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PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
The Izu Exile / WND pg. 35

The Izu Exile / WND pg. 35

I have received the rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves, sake, dried rice, peppers, paper, and other items from the messenger whom you took the trouble to send. He also conveyed your message that these offerings should be kept secret. I understand.

When, on the twelfth day of the fifth month, having been exiled, I arrived at that harbor I had never even heard of before, and when I was still suffering after leaving the boat, you kindly took me into your care. What karma has brought us together? Can it be that, because in the past you were a votary of the Lotus Sutra, now, in the Latter Day of the Law, you have been reborn as Funamori no Yasaburo and have taken pity on me? Though a man may do this, for your wife, as a married woman, to have given me food, brought me water to wash my hands and feet with, and treated me with great concern, I can only call wondrous.

What caused you to inwardly believe in the Lotus Sutra and make offerings to me during my more than thirty-day stay there? I was hated and resented by the steward and the people of the district even more than I was in Kamakura. Those who saw me scowled, while those who merely heard my name were filled with spite. And yet, though I was there in the fifth month when rice was scarce, you secretly fed me. Have my parents been reborn in a place called Kawana, in Ito of Izu Province?

The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, “[I will send . . .] men and women of pure faith, to offer alms to the teachers of the Law.”(1) The meaning of this sutra passage is that the heavenly gods and benevolent deities will assume various forms such as those of men and women, and present offerings to help the persons who practice the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt that this refers to you and your wife being born as a man and a woman, and making offerings to Nichiren, the teacher of the Law.

Since I wrote to you in detail earlier, (2) I will make this letter brief. But I would like to mention one thing in particular. When the steward of this district sent me a request to pray for his recovery from illness, I wondered if I should accept it. But since he showed some degree of faith in me, I decided I would appeal to the Lotus Sutra. This time I saw no reason why the ten demon daughters should not join forces to aid me. I therefore addressed the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions, and also the Sun Goddess, Hachiman, and other deities, both major and minor. I was sure that they would consider my request and show some sign. Certainly they would never forsake me, but would respond as attentively as a person rubs a sore or scratches an itch. And as it turned out, the steward recovered. In gratitude he presented me with a statue of the Buddha that had appeared from the sea along with a catch of fish. He did so because his illness had finally ended, an illness that I am certain was inflicted by the ten demon daughters. This benefit too will surely become a benefit for you and your wife.

Living beings like ourselves have dwelt in the sea of the sufferings of birth and death since time without beginning. But they become votaries of the Lotus Sutra, and realize that their bodies and minds, which have existed since the beginningless past, are inherently endowed with the eternally unchanging nature; awaken to their mystic reality with their mystic wisdom; and attain the Buddha’s body, which is as indestructible as a diamond. How then could they be different from that Buddha?? Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, who said numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago, “I am the only person [who can rescue and protect others],” (3) refers to living beings like ourselves. This is the Lotus Sutra’s teaching of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, and the action of “I am always here, preaching the Law.”(4) Even though such an admirable Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha exist, ordinary people are unaware of it. The passage in the “Life Span” chapter that reads, “I make it so that living beings in their befuddlement do not see me even when close by,” refers to this. The disparity between delusion and enlightenment is like that between the four views in the grove of sal trees. (5) What is called the Buddha of three thousand realms in a single moment of life means that the entire realm of phenomena attains Buddhahood.

The demon who appeared before the boy Snow Mountains was Shakra in disguise. The dove that sought the protection of King Shibi was the god Vishvakarman. King Universal Brightness, who returned to the palace of King Spotted Feet [to be executed], was Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings. While the eyes of ordinary people are blind to this, the eyes of the Buddha see it. A sutra passage states that there are paths by which birds and fish come and go in both the sky and the sea. A wooden statue [of the Buddha] is itself a golden Buddha, and a golden Buddha is a wooden statue. Aniruddha’s gold turned into a hare and then a corpse.(6) In the palm of Mahanama’s hand, even sand turned into gold.(7) These things are beyond ordinary understanding. An ordinary person is a Buddha, and a Buddha, an ordinary person. This is what is meant by three thousand realms in a single moment of life and by the phrase “I in fact attained Buddhahood.”(8)

In that case, perhaps the World- Honored One of Great Enlightenment, the lord of teachings, has been reborn and has helped me as you and your wife. Though the distance between Ito and Kawana is short, our hearts are kept far apart. I write this letter for the sake of the future. Do not discuss it with others, but ponder it yourself. If people should learn anything at all about it, it will go hard with you. Keep it deep in your heart and never speak of it. With my deepest regards. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

The twenty-seventh day of the sixth month in the first year of Kocho (1261)

Sent to Funamori Yasaburo.

Background

In the eighth month of 1260, infuriated by Nichiren Daishonin’s refutation of the Pure Land school in his On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, a group of Nembutsu followers attacked his dwelling at Matsubagayatsu in Kamakura. The Daishonin narrowly escaped and went to the home of his loyal disciple Toki Jonin in Shimosa Province. In the spring of 1261, however, he returned to Kamakura and resumed his propagation efforts.

On the twelfth day of the fifth month, 1261, without any official investigation, the government sentenced the Daishonin to exile in the Izu Peninsula, which was a stronghold of the Pure Land school. The Daishonin was taken to Kawana, a small fishing village on the northeastern coast of the Izu Peninsula. Here he was given shelter and food by Funamori Yasaburo, a fisherman, and his wife, and the couple became his steadfast followers. The steward of Ito District in Izu, Ito Sukemitsu, learning of the Daishonin’s presence a month after his arrival, had the Daishonin summoned in order that he might offer prayers for Sukemitsu’s recovery from a serious illness. Sukemitsu regained his health, and it is said that he, too, became the Daishonin’s follower.

Both Yasaburo and his wife were concerned about the Daishonin’s safety when he went to Ito to pray for the steward’s health. Yasaburo sent a messenger to the Daishonin at Ito with various offerings. The Izu Exile is the Daishonin’s reply. The Daishonin’s exile ended on the twenty-second day of the second month, 1263, and he returned to Kamakura.

Notes

1. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
2. Little is known about the letter referred to here; only the letter The Izu Exile is extant today.
3. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
4. Ibid., chap. 16.
5. Shakyamuni passed away after expounding his last teaching, the Nirvana Sutra, in a grove of sal trees. The Sutra on Resolving Doubts about the Middle Day of the Law describes that grove of sal trees in four different ways: (1) as a grove composed of earth, trees, plants, and stone walls; (2) as a place adorned with the seven kinds of treasures, including gold and silver; (3) as a place where all Buddhas practice Buddhism; and (4) as the eternal, enlightened land of the Buddha. The different views arise in accordance with the capacity and state of life of the people.
6. Aniruddha was one of Shakyamuni’s ten major disciples, known as the foremost in divine insight. This story is found in The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra. Long ago, a pratyekabuddha named Rida was engaged in the practice of begging alms, but could obtain nothing. Seeing this, a poor man offered him millet. Later, when the poor man went in search of more millet, a hare jumped on his back and then turned into a corpse. Frightened, the man tried to shake it off, but in vain. As soon as he returned home, however, the corpse fell off and turned into gold. Hearing of this, wicked men came to rob him, but to them it looked merely like a corpse. In the eyes of the poor man, however, it was genuine gold, and he became wealthy. Ninety-one kalpas later, he was born as Aniruddha.
7. Mahanama was one of the five monks who were ordered by Shakyamuni’s father, the king, to accompany Shakyamuni when he forsook the secular world and entered religious life. They followed and practiced asceticism with Shakyamuni, but left him when he renounced this path. Shortly after Shakyamuni obtained enlightenment, however, he preached his first sermon to them at Deer Park, and they became his first disciples. According to the Increasing by One Agama Sutra, Mahanama was said to possess occult powers. The story of “sand in his palm turning into gold” is found in Ts’ung-i’s Supplement to T’ien-t’ai’s Three Major Works.
8. Lotus Sutra, chap. 16. About this phrase, Nichiren Daishonin states in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings that “I” indicates all the people in each of the Ten Worlds, and that it means that the people of the Ten Worlds are all Buddhas eternally endowed with the three bodies.
 
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EasyMyohoDisco

We had a great one hour toso last night. Strong and Crisp Daimoku! Much Love to all the Chanting Growers!
 

PassTheDoobie

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

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 16th, 2009
 
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EasyMyohoDisco

Have a great day my friends!

Have a great day my friends!

On my way to the Discussion meeting, instead of some experience I'm bringing the song, I feel Good by James Brown. I switched the words up a little and downloaded the track so that we have a great meeting and everyone there will feel uplifted from such a great song!

I Feel Good (Daimoku Version)


Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, Because I got Daimoku, now
So good, so good, I got Daimoku

Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you

{ sax, two licks to bridge }

When I do Gongyo in the morning
I know that I can't do no wrong
and when I do Gongyo in the evening
I feel like doing Shakubuku!

and I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got Daimoku

{ sax, two licks to bridge }

When I do Gongyo in the morning
I know that I can't do no wrong
and when I do Gongyo in the evening
I feel like doing Shakubuku!

and I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you

Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would
So good, so good, I got Daimoku
So good, so good, I got Daimoku
So good, so good, I got Daimoku
HEY!!


On another note I'm considering Nueroscience or Political Science as a major before law school, I them both quite a bit and also creative writing. This is something I'll be chanting about as I continue to chant for all of us with specific goals and targets in mind. Let's win throughout the rest of this week and month. Let's continue to chant abundant daimoku and overcome fundamental darkness in our lives!

Be well buddies!
 

scegy

Active member
hehehe Disco! like the song, and it sure does feel good after every Daimoku!

Wilson, i support you on your own way, illness can't beat you on your way!

good day to you all!!
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
A Warning against Begrudging One’s Fief / WND pg. 823

A Warning against Begrudging One’s Fief / WND pg. 823

Your letter dated the twenty-fifth of last month arrived at the hour of the cock (5:00–7:00 P.M.) on the twenty-seventh of the same month. On reading the official letter [ordering you to submit a written oath renouncing your faith in the Lotus Sutra] and your pledge not to write such an oath, I felt that it was as rare and as fragrant as seeing the udumbara plant in bloom and smelling the budding red sandalwood.

Shariputra, Maudgalyayana, and Mahakashyapa were great arhats who had acquired the three insights and the six transcendental powers. Moreover, they were bodhisattvas who, because of the Lotus Sutra, had attained the first stage of development and the first stage of security, that is, the realization of the non-birth and non-extinction of all phenomena. Yet even they deemed themselves unable to endure the great persecutions that would attend the propagation of the Lotus Sutra in the saha world in the Latter Day of the Law, and declined to accept the task. How then is it possible for ordinary people in the latter age, who have not yet eradicated the three categories of illusion, to become votaries of this sutra?

Even though I myself have been able to withstand attacks with sticks of wood or tiles and stones, vilification, and persecution by the authorities, how could people such as lay believers, who have wives and children, and are ignorant of Buddhism, possibly do the same? Perhaps they would have done better never to have believed in the first place. If they are unable to carry through with their faith to the end, and uphold it only for a short while, they will be mocked by others. So thinking, I felt pity for you. But during the repeated persecutions I suffered and throughout my two sentences of exile, you have demonstrated your resolve. Though that has been wondrous enough, I have no words sufficient to praise you for having written a pledge to carry through with your faith in the Lotus Sutra, in spite of your lord’s threats and at the cost of your two fiefs.

The Buddha wondered whether even bodhisattvas like Universal Worthy and Manjushri could undertake the propagation of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age, and he therefore entrusted the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo to Superior Practices and the other three leaders of bodhisattvas who had sprung up from the earth as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds. Now, pondering the meaning of this matter, I wonder if Bodhisattva Superior Practices has taken possession of your body in order to assist me along the way. Or could it be the design of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings?

The fact that those retainers who resent you are growing more presumptuous is definitely the result of the scheming of the priests Ryokan and Ryuzo. Should you write an oath discarding your faith, they would only become more arrogant, and they would mention it to everyone they meet. Then my disciples in Kamakura would be hounded until not a single one remained.

It is the nature of ordinary people not to know what awaits them in the future. Those who have a full understanding of this are called worthies or sages. Passing over examples from the past, I will cite one from the present. The lord of Musashi(1) gave up both his domains and became a lay priest. I hear that ultimately he abandoned many estates, forsook his sons and daughters as well as his wife, and secluded himself from the world. You have neither sons nor reliable brothers. You have only your two fiefs. This life is like a dream. One cannot be sure that one will live until tomorrow. However wretched a beggar you might become, never disgrace the Lotus Sutra. Since it will be the same in any event, do not betray grief. Just as you have written in your letter, you must act and speak without the least servility. If you try to curry favor, the situation will only worsen. Even if your fiefs should be confiscated or you yourself driven out, you must think that it is due to the workings of the ten demon daughters, and wholeheartedly entrust yourself to them.

Had I not been exiled, but remained in Kamakura, I would certainly have been killed in the battle. (2) In like manner, since remaining in your lord’s service will likely be to your detriment, this may well be the design of Shakyamuni Buddha.

I have written a petition (3) on your behalf. Although there are several priests there [in Kamakura], as they are too unreliable, I was thinking of sending Sammi-bo. However, since he has still not recovered from his illness, I am sending this other priest (4) in his stead. Have either Daigaku Saburo, Taki no Taro, or Toki (5) make a clean copy of it when he has time, and present it to your lord. If you can do that, the matter will be resolved. You need not be in a great hurry; rather, make preparations quietly within your lord’s clan. As for the others, let them clamor against you far and wide. Then, if you submit the petition, it may spread throughout Kamakura, and perhaps even reach the regent himself. This would be misfortune changing into fortune.

I explained the teachings of the Lotus Sutra to you before. Matters of minor importance arise from good, but when it comes to a matter of great importance, great disaster without fail changes into great fortune. When people read this petition, their errors will surely come to light. You have only to speak briefly. Say rebukingly, “I will neither leave my lord’s clan nor return my fief of my own accord. If my lord should confiscate it, I will regard it as an offering to the Lotus Sutra and a blessing.”

You must in no way behave in a servile fashion toward the magistrate. (6) Tell him, “These fiefs were not bestowed upon me by my lord. They were awarded to me because I saved his life with the medicine of the Lotus Sutra when he was seriously ill. If he takes them from me, his illness will surely return. At that time, even if he should apologize to me, I will not accept it.” Having said so, take your leave in an abrupt manner.

Avoid all gatherings. Maintain a strict guard at night. Be on good terms with the night watchmen (7) and make use of them. You should always be in company with them. If you are not ousted this time, the chances are nine to one that your fellow samurai will make an attempt on your life. No matter what, be sure not to die a shameful death.

Nichiren

The seventh month in the third year of Kenji (1277), cyclical sign hinoto-ushi

Reply to Shijo Kingo

Background

This letter was written at Minobu, when the Daishonin was fifty-six years old, and sent to Shijo Kingo in Kamakura. Kingo served the Ema family, a branch of the ruling Hojo clan, and was well versed in both medicine and the martial arts.

In the sixth month of 1277, Shijo Kingo attended a religious debate at Kuwagayatsu in Kamakura at which Sammi-bo, a disciple of the Daishonin, defeated Ryuzo-bo, a protégé of Ryokan. Other retainers of Lord Ema, jealous of Kingo, reported falsely to the lord that Kingo had forcibly disrupted the debate. As a result, Lord Ema threatened to confiscate Kingo’s fief. When Kingo received an official letter from Lord Ema after the Kuwagayatsu Debate ordering him to write an oath forsaking his faith in the Lotus Sutra, he sent the letter to the Daishonin at Minobu, along with a letter of his own in which he pledged never to write such an oath.

Nichiren Daishonin wrote the present letter in reply to encourage Kingo and also sent him a petition addressed to Lord Ema in which he defended Kingo and praised the faithful service that he had rendered his lord. This petition is entitled The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto. (Yorimoto was part of Shijo Kingo’s full name.) Not long after that, Lord Ema fell ill. Eventually, he had no choice but to ask Kingo for help. He recovered under Kingo’s treatment and thereafter placed renewed trust in him. Later, Shijo Kingo received from him an estate three times larger than the one he already held.

In this letter, the Daishonin states, “However wretched a beggar you might become, never disgrace the Lotus Sutra,” and defines a basic attitude in faith: No matter what social position one occupies or adversity one faces, it is vital to continue in faith, never compromising one’s integrity as a votary of the Lotus Sutra.

Notes

1. Hojo Yoshimasa (1242–1281). He held various positions in the Kamakura government and in 1276 became cosigner to the regent Hojo Tokimune. “Both his domains” refers here to Suruga and Musashi provinces.
2. Reference is probably to the conflict that broke out in the second month of 1272 between the regent Hojo Tokimune and his elder half brother Hojo Tokisuke.
3. The petition, known as The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto, that the Daishonin wrote to Lord Ema on Shijo Kingo’s behalf in the sixth month of 1277. The petition was apparently never submitted to Lord Ema.
4. The identity of “this other priest” is unknown.
5. Daigaku Saburo (1202–1286), also called Hiki Yoshimoto, was an official teacher of Confucianism for the Kamakura shogunate. He is said to have converted to the Daishonin’s teachings upon reading a draft of On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land. Taki no Taro is also said to have been a teacher of Confucianism, but little is known about him except that he was a follower of the Daishonin. Toki, or Toki Jonin, served as a retainer to Lord Chiba, the constable of Shimosa Province, and was one of the Daishonin’s leading disciples in Shimosa. He was a man of considerable learning, and the Daishonin entrusted him with many of his most important works.
6. The magistrate was an administrative official who carried out the orders of his superior. In this case, the official who would have been assigned to carry out Lord Ema’s orders.
7. The night watchmen are thought to have been Shijo Kingo’s escorts, who lived in his residence. Their estates had been confiscated because of their belief in the Daishonin’s teachings. One opinion has it that they were Shijo Kingo’s younger brothers.
 

Payaso

Original Editor of ICMagazine
Veteran
Can't get it out of my head...

Can't get it out of my head...

Nice job on the lyrics EasyMyohoDisco and thanks for getting me started!

I Feel Good (Daimoku Version)

Whoa-oa-oa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, Because I got Daimoku, now
So good, so good, I got Daimoku

Whoa! I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you

{ sax, two licks to bridge }

When I do Gongyo in the morning
I know that I can't do no wrong
and when I do Gongyo in the evening
I feel like doing Shakubuku!

and I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got Daimoku

{ sax, two licks to bridge }

When I do Gongyo in the morning
I know that I can't do no wrong
and when I do Gongyo in the evening
I feel like doing Shakubuku!

and I feel nice, like sugar and spice
I feel nice, like sugar and spice
So nice, so nice, I got you

Whoa! I feel good, I knew that I would, now
I feel good, I knew that I would
So good, so good, I got Daimoku
So good, so good, I got Daimoku
So good, so good, I got Daimoku
HEY!!
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
"This means that anyone who teaches others even a single phrase of the Lotus Sutra is the envoy of the Thus Come One."

(A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 33) Selection source: "Myoji no Gen", Seikyo Shimbun, May 17th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
"Do not be taken in by devious, unscrupulous individuals. Refuse to give them free reign. Right must win--I wish more than anything to create such an age.

"Only when wrongs are denounced and truth and justice triumph can we possibly protect the happiness and welfare of the people and make true peace a reality. Let's work hard to make this happen! Like lions!"


SGI Newsletter No. 7773, 28TH SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 1 [OF 2], The Proud Symbol of Brilliant Victors, from the April 27th, 2009, issue of
the Seikyo Shimbun, translated May 15th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
The life of a person who is advancing with unwavering conviction shines with a brilliance that is outrivaled by nothing. To elevate our lives to a supreme state of happiness and satisfaction, let's determine to challenge ourselves and win!

Daisaku Ikeda
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Email from SoCal!

Email from SoCal!

Hey Thomas,

Great to hear from you and if there is any way to remove the blocked call on your phone next time I might be able to answer.Thanks for the prayers. I pray every day for you and all Chanting Growers. Please believe that. Been super busy from 6am till late on a new endeavor. Would llike to be able to participate more with the thread but presently not possible. Hopefully soon in the future. Give my best to (stonegirl) and all your beautiful children. My goal is to come with (my wife) to visit you and your family and experience (where you live).

Love and true respect Bro!

(SoCal)
 

scegy

Active member
Good to hear things are well and going forward, warm greetings for SoCal and BOG!
I have some wonderfull things going on i will report as soon as things reveal a little further..it's like ark dot eu, and i just got some connections and this is my dream dudes!

am determined to stop smoking so much, and have already stopped down to 1 jay in the afternoon and a few(2-3) before sleep, like now:) much better then 10 on average before so, i'll keep fighting the addiction and shape it into what it was supposed to be, JOY of growing, smell, taste and smoking&relaxing!

Thank you Gohonzon for being here with me and thank you all you Shoten zendzins around me for your constant support and reminders!

How fullish i feel now, as i look back when i thought my Gohonzon is a burden in this world of dark shaddows, it's a light that shines more an more with every Daimoku, experience and learning. I respect The Three Mystical Laws from the bottom of my heart and am determined to share them with everyone that i can in all beautiful shapes and forms that reveal before me.

Respect brothers and sisters!
 
E

EasyMyohoDisco

Going back to school tomorrow, its been years but its never too late!

Your all in my prayers and boy do I need you guys! Keep on keeping on!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

I just took my last test at this school tonight and graduate on Wednesday. This degree is a huge win that I share with Gohonzon, each of you Chanting Growers, and my parents. For the rest of my life I promise to Hold Up The Flag of The Chanting Growers, I will continue to and eventually become a doctor of something maybe law, maybe medicine while studying and practicing Buddhism correctly with each of you!

I did not give up this time and am breaking the cycles of karma like a champ. While I dug for this post above I got to read some amazing posts by all of us in the past. It is very remarkable how things that were happening to me before has similarly occurred near to the present time in like 2 or 1 year cycles. This is another indication of the validity of our practice and makes the devil of the sixth heaven seem more like a one trick pony I will conquer in this lifetime.

With honor I will continue to hold my head high and on Wednesday I will accept a Diploma for Gohonzon and for us! We did it together, each of your support has been priceless.

With love,
Myohodisco
 
E

EasyMyohoDisco

This post was the prediction that led to our Victory! The Buddha is never false!

This post was the prediction that led to our Victory! The Buddha is never false!

This is a very special message to me, I have read this Gosho a few times and have stressed the parts I can remember to others and myself. Now it coincides with my appreciation for Gohonzon that I am seeing everyone and myself as respect worthy in the in sense that, part of being a practicioner of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is the fundamental respect for The Mystic Law and all its manifestations including all animate and inanimate (ho). Yet I still slander, yet I still have fundamental darkness! So then I conclude what I lack is respect for Gohonzon and myself at those times when I should have been more strict and employed the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before whatever it is that led me astray! I try and live with my life observing the world in ichinen sanzen (3000 realms in a single moment), then I catch a "slip up" and work not to let that mistake re-occurr by chanting about it and remembering who I walk with and what I represent.

I am living my life now walking with my mentor, I am trying to live as if Nichiren Daishonin is by my side. I strongly feel that I'm also accompanied by Sensei Toda Sensei Makiguchi Daisaku Ikeda and Thomas. This helps me keep my goals and plans in the right place which leads me to avoid slander and really focus more on introducing someone to this practice and accomplishing my goals. Avoiding carelessness and laziness coupled with more reverance and respect for life leads me to better understand the phrase (if my memory serves me correct, or if I'm off please let me know) " A bow of Obeisance to the Buddha is a bow of Obeisance to yourself and the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the Ten Directions"

So for me to "walk the walk" I have to watch my step, words, actions, thoughts, reactions, queries, problems/beefs, and so forth. So these days walking with the right crew I am really learning that I must work as hard as possible and tirelessly be a humble friend to humanity so that my thoughts and beliefs will manifest in my life and progress my wish for worldwide kosen-rufu. This year I pledge to work harder for all of us, and to rise above my self imposed limitations and distractions and really watch out for slander and hypocrisy. Also this year I pledge to SMILE MORE AND BASK IN THE SUNLIGHT! I am chanting for real goals and even have a goal set right now to become a victory by March 26, 2007! I have another strong goal to go back to school this fall by 9/07 and begin formal education with the "right" frame of mind.

Faith is Action! Thanks to THomas and Bonzo for the great dailouge over the weekend! Thanks to fallen for the message. Peace to the Babbas, Hitman, Socal and all our brothers and sisters!

This thread is amazing, you are also proof of this Scegy!

Thank you all so much and thanks for sharing the Socal message, he is one of our Rocks! The man is bigger than Gibraltar!
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
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"Therefore, one should by all means persist in preaching the Lotus Sutra and causing them to hear it. Those who put their faith in it will surely attain Buddhahood, while those who slander it will establish a 'poison-drum relationship' with it and will likewise attain Buddhahood."

(How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 882) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 18th, 2009
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
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Rather than relying on someone else to do things, let's instead, each one of us, create that first surge of victory. The amount of good fortune and benefit that we can accumulate by taking the initiative towards achieving victory is absolutely immeasurable.

Daisaku Ikeda
 
E

EasyMyohoDisco

"Life is the foremost of all treasures. It is expounded that even the treasures of the entire major world system cannot equal the value of one's body and life. Even the treasures that fill the major world system are no substitute for life."

The Gift of Rice
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 1125)
 

PassTheDoobie

Bodhisattva of the Earth
ICMag Donor
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"The renowned Australian nurse and physical therapist Elizabeth Kenny (1880-1952), who developed a groundbreaking treatment for the effects of polio, declared: 'It's better to be a lion for a day than a sheep all your life.'"

SGI Newsletter No. 7773, 28TH SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 1 [OF 2], The Proud Symbol of Brilliant Victors, from the April 27th, 2009, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated May 15th, 2009
 
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