Chanting Growers Group

[Peregrin Took]

Been offline for a little while. PC probs then a family emergency have made this last week pretty hectic.

Thanks for the welcome and everyones advice. After thinking about it, I think I really am gonna try to turn my dad onto this thread.

Comp is still down, should hopefully be back up in the next few days.

Peace.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Peregrin! I know it may be awhile before you read this but your post made my day! I have been chanting about you and your dad, and I am so pleased my prayer was answered positively! I have a deep strong feeling about this. He is going to find some good friends here.

One day he will thank you for this debt of gratitude. I think he belongs here. Don't give up till you get him to check us out!

Thank you!

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Likewise, though someone may have great physical strength, if he lacks a resolute spirit, even his many abilities will be of no use."

(The Supremacy of the Law - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 614) Selection source: Buddhist study, Seikyo Shimbun, March 19th, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

To Open, Show, Awaken, And Induce To Enter

To Open, Show, Awaken, And Induce To Enter

When Thomas Edison was a child, he was extremely inquisitive. He perhaps spent much time pondering such questions as “What makes the wind blow?” But in school, he was having trouble with the basics—English and math. Suffering from a hearing deficiency, and bored with the rote learning conducted in class, others labeled him a misfit. After attending school on and off for five years or so, he dropped out.

His mother, believing in her son’s potential, tutored him at home in subjects that seemed to spark his interest. Young Edison became a voracious reader, and taking nature as his instructor, he learned through a process of repeated trial and error. This style of learning contributed at least in part to his great success as a master inventor in later years.

If, like his school, his mother had labeled him slow or deficient, our world today might be decades behind in terms of technological advancement. It is clear that whether or not children can learn in a way that opens and cultivates their innate potential will dramatically effect their growth and future.

If people become aware of the hopes and expectations of teachers and loved ones toward their growth and success, come to share those hopes themselves, and actually live up to those hopes, this contributes tremendously to their level of confidence. On the other hand, if led to believe they are inferior or deficient, people will lose confidence, and their emotional and intellectual growth will stall. In this sense, low expectations become a self-fulfilling prophecy. While this applies in particular to children, it is true of adults as well.

The “Expedient Means” Chapter of the Lotus Sutra teaches the principle of “opening, showing, awakening, and inducing to enter.” This comes from the passage that reads:

“The Buddhas, the World Honored Ones, wish to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings, to allow them to attain purity. That is why they appear in the world. They wish to show the Buddha wisdom to living beings, and therefore they appear in the world. They wish to cause living beings to awaken to the Buddha wisdom, and therefore they appear in the world. They wish to induce living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom, and therefore they appear in the world.” (The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson, p. 31).

Thus, the purpose of a Buddha’s appearance in this world—any Buddha’s raison d’être, so to speak—is to “open” or cultivate the Buddha wisdom within the lives of all people, to “show” them the Buddha wisdom, to “awaken” them to it, and to lead them to “enter” that condition of life called Buddhahood.

Though the Buddha is called “World-Honored One,” Buddhas never consider them-selves exclusively worthy of respect. The aim of all Buddhas is to help all people, whatever their background, achieve the same level of enlightenment as the Buddhas themselves enjoy, thereby securing their happiness. According to the sutra, this is the sole purpose of a Buddha’s existence. The principle of “opening, showing, awakening, and inducing to enter” the Buddha wisdom is a declaration of this purpose.

Prior to this declaration in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni’s disciples never imagined themselves capable of becoming Buddhas. Like children in school who assume they can never compete with the best student in class, they viewed Shakyamuni as exceptional—an unexcelled prodigy of the spiritual realm. But with the preaching of the Lotus Sutra, it became clear that the Buddha’s true purpose was to enable his disciples to excel to the same degree—to attain the same state of life he had attained.

In reality, Shakyamuni Buddha spent his life actively sharing and spreading his teachings, converting one person after another. From the time he set out from his parents’ home to embark on a religious life, he never resided long in one place. The Buddha was the ultimate educator, endlessly on the move, reaching out to open and nurture the condition of enlightenment within people’s lives. In fact, he believed more strongly and completely than anyone else in the capacity of ordinary people to become Buddhas. His example should serve as a model for all teachers.

Edison’s great success as an inventor may be traced to his mother’s strong belief in his rich potential and her efforts to help him open and broadly cultivate that potential. The true purpose of education and of Buddhism is to help human beings cultivate their innate unique qualities, individuality and creativity.

“To open” means to cause to manifest what is inherent but hidden in the individual. No matter how many priceless treasures we may have locked in a vault, unless we can open the vault and put those treasures to use, they have no value. Ultimately, they go to waste.

Nichiren Daishonin stated that “to ‘open’ is another name for faith. If one chants the Mystic Law with faith, one will directly open the Buddha wisdom” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 716).

The Daishonin assures us that the way to open the wonderful “treasure storehouse” of Buddhahood within is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon with faith in our own enlightened potential. In this way, we come to “show” actual proof of our innate enlightenment, thus “awakening” others to the benefit of Buddhist faith and practice and inducing them to “enter” a most fulfilling way of life.

Actually, we can view these four points as steps in an educational process. It is the method by which a Buddha, as the ultimate educator, teaches the people, his students, how to become Buddhas.

In our case, to help us open the door to our Buddha wisdom, Nichiren Daishonin “showed” us this wisdom by revealing the Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. By practicing as he taught, we “awaken” our own enlightened nature. This awakening then moves us to “enter” the way of life of a Bodhisattva of the Earth—a way of life dedicated to helping others “open,” “show,” “awaken to” and “enter” their own Buddha wisdom. To the degree we strive to do this, we embody the oneness of teacher and student, the oneness of mentor and disciple. That is, the purpose of our lives becomes one with that of the Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. And when this happens, our contribution to peace and human happiness will be no less revolutionary and important than Thomas Edison’s contribution to technology.

By Jeff Kriger, Managing Editor, based on the book Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Study) published by the Seikyo Press, Tokyo.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"I am praying that, no matter how troubled the times may become, the Lotus Sutra and the ten demon daughters will protect all of you, praying as earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood, or to obtain water from parched ground."

(On Rebuking Slander of the Law and Eradicating Sins - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 444) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, March 18th, 2006

 

[Guest]

dear T,

Again thanks for all the incredible posts you write for me everyday. This weekend the diversity post hit home because I was chanting in the car on the way home from a family event, and felt upset, I then unchracteristically attempted to impose the recitation/chanting of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo on my beloved female counterpart whom has chanted in the past here and there but was not ready to understand the words or look into it yet. I let it go but not before I physically felt annoyed but I know that was not just, afterwards coming home and reading the diversity posts and the importance of our female counterparts within our faith was exactly what I needed to hear. I recognize that she is also more in tune "naturally" with the buddhist guidelines and mores. Its amazing, how cosmically everything including your posts and my life are interconnected. Certainly the Myoho Renge Kyo within myself and herself and yours thomas is connected like a sort of universal fabric that is nurturing my developement at the moment.

Now, I humbly request a post in relation to the 10 worlds (which from what I gather are the 10 sections of ourself) and also I need to more in your words possibly about the 3 forms of practice before the latter day and the 4 forms of practice after nicheren. They would help me so much before my next meeting wednesday. Thanks for everything.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

With much Love, EasyD

 

[PassTheDoobie]

(that's post #2357)

(that's post #2357)

Easy, as a starter, go back to page 158 and review "How To Live as Humans: THE SIX PATHS and THE FOUR NOBLE WORLDS."

T

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Ten Worlds

Ten Worlds

The prime concern of Buddhism is our life-state, the joy or suffering we experience at each moment. This is always seen as an interaction between external conditions and inner tendencies; the same conditions (the same workplace, for example) that will be experienced by one person as unremitting misery may be a source of exhilarating challenge and satisfaction to another. Strengthening our inner state so that we are able to resist and even transform the most difficult and negative conditions is the purpose of Buddhist practice.

Based on his reading of the Lotus Sutra, the sixth-century Chinese Buddhist T'ien-t'ai developed a system that classifies human experience into ten states or "worlds." This Ten Worlds teaching was adopted and elaborated by Nichiren, who stressed the inner, subjective nature of these worlds: "As to the question of where exactly Hell and the Buddha exist, one sutra reads that Hell exists underground and another sutra says that the Buddha is in the west. However, closer examination reveals that both exist in our five-foot body."

What are these ten worlds, then? Ordered from the least to the most desirable, they are: Hell--a condition of despair in which one is completely overwhelmed by suffering; Hunger--a state dominated by deluded desire that can never be satisfied; Animality--an instinctual state of fearing the strong and bullying the weak; Anger--a state characterized by an unrestrained competitive urge to surpass and dominate others and often a pretence of being good and wise. These four states are referred to as the Four Evil Paths because of the destructive negativity that marks them.

Continuing, Humanity is a tranquil state marked by the ability to reason and make calm judgments. While fundamental to our identity as humans, this state can also represent a fragile balance that yields to one of the lower states when confronted with negative conditions. Rapture is a state of joy typically experienced when desire is fulfilled or suffering escaped. The worlds thus far are sometimes grouped together as the Six Lower Worlds. These are all basically reactions to changing external conditions in which we experience a lack of real freedom and autonomy.

What Buddhism refers to as the Four Noble States represent the effort to live with integrity, inner freedom and compassion. The world of Learning describes a condition of aspiration to enlightenment. Realization indicates the ability to perceive unaided the true nature of phenomena. Together, these are sometimes referred to as the Two Vehicles as people manifesting these states are partially enlightened and free from some deluded desires. But these worlds can be very self-absorbed, and in many Buddhist texts we find the Buddha admonishing the people of the Two Vehicles for their selfishness and complacency.

The world of Bodhisattva is a state of compassion in which we overcome the restraints of egotism and work tirelessly for the welfare of others. Mahayana Buddhism in particular emphasizes the Bodhisattva as an ideal of human behavior. Buddhahood is a state of completeness and perfect freedom, in which one is able to savor a sense of unity with the fundamental life-force of the cosmos. For a person in the state of Buddhahood, everything--including the inevitable trials of illness, aging and death--can be experienced as an opportunity for joy and fulfillment. The inner life-state of Buddhahood makes itself visible through altruistic commitment and actions enacted in the world of Bodhisattva.

This brings us to a key aspect of Nichiren's understanding of the Ten Worlds: Each world contains within it the other nine. As he expresses it: "Even a heartless villain loves his wife and children. He too has a portion of the Bodhisattva world within him." Thus, the potential for enlightened wisdom and action represented by the world of Buddhahood continues to exist even within a person whose life is dominated by the lower life-states of Hell, Hunger or Animality.

The reverse is also true. The life-state of Buddhahood is not separate or discontinuous from the other nine worlds. Rather, the wisdom, vitality and courage of Buddhahood can infuse and transform the manner in which a tendency toward, for example, Anger, functions in a person's life. When Anger is directed by the compassion of the worlds of Buddhahood and Bodhisattva, it can be a vital force in challenging injustice and transforming human society.

The purpose of Buddhist practice--for Nichiren Buddhists the recitation of the mantra Nam-myoho-renge-kyo--is to bring forth the life-state of Buddhahood which can illuminate our lives and enable us to forge lasting value from our eternal journey through all the Ten Worlds.

(from: http://www.sgi.org/english/Buddhism/more/more10.htm )

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Now in the Latter Day of the Law, any person whether wise or ignorant, priest or lay believer, or of high or low position who embraces Myoho-renge-kyo and practices it in accordance with the Buddha's teaching cannot fail to gain the fruit of Buddhahood.

[ The Teaching, Practice, and Proof, WND Page 482 ]

 

[Guest]

excellent! That helps me so very much. I recently read about the 6 paths and the 4 noble worlds and it has left such an imprint in my mind that I had been contemplating further into them that is what led me to ask. Despite my mental fragmentation which did not allow me the luxury of remembering where I read that post and the fact I have been starting from the begining of this thread over and over I appreciate the expeditious point in the right direction, it really helps so very much. I am trying to get a better understanding now of the goshos and trying to further familiarize myself with all of them. It will take time since most of my day is dedicated to working to pay my rent and put food on the table but I am saving up most of my free time to prepare myself, so when I have my gohonzon and I chanting in my own home before the gohonzon I will have more knowledge within me to help me persue further enlightenment. I seek to learn and to grow further within our mission of Kosenrufu and help propagate the world with the same love and dedication we all seem to share on this thread.

I implore all beginners like myself to further attempt to uncover more understanding of nicheren's teachings, they truly lead to big changes in the right direction. In a couple of months my life has come full circle, I thought I was doing well before I found sgi and the true knowledge within this thread, but I am just scratching the surface. So to take a little bit from this thread you must be willing to give a little of your time and patience. its for a most worthy cause and the road is paved with all the goodies within your heart and shared on a universal level!


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"A sword is useless in the hands of a coward."

(Reply to Kyo'o - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 412) Selection source: Foreword by SGI President Ikeda, Daibyakurenge, March 2006 issue

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

These fourteen men had in the past transmitted the teachings of the various Chinese and Japanese patriarchs of their respective schools such as Fa-tsang and Shinjo of the Flower Garland school, Chia-hsiang and Kanroku of the Three Treatises school, Tz'u-en and Dosho of the Dharma Characteristics school, or Tao-hsüan and Ganjin of the Precepts school. Thus, although the vessel in which the water of the doctrine was contained had changed from generation to generation, the water remained the same.

But now these fourteen men abandoned the erroneous doctrines that they had previously held, and embraced the teachings of the Lotus Sutra as expounded by Saicho, the Great Teacher Dengyo. Therefore, how could anyone in later times assert that the Flower Garland, Wisdom, or Profound Secrets Sutra surpasses the Lotus Sutra?

These fourteen men had of course studied the doctrines of the three Hinayana schools, [Establishment of Truth, Dharma Analysis Treasury, and Precepts]. But since the three Mahayana schools [of Flower Garland, Three Treatises, and Dharma Characteristics] had suffered a doctrinal defeat, we need hardly mention the Hinayana schools. However, there are some people today who, being unaware of what actually happened, believe that one or another of the six schools did not suffer a doctrinal defeat. They are like the blind who cannot see the sun and moon, or the deaf who cannot hear the sound of thunder, and who therefore conclude that there are no sun and moon in the heavens, or that the skies emit no sound.

With regard to the True Word school, during the reign of the forty-fourth sovereign Empress Gensho, the Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei brought the Mahavairochana Sutra to Japan, but returned to China without spreading a (37) knowledge of it. Moreover, Gembo and others brought back from China The Commentary on the Meaning of the Mahavairochana Sutra in fourteen volumes, as did the Preceptor Tokusei of Todai-ji.

These works were studied by the Great Teacher Dengyo, but he had doubts about what they said concerning the relative worth of the Mahavairochana and Lotus sutras. Therefore, in the seventh month of the twenty-third year of the Enryaku era (804), he went to China, where he met the Reverend Tao-sui of Hsi-ming-ssu temple and Hsing-man of Fo-lung-ssu temple, and received the teachings on concentration (38) and insight and the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment. He also met the Reverend Shun-hsiao of Ling-kan-ssu temple and received instruction in the True Word teachings. He returned to Japan in the sixth month of the twenty-fourth year of Enryaku. He was granted an audience with Emperor Kammu, and the emperor thereupon issued an edict instructing the students of the six schools to study the teachings on concentration and insight and the True Word teachings and to preserve them in the seven major temples of Nara.

In China there were various theories concerning the relative superiority of these two teachings - concentration and insight and the True Word. Moreover, Meaning of the Mahavairochana Sutra claims that, though they are equal in terms of principle, the True Word is superior in terms of practice.

The Great Teacher Dengyo, however, realized that this was an error on the part of the Tripitaka Master Shan-wu-wei and understood that the Mahavairochana Sutra is inferior to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, he did not establish the True Word teachings as an eighth school, but instead incorporated them into the teachings of the seventh school, the Lotus school, after removing from them the label "True Word school." He declared that the Mahavairochana Sutra is to be regarded as a supplementary sutra of the Lotus Tendai school and ranked it along with the Flower Garland, Larger Wisdom, and Nirvana sutras. However, at the time there was much dispute over whether or not a vitally important Mahayana specific ordination platform of perfect and immediate enlightenment should be established in Japan. Perhaps because of the trouble that arose on this account, it seems that the Great Teacher Dengyo did not give his disciples clear instructions concerning the relative superiority of the True Word and Tendai teachings.

In a work called A Clarification of the Schools Based on T'ien-t'ai's Doctrine, however, he clearly states that the True Word school stole the correct doctrines of the Lotus Tendai school and incorporated them into its interpretation of the Mahavairochana Sutra, thereafter declaring that the two schools were equal in terms of principle. Thus the True Word school had in effect surrendered to the Tendai school.

This is even more evident when we consider that, after the death of Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih, the Tripitaka Master Pu-k'ung went to India, where he met Bodhisattva Nagabodhi. Nagabodhi informed him that there were no treatises or commentaries in India that made clear the Buddha's intent, but that in China there was a commentary by a man named T'ien-t'ai that enabled one to distinguish correct from incorrect teachings and to understand the difference between partial doctrines and those that are complete. He exclaimed this in admiration and repeatedly begged that a copy of the work be brought to India.

This incident was reported to the Great Teacher Miao-lo by Pu-k'ung's disciple Han-kuang as is recorded at the end of the tenth volume of On "The Words and Phrases." It is also recorded in Dengyo's Clarification of the Schools. From this it is perfectly evident that the Great Teacher Dengyo believed the Mahavairochana Sutra to be inferior to the Lotus Sutra.

Thus it becomes apparent that the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, the great teachers T'ien-t'ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyo were of one mind in regarding the Lotus Sutra as the greatest of all the sutras, including the Mahavairochana Sutra. Moreover, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, who is regarded as the founder of the True Word school, held the same opinion, as becomes obvious if we carefully examine his Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom. Unfortunately, however, Mind Aspiring for Enlightenment brought from India by Pu-k'ung is full of errors and has led everyone astray, bringing about the present confusion.

Notes:

37. The legend that Shan-wu-wei went to Japan is found in Genko Era Biographies.
38. The "teachings on concentration and insight" refers to the entire system of meditation set forth by T'ien-t'ai.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

We come now to the disciple of the Administrator of Priests Gonso of Iwabuchi named Kukai, known in later ages as the Great Teacher Kobo. On the twelfth day of the fifth month in the twenty-third year of Enryaku, he set out for T'ang China. After arriving there, he met the Reverend Hui-kuo, whose teacher belonged to the third generation of the True Word lineage beginning with the Tripitaka masters Shan-wu-wei and Chin-kang-chih. From Hui-kuo he received the transmission of the two True Word mandalas (39). He returned to Japan on the twenty-second day of the tenth month in the second year of Daido (807).

It was then the reign of Emperor Heizei, Emperor Kammu having passed away a short time before. Kobo was granted an audience with Emperor Heizei, who placed great confidence in him and embraced his teachings, valuing them above all. Not long after, Emperor Heizei ceded the throne to Emperor Saga, with whom Kobo likewise ingratiated himself. The Great Teacher Dengyo passed away on the fourth day of the sixth month in the thirteenth year of Konin (822), during the reign of Emperor Saga. From the fourteenth year of the same era, Kobo served as teacher to the sovereign. He established the True Word school, was given supervision of the temple known as To-ji, and was referred to as the supreme priest of the True Word. Thus the True Word, the eighth school of Buddhism in Japan, had its start.

Kobo commented as follows on the relative merit of the teachings of the Buddha's lifetime: "First is the Mahavairochana Sutra of the True Word school, second is the Flower Garland Sutra, and third are the Lotus and Nirvana sutras.

"In comparison to the sutras of the Agama, Correct and Equal, and Wisdom periods, the Lotus is a true sutra, but from the point of view of the Flower Garland and Mahavairochana sutras, it is a doctrine of childish theory.

"Though Shakyamuni was a Buddha, in comparison to the Thus Come One Mahavairochana, he was still in the region of darkness. Mahavairochana is as exalted as an emperor; Shakyamuni, by comparison, is as lowly as a subjugated barbarian.

"The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai is a thief. He stole the ghee of the True Word and claimed that the Lotus Sutra is ghee."

This is the sort of thing that Kobo wrote. As a result, though people may previously have believed that the Lotus is the greatest of all sutras, after hearing of the Great Teacher Kobo, they no longer regarded it as worthy of notice.

I will set aside the erroneous doctrines propounded by non-Buddhists in India. But these pronouncements of Kobo are certainly worse than those put forward by the priests of northern and southern China who declared that, in comparison to the Nirvana Sutra, the Lotus Sutra is a work of distorted views. They go even farther than the assertions of those members of the Flower Garland school who stated that, in comparison to the Flower Garland Sutra, the Lotus Sutra represents the "branch teachings." One is reminded of that Great Arrogant Brahman of India who fashioned a tall dais with the deities Maheshvara, Narayana, and Vishnu, along with Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, as the four legs to support it, and then climbed up on it and preached his fallacious doctrines.

If only the Great Teacher Dengyo had still been alive, he would surely have had a word to say on the subject. But how could his disciples Gishin, Encho, Jikaku, and Chisho have failed to question the matter more closely? That was a great misfortune to the world indeed!

Notes:

39. The Diamond Realm mandala and the Womb Realm mandala.

(to be continued)

 

[Guest]

Thanks for another great post, Today is wednesday and very soon it will be time for gongyo, I am very excited once again to share within a group, it adds multiple dimensions of substance to the incredibly profound!

I will not toke before tonights meeting unfortunately it seems, but I will still be HIGH in spirit! Enjoy this glorious day.

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!

 

[Mayor Uhana]

*Enlightened*

*Enlightened*

Just in the first few pages of the thread, I have already felt the positive vibes entering my life. To relate myself to your car engine metaphor, I too have been stuck in park for at least the past few years of my life, but I already feel a shift into neutral since coming across this new concept of life.

I have always known there was a more naturalistic way of life...and here I have found it. Everything that I have read here touches me deep inside, thank you all for sharing

I agree that all life is equal, and can interact in a positive way. In fact, just as I was reading the beginnings of the thread, and feeling the vibes, I heard the first songbird of the year, right outside my window...beautiful notes




Let me take a seat and pop some corn for the ride.

Be back later
Much love
Uhana

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Overcoming illness is a matter of life-force, and daimoku is the source of strong life-force."

SGI Newsletter No. 6767, The New Human Revolution—Volume 18: Chapter 3, Moving Forward 16, translated March 14th, 2006

 

[PassTheDoobie]

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

On Repaying Debts of Gratitude / WND pg. 690 (continued)

The Great Teacher Jikaku went to T'ang China in the fifth year of Jowa (838) and spent ten years there studying the doctrines of the T'ien-t'ai and True Word schools. With regard to the relative merit of the Lotus and Mahavairochana sutras, he studied under Fa-ch'üan, Yüan-cheng, and others, eight (40) True Word teachers in all, and was taught by them that, although the Lotus and Mahavairochana sutras are equal in principle, the latter is superior in terms of practice. He also studied under Chih-yüan (41), Kuang-hsiu, and Wei-chüan of the T'ien-t'ai school, and was taught that the Mahavairochana Sutra belongs to the Correct and Equal group of sutras [that are inferior to the Lotus Sutra].

On the tenth day of the ninth month in the thirteenth year of Jowa, he returned to Japan, and on the fourteenth day of the sixth month of the first year of Kasho (848), an imperial edict was handed down [permitting him to conduct the True Word initiation ceremonies]. Perhaps because he had had difficulty determining the relative merit of the Lotus and Mahavairochana sutras when he was studying in China, he proceeded to write a seven-volume commentary on the Diamond Crown Sutra and a seven-volume commentary on the Susiddhikara Sutra, making a total of fourteen volumes. The gist of these commentaries is that the doctrines set forth in the Mahavairochana, Diamond Crown, and Susiddhikara sutras and the doctrines expounded in the Lotus Sutra ultimately indicate the same principle, but because of the ritual use of mudras and mantras associated with the former, the three True Word sutras just mentioned are superior to the Lotus Sutra.

In essence, this agrees exactly with the view of Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, and Pu-k'ung set forth in their commentary on the Mahavairochana Sutra. But perhaps Jikaku still had doubts in his mind, or perhaps, having resolved his own doubts, he wished to clear up the doubts of others. In any event, he placed his fourteen volumes of commentary before the object of devotion in the temple where he resided and made this appeal in prayer: "Though I have written these works, the Buddha's intention is very difficult to determine. Are the Mahavairochana Sutra and the other two True Word sutras associated with it superior? Or (42) are the Lotus Sutra and the two sutras associated with it to be ranked higher?"

While he was earnestly praying in this manner, on the fifth day, early in the morning at the time of the fifth (43) watch, a sign suddenly came to him in a dream. He dreamed that the sun was up in the blue sky, and that he took an arrow and shot at it. The arrow flew up into the sky and struck the sun. The sun began to roll over and over, and when it had almost fallen to the earth, Jikaku woke from his dream.

Delighted, he said, "I have had a very auspicious dream. These writings, in which I have declared that the True Word sutras are superior to the Lotus, accord with the Buddha's will!" He then requested that an imperial edict be issued to this effect, and he disseminated his teaching throughout the country of Japan.

But the edict that was handed down as a result of this request says in effect, "It has at last become known that the concentration and insight doctrines of the Tendai school and the doctrines of the True Word school are in principle in perfect agreement." Jikaku had prayed to confirm that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Mahavairochana Sutra, but the edict that was issued says that the Lotus Sutra and the Mahavairochana Sutra are the same!

The Great Teacher Chisho in his youth in Japan was a disciple of the Reverend Gishin, the Great Teacher Encho, the superintendent [Kojo], and Jikaku. Thus he received instruction in both the exoteric and esoteric doctrines as they were taught in Japan at the time. But presumably because he was in doubt as to the relative superiority of the Tendai and True Word schools, he journeyed to China. He arrived in T'ang China in the second (44) year of Ninju (852), where he studied under the True Word priests Fa-ch'üan and Yüan-cheng. In general, their teachings accorded with the view held by Jikaku, namely that the Mahavairochana Sutra and the Lotus Sutra are equal in terms of principle, but that the former is superior in terms of practice.

Chisho also studied under the Reverend Liang-hsü of the T'ien-t'ai school, who taught him that, with regard to the relative merit of the True Word and T'ien-t'ai schools, the Mahavairochana Sutra of the True Word school cannot compare with the Flower Garland and Lotus sutras.

After spending seven years in China, Chisho returned to Japan on the seventeenth day of the fifth month in the (45) first year of Jogan (859).

In his Essentials of the Mahavairochana Sutra, Chisho states, "Even the Lotus Sutra cannot compare [to the Mahavairochana Sutra], much less the other doctrines." In this work, therefore, he argues that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Mahavairochana Sutra. On the other hand, in another work A Collection of Orally Transmitted Teachings, he states that the True Word, Zen, and other doctrines, when compared with the Flower Garland, Lotus, and Nirvana sutras, can at best serve as an introduction to these sutras. And he repeats this same view in his Commentary on the Universal Worthy Sutra and Commentary on "The Treatise on the Lotus Sutra."

On the twenty-ninth day, the day of the cyclical sign mizunoe-saru, of the fourth month of the eighth year of Jogan (866), the year hinoe-inu, an imperial edict was handed down that stated, "We have heard that the two schools, True Word and Tendai, and their teachings are both worthy to be called the ghee of Buddhism, and to be described as profound and recondite."

Again, on the third day of the sixth month, an edict proclaimed, "Ever since the great teacher in former times [Dengyo] established the two disciplines (46) as the proper way for the Ten-dai school, the successive heads of the school in generation after generation have all followed this practice and transmitted both types of doctrines. Why then should their successors in later times depart from this old and established tradition?

"And yet we hear that the priests of Mount Hiei do nothing but turn against the teachings of the patriarch and instead follow the prejudices and inclinations of their own hearts. It would appear that they give themselves almost entirely to promulgating the doctrines of other schools and make no attempt to restore the old disciplines of the Tendai school.

"On the path inherited from the master, one cannot neglect either the concentration and insight or the True Word teachings. In diligently transmitting and spreading the doctrine, must not one be proficient in both types of teachings? From now on, only a person who is thoroughly familiar with both teachings shall be appointed as head of the Tendai school at Enryaku-ji, and this shall become a regular practice for future times."

Notes:

40. Along with the two priests men-tioned in the text, Tsung-jui, Ch'üan-ya, I-chen, Pao-yüeh, K'an, and Wei-chin.
41. Chih-yüan (768-*844) was a T'ien-t'ai priest who lived at Hua-yen-ssu temple on Mount Wu-t'ai. Kuang-hsiu (771-*843) was the eighth patriarch in the T'ien-t'ai lineage, counting from T'ien-t'ai. He was also a disciple of Tao-sui, who taught the T'ien-t'ai doctrine to Dengyo. Wei-chüan was a leading disciple of Kuang-hsiu.
42. The two sutras refer to the Immea-surable Meanings Sutra and the Universal Worthy Sutra, which are regarded as the introduction and the epilogue to the Lotus Sutra. These two sutras and the Lotus itself are sometimes referred to collectively as the threefold Lotus Sutra.
43. Fifth watch: The hour of the tiger (3:00*-5:00 AM).
44. The third year of Ninju (853) is gen-erally accepted as the date of Chisho's jour-ney to China.
45. The sixth month of the second year of Ten'an (858) is the generally accepted date.
46. The Tendai "concentration and in-sight" and the Mahavairochana practices.

(to be continued)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

MY DEEPEST AND MOST SINCERE THANKS TO THOSE BUDDHIST GODS THAT PROTECT THE INTEGRITY OF THIS THREAD.

FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART, THANK YOU!

SUCH PROTECTION MERITS GREAT GOOD FORTUNE AND I PRAY THE UNIVERSE, IN A MANNER THAT REFLECTS MY PROFOUND APPRECIATION, DELIVERS THESE REWARDS TO THOSE THAT PROTECT IT.

THESE CAUSES YOU MAKE WILL BE REFLECTED IN YOUR EXISTENCES FOR MANY MANY LIFETIMES. NEVER EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE REWARD FOR PROTECTING THE LAW.

IT IS BEYOND CALCULATION!

 

[Guest]

GLAD I AM POSTING BELOW THAT AMAZING POST BECAUSE.....

GLAD I AM POSTING BELOW THAT AMAZING POST BECAUSE.....

This sunday the newest SGI member will finally get their GOHONZON! I AM INCREDIBLY EXCITED!!!! I signed up and will getit by Sunday. I am still in shock really from how much I have chanted for one and how quickly it has come!!!

I am incredibly pleased. Thank you my dear friends for everything, I feel like I have won the most valuable tool for life! Like I won the american lottery they get high.

brilliant expirience, guess who bought a BUTSUDAN TONIGHT!!

Shall I post a picture? when I get my bell set? I dont know I just excited and I want to share the joy with all of you! THank you!!


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!


I want to chant with each of you!

 

[Babbabud]

Ten Points To Become A Person Of High Self-Esteem

Ten Points To Become A Person Of High Self-Esteem

1. Chant to become a person of unlimited self-esteem.

2. Chant to awaken your own greatness.

3. Chant to appreciate and value your life.

4. Truly appreciate your life, including your flaws, accomplishments, defeats , losses , and victories and truly appreciate all that makes you a unique and wonderful person.

5. Chant to make the impossible possible.

6. Chant to consistently manifest your Buddha nature and rise above your basic tendencies.

7. Believe that you are a Buddha and create all the benefits for yourself.

8. Believe you are the Gohonzon.

9. Trust that in the Gohonzon, you have all the means to fulfill each and every desire of yours and become extraordinarily happy .

10. Chant to display your Buddhahood and bring forth that strength , joy and vibrant life condition and faith .

written by Danny Nagashima
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

Easydisco wow Im so happy for you . Recieving your Gohonzon Happiest day of your life brother
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo !!