Chanting Growers Group

[SoCal Hippy]

VERY important.....and much appreciated! Thank you so much SoCal for posting that!

PTD spent a great deal of time trying to get me to come to that very understanding. I remain humbled and most grateful for all the encouragement and 'hand holding' he bestowed upon me.

Your welcome DG. Doesn't matter how long you have practiced this Buddhism it is always a learning experience; an awakening everyday. That is the great benefit of chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo to the Gohonzon.

PTD is pretty good at doing that and I am most grateful for all the encouragement I have recv'd over the years from him also. I don't know where my life would be without the connection we have had over these many years.

Thanks T!!!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

Encouraging each other is what its all about .... thank you all so much!!!

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Payaso]

Life without this group would not be so happy...thank you all for the encouragement to go forth daily and battle the demons and devils!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

When a tree has been transplanted, though fierce winds may blow, it will not topple if it has a firm stake to hold it up. But even a tree that has grown up in place may fall over if its roots are weak. Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, but a person of considerable strength, when alone, may fall down on an uneven path.

Moreover, had the Buddha not appeared in the world, then, with the exception of the Venerable Shariputra and the Venerable Mahakashyapa, every single person in all the major world system would have sunk into the three evil paths. But through the strong bonds formed by relying upon the Buddha, large numbers of people have attained Buddhahood. Even wicked people such as King Ajatashatru or Angulimala, who one would expect could never reach enlightenment but would invariably fall into the Avichi hell, by encountering a great person, the Buddha Shakyamuni, were able to attain Buddhahood.

Therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a good friend. How far can our own wisdom take us? If we have even enough wisdom to distinguish hot from cold, we should seek out a good friend.

But encountering a good friend is the hardest possible thing to do. For this reason, the Buddha likened it to the rarity of a one-eyed turtle finding a floating log with a hollow in it the right size to hold him, or to the difficulty of trying to lower a thread from the Brahma heaven and pass it through the eye of a needle on the earth. Moreover, in this evil latter age, evil companions are more numerous than the dust particles that comprise the land, while good friends are fewer than the specks of dirt one can pile on a fingernail.

Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds of Mount Potalaka acted as a good friend to the boy Good Treasures, but though the bodhisattva taught him the two doctrines of the specific and perfect teachings, he did not reveal to him the pure and perfect teaching [of the Lotus Sutra]. Bodhisattva Ever Wailing sold himself as an offering in his quest for a good teacher, whereupon he encountered Bodhisattva Dharmodgata. But from the latter he learned only the three doctrines of the connecting, specific, and perfect teachings, and did not receive instruction in the Lotus Sutra. Shariputra acted as a good friend to a blacksmith and gave him instruction for a period of ninety days, but succeeded only in making him into an icchantika, or a person of incorrigible disbelief.1 Purna discoursed on the Buddhist doctrine for the space of an entire summer, but he taught Hinayana doctrines to persons who had the capacity for Mahayana doctrines, and thereby turned them into Hinayana adherents.

Thus even great sages [such as Perceiver of the World’s Sounds and Dharmodgata] were not permitted to preach the Lotus Sutra, and even arhats who had obtained the fruit of emancipation [such as Shariputra and Purna] were not always able to gauge people’s capacity correctly. From these examples, you may imagine how inadequate are the scholars of this latter, evil age! It is far better to be an evil person who learns nothing of Buddhism at all than to put one’s faith in such men, who declare that heaven is earth, east is west, or fire is water, or assert that the stars are brighter than the moon, or an anthill higher than Mount Sumeru.

In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the proof of actual fact.

Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain / WND pg. 598-99

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Hi. I have nothing wise to say

Namaste

Saying nothing is often wise!

Welcome Jesus!

Deep respect,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Self-confidence is the driving force for initiative."

SGI Newsletter No. 7927, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 23: Chap. 1, The Future 38, translated Feb. 2nd, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith."

(A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 33) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 5th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"'Though evils may be numerous, they cannot prevail over a single great truth [or good]' (WND-1, 618), the Daishonin assures us. Corrupt, devious, false-hearted individuals may join together, but they are united only by expedient ties of base self-interest and malice. They will ultimately succumb to infighting, and disintegrate and disappear."

SGI Newsletter No. 7823, Unity--The Secret to Continual Victory, from the August 2009 issue of Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai monthly study journal, translated July 22nd, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Now is the time for us to tap into the great power of faith and practice that each one of us possesses within our own lives and draw forth the power of the Buddha and the Law.* By chanting vibrant daimoku with strong faith, let's rouse all the Buddhist gods, the protective forces of the universe, into action!

Daisaku Ikeda

*four powers -

http://www.sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?id=795

 

[PassTheDoobie]

four powers
[四力] (Jpn shi-riki )

(1) The power of the Buddha, the power of the Law, the power of faith, and the power of practice. In Nichiren's teachings, the four powers are known as the four powers of the Mystic Law, whose interaction enables one to have one's prayers answered and attain Buddhahood. The power of the Buddha is the Buddha's compassion in saving all people. The power of the Law indicates the boundless capacity of the Mystic Law to lead all people to enlightenment. The power of faith is to believe in the Gohonzon, the object of devotion that embodies the power of the Buddha and the power of the Law, and the power of practice is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo oneself and teach others to do the same. To the extent that one brings forth one's powers of faith and practice, one can manifest the powers of the Buddha and the Law within one's own life.

(2) The power of self, the power of another, the power of good karma, and the power of expedient means. The four powers expounded in the Upholding the Bodhisattva Stage Sutra that enable one to arouse the aspiration for enlightenment. The power of self means arousing the aspiration for enlightenment through one's own devoted effort in practice. The power of another means arousing the aspiration for enlightenment through being taught and inspired by another. The power of good karma means that, because of one's practice of the great vehicle teaching in past existences and because of good causes accumulated thereby, one encounters a Buddha or bodhisattva in this lifetime and so conceives the aspiration for enlightenment. The power of expedient means indicates that one seeks a good friend or teacher who skillfully expounds the Buddha's teaching in the way best suited to one's capacity, thus awakening in one the desire for enlightenment.

 

[HillBillMt]

ahhh, resinate my freinds, become tuned to your environment and things around you will prosper..... we are all a product of our environment..... HHB

 

[PassTheDoobie]

We are all good friends!

We are all good friends!

Good Friends

Ananda, one of Shakyamuni Buddha's closest disciples, once asked him: "It seems to me that by having good friends and advancing together with them, one has already halfway attained the Buddha way. Is this way of thinking correct?"

Shakyamuni replied, "Ananda, this way of thinking is not correct. Having good friends and advancing together with them is not half the Buddhist way but all the Buddhist way."

This may seem surprising, as Buddhism is often viewed as a solitary discipline in which other people might be seen as more of a hindrance than a help. However, to polish and improve our lives ultimately means to develop the quality of our interpersonal relationships--a far more challenging task than any solitary discipline. Our practice of Buddhism only finds meaning within the context of these relationships.

From another perspective, given that Buddhist practice of polishing and aiming to improve our lives from within is a constant challenge and a difficult process, it is only natural that we need support from others also dedicated to walking a correct path in life, trying also to create value in their lives.

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has written, "Having good friends is like being equipped with a powerful auxiliary engine. When we encounter a steep hill or an obstacle, we can encourage each other and find the strength to keep pressing forward." And as Nichiren (1222--1282) wrote: "Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, but a person of considerable strength, when alone, may lose his footing on an uneven path..."

In Nichiren Buddhism, good friends are known as zenchishiki or good influences, while akuchishiki refers to bad influences. People affect each other in subtle and complex ways, and it is important to develop the ability to discern the nature of that influence. According to Buddhism, "bad" friends are those who encourage our weaknesses. In Nichiren's words: "Evil friends are those who, speaking sweetly, deceiving, flattering and making skillful use of words, win the hearts of the ignorant and destroy their goodness of mind."


Even when intentions are good, the degree of our positive influence on each other will vary. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, founder of the Soka Gakkai, used the following illustration. Say you have a friend who needs a certain amount of money. Giving your friend the money they need is an act of small good, while helping them find a job is an act of medium good. However, if your friend is really suffering because of a basic tendency toward laziness, then constantly helping him or her out may only perpetuate negative habits. In this case, true friendship is helping that person change the lazy nature that is the deep cause of their suffering.

A truly good friend is someone with the compassion and courage to tell us even those things we would prefer not to hear, which we must confront if we are to develop and grow in our lives.

Ultimately, however, whether people are good or evil influences in our lives is up to us. In Buddhist terms, the best kind of zenchishiki is one who leads us to strengthen our own faith and practice in order to thoroughly transform our karma. To quote Nichiren again, "the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a zenchishiki, or good friend." Further, Nichiren comments that Devadatta, the cousin of Shakyamuni who tried to kill him and divide the Buddhist order, was "the foremost good friend to Thus Come One Shakyamuni. In this age as well, it is not one's allies, but one's powerful enemies who assist one's progress."

This expresses a key concept in Buddhism. Due to the immense transformative powers of Buddhist practice, even "bad" friends can have a good influence if we make our relationships with them into opportunities to examine, reform and strengthen our lives. The ideal is ultimately to develop the kind of all-encompassing compassion expressed by Nichiren when he wrote that his first desire was to lead to enlightenment the sovereign who had persecuted him, repeatedly exiling and even attempting to behead him.

[ Courtesy January 2004 SGI Quarterly]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It is rare to be born a human being. The number of those endowed with human life is as small as the amount of earth one can place on a fingernail. Life as a human being is hard to sustain--as hard as it is for the dew to remain on the grass."

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, July 22nd, 2009

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Ten Factors

In many teachings of Buddhism, the Buddha was presented as a superhuman being, whose abilities and wisdom were far beyond the reach of ordinary people. However, the Lotus Sutra reveals that there is no separation between the life of a Buddha and that of an ordinary person. A Buddha is a person who has polished or revealed his or her inner state of life to a point where the qualities of wisdom, compassion, life energy and courage are fully developed. As the 13th-century Buddhist teacher, Nichiren wrote, "While deluded, one is called a common mortal, but once awakened, he is called a Buddha."

The ten factors are introduced in the Lotus Sutra to define the fundamental reality of life. "The true aspect of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of appearance, nature, entity, power, influence, internal cause, relation, latent effect, manifest effect and their consistency from beginning to end."

These ten factors are common to all living beings, in any of the ten states of life [ten worlds], from hell to buddhahood. As SGI President Daisaku Ikeda has written, "To say that the beings of the ten worlds all possess the ten factors...is nothing less than an affirmation that, as seen with the eye of the Buddha, there is no difference between the life of the Buddha and the lives of others. The enlightenment of all people, therefore, is a certainty."

The ten factors provide a useful guide to the essential components which make up all life.

No one could say that he or she has no "appearance." Such a person would be invisible. Equally, no one could claim not to have a personality, to have no energy, or to carry out no activity. So long as we are alive, we manifest the ten factors. We all have a physical identity consisting of our features, posture and so on--our appearance--and a nature--the unseen aspects of our temperament or personality such as a short temper, kindness or reticence. Our entity or fundamental identity is composed of these two aspects.

Power is life's potential strength or energy to achieve something, and influence is the movement or action produced when this latent power is activated. Internal cause consists of the possibilities inherent in our life and the inner karmic tendencies or orientations we have created by our past thoughts, actions and deeds. Relation is the external cause which helps "stir up" and activate the internal cause. Latent effect is the result produced simultaneously in the depths of our life by this interaction, and manifest effect is the visible external result which eventually appears. Consistency from beginning to end means that all these nine factors are perfectly consistent in expressing our life state at any given moment.

In the case of someone who develops cancer, the internal cause could be a genetic "potential" to develop the illness. With the action of an external cause, such as an unhealthy, stressful lifestyle or being exposed to radiation, the cancer gene is triggered (latent effect), and as it multiplies (manifest effect), the symptoms of cancer appear. While the person may fall into hell state initially, when they realize they can change and challenge the situation, they may even experience a state of joy, which will manifest itself in a consistent, integrated manner through all the ten factors.

The ten factors can be used as a framework for analysis of a given situation. By viewing a given state of affairs with the perspective of the ten factors, it can become easier to identify the root of suffering and change the situation so it leads to joy. The ten factors also form part of a broader theoretical framework of "three thousand realms in a single moment of life."

On a deeper level, Nichiren explains that the ten factors are in fact a manifestation of the underlying creative and compassionate life of the cosmos. He expressed this as the Mystic Law or Myoho-renge-kyo. To view all things as the manifestations of the Mystic Law of life is thus to perceive what the Lotus Sutra refers to as the "true aspect of all phenomena."

But this truth does not justify a "laissez-faire" attitude to life. It is not correct to say that someone is a Buddha just as they are, even if they make no effort or carry out no practice. Simply saying that reality, full of suffering and problems, is itself the true entity, manifesting the enlightened life of the cosmos, cannot lead to improvement in people's lives or society. Rather, the true aspect should be understood as a potential to be realized. Nichiren taught that it is not enough to be aware on a theoretical level of the true aspect of our lives. Rather, he urged his followers to commit themselves to their Buddhist practice in the midst of the realities that confronted them. It is by transforming ourselves and our surroundings, making them shine with the positive potentials they hold, that we reveal the true aspect of all phenomena--the state of Buddhahood--in our own lives.

[ Courtesy October 2000 SGI Quarterly]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 681) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 6th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"'The treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all,' Nichiren Daishonin says. 'Strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!' (WND-1, 851). This is the message he imparted to his embattled disciple Shijo Kingo. It contains the most vital key for winning in life.

"Our heart is our unsurpassed treasure in life. It is endowed with incredible potential and supreme nobility. Its depth and breadth can be expanded infinitely, and its strength can be developed without bound. The French author Victor Hugo (1802-85) wrote: 'There is a spectacle greater than the sea, and that is the sky, there is a spectacle greater than the sky, and that is the human soul.'

"How can we expand the inner realm of our life, develop inner strength, and accumulate the treasures of the heart so that we can lead better lives? The answer is found in practising the Mystic Law."

SGI Newsletter No. 7929, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [12] 'The Three Kinds of Treasure'--Part 3 [of 3] The Ultimate Key to Victory in Life Is Accumulating the Treasures of the Heart, from the December 2009 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Feb. 5th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Even an ignorant person can obtain blessings by serving someone who expounds the Lotus Sutra. No matter if he is a demon or an animal, if someone proclaims even a single verse or phrase of the Lotus Sutra, you must respect him as you would the Buddha. This is what the sutra means when it says, 'You should rise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha.' You should respect one another as Shakyamuni and Many Treasures did at the ceremony in the 'Treasure Tower' chapter." "The Fourteen Slanders", WND-1, Page 757

 

[Lapides]

Nam myoho renge kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In the latter part of the writing, 'The Three Kinds of Treasure,' the Daishonin teaches that 'the treasures of the heart are the most important of all' (WND-1, 851). The ultimate treasure in terms of achieving genuine victory in life is our Buddha nature manifesting from within through faith in the Mystic Law. This is a crucial teaching of which we must never lose sight."

SGI Newsletter No. 7929, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [12] 'The Three Kinds of Treasure'--Part 3 [of 3] The Ultimate Key to Victory in Life Is Accumulating the Treasures of the Heart, from the December 2009 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Feb. 5th, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Let us feel happy and positive about wanting to challenge our weaknesses and shortcomings! When we break through the walls of our own limitations our lives as well as the society in which we live in will undergo a dramatic transformation!

Daisaku Ikeda