Daily Practice - SGI-UK e-bulletin out now!

Issue 98 of SGI-UK e-bulletin can be accessed here! e-bulletin

Ikeda Humanism Brazilian Philharmonic Orchestra, SGI-USA & Ikeda Youth Ensemble Pt 2

SGI Brazil & US Exchange and Ikeda Youth Ensemble 2012 Competition Documentary - Part 2
http://youtu.be/PyeLsCPoxag

Ikeda Humanism Brazilian Philharmonic Orchestra, SGI-USA & Ikeda Youth Ensemble

SGI Brazil & US Exchange and Ikeda Youth Ensemble 2012 Competition Documentary - Part 1 http://youtu.be/CAGl3FMwEPw

Daily Practice - SGI-UK e-bulletin out now!

Issue 97 of SGI-UK e-bulletin can be accessed here! e-bulletin

Daily Practice - SGI-UK e-bulletin out now!

Sorry everyone, I'm late in posting this up - issue 96 of e-bulletin can be found here!

Message to the European Women’s Division General Meeting

Many congratulations on holding this European Women’s Division General Meeting in high spirits! My wife and I are chanting for the great success of the meeting and watching over you. We are imagining all of your cheerful smiles, as you gather together from your respective areas in Europe.
Amid the harsh realities of an ever changing world, I am well aware of how much you are exerting yourselves, day in and day out, in your Buddhist activities in order to construct a peaceful society, for the prosperity of your local community and to establish happiness for yourselves and others. Thank you so much for your great efforts. There is no doubt that the heavenly deities will surely protect every one of you, who are tirelessly dedicating yourselves for kosen-rufu.
Referring to the Buddhist parable of King Rinda, whose power and vitality increased when he heard the sound of white horses neighing, Nichiren Daishonin states as follows: “The neighing of the white horses is the sound of our voices chanting Nam-myoho-rengekyo. When Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, and the others hear this sound, how could they fail to take on a healthy colour and shine with a brilliant light? How could they fail to guard and protect us? We should be firmly convinced of this!”(WND-1, pp. 989-990)
How immense is the power of the Mystic Law!
The Daishonin asserts that through continuing to chant resonant daimoku our lives will be polished and come to shine with brilliance, our environment will be transformed and we ourselves will be protected.
My mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda said:
“Whatever the problems you may have, you must turn them into prayers and deepen your faith. Everything, without fail, will be transformed into great benefit. The Mystic Law has the power to transform everything. A person who resolutely forges ahead based on faith will be a great victor in the end, without fail.”
Therefore, I sincerely hope that you will steadfastly walk on the correct path of faith, practice and study while encouraging one another. Shine as brilliantly as the sun in your family and steadily climb the slope of happiness everyday, one step after another. Putting your health first, please brightly and wisely demonstrate “actual proof of victory” in your local communities and your workplaces, and continue to expand the circle of trust in your environment. It is the cheerful advance towards happiness by the members of the Women’s Division that symbolises the hope-filled advance of the SGI.
It is my fervent wish that all of you, without exception, will live an unsurpassed life where all your prayers and dreams come true.
I conclude my message by expressing my heartfelt prayers for my beloved fellow members of the Women’s Division of SGI Europe. I am praying for your great health and success and the increasing happiness and prosperity of your families.
Three cheers for the Women’s Division of Europe! Please stay well forever!

May 31st, 2013
Daisaku and Kaneko Ikeda

"Composing Hope" featuring Verbal Ase of SGI-USA

Wonderful episode of Composing Hope here featuring beat-boxer Verbal Ase. Thank you SGI-USA for sharing!  

Thank you Buddhas!

Thank you so much for the support you have shown the Buddhas of Essex blog. 15,000 views of Nichiren Daishonin's writings and Sensei Ikeda's guidance to date.

Really appreciate all the comments and feedback - a big Soka THANK YOU from this Buddha of Essex!

Much love xx

Daily Gosho - The Teaching, Practice, and Proof

The time to be brave and prove the validity of the Mystic Law!

"Nichiren's disciples cannot accomplish anything if they are cowardly."

(The Teaching, Practice, and Proof - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 481) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=473 Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's guidance, Seikyo Shimbun, June 24th, 2012 Selection source: Myoji no Gen, Seikyo Shimbun, November 13th, 2012


Background
In the fifth month, 1274, Nichiren Daishonin left Kamakura and went to live in a small dwelling in the wilderness of Mount Minobu. Here he continued to write letters and other documents, trained his disciples, and lectured on the Lotus Sutra. From this time, his disciples, centering around Nikko Shonin, took the leadership in propagation activities.
This letter is generally thought to have been written at Minobu in the third month of the twelfth year of Bun’ei (1275). It contains the Daishonin’s reply to questions from Sammibo, one of the Daishonin’s leading disciples, concerning his preparations for a religious debate.
Sammi-bo was noted for his eloquence and learning. He was a priest who had studied on Mount Hiei, delivered lectures for the aristocracy in Kyoto, and was for a while active in helping spread the Daishonin’s teachings. The Daishonin, however, chided him on several occasions for his arrogance. During the Atsuhara Persecution of 1279, he forsook his faith and is said to have met a tragic death, although the precise details are not known.
In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin states that Shakyamuni’s teachings no longer lead to enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law, and that only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo combines the three elements of teaching, practice, and proof essential to making Buddhism viable. In the opening section, he discusses the Buddha’s teaching, the practice of the teaching, and the proof, that is, the merit - strictly speaking, enlightenment - resulting from practice in the three consecutive periods of the Former, Middle, and Latter Days of the Law. In terms of Hinayana Buddhism, he explains that in the Former Day there are teaching, practice, and proof; in the Middle Day there are teaching and practice but no longer any proof; and in the Latter Day only the teaching remains, and there is neither practice nor proof.
The Daishonin goes on to say that those who attained Buddhahood during Shakyamuni’s lifetime and in the Former and Middle Days of the Law were able to do so because they had already received the seeds of Buddhahood from Shakyamuni in the past and nurtured it over many lifetimes until their capacity for enlightenment had all but matured. For this reason, they were able to gain conspicuous benefit through Shakyamuni’s teachings— that is, they attained enlightenment immediately. In the Latter Day, however, people receive the seeds of Buddhahood for the first time. Because the seeds require a certain period of time to mature, the enlightenment of these people takes a while to become apparent and is therefore called inconspicuous benefit. Next, asserting the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin points out the doctrinal errors of the True Word, Nembutsu, and other schools, and urges Sammi-bo to refute their misconceptions fearlessly. Lastly, he stresses the benefit of Myoho-renge-kyo, the core of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, and predicts that that teaching will spread widely without fail.

Daily Gosho - The Supremacy of the Law

I'm thinking, in this year of my Actual Proof Campaign, that my results will depend on how much effort I devote to my three practices every day. By effort, I don't necessarily mean just time, but my sincerity within the time I have. And this deep determination and effort will provide benefits - of course, conspicious benefits are great, but as we know, treasures of the heart are so much more satisfying! How wonderful that we all have the tool to become unshakeably-happy. Not sure if that is a word or not, but hopefully you know what I mean! Skilled in the practice of being pilots of our own happiness. As Sensei says in Newsletter 8575:


'No matter what our circumstances may be, when we have firm faith in the Mystic Law, we will definitely be protected by the positive functions of the universe. In Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism, faith means always looking to the future and making a fresh start from this moment on. Let’s begin each day anew with the resolve to strengthen our faith more than ever. This is the essence of the proud ever-victorious spirit of the SGI."

Let's rouse these shoten-zenjin with our roaring daimoku!


"I say this for your sake. I know your faith has always been admirable, but now you must strengthen it more than ever."

(The Supremacy of the Law - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 614) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=613 Selection source: Buddhist teachings, Seikyo Shimbun, November 11th, 2012

Background

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the eighth month of the first year of Kenji (1275). It was addressed to Oto, the daughter of Nichimyo, an earnest believer living in Kamakura. This letter, though addressed to Oto, was obviously meant for her mother, whom the Daishonin had called the Sage Nichimyo in a letter dated the fifth month of 1272.

Virtually nothing is known about Nichimyo other than that she visited the Daishonin, with her daughter, while he was in exile on Sado Island. The journey to Sado was a dangerous one, and the Daishonin was greatly impressed by the strength of faith she demonstrated.

In this letter, the Daishonin says, “Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue dye comes from indigo, but when something is repeatedly dyed in it, the color is better than that of the indigo plant.” With this paraphrase of a passage in the well-known Chinese classic, Hsün Tzu, he encourages Nichimyo to strengthen her faith still more so she can gain even greater vitality and good fortune.

The title for this letter derives from a passage in The Annotations on the Nirvana Sutra that reads, “One’s body is insignificant while the Law is supreme. One should give one’s life in order to propagate the Law.” The Daishonin declares that however much people hate and persecute him, because the Law is supreme, it will spread without fail. Then, after his death, his remains, he adds, will be respected, as will those who have aided him. 

Daily Practice - latest SGI-UK e-bulletin out now!

Latest issue of the SGI-UK e-bulletin is online now at http://www.sgi-uk.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/sgi_e_bulletin_issue95.pdf featuring the Women's Division Inspiration Day...

Daily Gosho - Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light

Just thinking about our daily practice and how quickly our lifestates can drop when we haven't chanted consistently - well, mine anyway! We have 195 days now till 18th November - so still lots of time to win in our Actual Proof Campaign. I think the key is to chant every day so that we can have faith like water, smooth and balanced. Our dominant lifestate becomes that of Buddhahood and we truly believe that we will have victories in our lives...we can and we will!

"One who, on hearing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, makes even greater efforts in faith is a true seeker of the way. T'ien-t'ai states, 'From the indigo, an even deeper blue.' This passage means that, if one dyes something repeatedly in indigo, it becomes even bluer than the indigo leaves. The Lotus Sutra is like the indigo, and the strength of one's practice is like the deepening blue."

(Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 457) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=456 Selection source: Buddhist teachings, Seikyo Shimbun, November 11th, 2012


Background
In the fifth month of the eleventh year of Bun’ei (1274), Nichiren Daishonin left Kamakura and went to live in a small dwelling at the foot of Mount Minobu. In the seventh month, the Daishonin wrote this letter to the wife of Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, or Ueno. She was the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu, who had succeeded his father as steward of Ueno in Suruga Province. She had raised nine children after her husband’s death in 1265and was a devoted mother and a sincere follower of the Daishonin. On this occasion she had
sent the Daishonin various offerings to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her husband’s death. This letter expresses the Daishonin’s appreciation for her thoughtfulness and devotion.

SGI President Ikeda’s Message for May 3, 2013

I would like to congratulate all of you, my dear friends of SGI-UK, on this glorious May 3—which is not only Soka Gakkai Day, but also Soka Gakkai Mothers Day, an occasion when we express our appreciation to all our wonderful women’s division members, the mothers of kosen-rufu.

I am delighted to be celebrating this May 3 in great victory with all of you, the members of our Soka family around the world, and I would like to sincerely praise and thank you for your noble, dedicated efforts.

Inheriting the spirit of Nichiren Daishonin, the three founding presidents of the Soka Gakkai have each made a vow to accomplish kosen-rufu and devoted their lives to realizing that goal. And May 3 is the eternal prime point of this shared vow of mentor and disciple.

With the dawn of each May 3, let us - as SGI members joined by the bonds of mentor and disciple - make the original and inherent brilliance of our lives shine forth even more strongly to illuminate the world and those around us.

On November 18 of this year, the long-awaited new citadel of worldwide kosen-rufu, the Soka Gakkai’s central headquarters, will be completed. This will mark a new phase for the SGI as a world religious movement that offers hope to all humanity.

While in exile on Sado Island, Nichiren Daishonin declared:

There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku. At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. Propagation will unfold this way in the future as well. Does this not signify “emerging from the earth”? (WND-1, 385)

It is the presence of our towering network of members in 192 countries and territories - Bodhisattvas of the Earth who have appeared just as the Daishonin predicted - that will make our new central headquarters shine with incomparable brilliance. 

Please remember that all of you here today are people of great mission who share profound and wondrous karmic ties and have a direct connection to Nichiren Daishonin.

With confidence in our mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, let’s set forth afresh on the great adventure of kosen-rufu, promoting our movement with pride, joy, energy and a youthful spirit!

The SGI is a “pillar” of peace - imparting hope and reassurance to the world. It is a “great ship” of culture - fostering a rich spirit of peace in the hearts of people everywhere. And it is the “eyes” of education - nurturing humanistic values centered on respect for the dignity of life.

When we chant and take action for kosen-rufu, we can manifest the same life-state as the Buddha. We can tap the same wisdom and strength as the Buddha. We can carry out the same work as the Buddha. There is no life more victorious or noble than this.

Please continue to advance together with me and all our members around the world, brimming with courage and hope! As good citizens, please be active in your communities and societies and continue to forge bonds of trust and friendship with those around you.

I offer this message with sincere prayers for the health, long life, happiness, and victory of all of you, my most dear and precious fellow members.

May 3, 2013
Daisaku Ikeda
President, Soka Gakkai International

Daily Gosho - Happiness in This World

Think this Gosho extract says it all really, doesn't it! Come what may, whatever the obstacle, continue advancing forward, side by side with our mentor...then the life of absolute freedom will surely be ours. Yay to that!

"Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law? Strengthen your power of faith more than ever."

(Happiness in This World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 681) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=681 Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, November 10th, 2012

Background

In the third month of 1275, about one year before this letter was written, Nichiren Daishonin warned Shijo Kingo, his loyal samurai follower who was an early convert, that as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra he must be prepared to meet further difficulties and hardships.

In the present work, the Daishonin explains the nature of true happiness. It lies, he says, in chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Suffering is unavoidable, he adds, encouraging Shijo Kingo to “regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens.” The Daishonin emphasizes that this is the way to experience “the boundless joy of the Law,” or the state of Buddhahood.

Daily Gosho - Letter to Horen

Thinking of my current situation - my karma to be in this type of situation - but how I view the situation is up to me! Do I view it as a challenge, and chance to transform my karma and sufferings - or not, and succumb to my karmic sufferings... I just need to 'see' it differently :)

"Hungry spirits see the waters of the river as fire, human beings see them as water, and heavenly beings see them as amrita. The waters are the same in all cases, but each type of being sees them differently, according to the effects of its karma."

(Letter to Horen - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 517) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=505&m=0&q= Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, November 9th, 2012 

Background

Soya Kyoshin, to whom this letter was addressed, lived in Soya Village in Katsushika District of Shimosa Province. Sometime around 1260 he converted to the Daishonin’s teachings. Then, around 1271, he became a lay priest, whereupon Nichiren Daishonin bestowed upon him the Buddhist name Horen (Law Lotus). At the time he received this letter, Kyoshin had been practicing the Daishonin’s Buddhism as one of the leading believers in the area for about fifteen years.

This somewhat lengthy letter was written at Minobu in the fourth month of the first year of Kenji (1275), when the Daishonin was fifty-four years old. It is one among nine extant writings that the Daishonin sent to Kyoshin, two of which were written in classical Chinese, their contents clearly indicating that he was highly educated.

The Daishonin had just received from Kyoshin a written declaration of the sort commonly read aloud at a memorial service, in which he explained that he had recited the Lotus Sutra to commemorate the thirteenth anniversary of his father’s death. In addition, Kyoshin mentioned that he had been performing a recitation of the verse section of the sutra’s “Life Span” chapter daily since the time of his father’s passing. In response, the Daishonin tells him that his devotion to the sutra is the truest form of filial piety, since only the Lotus Sutra can lead one’s parents, and all other living beings, to Buddhahood.

Here the Daishonin introduces the ancient Chinese story of the calligrapher Wu-lung and his son I-lung in order to illustrate how immeasurable the merit is that Kyoshin has been transferring to his deceased father through his continued recitation of the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter.

In the story, the calligrapher I-lung transcribes the title of each volume of the Lotus Sutra. As a result, he is able to save his father from his terrible distress in the hell of incessant suffering. But even such benefits as these, the Daishonin encourages Kyoshin, cannot compare to the benefits to be obtained from reciting the sutra. The Daishonin tells him that the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter represents the very heart of the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, and that the benefits to be gained from reciting it can only be calculated and expressed by a Buddha.

The Daishonin also gives his disciple instructions in various other teachings. He discusses the wonderful rewards to be gained by one who praises and makes offerings to the votary of the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day of the Law. He also discusses the great gravity of the offense incurred by one who slanders the votary.

With regard to specific details about the practice of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin points out that the way to practice its teachings will necessarily vary with the times, and that a person of wisdom is one who perceives the times correctly and spreads the teachings accordingly. And he declares that practice in the Latter Day means spreading the Lotus Sutra without begrudging one’s life. Because he himself has carried out precisely this sort of practice, the Daishonin says, he has been persecuted by the authorities and is detested by all the people of Japan. And, he notes, he was earlier forced to live under bitter conditions at a bleak and desolate location in exile on Sado Island and is now dwelling where there are no provisions at all, in an isolated mountain valley called Minobu. The Daishonin mentions how moved he is that Kyoshin has come all the way to see him in such a forsaken place.

Commenting upon his three remonstrations with the Kamakura authorities, the Daishonin proclaims that it is their disregard for his warnings and persecution of him that have brought down upon the country a string of major calamities.

And at the very end of this letter, the Daishonin explains why some people who slander the Lotus Sutra seem not to receive any punishment at all. Those who slander the correct teaching in existence after existence, he says, are condemned to the hell of incessant suffering and will receive no further warnings in this lifetime for their slanderous deeds.

For further details regarding this matter, the Daishonin asks Horen to refer to the Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana Sutra. It is also discussed in The Opening of the Eyes (pp. 279–80).

Daily Gosho - The Opening of the Eyes

Persecutions galore this week! But I am absolutely determined to rise up above slander and abuse for the sake of the Law. My mission is too clear to give up. And as we know, when great evil occurs, great good follows so I mustn't be concerned but determine to carry on wholeheartedly and steadfastly...

"This I will state. Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the Law."

(The Opening of the Eyes - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 280) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=220 Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, November 8th, 2012


Background
This treatise is one of Nichiren Daishonin’s five most important writings, in which he reveals his identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who possesses the three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent. In the second month of the ninth year of Bun’ei (72), still in exile under harsh conditions on Sado Island, the Daishonin completed this work in two volumes and addressed it to Shijo Kingo, one of his leading disciples in Kamakura and a samurai who was in the employ of the ruling Hojo clan, on behalf of all his followers. When the Daishonin was taken to Tatsunokuchi in Kamakura in , Shijo Kingo accompanied him, having resolved to die by his side, and personally witnessed his triumph over execution. Also, he had journeyed to Sado to visit the Daishonin in exile and sent his messengers to him with writing materials and other necessities.
The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, written in 1273, clarifies, from the viewpoint of the Law, the object of devotion that enables all people to attain Buddhahood. The Opening of the Eyes treats the same subject in terms of the Person; that is, it shows Nichiren Daishonin to be the Buddha who would establish the object of devotion for all humankind to achieve Buddhahood. The object of devotion is the embodiment of the Daishonin’s enlightenment to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Law implied in the depths of the Lotus Sutra.
Nichiren Daishonin’s life on the forbidding island of Sado was full of hardship; his hut was open to wind and snow, and he lacked food, clothing, and writing materials. In addition to his physical suffering, he was greatly troubled by the news that many of his followers in Kamakura had abandoned their faith. Feeling himself constantly facing the shadow of death, the Daishonin wrote this treatise to encourage his disciples as though it were his last will and testament.
Nichiren Daishonin later described his motives behind the work in his Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra: “After everyone had gone, I began to put into shape a work in two volumes called The Opening of the Eyes, which I had been working on since the eleventh month of the previous year. I wanted to record the wonder of Nichiren, in case I should be beheaded. The essential message in this work is that the destiny of Japan depends solely upon Nichiren. A house without pillars collapses, and a person without a soul is dead. Nichiren is the soul of the people of this country” ( p. 772).
The title The Opening of the Eyes means to enable people to see the truth, in other words, to free people from illusions and distorted views and awaken them to an understanding of the correct teaching and its correct teacher. The work describes the role the Daishonin played in championing the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra and in spreading its teachings, as he himself viewed and experienced it. A passage from this treatise reads: “On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the rat and the ox (11:00 P.M. to 3:00 A.M.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado” ( p. 269). It was through the Tatsunokuchi Persecution that Nichiren Daishonin revealed his true identity as the eternal Buddha. This passage refers to the death of a common person named Nichiren and indicates that from then on the Daishonin was to reveal in full his enlightenment as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law.
Nichiren Daishonin begins this treatise with the words, “There are three categories of people that all human beings should respect. They are the sovereign, the teacher, and the parent” (p. 220). The three virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent are equated with the qualifications of a Buddha. The virtue of sovereign is the power to protect all living beings; the virtue of teacher is the wisdom to lead all to enlightenment, and the virtue of parent means compassion to nurture and support them. These three virtues constitute a theme that runs throughout this treatise, and at the conclusion of this work the Daishonin declares, “I, Nichiren, am sovereign, teacher, and father and mother to all the people of Japan” (p. 287).
At the outset Nichiren Daishonin discusses Confucianism, Taoism, Brahmanism, Hinayana, and provisional Mahayana Buddhism, and then moves on to the Lotus Sutra. He attributes the disasters ravaging Japan to the confusion in Buddhism and the failure by both rulers and subjects to recognize the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. Here he cites two reasons why the sutra is supreme. One is that the theoretical teaching (the first half of the sutra) reveals that people of the two vehicles can attain enlightenment, a possibility utterly denied in the previous forty- two years of the Buddha’s preaching. This substantiates the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and the statement that Buddhahood is open to all. The other reason is that, in the essential teaching (the latter half of the sutra), Shakyamuni Buddha proclaims that he first attained enlightenment in an unfathomably remote past.
The Daishonin states that Shakyamuni Buddha himself declared that the Lotus Sutra is “the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand.” In this sutra the Buddha implied the supreme teaching, as stated: “The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is found in only one place, hidden in the depths of the ‘Life Span’ chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra” (p. 224). The Daishonin takes the position that only the revelation of the truth of Buddhism can save the nation and the people. This conviction, he says, has moved him to propagate the essence of the Lotus Sutra in spite of the persecution that he knew he would incur. He realized that his followers might doubt him because of the apparent failure of the gods to protect a votary of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, he stated: “This doubt lies at the heart of this piece I am writing. And because it is the most important concern of my entire life, I will raise it again and again here, and emphasize it more than ever, before I attempt to answer it” (p. 243).
The second part of this treatise discusses the “Emerging from the Earth” and the “Life Span” chapters of the Lotus Sutra, where Shakyamuni Buddha summons forth countless bodhisattvas from beneath the earth and reveals that he actually attained enlightenment in the remote past, and that all the Buddhas of the other sutras are his emanations and all the bodhisattvas, his disciples. Nichiren Daishonin clarifies that the Buddha of the “Life Span” chapter is the teacher of all Buddhas.
At this point, an implicit analogy begins to emerge. The doubt held by Shakyamuni’s disciples about how he could possibly have taught the countless Bodhisattvas of the Earth in this life leads to the revelation of his true identity as the Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago. Similarly, the doubt held by the Daishonin’s followers about why he has been exiled and suffered so many persecutions leads to an understanding of his true identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day.
Then the Daishonin mentions the principle of sowing, maturing, and harvesting. He points to the unsurpassed Law whereby all Buddhas attain enlightenment — Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. This Law is what lies in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter. Nichiren Daishonin directly teaches this Law, the true cause for attaining Buddhahood, and his Buddhism is called the Buddhism of sowing because it implants this “seed of enlightenment” in the lives of those who practice it. In this light, he possesses the virtues of sovereign, teacher, and parent for humanity as a whole.
Nichiren Daishonin explains that each sutra has its own claim to excellence; he also gives examples of statements in which various sutras assert their own superiority to other teachings. But the Lotus Sutra alone declares that it is supreme among all sutras, and the Daishonin reconfirms its supremacy. The Lotus Sutra speaks of the three powerful enemies of the sutra and prophesies opposition and hostility toward the sutra and its votary. All this the Daishonin had himself encountered; all this is predicted in the sutra. As the votary of the Lotus Sutra, he vows to stake his life on the cause of saving all people, saying: “Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the Law. . . . I will be the pillar of
Japan. I will be the eyes of Japan. I will be the great ship of Japan. This is my vow, and I will never forsake it” (pp. 280 –81). Then he assures his disciples that they will definitely attain Buddhahood as long as they do not permit themselves to be overcome by doubts, even when difficulties befall them.
In the final section of this treatise, Nichiren Daishonin explains that there are two ways to propagate the Lotus Sutra: shoju, or gentle persuasion, and shakubuku, or strict refutation. Here, the Daishonin argues that both methods should be used, because there are two kinds of countries, those whose people are ignorant of the correct teaching of Buddhism and those whose people deliberately oppose it. But Japan, as a nation that slanders the correct teaching, requires the shakubuku method. Then he concludes that to remove suffering and give joy to the people is the Buddha’s teaching. The Daishonin has devoted himself to refuting and rooting out the causes of human misery. For him, the exile to Sado was only a “small suffering” in this life. Indeed, he feels “great joy” because of the results he is confident will come in the future.

Daily Gosho - The Good Medicine for All Ills

Wonderful news this week! A member in our district has been given the all-clear from the life-threatening condition she suffered with last year. We might think that because we practice, we will not encounter illness, but as we know this is one of the four sufferings which cannot be avoided. Similarly, we might view illness as a sign of weak faith. Not so! Illness, as this Gosho states, is a wonderful opportunity for us to strengthen our faith. It gives us the courage to determine to make the appropriate changes in our lifestyle, or obtain medical advice for example, and as Nichiren Daishonin writes, can be a springboard to enlightenment...

"And could not this illness of your husband's be the Buddha's design, because the Vimalakirti and Nirvana sutras both teach that sick people will surely attain Buddhahood? Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way."

(The Good Medicine for All Ills - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 937) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=937 Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, November 7th, 2012


Background
This letter was written at Minobu to the lay nun Myoshin. The most widely accepted view suggests that it was written in the first year of Koan (1278); another view is that it was written in the first year of Kenji (1275). Few details about Myoshin are known. One explanation identifies her as the wife of the lay priest Takahashi Rokuro Hyoe, and if this is correct, she would have been an aunt of Nikko Shonin. In any event, she lived in Fuji District of Suruga Province and was a follower of Nichiren Daishonin.
This letter was a reply to a report from Myoshin about her husband’s illness. The Daishonin encourages her to view his illness as a manifestation of the Buddha’s compassion, since it has enabled him to arouse a determination to seek enlightenment— a determination that he previously lacked. He explains that, because of the sincerity of her husband’s recently awakened faith, he will certainly be able to eradicate the bad karma of his misdeeds; and even if he were to die now, he would experience the boundless joy of the Law that transcends both life and death.
When her husband eventually died of his illness, Myoshin was left with a young child. She maintained her faith after her husband’s death and visited the Daishonin often at Minobu to bring him offerings.

What is the Purpose of Buddhism via THE BUDDHA BEAT

Just what exactly is the purpose of Buddhism? The Buddha Beat took to the streets... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgUjLg2Hu-U&feature=em-subs_digest-subject1

Daily Gosho - What It Means to Hear the Buddha Vehicle for the First Time

How amazing that no matter how difficult the situation we find ourselves in, we can absolutely transform it by chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Very liberating isn't it; to realise that we don't have to continue to suffer - there is a way forward *smiley face*

President Ikeda writes: "Buddhism teaches the principle of changing poison into medicine. Therefore, no matter what difficulties we may encounter, we can take them on with a positive attitude. All we have to do is keep pressing forward with deep confidence in the Daishonin’s words, “When great evil occurs, great good follows” (“Great Evil and Great Good,” WND-1, 1119). (March 18, 2011, World Tribune, p. 5) 

"What is the poison? It is the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering that are our lot. What is the medicine? It is the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation. And what does it mean to change poison into medicine? It means to transform the three paths into the three virtues: the Dharma body, wisdom, and emancipation.... This is what the attainment of Buddhahood in one's present form means."

(What It Means to Hear the Buddha Vehicle for the First Time - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.2, page 743) Selection source: The teachings of Buddhism for Beginners, Seikyo Shimbun, October 28th, 2012

Daily Practice - latest SGI-UK e-bulletin out now!

Latest issue of the SGI-UK e-bulletin is online now at http://www.sgi-uk.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/sgi_e_bulletin_issue94.pdf featuring the 2nd Peace Seminar and Sensei's message for this event ...