Daily Guidance - The Relationship between you and the Gohonzon

Thanks to the lovely @LolzHeart for sharing this guidance...hope you enjoy it...

The following guidance is by Soka Gakkai Vice President Takehisa Tsuji that appeared in the 16 May 1986 issue of the World Tribune and is so significant to our practice and meaningful to our lives that it should be read, reread and shared with all. This is a great read but, more importantly, it needs to be utilised!

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN YOU AND THE GOHONZON

Today I would like to explain the relationship between you and the Gohonzon. The telephone was invented by Mr Bell and it enabled people to communicate. The electric light, invented by Thomas Edison, is used everywhere in the world. Although he invented it, it is not the property of a single person. It already existed in life. Telephones and electric lights were possible because of the existence of the natural laws of sound and light. Nichiren Daishonin explained the law of life in the form of the Gohonzon. It is applicable to any person: anyone who chants to this Gohonzon becomes happy. A baby doesn’t know how to use electricity but if he pushes the switch, it works. In the same way, when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for the first time, it is like a baby putting on the light of the Law of Life.

It seems as if we are chanting to an external object, but actually you are switching the light on within yourself. If you look at a beautiful picture, it doesn’t speak to you and tell you how beautiful it is. You feel its beauty by looking at it: you experience it inside. One you feel beauty inside, you can enjoy the beauty of beautiful flowers, etc, outside. Similarly with music, although it is external, you enjoy its beauty inside yourself.

In the same way, when you do gongyo, the highest state of life wells up from within you. You make a connection with the Gohonzon in your heart. When we talk of faith, we mean developing our connection with the Gohonzon. Try bringing forth that highest state from within you every time you do gongyo.

It is said that with the Gohonzon we can become healthy and rich. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we make an invisible connection to and from the Gohonzon, like radio waves. If you receive electric waves, you die, but if you make a connection with the Gohonzon through chanting daimoku, you’re able to circulate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo within your body and attain enlightenment at that moment. You’re rejuvenated. Two people having a love affair have this special connection. Try to develop a similar seeking attitude for the Gohonzon. The Lotus Sutra mentions gen kai e renbo: seeking the Gohonzon as though it were your lover. If the Gohonzon could speak to you, probably you feel it would be easier. The Gohonzon is like a parent which listens to all your prayers and tries to bring you to an equal life condition.

Everyone has a cycle of emotions within including Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but we can’t see their existence. As the Gosho says: your eyebrows are too close to be able to see them. Your life-states only occur in relation to an external cause. For example, when someone lies to you, anger fills your entire body - every physical aspect is imbued with anger. When you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, you achieve kosen-rufu in your body. Your entire body is filled with joy.

The Gohonzon doesn’t give you medicine, but you are able to connect the invisible Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in yourself with the visible Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the Gohonzon and we obtain the same benefit and healing power as is contained in the Gohonzon. When you are chanting, do not chant as if to some external object, but to bring forth Nam-myoho-renge-kyo from within and let it circulate through your entire body.

Seek the Gohonzon as your parent. When we do this, our entire body absorbs Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It reaches the brain and cures mental illness. It reaches the ears and cures hearing problems, it reaches the eyes and cures eye troubles, as our vocal chords make this beautiful sound. It reaches the lungs and cancer of the lungs or breast is cured. It reaches the stomach, the tips of the hands and feet, everywhere. Chant with the attitude of devoting your life to kosen-rufu, of becoming healthy for kosen-rufu.

Gongyo is bringing forth Nam-myoho-renge-kyo from within yourself which cleanses and purifies the body. It is not asking for benefit from some external object. Gongyo purifies your life from within. Try to taste the daimoku and circulate it through your body to reach the bones and the blood. Express your appreciation to the Gohonzon that you can attain the same life-state as the Gohonzon. There is a phrase in the Lotus Sutra, shiki ko mimi, which means practice faith as though enjoying delicious food. Gongyo done out of force of habit is nothing like this. Chanting with an appreciative attitude as though enjoying delicious food enables you to overcome illness and other problems.

When you take off in an airplane, the crew makes flight checks. When you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, make an inspection of your life by letting it reach all parts of your body right to the extremities. Then our bodies become the treasure tower of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The head is MYO, the throat HO, the breast and stomach RENGE, and the legs, KYO.

Recently I met a woman who couldn’t walk properly. She had to walk to tiptoe. I told her about this treasure tower of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and that the feet were KYO. I told her to chant for kosen-rufu, to pledge to cure her feet so that she could run around and do shakubuku. She felt she had not been doing gongyo correctly and changed her attitude. Her feet started to move and the pain went away. Actually, she understood immediately and because of this, was cured right away.

I met a 66-year-old grandmother who was blind. She said she didn’t mind if she didn’t see, but she wanted to see the Gohonzon just once. I told her the same thing, to send Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to her eyes. She changed her attitude in gongyo and determined to work for kosen-rufu. She started to see the light in the room at that moment. She jumped up and shouted! She wrote to me saying that now she chants for hours on end.

These experiences are not because of me; I am not a doctor. I merely told these people the Correct Method of Chanting. The Gohonzon is not just a piece of paper. A dollar bill has value. The Gohonzon has incomparable power to cure any disease or problem. Change yourselves into being magnets of good fortune. Love the Gohonzon above all else and circulate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo through your body. We all have the ultimate Law within us, but only Nichiren Daishonin could bring it forth without external help. This is why he inscribed the Gohonzon for us. A parent yearns for her children to become equal to herself. If all people could chant and live based on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, there would be no conflicts or wars in this world. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can harmonise all conflicts.

The invention of the telephone and electric light are praiseworthy indeed. However, these do not enable us to overcome disease and change our karma. Only the Gohonzon enables us to attain happiness. It enables people from all over the world to live happy lives. Telephones and lights have become popular throughout the world because they are so useful. In the case of religion, it is not so easy to let people all over the world know that the Gohonzon enables them to live happy lives. We make daily efforts to do shakubuku. You may have difficulty trying to shakubuku your family, but it is much more praiseworthy than inventing the electric light.

Question: Can we overcome any illness?
Answer: Yes, all diseases. The Gohonzon is almighty. There are four large characters on the Gohonzon in the corners, The Four Heavenly Kings. The one on the bottom left is Zojoten which has the meaning of increasing and enlarging. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enlarges and increases through the body, allowing any illness to be cured.

Two things are important. Firstly, is one’s practice really joyful? Secondly, make sure we are not chanting for mercy from an external object. It is the difference between chanting like a beggar or bringing Nam-myoho-renge-kyo forth from within and tasting the daimoku. Maybe some people’s attitude is swaying this way and when they are chanting they are not able to obtain full benefit. The Gosho says that if the faith of the believer in the Lotus Sutra is not deep, then it is like a crescent moon. Deep faith is like a full moon. A crescent moon gives some light, but a full moon gives much more. The Gosho likens faith to the ocean. Shallow faith is like bubbles on the waves and deep faith is the ocean itself. Bubbles can disappear, but the water of the ocean always exists. Life in this world is like the bubbles on the surface of the ocean. When we die we still exist like the water itself. In any case, whether you have weak or strong faith, you will be able to be born with the Gohonzon as a human being wherever you want. Make yourself happy, whether you are asleep or awake, living or dead. Soka Gakkai President Ikeda encourages us to become victors in the eternity of life. We are repeating the cycle of life and death. It is important to be born as a human being.

When Nam-myoho-renge-kyo works strongly in your life, you can overcome problems much more quickly than when your faith is weak.

Question: If the power of the Gohonzon is infinite, does that mean we shouldn’t see doctors?
Answer: No, of course not. Medicine is included in the realm of Buddhism. All people mentioned before consulted doctors, but their diseases could not be cured purely by medical science. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo makes medical treatment more effective.

Daily Practice - Chanting for safety during the Paralympics

Daily Guidance for daimoku for the safety of all during the Paralympics ELA'12 - Sunday 9th September - tozo hosted by Tower Hamlets

When we develop towering mountains of capable people who make positive contributions to humanity and vast oceans of ordinary individuals who work together for the happiness of all people, the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin will truly become a philosophy that illuminates all humankind. It is we, the votaries of the Lotus sutra who create this great current of worldwide kosen-rufu. President Ikeda, Newsletter 8088

Daily Practice - Chanting for safety during the Paralympics

Daily Guidance for daimoku for the safety of all during the Paralympics ELA'12 - Saturday 8th September - tozo hosted by Lea Valley

Buddhism is a humanistic teaching. It enables us to find supreme hope within ourselves – hope that is represented by the infinite nobility of our own lives. when we can find supreme hope in our own lives we can also find the same luminous hope in the lives of others. We can awaken to our mission of building a new and better world characterised by respect for life and human dignity, based on as fundamental spirit of empathy and caring for others. President Ikeda, Newsletter 8088

Daily Practice - Chanting for safety during the Paralympics

Daily Guidance for daimoku for the safety of all during the Paralympics ELA'12 - Friday 7th September - tozo hosted by Hackney North

In the United Kingdom—the site of the upcoming London 2012 Olympic Games—our fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth are continuing to make positive contributions to society as good citizens who are a source of hope and inspiration for others.

A great undertaking cannot be achieved without passionate dedication and commitment. We of the SGI have such burning resolve. We have hope. That is why we are strong and unafraid. President Ikeda, Newsletter 8538

Daily Gosho - The Two Kinds of Faith

The Gosho that has stayed with me throughout my practice. I think I got the card pictured below from an AGM we had once. Bring back the AGM's - I loved those! My first seven years in Youth Division were like water; steady and consistent... next seven years - definitely like fire. I'm using this Gosho as part of my experience tomorrow night at Chapter Study, and I'll include it on the blog next week. 
My current "seven-year bell" period which will take me to 2016, sees me with faith like water, with the practice at the centre of my life. Throughout all of it, this Gosho card has sat on my butsudan. It's seen a lot, this card!

"Today there are people who have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The belief of some is like fire while that of others is like water. When the former listen to the teachings, their passion flares up like fire, but as time goes on, they tend to discard their faith. To have faith like water means to believe continuously without ever regressing."
(The Two Kinds of Faith - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 899) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=899 Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, August 2nd, 2012

Background
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu to Nanjo Tokimitsu, the steward of Ueno Village in Suruga Province, in the second month of the fourth year of Kenji (1278). The previous year had been a time of turmoil. A serious drought had devastated crops, and the resulting famine brought countless hardships. In addition, an epidemic had swept the area, causing many deaths. At the same time, the threat of a second
invasion by Mongol forces contributed to a general feeling of unease.
In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin expresses his gratitude for Nanjo’s offerings and praises him for his deep sincerity. He introduces the concept of the two kinds of faith: faith like ephemeral fire and faith like ever-flowing water. The Daishonin lauds Nanjo’s faith as being like the latter.

Daily Practice - Chanting for safety during the Paralympics

Daily Guidance for daimoku for the safety of all during the Paralympics ELA'12 - Thursday 6th September - tozo hosted by Waltham Forest

The Daishonin writes: “Even one seed, when planted, multiplies” (WND-2, 602). Everywhere around the world, our early efforts invariably started with just a handful of people. Our movement spread as a result of dedicated leaders who were committed to sowing the seeds of the Mystic Law for the happiness of all humanity, rather than seeking after their own glory. Today, the SGI movement for peace, culture, education, and humanism has grown to encompass in 192 countries and territories, and the seeds that have been planted are now producing beautiful blooms. 
The development of a great current of kosen-rufu in our communities and countries across the globe begins with the tireless efforts and growth of individuals of firm resolve and commitment. 
President Ikeda, Newsletter 8538

Daily Gosho - Letter to the Brothers

Sometimes I am prone to analyse. And ponder. And then worry some more... Actually the only thing I need to concern myself with is to make sure my three practices are as they should be...the rest I can leave to the mystic law of the universe, trusting the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Employing the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other...

"Whatever trouble occurs, regard it as no more than a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra."

(Letter to the Brothers - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 502) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=493 Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, August 1st, 2012

Background

The two brothers to whom this letter is addressed were the sons of Ikegami Saemon no Tayu Yasumitsu, who held an important post in Kamakura in the government’s Office of Construction and Repairs. The older brother, Munenaka (Ikegami Uemon no Tayu Munenaka; d. 1293), was probably converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism in , and the younger brother, Munenaga (Ikegami Hyoe no Sakan Munenaga; d. 1283), shortly thereafter.

The father, Yasumitsu, was a loyal follower of Ryokan, chief priest of Gokuraku-ji temple of the True Word Precepts school, and vehemently opposed the beliefs of his two sons for over twenty years. In fact, he went so far as to disown his elder son on two occasions, in 1275 and 1277. Primogeniture, the right of the eldest son to succeed to the wealth and social prestige of the family, was a vitally important aspect of Japanese society. The individual scarcely existed outside a family context, and centuries of intra-family rivalry, feuding, and even murder attested to the importance of being first in line for inheritance. Virtually insurmountable social and economic sanctions existed against disowned persons.

By disowning Munenaka, their father in effect was provoking rivalry between the two sons by tempting Munenaga to trade his beliefs for the right to his father’s estate. The Daishonin sent letters of encouragement to the two brothers and their wives, urging them all to unite and maintain their faith. In 1278 the brothers finally succeeded in converting their father to the Daishonin’s teachings.

When the Daishonin’s health began to fail in 1282, at the urging of his disciples he set out for the hot springs of Hitachi. Sensing that death was immi

nent, however, he shunned the hot springs in favor of a trip to Munenaka’s residence in Ikegami in what is present- day Tokyo. There, after having taken measures to ensure the perpetuity of his teachings, he passed away on the thirteenth day of the tenth month, 1282.

Letter to the Brothers mentions three ways in which obstacles should be viewed in the light of Buddhism: (1) as an opportunity to use strong faith to purge oneself of bad karma from the past; (2) as an instance of evil friends attempting to obstruct one’s practice; and (3) as an example of the negative function of the devil king of the sixth heaven possessing one’s parents or others in order to destroy one’s faith.