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Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Propagate the Lotus Sutra not SGI mentor-discipleism

The exhortation to "propagate the Lotus Sutra" [or this sutra or Myoho renge kyo] is found in many places in the Lotus Sutra. For example:

“World-Honored One, leader and teacher,
you bring tranquility to heavenly and human beings.
We have heard these prophecies
and our minds are peaceful and satisfied.
The nuns, having recited these verses, said to the
Buddha, “World-Honored One, we too will be able to go to
lands in other regions and broadly propagate this sutra.”(Chapter 13)

“They rose from their seats, advanced before the Buddha
and, pressing their palms together with a single mind,
thought to themselves, if the World-Honored One should
order us to embrace and preach this sutra, we would do
as the Buddha instructed and broadly propagate this Law.
And then they thought to themselves, But the Buddha now
is silent and gives us no such order. What shall we do?”(Chapter 13)

“If a bodhisattva will at times
enter a quiet room
and with the correct mental attitude
will view phenomena according to the doctrine,
and then, rising from his meditation,
will for the sake of the ruler,
the princes, ministers and people,
the Brahmans and others,
unfold, propagate, expound
and preach this sutra,
then his mind will be tranquil,
free of quailing and timidity.”(Chapter 14)

“Manjushri this Lotus Sutra is the secret storehouse of the Buddhas, the Thus Come Ones. Among the sutras, it holds the highest place. Through the long night I have guarded and protected it and have never recklessly propagated it. But today for the first time I expound it for your sake.”(Chapter 14)

“At that time Shakyamuni Buddha rose from his Dharma seat and, manifesting his great supernatural powers, with his right hand patted the heads of the immeasurable.

If, in a place where the Sutra is lectured,
He encourages another to sit down and listen,
By virtue of his blessings, he will gain
The seat of Shakra, Brahma, or a wheel-turning king.
How much greater will the blessings be of one who single-mindedly listens
And explains the Sutra's meaning,
Cultivating it as he preaches
His blessings shall know no limit.

"Three times he patted the bodhisattvas and mahasattvas on the head and spoke these words: “For immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of asamkhya kalpas I have practiced this hard-to-attain Law of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi. Now I entrust it to you. You must accept, uphold, recite, and broadly propagate this Law, causing all living beings everywhere to hear and understand it. Why? Because the Thus Come One has great pity and compassion. He is in no way stingy or begrudging, nor has he any fear. He is able to bestow on living beings the wisdom of the Buddha, the wisdom of the Thus Come One, the wisdom that comes of itself. The Thus Come One is a great giver of gifts to all living beings. You for your part should respond by studying this Law of the Thus Come One. You must not be stingy or begrudging.”(Chapter 22)

Note, the Lotus Sutra doesn’t say propagate Ikedaism, Nikkenism, Value Creationism, Holy Waterism, Kuan Yinism, Materialism, not even Nichirenism. It says propagate the Hokke (Lotus Sutra).

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