Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin encourages us,
"A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered."*
So let's live out our lives bravely!
Boldly deciding "Bring on whatever,"
let's determine to courageously chant daimoku
and dauntlessly take action!

Daisaku Ikeda

*"Have profound faith. A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered." - "The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra", WND-I, page 1001

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There is a tendency to feel disappointed and dispirited if, in spite of how earnestly we try to share Buddhism with someone, they don't take faith. But the benefits obtained through letting people hear the teaching and leading people to arouse faith in the teaching are the same. The important thing is to speak out and share the correct teachings of Buddhism."

SGI Newsletter No. 8458, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 25: Chap. 2, Shared Struggle 16, translated Feb. 23rd, 2012.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku."

(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 385) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, February 25th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

A person who always makes an effort to have a clear idea
of what they want to achieve, never reaches an impasse.
Never succumb to any hardship.
Let's live out our lives by working hard towards fulfilling our missions.
Hope always exists within our own hearts.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province."

(The Properties of Rice - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 1117) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, Feb. 27th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Surmounting every challenge with confidence and dignity, no matter how difficult the way forward, imparting courage to all, and forging onward together to savour the joy of victory—that is the way of true champions of kosen-rufu.

"In a letter to the Ikegami brothers who were battling obstacles that had arisen on the path of faith, Nichiren Daishonin writes: “Put into flames, a rock simply turns to ashes, but gold becomes pure gold” (WND-1, 497). Overcoming hardships that test both body and spirit is what forges genuine character. Enduring arduous trials in life, including crises at work and serious illness, enables one to become a golden pillar of strength."

SGI Newsletter No. 8456, Men’s Division, Safeguard the Citadel of Soka!, from the March 2012 issue of Daibyakurenge, translated Feb. 22nd, 2012.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni and Many Treasures certainly realised this truth. The sutra's statement, 'Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,' cannot be false in any way."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 217) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Feb 23rd, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The brilliance of this faith manifests itself in our behaviour as human beings. By greeting others with a refreshing voice and friendly smile, let's make friends with as many people as we can and do our best to gain their trust.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There are two kinds of propagation, that is, to sow the seed of Buddhahood: letting people hear the teaching and leading people to arouse faith in the teaching. The former is clear—letting people hear the teaching; the latter is leading people to arouse faith in the teaching and accept the Gohonzon.

"Even if the person you speak to doesn’t start practising immediately, you have planted the seeds of Buddhahood in their heart, so they will eventually accept this faith. Enabling people to hear about Buddhism is the basis of propagation."

SGI Newsletter No. 8458, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 25: Chap. 2, Shared Struggle 15, translated Feb. 23rd, 2012.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase."

(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 386) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, February 24th, 2012

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Payaso]

Thomas is back, YAY!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Such a happy day!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Buddha of beginningless time
[久遠元初の自受用身] ( Jpn kuonganjo-no-jijuyushin )

Also, eternal Buddha, original Buddha, or true Buddha. The Buddha who has been eternally endowed with the three bodies—the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body, thereby embodying the eternal Law or the ultimate truth of life and the universe. This term appears in Nichiren's (1222-1282) writing given to his successor Nikko and signed by Nichiren. Titled On the Mystic Principle of the True Cause, it refers to "the Mystic Law, uncreated and eternal, of the Buddha of beginningless time," and states that the Mystic Law lies in the depths of the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Nichikan (1665-1726), the twenty-sixth chief priest of Taiseki-ji temple, identified Nichiren as that Buddha, based on the fact that Nichiren was the first to spread the Mystic Law. According to Nichiren, the Japanese term jijuyushin literally means the "body that is freely received and used." The Buddha of beginningless time is also called the Buddha of limitless joy—indicating the Buddha who freely derives boundless joy from the Law while enjoying absolute freedom, and who directly expounds the Law that he realized within his own life. In the "Life Span" chapter, Shakyamuni revealed his attainment of Buddhahood numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past. No matter how far in the past, however, it occurred at a fixed point in time and therefore is not eternal. Moreover, he did not clarify the Law or cause that enabled him to attain enlightenment at that time. In contrast, the Buddha of beginningless time is eternal and also represents eternal life endowed with both the nine worlds and Buddhahood. In The Opening of the Eyes, Nichiren states: "This is the doctrine of original cause and original effect. It reveals that the nine worlds are all present in beginningless Buddhahood and that Buddhahood is inherent in the beginningless nine worlds. This is the true mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, the true hundred worlds and thousand factors, the true three thousand realms in a single moment of life" (WND/235). Here "original cause" refers to the "beginningless nine worlds," and "original effect" to "beginningless Buddhahood." What Nichiren defined as "the true three thousand realms in a single moment of life" is the original state of life. To manifest this state of life is the attainment of Buddhahood for all people. Nichiren established the practice that enables everyone to achieve this by inscribing the Gohonzon, or the object of devotion that embodies this original state of life, and prescribing the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Buddha of limitless joy
[自受用身] ( Jpn jijuyushin )

Buddha of limitless joy is broader in meaning than Buddha of self-enjoyment, which is another translation of jijuyushin.

(1) T'ient'ai (538-597) identified the Buddha of limitless joy with the Buddha revealed in the essential teaching (latter half ) of the Lotus Sutra, whom he defined as the Buddha originally endowed with the three bodies—the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body. Here, these three bodies are regarded as the three integral aspects of a single Buddha, i.e., the fundamental truth or Law to which he is enlightened (the Dharma body), the wisdom to realize it (the reward body), and the merciful actions to help people attain Buddhahood (the manifested body). See also Buddha of beginningless time.

(2) Dengyo (767-822), the founder of the Japanese Tendai school, is quoted in Nichiren's Real Aspect of the Gohonzon as having stated, "A single moment of life comprising the three thousand realms is itself the Buddha of limitless joy; this Buddha has forsaken august appearances" (WND/832). Dengyo identified the true identity of the Buddha of limitless joy as a single moment of life in which all three thousand realms exist. This is Dengyo's description of the same Buddha T'ient'ai mentioned.

(3) Nichiren (1222-1282) identified the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life as the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that he realized within his own life. In other words, Nichiren established two concepts of three thousand realms in a single moment of life; one is T'ient'ai's and the other, his own. In his Treatment of Illness, Nichiren writes: "There are two ways of perceiving the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. One is theoretical, and the other, actual. What T'ient'ai and Dengyo practiced was theoretical, but what I practice now is actual. Because what I practice is superior, the difficulties attending it are that much greater. The doctrine of T'ient'ai and Dengyo was the three thousand realms in a single moment of life of the theoretical teaching, while mine is that of the essential teaching. These two are as different as heaven is from earth" (1114-115). T'ient'ai established the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life based on "the true aspect of all phenomena," the phrase from the "Expedient Means" (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. On the other hand, Nichiren states in The Opening of the Eyes: "The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the 'Life Span' chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu were aware of it but did not bring it forth into the light. T'ient'ai Chihche alone embraced it and kept it ever in mind" (WND/224). Obviously what T'ient'ai embraced and kept ever in mind does not refer to the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life that he expounded publicly. Nichiren regarded it as Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Nichikan (1665-1726), the twenty-sixth chief priest of Taiseki-ji temple, who is known for his commentaries on Nichiren's writings, interpreted Nichiren's teaching, saying that the Buddha of the essential teaching is not the eternal Buddha but the Buddha who attained enlightenment at a fixed point in time. From this viewpoint, the Buddha of the essential teaching is not eternally endowed with the three bodies, but is rather the Buddha who advanced to the state of limitless joy through the bodhisattva way, thereby acquiring the three bodies. In contrast, Nichikan stated that the Buddha who embodies eternal life endowed with all of the Ten Worlds and the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo whereby all Buddhas attained enlightenment, is originally endowed with the three bodies since time without beginning, and that that Buddha is what Nichiren called the Buddha of beginningless time. Nichikan concluded that Nichiren embodied that Buddha.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

true Buddha
[本仏] (Jpn hombutsu )

A Buddha in his true identity, in contrast to his transient or provisional identity. This term is applied in two specific ways:

(1) To Shakyamuni Buddha as he describes himself in the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra; that is, as having attained Buddhahood in the remote past, countless kalpas ago. In that chapter, Shakyamuni states: "In all the worlds the heavenly and human beings and asuras all believe that the present Shakyamuni Buddha, after leaving the palace of the Shakyas, seated himself in the place of meditation not far from the city of Gaya and there attained supreme perfect enlightenment. But good men, it has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood." With this statement, Shakyamuni redefines his identity as a Buddha who originally attained his enlightenment in the remarkably remote past. From the standpoint of the philosophy of the Lotus Sutra, the Shakyamuni who is thought to have attained enlightenment in the current life under the bodhi tree in India is a "provisional Buddha," or a Buddha in his transient identity. In this provisional identity, Shakyamuni is seen as a temporary manifestation of the true Buddha who employed various temporary, expedient teachings to prepare people to understand his true identity and true teaching and thereby lead them to enlightenment.

From the perspective of the content of the Lotus Sutra, the true Buddha corresponds to the Shakyamuni depicted in the essential teaching (latter half) of the Lotus Sutra, while the Buddha in his transient identity is the Shakyamuni of the theoretical teaching (first half) of the sutra.

(2) As a reference to Nichiren (1222-1282), applied to him traditionally by those in the lineage of his disciple Nikko. In The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, T'ient'ai (538-597) refers to the true cause and the true effect as the first two of the ten mystic principles of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra based on the revelation of Shakyamuni's original attainment of enlightenment in the remote past. He associates the true cause with the sentence in the "Life Span" chapter, "Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life that I acquired then has yet to come to an end," and the true effect with the sentence, "Since I attained Buddhahood, an extremely long period of time has passed." In the remote past, Shakyamuni practiced the bodhisattva way (the true cause) and attained Buddhahood (the true effect). Shakyamuni never specifically reveals, however, what teaching he originally practiced, the original cause or seed of his Buddhahood.

Regarding this, Nichiren states: "The doctrine of the sowing of the seed and its maturing and harvesting is the very heart and core of the Lotus Sutra. All the Buddhas of the three existences and the ten directions have invariably attained Buddhahood through the seeds represented by the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo" (1015). From this perspective, Nichiren is regarded as the teacher of the true cause, and Shakyamuni as the teacher of the true effect. This is because in the Lotus Sutra Shakyamuni revealed his eternal Buddhahood, the effect of his original bodhisattva practice. He did not, however, reveal the true cause or the nature of the specific practice by which he attained it. Nichiren, on the other hand, revealed the teaching and practice of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which he identified as the true cause that enables all people to attain Buddhahood. This viewpoint identifies Nichiren as the true Buddha.

Nichiren explains the passage of the Lotus Sutra cited above, "It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood," in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings. He says, "'I in fact' is explaining that Shakyamuni in fact attained Buddhahood in the inconceivably remote past. The meaning of this chapter, however, is that 'I' represents the living beings of the phenomenal world. 'I' here refers to each and every being in the Ten Worlds. 'In fact' establishes that 'I' is a Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies. This is what is being called a 'fact.' 'Attained' refers both to the one who attains and to what is attained. 'Attain' means to open or reveal. It is to reveal that the beings of the phenomenal world are Buddhas eternally endowed with the three bodies. 'Buddhahood' means being enlightened to this." Here Nichiren is saying that every being is essentially "a Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies," a true Buddha. In this sense, "true Buddha" refers to the Buddha nature eternally inherent in the lives of all living beings. In The True Aspect of All Phenomena, Nichiren states, "A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha. A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha" (WND/384).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

true cause
[本因妙] (Jpn honnin-myo )

Also, the mystic principle of the true cause. One of the ten mystic principles of the essential teaching (latter half) of the Lotus Sutra formulated by T'ient'ai (538-597) in The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra. It refers to the practice that Shakyamuni carried out countless kalpas in the past in order to attain his original enlightenment. The term contrasts with the true effect, or the original enlightenment Shakyamuni achieved countless kalpas before his enlightenment in India. The true cause is indicated by the phrase in the "Life Span" (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "Originally I practiced the bodhisattva way..." Profound Meaning defines "bodhisattva way" as the true cause of Shakyamuni's original enlightenment. Shakyamuni did not clarify, however, what the bodhisattva way was. T'ient'ai interpreted it as a reference to the first stage of security, or the eleventh of the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice, i.e., the stage of non-regression, the attainment of which he defined as the true cause for Shakyamuni's original enlightenment. However, what teaching or Law Shakyamuni had practiced to attain the stage of non-regression remained unclear. Nichiren (1222-1282) identified the true cause, or fundamental Law, that enables all Buddhas to attain their enlightenment, as the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Because he fully revealed the true cause for attaining Buddhahood and established a universal way of practice, in his lineage Nichiren is called the teacher of the true cause, while Shakyamuni is called the teacher of the true effect.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"“The Teacher of the Law” (10th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra clearly states: “If one of these good men or good women in the time after I have passed into extinction is able to secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the envoy of the Thus Come One. He has been dispatched by the Thus Come One and carries out the Thus Come One’s work” (LSOC10, 200). When we reach out to talk to others about the Daishonin’s Buddhism—whether or not our efforts lead to the other person taking faith—we are carrying out “the Thus Come One’s work,” namely, the work of the Buddha, and accumulating vast and immeasurable benefit.

"My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, put it very simply: “No one in the suffering-filled saha world is free of problems or worries. That is why the Buddha is compelled to encourage others and lead them to enlightenment. This is the spirit of propagation of the Lotus Sutra.” Buddhahood pulses spontaneously in our care and concern for others and in our efforts to speak to them about Buddhism out of a sincere wish for their happiness."

SGI Newsletter No. 8459, Our Brilliant Path to Victory, The February Campaign [1] of the New Age—Part 2 [of 2], from the Feb. 8th, 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated Feb. 27th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Because I view things this way, I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now an exile."

(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 386) Selection source: Editorial, Feb 15th, 2012

 

[easyDaimoku]

February 28, 2012

--TO MY FRIENDS--
People can cultivate their abilities
the more you praise them.
Fostering means to take action together.
Instilling in their lives the joy and confidence
that "I can do it if I try!" becomes an
extraordinary force for growth and development.

Translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shimbun, based on President Ikeda's recent guidance, with universal value and application.

--わが友に贈る--
　人材は褒めて伸ばせ。
　一緒に動いて育てよ。
　「やればできる！」
　この歓喜と自信こそ
　大いなる成長の力だ！

--WAGA TOMO NI OKURU--
JINZAI WA HOMETE NOBASE.
ISSHO NI UGOITE SODATEYO.
"YAREBA DEKIRU!"
KONO KANKI TO JISHIN KOSO
OOI NARU SEICHO NO CHIKARA DA!


February 29, 2012

--TO MY FRIENDS--
Let's express our appreciation
to our "uncrowned friends," who
deliver the Seikyo Newspaper
and its message of courage and hope.
Be careful on snowy roads and
frozen streets.(*)
Stay safe; don't act hastily or
take unreasonable risks.
I am praying for your absolute safety!

(*)It is presently snowing in some parts of Japan.

Translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shimbun, based on President Ikeda's recent guidance, with universal value and application.

--わが友に贈る--
　勇気と希望を届ける
　「無冠の友」に感謝！
　雪道、凍結路に注意を。
　焦らず無理せず安全に。
　絶対無事故を祈る！

--WAGA TOMO NI OKURU--
YUKI TO KIBO O TODOKERU
"MUKAN NO TOMO" NI KANSHA!
YUKIMICHI, TOKETSURO NI CHUI O.
ASERAZU, MURISEZU ANZEN NI.
ZETTAI MUJIKO O INORU!

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Wednesday, February 29, 2012:
In the end it is nothing other than the loving kindness with which the woman cares for her child that makes the difference. Her concern concentrates on one thing just like the Buddhist practice of concentration. She thinks of nothing but her child, which is similar to Buddhist compassion. That must be why, although she created no other causes to bring it about, she was reborn in the Brahma heaven.
The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 283
The Opening of the Eyes
Written to Shijo Kingo in February 1272

 

[Payaso]

WoW!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Big breakfast to digest here!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Thank you Thomas and Easy!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!