Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

The Oneness of Body and Mind

The Oneness of Body and Mind

"Buddhism regards life as the unity of the physical and the spiritual. It views all things, whether material or spiritual, seen or unseen, as manifestations of the same ultimate universal law or source of life defined in the Nichiren tradition as Myoho-renge-kyo. The physical and spiritual aspects of our lives are completely inseparable and of equal importance."

Materialists claim that the physical or material world which can be measured and touched is the only "reality," whereas some spiritual traditions see the physical as mere illusion--or something inherently corrupt which exists in order to be transcended, and the spiritual as the ultimate truth.

Buddhism regards life as the unity of the physical and the spiritual. It views all things, whether material or spiritual, seen or unseen, as manifestations of the same ultimate universal law or source of life defined in the Nichiren tradition as Myoho-renge-kyo. The physical and spiritual aspects of our lives are completely inseparable and of equal importance. This is expressed in the Japanese expression shikishin funi. Shiki refers to all matter and physical phenomena, including the human body. Shin refers to all spiritual, unseen phenomena, including reason, emotion and volition. Funi literally means "two but not two."

Nichiren expressed this in a letter to one of his followers, stating: "A person can know another's mind by listening to his voice. This is because the physical aspect reveals the spiritual aspect. The physical and the spiritual, which are one in essence, manifest themselves as two distinct aspects."

A person's inner emotional state will be revealed in his or her physical appearance. The feelings of someone in a happy and optimistic mood can be read in their face; there may even be a skip in their step. In contrast, the painful gait and drawn features of a person weighed down by suffering can communicate his or her inner torment even from a distance.

Our inner mental state also affects the physical functioning of our bodies. The most dramatic manifestations of this are laughter and tears, physical signs of our inner feelings. Mental or psychological stress has been linked to a range of illness from skin disorders, allergies, asthma and ulcers to cancer. Depression and hopelessness lower the body's resistance, making us vulnerable to a variety of afflictions. On the other hand, a positive determination to overcome illness can "inspire" our organs and even individual cells toward health.

As Daisaku Ikeda writes, "When our determination changes, everything will begin to move in the direction we desire. The moment we resolve to be victorious, every nerve and fiber in our being will immediately orient itself toward our success. On the other hand, if we think, 'This is never going to work out,' then at that instant, every cell in our being will be deflated and give up the fight."

True health and genuine happiness must encompass both the physical and the spiritual. Many of the experiences of SGI members relate to improved health, physical or material conditions. Through the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they also realize the inseparability of the spiritual and physical aspects of their lives. Over time this is revealed in both a feeling of physical well-being and a growing clarity and purity of the mental and perceptive processes. What are referred to as the "conspicuous benefits" of Buddhist practice relate primarily to the physical and material planes. Most crucial in the long term are the "inconspicuous benefits" of sustained Buddhist practice--increased self-awareness, wisdom and compassion for others. The ultimate inconspicuous benefit, of course, is enlightenment.

Buddhism views a living being as the harmonious coming together of what it terms the "five components." These are: the physical aspects of life and the senses; perception, which integrates the impressions received through the senses; conception, by which we form ideas about what we have perceived; volition, the will that acts on conception; and consciousness, the function of discernment that supports the functioning of the other components. Life is the force or energy that keeps these five components functioning together as a harmonious and integrated whole.

Modern medical science is only beginning to explore the subtle interconnections between body and mind, between the physical and spiritual aspects of life. Ultimately, Buddhism views both physical and spiritual aspects as vital manifestations of the life force that is inherent in the cosmos itself. As Nichiren wrote: "Life at each moment encompasses both body and spirit and both self and environment of all sentient beings in every condition of life, as well as non-sentient beings--plants, sky and earth, on down to the most minute particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the universe and is revealed in all phenomena."

[Courtesy April 1999 SGI Quarterly]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Since Buddhism is manifested in society, triumph in Buddhism and in life is achieved within society."

SGI Newsletter No. 8327, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 24: Chap. 4, Beacon 23, translated Sep.15th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field."

(The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 748) Selection source: "Suntetsu", Seikyo Shimbun, September 16th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I'll be out pf town till Wednesday! Take care everybody! You are in my chants!

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!


T

 

[Babbabud]

From "On Attaining Buddhahood in the Lifetime", in the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 3.

The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, true and correct in both word and principle. Its words are the ultimate reality, and this reality is the Mystic Law (myoho). It is called the Mystic Law because it reveals the principle of the mutually inclusive relationship of a single moment of life and all phenomena. That is why this sutra is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[Babbabud]

From "On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime", in The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 3.





Nevertheless, even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but an inferior teaching. “Inferior teaching” means those other than this [Lotus] sutra, which are all expedient and provisional. No expedient or provisional teaching leads directly to enlightenment, and without the direct path to enlightenment you cannot attain Buddhahood, even if you practice lifetime after lifetime for countless kalpas. Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is then impossible. Therefore, when you chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

HEllo everyone, brothers and sisters of the Chanting Growers. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

It has been about 2 months since my last visit and I have spent the last 2 hours reading everything I missed. This place is still as mind blowing as ever. I offer my deepest gratitude and respect.

Being away from this thread coincides with how my chanting practice is reflected in the same time period. It has sucked big time; meaning the least amount of effort has been put into it and my delusion and my fundamental darkness has won this temporary battle.

I hope to start afresh here and now although this determination was made a few days ago and an hour was chanted that day, 45 mins the next and 30mins today. Not the way to conquer the formidable enemy, the devil ass King. That is why I came back here to get refreshed in faith like it has so many times in the past.

Take care brothers and sisters of the Mystic Law, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! Whoever is struggling with me now, my prayers are with you and those that are showing the great power of the Gohonzon in their lives right here, right now, I chant for you also. There are both here on the thread and this is why it is the great vehicle to win over the suffering of our fundamental darkness and win with the power of the Law, Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

My deepest respect and gratitude to you all.

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

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Guidance from Vice President Tsuji


Once we make a determination that we are going to succeed with a wonderful opportunity…then we have to guard our inner, subjective world against the onslaught or the subtle insinuations of the negative voices. Nothing is going to change; it is always going to be the same. If we’re susceptible to that, which most of us are until we are strong enough inside to deflect those voices automatically, we listen to them, and we allow them to influence us. The longer we listen, the more it erodes our prayer. So internally we start we start replacing our prayer. At some point, we start to agree with the negative voice because that is what we have always done most of our lives.

At that point, our prayer becomes not to succeed. When you chant daimoku, it is what you are thinking and feeling that’s being projected into the universe and because the Law is impartial, we have free will. It is like a mirror. So if we change our prayer unknowingly, then the Law accepts that as what we want. Its non-judgemental.

So our responsibility is that if we want something, to hold that prayer and not allow that negative voice to discourage us. Because we start compromising, and before we know it, we have given up on the prayer. Once we set our determination, do not compromise. Buddhism is win or lose. It is not compromise. Compromise is something we do all of our lives.

So set the determination and chant daimoku for that. Once you set the determination, how you get it and all that becomes the Gohonzon’s responsibility to work it our. Our responsibility is to hold to the prayer without being swayed internally or externally.

It is important every morning to chant to manifest buddhahood. That is the primary point, because if we cannot manifest buddhahood, then we cannot have much effect with our prayers anyway. If we do not understand this point, we spend time chanting for what we want.

What is important too is the concept that we have a Buddha nature. Life itself is Buddha; our whole life is Buddha. Everything born into this world is Buddha. We must not allow ourselves to think of this Buddha nature as something outside ourselves. It is one and inseparable. The Gohonzon is and external object but it is a catalyst to bring forth buddhahood from the depths of life. The buddhahood within us and that which embodies the Gohonzon is the same reality. It looks like two separate things but the unchanging, eternal truth is life itself. You are Buddha now. When you realize this, you start to appreciate and recognize the dignity and the power and the unlimited aspects of your life.





This means that you are a Buddha in charge of your own life. No one else. You can make it what you want it to be. Not what the environment would like it to be. When you realize that your life is Buddha, when you transfer that feeling…that is ichinen sanzen. Then you can draw forth that power to transform or create a buddha’s land where you stand. It is not some place else, or in the future.

The past is just a dream, no matter how good or bad it was….nothing more than a dream. The future is nothing more than imagination. Either positive or negative imagination. In and of itself it has no existence. The Essence of life, which is MYO, is eternal and unchanging. The more you realize your life is Buddha, then the more conviction you will have in your daimoku.

The ultimate ichinen of the Gohonzon is to make the people of any given world equal to themselves. That is why a Buddha appears. To allow all people to open the palace of their own enlightenment and wisdom. If we do not understand this, we are like beggars chanting. At some point the Gohonzon will cease to answer our prayers because if we continue this way we can not attain enlightenment. We are missing the whole point. What you feel about the Gohonzon you can feel about the living Gohonzon inside yourself.

Buddhism is vertical; this present moment is infinite and unlimited and eternal.

There comes a point where you consciously have to start working out your own enlightenment. You cannot just drift along. You could practice all your life still looking at it the wrong way. But by consciously being aware, you can perceive that your life itself is Buddha. You must perceive the nature of your own life. If you cannot realize that, then every time a problem comes up you suffer. You feel hopeless and helpless. But when we realize our life is Buddha, then whenever a problem comes up, great confidence and conviction arises: Because my life is Buddha, I can transform this into a great benefit.

When you can deepen the conviction that your life itself is the entity of Buddha just as we are now, not when we become some perfect being, then when something comes up we can feel no fear or anxiety; it’s just another opportunity to transform it into a greater benefit and transform suffering to joy. Supreme optimist, he or she has no fear of the future, no regret of the past. Their life is Buddha; they can transform anything and make any situation manifest its latent buddhahood. So even in a situation of hell, because they have this deep conviction that their life itself is Buddha, they manifest that conviction and the buddhahood innate within that phenomena or situation rises up to match that.

 

[SoCal Hippy]

The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra (pages 180-181)

The Heart of the True Aspect of All Phenomena


Ikeda: The attainment of Buddhahood in this lifetime means to achieve enlightenment within this actual world and this life.

We speak of attaining Buddhahood, but it is not something that implies a fixed or static goal, like the finishing line in a race. It means struggling in the midst of reality and bringing forth the state of Buddhahood in our own lives just as we are.

The world of Buddhahood is found nowhere but in the strong mind of faith that seeks always to advance from the state of suffering to the state of Buddhahood and to then proceed from that state of Buddhahood to transform reality. It is the strength and determination of faith to keep on fighting.

In “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” the Daishonin writes: “That ordinary people born in the latter day age can believe in the Lotus Sutra is due to the fact that the world of Buddhahood is present in the human world.”

Suda: The twenty-sixth high pries, Nichikan, also writes: “Strong faith in the Lotus Sutra is called the world of Buddhahood.” This means that the true entity of all phenomena can be realized through faith. This is a major difference from T’ien-tai’s teaching.

Ikeda: Yes. T’ien-tai’s method of realizing the true entity of all phenomena is called the ‘threefold comtemplation in a single mind.’ It is a practice of contemplating the profound principle of the true entity of all phenomena and striving to attain a clear experience of it.

The practice consists mainly of meditation. But it is a difficult method, and not everyone can perform the practice effectively. Most people, for instance, set free in a dense forest without an accurate compass or map, will lose their destination; very few will find their way out and reach their destination.

What in contrast, is the practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism? In the Gosho, he writes: “Both the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and the practice of the threefold contemplations in a single mind are included in the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. Similarly, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo are contained within our lives” (GZ, 414)

In another Gosho, he writes: “This great mandala is the essence of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life” (GZ, 1339)

A “single moment in life” refers to the true entity and the “three thousand realms” represents all phenomena. The Gohonzon is the Gohonzon of the true entity of all phenomena, a mirror in which the true entity of all phenomena of all living beings is reflected.

The inscription down the center of the Gohonzon, “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren,” is an expression of the true entity, and the characters for the Ten Worlds written to its right and left represent all phenomena. The voice of the Mystic Law we produce as we chant daimoku to the Gohonzon of the true entity of all phenomena calls up the Buddha nature within us.

Once summoned, the Buddha nature seeks to manifest itself externally. Consequently, whether we are aware of it or not, the brilliant sun of the ten factors of life of the world of Buddhahood rises in our hearts. The clear blue sky of inherent and eternal being fills the inner expanse of our lives.

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon, we ourselves (all phenomena) shine as entities of the Mystic Law (true entity). This is truly a method for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime that is accessible to all individuals.

The Gohonzon outside us is Myoho-renge-kyo; our lives within are Myoho-renge-kyo. Our faith in the Gohonzon at the same time is the wisdom to grasp the true entity of all phenomena of our own lives. This is the principle of substituting faith for wisdom.

 

[easyDaimoku]

Me too Socal! I've been doing meetings, went to FNCC, but not enough daimoku! I got great guidance from Tariq, Nathan, David, and my leaders to always put daimoku first and never forget how truly important we are for kosen-rufu. I'm always chanting for us though and will do so with more frequency! Let's keep winning together! Let's keep fighting side by side with President Ikeda's unflinching spirit to always turn to the Gohonzon first in order to win at everything in life!

Bud, PTD and everyone else: MUGI WASSHIN! We're doing it baby!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

Wow SoCal you just made my day !!! and its very early morning !!!! woooooooooooooop so glad to see you come back Lets get some chants in together .. Its what we do !!!! Lets chant our way through it all together !!! So so happy to see your return !!
Easy and everyone else ....lets keep this strong encouragement goin here ... its so great to stop in and see your posts.
Nam myoho renge kyo!! to everyones health
Nam myoho renge kyo
Nam myoho renge kyo
Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

KICK SOME DEVIL ASS SOCAL!

The Daimoku is really so important, but so is faith too! If we do what we're supposed to, we CAN NEVER be defeated. That is just simply a fact. So it's up to us. I had to lose to win. Never doubt that you have a mission in life to prove the power of the Law.

We are flawed for a reason, as our imperfection is the source of expression of actual proof when we change. Everything. That only happens when we realize that we are Thus Come Ones of Original Enlightenment Eternally Endowed with the Three Bodies. And that only happens from chanting abundant Daimoku.

I love you Brother! Thanks for those posts. You have already been, and will continue to be, in my prayers.

Much love and deepest respect,

Your Brother since Kuon-Ganjo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

PS: As far as abundant Daimoku, I'm proud to say I am finishing up seven million now since 2007. Believe it or not, Daimoku charts, as hokey as that might sound, changed my life. Instead of showing me how much I chanted they showed me how much I didn't! It was plain to see that if I really wanted to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime, I could never do it without more sincere devotion to the Law.

Daimoku to the Gohonzon is face time with Nichiren Daishonin. Straight up. I realized that much of my difficulty was probably due to the slander of not fulfilling my debt of gratitude and being insincere in truly devoting myself to my vow to achieve kosen-rufu as a Bodhisattva of the Earth. If you make a vow and fail to follow through, SHAME ON YOU! That's what I learned, and I share that lesson with you now!

Do what you promised and everything you ever dreamed of will happen without fail. WE promised to chant abundant daimoku! How else could we ever express our deep debt of gratitude! How else can we be Buddhas? How else can we encourage others to do the same? How else can we win everytime and show actual proof that we are already Buddhas right now, in this lifetime, exactly as we are? Buddhaood is manifest through Daimoku and NO OTHER WAY. Not in the Latter Day of the Law. Straight up.

So what ya gonna do? The Universe, out of great compassion, knocks us in the head till we figure that out. Keep fighting the Devil of the Sixth Heaven ceaselessly until you subdue him and that only happens fron chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

As MUCH AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN!~

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Gosho says:
"the more one praises the blessings of the Lotus Sutra,
the more one's own blessings will increase."*
Let us warmly praise and appreciate the strenuous efforts
that each one of our fellow members is making!
Let us widely and constantly cultivate flower gardens of happiness!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Gosho - The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra - WND1, page 673, "The more gold is heated in the flames, the brighter will be its colour; 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."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren Daishonin states:

"'Great joy [is what] one experiences when one understands for the first time that one’s mind from the very beginning has been the Buddha. Nam-myoho- renge-kyo is the greatest of all joys.' (OTT, 211–12)

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the Lotus Sutra revealed by Nichiren Daishonin, represents the ultimate wisdom for attaining an indestructible and eternal life-state of unsurpassed joy."

SGI Newsletter No. 8325, Build a Solid and Unshakable Self, translated Sep. 15th, 2011, from the Sep. 13th, 2011, issue of the Seikyo Shinbun.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren Daishonin states:

"'Great joy [is what] one experiences when one understands for the first time that one’s mind from the very beginning has been the Buddha. Nam-myoho- renge-kyo is the greatest of all joys.' (OTT, 211–12)

But what is ‘joy’? What does joy really mean? Is it happiness? Is it giddy, “jump up and down” exhilaration?


From: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary

Definition of JOY: the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires : delight

Definition of DELIGHT: a high degree of gratification : joy; also : extreme satisfaction

Let's all work to support each other as we fill our lives with the JOY of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! More chanting!!!

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Neither the pure land nor hell exists outside oneself, both lie only within one's own heart."

(Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light, Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - Vol 1, Page 456) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's Essay: Our Brilliant Path To Victory, Seikyo Shimbun, September 17th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The wonderful means of truly putting an end to the physical and spiritual obstacles of all living beings is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

(The Wonderful Means of Surmounting Obstacles - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 842) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, September 17th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Wonderful Means of Surmounting Obstacles / pg. 842

The Wonderful Means of Surmounting Obstacles / pg. 842

If we examine the essential and the theoretical teachings of the Lotus Sutra, we see that the theoretical teaching maintains, as [did the teachings that came] before, that the Buddha first attained enlightenment during his present lifetime; therefore, obstacles still beset the teaching. The essential teaching has freed itself from such impediments. However, compared with the five characters of the daimoku, it is a doctrine unsuited to the capacity of the people of the Latter Day of the Law. The wonderful means of truly putting an end to the physical and spiritual obstacles of all living beings is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

Reply to Shijo Kingo


Background

While the year that this letter was written is not known with certainty, it is thought to date from around the third year of Kenji (1277). It was addressed to Shijo Kingo.

The Daishonin states that, because the theoretical teaching (first half) of the Lotus Sutra does not reveal the eternity of Buddhahood, and since the view of life it offers is, therefore, a shallow one, it is lacking in the power to help people overcome obstacles and impediments arising from life’s fundamental darkness. Although the essential teaching (latter half) surpasses these limitations by explaining that Shakyamuni attained enlightenment numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago, it is still unable to help people of the Latter Day of the Law, who lack the capacity to benefit from this teaching. Only the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can lead them to Buddhahood.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 667

The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 667

I have received the five thousand blue-duck coins(1) you sent. The first of the five precepts is not to take life, and the first of the six paramitas is that of almsgiving. The ten good precepts, the two hundred and fifty precepts, the ten major precepts, and all the other rules of conduct begin with the prohibition against the taking of life.

Every being, from the highest sage on down to the smallest mosquito or gnat, holds life to be its most precious possession. To deprive a being of life is to commit the gravest kind of sin.

When the Thus Come One appeared in this world, he made compassion for living things his basis. And as an expression of compassion for life, to refrain from taking life and to provide sustenance for living beings are the most important precepts.

In providing another with sustenance, one obtains three kinds of benefit. First, one sustains one’s own life. Second, one brings color to one’s face. Third, one gains strength.

“To sustain one’s own life” means to be born in the human or heavenly world and receive the karmic reward of long life. When one becomes a Buddha, one manifests oneself as the Thus Come One of the Dharma body, a body that is as vast as space.

Because one “gains strength,” having been born in the human or heavenly world, one becomes a person of virtue and influence, attracting many followers. When one becomes a Buddha, one manifests oneself as the Thus Come One of the reward body, dwelling on a lotus pedestal where one shines like the full moon in a clear sky on the fifteenth night of the eighth month.

And because one “brings color to one’s face,” having been born in the human or heavenly world, one acquires the thirty-two features and becomes as graceful and dignified as a lotus flower. When one becomes a Buddha, one displays oneself as the Thus Come One of the manifested body and comes to resemble Shakyamuni Buddha.

If we inquire into the origin of Mount Sumeru, we find that it began with a single speck of dust; and likewise, the great ocean began with a single drop of dew. One added to one becomes two, two becomes three, and so on to make ten, a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, or an asamkhya. Yet “one” is the mother of all.

As for the beginning of Buddhism in the country of Japan: After the seven reigns of the heavenly deities and the five reigns of the earthly deities, the hundred reigns of human sovereigns began, the first of whom was called Emperor Jimmu. In the time of Emperor Kimmei, the thirtieth sovereign following Jimmu, the Buddhist scriptures were introduced to Japan from the kingdom of Paekche, along with a statue of Shakyamuni Buddha, priests, and nuns.

Then Prince Jogu, a son of Emperor Yomei, began to study the Buddhist writings. He had a copy of the Lotus Sutra brought from China, wrote a commentary on the text, and endeavored to propagate its teachings.

Later, in the time of Emperor Kotoku, the thirty-seventh sovereign, the Administrator of Priests Kanroku introduced the Three Treatises and Establishment of Truth schools from the kingdom of Silla to Japan. During the same period a priest named Dosho introduced the Dharma Characteristics and Dharma Analysis Treasury schools from China, and the Preceptor Shinjo introduced the Flower Garland school.

In the reign of Empress Gensho, the forty-fourth sovereign, an honorable monk(2) from India introduced the Mahavairochana Sutra, and in the time of Emperor Shomu, the forty-fifth sovereign, the Reverend Ganjin came from China, introducing the Precepts school to Japan. At the same time, he brought with him copies of The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, Great Concentration and Insight, commentaries on the Vimalakirti Sutra, and other works of the T’ien-t’ai school. But he did not propagate the teachings of the True Word and [T’ien-t’ai] Lotus schools.

In the reign of Emperor Kammu, the fiftieth sovereign, there was a young priest named Saicho, who was later to be known as the Great Teacher Dengyo. Before going to T’ang China, he spent fifteen years studying on his own the writings and commentaries of the True Word and T’ien-ta’i schools. Later, in the seventh month of the twenty-third year of the Enryaku era (804), he sailed for China. He returned to Japan in the sixth month of the following year, and thereafter instructed several dozen learned priests of the seven major temples of Nara in the teachings of the T’ien-ta’i and True Word schools.

Four hundred years have passed since then. In all, it has been more than sev- en hundred years since Buddhism was first introduced to Japan. During that time, there have been persons who urged the populace to call upon the name of Amida, to call upon the name of Mahavairochana, or to invoke the name of Shakyamuni. But there has never been anyone who urged them to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the daimoku, or title, of the Lotus Sutra.

This does not apply to Japan alone. In India, in the thousand years following the passing of the Buddha, there were great scholars such as Mahakashyapa, Ananda, Ashvaghosha, Nagarjuna, Asanga, and Vasubandhu who worked to propagate Buddhism throughout the five regions of India. And in the first several hundred years after Buddhism was introduced to China, people such as Kashyapa Matanga, Chu Fa-lan, the Tripitaka Master Kumarajiva, Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, and Miao-lo wrote commentaries and expounded the teachings of the sutras. But none of these persons ever urged that the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra be chanted in the same manner as the name of Amida. They only chanted it themselves, or, when lecturing on the Lotus Sutra, the lecturer himself alone recited it.

The teachings of the eight schools and the nine schools(3) differ from one another, yet generally speaking, we find that, in the majority of cases, the founders and leaders of these schools recited the name of Amida. Next in number were those who recited the name of Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and next those who invoked the name of Shakyamuni Buddha, followed by those who called upon the name of Mahavairochana, Medicine Master, or others. But for some reason there were none who chanted the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, the heart and core of the Buddha’s entire lifetime of teachings.

You should inquire very carefully into the reason why this was so. A skilled physician, for example, may discern the causes of all kinds of illnesses as well as the relative efficacy of various medicines, but nevertheless refrains from indiscriminately applying the most powerful medicine and instead employs other medicines, depending upon the nature of the illness. Thus perhaps it was because, during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law following the Buddha’s passing, the sickness of delusion had not yet become critical, and therefore no one urged that the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the finest medicine in all the Buddha’s lifetime of teachings, be applied. But now we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, and people are all suffering from grave illness. This illness can hardly be cured by such minor medicines as invocations to Amida, Mahavairochana, or Shakyamuni.

Though the moon is beautiful, the full splendor of its light can only be seen in autumn. Though the cherry blossoms are lovely, they open only in spring. All things depend on the time. Since that is so, may we not suppose that, during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, the time had not yet come for the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra to spread?

Again, it is the Buddha’s messengers who propagate his teachings. These disciples of the Buddha have different doctrines that they received from him. Thus, the scholars who appeared during the thousand years of the Former Day of the Law and the teachers who appeared during the thousand years of the Middle Day of the Law were in most cases persons who had been entrusted with Hinayana or provisional Mahayana doctrines, or with the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra or other ancillary doctrines. Bodhisattva Superior Practices, who is entrusted with the daimoku, the core of the essential teaching, had not yet appeared in the world.

But now he will appear in the Latter Day of the Law and propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo to all the nations and people throughout Jambudvipa. Surely it will spread just as the invocation of Amida’s name has spread throughout Japan at the present time.

I, Nichiren, am not the founder of any school, nor am I a latter-day follower of any older school. I am a priest without precepts, neither keeping the precepts nor breaking them. I am an ordinary creature like an ox or a sheep, who is neither particularly wise nor ignorant.

Why did I first begin to chant as I do? Bodhisattva Superior Practices is the one destined to make his advent in this world to propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. But before he had even appeared, I began, as though speaking in a dream, hardly aware of what I was doing, to utter the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and so I chant them now. In the end, is this a good thing I do, or a bad thing? I do not know, nor can anyone else tell for certain.

But when I open the Lotus Sutra and reverently peruse it, I see that even the bodhisattvas Manjushri, Maitreya, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, and Universal Worthy, who had reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenment, were scarcely able to uphold so much as a single phrase or verse of this sutra, because the sutra itself states that it can “only be understood and shared between Buddhas.”(4)

The Flower Garland Sutra represents the first exposition of the sudden teaching preached immediately following the Buddha’s enlightenment. It is a sutra that embodies the complete and perfect teaching; yet it was entrusted to four bodhisattvas, including Dharma Wisdom, to expound.(5) The Wisdom sutras, though not on the same level as the Flower Garland Sutra, nevertheless represent the loftiest among the other sutras that the Buddha had preached thus far. And yet Subhuti was the one entrusted with the task of expounding them.

Only the Lotus Sutra represents the wonderful teaching preached directly from the golden mouth of Shakyamuni Buddha, who is perfectly endowed with the three bodies. Therefore, even Universal Worthy and Manjushri were hardly able to expound so much as a single phrase or verse of it. How much more difficult then must it be for us, who are no more than ordinary people living in this latter age, to embrace even one or two words of this sutra!

Because the founders of the various schools read the Lotus Sutra, their respective disciples all assumed that their own teacher had grasped the sutra’s heart. However, if we look carefully into the essence of the matter, we find that the Great Teacher Tz’u-en read the Lotus Sutra while making the Profound Secrets Sutra and The Treatise on the ConsciousnessOnly Doctrine his teachers, and the Great Teacher Chia-hsiang read the Lotus Sutra while making the Wisdom sutras and The Treatise on the Middle Way his teachers. Men like Tu-shun and Fa-tsang read the Lotus Sutra while making the Flower Garland Sutra and The Commentary on the Ten Stages Sutra their teachers. And Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k’ung read the Lotus Sutra while making the Mahavairochana Sutra their teacher. All these men thought that they had read the Lotus Sutra. But in fact they had not read so much as a single phrase or verse of it.

In the end, it is as the Great Teacher Dengyo meant when he said, “Though he praises the Lotus Sutra, he destroys its heart.”(6) They were like non-Buddhist believers who, though they read the Buddhist sutras, interpret them to be the same as non-Buddhist teachings; or like bats that, in their blindness, mistake day for night. Or they were like a red-faced man who, looking into a clear mirror, supposes that the whole mirror has turned red, or like a round-faced man who, seeing his reflection in a narrow sword blade, thinks that his face has become long and thin.

But I am different from such persons. I firmly uphold the teaching that the Lotus Sutra is supreme among the sutras the Buddha has preached, now preaches, and will preach.(7) Moreover, I chant the daimoku, which is the heart and core of the entire sutra, and I urge others to do likewise. Although the mugwort growing in a hemp field or wood marked for cutting with an inked line(8) may not be straight to begin with, they will as a matter of course become so.

In the same way, one who chants the daimoku as the Lotus Sutra teaches will never have a twisted mind. For one should know that, unless the mind of the Buddha enters into our bodies, we cannot in fact chant the daimoku.

The Buddhist teachings that have been disseminated by others are in all cases those that have been learned and received from their respective teachers. It is like the case of fiefs possessed by immediate vassals of the ruling house of Kamakura, or estates administered by the stewards of the districts. Though their lands may measure no more than one or two cho, in all cases they received them through the favor of the late shogun.(9) How much more indebted to him are those whose holdings measure a hundred cho, a thousand cho, a whole province, or two whole provinces!

One who carries on the doctrines of a good teacher is called a worthy. One who realizes the truth for oneself without the aid of a teacher is called a sage. In the lands of India, China, and Japan since the passing of the Buddha, there have been two sages. They were T’ient’ai and Dengyo. These two men deserve to be called sages.

They also deserve to be called worthies. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai carried on the doctrines of Nan-yüeh; in that sense he was a worthy. But he also realized the supreme vehicle of Buddhahood by himself at the place of meditation; in this sense he was a sage.

Similarly, the Great Teacher Dengyo received instruction in the teachings on the practice of concentration and insight and on the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment from his teachers Tao-sui and Hsing-man. In that sense he was a worthy. But even before he journeyed to China, while still in Japan, he had already understood and mastered all the doctrines of the True Word and the Concentration and Insight [T’ien-t’ai] schools without the aid of a teacher, and had come to realize that the wisdom of the T’ien-t’ai school surpassed that of the six or the seven schools. In this sense he was a sage.

So it is that one of the Confucian classics declares, “Those who are born with an understanding of this are the highest. (‘Highest’ indicates a sage.) Those who study and thereby reach this understanding are the next. (‘Next’ indicates a worthy.)”(10) And one of the Buddhist sutras contains the passage, “In my religious practices, I am without the aid of a teacher.”(11)

Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, is the foremost sage of this saha world. T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo were both sages as well as worthies. Ashvaghosha and Nagarjuna, Asanga and Vasubandhu, and Lao Tzu and Confucius were all both sages and worthies of either the Hinayana teachings, the provisional Mahayana teachings, or the non-Buddhist teachings; however, none of them was a sage or worthy of the Lotus Sutra.

Now I am neither a sage nor a worthy man; I neither adhere to the precepts, nor am I without precepts; I neither possess wisdom nor lack it. Nevertheless, I was born some 2,220 years after the Buddha’s passing, in the last five-hundred-year period, when the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is destined to spread. Before any other person of the various schools— whether here in Japan or in the far-off lands of India and China— could begin to invoke the daimoku, I began chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in a loud voice and have continued to do so for more than twenty years.

During that time, I have been cursed and beaten, and at times have sustained injury. Twice I have been exiled, once I was condemned to death,(12) and the other great trials that I have suffered are too numerous to mention; I have been like a soybean tossed into a large pot of boiling water, or a large fish in a tiny puddle.

The Lotus Sutra says, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?”(13) It also states, “It will face much hostility in the world and be difficult to believe.”(14) And it says, “There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us and will attack us with swords and staves, with rocks and tiles . . . again and again we will be banished.”(15)

If I, Nichiren, had not been born in the land of Japan, then these passages of the sutra would have been mere words on the Buddha’s part— empty of all significance. They would have been like blossoms that open but form no fruit, or like thunder that rumbles but never ushers in rain. These golden words of the Buddha would have been in vain, and the Lotus Sutra, which speaks honestly, would have been found to be tainted with great falsehoods. When I consider all this, it seems to me that I must equal the sages T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo, and that I stand above Lao Tzu and Confucius.

In this entire country of Japan, I am the only one who has been chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I am like the single speck of dust that marks the beginning of Mount Sumeru or the single drop of dew that spells the start of the great ocean. Probably two people, three people, ten people, a hundred people will join in chanting it, until it spreads to one province, two provinces, and all the sixty-six provinces of Japan, and reaches even to the two islands of Iki and Tsushima. Those persons who have spoken slanderously of me will in time chant in the same way; and everyone from the ruler on down to the multitude of common people will, as described in the “Supernatural Powers” chapter of the Lotus Sutra,(16) chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with a single voice. Though the trees may desire to be still, the wind will not cease to blow; though we may wish for spring to linger, it must give way to summer.

Though the people of Japan think highly of the Lotus Sutra, because of their animosity toward me, the priest Nichiren, they refuse to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. But when invaders from the great kingdom of the Mongols strike once or twice again as they did at Iki and Tsushima, attacking and killing the men and taking the women prisoner; when they battle their way as far as the capital Kyoto and the city of Kamakura, seizing the sovereign himself along with his high ministers and hundred officials, flinging them in the dirt before their oxen and horses, and violently abusing them— how then will the people of Japan be able to keep from chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?

In the past, when I was struck several times in the face with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra,(17) I felt no resentment at it. In fact, I was actually delighted. For to be attacked in the manner described in the “Never Disparaging” chapter, to suffer assault as predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter, is indeed a high and precious honor.

But how vexing such attacks must be to Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings, who inscribed an oath in the presence of the Buddha that they would not permit evil men to strike the votary of the Lotus Sutra! It would be no small matter if those who slander me were to fail to incur punishment from the heavenly deities in their present existence. Not only will those deities [who fail to punish them] be destroyed throughout past, present, and future, but even now the Buddhas are surely taking an account of their actions. And when that happens, it will be no fault of Nichiren’s. Rather, by siding with those priests who slander the correct teaching, they are summoning great disaster upon themselves.

In view of all this, your sincerity in sending a gift of five strings of blueduck coins whenever the opportunity arises truly entitles you to be known as one who propagates the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra in Japan. As first one person, then two persons, then a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, and then all the people throughout the country come to chant the daimoku, before you know it, their blessings will accrue to you. Those blessings will be like the drops of dew that gather to form the great ocean, or the specks of dust that pile up to become Mount Sumeru.

The ten demon daughters in particular have vowed to protect those who embrace the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra; it would follow that these deities must look upon you, the Honorable Myomitsu, and your wife as a mother looks upon an only child. They will prize you as a yak cherishes its own tail, and watch over you day and night. How reassuring, how encouraging!

There is much more that I would like to say, but I do not have time to go into detail. Please explain these things carefully to your wife. I do not write these words merely to flatter.

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.

Nichiren

The fifth day of the intercalary third month

Reply to the Honorable Kuwagayatsu Myomitsu


Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the intercalary third month of the second year of Kenji (1276) and addressed to Myomitsu, a believer who lived at Kuwagayatsu in Kamakura. While detailed information about Myomitsu is not available, it appears that he and his wife frequently made offerings to the Daishonin at his small dwelling in the wilderness of Mount Minobu.

Around the time this letter was written, the number of converts was growing due to the propagation efforts led by Nikko Shonin, the Daishonin’s closest disciple, in Suruga and other provinces. In Kamakura as well, lay believers had become more active in propagation. However, as the number of new believers increased, so did government repression. But Myomitsu and his wife, with other followers centering around Shijo Kingo, maintained their sincere faith in the Daishonin’s teachings.

In the beginning of this letter, Nichiren Daishonin stresses the Buddhist spirit of absolute reverence for life, and also the Buddhist practice of almsgiving, which sustains life. In response to the Honorable Myomitsu’s sincere offering, he explains that by providing another with sustenance one obtains three kinds of benefit. To “sustain one’s own life,” “bring color to one’s face,” and “gain strength” might be thought of as the benefits enjoyed by the recipient of such offerings. The Daishonin, however, interprets them as the blessings that accrue to the donor. He also correlates these blessings with the three bodies of a Buddha.

Next, the Daishonin briefly recounts the history of Buddhism in Japan and proclaims that, in the Latter Day of the Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, will without fail spread widely.

Nichiren Daishonin suggests in this letter that he is in fact fulfilling the mission of Bodhisattva Superior Practices entrusted by the Buddha, in that he has begun to chant and propagate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo before anyone else. He then declares that he alone reads the Lotus Sutra in a way that accords with the Buddha’s spirit and intention. The Daishonin voices his conviction that the difficulties he has endured serve to verify the truth of the Lotus Sutra and also confirm that he is the true sage whose appearance in the Latter Day of the Law was prophesied in the sutra.

In conclusion, the Daishonin declares that, although he alone has been chanting the daimoku, eventually the entire nation will chant it, just as a single speck of dust gives rise to Mount Sumeru, or a single drop of water grows to form the sea.

Notes

1. At this time, coins had square holes in the center and were usually strung together in hundreds or thousands to form larger monetary units. Blue-duck coins were copper coins imported from Sungdynasty China, with a square hole in the center that caused them to be likened to a duck’s eye.
2. “An honorable monk” refers to the Indian monk Shan-wu-wei who first introduced the esoteric teachings to China. The tradition that Shan-wu-wei had visited Japan, mentioned in A Brief History of Japan and The Genko Era Biographies of Eminent Priests, is now considered apocryphal, though it may have been widely accepted in the Daishonin’s time.
3. The nine schools here indicate the eight schools (Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, Precepts, Dharma Characteristics, Three Treatises, Flower Garland, Tendai, and True Word) plus the Zen or Pure Land school.
4. Lotus Sutra, chap. 2.
5. The Flower Garland Sutra takes the form of preaching by Dharma Wisdom and other bodhisattvas.
6. The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra. Dengyo made this remark specifically with respect to Tz’u-en’s Praising the Profundity of the Lotus Sutra, which praises the Lotus Sutra but interprets it in light of the doctrines of the Dharma Characteristics school.
7. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
8. It is said that mugwort in a field of hemp grows upright because it is held up by the surrounding hemp plants. “Wood marked for cutting with an inked line” means that wood is straightened when it is planed or cut by a carpenter along an inked line.
9. The late shogun refers to Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147–1199), founder and the first shogun of the Kamakura government.
10. Analects.
11. Possibly a rephrasing of a passage in the Nirvana Sutra.
12. The Daishonin was exiled to the Izu Peninsula and to Sado Island. “Once I was condemned to death” refers to the Tatsunokuchi Persecution of 1271, when the Daishonin narrowly escaped execution at Tatsunokuchi.
13. Lotus Sutra, chap. 10.
14. Ibid., chap. 14.
15. Ibid., chap. 13. The phrase “with rocks and tiles” appears not in this chapter. It is an interpolation from the “Never Disparaging” chapter.
16. In the “Supernatural Powers” chapter, the heavenly gods proclaim in open space that Shakyamuni is now preaching the Lotus Sutra in the saha world. On hearing this, all the beings in the ten directions face the saha world and, joining their palms in reverence, utter the words, “Hail, Shakyamuni Buddha! Hail, Shakyamuni Buddha!”
17. On the twelfth day of the ninth month, 1271, Hei no Saemon went to arrest the Daishonin at Matsubagayatsu, accompanied by his retainer Sho-bo and others. Sho-bo struck the Daishonin in the face with the scroll of the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra consists of eight volumes, each of which was wound around a wooden roller. The Daishonin accordingly interpreted this assault as “attacked with staves,” one of the hardships predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter, a chapter contained in the fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra.