"The learned authorities in the world today suppose that there is no harm in mixing extraneous practices with the practice of the Lotus Sutra, and I, Nichiren, was once of that opinion myself. But the passage from the sutra [that I have just quoted] does not permit such a view. Suppose that a woman who had been the consort of a great king and had become pregnant with his seed should then turn round and marry a man of common stature. In such a case, the seed of the king and the seed of the commoner would become mixed together, and as a result, the aid and assistance of heaven and the protection of the patron deities2 would be withdrawn, and the kingdom would face ruin. The child born from two such fathers would be neither a king nor a commoner, but someone who belongs not to the human realm.
This is one of the most important points in the Lotus Sutra. The doctrine of the sowing of the seed and its maturing and harvesting3 is the very heart and core of the Lotus Sutra. All the Buddhas of the three existences and the ten directions have invariably attained Buddhahood through the seeds represented by the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. The words Namu Amida Butsu are not the seeds of Buddhahood, nor can the mantras or the five precepts act as such seeds. One must be perfectly clear about this point, because this is the fault referred to as being mixed."
I'm laughing and crying at the same time.
I'm laughing and crying at the same time.
Myoho Renge Kyo is the "seed"
ReplyDeleteBravo for the millions who continue to recite daimoku !!
if one were to change the one essential phrase...what else would they change = everything. find me a writing in nichirens hand that says nam.....can't be done./// chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo and follow nichiren to the best of your ability. then your eyes can open. time to wake up kids.
Deletegregorio
"How great is the difference between the blessings received when a sage chants the daimoku and the blessings received when we chant it" to reply, one is in no way superior to the other. the gold that a fool possesses is no different from the gold that a wise man possesses; a fire made by a fool is the same as a fire made by a wise man. HOWEVER, there is a difference if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra".
ReplyDeleteAnd then there is the principle of mixing. I'm OK, your OK even in the realm of the perfect teaching is not the buddhism of Nichiren. I suggest you read Letter to Akimoto and The Teaching for the Latter Day. Here is a passage from the latter writing:
To mix other practices with this Namu-myoho-renge-kyo is a grave error. A lantern is useless when the sun rises. How can dewdrops be beneficial when the rain falls? Should one feed a newborn baby anything other than its mother’s milk? No addition of other medicines is needed with a good medicine. Somehow this woman remained true to this principle, and continued to uphold her faith until the last moment of her life. How admirable, how worthy!"
Thanks for exemplifying “ the difference” when one goes against the Sutra’s intent !
ReplyDelete~ Katie😊