Chanting Growers Group

[scegy]

wow

i've read myoho's post and then georgia's
oh...ppl a big hug and a warm thought towards you!

i realized something after reading these posts...and i'm not gonna tell ya untill i work some more on this hehe(eeh why not ey?)

i realized i have another, most important mentor in my life, my gf, just don't tell her yet yeah, and again compassion makes me realize that, above all that happened and is happening among the two of us

but the things i wanna tell ya are here:

day by day, religion is becoming my life, and life is becomming a religion, it is a warm feeling letting it go and leap and land on a total different place. i always did that in the mazohistic way, letting my anger go and run free, enjoying every second of it! but
what if i enjoy the happines, the good feelings, good vibes, realy put my mind in to it not towards anger?

compassion is the right one, compassion makes you happy, compassion gets you laid, compassion gets you money, compassion gets you friends everywhere you go

i feel like a hippy flying on the clouds, i mean why shouldn't i use "religion" to awaken myself, to be able to search for the "right"-->
edit(by right i mean those questions that really give me something, not shit like : "why am i so sad?, why can't IIII be happy?")
-->questions and the following answears that come without a doubt, as every second is followed by the next second
things will always move, you have to move your ass-brain too!

i probably don't make any sense to 90% of you, but i'm really deeply greatefull to ALL of YOU that make the effort to post here and contribute to something that is as beautiful as a lotus flower, if you'r a somekind of nature lover like i am, you'll see the real beauty in every being, rock, vacuum, idon'tknowwhatmore

so are the Things that remember our lazy brains every day what that beauty is....in this somewhat gray, flowerless world of urban cities

every way is a good way if it serves its perpous,

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
is one of those paths that make me smile and cry
​

 

[PassTheDoobie]

... if Toda had told Ikeda to just go chant about it and well that's your opinion; where the f*ck would we all be? We all have our role and as long as we are coming (from) a place of intergrity then keep pushing the envelope I say.

GeorgialouWho

(right arm raised high with clentched fist)

Right on, Sister! Right on!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

compassion is the right one, compassion makes you happy, compassion gets you laid, compassion gets you money, compassion gets you friends everywhere you go

I think this pretty much sums it up. And what is the greatest compassion? It is sharing the truth of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with another.

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Georgia I can't wait to hug you my sister! We're two but not two!

Georgia I can't wait to hug you my sister! We're two but not two!

I think this pretty much sums it up. And what is the greatest compassion? It is sharing the truth of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with another.

My friends, I made it a victory, two new introductions today (i explain after I catch up), I had lunch yesterday with the Zone MD leader and he realized my words are not theory and I'm trying my best to practice correctly he called me out of the blue just before 12 and said "Hey lets have lunch" after we realized recently he works in the next building.

You know Georgia just said nobody liked Daisaku and he changed the organization because Sensei Toda showed him through his life he could and must do it, wow thats pretty heavy and the day before yesterday after I wrote that longwinded email full of mixed emotions and a strong message protecting my former christian shakubukus, I validated in my heart that I was doing the right thing but not before writing to Thomas for guidance and also as I did that my Region YMD leader called me and we spoke for an hour and I told him about Ted Osaki, Tony Matsuoka, and Tom & Babba. How they are right there with the three Presidents in every gongyo, he understood me clearly he told me his mother that passed away last month was his mentor too and so is President Ikeda, I don't want to distinguish people vertically when it comes to my faith, compassion is essentially a universal aspect and even re-living my past whereby I grew up seeing foolish people get conned out of their money, homes, families and lives for the sake of religion then the priest runs away to the next town and sets up shop there and the people just move on to the next con artist and keep the cycle going made me very distrustful (serious karma I'm working through one daimoku at a time my friends).

Truthfully those wounds are still fresh for me and that is never going to be a part of Buddhism because mechanically we function together cohesively and if thats not happen a leader like me will come around and rouse you up and together we'll work harder on kosen-rufu. I made a breakthrough yesterday before a toso by telling a friend who's wife is expecting a baby any day now and he's about to put himself on anxiety meds but HE's NOT CHANTING, I say "hey man we gotta chant more together but your not even showing up ever for any activities and only are gunhoe about meetings in your house, your wife has been dealing with a alot of shit from you lately (in front of his wife), she didn't ever say anything I just know you after two years and my brother you have to chant and start coming with me to visit other members and together we'll get through this by really practicing Buddhism and chanting everyday consistently." He had nothing to say until today, hehehe, he calls "Hey man I was thinking about what you said and on sundays I get so depressed because I know I have to goto this job I hate on mondays but I think if I went with you to visit someone and chant it would something different for me, idunno maybe give me something to look forward to..." I say "Awesome, but you said something to look forward too, YOUR HAVING YOUR FIRST SON! HAHAHA YOUR GONNA BE ALRIGHT, just make good on your promise and trust me we'll get through this together." He told me "Thanks" he usually doesnt say that!

What I'm getting at is, sure I had to deal with some karma for not wording an email as compassionately as I should have and actually I could have been more concise in the sense that I have one Gohonzon and nothing but Gohonzon and that's Nichiren Daishonin. But I did paraphrase Georgia and PTD extensively including the posts PTD put up with the great Sensei Toda quote and then an awesome speech about Soka U. I ended up getting closer much much closer with the people I wrote that email too, they will be at my meeting on sunday, I'm hoping 20 people show up including this guy I just met at the Gym tonight.

A friend told me last month "there is a young guy at our gym and he's interested in buddhism you should talk to him". I never saw the guy and was asking for him when I go and haven't asked for him for bit but today the soda machine ate my quaters and I asked a trainer if he could help me. He tried and then I suggested "Maybe I can kick it, but I dont want to break it so just let me kick it where the money is so it falls through. Well I kicked it and nothing happened so I said "forget it" He says "I'll tell the manager he'll take care of you tomorrow" and I said "Wow that's nice, dude I'm MyohoDisco whats your name" Getting ready to ask him if he knows about Buddhism and he says "My name is Amby." What the heck! I was thrilled so happy I told him "hey I been looking for young people like me interested in Buddhism and my friend told me about you.. " he says "yeah yeah, I know them they haven't been coming and I have your number I've been meaning to call you its been a tough month i was engaged, had to move.." well we talked for about 15 minutes and exchanged numbers and he's coming to my study meeting wooohooo!

So is a dude I was calling leaving messages for thats going to college in my area and is from Japan (but American, parents in military) and his mom wrote an email to get him connected with youth he's a fortune baby chanting all his life and I was forwarded the email last week or two weeks ago and the dude finally called after I wrote him a text message today with my address and offered a ride to the meeting he called and said "I've been practicing independantly and its about time I got hooked up again, I'm in my senior year.." The young man is coming over to my meeting and now I'll have more youth division whereas I had NONE! YES YES YES!

Another dude that lives in my area was given an ultimatum by his parents to put away his Gohonzon or move out had to put it away and a chapter leader called me to tell me that and I called the dude and told him about the meeting because he's been out of touch and also offered to hold his Gohonzon for safe keeping said he'd come to the meeting. I emailed my area leader and told him the situation and will talk with him in person about it tomorrow. But its Buddhism left and right!

I was so busy this week I finally got a couple hours of rest tonight and feel awesome. I saw a little bit of the republican debate and in comparison to 2000 and 2004 I didn't loathe or wish any harm upon any, in fact Huckabee had me laughing and so did McCain and Ron Paul just had me interested and I really wanted to hear more from this man, now thats a republican no wonder so many dudes on ICMAG support him, the man has common sense!

Speaking of common sense, Thank you PTD for sharing these awesome posts, it took a bit to catch up tonight, but I devour every word with pleasure on this thread and I'm always thirsty for more!

Welcome to the new members, Truck just said

Until recently, for about a year, as I believe it to be a part of my enlightenment I've felt a sense of letting go of who or what I thought I was, I have found I want to act on my beliefs but don't know how to go about helping cause more change. Anyone else feel this urge to act but are not sure where to start?

Dude thats where I was when Babba was telling me how good chanting made him feel and then I kinda like the idea that I was taking some sort of action for a 'greater' good, little did I know that greater part was the tip of the ice berg, wooooosh before you know it chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! opened up my nasal passages and eardrums (i have bad allergies), my sex life got better, I felt more confident at work and also started working on telling other people about what I was learning from Buddhism and really advanced alot. I went to college once and dropped out very quickly after a year and 2 months of chanting I ran to college because it was my only option just like the reason I keep chanting is because this right here leads to joy unmatched in my experience and the experiences are getting better and better and better.

I'm almost done with a grow and the shit's frosty folks, like I never seen not even in pictures, I know its from chanting daimoku and doing the right thing with them, thats the reason. This year I planned on 40 shakubuku again and I said tonight to my gf, lets do 4000 together right here where we live! Hahaha, I was very serious and feel really really good. I'm enjoying this goodness right now very much, I haven't been smelling the rose much the last 5 years things still get foggy from time to time but I'm learning to slow on the bend as I keep climbing the mentor step by step with my mentor(s) with me guiding my path showing me shit I didn't realize was there along the way!

Come one come call to the Chanting Growers Thread! In Mappo we got it all and right here we got my Bodhisattva brothers and sisters chanting away making it happen each and every day! Thanks again Scegy PTD and GeorgialouTOTHEWHO!

"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."
Reference:

WND Page 824
Page 823 A Warning against Begrudging One's Fief
Written to Shijo Kingo in July of 1277 from Minobu

 

[GeorgialouWho]

There are a myriad ways to find clarity or to refresh one's spirit when under stress. The early 20th century naturalist John Muir suggests observing or experiencing nature. He writes: "Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy" (Our National Parks, p. 56). Muir's outlook echoes Nichiren Daishonin's passage above* where he states that we can find within ourselves the same power, the same strength found in nature.

*"The function of fire is to burn and give light. The function of water is to wash away filth. The winds blow away dust and breathe life into plants, animals and human beings. The earth produces the grasses and trees, and heaven provides nourishing moisture. The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo are also like that." "The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life," The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 218.
From The Writings for Discussion Meetings, "Never Ceasing to Help Others", World Tribune, January 18, 2008, page 7

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

GeorgialouWho

So be it, Will it so....

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Hey dudes! I just noticed this is page 500! Congrats to the Chanting Growers from around the world who gather here as Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Don't limit the power of the Gohonzon!

Chant and act to make your dreams come true! No matter what they are! We really can reside in The Land of Eternally Tranquil Light.

Bowing in obeisance,

Thomas (where the hell in Hitman?)

 

[Babbabud]

Wooohoooooo page 500. This thread rocks. Thanks to all who have ever posted here. Now that you have seen the words you are sure to obtain buddhahood Much love to you all. The encouragement we recieve here is priceless. Thankyou all so much!!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[DoobieDuck]

Babba..I don't chant much but I do stop in every morning to see what you are saying at 6AM....DD

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Political Involvement and Persecution

In 1955, Toda made the decision to enter the Soka Gakkai into the political realm, fielding 53 capable Soka Gakkai members in Japan's local elections that year on independent tickets. He believed that the process of positive social reformation of Japanese society could ultimately not be separated from the political process. From Ikeda's account, Toda disliked the "Machiavellian machinations"(1) of politics and made the decision with mixed feelings.

Political representation in Japan in 1955 was split between the conservative interests of big capital and leftist organized labor. Between these two poles was a large underrepresented segment of the population--non-labor-union members, small business owners and the like--who had been side-lined in Japanese politics, and about whom Toda was concerned.

The following year, 1956, the Soka Gakkai fielded six candidates in the House of Councillors (Upper House) national election. Ultimately, three candidates were elected, including a candidate running in the Osaka district in a campaign led by Ikeda. It was this election result that caught the public's attention.

The sudden emergence of a burgeoning grassroots network that could impact on national politics was greeted as a threatening development by the political establishment. The events following the election in the coal-mining town of Yubari, Hokkaido, demonstrate the vehemence of the social and political force brought against the Soka Gakkai and later Ikeda specifically, as he stood up to act upon Toda's social vision.

Yubari was dominated by the Coal Miners' Union, then one of the strongest political forces in the country. When the House of Councillors election results showed that the union-backed candidates had lost votes to the Soka Gakkai candidates, the union, feeling threatened, initiated a campaign of intimidation and media propaganda against Soka Gakkai members and their families in the town, most of whom worked in or were in some way affiliated with the coal mines. Soka Gakkai members working in the mines were harassed and threatened, houses of Soka Gakkai members marked and their prayer meetings disrupted. Door-to-door visits were organized to persuade members to renounce their faith, and many felt their livelihoods threatened.

Toda dispatched Ikeda to Yubari to resolve the situation. Under his leadership the local Gakkai members rallied and openly challenged the constitutionality of the union's actions, calling on them to justify their assault against the freedoms of speech and religion. Unable to publicly defend itself, the union backed down and ceased its harassment.

This, however, was merely the beginning of the Gakkai's struggles.

Unjust Arrest

On July 3, 1967, Ikeda returned to Tokyo after three days of battling the unjust actions of the Coal Miners’ Union in Yubari, only to find himself summoned by the Osaka prefectural police and arrested on a charge that was later proven to be entirely groundless.

A number of Soka Gakkai members had been charged with violating the random vote solicitation clause of the Election Law and the prosecutors accused Ikeda of responsibility. He was jailed for two weeks and interrogated.

Armed with forced “confessions” from some of the arrested Soka Gakkai members, prosecutors pressed Ikeda to also sign a false confession, threatening that they would arrest Toda and raid the Soka Gakkai headquarters and Toda’s businesses.

It was clear that the arrest of the Soka Gakkai members had offered a pretext for launching an attack on the Soka Gakkai. Despite the façade of democratization imposed by the Allied Powers, many of the power structures and personalized networks of influence that had operated with impunity in Japan in the militarist era remained unchanged. The nationalists within the Public Prosecutors Office had attempted to crush the Soka Gakkai in the 1940s and had imprisoned Toda and his mentor Makiguchi for their opposition to the militarist regime. For them, the Soka Gakkai remained a threat and its growing popularity was an alarming development that had to be dealt with.

The case went to court but dragged on for four and a half years. Ikeda, however, was finally exonerated of all charges in January 1962. The prosecution did not appeal. Amongst other things, it emerged during the case that the prosecution had falsified the interrogation transcripts of arrested Soka Gakkai members.

These were the first taste of the attacks by authority that would dog Ikeda in the decades to come. ---A.G.

1) Ikeda, Daisaku. 1988. The Human Revolution, Vol. 5, 186. NY: Weatherhill, Inc.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Assuming the Presidency

In 1957, Toda's goal of 750,000 households had been surpassed. In the space of a mere six years the Soka Gakkai had grown from an unknown "new" religion into a major social force within Japan.

In 1958, Josei Toda passed away. In May 1960, Ikeda succeeded him as third president of the Soka Gakkai. He initially refused the executive directors' requests that he do so, knowing that the responsibility of leading the burgeoning movement would require a staggering commitment that left no space for any personal concern.

The following entries from his diary reflect this struggle:

"Monday, April 11; sunny--A critical meeting to decide the third president. Though I have declined several times, will I have no choice in the end but to make up my mind and accept? The tension I feel defies expression."(1)

"Tuesday, April 12; overcast--My health is not good. Was told of members' pleas for me to assume the presidency. I turn them down."(2)

"Thursday, April 14; rain, then sun--I can no longer refuse their request. It is unavoidable. Alone, I grieve over Mr. Toda. Alone, I have decided."(3)

In his speech at the inauguration ceremony he told the 20,000 Soka Gakkai members gathered there, "Although I am still young, as a disciple of President Toda, I am resolved to take the lead, toward realizing world peace."---A.G.

1) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2006. Wakaki hi no nikki [A Youthful Diary], vol. 4 p.227. Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbun Press.
2) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2006. Wakaki hi no nikki [A Youthful Diary], vol. 4 p.228. Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbun Press.
3) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2006. Wakaki hi no nikki [A Youthful Diary], vol. 4 p.229. Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbun Press.
4) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2004. The Human Revolution, Book 2, p.1971. CA: World Tribune Press.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Trip to the U.S.A.

One of Ikeda's first initiatives after assuming presidency was to plan a trip to the U.S.A. in order to encourage the handful of Soka Gakkai members that lived there, mostly war brides who had emigrated with their American husbands.

Ikeda's plan was met with incredulity by the Soka Gakkai leaders. The organization in Japan was to all intents and purposes new--having burgeoned from a few thousand to almost a million members in the space of a few recent years--and tremendous effort and attention would be needed to secure its organizational structure. The global spread of Nichiren Buddhism was not a prospect that even the senior leaders of the Soka Gakkai had yet begun to contemplate.

Nevertheless, in October 1960, five months after his inauguration, Ikeda departed for the U.S., and during the same trip visited Canada and Brazil.

The disjuncture between the vision of the young Ikeda and that of the other leaders of the Soka Gakkai at that time is now marveled at by those same leaders, the Soka Gakkai International today comprising some 12 million members in almost every country of the world--perhaps the largest and most diverse international lay Buddhist organization. The image of Ikeda boarding the airplane before his departure for the U.S. has thus come to symbolize, in some sense, what may ultimately be Ikeda's most remarkable and enduring quality: the scope and grandeur of his vision and his daringness to strive toward it.

Ikeda's first port of call was Hawaii, where some dozen or so Soka Gakkai members lived. Two days later Ikeda and the four Japanese Soka Gakkai leaders accompanying him departed for San Francisco and from there to Seattle.

The number of Soka Gakkai members in the U.S. was still very small, but Ikeda's ability to inspire the individuals he met proved a powerful impetus to the expansion of the Buddhist movement there. He established an organizational structure to encourage and facilitate more frequent interaction between the members and appointed people into positions of responsibility.

Many of the Japanese women Ikeda met there were deeply unhappy in their adopted country and pining for the life they had left in Japan. Ikeda's encouragement to them to obtain American citizenship, learn to drive and improve their English abilities provided them with a set of clear, concrete challenges that enabled them to gradually transform their experience.

In New York, Ikeda and his party visited the headquarters of the United Nations and observed a session of the General Assembly. Here, Ikeda recalls, he began to ponder the role and potential of the international body in creating peace in the world. This question would later become a sustained focus of his attention--an issue he continues to explore through proposals, dialogues and various collaborative efforts and other types of engagement between the SGI and the UN.

Ikeda also recalls the impression of the vibrancy of the delegates from a number of newly independent African states. He remarked at the time, as he would again later, that he believed Africa would be "the continent of the 21st century." This too marked the beginning of an ongoing engagement with the continent, evidenced in a number of his writings, in efforts to promote cultural and educational exchanges and in his meetings and dialogues with African leaders. ---A.G.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

The 1960s – Bold Beginnings

The following year, 1961, Ikeda turned his focus to the East Asian continent, traveling to Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. Here there were no SGI members, but Ikeda wished to understand the conditions and realities in these countries. The same year Ikeda also traveled to countries in Europe, visiting, among other places, the Berlin Wall.

Ikeda's trip to Asia was also a practical step in response to the wishes of his late mentor, Toda, who, having lived through the era of Japan's imperialist expansion, was passionate that his disciples work to establish peace in Asia. During the trip, and particularly during the visit to Bodhgaya, the site in India tradition¬ally regarded as the place where Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, Ikeda began to ponder the idea of establishing an institution dedicated to research into Asian philosophy and thought traditions as a means of promoting dialogue and peace. The following year he established the Institute of Oriental Philosophy to pursue this vision.

In 1963 Ikeda established the Min-On Concert Association, giving fuller expression to his vision of fostering peace through cultural and artistic exchange.

Throughout this time Ikeda was simultaneously devoting tremendous effort to support the membership of the Soka Gakkai, traveling around Japan and meeting with members, delivering speeches, writing and lecturing on Buddhist teachings, plotting the development of the organization, nurturing young leaders. These efforts saw the organization's membership in Japan triple to more than 3 million households in the period between 1960, when Ikeda was inaugurated as the organization's third president, and 1964--a monumental achievement.

Kaneko, his wife, recalls that Ikeda was frequently so exhausted on his return home at the end of the day that he could barely muster the energy to remove his shoes. Such intense effort has been the hallmark of Ikeda since his youth. One visiting scholar, for example, has described the deep impression made on him by Ikeda's clearly drained and exhausted bearing when the two of them left a Soka Schools ceremony together. Only moments before he had been caught up in the joyful, energized atmosphere that Ikeda had created as he addressed the students as the schools' founder, joking with and encouraging the participants. The contrast, he relates, moved him profoundly, giving him a glimpse of the enormous commitment and energy that Ikeda invested in his interactions, which, to others, can appear as simply effortless charisma.

A quality of Ikeda's that is frequently remarked upon is his ability, amidst the constant pressure of his engagements and commitments, to give his utmost attention and concern to whoever is in front of him at that moment. His consistent effort to seek out and encourage those individuals outside of the limelight on any particular occasion is another manifestation of the detailed concern for others that--as much as his ability to offer others hope through his profound grasp of Buddhist principles and human character--has won him the deep admiration of so many.

More than any intangible charismatic quality, it is the humanistic, hands-on style of leadership that Ikeda practices and teaches, together with the tremendous amount of energy he brings to all of his commitments, that defines him. ---A.G.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Daisaku Ikeda: A Biographical Sketch (continued)

Founding the Komei Party

It was in these early years of Ikeda's presidency that he made what has perhaps been his most controversial decision: the establishment of the Komei ("clean government") political party in 1964. The formation of a political party would give the Soka Gakkai's hitherto independent candidates greater influence within the Japanese party political structure to fulfill their mandate. The emergence of a party in Japan based on the humanistic and pacifist principles of Buddhism, a party guided by the principle of respect for the dignity of life, was necessary, Ikeda believed, to reform Japanese politics--to focus it more squarely on the welfare of the people--and bring about lasting improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens. The essential vision of the Komei party's founding, in short, was government underlain by the Buddhist principles of compassion and respect for life.

There was also a specific need for broader political representation. As he explains:

"...there had been no real political party working for the interests of ordinary people in Japan. The ruling conservative party was aligned with industry and big business, and the progressive parties found their base in the organized labor that worked for big business. But the Japanese populace was diversifying, and the largest number of people, who most needed the attention and support of the government, belonged to unorganized labor--a group that was neglected by the progressives and conservatives alike. The creation of a new party, whose base comprised not only organized labor but people working and living in all variety of circumstances, was crucial to returning government to the hands of the people."(1)

The political establishment, moreover, reflected the Cold War divisions, and "existing parties were either pro-American or pro-Soviet, and had little independence as political institutions. The people were no doubt eager for a political party that was not controlled by ideology or the interests of foreign powers but made the happiness and peace of the people its first priority and led the government from a moderate position."(2)

Elaborating further on the necessity of a Japanese party free of Cold War ideology, Ikeda writes,

"President Toda also believed that, amid the Cold War's intensifying threat of nuclear weapons, it was the responsibility of Japan, as the only nation that had been the victim of a nuclear attack, to speak out against that threat and become a messenger of world peace. In order for Japan to rise to that role, he strongly felt that political leaders with a global consciousness--an awareness that we are all members of the same global community, which he called 'global citizenship'--were indispensable. But the East-West rivalries of the Cold War were in fact brought into the Japanese political arena just as they were."(3)

The party adopted a strong social welfare stance, with the aim of bringing "the Buddhist spirit of compassion to the realm of government."(4) As the party's name implied, one of its primary focuses was also to challenge the corruption endemic to social and political structure of Japan. The political establishment at the time was essentially the same as it had been before and during the war, transformed only by the facade of democratization imposed by the Allied powers.

A Separate Institution

Though based on Buddhist principles of compassion and the sanctity of life and supported by the Soka Gakkai membership, Komeito was to be structurally and organizationally separate from and independent of the religious organization.

Ikeda writes, "We founded the Komei Party with the aim of realizing a government with the Buddhist principles of compassion and respect for life as its basis. This is different, however, from direct religious involvement in government. The Komei Party is a political party that seeks to contribute to the well-being of the Japanese people as a whole, and a distinct line has been drawn between its operation and that of the Soka Gakkai.... Religion cultivates the soil of the human spirit. The rich vegetation that sprouts, blooms, and bears fruit on that vast earth is culture in the broadest sense, and it includes government. We have tilled the spiritual soil and planted the seed for a tree, in other words, a political party. We intend to continue supporting it wholeheartedly in the future, but how it grows and the kind of fruit that it produces is ultimately up to the tree, the party, itself."(5)

Komei representatives would not be able to concurrently hold leadership positions in the Soka Gakkai; the organization's members were free to support any political party or candidate of their choice; and Komei was to recruit party members both from within and without the Soka Gakkai.

In addition, while Ikeda founded the party, he has from the very beginning disavowed any intention of entering politics himself and expressly removed himself from ever heading the Komei. He made only one policy proposal "that the Komei Party build into its foreign policy the formal recognition of the People's Republic of China and the party's intention that Japan work to normalize diplomatic relations between the two nations."(6)

Ikeda was under no illusions, however, and knew that the growing influence of the Komei party would threaten the political establishment and make both him and the Soka Gakkai targets of criticism and attack.

During a trip to Brazil in 1966, Ikeda responded to a journalist's question about his intentions of establishing political parties in other countries:

"...how Soka Gakkai members handle political issues in their respective countries is something they must discuss and decide amongst themselves. This is not something that I, as a Japanese citizen, could decide or mandate, and in fact I believe it would be wrong for me to do so. With that said, however, I personally don't think there is any need whatsoever for the Soka Gakkai to establish political parties in Brazil or any other country."(7)

The relationship between the Soka Gakkai and the Komei party in Japan today is one of an independent political party and its support-base. ---A.G.

1) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2003. The New Human Revolution, vol. 9, pp.315-316. CA: World Tribune Press.
2) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2003. The New Human Revolution, vol. 9, p.315. CA: World Tribune Press.
3) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2005. The New Human Revolution, vol. 11, p.15. CA: World Tribune Press.
4) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2003. The New Human Revolution, vol. 9,pp.315-316. CA: World Tribune Press.
5) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2005. The New Human Revolution, vol. 11, p.12. CA: World Tribune Press.
6) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2003. The New Human Revolution, vol. 9, p.319. CA: World Tribune Press.
7) Ikeda, Daisaku. 2005. The New Human Revolution vol. 11, p.113. CA: World Tribune Press.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"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!'"

(Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 319) Selection source: Q & A on Buddhism, Seikyo Shimbun, January 6th, 2008

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

Happy 500 pages! Here Here! Let's go for 500 more and many more shakubukus!

WOOOHOOO! Great stuff on this page too, this is getting better and better and better!

Doobie Duck, try chanting for "stuff", anything you want, try it out. Its alot of Fun, I started because Babba was doing it....

Gotta run to the culture center and go work on my study presentation for Sunday because today I invited my mother and she said if I pick her up she's down to come!!!!!!! She had her bone marrow test this week and I'm convinced our huge victory is on the way, no more cancer and a fresh new relationship for us! I'm very excited!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[SoCal Hippy]

a fresh new relationship for us! I'm very excited!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

Easy and all, I am very excited too! Some great posts here and just want to express my appreciation to everyone who participates; posting and seeking and learning.

500? how bout let's get to 5000! for that matter...50,000!!! and picking up and helping out many more bodhisatvas.

T, that was just an awesome response to Easy's challenge on the Mentor/Disciple/Ikeda issue. when reading what Easy was going thru I wanted to somehow help but there is no way i could have found the explanations and ways to say it that you did. thank you so much! and congrats on your soon to be MD Leader appointment. What fortune your district members have!!!

 

[SoCal Hippy]

More on Mentor/Disciple/Ikeda

More on Mentor/Disciple/Ikeda

MENTOR AND DISCIPLE: The Globalization of an Ancient Idea

Richard Seager is Associate Professor of Religion at Hamilton College and author of "Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism" (University of California Press, 2006). Based on his East/West understanding of intergenerational creativity, he highlights one of the themes of his book below as he explains how mentor-disciple relationships operate within the Soka Gakkai, a lay Japanese Buddhist
organization based on the teachings of Nichiren.

go to this link, pages 12-13: http://www.brc21.org/newsletters/BRCNews_26.pdf

 

[SoCal Hippy]

I posted a while back regarding SGI's financial handlings based on my experience and mentioned that up to that time SGI hadn't made many disclosures on these issues but that has changed somewhat. for those that may be interested go to this link:

http://sgi-usa.org/thesgiusa/aboutsgi/corporate.html

 

[SoCal Hippy]

It is certain that, even if there were an age when the sun rises in the
west, or a time were to come when the moon emerges from the ground, the
Buddha's words would never prove false. Judging from this, there cannot
be the least doubt that your late father is now in the presence of
Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, and that you will receive
great blessings in your present existence. How wonderful, how splendid!

(WND, 655)
Good Fortune in This Life
Written to Nanjo Tokimitsu on January 19, 1276

 

[SoCal Hippy]

"We use our voices not only to chant daimoku but to guide, encourage and
introduce others to the Daishonin's Buddhism. Our voice, therefore, is
very important. An angry voice, a coarse voice, a cold voice, an
imperious voice -- none of these will communicate how wonderful
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is. I would like you to be humanistic
leaders who can encourage others with bright warm voices, so that they
will say, "What a lovely voice!" and "I'm always so inspired when I
hear you speak." Becoming this kind of leader is one actual proof of
your human revolution."

Daisaku Ikeda