A translation of President Ikeda's "To My Friends"
published in the Seikyo Shinbun and more.
Sunday, December 4th, 2016
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
What moves people's hearts is
sincere caring words
and the speed at which we act.
By taking good care of our neighbours and relatives,
let's do our very best so that the bonds of trust
between us become even stronger!
Sunday, December 4th, 2016
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life's functions."
(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon
- WND, Vol. I, page 832)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin",
Seikyo Shinbun, December 4th, 2016
Monday, 5th December, 2016
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"'I myself, since the day I first took faith [in the Lotus Sutra], have recited [passages from this sutra] every day, making a vow and praying to the Buddhas and the gods, and although I have encountered great difficulties of various kinds, because of the profound influence of the benefits bestowed by the Lotus Sutra and the golden words of Shakyamuni Buddha, I have managed to survive until today.
"'Thus you should understand that so long as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra remains unwavering in faith, free of all false alliances, entrusting himself wholeheartedly to the Lotus Sutra and practicing in accordance with the Buddha's golden words, he will without fail be able to prevent disaster and prolong his life in this present existence, to say nothing of in the life to come. Splendid recompense will be his, and he will fulfill his great vow to broadly proclaim and propagate the Lotus Sutra.'
- (WND-2, 460; "Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra")
"Nichiren Daishonin stood up resolutely for the happiness of all people in the Latter Day of the Law. Because he propagated the Lotus Sutra, he encountered persecution just as described in the Lotus Sutra. His life was an endless struggle against great difficulties.
"It was in the midst of the bitterest adversity of his Sado Exile, right after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution,[1] that he composed this writing, titled 'Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra,'[2] teaching his disciple Sairen-bo[3] about prayer for preventing disaster and prolonging life.
"In the letter, the Daishonin affirms that the reason he has survived in spite of undergoing one great difficulty after another is that he has recited passages from the Lotus Sutra on a daily basis, prayed to the Buddhas and gods—the protective functions inherent in the universe—and made a vow.
"He emphasises the regularity of his practice with the phrase 'every day.' In another writing ['Persecution by Sword and Staff'], he states: 'From the time that I was born until today, I have never known a moment's ease; I have thought only of propagating the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo]' (WND-1, 965). As these words indicate, the Daishonin strove without rest to spread the Mystic Law to lead all people to enlightenment.
"For us, too, in our own individual Buddhist practice, the continued efforts we make, day in and day out, are extremely important. It is for this reason that the Daishonin urges: 'Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month' (WND-1, 997)."
SGI Newsletter No. 9501, The Buddhism of the Sun—Illuminating the World, [13] The Five Eternal Guidelines of the Soka Gakkai—Part 5 [of 5, ]"Faith for Absolute Victory"—Making Steady Daily Efforts in Faith, from the May 2016 issue of the Daibyaku renge, translation released 30th Nov., 2016
[1] Tatsunokuchi Persecution and Sado Exile: On September 12, 1271, the authorities arrested Nichiren Daishonin and took him to a place called Tatsunokuchi on the outskirts of Kamakura, where they tried to execute him under cover of darkness. When the execution attempt failed, he was held in detention at the residence of the deputy constable of Sado, Homma Rokuro Saemon, in Echi (part of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture). After a period of about a month while the government debated what to do with him, he was exiled to Sado Island, which was tantamount to a death sentence. However, when his predictions of internal strife and foreign invasion were fulfilled, the government issued a pardon in March 1274, and he returned to Kamakura.
[2] Addressed to Sairen-bo, "Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra" is thought to have been composed in 1273. In it, the Daishonin replies to an inquiry from Sairen-bo concerning the prayer for preventing disaster and prolonging one's life, telling him that the true way to achieve those goals is to be unwavering in one's practise of the Lotus Sutra. With the letter, he enclosed a scroll known as "the prayer sutra" comprising of key passages from the Lotus Sutra. That scroll has been lost and it is not known what passages were contained therein.
[3] Sairen-bo (n.d.): Born in Kyoto, he was a priest of the Tendai school who, for an unknown reason, had been exiled to Sado Island. There, he met the Daishonin and converted to his teachings in February 1272, shortly after the Tsukahara Debate. From the letters the Daishonin sent to him, it appears that he had a profound knowledge of Buddhism, but was in poor health. After the Daishonin left Sado and went to live at Mount Minobu in 1274, Sairen-bo was also pardoned and returned to Kyoto.
* 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 --
KOKORO O UGOKASU NOWA
MAGOKORO NO KOTOBA TO
HANNO NO "speed" DA!
KINRIN YA SHINSEKI O TAISETSU NI
SHINRAI NO KIBUZA O TSUYOMEYO!
--- KYO NO GOSHO ---
"KONO GOHONZON MATTAKU YOSONI MOTOMURU KOTO NAKARE TADA WARERA SHUJO NO HOKEKYO O TAMOCHITE NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO TO TONAURU KYOCHU NO NIKUDAN NI AWASHIMASU NARI KORE O KUSHIKI SHINNO SHINNYO NO MIYAKO TOWA MOSU NARI"
(Gosho Zenshu - Page 1244)
published in the Seikyo Shinbun and more.
Sunday, December 4th, 2016
-- TO MY FRIENDS --
What moves people's hearts is
sincere caring words
and the speed at which we act.
By taking good care of our neighbours and relatives,
let's do our very best so that the bonds of trust
between us become even stronger!
Sunday, December 4th, 2016
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life's functions."
(The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon
- WND, Vol. I, page 832)
Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin",
Seikyo Shinbun, December 4th, 2016
Monday, 5th December, 2016
---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"'I myself, since the day I first took faith [in the Lotus Sutra], have recited [passages from this sutra] every day, making a vow and praying to the Buddhas and the gods, and although I have encountered great difficulties of various kinds, because of the profound influence of the benefits bestowed by the Lotus Sutra and the golden words of Shakyamuni Buddha, I have managed to survive until today.
"'Thus you should understand that so long as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra remains unwavering in faith, free of all false alliances, entrusting himself wholeheartedly to the Lotus Sutra and practicing in accordance with the Buddha's golden words, he will without fail be able to prevent disaster and prolong his life in this present existence, to say nothing of in the life to come. Splendid recompense will be his, and he will fulfill his great vow to broadly proclaim and propagate the Lotus Sutra.'
- (WND-2, 460; "Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra")
"Nichiren Daishonin stood up resolutely for the happiness of all people in the Latter Day of the Law. Because he propagated the Lotus Sutra, he encountered persecution just as described in the Lotus Sutra. His life was an endless struggle against great difficulties.
"It was in the midst of the bitterest adversity of his Sado Exile, right after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution,[1] that he composed this writing, titled 'Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra,'[2] teaching his disciple Sairen-bo[3] about prayer for preventing disaster and prolonging life.
"In the letter, the Daishonin affirms that the reason he has survived in spite of undergoing one great difficulty after another is that he has recited passages from the Lotus Sutra on a daily basis, prayed to the Buddhas and gods—the protective functions inherent in the universe—and made a vow.
"He emphasises the regularity of his practice with the phrase 'every day.' In another writing ['Persecution by Sword and Staff'], he states: 'From the time that I was born until today, I have never known a moment's ease; I have thought only of propagating the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo]' (WND-1, 965). As these words indicate, the Daishonin strove without rest to spread the Mystic Law to lead all people to enlightenment.
"For us, too, in our own individual Buddhist practice, the continued efforts we make, day in and day out, are extremely important. It is for this reason that the Daishonin urges: 'Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month' (WND-1, 997)."
SGI Newsletter No. 9501, The Buddhism of the Sun—Illuminating the World, [13] The Five Eternal Guidelines of the Soka Gakkai—Part 5 [of 5, ]"Faith for Absolute Victory"—Making Steady Daily Efforts in Faith, from the May 2016 issue of the Daibyaku renge, translation released 30th Nov., 2016
[1] Tatsunokuchi Persecution and Sado Exile: On September 12, 1271, the authorities arrested Nichiren Daishonin and took him to a place called Tatsunokuchi on the outskirts of Kamakura, where they tried to execute him under cover of darkness. When the execution attempt failed, he was held in detention at the residence of the deputy constable of Sado, Homma Rokuro Saemon, in Echi (part of present-day Kanagawa Prefecture). After a period of about a month while the government debated what to do with him, he was exiled to Sado Island, which was tantamount to a death sentence. However, when his predictions of internal strife and foreign invasion were fulfilled, the government issued a pardon in March 1274, and he returned to Kamakura.
[2] Addressed to Sairen-bo, "Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra" is thought to have been composed in 1273. In it, the Daishonin replies to an inquiry from Sairen-bo concerning the prayer for preventing disaster and prolonging one's life, telling him that the true way to achieve those goals is to be unwavering in one's practise of the Lotus Sutra. With the letter, he enclosed a scroll known as "the prayer sutra" comprising of key passages from the Lotus Sutra. That scroll has been lost and it is not known what passages were contained therein.
[3] Sairen-bo (n.d.): Born in Kyoto, he was a priest of the Tendai school who, for an unknown reason, had been exiled to Sado Island. There, he met the Daishonin and converted to his teachings in February 1272, shortly after the Tsukahara Debate. From the letters the Daishonin sent to him, it appears that he had a profound knowledge of Buddhism, but was in poor health. After the Daishonin left Sado and went to live at Mount Minobu in 1274, Sairen-bo was also pardoned and returned to Kyoto.
* 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 --
KOKORO O UGOKASU NOWA
MAGOKORO NO KOTOBA TO
HANNO NO "speed" DA!
KINRIN YA SHINSEKI O TAISETSU NI
SHINRAI NO KIBUZA O TSUYOMEYO!
--- KYO NO GOSHO ---
"KONO GOHONZON MATTAKU YOSONI MOTOMURU KOTO NAKARE TADA WARERA SHUJO NO HOKEKYO O TAMOCHITE NAM-MYOHO-RENGE-KYO TO TONAURU KYOCHU NO NIKUDAN NI AWASHIMASU NARI KORE O KUSHIKI SHINNO SHINNYO NO MIYAKO TOWA MOSU NARI"
(Gosho Zenshu - Page 1244)
__._,_.___
Posted by: Scobie-John Le May-Grellan <sjlmg@icloud.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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