Chanting Growers Group (2013-∞)

[BushyOldGrower]

Today we move forward as people have their right to love and marry whom they choose.

Does our faith have room for gay love, marriage and family fidelity?

Do people also have inherent right to consume the foods and medicines they choose?

Doesn't our faith encompass freedom? Yes it does!!!

We are changing our world rapidly. Perhaps Kosen Rufu approaches due to the power of communication unleashed by modern technology.

Is there "Time Enough for Love" Heinlein wrote that book and he was one of the wisest men I ever read. He was a science fiction writer but this was about his last book and it was about freedom in the future to be who you are.

I will enter Nirvana soon enough but there is still time enough for love. I love my wife so much that this is the attachment I cannot forgo.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is my pledge. Together we can make a fine planet. BOG

Gay rights are human rights and you don't have to be gay to see that.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Today we move forward as people have their right to love and marry whom they choose.

Does our faith have room for gay love, marriage and family fidelity?

Do people also have inherent right to consume the foods and medicines they choose?

Doesn't our faith encompass freedom? Yes it does!!!

We are changing our world rapidly. Perhaps Kosen Rufu approaches due to the power of communication unleashed by modern technology.

Is there "Time Enough for Love" Heinlein wrote that book and he was one of the wisest men I ever read. He was a science fiction writer but this was about his last book and it was about freedom in the future to be who you are.

I will enter Nirvana soon enough but there is still time enough for love. I love my wife so much that this is the attachment I cannot forgo.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is my pledge. Together we can make a fine planet. BOG

Gay rights are human rights and you don't have to be gay to see that.

Knowing that, the SGI embraces the LGBT community openly, and has for a very long time!!!

Bowing in humble obeisance to the Buddha, the Thus Come One BOG

Thomas

 

[Payaso]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

It's a wonderful day on many levels... chanted my way into town and all the errands breezed by and each encounter left me with more energy and gifts to bring home

Of course this morning's news is something to be grateful for as so many people are looking for love and companionship wherever they can find it!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo! and a big hat's off in thanks to Retired Judge Vaughn Walker, another wise sage who helped stop Prop 8 in it's tracks.

Here's to peace, love and happiness for all creatures

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[CrazyDog]

To all of our proudly ever-youthful pioneer members,
we are so thankful to you for all your encouragement and support.
This summer again, let's take good care of our health, first and foremost,
and continue to advance by making even greater progress in our lives!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Together we will continue to lift our swords of justice and in the end how can we fail to be victorious? This planet could be so beautiful...

Mother Earth, Father Sun, Protector Moon...we chant this morning for you...

This planet is so beautiful we cannot destroy it. We must save the planet. BOG

bows humbly to brother Tom...

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is the great love of truth and respect for what matters most...

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a good friend."

(Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 598) Selection source: "Myoji no gen", Seikyo Shimbun, June 22nd, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"'One accepts [the Lotus Sutra] because of one’s power of faith and continues [to uphold it] because of one’s power of constant thought' (WND-1, 471)—this is a passage from the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra. It was cited by Nichiren Daishonin in a letter to Shijo Kingo, who was steadfastly exerting himself in his Buddhist practice in an area that is part of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture.

"Nothing surpasses the power of faith in the Mystic Law. Based on that belief, we need to speak out freely and share our convictions with others, for the sake of Buddhism, the happiness of others, and the welfare of society.

"In a letter to the Ikegami brothers, who faced repeated challenges to their faith, the Daishonin wrote urging them to speak out intrepidly for their beliefs, adding: 'You should not have the slightest fear in your heart' (WND-1, 637).

"When our prayers are focused and we courageously share the Mystic Law with others, we can lead our families and loved ones along the path to eternal happiness and victory."

SGI Newsletter No. 8785, Win with Courage and Conviction!, from the July 2013 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 18th June, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In spite of the persecution that he knew would ensue, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, who believed in the Buddha nature of all people, continued to preach the '24-character Lotus Sutra.' In other words, he would go around bowing to every person he encountered, praising them and saying: 'I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you will all practise the bodhisattva way and will then be able to attain Buddhahood' (LSOC20, 308).[1] However, people reacted by beating him with sticks and staves and throwing tiles and stones at him.

"What we can learn from Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s behaviour is how to show the utmost respect for all people equally, and share Buddhism with them, without distinction of class or social status.

"This should also be the way that leaders and all Soka Gakkai members who are striving for kosen-rufu behave.

"The reason that Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was able to continue simply bowing to others in veneration, no matter how harshly he was persecuted and attacked, was his unswerving conviction in Buddhism, which teaches that all people inherently possess the Buddha nature and that through one’s practice of showing respect to others one could attain enlightenment. Burning with a sense of mission to lead others to enlightenment, he firmly believed in the principle of cause and effect."

SGI Newsletter No. 8788, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 2, Banner of the Law 33, translated 25th June, 2013

[1] In Chinese, this passage is written with 24 characters and it is also said to embody the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra. Hence, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging is said to have propagated the 24-character Lotus Sutra.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, was always eager to take on ever greater challenges.

"Great challenges give us the opportunity to carry out our human revolution and change our karma more quickly. They open wide the road to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

"Thanking members for their tireless efforts, Mr. Toda once said: 'If we persevere in faith, enormous benefit will clearly manifest in our life—and I mean truly extraordinary benefit. We of the Soka Gakkai are firmly committed to realising kosen-rufu and establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land. Therefore, let’s share our convictions without hesitation! The Gohonzon is aware of all our efforts. Knowing that, don’t you feel courage rising within you?'

"These words capture the eternal and unchanging Gakkai spirit."

SGI Newsletter No. 8785, Win with Courage and Conviction!, from the July 2013 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated 18th June, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?"

(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 412) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 26th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Whatever trouble occurs, regard it as no more than a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra."

(Letter to the Brothers - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 502) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 28th, 2013

 

[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 - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 345) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 27th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"In a letter to the lay nun Ueno [the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu], Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'With regard to the Lotus Sutra, when one’s hand takes it up, that hand immediately attains Buddhahood, and when one’s mouth chants it, that mouth is itself a Buddha' (WND-1, 1099).

"Even in times of suffering and hardship, if we continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our lives, just as they are, will shine as entities of the Lotus Sutra [the Mystic Law], and we will be able to positively transform our situation in accord with the principle of 'changing poison into medicine.'

"The lay nun Ueno was able to pull herself out of her profound grief following the deaths of her husband and youngest son and open the way for a happy future for her family and loved ones."

SGI Newsletter No. 8764, SGI President Ikeda’s Editorial, Walking the Path of Happiness and Victory Together with the Women’s Division, translated 17th May, 2013 from the June edition of the Daibyaku Renge

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"There is no true happiness for human being other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The sutra reads, '. . . where living beings enjoy themselves at ease.' How could this passage mean anything but the boundless joy of the Law?"

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 681) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, May 25th, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The key to attaining Buddhahood and finding happiness lies within us. Buddhism awakens us to this truth.

"That is why Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'If you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law' (WND-1, 3). True practitioners of the Daishonin’s Buddhism lead their lives based on the great Law of life that also permeates their own being.

"Allowing oneself to be controlled by external circumstances, striving enthusiastically when one is praised and abandoning Buddhism when one is criticised and abused, is what is meant by seeking the Law outside of oneself.

"But we must remember that no matter who our leader is, or what discouraging or disappointing actions they may take, allowing it to negatively affect our own Buddhist practice is to be swayed and defeated by devilish functions."

SGI Newsletter No. 8788, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 26: Chap. 2, Banner of the Law 33, translated 25th June, 2013

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"You must not spend your lives in vain and regret it for ten thousand years to come."

(The Problem to Be Pondered Night and Day - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 622) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 29th, 2013

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Faith and respect.

Sometimes we see people we think are different than us. They may be dirty, hungry, addicted and poor. These people often have no home to go to because they have lost their way. Often we just avoid them and look the other way but couldn't that be you?

Respect for others means not just some others...it means all others. Maybe everyone wants to be treated with respect. I know I do.

Let's chant for those forgotten and pray for a better world to come...some day everyone will have what they need. We won't forget.

Pay respect to one of these poor souls by speaking to them and showing them a kindness. Try and give our brothers and sisters a brighter moment in their day.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is how we pray...

If not love then at least respect. Bog

 

[easyDaimoku]

So I've been realizing how my practice requires me to keep studying, chanting as much as possible and helping other people's lives understand The Mystic Law of Cause and Effect from a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin and student of President Ikeda. I'm also a student of the Chanting Growers and have consistently relied on PTD's posts for many years now, but more importantly I use my studies on this thread towards how I live my daily life. I've made tons of mistakes in the past 7 years, but my life is so much more vast and wide open now. My faith is rock solid and I've learned that some of my karmic tendancies are things I need to be aware of. Sometimes I've envisioned the Gohonzon to be "outside of my life" like if Nichiren Daishonin is not a part of me always. However, through consistent prayer I realize on a daily basis that I also share a Buddhanature with all of Nichiren's followers and lay supporters. My life is in a special place now.

My mother who would feverishly renounce my faith in the Gohonzon is now talking more Buddhist Reason than some of the so called Leaders I've associated with in "our rooms of mugwort". Like the strong Cannabis (Hemp) plant my mother, my Chanting Growers thread (and movement), and life are all propping me up to stand tall. Courageously I continue to shakubuku, so much so, that even tonight I'm being invited to support a close friend that recently started chanting without me ever bringing her to one meeting. I've only encouraged her through my life, words, actions to seek the Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo! On her own, she started attending meetings and will be receiving a Gohonzon soon. Truly, I'm practicing what I'm preaching, but more importantly, she is also going forward and already showing actual proof in her assidious practice. Our faith is so dynamic, that I'm sure others on this thread have also picked themselves up and attended SGI meetings. And even more praise worthy are those that continue supporting SGI activities (or local Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism movements) and meetings despite obvious and certain difficult obstacles hindering their path. Kudos to the courageous!

For those lacking in faith and bravery, don't lose faith or worry too much, because we all could and do feel unsure about ourselves from time to time. Setup for the next respite from the obstacles with daimoku! Savor the good times when they come with Daimoku! Treasure your life and the lives of all humans with Daimoku! Turn things to your favor with Daimoku!

I encourage everyone to keep chanting Daimoku! Just like this thread always keeps me going, especially when the going gets rough! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!!!


(MUGI WASSHIN!!!!!!!)

 

[BushyOldGrower]

Fourth of July makes me want to express my freedom...

We are free! We have free will but the choices we make determine our future. Cause and effect.

We are free to accept higher principles that we can be proud of...

We are free to help others and to accept their help.

I am thankful that knowledge sets us free. We need not worry.

Like a twig floating down a stream we are. No worries about where we go or end up because we go with the flow...with the flow we go, knowing that we are safe in the embrace of our surrounding waters.

Knowing that by pledging the goodness in our hearts to the higher law will see us through on our never ending journey...our great adventures.

Enjoy your freedom to do as you please and know that whatever you choose is ok. After all you do chant Nam Myoho .Renge Kyo don't you?

Go with the flow... Bog