Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[PassTheDoobie]

"'Just as flowers open up and bear fruit, just as the moon appears and invariably grows full, just as a lamp becomes brighter when oil is added, and just as plants and trees flourish with rain, so will human beings never fail to prosper when they make good causes.' From “The Third Day of the New Year” (WND-1, 1013).

"Those who make the best possible causes in their lives through working for kosen-rufu will never fail to enjoy immeasurable good fortune and benefit. Such are the workings of the law of cause and effect in life.

"How admirable are the efforts of those who strive tirelessly day after day for the happiness of others and the peace and prosperity of society! They are certain to achieve lives of brilliant victory."

SGI Newsletter No. 8795, Living the Gosho: Words of Encouragement from SGI President Ikeda (2), (7) Making the Best Possible Causes, from 4th July, 2013, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun,, translated 4th July, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

What is most important in order to achieve kosen-rufu
is our serious gongyo and determined daimoku.
It's essential that we respond with lightning speed
and take courageous and persevering action.
Aiming towards the summit of victory,
let's pull out all the stops!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pg 227)

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pg 227)

All the Twenty-eight Chapters of the Lotus Sutra Are Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

9. Prophecies Conferred on Learners and Adepts

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: In this chapter the various sages, both learners and adepts who have nothing more to learn, come forward and are given prophesies that they will attain Buddhahood. Since they are learners and adepts who have already received the Wonderful Law, they are the learners and adepts embodying the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and endowed with the three thousand realms. And because they are learners and adepts of the Wonderful Law, they understand that in these Ten Worlds that are beyond comprehension earthly desires have not yet come to an end. And since they are learners and adepts of renge, the lotus, they understand that the Ten Worlds and the three thousand realms are clean and pure and open up and fall like leaves.

Who then are these learners and adepts? The learners are ho, or the Law, and the adepts are myo, or wonderful. This is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.


[nineteen more to share...]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pg 228)

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pg 228)

All the Twenty-eight Chapters of the Lotus Sutra Are Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

10. The Teacher of the Law

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This teacher of the Law is a teacher of the Wonderful Law, and therefore all the [beings of the] Ten Worlds are teachers of the Law who accept and uphold a single phrase and verse of the Wonderful Law. He is a teacher of the Law of renge, the lotus, and therefore all the [beings of the] Ten Worlds and three thousand realms are teachers of the Law who are clean and pure.

The physical forms of the living beings of the Ten Worlds are the persons who uphold the Law. And the nature of the mind of the Ten Worlds is the Law that is upheld. Consequently, both body and mind together act as teachers of the Law, manifesting themselves in practicing for one’s own sake and in converting others. This is because they are teachers of the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.


[eighteen more to share...]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

stupa
[塔] (Skt stupa; Jpn to )

A kind of shrine in India where the relics of Shakyamuni Buddha or other sage monks are housed. Stupas are usually dome- or mound-shaped. The first stupas were built after Shakyamuni's death, when his ashes were divided into eight parts and eight stupas were erected in eight districts to hold the Buddha's relics. In the third century B.C.E., King Ashoka of the Maurya dynasty supported and protected Buddhism and erected stupas and stone pillars at sites associated with Shakyamuni Buddha. According to Buddhist legend, Ashoka divided the Buddha's ashes that were housed by seven of the eight stupas among eighty-four thousand stupas that he erected throughout India. Among the oldest surviving stupas is the one at Sanchi in central India called the Great Stupa. Stupas were made of brick or stone, and their construction and maintenance were considered meritorious deeds that produced benefit.

Lay believers held stupas in deep reverence, and contributed to their construction. According to some scholars, the monks were originally indifferent to such stupa veneration and the Mahayana movement began with a group of Buddhist believers who practiced stupa worship. In the third century B.C.E., Buddhism was introduced to Sri Lanka along with the practice and techniques of stupa construction. Southern, or Theravada, Buddhism was first transmitted to Sri Lanka and from there spread to Southeast Asian countries such as Myanmar and Thailand. The stupas of these countries are known to Westerners as pagodas, and in Myanmar and Thailand they are bell-shaped. Northern Buddhism made its way into Central Asia, China, and Japan, where stupas, or pagodas, and other types of Buddhist architecture were introduced. The pagodas of China are multi-leveled, tower-like structures, the architectural style of which has been traced to stupas of the Gandharan era of Indian Buddhist art and architecture. Sotoba or toba, a wooden memorial tablet bearing inscriptions set up at gravesites in Japan to honor the deceased, is the Japanese transliteration of the word stupa. See also pagoda.

pagoda
[塔] (Jpn to )

A tower-like structure usually associated with temples or monasteries in East and Southeast Asia. The English word pagoda derives from the Portuguese pagode, the origin of which is unclear, but which also indicates this kind of structure. The pagoda developed from the ancient Indian stupa, which was dome- or mound-shaped and housed the remains or relics of kings, sages, or holy persons. After the death of Shakyamuni Buddha, stupas were built to house the Buddha's ashes, which were divided among the various Indian states. As Buddhism spread through India and made its way into other countries, new forms of stupa, or pagoda, architecture developed. Initially, the pagoda was the focal point of a temple compound, housing sacred relics believed to be those of the Buddha. In China, the pagoda came to house the Buddha's teachings, rather than his relics, in the form of sutras. The pagoda dates back to the fourth or fifth century in China, where they were built of brick, wood, or stone with multiple stories. A great wooden pagoda was built at Yung-ning-ssu temple in Lo-yang in 519. The oldest surviving wooden pagoda in China is the five-storied pagoda of Fo-kung-ssu temple in Shansi Province, built in 1056. The oldest standing brick pagoda was built in 520 at Sung-yüeh-ssu temple in Honan Province, and the oldest remaining stone pagoda is that built in 544 at Shen-t'ung-ssu temple in Shantung Province.

Pagoda architecture and construction techniques came to Japan through the Korean Peninsula with the transmission of Buddhism. There, as in China, wooden pagodas of three, five, seven, and nine stories were built, though the majority were either three or five stories. Seven-storied pagodas were erected at Todai-ji temple and provincial temples, but in Japan today none above five stories remains. The oldest among the remaining pagodas is the five-storied pagoda at Horyu-ji temple, built in the late seventh century. The oldest standing three-storied pagoda in Japan is the one built in 706 at Hokki-ji temple. The three-storied pagoda at Yakushi-ji temple was built in 730. These oldest structures are located in Nara, the ancient capital of Japan. Pagodas of various designs can be found throughout East and Southeast Asia. One example is the ancient Shwe Dagon pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, which was rebuilt in the eighteenth century and towers approximately a hundred meters.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pgs 228-230)

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pgs 228-230)

All the Twenty-eight Chapters of the Lotus Sutra Are Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

11. The Emergence of the Treasure Tower

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This treasure tower “came forth and appeared” from a world called Treasure Purity. As for the Buddha of this Treasure Purity World, we may for the moment set aside the meaning he has in terms of the sutra teaching itself; but when viewed in terms of the meditation conducive to the achievement of the way, the Treasure Purity World represents the womb of the mother. Thus, the fathers and mothers are the carpenters, as it were, who construct the treasure tower. And the treasure tower is the five bodily sections and the five elements that make up ourselves. Therefore the womb in which these bodies are formed is called the Treasure Purity World, and the process of emerging from this womb is called “coming forth and appearing” (chapter eleven).

Such coming forth and appearing of living beings as a whole takes place when they emerge from the element of earth. Therefore the sutra speaks of the treasure tower as “rising up out of the earth’’ (ibid.). The Treasure Purity World is a world of the Wonderful Law, and therefore the wombs of the living beings of the Ten Worlds are all this Treasure Purity World. And the Treasure Purity World is a world of renge, the lotus, and therefore the wombs of the beings of the Ten Worlds are all worlds that are clean and pure and free of defilement.

Because their earth is that of the Wonderful Law, it pervades all the Ten Worlds. And because it is the earth of renge, the lotus, it is clean and pure earth. Because our bodies come forth from the Treasure Purity World of the Wonderful Law, they are treasure towers that are clean and pure. And because this is the coming forth of Myoho-renge-kyo, the Wonderful Law of the Lotus, the birth canals from which the beings of the Ten Worlds are born have always been these treasure towers that are clean and pure.

These are the stupas of the Dharma-realm, and hence, all beings in the Dharma-realm of the Ten Worlds are such stupas. The Two Buddhas seated in the treasure tower are the Buddhas of the Wonderful Law, and hence represent the fact that all within the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms are Buddhas who possess the two principals of reality and wisdom. Since the two Buddhas are seated side by side on the single seat of the Wonderful Law, this symbolizes the fact that the nature of the mind of all beings in the three thousand realms has a seat for these two venerable Buddhas. The fact that these two Buddhas of Myoho-renge-kyo occupy a single seat is representative of their wondrous nature, and their cleanness and purity.

Because ken, “to emerge” or “to be seen,” [of the Japanese chapter title Ken-hoto] is that of Myoho-renge-kyo, the living beings of the Ten Worlds, the various different species of the three thousand realms, all see the stupas in their bodily forms. Although the Ten Worlds differ from one another, when one looks at one’s own body, one can see that that body is a stupa endowed with the three thousand realms. And when one looks at one’s mind, one can see that it is a Buddha endowed with the three thousand realms.

As to the “emanation bodies” [mentioned in this chapter], the term means a body that emanates from the father and mother. While one is in a state of delusion, it is a body that undergoes rebirth in various realms. But when one gains enlightenment, it is a body that enjoys the fruit of attainment. To understand how such emanation bodies [that undergo the fruit of attainment] can come about, one should understand that they originate in the realm of hell [or any of the other realms that make up the Ten Worlds].

Thus we see that these treasure towers are nothing other than the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. If we examine the nature of Myoho-renge-kyo, we see that the treasure towers are none other than all living beings, and all living beings are none other than the complete entity of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.


[seventeen more to share...]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pgs 230-231)

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (pgs 230-231)

All the Twenty-eight Chapters of the Lotus Sutra Are Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

12. Devadatta

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: This chapter deals with the achievement of Buddhahood by Devadatta, a former teacher of Shakyamuni Buddha, and the achievement of Buddhahood by the dragon king’s daughter, who was taught and converted by Monjushri. And since these are Devadatta and dragon king’s daughter of Myoho-renge-kyo, it means that all the living beings in the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms are likewise Devadattas and dragon king’s daughters. Those living beings of the Dharma realm who are contrary or hostile in nature are Devadattas, and those of the Dharma-realm who are marked by greed, anger, and foolishness are all dragon king’s daughters.

In the case of Devadatta, the offense of hostility was an acquired quality, whereas in the case of all living beings as a whole the offense of hostility is an essential or intrinsic quality. Similarly, living beings as a whole have the attainment of Buddhahood of Heavenly King Thus Come One as an intrinsic quality, while Devadatta has the attainment of Buddhahood of Heavenly King Thus Come One as an acquired quality.

Likewise, the dragon king’s daughter is the dragon king’s daughter as an acquired quality, while all living beings are the dragon king’s daughter as an essential or intrinsic quality.

In effect, then, both Shakyamuni Buddha and Monjushri, Devadatta and the dragon king’s daughter are all efficacies of the single seed of Myoho-renge-kyo, and hence all originally have attained Buddhahood. Therefore, when one chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, all the living beings in the Ten Worlds simultaneously attain Buddhahood. This is called the Devadatta of Myoho-renge-kyo.

Because the living beings in the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms are the dragon king’s daughter, there is no place that is not the “Spotless World” (chapter twelve). The dragon king’s daughter in her own body has originally attained Buddhahood and is the entity of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.


[sixteen more to share...]

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The three thousand worlds of the Dharma-realm may be termed secret and wonderful. Secret means strict [or without a single exception]. The three thousand worlds, every single one of them, exist [in one's life]. There is nothing more unfathomable than this!"

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 714, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 22) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 26th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Now, the golden time is here for us to widely spread
the great Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Courageously, joyfully and wisely,
let's further expand the kosen-rufu movement
and at the same time, hand in hand, let's elevate our life conditions.
Let's continue to win in all the challenges that lay ahead of us
for the second half of this year!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"No matter how much we talk about the correct teaching and doctrines of Nichiren Buddhism, if we slander and malign each other, in our hearts we are betraying the spirit of the Daishonin. That’s a grave offense. Please do not forget this point.

"Humans are emotional beings. And there will invariably be times when we have to engage in activities with someone we may not like or get along with. At such times, you should chant earnestly to be able to unite, get along with, and respect that person. In the process, you will be able to transform your own life condition. And when you change, you’ll be able to unite with anyone.

"The important thing is to get along. That’s the key to friendship and fellow feeling. That’s where you’ll find the joy of faith and victory in life.”

SGI Newsletter No. 8793, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 2, Banner of the Law 36, translated 3rd July, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

It is said that 'one is the mother of ten thousand.'
Let's embrace the person right in front of us
with kindness, warmth and sincerity.
Let's cherish every single opportunity to develop
a good relationship with others
so that we can extend a chain of encouragement
among the people around us.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nichiren's followers are like roaring lions."

(On Persecutions Befalling the Sage - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 997) Selection source: President Ikeda's encouragement, Seikyo Shimbun, July 7th, 2013

 

[yortbogey]

Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings,
Those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.
By the power of every moment of your goodness
May your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.

By the power of every moment of your goodness
May all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.

For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion, of the Way,
May your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nichiren Buddhism exists so that each of us can achieve spiritual victory.

"Encouraging his followers to uphold unwavering faith, Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'You should not have the slightest fear in your heart' (WND-1, 637).

"Faith in the Mystic Law is the source of strength to courageously act for the sake of the happiness of ourselves and others.

"Don’t hesitate to talk to others about the Daishonin’s Buddhism. No matter how the other person may respond, speak from your heart about the greatness of Nichiren Buddhism and the wonderful benefits of this practice. Just confidently share your conviction and experiences in faith. By doing so, you are sowing the seeds of hope and happiness in that person’s life. And if you continue chanting daimoku, those seeds will sprout and eventually flower. Nothing is more powerful than prayer to the Gohonzon."

SGI Newsletter No. 8771, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu—II, (3) Let’s Forge Ahead United in Faith, from the 20th Jan., 2013, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated 27th, May, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Just as the soft rains fill the streams,
pour into the rivers and join together in the oceans,
so may the power of every moment of your goodness
flow forth to awaken and heal all beings,
Those here now, those gone before, those yet to come.
By the power of every moment of your goodness
May your heart's wishes be soon fulfilled
as completely shining as the bright full moon,
as magically as by a wish-fulfilling gem.

By the power of every moment of your goodness
May all dangers be averted and all disease be gone.
May no obstacle come across your way.
May you enjoy fulfillment and long life.

For all in whose heart dwells respect,
who follow the wisdom and compassion, of the Way,
May your life prosper in the four blessings
of old age, beauty, happiness and strength.

Welcome Yortbogey!

 

[yortbogey]

that post is for ~ P

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Hi Yort...

Keep chanting as we come together. Bog

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The truth of three thousand realms in a single moment of life too has its origins in this single word 'belief' or 'faith,' and it is through this single word 'belief' that the Buddhas of the three existences of past, present, and future attained their enlightenment. This word 'belief' is a sharp sword that cuts off fundamental darkness or ignorance."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 725, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 54) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, July 8th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

I sincerely hope that every one of us will live victoriously and successfully
to the very last moment of our lives with pride, confidence and dignity.
And indeed in order that we are able to do so
we are taking on the challenges we face right now.
Enthusiastically, let's break down those walls of obstacles that are in front of us!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It’s time to start taking action.

"With your Buddhist practice, break through the walls that are holding you back. Inspired by the joy of striving for kosen-rufu, create a glorious new record in your effort to share Buddhism with others on the grand stage of your mission.

"If you stand up with a strong sense of responsibility, you will find the wisdom you need welling up from within."

SGI Newsletter No. 8797, On Our Shared Journey for Kosen-rufu—II, (4) Build a Noble Citadel of the People, translated 8th July, 2013 from 28th January, 2013, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun.