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Friday, April 15, 2016

Take refuge in the Lotus Sutra

"If there is a man who utters words of disparagement: "You are nothing but a madman!  In vain are you performing these practices! You shall never get anything for them!" The retribution for sins such as this shall be that from age to age he shall have no eyes. If there is anyone who makes offerings and gives praise, in this very age he shall get his present reward. If, again, one sees a person receiving and holding this scripture, then utters its faults and its evils, be they fact of not fact, that person in the present age shall get white leprosy.  If anyone makes light of it laughs at it, from age to age his teeth shall be far apart and decayed, he shall have ugly lips and a flat nose, his arms and legs shall be crooked, his eyes shall be pointed and the pupils out of symmetry, his body shall stink, he shall have sores running pus and blood, his belly shall be watery and his breath short: in brief, he shall have all manner of evil and grave ailments." (Chapter 28 Lotus Sutra) 

Nichiren believed that denying the truth of the Lotus Sutra, was the most serious of sins. Nichiren referred to this as "Hobo" (Slander of the Dharma). He warned that those who denounce the truth of the Lotus would suffer in the deepest Hell. Because, the Lotus Sutra promises salvation to beings in the "latter, evil age," Nichiren taught that anyone in the age of Mappo who believed in other doctrines, or trusted in evil teachers (like Nikken or Ikeda) were destined for hell. 

"The Lotus Sutra is the correct path to Buddhahood." 

"If someone does not believe the Lotus Sutra and slanders it, he kills his seeds of Buddhahood in this life.  When his life is over, he will be reborn in the deepest hell. After a kalpa he will be born again in hell, and this cycle will continue for countless kalpas." 

"Disbelief is not following the teaching. What is called slander of the sutra is nothing other than disbelief." (Nembutsu mugen jigoku sho, STH, p.34) 

"I was led through the alleys of Kamakura like a traitor. They destroyed the room in my hut in which I enshrined the teachings of the Buddha and where I worshiped Shakyamuni. Several of them trampled the statue of Buddha and the scrolls of the scriptures into the mud. They even took the scrolls of the Lotus Sutra which I held and beat me ith them. There had been no provocation which should have led to this; I had committed no crime. I was guilty only of spreading the Lotus Sutra." (Jinkoku Gosho, STH, p.892) 

"This scripture has many enemies even now when the Tathagata is present. How much worse it will be after his nirvana."  (Chapter10 Lotus Sutra) 

"After the Buddha's passing into extinction, in a frightful and evil age": "ignorant men," "monks of twisted wisdom, their hearts sycophantic and crooked," and "prideful hermits, who say of themselves that they are treading the True Path, holding mankind cheaply because they covet profit and nourishment." (Chapt. 13 Lotus Sutra) 

20 comments:


  1. "Nichiren believed that denying the truth of the Lotus Sutra, was the most serious of sins. Nichiren referred to this as "Hobo" (Slander of the Dharma). He warned that those who denounce the truth of the Lotus would suffer in the deepest Hell. Because, the Lotus Sutra promises salvation to beings in the "latter, evil age," Nichiren taught that anyone in the age of Mappo who believed in other doctrines, or trusted in evil teachers were destined for hell."

    "The Lotus Sutra is the correct path to Buddhahood."

    "If someone does not believe the Lotus Sutra and slanders it, he kills his seeds of Buddhahood in this life. When his life is over, he will be reborn in the deepest hell. After a kalpa he will be born again in hell, and this cycle will continue for countless kalpas."

    If we think that we have attained what we haven't attained like understanding the Lotus Sutra and Nichirens Teachings we 'will be reborn in the deepest hell. After a kalpa we will be born again in hell, and this cycle will continue for countless kalpas."

    This why we all have to watch ourselves because all our heads could be on the chopping block not just SGI,NST,NS,KH, and other independent Practitioners etc. We can never be too sure what will happen but just hope in our good karma that we are on the right track and not on the highway to hell


    "With full understanding of Shakyamuni’s teachings, the four great voice-hearers said, “This cluster of unsurpassed jewels has come to us unsought.”53 They represent the world of the voice-hearer that is within ourselves. The Buddha stated, “At the start I took a vow, hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us, and what I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled.

    I have converted all living beings and caused them all to enter the Buddha way.”54 Shakyamuni Buddha, who has attained perfect enlightenment, is our own flesh and blood. His practices and the resulting virtues are our bones and marrow. The “Treasure Tower” chapter of the Lotus Sutra says, “He who is capable of guarding the Law of this sutra will thereby have offered alms to me and to Many Treasures. . . . One who guards this sutra will also have offered alms to the emanation Buddhas who have come here adorning and making brilliant all the various worlds.”

    Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions represent the world of Buddhahood within ourselves. By searching them out within us, we can receive the benefits of all these Buddhas. This is what is meant by the following passage: “If one listens to them [the preachers of the Law] for even a moment, one will immediately attain supreme perfect enlightenment.”55

    The “Life Span” chapter reads, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.”

    The Shakyamuni Buddha within our lives is the eternal Buddha since time without beginning, who obtained the three bodies more than numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago"

    The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind

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  2. "The Buddha stated, “At the start I took a vow, hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us, and what I long ago hoped for has now been fulfilled."

    The Musa Sanjin Buddha is saying there are no distinctions from common mortals. We all have the same potential to be fully realised.

    Don't you believe that we can become the same as Shakyamuni Buddha in this lifetime or in a future one???

    Or do you see it as Satan wanting to be the same as God

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  3. Sure. But only with strong and correct faith. Just talking about it without actually being it brings no benefit to oneself or others.

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  4. Yes that the proof is in our life. Not only do we experience the difference from strong and correct faith but so does our animate and inanimate environment. Another name for Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is the 3 Bodied Tathagatta Thus come one

    "The “Life Span” chapter reads, “It has been immeasurable, boundless hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas of kalpas since I in fact attained Buddhahood.”

    I think this is saying that the more ancient historical Shakyamuni that attained Buddhahood at a certain point in time in the eternal past than the same more recent historical Shakyamuni that appeared two an a half thousand years ago

    "The Shakyamuni Buddha within our lives is the eternal Buddha since time without beginning, who obtained the three bodies more than numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago"

    Shakyamuni Buddha who obtained the 3 bodies in the eternal past became one with the 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo is in our lives

    I believe Nichiren also achieved this exalted state and if our hearts are big enough there is enough room for the both of them


    We also become one with the 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo from the person/s such as Shakyamuni, Nichiren that are one with the Law who left the good medicine the Lotus Sutra, Gosho, Daimoku and Gohonzon for the deluded children that are insane from consuming the poisons of pre Lotus Sutra teachings,

    The ancient eternal 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo breathes a nonlinear eternity into mortals throughout the eternal past present and future and is not affected by time and space, birth and death unlike the eternal transience of mortals.

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  5. Again Noel,you contradict Nichiren who taught the eternity of the Three Bodies,including the Manifestation Body and not merely the Dharma Body.

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  6. The 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo that I'm referring to are non linear that only becomes linear when the conditions that have been created through cultivation are right for it to manifest in our lives

    The Dharma Body has no distinctions its perfect as it is just as the Reward and Manifest body of 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha are

    When the reward body of the 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo manifests itself in our lives and effects the manifest body through our behaviour the world becomes a better place and we feel lighter and brighter.

    The reward body (correct faith, teachings and practice that involves the manifest body) is the one that opens up the Dharma body. I don't know why this is such a difficult concept to understand. Unless its the fundamental darkness that prevents us from seeing things as they are

    I have been trying to make it as easy as possible by practically spelling it out for you and others so that you can understand from my numerous postings but you and others on this blog just don't seem to get it. Its like everyone has a blockage that stops them from seeing.

    My only consolation for me is in the Lotus Sutra that says this Sutra is very difficult to be believe and very difficult understand so I shouldn't feel too frustrated as I do at times when I don't understand and towards others that don't understand. This is where forbearance comes to the fore rather than to berate that Lord Shakya of the Saha world demonstrates in the Lotus Sutra


    The 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo is the source of Lord Shakya and Nichirens power to manifest the 3 Bodied Tathagata Thus Come One Musa Sanjin Buddha of Kuon Ganjo in theirs and our lives not just the isolated Dharma body of thus come one...that I have been accused of, give me a break

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  7. The oneness of the 3 bodied tathagata should not be misunderstood as what seems to be the case in yours and others accusations towards me. You are on safer ground keeping your accusations for the $GI they are an easier target

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  8. Noel, what is your problem. You dont know what musa means. You definition is a shoshu lie. Where is the word kuon ganjo from? Shosu lie again. Kuon jitsujo means infinity. Read what tientai says in the maja shikanre:musa. It is the 4th if 4 ways to interpret the 4 noble truths. It means "the ultimate reality that is beyond conceptualization and verbal distinctions". Saicho used the term unproduced triple body to mean "the originally inherent Buddha that is prior to the distinction between practice and awakening".
    Also, i an not of the opinion that the shakyamini in india is the eternal buddha.
    Gassho
    信恵本朝沙門

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    1. Hi Shinkei, the first time I heard the name Musa Sanjin was recently from one of your posts (thanks for that) and since then I haven't been able to get it out of my head and not that I wanted to, to yours and others disappointment and I'm not sorry about that.

      Where ever these words come from doesn't matter so much as the profound meaning behind them that are given so that we may create a formulation that we can relate to in whatever state of our evolution in understanding these metaphysical concepts that relate to our faith in Nichiren Buddhism is presently at

      We all have different spiritual and non spiritual backgrounds that effect the way we understand NB. This is why many do not see eye to eye and cross swords on the fundamentals of faith, but we try to share our views with others of what we believe Nichiren is saying wether they like it or not...Tough Titty

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    2. Metaphysics- abstract theory or talk with no basis in reality .

      The polar opposite of Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra- Faith is the portal to the Ultimate Reality and the development of reality based intellect .
      ~Katie

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  9. So , this is your " benefit " ? From correctly practicing faith in the Lotus Sutra ? It is beyond my wisdom to fathom what you have attained - I am only wise enough to
    Follow Nichiren and believe exactly what he taught. I can see that your esoteric insights or third eye perceptions of whatever are NOT benefits promised by Shakyamuni in his Lotus Sutra. Proud and boastful at heart , you join the ranks of Ikeda and the NS priests who also have delusions of wisdom superior to Shakyjmuni and faith beyond what Nuchiren lived and taught . Warning !! Your attitudes are addressed by both Shakyamuni & Nichiren -- think they knew you were coming -/
    ~ Katie

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  10. Then who is the Manifest Buddha which Nichiren teaches is eternal [along with the Reward and Dharma bodies]? Doesn't Nichiren identify him with the Shakyamuni Buddha of India?

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    1. And didn't Nichiren live the Lotus Sutra, practicing in complete accord with Shakyamuni's teaching? Writing or teaching from his *enlightenment* only after surviving attempted execution and exile to certain death, Nichiren does not rescind his belief in Shakyamuni as the eternal Buddha, nor does he reassign him a lesser or different identity.

      Nichiren's enlightenment is revealed in his realization that his identity matched the description of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, which further proved that his insight and understanding of the True Buddha Shakyamuni was correct.

      Nichiren established himself as a credible teacher of the Dharma-- who could possibly view himself as a greater, more credible teacher than Nichiren?

      Noel and shinkei, where is your proof that you have attained greater insight and understanding, practicing the daimoku Nichiren taught, than Nichiren attained revealing and propagating the True Law ?

      ~Katie

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  11. It's all in your own head Katie come lately and your your loven it. You have keeping all in for a long time and now that you have found a platform to express yourself you are really letting it rip...good on you girl

    Noël

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  12. It's all in your own head Katie come lately and your your loven it. You have been keeping it all in for a long time and now that you have found a platform to express yourself you are really letting it rip...good on you girl

    Katiie come lately, where is your proof that you have attained greater insight and understanding, practicing the daimoku Nichiren taught, than Nichiren attained revealing and propagating the True Law ?

    Where is this arrogance coming from Katie, could it be perhaps the 2 edged sword of enlightenment/delusion in that you think that you know Nichiren's mind and entitled to judge other with your delusional negative karma encrusted mappo mind..

    You are just like all of us that cant see ourselves from others eyes so we all need to learn and consider others perceptions of how they see us (even if they are delusional) and do our own serious self reflection. Perhaps you should try an authentic 10 world Nichiren Gohonzon , this will help you put your house in order but its process that takes time and hopefully you still have some time left in this fleeting life to improve your karma

    Just as you don't like what you see in me, I feel the same way about your pontifications and your shallow self satisfied dogmatic judgements when you are acting like Nichiren's spokesmam

    Often what we don't like in others is our own reflection


    You are another self appointed authoritarian expert that thinks they know Nichiren's mind better than others but this may be our delusions of grandeur which is classified as a form mental illness that none of us are immune to and no drugs or psycho babble can cure

    You may say that what I have said applies to me and its true, it applies to all of us especially Mark

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  13. I prefer to make my points with Sutra and Gosho in hand with a little help from Shinkei when Gosho translations are suspect, contradictory, or just plain difficult to understand. I think that Katie is on the right track, misunderstanding however, the depth of study of Shinkei.

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    1. Its more like agreeing and understanding Shinkei's depth of study for me than a misunderstanding, so Katie is not alone if this is the case for her

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  14. Noel,

    I trust Nichiren's mind. I defer to his mind. This is a function of faith, that was produced from my belief in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo from my experience chanting for the first time in August 1988. I have never claimed to *know* Nichiren's mind.

    The insights and understanding that I attribute to my faith are matters that are related to my personal and professional life. Never have I claimed to have greater insight or understanding of the Buddha's teachings than Nichiren. Again, I defer to his writings, which reveal both his mind of faith and his exhaustive study of the Buddha's teachings.

    But, there is also a feeling of resonance with the purpose or, intention that drove Nichiren. My concern for the sufferings of others, especially children - as a nurse, and a mother was at the *heart* of my prayers when I began my practice. My faith has deepened in concert with actual proof, and my gratitude has led me to challenge the practice of shakubuku; to rebuking slander of the Lotus Sutra. Faith, practice and study - my own, self motivated and self directed devotion to Nichiren's writings, transformed the agonizing ordeals that ensued-- into joy. More actual proof.

    I haven't been keeping my concerns or criticisms about SGI USA to myself- on the contrary, I have been very vocal and have written volumes over the past 20 years on this topic. I read more than I write on this blog--a very enjoyable experience, I won't deny. Isn't that why you are here, too?

    I challenge things that you write here, Noel--but, I do agree that all of us in the Latter Day have various illnesses of the mind, resulting from our sins of slander. I have faith in Nichiren's teachings, referencing the LS, regarding this; that "only a Buddha can cure these illnesses"-- which is all the more reason to put 100% faith in the Lotus Sutra.

    And-- I actually don't dislike what I see in you, based on what you write. It's more a matter of taking issue with your take on matters of faith that reflect what you don't believe -- and wondering how to convince, or maybe encourage you to *believe* so that you can develop faith--.

    ~Katie





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  15. Wow Katie I agree with Marks statement of you, "I think that Katie is on the right track"

    We have been going through some rough weather as of late but I'm getting to know you and like you for what you have been through and are now doing which is based on your compassion that tells me who you are.

    We both agree that all of us in the Latter Day have various illnesses of the mind, resulting from our sins of slander. There are certain attachments that we have regarding faith that is out of line with others but when these ideas are rebuked we become defensive of that idea that gives us peace. None of us really likes to get our boat rocked we just want smooth seas but as we know the ocean of life is not like that.

    "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever." (Happiness in This World)



    We are all like the sick children that need their fathers help. As an online sangha that you mentioned we need one another's support even though we are firm at times its all part of the relationship that we are having under the name of Nichiren Buddhism

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    1. Very nice to meet you, Noel :-)
      I very much appreciate your sincerity (every single shade) and your humanity ( the full spectrum) as actual proof that written words can convey the most essential aspects of a person's mind and reveal heartfelt true intentions. On-line sangha appears to be a fully functional venue. Who knew?

      You have shown here that even during stormy weather you read as carefully and as adeptly as you write. Thank you for listening, and thank you even more for letting me know where you are coming from. I confess to being a light weight when it comes to the scholarly aspects of Buddhism, though I have studied basic doctrines from the LS-- using the same method that worked well for me when I studied the history and basics of Traditional Chinese Medicine, a mixture of textures and holistic patterns as opposed to linear , reductionist methodology, I am pretty ignorant of the philosophical underpinnings of these doctrines.

      I could probably do a much better job explaining, via the 10 factors & three realms, WHY we need belief activated by something other than our intellectual minds, and faith that makes risk-taking an exciting adventure. It felt very risky to me to try and engage in debate with you over arcane Buddhist concepts and their historical influence over the doctrines of Nichiren's Buddhism. Did I say, risky? Probably should say, foolish--

      I do have very strong faith. though, based on validated beliefs- not blindness.

      ~Katie

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