Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

"Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other."

(The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 1001) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, August 13th, 2012

 

[El Bandito]

One thing can open the way to everything. That is, in the process of mastering one thing, you end up learning about many other things, equipping you with the life skills and abilities to triumph in every area of your life.

I am on this journey right now- I am training for my first marathon, which is really the biggest sustained effort I've ever applied to anything in my entire 40 years. The focus on mastery has truly equipped me better for everything else in life. I thought I was too old to learn new tricks. :yay:

"I always wonder why birds stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth. Then I ask myself the same question." - Harun Yahya

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO....

 

[PassTheDoobie]

People who sincerely strive to realize the pledges they made in their youth
grow and advance to an unimaginable degree.
Let us walk steadfastly along the noble path (of faith)
that we chose to follow of our own volition!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Then Shin'ichi said earnestly: "Put your complete faith in the Gohonzon, and pray with all your being. To realize your prayers and transform your karma, it's vital to have firm conviction in faith. The power of the Gohonzon is absolute. The purpose of Buddhism is to enable all people to become happy."

SGI Newsletter 8572, The New Human Revolution––Volume 25: Chapter 3, Installment: "Gentle Breeze" 44, Translated July 31, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"One never in any way disobeys a parent; is always mindful of providing a parent with all manner of good things, and if this happens to be impossible, in the course of a day one at least smiles twice or thrice in their direction."

(The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 2, page 636) Selection source: Myoji no Gen, August 14th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Please stay absolutely safe while travelling by car
taking all precautions to be accident-free!
Overspeeding, indulging in drunken driving
or taking your eyes off the road must be avoided at all costs.
Let's face the road with strict vigilance!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Human revolution is nothing special or extraordinary. For instance, a sick person becoming well is a wonderful example of human revolution. Other examples might include developing the capacity to engage others in conversation, taking a genuine interest in their welfare; to have a smile for our parents, showing them our love and appreciation; and to seek not only our own happiness but to reach out with compassion to those who are burdened by problems and sufferings and walk with them along the path to happiness. Human revolution is the process by which we become better people.

SGI Newsletter No. 8573, SGI President Ikeda's Encouragement, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu, translated Wednesday, August 1, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"My wish is that my disciples will be cubs of the lion king, never to be laughed at by the pack of foxes."

(In the Continent of Jambudvipa - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.2, page 1026) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 15th, 2012

 

[easyDaimoku]

I finally got back in the swing of things, doing my fourth chanting SGI thing in four days tonight. I feel like everything is coming together.

Breaking up was really hard, but I'm on my own and going forward everyday! Still being the best bodhisattva I could be.

 

[easyDaimoku]

Please stay absolutely safe while travelling by car
taking all precautions to be accident-free!
Overspeeding, indulging in drunken driving
or taking your eyes off the road must be avoided at all costs.
Let's face the road with strict vigilance!

Daisaku Ikeda

This was great guidance yesterday as i got fucked up in a bar I remembered reading this in the morning and got home safe. Sensei is a good friend to all humanity. Kinda like us chanting growers try to be everyday!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

This was great guidance yesterday as i got fucked up in a bar I remembered reading this in the morning and got home safe. Sensei is a good friend to all humanity. Kinda like us chanting growers try to be everyday!

Wow! That was kind of karmic dude! I wasn't going to post that one up and something inside said, "No. Post that one for Easy to see." So I did.

You kind of freaked me out, but you definitely made me smile!

Thank you Brother!!!

T

Sensei is a good friend to all humanity!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO....

Welcome El Bandito!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"You and I have been born together in this defiled age of the Latter Day of the Law, in the country of Japan in the southern continent of Jambudvipa, and with the utmost reverence we chant with our mouths Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate reason for which the Buddhas appear in the world; we believe in it in our hearts, embrace it with our bodies, and delight in it with our hands. Has all of this not come about solely because of some bond of karma we share from the past?"

Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 16th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Please go to the places where people are struggling the most, encourage and inspire others, and cause wonderful flowers of happiness to bloom. It is our responsibility as leaders of kosen-rufu to lighten people's hearts and brighten their spirits, to impart courage and hope to all."

SGI Newsletter No. 8573, SGI President Ikeda's Encouragement, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu, translated Wednesday, August 1, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Let us always put our experiences in faith into words
that we can share with children!
Human feelings and emotions emanate from one heart and move another.
Let's together grow and advance greatly this summer!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings / WND pg. 391

On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings / WND pg. 391

On examination [of the Lotus Sutra], we find that those who are born in this land and believe in this sutra when it is propagated in the Latter Day of the Law will be subjected to hatred and jealousy even greater than that which arose in the lifetime of the Thus Come One. In that age, the master who taught and converted the people was the Buddha, and his disciples were great bodhisattvas and arhats. Moreover, the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra only after he had developed and trained the living beings who were to hear it, including the human and heavenly beings, the four kinds of believers, and the nonhuman beings such as the eight kinds of beings. Still, many of them harbored hatred and jealousy.

Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, though the teaching, the people’s capacity, and the time for propagation are in accord, we must expect all the more hostility. For this is the age when quarrels and disputes prevail, and the pure Law is obscured and lost. (1) Moreover, the teacher is but an ordinary practitioner, and his disciples come from among evil people defiled by the three poisons. For this reason, people shun the good teacher and associate with evil teachers.

What is more, once you become a disciple or lay supporter of the votary who practices the true Lotus Sutra in accord with the Buddha’s teachings, you are bound to face the three types of enemies. Therefore, from the very day you listen to [and take faith in] this sutra, you should be fully prepared to face the great persecutions of the three types of enemies that are certain to be more horrible now after the Buddha’s passing. Although my disciples had already heard this, when both great and small persecutions confronted us, some were so astounded and terrified that they even forsook their faith. Did I not warn you in advance? I have been teaching you day and night directly from the sutra, which says, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?” (2) You have no reason at all to be frightened when you see or hear that I have been driven from my dwelling place, wounded, and, having incurred the wrath of the rulers, sent into exile in distant provinces twice.

Question: The votaries who practice according to the Buddha’s teachings should “enjoy peace and security in their present existence.” (3) Why then are you beset by the three powerful enemies??

Answer: Shakyamuni Buddha faced the nine great persecutions for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. In the distant past, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was likewise attacked with staves, tiles, and stones. Chu Tao-sheng was banished to a mountain in Su-chou, the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao was branded on the face, and the Venerable Aryasimha was beheaded. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai was opposed by the seven schools of the north and the three schools of the south, and the Great Teacher Dengyo was hated by the six schools [of Nara]. The Buddha and these bodhisattvas and great sages were all votaries of the Lotus Sutra, yet they suffered great persecutions. If you deny that they practiced according to the Buddha’s teachings, then where can you find those who did? This is the age of conflict in which the pure Law has been lost. Moreover, in this evil country, the ruler, his ministers, and even the common people are without exception tainted by evil. They have opposed the correct teaching and revered erroneous doctrines and teachers instead. Therefore, demons have burst into the country, causing the three calamities and seven disasters to strike again and again.

This is indeed an accursed time to live in this land! However, the Buddha has commanded me to be born in this age, and it is impossible for me to go against the decree of the Dharma King. And so, as the sutra dictates, I have launched the battle between the provisional and the true teachings. Donning the armor of endurance and girding myself with the sword of the wonderful teaching, I have raised the banner of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the entire eight volumes of the Lotus Sutra. Then, drawing the bow of the Buddha’s declaration, “I have not yet revealed the truth,” (4) and notching the arrow of “honestly discarding the provisional teachings,” (5) I have mounted the carriage drawn by the great white ox6 and battered down the gates of the provisional teachings. Attacking first one and then another, I have refuted opponents from the eight and ten schools, such as the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, and Precepts. Some have fled headlong while others have retreated, and still others have been captured to become my disciples. I continue to repulse their attacks and to defeat them, but legions of enemies exist who oppose the single Dharma King and the handful who follow him. So the battle goes on even today.

“The Lotus Sutra is the teaching of shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines.” (7) True to the letter of this golden saying, in the end, every last one of the believers of the provisional teachings and schools will be defeated and join the retinue of the Dharma King. The time will come when all people will abandon the various kinds of vehicles and take up the single vehicle of Buddhahood, and the Mystic Law alone will flourish throughout the land. When the people all chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the wind will no longer buffet the branches, and the rain will no longer break the clods of soil. The world will become as it was in the ages of Fu Hsi and Shen Nung. (8) In their present existence the people will be freed from misfortune and disasters and learn the art of living long. Realize that the time will come when the truth will be revealed that both the person and the Law are unaging and eternal. There cannot be the slightest doubt about the sutra’s promise of “peace and security in their present existence.”

Question: How should one practice if one is to be faithful to the Buddha’s teachings?

Answer: The Japanese people of this age are one in their opinion of what practice accords with the Buddha’s teachings. They believe that, since all vehicles are opened up and incorporated in the one vehicle of Buddhahood, no teaching is superior or inferior, shallow or profound, but all are equal to the Lotus Sutra. Hence the belief that chanting the Nembutsu, embracing the True Word teaching, practicing Zen meditation, or professing and reciting any sutra or the name of any Buddha or bodhisattva equals following the Lotus Sutra.

But I insist that this is wrong. The most important thing in practicing the Buddhist teachings is to follow and uphold the Buddha’s golden words, not the opinions of others. Our teacher, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, wished to reveal the Lotus Sutra from the moment he first attained the way. However, because the people were not yet mature enough to understand, he had to employ provisional teachings as expedient means for some forty years before he could expound the true teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

In the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, which serves as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha drew the line between the provisional teachings and the true teaching, and clearly distinguished the expedient means from the truth. He declared, “[Preaching the Law in various different ways], I made use of the power of expedient means. But in these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth.” (9) The eighty thousand bodhisattvas, including Great Adornment, understood perfectly why Shakyamuni had preached the provisional teachings, demonstrated that they were nothing more than expedient means, and finally discarded them entirely. (10) They expressed their understanding by declaring that one “will in the end fail to gain unsurpassed enlightenment” (11) by embracing any of the sutras that were preached before the Lotus Sutra and that require countless kalpas of practice [to attain Buddhahood].

Finally the Buddha was ready to preach the Lotus Sutra, the revelation section of his entire body of teachings, (12) and stated, “The World Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth.” (13) He also warned, “[In the Buddha lands of the ten directions there is only the Law of the one vehicle], there are not two, there are not three, except when the Buddha preaches so as an expedient means,” (14) and taught, “honestly discarding expedient means” (15) and “not accepting a single verse of the other sutras.” (16) Thus, ever since that time, the Mystic Law, “the Law of the one vehicle” of Buddhahood, has been the only teaching that enables all people to become Buddhas. Although no sutra other than the Lotus Sutra can provide even the slightest benefit, the scholars of the Latter Day claim that all sutras must lead to enlightenment because they were expounded by the Thus Come One. Therefore, they arbitrarily profess faith in any sutra and follow whatever school they choose, whether True Word, Nembutsu, Zen, Three Treatises, Dharma Characteristics, Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, or Precepts. The Buddha said of such people, “If a person fails to have faith but instead slanders this sutra, immediately he will destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world. . . . When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell.” (17) Thus the Buddha himself concluded that one’s practice accords with the Buddha’s teachings only when one bases one’s faith firmly on the standard of these sutra passages, believing fully that “there is only the Law of the one vehicle.”

Question: Then it would be wrong to say that faith in any sutra or any Buddha of the expedient and provisional teachings equals faith in the Lotus Sutra. But what of those who believe only in the Lotus Sutra and carry out the five practices set forth in the sutra or follow the practices described in the “Peaceful Practices” chapter? Could we not say that their practice accords with the Buddha’s teachings?

Answer: Anyone who practices Buddhism should first understand the two types of practice— shoju and shakubuku. All the sutras and treatises fall into one or the other of these two categories. Though scholars in this country may have studied Buddhism extensively, they do not know which practice accords with the time. The four seasons continually repeat themselves, each in turn manifesting its own characteristics. In summer it is hot; in winter, cold. Flowers blossom in spring, and fruit ripens in autumn. Therefore, it is only natural to sow seeds in spring and reap the harvest in fall. If one sowed in autumn, could one harvest in spring? Heavy clothing is useful in bitter cold, but of what use is it in sweltering heat? A cool breeze is pleasant in summer, but what good is it in winter? Buddhism works in the same way. There is a time when the Hinayana teachings are disseminated for the benefit of humanity, a time when the provisional Mahayana doctrines are disseminated for the benefit of humanity, and a time when the true Mahayana teaching is spread to enable people to obtain the fruit of Buddhahood. The two millennia of the Former and Middle Days of the Law required the spread of the Hinayana and provisional Mahayana teachings, but the first five hundred years of the Latter Day call for only the Lotus Sutra, the pure and perfect teaching of the one vehicle of Buddhahood, to be spread abroad widely. As predicted by the Buddha, now is the age of quarrels and disputes when the pure Law becomes obscured and lost, and the provisional and true teachings are hopelessly confused.

When one must face enemies, one needs a sword, a stick, or a bow and arrows. When one has no enemies, however, such weapons are of no use at all. In this age, the provisional teachings have turned into enemies of the true teaching. When the time is right to propagate the teaching of the one vehicle, the provisional teachings become enemies. When they are a source of confusion, they must be thoroughly refuted from the standpoint of the true teaching. Of the two types of practice, this is shakubuku, the practice of the Lotus Sutra. With good reason T’ient’ai stated, “The Lotus Sutra is the teaching of shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines.”

The four peaceful practices (18) [in the “Peaceful Practices” chapter] correspond to shoju. To carry them out in this age would be as foolish as sowing seeds in winter and expecting to reap the harvest in spring. It is natural for a rooster to crow at dawn, but strange for him to crow at dusk. Now, when the true and the provisional teachings are utterly confused, it would be equally unnatural for one to seclude oneself in the mountain forests and carry out the peaceful practice of shoju without refuting the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. One would lose the chance to practice the Lotus Sutra.

Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, who is carrying out the practice of shakubuku in strict accordance with the Lotus Sutra? Suppose someone, no matter who, should unrelentingly proclaim that the Lotus Sutra alone can lead people to Buddhahood, and that all other sutras, far from enabling them to attain the way, only drive them into hell. Observe what happens should that person thus try to refute the teachers and the doctrines of all the other schools. The three powerful enemies will arise without fail.

Our teacher, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, practiced shakubuku during the last eight years of his lifetime, the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai for more than thirty years, and the Great Teacher Dengyo for more than twenty. I have been refuting the provisional doctrines for more than twenty years, and the great persecutions I have suffered during this period are beyond number. I do not know whether they are equal to the nine great persecutions suffered by the Buddha, but surely neither T’ient’ai nor Dengyo ever faced persecutions as great as mine for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. They encountered only hatred, envy, and slander, whereas I twice incurred the wrath of the rulers and was exiled to remote provinces. Furthermore, I was nearly beheaded at Tatsunokuchi, wounded on the forehead [at Komatsubara], and slandered time and again. My disciples have also been exiled and thrown into prison, and my lay supporters have been evicted and had their fiefs confiscated. How can the persecutions faced by Nagarjuna, T’ien-t’ai, or Dengyo possibly compare with these? Understand then that the votary who practices the Lotus Sutra exactly as the Buddha teaches will without fail be attacked by the three powerful enemies.

In the more than two thousand years that have passed since the Buddha’s advent, Shakyamuni himself, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo were the only three who perfectly carried out the Buddha’s teachings. Now in the Latter Day of the Law, Nichiren and his disciples and lay believers are just such practitioners. If we cannot be called votaries faithful to the Buddha’s teachings, then neither can Shakyamuni, T’ien-t’ai, or Dengyo. Could Devadatta, Kokalika, Sunakshatra, Kobo, Jikaku, Chisho, Shan-tao, Honen, Ryokan, and others like them be called votaries of the Lotus Sutra? Could Shakyamuni Buddha, T’ien-t’ai, Dengyo, or Nichiren and his disciples and lay believers be the practitioners of the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, Precepts, or other schools? Could the Lotus Sutra be called an expedient and provisional teaching, and the sutras of the Nembutsu and other schools be the Lotus Sutra? None of this could ever be possible, even if east were to become west and west become east; even if the earth and all its trees and plants were to fly up and become the heavens, and the sun, the moon, and the stars were to tumble down and become the earth.

What a great pity it is that all the Japanese people are delighted to see Nichiren and his disciples and lay believers suffer at the hands of the three powerful enemies! What befell another yesterday may befall oneself today. Nichiren and his followers have but a short time to endure— merely the time it takes for frost or dew to vanish in the morning sun. When our prayers for Buddhahood are answered and we are dwelling in the true land of Tranquil Light where we will experience the boundless joy of the Law, what pity we will feel for those who sink to the bottom of the great citadel of the Avichi hell and meet extreme suffering there! How they will envy us then!

Life flashes by in but a moment. No matter how many terrible enemies you may encounter, banish all fears and never think of backsliding. Even if someone were to cut off our heads with a saw, impale our bodies with lances, or shackle our feet and bore them through with a gimlet, as long as we are alive, we must keep chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Then, if we chant until the very moment of death, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions will come to us instantly, exactly as they promised during the ceremony at Eagle Peak. Taking our hands and bearing us on their shoulders, they will carry us to Eagle Peak. The two sages, (19) the two heavenly kings, (20) and the ten demon daughters will guard us, while all the heavenly gods and benevolent deities will raise a canopy over our heads and unfurl banners on high. They will escort us under their protection to the treasure land of Tranquil Light. How can such joy possibly be described!

Nichiren

The fifth month of the tenth year ofBun’ei (1273), cyclical sign mizunoto-tori

To all my followers

Keep this letter with you at all times and read it over and over.


Background

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to all his followers in the fifth month of , while he was still enduring the severe privations of exile on Sado Island. The title, On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings, indicates practicing in exact accordance with what the Buddha taught.
This title can be said to indicate two important points. One is that Nichiren Daishonin lived in accord with Shakyamuni’s teachings and fulfilled all the prophecies of the Lotus Sutra. The other is that the Daishonin’s followers in the Latter Day of the Law are to carry out and fulfill his teachings.

In this letter the question is raised: Why must believers experience hardships when the Lotus Sutra promises “peace and security in their present existence” ? Nichiren Daishonin answers that those who practice the Lotus Sutra exactly according to the Buddha’s teachings are bound to face the three powerful enemies, whose appearance was predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter of the sutra. In other words, one proves oneself to be a true votary only by facing and overcoming great obstacles for the sake of the Buddha’s teachings. In essence, this means to forthrightly make clear what is the correct teaching of Buddhism and to mercifully transmit the teaching to others.

One month before writing this letter, the Daishonin completed the treatise The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, in which he revealed the true object of devotion— the Gohonzon— for the people of the Latter Day of the Law. He also revealed that the practice based on it— chanting with firm faith in it— leads to enlightenment. This present letter was written subsequently to clarify the importance of another practice— shakubuku, or spreading this teaching to others.

Notes

1. A reference to a description of the fifth five-hundred-year period in the Great Collection Sutra, which says that, in this age, rival Buddhist schools will quarrel endlessly among themselves and Shakyamuni’s correct teaching will be obscured and lost.
2. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
3. Ibid., chap. 5.
4. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra.
5. Nichiren Daishonin here cites the
phrase “honestly discarding expedient means” from chapter 2of the Lotus Sutra with a slight alteration.
6. “The carriage drawn by the great white ox” symbolizes the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood, described in the parable of the three carts and the burning house that appears in the “Simile and Parable” chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
7. This is T’ien-t’ai’s statement from The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
8. Fu Hsi and Shen Nung were legendary kings who reigned over ideal societies in ancient China.
9. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra.
10. The wording of the Japanese text has been slightly adjusted for clarity in this paragraph.
11. Immeasurable Meanings Sutra.
12. Shakyamuni Buddha’s teachings can be divided into three parts— preparation, revelation, and transmission. Preparation indicates the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings; revelation indicates the Immeasurable Meanings, Lotus, and Universal Worthy sutras; and transmission indicates the Nirvana Sutra.
13. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
14. Ibid.
15. Ibid.
16. Ibid., chap. 3.
17. Ibid.
18. Practice by peaceful deeds, words, thoughts, and vows, as set forth in the “Peaceful Practices” chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
19. The bodhisattvas Medicine King and Brave Donor.
20. Vaishravana and Upholder of the Nation, two of the four heavenly kings (see Glossary).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On the Buddha’s Prophecy / WND pg. 398

On the Buddha’s Prophecy / WND pg. 398

Composed by the shramana Nichiren

The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “After I have passed into extinction, in the last five-hundred-year period you must spread it [the Lotus Sutra] abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa and never allow it to be cut off.”(1) On the one hand, it is deplorable to me that more than 2,220 years have already passed since the Buddha’s demise. What evil karma prevented me from being born in his lifetime? Why could not I have seen the four ranks of sages in the Former Day of the Law, or T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo in the Middle Day of the Law? On the other hand, I rejoice at whatever good fortune enabled me to be born in the last five-hundred-year period and to read these true words of the sutra.

Even if I had been born in the Buddha’s lifetime, it would have served no purpose, for those who embraced the four flavors of teachings had not yet heard of the Lotus Sutra. Again, my being born in either the Former or the Middle Day of the Law would have been meaningless, for neither the scholars of the three schools of the south or the seven schools of the north [in China], nor those of the Flower Garland, True Word, or any other schools, believed in the Lotus Sutra.

The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai states, “In the last five-hundred-year period, the mystic way will spread and benefit humankind far into the future.”(2) Does this not describe the time of wide propagation?? The Great Teacher Dengyo says, “The Former and Middle Days are almost over, and the Latter Day is near at hand.”(3) These words reveal how much he longed for the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law. If we consider the rewards of living in the different ages, it is clear that mine surpass those of Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, and excel those of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo.

Question: You are not the only person living in this “last five-hundred- year period”; why are you in particular so overjoyed to be living now?

Answer: The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra reads, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?”(4) The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai states, “It will be much worse in the future because the principles [of the Lotus Sutra] are so hard to teach.”(5) The Great Teacher Miao-lo explains, “The purpose of the phrase ‘the principles are so hard to teach’ is to let us know how hard it is to enable people to understand these principles.”(6) The Dharma Teacher Chih-tu states: “It is said that good medicine tastes bitter. This sutra, which is like good medicine, dispels attachments to the five vehicles and establishes the one ultimate principle. It reproaches those in the ranks of ordinary beings and censures those in the ranks of sagehood, denies [provisional] Mahayana and refutes Hinayana. . . . That is why all these types of people try to make hindrances [for a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra].”(7) The Great Teacher Dengyo states: “Speaking of the age, [the propagation of the true teaching will begin] in the age when the Middle Day of the Law ends and the Latter Day opens. Regarding the land, it will begin in a land to the east of T’ang and to the west of Katsu. As for the people, it will spread among people stained by the five impurities who live in a time of conflict. The sutra says, ‘Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?’ There is good reason for this statement.”(8) The Great Teacher Dengyo seems to be describing his own day, but actually he is referring to our present time. His words “The Former and Middle Days are almost over, and the Latter Day is near at hand” have just such a meaning.

The sutra states, “Evil devils, the devils’ people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas, kumbhanda demons, and others will seize the advantage.”(9) Another part of the sutra details these “others” : “Whether it be a yaksha, or a rakshasa, or a hungry spirit, or a putana, or a kritya, or a vetada, or a skanda, or an umaraka, or an apasmaraka, or a yaksha kritya, or a human kritya . . .”(10) These passages explain that those who in previous lifetimes embraced the four flavors and three teachings, non-Buddhist teachings, or doctrines concerning the realms of human and heavenly beings appear in this life as devils, or heavenly or human beings who persecute the votary of the true and perfect teaching when they see or hear of him.

Question: In comparing the Former and Middle Days with the Latter Day of the Law, the first two were far superior in terms of both time and the people’s capacity. Why are these factors of time and capacity ignored in the Lotus Sutra, which refers exclusively to this age?

Answer: The Buddha’s intent is difficult to fathom. Indeed, I am unable to grasp it. We may attempt to understand, however, by taking the Hinayana sutras as a point of reference. During the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law, Hinayana was fully endowed with the three elements of teaching, practice, and proof. During the thousand years of the Middle Day, teaching and practice alone remained; proof no longer existed. In the Latter Day of the Law, teaching alone remains; neither practice nor proof exists. On examining this from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra, we find that in the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law persons who possessed all three had most probably formed ties with the Lotus Sutra during the Buddha’s lifetime. They were born again in the Former Day and were able to obtain the proof of Hinayana through its teaching and practice. Those born in the Middle Day had not developed strong ties to the Lotus Sutra during the Buddha’s lifetime and were therefore unable to attain proof through Hinayana. They turned instead to provisional Mahayana and thus were able to be born in the pure lands of the ten directions. In the Latter Day of the Law, no benefit is derived from either Mahayana or Hinayana. Hinayana retains nothing but its teaching; it has neither practice nor proof. Mahayana still has its teaching and practice, but no longer provides any proof of benefit, either conspicuous or inconspicuous.

Furthermore, the schools of Hinayana and provisional Mahayana established during the Former and Middle Days of the Law cling all the more stubbornly to their doctrines as they enter the Latter Day. Those who espouse Hinayana reject Mahayana, and those who espouse provisional teachings attack the true teaching, until the country is overrun with slanderers of the Law. Those who fall into the evil paths because of their mistaken practice of Buddhism outnumber the dust particles of the land, while those who attain the Buddha way by practicing the correct teaching are fewer than the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail. At such a time, the heavenly gods and benevolent deities abandon the country, and only perverse heavenly beings and perverse demons remain, possessing the minds and bodies of the ruler, his subjects, and monks and nuns, and causing them to curse, revile, and heap shame on the votary of the Lotus Sutra.

If, however, in the time after the Buddha’s passing, a person renounces his attachments to the four flavors and three teachings, and converts to faith in the Lotus Sutra that is true Mahayana, the heavenly gods and benevolent deities, as well as the bodhisattvas numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds who emerged from beneath the ground, will protect him as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. Under their protection, he will [establish and] spread abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa the object of devotion of the essential teaching, or the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.

It was the same with Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, who lived in the Middle Day of the Law of the Buddha Awesome Sound King. He propagated widely throughout his land the teaching of twenty-four characters that begins, “I have profound reverence for you . . . ,” and was attacked with sticks of wood by the whole population. The twenty-four characters of Never Disparaging and the five characters of Nichiren are different in wording, but accord with the same principle. The end of the Buddha Awesome Sound King’s Middle Day and the beginning of this Latter Day of the Law are exactly the same in method of conversion. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was a practitioner at the initial stage of rejoicing; Nichiren is an ordinary practitioner at the stage of hearing the name and words of the truth.(11)

Question: How can you be certain that you are the votary of the Lotus Sutra prophesied to appear at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law?

Answer: The Lotus Sutra states, “[Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world], how much more will this be so after his passing?” Another passage reads, “There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us and will attack us with swords and staves.”(12) A third passage says, “Again and again we will be banished.”(13) A fourth reads, “It [the Lotus Sutra] will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”(14) A fifth reads, “Some among the group would take sticks of wood or tiles and stones and beat and pelt him.”(15) A sixth reads, “Evil devils, the devils’ people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas, kumbhanda demons, and others will seize the advantage.”

That the people might believe in the Buddha’s words, I have held up the bright mirror of these scriptural passages before the ruler, his subjects, and the four categories of Buddhists throughout Japan. But I can find none other than myself who has lived these passages. As for the time, now is most certainly the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, but had Nichiren not appeared, the Buddha’s words would be false.

Question: You are an extremely arrogant priest— even more arrogant than Mahadeva or Sunakshatra. Is this not so?

Answer: Insulting Nichiren is an offense even graver than those of Devadatta or Vimalamitra. My words may sound arrogant, but my sole purpose is to fulfill the Buddha’s predictions and reveal the truth of his words. In all Japan, who but Nichiren can be called the votary of the Lotus Sutra? By denouncing Nichiren, you would make lies of the Buddha’s prophecies. Are you not then an extremely evil man?

Question: You certainly fit the Thus Come One’s prophecies. But are there not perhaps other votaries of the Lotus Sutra in the five regions of India or the land of China?

Answer: Throughout the four continents of the world there are surely not two suns. So, within the four seas, how can there be two rulers?

Question: On what basis do you say that?

Answer: The moon appears in the west (16) and sheds its light eastward, but the sun rises in the east and casts its rays to the west. The same is true of Buddhism. It spread from west to east in the Former and Middle Days of the Law, but will travel from east to west in the Latter Day. The Great Teacher Miao-lo says, “Does this not mean that Buddhism has been lost in India, the country of its origin, and must now be sought in the surrounding regions?”(17) Thus, no Buddhism is found in India anymore. During the 150 years or so since barbarians from the north invaded the Eastern Capital in the time of Emperor Kao-tsung,(18) both Buddhism and imperial authority became extinct in China. Concerning the collection of scriptures kept in China, not one Hinayana sutra remains, and most Mahayana sutras have also been lost. Even when Jakusho and other priests set out from Japan to take some sutras to China,(19) no one was found there who could embrace these sutras and teach them to others. It was as though there were only wooden or stone statues garbed in priests’ robes and carrying begging bowls. That is why Tsun-shih said, “It [Buddhism] came first from the west, like the moon appearing. Now it is returning from the east, like the sun rising.”(20) These remarks make it clear that Buddhism is lost in both India and China.

Question: Now I can see no Buddhism exists in either India or China, but how do you know no Buddhism exists in the other three continents— in the east, west, and north?(21)

Answer: The eighth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “After the Thus Come One has entered extinction, I will cause it [the Lotus Sutra] to be widely propagated throughout Jambudvipa and will see that it never comes to an end.”(22) The words “throughout Jambudvipa” indicate that the other three continents are excluded.

Question: I have seen that the Buddha’s prophecy applies to you; now what do you yourself predict?

Answer: In the light of the Buddha’s prophecy, “the last five-hundred-year period” has already begun. I say that without fail Buddhism will arise and flow forth from the east, from the land of Japan. Omens will occur in the form of unusual disturbances in the heavens and terrible calamities on earth that will be greater in magnitude than ever before witnessed in the Former or Middle Day of the Law. When the Buddha was born, when he turned the wheel of the Law, and also when he entered nirvana, the omens, both auspicious and inauspicious, were greater than any ever observed. The Buddha is the teacher of all sages. The sutras describe how, at the time of his birth, light shone forth in five colors in all directions, and the night became as bright as noon. At the time of his passing, twelve white arcs crossed the sky from north to south, the sun’s light was extinguished, and the day became as dark as midnight. There followed the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law; sages, some Buddhist and some not, were born and died, but never were there any omens of such magnitude.

From the beginning of the Shoka era (1257) through this year, however, tremendous earthquakes and extraordinary phenomena in the heavens have occurred, exactly like the signs that marked the Buddha’s birth and death. You should know from this that a sage like the Buddha has been born. A great comet crossed the sky, but for which ruler or subject did this omen appear? The earth tilted, and gaping fissures opened three times, but for which sage or worthy did this occur? You should realize that these great omens, both good and bad, are of no ordinary, secular significance. They are signs that the teachings of the supreme Law are ascending and that the other teachings are in decline. T’ien-t’ai states, “By observing the fury of the rain, we can tell the greatness of the dragon that caused it, and by observing the flourishing of the lotus flowers, we can tell the depth of the pond they grow in.”(23) Miao-lo says, “Wise men can perceive the cause of things, as snakes know the way of snakes.”(24)

Twenty-one years have gone by since I, Nichiren, understood this principle [and began propagation]. During this period I have suffered difficulties day after day and month after month. In the last two or three years, among other things, I was almost put to death. The chances are one in ten thousand that I will survive the year or even the month. If anyone questions these things, let that person ask my disciples for details.

What fortune is mine to expiate in one lifetime the offenses of slandering the Law I have accumulated from the infinite past! How delighted I am to serve Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, whom I have never seen! I pray that before anything else I can guide and lead the ruler and those others who persecuted me. I will tell the Buddha about all the disciples who have aided me, and before I die, I will transfer the great blessings deriving from my practice to my parents who gave me life. Now, as if in a dream, I understand the heart of the “Treasure Tower” chapter. (25) As the sutra states: “If you were to seize Mount Sumeru and fling it far off to the measureless Buddha lands, that too would not be difficult. . . . But if after the Buddha has entered extinction, in the time of evil, you can preach this sutra, that will be difficult indeed!”(26)

The Great Teacher Dengyo says: “Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai trusted and obeyed Shakyamuni and worked to uphold the Lotus school, (27) spreading its teachings throughout China. We of Mount Hiei inherited the doctrine from T’ient’ai and work to uphold the Lotus school and to disseminate its teachings throughout Japan.”(28) I, Nichiren of Awa Province, have doubtless inherited the teachings of the Law from these three teachers, and in this era of the Latter Day I work to uphold the Lotus school and disseminate the Law. Together we should be called the four teachers of the three countries. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Written by Nichiren,
the shramana of Japan.

The eleventh day of the intercalary fifth month in the tenth year of Bun’ei (1273), with the cyclical signmizunoto-tori


Background

Nichiren Daishonin was fifty-two years old when he wrote this letter during his exile at Ichinosawa on the island of Sado in 1273. It is addressed to his disciples and lay supporters in general.

The title, On the Buddha’s Prophecy, points to two prophecies: One is Shakyamuni Buddha’s prediction that the votary of the Lotus Sutra will appear at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law and spread the sutra’s teachings despite great persecutions. The other is the Daishonin’s own prophecy that in the Latter Day and on into the eternal future his teachings will spread throughout the world to benefit humankind.

This letter can be divided into seven sections according to content: (1) Nichiren Daishonin relates that it is a greater blessing to be born in the Latter Day of the Law and to have faith in the Lotus Sutra than to have met Shakyamuni Buddha or the great sages who appeared in the Former and Middle Days of the Law; (2) he cites statements and prophecies made by Shakyamuni and other Buddhist teachers concerning the Latter Day of the Law, the greatness of the Lotus Sutra, and the persecutions that will surely befall its votary; (3) he outlines the decline of Shakyamuni’s Buddhism and proclaims that the correct teaching of Buddhism will spread throughout the world in the Latter Day; (4) he identifies himself as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, that is, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law; (5) he shows that Buddhism is no longer alive in India or China, and that the correct teaching of Buddhism will arise in the eastern land of Japan; (6) he expands on his prophecy by comparing the omens that have appeared in his age with those that appeared in Shakyamuni’s; and (7) he declares that the supreme Law is now arising and warns his followers that carrying out widespread propagation will be difficult.

Notes

1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23. “The last five- hundred-year period” refers to the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law.
2. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.
3. An Essay on the Protection of the Nation.
4. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
5. Words and Phrases.
6. The Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.”
7. The Supplement to the Meanings of the Commentaries on the Lotus Sutra. Chih-tu (n.d.) was a disciple of Miao-lo.
8. The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra. “A land to the east of T’ ang and to the west of Katsu” indicates Japan according to old maps.
9. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23. For *yakshas, see Glossary. Kumbhandas are demons that drain human beings of vitality.
10. Ibid., chap. 26. Rakshasas are demons that eat human flesh; putana, or “stink ing demons,” are hungry ghosts; kritya, or “vengeful demons,” can cause corpses to wreak harm on their enemies; vetada demons can cause a corpse to kill someone; skanda, umaraka, and apasmaraka are reddishyellow, black, and blue demons, respectively.
11. The initial stage of rejoicing refers to the first of the five stages of practice of the Lotus Sutra formulated by T’ien-t’ai. At this stage one rejoices on hearing the truth. The stage of hearing the name and words of the truth refers to the stage of first hearing the correct teaching, the second of the six stages of practice (see Glossary), at which point one understands theoretically that one possesses the Buddha nature, and that all phenomena are manifestations of the Law. Both indicate the initial stages of practice.
12. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid., chap. 14.
15. Ibid., chap. 20.
16. This refers to the fact that the new moon is first seen in the west just after sunset. On successive nights, as the moon grows fuller, it appears to have moved a little farther toward the east. Of course, the direction of the moon’s movement is from east to west, the same as that of the sun and stars, but because of its orbital motion, it appears each day to have moved slightly in retrograde, from west to east.
17. On “The Words and Phrases.”
18. Kao-tsung (1107–1187) was the first emperor of the Southern Sung dynasty. The “Eastern Capital,” K’ai-feng, was captured by barbarians from the north in 1127, forcing Kao-tsung to establish a new capital south of the Yangtze River.
19. Jakusho (d. 1034) was a priest who traveled to China in 1003;to study T’ient’ai’s doctrine. He brought with him a copy of a writing of Nan-yüeh’s that had been lost in China. Jakusho died on the mainland without returning to Japan.
20. These words appear in Tsun-shih’s preface to The Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight, a work by Nan-yüeh. Tsun-shih (964–1032) was a priest of the T’ien-t’ai school in Sung-dynasty China. Nan-yüeh’s work had been lost for centuries in China; but a copy was brought there from Japan by Jakusho, a priest of the Japanese Tendai school. Tsun-shih therefore said, “It [Buddhism] is returning from the east.”
21. In Buddhist cosmology there are four continents surrounding Mount Sumeru. Jambudvipa, located to the south, is the only one in which Buddhism can spread.
22. Lotus Sutra, chap. 28.
23. Words and Phrases.
24. On “The Words and Phrases.”
25. The heart of the “Treasure Tower” chapter refers to the “six difficult and nine easy acts” (see Glossary) set forth by Shakyamuni to show how difficult it will be to embrace the Lotus Sutra in the evil age after his death.
26. Lotus Sutra, chap. 11.
27. The Lotus school refers to T’ient’ai’s teachings, which are based on the Lotus Sutra. It also means the Daishonin’s teachings.
28. Outstanding Principles.

 

[easyDaimoku]

"Please go to the places where people are struggling the most, encourage and inspire others, and cause wonderful flowers of happiness to bloom. It is our responsibility as leaders of kosen-rufu to lighten people's hearts and brighten their spirits, to impart courage and hope to all."

SGI Newsletter No. 8573, SGI President Ikeda's Encouragement, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu, translated Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Last night I attended a funeral for a deceased SGI member who was a special friend and she loved me so much. I was able to support her son and really fulfill the above referenced quote. We embraced each other like brothers and I broke out chanting an evening gongyo before I kissed her arm and made my way out of the services. It was tough, but she looked like she died happy as opposed to my grandfather 10 years ago who didn't even look like himself. This special lady, Patricia, really practiced with all her heart before her death and I could see that even though her son didn't have money for two weeks to get the funeral going and I assume she was on ice for all that time, she looked so great and I was so happy to see that a practitioner of this buddhism does overcome suffering and will go back into the ku in high and happy spirits.

This is the Buddhism to overcome suffering, to achieve Buddhahood in this life and to become really happy. Despite all my suffering I had to get over losing my girl, my pet, most of my furniture and stuff, but I'm building something nice which are treasures of the heart. In about 10-11 days i'll start school again! Although I'm realllllllly tight financially, like never before, I'm confident that with my faith, daily prayer and study I'll exceed my expectations and surpass my goals. I'll continue to chant for all our lost loved ones during every gongyo and especially for my core here within the ranks of awesome chanting growers!

All my best wishes!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Let us always begin our day
with the strong and powerful momentum of the rising sun.
Let's chant sonorous Daimoku!
And let's meet people with a refreshing and energetic morning greeting!
It is through such efforts that we are able to win the trust of people around us.

Daisaku Ikeda