Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
To all of my dear friends who have just started out in a new direction,
now is the time to develop your skills and enhance your capabilities.
Patiently, carefully and steadily,
even if it seems to take long,
continue to make every effort to improve yourselves
and prepare for the time when you can really show your strengths!
The most important thing to do now though,
is to establish a solid foundation in your life.
Tuesday, April 17th, 2012
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"The first shi of the word shishi, or 'lion' [which means 'teacher'], is the Wonderful Law that is passed on by the teacher. The second shi [which means 'child'] is the Wonderful Law as it is received by the disciples. The 'roar' is the sound of the teacher and the disciples chanting in unison."
(Ongi kuden - Gosho Zenshu, page 748, The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, page 111)
Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's essay, Seikyo Shimbun, April 17th, 2012
Wednesday, April 18th, 2012
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"'Although one may encounter them ten or twenty times in the course of a single day, one greets them courteously as though they had traveled a thousand or two thousand miles to see one, never showing them indifference' (WND-2, 636).
"This resonates with the spirit of discussion meetings and other SGI activities. If someone rushes in late, we should greet them warmly and thank them for making the effort to attend in spite of their busy schedule. The SGI must always be a realm of warmth and reassurance.
"Courtesy doesn't mean empty formality. It's our sincerity that counts, our respect for the other person, which manifests in our voice, our expression, and our actions.
"'The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behaviour as a human being' (WND-1, 852), asserts the Daishonin. It would be no exaggeration to say, therefore, that the aim of Buddhism is to teach us the highest path of human behaviour, which is exemplified by the practice of respecting others demonstrated by Bodhisattva Never Disparaging[1] in the Lotus Sutra.
"Referring to the passage from the Lotus Sutra, 'If you see a person who accepts and upholds this sutra, you should rise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha' (LSOC28, 365 [LS28, 324]), the Daishonin describes it as 'the foremost point [Shakyamuni] wished to convey to us' (OTT, 192).
"Underlying the teaching of treating one's friends with courtesy is the importance of respect for all people."
SGI Newsletter No. 8487, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, [36] "The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude." Youth, Become Champions of Humanism Who Shine with the Supreme Philosophy of the Mystic Law!, from the January 2012 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translated April 6th, 2012
[1] Bodhisattva Never Disparaging: A bodhisattva described in the "Bodhisattva Never Disparaging" (20th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This bodhisattva, Shakyamuni in a previous lifetime, would bow respectfully to the four kinds of believers—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—greeting them with the words: "I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparagement or arrogance. Why? Because you will all practice the bodhisattva way and will then be able to attain Buddhahood" (LSOC20, 308 [LS20, 266–67]). However, he was attacked by arrogant people, who beat him with sticks and staves and threw stones at him. The sutra explains that his practice of respecting others' Buddha nature became the cause for him to attain Buddhahood.
* The Japanese kanji for To My Friends is available by clicking on
Seikyo Shimbun's web-site address at
http://www.seikyoonline.jp/news/index.html
--- WAGATOMO NI OKURU ---
ARATANA MICHI O SUSUMU TOMO YO
IMA WA CHIKARA O TSUKERU TOKI DA.
ASERAZU, JIKKURI TO
"JUNEN IKKEN" O MIGAKE!
SHOGAI NO DODAI O TSUKURE!
-- KYO NO GOSHO --
"SHI TOWA SHISHO SAZUKURU TOKORO NO MYOHO SHI TOWA DESHI UKURU TOKORO NO MYOHO KU TOWA SHITEI TOMONI TONAURU TOKORO NO ONJO NARI"
(Gosho Zenshu, page 748)
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