Chanting Growers Group

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"This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality."

(On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin 4) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, April 28th, 2006

 

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Dear Brothers and Sisters! Please enjoy this post, try and grasp my profound joy and appreciation by sharing this valuable knowledge! It will not only fuel your continuing postive development but also inspire your faith! The Four Debts of Gratitude and Three Treasures, BEHOLD THE INCREDIBLE WEALTH OF ENLIGHTENMENT for all to ABSORB! Please reflect upon yourself and your overwhelming desire to be one with the mystic law. you are one with the mystic law! Devote yourself to the truth! Its there waiting for you;

Benefit of Offerings to the Three Treasures

Whether you chant the Buddha's name, recite the sutra, or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits and roots of goodness in your life. With this conviction you should strive in faith.

On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime, WND, 4

Written to Toki Jonin in 1255 from Kamakura

If a woman who believes in the Lotus Sutra should ever fall into the evil paths as a result of jealousy or ill temper or because of excessive greed, then the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, the Buddha Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions would immediately be guilty of breaking the vow they have upheld over the span of countless major kalpas never to tell a lie. Their offense would be even greater than the wild falsehoods and deceptions of Devadatta or the outrageous lies told by Kokalika. But how could such a thing ever happen? Thus a person who embraces the Lotus Sutra is absolutely assured of its blessings.

The Recitation of the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" Chapters, WND, 70

Written to Hiki Daigaku Saburo Yoshimoto's wife on April 17, 1264 from Kamakura

The 'Dharani' chapter in the eighth volume of the Lotus Sutra says, 'If you can shield and guard those who accept and uphold the mere name of the Lotus Sutra, your merit will be immeasurable.' In this passage, the Buddha is praising the Mother of Demon Children and the ten demon daughters for their vow to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, and saying that the blessings from their vow to protect those who embrace the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra are beyond even the Buddha wisdom, which completely comprehends the three existences, to fathom. While by rights nothing should be beyond the grasp of the Buddha wisdom, the Buddha says here that the blessings that accrue from accepting and embracing the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra are the one thing that wisdom cannot measure.

Conversation between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man (2), WND, 131

Written in 1265 from Awa - recipient unknown

The Lotus Sutra of the Correct Law says that, if one hears this sutra and proclaims and embraces its title, one will enjoy merit beyond measure. And the Supplemented Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law says that one who accepts and upholds the name of the Lotus Sutra will enjoy immeasurable good fortune. These statements indicate that the good fortune one receives from simply chanting the daimoku is beyond measure.

The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, WND, 143

Written in 1266 from Awa - recipient unknown

All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind, transcending all differences among themselves to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death. Herein lies the true goal of Nichiren's propagation. When you are so united, even the great desire for widespread propagation can be fulfilled. But if any of Nichiren's disciples should disrupt the unity of many in body but one in mind, they would be like warriors who destroy their own castle from within.

The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life, WND, 217

Written to Sairen-bo Nichijo on February 11, 1272 from Tsukahara on Sado

Abutsu-bo is therefore the treasure tower itself, and the treasure tower is Abutsu-bo himself. No other knowledge is purposeful. It is the treasure tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures - hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one's attachments, and reflecting on oneself. You may think you offered gifts to the treasure tower of the Thus Come One Many Treasures, but that is not so. You offered them to yourself. You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction. Then the place where you chant daimoku will become the dwelling place of the treasure tower.

On the Treasure Tower, WND, 299-300

Written to Abutsu-bo on March 13, 1272 from Tsukahara on Sado

I recently received an official pardon, and I will return to Kamakura. Can this be the year in which the passage "What I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled" comes true for me? Without your protection, could I possibly have sustained my life? Could I have survived to be pardoned? My life's achievements are due entirely to you and to those like you.

Letter to Endo Saemon-no-jo, WND, 454

Written to Endo Saemon-no-jo on March 12, 1274 from Ichinosawa on Sado

The Nirvana Sutra reads: "There are three types of people whose illness is extremely difficult to cure. The first is those who slander the great vehicle; the second, those who commit the five cardinal sins; and the third, icchantikas, or persons of incorrigible disbelief. These three categories of illness are the gravest in the world."

It also states: "One who creates evil karma in this life... will surely suffer in hell.... But by making offerings to the three treasures, one avoids falling into hell and receives the retribution in this life, in the form of afflictions of the head, eye, or back."

On Curing Karmic Disease, WND, 631

Written to Ota Jomyo on November 3, 1275 from Minobu

The more gold is heated in the flames, the brighter will be its color; the more a sword is whetted, the sharper it will become. And the more one praises the blessings of the Lotus Sutra, the more one's own blessings will increase. Bear in mind that the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra contain only a few passages elucidating the truth, but a great many words of praise.

The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra, WND, 673

Written to Kuwagayatsu Myomitsu on March 5, 1276 from Minobu

A woman who makes offerings to such a Gohonzon invites happiness in this life; and in the next, the Gohonzon will be with her and protect her always. Like a lantern in the dark, like a strong guide and porter on a treacherous mountain path, the Gohonzon will guard and protect you, Nichinyo, wherever you go.

The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon, WND, 832

Written to Nichinyo on August 23, 1277 from Minobu

Stop and ponder! How rare is the faith that moves one to give alms to the priest who knows the heart of the Lotus Sutra! One will not stray into the evil paths if one does so even once. Still greater are the benefits arising from ten or twenty contributions, of from five years, ten years, or a lifetime of contributions. They are beyond even the measure of the Buddha's wisdom. The Buddha taught that the blessings of a single offering to the votary of this sutra are a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater than those of offering countless treasures to Shakyamuni Buddha for eighty million kalpas.

Letter to Niike, WND, 1026-27

Written to Niike Saemon-no-jo in February of 1280 from Minobu

The Buddha taught that the blessings of a single offering to the votary of this sutra are a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater than those of offering countless treasures to Shakyamuni Buddha for eighty million kalpas. When one encounters this sutra, one will overflow with happiness and shed tears of joy. It seems impossible to repay one's debt to Shakyamuni Buddha. But by your frequent offerings to me deep in this mountain you will repay the merciful kindness of both the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha.

Letter to Niike, WND, 1027

Written to Niike Saemon-no-jo in February of 1280 from Minobu

As you well know, a sutra says that the boy Virtue Victorious, who offered a mud pie to the Buddha, was later reborn as King Ashoka, who ruled over most of the southern continent of Jambudvipa. Since the Buddha is worthy of respect, the boy was able to receive this great reward even though the pie was only mud. Shakyamuni Buddha teaches, however, that one who makes offerings to the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the latter age for even a single day will gain benefit a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater than one would by offering countless treasures to the Buddha for one million kalpas. How wonderful then is your having wholeheartedly supported the votary of the Lotus Sutra over the years! According to the Buddha's golden words, in the next life you are certain to be reborn in the pure land of Eagle Peak. What remarkable rewards you will gain!

The Person and the Law, WND, 1097

Written to Nanjo Tokimitsu on September 11, 1281 from Minobu

Gift of an Unlined Robe

When I put on this robe and recite the Lotus Sutra before the Buddha, while the robe is only one, it clothes 69,384 Buddhas. This is because there are 69,384 characters in the Lotus Sutra. And each character is a golden Buddha.

Therefore, these Buddhas will surely visit the two of you, husband and wife, who presented me with this robe and protect you as their followers.

In this life, your sincere offering becomes a prayer for the fulfillment of your every desire and a treasure. At the time of your deaths it will become the moon, the sun, a path, a bridge, a father, a mother, an ox or a horse, a litter, a cart, a lotus flower, and a mountain, and will usher you into the pure land of Eagle Peak. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Learning From the Gosho, 178, August 1275

Letter to Ko-ama Gozen (1)

Daily life is a collection of both good things (value) and bad things (antivalue). If the value or benefit in someone's life outweighs the antivalue or loss, the person becomes happy. If the opposite is true, the person is unhappy.

Faith in the Mystic Law is the wellspring of value creation. It enables us to turn everything in our lives both our joys and sufferings into causes for accumulating the values of beauty; benefit and good in still greater measure. When we base ourselves on this kind of faith, everything that happens to us is a benefit.

Learning From the Gosho, P. 104

Benefit

We are a gathering of the Buddha's children. Therefore, if we respect one another, our good fortune will multiply infinitely, like an image reflected between mirrors. A person who practices alone cannot experience this tremendous multiplication of benefit. (2/27/90)

The real benefit of the Mystic Law is of an inconspicuous kind. Just as trees grow taller and stronger year after year, adding growth rings imperceptible to the human eye, we, too, will grow to have a victorious existence. For this reason, it is important that we lead tenacious and balanced lives based on faith. (6/5/96)

Nothing is wasted in faith. One never loses out. Please be confident that all your efforts to help others and promote Buddhism are accumulating immense treasures of good fortune in your life. This is what is meant by inconspicuous benefit. (5/26/98)

The second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, often used to cite fifteen years as the first milestone for showing actual proof in faith. He would say that even a small bud grows into a great tree after fifteen years. Someone who had not seen the bud sprout and grow during those fifteen years would be amazed by its growth; this is what is called an inconspicuous benefit. On the other hand, he observed, a great tree may also wither away during a fifteen-year period; this is an example of inconspicuous punishment or loss. (6/15/96)

Faith Into Action, pp. 90-91

The Quintessence of Life

Buddhism outlines the four debts of gratitude. These are the debts owed to one's parents, to all living beings, to one's sovereign and to the three treasures (the Buddha, the Law and the Priesthood).

According to one scholar's opinion, the tragedies of world history originate from the fact that people forget these debts of gratitude, not having been taught their profound meaning. Since animals have some awareness of the debts of gratitude, human beings should be that much more aware! Unless people understand the obligations that they, as human beings, are require to fulfill, our world is destined to relive a cruel and dismal history forever. Herein lies the significance of the propagation of Buddhism throughout the world.

Buddhism in Action, Vol. VI, pg. 103

 

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On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

Question: Of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, which is the heart, which is the most essential?

Answer: Some would say that each chapter is essential to the matter that it deals with. Some would contend that the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" chapters are the heart, others that the "Expedient Means" alone is the heart, or that the "Life Span" alone is the heart. Some would say that the heart is the passage telling how the Buddhas open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, show it, cause them to awaken to it, and induce (115) them to enter its path, others that the passage on the "true aspect of all (116) phenomena" is the heart.

Question: What is your opinion?

Answer: I believe that the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo constitute the heart.

Question: What is your proof ?

Answer: The fact that Ananda, Manjushri, and the others wrote, "This is what I heard."

Question: What do you mean by that?

Answer: Over a period of eight years, Ananda, Manjushri, and the others listened to the immeasurable meanings of the Lotus Sutra, never missing a single phrase, a single verse, a single word. Yet, after the Buddha had passed away, at the time of the compilation of his teachings, when the 999 arhats took up their writing brushes and dipped them in ink, they first of all wrote "Myoho-renge-kyo," and after that they intoned the words, "This is what I heard." Therefore, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo must be the heart of the eight volumes and twenty-eight chapters that compose the work, must they not?

Therefore, the Dharma Teacher Fa-yün of Kuang-che-ssu temple, who is said to have lectured on the Lotus Sutra ever since the distant age of Sun Moon Bright Buddha, states, "The words 'This is what I heard' indicate that one is going to transmit the doctrines one has heard preached. The title, which precedes these words, sums up the sutra (117) as a whole."

The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, who was present on Eagle Peak when the Lotus Sutra was preached and heard it in person, writes, "The word 'this' [of 'This is what I heard'] indicates the essence of a doctrine heard from (118) the Buddha." And the Great Teacher Chang-an writes, "The transcriber [Chang-an] comments on T'ien-t'ai's explanation of the title of the Lotus Sutra, saying, 'Hence [his explanation of the title in] the preface conveys the profound meaning of the sutra. The profound meaning indicates the heart (119) of the text.'"

In this passage, "the heart of the text" signifies that the daimoku, or title, of the text is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. As the Great Teacher Miao-lo states, "It is the heart of the Lotus Sutra that encompasses all the doctrines preached by the Buddha in the course (120) of his lifetime."

India comprises seventy states, but they are known collectively by the name India. Japan comprises sixty provinces (121), but they are known collectively by the name Japan. Within the name India are contained all the seventy states, as well as all their people, animals, treasures, and so forth. Within the name Japan are contained all the sixty-six provinces. The feathers sent as tribute from Dewa, the gold of the province of (122) Mutsu, and all the other treasures of the nation, as well as the people and animals, and temples and shrines, are contained within the two characters that form the name Japan.

One who possesses the heavenly eye can look at the two characters of the name Japan and see all the sixty-six provinces along with their people and animals. One who possesses the Dharma eye can see all the people and animals now dying in one place, now being born in another place.

It is like hearing someone's voice and knowing what the person must look like, or seeing someone's foot-prints and judging whether the person is large or small. Or it is like estimating the size of a pond by looking at the lotuses that grow in it, or imagining the size of the dragons by observing the rain that they cause to fall. Each of these examples illustrates the principle that all things are expressed in one.

It might appear from this that the daimoku, or title, of any Agama sutra must contain all the teachings of the Buddhas, but in fact it contains only one Buddha, the Shakyamuni of the Hinayana teachings. It might also appear that the titles of the Flower Garland, Meditation, and Mahavairochana sutras must contain all the teachings of the Buddhas, but in fact they do not include the doctrine concerning the attainment of Buddhahood by persons of the two vehicles, or the Shakyamuni Buddha who gained enlightenment in the far distant past. They are like flowers that bloom but are followed by no fruit, thunder that rolls but brings no rain, a drum that has no sound, eyes that cannot see, a woman who bears no child, or a person who has no life or spirit.

The mantras associated with the Buddhas Mahavairochana, Medicine Master, and Amida and Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds are of the same nature. Though in the various sutras containing these mantras they are said to be like a great king, Mount Sumeru, the sun and moon, good medicine, a wish-granting jewel, or a sharp sword, they are as far beneath the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra as mud is beneath the clouds.

Not only are they vastly inferior, but all of them have lost their respective inherent functions. When the sun comes up, the light of the crowds of stars is completely eclipsed; when bits of iron are placed near a magnet, they lose their property. When a great sword is exposed to even a small fire, it ceases to be of any use; when cow's milk or donkey's milk comes into the presence of lion king's milk, it turns to water. A pack of foxes will forget all their tricks if they meet up with a dog; a band of dogs will all quake with fright if they encounter a small tiger.

In the same way, if one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, then the power of the words Namu Amida Butsu, the power of the mantras invoking Mahavairochana, the power of Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World's Sounds, and the power of all the Buddhas, all the sutras, and all the bodhisattvas will without exception vanish before the power of Myoho-renge-kyo.

Unless these other sutras manage to borrow the power of Myoho-renge-kyo, they will all become worthless things. This is a fact that stands before our very eyes in the present age.

Because I, Nichiren, chant and spread Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the power of Namu Amida Butsu will be like a moon waning, a tide running out, grass withering in autumn and winter, or ice melting in the sun. Watch and see!

Question: If this Law that you have been describing is in fact so wonderful, why is it not better known? Why have not Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Nan-yüeh, T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo spread it abroad the way Shan-tao spread the practice of reciting Namu Amida Butsu throughout China or the (123) way Eshin, Yokan, and Honen spread it in Japan, turning the whole country into worshipers of Amida Buddha?

Answer: This is an old criticism, not by any means one that is raised here for the first time.

Bodhisattvas Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna were great scholars who lived, respectively, six hundred and seven hundred years after the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha. When these men appeared in the world and began spreading the doctrines of the Mahayana sutras, the various followers of the Hinayana raised objections.

"Mahakashyapa and Ananda," they said, "lived on for twenty or forty years after the passing of the Buddha, preaching the correct teaching. Presumably they conveyed the heart of all the teachings that the Buddha had propounded during his lifetime. Now we find that what these two men emphasized were simply the concepts of suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna may be very wise, but are we to suppose that they are superior to Mahakashyapa and Ananda? This is our first objection.

"Mahakashyapa obtained his enlightenment through direct encounters with the Buddha. But these two men, Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, have never encountered the Buddha. This is our second objection.

"The non-Buddhist philosophers who preceded the Buddha taught that life is permanent, joyful, endowed with self, and pure. Later, when the Buddha appeared in the world, he declared that life is marked by suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non-self. Now Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna insist that it is permanent, joyful, endowed with self, and pure. This being so, we must suppose that, since both the Buddha and Mahakashyapa have passed away from the world, the devil king of the sixth heaven has taken possession of these two men and is trying to overthrow the teachings of Buddhism and replace them with the teachings of the non-Buddhists.

"If that is so, then these men are the enemies of Buddhism. We must smash their skulls, cut off their heads, put an end to their lives, see that they get no more to eat. Let us drive them from the country!"

Such were the declarations of the Hinayana believers. And Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, each having only a few allies, were forced day and night to listen to these shouts of calumny, and morning and evening to bear the attacks of sticks and staves.

But these two men were in fact messengers of the Buddha. For in the Maya Sutra, it is predicted that Ashvaghosha will appear six hundred years, and Nagarjuna, seven hundred years, after the Buddha's passing. The same prediction is also recorded in the Lankavatara Sutra, and of course in the Buddha's Successors Sutra as well.

But the Hinayana believers would not heed these predictions, and instead attacked the Mahayanists blindly and without reason. "Since hatred and jealousy . . . abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?" says the Lotus Sutra. Looking at the time of Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, one begins to have a little understanding of what these words of the sutra really mean. Moreover, Bodhisattva Aryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, and the Venerable Aryasimha had his head cut off. These events, too, give one cause for thought.

Then, some fifteen hundred or more years after the passing of the Buddha, in the country of China, which lies east of India, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai appeared in the world during the years of the Ch'en and Sui dynasties. He declared that among the sacred teachings put forth by the Thus Come One were the Mahayana and the Hinayana, the exoteric and the esoteric, the provisional and the true. Mahakashyapa and Ananda had concentrated on spreading the Hinayana teachings, he explained. Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu had spread the provisional Mahayana teachings. But with regard to the true Mahayana teaching of the Lotus Sutra, they had merely touched on it briefly but concealed its meaning, or had described the surface meaning of the sutra but failed to discuss the whole range of the Buddha's teachings expounded throughout his lifetime. Or they had described the theoretical teaching but not the essential teaching, or they had understood the theoretical and essential teachings but not the teaching for observing the mind.

When the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai expounded these views, the millions of followers of the ten schools of Buddhism, three in southern China and seven in northern China, all with one accord gave a great laugh of derision.

"Here in these latter days, a truly amazing priest has made his appearance among us!" they exclaimed. "Though there have at times been persons who adhered to biased views and opposed us, never has there been anyone who maintained that all the 260 or more Tripitaka masters and teachers of Buddhism, who have lived since the introduction of Buddhism in the tenth year of the Yung-p'ing era (CE 67) of the Later Han, the year with the cyclical sign hinoto-u, down to these present years of the Ch'en and Sui, were ignorant. And on top of that, he says that they are slanderers of the Law who are destined to fall into the evil paths. Such is the kind of person that has appeared!

"He is so insane that he even maintains that the Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva, the man who introduced the Lotus Sutra to China, was an ignorant fool. Whatever he may say about the men of China, imagine his saying that the great scholars of India such as Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu and the several hundred others, all of them bodhisattvas of the four ranks, did not teach the true doctrine. Anyone who killed this man would be doing no more than killing a hawk. In fact, he would be more praiseworthy than someone who kills a demon!"

This was the way they railed at the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai. And later, in the time of the Great Teacher Miao-lo, when the Dharma Characteristics and True Word doctrines were introduced from India, and the Flower Garland school was first established in China, Miao-lo spoke out against these teachings and was met with a similar uproar.

In Japan, the Great Teacher Dengyo made his appearance eighteen hundred years after the Buddha had passed away. After examining the commentaries of T'ien-t'ai, he began to criticize the six schools that had flourished in Japan in the 260 or more years since the time of Emperor Kimmei. People in turn slandered him, saying that the Brahmanists who lived in the time of the Buddha or the Taoists of China must have been reborn in Japan.

Dengyo also proposed to set up an ordination platform for administering the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment, such as had never existed in India, China, or Japan in the eighteen hundred years since the Buddha's passing. Indeed he went farther than this, declaring that the ordination platform at Kannon-ji temple in the western region [of Tsukushi], the ordination platform at Ono-dera temple in the eastern province of Shimotsuke, and the ordination platform at Todai-ji temple in the central province of Yamato (124) all stank with the foul odor of the Hinayana precepts and were as worthless as broken tile and rubble. And the priests who upheld such precepts, he said, were no better than foxes and monkeys.

In reply, his critics exclaimed: "Ah, how amazing! This thing that looks like a priest must in fact be a great swarm of locusts that has appeared in Japan and is about to gobble up the tender shoots of Buddhism in one swoop. Or perhaps Chou of the Yin dynasty or Chieh of the Hsia has been reborn in Japan in the shape of this priest. Perchance Emperor Wu of the Northern Chou and Emperor Wu-tsung (125) of the T'ang have reappeared in the world. At any moment now, Buddhism may be wiped out and the nation overthrown."

As for the ordinary people, they clapped their hands in alarm and waggled their tongues, saying, "Whenever the priests of these two types of Buddhism, Mahayana and Hinayana, appear together, they fight like the lord Shakra and the asuras, or like Hsiang Yü and (126) Kao-tsu disputing possession of the kingdom."

Dengyo's opponents continued to revile him, saying: "In the time of the Buddha, there were two ordination (127) platforms, one belonging to the Buddha and the other to Devadatta, and a number of people were killed in the dispute over them. This man may well defy the other schools, but he declares that he must set up an ordination platform for administering the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment such as even his master, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai, was unable to establish. How strange! And how frightening, how frightening!"

But Dengyo had his passages of scripture to support him, and as you know, the Mahayana ordination platform was eventually set up and has been in existence for some time now on Mount Hiei.

Thus, although their enlightenment may have been the same, from the point of view of the teaching that they propagated, Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna were superior to Mahakashyapa and Ananda, T'ien-t'ai was superior to Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, and Dengyo surpassed T'ien-t'ai. In these latter times, people's wisdom becomes shallow, while the Buddhist teaching becomes more profound. To give an analogy, a mild illness can be cured with ordinary medicine, but a severe illness requires an elixir. A man who is weak must have strong allies to help him.

Notes:

115. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
116. A reference to the "true aspect of all phenomena," as revealed in chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra.
117. This passage is quoted in Chisho's Collection of Orally Transmitted Teachings as Fa-yün's words.
118. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.
119. Profound Meaning.
120. On "The Profound Meaning."
121. The text reads sixty, although Japan actually had sixty-six provinces, as indicated in the sentence after next.
122. The province of Dewa in northern Japan is said to have been famous for hawk and eagle feathers. Gold was first discovered in Japan in the northern province of Mutsu in the twenty-first year of the Tempyo era (750).
123. Eshin (942-1017) was a Tendai priest, famed for having compiled The Essentials of Rebirth in the Pure Land. Yokan (1032-1111) was a precursor of the Nembutsu school, who propagated the Pure Land teaching, centering his activities in the Kyoto area.
124. Kannon-ji, Ono-dera (also called Yakushi-ji), and Todai-ji temples were the sites of the three Hinayana ordination platforms officially established by Ganjin in 754, 761, and 762.
125. Emperor Wu (543-578) and Emperor Wu-tsung (814-846) both were responsible for persecutions of Buddhism in574 and 845. Wu valued Confucianism and strove to abolish the Buddhist teachings. Wu-tsung came to revere Taoism after he ascended the throne, and he imposed oppressive measures on the Buddhist community.
126. Hsiang Yü (232-202 BCE) and Kao-tsu (247-195 BCE) were warlords who contended for power in the confusion following the death of the First Emperor of the Ch'in dynasty. After a lengthy struggle Kao-tsu (Liu Pang) emerged the victor and founded the Han dynasty in 202 BCE.
127. Some ten years after attaining enlightenment, Shakyamuni Buddha established an ordination platform at Jetavana Monastery in Shravasti. To defy him, Devadatta established a rival platform on Mount Gayashirsha.

(to be continued)

 

[Guest]

"Age is not an excuse for giving up. If you allow yourself to grow passive and draw back, it's a sign of personal defeat. There may be a retirement age at work, but there is no retirement age in life. How then could there be any "going into retirement" in the world of faith? The Buddhist Law is eternal, extending across the three existences of past, present and future, and one of the benefits of faith is perennial youth and eternal life. "

 

[Guest]

Can you all feel it today! The incredibly revitalizing NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO has brought me closer to my goal of enlightenment, and yes I am not only feeling the benefits today of chanting, but I am sharing them with you all my dear Chanting friends. I have been chanting for everyone here, and know we are all benefiting from all our grateful prayers. I am so very lucky to be a human and able to chant NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO! Its part of my past, currently in my present and shall be in my future as well!

Do you see what I SEE! You are the gohonzon trust in the gohonzon to make you realize your of unlimited potential! You are one with the Mystic Law! You are thereby empowered to procure your happiness!

Chant for me as I continue to chant for you! Together we will propagate Kosen-rufu with the protection of shoten zenjin. We are all united, and be strong because the greatest obstacle for me has been overcoming MYSELF! Persevere! Outlast! I believe in you!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Though the teaching that I am now propagating seems limited, it is extremely profound. That is because it goes deeper than the teaching expounded by T'ien-t'ai, Dengyo, and others. It is the three important matters in the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching. Practicing only the seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo seems limited, but since they are the master of all the Buddhas of the three existences, the teacher of all the bodhisattvas in the ten directions, and the guide that enables all living beings to attain the Buddha way, it is profound.

[ Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment, WND Page 317 ]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

because the greatest obstacle for me has been overcoming MYSELF!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

...the "daily life" essence of the teachings of Buddhism. Everything around us is a reflection of ourselves. Don't forget, the fundamental darkness of oneself is the devil of the sixth heaven.

T

(Hello to SoCal!)

 

[Guest]

...the "daily life" essence of the teachings of Buddhism. Everything around us is a reflection of ourselves. Don't forget, the fundamental darkness of oneself is the devil of the sixth heaven.

T

(Hello to SoCal!)

CONDITION YOURSELVES to avoid those evils by chanting gongyo day and night and chanting NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO as often as possible. Remember when you chant be grateful! Chant to become a human of unlimited self esteem, chant to awaken your own greatness, chant to appreciate the value of your life, chant to make the impossible possible!

YOU CAN DO IT, I BELIEVE IN ALL OF YOU! AS YOU HAVE FAITH IN ME! You have awakened the giant which is my faith in the gohonzon, and now I want to continue to reciprocate that love back to all! Peace

Nam Myoho Renge KYO!

 

[scegy]

pass the dobie: i give up on my cynicizm, thank you for grounding me

as for your words, i think i've been chanting all my life nam myoho renge kyo, just that there are moments when i see no benifit from giving my energy to others. i help to whome i trust, and some ppl just can't be trusted no matter what, it's just their nature.
i don't know why you promote buddhism so much(are you trying to say that this is the only way to get ppl listening?), one can come to it's own conclusions if he wishes so, just by giving his full attention to the right direction.

i got the feeling that we should talk about this after a decade, when i'll be able to confirm myself if my believes were right or not
i'm confused by your intentions here, don't get me wrong, i just can't see how are we going to enlighten the world by talking?no one cares to listen...even so, the numbers are too low to get the real effect...
i'm amazed by your optimism, just can't figure you out....

 

[Guest]

pass the dobie: i give up on my cynicizm, thank you for grounding me

Please continue to read this thread, your missing all the highlights apparently! Within the last 50 pages you find my introduction and my progression, use it as a guide to gauge you perception and direction. Otherwise please try harder with abandoning the cynicism, your apparently letting your enviroment get the best of you! Perhaps its a chemical issue at this point? Never give up on yourself!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo!!
thanks guys for all the great encouragment !!! Hello SoCal !!!
busy busy
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[scegy]

easy: i never do give up on myself, i weren't here if i did. why do you think i let the enviroment get the best of me? cos i don't feel like that but i do critisize it a lot....but i feel like that's all i CAN do? i'm being cynic about our future, i don't think this capitalism will flip to a better politic in a breeze, it will take a lot of uncessary shit before it does, so i think.
by chemical you mean weed?

 

[Guest]

Until I began deep introspective self reflection I lost myself in all the outside forces that pollute our personal utopias. I am not constantly in a state of buddhahood so I apologize if I was too harsh, my sincere wish was to just help you look at yourself from a different angle. Why criticize what you can't change and not change what you can about yourself. It all begins with you is what I have been learning from SGI. Not to long ago the concept of world peace was fake and irrelevant. I was stuck in the quagmire of my own enviroment, the shackles of my past were repressing my present and future. Now I live in the present and try and focus my energy towards propagating Kosen-rufu which also means world peace. How does one undertake such a task, first by starting and staying consistent with your practice secondly I am focusing on the good I have absorbed from my diligent studies with SGI, including the Goshos and definitions you will find @ www.sgi.org

I am a perenial socialist and always will be, your giving capitalism too much credit, focus more on yourself and not everything else, don't you think you have enough to deal with right now than to point the finger at worldwide ideals. I think if you apply yourself to undoing capitalism or berating its exsistence you will miss out on the most important moments in life which are happening right now! Don't get ahead of yourself, I do it all the time, its human to err but better to try and see the proverbial glass as half full! Squeeze some good from your fruits of life, if you can't find any its time you grew some! Germinate your seeds of happiness now and sow the goodness later secgy.

WHen I refered to something chemical I broadly meant perhaps your sadness might be due to something out of your immediate control a foreign substance, perhaps your own personal internal chemistry, any number of things that could be corrected and adjust your apparent desire to find happiness within your present state of being.

Listen your seeking spirit brought you here to give yourself a chance, a chance to look in a new direction and possibly embrace that which is beneficial. As another benefit of your search you have stumbled into a school of peace that of which adknowledges the harmony between the physical world and the mystical world. Please continue to read the posts in this thread it will show you more than you'll bargain for.

YOU CAN ALWAYS DO MORE THAN JUST CRITICIZE POLITICS, TAKE THE TIME AND FIGURE OUT A PLAN OF ACTION THAT WILL BRING YOU CLOSER TO YOUR GOALS.

Search for the Gohonzon is my advice.... seeking you shall find

 

[scegy]

easy: great reading you
i must have missexpressed myself, i opened my eyes, half a year ago, the more i live on my own, the more i see the beauties of life, but i get MAD when i see that the system that i pay for should work for me not for itself, that is my sadness
these days are my trully focused days, first time in my life i know what i want to do, i'm at the begining of my jurney i know, but i'm looking forward of it.
i think i sad in the last few posts somewhere i think: if ppl want to understand eachother they first have to understand themselves, meaning, looking at urself from a different angle....i always did that, well since i started to think, but i was young cos i remember my thoughts from back then i just didn't understand MY needs. so i was confused for a long time
but i must say that you guys give me inspiration with your posts/thoughts, looking forward to read some more

 

[Guest]

easy: great reading you
i must have missexpressed myself, i opened my eyes, half a year ago, the more i live on my own, the more i see the beauties of life, but i get MAD when i see that the system that i pay for should work for me not for itself, that is my sadness
these days are my trully focused days, first time in my life i know what i want to do, i'm at the begining of my jurney i know, but i'm looking forward of it.
i think i sad in the last few posts somewhere i think: if ppl want to understand eachother they first have to understand themselves, meaning, looking at urself from a different angle....i always did that, well since i started to think, but i was young cos i remember my thoughts from back then i just didn't understand MY needs. so i was confused for a long time
but i must say that you guys give me inspiration with your posts/thoughts, looking forward to read some more

Your almost there!!! I will continue to chant for you and everyone else today, join me....

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Babbabud]

Off to work i go
nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith."

(The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, 217) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 3rd, 2006

 

[Babbabud]

Soka Gakkai Day

Soka Gakkai Day

May 3 is officially Soka Gakkai Day. For SGI members throughout the world today is like New Years Day. A time to start fresh and make new determinations to work towards Kosen Rufu.!! Forward!!!!!
Nam myoho renge kyo !!!

 

[scegy]

i have a question, i never really answeard myself on this one
i'm never sattisfied with just helping the ppl i love, but it is repulsive for me to help a drunk young bum, who is healthy in all ways, by giving him money? for instance.
i'm confused about this, don't know what to feel, any thoughts?

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If you light a lantern for another, it will also brighten your own way."

(Shokumotsu santoku gosho - Gosho Zenshu, 1598) Selection source: Special features on the Soka Gakkai Day, Seikyo Shimbun, May 2, 2006