Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

"Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage."

(On the Buddha's Prophecy - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 402) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 23rd, 2010

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

We've been feeling the effects of everyone's daimoku!!

We've been feeling the effects of everyone's daimoku!!

Thank you all so much for your daimoku! I got all my Youth Division leaders, as many members as I know, all the chanting growers and many others successfully chanting for my mother. We had a great Sunday together in the hospital and she is still looking at an uphill battle, but my friends I've seen her happy! She treated me really well, even though she was trying to tell me that the 'different' kind of Buddhism I practice is not working 100% (she says 'different' because she recognizes that this Mahayana practice is much simpler and easier to understand and practice than the other types of Buddhism she's familiar with). HA, it truly is! While she said that I sat there smiling with my facemask on(we all have to wear them because her immunity is low). I read her many SGI pamphlets and delivered gifts to her from my SGI friends. I also bought her flowers and today when we spoke over the phone she was so happy and appreciating and admiring her flowers.

Just as Nichiren Daishonin urges all his disciples, I also echo the call to honor, love and respect our parents. Many of us don't have parents anymore or they are very old, but we can always chant for them and their happiness. Oh, how delightful it is to have absolute faith in the Gohonzon. Everyday is a huge benefit.

In this middle of this struggle, I held a youth division meeting and we had 12 youth show up, three guests and one young man received his Gohonzon on Saturday! I'm doing my best to raise capable pillars for kosen-rufu in America. It doesn't matter if my lazier friends are content complaining about their nine-to-fives or lack of work, I'm showing them that by chanting with all your heart anything is possible. My good friend chase is finally getting more active with the practice. He as your may recall from my posts in 2007 is my second shakubuku. Although its not easy to keep encouraging those we introduce through our daimoku, it is important to always chant for those that come into our lives because of our daimoku.

I sincerely hope Weird tries to attend some meetings with his peers this year and opens this practice up to his family as well. I really want all the chanting growers to be happy and win in life. This is my deepest prayer based on my lifetimes and countless time doing Bodhisattva stuff in many different worlds throughout the universe with each of you that are my spiritual brethren.

I am becoming the change I wish to see in the world! Join me my friends and especially my female friends, "THE WORLD IS OURS!"

 

[EasyMyohoDisco]

"The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, contain the benefit amassed through the countless practices and meritorious deeds of all Buddhas throughout the three existences. Then, how can these five characters not include the benefits obtained by observing all of the Buddhas' precepts?"
The Teaching, Practice and Proof (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 481)

 

[Forest20]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The True Entity of Life (The True Aspect of All Phenomena) continued

The True Entity of Life (The True Aspect of All Phenomena) continued

"Thus I Heard"

The one thousand arhats shed tears in memory of the Buddha, and in tears Bodhisattva Monju chanted Myoho-renge-kyo. From among those one thousand arhats, the venerable Ananda replied in tears, "Thus I heard." Thereupon the tears of all the others fell, wetting their inkstones, and they wrote "Myoho-renge-kyo" followed by "Thus I heard." I, Nichiren, now feel exactly as they did. I am now in exile because I spread the teaching of Myoho-renge-kyo. I spread this teaching because I, too, "heard thus": Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha left Myoho-renge-kyo for the Japanese and all people in the future.

Here we see the meeting held to compile the Buddhist scriptures. Notice in particular the phrase, "Thus I heard." It appears at the beginning of all the sutras, following a title that encapsulates the essence of each sutra. Literally, it means that "I have personally heard Shakyamuni speak these words."

"Monju chanted Myoho-renge-kyo.... Ananda replied in tears, 'Thus I heard.' . . . all the others . . . wrote 'Myoho-renge-kyo' followed by 'Thus I heard.'" This means that all the participants had heard Myoho-renge-kyo and agreed it was the ultimate of Shakyamuni's teaching.

"Thus I heard" does not mean simply to listen to something. It is a much stronger declaration. In his Hokke Mongu, T'ien-t'ai states that "I heard" indicates a person who upholds [the True Law]. In other words, it implies the believer's affirmation that the sutra he "heard" is the essence of the Buddha's teaching and his resolution to practice Buddhism precisely as the sutra says, devoting himself to showing its validity through his behavior.

Nichiren Daishonin, too, "heard that Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha left Myoho-renge-kyo for the Japanese and all people in the future." That is why he fought so valiantly to propagate the Mystic Law, endured persecution to prove the validity of the Lotus Sutra, and at last left the Gohonzon for generations to come in the ten thousand years of the Latter Day and on into eternity.

Our first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and second president, Josei Toda, were the contemporary masters who "had heard" that the Buddhism Nichiren Daishonin left for us is the fundamental law of human revolution and world peace. Since they "had heard thus," one became a martyr for kosen-rufu, and the other gave his life, also, to the same lofty mission. The conduct of our two presidents exemplifies the Soka Gakkai spirit, and the way of life we, too, should strive for.

After Shakyamuni's passing, Monju, Ananda and the other disciples shed tears in his memory, called his teachings to mind, and in tears wrote them into the Buddhist scriptures. This was the expression of their infinite gratitude for the Buddha's mercy. In short, they could not contain their deep emotion toward Shakyamuni and left his teachings in sutra form, which paved the way for the spread of Buddhism into the future.

Nichiren Daishonin felt "exactly as they did." With gratitude for Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra, and with tears of boundless mercy for all mankind, he revealed the supreme law to be propagated throughout the Latter Day and on into eternity. This is what he means when he says in Requital for the Buddha's Favor, "If Nichiren's mercy is truly great, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity."

We, too, must thank the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, for the treasury he left for us, despite his hardships. With the great joy we have in our faith in true Buddhism, let us tell everyone we can about it and get them as involved and excited as we are, until it spreads to all mankind in future generations.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit gained from one day’s practice in the impure world. Two thousand years of propagating Buddhism during the Former and Middle Days of the Law are inferior to an hour of propagation in the Latter Day of the Law. "

(On Repaying Debts of Gratitude - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 736) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, February 23rd, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When we chant powerful daimoku, make a firm resolve in faith, and keep pressing forwards in the face of trying situations, the indestructible life-state of Buddhahood will pulse in our lives at each moment. It will rouse the protective forces of the universe, and enable us to transform even evil demons and their minions--the negative functions of life--into allies.

"The Ikegami brothers, along with their wives, united together solidly and strove in their Buddhist practice in exact accord with the solemn instruction of the Daishonin. Eventually, they were able to guide their father, who had been deceived by corrupt, self-serving priests, to the correct teaching. They demonstrated undeniable proof of victory by achieving a happy and harmonious family, and further by putting Buddhism into practice in their endeavours in society."

SGI Newsletter No. 8165, Creating an Enduring Story of Victory, from the March 2011 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Feb. 18th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The True Entity of Life (The True Aspect of All Phenomena) continued

The True Entity of Life (The True Aspect of All Phenomena) continued

Persecution and Enlightenment

I cannot hold back my tears when I think of the great persecution confronting me now, or when I think of the joy of attaining Buddhahood in the future. Birds cry, but never shed tears. I, Nichiren, do not cry, but my tears flow ceaselessly. I shed my tears not for worldly affairs but solely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. So indeed, they must be tears of amrita. The Nirvana Sutra states that while the tears one sheds throughout his many existences on the death of his parents, brothers, sisters, wives, children and followers may surpass the quantity of water in all the seas, he weeps not a drop for Buddhism.

"The great persecution confronting me now," of course, is his exile to Sado. It was indeed a bitter experience, but he underwent this persecution as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. Because he was the votary then, he knew for certain that he would "attain Buddhahood in the future." Whichever way he thought about it, he could not hold back his tears.

Important here is his teaching that "the great persecution" at the moment leads directly to "attaining Buddhahood in the future." To overcome great persecution is to attain enlightenment. A long succession of hardships lies ahead on our way to the human revolution. But only by facing and overcoming them can you attain Buddhahood.

The history of the Soka Gakkai is filled with huge and painful trials, but that is only further proof that it is an organization of "envoys of the Buddha, sent to carry out the Buddha's work." What other person or group in this age has ever suffered so much for the sake of the Lotus Sutra? Some religious bodies are hopelessly degraded, concerned only to deceive their believers and preserve themselves. The single teaching quoted above makes one realize that the Soka Gakkai is an organization that echoes the Daishonin's life, carrying out the Buddha's work exactly as he has willed.

The Gosho states, "Those who overcome hardships and embrace the Lotus Sutra from beginning to end are the envoys of the Buddha." This means that those who endure persecution and oppression and overcome them are equal to Buddhas. Whenever I read this passage I feel renewed enthusiasm for our mission. Ours is a true revolution, not some game played under the cover of religion. Watched by the Buddhas and bodhisattvas throughout time and space, we are waging a decisive battle with the devil that pervades the universe, showing whether or not we can prove Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism to be true. We cannot allow ourselves to weaken or retreat even a bit. Continue to advance cheerfully and valiantly together with me, fighting as the original Buddha commands, deceived or swayed by no one. Make this noble campaign a record of your own achievement --- one that will be remembered forever.

Tears express the feelings deepest within our hearts. The brief passage above gives a sense of the profound mercy and emotion Nichiren Daishonin felt every moment of his life. "Birds cry, but never shed tears." Birds sing. Some of them are well known for their beautiful calls. But their cries come from instinct, not feeling. "I, Nichiren, do not cry, but my tears flow ceaselessly." This famous phrase seems to show forth the boundless compassion of Nichiren Daishonin.

"I shed my tears not for worldly affairs," he says, "but solely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra." He does not shed tears just because he feels pain, hardship or sadness. His tears are shed as he tries to propagate the Lotus Sutra in order to save people from suffering for all time. "So indeed, they must be tears of amrita." Amrita (also known as ambrosia), according to ancient legends, is the sweet-tasting drink of immortality. The Chinese believed that the heavens let it rain down on paradise, to relieve human beings of all their sufferings and bring them perpetual youth and immortality. Nichiren Daishonin's tears were crystallized into the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws to enrich human life, remove suffering and give people unfading youth and eternal life. We can taste the amrita of the Gohonzon's blessings through our own experience.

The passage of the Nirvana Sutra talks of human life in the past, present and future. It says that we shed more than enough tears for mundane things during the countless lifetimes we live, but not a single tear for Buddhism. It is saying how difficult it is for people to encounter Buddhism and, even when they happen to do so, how rarely they truly have faith in it. Nichiren Daishonin shed tears throughout his life for the sake of Buddhism. In the same spirit let us dedicate our own lives to this noble mission, letting our tears flow for the sake of the True Law.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

We've been feeling the effects of everyone's daimoku!!

Let's all do our best to keep suppporting Easy as he faces this most difficult challenge. Easy, please continue to be the shining example of correct faith that you are! Thank you!!!

Much love and deepest respect,

Thomas

 

[Lapides]

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO
NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!!!

 

[Desiderata]

Sometimes we have to let go of EVERYTHING we can not control.

 

[Desiderata]

When I chant I am trying to control outcomes of infinite sorts, or specific definite objectives, OR complete F R E E D O M......

 

[Desiderata]

Easy I wish I could be by your side. You have helped me with your faith & courage, for that I hold you in high regards.

 

[Desiderata]

A Gohonzon is a special, sacred piece of paper. Humans are flesh & Blood. We are not plant material. My Human Heart worships all of mankind, because I LOVE FAMILY!

 

[Desiderata]

Slander,dander, nobody dis-respects me.....I chant NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!....WHen I'm scared to death, I instantly chant NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO....and the Life Source is in control........

 

[Desiderata]

Today I had to work with "PORK CHOP", HE is a human being but so conviently becomes the JOKE RETARD non showering jokester.

 

[Desiderata]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[Desiderata]

Because of TWO individual FREEDOM FIGHTERS, gypsy & the BEAUTIFUL, we are F A M I L Y!!!......NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO........

 

[Desiderata]

YOU know I LOVE you ALL.............

 

[PassTheDoobie]

YOU know I LOVE you ALL.............

And you know we all love you too!

Let me share my secret fantasy. It involves what I'd do if I suddenly had LOTS and LOTS of money. I swear to you Desi, my fantasy is that I use that wealth to immediately fly to you and go see whoever it is that has made this difficult for you and take their fucking head off verbally for their arrogance and lack of compassion. Then, if we failed to get them to relent with their baloney little made-up rules, we would just pack you and Ann up and fly you two to Japan to receive your Gohonzon.

Anyone from anywhere can get one there. Let’s face it, the reason you haven’t received yours isn’t because you don’t want it (as far as I know). I’ve actually chanted about this many times. I do deeply care about you Desi! I’ve never met you, but I do. Everyone here has helped create such significant change in my life that I could never repay that debt of gratitude in a thousand lifetimes.

But how can we not mention the Gohonzon in what we do on this thread? And strictly as a friend, I hope you’ll be very careful establishing differing interpretations of what the Gohonzon is and the source of its influence, than those taught by Nichiren himself. It would seem by a couple of your comments that there is some confusion about that.

But of course, it could just be that I misunderstood your point.

Bowing in humble obeisance and deepest respect to my Brother Desi,

Thomas