Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[PassTheDoobie]

Being known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra is a bitter, yet unavoidable, destiny."

What this means is that being a votary of the Lotus Sutra--a circumstance that reveals itself at the time of correct cause and conditions, manifesting a relationship that preceeds that moment, revealing an identity that does not exist in the absence of an eternal vow, fulfilling the sutra's promise with one's own life--if one is truly a votary of the Lotus Sutra, one will without doubt encounter difficulties that are overcome by faith. Only a Buddha can accomplish such a thing.

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[BushyOldGrower]

We will all reach buddhahood. We are all capable and will achieve this enlightenment eventually. So chant...be the Buddha...be happy and thankful to be A part of this grand scheme.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means joyful embrace of the higher laws. Reincarnation is the one that makes me the happiest Tom. Deep Bow in humble recognition of my limitations.

BOG

 

[PassTheDoobie]

We will all reach buddhahood. We are all capable and will achieve this enlightenment eventually. So chant...be the Buddha...be happy and thankful to be A part of this grand scheme.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means joyful embrace of the higher laws. Reincarnation is the one that makes me the happiest Tom. Deep Bow in humble recognition of my limitations.

BOG

Yes I agree my Brother, and the coolest thing is that Nichiren teaches that when we all attain Buddhahood, the Buddha Wisdom that emerges is that we are and always have been the Buddha! And the faith and humble desire to awaken all others to this truth becomes the religious practice of one’s life, regardless of organized activities or the manner by which one sustains oneself. Like all of us here!

Bowing in humble obeisance,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"[Again, when Nichiren and his followers recite Nam-myoho-renge-kyo], they are burning the firewood of earthly desires, summoning up the wisdom fire of bodhi or enlightenment."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 710, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 11) Selection source: Buddhist study for new members, Seikyo Shimbun, April 14th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"As Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'When a tiger roars, gales blow; when a dragon intones, clouds gather'[1] (WND-1, 799). When we adopt the attitude - 'I summoned this storm!' - our hearts will be filled with a bright sense of hope and purpose.

"The Daishonin taught his embattled disciples to face adversity with joyous faith deriving from standing up courageously on their own initiative.

"Unless one steers straight into the waves, the boat will be capsized. In the same way, we must never accede to or fear devils. The only thing to do is to face them head-on. That's the way to forge the indestructible life-state of Buddhahood."

SGI Newsletter No. 8746, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory [46], The Three Obstacles and Four Devils. The Wise Will Rejoice, Let's Achieve Eternal Victory through Undefeated Buddhist Practice, from the November 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 8th April 2013

[1] This refers to a traditional Chinese saying. According to popular belief, the roaring of a tiger causes the wind to arise, and the chanting of a dragon produces rain. Nichiren Daishonin cites these beliefs to indicate that a great action invites repercussions of the same magnitude.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered."

(On Prayer Ongi kuden - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 345) Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, April 13th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Buddhism teaches the principle of Cherry, Plum, Peach and Damson.*
Let's live true to our unique selves
and fully blossom in our individual missions.
I hope that each one of us, without exception,
can shine on the stage of our life's play
standing out as an indomitable hero or heroin!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Gosho: (Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 784, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 200) "When one comes to realise and see that each thing--the cherry, the plum, the peach, the damson--in its own entity, without undergoing any change, possesses the eternally endowed three bodies, then this is what is meant by the word ryo 'to include' or all-inclusive."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all.From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!"

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851). Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, April 11th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Though we speak of the three obstacles and four devils appearing, no one wishes to have to face adversity. That is surely a natural human reaction. But Nichiren Daishonin says that the appearance of the three obstacles and four devils is a source of joy. How could that be? It doesn’t seem possible. But it is, in fact, by overcoming the steep hills and inclines of obstacles that we can forge our lives and ascend the summit of Buddhahood, where we can savour the sublime vista of eternity, happiness, true self, and purity.[1]

" My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, often spoke about the three obstacles and four devils. He said they represented the valleys of training and development that lie in between the hills of benefit that we climb on the way to scaling the highest mountain of Buddhahood.[2]

"The important thing is how we approach the three obstacles and four devils. We need to 'own' them, to look at them as something we ourselves have summoned up. It may seem that we are being assailed by the three obstacles and four devils, but the true reality is just the opposite. Because we have voluntarily set ourselves to the task of climbing the peak of Buddhahood, they have arisen. The fact that we encounter these obstacles and devilish functions is proof that we are upholding the correct teaching and advancing in the right direction. We are in charge; we are the protagonists. The three obstacles and four devils are a trial we must surmount in order to attain lasting happiness imbued with the noble virtues of Buddhahood. When we achieve that awareness, then the struggle against the three obstacles and four devils is indeed a great joy."

SGI Newsletter No. 8746, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory [46] “The Three Obstacles and Four Devils.” “The Wise Will Rejoice!”—Let’s Achieve Eternal Victory through Undefeated Buddhist Practice, from the November 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 8th April 2013

[1] Eternity, happiness, true self, and purity are known as the four virtues. Describing the noble qualities of the Buddha’s life, the four are explained as follows: “eternity” means unchanging and eternal; “happiness” means tranquillity that transcends all suffering; “true self” means true and intrinsic nature; and “purity” means free of illusion or mistaken conduct.

[2] Mr. Toda once said: “In making the ascent from a low-lying mountain to a high mountain, you will inevitably have to pass through valleys in between. . . . If attaining Buddhahood is compared to reaching the summit of the highest mountain, then the benefit you receive upon first taking faith corresponds merely to scaling a low-lying mountain. Attaining Buddhahood means scaling a far higher mountain. It is vital that you don’t lose your way in the valleys you pass through on your journey. These are valleys where the three obstacles and four devils vie with one another to attack. You mustn’t become drunk on the benefit that you receive upon first taking faith. You mustn’t become remiss in your daily Buddhist practice, but always remember that the purpose of faith is to climb out of these valleys.” [Translated from Japanese. Josei Toda, Toda Josei Zenshu (Collected Writings of Josei Toda), (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1983), vol. 3, pp. 444–45.]

 

[BushyOldGrower]

So we need not worry that all will be well. Nothing can harm a Buddha and we are just straws floating down the river. You never find the water smooth but without worry you know that you will go with the flow. I go with the flow and know that it's the way to go.

Wherever you end up the journey isn't over and the waves keep coming but knowing the good news that the system is divine makes it easy.

And my prqyers don't go unanswered because of the realization that what I pray for is what will happen. That's because we can go with the flow and we will just arrive eventually.

Still I must study and understand the wisdom of the Buddha and some day I will have it all straight. That's when I too will be the Buddha and that's why we all are what we will be.

Keep me focused on these higher laws...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.."so that I can be enlightened.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime / WND pg. 3

On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime / WND pg. 3

If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning and to attain without fail un-surpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life.

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.

Life at each moment encompasses the body and mind and the self and environment of all sentient beings in the Ten Worlds as well as all insentient beings in the three thousand realms, including plants, sky, earth, and even the minutest particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the entire realm of phenomena and is revealed in all phenomena. To be awakened to this principle is itself the mutually inclusive relationship of life at each moment and all phenomena. 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 (1) chant myoho and recite renge, you must summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself.

You must never think that any of the eighty thousand sacred teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha's lifetime or any of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three existences are outside yourself. Your practice of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life. If you seek enlightenment outside yourself, then your performing even ten thousand practices and ten thousand good deeds will be in vain. It is like the case of a poor man who spends night and day counting his neighbor's wealth but gains not even half a coin. That is why the T'ien-t'ai school's commentary states, "Unless one perceives the nature of one's life, one cannot eradicate one's grave offenses (2)." This passage implies that, unless one perceives the nature of one's life, one's practice will become an endless, painful austerity. Therefore, such students of Buddhism are condemned as non-Buddhist. Great Concentration and Insight states that, although they study Buddhism, their views are no different from those of non-Buddhists.

Whether you chant the Buddha's name, (3) recite the sutra, or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits and roots of goodness in your life. With this conviction you should strive in faith. The Vimalakirti Sutra states that, when one seeks the Buddhas' emancipation in the minds of ordinary beings, one finds that ordinary beings are the entities of enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. It also states that, if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds.

It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being. When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished, it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our life from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend or words express. When we look into our own mind at any moment, we perceive neither color nor form to verify that it exists. Yet we still cannot say it does not exist, for many differing thoughts continually occur. The mind cannot be considered either to exist or not to exist. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor non-existence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality. Myo is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and ho, to its manifestations. Renge, which means lotus flower, is used to symbolize the wonder of this Law. If we understand that our life at this moment is myo, then we will also understand that our life at other (4) moments is the Mystic Law. This realization is the mystic kyo, or sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law.

If you chant Myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. That is why the sutra states, "After I have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha (5) way." Never doubt in the slightest.

Respectfully.

Maintain your faith and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nichiren

Background

This letter was written to Toki Jonin in the seventh year of Kencho (1255), two years after Nichiren Daishonin established his teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. At the time of this letter, the Daishonin was thirty-four years old and was living in Kamakura, the seat of the military government. Toki was a staunch follower of the Daishonin who lived in Wakamiya in Shimosa Province. He received some thirty letters, including Letter from Sado and one of the major treatises, The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. A retainer of Lord Chiba, the constable of Shimosa, Toki had become a follower of the Daishonin around 1254.

Of all his writings from the mid-1250s, On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime focuses most clearly on the tenets of the Daishonin's Buddhism;many of the other works of this period are aimed chiefly at refuting the erroneous doctrines of other schools and discussing theoretical questions. This short essay not only reflects the theories T'ien-t'ai formulated based on the Lotus Sutra, but also reveals the concrete practice for attaining Buddhahood - namely, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo - that is missing in T'ien-t'ai's theoretical framework.

Myoho-renge-kyo is the title of the Lotus Sutra, but to the Daishonin it is much more; it is the essence of the sutra, the revelation of the supreme Law itself. Apparent in this work are both the depth of his thought and his conviction that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the only teaching that can lead people to Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Notes

1. "Chant myoho and recite renge" means to chant the daimoku of the Mystic Law, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
2. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
3. As used here, "the Buddha's name"denotes Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
4. This sentence can also be interpreted to read, "If one understands that one's life is myo, then one also understands that others' lives are all entities of the Mystic Law."
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 21.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The True Aspect of All Phenomena WND pg. 383

The True Aspect of All Phenomena WND pg. 383

Written by Nichiren

Question: The "Expedient Means" chapter in the first volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "The true aspect of all phenomena [can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature . . . and] their consistency from beginning to end." What does this passage mean?

Answer: It means that all beings and environments in the Ten Worlds, from hell, the lowest, to Buddhahood, the highest, are without exception manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. If there is an environment, living beings are bound to dwell there. A commentary states, "Living beings and their environments always manifest Myoho-renge-kyo." (1) Another says: "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 in life and its (2) environment." And "Both the beings and the environment of the Avichi hell exist entirely within the life of the highest sage [Buddha], and what is more, the life and the environment of Vairochana [Buddha] never transcend the lives of (3) common mortals." These explanations are precise and clear. Who could have doubts? Thus, the entire realm of phenomena is no different than the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo.

Even the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, in performing the function of the benefit of the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, manifested themselves as the two Buddhas, and seated together in the treasure tower, nodded in mutual agreement.

No one but Nichiren has ever revealed teachings like these. Though T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo knew about them in their hearts, they never put them into words. They went about their lives keeping this knowledge to themselves. And there was good reason for this. The Buddha had not entrusted them with the task, the time had not yet come, and they had not been the Buddha's disciples from the distant past. Only Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, and the other foremost leaders and guiding teachers among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth can not only appear during the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law and spread the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the essence of all phenomena, but also give concrete form to the ceremony of the two Buddhas seated side by side in the treasure tower. The reason is that what they are to spread and give concrete form to is none other than the teaching of the actual three thousand realms in a single moment of life in the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching.

Therefore, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, are Buddhas who are functions [of Myoho-renge-kyo]. It is Myoho-renge-kyo that (4) is the true Buddha. This is what is described in the sutra as "the Thus Come One's secret and his transcendental powers (5)." The "Thus Come One's secret" refers to the entity of the Buddha's three bodies, and it refers to the true Buddha. "His transcendental powers" refers to the functions of the three bodies, and it refers to provisional Buddhas. A common mortal is an entity of the three bodies, and a true Buddha. A Buddha is a function of the three bodies, and a provisional Buddha. In that case, though it is thought that Shakyamuni Buddha possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for the sake of all of us living beings, that is not so. On the contrary, it is common mortals who endow him with the three virtues.

The "Thus Come One" is explained clearly in T'ien-t'ai's commentary as follows: "The Thus Come One is a general designation for the Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences, for the two Buddhas, the three (6) Buddhas, the true Buddha, and provisional Buddhas (7)." The "true Buddha" here means common mortals, whereas "provisional Buddhas" means Buddhas. However, because of the difference between ordinary people and Buddhas that stems from the disparity between delusion and enlightenment, ordinary people are unaware that they are endowed with both the entity and the functions of the three bodies.

"All phenomena" in the sutra refers to the Ten Worlds, and the "true aspect," to what they actually are. The "true aspect" is another name for Myoho-renge-kyo; hence all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo. Hell's displaying the form of hell is its true aspect. When hell changes into the realm of hungry spirits, that is no longer the true form of hell. A Buddha displays the form of a Buddha, and a common mortal, that of a common mortal. The entities of all phenomena are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. That is the meaning of "the true aspect of all phenomena." T'ien-t'ai states that the profound principle of the true aspect is the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo (8). This interpretation identifies the phrase "true aspect" with the theoretical teaching and "the originally inherent Myoho-renge-kyo" with the essential teaching. You should ponder this interpretation deep in your heart.

Although not worthy of the honor, I, Nichiren, was nevertheless the first to spread the Mystic Law entrusted to Bodhisattva Superior Practices for propagation in the Latter Day of the Law. I was also the first, though only Bodhisattva Superior Practices is so empowered, to inscribe [the object of devotion as] the embodiment of Shakyamuni Buddha from the remote past as revealed in the "Life Span" chapter of the essential teaching, of Many Treasures Buddha who appeared when the "Treasure Tower" chapter of the theoretical teaching was preached, and of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who arrived with the "Emerging from the Earth" chapter. Though people may hate me, they cannot possibly alter the fact of my enlightenment.

Therefore, to have exiled me, Nichiren, to this remote island is, I believe, an offense that can never be expiated, even with the passing of countless kalpas. A passage from the "Simile and Parable" chapter reads, "If I were to describe the punishments [that fall on persons who slander this sutra], I could exhaust a kalpa and never come to the end." On the other hand, not even the wisdom of the Buddha can fathom the blessings that one will obtain by giving alms to Nichiren and by becoming his disciple and lay supporter. The sutra reads, "[The benefits he gains thereby will be such that] even the Buddha wisdom could never finish calculating (9) their extent."

Nichiren alone took the lead in carrying out the task of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. He may even be one of them. If Nichiren is to be counted among the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, then so must his disciples and lay supporters. The sutra states: "If one [of these good men or good women in the time after I have passed into extinction] is able to secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one phrase of it, then you should know that he or she is the envoy of the Thus Come One. He has been dispatched by the Thus Come One and carries out the (10) Thus Come One's work." Who else but us can this possibly refer to?

When praised highly by others, one feels that there is no hardship one cannot bear. Such is the courage that springs from words of praise. The votaries born in the Latter Day of the Law who propagate the Lotus Sutra will encounter the three types of enemies, who will cause them to be exiled and even condemn them to death. Yet Shakyamuni Buddha will enfold in his robe those who nonetheless persevere in propagating. Heavenly gods will make them offerings, support them with their shoulders, and carry them on their backs. They possess great roots of goodness and deserve to be great leaders for all living beings. Thus extolled by Shakyamuni Buddha, Many Treasures Buddha, all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the ten directions, the seven reigns of the heavenly deities and the five reigns of the earthly deities, the Mother of Demon Children and the ten demon daughters, the four heavenly kings, Brahma, Shakra, King Yama, the gods of the waters and winds, the gods of the seas and mountains, the Thus Come One Mahavairochana, the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushri, and the gods of the sun and moon - thus praised by all these honored ones, I, Nichiren, have been able to endure countless harsh trials. When praised, one does not consider one's personal risk, and when criticized, one can recklessly cause one's own ruin. Such is the way of common mortals.

Now, no matter what, strive in faith and be known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, and remain my disciple for the rest of your life. If you are of the same mind as Nichiren, you must be a Bodhisattva of the Earth. And if you are a Bodhisattva of the Earth, there is not the slightest doubt that you have been a disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha from the remote past. The sutra states, "Ever since the long distant past I have been teaching and converting this multitude (11)." There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku. At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. Propagation will unfold this way in the future as well. Does this not signify "emerging from the earth"? At the time when the Law has spread far and wide, the entire Japanese nation will chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as surely as an arrow aimed at the earth cannot miss the target.

But now you must build your reputation on the Lotus Sutra and give yourself up to it. At the Ceremony in the Air, when the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions gathered together, the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, nodded in agreement. What they decided on was nothing other than the perpetuation of the Law throughout the Latter Day. Many Treasures Buddha had offered Shakyamuni Buddha a place beside him, and when they unfurled the banner of Myoho-renge-kyo, the two leaders of the entire multitude made their decision together. Could there have been anything false in their decision? Their ultimate purpose in meeting was to provide a way for all of us living beings to attain Buddhahood.

Although I was not at that ceremony, on looking at the sutra, this is crystal-clear. On the other hand, I may have been at the ceremony, but since I am a common mortal, it is beyond my power to know the past. There is no doubt, however, that in my present life I am the votary of the Lotus Sutra, and that in the future I will therefore reach the seat of enlightenment without fail. Judging the past from this point of view, I must have been at the Ceremony in the Air. There can be no discontinuity between the three existences of past, present, and future.

Because I view things this way, I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now an exile. Joy as well as sorrow moves us to tears. Tears express our feelings for both blessings and misfortune. The one thousand arhats shed tears in memory of the Buddha, and in tears Bodhisattva Manjushri chanted Myoho-renge-kyo. From among those one thousand arhats, the Venerable Ananda replied in tears, "This is what (12) I heard." The tears of all the others fell, wetting their inkstones, and they wrote Myoho-renge-kyo, followed by "This is what I heard." I, Nichiren, now feel exactly as they did. I am now in exile because I spread the five and seven characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. I spread this teaching because "This is what I heard": Shakyamuni Buddha and Many Treasures Buddha left Myoho-renge-kyo for the future and for all living beings in the country of Japan.

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 and crickets 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 has shed in past existences at the death of one's parents, brothers, sisters, wives, children, and other relatives surpass the quantity of water in the four great seas, one weeps not a drop for the Buddha's teachings. One becomes a votary of the Lotus Sutra by virtue of one's practice in past existences. It is karmic relationships that determine which among the many trees are made into images of the Buddha. It is also because of karma that some become statues of Buddhas of the provisional teachings.

In this letter, I have written my most important teachings. Grasp their meaning firmly, and make them a part of your life. 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. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The seventeenth day of the fifth month

POSTSCRIPT:

I wrote before about the doctrines that have been handed down to me. Those I have revealed to you in this particular letter are very important. Is there not a mystic bond between us? Are you not the embodiment of one of the four bodhisattvas, including Superior Practices, who led the Bodhisattvas of the Earth equal in number to the sands of the sixty thousand Ganges Rivers? There must be some profound reason for our relationship. I have given you the teachings that concern myself. Nichiren may be one of the followers of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who are equal in number to the sands of the sixty thousand Ganges Rivers, for I have been chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo out of my desire to guide all the men and women in Japan. The sutra says, "[Among these bodhisattvas were four leaders.] The first was called Superior Practices . . . . These four bodhisattvas were the foremost leaders (13) and guiding teachers." A bond of karma from the past has led you to become my disciple. By all means keep this letter to yourself. I have herein committed to writing the doctrines of my own enlightenment. I will end here.

Reply to Sairen-bo

Background

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Sairen-bo Nichijo while at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273). For some reason Sairen-bo was also in exile on Sado, where he had been converted by the Daishonin in the second month of 1272. A former Tendai priest, he already knew something about "the true aspect of all phenomena"; it was a fundamental concept in the Tendai school of Buddhism. He could not, however, satisfactorily come to grips with this concept through T'ien-t'ai's theory alone, so he asked the Daishonin for an explanation. The True Aspect of All Phenomena is the Daishonin's reply.

Though comparatively short, this document elucidates two important elements of the Daishonin's Buddhism. It was completed a month after Nichiren Daishonin wrote The Object of De-votion for Observing the Mind, in which he explained the Gohonzon, the object of devotion that can lead all people in the Latter Day of the Law to enlightenment. True Aspect of All Phenomena begins with a passage from the "Expedient Means" chapter - the heart ofthe theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra - that implies that no phenome-non is in any way different from the true aspect, or Myoho-renge-kyo. It also implies that all the innumerable forms and realities that exist, both concrete and abstract, are manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. The Daishonin then explains the essence of the Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, and its embodiment, the Gohonzon. This is the first element - the object of devotion in terms of the Law.

After clarifying the ultimate teaching of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin states that Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, will propagate that teaching, and that he himself is carrying out the mission entrusted to that bodhisattva. In light of his own behavior and his fulfillment of the predictions in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin suggests that he himself is Bodhisattva Superior Practices. A more profound interpretation, however, identifies him as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, whose purpose was to establish the Gohonzon for the enlightenment of all people in the Latter Day. Thus True Aspect of All Phenomena also explains the object of devotion in terms of the Person. This is the second element. Referring to both the Person and the Law, the Daishonin clarifies the fundamental object of devotion for the people of the Latter Day. He brings together the points he expounded in The Opening of the Eyes completed in 1272, which focuses on the second element, and in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, which focuses on the first element.

The latter half of this letter explains to Sairen-bo that those who devote themselves to propagating the correct teaching in the same spirit as the Daishonin are themselves Bodhisattvas of the Earth. The Daishonin predicts that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread widely in the future, and concludes by setting forth the key elements of Buddhist practice in the Latter Day of the Law - namely, faith, practice, and study.

Notes

1. The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra."
2. The Diamond Scalpel.
3. Ibid.
4. Here the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is identified as the "true Buddha" and its function as a "provisional Buddha."
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 16.
6. The two Buddhas refer to a Buddha in his true, original status (the Dharma body) and a Buddha in the form in which he appears in response to the people's desires in order to save them (the manifested body). The three Buddhas indicate the three bodies of a Buddha - the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body.
7. The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.
8. This statement is attributed to T'ien-t'ai, but its source has not yet been satisfactorily identified.
9. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23.
10. Ibid., chap. 10.
11. Ibid., chap. 15.
12. A phrase that opens many sutras. The "I" indicates the person who recites what the Buddha taught, so that it may be set down in the form of a sutra.
13. Lotus Sutra, chap. 15.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life

The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life

Written by Nichiren

I have just carefully read your letter. To reply, the ultimate Law of life and death as transmitted from the Buddha to all living beings is Myoho-renge-kyo. The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo were transferred from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, the two Buddhas inside the treasure tower, to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, carrying on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past. Myo represents death, and ho, life. Living beings that pass through the two phases of life and death are the entities of the Ten Worlds, or the entities of Myoho-renge-kyo.

T’ien-t’ai says that one should understand that living beings and their environments, and the causes and effects at work within them, are all the Law of renge (the lotus).1 Here “living beings and their environments” means the phenomena of life and death. Thus, it is clear that, where life and death exist, cause and effect, or the Law of the lotus, is at work.

The Great Teacher Dengyo states, “The two phases of life and death are the wonderful workings of one mind. The two ways of existence and nonexistence are the true functions of an inherently enlightened mind.”2 No phenomena—either heaven or earth, yin or yang,3 the sun or the moon, the five planets,4 or any of the worlds from hell to Buddhahood—are free from the two phases of life and death. Life and death are simply the two functions of Myoho-renge-kyo. In his Great Concentration and Insight, T’ien-t’ai says, “Arising is the arising of the essential nature of the Law, and extinction is the extinction of that nature.” Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, the two Buddhas, are also the two phases of life and death.

Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death. This is a matter of the utmost importance for Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters, and this is what it means to embrace the Lotus Sutra.

For one who summons up one’s faith and chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the profound insight that now is the last moment of one’s life, the sutra proclaims: “When the lives of these persons come to an end, they will be received into the hands of a thousand Buddhas, who will free them from all fear and keep them from falling into the evil paths of existence.”5 How can we possibly hold back our tears at the inexpressible joy of knowing that not just one or two, not just one hundred or two hundred, but as many as a thousand Buddhas will come to greet us with open arms!

Concerning one who disbelieves the Lotus Sutra, because the sutra states, “When his life comes to an end he will enter the Avichi hell,”6 the wardens of hell will surely come for one and take one away by the hands. How pitiful! The ten kings7 of the world of the dead will then pass judgment, and the heavenly messengers8 who have been with one since birth will berate one for one’s evil deeds.

Think of those thousand Buddhas extending their hands to all of Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as melons or moonflowers extending their slender vines. My followers are now able to accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra because of the strong ties they formed with it in their past existences. They are certain to obtain the fruit of Buddhahood in the future. The heritage of the Lotus Sutra flows within the lives of those who never forsake it in any lifetime whatsoever—whether in the past, the present, or the future. But those who disbelieve and slander the Lotus Sutra will immediately “destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world.”9 Because they cut themselves off from the potential to attain enlightenment, they do not share the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death.

All disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren should chant Nam-myoho- renge-kyo with the spirit of many in body but one in mind, transcending all differences among themselves10 to become as inseparable as fish and the water in which they swim. This spiritual bond is the basis for the universal transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death. Herein lies the true goal of Nichiren’s propagation. When you are so united, even the great desire for widespread propagation can be fulfilled. But if any of Nichiren’s disciples disrupt the unity of many in body but one in mind, they would be like warriors who destroy their own castle from within.

Nichiren has been trying to awaken all the people of Japan to faith in the Lotus Sutra so that they too can share the heritage and attain Buddhahood. But instead they have persecuted me in various ways and finally had me banished to this island. You have followed Nichiren, however, and met with suffering as a result. It pains me deeply to think of your anguish. Gold can be neither burned by fire nor corroded or swept away by water, but iron is vulnerable to both. A worthy person is like gold, a fool like iron. You are like pure gold because you embrace the “gold” of the Lotus Sutra. The sutra states, “Just as among all the mountains, Mount Sumeru is foremost, so this Lotus Sutra is likewise.”11 It also states, “The good fortune you gain thereby . . . cannot be burned by fire or washed away by water.”12

It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni and Many Treasures certainly realized this truth. The sutra’s statement, “Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers,”13 cannot be false in any way.

How admirable that you have asked about the transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death! I have never heard of anyone who has asked such a question. I have answered in complete detail in this letter, so please take it deeply to heart. The important point is to carry out your practice confident that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone is the heritage that was transferred from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures to Bodhisattva Superior Practices.

The function of fire is to burn and give light. The function of water is to wash away filth. The winds blow away dust and breathe life into plants, animals, and human beings. The earth produces the grasses and trees, and heaven provides nourishing moisture. The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo are also like that. They are the cluster of blessings brought by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, disciples of the Buddha in his true identity. The Lotus Sutra says that Bodhisattva Superior Practices will appear now, in the Latter Day of the Law, to propagate this teaching, but has this happened? Whether or not Bodhisattva Superior Practices has appeared in this world, Nichiren has already made a start in propagating this teaching.

Be resolved to summon forth the great power of faith, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death. Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life. Only then will you realize that earthly desires are enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.

I will go into particulars again on another occasion.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren,
the shramana of Japan

The eleventh day of the second month in the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272), cyclical sign mizunoe-saru

Reply to the Honorable Sairen-bo


Background

This letter, dated the eleventh day of the second month in 1272, was sent by Nichiren Daishonin to Sairen-bo Nichijo, a former Tendai priest who, for reasons that are unclear, was also living in exile on Sado Island. Details about Sairen-bo are scarce, but it is known that he was originally from Kyoto, and that he had studied at Mount Hiei, the seat of the Tendai school, before his exile. He was also present at the Tsukahara Debate, held in front of Sammai-do, the Daishonin’s dwelling at Tsukahara, on the sixteenth and seventeenth days of the first month in 1272. In this debate the Daishonin was the clear victor over Pure Land, True Word, and other priests from Sado and from various provinces of northern Japan. A number of people converted to his teachings at this time, among them Sairen-bo.

Sairen-bo was a highly educated priest to whom the Daishonin sent several important essays, including The True Aspect of All Phenomena and The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life. He had a number of unresolved questions about Buddhist theory, and he addressed them one by one to the Daishonin, who in turn answered these questions in written form. The Daishonin praised him, saying, “How admirable that you have asked about the transmission of the ultimate Law of life and death!” In his reply the Daishonin offers a look into the wonder of the Buddha’s own enlightenment, as well as the practical means whereby ordinary people may attain the same end.

In the first paragraph, the Daishonin states that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the heritage of the ultimate Law of life, and that the transmission of this Law is made from the Buddha to all living beings. Then he refers to the question of how we can inherit the ultimate Law of life and manifest it within ourselves.

This Law flows in the depths of the lives of those who believe in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, practice in exact accord with them, and chant the daimoku. The Daishonin declares that there is no distinction whatsoever between Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, and us, ordinary people.

Viewed from the standpoint of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, this can be taken as a declaration that there is absolutely no difference or separation between Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha of the Latter Day, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—or the Gohonzon which embodies that Law— and ourselves, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

In terms of time, the heritage—the mystic relationship between the Law and the lives of the people—courses eternally through past, present, and future, unbroken in any lifetime. In terms of space, the Daishonin proclaims that the heritage of the ultimate Law flows within the lives of his disciples and lay supporters who work in perfect unity for the realization of a peaceful world and happiness for all humanity.

Having stated that the ultimate Law is within the lives of human beings, Nichiren Daishonin further explains how to inherit the Law. He emphasizes the importance of the attitude, “now is the last moment . . . ,” in or der to manifest innate Buddhahood, a state that transcends both life and death.

In discussing the thousand Buddhas and the ten kings of hell, he reveals the continuity of cause and effect spanning past, present, and future. Whatever state of life predominates while one is alive will continue in the next life. Whether one can succeed to the heritage of the Law depends entirely on one’s faith. This is why he strictly warns in his conclusion, “Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.”


Notes

1. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
2. The Essential Doctrines Transmitted within the Tendai Lotus School.
3. Yin and yang are two universal principles of ancient Chinese philosophy. Yin is the negative, dark, and feminine principle; yang is the positive, bright, and masculine principle. Their interaction was thought to determine the destiny of all things.
4. Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. In the thirteenth century the more distant planets were as yet unknown, and Earth was not known to be among the planets.
5. Lotus Sutra, chap. 28.
6. Ibid., chap. 3.
7. Symbolic figures from popular religious tradition. One Chinese concept
viewed hell as a demonic court of law where the dead were tried for their evil deeds.
8. Gods said to dwell on one’s shoulders from the time of birth and to record one’s every act. They represent the law of cause and effect at work in one’s life.
9. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
10. The phrase “transcending all differences among themselves” could be rendered literally as “without any thought of self or other, this or that.” This is not a denial of individuality, but rather urges the bridging of the gaps between people that arise from self-centeredness.
11. Lotus Sutra, chap. 23.
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid., chap. 7.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

You'll enjoy reading this...

You'll enjoy reading this...

Still I must study and understand the wisdom of the Buddha and some day I will have it all straight. That's when I too will be the Buddha and that's why we all are what we will be.

Keep me focused on these higher laws...Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.."so that I can be enlightened.

Dear Brother. Let me be a good friend to you. This is a good place to start... (three letters above)

Bowing in most humble obeisance,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

The Daishonin encourages us:
"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy."*
Life is an unceasing series of challenges.
Let's walk with wholehearted commitment along the path to kosen-rufu,
unwavering and unflinching!

Daisaku Ikeda

* Gosho, Happiness in This World - WND-1 pg 681, "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo no matter what happens."

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Only in the Lotus Sutra do we read that a woman who embraces this sutra not only excels all other women, but also surpasses all men."

(The Unity of Husband and Wife - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 464)
Selection source: Myoji no Gen, Seikyo Shimbun, April 12th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The only way to battle devilish functions is to rouse one’s faith in the Mystic Law to overcome one’s ignorance and illusion.

"...Developing the kind of faith that allows one to overcome hardships and obstacles begins with adopting a determined attitude and making a firm decision."

SGI Newsletter No. 8746, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory [46], The Three Obstacles and Four Devils. The Wise Will Rejoice, Let's Achieve Eternal Victory through Undefeated Buddhist Practice, from the November 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 8th April 2013

 

[TheDanishBuddha]

When people become pessimistic, it is as if they hide themselves behind dark clouds that prevent joy and hope from entering their hearts. Buddhism is a teaching of supreme optimism. It is a teaching in which there is no despair; instead there is boundless hope, opening the possibility for boundless happiness.

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Life is eternal, extending through the three existences of past, present and future; the sutras teach that we have been born in this world after having undergone the cycle of birth and death infinite times. From that point of view, at one time or another in the past, all men have been our father and all women have been our mother (cf. WND-2, 637). Buddhism sees us all as related and owing debts of gratitude to each other.

"The Daishonin indicates here that this is why we should wish for the happiness of all people. Since supreme happiness lies in attaining the life-state of Buddhahood, the best way to repay our debt of gratitude to others is to teach them Buddhism, the ultimate means for gaining enlightenment."

SGI Newsletter No. 8487, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, [36] "The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude." Youth, Become Champions of Humanism Who Shine with the Supreme Philosophy of the Mystic Law!, from the January 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated April 6th, 2012