"Yeah. It really is cool. And it’s very open. That’s the other thing about this Buddhism, it’s not exclusive; it’s inclusive. It doesn’t say that any other religions are wrong and it’s my way or the highway. Nothing like that. I don’t feel like I have rejected Christianity or Judaism or Islam. I feel like I’ve embraced the truth that’s in everything. Because there is truth in all of those pursuits. And others, too. It’s a great way to feel." -- Herbie Hancock
Nichiren teaches:
"It is said that good medicine tastes bitter. This sutra, which is like good medicine, dispels attachments to the five vehicles and establishes the one ultimate principle. It reproaches those in the ranks of ordinary beings and censures those in the ranks of sagehood, denies [provisional] Mahayana and refutes Hinayana. It speaks of the heavenly devils as poisonous insects and calls non-Buddhists demons. It censures those who cling to Hinayana teachings, calling them mean and impoverished, and it dismisses bodhisattvas as beginners in learning. For this reason, heavenly devils hate to listen to it, non-Buddhists find their ears offended, persons of the two vehicles are dumbfounded, and bodhisattvas flee in terror. That is why all these types of people try to make hindrances [for a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra]. The Buddha was not speaking nonsense when he declared that hatred and jealousy would abound.” -- Opening of the Eyes
and
“In all the Buddha’s lands of the universe there is but one supreme vehicle, not two or three, and it excludes the provisional teachings of the Buddha.” -- On Practicing the Buddha's Teachings
Let alone the non-Buddhist teachings, Herbie
“In all the Buddha’s lands of the universe there is but one supreme vehicle, not two or three, and it excludes the provisional teachings of the Buddha.”
ReplyDeleteINCLUDES not excludes, yet one more forged teaching. And dude, in the future, try not including "lotus sutra" in your posting header, and my alert won't pick up your viruses.
Forged teachings ?
ReplyDeleteOn Practicing the Buddha's Teachings
- Nyosetsu Shugyo Sho -
Question: How should one practice if he is to be faithful to the Buddha's teachings?
Answer: The Japanese people of this age are one in their opinion of what practice accords with the Buddha's teachings. They believe that since all vehicles are incorporated in the one supreme vehicle, no teaching is superior or inferior, shallow or profound, but that all are equal to the Lotus Sutra. Hence the belief that repeating the Nembutsu chant, embracing Shingon esotericism, practicing Zen meditation, or professing and chanting any sutra or the name of any Buddha or bodhisattva equals following the Lotus Sutra.
But I insist that this is wrong. The most important thing in practicing Buddhism is to follow and uphold the Buddha's golden teachings, not the opinions of others. Our master, Shakyamuni Buddha, wished to reveal the Lotus Sutra from the moment of his enlightenment. However, because the people were not yet mature enough to understand, he had to employ provisional teachings for some forty years before he could expound the true teaching of the Lotus Sutra. In the Muryogi Sutra, which served as an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha clearly distinguished the provisional teachings from the true teaching. He declared, "I have preached the Law in many ways, devising many means. But in these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth."9 The eighty thousand bodhisattvas, including Bodhisattva Daishogon, fully understood why Shakyamuni had preached the provisional teachings, demonstrated that they were nothing more than means, and finally discarded them entirely. They expressed their understanding by declaring that no one can attain supreme enlightenment by embracing any of the provisional sutras, which expound bodhisattva austerities spanning millions of aeons. Finally the Buddha came to reveal the Lotus Sutra and stated, "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth."10 He also warned,
"In all the Buddha's lands of the universe there is but one supreme vehicle, not two or three, and it excludes the provisional teachings of the Buddha,"11 and "Honestly discarding the provisional teachings, I will expound the Supreme Law,"12 and "Never accept even a single phrase from the other sutras."
13 Thus, ever since that time, the supreme vehicle of the Mystic Law has been the only teaching profound enough to enable all people to attain Buddhahood. Even though no sutra other than the Lotus Sutra can provide even the slightest benefit, the Buddhist scholars of the Latter Day claim that all sutras must lead to enlightenment because they were expounded by the Buddha. Therefore, they arbitrarily profess faith in any sutra and follow whatever sect they choose, whether Shingon, Nembutsu, Zen, Sanron, Hosso, Kusha, Jojitsu, or Ritsu. The Lotus Sutra says of such people, "One who refuses to take faith in this sutra and instead slanders it immediately destroys the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world....After he dies he will fall into the hell of incessant suffering."14 Thus the Buddha himself concluded that one's practice accords with the Buddha's teachings only when he bases his faith precisely on the standard of the sutra, believing that there is but one Supreme Law.
And yet you can't find a shred of documentary evidence let alone reason in the Sutra that the Great Vehicle "excludes" skillful means, on the contrary. we've been down the road how "discard" or "not accepting a single verse ..." is a forgery of Dharma Master Kumarajiva's translation. I'm hardly impressed with your cut and pastes; doesn't cut it.
Deleteohjee is not impressed with copy and paste of scripture used to refute his accusations. Does that mean he cant do the same to back up his statement by giving documentary evidence that is a forgery of Dharma Master Kumarajiva's translation that the Great Vehicle "excludes" skilful means or do we just take his word that what he says is true so that he doesn't look like a hypocrite
DeleteHere is some more copy and paste for you just hope it sticks
Question: I am still in doubt. The Dainichi Sutra represents the teaching as expounded by Dainichi Buddha. And if that is so, then to use the teaching as expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha to attempt to controvert the teaching as expounded by Dainichi Buddha is surely not at all in accord with reason, is it?
Answer: Who were the parents of Dainichi Buddha, and in what country did he appear when he expounded the Dainichi Sutra? If he had no parents but simply appeared in the world, then in what sutra is it recorded that such a Buddha will appear in the world to expound the teaching during the 5,670 million years between the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha and the appearance of Miroku, the honored one of compassion? If there are no passages of proof, then who would put faith in such an assertion? The Shingon doctrines are full of mistaken assertions of this kind, which is why I spoke of them as a heretical teaching.
The list of errors is all but inexhaustible. I have done no more than give one or two examples. In addition to Shingon, the authorities rely on the Zen and Nembutsu sects. These doctrines all represent provisional teachings of the type set forth before the truth had been fully revealed. They are not the tenets that lead to the attainment of Buddhahood, but rather will create karma that condemns one to the hell of incessant suffering. Persons who practice them are guilty of slandering the Law, so how could their prayers possibly be answered?
One who is a ruler of a nation has become so because in the past he upheld the correct teaching and served the Buddha. It is through the calculations of the heavenly kings Bonten and Taishaku, the deities of the sun and moon, the Four Heavenly Kings and others that all rulers, great and small, succeed in acquiring their districts and domains. Thus the sutra says: "Now when I use the five types of vision to clearly perceive the three existences, I see that all the kings in their past existences served five hundred Buddhas, and that is the reason they were able to become emperors and sovereigns."57
But if one turns his back on the Lotus Sutra and follows the heretical teachers of Shingon, Zen and Nembutsu, then although he may carry out all kinds of good deeds, these will never accord with the will of the Buddha and will go against the intention of the gods. One should give very careful thought to this matter.
It is a rare thing to be born as a human being. And if, having been born as such, you do not do your best to distinguish between the correct doctrine and the heretical so that in the future you may attain Buddhahood, then you are certainly not fulfilling your true worth as a human being.
Moreover, after the Great Teacher Jikaku had visited China, he turned against the doctrines of his original teacher, the Great Teacher Dengyo, and worked to spread the Shingon doctrines on Mount Hiei. In order to do so, he offered up prayers, and claimed that as a result he had had a dream in which he shot an arrow at the sun and caused the sun to roll over and over. For four hundred or more years now, the people have all looked upon this as an auspicious dream. But in a country such as Japan, it is in fact a dream of a particularly ill-omened nature. King Chou of the Yin dynasty shot an arrow at the sun, and as a result he perished. Although this dream may be recounted by a provisional manifestation of a Buddha, one should ponder it very carefully.
I have only touched upon a small fraction of the matters that I could speak about--like a single hair from among nine cows.
On Prayer
- Kito Sho -
< more cut pastes>
Delete[Yawn]
When you "discard" 40 years of sutras, and replace with chapter 2&16, it is no longer Buddhism. The text reads "set aside" which is supported throughout.
With his wisdom,
The Buddha taught with various conditions,
Analogies and skillful verbal teachings
Now Sariputra knows that in the past, the Buddha
Skillfully taught according to capabilities
He taught the provisional for the sake of the true
So, the provisional is the true
Therefore, his mind can be at ease
and he can eliminate his doubts
Now that he severed the web of doubts
He attained peace as expansive as the sea
Sariputra himself said,
after severing the web of doubts,
my mind began to be at peace,
like a calm sea that is
clear and free of waves
This is like a web that has been cut apart by scissors. When the web is cut open, we will be free. Then our minds can attain a state of peace because they are no longer trapped by web. When the web is cut open, the world is open to us. Our minds become expansive.
So,
I often saw the World Honored One
Praising all Bodhisattvas and I often saw the world honored one
Praising Bodhisattvas for cultivating
The great vehicle,
for helping others
This was the matter I pondered, day and night
If you read the contents of the copy and pastes not cut and pastes, (you can't even get that right) you would wake up instead of yawning in your sleep of arrogance
DeleteOf course i am arrogant. In my 45+ yes in SGI/NSA, I probably read more goshos than thou.
DeleteTo yawn means boredom and exhaustion with how you are attached to what you call Buddhism.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI can understand why the Sgi is forming a new religion based on being cool, feeling great, open and inclusive while embracing the truth in everything compared Nichiren's divisive teachings. This is becoming the way in which all world religions can achieve unity, just don't mention the differences that the founders conveyed or all hell will break loose.
ReplyDeleteIf we cant talk about the differences without hostility, then this suggests that we are prisoners of our egos, trying to protects something that is crumbling
Understand then that the votary who practices the Lotus Sutra exactly as the Buddha teaches will without fail be attacked by the three powerful enemies. Shakyamuni himself, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo were the only three who perfectly carried out the Buddha's teachings in these more than two thousand years. Now in the Latter Day of the Law, the only such votaries are Nichiren and his disciples. If we cannot be called votaries faithful to the Buddha's teachings, then neither can Shakyamuni, T'ien-t'ai nor Dengyo. Could Devadatta, Kokalika17, Sunakshatra18, Kobo, Jikaku, Chisho, Shan-tao, Honen, Ryokan and others like them be called votaries of the Lotus Sutra? Could Shakyamuni Buddha, T'ien-t'ai, Dengyo or Nichiren and his disciples be followers of the Nembutsu, Shingon, Zen, Ritsu or other sects? Could the Lotus Sutra be called a provisional teaching, and the Amida Sutra and others be the Lotus Sutra? None of this could ever be possible, even if east were to become west and west become east; even if the earth and all its trees and plants were to fly up and become the heavens, while the sun, the moon and the stars tumbled down and became the earth.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great pity it is that all the Japanese people are delighted to see Nichiren and his disciples suffer at the hands of the three powerful enemies! What befell another yesterday may befall oneself today. Nichiren and his disciples have but a short time to endure, the time it takes for frost or dew to vanish in the morning sun. When our prayers for Buddhahood are answered and we dwell in the land of eternal enlightenment where we will experience the boundless joy of the Law, what pity we will feel for those suffering incessantly in the depths of hell! How they will envy us then!
Life flashes by in but a moment. No matter how many terrible enemies we may encounter, banish all fears and never think of backsliding. Even if someone were to cut off our heads with a saw, impale us with lances, or shackle our feet and bore them through with a gimlet, as long as we are alive, we must keep chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Then, if we chant until the very moment of death, Shakyamuni, Taho and all other Buddhas in the universe will come to us instantly, exactly as they promised during the ceremony at Eagle Peak. Taking our hands and bearing us upon their shoulders, they will carry us to Eagle Peak. The two saints19, the two heavenly gods,20 and the Ten Goddesses21 will guard us, while all the Buddhist gods raise a canopy over our heads and unfurl banners on high. They will escort us under their protection to the Buddha land. How can such joy possibly be described! Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Nichiren
The fifth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273)
Postscript: Keep this letter with you at all times and read it over and over.
Thanks for the post Noel. ohgee rejects the Supreme Votary, the one the Sutra refers to as "this man" in Chapter 21. He is a firefly laughing at the sun.
DeleteI suppose you think its funny and this coming from those not knowing the difference between a vulture and eagle...
DeleteI reject any idea that hollows out bodhisattva to one who does nothing except refute doctrine.
After the Tathagata is extinct [such a one],
DeleteKnowing [this] sutra that the Buddha has taught,
[Together with] its reasoning and process,
Shall expound it according to its true meaning.
Just as the light of the sun and moon
Can dispel the darkness,
So this man, working in the world,
Can disperse the gloom of the living
And cause numberless bodhisattvas
Finally to abide in the One-vehicle.
Therefore he who has wisdom,
Hearing the benefits of this merit,
After I am extinct,
Should receive and keep this sutra.
This man shall in the Way of the Buddha
Be fixed and have no doubts."
Chapter 21 Lotus Sutra
And of course that "man" has to be, who else, but unfortunately for him, he got the meaning wrong basing his whole religion on "discard" and "never accepting a single verse from other sutras" I am uncertain how Bodhisattvas abide in the one vehicle by picking fights with other religions.
Deletenonsense ohgee nonsense, Nichiren draws upon wisdom from all sutras and non Buddhist teachings. Please read what Nichiren says, if you want to have an intelligent conversation, instead of picking fights with those that you a well over your depth with. Thanks
DeleteOg, what sect or group are you affiliated with?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete"The World-honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth." (Sutra of Infinite Meanings)
ReplyDelete''In all the Buddha's lands of the universe there is but one supreme vehicle, not two or three, and it excludes the provisional teachings of the Buddha" (LS Chapter 2)
"Honestly discarding the provisional teachings, I will expound the Supreme Law (Myoho)."(ibid chapter 2)
"I have briefly described in this sutra (Myoho renge kyo) all the laws of the Buddha, all the invincible mystic powers of the buddha, all the secret storehouses of the Buddha, and all the profound practices of the Buddha." (Ibid, Chapter 21)
"The scriptures I preach number in the countless millions. Among all those I have preached, now preach and will preach, this Lotus Sutra (Myoho renge kyo) is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand." (ibid Chapter 11)
"Among all the Sutras it (Myoho renge kyo) holds the highest place" (Ibid, Chapter 14)
"If in future ages there should be one who accepts and upholds, reads and recites this sutra (Myoho renge kyo),...his wishes shall not be in vain, and he will receive his reward of good fortune in his present life." (Ibid, Chapter 28)
ohgee, correcting wrong thought is not picking fights.The sutras, including the Hinayana sutras, are all about correcting wrong thoughts and misleading religions and philosophies such as caste.
wake up ogee. shakyamuni admittedly did not reveal the entire truth until 40 years of preparing his followers. when he taught the lotus sutra he began his practice of shakubuku for the latter age. one cannot read the teachings from the standpoint of the preparatory teachings to validate the lotus sutra, its the other way around. only through faith can u change your karma.
ReplyDeleteagain, ogee, what sect or group do u pledge allegiance?
DeleteRefutation was Nichiren's and Shakyamuni's practice towards non-believers and those who held distorted views. Towards their faithful disciples, they gently taught and encouraged them. You know nothing of the Lotus Sutra and Gosho of Nichiren. You read too many World Tribunes and Living Buddhism and shun the Lotus Sutra and Gosho. You are a perfect example of a Soka pseudo-Buddhist and a pathetic example of a Nichiren Buddhist. You are in hell along side your "eternal mentor" Daisaku Ikeda.
ReplyDeletePlease don't speak about gentleness, a virtue out of your present grasp. Stay with the gibberish which you have mastered.
Delete45 years in the Soka Gakkai and you hate Nichiren. This says it all. You are pathetic ohgee.
ReplyDeleteYou are the one refuting Sakyamuni with your rejection, discarding, exclusion of the provisional while pulling subtext out of a hat to justify Shakubuku. I don't hate Nichiren, nor do I hate Ikeda. But both you and Ikeda should stop purporting yourselves to be Buddhists because those shoes are way too big for the both of you. What wisdom a Hearer has gained in a day far outweighs anything you could imagine.
ReplyDeleteO G - still clinging to the preparatory teachings are we? reeks of the shu.
ReplyDeleteOh Gee you have been found out that you are a typical new age SGI Nichiren Buddhist who hates Nichiren Buddhism and hasn't the guts to reveal his affiliations with the SGI when asked what sect or group that you were affiliated with. Mark had to blow the whistle on you because you wouldnt come out. I've had to deal with your type of pretentious, cowardly scum for many years but you didn't kill me just made me stronger. Thanks gassho NMHRK x3
ReplyDeleteI could care less, what you see say about me. I do not reveal affiliations because causes and conditions are not ripe. If you want to make up things about my affiliations with Gakkai, then whatever. I still have friends there and haven't burnt all my bridges. You have much more in common with them than me; at least they pretend to be open.
ReplyDeleteOpen to what ohgee? People who slander the Supreme Votary? Open to spiritual pipsqueaks who couldn't live one day as the Daishonin did for more than thirty years?
ReplyDelete