A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo
Shimbun and more.
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
The brilliant light of Buddhist wisdom
radiates throughout our character and finds expression in our actions.
Oh youth of Soka!
Manifest this wisdom in every aspect of your lives
and may you shine brilliantly as wonderful and capable individuals!
Wednesday, December 24th, 2008
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"...by all means persist in preaching the Lotus Sutra and causing them to
hear it. Those who put their faith in it will surely attain Buddhahood,
while those who slander it will establish a "poison-drum relationship"* with
it and will likewise attain Buddhahood."
(How Those Initially Aspiring to the Way Can Attain Buddhahood through the
Lotus Sutra - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 882)
Selection source: "Kyo no hosshin", December 24th, 2008
*Poison-Drum relationship: Nichiren Buddhism explains that even though some
people react negatively upon hearing about the Law, they can eventually
attain Buddhahood through this reverse relationship. (This is also called a
poison-drum relationship, in reference to a Nirvana Sutra tale of a drum
laced with a certain toxin that when beaten causes the deaths of all who
hear it, whether or not they wanted to listen to it. Similarly, the Lotus
Sutra will provide the seeds of Buddhahood to all who hear its preaching,
whether they embrace or oppose it.)
Once they hear about the Mystic Law, they will eventually embrace it, just
as a seed, once planted, will eventually sprout. For this reason, regardless
of their reactions, it is important to courageously tell others about the
greatness of Nichiren Buddhism based on a sincere desire for their
happiness—regardless of whether they respond positively or not.
Sowing the seeds by letting one hear the teaching and sowing the seeds by
leading one to arouse faith in it—these two stages of planting the seeds of
Buddhahood illustrate the importance of sharing Nichiren Buddhism with
others and thus helping them form a relationship with the Mystic Law.
Reference source:
http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/leaders/development/2007/eng/pdf/i.LDSeminar4.pdf
Thursday, December 25th, 2008
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"Only a Buddhist teaching of fundamental transformation--one that teaches
the importance of taking action amid the tumult and turmoil of society--can
offer the means for genuinely changing this strife-filled saha world into a
Buddha land and for actualising the principle of establishing the correct
teaching for the peace of the land.
"Also, the Daishonin says that two thousand years of propagating Buddhism
during the Former and Middle Days of the Law are inferior to even a brief
time spent doing so during the Latter Day of the Law. Buddhism during the
Former and Middle Days was basically a teaching for people of superior
capacity, and benefit could be gained through even the partial or implicit
teachings.
"The Latter Day, however, is an age of quarrels and disputes,* when the
proponents of various partial and implicit teachings will all proclaim their
particular school of Buddhism to be perfect and absolute. These teachings
will function as negative influences that obstruct the spread of the correct
teaching. In such a confused and disordered age, only the teaching of
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Buddhism of sowing--which directly activates the
Buddha nature--will lead people to enlightenment. That is why propagating
the correct teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for even a brief time in the
Latter Day is superior to spreading partial or implicit teachings for a long
period during the Former and Middle Days of the Law."
SGI Newsletter No. 7669, LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED WRITINGS
OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN, [13] "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude." Kosen-rufu: A
Great River Enriching Humanity Eternally--Our Victory as Disciples Is the
Greatest Way to Repay Our Debt of Gratitude to Our Mentor, from the October
2008 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated Dec. 4th, 2008
*Age of quarrels and disputes: Also, age of conflict. The last of the five
five-hundred-year periods following Shakyamuni's death, which are described
in the Great Collection Sutra. It corresponds to the beginning of the Latter
Day of the Law. In the Great Collection Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha speaks to
Bodhisattva Moon Storehouse about the first four of the five
five-hundred-year periods following his death, and then says that, in the
next five hundred years, quarrels and disputes will arise among the
followers of his teachings, and that the pure Law will be obscured and lost.
* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends and Daily Gosho is available by
clicking on Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.sokanet.jp/sg/sn/member_support_top.html
---WAGATOMO NI OKURU---
BUPPO NO CHIE WA
JINKAKU NI KAGAYAKU.
KODO NI ARAWARERU.
SOKA NO SEINEN YO
ZENTAI NINGEN TO HIKARE!
-- KYO NO GOSHO --
[TOTEMO KAKUSHITEMO HOKEKYO O SHIITE TOKI KIKASU BESHI, SHINZEN HITO WA
HOTOKE NI NARU BESHI, BOZEN MONO WA DOKKU NO EN NI NATTE HOTOKE NI NARU BEKI
NARI]
(Gosho Zenshu, page 1064)
------------------------------------
If you have a friend(s) who would like to get To My Friends directly get them to send an E-mail to the following address and just simply write - "subscribe"
: SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-subscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk
from there on it is all automatic!
ALSO if you want to introduce a friend to the SGI but just don't know where to start, share with them the following address and they can read and watch some very well put together explanations about the SGI. Check it out yourself!
http://www.sgi.org/
To unsubscribe from this group, but PLEASE let us know if there is anything we can do to improve, send an email to:
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-unsubscribe@egroups.com
To modify your subscription from receiving daily to picking up as you wish go to http://www.egroups.com/mygroups
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-digest@yahoogroups.co.uk
mailto:SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.co.uk
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.co.uk
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/info/terms.html
