* Words of the Week is a day early as tomorrow there is a Japanese Press holiday… A translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shinbun based on President Ikeda's recent guidance, and more. December 11th-18th, 2016 — Words of the Week — Our discussion meetings are for everyone's happiness, to give hope and create harmony. Let's applaud each other's great efforts and dedication (throughout especially this past year)! Let's be sure to express our utmost appreciation to those members and their families for their kindness in offering their homes for our meetings. Together, with a bright cheerful smile let's all make a fresh new determination and cheerfully advance towards the new year! Sunday, December 11th, 2016 --- DAILY GOSHO --- "Buddhism is like the body, and society like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow." (A Comparison of the Lotus and Other Sutras - WND, Vol. I, page 1039) Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, December 11th, 2016 Monday, December 12th, 2016 ---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ---- "I would like to share a story about an ordinary person who enjoyed a beautiful mentor-disciple relationship with Shakyamuni—a story demonstrating that everyone has a mission in life. "I am referring to the Buddha's disciple Chudapanthaka, who was famous for his bad memory. He was so forgetful that he couldn't even remember his own name. The Daishonin describes him as 'the most forgetful person in the whole continent of Jambudvipa [the entire world]' (WND-2, 657). "Chudapanthaka had joined the community of Shakyamuni's disciples, together with his older brother. But in spite of striving his hardest, he made no progress in his Buddhist practice and was ridiculed by the other disciples for his slowness. "One day, even his own brother gave up on him and sent him away, telling him that he had no hope of succeeding as a disciple and should just return home. "Recalling that day later, Chudapanthaka said that he had stood there discouraged, but still cherishing the hope that there might be some teaching he could master. "Just then, his teacher, Shakyamuni, appeared at his side, gently touched his head, and led him back by the hand to the place where the others were practising. "Having been filled with despair, Chudapanthaka must have felt great joy at his teacher's compassionate kindness. "Though everyone else had rejected him, his teacher accepted and understood him, believed in him and cared for him. Chudapanthaka found himself filled with new resolve. "Later, Shakyamuni taught Chudapanthaka in a way that enabled him to deepen his life state while joyfully serving his fellow disciples. Chudapanthaka faithfully attended Shakyamuni and persevered in making sincere efforts, just as his teacher instructed. By doing so, he triumphed. "In the Lotus Sutra, he and his brother receive a prediction from Shakyamuni that they will become Buddhas, both with the same name Universal Brightness. Though Chudapanthaka appeared foolish and forgetful, he actually came to live a wise life of the highest value. "In a letter to one of his disciples [the lay priest Nishiyama] that he composed in June 1275, Nichiren Daishonin writes: 'Chudapanthaka was unable to memorise a teaching of fourteen characters even in the space of three years, and yet he attained Buddhahood. Devadatta, on the other hand, had committed to memory sixty thousand teachings but fell into the hell of incessant suffering. These examples exactly represent the situation in the world in this present latter age. Never suppose that they pertain only to other people and not to yourselves.' (WND-1, 602) "What makes us respectworthy as practitioners? Not education, social position, or inherent abilities, but striving tirelessly to support others and help them become happy. That dedicated faith and humanity cannot be overlooked. Such a person is the noblest of all—a person who will attain Buddhahood." SGI Newsletter No. No. 9505, The Wisdom for Creating Happiness and Peace, Part 3: Kosen-rufu and World Peace, Chap. 21: Valuing Each Individual—Part 1 [of 2], 21.4 Everyone Has a Mission, from the September 2016 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translation released 8th Dec. 2016 * The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbun's web-site address at http://www.seikyoonline.jp/news/index.html -- WAGATOMO NI OKURU -- WARAKU TO KIBO NO ZADANKAI DA. TAGAI NO KENTO NI HAKUSHU! KAIJO NO GOKATEI NI KANSHA! TOMODOMONI EGAO DE KETSUI! MINA DE HOGARAKANI SHINNEN E. --- KYO NO GOSHO --- "BUPPO WA TAI NO GOTOSHI SEKEN WA KAGE NO GOTOSHI TAI MAGAREBA KAGE NANAME NARI" (Gosho Zenshu - Page 992) |
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Posted by: Scobie-john Le May-Grellan <sjlmga1@yahoo.com>
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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"
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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 addresses and they can read and watch some very well put together explanations about the SGI. Check it out yourself!
http://www.sgi.org/
http://www.sgi-uk.org/buddhism/practice
Check out the following address if you are looking for an important gosho quote
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And for the children there's a wonderful new web-site
http://treasures-of-heart.com/
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To modify your subscription from receiving daily to picking up as you wish go to http://www.egroups.com/mygroups
: 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 addresses and they can read and watch some very well put together explanations about the SGI. Check it out yourself!
http://www.sgi.org/
http://www.sgi-uk.org/buddhism/practice
Check out the following address if you are looking for an important gosho quote
http://www.nichirenlibrary.org
And for the children there's a wonderful new web-site
http://treasures-of-heart.com/
And if you are looking for back editions of To My Friends click on...
https://uk.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo/conversations/messages
To unsubscribe from this group send an email to:
SGI-ToMyFriends-Wagatomo-unsubscribe@egroups.com
But do drop us a line at sjlmg@wta.att.ne.jp when you leave and tell us why you are leaving as it often can help us to improve the service! Please!
To modify your subscription from receiving daily to picking up as you wish go to http://www.egroups.com/mygroups
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