"The motive of our lives is accomplishing enlightenment, it is accomplished
through soku shin jobutsu. Becoming enlightened as we are. The Buddha is
called Buddha of musa sanjin, which means the quintessence of the three
properties of the Buddha from the original past without adjustment," so words
that indicate astonishing change, are not admissible and not complimentary with
the teaching of Nichiren
through soku shin jobutsu. Becoming enlightened as we are. The Buddha is
called Buddha of musa sanjin, which means the quintessence of the three
properties of the Buddha from the original past without adjustment," so words
that indicate astonishing change, are not admissible and not complimentary with
the teaching of Nichiren
"Fishing Buddhism" is a term explained by Rev. Kubota as "The Believer goes
fishing for benefits and believes as long as they catch fish. No fish!..... Gee,
Buddhism isn't working, I quit."
Faith and enlightenment have to do with the eternal, ageless part of one's
being. People who think that bonno soku bodai means one develops
enlightenment through chanting for desires or wishes are deceived; they have
been misdirected.
Transformations one perceives on the marvelous level of life may be the fruit
of faith, but they are not the seed of enlightenment. We can agree that the
unchanging center of life, amala-shiki, the ninth consciousness, affects all
other levels of realization and exhibits through the Ten Factors, but we must
again confess that we can comprehend neither our own karma nor anyone else's,
so we cannot say for certain what the changes or episodes in our lives mean
ultimately. What we can say is that enduring with the Gohonzon through the
Daimoku absolutely affects one's life.
Believers think of enlightenment as soku shin jobutsu. Believers center on
believing in and having faith in the Gohonzon and believing in Namu Myoho
Renge Kyo primarily; difficulties, heartaches and ecstasy are secondary. This
is not because believers are magnanimous, but because the Gohonzon is
absolute and happenings that cause joy and suffering are phenomenal
and therefore, transitory.
and therefore, transitory.
'If your dreams are realized, if your worries change dramatically, that's
awesome, but it doesn't mean you have faith, it doesn't mean you are
enlightened. If you think incredible benefit or gain is proof of pure faith,
then you should ask yourself: How does faith in Buddhism, in Lord Shakyamuni
Buddha, differ from faith in other religions, whose adherents also attribute
the phenomenal changes in their lives to their faith?
If the function of the Gohonzon is to bring spectacular change and benefit to
the believer, then how does Buddhism differ from the many human potential and
positive thinking movements that espouse the same intent, and provide abundant
testimony of satisfied participants? If benefits are evidence of pure faith,
then how about the benefits that appear in the lives of people without
religious faith?
Today's highly developed material civilization and extravagant material
lifestyle are unprecedented in the history of mankind. However, if we
contemplate the global picture, we see that the sufferings of living beings
have only increased. Wars, famines, droughts, and other manmade and natural
disasters are occurring everywhere. The nations of the world invest great
amounts of money and employ endless strategies in an attempt to solve these
problems, but they can only provide temporary relief. They have no way
to remove the ultimate cause of people's suffering. Our faith and practice
offers a solution." -- Author unknown
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