Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

We practice the Buddhism of "true cause".* For us, every moment is a moment of fresh departure! Based firmly on the 'two ways of practice and study'** let us advance a step forward each day! Let us truly become strong!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is called the Buddhism of "true cause" as opposed to Shakyamuni Buddha's Buddhism of "true effect". For more, refer to: http://www.sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?id=2463

* "Referring to the Gosho, we see that the Daishonin often uses such expressions as 'more and more,' 'more than ever,' and 'still greater.' And he urges: 'Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month' (WND-1, 997). This is the spirit of the Buddhism of true cause\the spirit of always moving forward from this moment on. And it is this spirit that serves as the impetus for elevating both our own lives and those of others to a state of everlasting and eternal happiness." SGI Newsletter No. 7348, SGI President Ikeda's Editorial, Oct 2007.

** Two ways of practice and study: In The True Aspect of All Phenomena, written in 1273, Nichiren states: "Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvipa. Be sure to strengthen your faith, and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions. Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase" (WND-1, pg 386).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province. It is stated that 'the seeds of Buddhahood sprout as a result of conditions, and for this reason they preach the single vehicle'"

(The Properties of Rice - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1117) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, July 22nd, 2010

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The very best can't be created by those willing to compromise and accept second best. A fierce and uncompromising effort is rewarded with true glory. "

SGI Newsletter No. 8034, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 23: Chap. 3, Courage 46, translated July 6th, 2010

 

[pb4ugo]

Gosho Passage for today July 23rd 2010

Gosho Passage for today July 23rd 2010

Not Found

 

[Babbabud]

Thanks so much for all your post pb4ugo !!

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Weird]

You might check into Nichiren Buddhism. Its not about the meditation of finding the void. Which to me is a very selfish practice. Its about enlightenment with your eyes wide open. Its about finding happiness in this life that we live. Not about some void or some place deep inside alone. Your enlightenment is dependent on the ppl around you being enlightened. Living in this world with your eyes open and a smile on your face.

Thanks for the link Babba I lurk often

I would also like to share something. For me, truth is still "unfolding", that it is still being revealed as my mind becomes more capable of accepting it. I very much feel that we are more than eyes of the world but the energies we give off influence the world around us. Based on this belief I hold firm that we do reap what we sow. I don't get that much deeper I try to keep things simple. I feel that I have been enlightened by love and therefore think that this most defines the purpose of my being.

I very much feel there may be parallels that exist in the teachings posted in this thread, and I look forward to learning a bit more interactively. I felt a little intrusive asking questions or trying to learn here, but since you invited me I will use this as a way to learn also.

Thanks for allowing me to learn and share.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Passage From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin for Friday, July 23, 2010:

from "The Teaching for the Latter Day"

Written to Nanjo Tokimitsu on April 1, 1278

"Among my disciples, those who think themselves well-versed in Buddhism are the ones who make errors. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the heart of the Lotus Sutra. It is like the soul of a person. To revere another teaching as its equal is to be like a consort who is married to two emperors, or who secretly commits adultery with a minister or a humble subject. It can only be a cause for disaster."

Understanding the Passage:

In many instances we hear and read people refer to the Lotus Sutra and the Mystic Law by which to refer to the Law and refrain from using actually the words "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" or the Gohonzon being the Mystic Law or the Lotus Sutra. We also read many times in the Gosho that Nichiren refers extensively to the Lotus Sutra being supreme among all sutras.

In essence, one should understand and realize that when Nichiren refers to the Lotus Sutra in all instances, he refers to the very essence and heart of the Lotus Sutra. It is none other than he refers to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo- and the Gohonzon, the depiction of the Mutual Possession of the Ten worlds that inherent in all life.

Those who do not refer to the Gosho for the purpose of encouraging others that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the Gohonzon are the very essence and heart of the Lotus Sutra by which all Buddhas (people) attained supreme enlightenment, and rely on their interpretation of their understanding based on non-Buddhist theories or persons of the modern age, or equate other teachings/theories to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as being the Mystic Law, are mixing the teaching and creating a cause for confusion and disastrous outcome.

When Nichiren says in the passage: "Among my disciples" Who are Nichiren's disciples? All of us and anyone who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, for that matter, on earth today.

Damn man! Kenzoku for sure. You say everything I might say or might hope to say! I am so filled with gratitude for you having joined us here, pb! I am sure there are many people reading the thread that are getting a great deal of correct understanding by reading what you have to say. May we be blessed that you continue. You have my deepest respect!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the most Wonderful Law!

I hope my Sister DG is doing well and shining brightly! As we all meet the challenges of our daily lives, let's remember the Chanting Growers motto:

Don't be afraid!
Don't be defeated!
Faith!
Victory of Gold!!!

I bow in deepest appreciation for you all!

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I have received your offerings to the Gohonzon of five thousand coins, one horseload of polished rice, and fruit. To begin with, this Gohonzon was revealed in the last eight years of the fifty that the Buddha preached in this world, and in this period of eight years, in eight chapters [of the Lotus Sutra], from the "Emerging from the Earth" chapter through the "Entrustment" chapter. Now, during the three periods following the Buddha's passing, in the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, not even the term "object of devotion of the essential teaching" yet existed. How then could the object of devotion have been revealed? Moreover, there was no one who was able to give it expression. T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo perceived it in their hearts, but for some reason never put it into words, just as (1) Yen Yüan realized the true meaning of Confucius's teaching, but never gave it expression. Yet the sutra itself and the commentaries of T'ien-t'ai and Miao-lo explicitly state that the Gohonzon will appear after two thousand years have elapsed following the Buddha's passing, in the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law.

How wondrous it is that, around two hundred years and more into the Latter Day of the Law, I was the first to reveal as the banner of propagation of the Lotus Sutra this great mandala that even those such as Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu, T'ien-t'ai and Miao-lo were unable to express. This mandala is in no way my invention. It is the object of devotion that depicts Shakyamuni Buddha, the World-Honored One, seated in the treasure tower of Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas who were Shakyamuni's emanations as perfectly as a print matches its woodblock. Thus the five characters of the Lotus Sutra's title are suspended in the center, while the four heavenly kings are seated at the four corners of the treasure tower. Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth are side by side at the top. Seated below them are the bodhisattvas, including Universal Worthy and Manjushri, and the voice-hearers, including Shariputra and Maudgalyayana. [Beside them are] the gods of the sun and moon, the devil king of the sixth heaven, the dragon king, and an asura. In addition, the wisdom kings Immovable and Craving-Filled take up their stations to the south and north. The evil and treacherous Devadatta and the ignorant dragon king's daughter form a group. Not only the Mother of Demon Children and the ten demon daughters, who are evil demons that sap the lives of people throughout the major world system, but also the SunGoddess, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and the seven reigns of the heavenly gods and five reigns of the earthly gods, who are the guardian deities of Japan -all the various great and small gods, that is, the main gods, are ranged in rows. How then could the remaining subordinate gods be left out? The "Treasure Tower" chapter states, "[Shakyamuni Buddha used his transcendental powers to] lift all the members of the great assembly up into the air."

Without exception, all these Buddhas, bodhisattvas, great sages, and, in general, all the various beings of the (2) two worlds and the eight groups who appear in the "Introduction" chapter of the Lotus Sutra dwell in this Gohonzon. Illuminated by the light of the five characters of the Mystic Law, they display the dignified attributes that they inherently possess. This is the object of devotion.

This is what is meant when the sutra says "the true aspect of all phenomena (3)." Miao-lo stated: "The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena, and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably manifest (4) in life and its environment." It is also stated that the profound principle of the true aspect is the originally inherent (5) Myoho-renge-kyo. The Great Teacher Dengyo said, "A single moment of life comprising the three thousand realms is itself the Buddha of limitless joy; this Buddha has forsaken (6) august appearances." Therefore, this Gohonzon shall be called the great mandala never before known; it did not appear until more than 2,220 years after the Buddha's passing.

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. Therefore, you should take every care to ward off slanderers of the Law in the same way that you would never wish a courtesan even to come near your home. This is the meaning of "Thrust aside evil friends and associate with good companions (7)."

Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth (8) consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life's functions. To be endowed with the Ten Worlds means that all ten, without a single exception, exist in one world. Because of this it is called a mandala. Mandala is a Sanskrit word that is translated as "perfectly endowed" or "a cluster of blessings." This Gohonzon also is found only in the two characters for (9) faith. This is what the sutra means when it states that one can "gain entrance (10) through faith alone."

Since Nichiren's disciples and lay supporters believe solely in the Lotus Sutra, (11) honestly discarding expedient means and not accepting even a single verse (12) of the other sutras, exactly as the Lotus teaches, they can enter the treasure tower of the Gohonzon. How reassuring! Make every possible effort for the sake of your next life. What is most important is that, by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone, you can attain Buddhahood. It will no doubt depend on the strength of your faith. To have faith is the basis of Buddhism. Thus the fourth volume of Great Concentration and Insight states, "Buddhism is like an ocean that one can only enter with faith." The fourth volume of The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight" explains this: "With regard to the phrase 'Buddhism is like an ocean that one can only enter with faith,' even Confucius taught that faith is first and foremost. How much more so is this true of the profound doctrines of Buddhism! Without faith, how could one possibly enter? That is why the Flower Garland Sutra defines faith as the basis of the way and the mother of blessings." The first volume of Great Concentration and Insight says, "How does one hear, believe in, and practice the perfect teaching to attain perfect enlightenment?" The first volume of On "Great Concentration and Insight" says, "To 'believe in the perfect teaching' means to awaken faith through doctrine and to make faith the basis of practice."

A non-Buddhist document relates (13) that, because the emperor of Han believed his aide's report, the waters of a river froze on the spot. Another tells how Li Kuang, because he was eager to revenge his father, shot an arrow all the way up to its feathers into a boulder hidden in the grass. The commentaries of T'ien-t'ai and Miao-lo make it perfectly clear that faith is the cornerstone. Because the Han emperor believed completely in his retainer's words, the river froze over. And Li Kuang was able to pierce a rock with his arrow because he fully believed it to be the tiger that had killed his father. How much more so is this true in Buddhism!

Embracing the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in itself encompasses the five practices. It was this matter, the wonderful practice that includes the immediate completion of the five practices, that was transmitted to the Great Teacher Dengyo when he journeyed to T'ang China and met the Reverend Tao-sui. No other teaching is more important for Nichiren's disciples and lay supporters. It is referred to in the "Supernatural (14) Powers" chapter. I will write again in detail.

Respectfully,

Nichiren

The twenty-third day of the eighth month in the third year of Kenji (1277)

Reply to Nichinyo

Background

In this reply to Nichinyo, Nichiren Daishonin expresses his gratitude for her offerings to the Gohonzon and explains the significance of the object of devotion. The exact identity of Nichinyo is unclear. She is thought to have been either the wife of Ikegami Munenaka, the older of the Ikegami brothers, or a daughter of the lay priest Matsuno Rokuro Saemon, an earnest believer in Suruga Province. Judging from two letters the Daishonin sent her, she seems to have been a woman of good education and considerable affluence. Moreover, as the recipient of a Gohonzon, or object of devotion, she was evidently a sincere believer. This letter contains a description of the Gohonzon that details the figures represented therein and their significance. The Daishonin also underscores the importance of faith in the Gohonzon.

In the first half of the letter, the Daishonin points out the rarity and importance of the Gohonzon. He cites the Lotus Sutra and other works to show that the Gohonzon is the embodiment of "the true aspect of all phenomena" and "the three thousand realms in a single moment of life."

In the second half, describing the great benefit of faith in the Gohonzon, the Daishonin declares, "Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself," adding that the Gohonzon is also found only in faith. Sharing two examples from secular tradition, the Daishonin reminds Nichinyo that faith is by far the most important element in manifesting "the Gohonzon" in one's life. He concludes by stressing that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith is the most complete form of Buddhist practice.

Notes

1. Yen Yüan (514-¬483 BCE), also called Yen Hui, was one of Confucius's most trusted disciples.
2. Beings assembled at the ceremony of the preaching of the Lotus Sutra. The two worlds - the world of desire and the world of form - are two divisions of the threefold world. The "eight groups" refers to the gods of the world of desire, the gods of the world of form, the dragon kings and their followers, the kimnara kings and their followers, the gandharva kings and their followers, the asura kings and their followers, the garuda kings and their followers, and the king of the human world (Ajatashatru) and his followers.
3. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
4. The Diamond Scalpel.
5. This statement is attributed to T'ien-t'ai, but its source has not been identified.
6. This quotation is said to derive from The Treatise on the Secret and Sacred Teachings.
7. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
8. The ninth, or amala-, consciousness is the Buddha nature, or the fundamental purifying force, that is free from all karmic impediments. Here the Daishonin is associating it with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
9. The Japanese word for faith consists of two Chinese characters.
10. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
11. This phrase appears in chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra.
12. This phrase appears in chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra.
13. Emperor Kuang-wu (6 BCE-CE 57), the founder of the Later Han dynasty. Before becoming emperor, he was once defeated in battle. While retreating, he and his forces were cornered before a broad river. When his trusted aide, Wang Pa, falsely reported that the river was frozen and that they could cross it, the emperor-to-be believed his report and then found the river indeed frozen.
14. This presumably refers to a passage of the "Supernatural Powers" chapter of the Lotus Sutra that reads, "After I have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha way."

Great Gosho!

 

[pb4ugo]

Damn man! Kenzoku for sure. You say everything I might say or might hope to say! I am so filled with gratitude for you having joined us here, pb! I am sure there are many people reading the thread that are getting a great deal of correct understanding by reading what you have to say. May we be blessed that you continue. You have my deepest respect!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the most Wonderful Law!


Thomas

Dear Thomas, I humbly feel the same way about your posts which comes from your very essence of your Buddhahood- a reflecttion of your deep faith.
Thank you,
pb

BTW, I will be traveling to Philadelphia on the bus tomorrow with our youth division - 24 hours trip going from Florida and 24 hours back. Be back on Monday. Post on Tuesday ;-)

 

[pb4ugo]

Thank you Babba (in Arabic it means Father)
We are in it together.

pb

 

[Forest20]

Be very safe PB and have a blast

 

[unclefishstick]

Dear Thomas, I humbly feel the same way about your posts which comes from your very essence of your Buddhahood- a reflecttion of your deep faith.
Thank you,
pb

BTW, I will be traveling to Philadelphia on the bus tomorrow with our youth division - 24 hours trip going from Florida and 24 hours back. Be back on Monday. Post on Tuesday ;-)

heehee,dont forget to pee before you go!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[pb4ugo]

heehee,dont forget to pee before you go!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

Thank you Fish
I am intending to do that before I board the Bus ;-)

 

[unclefishstick]

No,thank you,i am having lots of "aha" moments reading your post here!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

For better understanding:

For better understanding:

You can check the meaning of every term in this explaination here:

http://www.sgilibrary.org/dict.html

five periods and eight teachings
[五時八教] (Jpn goji-hakkyo )

A system of classification of the Buddhist teachings set forth by T'ient'ai (538-597) in The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra to demonstrate the superiority of the Lotus Sutra over all the other sutras. The five periods is a classification of Shakyamuni Buddha's sutras according to the order in which they were expounded and consists of the Flower Garland, Agama, Correct and Equal, Wisdom, and Lotus and Nirvana periods. The eight teachings is an organization of the Buddha's teachings by content and method of presentation. It consists of two sub-classifications— the four teachings of doctrine and the four teachings of method. The four teachings of doctrine, a classification by content, are the Tripitaka teaching, the connecting teaching, the specific teaching, and the perfect teaching. The four teachings of method, a classification by method of teaching, are the sudden teaching, the gradual teaching, the secret teaching, and the indeterminate teaching. See also eight teachings; five periods.

eight teachings
[八教] ( Jpn hakkyo )

A system by which T'ient'ai (538-597) classified Shakyamuni's teachings. The eight teachings are divided into two groups: the four teachings of doctrine and the four teachings of method. The first is a division by content, and the second, by method of teaching. The four teachings of doctrine are: (1) The Tripitaka teaching, which corresponds to Hinayana, is so called because it consists of the three divisions of the canon (Skt tripitaka )—sutras (the Buddha's teachings), vinaya (the rules of monastic discipline), and abhi dharma (commentaries and treatises). The teachings of this category reveal the cause of transmigration in the threefold world and urge one to free oneself from this continual rebirth and enter the state of nirvana in which all desires are extinguished. To help one cast off attachment to the threefold world, they teach the analytical view of nonsubstantiality, or the perception that all things, when analyzed into their constituent elements (dharmas), prove to be without substance. These teachings were expounded primarily for persons of the two vehicles and secondarily for bodhisattvas. (2) The connecting teaching, or introductory Mahayana, which is so called because it forms a link between the Tripitaka teaching and the specific teaching. Like the Tripitaka teaching, the connecting teaching is concerned with casting off attachment to the threefold world. The teachings of this category deny the view of the Tripitaka teaching that all things, when analyzed, prove to be without substance; instead they teach the view that all things, just as they are, are without substance, because they arise and disappear only by virtue of dependent origination. These teachings are directed primarily to bodhisattvas and secondarily to persons of the two vehicles. (3) The specific teaching, or a higher level of provisional Mahayana, which is so called because it was expounded specifically for bodhisattvas. The teachings of this category set forth a long series of austere practices spanning many kalpas, which bodhisattvas must carry out to attain Buddhahood. They address the three truths of nonsubstantiality, temporary existence, and the Middle Way, but indicate them as separate from and independent of one another. (4) The perfect teaching, which expounds the mutually inclusive relationship of the ultimate reality and all phenomena, and the unification of the three truths. The perfect teaching is directed to people of all capacities and holds that all can attain Buddhahood. According to T'ient'ai's system, the Tripitaka, connecting, and specific teachings are all means leading to the perfect teaching, which encompasses and unifies them. The four teachings of method is a classification of the teachings in terms of the way the Buddha taught them. They are (1) The sudden teaching, or those teachings that Shakyamuni expounded directly from his own enlightenment without giving his disciples preparatory knowledge. This category corresponds to the Flower Garland Sutra, traditionally regarded as the first teaching he expounded after his enlightenment at Buddhagaya.
(2) The gradual teaching, or those teachings expounded to gradually elevate people's capacities to an understanding of higher doctrines. The gradual teaching corresponds to the sutras of the Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods.
(3) The secret teaching, or those teachings that the listeners understand differently according to their respective capacities and from which they each receive a different benefit without being aware of the difference.
(4) The indeterminate teaching, or those teachings that the listeners understand and benefit from differently as above but are aware of the difference. See also five periods.

five periods
[五時] (Jpn go-ji )

Also, five periods of preaching or five periods of teachings. A classification by T'ient'ai (538-597) of Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings according to the order in which he believed they had been expounded. They are as follows: (1) The Flower Garland period, or the period of the Flower Garland Sutra, which according to T'ient'ai was the first teaching Shakyamuni expounded after his enlightenment. The Flower Garland teaching represents a very high level of teaching, second only to the teachings of the Lotus and Nirvana period. With this teaching, the Buddha awakens his listeners to the greatness of Buddhism, though it was too profound for them to grasp. The Flower Garland period is also referred to as the Flower Ornament period or the Avatamsaka period. The Avatamsaka Sutra is the Sanskrit title of the Flower Garland Sutra. (2) The Agama period, or the period of the Agama sutras. Perceiving that his disciples' capacity was not yet ready for the Flower Garland teaching, Shakyamuni next expounded the Agama teachings as a means to develop their capacity. These teachings reveal the four noble truths—the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, and the truth of the path to the cessation of suffering—that free people from the six paths and correspond to the Hinayana teachings. The Agama period is also called the Deer Park period, or the period of the sermon in Deer Park, because the Buddha preached the Agama teachings at Deer Park. (3) The Correct and Equal period, or the period of the introductory Mahayana sutras. In this period, Shakyamuni refuted his disciples' attachment to Hinayana doctrines and directed them toward provisional Mahayana with such teachings as the Amida, Mahavairochana, and Vimalakirti sutras. The Correct and Equal period is also referred to as the Vaipulya period or the Extended period. The Sanskrit word vaipulya means largeness or spaciousness. (4) The Wisdom period, or the period of the Wisdom sutras. In this period, Shakyamuni expounded a higher level of provisional Mahayana and refuted his disciples' attachment to the distinction between Hinayana and Mahayana by teaching the doctrine of nonsubstantiality. The Wisdom period is also referred to as the Prajna period because in this period the Prajna-paramita, or Perfection of Wisdom, sutras were preached. (5) The Lotus and Nirvana period, or period of the Lotus and Nirvana sutras, in which Shakyamuni taught directly from the standpoint of his enlightenment, fully revealing the truth. In this eight-year interval, he expounded the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra, the latter a restatement of the teachings in the Lotus Sutra. According to T'ient'ai, the Flower Garland period lasted for twenty-one days, the Agama period for twelve years, the Correct and Equal period for eight or sixteen years, the Wisdom period for twenty-two or fourteen years, and the Lotus and Nirvana period for eight years. In fact there is no way to verify the historical accuracy of these figures or, for that matter, of the order of the five periods. The five periods could perhaps best be described as T'ient'ai's account of the process by which Shakyamuni led his disciples to an understanding of his ultimate teaching.

expedient means
[方便] (Skt, Pali upaya; Jpn hoben )

The methods adopted to instruct people and lead them to enlightenment. The concept of expedient means is highly regarded in Mahayana Buddhism, especially in the Lotus Sutra, as represented by its second chapter titled "Expedient Means." This is because expedient means are skillfully devised and employed by Buddhas and bodhisattvas to lead the people to salvation. According to the Lotus Sutra, the three vehicles of the voice-hearer, cause-awakened one, and bodhisattva are provisional teachings and expedient means designed to lead people to the one Buddha vehicle, or the teaching that leads all people to Buddhahood. The teaching that directly reveals the truth of enlightenment is called the true teaching, while the teachings that are expounded in accordance with the people's capacity and as a temporary means of leading people to the truth are called expedient teachings or provisional teachings. See also three expedient means.

three expedient means
[三方便] (Jpn san-hoben )

Also, three types of expedient means. A classification of Shakyamuni's teachings into three categories, set forth by T'ient'ai (538-597) in The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra. In that work, T'ient'ai interprets the title of the second chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "Expedient Means," with his three types of expedient means. Expedient means indicates the teachings the Buddha expounds in order to lead people to the true and supreme teaching. The first category is known as "adaptations of the Law expedient means" ( Jpn hoyu-hoben ), the teachings that were preached in accordance with the people's capacities. The second is called "expedient means that can lead one in" (notsu-hoben), indicating the teachings the Buddha preached as a gateway to the true teaching. These first two expedient means correspond to the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and constitute provisional teachings. They are what the Buddha refers to in the "Expedient Means" chapter where he says, "Honestly discarding expedient means, I will preach only the unsurpassed way." The third category, or "secret and wonderful expedient means"(himyo-hoben), is the teaching that contains the truth. This expedient means indicates that the Buddha concealed, or kept secret, the truth for the first forty-two years of his preaching life, expounding it only in the Lotus Sutra. When viewed from the standpoint of the Lotus Sutra, however, all the provisional teachings are included in the sutra as partial explanations of the truth. This inclusion is termed "wonderful" (myo). Unlike the first two expedient means, the third category is not only a means that leads people to the truth, but also the truth itself. Nichiren (1222-1282) explains "secret and wonderful expedient means" with the parable of the jewel in the robe from the "Five Hundred Disciples" (eighth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, in which a poor man has a precious jewel sewn inside his robe but is unaware of it. Because he is unaware, the jewel is "secret," but because he owns it, it is "wonderful." The jewel sewn in the robe indicates that Buddhahood is inherent in all people (wonderful), and the poor man's ignorance of it, that ordinary people are unaware of their own Buddha nature (secret).

 

[PassTheDoobie]

T'ien-t'ai
[天台] (538–597) (PY Tiantai; Jpn Tendai)

Also known as Chih-i. The founder of the T'ient'ai school in China, commonly referred to as the Great Teacher T'ient'ai or the Great Teacher Chihche (Chihche meaning "person of wisdom"). The name T'ient'ai was taken from Mount T'ient'ai where he lived, and this, too, became the name of the Buddhist school he effectively founded. He was a native of Hua-jung in Ching-chou, China, where his father was a senior official in the Liang dynasty government (502-557). The fall of the Liang dynasty forced his family into exile. He lost both parents soon thereafter and in 555 entered the Buddhist priesthood under Fa-hsyat Kuo-yyan-ssu temple. He then went to Mount Ta-hsien where he studied the Lotus Sutra and its related scriptures. In 560 he visited Nan-yyeh (also known as Hui-ssu) on Mount Ta-su to study under him, and as a result of intense practice, he is said to have attained an awakening through the "Medicine King" (twenty-third) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This awakening is referred to as the "enlightenment on Mount Ta-su." After seven years of practice under Nan-yyeh, T'ient'ai left the mountain and made his way to Chin-ling, the capital of the Ch'en dynasty, where he lived at the temple Wa-kuan-ssu and lectured for eight years on the Lotus Sutra and other texts. His fame spread, and he attracted many followers. Aware that the number of his disciples who were obtaining insight was decreasing, however, and, in order to further his understanding and practice, he retired to Mount T'ient'ai in 575. Thereafter, at the emperor's repeated request, he lectured on The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom and the Benevolent Kings Sutra at the imperial court in Chin-ling. In 587, at Kuang-che-ssu temple in Chin-ling, he gave lectures on the Lotus Sutra that were later compiled as The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra. After the downfall of the Ch'en dynasty, he returned to his native Ching-chou and there expounded teachings that were set down as The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra in 593 and Great Concentration and Insight in 594 at Yy-ch'yan-ssu temple. The three works mentioned above were all compiled by his disciple Chang-an and became the three major texts of the T'ient'ai school. He then returned to Mount T'ient'ai, where he died. Other lectures of T'ient'ai compiled by Chang-an include The Profound Meaning of the "Perceiver of the World's Sounds" Chapter and The Profound Meaning of the Golden Light Sutra. T'ient'ai criticized the scriptural classifications formulated by the ten major Buddhist schools of his time, which regarded either the Flower Garland Sutra or the Nirvana Sutra as the highest Buddhist teachings. Instead he classified all of Shakyamuni's sutras into "five periods and eight teachings" and through this classification demonstrated the superiority of the Lotus Sutra. He also established the practice of threefold contemplation in a single mind and the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Because he systematized the doctrine of what became known as the T'ient'ai school, he is revered as its founder, though, according to Chang-an's preface to Great Concentration and Insight, the lineage of the teaching itself began with Hui-wen, who based his teaching on Nagarjuna and transferred it to Nan-yyeh.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

three thousand realms in a single moment of life
[一念三千] (Jpn ichinen-sanzen )

Also, the principle of a single moment of life comprising three thousand realms. "A single moment of life" (ichinen) is also translated as one mind, one thought, or one thought-moment. A philosophical system established by T'ient'ai (538-597) in his Great Concentration and Insight on the basis of the phrase "the true aspect of all phenomena" from the "Expedient Means" (second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The three thousand realms, or the entire phenomenal world, exist in a single moment of life. The number three thousand here comes from the following calculation: 10 (Ten Worlds) 10 (Ten Worlds) 10 (ten factors) 3 (three realms of existence). Life at any moment manifests one of the Ten Worlds. Each of these worlds possesses the potential for all ten within itself, and this "mutual possession," or mutual inclusion, of the Ten Worlds is represented as 10 squared, or a hundred, possible worlds. Each of these hundred worlds possesses the ten factors, making one thousand factors or potentials, and these operate within each of the three realms of existence, thus making three thousand realms. The theoretical teaching (first half) of the Lotus Sutra expounds the ten factors of life. It also sets forth the attainment of Buddhahood by persons of the two vehicles (voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones), which signifies the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds. The essential teaching (latter half) of the sutra reveals the true cause (the eternal nine worlds), the true effect (eternal Buddhahood), and the true land (the eternal land or realm of the environment). T'ient'ai unified all these concepts in one system, three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Volume five of Great Concentration and Insight reads: "Life at each moment is endowed with the Ten Worlds. At the same time, each of the Ten Worlds is endowed with all Ten Worlds, so that an entity of life actually possesses one hundred worlds. Each of these worlds in turn possesses thirty realms, which means that in the one hundred worlds there are three thousand realms. The three thousand realms of existence are all possessed by life in a single moment. If there is no life, that is the end of the matter. But if there is the slightest bit of life, it contains all the three thousand realms.... This is what we mean when we speak of the 'region of the unfathomable.'" "Life at each moment" means life as an indivisible whole that includes body and mind, cause and effect, and sentient and insentient things. A single moment of life is endowed, as stated above, with the three thousand realms. The relationship of these two elements is not such that one precedes the other, or that they are simultaneous in the sense that one is included in the other. Actually they are non-dual or, as T'ient'ai put it, "two [in phenomena] but not two [in essence]." The provisional teachings stated that all phenomena arise from the mind, or that they are subordinate to the mind. The Lotus Sutra clarifies that the true aspect is inseparable from all phenomena, and that all phenomena, just as they are, are in themselves the true aspect. When T'ient'ai stated, "The three thousand realms of existence are all possessed by life in a single moment.... But if there is the slightest bit of life, it contains all the three thousand realms," he is referring to the non-duality of "a single moment of life" and the "three thousand realms." "The three thousand realms in a single moment of life" is classified into two as the theoretical principle and the actual embodiment of this principle. These are respectively termed the "theoretical three thousand realms in a single moment of life" and the "actual three thousand realms in a single moment of life." The theoretical principle is based on the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, which expounds the equality of Buddhahood and the nine worlds. Both, it points out, are manifestations of the true aspect. The theoretical teaching also reveals the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds based on the principle that persons of the two vehicles, who were denied Buddhahood in the provisional teachings, also possess innate Buddhahood and can attain it. Strictly speaking, however, the theoretical teaching reveals only the hundred worlds and, multiplying by the ten factors of life, the thousand factors, and does not reveal their eternal nature. Only when supported by the essential teaching (the latter half) of the Lotus Sutra, can the theoretical teaching be said to expound theoretically, as a possibility, the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. On the other hand, the essential teaching reveals Shakyamuni's enlightenment in the remote past (the true effect, eternal Buddhahood), the eternal life of his disciples, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth (the true cause, the eternal nine worlds), and the eternity of the saha world (the true land). These explain the eternal Ten Worlds and the eternal three realms of existence, and thus "the actual three thousand realms in a single moment of life." Despite its comprehensive view, the essential teaching does not go on to reveal the practice that enables one to embody directly this principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. Though the sutra says, "If there are those who hear the Law, then not a one will fail to attain Buddhahood," it does not identify what the Law is. That is why Nichiren (1222-1282) defined the entire Lotus Sutra—both the theoretical and the essential teachings—as representing "the theoretical three thousand realms in a single moment of life." In contrast, Nichiren embodied his life embracing the three thousand realms in a single moment, or the life of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, in the mandala known as the Gohonzon and established the practice for attaining Buddhahood. That practice is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon. In Nichiren's teaching, this is the practice for "observing the mind," i.e., observing one's own mind and seeing Buddhahood in it. For this reason, his teaching is summarized in the phrase "embracing the Gohonzon is in itself observing one's mind" or "embracing the Gohonzon is in itself attaining Buddhahood." He states in a 1273 letter known as Reply to Kyo'o, "I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (WND/412), and in his 1273 treatise The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind: "Showing profound compassion for those unable to comprehend the gem of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, the Buddha wrapped it within the five characters [of Myoho-renge-kyo], with which he then adorned the necks of the ignorant people of the latter age" (WND/376). Nichikan (1665-1726), the twenty-sixth chief priest of Taiseki-ji temple, interpreted the above passage of volume five of Great Concentration and Insight from the viewpoint of Nichiren's teaching. Nichikan defined "life at each moment" as the life of the eternal Buddha, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is inscribed down the center of the Gohonzon; he further interpreted "endowed with the Ten Worlds" as the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other figures inscribed on both sides of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the Gohonzon. These represent the principles of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, the hundred worlds and the thousand factors, and the three thousand realms. According to Nichikan, the sentence "The three thousand realms of existence are all possessed by life in a single moment" refers to the "region of the unfathomable," which he interprets as the object of devotion that embodies the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. This is not to be viewed simply as an external object but as something that exists in the life of a person with faith in the object of devotion. Without faith, the object of devotion endowed with the three thousand realms does not exist within one's life. This, Nichikan stated, is the ultimate meaning of T'ient'ai's doctrine.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
[南無妙法蓮華経] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

The ultimate Law or truth of the universe, according to Nichiren's teaching. Nichiren first taught the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to a small group of people at Seicho-ji temple in his native province of Awa, Japan, on the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month in 1253. It literally means devotion to Myoho-renge-kyo. Myoho-renge-kyo is the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra, which Nichiren regards as the sutra's essence, and appending nam (a phonetic change of namu) to that phrase indicates devotion to the title and essence of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren identifies it with the universal Law or principle implicit in the meaning of the sutra's text. The meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is explained in the opening section of The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, the record of Nichiren's lectures on the Lotus Sutra compiled by his disciple and successor, Nikko. It states that namu derives from the Sanskrit word namas and is translated as devotion, or as "dedicating one's life." What one should dedicate one's life to, he says, are the Person and the Law. The Person signifies "Shakyamuni," which means the eternal Buddha, and the Law is "the Lotus Sutra," which means the ultimate truth, or Myoho-renge-kyo. According to Orally Transmitted Teachings, the act of devotion (namu) has two aspects: One is to devote oneself to, or fuse one's life with, the eternal and unchanging truth; the other is that, through this fusion of one's life with the ultimate truth, one simultaneously draws forth inexhaustible wisdom that functions in accordance with changing circumstances. Orally Transmitted Teachings further states: "We may also note that the nam of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a Sanskrit word, while Myoho-renge-kyo are Chinese words. Sanskrit and Chinese join in a single moment to form Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. If we express the title [of the Lotus Sutra] in Sanskrit, it will be Saddharma-pundarika-sutra. This is Myoho-renge-kyo. Sad (a phonetic change of sat) means myo, or wonderful. Dharma means ho, Law or phenomena. Pundarika means renge, or lotus blossom. Sutra means kyo, or sutra. The nine Chinese characters [that represent the Sanskrit title] are the Buddha bodies of the nine honored ones. This expresses the idea that the nine worlds are none other than the Buddha world.” Myo stands for the Dharma nature, or enlightenment, while ho represents darkness, or ignorance. Together as myoho, they express the idea that ignorance and the Dharma nature are a single entity, or one in essence. Renge stands for the two elements of cause and effect. Cause and effect are also a single entity." Kyo represents the words and voices of all living beings. A commentary says, 'The voice carries out the work of the Buddha, and it is called kyo.' Kyo may also be defined as that which is constant and unchanging in the three existences of past, present, and future. The Dharma realm is myoho, the wonderful Law; the Dharma realm is renge, the lotus blossom; the Dharma realm is kyo, the sutra." As Nichiren states, namu derives from Sanskrit, and Myoho-renge-kyo comes from Chinese. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is, therefore, not simply a Japanese phrase, but a Japanese reading of a Sanskrit and Chinese phrase. In this sense, it contains aspects of the languages of three countries in which Mahayana Buddhism spread. According to Nichiren's treatise The Entity of the Mystic Law, Nan-yyeh and T'ient'ai of China and Dengyo of Japan recited the invocation meaning devotion to the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as their private practice, but they did not spread this practice to others. In On the Three Great Secret Laws, Nichiren states that the daimoku Nichiren chants today in the Latter Day of the Law is different from that of the previous ages—the daimoku T'ient'ai and others chanted in the Former Day and Middle Day of the Law—because the practice of daimoku in the Latter Day of the Law involves chanting it oneself and teaching others to do so as well. Nichiren not only established the invocation (daimoku) of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo but embodied it as a mandala, making it the object of devotion called Gohonzon. In Reply to Kyo'o, he states, "I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi ink, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (WND/412).

 

[unclefishstick]

wow PTD,you and pb4 have the perfect timing,just when i have read enough to have some questions,Bammo,there it is,the very information i was looking for!!

thanks again for allowing me to mutter in the corner! keep holding the lantern high for all us lost ones

 

[Babbabud]

Gohonzon
Gohonzon
Gohonzon
Nam myoho renge kyo