Chanting Growers Group

[SoCal Hippy]

"Practicing Buddhism means being victorious. In advancing one step at a
time amid the realities of our daily lives, in showing concrete actual
proof, in becoming victors and successes, we are demonstrating with our
very beings the validity of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and serving
as a source of hope and inspiration for those who will follow us on the
path of faith."

Daisaku Ikeda

[PassTheDoobie]

"Hence the storehouse of the eighty-four thousand teachings represents a day-to-day record of one's own existence. This storehouse of the eighty thousand teachings is embodied in and contained within one's own mind. To use the mind to suppose that the Buddha or the Law or the pure land exist somewhere other than in one's own self and to seek them elsewhere is a delusion. When the mind encounters good or bad causes, it creates and puts forth the aspects of good and bad."

(The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to Be Abandoned and Which Upheld - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2, page 843) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's 2008 Peace Proposal, January 26th, 2008

[scegy]

hello fellow chanters!

as i chanted yesterday evening i suddenly had a brainflash, i had a picture in my mind and it was the guy that posted the copied versions of Gohonzon online, the link that started that conversation about Ikeda and all. what i realized was how weak are the foundations of his trust in himself, and i thought to myself that untill i get my SGI Gohonzon i must always remember and never forget that that guy had some major issues ---> i think that this was what Thomas has tried to prevent, but my friend i'm glad i took it this way, i'm looking every day at this fake Gohonzon, and it encourages me because of its fakeness, i really needed(still do) to understand things better before i get my Gohonzon, i don't want it to remind me on how blindly i've taken this.

myoho, your visions are pretty simmilar to mine, just that maybe they'r still more imaginative in my mind, i don't know about being a president but i sure do like to see ppl listening, today i had a lecture about life with 5 older profesors that were talking about why farms are becomming extinct and that the women just don't want to work and cook us dinner no more etc.
anyway the amazing thing for me was that my mind is flowing like NMRK more and more, i can get straight to the point in much less words then i had to use before. so...they listened and stopped laughing to the stupid jokes and comments that the Chief asshole proffesor was giving.

so all i'm saying is, if the ppl will want to listen, they will

as for my personal life....pheewww it's a constant battle, but what it feels different with NMRK besides. i feel that inner power(no butterflies) and i can get to the point no matter what i get from the other side, i get mad ofcourse but that feeling can't controle me no more, i can swear words an so, but in the end i do not cross the madness line, i get to the point, and i've been maintaining it for the past 10 days 100%. ofcourse that doesn't solve the why's and what for's, why should i go on etc....but, i'm getting somewhere, feels like climbing a mountain!

i bow in the obseience of the Universe(did i write this right?

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

[SoCal Hippy]

"As long as we are alive we will experience sufferings. But that does not mean we have to be unhappy. Unhappiness comes from allowing ourselves to be controlled by life's ups and downs—from feeling defeated, from losing hope, losing courage, losing the will to advance."

"Live in a way that is full of life… for yourself, for your loved ones, for your friends.
People who do so will find the courage to transform sufferings into hopes.
Not only that, but they will be able to light the lamp of hope in the hearts of many others, as well."

"The human spirit is the strongest force there is. As long as our spirit remains unbroken, there is no defeat. In life, spiritual defeat always precedes actual defeat. Guard against laziness, cowardice, carelessness, impatience, resignation and despair which corrode the human spirit and sow the seeds of defeat."

Quotes - Daisaku Ikeda

[SoCal Hippy]

My disciples, you should believe what I say and watch what happens.
These things do not occur because I myself am respect worthy, but
because the power of the Lotus Sutra is supreme. If I praise myself,
people will think that I am boastful, but if I humble myself, they will
despise the sutra. The taller the pine tree, the longer the wisteria
vine hanging from it. The deeper the source, the longer the stream. How
fortunate, how joyful! In this impure land, I alone enjoy happiness and
delight.

(WND, 642)
A Sage Perceives the Three Existences of Life
Written to Toki Jonin in 1275

[SoCal Hippy]

"Buddhism teaches that "all phenomena in the universe are manifestations
of the Law" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 564). I hope you will, with this
understanding, engage in broad-ranging studies with vigor and
determination. The brain has a potential as vast and boundless as the
universe. How then do we manifest the brain's full creative powers?
There is only one way to bring out our full intellectual capacity: by
constantly putting our minds to work."

Daisaku Ikeda

[DharmaDawg]

Greetings everyone, It's been a while.I was just trying to do some catching up and bring myself some encouragement. and send a Happy Birthday wish out to Georgialouwho. Always sending me incredible encouragement through the years, I read this earlier today from president Ikeada's guidance to the Men's division and post this in honor of her birthday.

[We are living out our lives with faith in the Supreme Mystic Law. It is the magnificent Buddhism of the sun, which enables us to overcome over every obstacle and hardship, to triumph over whatever destiny may bring. Never forget that it sets human beings on the truest, most powerful and profoundest orbit of victory in life." ]

Men Shining with Youthful Brilliance
Daisaku Ikeada

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Woooooop! A Big Ole Happy Birthday to my chanting sister woooooooop!!!!!!
Hope today is a great one. May all your chants come true ))
Much Love to you Sister !!!

[PassTheDoobie]

Happy Birthday Georgia!!!

WINTER ALWAYS TURNS TO SPRING!

Deep respect,

T

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin states,
"Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other."*
Let's earnestly chant daimoku with strong conviction
and confidently advance with unflagging determination
so that we can all bloom with happiness in our lives in the spring**

Daisako Ikeda

* "The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra" - WND-I, page 1001
** "Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring." - "Winter Always Turns to Spring", WND-I, page 536

[PassTheDoobie]

"Gold can be neither burned by fire nor corroded or swept away by water, but iron is vulnerable to both. A worthy person is like gold, a fool like iron."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, January 15th, 2008

[PassTheDoobie]

"In Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, the promise of mentor and disciple means to be born together in the same world in this latter age of the widespread propagation of the Law, and to chant and teach others about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo--the supreme teaching of Buddhism and the ultimate reason for which Buddhas appear in the world. What a noble and glorious promise this is. And we dedicate our lives to propagating the Mystic Law in this way, the Daishonin says, as a result of 'some bond of karma we share from the past' (WND-1, 309), stretching back immeasurable kalpas ago. What a profound and powerful spiritual bond we share.

"Let's dedicate ourselves to fulfilling the promise of mentor and disciple and advance together for kosen-rufu. If we stay true to this promise from the remote past, we will without a doubt savour a lofty state of life and make our way triumphantly on the path of our mission--forever as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and forever in rhythm with the Mystic Law."

SGI Newsletter No. 7450, LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN, [3] "Reply to Sairen-bo, " Striving Together with a Shared Commitment to Kosen-rufu -- The Eternal Bonds of Mentor and Disciple, translated Jan 9th, 2008

[SoCal Hippy]

Carry through with your faith in the Lotus Sutra. You cannot strike
fire from flint if you stop halfway. Bring forth the great power of
faith, and be spoken of by all the people of Kamakura, both high and
low, or by all the people of Japan, as "Shijo Kingo, Shijo Kingo of the
Lotus school!" Even a bad reputation will spread far and wide. A good
reputation will spread even farther, particularly if it is a reputation
for devotion to the Lotus Sutra.

(WND, 319)
Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment
Written to Shijo Kingo on May 2, 1272

[SoCal Hippy]

"Youth should not seek an easy comfortable path. No one develops in a
pampered environment. Youth should instead actively seek out challenges
and hardships, transforming them all into valuable assets as they
strive to become individuals of outstanding character and ability."

Daisaku Ikeda

[PassTheDoobie]

"'In Reply to a Believer,' the Daishonin writes: 'Regard your service to your lord as the practise of the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by "No worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality"' (WND-1, 905). What this means in contemporary terms is that we should regard our work as our 'practice of the Lotus Sutra' and apply ourselves to it earnestly. This passage represents an eternal guideline.

"When the Daishonin wrote this letter, it appeared that he might be exiled for yet a third time, following his exiles to Izu and Sado. The Daishonin, however, viewed these persecutions as an honour, saying that they brought him 'a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater good fortune' (WND-1, 905). And he sought to impart the courage of a lion king to his disciples, urging them to consider the places where they worked as decisive spiritual battlegrounds in their lives and to win certain victory there."

SGI Newsletter No. 7466, SGI President Ikeda’s Editorial, Be Champions of Practicing Buddhism in Society, translated from the February 2008 issue of the Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, Jan 30th, 2008