapacity,
are addicted to pleasure and blinded by stupidity.
With persons such as this,
what can I say, how can I save them?
At that time the Brahma kings,
along with the heavenly king Shakra,
the Four Heavenly Kings who guard the world,
and the heavenly king Great Freedom,
in company with other heavenly beings
and their hundreds and thousands
of followers,
reverently pressing their palms together and bowed,
begging me to turn the wheel of the Law.
Immediately I thought to myself
that if I merely praised the Buddha vehicle,
then the living beings, sunk in their suffering,
would be incapable of believing in this Law.
And because they rejected the Law and failed to believe it,
they would fall into the three evil paths.
It would be better if I did not preach the Law
but quickly entered into nirvana.
Then my thoughts turned to the Buddhas of the past
and the power of expedient means they had employed,
and I thought that the way I had now attained
should likewise be preached as three vehicles.
When I thought in this manner,
the Buddhas of the ten directions all appeared
and with Brahma sounds comforted and instructed me.
"Well done, Shakyamuni!" they said.
"Foremost leader and teacher,
you have attained the unsurpassed Law.
But following the example of all other Buddhas,
you will employ the power of expedient means.
We too have all attained
the most wonderful, the foremost Law,
but for the sake of living beings
we make distinctions and preach the three vehicles.
People of small wisdom delight in a small Law,
unable to believe that they themselves could becomes Buddhas.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Hoben Chapter (conclusion)

The Hoben Chapter (conclusion)

The Lotus Sutra
Translated by Burton Watson
Chapter Two: Expedient Means

Therefore we employ expedient means,
making distinctions and preaching various goals.
But though we preach the three vehicles,
we do it merely in order to teach the bodhisattvas."
Shariputra, you should understand this.
When I heard these saintly lions
and their deep, pure subtle, wonderful sounds,
I rejoiced, crying "Hail to the Buddhas!"
Then I thought to myself,
I have come into this impure and evil world,
and as these Buddhas have preached,
I too must follow that example in my actions.
After I had thought of the matter in this way,
I set out at once for Varanasi.
The marks of tranquil extinction borne by all phenomena
cannot be explained in words,
and therefore I used the power of expedient means
to preach to the five ascetics.
This I termed turning the wheel of the Law,
and also with regard to "the sound of nirvana,"
and "arhat," "Dharma" and Samgha,"
I used these terms to indicate distinctions.
"From infinite kalpas in the past
I have extolled and taught the Law of nirvana,
ending the long sufferings of birth and death."
This is how I customarily preached.
Shariputra, you should know this.
When I looked at the Buddha sons,
I saw incalculable thousands, ten thousands, millions
who had determined to seek the way of the Buddha,
everyone with a respectful and reverent mind,
all coming to the place of the Buddha,
persons who in the past had listened to other Buddhas
and heard the Law preached through expedient means.
Immediately the thought came to me
that the reason the Thus Come One has appeared
is so he may preach the Buddha wisdom.
Now is precisely the time to do so.
Shariputra, you should understand
that persons of dull capacity and small wisdom,
who are attached to appearances, proud and overbearing,
are incapable of believing in this Law.
Now I, joyful and fearless,
in the midst of the bodhisattvas,
honestly discarding expedient means,
will preach only the unsurpassed Way.
When the bodhisattvas hear this Law,
they will be released from all entanglements of doubt.
The twelve hundred Arhats,
they too will all attain Buddhahood.
Following in the same fashion that the Buddhas of the
three existences
employ in preaching the Law,
I now will do likewise,
preaching a Law that is without distinctions.
The times when the Buddhas appear in the world are far apart and difficult to encounter.
And even when they appear in the world
it is difficult for them to preach this Law.
Throughout incalculable, innumerable kalpas
it is rare that one may hear this Law,
and a person capable of listening to this Law,
such a person is likewise rare.
It is like the udumbara flower
which all the world loves and delights in,
which heavenly and human beings look on as something rare,
but which appears only once in many ages.
If a person hears this Law, delights and praises it,
even if he utters just one word,
then he has made offerings
to all the Buddhas of the three existences.
But a person like this is very rarely found,
rarer than the udumbara flower.
You should have no doubts.
I being king of the doctrines,
make this announcement to the entire great assembly.
I employ only the single vehicle way
to teach and convert the bodhisattvas,
I have no voice-hearer disciples.
You, Shariputra,
and the voice-hearers and bodhisattvas,
you should understand that this wonderful Law
is the secret crux of the Buddhas.

In this evil world of the five impurities
those who merely delight in and are attached to the desires,
living beings such as this
in the end will never seek the Buddha way.
When evil persons in ages to come
hear the Buddha preach the single vehicle,
they will be confused, will not believe or accept it,
will reject the Law and fall into the evil paths.
But when there are those with sense of shame, persons of purity
who have determined to seek the Buddha way,
then for the sake of such as these
one should widely praise the way of the single vehicle.
Shariputra, you should understand this.
The Law of the Buddhas is like this.
Employing ten thousand, a million expedient means,
they accord with what is appropriate in preaching the Law.
Those who are not versed in this matter
cannot fully comprehend this.
But you and the others already know
how the Buddhas, the teachers of the world,
accord with what is appropriate in employing expedient means.
You will have no more doubts or perplexities
but, your minds filled with great joy,
will know that you yourselves will attain Buddhahood.

 

[chiefpuffpuff]

Puff puff puffin on one for the Knowledge holders puff puff puffin on one for the non knowledge holders Nampuff myohopuff rengepuff kyopuff Puff Puff the Krodishvara Dragon goes Puff A HAApuff puff for the sake of all beings Just Puff puff Pass or iam gonna kick ya in ass ..

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Dude you just made some karma for yourself

Dude you just made some karma for yourself

Don't worry puff, Pass is puffin.

But I am very sorry to have opened the door for you to make such bad karma for yourself. Really. Sincerely. From the bottom of my heart I appologize. But according to the Law, even having encountered it and reacted in such a disrespectful manner, you will suffer the consequences and still attain Buddhahood through embracing the Law sometime in the future.

One of the biggest nono's in Buddhism is to propagate it in a manner or time or place, where the people are not yet ready to receive it. They lack the wisdom not to slander it. They make causes far graver than they can possibly be aware. It is my responsibility to not do that, and I failed here.

I am sorry if I am attempting to reveal too much via this sort of medium. It's a shame, because I planned some real goodies for everyone. Shit puff. You fucked me up.

T

 

[Babbabud]

even though disrespect has been shown, the words have been said , and buddhahood will be obtained, we all endure karma , but the gift of buddhahood has been given through this thread just by puff uddering the words, I dont think too much can be revealed ... please go on .

---------------------------------------
Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[chiefpuffpuff]

<shakes head> Do you think that the good buddha mind would curse me for beiing goofy?? Lighten up child ..and for buddhas sake stop acting so arrogantly ,,how could you ever tell me that ive createrd negative karma when you dont me ..the only one who created negative karma was yourself .. when my silly words broke you up like they did .. you act way to effected to be Buddha ...
So come on Xian Buddhas ..Let me hear it .. i can handle the negative Karma of the Herd ..

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Comparative Sayings of the Buddha and Jesus

Comparative Sayings of the Buddha and Jesus

http://www.johnworldpeace.com/budjesus.html

"I am telling you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you,
pray for those who mistreat you." -- Jesus

"Whoever counters the malicious with malice can never be pure, but
he who feels no maliciousness pacifies those who hate. Hate brings
misery to humanity so the wise man knows no hatred" (Ud 14:12).
-- Buddha

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Not at all chief

Not at all chief

I wasn't angry at all. I was just saying what the sutras say. To put out Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with puffs in it was beyond being goofy. It WAS being disrespectful, and my point was, "How would you really know that or appreciate that?" You proved my point by characterizing it as goofy.

I am compelled to put out this disclaimer. Unless you can show me somewhere where what I said was wrong, please listen sincerely. I am not being arrogant. I don't know you and you are probably a great guy. I've already chanted for you, so I assure you that my response was very even and calm and totally without even having been offended.

But if people are going to recieve what's put in here as something to be "goofy" about. I wont do it because I'm not supposed to. That was the only point I had in responding in the first place. If you are interested in joining the conversation, please do so with the right attitude in your heart.

The last sentence was just a goof right back at you. Maybe you need to reflect on your attitude before you jump to conclusions about others. We have a Mr. BOG that hangs around here, who seems to have the power to make short work of trolls if thats what you are up to. I'd hate to see you get banned for just being goofy.

Please be careful.

Sincerely,

Thomas

 

[chiefpuffpuff]

iam not here to flame up this thread ..nor disrespect your fave chant .. chants any and all words ,puff puff included echo equal upon the Dharmakaya ..
Going beyond buddha Huffing and Puffing and being majesticly goofy eternal
Ghiefpuffinstuff