Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

"I pray that my followers will be cubs of the lion king and never incur the ridicule of packs of foxes."

(Enbudaichu gosho - Gosho Zenshu, page 1589) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 24th, 2006

 

[always2theLeft]

August 26th 2006. my gohonzon day

August 26th 2006. my gohonzon day

It was cold, rainy and foggy ALL fucking day, the drive took 2 hours extra because of traffic, THEN we took a wrong turn on the highway and the closest exit was 25 miles one way. and to top it all off we got one hell of a fender bender at Friendly's .... atleast 500$ damage. but for some reason, showing up late and rain soaked made it that much better.
This marks my 14th meeting and out of all of them ive never felt so much warmth in all my life. everyone there automatically knew who i was and that i was recieving gohonzon today. we started it off with a 45minute gonyo, and imediately went onto my gohonzon recieval, which they really sprung on me. i had no idea what to do when they told me to give my experiance in front of 50 strangers. how do you tell 4 dozen people that youve never known before that you learned about buddhism on a pothead website?!? so i started off telling them all about my teen life, being in and out of clinics, hospitals and juvinial detention for drug abuse, and how i discovered this wonderful website (you shoulda seen the faces) i told them about PTD and SoCal (no naming of course) and how you guys got ahold of my discrict leader, socal.... all my love and respect to you man, along with ptd, babba, easy, hitman, and everyone else out there who ever helped me or gave me any encouragment. Then i proceeded telling how chanting really did change my life in a COMPLETE 180. they say the higher the mountain the better the view, WELL ITS TRUE!!!!! i wouldnt trade this feeling for all the dope in the world, i ended with that and was greeted by everyone in the room standing up and clapping for about a solid minute. what a long damned minute that was.
That was followed by other peoples experiences, shakubuku's, regular meeting stuff. and then the leader stood up, looked right at me and said.. "time to lead gongyo always"
fuck!! i was stumbling on chairs making my way up to the front, i could barely even get past the second page, but for some reason i looked at the gohonzon and read it slowly and steadily and didint do bad at all. i think i mispronounced like 5 words total. even know i cant beleive i did that.

and now for my first possible shakubuku.....
this morning, my ex girlfriend who i havnt spoken to in over 3 months messaged me on myspace saying how she needed to talk to me relaly bad, (this was before i went to get gohonzon) i messaged back "im doing fine, i know of 3 methadone clinics in this area, ill get you the numbers if you want"
you have to understand this girl broke my heart, in a really evil way.. but i did feel bad for saying that to her afterwards. it was bugging me all day. after i got back from the meeting, there was another message from her saying bassicaly the same thing..... but this time she included the word buddhism. wierd shit eh? i guess im gona meet her tomorow and try to clean her up. if anyone has any advise.. please im very in need, shes stubborn as hell, and has an extremely addictive personality.
anyway thats it.
if buddhism works for me... the biggest synical, pesimistic atheist on earth it WILL work for you. just give it a try.
HERES TO KOSEN RUFU!
nammyohorengekyo
-always

 

[Babbabud]

Thanks for sharing with us Always that was a incredible story. So happy for you and all that come in contact with you If her personality is as addictive one lets see if we can get he addicted to Buddhism !! Much love my brother you make us all so happy !!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[Bonzo]

Congratulations 2the left!!!!!!!!!!! Took alot of courage to do all you did and said, my hats off to you!!!! Your an inspiration to me for sure!!!!!! Unreal bro!

peace

bonz







>>>>>>>>>nam myoho renge kyo>>>>>>>>>>

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Well done Always! A one minute standing ovation! How impressive a person you must be! These folks don't do that for everyone, let me tell you. So you must be impressing people with your sincerity, and faith, I think! You now have received your own Gohonzon! Can you even imagine that? Is that not something mystic? It must be! How else can the crossing of all of our paths be explained otherwise?

My hats off to you and Easy and Bud! You guys sought the Gohonzon and accomplished something I never thought possible through communication on this thread. Wow! So that means Bonzo is next. Bonz is definitely on the fast track to receive his, and I am sure if scegy keeps in touch with his new friends, he will have his own Gohonzon in the not-so-distant future as well.

Miss ya Delta, TH and DG! Seek the Gohonzon to see what they have seen! Much love! Bartender, sleepy, wags, og bub, crybaby, fallenangel, wamen, kush, MrsB, MsG, and our many other friends need to stop in and say hello real soon!

I bow in obeisance,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Bodhisattva Never Disparaging

Bodhisattva Never Disparaging

ALWAYS Respecting OTHERS IN OUR Behavior

“I would never dare disparage you, for you are all certain to attain Buddhahood!” (The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson, p. 267).

Imagine the scene: You have made a sincere determination to dedicate yourself to helping others become happy. You recognize your mission to behave as a bodhisattva and you set out to take action toward that end. You approach others and let them know that you respect them and that they are valuable. However, the people don’t respond to you the way that you might imagine. They beat and throw stones at you. They call you names and say you are irresponsible for predicting that they will attain Buddhahood.

What would you do?

In light of being physically and verbally abused, we might think that being a bodhisattva requires too much patience and forbearance. Many of us might give up trying to help others or acknowledge their potential for Buddhahood. But this wasn’t the spirit of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. Despite the ill treatment he received from the four kinds of believers--monks, nuns, laymen and laywomen--he showed reverence for every person he met and resolved to help them discover their Buddha nature.

“The heart of the Buddha’s lifetime of teachings is the Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the ‘Never Disparaging’ chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being” (“The Three Kinds of Treasure,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 851-52).

As practitioners of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, we are all trying to polish our lives. As the quote above states, the most essential part of our Buddhist practice--a way to polish our lives--can be found in the twentieth chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin explains that although Shakyamuni taught many sutras, the most important is the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, what is taught in “The Bodhisattva Never Disparaging” chapter explains the essence of our Buddhist practice.

Since Kumarajiva’s Chinese translation of the passage above consists of twenty-four characters, it is often referred to as “the twenty‑four–character Lotus Sutra.” This represents the abbreviated Lotus Sutra. “The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings” says: “These twenty‑four Chinese characters that make up this passage are interchangeable with the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo; [though the wording is different] the meaning is the same. These twenty‑four characters represent the ‘abbreviated’ Lotus Sutra” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 764).

In a previous existence, Shakyamuni was Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. He told the story of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging to show that the purpose of his advent lay in his behavior as a human being. We see the exact words with which he showed respect to all. “I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood” (Lotus Sutra, pp. 266-67).

If someone is not treating us right, it is all too easy to give up trying to encourage him and help him create a valuable life. But every human being has the potential for Buddhahood, however dormant it may seem to our limited vision. When we recognize this in others--even in people we don’t like--a phenomenal thing begins to happen. Others will change and so will we. Although we are working for the happiness of others, a wonderful side effect is that we become even happier ourselves.

The entire teaching of the Lotus Sutra, which expounds the universality of Buddhahood, is crystallized in never Disparaging’s words. He put the teaching into practice.

Showing Respect to Even Those Who Are Hostile

Despite his best efforts to respect everyone with whom he came in contract, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s contemporaries saw his behavior as strange. He didn’t take time to read and recite the scriptures as other monks were doing; he spent his time bowing to people. These four kinds of believers felt contemptuous of what they perceived to be his arrogance and ignorance and treated him cruelly, ridiculing and berating him.

Interestingly, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was never discouraged by his circumstances. When the malignity began, he would run a safe distance away--not to avoid being injured, but to prevent his attackers from creating more negative causes--and continue calling out his words of homage: “You are certain to attain Buddhahood.”

This pattern continued for years. At the time of his death, he had expiated his bad karma through continuous practice and had “the power to preach pleasingly and eloquently, the power of great goodness and tranquility” (LS 20, 268). When the four kinds of believers saw this change in him, they reconsidered their views and gladly became his followers. Because of their poor treatment of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, they were able to form a “reverse relationship”--a relationship that allows one to have a connection with the Lotus Sutra even though that person may have slandered the Law--that allowed them to encounter him again later.

This shows Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s dauntless spirit and how his efforts of many years came to fruition. He continued to respect all because he had confidence that everyone has the potential for enlightenment. Because he believed in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and practiced according to his convictions, he attained Buddhahood. It is just as the Daishonin states: “There is a fundamental oneness of self and others.

Therefore when Bodhisattva Never Disparaging made his bow of obeisance to the four groups of people, the Buddha nature inherent in the lives of the four groups of arrogant people bowed toward Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. This is the same as how when one bows facing a mirror, the reflected image bows back” (GZ, 769).

Translating What We Believe Into Action

Although the four kinds of arrogant people abused Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, the Buddha nature that existed deep in their lives was respectful of his efforts. His sincere behavior transformed their inner lives without them being aware of it. He was able to translate his beliefs into concrete behavior. His example teaches us that unless we incorporate bodhisattva practices in our lives, we won’t create much value. However, this does not mean that we should allow people to abuse us.

How do we apply this knowledge to real-life situations? It is important to understand that Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s behavior is an ideal. We are all persevering and working hard to be our best selves. As we continue practicing, studying and believing in our potential, our Buddha nature will expand. We shouldn’t have a poor self-image because we do not see ourselves as Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. Over the long course of our practice, we will achiever our goals. The fact that we exert ourselves in our faith and SGI activities, in spite of our shortcomings, is evidence that we are following the same path of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging.

May 2001
Living Buddhism
By Alexis Trass, based on Yasashii Kyogaku (Easy Buddhist Study) published by Seikyo Press in 1994.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Mugwort that grows in the midst of hemp or a snake inside a tube [will as a matter of course become straight], and those who associate with people of good character will consequently become upright in heart, deed and word. The Lotus Sutra exerts a similar influence. The Buddha will look upon one who simply puts faith in this sutra as a good person.

[ The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings, WND Page 1128 ]

 

[newbgrow]

The difference between mankind and Buddha is that mankind only has a 25% obesity rate, whereas the Buddha is 100% obese, and mankind generally do not have extended earlobes, and rubbing on the stomach of an average human being does not bring tourists good luck.

With regards to Asian religions I find that many of them tend to focus on neutrality, where Buddhism is no exception: Buddhist monks must denounce their families and separate all ties with worldly matters. In other words, if they stop caring about everything, life and death only equates to the insignificant passing of time.

And we all know, "all that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." The "Ultimate Law of Life"© is really to take pride in what you do for others, with less regard for what other people do for you... as more completely described in Rudyard Kipling's If.

P.S. Karma is just way too simple a rule for such a complex world!

P.P.S The Buddhist transcripts cannot be translated into meaningful Chinese characters, 24 or otherwise. It is in theory written in India/Tibet, as told by the popular folktale Gilgamesh/Goku/(fill in whatever represents an obnoxious monkey with supernatural powers). The myth is that the original transcripts were lost/destroyed and the remaining pieces of chants do not really mean anything, and are only bits and pieces of the original document.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Was that a joke or are you a joke? Thanks for taking two seconds to absorb the tenor of the subject being discussed here. Your deep insight is sincerely appreciated. However if you had actually read the last ten pages or so, and were still inclined to respond en kind, I would respectfully ask that you not respond at all. Thanks!

 

[newbgrow]

Yes and no. The first paragraph was a joke. However, after your last comment, it appears you have never visited a real Buddhist temple and never talked to a real monk. I'm sorry if I intruded on your beliefs as I thought it was up for discussion.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Read the last ten pages and tell me that. And by the way I live in Asia, and your assumption is quite incorrect. And the sect that I started practicing Buddhism in had temples and priests and I went to and talked to them on many many occasions; frankly more than anyone that I personally know. By the way, I have been a real practicing Buddhist for 33 years, Brother. Please be respectful of what we are discussing here or at least show the respect to read and figure out what that is in the first place. Don't you think that after 3700 posts, it might be prudent to at least become conversant with the tenor and subject being discussed? Your attempt at humor was offensive to me quite frankly. You only know theory dude, and the theory you've embraced is probably not of much interest to those that have filled up that last ten pages. All that I ask is that you not be disrespectful of this thread.

That wouldn't be a nice thing to be doing.

Thanks again,

Thomas

 

[Gypsy Nirvana]

Yes and no. The first paragraph was a joke. However, after your last comment, it appears you have never visited a real Buddhist temple and never talked to a real monk. I'm sorry if I intruded on your beliefs as I thought it was up for discussion.

........I have known PassThe Doobie for quite some time and he is good and humble man that has studied widely his beliefs both in the west and in Asia over most of his present lifetime and wishes to share them with all in this thread....It is quite obvious that if you were to take the time and effort to read back in this thread you would quite clearly see that....

....Making jokes about Buddha that are not really funny does not add much of a positive nature to this discussion and as he says....'it might be prudent to at least become conversant with the tenor and subject being discussed?'.....

.....So please......show a little respect....

 

[Guest]

It was cold, rainy and foggy ALL fucking day, the drive took 2 hours extra because of traffic, THEN we took a wrong turn on the highway and the closest exit was 25 miles one way. and to top it all off we got one hell of a fender bender at Friendly's .... atleast 500$ damage. but for some reason, showing up late and rain soaked made it that much better.
This marks my 14th meeting and out of all of them ive never felt so much warmth in all my life. everyone there automatically knew who i was and that i was recieving gohonzon today. we started it off with a 45minute gonyo, and imediately went onto my gohonzon recieval, which they really sprung on me. i had no idea what to do when they told me to give my experiance in front of 50 strangers. how do you tell 4 dozen people that youve never known before that you learned about buddhism on a pothead website?!? so i started off telling them all about my teen life, being in and out of clinics, hospitals and juvinial detention for drug abuse, and how i discovered this wonderful website (you shoulda seen the faces) i told them about PTD and SoCal (no naming of course) and how you guys got ahold of my discrict leader, socal.... all my love and respect to you man, along with ptd, babba, easy, hitman, and everyone else out there who ever helped me or gave me any encouragment. Then i proceeded telling how chanting really did change my life in a COMPLETE 180. they say the higher the mountain the better the view, WELL ITS TRUE!!!!! i wouldnt trade this feeling for all the dope in the world, i ended with that and was greeted by everyone in the room standing up and clapping for about a solid minute. what a long damned minute that was.
That was followed by other peoples experiences, shakubuku's, regular meeting stuff. and then the leader stood up, looked right at me and said.. "time to lead gongyo always"
fuck!! i was stumbling on chairs making my way up to the front, i could barely even get past the second page, but for some reason i looked at the gohonzon and read it slowly and steadily and didint do bad at all. i think i mispronounced like 5 words total. even know i cant beleive i did that.

and now for my first possible shakubuku.....
this morning, my ex girlfriend who i havnt spoken to in over 3 months messaged me on myspace saying how she needed to talk to me relaly bad, (this was before i went to get gohonzon) i messaged back "im doing fine, i know of 3 methadone clinics in this area, ill get you the numbers if you want"
you have to understand this girl broke my heart, in a really evil way.. but i did feel bad for saying that to her afterwards. it was bugging me all day. after i got back from the meeting, there was another message from her saying bassicaly the same thing..... but this time she included the word buddhism. wierd shit eh? i guess im gona meet her tomorow and try to clean her up. if anyone has any advise.. please im very in need, shes stubborn as hell, and has an extremely addictive personality.
anyway thats it.
if buddhism works for me... the biggest synical, pesimistic atheist on earth it WILL work for you. just give it a try.
HERES TO KOSEN RUFU!
nammyohorengekyo
-always

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! YOUR A FUCKING CHAMP! YES!

CONGRATS MY DEAR BROTHER, I haven't given many hugs in my life but you, socal and your mothers deserve alot of respect and I will go chant for you both now including everyone on this thread.

I am so happy ALways, happy for you and happy for me and happy for everyone else! I made a break through yesterday too, but your adventure totally rocks. I know the feeling!!!

YES! YOUR LEADING A WINNING LIFE and now that you see Kosen-rufu is possible, hold on tight to that because Nichiren Daishonin's will is our cause and the effect is AMAZING TO SAY THE LEAST!

WOOOHOO, your a champion and a great Bodhisattva of the Earth Always, Socal your also a champion of Kosen-rufu and a great Bodhisattva of the Earth! Yes!!!!

 

[Guest]

What is Karma to you after you read a few pages in this thread?

What is Karma to you after you read a few pages in this thread?

And we all know, "all that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." The "Ultimate Law of Life"© is really to take pride in what you do for others, with less regard for what other people do for you... as more completely described in Rudyard Kipling's If.

P.S. Karma is just way too simple a rule for such a complex world!

You'll be chanting before you know it, repeat after me ....

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO!

give it a shot, if you look back a few pages we recently took the time to phonetically spell it out so that you can pronunciate upto par. The references you made were to other sects of Buddhism that do not really take part in this thread because we are Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhists and we chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo in the latter day of the Law, what does all that mean? Read about it, if this thread is too long goto this site www.sgi.org Read an explination about Buddhism read a bit about what Nam Myoho Renge Kyo means. Our Gohonzon surely has more mercy on you than whatever inferior teaching(s) may be causing those radical views.

Do you believe in compassion? Do you believe we live in a compassionate universe? The reason you came to this thread and posted was because not only do you have the potential to embrace Nam Myoho Renge Kyo but because its about time you did!

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

Good morning Chanting Growers Hope all are feeling high and happy. Had a great meeting yesterday. All just men as it was a mens meeting only. Had the district leader, regional leader and of course our local chapter leader. They made a large announcement that our little local chapter has now become our own district. Our local chapter leader has now been promoted to district leader. In less then a year we have grown and become our own district. Im not really clear how the whole hierchy works but this is pretty cool and shows how fast the growth of our little organic group has gone. We had a very high powered chanting session and did very fast very powerful gongyo... i truly enjoyed it. We talked about the mentor , student relationship and how important it is that we pass Nichiren buddhism in this fashion... its what makes the world go round I know there were lots of mens division meetings all over the world yesterday and I hope you all enjoyed the meetings as much as I did. No I dont think I have the knowledge or the know how at this point in my practice to take over the local chapter leading job. Have so many things that pull at my time right now I just dont think I could except it Maybe after i finish the house addition. I will keep practicing and fill the time I do have with practice , study and faith ...Maybe by the time this oppurtunity comes by again i will be ready. Thanks to everyone who ever reads this thread ... we so love your seeking spirit
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

 

[Guest]

Good morning Chanting Growers Hope all are feeling high and happy. Had a great meeting yesterday. All just men as it was a mens meeting only. Had the district leader, regional leader and of course our local chapter leader. They made a large announcement that our little local chapter has now become our own district. Our local chapter leader has now been promoted to district leader. In less then a year we have grown and become our own district. Im not really clear how the whole hierchy works but this is pretty cool and shows how fast the growth of our little organic group has gone. We had a very high powered chanting session and did very fast very powerful gongyo... i truly enjoyed it. We talked about the mentor , student relationship and how important it is that we pass Nichiren buddhism in this fashion... its what makes the world go round I know there were lots of mens division meetings all over the world yesterday and I hope you all enjoyed the meetings as much as I did. No I dont think I have the knowledge or the know how at this point in my practice to take over the local chapter leading job. Have so many things that pull at my time right now I just dont think I could except it Maybe after i finish the house addition. I will keep practicing and fill the time I do have with practice , study and faith ...Maybe by the time this oppurtunity comes by again i will be ready. Thanks to everyone who ever reads this thread ... we so love your seeking spirit
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

Funny you should mention that Babba, I also had that sort of meeting yesterday which was great fun and also had an announcement that my personal district will split into two different ones and I will be 'moved up' as one of the leaders for our district which will be smaller now since the larger portion is not in town with my newly designated portion. The gongyo was slow in our meeting but the discussion was amazing.

This week I called a member at about 8pm and gave him some encouragement out of the clear blue, kinda like when the GOHONZON speaks to me, well I spoke to him. He was telling me about some baseball tournament which I couldnt really follow to well, but he was nervous about the next game and I said "You have the most powerful weapon on the field, its Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, I'll see you soon brother take care" So he gave an expirience yesterday...

Harris said, " SO this week we had our softball divisional playoffs and it was on a wednesday, double elimination 3 games winner goes to the state playoffs, the last 6 years we got beaten bad by this same team. So we faced them in the last game but before the game MyohoDisco called me and told me to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. And I did before every inning and it was my greatest game ever I went 7 for 9 almost hit for the cycle and never fielded so well in all my softball career! It was Nam Myoho Renge Kyo, and I grew up with a mother who didnt have much faith and I never really had much faith either and I chanted to do really well and ended up in the ZONE."

He went on to give me alot of praise and I told him sincerely " No it was the Gohonzon speaking to you trust me, it happens to me all the time now that I am listening more often" He told me I could shakubuku a tree or a bush and I was blown away because recently I was feeling really ineffective, really downtrodden on my purported failures in some arenas of life, but something else was said in the meeting of the stages of faith and practice and that was as someone's faith increases and their dedication to The Law grows the obstacles become more insidious and horrible like your family maybe the source of your grief but I see thats my karma and I have to work through it. So I chant to Gohonzon and ask for my bad karma in certain areas to be lifted so I can better serve Nichiren Daishonin's will and better carry out my individual mission in life!

Always, Babba, Thomas, Bonzo, Gypsy and especially you newbgrow THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOU PARTICIPATION IN MY LIFE TODAY AND CONTRIBUTING TO A GLORIOUSLY REMARKABLE DAY!

The spirit of Mentor and Disciple is important but clearly before we get involved in too much, always remember Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo!!!

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Seems that MyohoDisco got his groove back on!

Bud, to eliminate any confussion, it was your group that has become a district and your group chief that has become a district chief, right? A chapter consists of multiple districts--usually three or more. If your group chief just got promoted to district chief, they will probably soon split up the district into two or three groups. You may be asked to be a group chief then, so be prepared. Sometimes the designation of "acting" is placed in front of a persons responsiblity to acknowledge to everyone that the person is taking on responsibility without having been officially designated to do so.

Generally speaking, if you act like a leader, at some point in time you become one.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

PS: Gypsy!~ Thanks for stepping in! Peace be with you Brother! May the Gods shine upon those that protect the integrity of this thread!

Deep respect and heartfelt thanks!

From all of us: Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!

(hey ya DG!)

 

[Delta9-THC]

I have come to a realisation that I got to stop waiting for a better tommorow and actively make better todays
Just thought I'd share

Thankyou All Of You

Peace

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!

Yup youve got that right PTD sorry to create any confusion Our GROUP has grown and now been designated its own District. So our Group Leader has now become the new District Leader. Not quite large enough to break our District into more Groups yet but yes that is the goal. Its been fun to watch it grow so fast. Sorry I dont have all the designated names down yet but Im learning Didnt mean to confuse anyone. I need a pyramid chart
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!