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Chanting Growers Group

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Forest20

ICmag's Official Black Guy
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I just have to say my mother was in the hospital this morning. While I was wait on the doctor I started to Chant and pray. Just all the love here help because she is at home and is OK by doctors standards
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
"As the British essayist William Hazlitt (1778-1830) wrote: 'Hope is the best possession.' Buddhism is a source of hope."

SGI Newsletter No. 7770, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 22: Chap. 2, Currents 53, translated May 12th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
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Daimoku going out to Forest's mom! Sleepy good to see ya! Wamen!!! Your post made my day! Desi, we are not the same without you! I hope you are able to stay close!

Keep chanting for SoCal till he gets back and chant for Bonzo and Hit as they are way too sketchy in their appearances for my peace of mind. I know I owe a PM response. Please be patient, I just had to take another kid to the hospital tonight (she's OK).

All my love and respect to the Babbas and Mr. and Mrs. Disco!

I bow in humble obeisance,

T
 
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EasyMyohoDisco

Hello Hello!

Hello Hello!

My turn,

What's up buddies! Everyone's recent posts are going great. I'm in the thread everyday for a long time now and its been hard to post because I have final exams today, saturday and next week. Work is going very well, I'm please with my efforts. Our CEO recently spoke and was using words like "value creation, courage, hope, raising capable people, dedication, hard-working" and prior to the I introduced myself to him and he remarked "This is so great that you introduced yourself, thank you very much I do appreciate it." In a company of 6000+ employees that got me (and my soka training) doing the best I can in tandem with the current recession just thrills me to no end that I chanted for "to find meaningful work" and I GOT IT!

Gohonzon is alive and kicking, that is why we respect that mandala and I chant in every Gongyo "to keep Gohonzon for the rest of this life and the next". I'm also constantly including Babba's and T's family in the second silent prayer with Tony Matsuoka and Ted Osaki. All of my brethren aka Chanting Growers are specifically mentioned in the following silent prayer for all my personal intentions and human revolution. I'm really advancing consistently, setting targets, and meeting goals/finish-lines. Thank you all for your support.

Whenever I have experienced results by on my practice, which constantly occurs in every regard of my life, I feel quicker to respond to my need to change my lazy and semi-negative ways and embrace really positive energy. Nothing beats Daimoku with my Gohonzon, the open invitation still stands to whomever wants to come over and chant. By the way, after my last final next week I'm gonna go on the apartment hunt again to finally move out. Unfortunately, prices haven't fallen a bit where I'm from, in fact during the recession it seems they continue to go up! Truly something else to chant about and become victorious in, this one I will accomplish relatively quick.

Regarding the daily practice, by that I mean daimoku and gongyo. I know I can chant anywhere but chanting with others in front of the Gohonzon in my living room is #1 for me. My pace is very quick so if you are a beginner I'll have to slow down for a first few sessions, but you need to maintain the pace of a galloping horse to develop a stronger daimoku in my personal and humble opinion. Chanting slow is good too, don't get me wrong, I am just getting more results with a quicker daimoku.

You know a fear I haven't had on this thread recently has been to sound selfish or over confident, because you all know I'm still me regards of "good or bad" circumstances. I'm truly soooo many billion million trillion times happier overall than before and love to love! So graduation #1 is next week and after that only two more left til I'm an attorney! If one of you is in law school I guess I won't be the first chanting grower lawyer but I'll make sure to always be prepared to stand up for each of you throughout my life.

My gratitude for all is so immense, imagine all the oceans, seas, lakes, rivers, and streams. Put them together... and my gratitude is still greater, deeper and bigger than that times 10. Trust me, the trick was overcoming the fundamental darkness in my life enough to get off my ass then get my Gohonzon. Ever since the challenge is to not get too wrapped up in life or quick victories or quick struggles it is so important to keep bringing your focus back to the Gohonzon.

So i'm in a new forum dubbed (sgibuddhism . org), I don't wanna disrespect the site's rules so if this is inappropriate Chris, Babba or Wamen please feel free to delete or amend it. It is not an official sgi site but I'm writing on it too cus I can from work and I just wanted to share that. I'm reading Lectures on The Lotus Sutra by my man Josei Toda! Toda is the man! When I think Toda I think 'wow, this man right here is the Thus Come One!' Wow I think President Ikeda is cool too, but Mr. Toda that right there is a champion super awesome Bodhisattva of the Earth, that man was and is in my heart a great Buddha.

So thanks to all and to all my best wishes and warmest appreciation!

Best regards buddies,
MyohoDynomiteDisco

P.S. :)
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
"As the American author and social activist Helen Keller (1880-1968) wrote: 'When once we make up our minds to do this and set out fearlessly, all outward circumstances and limitations give way before us.'"

SGI Newsletter No. 7771, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 22: Chap. 2, Currents 55, translated May 13th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."

(On Prayer - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 345) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 14th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
^^^^^MY FAVORITE GOSHO QUOTE OF ALL! It has been my lantern in the dark, my assurance that all that is not well will be, to persevere and have faith, the Golden Words of the True Buddha are always True and never false. The Daishonin instructs us to believe in this mandala with all our hearts, and no prayer can go unanswered. I have been saying "Put up or shut up" for thirty-five years and my expectations have never been diminished by the results I have received. Many times the Universe protected me from my own ignorance, forcing me forward on the path, knowing my True Prayer, and sometimes the answer that I sought required the development of the wisdom to perceive it. It is based on the confidence in "... it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered..." that I continue to practice today. I know this statement to be true with my very life, as I continue on the path of my Human Revolution.

I bow in humble obeisance,

Thomas (read the rest of the quote below from WND pg. 345)
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
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If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, the two heavenly deities, and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, then above them they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas, and below they would be guilty of deceiving the beings of the nine realms.

It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty; one does not ignore the sandalwood trees because of the foul odor of the eranda trees around them; and one does not refuse to gather lotuses because the pond in the valley where they grow is not clean. If they ignore the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, they will be going against their vow.
 
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EasyMyohoDisco

"The Lotus Sutra states, "[The doctrines that they preach. . . ] will never be contrary to the true reality." T'ien-t'ai commented on this, saying that "no worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality." A person of wisdom is not one who practices Buddhism apart from worldly affairs but, rather, one who thoroughly understands the principles by which the world may be governed."

The Kalpa of Decrease
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1121)
 
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EasyMyohoDisco

"There are a few in this province of Kai who have expressed their desire to take faith. Yet I make it a rule not to permit them to join us unless they remain steadfast in their resolve. Some people, despite their shallow understanding, pretend staunch faith and speak contemptuously to their fellow believers, thus often disrupting the faith of others."

The Workings of Brahma and Shakra
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 800)
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
"When I prayed for my mother, not only was her illness cured, but her life was prolonged by four years."

(On Prolonging One's Life Span - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 955) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 15th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Let's start off by challenging the things that we are weak at or tend to procrastinate about. By chanting with strong decisive faith and by mustering up our courage, let's challenge to overcome the obstacles that we ourselves have built up within our own minds. Let's continue to advance and become dauntless champions of progress

Daisaku Ikeda
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
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"Kosen-rufu is the accumulation of countless small victories. Winning comes from steady and persistent efforts to take on immediate challenges. That is the way to establish a record of glorious victory."

SGI Newsletter No. 7772, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 22: Chap. 2, Currents 57, translated May 14th, 2009
 

Wilson!

Member
share a benefit

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was disgnosed with hep c a few years ago. was a gift from the usmc in the early 70's. they vaccainated us like cattle, one after the other with jet injectors..

Just got word on my most recent labs and well, I went from a viral load of over 10MM a year ago to 165k today! and my enzymes are half of what they were a year ago.

i was and remian determined to slay this dragon without taking their toxic cocktail. i saw a study in the wayback machine that spoke of oral consumption, not smoking, that the eating of cannabis released some liver enzymes that were beneficial to liver health and aid in liver repair. Cannabis helps in so many other ways. what a marvelous plant.

And thanks to all of you for sharing this wonderful Buddhism with freedom loving blazetrailers.

i'm using two other supplimantal herbs with cannabis. They are Liver Care by Himalaya and Milk Thistle. I make a cannabis tea using a canna cocunut oil that i extract to and add 2-3 tablespoons with a nice chai tea in rice milk sweetned with agave. it ooozes warmth so good.

Just wanted to share this benefit. pleasse share your personal experiences here. it could encourage others to try the practice of chanting Nam myoho renge kyo.
 
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Babbabud

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Nam myoho renge kyo

Nam myoho renge kyo

Such great news to hear Wilson!! So glad you are able to beat this. Keep up the good fight brother and keep on chanting !!
I find this topic particularly close to me at this time because one of my best friends in the world is losing his battle with Hep C. Hes 56 and I hope I get one more chance to chant to him this week. I find it hard to see him in the shape he is in ... but know i must spend more time and share more chants. The older we get the more "practice" we get at dealing with these moments. I only hope im surrounded by my beautiful family as he is at this time :)
Sorry to throw this down here but your post brought it to the surface.
So glad to hear of your good fortune Wilson. I will add it to my Daimoku :)
Nam myoho renge kyo
 

BushyOldGrower

Bubblegum Specialist
Veteran
Speakers of the Truth...Hello and Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. :)

All forms of medicine that help are of consideration and if taken improperly can be poison for certain. Some herbs are harmless while others are toxic. I hope everyone's health could be improved by the two schools or many schools of medicine like the rivers of religions that all lead to the deepest part of the sea where the truth lies.

Missed you Tom and Babba and all my other friends but please don't let me interrupt. I am back, another seeker floating down my river leading to the sea. LOVE and Respect. BOG
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Hey BOG! Thanks for making your entrance and we hope you'll make the effort to read and share as we all progress together toward the Sea! How is GP? Please give him our best and an invitation to join in, and extend our heartfelt warm wishes to your wife as well.

IT'S SO DAMN GOOD TO HAVE TO BACK MAN! WE SURE HOPE YOU STAY!!! THIS IS SOMETHING I HAVE CHANTED FOR FOR A LONG TIME. You are my Brother and nothing can change that. I look forward to this renewed opportunity for us to share dialog and encourage one another.

Wilson! That was outstanding news! Surely we can all attest to the fact that it is never too late and that many late stage illnesses have been cured with "crucial moment" development of faith. Babba, you need to chant with your friend for sure, and be confident that he can change even a terminal untreatable illness with the power of faith.

Nothing is impossible. Nothing. I encourage you to do your best to get him to chant with you. By the way, I must admit I didn't know hep C was fatal in the absence of complications from other conditions or habits. Big thanks to Wilson for sharing not only his experience but also his meds used along with Daimoku, in the treatment of his illness!

Much love and deep respect,

Tom
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
observation of the mind

observation of the mind

[観心] (Jpn kanjin )

To perceive or awaken to the ultimate reality inherent in one's life. Also, the method of practice that makes this possible. In contrast with doctrinal study of the Buddhist sutras, observation of the mind means to perceive in the depths of one's being the truth that is beyond verbal explanation. Observing the mind is particularly stressed in T'ient'ai's practice, in which meditation is focused on the true nature of the mind rather than upon some exterior object. In Great Concentration and Insight, T'ient'ai (538-597) taught meditation to perceive "the region of the unfathomable," which is interpreted as either the unification of the three truths in a single mind or three thousand realms in a single moment of life. This means, in essence, to perceive one's inherent Buddhahood, which is the goal of the T'ient'ai system of meditation. Nichiren (1222-1282) defined T'ient'ai's observation of the mind as follows: "The observation of the mind means to observe one's own mind and to find the Ten Worlds within it" (WND/356). Nichikan, the twenty-sixth chief priest of Taiseki-ji temple, interpreted the above statement in his Exegesis on "The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind" as follows: "'To observe one's own mind' means to believe in the Gohonzon [the object of devotion in Nichiren's teaching]. 'To find the Ten Worlds within it' means to chant [the daimoku of] the Mystic Law. If only you believe in the Gohonzon and chant the Mystic Law, then the Ten Worlds of the Gohonzon will become the Ten Worlds of your own life." This interpretation is based on the passage from Nichiren's Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind that reads: "Shakyamuni's practices and the virtues he consequently attained are all contained within the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. If we believe in these five characters, we will naturally be granted the same benefits as he was" (WND/365). In Nichiren's teaching, the observation of the mind means to believe in the Gohonzon, the embodiment of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, and chant the daimoku. This is the teaching that embracing the Gohonzon is in itself observing one's own mind, i.e., attaining enlightenment. Observation of the mind also means to interpret the sutras from the viewpoint of the truth one realizes in one's life. In Nichiren's teaching, it means to read the sutras from the viewpoint of the principle of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
 

Payaso

Original Editor of ICMagazine
Veteran
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

BOG is among us as always...welcome home and back to BOG. Traveling to the sea has become a lifelong trip and today I was especially struck by the following words of wisdom:

"'To observe one's own mind' means to believe in the Gohonzon [the object of devotion in Nichiren's teaching]. 'To find the Ten Worlds within it' means to chant [the daimoku of] the Mystic Law. If only you believe in the Gohonzon and chant the Mystic Law, then the Ten Worlds of the Gohonzon will become the Ten Worlds of your own life."
 
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