Swimmy - Cartoon On Working Together - All For One and One For All. Alone, they are vulnerable fish, together, in a group with a common cause they are a gigantic fish. This reminds of my Buddhist faith, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, therefore I edited this old 16mm film with a modern touch. We all need to shine together now more than ever. ~~ Eso Terry
Showing posts with label Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Show all posts
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 exactly four years ago on this day that I posted "My Cancer Cure" post on here. In that post I wrote: "We all come into this life with a mission, a reason, and when that reason is done so are we...this is why cancer doesn't matter to me, if I still have a reason to live, the cancer will wait. And as I told you before, the blue Buddha came to me in a dream and so I know I am healing and will stay alive as long as I continue my mission. I am chanting each morning that this body which can create a cancer cell, can heel a cancer cell. Therefore, I chant that the recent spots they found on my lungs are smaller than they were the day before, and that they are not cancerous. I then thank the heavenly deities for providing this. I also pray that the medicine king will bring me the knowledge, doctors, cures, etc., that I need...."
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.
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
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.
Shakyamuni Buddha
Shakyamuni Buddha was born in northeastern India around 500 BCE, the eldest son of a king. As a young man, he became aware of the impermanence and sufferings of life—birth, aging, sickness and death. He left the luxuries of the palace in pursuit of answers to life’s perplexing questions and to seek a way to relieve people of their suffering.
Shakyamuni tried meditation, then asceticism—subjecting his body to painful austerities—to free himself of desires. Mastering these practices left him unsatisfied, so he rejected them to seek a new, deeper path to the truth on his own. He struggled for years to conquer his own delusions about the true nature of life. In his thirties, while sitting under a Bodhi tree, Shakyamuni awakened to the fundamental truth that enables all people to overcome their sufferings. He then resolved to dedicate his life to sharing this truth with others.
Shakyamuni traveled far and wide to teach and encourage others to transform their lives and help others do the same. His disciples included people from all walks of life: from kings, warriors and merchants, to members of the lowest, untouchable class. Shakyamuni welcomed women into the Buddhist Order, treating monks, nuns, and lay men and women as equals. In the context of India’s rigid caste system, Shakyamuni’s indifference to social standing was unique. His sincere dedication sparked a people’s movement, centered on valuing and promoting the dignity of all life.
Sharing Your Buddhist Faith For Beginers.
To share your Nichiren Buddhist faith experience, focus on how chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has positively impacted your life by overcoming challenges, finding inner strength, and contributing to your personal growth, while emphasizing the importance of sharing this practice with others to spread happiness and peace;be genuine, specific about situations where your faith helped, and express your gratitude for the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai community.
Key points to include:
- Describe a specific situation where you faced a significant obstacle in your life, like a health issue, relationship conflict, or career setback, and how chanting helped you find the courage and resilience to overcome it.
- Explain how the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo transformed your perspective on the situation and allowed you to approach it with a more positive mindset.Positive changes:
- Share tangible positive changes in your life that resulted from your faith practice, such as improved relationships, increased confidence, or a greater sense of purpose.Soka Gakkai community support:
- Mention the importance of your local Soka Gakkai community and how their encouragement and support strengthened your faith journey.Kosen-rufu:
- Explain the concept of "kosen-rufu" (achieving world peace) and how your personal practice contributes to this larger goal.Structure for sharing your experience:
- Briefly introduce yourself and how you came to practice Nichiren Buddhism.
- Share a specific life experience where your faith made a significant impact, detailing the challenges you faced and how chanting helped you overcome them.Impact on your life:
- Describe the positive changes you've experienced in your personal life, relationships, and outlook as a result of your practice.Gratitude and inspiration:
- Express your gratitude for the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and the Soka Gakkai community, and encourage others to explore the benefits of chanting.Important considerations:
- Be authentic: Share your story with genuine emotion and sincerity.
- Focus on the positive: Highlight the positive aspects of your faith journey and how it has enriched your life.
- Respect others' beliefs: Be mindful of different perspectives and avoid making forceful claims.
- Adapt to the audience: Tailor your sharing to fit the context and level of understanding of your listeners.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
Nichiren, the 13th-century Buddhist monk upon whose teachings the Soka Gakkai is based, awakened to this law, or principle, and named it “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” Through the Buddhist practice he developed, he provided a way for all people to activate it within their own lives and experience the joy that comes from being able to liberate oneself from suffering at the most fundamental level.
Shakyamuni, first awoke to this law out of a compassionate yearning to find the means to enable all people to be free of the inevitable pains of life. It is because of this that he is known as Buddha, or “Awakened One.” Discovering that the capacity to transform suffering was innate within his own life, he saw too that it is innate within all beings.
The record of Shakyamuni’s teachings to awaken others was captured
for posterity in numerous Buddhist sutras. The culmination of these
teachings is the Lotus Sutra. In Japanese, “Lotus Sutra” is rendered as Myoho-renge-kyo.
Over
a thousand years after Shakyamuni, amidst the turbulence of
13th-century Japan, Nichiren similarly began a quest to recover the
essence of Buddhism for the sake of the suffering masses. Awakening to
the law of life himself, Nichiren was able to discern that this
fundamental law is contained within Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra and that it
is encapsulated and concisely expressed in the sutra’s
title—Myoho-renge-kyo. Nichiren designated the title of the sutra as the
name of the law and established the practice of reciting
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a practical way for all people to focus their
hearts and minds upon this law and manifest its transformative power in
reality. Nam comes from the Sanskrit namas, meaning to devote or dedicate oneself.
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
is thus a vow, an expression of determination, to embrace and manifest
our Buddha nature. It is a pledge to oneself to never yield to
difficulties and to win over one’s suffering. At the same time, it is a
vow to help others reveal this law in their own lives and achieve
happiness.
The individual characters that make up Myoho-renge-kyo express key characteristics of this law. Myo can be translated as mystic or wonderful, and ho means
law. This law is called mystic because it is difficult to comprehend.
What exactly is it that is difficult to comprehend? It is the wonder of
ordinary people, beset by delusion and suffering, awakening to the
fundamental law in their own lives, bringing forth wisdom and compassion
and realizing that they are inherently Buddhas able to solve their own
problems and those of others. The Mystic Law transforms the life of
anyone—even the unhappiest person, at any time and in any
circumstances—into a life of supreme happiness.
Renge,
meaning lotus blossom, is a metaphor that offers further insight into
the qualities of this Mystic Law. The lotus flower is pure and fragrant,
unsullied by the muddy water in which it grows. Similarly, the beauty
and dignity of our humanity is brought forth amidst the sufferings of
daily reality.
Further, unlike other plants, the lotus puts forth
flowers and fruit at the same time. In most plants, the fruit develops
after the flower has bloomed and the petals of the flower have fallen
away. The fruit of the lotus plant, however, develops simultaneously
with the flower, and when the flower opens, the fruit is there within
it. This illustrates the principle of the simultaneity of cause and
effect; we do not have to wait to become someone perfect in the future,
we can bring forth the power of the Mystic Law from within our lives at
any time.
The principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect
clarifies that our lives are fundamentally equipped with the great life
state of the Buddha and that the attainment of Buddhahood is possible by
simply opening up and bringing forth this state. Sutras other than the
Lotus Sutra taught that people could attain Buddhahood only by carrying
out Buddhist practice over several lifetimes, acquiring the traits of
the Buddha one by one. The Lotus Sutra overturns this idea, teaching
that all the traits of the Buddha are present within our lives from the
beginning.
Kyo literally means sutra
and here indicates the Mystic Law likened to a lotus flower, the
fundamental law that permeates life and the universe, the eternal truth.
The Chinese character kyo also implies the idea of a “thread.”
When a fabric is woven, first, the vertical threads are put in place.
These represent the basic reality of life. They are the stable framework
through which the horizontal threads are woven. These horizontal
threads, representing the varied activities of our daily lives, make up
the pattern of the fabric, imparting color and variation. The fabric of
our lives is comprised of both a fundamental and enduring truth as well
as the busy reality of our daily existence with its uniqueness and
variety. A life that is only horizontal threads quickly unravels.
These
are some of the ways in which the name “Myoho-renge-kyo” describes the
Mystic Law, of which our lives are an expression. To chant
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is an act of faith in the Mystic Law and in the
magnitude of life’s inherent possibilities. Throughout his writings,
Nichiren emphasizes the primacy of faith. He writes, for instance: “The
Lotus Sutra . . . says that one can ‘gain entrance through faith alone.’
. . . Thus faith is the basic requirement for entering the way of the
Buddha.” The Mystic Law is the unlimited strength inherent in one’s
life. To believe in the Mystic Law and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to
have faith in one’s unlimited potential. It is not a mystical phrase
that brings forth supernatural power, nor is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo an
entity transcending ourselves that we rely upon. It is the principle
that those who live normal lives and make consistent efforts will duly
triumph.
To chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to bring forth the pure
and fundamental energy of life, honoring the dignity and possibility of
our ordinary lives.
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