Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

"Although I and my disciples may encounter various difficulties, if we do not harbour doubts in our hearts, we will as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not have doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life."

(The Opening of the Eyes - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 283) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 8th, 2007

- KYO NO GOSHO --

"WARE NARABINI WAGA DESHI SHONAN ARITOMO UTAGAU KOKORO NAKUBA JINENNI BUKKAI NI ITARU BESHI TEN NO KAGO NAKI KOTO O UTAGAWAZARE GENSE NO ANNON NARAZARU KOTO O NAGEKAZARE" (Gosho Zenshu, page 234)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Just as the consistent pounding of waves erodes massive rocks, ceaseless efforts can surmount any barrier and achieve the impossible."

SGI Newsletter No. 7239, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 20: Chap. 1, Path of Friendship 3, translated June 7th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

President Makiguchi used to say,
"Those who make the effort to advance and develop
each and every day are truly youthful people."
Let's all continue to advance cheerfully,
energetically and in the very best of good spirits!

Daisaku Ikeda

* On June 6, 1871, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, the Soka Gakkai's first president, was born.

http://www.sgi.org/about/history/makiguchi.html

** "To the end of his days, President Makiguchi would say: 'We are all youth! Youth is not a matter of years according to the calendar. It's about constant growth and advancement.' There is no such thing as age in Buddhism. The beneficial power of the Lotus Sutra is 'ageless and undying.'"(The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume 6, page 264)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 832) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 6th, 2007

 

[Bonzo]

"Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 832) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 6th, 2007

Mornin my friends! I love this one cause it took me awhile to fully grasp it, at some point it just became internalized within. Dont know how to really explian it.

Roll on T!!!!

Woooooooooo Hooooooooooo!!!!!!!

peace

bonz







>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Nam myoho renge kyo!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"No prayers will go unanswered."*
A truly happy and victorious life
is attained through chanting daimoku with strong profound prayer!

Daisaku Ikeda

* As Nichikan, the twenty-sixth high priest, says: "[If you have faith in this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even for a short while] no prayer will go unanswered, no offence unexpiated, no good fortune unbestowed, and all righteousness proven."

Nichiren Daishonin says that it is not difficult for those who chant the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra to become Buddhas equal to Shakyamuni (WND, 1030). This statement is very significant. He says this because the Mystic Law is the origin of all Buddhas.

We must absolutely never give up on prayer. He declares: "Muster your faith, and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?" (WND, 412). We need to pray "as though to produce fire from damp wood or to obtain water from parched ground" (WND, 444). - (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Volume 5, page 152)

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The door to a new age will not open as long as we wait for it to happen. We must open it ourselves, through our own dauntless and courageous actions."

SGI Newsletter No. 7236, The New Human Revolution--Vol. 20: Chap. 1, Instalments: Path of Friendship 1, translated June 5th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage."

(On the Buddha's Prophecy - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 402) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 5th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Therefore the widespread propagation of this sutra must be under the care and protection of Bodhisattva Universal Worthy."

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 780, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 190) Selection source: Suntetsu, Seikyo Shimbun, June 10th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Universal Worthy
[普賢菩�] (Skt Samantabhadra; Jpn Fugen-bosatsu)

A bodhisattva who is regarded as symbolic of the virtues of truth and practice. In various sutras, he is depicted as one of the two leading bodhisattvas who attend Shakyamuni Buddha, the other being Manjushri. He is usually shown on the Buddha's right, riding a white elephant with six tusks. In the "Universal Worthy" (twenty-eighth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, he vows to protect the Lotus Sutra and its votaries, saying to the Buddha, "In the evil and corrupt age of the last five-hundred-year period, if there is someone who accepts and upholds this sutra, I will guard and protect him, free him from decline and harm, see that he attains peace and tranquillity, and make certain that no one can spy out and take advantage of his shortcomings." In this chapter, he also takes a vow before the Buddha, saying: "I now therefore employ my transcendental powers to guard and protect this sutra. And after the Thus Come One has entered extinction, I will cause it to be widely propagated throughout Jambudvipa and will see that it never comes to an end." Bodhisattva Universal Worthy is also the protagonist of the Universal Worthy Sutra, which describes his beneficent power, how to meditate on him, and the benefit accruing from doing so. In the Flower Garland Sutra, Bodhisattva Universal Worthy makes ten great vows concerning his Buddhist practice, such as a vow to bestow all blessings upon all living beings and lead them to Buddhahood. This sutra relates the story of the boy Good Treasures who visits fifty-three teachers in search of the Law. Good Treasures finally meets the fifty-third teacher, Bodhisattva Universal Worthy, and on hearing his ten great vows attains enlightenment. A number of murals from Central Asia and images from China and Japan depicting this bodhisattva are extant.

"Encouragements of the Bodhisattva Universal Worthy" chapter
[普賢菩`勧発品] ( Jpn Fugen-bosatsu-kambotsu-hon )

Abbreviated as the "Universal Worthy" chapter or the "Encouragements" chapter. The twenty-eighth and last chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In the first part of the chapter, Bodhisattva Universal Worthy arrives from the land of the Buddha King Above Jeweled Dignity and Virtue in the east to pay homage to Shakyamuni Buddha and to hear him preach. He says to Shakyamuni, "World-Honored One, when I was in the land of the Buddha King Above Jeweled Dignity and Virtue, from far away I heard the Lotus Sutra being preached in this saha world. In company with this multitude of immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of bodhisattvas I have come to listen to and accept the sutra. I beg that the World-Honored One will preach it for us." He asks how one can acquire the Lotus Sutra after the Buddha's death, and in answer to this Shakyamuni explains four conditions for doing so: to be protected and kept in mind by the Buddhas, to plant the roots of virtue, to enter the stage where one is sure of reaching enlightenment, and to arouse the determination to save all living beings. Bodhisattva Universal Worthy then vows to protect the Lotus Sutra and all those who embrace it in the evil-ridden Latter Day of the Law. Shakyamuni briefly explains the blessings obtained through the practice of the sutra and through the act of offering alms to and praising its practitioners. He says, "Therefore, Universal Worthy, if you see a person who accepts and upholds this sutra, you should rise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha." Overjoyed to have heard the Lotus Sutra, all the assembly bow in obeisance to him and depart. In the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, Kumarajiva's translation of the sutra, this is the final chapter, but in the other versions—the Lotus Sutra of the Correct Law translated by Dharmaraksha and the Supplemented Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law by Jnanagupta and Dharmagupta—the "Entrustment" chapter appears at the end of the twenty-seven chapter sutra.

(from: http://www.sgilibrary.org/dict.html )

 

[SoCal Hippy]

A person can know another's' mind by listening to the voice. This is
because the physical aspect reveals the spiritual aspect. The physical
and spiritual, which are one in essence, manifest themselves as two
distinct aspects; thus the Buddha's mind found expression as the
written words of the Lotus Sutra. These written words are the Buddha's
mind in a different form. Therefore, those who read the Lotus Sutra
must not regard it as consisting of mere written words, for those
words are in themselves the Buddha's mind.

(WND, 86)
Opening the Eyes of Wooden and Painted Images
Recipient unknown; written in 1264

 

[SoCal Hippy]

Cowardice is harmful for it delights the enemies of Buddhism and
obstructs the advance of kosen-rufu. The fainthearted cannot savor the
true benefit of faith; their ability to tap the power of the Buddha
and the power of the Law [of the Gohonzon] in their lives is
enfeebled.


Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Therefore, those who become Nichiren's disciples and lay believers should realise the profound karmic relationship they share with him and spread the Lotus Sutra as he does."

(Letter to Jakunichi-bo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 994) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's poem, Seikyo Shimbun, June 10th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Buddhism is a teaching conveyed through the mentor-disciple relationship. The oneness, or shared commitment, of mentor and disciple forms the essence of Buddhist practise. If we forget the mentor-disciple relationship, we cannot attain Buddhahood. Nor can we achieve eternal happiness or realise kosen-rufu. For it is through the bond of mentor and disciple that the Law is transmitted. Buddhism is the Law of life; and the Law of life cannot be transmitted through words or concepts alone.

"The heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death flows in the lives of those who strive for kosen-rufu based on the path of mentor and disciple. Please remember that without the mentor-disciple relationship, the flow of this heritage will be cut off."

SGI Newsletter No. 7237, LECTURES ON 'THE HERITAGE OF THE ULTIMATE LAW OF LIFE,' [9] The Oneness of Mentor and Disciple--The Eternal Bond of Mentor and Disciple Who Dedicate Their Lives to the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu, translated June 6th, 2007

 

[Babbabud]

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo!!
Had a nice post but then hit a glitch .... perhaps I can get back to it after work. Much love to you all!!!
Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"It is said that, if a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell. If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything."

(Flowering and Bearing Grain - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Page 909) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's speech, Seikyo Shimbun, May 12th, 2007

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"I wish to make it clear that titles and educational background have absolutely nothing to do with attaining Buddhahood or gaining benefit through our Buddhist practise. People who let power go to their heads tend to abandon their faith. I've seen this firsthand. At the same time, there's absolutely no reason to denigrate yourself or feel unworthy because you don't have impressive titles or academic credentials. In the realm of faith, it is the person, their life-condition, and the Law that count. If happiness were determined by social status, then every socially prominent individual should be happy. Of course in reality, that's not the case. Not having a fancy education or title doesn't change one's worth as a human being. What matters is our inner happiness. That is what Buddhism is about."

SGI Newsletter No. 7243, 7TH SOKA GAKKAI HEADQUARTERS LEADERS MEETING--PART 1 [OF 2], Using Our Voices to Accomplish the Buddha's Work, May 24th, 2007, translated
June 11th, 2007.

 

[Guest]

HEY everyone...Hope everyone is doing good.....see you soon..

Keep up the good work....


Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"However disagreeable it may be to you, you should associate with them amicably."

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol 1, page 849) Selection source: Soka Gakkai President Harada's encouragement, Seikyo Shimbun, June 12th, 2007

 

[SoCal Hippy]

The mystic principle that is the essential nature of phenomena
possesses two aspects, the defiled aspect and the pure aspect. If the
defiled aspect is operative, this is called delusion. If the pure
aspect is operative, this is called enlightenment. Enlightenment
constitutes the realm of Buddhahood. Delusion constitutes the realms
of ordinary mortals.

(WND, 417)
The Entity of the Mystic Law
Written to Sairen-bo Nichijo; date unknown