Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

What is karma?

What is karma?

How are we responsible for our own karma? And can we change it?

The question of destiny or karma has greatly preoccupied philosophers in both the West and the East. One Western theory is that when we are born our lives are like a sheet of paper on which nothing is written. Each life then develops as a result of its surroundings and the forces acting on it - parents, friends, society, the dominant culture, and so on.

Buddhism, however, teaches the eternity of life; that we have lived countless lives already. This means that we are not born as blank pages, but pages on which countless impressions have already been made. According to Buddhism, life is forever existing in the cosmos; sometimes it is manifest and sometimes latent. Just as when we sleep and then awaken; our conscious mind awakens and our body feels refreshed. Between the sleeping and awakening, our consciousness carries on in a sub-conscious state. Similarly one's life continues eternally in alternating states of life and death. Death is as much a part of living as sleep is part of the process of living.

Karma is thus the accumulation of effects from the good and bad causes that we bring with us from our former lives, as well as from the good and bad causes we have made in this lifetime, which shapes our future. Karma is a Sanskrit word that means 'action'. Karma is created by actions - our thoughts, words and deeds - and manifests itself in our appearance, behavior, attitudes, good and bad fortune, where we are born or live - in short, everything about us. It is all the positive and negative influences or causes that make up our complete reality in this world.

Unlike some other philosophies though, Buddhism does not consider one's karma or destiny to be fixed; since our minds change from moment to moment, even the habitual and destructive tendencies we all possess to varying degrees can be altered. In other words, Buddhism teaches that individuals have within themselves the potential to change their own karma.

All that we do in one lifetime affects the negative and positive balance of our karma. For example, if we are born poor in this lifetime and spend our life giving to others whatever we can give, we are making causes to change the negative karma of being poor. On the other hand, if we spend our life envying or hating or even stealing from others, we are adding to our negative balance of karma.

Buddhism teaches we have all amassed karma throughout countless lives and that we not only experience the effects of this karma now, but we continue to recreate it. However, the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin teaches that there is an area of our life that is more profound than our karma - our Buddhahood or Buddha nature. The purpose of our Buddhist practice is to reveal this area and to allow its pure life force to purify our lives and change our karma at the deepest level.

As SGI President Daisaku Ikeda explains: "It is the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin that enables the pure life force of the Buddha state, which has existed within us since time without beginning, to well forth in unceasing currents. It changes all the tragic causes and effects that lie between and unveils the pure causes and effects which exist from the beginningless past towards the present and the future. This is liberation from the heavy shackles of destiny we have carried from the past. This is the establishment of free individuals in the truest sense of the term."

(from sgi-usa.org)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (22)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (22)

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

The 'Saha' World Is Itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light

Ji ju ze rai. Ga jo zai shi. Shaba sekai. Seppo kyo-ke. Yaku o yosho. Hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta. Aso-gi koku. Do-ri shujo.

Ever since then I have been constantly in this saha world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting. And elsewhere I have led and benefited living beings in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas and asamkhyas of lands. (LS-16, 225)

Shakyamuni first says that since attaining Buddhahood in the remote past of gohyaku jintengo, he has continually been preaching the Law and instructing people in this saha world.

In essence, he is saying that the saha world is the pure land where the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past dwells eternally. This is a revelation of truly immense significance. Shakyamuni, as second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda put it, "at this point turns Buddhism completely on its head."

In the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, Shakyamuni had taught that this saha world was impure (a world defiled with earthly desires), and that the pure lands where the Buddhas dwelled lay elsewhere. For example, he taught that the Buddha Amida (Infinite Life) dwelled in the western region of the universe, in the so-called Pure Land of Prefect Bliss, and that the Buddha Yakushi (Teacher of Medicine) lived in the Pure Emerald World in the eastern region of the universe. These explanations of the earlier teachings are still basically adhered to even in the theoretical teaching (or first half) of the Lotus Sutra.

Thus, in the earlier sutras, Shakyamuni established a distinction between this impure saha world and other worlds that are pure. It is with this passage of the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter that, for the first time, he clearly refutes this way of thinking.

In this passage, he reveals that the saha world is the true land where the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past dwells. The land where the Buddha dwells is called the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. Therefore, this passage clarifies the principle that the saha world is itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light.

He then says, "And elsewhere I have led and benefited living beings in the hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas and asamkhyas of lands." In other words, Shakyamuni, who attained enlightenment in the remote past, has been guiding beings in countless other lands outside of the saha world. This indicates that the Buddhas in other lands are transient projections or emanations of Shakyamuni.

In "The Opening of the Eyes," Nichiren Daishonin says:
When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni. In the earlier sutras and the first half of the Lotus Sutra, he called the regions of the ten directions pure lands and spoke of the present world as an impure land. But now, in the Juryo chapter he has reversed this, revealing that this world is the true land and that the so called pure lands of the ten directions are impure lands, mere provisional lands. (MW-2, 127-28 [149-50])

This saha world is the true land where the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past carries out boundless activities and leads all people to happiness. Accordingly, if we were to seek a pure land apart from this saha world, then we would be seeking an ephemeral land outside of the true land. In other words, our efforts would be in vain; it would be as though we were seeking a shadow or apparition.

Why in the earlier sutras did Shakyamuni discuss lands of tranquil light existing apart from the saha world? He did so to arouse a seeking mind in people caught up in the desires of secular life. The lands of tranquil light taught in the earlier sutras were no more than expedient pure lands.

It could be said that in the "Life Span" chapter Shakyamuni refutes the way of thinking that establishes ideal worlds apart from this real world. Human beings have a certain escapist tendency; we are inclined to believe that if we could just get away from reality and go to some different realm, then we could become happy. Illusory happiness can never be anything more than an illusion. The "Life Span" chapter demolishes this illusory view.

In the "Ongi Kuden" (Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings), Nichiren Daishonin says, "It is not the case that he [the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra] leaves his present place and goes to some other place.... Now the places where Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, be they 'mountain valleys' or 'wilderness,' are all the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light" (Gosho Zenshu. p. 781).

A place where people embrace the Mystic Law is the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. The truth is that the saha world is the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light.

At the same time, however- as implied by the Sanskrit term saha, meaning endurance-this is a world where people have to continually endure various sorrows and sufferings. Just what does it mean to say that a world such as this is itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light?

This points to a great change in the meaning of "saha world" that occurs in the "Life Span" chapter. Instead of a "place of tragedy" where people must continually endure suffering and sadness, it becomes a "stage for people's liberation," where the Buddha continually saves the people while enduring all manner of hardships.

From the standpoint of the Daishonin's teaching, Shakyamuni who attained Buddhahood in the remote past is not the only one active on this "stage." As I have already explained, the implicit meaning of "actual attainment in the remote past" is for us to return to the life of kuon ganjo.

President Toda, citing the sutra passage, "Ever since then I have been constantly in this saha world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting," said: "This indicates that the great universe itself equals the Gohonzon. Since the time of kuon ganjo, the life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has existed together with the universe."

When we base ourselves on the life of kuon ganjo, the saha world becomes the universe. It becomes a great stage on which we can freely take action.

When we embrace the Mystic Law and open up within ourselves the great life of kuon ganjo, we ordinary people can manifest our true identity as champions with a mission who dedicate their lives to the liberation of all people while calmly enduring the difficulties of the saha world.

The way of life of a courageous Bodhisattva of the Earth lies in diving headlong into the most difficult situations, embracing those experiencing the greatest suffering; talking to and protecting friends; and, through it all, creating a revolution of hope-a revolution toward the understanding that the saha world is itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. When we lead such a way of life, our spirit shines.

The Daishonin says:
The exercise of the great power of forbearance by the bodhisattvas of the essential teaching in proclaiming and propagating Myoho-renge-kyo is known as saha. Forbearance means the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. This mind of forbearance is called Shakyamuni Buddha. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 771)

To propagate the Mystic Law with the great power of forbearance based on the boundless life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as Bodhisattvas of the Earth is truly "saha" or "endurance." The Land of Eternally Tranquil Light exists in precisely such an attitude of forbearance.

By immersing ourselves in the reality of the saha world to help those suffering while manifesting the original life of the universe within our own being through our practice of gongyo and daimoku, we actualize the principle of "the saha world is itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light." When we awaken to the supremely noble original life within ourselves, then the impure world of reality filled with suffering and fate turns into a pure land overflowing with joy and mission.

The True Heritage of Buddhism Lies in the Spirit of 'Rissho Ankoku'

There is an old Japanese saying, "Despise and abandon the impure world, and seek rebirth in the pure land." For a long time, Buddhism has been thought of as an escapist, passive and world-despising religion, as epitomized by this saying urging people to reject the real world that is so full of suffering and yearn for rebirth in the Pure Land of Perfect Bliss after death.

But the concept of a pure land existing apart from reality is nothing more than an expedient means expounded in accordance with people's capacity. While such a teaching may give temporary consolation, it will not enable people to realize true happiness.

In his treatise "Shugo Kokka Ron" (On the Protection of the Country), Nichiren Daishonin raises the question of whether those who practice the Lotus Sutra should pray to be reborn in a pure land. In answer, he first points out that in the "Life Span" chapter-the heart of the 28 chapter Lotus Sutra-Shakyamuni says, "I have been constantly in this saha world." If this is correct, he reasons, then Shakyamuni who revealed his identity as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past is present in this saha world. Therefore, he concludes, there is no need to abandon this saha world and seek rebirth in some other land (cf. Gosho Zenshu, p. 71). Rather, the Daishonin teaches, we should seek the pure land in this saha world.

In essence, this world of reality is itself the pure land. And the spirit of Buddhism lies in tenaciously working to make that original pure land become manifest. Buddhism is certainly not a religion that encourages people to aim solely for personal enlightenment, secluding themselves away from others and society in mountains and forests. Nor is it a religion that urges people to give up on the present and place all their hopes in the promise of happiness after death.

"Pure land" has the active and practical meaning of "purifying the land of the Buddha." This is the original denotation of "pure land." In Japanese Buddhism, this original meaning has completely vanished, and the term has come to indicate a world after death, an afterworld.

"Pure land," in other words, means "purify the land." It indicates taking action to improve the environment and construct a better society.

The Buddhist scriptures go so far as to identify specific actions to be taken to transform the land. For example, Shakyamuni at one point says: "In barren regions, you should plant trees and make verdant groves. You should build bridges over rivers. In arid regions, you should dig wells and irrigate the land. You should build rest areas on roadsides for all travelers to use. The benefit of those who carry out these tasks will increase by the day, and their lives will reflect immutable truth."

King Ashoka (r.c. 268-232 BC.) of India put this spirit of Shakyamuni into practice as the governing ideal of his kingdom.

Nagarjuna, a great Buddhist scholar who lived during the Former Day of the Law, admonished a king of the time to "protect the sick, orphans and the poor"; to "carry out activities to aid those in areas ravaged by natural disasters, poor harvests and epidemics"; and to "not use his power to imprison people unjustly."

It must be said that the "pure land," in terms of its original meaning in Buddhism, is alive and well only in the ideals and practice of the Daishonin's teaching of rissho ankoku, or securing the peace of the land through the propagation of true Buddhism. The true heritage of Buddhism is found in the spirit to transform the actual land in which we live for the better.

President Toda once said: "We must make this saha world of ours a place of tranquility and peace. Atomic weapons must not fly and bombs must not rain down from airplanes. There must be no killing of people or death by starvation in the world where we are spreading the Mystic Law."

When we do gongyo, we offer prayers for world peace and for the happiness of all people. Every day, we listen to the worries of friends and exert ourselves in our practice for kosen-rufu. Truly this is the noble practice for "purifying the land of the Buddha."

SGI members carry out bodhisattva practice as emissaries of the Buddha. "Let us make our community, our country, and the entire world shine brightly as the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light."

When you advance with this determination you are, in the words of the sutra, "preaching the Law, teaching and converting in this saha world."

 

[BushyOldGrower]

So we must realize that the saha world of ours is actually perhaps the whole material side of the universe? Or is it all of the spirit worlds and all of the material worlds? Aren't there these two realities? And what is the death side of life? We just sleep then and perhaps dream until the next? I wonder if when we die we have even a brief period of consciousness before we sleep but after we leave our bodies.

Good lesson for today Tom and I would like to do Gongyo then as I love the feeling I get from the father son and the mother earth and you know there is something about the moon as well. The moon is for lovers and I have heard that you can choose where you want to go next. I wonder about a lot of stuff don't I Tom?

Whatever stage I am at seems of little importance as long as the final outcome is the same. I know I will become a buddha some day because you have shown me the nam myoho renge kyo and the more I learn the more I see how I saw. BOG

How do I obtain my Gohonzon?

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Perfect Imperfection: ASPIRATION for Buddhahood

Perfect Imperfection: ASPIRATION for Buddhahood

Having goals can lead us in a positive direction. In the process of striving for goals, we see our unknown potential unfold before us. As we make progress, however small, we feel a sense of fulfillment and excitement. "Yes, I am moving ahead!" This sense of advancement contributes to our happiness.

Buddhism stresses the value of goals. Attaining Buddhahood--becoming absolutely happy--is the ultimate goal of our Buddhist practice. Our "aspiration for Buddhahood," therefore, is the starting point of our Buddhist practice; it means to recognize our innate potential of Buddhahood and resolve to develop it while helping others do the same. A bodhisattva is someone who does just this, who is constantly working toward the goal of attaining enlightenment or bodhi.

In his Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom, Nagarjuna, an Indian Buddhist scholar from the second or third century, discusses the three types of enlightenment--the enlightenment of voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones and Buddhas. The enlightenment of a Buddha is the supreme bodhi, that is, the unsurpassed Buddha wisdom. Those who strive to achieve the Buddha wisdom are called bodhisattvas.

Bodhisattvas are said to make four great vows in their Buddhist practice toward enlightenment. They are: 1) to save innumerable living beings; 2) to eradicate countless earthly desires; 3) to master immeasurable Buddhist teachings; and 4) to attain the supreme enlightenment of a Buddha. Put another way, as they begin their journey toward true happiness, bodhisattvas: 1) resolve to help others become happy; 2) resolve to overcome their own delusions and weaknesses; 3) seek the wisdom of Buddhism to the best of their ability; and 4) never to lose sight of their ultimate goal of attaining Buddhahood.

In this regard, Nichiren Daishonin states: "Bodhisattvas invariably make the four great vows, but without fulfilling their first vow, which is to save all living beings, they cannot fulfill the fourth vow, which is to attain supreme enlightenment" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 522). The Daishonin suggests that our altruistic efforts to pray and work for the happiness of others are crucial to our own happiness.

We begin our Buddhist practice resolute and diligent about our daily prayers and Buddhist study. However, as time goes by, our initial "aspiration for Buddhahood" tends to wane, especially when we experience disappointments. Also, after we overcome an obstacle, or when things are going particularly well, we tend to relax in our resolve to continue practicing Buddhism. This is like setting out to climb the highest mountain in the world and giving up climbing discouraged by the first steep ascent, or being satisfied with reaching a small ridge half way up the peak.

In this regard, the Daishonin states:

Many hear about and accept this sutra, but when great obstacles arise, just as they were told would happen, few remember it and bear it firmly in mind. To accept is easy; to continue is difficult. But Buddhahood lies in continuing faith. Those who uphold this sutra should be prepared to meet difficulties. It is certain, however, that they will "quickly attain the unsurpassed Buddha way." To "continue" means to cherish Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the most important principle for all the Buddhas of the three existences. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 471)

In the course of our practice, we encounter various obstacles and hardships. Being a Buddhist does not mean to be immune to life’s ups and downs; rather, it means having a powerful tool to awaken our supreme potential of Buddhahood and overcome our obstacles. When we mistake the goal of our Buddhist practice as having no obstacles, it will be easy to get confused and discouraged by the realities of conflicts and challenges. For this reason, it is important to understand the true goal of Buddhist practice as a dynamic process of developing the state of life in which we can overcome any obstacle through courage, wisdom and compassion.

In one sense, we are constantly reaching for the summit of our Buddhist practice since the attainment of Buddhahood is not a static condition we attain once and for all. With each step forward, our Buddhahood becomes stronger, more deeply rooted in our lives. So what is most important is to "continue’ as the Daishonin says. We will always have some challenges with or without our Buddhist practice. But as we continue to practice Buddhism and build our inner strength, we develop confidence that our lives will be ultimately secure no matter what may happen; we enjoy each moment while working for the happiness of others.

To continue our Buddhist practice, however, we must constantly renew our "aspiration for Buddhahood." Our determination to continue to practice Buddhism and strengthen our Buddha nature is the source of enlightened living and true happiness. We will always have some sort of problem as long as we live. In this sense, we will remain "imperfect." But as we continue to practice Buddhism, we can constantly transcend our imperfect self, always growing in our capacity to challenge obstacles. This process of eternal progress and never-ending self-transcendence is in itself the attainment of Buddhahood; it is a state of "perfect imperfection" in which we can enjoy every moment of our lives.

September 2000
Living Buddhism
Page 6
By Shin Yatomi, SGI-USA vice Study Department chief, partly based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study), published by the Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

GRATITUDE: A Hallmark of Humanity

GRATITUDE: A Hallmark of Humanity

Gratitude Has Been a Valued Trait in the Buddhist Tradition

Gratitude is one of the most profound feelings that we can experience. We extend our kindness to another person who in turn responds with sincerity and appreciation. Such reciprocity, unlike in a commercial transaction, is free and spontaneous.

It is ironic that in many fables the virtue of gratitude often assigned to animals, perhaps to parody the animality that lies beneath our human appearance. For example, Aesop tells the tale of a grateful eagle. A plowman one day saves an eagle trapped in a net. Later the eagle sees the plowman in danger of being crushed by a collapsing wall and snatches the plowman’s headband. When the provoked plowman chases after the eagle; he is led to safety.[1]

Nichiren Daishonin begins his lengthy treatise "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude" by citing the Chinese legend of Mao Pao and the white turtle (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 690). One day Mao Pao sees a fisherman about to kill a white turtle. He takes pity on the turtle and gives his own clothes to the fisherman in exchange for the turtle. Years later the turtle saves Mao Pao’s life by ferrying him across the Yangtze River away from pursuing enemies. The Daishonin states: “If even lowly creatures know enough to do this, then how much more should human beings!” (WND, 690). The gratitude shown by animals in those talks reminds us of how easily we can overlook this very virtue that makes us human.

Gratitude has been a valued trait in the Buddhist tradition. In the collection of tales about Shakyamuni’s past existences called The Jataka, he is often depicted as an embodiment of kindness and compassion while Devadatta, Shakyamuni’s adversary, is described as an ingrate. One Jataka tale goes as follows: Once a magnificent white elephant (Shakyamuni in a past life) saved the life of a forester (Devadatta) lost in the Himalayas by nourishing him and showing him the way back to the city. Greedy and ungrateful, this forester repeatedly returned to the elephant’s abode and begged for its tusks. He said he needed them for money to sustain his life and was given a portion of the tusks each time. When the forester took even the stumps of the elephants’ tusks, however, the earth opened up and swallowed the forester into the depths of hell.[2]

The earth could not support the weight of Devadatta’s base ingratitude, and he fell into hell. While some people may view a debt of gratitude as a burdensome obligation, Buddhism teaches that the real burden upon our humanity is ingratitude.

The Buddhist concept of dependent origination explains that everything in this world arises from and is supported by its environment. Everything and everyone is connected. There is no one, therefore, who does not owe a debt of gratitude to others. In this sense, gratitude may be described as our awareness that our lives are supported by our environment, which includes other people, and our desire to respond in kind to such support. Those who are ungrateful or feel burdened by others’ kindness fail to see the interconnectedness of all lives. They build walls of ignorance and selfishness around them to isolate themselves from the rest of the world.

The Daishonin states: “One who studies the teachings of Buddhism must not fail to repay the four debts of gratitude” (WND, 43). One Mahayana scripture called the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra (Jpn Shinjikan gyo) explains that we as Buddhists owe a debt of gratitude to all living beings, our parents, the sovereign and the three treasure of the Buddha, the Buddhist teaching and the Buddhist community. Because of the existence of all living beings, bodhisattvas can fulfill their vow to save them. Without others we cannot practice the Buddhist ideal of altruism. We also owe thanks to our parents who brought us into existence so that we may practice Buddhism. We are indebted to “the sovereign” who represents all the activities of society that ensure our survival. In this regard, the Daishonin states: “It is thanks to one’s sovereign that one can warm one’s body…and sustain one’s life with the five kinds of grain” (WND, 44). Furthermore, as practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, we owe a debt of gratitude to the Daishonin and his teaching as well as to his immediate disciple and successor Nikko Shonin and to the Buddhist community for transmitting and spreading the Daishonin’s Buddhism.

Repaying Debts of Gratitude

The Daishonin teaches that ultimately we can repay the four debts of gratitude by taking faith in the law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and communicating its benefit to others. As he states, “But if one intends to repay these great debts of gratitude, one can hope to do so only if one learns and masters Buddhism, becoming a person of wisdom” (WND, 690). Repaying a debt of gratitude, then, is not a sacrifice or burden; rather, it is an act beneficial for both others and ourselves. Although our parents and those around us may not understand the Daishonin’s Buddhism, it is certainly possible to encourage them with the warmth and humanity we develop through our practice. This is why the Daishonin often urges us to remain steadfast in our faith in the face of opposition.

Gratitude is a hallmark of humanity; it lifts our lives out of ignorance and isolation. But it is difficult to have gratitude for those around us if they act kindly only out of an expectation of reward or a sense of obligation. Also, when people try to manipulate others by granting them favors, the resulting “debt” of gratitude may easily become a burden. Buddhism wisdom, however, enables us to see our essential interconnectedness beyond superficial social obligations. Through our Buddhist practice we expand our capacity to express gratitude and can even transform hostility into a cause for personal development. Thus from his exile to the Izu Peninsula, the Daishonin states: “Moreover, in this lifetime, I have taken faith in the Lotus Sutra and encountered a ruler who will enable me to free myself in my present existence from the suffering of birth and death. Thus how can I dwell on this insignificant harm that he had done me and overlook my debt to him?” (WND, 44).

As we develop a perspective and capacity to see even hardship in a positive light, we can experience a sense of gratitude for something beyond immediate give-and-take and deepen our humanity. Devadatta failed to prevent Shakyamuni from acting kindly, and the shogunate government could not make the Daishonin bitter. From these examples, we can see that negative circumstances do not have to make us feel ungrateful.

Living Buddhism
May 2000
Page 6
By Shin Yatomi, associate editor, based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study), published by the Seikyo Press in 1994.

[1] Aesop: The Complete Fables. Trans. Olivia and Robert Temple. London: Penguin, 1998. p. 64.
[2] The Jataka or Stories of the Buddha’s Former Births. Ed. E.B. Cowell. Trans. Robert Chalmers. First published by the Cambridge University Press, 1895. Reprinted by Motilal Banarsidass, 1990. Vol. 1. pp. 174?77.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Eternity of Life

The Eternity of Life

We often take our lives for granted especially when we're young. We think we're going to live forever. But, from one moment to the next, nobody knows what will happen. A person could be alive and well one moment and dead the next. Perhaps it was sobering thoughts such as these that Nichiren Daishonin exhorted believers to "First study death, and then study other matters" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1404).

I've always found this quote intriguing. How exactly does one study death? After all, can anyone really say what happens when we die? Death is the "great unknown," and that's why it's so frightening. Furthermore, we perceive the inevitability of death long before it happens, which can be worrisome, even tormenting. This fear and suffering keeps us from thinking seriously about death and impedes our happiness.

Buddhism addresses the fundamental questions of life and death in a way that can alleviate if not erase the fear of death and the consequent suffering; it elucidates the eternity of life. In the "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings" the Daishonin offers the following perspective: "Regarding life and death with abhorrence and trying to separate oneself from them is delusion, or partial enlightenment. To clearly perceive life and death as the essence of eternal life is realization, or total enightenment. Now Nichiren and his disciples who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo awaken to the ebb and flow of birth and death as the innate workings of life that is eternal" (GZ, 745).

In the "Life Span" chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the eternity of life is expressed by the passage, "There is no ebb and flow of life and death, and there is no existing in this world and later entering extinction" (LS16, 226).

Though it is natural to see birth as a beginning and death as an end, this is an incomplete perspective. Buddhism teaches that we repeat the cycle of birth and death continuously. Death can be likened to sleep. We feel rejuvenated when we wake from a good night's rest. Similarly we can view death as a time to refresh our lives for our next existence. Death then, just like sleep, is not something to be feared.

The "Life Span" chapter clarifies that the Buddha's life is eternal and that we are in no way separate from the life of the Buddha. It describes the Buddha as life itself and defines that eternal life as the Mystic Law. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can experience the reality of the life-state of Buddhahood, not just learn it as a philosophical concept. Through this practice of chanting the Mystic Law we come to understand the oneness of life and death with our lives.

Although life is eternal, we must not stop striving to improve our circumstances in this lifetime simply because we can "wait for the next life." President Toda described rebirth as follows: "While our lives melt into the universe, they do not blend in with the lives of others. Each life retains its integrity and experiences joy and sadness depending on the person's actions while alive - as though crying or laughing in a dream" (Lectures on the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters of the Lotus Sutra, vol. 3, p. 111).

It is fundamental to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism that cause and effect operates throughout past, present and future. Similarly our lives are continuous from existence to existence. The causes we've made in past existences are manifested as joy and suffering in this life, and the causes we make in the present shape our future. A carefree, live-for-the-moment attitude is living with perpetually missed opportunities; we will always be accountable for the causes we make.

Though it is preferable to die of old age, merely living a long life doesn't guarantee that it will be fulfilling. And measured against eternity, a short or long life makes little difference. What's important is that we each strive to live a life of quality based on a sense of mission.

Shakyamuni is said to have lived until the age of eighty. Nichiren Daishonin lived until he was sixty. Soka Gakkai President Makiguchi lived until seventy-three and Josei Toda, till fifty-eight. Though their life spans varied, each one dedicated himself without restraint for the sake of kosen-ruf. They fulfilled their respective missions and attained Buddhahood in life and death. In examining our own lives, regardless of the circumstances of our deaths, if we dedicate ourselves fully in our unique missions, we will likewise experience Buddhahood.

There may be times when peoples' deaths confuse us. In our attachment to the idea that living long is the deciding factor for a victorious life, we can become discouraged if someone we know and care about dies unexpectedly or doesn't live a long life. However, in The New Human Revolution, President Ikeda states: "Even if a person who practices this Buddhism should die young, his or her life would not have been in vain. That person's life and death will have profound meaning and will serve to teach something very important to those who remain" (World Tribune, August 17, 2001, p. 9). With faith, it is possible to discover this meaning. As we experience the death of loved ones, we can turn them into opportunities to learn about death in a way that will help us learn how to live.

The saying "To live well is to die well" takes on great meaning. Our challenge as Buddhists to improve ourselves is the correct way to live happy, fulfilled lives, and in doing so we are guaranteed that when our time comes we will die happy.

Too often we find ourselves putting off important matters precisely because we don't take death seriously. We find ourselves saying things like, "I'll practice Buddhism more devoutly when I have more time." "I'll care for my health," or "I'll spend more quality time with my family and friends." Before we know it, years have passed and we find we have not kept any of these promises.

Buddhism teaches us to live and practice faith "with the profound insight that now is the last moment" of life. Imagine if we challenged ourselves to approach life with this attitude, how much more alive we would feel. How much more appreciation we would have for our very lives. How much more of ourselves would we invest in every opportunity to interact with other people. The efforts we make toward our own and other peoples' happiness based on the Mystic Law - be it reciting the sutra, making dinner, or offering a kind word to a stranger - would be joyful rather than burdensome. In making every moment count, we'll have lived a life without regret no matter when we die.

President Ikeda summarizes the importance of being true to ourselves succinctly: "Death will come to each of us some day. We can die having fought hard for our beliefs and convictions, or we can die having failed to do so. Since the reality of death is the same in either case, isn't it far better that we set out on our journey toward the next existence in high spirits with a bright smile on our faces, knowing that everything we did, we did the very best we could, thrilling with the sense 'That was truly an interesting life'?" (The Buddha in Your Mirror, p. 202).

By Stephanie Celano, Based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (23)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (23)

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

The Buddha Observes People's Hearts and Listens to Their Unvoiced Aspirations

Sho zen-nanshi. O ze chugen. Ga setsu nendobut^to. U bu gon go. Nyu o nehan. Nyo ze kai i. Hoben funbetsu. Sho zen-nanshi. Nyaku u shujo. Raishi ga sho. Ga i butsu-gen. Kan go shin to. Sho kon ridon. Zui sho o do. Shosho ji setsu. Myoji fudo. Nenki daisho. Yaku-bu gen gon. To nyu nehan. U i shuju hoben. Setsu mimyo ho. No ryo shujo. Hok^kangi shin.

"Good men, during that time I have spoken about the Buddha Burning Torch and others, and described how they entered nirvana. All this I employed as an expedient means to make distinctions.

"Good men, if there are living beings who come to me, I employ my Buddha eye to observe their faith and to see if their other faculties are keen or dull, and then depending upon how receptive they are to salvation, I appear in different places and preach to them under different names, and describe the length of time during which my teachings will be effective. Sometimes when I make my appearance I say that I am about to enter nirvana, and also employ different expedient means to preach the subtle and wonderful Law, thus causing living beings to awaken joyful minds." (LS- 16, 226)

During that time" refers to the period from when Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood in the remote past of gohyaku jintengo until the time of his present existence in India. In this passage, Shakyamuni speaks in detail of his activities during this interval.

First, Shakyamuni clarifies that although in the past he had spoken of the appearance of Buddha Burning Torch (Jpn Nento) and other Buddhas, and described their entering nirvana, all these accounts of past Buddhas were nothing more than expedient means.

In the passage immediately preceding this one, Shakyamuni explained that he dwells eternally in the saha world and continually takes action to lead people to enlightenment. Here he clarifies that his explanations of the appearance of past Buddhas and of their entering nirvana were merely expedient means to guide people; and that these past Buddhas were emanations that he, Shakyamuni, as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past, had manifested.

In an earlier sutra, Shakyamuni explained that in a previous existence he had practiced under Buddha Burning Torch as a bodhisattva named Learned Youth (Jpn Judo). As a result of his practice at that time, Shakyamuni received a prediction from Buddha Burning Torch that in the future he would definitely attain enlightenment. And Shakyamuni said that his practice at that time became the cause for his initial attainment of enlightenment in his current existence. The reason why he mentions Buddha Burning Torch in particular here is that, among all the Buddhas of the past, this name was best known to Shakyamuni's listeners.

But if Buddha Burning Torch and the other Buddhas of the past are expedient means, then the Buddhist austerities Shakyamuni had practiced for countless eons under such Buddhas, and the effect of his attaining enlightenment for the first time in his present existence, are also just expedients.

In other words, with this statement Shakyamuni repudiates the causes for attaining Buddhahood accumulated "during that time" as well as the effect of his initial attainment of Buddhahood in his present existence as being expedient means.

When these intermediary causes and effects are refuted, the "true cause" of Shakyamuni's attainment of Buddhahood is found to lie rather in his practice in the remote past; his attainment of Buddhahood in the remote past is found to constitute the "true effect" that he attained. In this passage, Shakyamuni clarifies that this true cause and true effect are the actual cause and effect of his enlightenment.

In raising the issue of entering nirvana, Shakyamuni is saying that Buddha Burning Torch and other Buddhas entering nirvana were expedient means.

Nirvana indicates a state of life of peace and tranquillity attained through the extermination of earthly desires. The earlier sutras further teach that through exterminating one's physical body as well, one could enter into a state of "complete nirvana." This understanding has come to inform the meaning of "entering nirvana," which indicates the death of a Buddha.

Here, in the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter, Shakyamuni emphasizes that "complete nirvana," in the sense of physical and spiritual extinction, is an expedient means. In the Lotus Sutra, true nirvana does not mean physical and spiritual extinction; rather, it consists in the perfection of wisdom.

For this reason, Shakyamuni here explains that even accounts of Buddhas entering nirvana are expedient means; and that the perfected wisdom of the Buddha exists eternally as embodied in Shakyamuni, the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past. Since Shakyamuni speaks to this matter in the passage of the jigage (verse) section of the "Life Span" chapter that reads "as an expedient means I appear to enter nirvana" (LS- 16, 229), let us put off a detailed discussion of this matter until. we come to that section.

Next, in the passage that begins, "Good men, if there are living beings who come to me...," Shakyamuni reveals the nature of his activities "during that time" as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past.

Why did Shakyamuni, the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past, appear during this interval in the guise of various Buddhas and bodhisattvas? The answer is that he was acting in accordance with the mystic principle of aspiration and appearance.

"If there are living beings who come to me" indicates "aspiration." In other words, it describes the condition where people aspire to encounter and possess a seeking mind for the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past.

The passage, "I employ my Buddha eye to observe their faith." describes the "appearance" of the Buddha of gohyaku jintengo. In response to people's seeking minds, the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past appears in the world in the form of various Buddhas and bodhisattvas.

The Buddha's appearance is fundamentally motivated by compassion.

Deep in their lives, those experiencing pain and suffering seek Buddhism; they aspire to encounter the Buddha. The Buddha, due to his power of compassion, hears their unvoiced cries and yearns to help them. And he appears in the world in order to lead all people to happiness. This is the mystic principle of aspiration and appearance.

To take action in response to seeing someone suffering is to manifest the compassion of the Buddha. This spirit of compassion, this spirit to sympathize with the sufferings of others, underlies the practice of the SGI. Precisely because we base ourselves on such a spirit of compassion, earnestness is born, wisdom wells forth, ideas are quickly translated into action, and there is development. We absolutely must never forget this.

President Toda once said, "People aspire for the Buddha and desire an outstanding leader, and in response the Buddha appears." The Buddha is a true leader who embodies a profound understanding of life.

We may encounter stalemates in life and society, and as a civilization. Possessing a philosophy offering profound insight into life enables one to open the way forward through such deadlocks.

In an age lacking philosophy, people's hearts tend to wander and drift. "Something seems wrong with how things are, but I don't know what to do," people say to themselves. "I want to become happy. But I don't know what real happiness is."

Broadly speaking, these unvoiced cries represent people's aspirations and their call to the Buddha for help. Following the example of the Buddha, let us stand up in response to people's cries and generate a current of dialogue for truth and justice.

The Buddha Yearns To Share His Benefit With Others

Shakyamuni then details how he, as the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past, has appeared in order to lead those seeking Buddhism to enlightenment.

First, he says that he uses his Buddha eye to determine whether their faculties are keen or dull, and so gauges how it might be possible to lead them to enlightenment. And on that basis, he has appeared in different lands under different names, and postulated different spans during which his teachings would be efficacious. In other words, Shakyamuni explains that he has appeared as various Buddhas and bodhisattvas of different names and whose teachings endure for different periods.

He also says that at times he has announced that he would enter nirvana and then appeared to do so.

The truth is that the life of the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past is eternal. But in order to guide people, as an expedient means, he has appeared under a variety of names and assumed various limited life spans, and then pretended to enter nirvana.

The Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the past, as emanations of Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment in the remote past, appeared in order to guide people toward enlightenment. The Buddha thus freely shares his eternal life with his various emanations to teach and guide the people.

Eternal life is the Buddha's immeasurable benefit. T'ien-t'ai says, "'To fathom the life span' (Jpn juryo) means to measure and elucidate the benefit of various Buddhas" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 752).

Allowing his span of life to be fully consumed in the process, Shakyamuni bestowed his benefit upon people in countless different places and ages. For the Buddha to save the people means for him to share his immense life force --- his life span --- with others. Fundamentally, the Buddha's benefit is life force; it is the power to survive. In the "Life Span" chapter, Shakyamuni clarifies that the Buddha's life span is in fact immeasurable.

Each day, we receive this immeasurable life force, this immeasurable benefit, from the Gohonzon. Therefore, the more we praise the great beneficial power of the Gohonzon, the more our own lives increase in majesty and power, and shine with brilliance.

With faith in the Gohonzon as the foundation, we pray, take action and speak out for the happiness of others. The maintenance of this correct rhythm directs our entire being toward longevity, health and happiness.

To explain this rhythm of faith manifesting itself in daily life in a readily accessible fashion, I once proposed the following four mottoes for leading a healthy life: (1) do a vigorous gongyo, (2) lead a daily life free of unreasonable strain and senseless exertion, (3) take dedicated action, and (4) eat intelligently.

It might also be said that faith in the Mystic Law is itself the foremost catalyst of health and longevity.

Faith of Valiant Action Produces Great Joy

Let us now interpret this passage of the Lotus Sutra from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism. First "if there are living beings who come to me" implicitly refers to our sitting upright before the Gohonzon.

In the Latter Day of the Law, the Buddha's act of employing the Buddha eye to observe people's capacity and preaching the Law to them in accordance with their circumstances indicates the compassionate conduct of Nichiren Daishonin in leading all people to enlightenment.

President Toda explained this passage as meaning that the Gohonzon perceives our faith and bestows upon us great compassion.

From our standpoint, "if their... faculties are keen or dull" could be said to indicate the strength or weakness of our faith. The deeper our faith becomes, the more we can manifest the immeasurable benefit of the Gohonzon.

In a lecture, President Toda said:

Before the Daishonin entered nirvana, he left behind the Gohonzon for us, the people of the Latter Day. While he was alive, he was respectfully called Nichiren Daishonin; and after his passing, he is reverently called the Dai-Gohonzon bestowed upon all humankind. This is the meaning of "preach to them under different names ' and "describe the length of time during which my teachings will be effective." This Gohonzon is the true entity of the Buddha.

Needless to say, the Daishonin's Buddhism is the great teaching for the limitless span of the Latter Day of the Law. It is the source of light illuminating all humankind throughout the eternal future. The "length of time" during which it will be effective is infinite.

The passage, "I also employ different expedient means to preach the subtle and wonderful Law, thus causing living beings to awaken joyful minds," indicates none other than expounding the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo and causing people to experience great joy through the power of the Gohonzon. Those who earnestly embrace the Mystic Law will certainly not become miserable. This is true absolutely beyond any doubt.

President Toda went so far as to say that unless great joy wells forth in one's life when praying to the Gohonzon, then one's faith is not correct. When you experience such joy, a great flower of benefit blossoms in your life.

But he qualified this, saying:

However, you won' t experience true joy if you spend all of your time just forcing yourself to rejoice. If during gongyo your legs get numb and you find yourself thinking, 'Aren't we going to finish yet? Oh, I forgot! I have to rejoice,' then you're not experiencing true joy.

Faith is to take spirited action. When you earnestly struggle, your heart becomes light and filled with momentum. Pessimism is alien to Buddhism.

Taking action on the side of justice brings joy. Let us cheerfully, joyfully and brightly advance along the path of our convictions.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (24)

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra (24)

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

Dedicate Your Life to the Great Law

Sho zen-nanshi. Nyorai ken sho shujo. Gyo o shobo. Toku hak^ku ju sha. I ze nin setsu. Ga sho shukke. Toku a-noku-ta-ra san-myaku sanbodai. Nen ga jitsu. Jo-butsu irai. Ku-on nyaku shi. Tan ni hoben. Kyoke shujo. Ryo nyu butsu-do. Sa nyo ze setsu.

"Good men, the Thus Come One observes how among living beings there are those who delight in a little Law, meager in virtue and heavy with defilement. For such persons I describe how in my youth I left my household and attained anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. But in truth the time since I attained Buddhahood is extremely long, as I have told you. It is simply that I use this expedient means to teach and convert living beings and cause them to enter the Buddha way. That is why I speak in this manner." (LS-16, 226)

The Spiritual Struggle of the Buddha Who Teaches the Eternity of Life

The lives of those who advance toward great ideals and dedicate themselves to continuous self-improvement are always pervaded with hope, fulfillment and inspiration. They possess a brilliance of life that overflows from within, and a kind of charm that words cannot express.

The Lotus Sutra urges all people to proceed along the path of continuous advancement. "Aim to realize the great state of life of the Buddha!" "Cultivate the boundless universe within your heart!" The Lotus Sutra expounds this supreme path.

To teach the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha first set forth various expedient teachings as a means to guide people.

Although Shakyamuni, in the earlier sutras and the theoretical teaching (first half) of the Lotus Sutra, taught that he had renounced secular life at a young age and attained supreme enlightenment for the first time in his present existence, this was an expedient teaching he had expounded according to the understanding of "those who delight in a little Law, [and who are] meager in virtue and heavy with defilement."

"Those who delight in a little Law" indicates persons who embrace the Hinayana or provisional Mahayana teachings, or, more broadly, who are attached to an inferior system of values or sense of purpose in life; and who, as a result, do not aspire to attain the great state of life of the Buddha. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai of China says, regarding such people: "Their hearts are tainted with worldly pleasures and attached to erroneous views"; and "They desire to turn their body to ashes and annihilate their consciousness."

"Meager in virtue and heavy with defilement" means that such people have accumulated few causes for attaining Buddhahood, and that their lives are defiled with earthly desires. "Defilement" indicates vices including greed, anger, stupidity, arrogance, doubt, mistaken views. and jealousy.

Rather than trying to teach such persons about the eternal life of the Buddha who has been enlightened since gohyaku jintengo, Shakyamuni told them that he attained enlightenment for the first time in this lifetime, as a result of having carried out various practices in previous existences. By so doing, ultimately he was laying the groundwork for the revelation of the Buddha's eternal life span (that is, of his actual attainment of enlightenment in the remote past) here in the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter.

Had he expounded the state of life of the eternal Buddha from the outset, without employing the expedient of claiming he had initially attained enlightenment in his present lifetime, many would doubtless have slandered him saying, "Who could believe this grandiose talk?" Or they might have given up hope entirely, convinced that they could not possibly attain such a great state of life. Either way, it would have led to their abandoning their practice.

Because he started out by expounding the cause of his past practice and the effect of his attaining Buddhahood for the first time in his present lifetime, people could accept what he said and therefore strive to attain their own enlightenment. Moreover, with his teaching about the three vehicles being replaced by the one vehicle in the "Expedient Means" (2nd) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni had indicated that all people inherently possess the world of Buddhahood. There he unequivocally declared: "You should not pursue the two vehicles or the three vehicles, but should strive to attain the state of life of the Buddha, the one supreme vehicle."

Because this foundation had already been laid, the disciples who in the "Life Span" chapter caught a glimpse of their mentor's state of life-vast and boundless as the universe-rather than being plagued by doubt, could believe in the teaching of his actual attainment in the remote past with a sense of excitement and joy.

It might be said that Shakyamuni's preaching of his initial attainment of enlightenment in this lifetime was part of a grand "educational curriculum" that the Buddha had conceived out of his profound determination to not allow even one person to regress in faith or fall away from the path to enlightenment. Such was the profound thought and tenacious effort required to enable people to believe in the eternal life of the Buddha.

Outside of Buddhism, as well, the eternity of life is a theme that many religious thinkers and philosophers have dedicated their lives to pursuing. Ultimately, however, all such attempts have wound up as mere theory, or as the personal realization of individuals, and could not be practically communicated to people at large.

All of this points to just how difficult it is to enable ordinary people who are "meager in virtue and heavy with defilement" to comprehend the vast life of the Buddha, which is without beginning or end. Herein lay the Buddha's heroic spiritual struggle.

For the people of the Latter Day of the Law, Nichiren Daishonin manifested the great life of the Buddha in the form of the Gohonzon. Therefore, for us, faith in the Gohonzon becomes the path to life's eternity.

Through believing in the Gohonzon, exerting ourselves in doing gongyo and chanting daimoku, and dedicating our lives to kosen-rufu, we can enter the path of eternal happiness of the Buddha.

Those who believe in and practice the Mystic Law are not people "meager in virtue and heavy with defilement. "They are people of "supreme good fortune" (MW-1, 92) who enjoy a status second to none. This is truly an age that abounds with people "meager in virtue and heavy with defilement" who "delight in a little Law." It is regarded as natural to lead an inferior way of life dedicated to the pursuit of hedonism or greed. This may be a nihilistic age in which people simply find it difficult to uphold great ideals.

In the very midst of this modem society, we are studying, believing in, and practicing the great philosophy of life of the supreme Law. With our gaze on eternity, we are taking action to lead all humankind to enlightenment. No other way of life is as noble or as replete with good fortune. For precisely this reason, it is only natural that we should be envied. If we did not encounter misunderstanding or prejudice, or a certain amount of persecution- that would be really strange.

Let us advance with dignity! With chins up and chests out, let us continue working with still greater joy to cultivate the hearts of others.

Regarding the significance of the line, "Good men, the Thus Come One observes how among living beings...," T'ien-t'ai explains that it refers to Shakyamuni's determined and all-out struggle, like a bounding lion, to benefit the people of his day.

This passage of the sutra describes the Buddha's struggle to lead the people to enlightenment. To practice for kosen-rufu with this same dedication and resolve is to read this passage with one's life.

Sho zen-nanshi. Nyorai sho en kyo-den. Kai i dodas^shujo. Waku sek^koshin. Waku set^tashin. Waku ji koshin. Waku ji tashin. Waku ji koji. Waku ji taji. Sho sho gon-setsu. Kai jitsu fu ko.

"Good men, the scriptures expounded by the Thus Come One are all for the purpose of saving and emancipating living beings. Sometimes I speak of myself, sometimes of others; sometimes I present myself, sometimes others; sometimes I show my own actions, sometimes those of others. All that I preach is true and not false." (LS-16, 226)

All the Buddha's Teachings Are True

The earlier sutras Shakyamuni had expounded were all for leading people to enlightenment. Here, Shakyamuni emphasizes that these teachings, while expounded from a variety of different viewpoints, all represent the truth, that none are false.

In the sentence that begins, "Sometimes I speak of myself, sometimes of others," the word "sometimes" (Jpn waku) appears six times. This is termed the "six modes of preaching."

The Daishonin points to this passage as documentary proof of the principle that "The world of Buddhahood contains the Ten Worlds" (MW-1, 51). To explain, the words "oneself" and "others" and so on indicate the various states of life and activities of the beings of the ten worlds expounded by the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past.

The Daishonin, citing this passage, also says:

All of the Buddhas from the ten directions, the seven Buddhas of the past, all Buddhas of the three existences, Bodhisattva Superior Practices (Jogyo), Monjushiri, Shariputra, King Brahma (Bonten), the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, Shakra Devanam Indra (Taishaku), the god of the sun, the god of the moon, the gods of the stars, the seven major northern heavenly bodies, the twenty-eight constellations, the five planets, the seven constellations, the eighty-four thousand countless stars, the asura king, the gods of the heaven, the gods of the earth, the gods of the mountains, the gods of the sea, the household gods, the village gods, and the people ruling over all countries throughout the world-can any of these not be a manifestation of Shakyamuni, lord of the teachings? In essence, Tensho Daijin and the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman are also Shakyamuni. If Shakyamuni is likened to the moon in the heavens, the multitude of Buddhas and bodhisattvas are comparable to the moon's reflection on all bodies of water. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1187)

These manifestations of the ten worlds are all expedients Shakyamuni taught to "save and emancipate" people.

These are actual forms that Shakyamuni assumed in order to benefit people, and expressions of the compassion of the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remote past. Such descriptions are certainly not a lie. Rather, they indicate just how grand is the state of life of Buddhahood.

In terms of the Latter Day of the Law, "the scriptures expounded by the Thus Come One" indicates the Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin. It seems to me that we can identify the same "six modes of preaching" in the Gosho, which is the "scripture of the Latter Day."

"Sometimes I speak of myself" indicates Nichiren Daishonin speaking of the state of life of the original Buddha. "Sometimes of others" indicates the Daishonin speaking of the state of life of beings of the nine worlds from Hell to Bodhisattva "Sometimes I present myself" indicates the Daishonin presenting the aspect of the original Buddha. "Sometimes others" indicates the Daishonin presenting the aspect of an ordinary person of the nine worlds.

"Sometimes I show my own actions" indicates the Daishonin showing the accomplishments of the original Buddha.

In other words, it refers to the Daishonin's struggles to perpetuate the Law and accomplish kosen-rufu, as seen in his fierce propagation efforts while undergoing four great persecutions, including exile to Izu and Sado, and his tireless efforts to encourage many disciples and set down his teachings in writing.

"Sometimes those of others" indicates the accomplishments of the Daishonin's disciples who exert themselves to spread the teaching, make offerings to the Daishonin. and receive benefit.

In other words, the "six modes of preaching" of the original Buddha all refer to the Daishonin's own conduct and the actions based on faith of his disciples as related in the Gosho. The purpose of these various accounts is to "save and emancipate" the people. Not one of them is false.

The Gosho expresses the great state of life of the original Buddha who yearns to save all people throughout the ten thousand years of the Latter Day of the Law. Every line of the Gosho explains one thing, the law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

The second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, said:

All that the Daishonin saw and taught is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. If someone were to come to the Daishonin and ask, "Daishonin, please tell me what is your most essential teaching?" he would tell the person: "Okay, have a seat there. It's Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That's it in its entirety."

The Daishonin's teaching over a period of thirty years all comes down to a single phrase. Therefore, if we believe in the Gohonzon, chant daimoku and propagate the teaching, then we are certain to attain enlightenment.

All of you are practicing this "one fundamental teaching" for the liberation of humankind.

The Daishonin says, "I have merely been trying to make all the people of Japan hold in their mouths the five or seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Mine is like the compassion of a mother trying to breast-feed her baby" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 585).

It may be that many of you who take compassionate action each day while striving to emulate the Daishonin's spirit are experiencing successive sufferings or hardships. I make every effort to be aware of your noble and difficult struggles.

But through this faith we can make all our actions shine as the conduct of Buddhas and bodhisattvas expressed by the passage, "sometimes I present myself, sometimes others." To the extent that we worry, to the extent that we struggle, all our efforts return to us as benefit.

"All that I preach is true and not false," the sutra says. In Buddhism, definitely, no effort is wasted.

Sometimes worrying, sometimes sounding cries of triumph, I hope that you will join me in enacting a glorious drama on the stage of kosen-rufu.

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Buddhism teaches that the real burden upon our humanity is ingratitude.

The Buddhist concept of dependent origination explains that everything in this world arises from and is supported by its environment. Everything and everyone is connected. There is no one, therefore, who does not owe a debt of gratitude to others. In this sense, gratitude may be described as our awareness that our lives are supported by our environment, which includes other people, and our desire to respond in kind to such support. Those who are ungrateful or feel burdened by others’ kindness fail to see the interconnectedness of all lives. They build walls of ignorance and selfishness around them to isolate themselves from the rest of the world.

The Daishonin states: “One who studies the teachings of Buddhism must not fail to repay the four debts of gratitude” (WND, 43). One Mahayana scripture called the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra (Jpn Shinjikan gyo) explains that we as Buddhists owe a debt of gratitude to all living beings, our parents, the sovereign and the three treasure of the Buddha, the Buddhist teaching and the Buddhist community. Because of the existence of all living beings, bodhisattvas can fulfill their vow to save them. Without others we cannot practice the Buddhist ideal of altruism. We also owe thanks to our parents who brought us into existence so that we may practice Buddhism. We are indebted to “the sovereign” who represents all the activities of society that ensure our survival. In this regard, the Daishonin states: “It is thanks to one’s sovereign that one can warm one’s body…and sustain one’s life with the five kinds of grain” (WND, 44). Furthermore, as practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, we owe a debt of gratitude to the Daishonin and his teaching as well as to his immediate disciple and successor Nikko Shonin and to the Buddhist community for transmitting and spreading the Daishonin’s Buddhism.


So just chanting allows us to reach eventual enlightenment then. I will find my Gohonzon eventually. BOG

I think I understand.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Wisdom

Wisdom

A Buddha is characterized as a person of profound wisdom. The idea of wisdom is core to Buddhism. But wisdom can be a vague and elusive concept, hard to define and harder to find. How does one become wise? Is wisdom something that we can actively develop, or must we merely wait to grow wiser as we grow older? Perhaps it is because wisdom is such an indistinct concept that it has lost value as a relevant ideal in modern society, which has instead come to place great store in information and the attainment of knowledge.

Josei Toda, second president of the Soka Gakkai, characterized the confusion between knowledge and wisdom as one of the major failings of modern society.

His critique is starkly demonstrated in the astonishing progress of technology in the last century. While scientific and technological development has shown only a mixed record of alleviating human suffering, it has triumphed remarkably in its ability and efficiency in unleashing death and destruction.

Toda likened the relationship between knowledge and wisdom to that between a pump and water. A pump that does not bring forth water (knowledge without wisdom) is of little use.

This is not to deny the importance of knowledge. But knowledge can be utilized to generate both extreme destructiveness and profound good.

Wisdom is that which directs knowledge toward good--toward the creation of value.

Buddhist teachings, such as the concept of the five kinds of wisdom, describe and analyze in detail the dynamics of wisdom and how it manifests at different levels of our consciousness.

When wisdom is functioning in our life, it has the effect of enabling us to overcome the ingrained perspectives of our habitual thinking and arrive at a fresh and holistic view of a given situation. We are able to make a broad assessment of facts, perceive the essence of an issue and steer a sure course toward happiness.

Buddhism also likens wisdom to a clear mirror that perfectly reflects reality as it is. What is reflected in this mirror of wisdom is the interrelatedness and interdependence of our life with all other life. This wisdom dispels our delusions of separateness and awakens in us a sense of empathetic equality with all living things.

The term "Buddha" describes a person who freely manifests this inherent wisdom. And what causes this wisdom to well forth in our lives is compassion.

Buddhism sees the universe, and life itself, as an embodiment of compassion--the interweaving of the "threads" of interdependent phenomena, giving rise to and nurturing life in all its wonderful and varied manifestations.

It teaches that the purpose of human life is to be an active participant in the compassionate workings of the universe, enriching and enhancing life's creative dynamism.

Therefore, it is when we act with compassion that our life is brought into accord with the universal life force and we manifest our inherent wisdom. The action of encouraging and sharing hope with others awakens us to a larger, freer identity beyond the narrow confines of our ego. Wisdom and compassion are thus inseparable.

Central to Buddhist practice is self-mastery, the effort to "become the master of one's mind." This idea implies that the more profoundly we strive to develop an altruistic spirit, the more the wisdom of the Buddha is aroused within us and the more powerfully we can, in turn, direct all things--our knowledge, our talents and the unique particularities of our character--to the end of creating happiness for ourselves and others.

Speaking at Tribhuvan University in Nepal in 1995, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda commented, "To be master of one's mind means to cultivate the wisdom that resides in the inner recesses of our lives, and which wells forth in inexhaustible profusion only when we are moved by a compassionate determination to serve humankind, to serve people."

If human history is to change and be redirected from division and conflict toward peace and an underlying ethic of respect for the sanctity of all life, it is human beings themselves who must change. The Buddhist understanding of compassionate wisdom can serve as a powerful basis for such a transformation.

(from: sgi.org)

 

[BushyOldGrower]

I do think it's working. More and more people are living examples of what the human revolution of minds is doing. By example more and more people are learning and feeling their connection to the buddha nature within them. It may come in conflict with the culture they live in but the truth still seems to be gradually sinking in. Recently my son told me he had read of dependent origination and felt that it was a very complex concept to understand. I know that I have always believed that all things did evolve both physically and spiritually over many eons. So its really a simple concept to me that all living things everywhere are indebted to all other forms for their own existance.

Wisdom is different from knowledge and many religions make this point as do they believe that the spirit of GOD is within them. The holy spirit or ghost in the Bible seems much like the Buddha concept but the trinity thing and much is hard to comprehend due to the Catholics and others.

Buddhism seems pure to me and it is a puzzle worthy of a lifetime of study. Finding those common truths is still the way I find it. I know when I read something that is true and if I speak a truth I can feel it. This guide allows me to clarify my beliefs daily but to me theology isn't as important as to many who need precise definitions.

Credit is certainly due to Nichiren because as I read more he seems more and more the one buddha who came again. Recently I learned what happened when they tried to behead him and I wish to know more. He turned the night to day? Does it describe that the sun rose or does it say it became bright as day locally? Where is this described please?

I will do what I need to do to obtain my Gohonzon and Tom is my sponsor I hope. So Tom? May I have my Gohonzon soon? I will happily order the container for my altar if so. Perhaps I need to understand more and perhaps I dont understand why the Gohonzon is kept out of sight from the masses? Sure there must be a reason but I am not sure I agree at this point about the hiding of it. Please respond Tom. BOG

 

[PassTheDoobie]

BOG,

I have been very busy, and I assure you that it is burning a hole in me to not have been able to find the time to sit down and compose concise and complete answers to all of your questions. Here is a bit of the info you have requested until my next post.

First, as to the attempt to behead him: No, the sun did not come out at night. No one can do that and the Daishonin has said so in one of his previous Gosho. The powers of the Buddha are supernatural, but not in conflict with the Laws of Nature. Quite the opposite, the Laws of Nature serve the Law of Life and are ultimately the same. A Buddha is just completely in rhythem with them.

Some sort of heavenly body, probably a meteor or comet, happened to hit the atmosphere and became visible in the night sky at the exact time that the executioner was ready to swing his sword to chop off the Daishonin's head. The Daishonin had been admonishing the Buddhist Gods to protect him.

The soldiers and such had all heard all of his talk about being the Votary of the Lotus Sutra. He was talking outloud to the gods saying that they would be punished if they failed to do their job and protect him, saying if he died he would immediately report them to all the Buddhas he would be joining in death at Eagle Peak. When the very bright object lit up the darkness, it completely scared the shit out of everyone in attendance. Wouldn't such a thing scare the shit out of you?

They refused to go near him, let alone continue in the execution. The Daishonin even put some 'tude on 'em by exhorting them to come back and finish the job! He dared them to go ahead and kill him! Would you fuck with someone that seemed so willing to die and so confident you couldn't kill him? I cry everytime I tell this story, as I am crying now.

Get the whole account in a first person re-telling of the events as they took place. There is a whole lot more crazy shit that went down. The Daishonin is the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. He proved it. Read for yourself. The gosho is: The Actions of the Votary fo the Lotus Sutra, on page 763 of the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin (which can be found in the "Library" of the www.sgi-usa.org web site. It is in the section labeled "Buddhism".)

I will do my best to answer the REST of your questions, especially those pertaining to the Gohonzon, shortly (before the end of my day)...

Thank you for your seeking spirit BOG! And Bud! Yes you join SGI in order to receive your Gohonzon from them. It is not a "REPLICA"! It is a Gohonzon. It becomes "Gohonzon" because of your faith and your Buddha Nature. It has a potential which, is only completed and manifested based on YOU! Don't forget, that among other things the Gohonzon IS YOU!!!!!!!!!! I will get into that more later as well.

T

 

[Babbabud]

Tom Avid Learner was nice enough to PM me and explain ...thank you so much for remembering my post. I took it down after Avid and I exchanged pm's .

 

[PassTheDoobie]

BOG,

These are just my opinions on the issues that you raised:

(Q) In any case I still have questions about what is worship and what is respect for another higher sentient being.
(A) To worship is different than to show respect. We worship the Gohonzon, but are at least given the words to come to the actual understanding of what the Gohonzon is; and because of that, why it is worthy and appropriate for worship. The Gohonzon encompasses all things. All things are manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. Period.

The Gohonzon, serves as a physical Object of Devotion embodying the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Treasure Tower at the Ceremony in the Air (The Lotus Sutra), the Buddha Nature of the Buddha of Beginningless Time (a.k.a. the Buddha of Kuon Ganjo, a.k.a. the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, Nichiren Daishonin), and the Buddha Nature of ALL Buddhas, as well the Buddha Nature of all sentient and insentient phenomena throughout the Universe (including you). To worship anything other than the Gohonzon is to worship or give devotion and praise to the manifestation rather than the source, and therefore could not be a valid predication for an Object of Worship encompassing all things.

You communicate to these entities you wish to acknowledge and respect in the only language they understand, the language of the Law, the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra—Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Understand again, that during Gongyo each morning as a function of meditating on our first prayer, we give thanks to, and provide sustenance to--through our Daimoku to the Gohonzon--, Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and the moon, and many other entities representing the forces in our environment which serve us as Bodhisattvas of the Earth (which we have validated ourselves as being, by the mere act of embracing and propagating the Law).

You say thanks to the god of the Sun by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a spirit of gratitude to the Law, for the Sun. You don’t chant to the Sun. You say thank you for all things that the Sun does and provides, but the sun does not provide all things. There are many many suns in the Universe. There is ONLY ONE LAW.

(Q) So we must realize that the saha world of ours is actually perhaps the whole material side of the universe? Or is it all of the spirit worlds and all of the material worlds?
(A) Only an individual that has achieved anuttara-samyak-sambodai (supreme perfect enlightenment) could responsibly answer such a question. I think the operative term in your question is “this saha world of ours”. I would have say my personal feeling is that this “saha world of ours” is not the only saha world, but that there must be many.

I believe that the Buddha of Beginningless Time eventually makes advent in all of the saha worlds throughout the Universe and that the legion of disciples that accompany this Buddha to uphold and propagate the True Teaching of the One Vehicle of Myoho-renge-kyo, make their advent in these worlds to fulfill these vows.

This Buddha and the disciples that have served this Buddha only appear in the saha word and it is only in the saha worlds that anuttara-samyak-sambodai can be revealed for the purpose of relieving the suffering of the entities of these saha worlds, through the propagation of the Law. In other words, to me, it doesn’t matter where else I may re-manifest as a sentient being so long as I am born in a world where I may can serve my Master and embrace and propagate the Law. Nothing else matters. Nothing!

(Q) Aren't there these two realities?
(A) The Daishonin teaches that there is only one reality—that of the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. There are however, many various manifestations of this reality. This is the enigmatic nature of the manifestation of the three-fold world:

threefold world
[三界] (Jpn.: san-gai)
1.The world of unenlightened beings who transmigrate within the six paths (from hell through the realm of heavenly beings). The threefold world consists of, in ascending order, the world of desire, the world of form, and the world of formlessness: (1) The world of desire comprises the four evil paths (the realms of hell, hungry spirits, animals, and asuras), the four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru (that contain the realm of human beings), and the first six divisions of heaven (the lowest part of the realm of heavenly beings). The beings in this world are ruled by various cravings, such as those for food, drink, and sex. (2) The world of form consists of the four meditation heavens, which are further divided into eighteen heavens (sixteen or seventeen according to other explanations). The beings here are free from desires, cravings, and appetites, but still have physical form and thus are subject to certain material restrictions. (3) The world of formlessness comprises the four realms of Boundless Empty Space, Boundless Consciousness, Nothingness, and Neither Thought Nor No Thought. Here beings are free from desires and from physical form with its material restrictions. (From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism)

So it would seem to me based on the above definition that the saha world includes worlds in the worlds of form and formlessness so that, as the Daishonin insists:

“Be resolved to summon forth the great power of faith, and chant Nam- myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death. Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life. Only then will you realize that earthly desires are enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.” [The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life (WND029), Page 218, col 2, line 6, sentence 3 in paragraph 2]

(Q) And what is the death side of life? We just sleep then and perhaps dream until the next?
(A) It is nothing more than being in a latent state, unable to effect or change the karma accumulated while manifest in an incarnate state. While in this latent state, you experience the sense of life in the state to which you most often dwelled while you were manifest (your fundamental life condition), and it lasts as long as the Karma you have created in the manifest states dictates you shall.

You determine how long you are in ku (the latent state of existence) by your own actions. The actions of a Bodhisattva of the Earth are the kinds of causes that will get you turned around in a hurry. Oppose or slander the Law and the time in ku is lengthened. Embrace and propagate the Law and attain anutarra-samyak-sambodai, and you go in and out, like a door being opened and closed.

We are not just sleeping because our temporarily gathered five components have been merged back into the “sea” of ku. When we “wake up”, we will NOT BE the same entities we were in our previous manifest state. Causality will have interceded (as always) between incarnations and all of the various improvements or distortions from our previous actions that had remained latent in our previous existence will become manifest in this new one. (I assume we should all be better looking?!? LOL.)

Also, in regard to the ‘dreaming’ analogy, don’t forget there are good dreams, wet dreams and nightmares. You do not want to spend all of your time in ku in a nightmare, I am sure of that. Chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

(Q) I wonder if when we die we have even a brief period of consciousness before we sleep but after we leave our bodies.
(A) I believe we do, but know of no orthodoxy to present but my own opinion.

(more about receiving your Gohonzon to follow)

 

[BushyOldGrower]

A definition of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo by Caprichoso.

A definition of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo by Caprichoso.

Thanks Tom. Sorry if I seem impatient. I have been talking to Avid about the possibility of visiting Las Vegas later this summer if I can take a motorcycle trip with a friend then. You said something about LA which is further for me but I will do what is necessary to eventually obtain my Gohonzon. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo seems to work on all the animals.

I think I could talk an angry mule out of kicking my ass if I sang it to him nicely.

As I learn it always pleases me that the answers are good. The light could have been our buddhist brothers in a ufo as I have seen a ufo turn night into day with an arc about a foot wide. Do you know how bright that is? You can't look at it and they have one that is 360 degree and illuminates at least a 2 mile area.

I imagine he might have easily summoned a brother from above or that without his request that they came to save him. I pray that they will come to save us like I was told as a child telepathically from the alien. "I am from another planet and we are here to help you." They are here to help us Tom and they will. Perhaps this is part of my role to alert people that the aliens are kind and loving not monsters.

I believe that we could have been helped in the past or even expoited but buddhists don't exploit. If the Saha world is so huge and beings come from other worlds to help us how hard is it to see my reasoning? Searching for the truth is fun but if I could know one answer it would be who is out there and what are they doing? Could they be spreading buddhism and protecting us somehow? Could they prevent us from destroying ourselves in a senseless world war that could extinct the earth?

I hope so but know that no planet is irreplaceable. Still it seems to me that we need to save mother earth ourselves just in case. So I volunteer Tom. My services are at the disposal of the spreading of the true law as I learn it. I have a new buddist budshot thread at OG in Plants and Budshots you might enhoy but first look at an answer Caprisio gave as to what Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means... BOG

Caprichoso answers Ronlee in my thread here...




Here is the link to the OG buddhist growers thread and I need some help.

https://www.overgrow.com/edge/showthread.php?s=&postid=7286958

nam my oho ren ge kyo...

 

[Babbabud]

Hey Hey !! Awful quiet around here friends I check each day to see whats going on here with my favorite thread .... looks like everybody has had a busy weekend.
Well you know I was once hiking into these hotsprings in the high desert down by Victorville , a place that used to be called "Deep Creek" on an old ranch named "Bowens Ranch" . The hot baths were absolutley wonderful ... multiple pools all diff temps out in the middle of the high desert where every star shined as bright as Ive ever seen. Well we used to spend alot of time out there soaking and praying ... awesome place to become secluded with nature and have some great "sessions". Well we hadnt been to the baths for a few months and when we arrived it was about 3am and very dark with no moon. So we start trying to walk in with no flashlight...well the Forest Service had done some trail maintenance since our last trip through. In the darkness I could see the silohette of a trail marker sign , my friend and I walked over to the sign closer to read it , which was pretty much impossible , meanwhile im reaching in my pocket to find a match or lighter and my buddy says , "sure wish we had a light ", well at that moment a meteor entered the atomosphere like right above us and lit the sky up brighter than daylight . Kept it that way for a few seconds .... long enough for us to look at each other and then look up and see the object lighting up the sky. As soon as the light went out the 3 of us found ourselves huddled together in a circle in the middle of the desert looking around trying to make sense of it . I must say this was a once in a lifetime experience and something I will never forget . Just was reminded of this by the story Tom told Bog in his most recent post.
So come on lets get this party started ...
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Sorry folks!

Sorry folks!

My Brothers and Sisters!

Sorry to drop out for almost a week without a word, but the network guy stopped by the house last week while I was composing my last post to work on the surveillance system and screwed up the Internet connection. I caught him on his cell so he came back and fixed it, but left as soon as it re-booted. I posted and then the system went offline again and I have no fucking idea what the hell is in that closet; except a lot of expensive shit I shouldn't mess with. That bad boy has blown us off ever since Friday, so it seemed prudent to get over to the wife's office and make that fact be known. I will try and get some more in soon, but need the home office to do the normal reworks of the cut and pastes from the SGI sites.

So Bud! Doing a Nichiren thing on us are you? Your Buddha nature is very powerful Brother! Never doubt that! You have grasped the nature and importance of faith on a personalized level, and that same relationship is actually the one that you have with Nichiren Daishonin. Your Buddha Nature is absolutely synonymous with his enlightened life, as the Buddha of Kuon Gonjo, and they are literally one in the same. You may emulate him in any way, and have the power to manifest anything that the Daishonin did since the source and aspects of the two Buddha natures are one in the same. You are limited only by your ability to perceive and embrace that which can only become manifest through faith. I admire you!

Now if the sky had lit up like it did for you, while you were preparing to hack the neck of a bound and kneeling man, who showed absolutely no fear and was even belligerent that, being a great sage and the ultimate protector of the nation, you would not be able to fulfill your task; would you not have just shit your pants and called it a day? I know I would! The funny thing is that he freaked 'em so bad that they wouldn't even take him to the next place he was supposed to go! Ultimately they just pointed him in a direction and ordered him to go to the place where he was to await the outcome of what was to happen next, after the botched attempt to behead him. You all have to read that gosho!!!

And BOG, or anyone else that wants a Gohonzon, ultimately it boils down to this: There are three ways to do it, and I so highly personally suggest to ignore and avoid two of them that I will not even discuss them on this thread. Anyone curious enough to want to know can PM me, and I will respond honestly, but will do everything I can to dissuade these options as I personally view them as slander. That's just me; but it is not an opinion I've come to lightly or one that has not been given serious and voluminous thought.

In a nutshell, the first thing one would have to have accomplished to receive a Gohonzon from the SGI (the only manner I would suggest someone receive one), is you would have to have learned to do gongyo, because you would have to be doing gongyo, and have attended at least one discussion meeting in the previous month. This gets back to Bud's question. Do you have to join the SGI? Yes, but that doesn't entail a commitment that you won't want to embrace if you truly plan on advancing your faith in, and understanding of, Buddhism. It's not a big deal...they don't want you for your money. That is the one thing you won't quite understand as you attend the functions and activities of the SGI. "This is some nice shit! Who in the hell pays for all of this?" [People who want to and do so gladly! So they don't need to ask YOU for money!]

There is a fee; I believe it's like $25 or something like that. (Avid jump in and make sure this is the correct info if it isn't, please!) It goes for the materials used in fabrication and shipping of the Gohonzons from Japan. You would also need to make a place of Devotion in your home that reflects the respect one should already have developed for the Gohonzon before receiving one. Remember, when you are in any SGI environment, you are around people in the ninth world, fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth. It’s always pretty pleasant and benign. Your level of activity or involvement is entirely up to you, and I know of no one in 30 plus years that ever was asked to return their Gohonzon because they quit going to SGI activities.

What we need here is to know the main number into the Santa Monica headquarters so all of you in different places can figure out if there any SGI activities goin on around you so you can hook up and to ask what the procedure is for folks like BOG who live in the middle of nowhere, like caves in the Rocky Mountains!

BOG, great work with your propagation activities! Congrats on the OG thread!

Love and deepest respect to all! (Hello Mrs. G!)

Thomas

 

[Babbabud]

I must tell you Thomas since mentioning that I should send my daimoko to my friend I have been to his house and chanted with him. He is too ill to actually chant. But we did have a wonderful moment and I do believe he recieved some comfort . I can tell you that it was a wonderful experience for me and I really do believe that he could feel some faith flowing his direction and it seemed at least for that moment I could see some weight lifted off his shoulders. He did not understand what was happening but I did explain to him that he just needed to hear the words and he would be on the fast track to buddhahood. His time here would seem to be very short. I will be going there weekly as I am taking care of the yard work and hope to have another session before he moves on I had planned on chanting and sending him my daimoku but then next thing I knew I was mowing the lawn and then I was in sitting on the edge of his bed and began chanting. It was a very moving experience for me and Im sure it did as much for my spirit as it did for his ... didnt mean to ramble but I did want to share this experience with you all ... sorry

 

[Guest]

babbabud,
Our daimoku is most powerful. Nichiren says, "it is our faith alone that wil determine these things!" he is speaking of faith in the heart of the Lotus Sutra.

Having assisted others going from this life to the next, it is important for the person to hear the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra until the very last moment of their life. The daimoku shouldl be the last sound they hear, and that is important.

I have friends in your area that would love to chant with you and your friend.

Regarding receiving Gohonzon. The fee is still $25 and requires to desire to do gongyo. An mo3 file can be downloaded at the SGI -USA site under the downloads subdirectory. Any windows media player will paly the mp3 files; two total; and can be written to a cd for portable use and stereo syteems as well as cd players. After attending a few meetings, and filling out an application. It is pretty easy. You get some new friends that really care about you and are non-judgemental and not snoopy. Although they will ask you, "What do you need to be tuly happy, so I can chant for yoiur happiness." that is about it. Caring people each doing an individual duty for others voluntarily and free of any judgement of others.

The SGI my family everywhere I go there they are. I have friends/family/SGI all over the globe.

For those of you wishing to attend SGI activities, pm me and I will get each of you connected with caring members in your community all around the globe. SGI activites occur in the homes of our members primarily, and a community center's sometimes, but mostly at people's house's and don't be surpirsed who they are. Your neighbors in many instances.

Avid

 

[BushyOldGrower]

I am doing gongyo as directed in the instructions from SGI Tom. The trouble is that you can't really do it without the Gohonzon. The practice takes little time out of my mornings and evenings and I have a good place but all I can do is purchase the alter items sold and not the Gohonzon. This saddens me as there are no meetings in my state or SGI temples. To me how I obtain one seems to matter little at this point because you told me that this should be my goal and it is.

Trouble is that I do things now not later. So where do I have to go?

Although I am not a joiner I plan to get mine however you see. BOG