Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

Good Friends

Good Friends

Ananda, one of Shakyamuni Buddha's closest disciples, once asked him: "It seems to me that by having good friends and advancing together with them, one has already halfway attained the Buddha way. Is this way of thinking correct?"

Shakyamuni replied, "Ananda, this way of thinking is not correct. Having good friends and advancing together with them is not half the Buddhist way but all the Buddhist way."

This may seem surprising, as Buddhism is often viewed as a solitary discipline in which other people might be seen as more of a hindrance than a help. However, to polish and improve our lives ultimately means to develop the quality of our interpersonal relationships--a far more challenging task than any solitary discipline. Our practice of Buddhism only finds meaning within the context of these relationships.

From another perspective, given that Buddhist practice of polishing and aiming to improve our lives from within is a constant challenge and a difficult process, it is only natural that we need support from others also dedicated to walking a correct path in life, trying also to create value in their lives.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has written, "Having good friends is like being equipped with a powerful auxiliary engine. When we encounter a steep hill or an obstacle, we can encourage each other and find the strength to keep pressing forward." And as Nichiren (1222--1282) wrote: "Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, but a person of considerable strength, when alone, may lose his footing on an uneven path. . . ."

In Nichiren Buddhism, good friends are known as zenchishiki or good influences, while akuchishiki refers to bad influences. People affect each other in subtle and complex ways, and it is important to develop the ability to discern the nature of that influence. According to Buddhism, "bad" friends are those who encourage our weaknesses. In Nichiren's words: "Evil friends are those who, speaking sweetly, deceiving, flattering and making skillful use of words, win the hearts of the ignorant and destroy their goodness of mind."

Even when intentions are good, the degree of our positive influence on each other will vary. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, founder of the Soka Gakkai, used the following illustration. Say you have a friend who needs a certain amount of money. Giving your friend the money they need is an act of small good, while helping them find a job is an act of medium good. However, if your friend is really suffering because of a basic tendency toward laziness, then constantly helping him or her out may only perpetuate negative habits. In this case, true friendship is helping that person change the lazy nature that is the deep cause of their suffering.

A truly good friend is someone with the compassion and courage to tell us even those things we would prefer not to hear, which we must confront if we are to develop and grow in our lives.

Ultimately, however, whether people are good or evil influences in our lives is up to us. In Buddhist terms, the best kind of zenchishiki is one who leads us to strengthen our own faith and practice in order to thoroughly transform our karma. To quote Nichiren again, "the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a zenchishiki, or good friend." Further, Nichiren comments that Devadatta, the cousin of Shakyamuni who tried to kill him and divide the Buddhist order, was "the foremost good friend to Thus Come One Shakyamuni. In this age as well, it is not one's allies, but one's powerful enemies who assist one's progress."

This expresses a key concept in Buddhism. Due to the immense transformative powers of Buddhist practice, even "bad" friends can have a good influence if we make our relationships with them into opportunities to examine, reform and strengthen our lives. The ideal is ultimately to develop the kind of all-encompassing compassion expressed by Nichiren when he wrote that his first desire was to lead to enlightenment the sovereign who had persecuted him, repeatedly exiling and even attempting to behead him.

(from: sgi.org)

 

[GordyP]

Say Hey to Everyone

Say Hey to Everyone

Thank you for the birthday wishes. I only wish now I had checked up on the thread yesterday to see them on my actual birthday. No excuse...

Let me say this without any reservation: turning 51 yesterday was one helluva lot better than turning 50 twelve months ago. When I try to think back over just that short amount of time, it boggles my mind to realize how much in my life has changed for the positive. I am alive again, pulled up from the depths by a connection with an old dear friend back in September, a serious effort to focus on chanting in October which was quickly followed with serious results. By the end of that month I finally returned to the world of engineering with a full-time salaried job at a rapidly growing company. On to November when I met a wonderful southern girl on this Chanting Growers thread, and exchanged PMs. This in turn led to phone calls in December, a long distance sharing of spirit on Christmas and New Year's Eve, a first face to face meeting in January, and the love, warmth, compassion, and learning just keeps growing. With any luck, the distance between us will soon be cut to zero. In our hearts, it already has. Alive again, YEAH!!

Oh, and along the way, I learned how to grow some kick-ass bodacious reefer in a small closet! (Thanks again to PTD, BOG, Blatant, tRuKemist, and Spankin' Elvis). Your Knowledge and generousity in this arena is overwhelming.

And thanks again to everyone here who has shared thoughts and events with me and helped to get me kick-started. It's good to be happy with myself again, with a focus and direction on the Buddha nature of things. I'm really looking forward to the next 51 years now! :wink:

Keep Em Green and Growin'

GordyP

 

[Guest]

Happy Birthday Gordy
Hope you had a good one. All the best mate,
Leeroy

 

[PassTheDoobie]

If birthdays bring out the posts like this, let's celebrate someone's everday! Good to see Gordy and Bud and you too Leeroy! Where the fuck is SoCal? (And Natty?)

And hello Mrs. G!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (20)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (20)

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

How To Manifest the Life of 'Kuon Ganjo'

Issai seken. Tennin gyu. Ashura. Kai i kon shaka-muni-butsu. Shus^shaku-shi gu. Ko gayajo fu on. Za o dojo. Toku a-noku-ta-ra san-myaku sanbodai. Nen zen-nanshi. Ga jitsu jo-butsu irai. Muryo muhen. Hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta ko.

"In all the worlds the heavenly and human beings and ashuras all believe that the present Shakyamuni Buddha, after leaving the palace of the Shakyas, seated himself in the place of practice not far from the city of Gaya and there attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi [the supreme perfect enlightenment]. But good men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood." (LS, 225)(1)

Ga jitsu jo-butsu irai. Muryo muhen. Hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta ko.

It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood

The sanctity of life is something known to everyone. At the same time, there is universal confusion about the essential meaning of life's sanctity.

If the sanctity of life can become a solid touchstone of wisdom for all people, then humankind's destiny to repeatedly experience war and misery can be greatly transformed. It is toward this end that we are struggling.

From the 20th century, a century of war, to a century of life --- the crucial moment for this great transformation has now arrived. This is the "time of the essential teaching," the moment for "casting off the transient and revealing the true."

In any instance of great transition, there is always an individual who stands up in response to the exigencies of the time. As long as there is one such outstanding person, then two or three will follow. This is the principle of kosen-rufu.

Let us now begin a dynamic march toward the 75th anniversary of the Soka Gakkai's founding in the year 2005.

The Lotus Sutra is the teaching that can enable all people to unfailingly perceive life's sanctity and establish a dignified way of life.

The lesson of the Lotus Sutra's theoretical teaching is that all people can uncover the wisdom of the Buddha inherent in their lives.

By contrast, the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" chapter of the essential teaching reveals that Shakyamuni did not attain the wisdom of the Buddha for the first time in his present lifetime. Its lesson is that the eternal activities of life are fundamentally endowed with the wisdom of the Buddha and that Shakyamuni is the entity of that eternal life.

By casting off his transient status and revealing his true identity, Shakyamuni clarifies that each person is an entity of eternal life. This substantiates the Lotus Sutra's teaching that all people can gain access to the wisdom of the Buddha and develop their state of life.

Nichiren Daishonin's 'Casting Off the Transient and Revealing the True'

Nichiren Daishonin actualized the principle of "casting off the transient and revealing the true" at the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, which took place on the 12th day of the ninth month of 1271.

In "The Opening of the Eyes," he says: "On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the rat and the ox [11:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m.], this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado..." (MW-2 [2nd ed.], 153).

Nichikan Shonin says regarding this passage:

The fundamental meaning of this passage is as follows: the founder and great sage Nichiren speaks of the entity of the life of an ordinary person at the [initial] stage of myoji-soku (2) becoming the Buddha of limitless joy of kuon ganjo, and attaining his true identity. He thus clearly indicates himself to be the original Buddha of the Buddhism of sowing [who makes his advent] in the Latter Day of the Law.

In other words, the Daishonin manifested the life of the Buddha of limitless joy of kuon ganjo in the life of an ordinary person. This is how the Daishonin actualized the principle of "casting off the transient and revealing the true."

The Daishonin's true identity is that of the Buddha of limitless joy (Jpn jijuyushin) of kuon ganjo. Limitless joy means "the self that freely receives and employs" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 759). It indicates the state of life of one who attains awareness that the entire universe is his own life, and who freely receives and employs the power of the Mystic Law that is the fundamental wellspring of the cosmic life.

'You Should Be Delighted at This Great Fortune'

To Shijo Kingo who tearfully remarked when Nichiren Daishonin was about to be beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, "These are your last moments," the Daishonin said, "You should be delighted at this great fortune" (MW-1, 181).

Seen from the vast state of life of one who freely receives and employs the power of the world of Buddhahood pervading the universe, the schemes of Hei no Saemon and Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple to do the Daishonin in must have seemed of very little consequence indeed. "I had long expected it to come to this" (MW-1, 175), the Daishonin says, dispassionately reflecting on the situation.

Even while in exile on the island of Sado, he reveals his immense state of life: "I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now an exile" (MW-1, 94). Despite the severity of the conditions under which he lived, while there he composed "The Opening of the Eyes" and "The True Object of Worship," which clarify the teaching that can lead all people to enlightenment during the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law. And it was there that he first began to inscribe Gohonzon.

What a vast and boundless state of life the Daishonin possessed! No persecution, no matter how severe, could destroy his spirit.

President Toda used to remark: "There are those who say that the Daishonin was great because he endured such great persecutions. That may be so, but what makes him greater still is that, even while enduring all manner of great persecution, he continued struggling with immense compassion to lead all people to enlightenment."

The Daishonin's "casting off the transient and revealing the true" should not be seen as putting him on a plane inaccessible to ordinary people. What the Daishonin in fact revealed at Tatsunokuchi is the supreme path of human conduct.

Through his own example, the Daishonin revealed the greatness and dignity of the individual human being. He certainly did not cease to he a human being. Rather, he manifested the vast state of life within him in order to raise up the lives of all people.

The essence of Buddhism lies in the principle of ordinary people in their present form manifesting the supremely noble state of Buddhahood. The life of kuon ganjo can be manifested in the entity of the life of a common mortal. This is what the Daishonin taught by his own example through "casting off the transient and revealing the true."

Advance With a Great Awareness of Your Mission

While on a different level, we should each strive to manifest our true identity through our faith and our practice for kosen-rufu.

"Revealing the true" means to stand up based on the most profound awareness. By translating this awareness into action, we reveal our true identity.

President Toda said: "In terms of the surface meaning of the sutras, or in terms of our external function, we are Bodhisattvas of the Earth. But from the standpoint of faith, we are followers and later disciples of Nichiren Daishonin." This conviction, he went on to say, is the "central idea of the Soka Gakkai."

When all members stand up with the realization that they are children of the Buddha who have a direct connection with Nichiren Daishonin, the SGI will, as an organization, actualize the principle of "casting off the transient and revealing the true."

We Each Possess an Important Mission for Kosen-rufu

The day of "casting off the transient and revealing the true" for the Soka Gakkai was May 3, 1951, when Josei Toda became the second Soka Gakkai president.

At that time, President Toda made his great declaration vowing to achieve a membership of 750,000 households. In response to his impassioned call, the entire membership of the Soka Gakkai became filled with the great awareness: "We are Bodhisattvas of the Earth!" "We are the true followers of the original Buddha!"

Around that day, President Toda said many times: "Looking back, from around the spring of 1943, President Makiguchi was always saying that the Soka Gakkai 'has to cast off the transient and reveal the true.' Unless we actualized the principle of 'casting off the transient and revealing the true,' he said, something was wrong with us. Everyone just stood around perplexed, not knowing what to do."

In the end, Mr. Toda carried out President Makiguchi's spirit. The bond of mentor and disciple is the key to "casting off the transient and revealing the true."

We are all children of the original Buddha. There is not one of us who does not have an important mission to fulfill. There are no members of the SGI who do not possess the true identity of a Bodhisattva of the Earth.

In his novel Ningen Kakumei (The Human Revolution),(3) President Toda describes his attainment of enlightenment while in prison. The character representing him in the novel, Gan, is an ordinary man who lives in a tenement. Why did he depict a scene of enlightenment with a totally unexceptional person as the protagonist?

President Toda explained: "This is to make it clear that anyone at all can equally share in the mission to accomplish kosen-rufu."

"True identity" means true self. The life of the Buddha wells forth powerfully in those who awaken to their original mission; whatever their personal or social situation, such people can realize victory in life with total composure. They can follow a joyful and meaningful path in life. Therefore, those who base themselves on the theme "kosen-rufu and my life" will never become deadlocked.

The life of Nichiren Daishonin and the power of the Gohonzon are as vast and boundless as the universe itself. Our own lives also contain infinite potential. Whether we can actualize that potential depends entirely on the strength and depth of our determination in faith.

Rise With the Buddha Every Morning, Rest With the Buddha Every Night

Whenever we find ourselves in a deadlock, we need to challenge ourselves to offer sincere prayer and summon forth great power of faith to resolve the situation. According to President Toda, this is what "casting off the transient and revealing the true" means for us. Faith means to struggle against deadlock. Faith is a struggle between the devil and the Buddha. In Buddhism, victory or defeat is the prime concern.

Every morning we start out from the prime point of life. Every morning the sun of kuon ganjo rises in our hearts.

"Morning after morning we rise with the Buddha, evening after evening with the Buddha we rest. Moment by moment we attain the Way, moment by moment we reveal the true" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 737).

He says, "moment by moment we reveal the true." When we exert ourselves in chanting daimoku and carrying out activities for kosen-rufu, our true self --- the Buddha of limitless joy --- appears in our lives; our wisdom is activated; courage wells forth; and we can enjoy a state of life of total freedom. This is what "casting off the transient and revealing the true" means for us.

In the "Ongi Kuden" (Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings), the Daishonin explains the implicit meaning of the passage, "it has been immeasurable, boundless...kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood," as follows: "The passage is thus saying that the Buddhahood that 'I in fact attained' is immeasurable and boundless in both the past and the future" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 753).

When through faith we realize, "Fundamentally, I am a Buddha," our true self in the present moment, which contains our life over both the eternal past and the eternal future, becomes manifest. Then, the Daishonin teaches, we can freely engage ourselves on the great stage of eternal life. The "Life Span" chapter reveals the cosmic life force we each originally possess.


Notes:
1. All quotations from the Lotus Sutra are from: The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson (New York: Columbia University Press, 1993). All citations from this work are abbreviated as follows: Lotus Sutra, followed by the page number.
2. Myoji-soku is the second of the six stages of practice set forth by T'ien-t'ai in the Maka Shikan (Great Concentration and Insight). This is the stage at which one hears the name (myo) of the ultimate reality and/or reads the words (ji) of the Buddhist teachings and thereby understands theoretically that one inherently possesses the Buddha nature and that all phenomena are manifestations of the Mystic Law.
3. The novel Ningen Kakumei by Josei Toda and The Human Revolution by President Ikeda are two separate works. Ningen Kakumei is a biographical account of Toda and his relationship with Tsunesaburo Makiguchi in the early days of the Soka Gakkai. It has not been published in English. President Ikeda's novel begins with Toda's release from prison in 1945.

 

[Babbabud]

When through faith we realize, "Fundamentally, I am a Buddha," our true self in the present moment, which contains our life over both the eternal past and the eternal future, becomes manifest. Then, the Daishonin teaches, we can freely engage ourselves on the great stage of eternal life. The "Life Span" chapter reveals the cosmic life force we each originally possess.

It really is all about the present moment I love all you guys

Had a cpl friends pass over the last cpl weeks and have another on the way .. thanks for your post PTD .... they make it so much easier...sometimes its hard to let go of attachments

much love from the babba's

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo !!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Send them your Daimoku! They will receive it and find comfort in it. You can effect their connection to the Law through the power of your own Buddha nature. We send our influence from the saha world where cause can be manifest, to ku where it cannot.

In doing so you cement not only their embracing of the Law in their next lives, but that you will be there to teach it to them.

T

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Rosen-Kufu is what sounds like what happened to me but it could have been GOD Bramha. If indeed he is good as I believe he is then I now invoke his protection and ask that he accept the gratitude that I feel. I saw a brilliant light when I moved forward through my mind. I entered the light and it was a shock like entering a lightning bolt. It was ectasy and it felt like love but I started realizing things. When it was over I felt I had to tell everyone the grand concept that had been bestowed upon me but I lost it. My mind tired and became confused. Never again did my meditations ever amount to more than the state of numbness over the body.

I read every day and the text is still trying to prove validity. My son has read the lotus sutra and says that it is very simple actually. Our feeling is that it does not invalidate all the previous teachings but that they were for a different stage. Some day we will have another stage perhaps but now the chant is to be spread. The correct one and it does matter. I didn't see why but after reading more the importance of true teaching over false doctrines does matter.

My life keeps me busy and I dont rush a good book so be patient with me as I am a slow learner. Once I know something I do communicate it to many however. Let me be a vehicle for the truth to be spread once I have it down but first I seek my enlightenment. If it never comes I will still do what I can to help others reach it.

Whatever happened to me at age 15 I thank whoever is responcible. Shakra not shiva.

So I can love Bramha then but you shouldnt worship him?

Which version of the buddha is the Shakymani version. Please excuse my spelling if my ignorance shows however thats ok.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo gives me hope that even Mrs. BOG and myself can reach the stage of non regression some day and so much more...

BOG Glory is fleeting and money is easy come, easy go...a lifetime is just a blink and yet all of time can be encompassed in one millisecond...go figure.

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Oh Gordy!! I am about to turn 51 myself. I figured you to be my junior but in fact you are my senior by a couple months. Happy Birthday and I hope 51 is a good age. BOG

 

[GordyP]

Shoot, BOG!
I got SOCKS older than you! :wink:

Yeah, I go waaaay back.

GordyP

 

[Guest]

Something so Great to Share

Something so Great to Share

I have to share with everyone that tonight my youngest son recieved his Gohonzon. And a member gave him a butsudan that was made by the same fellow who made mine. The night was so great and myho! We had no idea he was getting it tonight and he also was hooked up with our Headquarters Chief son in Youth Divison. A very bright kid who immediately started talking with him about study division. I knew right away, that he will be fine when I leave here. HE HAS HIS GOHONZON! This has been one of the best days of my life! Southern Girl

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Congratulations to you!

Congratulations to you!

One down and two to go. Please give my heartfelt congratulations to Mr. R on this milestone in his young life. If he applies himself he will be a treasure for kosen-rufu. You have every reason to be so happy! Well done!

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Dependent Origination

Dependent Origination

Buddhism teaches that all life is interrelated. Through the concept of "dependent origination," it holds that nothing exists in isolation, independent of other life. The Japanese term for dependent origination is engi, literally "arising in relation." In other words, all beings and phenomena exist or occur only because of their relationship with other beings or phenomena. Everything in the world comes into existence in response to causes and conditions. Nothing can exist in absolute independence of other things or arise of its own accord.

Shakyamuni used the image of two bundles of reeds leaning against each other to explain dependent origination. He described how the two bundles of reeds can remain standing as long as they lean against each other. In the same way, because this exists, that exists, and because that exists, this exists. If one of the two bundles is removed, then the other will fall. Similarly, without this existence, that cannot exist, and without that existence, this cannot exist.

More specifically, Buddhism teaches that our lives are constantly developing in a dynamic way, in a synergy of the internal causes within our own life (our personality, experiences, outlook on life and so on) and the external conditions and relations around us. Each individual existence contributes to creating the environment which sustains all other existences. All things, mutually supportive and related, form a living cosmos, a single living whole.

When we realize the extent of the myriad interconnections which link us to all other life, we realize that our existence only becomes meaningful through interaction with, and in relation to, others. By engaging ourselves with others, our identity is developed, established and enhanced. We then understand that it is impossible to build our own happiness on the unhappiness of others. We also see that our constructive actions affect the world around us. And, as Nichiren wrote, "If you light a lamp for another, your own way will be lit."

There is an intimate mutual interconnection in the web of nature, in the relationship between humankind and its environment--and also between the individual and society, parents and children, husband and wife.

If as individuals we can embrace the view that "because of that, this exists," or, in other words, "because of that person, I can develop," then we need never experience pointless conflicts in human relations. In the case of a young married woman, for instance, her present existence is in relation to her husband and mother-in-law, regardless of what sort of people they may be. Someone who realizes this can turn everything, both good and bad, into an impetus for personal growth.

Buddhism teaches that we "choose" the family and circumstances into which we are born in order to learn and grow and to be able to fulfill our unique role and respective mission in life.

On a deeper level, we are connected and related not just to those physically close to us, but to every living being. If we can realize this, feelings of loneliness and isolation, which cause so much suffering, begin to vanish, as we realize that we are part of a dynamic, mutually interconnected whole.

As Daisaku Ikeda has written, an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life can lead to a more peaceful world:
"We're all human beings who, through some mystic bond, were born to share the same limited life span on this planet, a small green oasis in the vast universe. Why do we quarrel and victimize one another? If we could all keep the image of the vast heavens in mind, I believe that it would go a long way toward resolving conflicts and disputes. If our eyes are fixed on eternity, we come to realize that the conflicts of our little egos are really sad and unimportant."

(from: sgi.org)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

For BOG

For BOG

"So I can love Bramha then but you shouldnt worship him?"

Let me be real clear on this, if you are trying to practice Buddhism in accord with the Daishonin's teachings, YOU DO NOT worship anything other than the Gohonzon. That's why it's called the Object of Devotion. It been referred to many times as the Object of Worship.

Understand that the Gohonzon is the embodiment of the Treasure Tower at the Ceremony in the Air. It is also the embodiment of the Dharma Body of the Buddha of Beginningless Time. As such it absolutely literally, not figuratively, is synonymous and one with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, your Buddha Nature, the Buddha Nature of Nichiren Daishonin, and the Buddha nature of all Buddhas throughout the Universe.

The Daishonin teaches rather strictly, out of extreme compassion and mercy: chant only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and according to the tenets of the Fuji school, the only object of devotion is the Gohonzon, inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin for the ultimate purpose of making all mankind equal to himself.

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Southern Girl, that is very joyful news and I am happy for you both. My son will one day follow in my footsteps as well I am sure. It is because he can see and decern truth in what he reads and hears. He listens to me like any son with a bit of skeptism and rightly so as I am a beginneer in my studies myself. However he is a fine man who is growing and learning as he raises his children. I am confident that the treasure that I have found will be there for him when he is ready to accept it.

Gordy, you old coot...

Tom, thanks for that and it doesn't surprise me. You know as a past Christian I never worshipped Jesus either. I did once pray to Bramha and perhaps it had something to do with my experience or perhaps not. In any case I still have questions about what is worship and what is respect for another higher sentient being.

Take the Sun for example... I have read that all heavenly bodies are indeed sentient and I assume we should show them respect at least. Is it wrong for me to thank the sun for its warmth that I feel as love on my back? Can it be wrong to love Earths spirit if we recognize that it is a part of the cosmic spirit of the whole universe as are we?

I don't need any object really but I don't find them offensive. My Jehovah Witness sisters say that any idol is pagen idol worship forbidden by the one GOD Jehovah. I find this fear offensive and I have told her that I have no problem with pagens which seemed to anger but elicited no response. I love buddhism and I will understand the essence of the meaning of the Lotus Sutra soon I hope. I know that reading the truth will be a joyful thing to me from what I have read already.

So much of all this is a puzzle to me but I guess that's the way it goes when learning new things. I always seemed to finally understand my algebra just after the test was done so I am a little slow. For now I thank you for your patience with me. All of you.

I will always agree with everything in your last post Tom about the inter connectedness of all things. I call it oneness of the all and indeed we are all cells in a body of sorts working either together or against ourselves. How useless is all the conflict? How sad that this planet is so deluded. But, so good that the truth is there to be seen. How can I be so fortunate to have this chance? BOG

Hope you like the change in my signature...

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Dude!

Dude!

If you were doing gongyo, reciting portions of the second and sixteenth chapters of the Lotus Sutra, you would be thanking the Gods of the Sun and the Moon, Brahma and Shakra, and a host of others each morning as part of your daily routine! You 'otta learn gongyo BOG. It's a hell of a buzz!!!!

You can down load it from the SGI site.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (21)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (21)

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

The Buddha's Life Is as Vast as the Universe

Hi nyo go hyaku se man noku. Nayuta. Asogi. Sanzen dai sen sekai. Ke shi u nin. Matchi mijin. Ka o tobo. Go hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta. Asogi koku. Nai ge ichi-jin. Nyo ze to gyo. Jin ze mijin. Sho zen-nanshi. O i unga. Ze sho sekai. Ka toku shiyui kyokei chi go. Shu fu. Mi-roku bo-sat^to. Ku byaku butsu gon. Seson. Ze sho sekai. Muryo muhen. Hi sanju sho chi. Yaku hi shin-riki sho gyu. Issai shomon. Hyaku-shi-butsu. I murochi. Fu no shiyui. Chi go genshu. Gato ju. A-yui-ot-chi-ji. O ze ji chu. Yaku sho fu das^seson. Nyo ze sho sekai. Muryo muhen.

"Suppose a person were to take five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya major world systems and grind them to dust. Then, moving eastward, each time he passes five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya worlds he drops a particle of dust. He continues eastward in this way until he has finished dropping all the particles. Good men, what is your opinion? Can the total number of all these worlds be imagined or calculated?"

The bodhisattva Maitreya and the others said to the Buddha: "World-Honored One, these worlds are immeasurable, boundless --- one cannot calculate their number, nor does the mind have the power to encompass them. Even all the voice-hearers and pratyekabuddhas with their wisdom free of outflows could not imagine or understand how many there are. Although we abide in the stage of avivartika, (1) we cannot comprehend such a matter. World-Honored One, these worlds are immeasurable and boundless." (LS, p. 225)

Here, Shakyamuni employs a simile to indicate just how long ago it was that he attained Buddhahood. The period of time he describes in this way is called gohyaku jintengo, which literally means "500 dust-particle kalpas."

He starts out saying, "Suppose a person were to take five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya major world systems."

In the expression "five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya," nayuta and asamkhya stand for incalculably large numbers. An infinite number multiplied by an infinite number certainly yields a product that no one could compute.

In the cosmology of ancient India, a "major world system" corresponds to the entire universe. Even one major world system is itself an immense expanse. In a single world, there is a sun and a moon, and in the center, there is a Mount Sumeru, which towers unimaginably high.

A major world system consists of one billion such worlds.

In the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" chapter, however, Shakyamuni speaks of "five hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya major world systems." This indicates a number of worlds so huge as to far exceed even the grand scale of the cosmos as we know it. Shakyamuni then speaks of these worlds of an immeasurable and boundless number all being ground up into fine dust. The number of grains of dust thus produced would be even more incalculable. "Dust" means the smallest particle of substance to which matter can be broken down. In modern terms, it might correspond to atoms or elementary particles.

He then postulates someone taking this immeasurable quantity of dust panicles and moving eastward, dropping a particle each time he passes 500, 1,000, 10,000, a million nayuta asamkhya worlds.

The grains of dust must be dropped one at a time. If the person continues in this manner until he runs out of dust, then how many worlds will he pass during this interval? This is what Shakyamuni asks Bodhisattva Maitreya and the others. It is clear that no one can answer him.

In response, Bodhisattva Maitreya, who in the "Life Span" chapter represents the assembly, replies, "These worlds are immeasurable, boundless --- one cannot calculate their number, nor does the mind have the power to encompass them." "Nor does the mind have the power to encompass them" indicates that comprehension is beyond even the wisdom of voice-hearers and pratyekabuddhas who have extinguished earthly desires, and the state of life of great bodhisattvas who have attained the stage of nonregression. It is not simply a matter of magnitude of number or of length of time; understanding in fact depends on state of life.

That it is unknowable to even great bodhisattvas at the stage of non-regression, who are said to have already extinguished a measure of darkness, means that one cannot grasp the remote past of the "Life Span" chapter without conquering the fundamental darkness in life from which all illusions and desires spring.

This is why Shakyamuni so strongly emphasized the need to "believe and understand" at the outset of the "Life Span" chapter. Nichiren Daishonin says, "A sharp sword to cut through the fundamental darkness is to be found in faith alone" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 751).

Similes using astronomically large numbers can be found even in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. In the "Life Span" chapter, however, Shakyamuni does not explain "innumerable" as simply an abstract number. Through using what on the surface seems a concrete example --- saying that the worlds should be ground to dust and the particles of dust dropped one at a time --- and so causing his listeners to recall an image, it is as though he is progressively challenging them to change their way of thinking. While in both cases "immeasurable" numbers are employed, from the standpoint of Maitreya and the others, there is a different feeling, a different depth of spirit in the simile of the "Life Span" chapter.

The simile that Shakyamuni uses here is not a simile "according with other's minds" (i.e., according to the minds of beings of the nine worlds) such as are found in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. It is a simile "according with the mind of the Buddha" whose purpose is to open up people's narrow lives and draw them into the vast state of life of the Buddha.

While listening to Shakyamuni's preaching, Maitreya and the others in the assembly no doubt felt as though they were powerfully being drawn into the great state of life of the Buddha who freely moves through the universe.

Niji butsu go. Dai bosas^shu. Sho zennanshi. Konto funmyo. Sengo nyoto. Ze sho sekai. Nyaku jaku mijin. Gyu fu jaku sha. Jin ni i jin. Ichi-jin ikko. Ga jobutsu irai. Bu ka o shi. Hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta. Asogi ko.

At that time the Buddha said to the multitude of great bodhisattvas: "Good men, now I will state this to you clearly. Suppose all these worlds, whether they received a particle of dust or not, are once more reduced to dust. Let one particle represent one kalpa. The time that has passed since I attained Buddhahood surpasses this by a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya kalpas." (LS, 225)

Here Shakyamuni, saying he is going to make a clear proclamation, reveals the remote past of gohyaku jintengo.

First, he says to take all of the worlds passed so far, whether or not they received a particle of dust, and grind them into dust.

Then he takes this infinite number of particles of dust and converts them into time, saying, "Let one particle represent one kalpa." A kalpa is an extremely long period of time.

Finally Shakyamuni reveals that he attained Buddhahood at a time in the past "a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a million nayuta asamkhya kalpas" more distant than even this immeasurable number of kalpas. This time period is gohyaku jintengo.

Gohyaku jintengo indicates a point in the inconceivably remote past. Even so, the duration it represents is still limited. This is because, since gohyaku jintengo refers to the point in time at which Shakyamuni became a Buddha, it indicates a period with a definite beginning.

In essence, however, Shakyamuni's enlightenment is "without beginning." For Shakyamuni's purpose in explaining gohyaku jintengo was to refute the view of his initial attainment of enlightenment, which held that he first became a Buddha at a particular moment in his present lifetime.

The central issue is the view of enlightenment. When inner darkness is dispelled, we find that life fundamentally is without beginning or end; to become a Buddha is to uncover and bring out that original life, just as it is. In "The True Object of Worship," the Daishonin says that the Shakyamuni present within the lives of us who embrace the Mystic Law is "the original Buddha since time without beginning" (MW-1, p. 65).

The principle of kuon ganjo clarifies the implicit meaning of this passage. Kuon ganjo means the wellspring of life and the wellspring of the universe. This primal life is the life of the Buddha of limitless joy of kuon ganjo; it is itself Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The Daishonin says, "'Remote past' means Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 759).

President Toda said:

Nichiren Daishonin's life and our lives are without beginning or end. This is termed kuon ganjo, They have neither beginning nor end. The universe itself is a great living entity. Since it is the universe, it has neither beginning nor end. This planet taken in isolation, however, has a beginning and an end.

Our lives are not "creations" made by some "author" such as a creating deity. We exist together with the universe, and together with the universe our existence continues infinitely. It could be said that life itself is both the creator and the creation.

From the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, all who heard Shakyamuni expound the "Life Span" chapter instantaneously changed their stance from one of gradually approaching enlightenment through extinguishing earthly desires to that of direct belief and acceptance of the great life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Gohyaku jintengo is a "skillful simile" for bringing people to base themselves on the great life of kuon ganjo.

1. Avivartika: a stage of bodhisattva practice signifying non-regression.

 

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Pg. 128 / Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

Pg. 128 / Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

from the gosho: Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man (II)

…there is truly hardly a single person who does not slander the correct teaching. But then, why should I criticize other people? My task, it seems to me, is simply to cherish deep faith within my own heart and to look on other people's errors as no concern of mine."

The sage replied: "What you say is quite true, and I would be inclined to hold the same opinion. But when we examine the sutras, we find that they tell us not to begrudge our lives [for the sake of the Law], and also say that [one should spread the Buddha's teachings] even at the cost of one's life. (90) The reason they speak in this way is because if one does not hesitate on account of others but propagates the principles of Buddhism just as they are set forth in the sutras, then in an age when there are many people who slander the correct teaching, three types of enemies will invariably appear and in many cases deprive one of life. But if, as the sutras tell us, one observes deviations from the Buddha's teachings and yet fails to censure them or to appeal to the ruler to take measures against them, then one is being untrue to the teachings and is not worthy to be looked on as a disciple of the Buddha.

"The third volume of the Nirvana Sutra says: 'If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha's teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.'

"The meaning of this passage is that, if a person striving to propagate the correct teaching of the Buddha should hear and see others propounding the teachings of the sutras in a mistaken manner and fail to reproach them himself or, lacking the power to do that, fail to appeal to the sovereign and in this way take measures to correct them, then he is betraying the Buddha's teaching. But if, as the sutras direct, he is not afraid of others but censures these slanderers himself and appeals to the sovereign to take measures against them, then he may be called a disciple of the Buddha and a true priest.

"Being therefore determined to avoid the charge of 'betraying the Buddha's teaching,' although I have incurred the hatred of others, I have dedicated my life to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra, extending compassion to all living beings and rebuking slanders of the correct teaching. Those who cannot understand my heart have tightened their lips and glared at me with furious eyes. But if you are truly concerned about your future existence, you should think lightly of your own safety and consider the Law above all. Thus the Great Teacher Chang-an states, '"[A royal envoy . . . would rather], even though it costs him his life, in the end conceal none of the words of his ruler" (91) means that one's body is insignificant while the Law is supreme. One should give one's life in order to propagate the Law.' (92)

"This passage is saying that, even if one must give up one's life, one should not conceal the correct teaching; this is because one's body is insignificant while the Law is supreme. Though one's body be destroyed, one should strive to propagate the Law.

"How sad is this lot of ours, that all who are born must perish! Though one may live to a great age, in the end one cannot escape this impermanence. In this world of ours, life lasts a hundred years or so at most. When we stop to think of it, it is a mere dream within a dream. Even in the heaven where there is neither thought nor no thought, where life lasts eighty thousand years, no one escapes the law of mutability, and in the heaven of the thirty-three gods, too, where life lasts a thousand years, it is swept away at last by the winds of change and decay. How much sadder, then, is the lot of the human beings living on this land of Jambudvipa, whose life is more fleeting than the dew, more fragile than the plantain leaf, more insubstantial than bubbles or foam! Like the moon reflected in the water, one is not even certain whether one exists or not; like the dew on the grass, one may vanish at any moment.

"Anyone who grasps this principle should know that it is of utmost importance to take thought for the existence to come. In the latter age of the Buddha Joy Increasing, the monk Realization of Virtue propagated the correct teaching. Countless monks who were guilty of violating the precepts deeply resented this votary and attacked him, but the ruler, King Possessor of Virtue, determined to protect the correct teaching, fought with these slanderers. In the end, he lost his life and was reborn in the land of the Buddha Akshobhya, where he became the foremost disciple of that Buddha. Similarly, King Sen'yo, because he honored the Mahayana teachings and punished the slander of five hundred Brahmans, was able to reach the stage of non-regression. How reassuring, that those who respect the monks of the correct teaching and admonish those who are evil and in error receive such blessings as these!

"But if, in our present age, one were to practice shoju [rather than shakubuku], then without doubt that person would fall into the evil paths together with those who slander the correct teaching. The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh in his Four Peaceful Practices states, 'If there should be a bodhisattva who protects evil persons and fails to chastise them . . . then, when his life comes to an end, he will fall into hell along with those evil persons.'

"The meaning of this passage is that, if a practitioner of Buddhism should fail to chastise evil persons who slander the Law but give himself up entirely to meditation and contemplation, not attempting to distinguish between correct and incorrect doctrines, or provisional and true teachings, but rather pretending to be a model of compassion, then such a person will fall into the evil paths along with the other doers of evil. Now a person who fails to correct the True Word, Nembutsu, Zen, and Precepts adherents who are slanderers of the correct teaching and instead pretends to be a model of compassion will meet just such a fate as this."

Thereupon the unenlightened man, cherishing his resolve in mind, spoke out in these words: "To admonish one's sovereign and set one's family on the correct course is the teaching of the worthies of former times and is clearly indicated in the texts you have cited. The non-Buddhist writings all emphasize this point, and the Buddhist scriptures are in no way at variance with it. To see evil and fail to admonish it, to be aware of slander and not combat it, is to go against the words of the sutras and to disobey the Buddhist patriarchs. The punishment for this offense is extremely severe, and therefore, from now on, I will devote myself to faith.

"But it is truly difficult to put this sutra, the Lotus, into practice. If there is some essential point to be observed, could you explain it to me?"

The sage replied: "I can tell that your aspiration for the way is very earnest and sincere. The essential thing the Buddhas needed in order to attain the true way or enlightenment is nothing other than the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. It was solely because of these five characters that King Suzudan relinquished his jeweled throne [and attained Buddhahood], and the dragon king's daughter transformed her reptilian characteristics [into those of a Buddha]. (93)

"When we stop to consider it, we find that the sutra itself says, concerning how much or how little of it is to be embraced, that a single verse or phrase is sufficient, and, concerning the length of practice [necessary to reach enlightenment], that one who rejoices even for a moment on hearing it [is certain to become a Buddha]. The eighty thousand teachings in their vast entirety and the many words and phrases of the eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra were all expounded simply in order to reveal these five characters. When Shakyamuni Buddha in the clouds above the Sacred Mountain, in the mists of Eagle Peak, summed up the essence of the doctrine and entrusted it to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, what do you suppose that teaching was? It was nothing other than these five characters, the essential Law. (94)

"The six thousand leaves of commentary by T'ien-t'ai and Miao-lo, like strings of jewels, and the several scrolls of exegesis by Tao-sui and Hsing-man, like so much gold, do not go beyond the meaning of this teaching. If you truly fear the sufferings of birth and death and yearn for nirvana, if you carry out your faith and thirst for the way, then the sufferings of change and impermanence will become no more than yesterday's dream, and the awakening of enlightenment will become today's reality. If only you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then what offense could fail to be eradicated? What blessing could fail to come? This is the truth, and it is of great profundity. You should believe and accept it."

The unenlightened man, pressing his palms together and kneeling respectfully, said: "These priceless words of yours have moved me deeply, and your instruction has awakened my mind. And yet, in light of the principle that superior things encompass those that are inferior, it would seem that the broad should also encompass the narrow and the many should take in the few. However, when we examine the matter, we find that these five characters you have mentioned are few, while the words in the sutra text are many, and that the daimoku, or title, of the Lotus Sutra is narrow, while its eight scrolls are very broad. How then can the two be equal in the blessings that they bring?"

The sage said: "How foolish you are! Your attachment to this belief that one should abandon the few in favor of the many towers higher than Mount Sumeru, and your conviction that the narrow should be despised and the broad honored is deeper than the vast ocean. In the course of our discussion, I have already demonstrated that something is not necessarily worthy of honor simply because it is many in number or despicable simply because it is few. Now I would like to go a step farther and explain how the small can actually encompass the great, and the one be superior to the many.

"The seed of the nyagrodha tree, though one-third the size of a mustard seed, can conceal five hundred carts (95) within itself. Is this not a case of the small containing the large? The wish-granting jewel, while only one in number, is able to rain down ten thousand treasures without a single thing lacking. Is this not a case of the few encompassing the many? The popular proverb says that 'one is the mother of ten thousand.' Do you not understand the principle behind these matters? The important thing to consider is whether or not a doctrine conforms with the principle of the true aspect of all things. Do not be blindly attached to the question of many or few!

"But since you are so extremely foolish, let me give you an analogy. Myoho-renge-kyo is the Buddha nature of all living beings. The Buddha nature is the Dharma nature, and the Dharma nature is enlightenment. The Buddha nature possessed by Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions; by Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth; by Universal Worthy, Manjushri, Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, and the others; by the great Brahma and the lord Shakra; by the deities of the sun and moon, the morning star, the seven stars in the Big Dipper in the northern sky, the twenty-eight constellations, and the countless other stars; by the heavenly gods, the earthly deities, the dragon deities, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, and the human and heavenly beings who gathered in the great assembly to hear the Buddha's preaching; by King Yama - in short, by all living beings from the realm where there is neither thought nor no thought above the clouds down to the flames in the lowest depths of hell - the Buddha nature that all these beings possess is called by the name Myoho-renge-kyo. Therefore, if you recite these words of the daimoku once, then the Buddha nature of all living beings will be summoned and gather around you. At that time the three bodies of the Dharma nature within you - the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body - will be drawn forth and become manifest. This is called attaining Buddhahood. To illustrate, when a caged bird sings, the many birds flying in the sky all gather around it at once; seeing this, the bird in the cage strives to get out."

Notes:

90. These admonitions appear in the Lotus and Nirvana sutras.
91. Nirvana Sutra.
92. The Annotations on the Nirvana Sutra.
93. This means that the dragon king's daughter acquired the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics of a Buddha.
94. The six thousand leaves comprise T'ien-t'ai's three major works, Profound Meaning, Words and Phrases, and Great Concentration and Insight, and Miao-lo's commentaries on them.
95. Great Perfection of Wisdom states that the nyagrodha, or banyan tree, is large enough to provide shade for five hundred carts, yet the seed from which it grows is only one-third the size of a mustard seed.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Jambudvipa (Skt)
[閻浮提・贍部洲] (Jpn.: Embudai or Sembu-shu; Pali.: Jambudipa)

One of four continents situated in the four directions around Mount Sumeru, according to the ancient Indian worldview. Jambudvipa is the southern continent. Jambu (or jambu) is the name of a tree said to abound in Jambudvipa; dvipa means continent. The shape of Jambudvipa is that of an almost equilateral triangle (precisely, a trapezoid whose southern end is far narrower than its northern end). That is, the northern part of the continent is broad, tapering to a very narrow breadth in the south, a shape that suggests the Indian subcontinent. In the northern part of Jambudvipa are the Snow Mountains, and to the north of the Snow Mountains lies Heat-Free Lake (also known as Anavatapta Lake). The four great rivers of the Ganga, Sindhu, Vakshu, and Shitaoriginate from Heat-Free Lake and nurture the soil on Jambudvipa. Mount Fragrant stands to the north of Heat-Free Lake. Within Jambudvipa, there are sixteen great states, five hundred middle-sized states, and a hundred thousand small states (ten thousand small states according to another source). The joys of Jambudvipa are fewer than those of the other three continents, for this continent is populated with people of bad karma. It is said, therefore, that the Buddhas appear only in Jambudvipa in order to save the people.

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

 

[PassTheDoobie]

six stages of practice
[六即] (Jpn.: roku-soku)

Also, six identities. Six stages in the practice of the Lotus Sutra formulated by T'ien-t'ai (538-597) in Great Concentration and Insight. They are as follows: (1) The stage of being a Buddha in theory. At this stage one has not yet heard the correct teaching and is ignorant of Buddhism. Nevertheless, a single moment of life is in itself identical to the truth of the matrix of the Thus Come One; in other words, one is a potential Buddha. (2) The stage of hearing the name and words of the truth. At this stage through the spoken or written word one comes to an intellectual understanding that one has the Buddha nature and that all phenomena are manifestations of the Buddhist Law. This may take place through reading or hearing the words of the sutras. (3) The stage of perception and action. Here one perceives the truth [of the Buddha nature] within oneself through practice, the truth and the wisdom to perceive it are in accord with each other, and one's words match one's actions. (4) The stage of resemblance to enlightenment. At this stage, one eliminates the first two of the three categories of illusion and attains purification of the six sense organs. Having advanced this far, one's wisdom resembles that of a Buddha. In terms of the fifty-two stages of practice, this stage corresponds to the first ten stages, the ten stages of faith. (5) The stage of progressive awakening. This is the stage at which one eradicates all illusions except fundamental darkness and awakens progressively to the truth of one's Buddha nature. In terms of the fifty-two stages, it corresponds to the eleventh (the first stage of security) through the fifty-first (the stage of near-perfect enlightenment). (6) The stage of ultimate enlightenment, or the highest stage of practice. At this stage, one finally eliminates fundamental darkness and fully manifests the Buddha nature. This corresponds to the stage of perfect enlightenment, the last of the fifty-two stages.

T'ien-t'ai taught that all people at whatever stage of practice are equally endowed with the potential for Buddhahood. In this way he prevented his disciples from falling into the error of self-deprecation or becoming discouraged. On the other hand, possessing the Buddha nature is not the same as attaining Buddhahood. T'ien-t'ai therefore divided practice into six progressive stages to prevent his disciples from falling into the error of arrogance and relaxing their efforts. In Great Concentration and Insight, he states: "If one lacks faith, one will object that it pertains to the lofty realm of the sages, something far beyond the capacity of one's own wisdom to understand. If one lacks wisdom, one will become puffed up with arrogance and will claim to be the equal of the Buddha."

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings gives Nichiren's (1222-1282) interpretation of the six stages of practice: "Speaking in terms of the six stages of practice, the Thus Come One in this ['Life Span'] chapter is an ordinary mortal who is in the first stage, that of being a Buddha in theory. When one reverently accepts Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, one is in the next stage, that of hearing the name and words of the truth. That is, one has for the first time heard the daimoku. When, having heard the daimoku, one proceeds to put it into practice, this is the third stage, that of perception and action. In this stage, one perceives the object of devotion that embodies the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. When one succeeds in overcoming various illusions and obstacles, this is the fourth stage, that of resemblance to enlightenment. When one sets out to convert others, this is the fifth stage, that of progressive awakening. And when one comes at last to the realization that one is a Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies, then one is a Buddha of the sixth and highest stage, that of ultimate enlightenment.

"Speaking of the chapter as a whole, the idea of gradually overcoming delusions is not the ultimate meaning of the 'Life Span' chapter. You should understand that the ultimate meaning of this chapter is that ordinary mortals, just as they are in their original state of being, are Buddhas.

"And if you ask what is the action or practice carried out by the Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies, it is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism