* Hope you can spare just a few extra seconds to read these vital guidances today! And we also hope you really have a great day! Here we go…
A translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shinbun based on President Ikeda's recent guidance, and more.
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
When we give every bit of ourselves
to serving and helping others
we're able to break through
the shell of our lesser egoistic selves
and develop a state of life that is
vast and all encompassing!
Together with the SGI,
and together with our fellow members,
let's scale the mountain of our human revolution!
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"A bird's egg contains nothing but liquid, yet by itself this develops into a beak, two eyes, and all the other parts, and the bird soars into the sky. We, too, are the eggs of ignorance, which are pitiful things, but when nurtured by the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is like the warmth of the mother bird, we develop the beak of the thirty-two features and the feathers of the eighty characteristics and are free to soar into the sky of the true aspect of all phenomena and the reality of all things."
(Letter to Niike
- WND, Vol. I, page 1030)
Selection Source: "Kyo no Hosshin",
Seikyo Shimbun, Feb. 23rd, 2017
Friday, February 24th, 2017
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"'There are also those who appeared to believe in me, but began doubting when they saw me persecuted. They not only have forsaken the Lotus Sutra, but also actually think themselves wise enough to instruct me. The pitiful thing is that these perverse people must suffer in the Avichi hell [the hell of incessant suffering] even longer than the Nembutsu believers.
"An asura contended that the Buddha taught only eighteen elements,[1] but that he himself expounded nineteen. The non-Buddhist teachers claimed that the Buddha offered only one way to enlightenment, but that they had ninety-five.[2] In the same way, the renegade disciples say, "Though the priest Nichiren is our teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus Sutra in a more peaceful way." In so asserting, they are being as ridiculous as fireflies laughing at the sun and moon, an anthill belittling Mount Hua,[3] wells and brooks despising the river and the ocean, or a magpie mocking a phoenix.'
- (WND-1, 306; "Letter from Sado")
"These passages form the concluding section of "Letter from Sado."
"How we react to adversity is the measure of our commitment to truth and justice. When difficulties arise, those of genuine faith are distinguished from those who are disciples in name only.
"When the Daishonin faced great persecution in the form of exile to Sado Island, some of his disciples began to doubt him and abandoned his teachings, or, thinking they knew better than him, believed he was mistaken. This, he asserts, is a 'pitiful thing' (WND-1, 306).
"What was the true nature of these disciples who put on airs of superior knowledge? They were cowardly, self-serving, and arrogant. No matter how they might try to obscure the truth, they could never conceal their base betrayal of their teacher. They share the same pitiful nature as the asura and non-Buddhists who, out of a feeling of rivalry with the Buddha, insisted that they excelled him.
"I learned from Mr. Toda that founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi often quoted this section of 'Letter from Sado.' Certain disciples criticised the Daishonin, saying: 'Though the priest Nichiren is our teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus Sutra in a more peaceful way' (WND-1, 306). The Daishonin dismissed such behaviour as 'ridiculous,' something we should just laugh off (cf. WND-1, 306).
"Mr. Makiguchi used to say: 'To be despised by fools is the greatest honour.' And he called out to his disciples: 'Give me a single lion over a thousand sheep!'
"Mr. Toda, declaring that 'a lion seeks no companion,' stood up alone to fulfil the great vow of spreading the Mystic Law and launched an unprecedented struggle for kosen-rufu.
"Soka mentors and disciples are a gathering of lion kings. Heartily laughing off shallow criticisms, we forge ahead boldly and vigorously with the 'heart of a lion king,' advancing as brightly and vibrantly as the rising sun.
"It is no exaggeration to say that 'Letter from Sado' is written for the Soka Gakkai. Applying its truths to our lives, we are fearless in the face of ignorant criticism and abuse. We are leading truly admirable lives dedicated to kosen-rufu that the Daishonin would praise most highly."
SGI Newsletter No. 9552, SGI President Ikeda's Study Lecture Series, The Buddhism of the Sun—Illuminating the World, [15] Basing Ourselves on the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin—Part 2 [of 2], Soka Mentors and Disciples—A Gathering of Lion Kings, from the July 2016 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translation released 17th Feb., 2017
[1] Eighteen elements: The comprehensive concept of the three interrelated categories: the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), the six objects they perceive, and the six consciousnesses or the sense organs' functions of perceiving the objects.
[2] Based on a passage in The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom. The "ninety-five" ways may be ascribable to the fact that there were ninety-five non-Buddhist schools during Shakyamuni's day.
[3] Mount Hua: One of the five sacred mountains in China.
* The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbun's
http://www.seikyoonline.com/news/wagatomo/
-- WAGA TOMO NI OKURU --
TASHA NI TSUKUSU KODO GA
CHISANA EGO NO KARO O YABURI
KYOGAI O OKIKU HIROGERU!
GAKKAI TO TOMO NI DOSHI TO TOMO NI
NINGEN KAKUMEI NO YAMA O NOBORE!
--- KYO NO GOSHO ---
"TATOEBA TORI NO TAMAGO WA HAJIMEWA MIZU NARI SONO MIZU NO NAKA YORI DAREKA NASUTOMO NAKEREDOMO KUCHIBASHI YO ME YO TO KAZARI IDEKITE KOKU NI KAKERU GA GOTOSHI WARERAMO MUMYO NO TAMAGO NISHITE ASAMASHIKI MI NAREDOMO NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO NO TONAE NO HAHA NI ATATAMERARE MAIRASETE SANJUNISO NO KUCHIBASHI IDETE HACHIJU SHUKO NO YOROIGE OISOROITE JISSO SHINNYO NO KOKU NI KAKERU BESHI"
(Gosho Zenshu - Page 1443)
A translation of "To My Friends" published in the Seikyo Shinbun based on President Ikeda's recent guidance, and more.
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
When we give every bit of ourselves
to serving and helping others
we're able to break through
the shell of our lesser egoistic selves
and develop a state of life that is
vast and all encompassing!
Together with the SGI,
and together with our fellow members,
let's scale the mountain of our human revolution!
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"A bird's egg contains nothing but liquid, yet by itself this develops into a beak, two eyes, and all the other parts, and the bird soars into the sky. We, too, are the eggs of ignorance, which are pitiful things, but when nurtured by the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is like the warmth of the mother bird, we develop the beak of the thirty-two features and the feathers of the eighty characteristics and are free to soar into the sky of the true aspect of all phenomena and the reality of all things."
(Letter to Niike
- WND, Vol. I, page 1030)
Selection Source: "Kyo no Hosshin",
Seikyo Shimbun, Feb. 23rd, 2017
Friday, February 24th, 2017
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"'There are also those who appeared to believe in me, but began doubting when they saw me persecuted. They not only have forsaken the Lotus Sutra, but also actually think themselves wise enough to instruct me. The pitiful thing is that these perverse people must suffer in the Avichi hell [the hell of incessant suffering] even longer than the Nembutsu believers.
"An asura contended that the Buddha taught only eighteen elements,[1] but that he himself expounded nineteen. The non-Buddhist teachers claimed that the Buddha offered only one way to enlightenment, but that they had ninety-five.[2] In the same way, the renegade disciples say, "Though the priest Nichiren is our teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus Sutra in a more peaceful way." In so asserting, they are being as ridiculous as fireflies laughing at the sun and moon, an anthill belittling Mount Hua,[3] wells and brooks despising the river and the ocean, or a magpie mocking a phoenix.'
- (WND-1, 306; "Letter from Sado")
"These passages form the concluding section of "Letter from Sado."
"How we react to adversity is the measure of our commitment to truth and justice. When difficulties arise, those of genuine faith are distinguished from those who are disciples in name only.
"When the Daishonin faced great persecution in the form of exile to Sado Island, some of his disciples began to doubt him and abandoned his teachings, or, thinking they knew better than him, believed he was mistaken. This, he asserts, is a 'pitiful thing' (WND-1, 306).
"What was the true nature of these disciples who put on airs of superior knowledge? They were cowardly, self-serving, and arrogant. No matter how they might try to obscure the truth, they could never conceal their base betrayal of their teacher. They share the same pitiful nature as the asura and non-Buddhists who, out of a feeling of rivalry with the Buddha, insisted that they excelled him.
"I learned from Mr. Toda that founding Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi often quoted this section of 'Letter from Sado.' Certain disciples criticised the Daishonin, saying: 'Though the priest Nichiren is our teacher, he is too forceful. We will spread the Lotus Sutra in a more peaceful way' (WND-1, 306). The Daishonin dismissed such behaviour as 'ridiculous,' something we should just laugh off (cf. WND-1, 306).
"Mr. Makiguchi used to say: 'To be despised by fools is the greatest honour.' And he called out to his disciples: 'Give me a single lion over a thousand sheep!'
"Mr. Toda, declaring that 'a lion seeks no companion,' stood up alone to fulfil the great vow of spreading the Mystic Law and launched an unprecedented struggle for kosen-rufu.
"Soka mentors and disciples are a gathering of lion kings. Heartily laughing off shallow criticisms, we forge ahead boldly and vigorously with the 'heart of a lion king,' advancing as brightly and vibrantly as the rising sun.
"It is no exaggeration to say that 'Letter from Sado' is written for the Soka Gakkai. Applying its truths to our lives, we are fearless in the face of ignorant criticism and abuse. We are leading truly admirable lives dedicated to kosen-rufu that the Daishonin would praise most highly."
SGI Newsletter No. 9552, SGI President Ikeda's Study Lecture Series, The Buddhism of the Sun—Illuminating the World, [15] Basing Ourselves on the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin—Part 2 [of 2], Soka Mentors and Disciples—A Gathering of Lion Kings, from the July 2016 issue of the Daibyakurenge, translation released 17th Feb., 2017
[1] Eighteen elements: The comprehensive concept of the three interrelated categories: the six sense organs (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind), the six objects they perceive, and the six consciousnesses or the sense organs' functions of perceiving the objects.
[2] Based on a passage in The Treatise on the Great Perfection of Wisdom. The "ninety-five" ways may be ascribable to the fact that there were ninety-five non-Buddhist schools during Shakyamuni's day.
[3] Mount Hua: One of the five sacred mountains in China.
* The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbun's
http://www.seikyoonline.com/news/wagatomo/
-- WAGA TOMO NI OKURU --
TASHA NI TSUKUSU KODO GA
CHISANA EGO NO KARO O YABURI
KYOGAI O OKIKU HIROGERU!
GAKKAI TO TOMO NI DOSHI TO TOMO NI
NINGEN KAKUMEI NO YAMA O NOBORE!
--- KYO NO GOSHO ---
"TATOEBA TORI NO TAMAGO WA HAJIMEWA MIZU NARI SONO MIZU NO NAKA YORI DAREKA NASUTOMO NAKEREDOMO KUCHIBASHI YO ME YO TO KAZARI IDEKITE KOKU NI KAKERU GA GOTOSHI WARERAMO MUMYO NO TAMAGO NISHITE ASAMASHIKI MI NAREDOMO NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO NO TONAE NO HAHA NI ATATAMERARE MAIRASETE SANJUNISO NO KUCHIBASHI IDETE HACHIJU SHUKO NO YOROIGE OISOROITE JISSO SHINNYO NO KOKU NI KAKERU BESHI"
(Gosho Zenshu - Page 1443)
__._,_.___
Posted by: Scobie-John Le May-Grellan <sjlmg@me.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"
: 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...
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To unsubscribe from this group send an email to:
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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
: 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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