Chanting Growers Group

[PassTheDoobie]

uggghhh I'll try again later.
Sorry, for not posting recently, I've been smoking 4 joints a night until I fall asleep and watching too much tv. Yeah, I'm really going to determine to be a better person going forward, my life can't continue going in this direction. So many wicked feelings lately inside and I need to let them go. I'm not doing so well financially from smoking so so so much but I'm staying alive and doing the whatever I can to stay alive. I really do appreciate my life.

Thanks for everything my family. Keep up the good work.

The Devil of the Sixth Heaven is very cunning. Don't be fooled by a sense of weakness that makes you doubt the true reality that you know is you. Expect these kinds of challenges and do your best to overcome them. It's why you are experiencing them. Everyone does. If you don't overcome them, who is there to replace you in proving the validity of the Daishonin's teachings? Didn't you make a vow to prove the validity of faith in the Gohonzon in the Latter Day of the Law? Of course you did! Doesn't the Daishonin teach us that:

The age of the Buddha is none other than today, and our present age is none other than that of the Buddha. This is what the Lotus Sutra describes as the “true aspect of all phenomena” and as “consistency from beginning to end.”

The fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight states, “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere.” It also states, “It will only be like a boar rubbing against the golden mountain; like the various rivers flowing into the sea; like logs making a fire burn more briskly; or like the wind swelling the body of the kalakula insect.” These passages mean that, if one understands and practices the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches, in accordance with the people’s capacity and at the right time, then these seven obstacles and devils will confront one. Among them, the devil king of the sixth heaven [is the most powerful. He] will possess one’s sovereign, parents, wife or children, lay supporters, or evil persons, and through them will attempt in a friendly manner to divert one from one’s practice of the Lotus Sutra, or will oppose one outright. The practice of Buddhism is always accompanied by persecutions and difficulties corresponding in severity to whichever sutra one may uphold. To practice the Lotus Sutra will provoke
particularly harsh persecutions. To practice as it teaches, and in accordance with the time and the people’s capacity, will incite truly agonizing ordeals.

The eighth volume of The Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight” states, “So long as a person does not try to depart from the sufferings of birth and death and aspire to the Buddha vehicle, the devil will watch over him like a parent.” This passage means that, even though a person may cultivate roots of goodness, so long as he practices Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, Precepts, or any teaching other than the Lotus Sutra, he will have the devil king for a parent. The devil king will possess and cause other persons to respect him and give him alms, and people will be deluded into believing that he is a truly enlightened priest. If he is honored by the sovereign, for instance, the people are sure to offer him alms. On the other hand, a priest who incurs the enmity of the ruler and others [because of the Lotus Sutra] is surely practicing the correct teaching.

Devadatta was the foremost good friend to the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. In this age as well, it is not one’s allies but one’s powerful enemies who assist one’s progress. We find examples before our very eyes. The Hojo clan in Kamakura could not have firmly established itself as the ruler of Japan had it not been for the challenges posed by Yoshimori and the Retired Emperor of Oki. In this sense these men were the best allies the ruling clan could have. For me, Nichiren, my best allies in attaining Buddhahood are Kagenobu, the priests Ryokan, Doryu, and Doamidabutsu, and Hei no Saemon and the lord of Sagami. I am grateful when I think that without them I could not have proved myself to be the votary of the Lotus Sutra. (The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra / WND pg. 770)

Need I say more? It's the purpose of his advent--to show us what it is to live as a human being who has been able to tap into their original state of Buddhahood by devoting their life to making all others equal to themself.

Bowing in humble obeisance,

Thomas

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"One who studies the teachings of Buddhism must not fail to repay the four debts
of gratitude"

(The Four Debts of Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume-1, Page 43) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 9th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When all is said and done, unity is the key. If the Gakkai loses its unity, the flow of Buddhism will be cut off. We need to build an invincible and indestructible citadel of people with faith based on an unshakable rock-solid foundation of unity.”

“To achieve unity, we need to carry out our own human revolution. We can’t create unity without overcoming our own self-centredness and egotism.

SGI Newsletter No. 8371, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 25: Chap. 1, Light of Happiness 15, translated Nov. 7th, 2011

 

[Babbabud]

Nam myoho renge kyo

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase."

(The True Aspect of All Phenomena - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 386)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 10th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"While a single tree standing alone in a field cannot block the wind, many trees together form a forest, which not only serves as a good wind block but also provides countless other benefits."

SGI Newsletter No. 8371, The New Human Revolution––Vol. 25: Chap. 1, Light of Happiness 15, translated Nov. 7th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Reply to Sairen-bo

Reply to Sairen-bo

Take great care when you come to see me after dark. I will explain to you in detail the teachings regarding the benefits to be gained by one ordained to the highest stage of Buddhist practice. (1)

I have carefully noted the contents of your letter. I have also received safely the various articles that came from the capital [Kyoto]. When I was living in Kamakura, such articles were a daily sight, but since having been exiled to this island, I have yet to encounter them. To come upon articles such as these on this tiny faraway island is truly most welcome.

In your letter you mention that you became a disciple of mine and pledged to follow me at the beginning of the second month, and that from now on, though you may not measure up to others, you would be most pleased and honored if I would continue to count you among my disciples.

The sutra says, "Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers." (2) It also says, "If one stays close to the teachers of the Law, one will speedily gain the bodhisattva way. By following and learning from these teachers one will see Buddhas as numerous as Ganges sands." (3)

A commentary states, "Originally one followed this Buddha and for the first time conceived the desire to seek the way. And by following this Buddha again, one will reach the stage where there is no retrogression." (4) Another commentary states, "In the beginning one followed this Buddha or bodhisattva and formed a bond with him, and so it will be through this Buddha or bodhisattva that one will attain one's goal." (5)

When I consider these passages of the sutra and the commentaries, I wonder if you and I have not been pledged to each other as teacher and disciple from countless kalpas in the past. You and I have been born together in this defiled age of the Latter Day of the Law, in the country of Japan in the southern continent of Jambudvipa, and with the utmost reverence we chant with our mouths Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate reason for which the Buddhas appear in the world; we believe in it in our hearts, embrace it with our bodies, and delight in it with our hands. Has all of this not come about solely because of some bond of karma we share from the past?

When I look at the situation in Japan, I find that the devil king of the sixth heaven has entered into the bodies of wise persons, transforming correct teachers into erroneous teachers, and good teachers into bad teachers.This is what the sutra means when it says, "Evil demons will take possession of others." (6)

Although I, Nichiren, am not a man of wisdom, the devil king of the sixth heaven has attempted to take possession of my body. But I have for some time been taking such great care that he now no longer comes near me. Therefore, because the power of the heavenly devil is ineffectual against me, he instead possesses the ruler and his high officials, or foolish priests such as Ryo-kan, and causes them to hate me.

Be that as it may, one should understand that, at present, when it comes to teachers, there is a difference between correct teachers and erroneous teachers, between good teachers and bad teachers. One should shun those who are erroneous or evil, and associate with those who are correct and good. Even if their virtue is known throughout the country and their wisdom is as bright as the sun and moon, one should recognize that teachers who slander the Lotus Sutra are evil teachers and erroneous teachers, and refrain from approaching them. A sutra warns us on this point, "If there are slanderers of the Law, one should not dwell with them. If one draws near them and dwells with them, one will be bound for the Avichi hell." (7)

No matter how honest and upright you may be, or how you may strive to be known as a worthy person in the secular or the religious world, if you associate with evil persons, then as a natural result you will find that in two or three instances out of ten you are following their teachings, and in the end you, too, will become an evil person. Thus the commentary says, "Though one may not be evil to begin with, if one associates with and is friendly with evil persons, one is bound in time to become an evil person oneself, and one's evil reputation will spread throughout the world." (8)

In the end, what we mean by erroneous and evil teachers are those priests in the world today who slander the Lotus Sutra. The Nirvana Sutra says: "Bodhisattvas, have no fear of mad elephants. What you should fear are evil friends! . . . Even if you are killed by a mad elephant, you will not fall into the three evil paths. But if you are killed by an evil friend, you are certain to fall into them." The Lotus Sutra says, "In that evil age there will be monks with perverse wisdom and hearts that are fawning and crooked." (9)


As I have pointed out so many times in the past, when teachers such as Shan-wu-wei, Chin-kang-chih, Bodhidharma, Hui-k'o, Shan-tao, Honen, Kobo of To-ji, Chisho of Onjo-ji, Jikaku of Mount Hiei, or Ryokan of Kanto read the golden words, "Honestly discarding expedient means, [I will preach only the unsurpassed way (10)]," they take them to mean, "Honestly discarding the true teachings, I will preach only the expedient teachings." When they read the passage that says, "Among the sutras, it [the Lotus Sutra] holds the highest place (11)," they take it to mean, "Among the sutras, it holds the lowest place." And when they read, "[Among those sutras] the Lotus is the foremost," (12) they take it to mean, "The Lotus holds second place," or "holds third place." That is why I describe these various priests as misleading and evil teachers.

Those that I call correct and good teachers are persons who take Shakyamuni Buddha's golden words to mean just what they say, namely, that the other sutras represent expedient means and the Lotus Sutra represents the truth.

In this connection, you should consult the "Entering the Dharma Realm" chapter, the seventy-seventh volume of the Flower Garland Sutra (13). The Lotus Sutra states, "A good friend is the great cause and condition by which one is guided and led, and which enables one to see the Buddha and to conceive the desire for supreme perfect enlightenment." (14)

As the Buddha tells us, we should regard as correct teachers and good teachers those who honestly discard the doctrines of the four flavors and three teachings, the Hinayana and provisional Mahayana sutras that were ex-pounded as expedient means, as well as the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, and Precepts schools and the sutras upon which they rely, and expound Myoho-renge-kyo, "the one great reason for which the Buddhas appear in the world." (15)

As for myself, I, Nichiren, having been born in Japan in the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law, have encountered the three powerful enemies and met with various types of calamity and trouble, just as the Thus Come One predicted would happen. But, without any thought for my person or my life, I chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I ask you to consider with the utmost care whether I deserve to be called a correct teacher or an erroneous teacher.

Each of the proponents of the various schools I have mentioned above declares that he beyond all others has grasped the meaning of and is practicing the Lotus Sutra. But none of them have been exiled to the province of Izu as I was in the Kocho era, or exiled to the island of Sado as I was in the Bun'ei era, or been led to the place of decapitation at Tatsunokuchi or faced the countless other difficulties that I have. If the sutra passages [that predict such difficulties] are true, then you should realize that I am the correct teacher, the good teacher, and that the scholars of the other schools are all erroneous teachers and evil teachers.

In addition to these, there are a great many other passages in the sutras and treatises that make clear the distinction between these two types of teachers,the good and the bad. But I am sure you are already familiar with them, so I will not go into them here.

How wondrous that in your letter you say that from now on you will reject the erroneous teachers of our time and will rely entirely upon me as the correct teacher! When the Thus Come One Shakyamuni, our original teacher, appeared in the world in order to expound the Lotus Sutra, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the other worlds, like shadows and echoes, came forth and assisted him in his efforts to spread the teachings. Now it seems that they have appeared here in Japan as envoys of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions to help me in my efforts to spread the teachings!

The sutra says: "I will send persons conjured up by magic to other lands to gather together assemblies to listen to the Law. And I will also send [monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen] conjured up by magic [to listen to the preaching of the Law. These persons conjured up by magic will listen to the Law, believe and accept it], and abide by it without violation."(16) The "monks" who are spoken of in this passage refer to you. Therefore, when the sutra speaks of persons who "listen to the Law, believe and accept it, and abide by it without violation," you need look no further than yourself. How can there be any doubt about it?

Although the sutra speaks of those who, having heard the Law, "dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their teachers," there are persons like the three groups of voice-hearers who, after receiving the seeds of Buddhahood, reject the Mahayana, select the Hinayana, and sink into the five paths or the six paths for a succession of rebirths, but when the time to achieve Buddhahood arrives, they are able to obtain emancipation, one after another. How gratifying to think that you have now cast aside the erroneous doctrines and erroneous teachers of the Nembutsu, True Word, and other schools, and become a disciple of Nichiren!

In any case, like me, you should condemn the slander of the Law committed by the followers of the other schools and cause them to reject the erroneous and embrace the correct. Then, when you arrive in the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light where the three kinds of Buddhas are seated (17), and appear before the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, you will ask, "Were Nichiren and I bound by a promise to be teacher and disciple from the beginningless past, or were we not? Was I sent as an envoy of Shakyamuni Buddha to assist him in his efforts to spread the teachings?" And when the Buddhas reply, "Just so!" then you, too, will understand in your own mind why these things happened. Therefore, you must by all means be diligent! You must be diligent!

As a matter of course, I began giving you instruction in the important doctrines around the second month. And as a result, on the eighth day of the fourth month, after midnight in the hour of the tiger (3:00¬-5:00 AM), I performed for you the ceremony for (18) ordination in the precept of the perfect teaching of the Mystic Law.

How could a person who has undergone this ordination fail to become a Buddha of perfect enlightenment in his present existence? And if in this life you have attained the level of perfect enlightenment, then in your next life, how could you have any reason to regress to the stage of near-perfect enlightenment and other lower stages of practice? In view of our promise from the beginningless past and the principle that one will be constantly reborn with one's teacher, if I, Nichiren, attain Buddhahood in my present lifetime, then how could it be possible for you to become separated from me and fall into the evil paths?

The prophecies of the Thus Come One recorded in the scripture, when viewed in the light of the Buddha's true intentions, never contain the slightest falsehood with regard to either secular or religious matters. Now, in the Lotus Sutra it is stated, "After I have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without doubt will attain the Buddha way (19)." It also says, "This way one will quickly attain the unsurpassed Buddha way (20)." If these passages of prophecy should be meaningless, and if the prediction that we will attain Buddhahood should be a lie, then the tongues of all the Buddhas will break apart, the tower of Many Treasures Buddha will crumble and fall, the place upon which the two Buddhas [Shakyamuni and Many Treasures] are seated side by side will be changed into a bed of burning iron in the hell of incessant suffering, and the three lands of Transition, Actual Reward, and Eternally Tranquil Light will be transformed into the three evil paths of hell, hungry spirits, and animals. But how could such a thing ever be possible?

Ah, how assuring! How assuring! If we continue to think in this way, then, though we may be exiles, we have cause to be joyful in both body and mind!

So day and night I ponder the important doctrines, and hour by hour, moment by moment, I savor the principle that allows us to attain Buddhahood. And because I pass the time in this fashion, though months and years go by, it does not seem long at all, and the hours that have elapsed do not seem like many. It is similar to the case described in the sutra when the two Buddhas Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, seated side by side in the treasure tower, nodded in approval over the wonderful principles of the Lotus Sutra, and although fifty small kalpas had elapsed, because of the supernatural powers of the Buddha, it seemed to the great crowd assembled there like no more than half a day. (21)

Among all the persons since the beginning of our present kalpa who have incurred the wrath of their parents or their rulers and have been exiled to distant islands, there can be none who overflow with joy as we do. Therefore, wherever we dwell and practice the single vehicle, that place will be the Capital of Eternally Tranquil Light. And, without having to take a step, those who are our disciples and lay supporters can view Eagle Peak in India and day and night will go to and from the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light that has existed for all time. What a truly inexpressible joy it is!

So delightful is the thought that I will now make a promise to you. If you should be released quickly from exile and return to the capital, although the lord of Kamakura (22) may continue to refuse pardon to Nichiren, I will call upon the heavenly deities, and when I have returned to Kamakura, I will write to you in Kyoto. If I should be pardoned first and return to Kamakura, I will call upon the heavenly gods to make certain that you are able to return home to the capital.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The thirteenth day of the fourth month

Reply to Sairen-bo

Background

This letter was written to Sairen-bo Nichijo in the fourth month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272) at Ichino-sawa on Sado Island. Sairen-bo, a former Tendai priest, was also living in exile on Sado. From the letters sent to him by Nichiren Daishonin, it appears that Sairen-bo was well versed in Buddhist teachings. The Daishonin, on receiving the government's pardon, left Sado and moved to Minobu. Somewhat later Sairen-bo was also pardoned, whereupon he returned to his native Kyoto. He received a number of important writings from the Daishonin, including The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and The True Aspect of All Phenomena.

In this letter, the Daishonin expresses his heartfelt gratitude for the various articles from Kyoto that Sairen-bo had sent to him as offerings. For an exile such as Sairen-bo, these articles must have been exceedingly precious.

The Daishonin also refers to a letter that Sairen-bo had sent him. In his letter Sairen-bo explained that he had pledged near the beginning of the second month to follow the Daishonin, and he expressed his desire to be considered one of the Daishonin's disciples.

With regard to Sairen-bo's recent pledge to become his disciple, the Daishonin quotes from the Lotus Sutra and its commentaries to illustrate the profound relationship between teacher and disciple. He then states that one should discard evil teachers and follow good ones. He reveals that he himself is the true and correct teacher for the Latter Day of the Law and declares that Sairen-bo was born in order to aid him in his efforts, thereby encouraging his disciple to exert himself in Buddhist practice.

The Daishonin reveals the great benefits to be gained by observing the precept of the perfect teaching - in other words, faith in the Mystic Law. And he tells Sairen-bo that, although they may both be exiles, in the future they are sure to attain Buddhahood and that, therefore, he feels great satisfaction and joy. In conclusion, the Daishonin encourages Sairen-bo by suggesting that they are both likely to be pardoned soon.

Notes

1. The highest stage of Buddhist practice refers to the stage of perfect enlightenment, the highest of the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice.
2. Lotus Sutra, chap. 7.
3. Ibid., chap. 10.
4. The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra.
5. The Annotations on "The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra."
6. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.
7. Ten Kinds of Wheels Sutra.
8. The Annotations on "Great Concentration and Insight."
9. Lotus Sutra, chap. 13.
10. Ibid., chap. 2.
11. Ibid., chap. 14.
12. Ibid., chap. 10.
13. The "Entering the Dharma Realm" chapter consists of the sixtieth volume through the eightieth, and last, volume of the eighty-volume Flower Garland Sutra. This chapter relates the story of the boy Good Treasures, who visits a total of fifty-three teachers in search of the Law. In the seventy-seventh volume, when he meets the boy Life of Virtue and the girl Possessor of Virtue, he learns about the importance of correct and good teachers and about the benefits to be gained by following them.
14. Lotus Sutra, chap. 27.
15. Ibid., chap. 2.
16. Ibid., chap. 10. The entire passage is quoted in translation here for clarity, although only a portion appears in the Japanese original.
17. The three kinds of Buddhas refer to Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions.
18. The precept refers here to the rule of conduct that one should observe to attain Buddhahood instantly. It means, simply, to embrace the Mystic Law.
19. Lotus Sutra, chap. 21.
20. Ibid., chap. 11.
21. This scene is described in chapter 15 of the Lotus Sutra.
22. The lord of Kamakura is another name for Hojo Tokimune (1251¬-1284), the eighth regent of the Kamakura government.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"The Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) wrote: 'The life of [the human being] is aspiration towards human good, and aspiration toward human good is human life.'[1]

"The power within our lives that propels us in the direction of human good is, in terms of the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, the power or life force that wells forth from our Buddhahood to strive for the happiness of both ourselves and others. How do we tap this innate power so that we can continue advancing limitlessly and create a new age? The most fundamental way is to live with a sense of appreciation and gratitude—more specifically, it is to recognise and strive to repay our debts of gratitude to others."

SGI Newsletter No. 8373, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, [32] “The Four Debts of Gratitude”[1], Gratitude Is the Driving Force for Unlimited Development, from the Sep. 2011 issue of the Daibyaku Renge, translated Nov. 11th, 2011

[1] Leo Tolstoy, On Life, translated by Mabel and Agnes Cook (Christchurch, England: The Free Age Press, 1902), p. 80.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

How do we tap this innate power so that we can continue advancing limitlessly and create a new age? The most fundamental way is to live with a sense of appreciation and gratitude—more specifically, it is to recognise and strive to repay our debts of gratitude to others."

I'm so happy to see Daisaku Ikeda be so straight-forward in saying this, because this is what I gleaned from the Daishonin's teachings on my own and I have been doing the best I can to live my life this way for a long time. Let me just say--as flawed as I still am as a human being--IT'S BEEN WORKING FOR ME BIG TIME!

But it starts and ends with consistent Daimoku EVERYDAY!!! Be strong! Once one knows what the Devil of the Sixth Heaven is, one should be pro-active in nutralizing that influence. That's the whole ballgame.

Only through sincere Daimoku. There is no other way to accomplish this. Period.

Bowing in humble obeisance,

T

PS: In my opinion, the Devil of the Sixth Heaven doesn't have a thing to do with any of the things western people call sins (sex, drugs, and rock and roll) unless they impede ones pursuit of Buddhahood. None of those things inherently will influence you. It's what you let happen by virtue of them, that's the influence.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the means to achieve absolute freedom. The more one chants, the more one wins. And through one's faith, one becomes "too prepared to be scared." This is Buddha Wisdom.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Hence, if the Law that one embraces is supreme, then the person who embraces it must accordingly be foremost among all others."

(Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 61) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 11th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

How important it is for us to triumph over the challenges that we face this very day. How important it is to also win over our own shortcomings. Our unrelenting and ever progressing advancement in faith and practice, based on the spirit of "Faith equals Daily Life," is the direct path, the shortest route to achieving victory in life!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When we revere Myoho-renge-kyo inherent in our own life as the object of devotion, the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth and manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This is what is meant by 'Buddha.'"

(How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 887) Selection source: "YWD Gosho Study for May", Seikyo Online, May 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"Be tenacious. Win through making persistent efforts.

"The Japanese historian and renowned Yale professor Kan'ichi Asakawa (1873-1948), who hailed from Tohoku's Fukushima Prefecture, wrote: 'People are not so weak as to be controlled by their circumstances,' and 'I hope you will rise above sorrow rather than be crushed beneath it.' These words echo my own sentiments.

"Human beings have the strength to rise above all sorrow and suffering. All of us without exception were born in this world to become happy. There is no hardship that we cannot overcome. The greater the difficulty, the more tenaciously we must continue to tackle it. This is how we can bring forth the fundamental strength for achieving ultimate victory. This is a rule seen throughout history, applying both to the lives of individuals and the rise of civilisations. Persistence is the mother of success, the wellspring of happiness, and the light of victory."

SGI Newsletter No. 8239, You Have an Unfathomably Profound Mission. SGI President Ikeda, founder of Soka University, sent the following message to the 37th class of Soka University and the 25th class of Soka Women’s College upontheir graduation in March 2011. From the March 21st, 2011, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun, translated May 24th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"You yourself determine the direction your life will take. Cherishing noble goals will elevate you as a person. The only limitations for youth are self-imposed ones, resulting from undervaluing oneself. Those who have the spirit to keep learning never give in to resignation. This is because the more you apply yourself to learning, the more you can develop your unique creativity."

SGI Newsletter No. 8265, Learning Is the Light That Illuminates Society, translated June 24th, 2011, from the May 9th, 2011, issue of the Seikyo Shimbun

 

[PassTheDoobie]

Resonant resounding chanting
is the wellspring for all of our endeavours.
Simply having an idea or strategy does not guarantee victory
but instead its our serious determined daimoku that does!
Bursting with life force and energy,
let's win in every challenge and open up the path
to constant success and victory!

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"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 behaviour as a human being."

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 852) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, June 25th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"When we live with a sense of gratitude, we will never be deadlocked in life. Being firmly resolved to show our appreciation to our parents, our teachers, and everyone who has helped us become the person we are today can serve as a driving force for self-improvement. Not wishing to betray the trust of those who have fostered us can keep us on the right path throughout life. And when we face difficulties, thinking of all those who have helped or assisted us in some way can rouse a renewed fighting spirit in our heart. Gratitude is a source of fundamental human strength.

"Those who have no gratitude, on the other hand, lead a life that is dark and cheerless, because they destroy the very fabric that makes them human.

"This is why Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'One who studies the teachings of Buddhism must not fail to repay the four debts of gratitude' (WND-1, 43). In numerous writings, he stresses that repaying debts of gratitude is the essential way of life of a Buddhist practitioner."

Daisaku Ikeda

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all."

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, November 12th, 2011

 

[PassTheDoobie]

"My mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, once remarked: 'When we look at today’s world, there are very few people who show proper appreciation and gratitude for others. As a consequence, society is afflicted with troubles, and people go about their lives filled with bitterness and resentment. If we want to change this, we must propagate the Mystic Law, the single vehicle for attaining Buddhahood, and encourage people everywhere to base their lives on it.'[1]

SGI Newsletter No. 8373, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, [32] “The Four Debts of Gratitude”[1], Gratitude Is the Driving Force for Unlimited Development, from the Sep. 2011 issue of the Daibyaku Renge, translated Nov. 11th, 2011

[1] Translated from Japanese. Josei Toda, Toda Josei Zenshu (Collected Writings of Josei Toda), (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1986), vol. 6, p. 238–39.

 

[PassTheDoobie]

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

(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, Vol.1, page 710, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 11) Selection source: "Myoji no Gen", Seikyo Shimbun, November 13th, 2011