Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

"At the time when the Law has spread far and wide, the entire Japanese nation will chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as surely as an arrow aimed at the earth cannot miss the target. But now you must build your reputation on the Lotus Sutra and give yourself up to it."

(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 385) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, March 3rd, 2012

 

[iConnex]

What a collosal month! I had a huge amount of obstacles, persecution, struggles and turned out victorious in every regard. Today I made the determination to support our monthly kosen-rufu gongyo meeting on Sunday, as a member of the behind-the-scenes group so I could support our gathering of Bodhisattvas of the earth in appreciation of all the Gohonzon has provided me with in the here and now. I had to chant for more money than I ever needed in one nut, but that wasn't difficult with faith it was exciting because I knew it was coming as I demanded that the universe protect me and my home. I had to pay a huge expense to repair my home and also pay for my next semester of graduate school. No Joke it was more than the downpayment to get a house, but I chanted with faith and appreciation everyday.

I saved my home and all the money came from the most myoho (inconspicuous) places, but there were severe obstacles. A co-worker who is higher in the corporate food chain than me tried to shit on me and blame me for not doing their work, basically bullying. I stood up for myself and sent our ultimate superior a message requesting an audience with him. Before I got to speak to him this other person indicated to me that they already spoke to our manager and the manager would be calling me soon. I was so gutted that this person pre-empted my move to protect myself. However, when I finally spoke to the chief, first I explained that we cannot be wasting time with the nonsense we will be briefly discussing, but more importantly I will not be tolerating injustice against any member of my department and company. My boss basically said, "hey I just want you to know we love you, we appreciate you, you are great." WOW! BOOM- ultraVictory!

Next, my contractor is about 98% finished and comes over recently for a check and I was feeling good from doing gongyo and cleaning. We spoke for a bit about the job and life, he was looking at my altar and said to me "You're a king." and other things, but that resonated with me because I consider Sensei to be a King, PasstheDoobie is a Daimoku King, one day Prince William may be the King of England, etc. BUT, Nichiren Daishonin is the real manifestation of the Buddha of Beginingless Time Eternally Endowed With the Three Bodies, the Original Buddha, my Master and prime example of my life. Friends this thread supports towards understanding how we could practice together and fight for kosen-rufu with Sensei (President Daisaku Ikeda of the SGI) right where we are as we are. In fact, the Castle is the SGI and we Bodhisattvas of the Earth are actually all Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses.

That makes sense doesn't it! Its fucking thrilling to accept praise, but to know that the true origin of this goes a little something like this to me:

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi (1871-1944) is joined by Josei Toda (February 11, 1900 – April 2, 1958) to start what will become through Daisaku Ikeda's leadership the Soka Gakkai International, which inspires and engages a great man known as Tony Matsuoka and another amazing pioneer for American (USA) kosen-rufu by the name of Ted Osaki! Mr. Matsuoka (RIP) and Mr. Osaki (RIP) nurtured a young PasstheDoobie into developing faith in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism who shakubukued Babbabud. From First Honorary President Makiguchi to Babbabud! WOOOOOOT WOOOOOOOT. My main man Babba introduced me at a critical juncture of my life and jumped in the "ocean" with me (so to speak) to help me swim to the shore of developing my own Buddhist practice. Collaborating with Babba and this myoho thread on ICMAG, soooooo many Bodhisattvas of the Earth have emerged and I've directly introduced over 30 people to the Gohonzon and 12 have recieved the Gohonzon and started their own practice. I "randomly bump into people" that are familiar with the practice and have Buddhist dailogue everywhere a brother goes, that's all an easyDaimoku knows!

This month for me began with faith based on Nichiren Daishonin, who's philosophy inspired the 1st President of the SGI to create the Book - Value Creation Pedagogy, which became the central crux of President Toda's efforts to rebuild the organization after the Japanese Imperial government imprison Sensei Toda and his mentor President Makiguchi. I chant to the same Gohonzon as President Ikeda, as many members of this thread and all the members of the SGI. Its been a while since I encouraged our Chanting Growers to support their local organizations, but I'll just lead by example this upcoming second month of what will be a great year.

I'm going to live with gratitude and fight for the best possible future in my life, continue my education towards a doctorate, build friendships and bridges to a brighter future. This all began here, page 1 of this Babba and PTD. I showed up around page 158ish!! We are into our 1st thousand pages and roaring like the Lion King everyday. I read every post and owe PTD some pics (I also saw the video when you posted it and have had sooooo much mercy for my parents lately and continue to show them actual proof on an escalatingly consistent basis)! Much love to all! Big hugs to my people! Love you all and am so grateful for all the newer members representing!

MUGI WASSHIN!

Brother... you have all my respect... im moved.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[iConnex]

Kosimoto san,

If you read back in the thread, you'll see we really don't converse about pot that much here. Some of the people that participate in this thread don't even get high. Keep chanting! The answers to your questions will get answered!!!

T

Thanks Doobie!
The answers to my questions will get answered!!

Keep on chanting: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I think it very important, based on Easy giving such wonderful credit to the thread, to acknowledge the fact that the Chanting Growers have been blessed with the Protection of the Buddhist Gods in the form of Mr. Gypsy Nirvana and the many wonderful people that have supported him in keeping the ICmag website up and running for all of these years. Thank you Chris! THANK YOU BOG! Thank you Babbabud!!!

Without that support, there is no Chanting Growers Group thread.

Bowing in sincere appreciation and deepest respect,

Thomas

 

[CrazyDog]

Courage calls forth courage.
Let's share with others our personal experiences
of having chanted, taking action and overcoming obstacles.
Let's light a flame of conviction and determination
in the hearts of our fellow members of Icmag!


Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

 

[kosimoto1]

I should fit right in then, I grow the plant as an act of devotion. It was through her that I learned compassion for plants and through her patience that I learned to care for them.

Humbly

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Courage calls forth courage.
Let's share with others our personal experiences
of having chanted, taking action and overcoming obstacles.
Let's light a flame of conviction and determination
in the hearts of our fellow members of Icmag!


Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

I'm loving you man! Thank you so much! Please continue!

Much love and deepest respect,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Regard your service to your lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra."* Tough times in our workplace offer us a great opportunity to sow seeds of trust. Let's win through our sincere attitude and conscientious efforts!

Daisaku Ikeda

Gosho: Reply to a Believer - WND Vol.1, page 905, "Regard your service to your lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by 'No worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality.'"

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Truth is the mother of confidence."

SGI Newsletter No. 8661, The New Human Revolution––Volume 26: Chapter 1, Atsuta 14, translated 5th Nov. 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"And could not this illness of your husband's be the Buddha's design, because the Vimalakirti and Nirvana sutras both teach that sick people will surely attain Buddhahood? Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way."

(The Good Medicine for All Ills - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 937) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, November 7th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Come, now is the time to sow seeds (of peace) in people's hearts!
Let's sow seeds of happiness for our friends here
and seeds of hope for our friends there!
By encouraging others one by one,
let's make the whole world bloom with smiles!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"If you’re only studying for yourself, eventually you will hit a dead end. But when you have the larger purposes of studying for the sake of others, for society, and for the world, studying becomes fun. And in the process, you build yourself into a great human being, too.

"...The more you study, the greater your dreams expand. You become more capable and accomplished, and are able to help others. You can bring smiles to people’s faces and impart joy. You end up creating a wonderful environment around you.

"...There’s no need to look back with regrets. You can start studying from now, from the place in life where you are at this moment.

"When she was 60 years old, the German author Malwida von Meysenbug (1816–1903) declared: 'I study and study. . . . For the sole reason of being able to study more would I wish to be young again!'[1]

"Educational background is not the same as learning or mental ability, and it is even less a measure of the full scope of a person’s potential. A person’s true capability can be measured by their desire to continue learning.

"In April this year (2012), two women aged 83 and 85 graduated from the Soka University’s Division of Correspondence Education. Those who study in earnest shine with a noble and inspiring light."

SGI Newsletter No. 8709, Dialogue for the Future: Traveling the Path of Victory Together with You, A dialogue series addressing members of the junior high school division and high school division. [5] Those Who Continue Learning Are Victors in Life, from the 1st Sep., 2012, issue of the Mirai [Future] Journal, the Soka Gakkai monthly newspaper for the junior high school and senior high school divisions, translated 24th Jan. 2013

[1] Translated from Japanese. Berta Schleicher, Maruvida fon Maizenbuku (Malwida von Meysenbug), translated by Toshihiko Katayama (Tokyo: Misuzu Shobo, 1957), chap. 7, pp. 77–78.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"[This is an incomparably greater wonder than] fire being produced by a stone taken from the bottom of a river, or a lantern lighting up a place that has been dark for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years."

(The One Essential Phrase - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 923)
Selection source: SGI President's peace proposal 2013, Seikyo Shimbun, January 26th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Letter to Gijo-bo / WND pg. 389

Letter to Gijo-bo / WND pg. 389

I have carefully reviewed your question about the Buddhist teachings. The blessing of the Lotus Sutra is a state of life that can only be understood between Buddhas. It is an inner enlightenment that even the wisdom of Shakyamuni’s emanations throughout the ten directions may be no match for. That is why, as you well know, even the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai commented on the character myo, saying that it is defined as beyond ordinary comprehension.(1) As for this sutra, however, it is divided into various practices. These are the teachings that were known only by men such as T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo. The Great Teacher Dengyo in particular, even though he was the reincarnation of T’ien-t’ai, sent envoys to T’ang China on many occasions in an effort to resolve the doubts of others. So what is really important is that the teachings of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, of the hundred worlds and thousand factors, and of three thousand realms in a single moment of life are the essence of this sutra. These teachings are described in the work entitled Great Concentration and Insight.

Next, the teaching of the “Life Span” chapter is what I, Nichiren, personally depend on. Although T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo also understood it in a general way, they never put it into words or proclaimed it. The same is true of Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu. The verse section of the chapter states, “. . . single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives.” As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life. The reason is that it is this sutra passage that has enabled me to embody the Three Great Secret Laws, or the reality of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, that is found in the “Life Span” chapter. But keep this secret, keep it secret.

The Great Teacher of Mount Hiei [Dengyo] journeyed to China and received instruction on the point of this passage. “Single” of “single-mindedly” means the one pure way, and “mind” means all phenomena.(2) That is why the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, explaining the Chinese character for “mind,” said that its four brush strokes represent the moon and three stars, and that this implies that the mind of the effect [of Buddhahood] is pure and clean.(3) I, Nichiren, say that “single” stands for myo, or mystic, “mind” for ho, or law, “desiring” for ren, or lotus, “see” for ge, or flower, and “Buddha” for kyo, or sutra. In propagating these five characters, practitioners should “not hesitate even if it costs them their lives.”

“Single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha” may be read as follows: single-mindedly observing the Buddha, concentrating one’s mind on seeing the Buddha, and when looking at one’s own mind, perceiving that it is the Buddha. Having attained the fruit of Buddhahood, the eternally inherent three bodies, I may surpass even T’ient’ai and Dengyo, and excel even Nagarjuna and Mahakashyapa. The Buddha wrote that one should become the master of one’s mind rather than let one’s mind master oneself.(4) This is what I mean when I emphatically urge you to give up even your body, and never begrudge even your life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

The twenty-eighth day of the fifth month in the tenth year of Bun’ei (1273)

Reply to Gijo-bo


Background

This letter was written at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month, 1273, to Gijo-bo, who had been the Daishonin’s senior at Seicho-ji temple in Awa Province. Nearly a month earlier, Nichiren Daishonin had written The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, in which he had explained both the object of devotion in terms of the Law and the correct practice for attaining enlightenment in the Latter Day. This letter briefly restates the profound contents of The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind.

Nichiren Daishonin says that, of all the chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the “Life Span” chapter is particularly important to him. He quotes a passage, “. . . single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha . . . ,” and notes, “As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life.” He declares that in his capacity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law he has realized and embodied Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws, which is implied in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter.

This is one of the earliest references in his writings to the Three Great Secret Laws: the invocation (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), the object of devotion (the Gohonzon), and the place of worship (the sanctuary).

Notes

1. This statement is found in the introduction to The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
2. The “one pure way” refers to the true aspect inherent in all phenomena.
3. Source unknown.
4. This statement is found in both the Nirvana Sutra and the Six Paramitas Sutra.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat."

(The Three Obstacles and Four Devils - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 637) Selection Source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, January 28th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Therefore, I say to you, my disciples, try practicing as the Lotus Sutra teaches, exerting yourselves without begrudging your lives! Test the truth of Buddhism now!"

(The Selection of the Time - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 583) Selection source: "Suntetsu", Seikyo Shimbun, June 11th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"As SGI members striving diligently in faith, practice, and study, we are able to develop a strong, invincible self through our personal experiences of overcoming all kinds of hardships and obstacles through the power of the Mystic Law. Surely none epitomize the life-state of Buddhahood more than our confident and self-assured pioneer members who are utterly fearless.

"We are all originally entities of the Mystic Law. It is essential, therefore, that we firmly believe in the principle of 'substituting faith for wisdom' --that is, being able to bring forth the wisdom and courage we need for victory when we base our lives on chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is the key to non-regressing faith taught in the Daishonin's Buddhism."

SGI Newsletter No. 8247, LEARNING FROM THE WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN: THE TEACHINGS FOR VICTORY, [27] 'A Father Takes Faith,' Unity and Human Revolution Are the Keys to Victory in Our Efforts for Kosen-rufu, from the April 2011 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated June 6th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Myo means to revive, that is, to return to life."

(The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 149) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, Feb 17th, 2012

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Beginnings are critical. If you do things correctly from the start, you’ll be able to go on doing so.”

SGI Newsletter No. 8452, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 25: Chap. 2, Shared Struggle 9, translated Feb. 14th, 2012

 

[CrazyDog]

I'm loving you man! Thank you so much! Please continue!

Much love and deepest respect,

Thomas

Thank you so much that make this 3D very active and interesting!
I follow you brother and I see that slowly adding new users!

Let's give our all to help our younger and newer members
so that they will become even more capable leaders than we are.
This is one of the SGI's proud traditions.
In our local community, where we have our own unique mission, let's build solidarity for the happiness of ourselves and everyone else.