"Now in this latter, evil age, great evil arises less from secular wrongdoing than in connection with the doctrines of the religious world." -- Nichiren
The SGI and the Nichiren Shu should take this teaching to heart, especially the SGI with their secular approach to violence [Victory Over Violence, anti-bullying campaigns, and nuclear disarmament initiatives].
Nichiren teaches that such efforts divorced from forceful religious conversion [shakubuku] are doomed to failure. One need only look at the actual situation of moving ever closer to nuclear war, despite SGI President Ikeda's dialogues and lectures on "soft power", to know that what Nichiren, I, and others are telling you, is true.
Nichiren teaches that such efforts divorced from forceful religious conversion [shakubuku] are doomed to failure. One need only look at the actual situation of moving ever closer to nuclear war, despite SGI President Ikeda's dialogues and lectures on "soft power", to know that what Nichiren, I, and others are telling you, is true.
Seems like only thing SGI members care about is whether others donate and successful members. Chant for selves to make money. They all put too many expectations on their kids. No heart. Selfish soulless practice. Most of successful people are cons or money grubbers. Not spiritual at all. Another religion based on money and greed. What hoolow shells and devils they are. SGI has really hurt my son badly. Not so good for me. Many organised cults do this crap to people.
ReplyDeletei agree anonymous and i am sorry to hear about your son.
Deletei myself joined nsa/nst/sgi cult in 1967 when i was 17 years old. i was in the eye of the hurricane for twenty years. ikeda/williams, the first headquarters in a run down abandoned post office in the ghetto of east los angeles(before santa monica). did activities 24/7 for 20 years everyday and every night. due to a desire to practice correctly and, fairly serious study of the teachings, by 1987 i was firm in my realization that ikeda was a phony, gmw was half crazy from trying to follow and satisfy ikeda(gmw had a nervous breakdown in the middle nineties), and that nsa/sgi did not follow the teachings of the lotus sutra or its votary, nichiren. so i left but never gave up my faith and practice. one cannot have a discussion with deeply poisoned people(sgi/nst). i have been trying for many years. why? because these people cannot see nichiren or the gohozon. they are the children who refuse the medicine. this is their punishment for aggressive slander of the law. now rather than argue pointlessly, i tell them to chant namu(not nam), myoho renge kyo, study the lotus sutra through the eyes of nichiren and try to follow nichiren to the letter whether you understand it or not. by doing so, one will begin to understand. end of story. the people who will not listen(most), teach us how correct the teachings are and help us deepen our faith. the real treasure. buddhism is sick. our country is sick and it will only get worse due to slander of the law. fasten your seatbelt.
here is the good news.......if you and your son approach the buddha and the law(the gohonzon) with sincerity and respect, it won't be easy, but all poison can and will change to medicine for you and your son. don't doubt this. check what i say with the teachings.
indeed, all cults are the same. messing with the real teachings is absolutely the worse. your benefit is that you can see, while many, many others cannot. cheers.
Absolutely true Greg. Though I may be nearing the end, I am peaceful and secure and surrounded by many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, not to mention good spiritual friends.
ReplyDeleteno, no...your faith is being tested! yes, the priest shinkei told me you were having a tough time. we are chanting and you have more to do. my experience a few years back(you know) led me to believe that there is nothing to fear. you are the perfect person in the behavior of the votary so you will last longer than you should. however, truthfully, time is short for all of us. good news about your land........excellent mark!
Deletethe comment by anonymous above(who ever that is) is worthy of a reply. chin up....gloria will miss you.
namu myoho renge kyo!!!!!!
having said the above......make sure you get proper rest.
Deleteits fine to slow it down. no hurry, no worry.
"Absolutely true Greg. Though I may be nearing the end, I am peaceful and secure and surrounded by many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, not to mention good spiritual friends."
ReplyDeleteMark I hope not, please take care of yourself, Greg gives good advice below.
You were "pondering", no worries, I'll take care of it and put something together for your comment. That may be better. Focus on getting yourself well and strong. :)
cheers mudpie!
Delete"Thus you should understand that so long as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra remains unwavering in faith , free of all false alliances, entrusting himself wholeheartedly to the Lotus Sutra, and practicing in accordance with the Buddha's golden words, he shall without fail be able to prevent disaster and prolong his life in this present existence, to say nothing of in the life to come. splendid recompense will be his, and he will fulfill his great vow to broadly proclaim and propagate the Lotus Sutra." ("Letter Sent With The Prayer Sutra"- to Sairen-bo, 1271)
ReplyDeleteI am certain you have the passages of the Lotus Sutra that Nichiren sent as a prayer- attached to this letter for Sairen-bo, who was suffering from illness. Nichiren said it was "for votaries of the Lotus Sutra only" to recite--
So it clearly applies to you.
I am happy to know that you are surrounded by "many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas"-- please know I wish to be counted amongst your spiritual friends-- praying wholeheartedly for you with my deepest gratitude for your crucial contribution to my awakening to correct faith and practice of Nichiren's Lotus Sutra Buddhism.
I will protect and treasure the Gohonzon you bestowed "for the Transmission of the Dharma" and will learn how to mount and frame Gohonzon -- to bestow, as you instructed-- for the remainder of my life--.
Today, tomorrow and always, I look forward to seeing you on Eagle Peak !!
Namu-myoho-renge-kyo ,
Namu-myoho-renge-kyo,
Namu-myoho-renge-kyo !
All the Best,
~Katie
Thank you, thank you, thank you all. Was feeling like s--t for several weeks, though i never missed a day of work for the sake of my patients. Then, last Friday, my dialysis machine shut down. Fortunately, they delivered a new one on Saturday. Frankly, by Tuesday, I started to feel a lot better. I think I was feeling bad because the machine wan't functioning well. Last week I saw a heart doctor who is going to clear me [i hope] for a renal transplant. My nephrologist and friend is working on pushing the transplant center to hurry things up. I wouldn't mind getting a Hell's Angel's kidney since I always wanted to ride a big fat fat boy motorcycle or a surfer's kidney cause i always wanted to surf never had the opportunity. If i get the kidney, i promise to visit all of you and to finally perform a full gainer dive. Truthfully, things are looking hopeful and bright. Also had the benefit of lowering my personal medical bill from $15,000.00 to approximately $2500.00 with a few strokes of my pen.
ReplyDeleteDaimoku Power!
ReplyDeleteyep.....you and your other doctors don't have the final say.
Deletea little story - about 20 years ago(long story short) my mother was very sick and dying from something very serious. everyday i would go to the ucla hospital and make her chant and do some gongyo with me(she not a buddhist). she was in very bad shape . one day her lead doctor said to me "whatever you are doing , keep it up because truthfully your mother should be dead and we do not know what is keeping her alive".
sometime later they decided to perform a very difficult surgery on her and they told me she most likely would not survive the long surgery. she survived the surgery and when she was in ICU i went to visit her. as i was speaking to her she asked me if my group(other buddists) were out side her room chanting for her. apparently she had had a hallucination with hundreds of buddhists chanting for her recovery. anyway, she lived for another five years. daimoku power!
THANK YOU-- Mark and Greg - I was unusually bright and happy yesterday-- moreso than usual when I commemorated Nichiren's Memorial- I could not shake off the joy no matter how seriously I pondered Mark's predicament--. When I recited the sutra and chanted daimoku I felt even more joy --. Then I had a chance to check back in here and read Mark's post-- and Greg's follow up--. Great News--Great story!
ReplyDelete. What is the actual proof of the joy I experienced from this faith experience? I am not the least bit perturbed by Richards attack du jour-- or even Chas' spam fest--My comments on ARBN were actually upbeat-- genuinely so . I actually felt appreciation for the gut wrenching attacks that have become the norm since Noel joined the Boy Band-- and I am not even slightly annoyed by that today--
I am deeply grateful -- and I will make greater efforts from this joy filled experience. I will also be able to get some sleep after my night shift.
I have trouble remembering that when I put 110% into my practice, study and propagation activities-- joy from the Law always follows-- and it is not circumstantial -- it just happens.
Take good care of yourselves, guys. I always look forward to seeing your comments here-- but I do know that I will always encounter you on Eagle Peak.
CHEERS !!!
~Katie
Zzzzzzzzzzzz
indeed katie...........cheers!
Deletei know you know this but as a reminder, the boys in the band are just helping you change your karma from past slander,...relax!
with a correct faith and practice, at a crucial moment, one will be encased in the womb of the eternal buddha. warm and secure. nichiren promises this and this was my own experience three and a half years ago, and i cannot help but think that whatever happens with mark and others, it will be joyful.
cheers all.
I'm very glad to hear you're getting sorted Mark. Thanks Greg for your inspiration. And Katie, you've been brilliant.
Delete"Gut wrenching attacks" indeed you've endured the full force of the Boy Band's misogyny and rampant sexism, really drawing out the poison and changing it to good medicine not just for you but for others too. Thank you.
I've been quite in awe of your composure and I'm sure that will not have gone unnoticed by others too.
Thanks to your efforts, we now know quite clearly that The Boy Band don't believe that Namu Myoho Renge-kyo + faith alone are sufficient, Noel thinks its "half baked". We also know that those who advocate a faith-first practice clear focus on Daimoku, Shakyamuni and Nichiren stirs the Boy Band into their worst and most disordered frenzies. That's quite a poison drum relationship they've formed. I keep hoping that they'll have a moment of faith and realise their error. They will of course, at some stage but in this lifetime would be good and sooner rather than later.
I echo your joy though Katie, I never thought we'd all be living out those portions of the Sutra. Over the last year my faith has deepened and expanded and that's due to Mark, Greg and your efforts as well as whatever merit I managed to make in the past. But Greg is right, it's also down to the Boy Band's opposition.
I am so grateful to you all and of course the peerless teacher of the Sutra itself and it's Buddha, Shakyamuni. Aren't we all so fortunate to be born again with our teachers, The Sutra and it's Buddha? :)
Thank you.
mudpie/katie....rare is the word. according to nichiren, "rare" is profound.
Deletegassho!
Yes, Greg totally agree-- "rare" is the word.
DeleteThere is also profound significance in the evidence of sustained engagement, which I have found to be most splendidly exemplified from you and Mark here on Eagle Peak. As I have mentioned here, I was of the opinion that "leaving them all strictly alone" was the best course of action.
I have also shared that I was indeed suffering when I stumbled upon a link to Eagle Peak-- and I have been fortunate to be able to share the benefit of my Eagle Peak connection with SGI members for whom I have had the greatest concern.
It does become easier to respond with composure to the *bull baiting* and heinous mud slinging by Chas & Richard on ARBN-- the interesting *effect* from my perspective are the obstacles that arise in the areas of my life where i am striving the hardest to make a difference--
Just as I embarked once again on a course to protect kids - directly, in the mental health system in Boston, I was contacted by the wife of the young man who just launched a hunger strike to draw attention to issues that have previously threatened my livelihood. I was sought out to support yet another young adult who is putting his life on the line to draw attention to the issues I -- and other reputable professionals have publicized.
Agonizing ordeals-- are the real benefit of rebuking slander-- each time they surface there is a little more light breaking through the clouds-- and I am once again challenged to uphold the Law and give no thought to the personal consequences to my *own life*-- "effects" that I am asking for---literally.
It is my great fortune to have encountered you and Mark-- and to know that I am not alone in opting to go full tilt-- no matter what -- or rather, that there are others who know that the this is the sure path to the greatest joy one can experience.
I am still blushing from Mudpie's compliments. He established the platform for serious debate on ARBN-- and continues to keep it above board and focused on propagation of the correct Essential practice--> ALL feats I attribute to a *super hero* who can move with ease from daily life to defending the Law . This is what toppled the Boy Band's choke hold on the top of the charts on ARBN-- and hopefully set SGI into a downward spiral..
Namu-myoho-renge-kyo !
~Katie
"agonizing ordeals--are the real benefit of rebuking slander"....yes!
ReplyDeleteover the years(10), many people have come and gone. most people, up to this point, cannot hang. hopefully, this has begun to change.
apparently, yours and mudpie"s words and experience match the teachings in the latter age.
i seldom use the word gassho because of what it implies.
gassho to you both.