PRESIDENT IKEDA'S ENCOURAGEMENT

PRESIDENT IKEDA'S ENCOURAGEMENT 

  

"My friends, whatever happens don't be surprised or afraid. I will be your roof and breakwater in the fiercest of storms. Have peace of mind, and joyfully and serenely savour the spring breezes of life in this spiritual hometown of Soka. Please lead a life of triumph !"

  

"Be firmly assured that those with faith in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, which always turn to spring, and please tenaciously keep on challenging life's hardships. There...in, lies the essential path to leading a life of the richest fulfilment."

  

"I want you to be sharp, considerate and wise people. And whatever happens, you must never lose heart, you must always keep trying and be patient. Such a person will always triumph. It is the Lotus Sutra that has taught us this unbeatable strategy."

  

President Ikeda 

NHR - Vol 26, Chapter 1

THE GOHONZON IS NOT OUTSIDE US

THE GOHONZON IS NOT OUTSIDE US

  

I find that so many people still chant to the Gohonzon as if it were some God or some force outside of themselves. The attitude with which we chant, and the attitude with which we view the Gohonzon is most important, because if we have a distorted view, we will have a distorted practice, and it is that distorted practice and view, that we will teach to others.

  

We know from study that the characters on the Gohonzon represent the two sides of life and all of the positive/negative attributes that exist within life, including that fundamental darkness that coexists within every human life. Nichiren Daishonin says that there is no life that has one without the other. The characters representing both aspects of life are written on the Gohonzon. For me what is exciting is to know, that even without my being able to read it, Nichiren Daishonin wrote all of these characters on the Gohonzon, which represent every aspect of life, in such a way that every character is looking at the centre just like you and me. Every character is looking at Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Think about the Ceremony in the Air. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the axis of the universe and we’re forming a circle around that axis.

All of us are looking at Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. It is the centre that every character is looking at. Why? It is because Nichiren Daishonin is giving us a continual message every time we look at the Gohonzon. The message is that we must base our life on the Law and never on the person. It is the mystic law that has enabled every Buddha throughout eternity to be able to manifest their fullest potential, and that it is the key, which is the centre, for everything. We have to make Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo the centre of our life and we have to base our life on Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. It means being able to see and to hear ourselves. It means that whenever we are facing a problem, we don’t just try to use our brain to figure it out, or strategise how to fix it. Many members still do this, and after they have racked their brain as to what to do in order to get from Point A to Point B or to fix the problem, they then chant the solution to the Gohonzon to make it work! . I think that this is practising incorrectly. Let me tell you why.

When we talk about the nine levels of consciousness, the first five are our senses. Sight, Hearing, Smell, Taste and Touch. The sixth level is the conscious mind. The seventh is the unconscious mind. The eighth level is what we call the karma storage area, which is that area in our life that has accumulated every cause we have ever made throughout all existences. Below that is the ninth level of consciousness, which Buddhism says, is the one pure, unchanging reality of our life.

Every single one of us has fortune and lack of fortune in our life. In the areas in which we have fortune, we can do the same things we see other people do and we can achieve our goals but in the areas of your life where you lack fortune, you can do the identical thing you see your neighbour doing, but the object of your desire seems to move further and further away (laughter), right?

EXCHANGING MISFORTUNE FOR FORTUNE

When we are dealing with problems in our lives, they have a causal connection to us. Many times they come from that place in our life where we lack fortune. And so, if we use our brain to strategize how to fix things, our brain can only go to the eighth level of consciousness, which is the karma storage. That is the area which stores up and accumulates all of the causes we have ever made, and it’s seems to be the place in which; WE DO NOT SEEM TO HAVE FORTUNE . Our brain then devises a solution based on lack of fortune. By following this “mental” solution, we will keep reinforcing the same pattern of karmic tendencies over and over in our lives.

But what Nichiren teaches is that by chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo you can pierce through the eighth level of karma storage. Pierce through it, be unaffected by it, and you can reach the pure unchanging reality and infinite wisdom of your life that is unaffected by karma storage. That answer is the correct answer for your life. It’s not affected by your karma in the area in which you lack fortune. And this is why I believe Nichiren Daishonin says we must become the master of our mind rather than allowing our mind to master us.

My point is this; when we pray, we need to start from a determination such as: “I will accomplish X,” (whatever X is). We also have to understand from Buddhism that we create our life every moment through our thoughts, our words, and our behavior. Prayer in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is profoundly different from prayer in other religions. We are not praying to something outside of ourselves to bestow something on us. Instead, our prayer here is the determination that; “I will create the object or thing that I am praying for through my causes of thought, words, and actions. I am the creator of my life and I will take the responsibility to create the thing that I am praying for, and that after I have chanted this kind of determined daimoku, I will accomplish X.” I then must come to a realization… “How in the world am I going to do this? That answer only exists inside of my life. I can tap my wisdom for the answer when I have the belief and conviction, that the answer exists inside of me.” And I start chanting with the determination to pull that wisdom up from within my life to clearly see what it is that I need to do in order to create the thing that I’m praying for. 

That is why President Ikeda says:

“Benefit comes from you. Nobody gives you benefit.”

By Linda Johnson, SGI-USA WD Leader

The Art of listening with the eyes of a Buddha

Experience - Laura's Sick Brother

Laura's Sick Brother 

This experience was given at a Washington DC Kosen Rufu Gongyo

I was eight years old in 1968, when my father introduced our entire family to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He was a carpenter and my mother took care of three boys and four girls. We lived in a one bedroom apartment in Panama. My brother, Osvaldo, had been born with a tumor between his right ear and his brain. Every day he grew sicker and sicker. The doctors said Osvaldo's tumor was inoperable and he could not live much longer. My mother did the only thing that she could — she chanted almost day and night and shed many tears. My brothers and sisters chanted with her, but Osvaldo just got worse. He passed out frequently and sometimes did not even recognize us. 

He wanted to be like other children and go to school. One of my mother's friends, who was a teacher, accepted Osvaldo in her class. One day he passed out in her classroom. She drove him to the hospital but the doctors could not revive him. They pulled off all ten of his toenails, but there was no reaction. After pronouncing him dead they wrapped him for the morgue. My mother refused to let them take him away. She sat next to him and chanted "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" in his ear. Suddenly, Osvaldo woke up and asked what was happening. His toenails started to bleed. The doctors were amazed. After this, no matter what, my parents never stopped chanting. My father made a butsudan, even though we could not receive the Gohonzon at that time. My mother took the water she offered to the Mystic Law and let Osvaldo drink all but a drop of it. She put the remaining drop in his right ear. 

Osvaldo wanted to put the drop in his own ear. She let him. In a few weeks, he told her that he had something in his ear. She thought he was teasing. Ten minutes later, he pulled something big but soft out of his ear. It looked like a meatball with tiny roots hanging from it. Doctors examined him, took x-rays, asked other doctors to look and him again and again but could not find any trace of the tumor. The doctors said that he removed his own tumor without pain, surgery or even a single drop of blood. Today my brother is 37 years old. He has five children of his own. My mother received the Gohonzon on Jan. 27, 1969. A year later she bought a new house. Our whole family continues to practice Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and fight with the SGI for kosen rufu. 

No matter what, I will never stop practicing. I will continue to chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" until the last moment of my life. I will continue to work for kosen rufu every day.

THE BUILDING THAT LOOKS DOWN ON AIRPLANES

THE BUILDING THAT LOOKS DOWN ON AIRPLANES

  

When you don't feel like doing gongyo or daimoku, get on the green train in Tokyo that circles downtown I. and look out for the "Sunshine Building" near K--- station. This was built by someone who did not skip gongyo and daimoku for 30 years.

  

Once there was man who was so completely down and out that he had made up his mind to commit suicide. He was in debt to his ears, his wife was blind, and his child had problems. But before he died, he wanted to have one last meal of his favorite dish — a vegetable stew called "oden."

  

As he was walking around town in the evening shadows looking for a stew shop, he noticed a warm, gentle glow of lanterns coming from a place tucked in a corner. There were a number of people milling about. "Ah, a stew shop!" he delightedly mused. He walked briskly toward the light.

  

As he entered and made his way through the small crowd, he realized he had made a mistake. It was a lecture. When he asked a person nearby, he was told that the speaker was a Mr. Toda.

  

After listening, the man demanded of Mr. Toda, "If this Nam Myoho-renge-kyo is so powerful, will my financial problems be resolved?! Will my wife see?! Will my child's problems be resolved?!"

  

To this, Mr. Toda replied: "Don't be ridiculous! If all it did were petty things like that, I wouldn't be doing this! Your financial problems will be resolved! Your wife will be able to see! And your child's problems will be resolved! Not only that, you will become a wealthy man! You will build a building that even looks down on airplanes! Do morning and evening gongyo and chant daimoku every day."

  

Not because the man believed any of it, but because he was moved by the powerful conviction Mr. Toda had, he began to practice. Although it was difficult at first, he faithfully followed President Toda's instructions. He did not skip gongyo. He did morning and evening gongyo and chanted one and a half hour of daimoku every day.

  

Sure enough, results began to happen. His financial problems were solved. His wife was no longer blind. His child no longer had such problems. The man even became vice president of a board in his company even though he was not well-educated like most of his peers. He became wealthy. His child became active in the youth division. Things exceeded his expectations.

  

At the mark of practicing 30 years, he was seen standing on the top of a building, mumbling through tears. The man was standing on the top of a skyscraper that he had built. "It all became true! This building even looks down on airplanes! After 30 years ... Thank you Sensei, thank you Soka Gakkai!"

  

It wasn't many years later that the man passed away in his 80's, leaving a legacy of consistent practice. But before he did, he often pointed to the skyscraper and said, "This shows the power of daimoku! I am here to say it. So please, do morning and evening gongyo and chant daimoku."

  

So when you don't feel like doing gongyo or chanting daimoku, take a look at the "Sunshine Building." It's still there.

  

[Here is a picture of the City of Ikebukuro (in Tokyo) and the Sunshine Building.

  

It is very well known and was once the tallest building in Tokyo. It has everything in it: business offices, restaurants, a department store, even an aquarium and a planetarium. The Sunshine Building was built on the site where Suginamo Prison — where Mr. Makiguichi and Mr. Toda were imprisoned — once was.]

HOW TO CHANT NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

HOW TO CHANT NAM MYOHO RENGE KYO

"Nichiren Daishonin declared that 'the voice does the Buddha's work.' The primary practice of Nichiren Buddhism involves chanting the daimoku (or 'title') of the Lotus Sutra—Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—the opening words of the Buddha's highest teaching. We also recite portions of two chapters from the Lotus Sutra—the 'Expedient Means' and the 'Life Span' chapters—morning and evening. This is the prime point of one's individual practice. Unlike silent meditation, chanting is extremely concrete. You know you are doing it. When you chant each morning, your voice resounds throughout the universe. It heralds daybreak for your own life. 

"Find a quiet place. Seat yourself in a comfortable way: in a straight-back chair, on a pillow on the floor, or on the edge of your bed. Be sure to maintain an erect posture. Your attitude initially, no matter how deep your skepticism, should be one of respect—not necessarily devotional respect, more like Aretha Franklin-type respect. If you wish, place your palms together, fingertips touching, with your hands at the center of your chest, as in traditional prayer. Now recite the words Nam...myoho...renge...kyo... slowly at first, then as you gain more confidence, more rapidly. The chant should be rhythmical. You will find that the words shape themselves into a rhythmic pattern without much conscious effort on your part. No particular emphasis should be placed on any of the words. It should sound like a rich, pulsing single tone, not a singsong. This is the rhythm of the universe, more a wave than a melody.

"When you chant and recite the sutra, it is like a symphony in which you fuse the microcosm of your own body with the song of the macrocosm, the universe. The mystic law is both within you and without you (to paraphrase The Beatles). When you chant, you harmonise your little private world with the larger world outside.

"Do not chant so loudly that you disturb your neighbors, freak out your roommates, or convince your spouse, in case any further evidence were necessary, that you have gone completely mad. Chanting Sanskrit words (with Japanese pronunciation) definitely sounds strange to some Westerners. Chant with consideration. Yet it is quite important to chant with some conviction, with a strong, sonorous voice. It needn't be loud and the tone should be steady. You can be soft and strong at the same time. Remember, we are summoning the Buddhahood that lies within. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the cause that brings your highest potential forward. I don't know you, but it could be that your highest potential is buried under many layers of causes, or karma, which have accumulated like a crust, obscuring the potential that you possess. Therefore, the summons to your Buddha nature should be put forth with vigor."

—The Buddha In Your Rearview Mirror; Chapter 3: How to Practice: Making Waves; p. 94-95

YOU ARE A BUDDHA - APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE

YOU ARE A BUDDHA - APPRECIATE YOUR LIFE

In Buddhism, appreciation is for our own life. We strive to appreciate the essence of our life, whatever we are going through at the moment. Learning appreciation is difficult, because our society always teaches us about good and bad. If we have the things we want we are happy, if we don't have them, we begrudge our lives. Two of the "Fourteen Slanders" that prevent us from becoming happy are:

1. A mistaken view of life - we don't know who we are

2. Too much attachment to material things

We do not live in harmony with our true nature, and we are swayed by the opinions and thoughts of those outside of us. We embrace our mistaken identities so deeply that they become our reality.

Appreciation does not refer to things outside of yourself. 

Appreciate your own life first. Appreciate when you fail. Appreciate when you try and try again and still fail. Appreciate when you embarrass yourself.

OUR FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IS THAT WE ARE UNHAPPY.

So how do we turn it around? APPRECIATE who you are. You are a BUDDHA. You are the best thing that ever appeared on this whole planet. If you believe there is nothing you cannot do with your life, then there IS nothing you cannot do.

To believe that you can do anything is to bring your life into harmony.

To chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to put yourself in harmony.

But it comes from appreciating your own life.

When your life is falling apart, try and chant in that moment to appreciate your own life. If you are in harmony, it will turn around. Our life has unbelievable power and wisdom, but we do not trust ourselves and let it come forth. We always look for validation outside and we'll never get it. If we validate ourselves, we will be able to influence everything around us.

NO MATTER WHERE MY LIFE IS AT, I WILL CHANT WITH THE DETERMINATION THAT I WILL TURN THIS SITUATION AROUND WITHIN ONE MONTH. I WILL TAKE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE IT HAPPEN, AND IN THAT ONE MONTH, I WILL CREATE THE BIGGEST BENEFIT OF MY LIFE.

To turn your life around in one month:

1. Perceive the truth of your life.

2. Take responsibility for creating the biggest benefit you have ever had

3. Everything begins and ends with you: the principal of Kyochi Myogo* is the oneness of the person and the law. When you chant, you and the law become one.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo encompasses everything in the universe. Chant that your life and your goal become one. You are the centre of the universe. Chant Nam-myoho-­renge-kyo for the harmony of your life. Chant to perceive your own truth.

We usually think of appreciation as something outside of us. We appreciate our possessions or what someone does for us. But in Buddhism, appreciation is for our own life. We strive to appreciate the essence of our life, whatever we are going through in the moment.

We are all programmed from a very early age - by our families, and teachers, TV etc to believe that we are a certain person. But Buddhism says that we have an incorrect view of life. Our goal as Buddhists is to develop a correct view of our life. Nichiren Daishonin said; "He who perceives the greatness of his life is a Buddha. He who doesn't is a fool." Chant to realize that you are the Buddha just as you are. Nam-­Myoho-Renge-Kyo gives you the opportunity to perceive who you truly are. When you perceive who you are, you will naturally impact your environment.

It is not easy to appreciate your life, because your life does not want to appreciate itself. Just try chanting daimoku for fifteen minutes exclusively focusing on appreciating your life. Your mind will get distracted and you will think about everything but appreciation. But strive to stay focused on appreciation. Just as you are.

In our minds we judge our lives. We see part of our self as good and part as bad. We believe we have to push everything to the positive side to be happy. But you cannot do that. You are just who you are. There is no such thing as Good Buddha, Bad Buddha. There is only the Buddha, just as you are.

BEING A BUDDHA DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE PERFECT. IT MEANS YOU ALWAYS TURN THE NEGATIVE INTO A BENEFIT.

We are all just Buddha, and sometimes we do terrible things. Good and bad exist because we are human beings. The only thing our stupidity proves is that we are human, and there is nothing wrong with that. Being a Buddha means that we take the negative and turn it into benefit.

We need to find out how wonderful and powerful our life is. We can do it in one night if we really appreciate our self. Appreciation does not mean that you accept the circumstances. Again, it is not about something outside of you.

What does it mean to appreciate another person? It means that you have no judgments about them. No matter what their condition, you will do anything for that person's happiness. Don't use anger as a form of judgment. It is fine to get angry, but don't judge another person’s life just because today you are feeling anger towards them.

Appreciation has three qualities:

No matter what happens, you do not betray your dreams, your goals or yourself.

No matter what happens, you do not make any judgments about yourself.

No matter what (unhappy) situation is in your life, you must turn it around.

IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO BE IN A PLACE WHERE YOU ARE DEPRESSED - this must be our fundamental attitude. If you are angry, make it a function of the Buddha. Whatever quality is fundamental to your life, chant to appreciate it and you will bring forth unbelievable Power.

Excerpts from Guidance by Mr. SONODA’S from the International District Meeting 30/11/2000

Guidance from Sensei Toda

Guidance from Sensei Toda

"A Soka Gakkai women's division leader once asked second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda what was most important when talking to others and trying to communicate the greatness of the Mystic Law to them. He replied with a question of his own: 'What is the most important thing in life and faith?'

"Uncertain as to how to respond, the leader remained silent.

"'It is conviction,' replied Mr. Toda. 'When you read newspaper stories about people who have been defeated in life, it's because they have lost conviction. As practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, therefore, we must always prize and value above all the absolute conviction demonstrated by the Daishonin.'

"On another occasion, Mr. Toda also said: 'You truly are a person of strong faith if you have the deep-seated conviction that everything will be fine because you have the Gohonzon, that you will be okay because you chant to the Gohonzon. You know you don't need to worry about having to do this or that, or how things are going to turn out. You uphold the Gohonzon. You chanted before it this morning, you are upholding it now. If you have the conviction that your life will be all right, then it will. From today, adopt that attitude. There isn't the slightest doubt that you will become happy.'

"In this way, Mr. Toda stressed the importance of having absolute conviction in faith.

"Nichiren Daishonin provided a powerful example of this kind of unshakable conviction -the belief that we can overcome any suffering and transform it into something positive through faith in the Mystic Law. He taught a path of boundless hope. And we of the SGI are following the Daishonin's lead." 

President Ikeda - 

Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory , [48] 'Reply to the Lay Priest Takahashi,'

THE FAMOUS PARABLE OF THE EXCELLENT PHYSICIAN AND HIS SIX CHILDREN

THE FAMOUS PARABLE OF THE EXCELLENT PHYSICIAN AND HIS SIX CHILDREN

Suda: Only a heartless Buddha would fail to care about the fate of those living after him and refuse to teach them the path to happiness. The "Life Span" chapter speaks con...clusively about the salvation of those who live after Shakyamuni's passing. This is evident in the famous parable of the excellent physician and his sick children, expounded in this chapter. 

Endo: The parable tells of a father who is an excellent physician. While he is away, his children drink poison, and he returns home to find them writhing on the ground in agony. The physician prepares medicine for his children, but they refuse to take it, for the poison has caused them to lose their minds. 

The father then devises a plan to save his children. Leaving behind the medicine, he sets off on a journey. Reaching his destination, he sends a messenger to tell his children that he has died. They are so overcome with grief that they regain their senses, drink the medicine and are immediately cured. 

The excellent physician is the BUDDHA, and the journey on which he departs represents the Buddha's passing. Nichiren Daishonin further says that the children indicate the people living in the Latter Day of the Law, the good medicine is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and the messenger refers to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. In other words, NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, the excellent MEDICINE that saves all people after the Buddha's passing, has been expounded in the "Life Span" chapter. 

—The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, Vol. 1, p. 46