Chanting Growers Group

[easyDaimoku]

I have really good Karma and it keeps getting better thanks to my faith. MUGI WASSHIN

I have really good Karma and it keeps getting better thanks to my faith. MUGI WASSHIN

Easy so glad you enjoyed your meeting today. We also had a great group chant. Our little group has grown quickly... its getting to where I always have my eye open for a place that we can chant as we are just about outgrowing the private residence we are at. Im sure as we stretch out this summer a place will make itself known. I hope everyone is having a good positive week
PTD hope all things with the pregnancy are flowing along .... and mamma is still having an easy time of it. Please give the whole group our love.
SoCal where you been ? Hope all is well.
to everyone else that dropped in ... thanks for coming by .
Much love to everyone!!!
nam myoho renge kyo

I was reading this post, just before my last post and it truly resonated with my feelings about today! I had an amazing intro meeting tonight and it was so great to help 4 new local Bodhisattvas chant and answer questions! I was thinking of Socal, and PasstheDoobie's family and especially Babba's family! I was thinking of Socal and Chris and Desi and Scegy. Thinking of Trichy and GIS, Bonzo and Wags, Hitman and Forest and defintely DG and GeorgiaLouWho. I chant with all of you and everyone else because of this we are advancing the truly organic growth in our lives in regards to introducing others to this amazing practice.

Babba's above referenced post was from six and a half years ago.

WE GOT THAT DOUBT-FREE FAITH IN ACTION! MUGI WASSHIN!!!

 

[El Bandito]

Nam myoho renge kyo! Off to Tokyo in the morning!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith."

(A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 33) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's guidance, Seikyo Shimbun, September 9th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"'Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. [Talk to others about Buddhism] to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase.'- From 'The True Aspect of All Phenomena' (WND-1, 386).

"The writings of Nichiren Daishonin are teachings of hope. When we study these writings and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our lives come to shine all the more brightly and overflow with courage, the wisdom of the Mystic Law, and the power of the Buddha.

"The Daishonin encourages us to talk to others about Buddhism. Let’s vibrantly reach out to others in dialogue. The more we talk to others about our practice, the more people we can help form a connection with the Daishonin’s Buddhism and the more benefit we can accumulate.

"It is through exerting ourselves in the two ways of practice and study that we lay the foundation for victory for both our own lives and kosen-rufu."

SGI Newsletter No. 8598, Living the Gosho: Words of Encouragement from SGI President Ikeda, (89) Exert Yourself in the Two Ways of Practice and Study, from 15th Aug., 2012, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 3rd Sep. 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

To foster capable individuals means that we create the future. At home, the most important place to do so, and wherever else, let's make every effort to raise our precious young successors of kosen-rufu. Together with them, let's put our faith into practise!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Buddhism is reason."

(The Hero of the World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 839) Selection source: Buddhist study for new members, Seikyo Shimbun, September 9th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"No matter what hardships you face, study to the best of your ability and fill your minds with knowledge. This is my wish."

SGI Newsletter No. 8597, Young Phoenixes, Soar into the Future! (6) President Ikeda’s Lecture on “The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life,” from the April 2011 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 31st Aug. 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nam myoho renge kyo! Off to Tokyo in the morning!

Have a safe trip! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!


Thomas

 

[easyDaimoku]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Have fun Bandito!

I'm working non-stop. My faith is driving me and I'm going to more chanting gatherings (meetings) locally and I'm feeling good about that too. When fundamental darkness creeps in I just push forward evermore vigorously!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Gosho says:
"Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night."*
Remember that Daimoku is the "rhythm" for achieving victory.
Let's assiduously polish and shine (the mirror of) our lives,
based on faith that is as pure as a clear, running stream.

Daisaku Ikeda

* Gosho, On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - WND 1, pg 4, "Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo no matter what happens."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 681) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, Sept 11th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The noble wish of both Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda was that all Soka Gakkai members would brim with the joy of realising that they were Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and that they would each follow the path of their mission in this lifetime with courage, pride, and strength.

"In the process of dedicating our lives to kosen-rufu, we can attain a vast and boundless state of life and lead an existence of deep satisfaction in which all our hopes and desires are fulfilled.

"With the example of his own behaviour during the life-threatening Tatsunokuchi Persecution, Nichiren Daishonin taught us the nobility and lofty humanity of one who has awakened to this ultimate state of life. Through this persecution, the Daishonin, as an ordinary person, manifested the life-state of the Buddha of limitless joy enlightened from time without beginning,[1] who is one with the Mystic Law."

SGI Newsletter No. 8602, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, [40] “The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra”—Part 2 [of 3], Revealing the True and Highest Potential of Life, from the May 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 6th Sep. 2012

 

[easyDaimoku]

My recipe right now is Gongyo, Daimoku Daimoku Daimoku Daimoku Gongyo, serious Daimoku! WOOOOOOOO

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[easyDaimoku]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Let's do a San Fran New Years Eve to ring in 2013 with daimoku and Chanting Growers! I'm fixing to party, who's down?

I've been busy with SGI meetings, work, school and trying to keep my life going. Some days are tough, but I stick to my chanting to the Gohonzon and that's my 'bread and butter'. Let's keep doing this for the rest of our lives and into the next. The most important thing in my humble opinion is that we continue to chant.

When times are good I've chanted less, but I want to live with more appreciation (increasingly everyday) its important to me that I continue to put this thread into action. As Nichiren's eternal disciple and a fellow Bodhisattva of the Earth let's really do all we can with this 'emerge(nce) to the earth' and sing, dance, win today and make sure we win tomorrow.

My heart has been here for almost 7 years! Much love to the Babbas, Doobies and everyone else that's been my support and a special part of my life for the past 6 and 7/8ths years!

Mugi Wasshin! Like the roar of the largest Lion ever, "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!"

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

Nam myoho renge kyo

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo no matter what happens."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 681) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, Sept 11th, 2012

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[easyDaimoku]

Tomorrow we begin the day with Gongyo in front of the Gohonzon and then chanting on the train. Chanting on the way home and chanting before bed. Tonight I'll end the day chanting.

We chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!"

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings translated by Burton Watson

Chapter Sixteen: The Life Span of the Thus Come One

Point one, concerning Chapter sixteen, The Life Span of the Thus Come One Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, volume nine, says: “Thus Come One is a general designation for the Buddha of the ten directions and the three existences, the two Buddhas, the three Buddhas, the Buddha of the essential teaching, and the Buddha of the theoretical teaching. Specifically, it is a special designation for the three Buddhas of the original state. Juryo, or Life Span, refers to an overall reckoning. It indicates an overall reckoning of the benefits of the two Buddhas, the three Buddhas, and all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences. Therefore the chapter is called the Juryo-hon, or [Reckoning of] the Life Span Chapter.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The Title of this chapter deals with an important matter that concerns Nichiren himself. This is the transmission described in the “Super-natural Powers” chapter. The Thus Come One is Shakyamuni Buddha or, more generally, all the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences. Or, more specifically, it refers to the Buddha of the original state who is eternally endowed with the three bodies.

Now it is the understanding of Nichiren and his followers that, generally speaking, the term “Thus Come One” refers to all the living beings. More specifically, it refers to the disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren.

This being the case, the term “eternally endowed with three bodies” refers to the votaries of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law.

The title of honor for one who is eternally endowed with the three bodies is Nam-myo-renge-kyo. This is what the three great concerns of actuality* of the “Life Span” chapter refer to.

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

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

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

Point Two, regarding the words “You must listen carefully and hear of the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.”

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This passage supports the concept of one who is eternally endowed with the three bodies. Various interpretations on these words have been transmitted.

As for the transcendental powers, the action that are carried out instant by instant, motion by motion, by us living beings are regarded as transcendental powers. Thus the voices of the wardens of hell punishing the offenders are all to be termed transcendental powers. The countless living things in the three thousand realms that undergo the process of birth, abiding, change, and extinction, are all in themselves embodiments of transcendental powers.

But in the view of Nichiren and his followers, the realization and understanding of the concept of the attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form is what is meant by “the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers.” For outside of the attainment of Buddhahood, there is no “secret” and no “transcendental powers.”

The eternally endowed three bodies mentioned here are gained through a single word. And that single word is “faith” or “to believe.” Therefore the sutra says, “We will believe and accept the Buddha’s words” (chapter sisteen). You should stop and consider the meaning of these two words “believe” and “accept.”

* Three Great Secret Laws

(OTT / pgs.123-25)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Attaining Buddhahood

On Attaining Buddhahood

Excerpted from the first in a series of lectures by Ikeda on Nichiren's writing "On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime."

Part 1

Just what constitutes a deeply meaningful life? What is true happiness? Nichiren Buddhism is a teaching of hope that enables us to forge a state of unsurpassed and indestructible happiness and to lead a life of supreme value, while also helping others do the same.

Everyone has the potential to attain Buddhahood; moreover, they can gain that lofty state just as they are, and in fact are assured of being able to do so in this lifetime. The Buddhism of Nichiren clearly elucidates this wonderful path to enlightenment.

Nichiren's profound teaching of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime was a revolutionary concept that turned prevailing Buddhist thought on its head. Indeed, it continues to shine today as a principle that can powerfully transform the age and open a bright future for our modern world in the 21st century.

As Nichiren wrote in this letter:
"If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life." (WND, 3)

"On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime" is an important writing that clarifies the basic theory and practice of Nichiren Buddhism. SGI members throughout the globe have deepened their understanding of the essence of Nichiren's teachings by earnestly studying this writing as a guideline for practice and study.

Although the original is no longer extant and the precise date and name of the recipient are unknown, this letter is traditionally held to have been written around 1255 and addressed to Toki Jonin.

The practice of chanting daimoku is the foundation of Nichiren Daishonin's lifetime teachings. The Buddhism of Nichiren, unlike the established Buddhist schools of his day, was not dedicated to the worship of a specific god or Buddha. Nichiren established the means for all people to achieve enlightenment, which is the ideal of the Lotus Sutra, by formulating the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which enables us to activate our inherent Buddha nature and manifest it as the life-state of Buddhahood.

There are two aspects of the daimoku in Nichiren Buddhism: the daimoku of faith and the daimoku of practice. The daimoku of faith refers to the spiritual aspect of our practice. This essentially consists of the struggle we wage in our hearts against our inner delusion or darkness; a battle against the negative and destructive forces within us. It means breaking through the darkness clouding our Buddha nature and bringing forth the life-state of Buddhahood through the power of faith. The daimoku of practice, meanwhile, refers to chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ourselves and also teaching it to others. It means making efforts in word and deed for the happiness of ourselves and others as evidence of our spiritual struggle against inner negativity and illusion.

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we are both chanting the name of, and calling forth, the Buddha nature in our own lives and the lives of others. When our faith wins out over inner doubt and delusion, the power of our inherent Buddha nature is called forth by the sound of our daimoku and spontaneously manifests in our lives.

The key point that set Nichiren Buddhism apart from the other Buddhist schools of his day was the establishment of this concrete means for attaining Buddhahood. And from the time he first declared Nam-myoho-renge-kyo until the moment of his death Nichiren ardently strove to teach this supreme path of enlightenment to people throughout the land.

In the opening passage of "On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime," Nichiren clearly and fully articulates the basic philosophy of salvation that lies at the heart of his teaching, which exists for the happiness of all humanity.

[This passage states] that by manifesting within us the mystic truth inherent in all living beings, we can free ourselves of the endless sufferings of birth and death. The name of that mystic truth is Myoho-renge-kyo, and the way to manifest it is through chanting Myoho-renge-kyo.

As Nichiren wrote:
"Nevertheless, even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching." (WND, 3)

The concept of "attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime" refers to an ordinary person becoming enlightened during the course of their present existence. What this also means, by extension, is that they can achieve this just as they are. As such, "attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime" means the same thing as "attaining Buddhahood in one's present form."

This view contrasts sharply with the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, which expound that one can become enlightened only after practicing austerities over countless lifetimes. Because the life-state of Buddhahood is at one with the eternal Mystic Law and abounds with infinite wisdom and compassion, it tended to be seen as something completely separate and removed from the lives of ordinary people steeped in illusion. Attaining enlightenment was thought to require overcoming the unfathomably deep chasm between the spiritual states of a Buddha and ordinary people.

Nichiren Buddhism clarifies that it is specifically in this present existence, in which we have been born as human beings, that we can actualize the principle of attaining Buddhahood in one's present form that is revealed in the Lotus Sutra. This is what led him to elucidate his profound teaching of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Nichiren places importance on the present lifetime of human beings. Of course, not only humans but all living beings possess the Buddha nature and have the potential to attain Buddhahood in their present form. But the reason Nichiren stresses attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is that his focus is always first and foremost on the happiness of human beings.

The human heart is sensitive, multifaceted, and rich, and has the capacity to achieve incredible feats. But for that very reason, it often also undergoes great suffering and torment. Likewise, the human heart can become trapped in an endless, negative downward spiral.

As evidenced in many of his writings, Nichiren repeatedly stresses the crucial importance of the heart or mind. It is in this deep inner realm of life that the potential resides for dramatic shifts from evil to good or from good to evil. That is why Nichiren's teaching of enlightenment can be viewed as a process that begins with inner change. In other words, through the power of faith, we can defeat the negative functions inside us and manifest the positive functions of life that are one with the Dharma nature-that is, our Buddhahood.

Part 2

"Therefore, when you chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself." (WND, 3)

*Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." (WND, 4)

In "On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime," Nichiren thoroughly explains that we cannot achieve enlightenment without a profound change in our lives themselves--that is, a change in our hearts and minds.

First of all, he says that the mystic truth with which all living beings are endowed reveals "the principle of the mutually inclusive relationship of a single moment of life and all phenomena." What this means is that our lives or our minds at each moment both embody all phenomena and pervade all phenomena. This could be described as a state of life of oneness with the universe.

Also, Nichiren warns that if we seek the Mystic Law outside ourselves, then no matter how much daimoku we chant, we will not be able to attain enlightenment; on the contrary, our Buddhist practice will only "become an endless, painful austerity." He clearly states: "Even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching." Nichiren explains that summoning up deep faith is the key to chanting daimoku, and declares that when we do so, we can polish our lives and attain enlightenment.

In addition, Nichiren speaks of "the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality"--in other words, the mystic, inscrutable nature of life, of our hearts and minds, that manifests as Buddhahood. In this way, he indicates that Myoho-renge-kyo is the mystic law of life, of the inner realm of our beings. On that basis, he asserts that when we chant daimoku with deep faith in the Mystic Law, we can attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Next, I wish to touch on three aspects in which Nichiren's teaching of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is significant.

First, by opening the way for all people to attain enlightenment in this lifetime through chanting daimoku, Nichiren established for the first time a teaching of genuine humanism. Opening the way to enlightenment for all people could be called the prerequisite for a genuinely humanistic religion. This, I believe, is the religious or philosophical significance of the principle of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Second, by opening the path to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime, Nichiren made it possible for us to lead lives based on the infinite power of the Mystic Law--that is, to lead solid and secure lives that give us the courage and confidence to be self-reliant. This is the significance of the principle of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime in terms of our individual lives.

In Nichiren Buddhism, attaining enlightenment is not about embarking on some inconceivably long journey to become a resplendent godlike Buddha; it is about accomplishing a transformation in the depths of one's being. This revolutionary view of realizing enlightenment fundamentally changed the whole meaning of Buddhist practice as it was traditionally viewed.

In other words, it is not a matter of practicing in order to scale the highest summit of enlightenment at some point in the distant future. Rather, it is a constant, moment-to-moment, inner struggle between the opposing courses of revealing our innate Dharma nature or allowing ourselves to be ruled by our fundamental darkness and delusion. This unceasing effort to polish our lives is the heart and essence of Buddhist practice. Only by winning over our inner darkness and negativity can we be victorious in life and reveal our full potential.

"The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law. If you chant Myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. That is why the sutra states, 'After I have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha way.' Never doubt in the slightest." (WND, 4)

Thirdly, the principle of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is significant in that it offers a source of hope to humanity and opens the way to transforming the destiny of all humankind. This is its collective or universal significance.

Without surmounting the fundamental human delusions of greed, anger, and foolishness, we will not be able to solve the many problems that the world faces today, including the preoccupation with economic growth, politics that are devoid of humanism, international conflicts, war, growing disparity between rich and poor, and rampant discrimination. One conclusion from my dialogues with leading thinkers is that the only real solution is for human beings themselves to change, that the sole key lies in "human revolution."

It could further be said that without establishing a correct view of life and death, it is impossible to conquer inner darkness and delusion at the most fundamental level. Without the view of life and death of the Middle Way . . . true and lasting happiness cannot be achieved.

The only way for human beings to change is for them to conquer their inner darkness and rediscover the eternal sanctity and dignity within their own lives. Cultivating the noble spirit with which all people are originally endowed will directly lead to a change in the destiny of humankind. With that conviction, we of the SGI have been working to build a network of goodwill all around the globe.

--SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

Excerpted from a translation of the January 2006 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai study journal

http://www.sgi.org/sgi-president/writings-by-sgi-president-ikeda/on-attaining-buddhahood.html