I go into how I eat raw bitter melon, broccoli, and carrots in the morning. I also go into my faith: "The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law which saved my life over a year ago by alarming me to have my lungs checked. I've told you about it before, how while chanting my chest began to hurt which caused me to go to the hospital where they found a cancer spot. It amazed the doctors that I brought it to their attention so early. I had part of my lung removed and have lived another year without cancer. Now, it looks like there are more spots which could be cancerous. I am not sure what I have left, if it is to share with you how my faith has saved me again, or how I know by chanting I am protected and will be here as long as I am needed. Maybe just to share my cure with you, kind reader. The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law. To obtain it all you have to do is chant: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Give it a try.
My Cancer Diary
Japanese Boy, Taro - 1963 Educational Film
This is a film from 1963 I had some fun with. First of all it tells the story of Taro, a boy in the fifth grade. It shows his life in 1963 Japan. I added my cartoon character Kim Zog to do part of the voice over because there was a copyright issue with the music behind the speaker in the original version. I stayed true to him script until Taro visits a shrine with a Buddha in it. This section of the film tells how most people in Japan in 1963 were both Buddhist and Shinto, I added a line about Nichiren in there, informing the viewer of the "correct teachings of Buddha." Can you guess?
Enjoy
~~ Eso Terry
The Similarities Between Daisaku Ikeda and JFK
Cleaning out some of my old film closets, I came across this testimonial by a 1960's politician describing the "humanistic" qualities of President John F. Kennedy. I couldn't help but notice the similarities between JFK and Daisaku Ikeda, the 3rd President of the Soka Gakkai. Watch and I think you'll agree.
~~ Eso Terry
Myoho (妙法) Meaning to Me.
妙法 Myoho
I read this passage today from my desktop Daily Wisdom From The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin:
“And yet there is one river called the Sahara that follows a course as straight as a taut rope, flowing directly into the western sea. A woman who has faith in the Lotus Sutra will be like this river, proceeding directly to the Pure Land in the west. Such is the virtue inherent in the single character myo. (WND, 149).”
Wow, there is a lot to unpack there. First, please notice that it says “…faith in the Lotus Sutra…” and not faith in anything else. It doesn't say faith in the Daishonin, a priest, an organization, a spiritual leader, etc., It says faith in the Lotus Sutra. So, brothers and sisters, don't be led astray, and when in doubt, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo (NMRK), which is the title of the Lotus Sutra, and one of the things Nichiren Daishonin left us which incompasses all of the Lotus Sutra. Still, I request we read the Lotus Sutra out alloud beside a campfire one day, but I doubt I'll stay awake -- it's not a Nancy Drew novel. So, thank you Nichiren for showing us a way to bypass that 😁. Let's move on.
The thing that stuck out most to me about the above passage is where Nichiren writes: "Such is the virtue inherent in the single character myo." I have herd people say "myo" is the thing, and I always wondered why. And so I researched the topic and here is why:
First, according to Google AI, we read: In Nichiren Buddhism, myo (妙) is the first character of Myoho-renge-kyo (the Mystic Law) and translates to "mystic," "wonderful," or "beyond comprehension." It represents the Buddha nature inherent in all people, the Middle Way of life that transcends existence/nonexistence, and the power to activate enlightenment, revive hope, and transform "poison into medicine".
According to the WorldTribue.org:
“Myo means to open” (WND-1, 145). The Mystic Law brings out the inherent value of all things. In other words, no matter our state of life, when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can open and reveal the world of Buddhahood.
In other writings of Nichiren we read:
The character myo has the power to “cure the dead as well as the living” (WND-1, 149). Here, the “the dead” refers to the people of those three groups previously excluded from attaining enlightenment. Because chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is powerful enough to reactivate their Buddha nature, it has the power to awaken the Buddha nature in all people.
Ikeda Sensei states: “...just as the morning sun dispels the darkness, the lives of those who consistently chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will never be deadlocked. Chanting is the foundation of Nichiren Buddhism. When we vigorously chant daimoku, the sun rises brightly in our hearts. Energy surges, compassion wells forth, joy radiates and wisdom shines. All the Buddhas and heavenly deities—the positive forces of the universe—spring into action. Life becomes enjoyable. Nothing is more powerful than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo” (May 2015 Living Buddhism, p. 35).
Myoho (妙法), translating to "Wonderful Law" or "Mystic Law," is a core concept in Nichiren Buddhism representing the fundamental truth of life and the universe. It merges "Myo" (mystic/wonderful), denoting the invisible, latent aspect of life, with "Ho" (law/phenomena), representing visible, manifest existence, indicating that ordinary people can unveil their inherent Buddha-nature.
~~ Eso Terry
Indispensable
 |
| Me, being "indispensable" at a job. |
After chanting with a group of guys this week, one of the men was suffering job problems. He is faced with possibly of losing his job from a neglection to detail. The guidance a longtime practitioner gave him was to be "indispensable to your employer, and leave on your own terms, not theirs."
I hadn't heard this "indispensable" guidance before, and so wanted to research where it came from. Here is what I discovered mostly from a February 15, 2021 article in the SGI World Tribune titled "How To Make Things Work," along with some other books I've read.
A workplace is a community all on its own. For that reason, it represents a rich training ground for learning how to create harmonious relationships with co-workers and superiors based on the wisdom derived from Buddhist practice.
Founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi went so far as to describe three types of people in this world: “Those you want to have around, those whose presence or absence doesn’t make a difference and those whose presence causes problems.” When we apply the wisdom we derive from Buddhist practice at work, we can become skilled in the art of bringing people together.
How do we do this? Nichiren Daishonin encourages two brothers experiencing severe family difficulties “to become the master of your mind rather than let your mind master you.” Sensei shares that these words confirm the path of Buddhists:
To be “the master of your mind” means to make the principles of Buddhism our guide, and we achieve this through study. Study is also a measure to indicate whether our behavior and way of life as Buddhist practitioners is correct or not. It is a mirror that shows us who we are.
In one of his writings, Nichiren wrote to his disciple Shijo Kingo, who was facing various obstacles: “Live so that all the people of Kamakura will say in your praise that Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo [Shijo Kingo] is diligent in the service of his lord, in the service of Buddhism, and in his concern for other people.”
In volume 22 of The New Human Revolution, Sensei approaches a young man who quit his job to help prepare for an SGI convention. This young man had this to say about his work situation, justifying the reason why he had quit:
“The pay wasn’t very good, and they didn’t recognize my abilities. My bosses said I had a bad work attitude and complained about me all the time. I’m convinced that I will be able to find a better job through the benefits gained from chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo very hard and doing my best here at the convention.”
Sensei clarifies that this type of attitude does not reflect true faith.
“Nichiren Buddhism is a philosophy of human revolution, and it provides a practice for forging and polishing our lives so that we can be strong and wise, so that we may rise to every challenge that life presents and triumph over it.
“Maybe you had good reasons to quit your job, but your attitude is wrong. Of course, it’s important to chant and do your best in Soka Gakkai activities. But if you only focus on your Buddhist practice without making an honest effort at your workplace, you’re just escaping from reality. So long as you have that attitude, the results will be the same, no matter where you work.
To reiterate this point, Sensei says, “Remember that your victory or defeat in work and life doesn’t depend upon the size of the company or organization you work for, or the situation at your workplace. It all depends on you. It depends on your determination, your attitude.”
By adopting this spirit toward work, we can transform any challenge at work into one of value and benefit for our lives.
Six Points on Our Attitude at Work
Daisaku Ikeda and second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda on a winning attitude at work.
1) Exerting Ourselves
“It is a great mistake to just assume you’re going to succeed because of the benefit you receive from your Buddhist practice, without working harder than anyone at your job.” (President Toda, September 2016 Living Buddhism, p. 43)
2) Value Our Work
“You should deeply value your work, thinking hard and making every effort to succeed in it. For those of you who work for a company or some other organization, it’s important to bring a sense of enjoyment to what you’re doing and keep making efforts to improve at your job, as well as to be determined to fulfill your responsibilities.” (President Toda, September 2016 Living Buddhism, p. 43)
3) Faith Equals Daily Life
“As a Soka Gakkai member, you should regard your job as you would the Gohonzon, cherishing and deeply respecting it. Those who can do that are in accord with the intent of Nichiren Daishonin. Such people can be said to have forged deep faith.” (President Toda, September 2016 Living Buddhism, p. 43)
4) Transform Your Environment
“Josei Toda said: ‘Don’t let your work control you; you should control your work.’ Rather than be ruled by your environment, transform it. Be like Mount Fuji, which stands impervious to the buffeting winds, and forge an invincible self.” (Daisaku Ikeda, August 31, 2012, World Tribune, p. 5)
5) Win in the Morning
“Morning is decisive; it is the key to a successful day.
“Mr. Toda used to say: ‘A person who arrives at work late and is scolded by the boss will never amount to anything. New employees, especially, in the interest of earning trust and credibility in the workplace, should come into work earlier than anyone else.’
“Morning gongyo and daimoku [chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] awakens our life so that we can win in the day ahead.” (Daisaku Ikeda, August 31, 2012, World Tribune, p. 5)
6) Be Proactive
“Wherever you work, don’t be passive, but strive with the spirit that you are a person with an active role and responsibility in your workplace. If you do so, it will be challenging, but it will also be very rewarding. Moreover, nothing is more enjoyable than improving and developing yourself through your work. Regarding your workplace simply as a place where you earn your living is such a waste.” (Daisaku Ikeda, August 31, 2012, World Tribune, p. 5)
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect. Is it a thing? Because I write this, I have written, and the effect is yet to be seen. One simple fact is that Cause and Effect is a worldly theme. In the Christian Bible, it is written that "You reap what you sow." I think this is the same as the Buddhist Cause and Effect, but it seems to be talking more about the material aspects than the spiritual aspect.
In a nut shell, the law of Cause and Effect underlies the workings of all phenomena. Positive thoughts, words and actions create positive effects in our lives, leading to happiness. On the other hand, negative thoughts, words and actions—those that in some way undermine the dignity of life—lead to unhappiness. This is the general principle of karma.
In Buddhist teachings other than the Lotus Sutra, Buddhist practice is understood as a gradual journey of transformation that unfolds in accordance with cause and effect. This is a process by which the essentially flawed and imperfect common mortal gradually transforms over the course of many lifetimes into a state of perfection—Buddhahood. It is an undertaking that requires painstaking efforts to accumulate positive causes while receiving the effects of past negative causes and avoiding new negative causes.
Nichiren Buddhism, on the other hand, we don't have to wait until a future lifetime to achieve Buddhahood, we achieve it this life by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
The difference between this life and next lives, is best explained through the concept of the Ten Worlds.
This concept describes our inner state of life at any moment in terms
of ten “worlds,” from hell to Buddhahood, which we move between
constantly depending on how we live our life and respond to our
environment. Hence, we are in and out of Buddhahood every day, every minute of our lives. We get cut off in traffic and beep our horn with some swear words, temporary hell; on the other hand, we receive flowers from an admirer we admire, Heaven; and better yet, we share Buddhism with a friend and see her life flourish from this sharing, we are in Buddhahood.
In the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, ordinary people carry
out Buddhist practice in the nine worlds (cause) and eventually attain
Buddhahood (effect). The nine worlds disappear completely, replaced by
the world of Buddhahood. The Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, clarifies
that Buddhahood and the other nine worlds are each eternally inherent
possibilities of life at each moment. Through faith and practice, the
world of Buddhahood, which is otherwise dormant, is brought forth and
the nine worlds go into a state of dormancy, though they never
completely disappear.
This revolutionary perspective on
“attaining” Buddhahood is expressed in the concept of the simultaneity
of cause and effect. The nine worlds (“cause”) and the world of
Buddhahood (“effect”) are in fact equally inherent potentialities
existing simultaneously in our lives. This concept is symbolized by the
lotus plant, which, unlike other plants, bears flowers (symbolizing the
ordinary person) and fruit (symbolizing Buddhahood) at the same time.
In
other words, from the perspective of the Lotus Sutra, delusion and
enlightenment—the ordinary person and the Buddha—are two aspects, or
possibilities, that are always equally inherent in life. Our inability
to perceive our inherent Buddha nature—the idea that Buddhahood is
somehow remote from our ordinary reality—is simply a delusion, a result
of negative causes that have accumulated in or lives over many
existences. However, through the correct Buddhist practice, anyone can
activate their Buddha nature.
In conclusion, I think, therefore I am a Buddha, and so are you, you just need to awaken it.
Here is an old film from the 70's which describes the Buddha's enlightenment in modern terms. Please note the cause and effect part, where the Shakyamuni finds his enlightenment is from within.
~~ Eso Terry
Leeds England, an Educational Film from the 1970's.
Here at Kosen-Rufu.com we follow some of the last words the original Buddha left us, and this is to educated ourselves, learn all we can. Furthermore, as a global citizen, we share and love each other's cultures, yes, even the British (ha, just kidding, I love Fish, Chips, and the Beatles!).
Here is a great educational film from the 70's I restored as part of my Kosen-Rufu.Com collection. Enjoy.
~~ Eso Terry
The Colorless World and the Rainbow. A Children's Cartoon.
ON a planet far, far away, there was a colorless planet until the colors came together to make things better. A very Buddhist message for our children. Of course, this is a message for all people if you ask me, but then again, I am a Buddhist.
Terry V
It's Christmas Time, my favorite time of the year.
Of all the Christmas songs you hear this year, the one I hope you pay most attention to is Frosty the Snowman, for it is the most blatant buddhist Christmas song ever, and here's why.
First, let me sing the song for you -- please hold onto you ears as I do, for a good singer I am not.
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale, they say
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he came to life one day
There must have been some magic in
That old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
Oh, Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just the same as you and me
[Chorus]
Thumpety-thump-thump
Thumpety-thump-thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpety-thump-thump
Thumpety-thump-thump
Over the hills of snow
[Verse 2]
Ooh Frosty the snowman
Knew the sun was hot that day
So he said, "Let's run and we'll have some fun
Now before I melt away."
Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all around the square
Saying, "Catch me if you can!"
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler, "Stop!"
Oh, Frosty the snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye, saying
"Don't you cry, I'll be back again someday."
Frosty, as we all remember, is “a jolly happy soul.” Born of heaven’s (Tibetan) white falling snow and seeing through his earthy black eyes of coal, his spirit is that of a child, but his foreknowledge of his own demise places him outside the realm of the purely innocent children. His crucial conflict—our crucial conflict—is this: Frosty the Snowman knew the sun was hot that day. Life is suffering, death will come, is coming. Yet, Frosty’s response is astonishing! “Let’s run and have some fun,” he says, “before I melt away.” Frosty is delivering the wisdom of the Buddha, and one can almost picture him meditating on the mantra Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as he is dashing through the snow. Frosty teaches the children that there is heaven in the present moment.
As Frosty faces his own melting with the acceptance of Nichiren Daishonen, he teaches us the Buddha's most valuable lesson, that we will face death, but will return, or as Frosty says, "Don’t you cry, I’ll be back again someday." Then he fearlessly dances over the hills of snow back to the forest. Frosty shows us that our time is short, but that does not mean it has to be lived in fear and sadness.
Finally, as Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda once said, and I paraphrase, "It's delusional to think you won't die!"
So, Happy Holiday's Brothers and Sisters, and let's be like Frosty before we melt away.
saha world
Chant Gongyo with English Translation in Realtime
I always wanted to have an English translation during my chanting Gongyo twice a day. I hope you find this useful. We don't need to know what the words mean to get benefit, but it's nice to know what they mean. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the answer, no matter the question.
Kosen-Rufu Gongyo Karaoke
This is the chant we do for the Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Buddhist practice. The power is in the words, mixed with faith, and a little thing we call "The Mystic" Law. Chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and find out for yourself. Put down those magic sticks boys and girls, this is the real elevated divine shit. Go for it. Change your karma today, this lifetime, not the next.
~~ Eso Terry Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the answer, no matter the question
Global Citizen is the bases of Nichirin Buddhism.
This morning I posted my live thoughts on "Morning Buddhist Thoughts" on being a global citizen. The definition of a global citizen is:
Global citizenship is a form of transnationality, specifically the idea that one's identity transcends geography or political borders and that responsibilities or rights are derived from membership in a broader global class of "humanity". This does not mean that such a person denounces or waives their nationality or other, more local identities, but that such identities are given "second place" to their membership in a global community. Extended, the idea leads to questions about the state of global society in the age of globalization.
There you have it in a nutshell what I believe being a Nichiren Buddhist stands for, epesecially the line "a broader global class of 'humanity'". No national politics can justify the starvation of one human being for power. We see this everywhere today. Let's fix this brothers and sisters. Let's chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo together and fight for a better world where the value of life is the number one goal of the world.
Here is the Nichiren Writing I quoted this morning:
People have varied tastes. Some prefer good and some prefer evil.
There are many kinds of people. But thought they differ from one another in such ways, once they enter into the Lotus Sutra, they all become like a single person in body and a single person in mind. This is just like the myriad different rivers that, when they flow into the ocean, all take on a uniformly salty flavor, or like the many kinds of birds that, whey they approach Mount Sumeru, all assume the same (golden) hue.
(WND 1042)
 |
| Click For My Morning Buddhist Thoughts |
Ten Demon Daughters
three bodies
three bodies: Three kinds of body a Buddha may possess. A concept set forth in Mahayana Buddhism to organize different views of the Buddha appearing in the sutras. The three bodies are as follows: (1) The Dharma body, or body of the Law. This is the fundamental truth, or Law, to which a Buddha is enlightened. (2) The reward body (sambhoga-kāya), obtained as the reward of completing bodhisattva practices and acquiring the Buddha wisdom. Unlike the Dharma body, which is immaterial, the reward body is thought of as an actual body, although one that is transcendent and imperceptible to ordinary people. (3) The manifested body (nirmāna-kāya), or the physical form that a Buddha assumes in this world in order to save the people. Generally, a Buddha was held to possess one of the three bodies. In other words, the three bodies represented three different types of Buddhas—the Buddha of the Dharma body, the Buddha of the reward body, and the Buddha of the manifested body.
On the basis of the Lotus Sutra and the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life derived from it, T’ien-t’ai (538–597) maintained that the three bodies are not separate entities but three integral aspects of a single Buddha. From this point of view, the Dharma body indicates the essential property of a Buddha, which is the truth or Law to which the Buddha is enlightened. The reward body indicates the wisdom, or the spiritual property of a Buddha, which enables the Buddha to perceive the truth. It is called reward body because a Buddha’s wisdom is considered the reward derived from ceaseless effort and discipline. The manifested body indicates compassionate actions, or the physical property of a Buddha. It is the body with which a Buddha carries out compassionate actions to lead people to enlightenment, or those actions themselves. In discussing the passage in the “Life Span” (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra that reads, “You must listen carefully and hear of the Thus Come One’s secret and his transcendental powers,” T’ien-t’ai, in The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra, interpreted “secret” to mean that a single Buddha possesses all three bodies and that all three bodies are found within a single Buddha.
An Extrordinary Home Visit
Jack Smith's life was in the dumps, his car in the shop, job to be cut, and wife has left him. Jimmy Onit is a men's leader, he chants with Jack Smith and everything changes.
Bodhisattva Never Disparaging
Monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen mocked him and attacked him with staves and stones. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, however, persevered in his practice and achieved purification of his six senses through the benefit of the Lotus Sutra. When the arrogant clerics and laypersons who had treated Never Disparaging with ridicule and contempt heard his preaching and saw that he had purified his senses, they all took faith in him and became his followers. But due to their past offenses of treating him with animosity, they did not encounter a Buddha, hear of the Law, or see the community of monks for two hundred million kalpas. For a thousand kalpas, they underwent great suffering in the Avīchi hell. After they had finished paying for their offenses, they again encountered Bodhisattva Never Disparaging and received instruction from him in attaining supreme perfect enlightenment.
This story illustrates the principle of attaining enlightenment through a reverse relationship, or the connection established with the correct teaching through rejecting or slandering it. It illustrates the great power of the Lotus Sutra to save even those who oppose or slander it. Shakyamuni identifies Bodhisattva Never Disparaging as himself in a past existence and reveals that those who disparaged him are present in the assembly of the Lotus Sutra on Eagle Peak. Shakyamuni further states that these people are now at the stage of practice where they will never regress in their pursuit of supreme perfect enlightenment. He then urges that the Lotus Sutra be single-mindedly embraced and propagated after his death.
Medicine King
Bodhisattva Medicine King also figures prominently in the Lotus Sutra. The “Teacher of the Law” (tenth) chapter is addressed to Bodhisattva Medicine King. In the “Encouraging Devotion” (thirteenth) chapter, he and Bodhisattva Great Joy of Preaching lead the host of bodhisattvas in vowing to propagate the sutra in the evil age after Shakyamuni’s death. The “Medicine King” (twenty-third) chapter describes the austerities he performed in a previous lifetime as a bodhisattva named Gladly Seen by All Living Beings, or simply Gladly Seen. In the remote past, Bodhisattva Gladly Seen heard the Lotus Sutra from the Buddha Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue. As a result, he mastered a form of meditation that enabled him to manifest any physical form. In gratitude, Gladly Seen entered this meditation and caused flowers and incense to rain down from the heavens as an offering to the Buddha Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue and the Lotus Sutra, but he felt dissatisfied with this offering and decided that it would be more meaningful to offer his own body. After steeping himself in scents and fragrances for twelve hundred years, he anointed his body with fragrant oil and set himself ablaze in the presence of the Buddha.
The blaze illuminated worlds equal in number to the sands of eighty million Ganges Rivers, and the Buddhas within them praised his act as the supreme offering. His body burned for twelve hundred years, and after it was consumed, he was reborn in the land of Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue Buddha, whom he found at the point of entering nirvana. The Buddha transferred his teachings to Bodhisattva Gladly Seen and then died. Gladly Seen cremated the Buddha’s body and built eighty-four thousand stupas to enshrine his ashes, to which he then made offerings. Not satisfied, he proceeded to burn his arms as a further offering for seventy-two thousand years. All the bodhisattvas, gods, people, and other beings he had converted grieved to see him without arms, but he declared to them that having offered his own flesh, he would surely attain Buddhahood, whereupon his arms were restored. Later he was reborn as Bodhisattva Medicine King. The “King Wonderful Adornment” (twentyseventh) chapter says that the bodhisattvas Medicine King and Medicine Superior are reincarnations of Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye who converted their father, King Wonderful Adornment, to the correct teaching.
The Biography of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai Chih-che of the Sui Dynasty by Chang-an states that T’ien-t’ai (538–597) was a reincarnation of Bodhisattva Medicine King because he had attained a great awakening through the “Medicine King” chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
Three Obstacles and Four Devils (Sansho-Shima)
The four devils are (1) the hindrance of the five components, obstructions caused by one’s physical and mental functions; (2) the hindrance of earthly desires, obstructions arising from the three poisons; (3) the hindrance of death, meaning one’s own untimely death obstructing one’s practice of Buddhism, or the premature death of another practitioner causing one to doubt; and (4) the hindrance of the devil king, who is said to assume various forms or take possession of others in order to cause one to discard one’s Buddhist practice. This hindrance is regarded as the most difficult to overcome. T’ien-t’ai (538–597) states in Great Concentration and Insight: “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere. . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching.”
Note: devil king of the sixth heaven ［第六天の魔王］ ( dairokuten-no-maō):
Also, devil king or heavenly devil. The king of devils, who dwells in
the highest or the sixth heaven of the world of desire. He is also named
Freely Enjoying Things Conjured by Others, the king who makes free use
of the fruits of others’ efforts for his own pleasure. Served by
innumerable minions, he obstructs Buddhist practice and delights in
sapping the life force of other beings.
Dengyo
In 788 he built a small temple on the mountain and named it Hieisan-ji (Temple of Mount Hiei). (After Dengyō’s death, Emperor Saga renamed it Enryaku-ji in 823.) In 802, at age thirty-six, Dengyō was invited to Kyoto by the brothers and court nobles Wake no Hiroyo and Wake no Matsuna to lecture at their family temple, Takao-dera. There he expounded T’ien-t’ai’s three major works to eminent priests representing the seven major temples of Nara. This event catapulted Dengyō to prominence, winning him the support of Emperor Kammu, and greatly enhanced the prestige of the T’ien-t’ai doctrine.
In 804, accompanied by his disciple Gishin who acted as interpreter, Dengyō went to China. After making a pilgrimage to Mount T’ien-t’ai, the center of the T’ien-t’ai school, they stayed in the province of T’ai-chou, where the center was located. There Dengyō received the essentials of T’ien-t’ai Buddhism from Miao-lo’s disciple Tao-sui and then from Hsing-man, another disciple of Miao-lo. He also received the bodhisattva precepts, or those of perfect and immediate enlightenment, from Tao-sui, the Zen teachings from Hsiao-jan, and the anointment of Esoteric Buddhism from Shun-hsiao. In 805 he returned to Japan and the next year established the Tendai school. In those days, all Buddhist priests were ordained exclusively in the Hinayana precepts. Dengyō wished to ordain his disciples with Mahayana precepts and made continual efforts to obtain imperial permission for the building of a Mahayana ordination center on Mount Hiei in the face of determined opposition from the older schools of Nara. Permission was finally granted a week after Dengyō’s death in 822, and in 827 his successor Gishin completed the ordination center.
After his return to Japan, in addition to this project, Dengyō concentrated his efforts on refuting the doctrines of the older Buddhist schools. In particular, his ongoing debate with Tokuitsu, a priest of the Dharma Characteristics (Hossō) school, is well known. That debate began in the early Kōnin era (810–824). Tokuitsu asserted that the one vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sutra was a provisional teaching that Shakyamuni Buddha expounded in accordance with the people’s capacity, while the three vehicle teachings were true teachings, and that there are some people who are without the potential to attain Buddhahood. In opposition to this assertion, Dengyō maintained that all people have the Buddha nature, and that the one vehicle of Buddhahood expounded in the Lotus Sutra is the true teaching.
Among Dengyō’s major disciples were Gishin, Enchō, Kōjō, Jikaku, Chishō, and Ninchū. His works include The Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sutra, A Clarification of the Precepts, An Essay on the Protection of the Nation, and The Regulations for Students of the Mountain School.
My Cancer Diary
So the docs found a new spot on my lungs. It is May 27th, 2026, I've been here before. I'm ready for this. Interesting, it was exact...
-
Kōsen-rufu (広宣流布), a phrase found in the Japanese translation of the Buddhist scripture Lotus Sutra , is informally defined to as "wor...
-
A Bodhisattva (菩薩) is one who aspires to enlightenment, or Buddhahood. Bodhi means enlightenment, and sattva, a living being. In Hinaya...
