Chanting Growers Group

[SoCal Hippy]

In the "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings," Nichiren
Daishonin says with reference to attaining Buddhahood, "'To attain'
means 'to open'" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 753) Attaining Buddhahood means
opening our lives to their fullest potential and revealing our innate
Buddhahood. This is the purpose of Buddhism.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Kyo'o's misfortune will change into fortune. Muster your faith, and
pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?
There can be no doubt about the sutra passages the say, "This sutra
can fulfill their desires, as a clear cool pond can satisfy all those
who are thirsty," and "They will enjoy peace and security in their
present existence and good circumstances in future existences."

(WND, 412)
Reply to Kyo'o
Written to Kyo'o and her parents, Nichigen-nyo and Shijo Kingo, on
August 15, 1273

from "Daily Wisdom - from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin"

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Buddha Images as Objects of Devotion

Buddha Images as Objects of Devotion

There are many many different iconic depictions of Buddhas. To the best of my knowledge, these are the major three, along with a Bodhisattva that is iconic ally revered in the same manner. They are:

Perceiver of the World's Sounds
[観世音菩�] (Jpn.: Kanzeon-bosatsu; Skt.: Avalokitasvara or Avalokiteshvara)

1. Also known as Perceiver of Sounds. Widely known by his Chinese name Kuan-yin (Perceiver of Sounds), he is one of the most popular bodhisattvas in the Buddhist world and revered as the bodhisattva of infinite compassion. The bodhisattva is the protagonist of the "Perceiver of the World's Sounds" (twenty-fifth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which is also known as an independent sutra. According to that chapter, this bodhisattva is called Perceiver of the World's Sounds because he perceives the sounds and voices of those who are suffering and compassionately releases them from that suffering. He assumes various forms and appears wherever is necessary to save people from danger or fear. In the chapter, Shakyamuni Buddha says: "Suppose there are immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of living beings who are undergoing various trials and suffering. If they hear of this bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds and single-mindedly call his name, then at once he will perceive the sound of their voices and they will all gain deliverance from their trials." The chapter lists specifically thirty-three among the variety of different forms Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds assumes in accordance with people's needs to relieve their suffering; it also states that he is called Bestower of Fearlessness because he liberates people from fear and gives them security. The chapter states, "This bodhisattva and mahasattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds can bestow fearlessness on those who are in fearful, pressing, or difficult circumstances. That is why in this saha world everyone calls him Bestower of Fearlessness."

In the Buddha Infinite Life Sutra and the Meditation on the Buddha Infinite Life Sutra, Perceiver of the World's Sounds appears with Bodhisattva Great Power as an attendant of Amida Buddha. In Esoteric Buddhism, he is one of the nine honored ones in the central court of the Womb Realm mandala. Because he was said to assume various forms, he is depicted in a number of ways. Several esoteric sutras refer to different forms of this bodhisattva, such as an eleven-faced Perceiver of the World's Sounds and a thousand-armed Perceiver of the World's Sounds. The bodhisattva was generally regarded as male, but in China, apparently as early as the seventh century, Perceiver of the World's Sounds came to be thought of as female. Among other powers, the bodhisattva was said to protect women during childbirth. Popular worship of this bodhisattva began in India and became widespread in China, Japan, and other countries.

Perceiver of the World's Sounds is also known by the name Freely Perceiving (Jpn Kanjizai), which is a rendering of Hsüan-tsang's (602-664) Chinese translation of the Sanskrit name Avalokiteshvara. The name of Perceiver of the World's Sounds derives from Kumarajiva's Chinese translation of Avalokitasvara. Avalokiteshvara is a compound of avalokita, meaning the act of looking or "having been seen," and ishvara, meaning "able to do," "master," or "lord." Avalokitasvara is a compound of avalokita and svara; svara means sound and voice. It is generally believed that Avalokitasvara came into use before Avalokiteshvara, and in the history of Chinese translations of Buddhist scriptures, "Perceiver of the World's Sounds" preceded "Freely Perceiving." Kumarajiva used the former in his translation of the Lotus Sutra. In China and Japan, this chapter of Kumarajiva's translation circulated as an independent sutra titled Perceiver of the World's Sounds Sutra. It is perhaps for these reasons that the name Perceiver of the World's Sounds is so popular today. Many Chinese refer to this bodhisattva as Kuan-yin (Jpn Kannon), an abbreviation of Kuan-shih-yin (Kanzeon).

Amida (Jpn)
[阿弥陀] (Skt.: Amitayus or Amitabha)

1. The Buddha of the Pure Land of Perfect Bliss in the west. Amida is the Japanese transliteration of the first half of both Amitayus and Amitabha, names referring to the same Buddha that appear in Sanskrit texts and are rendered in Chinese as the Buddha Infinite Life (or the Buddha of Infinite Life) and the Buddha Infinite Light (or the Buddha of Infinite Light) respectively. The Sanskrit word amita means infinite. Amitayus is a compound of this word with ayus, which means life, and Amitabha with abha, which means light. According to the Buddha Infinite Life Sutra, immeasurable kalpas ago, a certain king, delighted with the preaching of a Buddha named World Freedom King (Skt Lokeshvararaja), renounced the throne to follow him. He took the name Dharma Treasury (Dharmakara) and began to practice bodhisattva austerities under the guidance of the Buddha. After examining an infinite number of Buddha lands and pondering for five kalpas, the bodhisattva Dharma Treasury made forty-eight vows in which he pledged to create his own Buddha land upon attaining enlightenment, a land that would combine the most outstanding features of all those he had examined. In the eighteenth vow, he pledged to bring all sentient beings who placed their hopes of salvation with him (Shan-tao, a patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land school, interpreted this to mean calling upon the name of Amida Buddha) to this Buddha land, which he named Perfect Bliss (Sukhavati), except those who had committed the five cardinal sins and those who had slandered the correct teaching. Dharma Treasury completed his practice and became the Buddha Amida. His pure land was established in a part of the universe located "a hundred thousand million Buddha lands to the west" of this saha world. Belief in Amida Buddha spread from India to China. After its introduction to Japan, Honen (1133-1212) was responsible for popularizing it there and establishing the Pure Land (Jodo) school.
See also: Pure Land school; Nembutsu

Mahavairochana (Skt)
[大日如来] (Jpn.: Dainichi-nyorai)

1. The Thus Come One Mahavairochana. A Buddha worshiped in Esoteric Buddhism. The Sanskrit name Mahavairochana is a compound of maha, meaning great, and vairochana, meaning that which is of, related to, or luminous like the sun. It is translated in Chinese Buddhist scriptures as "Great Sun." This Buddha appears in the Mahavairochana Sutra and the Diamond Crown Sutra. He is regarded as the Buddha of the Dharma body who personifies the unchanging truth of all phenomena and is the source from which all Buddhas and bodhisattvas spring. Esoteric Buddhism holds that Mahavairochana is always expounding the teaching, and that common mortals can become one with this Buddha through the practice of the three mysteries-the forming of mudras with the hands, the recitation of mantras (magical formulas), and meditation on an esoteric mandala or one of the figures appearing in it. Mahavairochana has two aspects, the Mahavairochana of the Womb Realm, who represents the fundamental truth of the universe, and the Mahavairochana of the Diamond Realm, who represents wisdom. These two are fundamentally one. In Japan, Tendai Esotericism and True Word (Shingon) Esotericism differ in their interpretations of Mahavairochana. The former holds that Mahavairochana is the Buddha of the Dharma body, and that Shakyamuni is the Buddha of the manifested body, or a temporary manifestation of the Buddha of the Dharma body. The latter maintains that they are two entirely distinct and separate Buddhas.

Shakyamuni (Skt)
[ 釈尊・釈�牟尼] (Jpn.: Shakuson or Shakamuni)

1. Also known as Gautama Buddha. The founder of Buddhism. "Shakyamuni" means "sage of the Shakyas," Shakya being the name of the tribe or clan to which his family belonged. Opinions differ concerning the dates of his birth and death. According to Buddhist tradition in China and Japan, he was born on the eighth day of the fourth month of 1029 B.C.E. and died on the fifteenth day of the second month of 949 B.C.E., but recent studies have him living nearly five hundred years later. The view prevalent among scholars is that Shakyamuni lived from about 560 to about 480 B.C.E., though some scholars hold that he lived from about 460 to about 380 B.C.E. He was the son of Shuddhodana, the king of the Shakyas, a small tribe whose kingdom was located in the foothills of the Himalayas south of what is now central Nepal. Shakyamuni's family name was Gautama (Best Cow), and his childhood or given name was Siddhartha (Goal Achieved), though some scholars say the latter is a title bestowed on him by later Buddhists in honor of the enlightenment he attained.

According to the Buddhist scriptures, Shakyamuni was born in Lumbini Gardens, in what is now Rummindei in southern Nepal. His mother, Maya, died on the seventh day after his birth, and he was raised thereafter by her younger sister Mahaprajapati. In his boyhood and adolescence, he is said to have excelled in both learning and the martial arts. Though raised amid the luxuries of the royal palace, he seems to have very soon become aware of and been profoundly troubled by the problem of human suffering. As a young man, he married the beautiful Yashodhara, who bore him a son, Rahula. He became increasingly possessed, however, by a longing to abandon the secular world and go out in search of a solution to the inherent sufferings of life. Buddhist scriptures describe four encounters, which served to awaken in him an awareness of these four sufferings common to all people-birth, aging, sickness, and death-and a desire to seek their solution. Eventually he renounced his princely status and embarked on the life of a religious mendicant.

Having left the palace of the Shakyas at Kapilavastu, Shakyamuni traveled south to Rajagriha, the capital of the kingdom of Magadha, where he studied first with Alara Kalama and then with Uddaka Ramaputta, both teachers of yogic meditation. Though he quickly mastered their respective forms of meditation, he did not find the answers to his questions in these disciplines. Leaving Rajagriha, he proceeded to the bank of the Nairanjana River near the village of Uruvilva, where he began to engage in ascetic practices in the company of other ascetics. For six years, he subjected himself to disciplines of appalling severity, far surpassing those of his companions, but he found it entirely impossible to reach emancipation through such self-mortification and eventually rejected these practices as well. To restore his body, which had been weakened by long fasting, he accepted milk curds offered him by a girl named Sujata. Then, near the city of Gaya, he seated himself under a pipal tree and entered meditation. There he attained an awakening, or enlightenment, to the true nature of life and all things. It was because of this enlightenment that he came to be called Buddha, or "Awakened One." According to Buddhist tradition in China and Japan, Siddhartha renounced secular life at age nineteen and attained enlightenment at thirty. (Modern scholars generally place these ages at twenty-nine and thirty-five, respectively.) The pipal tree was later called the bodhi tree, bodhi meaning enlightenment, and the site itself came to be called Buddhagaya.

After his awakening, Shakyamuni is said to have remained for a while beneath the tree, rejoicing in his emancipation yet troubled by the knowledge of how difficult it would be to communicate what he had realized to others. For a while, he vacillated as to whether he should attempt to teach others what he had achieved. At length, however, he resolved that he would strive to do so, so that the way to liberation from the sufferings of birth and death would be open to all people. First he made his way to Deer Park in Varanasi, where he preached and converted five ascetics who had formerly been his companions.

After that, Shakyamuni's efforts to propagate his teaching advanced rapidly. In Varanasi he converted Yashas, the son of a rich man, and about sixty others. Then he headed back toward the site of his enlightenment, the village of Uruvilvanear Gaya. There he converted three brothers- Uruvilva Kashyapa, Nadi Kashyapa, and Gaya Kashyapa-who were leaders among Brahman ascetics, along with their one thousand followers. The Buddha then set out for Rajagriha in Magadha, where he converted its king, Bimbisara, as well as Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, who would become two of the Buddha's leading disciples. The latter two were at that time followers of Sanjaya, one of the six non-Buddhist teachers. Together with Shariputra and Maudgalyayana, all of Sanjaya's followers-said to number 250-forsook him and entered the Buddhist Order. Mahakashyapa also became another of the Buddha's disciples in Rajagriha shortly thereafter.

The Buddha made several trips to his childhood home, Kapilavastu, resulting in the conversion of many people, including his younger half brother Nanda, his son Rahula, his cousins Ananda, Aniruddha, and Devadatta, and a barber named Upali. Shakyamuni's father, Shuddhodana, and his former wife, Yashodhara, are also said to have embraced the Buddhist teachings. The Buddha permitted his foster mother, Mahaprajapati, to enter the Buddhist Order, and thus the order of Buddhist nuns was established. At that time there was a powerful kingdom called Kosala that rivaled Magadha. In Shravasti, the capital of Kosala, a wealthy and influential merchant named Sudatta became the Buddha's lay follower and patron. He had met Shakyamuni while on business in Rajagriha and converted. Sudatta built Jetavana Monastery in Shravasti as an offering to the Buddha, and Shakyamuni is said to have spent twenty-five rainy seasons at this monastery with his disciples. Prasenajit, the king of Kosala, also became a Buddhist.

In the fifty years (forty-five according to modern scholars) from the time of his awakening until he died, Shakyamuni continued to travel through much of India to disseminate his teachings. Among the places where he concentrated his efforts were the cities of Rajagriha in Magadha; Shravasti in Kosala; Vaishali, capital of the Vriji confederacy; and Kaushambi, the capital of Vatsa. The Buddha's disciples in the monastic order were also active in spreading his teachings. Mahakatyayana was a native of the kingdom of Avanti in the western part of central India and made several converts there, including the king. Purna propagated Shakyamuni's teachings in Sunaparanta in western India north of present-day Bombay.

Thus even during Shakyamuni's lifetime, his teachings spread not only in central India but also to more remote areas, and people of all classes converted to Buddhism. The new religious movement, however, was perceived by many as a threat to the old Brahmanic order, and in the course of his efforts Shakyamuni personally underwent numerous hardships, representative of which are the so-called nine great ordeals. Persevering in the face of adversity, he continued to preach his message of emancipation, expounding the teachings in various ways according to the circumstances and capacity of his listeners. The teachings he left are so numerous that they later came to be called the eighty thousand teachings.

Shakyamuni died at age eighty. The year before his death, he stayed at Gridhrakuta (Eagle Peak) near Rajagriha. Then he set out on his last journey, proceeding northward across the Ganges River to Vaishali. He spent the rainy season in Beluva, a village near Vaishali. During this retreat he became seriously ill, but recovered and continued to preach in many villages. Eventually he came to a place called Pavain Malla. There he again became ill after eating a meal prepared as an offering by the village blacksmith, Chunda. Despite his pain, he continued his journey until he reached Kushinagara, where in a grove of sal trees he calmly lay down and spoke his last words. He admonished his disciples, saying: "You must not think that your teacher's words are no more, or that you are left without a teacher. The teachings and precepts I have expounded to you shall be your teacher." His final words are said to have been, "Decay is inherent in all composite things. Work out your salvation with diligence." His body was received by the Mallas of Kushinagara and cremated seven days later. The ashes were divided into eight parts, and eight stupas were erected to enshrine them. Two more stupas were built to house the vessel used in the cremation and the ashes of the fire. In the same year, the First Buddhist Council was held in the Cave of the Seven Leaves near Rajagriha to compile Shakyamuni's teachings.

From source: The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of Buddhism

Here are also two secular articles on the origin and evolution of the Buddha image:

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/buddhaimage

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/lordbuddha

But very clearly, as far as I can tell, Nichiren Daishonin created the Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. Clearly stated on page 366 in the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin:

The true object of devotion is described as follows:

The treasure tower sits in the air above the saha world that the Buddha of the essential teaching [identified as the pure and eternal land]; Myoho-renge-kyo appears in the center of the tower with the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures seated to the right and left, and, flanking them, the four bodhisattvas, followers of Shakyamuni, led by Superior Practices. Manjushri, Maitreya, and the other bodhisattvas, who are all followers of the four bodhisattvas, are seated below. All the other major and minor bodhisattvas, whether they are disciples of the Buddha in his transient status or of the Buddhas of the other worlds, are like commoners kneeling on the ground in the presence of nobles and high-ranking court officials. The Buddhas who gathered from the other worlds in the ten directions all remain on the ground, showing that they are only temporary manifestations of the eternal Buddha and that their lands are transient, not eternal and unchanging.

During the entire fifty years of Shakyamuni's teaching, only in the last eight years did he preach the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra. Again, of all these chapters, only in the eight chapters did he reveal and transfer the object of devotion to the Bodhisattvas (62) of the Earth. During the two millennia of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, statues were made showing Mahakashyapa and Ananda flanking the Shakyamuni Buddha of Hinayana, and Manjushri and Universal Worthy flanking the Shakyamuni Buddha of the provisional Mahayana, the Nirvana Sutra, and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

Even though statues and paintings were made of these Shakyamuni Buddhas during the two millennia, no image or statue was made of the Buddha (63) of the "Life Span" chapter. Only in the Latter Day of the Law will the representation of that Buddha appear.

Notes:

62. The wording of the Japanese text has been expanded here for clarity.
63. Here the Buddha of the "Life Span" chapter indicates Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, or the Law implicit in the depths of the "Life Span" chapter


The depiction of that Buddha, the Nam Myoho-Renge-Kyo Thus Come One , is the Gohonzon. I encourage everyone once again to receive one. And I encourage them to receive it through the SGI, just as Bud did. I hope this helped add some info on the subject.

Remember, NO IMAGE OF SHAKYAMUNI OR ANY OTHER BUDDHA EXISTED UNTIL MANY HUNDREDS OF YEARS AFTER THE BUDDHAS DEATH.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

T

 

[Babbabud]

So how are these other images viewed as having them in our homes . I have a "lotus buddha" just wondering is there any reason to not have this statue in your house or garden ...is there any disrespect by having other images than the gohonzon.
My wife sometimes wears a necklace of the om sign and i wonder is this some how disrespectful ? she loves the necklace but i often tell her that those teachings are not valid in the latter day ....maybe you can shed some light on this.??
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

They waited a short while, and then I was told to proceed to Echi in the same province of Sagami. I replied that, since none of us knew the way, someone would have to guide us there. No one was willing to take the lead, but after we had waited for some time, one soldier finally said, "That's the road you should take."

Setting off, we followed the road and around noon reached Echi. We then proceeded to the residence of Homma Rokuro Saemon. There I ordered sake for the soldiers. When the time came for them to leave, some bowed their heads, joined their palms, and said in a most respectful manner: "We did not realize what kind of a man you are. We hated you because we had been told that you slandered Amida Buddha, the one we worship. But now that we have seen with our own eyes what has happened to you, we understand how worthy a person you are, and will discard the Nembutsu that we have practiced for so long." Some of them even took their prayer beads out of their tinder bags and flung them away. Others pledged that they would never again chant the Nembutsu. After they left, Rokuro Saemon's retainers took over the guard. Then Saemon-no-jo and his brothers took their leave.

That evening, at the hour of the dog (7:00-9:00 PM), a messenger from Kamakura arrived with an order from the regent. The soldiers were sure that it would be an official letter to behead me, but Uma-no-jo, Homma's deputy, came running with the letter, knelt, and said: "We were afraid that you would be executed tonight, but now the letter has brought wonderful news. The messenger said that, since the lord of Musashi had left for a spa in Atami this morning at the hour of the hare (5:007:00 AM), he set off at once and rode for four hours to get here because he feared that something might happen to you. The messenger has left immediately to take news to the lord in Atami tonight." The accompanying letter read, "This person is not really guilty. He will shortly be pardoned. If you execute him you will have cause to regret."

Now it was the night of the thirteenth. There were scores of warriors stationed around my lodging and in the main garden. Because it was the middle of the ninth month, the moon was very round and full. I went out into the garden and there, turning toward the moon, recited the verse portion of the "Life Span" chapter. Then I spoke briefly about the faults of the various schools, citing passages from the Lotus Sutra. I said: "You, the god of the moon, are Rare Moon, the son of a god, who participated in the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra. When the Buddha expounded the 'Treasure Tower' chapter, you received his order, and in the 'Entrustment' chapter, when the Buddha patted your head with his hand, in your vow you said, 'We will respectfully carry out all these things just as the World-Honored One has commanded.' You are that very god. Would you have an opportunity to fulfill the vow you made in the Buddha's presence if it were not for me? Now that you see me in this situation, you should rush forward joyfully to receive the sufferings of the votary of the Lotus Sutra in his stead, thereby carrying out the Buddha's command and also fulfilling your vow. It is strange indeed that you have not yet done anything. If nothing is done to set this country to rights, I will never return to Kamakura. Even if you do not intend to do anything for me, how can you go on shining with such a complacent face? The Great Collection Sutra says, 'The sun and moon no longer shed their light.' The Benevolent Kings Sutra says, 'The sun and moon depart from their regular courses.' The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, 'The thirty-three heavenly gods become furious.' What about these passages, moon god? What is your answer?"

Then, as though in reply, a large star bright as the Morning Star fell from the sky and hung in a branch of the plum tree in front of me. The soldiers, astounded, jumped down from the veranda, fell on their faces in the garden, or ran behind the house. Immediately the sky clouded over, and a fierce wind started up, raging so violently that the whole island of Enoshima seemed to roar. The sky shook, echoing with a sound like pounding drums.

The day dawned, and on the fourteenth day, at the hour of the hare, a man called the lay priest Juro came and said to me: "Last night there was a huge commotion in the regent's residence at the hour of the dog. They summoned a diviner, who said, 'The country is going to erupt in turmoil because you punished that priest. If you do not call him back to Kamakura immediately, there is no telling what will happen to this land.' At that some said, 'Let's pardon him!' Others said, 'Since he predicted that war would break out within a hundred days, why don't we wait and see what happens.'"

I was kept at Echi for more than twenty days. During that period seven or eight cases of arson and an endless succession of murders took place in Kamakura. Slanderers went around saying that Nichiren's disciples were setting the fires. The government officials thought this might be true and made up a list of over 260 of my followers who they believed should be expelled from Kamakura. Word spread that these persons were all to be exiled to remote islands, and that those disciples already in prison would be beheaded. It turned out, however, that the fires were set by the observers of the precepts and the Nembutsu believers in an attempt to implicate my disciples. There were other things that happened, but they are too numerous to mention here.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Bud, I could only offer you an opinion. I would only suggest the most important issue is what is in your heart, and not what you find aesthetically pleasing. But it is VERY important that you revere the correct Buddha FOR THE TIME, and for the relationship you have with the Law, which is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The Buddha in your heart must be Nichiren Daishonin, without whose advent you would not be chanting. If you love chanting, how can one revere anyone more than the Daishonin?

 

[SoCal Hippy]

PTD, I agree with your opinion on that. I remember yrs ago being told having other images, etc would be considered slander but it really comes down to what if any thing that image's meaning has to you in my opinion. Now, there are other people that wouldn't agree with me on this so please understand that it is just my feelilng on it.

We keep a small buddha (the round, smiling, laughing one) on an end table in our living room and have never thought twice about removing it.

.....'Nam myoho renge kyo is like the roar of the lion, what sickness therefore could be an obstacle'......

from Reply to Kyo'o

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

I left Echi on the tenth day of the tenth month (1271) and arrived in the province of Sado on the twenty-eighth day of the same month. On the first day of the eleventh month, I was taken to a small hut that stood in a field called Tsukahara behind Homma Rokuro Saemon's residence in Sado. One room with four posts, it stood on some land where corpses were abandoned, a place like Rendaino in Kyoto. Not a single statue of the Buddha was enshrined there; the boards of the roof did not meet, and the walls were full of holes. The snow fell and piled up, never melting away. I spent my days there, sitting in a straw coat or lying on a fur skin. At night it hailed and snowed, and there were continual flashes of lightning. Even in the daytime the sun hardly shone. It was a wretched place to live. (13)

I felt like Li Ling, who was imprisoned in a rocky cave in the land of the northern barbarians, or the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao, who was branded on the face and exiled to the area south of the Yangtze by Emperor Hui-tsung. Nevertheless, King Suzudan received severe training under the seer Asita to obtain the blessings of the Lotus Sutra, and even though Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was beaten by the staves of arrogant monks and others, he achieved (14) honor as votary of the one vehicle. Therefore, nothing is more joyful to me than to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to suffer persecutions because I propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. For more than twenty-two hundred years after the passing of the Buddha, no one, not even the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che, experienced the truth of the passage in the sutra that says, "It [the Lotus Sutra] will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to (15) believe." Only I have fulfilled the prophecy from the sutra, "again and (16) again we will be banished." The Buddha says, in reference to those who "listen to one verse or one phrase [of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law]," that "I will bestow on all of them a prophecy [that they will attain supreme (17) perfect enlightenment]." Thus there can be no doubt that I will reach supreme perfect enlightenment. It is the lord of Sagami above all who has been a good friend to me. Hei no Saemon is to me what Devadatta was to Shakyamuni Buddha. The Nembutsu priests are comparable to the Venerable Kokalika, and the observers of the precepts to the monk Sunakshatra. The age of the Buddha is none other than today, and our present age is none other than that of the Buddha. This is what the Lotus Sutra describes as the "true aspect of all phenomena" and as "consistency (18) from beginning to end."

The fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight states, "As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere." It also states, "It will only be like a boar rubbing against the golden mountain; like the various rivers flowing into the sea; like logs making a fire burn more briskly; or like the wind swelling the body of the kalakula insect." These passages mean that, if one understands and practices the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches, in accordance with the people's capacity and at the right time, then these seven obstacles and devils will confront one. Among them, the devil king of the sixth heaven [is the most powerful. He] will possess one's sovereign, parents, wife or children, lay supporters, or evil persons, and through them will attempt in a friendly manner to divert one from one's practice of the Lotus Sutra, or will oppose one outright. The practice of Buddhism is always accompanied by persecutions and difficulties corresponding in severity to whichever sutra one may uphold. To practice the Lotus Sutra will provoke particularly harsh persecutions. To practice as it teaches, and in accordance with the time and the people's capacity, will incite truly agonizing ordeals.

The eighth volume of The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight" states, "So long as a person does not try to depart from the sufferings of birth and death and aspire to the Buddha vehicle, the devil will watch over him like a parent." This passage means that, even though a person may cultivate roots of goodness, so long as he practices Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, Precepts, or any teaching other than the Lotus Sutra, he will have the devil king for a parent. The devil king will possess and cause other persons to respect him and give him alms, and people will be deluded into believing that he is a truly enlightened priest. If he is honored by the sovereign, for instance, the people are sure to offer him alms. On the other hand, a priest who incurs the enmity of the ruler and others [because of the Lotus Sutra] is surely practicing the correct teaching.

Devadatta was the foremost good friend to the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. In this age as well, it is not one's allies but one's powerful enemies who assist one's progress. We find examples before our very eyes. The Hojo clan in Kamakura could not have firmly established itself as the ruler of Japan had it not been for the challenges posed by Yoshimori and the Retired Emperor of (19) Oki. In this sense these men were the best allies the ruling clan could have. For me, Nichiren, my best allies in attaining Buddhahood are Kagenobu, the priests Ryokan, Doryu, and Do-amidabutsu, and Hei no Saemon and the lord of Sagami. I am grateful when I think that without them I could not have proved myself to be the votary of the Lotus Sutra.

Notes:

13. Li Ling (d. 74 BCE) was a military commander who led the Chinese forces in an attack on the nomadic Hsiung-nu tribes living north of China and was taken prisoner by them.
14. The one vehicle here means the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
15. Lotus Sutra, chap. 14.
16. Ibid., chap. 13.
17. Ibid., chap. 10.
18. Here "the true aspect" refers to the principle that the votaries of the Lotus Sutra meet with persecutions, and "all phenomena" to the fact that persecutions befell both Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin. In the phrase "consistency from beginning to end," "beginning" refers to Shakyamuni's age and "end" to the Daishonin's age.
19. Wada Yoshimori (1147-1213) and the Retired Emperor Gotoba (1180-1239). Yoshimori was the chief of military police under Minamoto no Yoritomo, the founder of the Kamakura regime, but in 1213 turned against the Hojo clan only to be defeated and killed. Gotoba attempted to overthrow the Kamakura regime in 1221, but was defeated and exiled to Oki (the Jokyu Disturbance). Hence he was called the Retired Emperor of Oki. Clashes such as these established the power of the Hojo regents.


(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

In the yard around the hut the snow piled deeper and deeper. No one came to see me; my only visitor was the piercing wind. Great Concentration and Insight and the Lotus Sutra lay open before my eyes, and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo flowed from my lips. My evenings passed in discourse to the moon and stars on the fallacies of the various schools and the profound meaning of the Lotus Sutra. Thus, one year gave way to the next.

One finds people of mean spirit wherever one goes. The rumor reached me that the observers of the precepts and the Nembutsu priests on the island of Sado, including Yuiamidabutsu, Shoyu-bo, Insho-bo, Jido-bo, and their followers - several hundred of them -had met to decide what to do about me. One said: "Nichiren, the notorious enemy of Amida Buddha and an evil teacher to all people, has been exiled to our province. As we all know, exiles to this island seldom manage to survive. Even if they do, they never return home. So no one is going to be punished for killing an exile. Nichiren lives all alone at a place called Tsukahara. No matter how strong and powerful he is, if there's no one around, what can he do? Let's go together and shoot him with arrows!" Another said, "He was supposed to be beheaded, but his execution has been postponed for a while because the wife of the lord of Sagami is about to have a child. The postponement is merely temporary, though. I hear he is eventually going to be executed." A third said, "Let's ask Lord Rokuro Saemon to behead him. If he refuses, we can plan something ourselves." There were many proposals about what to do with me, but the third proposal [mentioned above] was decided on. Eventually several hundred people gathered at (20) the constable's office.

Rokuro Saemon addressed them, saying: "An official letter from the regent directs that the priest shall not be executed. This is no ordinary, contemptible criminal, and if anything happens to him, I, Shigetsura, will be guilty of grave dereliction. Instead of killing him, why don't you confront him in religious debate?" Following this suggestion, the Nembutsu and other priests, accompanied by apprentice priests carrying the three Pure Land sutras, Great Concentration and Insight, the True Word sutras, and other literature under their arms or hanging from their necks, gathered at Tsukahara on the sixteenth day of the first month [in 1272]. They came not only from the province of Sado but also from the provinces of Echigo, Etchu, Dewa, Mutsu, and Shinano. Several hundred priests and others gathered in the spacious yard of the hut and in the adjacent field. Rokuro Saemon, his brothers, and his entire clan came, as (21) well as lay priest farmers, all in great numbers. The Nembutsu priests uttered streams of abuse, the True Word priests turned pale, and the Tendai priests called loudly to vanquish the opponent. The lay believers cried out in hatred, "There he is - the notorious enemy of our Amida Buddha!" The uproar and jeering resounded like thunder and seemed to shake the earth. I let them clamor for a while and then said, "Silence, all of you! You are here for a religious debate. This is no time for abuse." At this, Rokuro Saemon and others voiced their accord, and some of them grabbed the abusive Nembutsu followers by the neck and pushed them back.

The priests proceeded to cite the doctrines of Great Concentration and Insight and the True Word and the Nembutsu teachings. I responded to each, establishing the exact meaning of what had been said, then coming back with questions. However, I needed to ask only one or two at most before they were completely silenced. They were far inferior even to the True Word, Zen, Nembutsu, and Tendai priests in Kamakura, so you can imagine how the debate went. I overturned them as easily as a sharp sword cutting through a melon or a gale bending the grass. They not only were poorly versed in the Buddhist teachings but contradicted themselves. They confused sutras with treatises or commentaries with treatises. I discredited the Nembutsu by telling how Shan-tao fell out of the willow tree, and refuted the story about the Great Teacher Kobo's three-pronged diamond-pounder and of how he transformed himself into the Thus (22) Come One Mahavairochana. As I demonstrated each falsity and aberration, some of the priests swore, some were struck dumb, while others turned pale. There were Nembutsu adherents who admitted the error of their school; some threw away their robes and beads on the spot and pledged never to chant the Nembutsu again.

The members of the group all began to leave, as did Rokuro Saemon and his men. As they were walking across the yard, I called the lord back to make a prophecy. I first asked him when he was departing for Kamakura, and he answered that it would be around the seventh month, after his farmers had finished their work in his fields. Then I said: "For a warrior, 'work in the fields' means assisting his lord in times of peril and receiving fiefs in recognition of his service. Fighting is about to break out in Kamakura. You should hasten there to distinguish yourself in battle, and then you will be rewarded with fiefs. Since your warriors are renowned throughout the province of Sagami, if you remain here in the countryside tending to your farms and arrive too late for the battle, your name will be disgraced." I do not know what he thought of this, but Homma, dumb-founded, did not utter a word. The Nembutsu priests and the observers of the precepts and lay believers looked bewildered, not comprehending what I had said.

Notes:

20. The constable of Sado Province was Hojo Nobutoki, the lord of Musashi Province, who lived in Kamakura. Homma Rokuro Saemon, the steward of Niiho in Sado, served in the office as the deputy constable of the province.
21. Lay priest farmers were individuals who, though they take religious vows, do not enter a temple but continue to farm and live in their own homes.
22. The Chinese Pure Land leader Shan-tao (613-681) was said to have so earnestly desired rebirth in the Pure Land that he attempted to hang himself on a willow tree, but instead fell out of the tree and mortally injured himself. According to legend, when Kobo was about to leave China to return to Japan, he threw his three-pronged diamond-pounder in the air; it was later found on top of Mount Koya in Japan. On another occa-
sion, when he was debating with eminent Buddhist leaders at court, he is said to have transformed himself into Mahavairochana Buddha, the Buddha revered by the True Word school.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

After everyone had gone, I began to put into shape a work in two volumes called The Opening of the Eyes, which I had been working on since the eleventh month of the previous year. I wanted to record the wonder of Nichiren, in case I should be beheaded. The essential message in this work is that the destiny of Japan depends solely upon Nichiren. A house without pillars collapses, and a person without a soul is dead. Nichiren is the soul of the people of this country. Hei no Saemon has already toppled the pillar of Japan, and the country grows turbulent as unfounded rumors and speculation rise up like phantoms to cause dissention in the ruling clan. Further, Japan is about to be attacked by a foreign country, as I described in my On Establishing the Correct Teaching. Having written to this effect, I entrusted the manuscript to Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo's messenger. The disciples around me thought that what I had written was too provocative, but they could not stop me.

Just then a ship arrived at the island on the eighteenth day of the second month. It carried the news that fighting had broken out in Kamakura and then in Kyoto, causing indescribable suffering. Rokuro Saemon, leading his men, left on fast ships that night for Kamakura. Before departing, he humbly begged for my assistance with palms joined.

He said: "I have been doubting the truth of the words you spoke on the sixteenth day of last month, but they have come true in less than thirty days. I see now that the Mongols will surely attack us, and it is equally certain that believers in Nembutsu are doomed to the hell of incessant suffering. I will never chant the Nembutsu again."

To this I replied: "Whatever I may say, unless the lord of Sagami heeds my words, the people of Japan will not heed them either, and in that case our country will surely be ruined. Although I myself may be insignificant, I propagate the Lotus Sutra and therefore am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha. The Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, who are insignificant, are treated with great respect in this country, but they are only petty gods as compared with Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings. It is said, however, that to kill someone who serves these two gods is equal to the sin of killing seven and a half ordinary persons. The grand minister of state and lay priest and the Retired Emperor of Oki perished because they did so. Thus, persecuting me is incomparably worse than molesting the servants of those two gods. As I am the envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, the Sun Goddess and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman should bow their heads before me, press their palms together, and prostrate them-selves. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is attended by Brahma and Shakra on either side, and the gods of the sun and moon light his path before and behind. Even if my counsel is heeded, if I am not given due respect as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, then the country will perish. How ominous that the authorities have turned hundreds of persons against me and have even banished me twice! This country is surely doomed, but since I have asked the gods to withhold their punishment on our land, it has survived until now. However, that punishment has finally descended because these unreasonable actions continued. And if my counsel is not heeded on this occasion, the gods will cause the Mongol empire to send its forces to destroy Japan. That would seem to be the kind of disaster that Hei no Saemon is intent upon calling forth. When it happens, I doubt that you and your followers can find any safety even on this island." After I had finished speaking, Homma, looking deeply perplexed, set off on his way.

The lay believers, hearing of this, said to one another, "Perhaps this priest has some kind of transcendental powers. How terrifying! From now on, we had better cease giving any alms or support to the Nembutsu priests and the observers of the precepts." The observers of the precepts, who were followers of Ryokan, and the Nembutsu priests said, "[Since this priest predicted the outbreak of rebellion in our country,] perhaps he is one of the conspirators." After this things grew somewhat quieter.

Then the Nembutsu priests gathered again in council. "If things go on this way," they said, "we will die of starvation. By all means, let's rid ourselves of this priest! Already more than half the people in the province have gone over to his side. What are we to do?"

Yuiamidabutsu, the leader of the Nembutsu priests, along with Dokan, a disciple of Ryokan, and Shoyu-bo, who were leaders of the observers of the precepts, journeyed in haste to Kamakura. There they reported to the lord of the province of Musashi: "If this priest remains on the island of Sado, there will soon be not a single Buddhist hall left standing or a single priest remaining. He takes the statues of Amida Buddha and throws them in the fire or casts them into the river. Day and night he climbs the high mountains, bellows to the sun and moon, and curses the regent. The sound of his voice can be heard throughout the entire province."

When the former governor of Musashi heard this, he decided there was no need to report it to the regent. Instead he sent private orders that any followers of Nichiren in the province of Sado should be driven out of the province or imprisoned. He also sent official letters containing similar instructions. He did so three times. I will not attempt to describe what happened during this period - you can probably imagine. Some people were thrown into prison because they were said to have walked past my hut, others were exiled because they were reported to have given me donations, or their wives and children were taken into custody. The former governor of Musashi then reported what he had done to the regent. But quite contrary to his expectations, the regent issued a letter of pardon on the fourteenth day of the second month in the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274), which reached Sado on the eighth day of the third month.

The Nembutsu priests held another council. "This man, the archenemy of the Buddha Amida and slanderer of the Reverend Shan-tao and the Honorable Honen, has incurred the wrath of the authorities and happened to be ban-shed to this island. How can we bear to see him pardoned and allowed to return home alive!"

While they were engaged in various plots, for some reason there was an unexpected change in the weather. A favorable wind began to blow, and I was able to leave the island. The strait can be crossed in three days with a favorable wind, but not even in fifty or a hundred days when the weather is bad. I crossed over in no time at all.

Thereupon the Nembutsu priests, observers of the precepts, and True Word priests of the provincial capital of Echigo and Zenko-ji temple in Shinano gathered from all directions to hold a meeting. "What a shame that the Sado priests should have allowed Nichiren to return alive! Whatever we do, we must not let this priest make his way past the living body of the Buddha (23) Amida."

But in spite of their machinations, a number of warriors from the provincial government office in Echigo were dispatched to escort me. Thus I was able to pass safely by Zenko-ji, and the Nembutsu priests were powerless to stop me. I left the island of Sado on the thirteenth day of the third month, and arrived in Kamakura on the twenty-sixth day of the same month.

Notes:

23. The living body of the Buddha Amida indicates the statue of Amida Bud-dha enshrined at Zenko-ji temple in the province of Shinano (present-day Nagano Prefecture).

(to be continued)

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"Major General Despair"

We're looking for a better world, but what do we see?
Just hatred, poverty, aggression, misery.
So much money spent on war,
When three quarters of the world is so helplessly poor.
Major General Despair sits at his desk,
Planning a new mode of attack,
He's quite unconcerned about chance or risk,
The Major General's a hard nut to crack.
Oh yes, he designs a cruise missile,
Tactically sound, operationally O.K.,
While the starving crawl onto the deathpile,
They can't avoid their fate another day.
Attack on the mind, but he calls it defence,
But I ask you again who's it for?
Do the starving millions who don't stand a chance
Hope to benefit by his stupid war?
Babies crippled with hunger before they could walk,
Mothers with dry breasts cry dry tears,
And meanwhile Major General Despair gives a talk,
On increasing the war budget over the years.
How can they do it, these men of steel,
How can they plot destruction, pain?
Is it the only way that they can feel,
By killing again and again?

Is it some part of themselves that has died,
That permits them to plan as they do?
Or is it us that is dead, do we simply hide,
From the responsibility to stop what they do?
There's so many of us, yet we let them have their way,
At this moment they're plotting and planning.
We've got to rise up to take their power away,
To save the world that they're ruining.
They're destroying the world with their maggot-filled heads,
Death, pain and mutilation,
They've got the responsibility of millions of dead.
Yet they're still bent on destruction.
The generals and politicians who advocate war,
Should be made to wade in the truth of it,
They should spend sleepless nights shivering with fear,
And by day time should crawl in the deathpit.

They'll find the truth of what they've done there,
Festering corpses they and their kind made,
Eyeless skulls that endlessly stare
Having seen the truth of military trade.
The earth was our home, the wind and the air,
The blue sky, the grass and the trees,
But these masters of war, what do they care?
Only sentiments, these.
It's our world but through violence they took it away,
Took dignity, happiness, pride.
They took all the colours and changed them to grey
With the bodies of millions that died.
They destroy real meaning through their stupid games,
Make life a trial of fear.
They destroy what values we have with their aims,
Make us feel it's wrong if we care.
Well, we do care, it's our home, they've been at it too long,
If it's a fight they want, it's beginning.
Throughout history, we've been expected to sing their tired song
But now it's our turn to lead the singing...

Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
We know you've heard it before.
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make peace, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make love, not war.
Fight war, not wars,
Make love, not war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your f*cking war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your f*cking war.
1 - 2 - 3 - 4
We don't want your f*cking war.

By CRASS.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

from today's New York Times

from today's New York Times

November 12, 2005
Op-Ed Contributor
Our Faith in Science
By TENZIN GYATSO
Washington

SCIENCE has always fascinated me. As a child in Tibet, I was keenly
curious about how things worked. When I got a toy I would play with
it a bit, then take it apart to see how it was put together. As I
became older, I applied the same scrutiny to a movie projector and
an antique automobile.

At one point I became particularly intrigued by an old telescope,
with which I would study the heavens. One night while looking at the
moon I realized that there were shadows on its surface. I corralled
my two main tutors to show them, because this was contrary to the
ancient version of cosmology I had been taught, which held that the
moon was a heavenly body that emitted its own light.

But through my telescope the moon was clearly just a barren rock,
pocked with craters. If the author of that fourth-century treatise
were writing today, I'm sure he would write the chapter on cosmology
differently.

If science proves some belief of Buddhism wrong, then Buddhism will
have to change. In my view, science and Buddhism share a search for
the truth and for understanding reality. By learning from science
about aspects of reality where its understanding may be more
advanced, I believe that Buddhism enriches its own worldview.

For many years now, on my own and through the Mind and Life
Institute, which I helped found, I have had the opportunity to meet
with scientists to discuss their work. World-class scientists have
generously coached me in subatomic physics, cosmology, psychology,
biology.

It is our discussions of neuroscience, however, that have proved
particularly important. From these exchanges a vigorous research
initiative has emerged, a collaboration between monks and
neuroscientists, to explore how meditation might alter brain
function.

The goal here is not to prove Buddhism right or wrong - or even to
bring people to Buddhism - but rather to take these methods out of
the traditional context, study their potential benefits, and share
the findings with anyone who might find them helpful.

After all, if practices from my own tradition can be brought
together with scientific methods, then we may be able to take
another small step toward alleviating human suffering.

Already this collaboration has borne fruit. Dr. Richard Davidson, a
neuroscientist at the University of Wisconsin, has published results
from brain imaging studies of lamas meditating. He found that during
meditation the regions of the brain thought to be related to
happiness increase in activity. He also found that the longer a
person has been a meditator, the greater the activity increase will
be.

Other studies are under way. At Princeton University, Dr. Jonathan
Cohen, a neuroscientist, is studying the effects of meditation on
attention. At the University of California Medical School at San
Francisco, Dr. Margaret Kemeny has been studying how meditation
helps develop empathy in school teachers.

Whatever the results of this work, I am encouraged that it is taking
place. You see, many people still consider science and religion to
be in opposition. While I agree that certain religious concepts
conflict with scientific facts and principles, I also feel that
people from both worlds can have an intelligent discussion, one that
has the power ultimately to generate a deeper understanding of
challenges we face together in our interconnected world.

One of my first teachers of science was the German physicist Carl
von Weizsäcker, who had been an apprentice to the quantum theorist
Werner Heisenberg. Dr. Weizsäcker was kind enough to give me some
formal tutorials on scientific topics. (I confess that while
listening to him I would feel I could grasp the intricacies of the
full argument, but when the sessions were over there was often not a
great deal of his explanation left behind.)

What impressed me most deeply was how Dr. Weizsäcker worried about
both the philosophical implications of quantum physics and the
ethical consequences of science generally. He felt that science
could benefit from exploring issues usually left to the humanities.

I believe that we must find a way to bring ethical considerations to
bear upon the direction of scientific development, especially in the
life sciences. By invoking fundamental ethical principles, I am not
advocating a fusion of religious ethics and scientific inquiry.

Rather, I am speaking of what I call "secular ethics," which embrace
the principles we share as human beings: compassion, tolerance,
consideration of others, the responsible use of knowledge and power.
These principles transcend the barriers between religious believers
and non-believers; they belong not to one faith, but to all faiths.

Today, our knowledge of the human brain and body at the cellular and
genetic level has reached a new level of sophistication. Advances in
genetic manipulation, for example, mean scientists can create new
genetic entities - like hybrid animal and plant species - whose long-
term consequences are unknown.

Sometimes when scientists concentrate on their own narrow fields,
their keen focus obscures the larger effect their work might have.
In my conversations with scientists I try to remind them of the
larger goal behind what they do in their daily work.

This is more important than ever. It is all too evident that our
moral thinking simply has not been able to keep pace with the speed
of scientific advancement. Yet the ramifications of this progress
are such that it is no longer adequate to say that the choice of
what to do with this knowledge should be left in the hands of
individuals.

This is a point I intend to make when I speak at the annual meeting
of the Society for Neuroscience today in Washington. I will suggest
that how science relates to wider humanity is no longer of academic
interest alone. This question must assume a sense of urgency for all
those who are concerned about the fate of human existence.

A deeper dialogue between neuroscience and society - indeed between
all scientific fields and society - could help deepen our
understanding of what it means to be human and our responsibilities
for the natural world we share with other sentient beings.

Just as the world of business has been paying renewed attention to
ethics, the world of science would benefit from more deeply
considering the implications of its own work. Scientists should be
more than merely technically adept; they should be mindful of their
own motivation and the larger goal of what they do: the betterment
of humanity.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, is the author of "The Universe
in a Single Atom: The Convergence of Science and Spirituality."

 

[Babbabud]

Happy Birthday SG

Happy Birthday SG

Happy Birthday Southern Girl
Looks like I might be a day or two late. Just like me I even had it on my reminder calender. But happy happy birthday sister. Hope you had a great day

 

[Guest]

I'm Impressed Babba

I'm Impressed Babba

Thank you so very much Babbabud! Incredible for you to remember. However, it wasn't a welcomed Birthday. The big 50! Life is flying by with yet so much to do. Wish I had the little guy with the doobie at the end. No connections here to speak of since moving. But it was a great day all the same. Love to you brother, Southern Girl

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Belated Birthday Wishes SG! Trust all is well and moving along accordingly. Tell Gordy to stick his head in here and give us a shout sometime too.

We have heart beats! Two of them! A few more weeks and we can exhale!

Take care everyone!

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

On the eighth day of the fourth month, I met with Hei no Saemon. In contrast to his behavior on previous occasions, his manner was quite mild, and he treated me with courtesy. An ac-companying lay priest asked me about the Nembutsu, a layman asked about the True Word school, and another person asked about Zen, while Hei no Saemon himself inquired whether it was possible to attain the way through any of the sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra. I replied to each of these questions by citing passages from the sutras.

Then Hei no Saemon, apparently acting on behalf of the regent, asked when the Mongol forces would invade Japan. I replied: "They will surely come within this year. I have already expressed my opinion on this matter, but it has not been heeded. If you try to treat someone's illness without knowing its cause, you will only make the person sicker than before. In the same way, if the True Word priests are permitted to try to overcome the Mongols with their prayers and imprecations, they will only bring about the country's military defeat. Under no circumstances whatever should the True Word priests, or the priests of any other schools for that matter, be allowed to offer up prayers. If each of you has a real understanding of Buddhism, you will understand this matter on hearing me explain it to you.

"Also, I notice that, although advice from others is heeded, when I offer advice, it is for some strange reason invariably ignored. Nevertheless, I would like to state certain facts here so that you may think them over later. The Retired Emperor of Oki was the sovereign of the nation, and the acting administrator [Hojo Yoshitoki] was his subject, [and yet the latter attacked and defeated the retired emperor]. Why would the Sun Goddess permit a subject to attack a sovereign, who should be like a father to him? Why would Great Bodhisattva Hachiman allow a vassal to attack the lord with impunity? And yet, as we know, the sovereign and the courtiers supporting him were defeated by Hojo Yoshitoki. That defeat was no mere accident. It came about because they put their faith in the misleading teachings of the Great Teacher Kobo and the biased views of the great teachers Jikaku and Chisho, and because the priests of Mount Hiei, To-ji, and Onjo-ji, in their opposition to the Kamakura shogunate, offered prayers for its defeat. Thus their curses 'rebounded upon the originator (24)’ and as a consequence the sovereign and his courtiers were forced to suffer defeat. The military leaders in Kamakura knew nothing of such rituals, so no prayers to subdue the enemy were offered; thus they were able to win. But if they now depend on such prayers, they will meet the same fate as the courtiers.

"The Ezo people of northern Japan have no understanding of the principles (25) of birth and death. Ando Goro was a pious man who knew the law of cause and effect and erected many Buddhist halls and pagodas. How could it happen, then, that the Ezo beheaded him? In view of these events, I have no doubt that, if these priests are allowed to go on offering prayers for victory, Your Lordship will meet with some untoward event. And when that happens, you must not under any circumstances say that I failed to warn you." Such was the stern manner in which I addressed him.

When I retuned home, I heard that (26) the Dharma Seal of the Amida Hall had been asked to pray for rain from the tenth day of the fourth month. This Dharma Seal is the most learned priest of To-ji and the teacher of the (27) prelate of Omuro. He has mastered the True Word esoteric teachings of the great teachers Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho, and has memorized all the doctrines of the various schools such as Tendai and Flower Garland. He began praying for rain on the tenth day, and on the eleventh a heavy rain fell. There was no wind, but only a gentle rain that fell for a day and a night. The re-gent, the lord of Sagami, was said to have been so deeply impressed that he presented the Dharma Seal with thirty ryo in gold, a horse, and other gifts as a reward.

When the people of Kamakura heard this, eminent and humble alike clapped their hands, pursed their lips, and laughed with derision, saying: "That Nichiren preached a false kind of Buddhism and came near to getting his head cut off. He was finally pardoned, but instead of learning his lesson, he goes on slandering the Nembutsu and Zen schools, and even dares to speak ill of the esoteric teachings of True Word. How fortunate that we have had this rain to serve as proof of the power of True Word prayers!"

Faced with such criticisms, my disciples became quite downcast and complained that I had been too provocative in my attacks on the True Word school. But I said to them, "Just wait a while. If the evil teachings of the Great Teacher Kobo could be correct and in fact produce effective prayers for the welfare of the nation, then the Retired Emperor of Oki would surely have been victorious in his struggle with the (28) Kamakura shogunate, and Setaka, the favorite boy attendant of the prelate of Omuro, would not have had his head cut off. Kobo in his Treatise on the Ten Stages of the Mind states that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Flower Garland Sutra. In his Precious Key to the Secret Treasury he claims that the Shakyamuni Buddha of the 'Life Span' chapter of the Lotus Sutra is an ordinary person, and in his Comparison of Exoteric and EsotericBuddhism he calls the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai a thief. Moreover, Shokaku-bo (29) in his Rules of Rites for Revering the Buddha's Relics states that the Buddha who preached the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra is not even worthy to tend the sandals of a True Word master. The Dharma Seal of the Amida Hall is a follower of the men who taught these perverse doctrines. If such a man could show himself superior to me, then the dragon kings who send down the rain must be the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, and they will surely be chastised by the gods Brahma and Shakra and the four heavenly kings. There must be more to this than meets the eye!"

"What do you mean by 'more than meets the eye'?" my disciples asked with a scornful smile.

I replied: "Shan-wu-wei and Pu-k'ung both caused rain to fall in answer to their prayers, but it is recorded that they also brought about high winds. When Kobo prayed for rain, it fell after twenty-one days had passed. But under such circumstances, it is the same as though he had not caused it to rain at all, since some rain is naturally bound to fall in the course of a twenty-one-day interval. The fact that it happened to rain while he was praying for it is in no way remarkable. What is really impressive is to cause it to fall through a single ceremony, the way T'ien-t'ai (30) and Senkan did. That is why I say there must be something peculiar about this rain."

I had not even finished speaking when a great gale began to blow. Houses of every size, Buddhist halls and pagodas, old trees, and government buildings all were swept up into the air or toppled to the ground. A huge shining object flew through the sky, and the earth was strewn with beams and rafters. Men and women were blown to their death, and many cattle and horses were struck down. One might have excused such an evil wind if it had come in autumn, the typhoon season, but this was only the fourth month, the beginning of summer. Moreover, this wind did not blow throughout the country, but struck only the eight provinces of the Kanto region, and in fact only the two provinces of Musashi and Sagami. It blew strongest in Sagami; and within Sagami, it blew strongest in Kamakura; and within Kamakura, it blew strongest at the government headquarters, Wakamiya, and the temples Kencho-ji and Gokuraku-ji. It was apparent that it was no ordinary wind, but rather the result of the Dharma Seal's prayers alone. The people who had earlier pursed their lips and laughed at me suddenly turned sober, and my disciples too were astonished and expressed their wonder.

Notes:

24. Lotus Sutra, chap. 25. In the sutra, the sentence reads in the future tense. It was changed here to fit the context of this letter.
25. Ando Goro (n.d.) was a magistrate who exercised jurisdiction over the northern part of Japan in the time of the regent Hojo Yoshitoki (1163-1224).
26. The Dharma Seal of the Amida Hall refers to the True Word priest Kaga Josho, who was the superintendent of the Amida Hall in Kamakura.
27. The prelate of Omuro refers to Prince Dojo (n.d.), a son of Emperor Gotoba who had entered the priesthood. This generally means the title of a retired emperor or prince who entered the priesthood and lived at Ninna-ji, a True Word temple in Kyoto. Omuro is another name for Ninna-ji.
28. Setaka (d. 1221) was the sixth son of Sasaki Hirotsuna, a warrior who supported Emperor Gotoba. He was the cherished favorite of the prince-priest Dojo at Ninna-ji, and was beheaded in 1221 at the time of the Jokyu Disturbance.
29. Shokaku-bo (1095-1143), also called Kakuban, was the precursor of the New Doctrine branch of the True Word school.
30. Senkan (918-983) was a priest of the Tendai school. In the summer of 962, when Japan was suffering from drought, the emperor ordered him to offer prayers for rain. It is said that, immediately after the imperial envoy reached him, he caused rain to fall.

(to be continued)

 

[Guest]

Thank You PTD

Thank You PTD

I guess life always goes accordingly. You always go where you have to whether you want to or not. Learn to take the ride and chant along the way and you always get where you need to be. You can make it easy or hard. I have been choosing easy.
Heartbeats? I am speechless and don't really know how to respond other than wishing the best for everyone. Southern Girl

Happy No Lucky! Welcome
You will find that we can all be in one of the ten worlds at all given times.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Your warm wishes are warmly received SG! Thank you!

Your warm wishes are warmly received SG! Thank you!

Easy is good!

Happy--I'd say more sincere seekers than deep thinkers. We seek together to achieve a deeper thinking or understanding. We are all dependant upon one another, and without each other, we would not exist. Our wisdom does not come from our thinking, but the heartfelt compassion we are able to manifest for others.

However, compassion can be expressed in many ways.

I believe the Devil of the Sixth Heaven is the only reason we are able to display Buddha Wisdom. The function of Devadatta will always be a part of attaining anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. How can one manifest Buddha Compassion without the challenge of fundamental darkness?

I think it is impossible! So maybe everyone that can’t stand you, or that you have a hard time understanding, are really nothing more than manifestations of your prayer to attain Buddhahood that parallels every utterance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that you chant for whatever “Earthly Desires are Enlightenment” reason that motivates you today.

In my experience, caring about your loved ones is easy. But I think if can care about the folks who wish you harm, then you’re headed in the right direction. I’ll get more into what I am trying to convey after we read The Orally Transmitted Teachings on the Devadatta chapter of the Lotus Sutra following the gosho, The Opening of the Eyes, coming up next.

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 763 (continued)

I had been determined all along that, if after three attempts to warn the rulers of the nation my advice still went unheeded, I would leave the country. With that thought in mind, I accordingly left Kamakura on the twelfth day of the fifth month and came here to Mount Minobu. In the tenth month of the same year (1274), the Mongols launched their attack. Not only were the islands of Iki (31) and Tsushima assaulted and captured, but the forces of the Dazaifu government office in Kyushu were defeated as well. When the military leaders, the (32) lay priest Shoni and Otomo, received word of this, they fled, and the remaining warriors were struck down without difficulty. [Though the Mongol forces withdrew,] it was apparent just how weak Japan's defenses would be if they should launch another attack in the future.

The Benevolent Kings Sutra says, "Once the sages have departed, then the seven disasters are certain to arise." The Sovereign Kings Sutra states, "Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, marauders will appear from other regions, and the people of the country will meet with death and disorder." If these pronouncements of the Buddha are true, then evil men certainly exist in our country, and the ruler favors and respects such men while treating good men with enmity.

The Great Collection Sutra states, "The sun and moon no longer shed their light. All the four directions will be afflicted by drought. . . . The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts will curse and destroy my correct teaching." In the Benevolent Kings Sutra we read, "Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, or the other princes, and take it upon themselves to preach doctrines that lead to the violation of the Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, listens to and puts faith in such doctrines. . . . In this way he brings about the destruction of Buddhism and of the nation." And the Lotus Sutra speaks of (33) the "evil monks of that muddied age." If these passages in the sutras are true, then there must unquestionably be evil monks in this country. The crooked trees are destined to be cut down on a treasure mountain, and dead bodies are rejected by the great sea. Though the great sea of the Buddhist Law and the treasure mountain of the one vehicle may admit the shards and rubble of the five cardinal sins or the dirty (34) water of the four major offenses, they have no room for the "dead bodies" of those who slander the Law, or for the "crooked trees" who are icchantikas, persons of incorrigible disbelief. Therefore, those who endeavor to practice the Buddhist Law and who care about what happens to them in future lives should know what a fearful thing it is to slander the Lotus Sutra.

Many people wonder why anyone should pay heed to a person like myself who speaks ill of Kobo, Jikaku, and others of their group. I do not know about other regions, but I know that the people everywhere in the province of Awa have good reason to believe what I say. They have seen the proof right before their eyes. Endon-bo of Inomori, Saigyo-bo and Dogi-bo of Kiyosumi, and Jitchi-bo of Kataumi were all eminent priests; but one should inquire what kind of deaths they met with. However, I will say no more of them. Enchi-bo spent three years in the great hall of Seicho-ji copying the text of the Lotus Sutra in a laborious fashion, bowing three times as he copied each character. He had memorized all ten volumes, and every day and night recited the entire sutra twice for a period of fifty years. Everyone said that he would surely become a Buddha. But I alone said that he, along with Dogi-bo, was even more certain to fall into the depths of the hell of incessant suffering than were the Nembutsu priests. You would do well to inquire carefully just how these men met death. If it had not been for me, people would have believed that these priests had attained Buddhahood.

You should realize from this that the manner of the death of Kobo, Jikaku, and the others indicated that a truly miserable fate was in store for them. But their disciples contrived to keep the matter secret, so that even the members of the imperial court never learned of it. Hence these men have been looked up to with increasing reverence in later times. And if there had been no one like me to reveal the truth, they would have gone on being honored in that manner for endless ages to come. The non-Buddhist teacher Uluka [turned to stone at his death], but eight hundred years later [his errors were brought to light and] the stone melted and turned to water. And in the case of another non-Buddhist teacher Kapila, a thousand years passed before his faults were brought to (35) light.

Notes:

31. Iki and Tsushima are islands off the coast of Kyushu in southern Japan. The Dazaifu office was the administrative center of Kyushu, Iki, and Tsushima, and served as a foreign affairs conduit as well as a rallying point in the case of foreign invasion. During the Mongol attack of 1274, it was a focal point of defense against the Mongols.
32. Shoni is Shoni Sukeyoshi (1198-1281), the constable of Chikuzen. Otomo is Otomo Yoriyasu (1222-1300), the constable of Bungo.
33. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.
34. The four major offenses are precepts for monks, dealing with killing, theft, sexual misconduct, and lying.
35. Kapila was the founder of the Samkhya school, one of the six main schools of Brahmanism in India. According to The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight," he transformed himself into a stone because he was afraid of death. But when Bodhisattva Dignaga wrote a verse of admiration on the stone, it cracked into pieces, thereby revealing the falsity of Kapila's teachings a thousand years after his death.

(to be continued)

 

[BushyOldGrower]

I think it shows disrespect to destroy a statue of a Buddha like that large one in Afghanistan by the Taliban but you don't see buddhist getting upset about it. The reason is wisdom means understanding how impermenant any material thing really is and that a concept that is truth means more. I understand Tom because the Gohonzon depicts Nichiren's conceptual version of the universal structure doesn't it?

What buddhists who understand know is that personages are unimportant but a principle is worth a thousand movie stars. It's not the person saying it right Tom? This is why we can all remain humble as we struggle to see what is obvious. That the universe has laws and that life is a wonderful thing. That neither ever ends and the goal of universal harmony may one day be achieved. But I doubt that. BOG