Some of Nichirens teachings that Shinkei,Mark and Katie love to hate

[lyal...@gmail.com]

My reply to Katie: Haven't your demons allowed you time to read what Chas has presented for our edification? If you did you would of found answers to your conundrum but as long as you remain as a fake seeker of the way you will remain in a state of delusion, this is why I refer to you as a messenger of Mumyo: Fundamental Darkness that which possesses a polluted heart, or, that which causes distress...Illusions about the True Nature of Life


"All you know is what you have been told, by priests that are both deluded and demonstrably lying. So, are they lying about this, too? Can't trust what they say, or museum curators in Japan, likely Nembutsu or Zen, or scholars, ditto.

Everyone there has an ax to grind and they all do.

They are wrong. because they maintain that there is a duality between Shakyamuni and common mortals like ourselves.

There is no such duality. The duality is between delusion and enlightenment, which is entirely different. Read the first four pages of The Entity of the Mystic Law and you will get it. Here, I have upper-cased the critical lines such that you might focus on them if you can quiet your demons long enough.

From: "The Entity of the Mystic Law", WND I, pp. 417-421:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/47

... QUESTION: WHAT IS THE ENTITY OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO?
...
... ANSWER: ALL BEINGS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS IN ANY OF THE
... TEN WORLDS ARE THEMSELVES ENTITIES OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO.
...
... Question: If so, then is it possible to say that all
... living beings, such as ourselves, are entities of the
... Mystic Law in its entirety?
...
... Answer: Of course. The sutra says, “This reality [the
... true aspect of all phenomena] consists of the
... appearance, nature . . . and their consistency from
... beginning to end.”
...
... The Great Teacher Miao-lo comments on this as follows:
... “The true aspect invariably manifests in all phenomena,
... and all phenomena invariably manifest in the ten
... factors. The ten factors invariably manifest in the Ten
... Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably manifest in life
... and its environment.”
...
... T’ien-t’ai commented, “All phenomena consisting of the
... ten factors, Ten Worlds, and three thousand realms are
... entities of the Lotus Sutra.”
...
>>> THE GREAT TEACHER NAN-YÜEH SAYS, “QUESTION: WHAT DOES
>>> MYOHO-RENGE-KYO REPRESENT? ANSWER: MYŌ INDICATES THAT
>>> ALL LIVING BEINGS ARE MYŌ, OR MYSTIC. HŌ INDICATES THAT
>>> ALL LIVING BEINGS ARE HŌ, OR THE LAW.” T’IEN-T’AI ALSO
>>> SAYS, “THE LAW OF ALL LIVING BEINGS IS MYSTIC.”
...
... Question: If the entity of all living beings is the
... Mystic Law in its entirety, then are all the actions and
... their results that are associated with the nine worlds,
... from the world of hell up to that of bodhisattvas, in
... effect entities of the Mystic Law?
...
... ANSWER: 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.
...
>>> THESE TWO ASPECTS, THE DELUDED AND THE ENLIGHTENED, ARE
>>> INDEED TWO DIFFERENT PHENOMENA, AND YET BOTH ARE
>>> WORKINGS OF THE ONE PRINCIPLE, THAT IS, THE ESSENTIAL
>>> NATURE OF PHENOMENA, OR THE TRUE ASPECT OF REALITY. IT
>>> IS LIKE A PIECE OF CRYSTAL. IF THE CRYSTAL IS PLACED IN
>>> THE SUN’S RAYS, IT WILL ATTRACT THEM AND PRODUCE FIRE.
>>> BUT IF IT IS PLACED IN THE MOON’S RAYS, IT WILL PRODUCE
>>> WATER. THE CRYSTAL IS A SINGLE ENTITY, BUT THE EFFECTS
>>> IT PRODUCES DIFFER ACCORDING TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES.
>>>
>>> THE MYSTIC PRINCIPLE OF THE TRUE ASPECT OF REALITY IS
>>> LIKE THIS. THE MYSTIC PRINCIPLE OF THE TRUE ASPECT OF
>>> REALITY IS ONE, BUT IF IT ENCOUNTERS EVIL INFLUENCES, IT
>>> WILL MANIFEST DELUSION, WHILE IF IT ENCOUNTERS GOOD
>>> INFLUENCES, IT WILL MANIFEST ENLIGHTENMENT.
>>> ENLIGHTENMENT MEANS ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE ESSENTIAL
>>> NATURE OF PHENOMENA, AND DELUSION, IGNORANCE OF IT.
...
... It is like the case of a person who in a dream sees
... himself performing various good and evil actions. After
... he wakes up and considers the matter, he realizes that
... it was all a dream produced by his own mind. This mind
... of his corresponds to the single principle of the
... essential nature of phenomena, the true aspect of
... reality, while the good and evil that appeared in the
... dream correspond to enlightenment and delusion. When one
... becomes aware of this, it is clear that one should
... discard the ignorance associated with evil and delusion,
... and take as one’s basis the awakening that is
... characterized by goodness and enlightenment.
...
>>> THE COMPLETE AND FINAL TEACHING ON PERFECT ENLIGHTENMENT
>>> SUTRA DECLARES, “THE BEGINNINGLESS ILLUSIONS AND
>>> IGNORANCE THAT BESET ALL LIVING BEINGS ARE ALL PRODUCED
>>> BY THE PERFECTLY ENLIGHTENED MIND OF THE THUS COME ONES.”
>>>
>>> The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai in his Great Concentration
>>> and Insight states, “IGNORANCE OR ILLUSIONS ARE IN
>>> THEMSELVES ENLIGHTENMENT TO THE ESSENTIAL NATURE OF
>>> PHENOMENA. BUT DUE TO THE INFLUENCE OF DELUSIONS,
>>> ENLIGHTENMENT CHANGES INTO IGNORANCE.” THE GREAT TEACHER
>>> MIAO-LO COMMENTS ON THIS AS FOLLOWS: “ENLIGHTENMENT HAS
>>> NO SEPARATE ENTITY BUT COMPLETELY DEPENDS UPON
>>> IGNORANCE; AND IGNORANCE HAS NO SEPARATE ENTITY BUT
>>> COMPLETELY DEPENDS UPON ENLIGHTENMENT.”
...
... Ignorance is a state of delusion that must be cut off,
... whereas enlightenment is the state that one must
... manifest. HOW THEN CAN WE SAY THAT THEY ARE A SINGLE
... ENTITY? TO RESOLVE DOUBTS ON THIS POINT, ONE SHOULD HAVE
... A CLEAR GRASP OF THE PASSAGES THAT HAVE BEEN QUOTED
... HERE. THE EXAMPLE OF THE DREAM GIVEN IN THE NINETY-FIFTH
... VOLUME OF THE TREATISE ON THE GREAT PERFECTION OF WISDOM
... AND THE T’IEN-T’AI SCHOOL’S EXAMPLE OF THE PIECE OF
... CRYSTAL CITED ABOVE ARE VERY INTERESTING ILLUSTRATIONS.
...
... Further proof of the truth that ignorance and
... enlightenment are one in essence is found in the passage
... in the Lotus Sutra that reads, “These phenomena are part
... of an abiding Law, [and] the characteristics of the
... world are constantly abiding.” Great Perfection of
>>> Wisdom says, “ENLIGHTENMENT AND IGNORANCE ARE NOT
>>> DIFFERENT THINGS, NOT SEPARATE THINGS. TO UNDERSTAND
>>> THIS IS WHAT IS CALLED THE MIDDLE WAY.”
...
... There are many passages of proof asserting that the
... mystic principle of the true aspect of reality possesses
... two aspects, the defiled and the pure. But none can
... surpass the one in the Flower Garland Sutra that says,
>>> “THE MIND, THE BUDDHA, AND ALL LIVING BEINGS—THESE THREE
>>> THINGS ARE WITHOUT DISTINCTION,” OR THE PASSAGE IN THE
>>> LOTUS SUTRA THAT DESCRIBES THE TRUE ASPECT OF ALL
>>> PHENOMENA.
>>>
>>> The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh says, “THE ENTITY OF THE MIND
>>> IS ENDOWED WITH TWO ASPECTS, THE DEFILED AND THE PURE.
>>> HOWEVER, IT DOES NOT HAVE TWO DIFFERENT FORMS BUT IS
>>> SINGLE IN NATURE AND WITHOUT DISTINCTION.” And the
... example of the mirror that he gives truly presents a
... thorough explanation of the subject. For a more detailed
... understanding, one may also refer to his interpretations
... in The Mahayana Method of Concentration and Insight.
...
... Another good explanation is given in the sixth volume of
... Miao-lo’s Annotations on “The Profound Meaning of the
>>> Lotus Sutra,” in the passage that reads: “WHILE THE
>>> THREE THOUSAND REALMS REMAIN LATENT [IN ORDINARY
>>> BEINGS], THEY ARE ALL DESIGNATED BY THE TERM
>>> ‘IGNORANCE.’ BUT WHEN THE THREE THOUSAND REALMS ALL
>>> MANIFEST THEMSELVES AS THE RESULT [OF BUDDHAHOOD], THEN
>>> THEY ARE ALL DESIGNATED BY THE TERM ‘ETERNAL HAPPINESS.’
>>> HOWEVER, BECAUSE THE THREE THOUSAND REALMS THEMSELVES
>>> REMAIN UNCHANGED, IGNORANCE IS ESSENTIALLY ONE WITH
>>> ENLIGHTENMENT. SINCE THE THREE THOUSAND REALMS ALL
>>> REMAIN CONSTANT, THEY POSSESS BOTH ENTITY AND FUNCTION.”
>>> THIS COMMENTARY MAKES THE MATTER PERFECTLY CLEAR.
>>>
>>> Question: IF ALL LIVING BEINGS ARE ENTITIES OF
>>> MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, THEN ARE ORDINARY PEOPLE LIKE OURSELVES
>>> WHO ARE IGNORANT AND DELUDED, UNENLIGHTENED AND
>>> DULL-WITTED, ALSO ENTITIES OF THE MYSTIC LAW?
>>>
>>> Answer: Though there are a great many people in the
>>> world today, THEY ALL FALL INTO TWO CATEGORIES—THOSE WHO
>>> BELIEVE IN THE PROVISIONAL TEACHINGS AND THOSE WHO
>>> BELIEVE IN THE TRUE TEACHING. THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE
>>> PROVISIONAL AND EXPEDIENT TEACHINGS, SUCH AS THE
>>> NEMBUTSU, CANNOT BE CALLED ENTITIES OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO.
>>> BUT THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN THE LOTUS SUTRA, WHICH IS THE
>>> TRUE TEACHING, ARE ENTITIES OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, MYSTIC
>>> ENTITIES OF THE TRUE ASPECT OF REALITY. THE NIRVANA
>>> SUTRA SAYS, “AMONG ALL LIVING BEINGS, THOSE WHO BELIEVE
>>> IN THE MAHAYANA ARE CALLED THE MAHAYANA PEOPLE.”
...
... The Great Teacher Nan-yüeh in his Four Peaceful
>>> Practices writes, “THE GREAT DILIGENCE SUTRA SAYS,
>>> ‘ORDINARY BEINGS AND THE THUS COME ONE SHARE A SINGLE
>>> DHARMA BODY. BEING PURE AND MYSTIC BEYOND COMPARISON, IT
>>> IS CALLED MYOHO-RENGE-KYO.’” HE ALSO SAYS: “THOSE WHO
>>> PRACTICE THE LOTUS SUTRA ARE PURSUING THROUGH THIS
>>> SINGLE ACT OF DEVOTION THE MIND THAT IS ENDOWED WITH ALL
>>> MANNER OF FORTUNATE RESULTS. THESE ARE PRESENT
>>> SIMULTANEOUSLY AND ARE NOT ACQUIRED GRADUALLY OVER A
>>> LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THIS IS LIKE THE BLOSSOM OF THE
>>> LOTUS THAT, WHEN IT OPENS, ALREADY POSSESSES A LARGE
>>> NUMBER OF SEEDS. HENCE SUCH PERSONS ARE CALLED THE
>>> PEOPLE OF THE ONE VEHICLE.” HE ALSO SAYS: “THE PEOPLE OF
>>> THE TWO VEHICLES, PARTICULARLY THE VOICE-HEARERS, AND
>>> THE BODHISATTVAS OF INFERIOR CAPACITY CHOOSE TO FOLLOW
>>> THE WAY OF EXPEDIENT MEANS, PRACTICING METHODS THAT
>>> ASSURE GRADUAL PROGRESS OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. BUT
>>> THE BODHISATTVAS OF SUPERIOR CAPACITY HONESTLY DISCARD
>>> EXPEDIENT MEANS AND DO NOT CARRY OUT THE PRACTICE OF
>>> GRADUAL PROGRESS. If they are able to complete the
... meditation based on the Lotus Sutra, then they will
... thereby possess all manner of fortunate results. Persons
... such as these are called the people of the one vehicle.”
...
... THE PHRASE “PRACTICE OF GRADUAL PROGRESS” THAT APPEARS
>>> IN THIS COMMENTARY BY NAN-YÜEH HAS BEEN INTERPRETED BY
>>> THE SCHOLARS OF OUR TIME TO REFER TO THE SPECIFIC
>>> TEACHING. IN FACT, HOWEVER, IT REFERS TO THE WAY OF
>>> EXPEDIENT MEANS, AS OPPOSED TO THE WAY OF THE LOTUS
>>> SUTRA, WHICH IS ENDOWED SIMULTANEOUSLY WITH CAUSES AND
>>> RESULTS. HENCE THE TERM “PRACTICE OF GRADUAL PROGRESS”
>>> INCLUDES THE PERFECT TEACHING PREACHED BEFORE THE LOTUS
>>> SUTRA, THE VARIOUS MAHAYANA SUTRAS PREACHED BEFORE THE
>>> LOTUS SUTRA, AND THE MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA SUTRAS THAT
>>> BELONG TO THE SUDDEN AND GRADUAL TEACHINGS.
>>>
>>> AS PROOF, WE MAY CITE THE FOLLOWING PASSAGE IN THE
>>> IMMEASURABLE MEANINGS SUTRA: “THEN I PREACHED THE TWELVE
>>> DIVISIONS OF THE CORRECT AND EQUAL SUTRAS, THE TEACHING
>>> OF GREAT WISDOM, AND THE FLOWER GARLAND TEACHING OF THE
>>> OCEAN-IMPRINT MEDITATION, DESCRIBING THE MANY KALPAS OF
>>> PRACTICE FOR BODHISATTVAS.”
>>>
>>> BUT THE BODHISATTVAS OF SUPERIOR CAPACITY HONESTLY
>>> DISCARD EXPEDIENT MEANS AND DO NOT CARRY OUT THE
>>> PRACTICE OF GRADUAL PROGRESS. THEY PRACTICE THE LOTUS
>>> SUTRA, AND WHEN THEY ATTAIN ITS TRUTH, THEY
>>> SIMULTANEOUSLY ACQUIRE ALL MANNER OF FORTUNATE RESULTS.
>>> PERSONS SUCH AS THESE ARE CALLED THE PEOPLE OF THE ONE
>>> VEHICLE.
...
... When we consider the meaning of these various passages,
... we understand that none of the ordinary people and sages
... of the three vehicles, the five vehicles, the seven
... expedient means, the nine worlds, or the four flavors
... and three teachings can be called Mahayana followers who
... are entities of Myoho-renge-kyo. Though there are
... Buddhas in these teachings, they are Buddhas of the
... provisional teachings and cannot be called Buddhas in
... the true sense. This is because the Buddhas of the
... provisional teachings in their three bodies have not yet
... freed themselves from impermanence. HOW THEN COULD
>>> BEINGS IN REALMS OTHER THAN BUDDHAHOOD BE [CALLED
>>> ENTITIES OF MYOHO-RENGE-KYO]? THAT IS WHY IT IS SAID
>>> THAT A PERSON OF HUMBLE STATION BORN IN THE LATTER DAY
>>> OF THE LAW IS MORE WORTHY OF RESPECT THAN THE KINGS AND
>>> HIGH MINISTERS WHO LIVED DURING THE TWO THOUSAND YEARS
>>> OF THE FORMER AND MIDDLE DAYS.
>>>
>>> NAN-YÜEH SAYS IN HIS COMMENTARY, “ALL LIVING BEINGS HAVE
>>> WITHIN THEMSELVES THE STOREHOUSE OF THE DHARMA BODY, AND
>>> THEREFORE THEY ARE IN NO WAY DIFFERENT FROM THE BUDDHA.”
>>> THAT IS WHY THE LOTUS SUTRA SAYS, “THE PURE AND ORDINARY
>>> EYES, EARS, NOSE, TONGUE, BODY, AND MIND THAT ONE
>>> RECEIVED AT BIRTH FROM ONE’S FATHER AND MOTHER ARE ALSO
>>> LIKE THIS.”
...
... Nan-yüeh also writes, “Question: In what sutra does the
... Buddha explain the eyes and the other sense organs and
... designate them by the name Thus Come One? Answer: The
... Great Diligence Sutra says, ‘Ordinary beings and the
... Thus Come One share a single Dharma body. Being pure and
... mystic beyond comparison, it is called
... Myoho-renge-kyo.’” This comes from a sutra other than
... the Lotus, but since the Lotus later clarified the same
... point, it is all right to quote it here.
...
... If we take up the word “share” that is used in this
... passage of the Great Diligence Sutra and apply it in our
... argument, we may say that those who share in and believe
... in the Lotus Sutra are entities of that mystic sutra.
>>> BUT THOSE WHO DO NOT SHARE IN IT, SUCH AS THE NEMBUTSU
>>> BELIEVERS, ARE NOT ENTITIES OF THE MYSTIC SUTRA BECAUSE
>>> THEY HAVE ALREADY TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THEIR BUDDHA
>>> NATURE, THAT IS, THE THUS COME ONE OF THE DHARMA BODY.
...
... In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the
... physical body that the disciples and followers of
... Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from
... their fathers and mothers at birth. Such persons, who
... honestly discard expedient means, put faith in the Lotus
... Sutra alone, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, will
... transform the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and
... suffering into the three virtues of the Dharma body,
... wisdom, and emancipation. The threefold contemplation
... and the three truths will immediately become manifest in
... their minds, and the place where they live will become
... the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. The Buddha who is
... the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo, of the “Life Span”
... chapter of the essential teaching, who is both
... inhabiting subject and inhabited realm, life and
... environment, body and mind, entity and function, the
... Buddha eternally endowed with the three bodies—he is to
... be found in the disciples and lay believers of Nichiren.
... Such persons embody the true entity of Myoho-renge-kyo;
... this is all due to the meritorious workings that the
... spontaneous transcendental powers inherent in it
... display. Could anyone venture to doubt it? Indeed it
... cannot be doubted!
...
... Question: The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai has explained that
... the term Myoho-renge is used in two different senses, one
... meaning the entity of Myoho-renge and the other being
... figurative in meaning. What are these two kinds of renge,
... or lotus?
...
... Answer: The figurative renge, or lotus, is explained in
... detail in the three metaphors of the lotus blossom
... enfolding the seed, the lotus blossom opening to reveal the
... seed inside, and the lotus blossom falling and the seed
... ripening, so one should refer to them. THE LOTUS THAT IS
>>> THE ENTITY OF MYOHO-RENGE IS EXPLAINED IN THE SEVENTH
>>> VOLUME OF THE PROFOUND MEANING OF THE LOTUS SUTRA AS
>>> FOLLOWS: “RENGE, OR LOTUS, IS NOT A SYMBOL; IT IS THE
>>> ACTUAL NAME OF THE ENTITY. For example, at the beginning of
... the kalpa of continuance, the various things in the world
... had no names. THE SAGE OBSERVED THE PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN
... THEM AND ON THAT BASIS MADE UP NAMES FOR THEM.” HE ALSO
... WRITES: “NOW THE NAME RENGE IS NOT INTENDED AS A SYMBOL FOR
... ANYTHING. IT IS THE TEACHING EXPOUNDED IN THE LOTUS SUTRA.
... THE TEACHING EXPOUNDED IN THE LOTUS SUTRA IS PURE AND
... UNDEFILED AND EXPLAINS THE SUBTLETIES OF CAUSE AND EFFECT.
... THEREFORE, IT IS CALLED RENGE, OR LOTUS. THIS NAME
... DESIGNATES THE TRUE ENTITY THAT THE MEDITATION BASED ON THE
... LOTUS SUTRA REVEALS, AND IS NOT A METAPHOR OR FIGURATIVE
... TERM.”
...
... The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai also writes: “Question: Does
... the term renge in fact mean the renge, or lotus, that is
... the essence of the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra? Or
... does it in fact mean the ordinary lotus that is a species
... of plant?
...
... “Answer: It in fact refers to the lotus that is the essence
... of the Lotus Sutra. But because the essence of the Lotus
... Sutra is difficult to understand, the metaphor of the lotus
... plant is introduced. People of sharp faculties will hear
... the name and immediately grasp the principle. They have no
... need to rely upon a metaphor but can understand the Lotus
... Sutra directly. But people of intermediate or inferior
... perception will not understand immediately. Only through
... the medium of a metaphor will they be able to understand.
... Thus the easily understood metaphor of an actual lotus
... plant is used to make clear the difficult-to-understand
... lotus that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
...
... “Thus, in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha employed three cycles
... of preaching in accordance with the respective
... understanding of those of superior, intermediate, or
... inferior capacity. For people of superior capacity, the
... renge, or lotus, that is the name of the Law was taught.
... But, for people of intermediate or inferior capacity, the
... lotus was used as a metaphor or symbol. As long as one
... understands that the word is being used both as a name for
... the Law itself and as a metaphor, depending upon which of
... the three groups of people is being addressed, then there
... should be no reason to argue over it.”
...
>>> THIS PASSAGE OF COMMENTARY MEANS THAT THE SUPREME PRINCIPLE
>>> [THAT IS THE MYSTIC LAW] WAS ORIGINALLY WITHOUT A NAME.
>>> WHEN THE SAGE WAS OBSERVING THE PRINCIPLE AND ASSIGNING
>>> NAMES TO ALL THINGS, HE PERCEIVED THAT THERE IS THIS
>>> WONDERFUL SINGLE LAW [MYŌHŌ] THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY POSSESSES
>>> BOTH CAUSE AND EFFECT [RENGE], AND HE NAMED IT MYOHO-RENGE.
>>> THIS SINGLE LAW THAT IS MYOHO-RENGE ENCOMPASSES WITHIN IT
>>> ALL THE PHENOMENA COMPRISING THE TEN WORLDS AND THE THREE
>>> THOUSAND REALMS, AND IS LACKING IN NONE OF THEM. ANYONE WHO
>>> PRACTICES THIS LAW WILL OBTAIN BOTH THE CAUSE AND THE
>>> EFFECT OF BUDDHAHOOD SIMULTANEOUSLY.
>>>
>>> THE SAGE PRACTICED WITH THIS LAW AS HIS TEACHER AND
>>> ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT, AND THEREFORE HE SIMULTANEOUSLY
>>> OBTAINED BOTH THE MYSTIC CAUSE AND THE MYSTIC EFFECT OF
>>> BUDDHAHOOD, BECOMING THE THUS COME ONE OF PERFECT
>>> ENLIGHTENMENT AND FULLY REALIZED VIRTUES.
...
... Thus the Great Teacher Dengyō writes: “A single mind, the
... entity of Myoho-renge, simultaneously brings to maturity
... both the blossom of cause and the calyx of effect. The
... three cycles of preaching that the Buddha employed each
... contain both the lotus that is the entity and the lotus
... that is a metaphor. The Lotus Sutra as a whole consists of
... both entity and metaphor. In particular we may note the
... seven parables, the three equalities, and the ten
... peerlessnesses, which each contain the lotus of the entity.
... And the teaching that fully sets forth this principle is
... called Myoho-renge-kyo [the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful
... Law].”
...
... The Great Teacher Miao-lo says: “When interpreting the
... seven parables, one should understand the renge, or lotus,
... in each of them in terms of the doctrine of the provisional
... and true teachings. Why? Because these lotuses are no more
... than metaphors for the fact that the provisional teachings
... were set forth for the sake of the true teaching, and that
... the provisional teachings are opened in order to reveal the
... true teaching. All the seven parables are to be understood
... in this way.”
...
>>> IN THE BEGINNING OF THE KALPA OF CONTINUANCE, A PLANT
>>> EXISTED. THE SAGE OBSERVED ITS PRINCIPLE AND GAVE IT THE
>>> NAME RENGE, OR LOTUS. THE LOTUS PLANT RESEMBLES THE
>>> PRINCIPLE OF MYOHO-RENGE IN THAT IT SIMULTANEOUSLY CONTAINS
>>> BOTH CAUSE [BLOSSOM] AND EFFECT [SEED]. HENCE THE PLANT
>>> CAME TO BEAR THE SAME NAME AS THE PRINCIPLE. THE LOTUS THAT
>>> GROWS IN WATER IS THE LOTUS THAT IS A PLANT, SUCH AS THE
>>> PINK VARIETY OR THE WHITE VARIETY. WHEN WE SPEAK OF THE
>>> FIGURATIVE LOTUS, OR THE LOTUS THAT IS A METAPHOR, IT IS
>>> THIS LOTUS PLANT WE MEAN. THIS LOTUS PLANT IS USED TO HELP
>>> CLARIFY THE DIFFICULT CONCEPT OF MYOHO-RENGE. THAT IS WHAT
>>> THE GREAT TEACHER T’IEN-T’AI MEANS WHEN HE SAYS THAT,
>>> THROUGH THE USE OF THIS METAPHOR, THE
>>> DIFFICULT-TO-UNDERSTAND MYSTIC LAW IS RENDERED MORE
>>> COMPREHENSIBLE.

Those people who have turned their backs on the Lotus Sutra are literally in hell. They are destroying their heritage of the Law in their lives, the Nembutsu, Shingon, and Zen true believers and their priests, and others who have turned their backs on the Lotus Sutra as well. These people cannot be called entities of the mystic Law according to Nichiren Daishonin and the sages of Lotus Sutra Buddhism that he quotes.
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/dic/Content/N/95

However, these (1) icchantikas/issendai are actually very few in number. All the rest of the world are also populated by (2) the vast majority of humanity who have not yet turned their back on the Lotus Sutra (common mortals who are the true Buddha) even though they may be corrupted by evils and slander of the Law produced by those icchatika/issendai, and also populated by (3) votaries of the Lotus Sutra.

You must pay attention to this writing. It has much that only exists in this writing.

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

I no longer am suseptible to Gakkai garbage !
I pray to my Nichiren Gohonzon whose " eyes were opened" by a believer with strong faith in the Lotus Sutra. I see very clearly who is expressing the falsehoods of demons !!

Namu-myoho-renge-kyo !!

Pity all who cannot believe what Nichiren taught and who cannot aspire to devoting their lives to the Lotus Sutra.

Nothing more than correct faith and practice, relying only on the Gosho and the Buddha's golden words are needed -

This is what I propagate - advocacy for believing exactly what the Buddha said !!

~Katie

[lyal...@gmail.com]

"The Buddha frequently encouraged us to rely on his teachings, not on the words"

I found this phrase that was written by a sutra translator

[Katie Higgins]

>
> "The Buddha frequently encouraged us to rely on his teachings, not on the words"
>
> I found this phrase that was written by a sutra translator<<"

This is double talk, Noel and directly contradicts Nichiren's emphasis on the text of the sutra as the "mind and intention" of the Buddha. The Buddha's golden word are his teachings !!

I hate forgeries, distortions and corruption of the writings of Nichiren-- and re-intepretations of the Lotus Sutra.

You should refrain from "speaking for others", Noel-- especially when those "others" have repeatedly addressed the matters you are re-interpreting to fit your own personal bias.

~Katie

[lyal...@gmail.com]

So do others that are diametrically opposed to what you perceive as forgeries, distortions and corruption of the writings of Nichiren-- and re-interpretations of the Lotus Sutra


Wouldn't the Buddhas golden meaning would be a step forward from the Buddhas golden words for those of us that want to know what the goldy words allude to

[Chas.]

And from those 78 passages in the Gosho from Nichiren excoriating the very "Nembutsu Chosen above all" filth that you are spreading, I'd conclude that I am in agreement with Nichiren Daishonin on this point. Take a look:

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/search?searchInput=%22Nembutsu+Chosen+above+All%22&language=English&bookType=WND1&searchOptions=Texts-Contents&sortType=weight-desc&resultFlg=1&searchFrom=otherBook&pageNum=0

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

Whatever you say, Chas-- who can argue with a malignant narcissist??

~Katie

[Chas.]

Apparently an accidental/intentional propagator of Jodo Shinshu Nembutsu can.

Let's revisit that ARBN quote from the follower of the Nichiren Shu traitorous founders, the Five Senior Priests who converted Nichiren Daishonin's practice of Buddhism into a syncretic Shinto statue-worshiping of Shakyamuni as God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth:

||| I have considered the recipients of Nichiren's writings to
||| be a key factor, or rather, an important element regarding
||| the *meaning* conveyed. Nichiren wrote about the Gohonzon
||| to disciples and lay followers whom he had taught for
||| almost two decades; all of whom grasped the doctrines
||| Nichiren himself established for propagating
||| Myoho-renge-kyo in this latter age.
|||
||| Do you, Chas, accept and believe the preceding 18 years of
||| Nichiren's teachings , written to these disciples and lay
||| followers? In those writings I find and provide passages
||| here, to establish that Nichiren himself taught the primacy
||| of the daimoku as " a complete explanation" of the Lotus
||| Sutra, and Shakyamuni as the true, eternal Buddha. Since
||| you have dismissed the basic understanding ALL recipients
||| of Nichiren's writings most certainly had, how can you make
||| any determinations about the *meaning* expressed in the
||| Gosho?

There are many pillars upholding the difference of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra from all other Buddhisms, which are then clearly distortions of the Buddha's teachings and intent.

It's also abundantly true that all of Nichiren Daishonin's pillars stand together in perfect logical harmony, without the tiniest weak point in the structure. All of the deviant variants of Buddhism are like horrid collapsing lopsided structures in comparison. They are tents and hastily erected shacks that do not survive even the slight breeze. Let's start with the notion of manifesting Buddhahood in an instant:

From "Wu-lung and I-lung", WND I, p. 1099 (most relevant part highlighted):

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/162#para-1

... Myoho-renge-kyo is likened to the lotus. The great māndāra
... flower in heaven and the cherry blossom in the human world
... are both celebrated flowers, but the Buddha chose neither
... to compare to the Lotus Sutra. Of all the flowers, he
... selected the lotus blossom to symbolize the Lotus Sutra.
... There is a reason for this. Some plants first flower and
... then produce fruit, while in others fruit comes forth
... before flowers. Some bear only one flower but much fruit,
... others send forth many flowers but only one fruit, and
>> still others produce fruit without flowering. THUS THERE
>> ARE ALL MANNER OF PLANTS, BUT THE LOTUS IS THE ONLY ONE
>> THAT BEARS FLOWERS AND FRUIT SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE BENEFIT OF
>> ALL THE OTHER SUTRAS IS UNCERTAIN, BECAUSE THEY TEACH THAT
>> ONE MUST FIRST MAKE GOOD CAUSES AND ONLY THEN CAN ONE
>> BECOME A BUDDHA AT SOME LATER TIME. WITH REGARD TO THE
>> LOTUS SUTRA, WHEN ONE'S HAND TAKES IT UP, THAT HAND
>> IMMEDIATELY ATTAINS BUDDHAHOOD, AND WHEN ONE'S MOUTH CHANTS
>> IT, THAT MOUTH IS ITSELF A BUDDHA, AS, FOR EXAMPLE, THE
>> MOON IS REFLECTED IN THE WATER THE MOMENT IT APPEARS FROM
>> BEHIND THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS, OR AS A SOUND AND ITS ECHO
>> ARISE SIMULTANEOUSLY. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT THE SUTRA
>> STATES, "IF THERE ARE THOSE WHO HEAR THE LAW, THEN NOT A
>> ONE WILL FAIL TO ATTAIN BUDDHAHOOD." THIS PASSAGE MEANS
>> THAT, IF THERE ARE A HUNDRED OR A THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO
>> UPHOLD THIS SUTRA, WITHOUT A SINGLE EXCEPTION ALL ONE
>> HUNDRED OR ONE THOUSAND OF THEM WILL BECOME BUDDHAS.

The piece to focus on here is:

"The benefit of all the other sutras is uncertain, because they teach that one must first make good causes and only then can one become a Buddha at some later time. With regard to the Lotus Sutra, when one's hand takes it up, that hand immediately attains Buddhahood, and when one's mouth chants it, that mouth is itself a Buddha"

The only conceivable way that one can attain Buddhahood simultaneously with chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, is if one is already a Buddha, and one only needs to chant the daimoku to manifest that pre-existing and inherited Buddhahood.

As argued clearly in the previous 2nd section on slanders of the true aspect of all phenomena, (1.) the common mortal is the true Buddha and provisional Buddhas are a function of the true Buddha (common mortal), and (2.) all phenomena are the true aspect AND Myoho-Renge-Kyo, precisely because the true aspect means without having the aspect of any specific or particular entity, but is inclusive of all entities.

The view that the provisional Buddhas who appear to save we common mortals are THE Buddha, and that we ARE NOT, is a slander of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law and it arises from confusing inconspicuous benefit with enlightenment.

Here is Nichiren Daishonin's explanation of the differences in the teachings, and which view the Lotus Sutra takes.

From "The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas", WND II, p. 859:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/315#para-185

>> WHEN ONE TURNS TO THE PERFECT TEACHING, however, and sees
... that all phenomena are perfectly fused together, full and
... perfect like the moon on the fifteenth night of the month,
... free of all insufficiency, and when one understands them to
>> the fullest, THEN THERE IS NO MORE JUDGING THEM AS GOOD OR
>> BAD, NO MORE CHOOSING ON THE BASIS OF WHAT IS TIMELY, NO
>> MORE NEED TO SEEK OUT A QUIET SETTING, NO MORE QUESTION OF
>> WHICH PERSONS ARE ELIGIBLE. When one understands that all
... phenomena whatsoever are manifestations of the Buddhist
... Law, then one has fully comprehended the nature of the
... things of the phenomenal realm. Then even if one follows a
... path that is not the way, one will still be fulfilling
... the Buddha way.
...
>> HEAVEN, EARTH, WATER, FIRE, AND WIND ARE THE FIVE WISDOM
>> THUS COME ONES. THEY RESIDE WITHIN THE BODY AND MIND OF ALL
>> LIVING BEINGS AND ARE NEVER SEPARATED FROM THEM EVEN FOR AN
>> INSTANT. THEREFORE WORLDLY AFFAIRS AND AFFAIRS RELATING TO
>> ENLIGHTENMENT BLEND TOGETHER IN HARMONY WITHIN THE MIND OF
>> THE INDIVIDUAL; OUTSIDE OF THE MIND, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO
>> OTHER THING THAT EXISTS. THEREFORE, WHEN ONE HEARS THIS
>> TRUTH, ONE CAN AT THAT POINT IMMEDIATELY ATTAIN THE GOAL OF
>> BUDDHAHOOD WITHOUT A MOMENT'S DELAY, FOR IT IS A PRINCIPLE
>> OF THE UTMOST PROFUNDITY.

To confuse inconspicuous benefit with enlightenment is a slander of the Lotus Sutra, and will cause one to fall into the evil paths.

Inconspicuous benefit grows slowly as one practices, like a great tree.

Being the true Buddha is the heritage of the Law, received from your parents at birth in the form of the three bodies of the Buddha, establishing your true identity as Myoho-Renge, the Entity of the Mystic Law.

You have always been and will always be the true Buddha: to be a living being is to be the true Buddha.

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

" Lacking appropriate proof texts to support a given proposition, the producers of medieval "Kuden" sometimes simply invented them. Tendai oral transmission texts routinely site fictitious sutras and commentaries, or attribute to actually existing works both passages and doctrinal categories that they do not in fact contain." J.Stone- 'Hermeneutics, Doctrine and ' Mind-Contemplation "-

This is your heritage, Chas -- Paul Groner offers a cheap excuse: " Groner's analysis suggests that this interpretive approach was by no means the result of ignorance of source materials ; nor does the modern idea of forgery , with its connotation of deliberate deceit seem to apply here . It was simply that the compilers of such texts were guidred by a hermeneutical principle of fidelity , not to a received body of classic texts, but tona particular premise it insight said to be grounded in " mind contemplation "-- namely, the premise of original enlightenment." (J. Stone- dame source as above)

Nichiren did adhere strictly to the content of classic texts --and he did NOT excuse the slander committed by his Former Tendai colleagues -/

Scholars like Groner and Stone do not practice or propagate Nichiren's teachings - they are like investigative journalists who provide the information needed to unravel a compelling mystery --

~Katie

[lyal...@gmail.com]

I think that the real Soka Gakkai that are the ruling body in Japan maybe are becoming more like Nichiren Shu than the old NST/sgi hybrid that Chas stands in for as their spokesmsn

Everything thing is all over the place like in a state of chaos hopefully eventually some unamanous order will come out of it all

[Katie Higgins]

Or simply look at the actual proof exhibited by SGI/NST/Shu-- the good reason for Nichiren declaring that there is no sangha and no high priest- literally NO organized " religious sect/school" can ever be correct in faith or practice of Nichiren's teachings .

The sects you try to validate or correct are ALL catch 22's -- just by defining themselves as a " Nichiren sect" they demonstrate divergence from Nichiren's own teachings !!

~Katie

[lyal...@gmail.com]

Just have to cherry pick my way through the sects, scholars and bloggers opinions and hope i get some realizations while I'm chanting Nam(u) Myoho Lenge Kyo in front of a Nichiren Original 10 world Gohonzon

BTW where in the Gosho did Nichiren declare that there is no sangha and no high priest- literally NO organized " religious sect/school" can ever be correct in faith or practice his teachings???

[Katie Higgins]

The true teachings themselves are extant - Nichiren makes it clear that one can rely on his teachings and the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren and everyone who follows him is the "order" in this latter age.

Another important bit of info is regarding the so-called transfer documents - They are bogus- the transfer " document " for this latter age is " Myoho-renge-kyo"- anyone can "transfer " it -one arpuses and develops faith of their own accord relying solely on " the Law" --

~Katie

[lyal...@gmail.com]

Sounds fair enough Katie

[Katie Higgins]

On Tuesday, May 9, 2017 at 7:29:31 AM UTC-4, lyal...@gmail.com wrote:
> Sounds fair enough Katie

I know there are specific passages that relate the "no sangha" in the Latter Day of the Law in Nichiren's writings-- but am overbooked today so will have to delay posting them-. It accords with reason and is born out by experience that independent practice is the best approach to actually "relating to Nichiren", which is a benefit hard to put into words. There was always something very reassuring during times of intense duress associated with my fleeting relationships with SGI to just read Gosho after Gosho --- There was Nichiren saying, "though I am alone.." or "because of my strong faith I have survived until now..."-- the very heart of the struggle to develop faith in the Law is what Nichiren documented, so truly we are never alone in our own struggles, so long as we can read the Gosho. Also noting the actual circumstances that prohibited regular "group" activities for Nichiren's lay followers and disciples speaks volumes in terms of what is required and what is essential to practice as Nichiren did--which is what he said many times, we must strive to do!

Before I encountered Eagle Peak, I was pretty much resigned to my "exile"-- though longing to see actual proof that others had decided to follow Nichiren and stop "SECT -shopping"-- . FWIW , meeting you on EP is very much a part of my growth and determination to know as much as I can learn about Nichiren and exactly what he taught. I read many of your posts from the archives and learned a lot from them-- additionally was motivated to delve deeper because of our intense conflict--So, I do regard you as a good friend in faith-- for all the correct reasons :-)

Cheers!
~Katie

[lyal...@gmail.com]

Some words of wisdom from Nichiren our good friend

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 Hōjō 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 Ryōkan, Dōryū, and Dōamidabutsu, 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


Therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a good friend. How far can our own wisdom take us? If we have even enough wisdom to distinguish hot from cold, we should seek out a good friend.

But encountering a good friend is the hardest possible thing to do. For this reason, the Buddha likened it to the rarity of a one-eyed turtle finding a floating log with a hollow in it the right size to hold him, or to the difficulty of trying to lower a thread from the Brahmā heaven and pass it through the eye of a needle on the earth.

Moreover, in this evil latter age, evil companions are more numerous than the dust particles that comprise the land, while good friends are fewer than the specks of dirt one can pile on a fingernail.

Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds of Mount Potalaka acted as a good friend to the boy Good Treasures, but though the bodhisattva taught him the two doctrines of the specific and perfect teachings, he did not reveal to him the pure and perfect teaching [of the Lotus Sutra]. Bodhisattva Ever Wailing sold himself as an offering in his quest for a good teacher, whereupon he encountered Bodhisattva Dharmodgata. But from the latter he learned only the three doctrines of the connecting, specific, and perfect teachings, and did not receive instruction in the Lotus Sutra.

Shāriputra acted as a good friend to a blacksmith and gave him instruction for a period of ninety days, but succeeded only in making him into an icchantika, or a person of incorrigible disbelief.1 Pūrna discoursed on the Buddhist doctrine for the space of an entire summer, but he taught Hinayana doctrines to persons who had the capacity for Mahayana doctrines, and thereby turned them into Hinayana adherents.

Thus even great sages [such as Perceiver of the World’s Sounds and Dharmodgata] were not permitted to preach the Lotus Sutra, and even arhats who had obtained the fruit of emancipation [such as Shāriputra and Pūrna] were not always able to gauge people’s capacity correctly.

From these examples, you may imagine how inadequate are the scholars of this latter, evil age! It is far better to be an evil person who learns nothing of Buddhism at all than to put one’s faith in such men, who declare that heaven is earth, east is west, or fire is water, or assert that the stars are brighter than the moon, or an anthill higher than Mount Sumeru.

In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the proof of actual fact.

Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain

WOW!!!

[Chas.]

They are failed journalists then, who condone practices that Nichiren Daishonin would abhor and Shakyamuni would be deeply embarrassed by.
____________________________________________

I'll say it again. Worshiping statues of flawless, beautiful people has a sexual component to it. It is sexually deviant. Witness the anger people show when you try to separate them from their sex object statues, images and idols. Like all things obsessive, it is an addiction, there is a reward center in the brain that is stimulated by the adoration, and neuroreceptors are fired by brain chemistry.

From:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Addiction

... Addiction is a brain disorder characterized by compulsive
... engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse
... consequences. Despite the involvement of a number of
... psychosocial factors, a biological process – one which is
... induced by repeated exposure to an addictive stimulus – is
... the core pathology that drives the development and
... maintenance of an addiction. The two properties that
... characterize all addictive stimuli are that they are
... reinforcing (i.e., they increase the likelihood that a
... person will seek repeated exposure to them) and
... intrinsically rewarding (i.e., they are perceived as being
... inherently positive, desirable, and pleasurable).
...
... Addiction is a disorder of the brain's reward system which
... arises through transcriptional and epigenetic mechanisms
... and occurs over time from chronically high levels of
... exposure to an addictive stimulus (e.g., morphine, cocaine,
... sexual intercourse, gambling, etc.). ΔFosB, a gene
... transcription factor, is a critical component and common
... factor in the development of virtually all forms of
... behavioral and drug addictions. Two decades of research
... into ΔFosB's role in addiction have demonstrated that
... addiction arises, and the associated compulsive behavior
... intensifies or attenuates, along with the genetic
... overexpression of ΔFosB in the D1-type medium spiny neurons
... of the nucleus accumbens. Due to the causal relationship
... between ΔFosB expression and addictions, it is used
... preclinically as an addiction biomarker. ΔFosB expression
... in these neurons directly and positively regulates drug
... self-administration and reward sensitization through
... positive reinforcement, while decreasing sensitivity to
... aversion.

Here's an image of the receptor mechanism:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/%CE%94FosB.svg

What this means is that if you can go cold turkey on it, after some period of time without worshiping statues and images, you will go back to having a non-sexual relationship to them, and the Gohonzon will regain its appeal.

Same thing with the corrupted priests, they are like moving animatronic Disney statues, and you bow and scrape in subservience to them, always showing respect. You would not do it unless you got a masochistic pleasure of denigrating yourself to someone corrupt. It harmonizes with an inner darkness: taps into that Trump-mob gene, the thing he awakens in his mass gatherings.

The statues, the priests, Trump: they all grab you by your deep parts, and you can't get enough of it.

Now, you will respond by pointing the finger back at Sensei, but I don't know anyone who thinks he's sexy or gets that kind of thrill from seeing him or watching his videos. His attraction is purely heart and mind, like a really great book or a moving play, or an excellent string quartet playing Beethoven.

-Chas.

[lyal...@gmail.com]

You are really blowing this statue worship crap out of proportion and boring the crap out everyone at the same time. You must be getting a rush by turning on your endorphin's and other feel good chemicals with your your compulsive bad behavior that you are addicted to

I bet you have had a photo of your sensei on your Alter Hmmmm!or maybe you still have ?

Paintings of Shakyamuni are 2D like photographs of your sensei and a statue is 3D . They all present an image in this case of someone venerated

Have you joined the dots yet and if you do for all our sake cease your witch hunt and start focusing on something real like what Nichiren says in his Gosho without turning it into a weapon to accuse people that don't agree with all your interpretation of Nichiren's writings

[Chas.]

Well, have you ever noticed where the statues of Shakyamuni end up? They end up in the room with the Gohonzon, because Tenji Ma likes to stick it to Shakyamuni.

They end up in front of the Gohonzon, on the altar.

They end up displacing the "supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvipa," the Gohonzon.

-Chas.

Imagine yourself rolling down the side of Mt. Fuji and picking up speed. It's not your imagination, Noel, Katie and Mark Rogow.

[Noel]

What I've noticed is a Soka Gakkai Nichiren Gohonzon burner(Dennis) and hater(You). That's right Dennis and you the Tenji Ma twins who are destined for the deepest Hell (Avichi hell). You both have no respect for the supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvipa your actions prove it

"The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight is especially profound. If you propagate it, devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching.

One passage from the same volume reads: “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching.”

This statement not only applies to me, but also is a guide for my followers. Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations.

The three obstacles in this passage are the obstacle of earthly desires, the obstacle of karma, and the obstacle of retribution. The obstacle of earthly desires is the impediments to one’s practice that arise from greed, anger, foolishness, and the like; the obstacle of karma is the hindrances presented by one’s wife or children; and the obstacle of retribution is the hindrances caused by one’s sovereign or parents. Of the four devils, the workings of the devil king of the sixth heaven are of this last kind."

Letter to the Brothers



"SADATŌ was beaten in twelve years. Masakado was overcome in eight. The devil king of the sixth heaven has roused the ten kinds of troops1 and, in the midst of the sea of the sufferings of birth and death, is at war with the votary of the Lotus Sutra to stop him from taking possession of and to wrest away from him this impure land where both ordinary people and sages dwell.

It has been twenty or more years now since I found myself in that situation and began the great battle. Not once have I thought of retreat. Among my disciples and followers, however, those who are cowards have for the most part either given in or retreated at heart.

I am at a loss to say how moved I am that though you, the lay nun, have little knowledge of Buddhist doctrines and are fainthearted, until now you have never retreated.

Not only that, but you have sent one of your servants, whom you could well employ for yourself, to assist me. Surely Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and all the emanation Buddhas in the ten directions must be aware of this.

With my deep respect,
Nichiren

The Great Battle


1. The ten kinds of troops represent ten kinds of hindrances. The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom lists them as (1) greed, (2) care and worry, (3) hunger and thirst, (4) love of pleasure, (5) drowsiness and languor, (6) fear, (7) doubt and regret, (8) anger, (9) preoccupation with wealth and fame, and (10) arrogance and contempt for others.

[Dennis G]

wooooo..... scary stuff Noel, and getting a bit tiresome now too, especially when you leave out the main details. Still, that's what honesty gets me. I'll think of this when I do Gongyo this evening. And you can think of Katie.

[Noel]

On Thursday, May 11, 2017 at 7:09:07 PM UTC+10, Dennis G wrote:
> wooooo..... scary stuff Noel, and getting a bit tiresome now too, especially when you leave out the main details. Still, that's what honesty gets me. I'll think of this when I do Gongyo this evening. And you can think of Katie.

The main detail of you Dennis is that your a Nichiren Gohonzon Burner with no remorse. Your abode is that of the Devil King of the sixth heaven, it doesn't get any more simple than that Dennis. You are like those among Nichiren's disciples and followers who cowardly either given in or retreated at heart.

[Dennis G]

So despite my other posts on this you can't get past it, right?
Or are you shooting at me as you see me as the weakest link in your newly found alliance with Katie's train of thought?
I've no problem at all with you having a pop, but if you're using me as a platform to discard your past "differences" with that way of thinking then your certainly not the man I thought you were.
If you think that you have "seen the way" that brings you back from isolation and aligns you with some kind of "independent group" which is ultimately a substitute for you for the SGI, then that's your choice and although I think it's wrong, it's your choice to make, so good luck to you.

[Katie Higgins]

Funny seeing how linking anyone to me is deemed a grave insult !!

Funnier still is the fact that Noel and I have never met and have been at odds with each other's commentaries for over a year !! I am certain we are not on complete agreement on many topics , but have found common ground from sharing information here.

Your tactic here Dennis is tiresome - it is the signature divisive strategy of the SGI- maybe you will come to terms with how person oriented you are -- and how adverse you are to the true teachings !! Others can see it here , so thanks for sharing 😊

~Katie

[Noel]

I've never heard of anyone like you before Dennis who has burnt a copy of a genuine Nichiren inscribed 10 world Gohonzon and carries on in a casual manner chatting about Buddhism like someone who cares. All you say is a hypocrisy for what you have done so I find it difficult to understand what makes you tick and how to take seriously anything that you say quite frankly

KATIE has ceremonial burnt an SGI Gohonzon which is like difference between heaven and earth as Nichiren would say compared to what you have done

How do you think Nichiren would feel and what he would say to you Dennis???

[Dennis G]

I don't think anyone aligning themsleves with you (Katie) is a grave insult. If that's the way Noel wants to practice, then I'm happy for him. Unlike Noel, I don't do scaremongering, avichi hell, plagues of locusts type comments. In my experience, Noel picks and chooses who to be nice to when it suits his agenda.
He can give it the big difference between you ceremoniously burning and SGI Nichikan Gohonzon and me burning a print shop KHS one, but, as I understand it, we both did it ceremoniously so there is no difference. The difference lays only in the twists within his mind.

[Chas.]

Yeah, right, trying being honest for a change.

Katie and her minions like Noel are in competition with the eternal Buddha, Myoho-Renge, and would replace the entity with her statues of dubious manufacture, of a human being once-alive, but now long dead. This is the problem of converting the charisma of a living person into idolatry: you are worshiping someones's dead body, because that is what that impermanent form looks like now. Bones.

The Entity of the Mystic Law is not impermanent and takes the form of the true aspect of all phenomena (not having the aspect of any temporal form), not an impermanent husk, which Nichiren Daishonin calls "an impure, stinking body":

http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/15#para-16

... The Buddha states: “Have no fear of mad elephants. What you
... should fear are evil friends! Why? Because a mad elephant
... can only destroy your body; it cannot destroy your mind.
... But an evil friend can destroy both body and mind. A mad
... elephant can destroy only a single body, but an evil friend
... can destroy countless bodies and countless minds. A mad
... elephant merely destroys an IMPURE, STINKING BODY, but an
... evil friend can destroy both pure body and pure mind. A mad
... elephant can destroy the physical body, but an evil friend
... destroys the Dharma body. 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. A mad elephant is merely an enemy of your
... body, but an evil friend is an enemy of the good Law.”12
... Therefore, even more than venomous serpents or malevolent
... demons, one should fear the evil friends who follow Kōbō,
... Shan-tao, and Hōnen. This is just a brief clarification of
... the error of holding distorted views.

That physical form you are so arousedly caressing in your four inch statue when alive was "an impure, stinking body," and is now, rubble.

The eternal Buddha, whose actual name is Myoho-Renge, according to Nichiren Daishonin in the Gosho "The Entity of the Mystic Law", is NOTHING LIKE THAT, AND COULD NOT BE MORE DIFFERENT FROM THAT.

It certainly is not in any way supportive of Nichiren Shu's love affair with Jodo Shinshu Nembutsu

-Chas.

[Noel]

On Friday, May 12, 2017 at 1:29:15 PM UTC+10, Dennis G wrote:
> I don't think anyone aligning themsleves with you (Katie) is a grave insult. If that's the way Noel wants to practice, then I'm happy for him. Unlike Noel, I don't do scaremongering, avichi hell, plagues of locusts type comments. In my experience, Noel picks and chooses who to be nice to when it suits his agenda.
> He can give it the big difference between you ceremoniously burning and SGI Nichikan Gohonzon and me burning a print shop KHS one, but, as I understand it, we both did it ceremoniously so there is no difference. The difference lays only in the twists within his mind.

http://fraughtwithperil.com/rbeck/2006/02/26/nisshos-denpo-honzon-of-1280/

Was the Nissho KHS Gohonzon one of the Gohonzons that you burnt???

He can give it the big difference between you ceremoniously burning and SGI Nichikan Gohonzon and me burning a print shop KHS one, but, as I understand it, we both did it ceremoniously so there is no difference. The difference lays only in the twists within his mind.

Was it the Nissho's Denpo Gohonzon that is under the care of KHS Gohonzon that you burnt or a different one

http://fraughtwithperil.com/rbeck/2006/02/26/nisshos-denpo-honzon-of-1280/


Nissho’s Daimandara of 1280
On Nichiren’s Gohonzon for Practicing Kanjin
This is known as 伝法本尊 — Denpo Honzon; the Honzon for Transmission of the Dharma.

I was told that the mandala became known as the Great Mandala for Transmitting the Dharma . Also, it is the most common Gohonzon issued by Kempon Hokke Shu in the USA.

Nissho’s Daimandara of 1280, #101, is one of four {4} authentic Nichiren Mandala Gohonzon(s) for which we have a complete diagram or map.
Image hosting by Photobucket
With the exception the Lower Lower Left Side Memoranda, it has the exact same entries as the Great Mandala designated “Shutei Honzon”. The Memoranda indicates that in the “Third Year of Koan {1280}” during the cyclical sign of “Taisai Kanoetatsu” “Eleventh Month ” it was “Transmitted to the Son of Shakya, Nissho .” 釈 [Shaku; Shakyamuni] 子 [Ko; Child] 日昭 [Nissho] 伝 [Den; Dharma Transmission] 之 [of, this]

Nissho (1221-1323) was the senior most of Nichiren’s Six {6} designated successors and the de facto head of the Hokke Shu movement after the founder’s demise.

In 1253, Nichiren set up a small hermitage in Matsu-baga-yatsu Valley, of the developing Nagoe Hills area. Soon after Nichiren had settled in Kamakura, a Tendai priest came to visit him, and became his disciple. The name of the visitor was Jôben, a classmate of Nichiren at Hieizan. Nichiren named him Nisshô. In 1254, Nissho’s youthful nephew, Nichiro, also became Nichiren’s disciple.

The Denpo Honzon is kept at Myohokkeji Temple Tamazawa, Mishima City, Izu, Shizuoka. Myohokkeji was originally Nissho’s Hokkeji Temple at Hama, Kamakura. Nissho took up residence at Hama after Tatsunokuchi. Hokkeji was officially founded by Nissho in 1284 and transfered to a Nichiyu in 1317. The Temple was moved to Izu and renamed Myohokkeji by Oman-no-kata in 1621. Three other authentic Nichiren Mandala Gohonzon(s) are listed as housed there. These are:

Mandala #37 dated April 1276 {}, also conferred upon Nissho. The Nichiren Prayer Gohonzon aka Medicine Mandala (Kenji 2), Given out by the Independent Movement.

Mandala #62 dated April 8, 1279 (Koan 2). Mandala inscribed by Nichiren, formal style.

Mandala #78. Mandala inscribed by Nichiren, abbreviated style.
See Also:

O’Mandalas by St. Nichiren

Myohokkeji Nichiren Portrait 14th Century

For more on Nissho: Nissho Shonin by Ryuei Michael McCormick
Image hosting by Photobucket

弘安3年 仏滅度後二千二百三十余年之間一閻浮提之内未曽有大漫荼羅也
釈子日昭伝之 静岡県玉沢妙法華寺 伝法本尊 12紙 sheets 197.6 cm 108.8 cm

http://www5c.biglobe.ne.jp/~lotus/Gohonzon%20framed.html

Was this it,the one that you ceremoniously burnt Dennis. In reality these are Nichiren's Gohonzons that are meant for anyone with faith. No sect or any lone wolf owns them and lay claim that they are the rightful owners but they do.

[Noel]

If you are unlike me then you are even more unlike Nichiren because I consider myself to be quite mild compared to him

Read from the beginning On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land if you don't believe me and if you can face up you can continue reading Dennis

ONCE there was a traveler who spoke these words in sorrow to his host:
In recent years, there have been unusual disturbances in the heavens, strange occurrences on earth, famine and pestilence, all affecting every corner of the empire and spreading throughout the land. Oxen and horses lie dead in the streets, and the bones of the stricken crowd the highways. Over half the population has already been carried off by death, and there is hardly a single person who does not grieve.

All the while some put their whole faith in the “sharp sword”1 of the Buddha Amida and intone the name of this lord of the Western Land; others believe that hearing the name of the Buddha Medicine Master will “heal all ills”2 and recite the sutra that describes this Thus Come One of the Eastern Region.

Some, putting their trust in the passage in the Lotus Sutra that says, “His illness will be wiped out and he will know neither old age nor death,”3 pay homage to the wonderful words of that sutra; others, relying upon the sutra passage that reads, “The seven disasters will instantly vanish, and the seven blessings will instantly appear,”4 conduct ceremonies at which a hundred priests expound the sutra at a hundred preaching platforms.5

There are those who follow the esoteric teachings of the True Word school and conduct rituals in which they fill five jars with water,6 and others who devote themselves entirely to seated meditation and try to perceive the emptiness of all phenomena as clearly as the moon.7

Some write out the names of the seven guardian spirits8 and paste them on a thousand gates, others paint pictures of the five mighty bodhisattvas9 and hang them over ten thousand thresholds, and still others pray to the heavenly gods and earthly deities in ceremonies conducted at the four corners of the capital and on the four boundaries of the nation. Taking pity on the plight of the common people, the rulers carry out government on the national and local levels in a benevolent manner.

But despite all these efforts, they merely exhaust themselves in vain. Famine and epidemics rage more fiercely than ever, beggars are everywhere in sight, and scenes of death fill our eyes. Corpses pile up in mounds like observation platforms, and dead bodies lie side by side like planks on a bridge.

If we look about, we find that the sun and moon continue to move in their accustomed orbits, and the five planets10 follow the proper course. The three treasures of Buddhism continue to exist, and the period of a p.7hundred reigns has not yet expired.11 Then why is it that the world has already fallen into decline and that the laws of the state have come to an end? What is wrong? What error has been committed?


The host then spoke: I have been brooding alone upon this matter, indignant in my heart, but now that you have come, we can lament together. Let us discuss the question at length.

When a man leaves family life and enters the Buddhist way, it is because he hopes to attain Buddhahood through the teachings of the Buddha. But attempts now to move the gods fail to have any effect, and appeals to the power of the Buddhas produce no results. When I observe carefully the state of the world today, I see people who give way to doubt because of the lack of understanding [on the part of eminent priests]. They look up at the heavens and mouth their resentment, or gaze down at the earth and sink deep into despair.

I have pondered the matter carefully with what limited resources I possess, and have looked a little at the scriptures for an answer. The people of today all turn their backs upon what is right; to a person, they give their allegiance to evil. This is the reason that the benevolent deities have abandoned the nation and departed together, that sages leave and do not return. And in their stead devils and demons come, and disasters and calamities occur. I cannot keep silent on this matter. I cannot suppress my fears.

The guest said: These disasters that befall the empire, these calamities of the nation—I am not the only one pained by them; the whole populace is weighed down with sorrow. Now I have been privileged to enter the orchid room12 and listen to these enlightening words of yours. You speak of the gods and sages taking leave, and of disasters and calamities arising in sequence—upon what sutras do you base your views? Could you describe for me the passages of proof?


The host said: There are numerous passages that could be cited and a wide variety of proofs. For example, in the Golden Light Sutra we read: “[The four heavenly kings said to the Buddha], ‘Though this sutra exists in the nation, its ruler has never allowed it to be propagated. In his heart he turns away from it, and he takes no pleasure in hearing its teachings. He neither makes offerings to it, honors it, nor praises it.

Nor is he willing to honor or make offerings to the four kinds of Buddhists who embrace the sutra. In the end, he makes it impossible for us and the other countless heavenly beings who are our followers to hear this profound and wonderful teaching. He deprives us of the sweet dew of its words and cuts us off from the flow of the correct teaching, so that our majesty and strength are drained away.

Thus the number of beings who occupy the evil paths increases, and the number who dwell in the human and heavenly realms decreases. People fall into the river of the sufferings of birth and death and turn their backs on the road to nirvana.

“‘World-Honored One, we, the four heavenly kings, as well as our various followers and the yakshas and other beings, observing this state of affairs, have decided to abandon this nation, for we have no heart to protect it. And it is not we alone who cast aside this ruler. All the great benevolent deities who guard and watch over the countless different regions of the country will also invariably reject him. And once we and the others abandon and desert this nation, then many different types of disasters will occur in the country, and the ruler will fall from power.

Not a single person in the entire population will possess a heart of goodness; there will be nothing but binding and enslaving, killing and injuring, anger and contention.

People will slander each other or fawn upon one another, and the laws will be twisted until even the innocent are made to suffer.

Pestilence will become rampant, comets will appear again and again, two suns will come forth side by side, and eclipses will occur with unaccustomed frequency.

Black arcs and white arcs will span the sky as harbingers of ill fortune, stars will fall, the earth will shake, and noises will issue from the wells.

Torrential rains and violent winds will come out of season, famine will constantly occur, and grains and fruits will not ripen.

Marauders from many other regions will invade and plunder the nation, the people will suffer all manner of pain and affliction, and no place will exist where one may live in safety.’”

The Great Collection Sutra says: “When the teachings of the Buddha truly become obscured and lost, then people will all let their beards, hair, and fingernails grow long, and the laws of the world will be forgotten and ignored.

At that time, loud noises will sound in the air, and the earth will shake; everything in the world will begin to move as though it were a waterwheel.

City walls will split and tumble, and all houses and dwellings will collapse.

Roots, branches, leaves, petals, and fruits will lose their medicinal properties. With the exception of the heavens of purity,13 all the regions of the world of desire will become deprived of the seven flavors14 and the three kinds of vitality,15 until not a trace of them remains any more.

All the good discourses that lead people to emancipation will at this time disappear. The flowers and fruits that grow in the earth will become few and will lose their flavor and sweetness.

The wells, springs, and ponds will all go dry, the land everywhere will turn brackish and will crack open and warp into hillocks and gullies.

All the mountains will be swept by fire, and the heavenly beings and dragons will no longer send down rain.

The seedlings of the crops will all wither and die, all the living plants will perish, and even the weeds will cease to grow any more. Dust will rain down until all is darkness and the sun and moon no longer shed their light.

On Establishing the Correct Teaching

[Chas.]

You speak his words and then do Nichiren Daishonin grievous injury. The one does not in any way wash the other.

I noticed you deleted another writing. Sometimes the twisting of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is apparently too much, even for you.

Katie has an attention disorder and so do you, Iain, I mean Noel.

She apparently cannot hear Nichiren Daishonin's admonitions against slandering the Law by mixing extraneous practices of the provisional teachings with the Daishonin's Buddhism of the Lotus Sutra. This is your problem as well.

Unless I repeat myself rhythmically, then like the unfortunate people with autism, y'all will not get the message. Once I can see that you've heard and processed and are paying attention to what Nichiren Daishonin says, I will gladly drop my refutation-repetition. But I need a reception-acknowledging modification in behavior.

If you two were not professing to be actually following Nichiren Daishonin, I would likely not bother with my refutation-repetition. But since you both claim to be faithfully following Nichiren Daishonin, I must point out at every juncture that you are most assuredly NOT following Nichiren Daishonin in even the slightest way. Not only wrong, but 180 degrees wrong.

So, either change your ways, or change your tune, you can't keep doing both: because it's a big fat lie out of the mouth of hell.

-Chas.

[Noel]

Your's is a delusions of grandeur thinking that yours is the mind of Nichiren when you say nothing of the Burning of Nichiren's Gohonzons by Dennis

[Dennis G]

On Tuesday, 16 May 2017 13:13:08 UTC+7, Noel wrote:
> Your's is a delusions of grandeur thinking that yours is the mind of Nichiren when you say nothing of the Burning of Nichiren's Gohonzons by Dennis

Keep the Gohonzon burning line going Noel. it's not getting boring or repetitive, honest.

[Katie Higgins]

Funny to note raving Chas going all quiet because Dennis is SGI and defected from close encounter with true teachings --

No moral compass whatsoever -- duly noted amongst SGI members !!

~Katie

[Noel]

Its your poisonous arrow that was shot by your own hands that lodged into your heel that will bring you down

[Dennis G]

Thanks for that Noel.

[Noel]

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 9:50:25 PM UTC+10, Dennis G wrote:
> Thanks for that Noel.

That's OK Dennis, any time. That's what are friends are for

[Dennis G]

👬

[Chas.]

On Monday, May 15, 2017 at 11:13:08 PM UTC-7, Noel wrote:
> Your's is a delusions of grandeur thinking that yours is the mind of Nichiren when you say nothing of the Burning of Nichiren's Gohonzons by Dennis

How do your Nichiren Shu priests handle disposition of old Gohonzon?

I would presume that it ends in ashes, like it would for a person. Well, we don't have priests to do that, and normally, copies of Gohonzon. or strange Gohonzon from other corrupted sects are turned in at the Buddhist Center.

I defer to the enlightened wisdom of those who do not want to pass that responsibility on to others (which is what I would do, since I am unsure of these kinds of issues related to the demise of Gohonzon.)

When I received my Okatagi Nichikan Gohonzon, I returned the Nittatsu Gohonzon I received in 1970 and I am sure they handled it properly.

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

Chas- still relying on " persons " after all these years 🙀

[Noel]

You speak evi of Nichiren's Gohonzons because they are not under your control so you think

[Chas.]

On Tuesday, May 16, 2017 at 10:08:16 PM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Chas- still relying on " persons " after all these years 🙀

Everyone has their task, we can't all do everything. Do you fix your own car? Fill your own dental cavities?

Wise up and get real, we all depend on a network of people stretching around the world. In the words of President Obama referring to the infrastructure of society supporting all the self-made "giants" of the Republican Party: "You didn't make that!"

I guess you're just another one of these "rugged individuals" who does it all herself and owes no one any appreciation, and leaves struggling people behind in the dust.

Well, that fits right in with your slander of Sensei and the SGI, who out of nothing but compassion for your sorry self taught you to chant, do gongyo and helped you get your practice off the ground through all the rough spots.

Those people who guided you through all that, those caring Gakkai members are the ones you show your "appreciation" to when you rip the organization with your horrendous lies.

Have you no sense of decency, mam? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

Spoken like a pseudo Buddhist cult member - card carrying Ikeda-bot‼️AKA Arbn's Gakkai spamming troll !

[Chas.]

On Thursday, May 18, 2017 at 1:07:06 AM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Spoken like a pseudo Buddhist cult member - card carrying Ikeda-bot‼️AKA Arbn's Gakkai spamming troll !

Noting more than a string of ad hominem fallacious reasoning, whioh demonstrates the poverty of your rhetoric, which is the child of your slander of the Law.

1. Placing statues on the altar in front of the Gohonzon, which Nichiren Daishonin called the supreme object of devotion in all of Jambudvipa, is a capital offense against the Law.

2. Raising human Shakyamuni alone up to the status of godhood is a capital offense against the Law, and is treason against Myoho-Renge, the actual name of the Entity of the Mystic Law, the eternal Buddha, the Buddha of Limitless Joy.

3. Propagating the Jodo Shinshu Nembutsu as sister sect is a capital offense against the Law.

4. Finally, practicing Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism (or pretending to) while chanting to a stolen Nichiren Daishonin Gohonzon received from the Nichiren Shu priesthood who betrayed Nichiren Daishonin after his death and by their slanders
did murder the Buddhas in the ten directions, and who later instigated the Asian Holocaust during the pacific War, is a capital offense against the Law.

How much more evil will you commit? Indeed, what other evil is possible to commit?

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

Just scrolled past your recycled spam fest-
LOL/- Not going to call attention to your copy/paste troll comments-- all you can do is disrupt and trash talk --

[Chas.]

On Saturday, May 20, 2017 at 4:55:21 PM UTC-7, Katie Higgins wrote:
> Just scrolled past your recycled spam fest-
> LOL/- Not going to call attention to your copy/paste troll comments-- all you can do is disrupt and trash talk --

Oh, no. I can also teach, if you would bother to listen to the words of Nichiren Daishonin that utterly offend you (or rather, that utterly offend your demonic guests.)

Not only am I and all other beings and entities in the ten directions and three existences throughout Jambudvipa, all of us Buddhas ... but I attained or manifested Buddhahood the first time I heard Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. (Read the upper-cased text passages below.)

From "The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas of the Three Existences regarding the Classification of the Teachings and Which Are to Be Abandoned and Which Upheld", WND II, p. 859:
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/315#para-186

... Heaven, earth, water, fire, and wind are the five wisdom
... Thus Come Ones. They reside within the body and mind of all
... living beings and are never separated from them even for an
... instant. Therefore worldly affairs and affairs relating to
... enlightenment blend together in harmony within the mind of
... the individual; outside of the mind, there is absolutely no
... other thing that exists. THEREFORE, WHEN ONE HEARS THIS
... TRUTH, ONE CAN AT THAT POINT IMMEDIATELY ATTAIN THE GOAL OF
... BUDDHAHOOD WITHOUT A MOMENT’S DELAY, FOR IT IS A PRINCIPLE
... OF THE UTMOST PROFUNDITY.

And from "The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Chapter Sixteen: The Life Span of the Thus Come One", p. 124:

... THE TITLE OF HONOR FOR ONE WHO IS ETERNALLY ENDOWED WITH
... THE THREE BODIES IS NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO. This is what the
... three great concerns of actuality of the “Life Span”
... chapter refer to.
...
... Speaking in terms of the six stages of practice, the Thus
... Come One in this chapter is an ordinary mortal who is in
... the first stage, that of being a Buddha in theory. WHEN ONE
... REVERENTLY ACCEPTS NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO, ONE IS IN THE NEXT
... STAGE, THAT OF HEARING THE NAME AND WORDS OF THE TRUTH.
... That is, one has for the first time heard the daimoku.
... When, having heard the daimoku, one proceeds to put it into
... practice, this is the third stage, that of perception and
... action. In this stage one perceives the object of devotion
... that embodies the three thousand realms in a single moment
... of life. When one succeeds in overcoming various obstacles
... of illusions, this is the fourth stage, that of resemblance
... to enlightenment. When one sets out to convert others, this
... is the fifth stage, that of progressive awakening. AND WHEN
... ONE COMES AT LAST TO THE REALIZATION THAT ONE IS A BUDDHA
... ETERNALLY ENDOWED WITH THE THREE BODIES, THEN ONE IS A
... BUDDHA OF THE SIXTH AND HIGHEST STAGE, THAT OF ULTIMATE
... ENLIGHTENMENT.
...
... Speaking of the chapter as a whole, the idea of gradually
... overcoming illusions is not the ultimate meaning of the
... “Life Span” chapter. YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE
... ULTIMATE MEANING OF THIS CHAPTER IS THAT ORDINARY MORTALS,
... JUST AS THEY ARE IN THEIR ORIGINAL STATES OF BEING, ARE
... BUDDHAS.

And that last point is Nichiren Daishonin's basic point, NOT original Buddhahood.

The Buddhas are the greatest of Bodhisattvas, not the laziest. The miracle that is the Law is, in addition to everything else, in its transformative power. Just hearing the Law one time changes you and your entire world around you. This, if no other compassionate reason is handy, is a hell of a good reason to tell people about Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and not to be silent on that one topic.

-Chas.

[Noel]

You're not yet a cutivated Buddha yet Chas like Shakyamuni was. You still have a long way to go

[Noel]

Myoho Renge was namu myoho renge kyo in the life of Nichiren and Shakyamuni unlike your life chas that is only a very temporary manifestion of the world of Buddha as in the mutual possession of the ten worlds

[Chas.]

On Sunday, May 21, 2017 at 12:16:15 AM UTC-7, Noel wrote:
> You're not yet a cutivated Buddha yet Chas like Shakyamuni was. You still have a long way to go

Your analysis is lacking definition, Noel. I have never heard in the Lotus Sutra or Nichiren Daishonin's Gosho about "cultivated Buddhas."

This sounds like Noelism, not Buddhism.

-Chas.

[Noel]

Your no Buddha and that's for sure but you think because of your Buddha nature that you are the same as a cultivated Buddha . You are soòoo arrogant

[Katie Higgins]

Chas you have not yet accepted Nichiren taught and lived devotion to the Lotus Sutra- and reverence for Shakyamuni Buddha.

You recite ( if you still do A&C) - golden words of the Buddha that contradict your " theories "

Only a Buddha with a Buddha can comprehend the Lotus Sutra-- even Nichiren claimed he lacked the wisdom that Ikeda arrogantly titles volumes of analysis of the Lotus Sutra claiming he , Ikeda has attained 🙀

Single minded seeking to see the Buddha even if it costs them their lives - having developed longing and adoration for the Buddha -they are the people who encounter the DIFFICULT to encounter , Buddha-(that's in part C, Chas)

Myoho-renge-kyo Is the title of the Lotus Sutra- Namu, the prefix Nichiren attached , means "DEVOTING ONE,S LIFE" --

And BTW, Chas - Shakyamuni preached the Lotus Sutra- you are both unfilial and mean spirited in your attitude towards Shakyamuni and those of us who follow Nichiren .

Perhaps you should study Confucius ' teachings - recommended by Nichiren in " opening of the eyes"-/ you seem to have no basic orientation to correct human behavior on the most basic level !!

You recite parts of the Lotus Sutra with your mouth / and slander: disregard its meaning !

~ Katie

[Chas.]

Gee, you know, I would take that to heart.

Except that your heart is corrupted and this is just another weak ploy of your "cultivated" demon that arises from worshiping statues of the Lord of Teachings, the Buddha of the Former Day of the Law.

Shakyamuni is the Lord of Teachings, but remember, he preached it, he didn't write it. It was found, according to Nichiren Daishonin.

In this important case, the essence of the Law precedes the existence of Buddhahood, according to Nichiren Daishonin.

The Law preceded both enlightened Shakyamuni and enlightened Nichiren Daishonin, if we are to take Nichiren Daishonin and T'ien-T'ai to heart. And I think if you chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, you MUST OF NECESSITY listen to Nichiren Daishonin.

WND I, pp. 420-422, and upper-cased for your edification:

... Question: The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai has explained that
... the term Myoho-renge is used in two different senses, one
... meaning the entity of Myoho-renge and the other being
... figurative in meaning. What are these two kinds of renge,
... or lotus?
...
... Answer: The figurative renge, or lotus, is explained in
... detail in the three metaphors of the lotus blossom
... enfolding the seed, the lotus blossom opening to reveal the
... seed inside, and the lotus blossom falling and the seed
... ripening, so one should refer to them. The lotus that is
... the entity of Myoho-renge is explained in the seventh
... volume of The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra as
... follows: “RENGE, OR LOTUS, IS NOT A SYMBOL; IT IS THE
... ACTUAL NAME OF THE ENTITY. FOR EXAMPLE, AT THE BEGINNING OF
... THE KALPA OF CONTINUANCE, THE VARIOUS THINGS IN THE WORLD
... HAD NO NAMES. THE SAGE OBSERVED THE PRINCIPLES THAT GOVERN
... THEM AND ON THAT BASIS MADE UP NAMES FOR THEM.” He also
... writes: “Now the name renge is not intended as a symbol for
... anything. It is the teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra.
... The teaching expounded in the Lotus Sutra is pure and
... undefiled and explains the subtleties of cause and effect.
... Therefore, it is called renge, or lotus. This name
... designates the true entity that the meditation based on the
... Lotus Sutra reveals, and is not a metaphor or figurative
... term.”
...
... The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai also writes: “Question: Does
... the term renge in fact mean the renge, or lotus, that is
... the essence of the meditation based on the Lotus Sutra? Or
... does it in fact mean the ordinary lotus that is a species
... of plant?
...
... “Answer: It in fact refers to the lotus that is the essence
... of the Lotus Sutra. But because the essence of the Lotus
... Sutra is difficult to understand, the metaphor of the lotus
... plant is introduced. People of sharp faculties will hear
... the name and immediately grasp the principle. They have no
... need to rely upon a metaphor but can understand the Lotus
... Sutra directly. But people of intermediate or inferior
... perception will not understand immediately. Only through
... the medium of a metaphor will they be able to understand.
... Thus the easily understood metaphor of an actual lotus
... plant is used to make clear the difficult-to-understand
... lotus that is the essence of the Lotus Sutra.
...
... “Thus, in the Lotus Sutra the Buddha employed three cycles
... of preaching in accordance with the respective
... understanding of those of superior, intermediate, or
... inferior capacity. For people of superior capacity, the
... renge, or lotus, that is the name of the Law was taught.
... But, for people of intermediate or inferior capacity, the
... lotus was used as a metaphor or symbol. As long as one
... understands that the word is being used both as a name for
... the Law itself and as a metaphor, depending upon which of
... the three groups of people is being addressed, then there
... should be no reason to argue over it.”
...
... THIS PASSAGE OF COMMENTARY MEANS THAT THE SUPREME PRINCIPLE
... [THAT IS THE MYSTIC LAW] WAS ORIGINALLY WITHOUT A NAME.
... WHEN THE SAGE WAS OBSERVING THE PRINCIPLE AND ASSIGNING
... NAMES TO ALL THINGS, HE PERCEIVED THAT THERE IS THIS
... WONDERFUL SINGLE LAW [MYŌHŌ] THAT SIMULTANEOUSLY POSSESSES
... BOTH CAUSE AND EFFECT [RENGE], AND HE NAMED IT MYOHO-RENGE.
... This single Law that is Myoho-renge encompasses within it
... all the phenomena comprising the Ten Worlds and the three
... thousand realms, and is lacking in none of them. Anyone who
... practices this Law will obtain both the cause and the
... effect of Buddhahood simultaneously.
...
... THE SAGE PRACTICED WITH THIS LAW AS HIS TEACHER AND
... ATTAINED ENLIGHTENMENT, AND THEREFORE HE SIMULTANEOUSLY
... OBTAINED BOTH THE MYSTIC CAUSE AND THE MYSTIC EFFECT OF
... BUDDHAHOOD, BECOMING THE THUS COME ONE OF PERFECT
... ENLIGHTENMENT AND FULLY REALIZED VIRTUES.
...
... Thus the Great Teacher Dengyō writes: “A single mind, the
... entity of Myoho-renge, simultaneously brings to maturity
... both the blossom of cause and the calyx of effect. The
... three cycles of preaching that the Buddha employed each
... contain both the lotus that is the entity and the lotus
... that is a metaphor. The Lotus Sutra as a whole consists of
... both entity and metaphor. In particular we may note the
... seven parables, the three equalities, and the ten
... peerlessnesses, which each contain the lotus of the entity.
... And the teaching that fully sets forth this principle is
... called Myoho-renge-kyo [the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful
... Law].”

The Sage, which T'ien-T'ai carefully does not name, because like everything else: "For example, at the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, the various things in the world had no names," he also had no name, until once enlightened to the Law, the actual name of the entity was Myoho-Renge.

That is what Nichiren Daishonin is relating to us from T'ien-T'ai and Dengyō.

You recite the Lotus Sutra, but show no filial respect for it. The person and the Law are one, however, the Law precedes enlightenment: all enlightenment comes only from the Law, anything emerging from some other teaching or object of worship is not enlightenment, but endarkenment.

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

I had the great good fortune of being drawn to daimoku and the Gosho - that is to say I could not be corrupted by the foolish notions put forth by Gakkai leaders - I never developed any sense of loyalty to " the organization " or " the temple" and found both to be inept at backing up their claims regarding Nichiren, the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha - just as you have failed here --

I have learned a lot about the historical precedent for your slanderous pseudo- Buddhist pyramid club , but I never drank the koolaid you drink daily , so cannot imagine how it is possible for you to ignore hard evidence that you are completely wrong in asserting you are " following Nichiren".

~Katie

[Chas.]

Chanting gongyo twice a day in English is not doing gongyo, Katie. Are you going to start chanting daimoku that way, too? No, you are not. Why not? Because it is clearly wrong. Then why isn't doing gongyo in English wrong?

Answer me that, or when do you plan on starting to actually uphold the Lotus Sutra that Nichiren Daishonin chanted every day of his adult life?

-Chas.

[Dennis G]

Lone Wolf? 🐺

[Katie Higgins]

So, Dennis , you are assuming that something other than reason and familiarity with Nichiren's writings explains my reluctance to accept the bogus nonsense proffered by the Gakkai?

I think Nichiren himself meets your criteria to be called " lone 🐺 "-- but how would you know that ?

~Katie

[Dennis G]

No, Katie, I'm suggesting that you have your own individual reckoning, which of course you are entitled to.

[Katie Higgins]

Individual reckoning ? You are avoiding all glaring references to the false and corrupt teachings SGI progates-- and just like Chas and all Ikeda-bots, you look for personal attributes or personalizing in general to discount what you cannot bear to contemplate !

Again - this is exactly how Nichiren was perceived and " disregarded " -- I say you wouldn't know this because it is obvious you have not read the bulk of Nichiren's writings - have no clue how far afield SGI. Doctrines are from Nichiren's.

A real discussion or debate about what Nichiren taught or how he practiced cannot be achieved when other participants choose to remain ignorant with regard to the evidence that refutes them !

<Katie

[Chas.]

Speaking of the evidence that you disregard:
______________________________________

Shakyamuni is the Lord of Teachings, but remember, he preached it, he didn't write it. It was found by someone else, according to Nichiren Daishonin in the passage below. If that had been Shakyamuni, he would have named him.

In this critically important case, the essence of the Law precedes the existence of Buddhahood, according to Nichiren Daishonin.

The Law preceded both the enlightened Shakyamuni and the enlightened Nichiren Daishonin, if we are to take Nichiren Daishonin and T'ien-T'ai to heart. And I think if you chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, you MUST OF NECESSITY listen to Nichiren Daishonin.

WND I, pp. 420-422, and focus points upper-cased for your edification:

The Sage, which T'ien-T'ai carefully does not name, because like everything else: "For example, at the beginning of the kalpa of continuance, the various things in the world had no names," he also had no name, until once enlightened to the Law, then the actual name of the entity was Myoho-Renge.

That is literally what Nichiren Daishonin is relating to us from T'ien-T'ai and Dengyō.

You, Katie, recite the Lotus Sutra, but show no filial respect for it. The person and the Law are one, however, the Law precedes enlightenment: all enlightenment comes only from the Law, anything emerging from some other teaching or object of worship is not enlightenment, but endarkenment.

-Chas.

[Katie Higgins]

Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra are one -- Nichiren devoted his life to " bodily reading " the Lotus Sutra-- single mindedly seeking the Buddha even at the cost of his own life -- Tje story is documented in 7 volumes -minus 100+ Gosho not yet translated --

Rely on the teachings - not upon persons -/ especially " persons " who don't seem to know what the Lotus Sutra represents --

~Katie

[Chas.]

And that person not to be relied upon would be the would-be-killer-of-the-Kosen-Rufu-movement, Katie Higgins.

You will fail at that, scarier men than you have tried and failed at that.

-Chas.