Source of Victory

Faith is the source of victory for everything. It is the foundation of our Buddhist practice for the happiness of ourselves and others. It is the key to carrying out our human revolution and transforming our karma. It is the sharp sword for cutting through the force for kosen-rufu, and for realizing lasting peace and prosperity based on the humanistic principles of Nichiren Buddhism.

~ Living Buddhism 2012

Sympathy for the Devil

“Please allow me to introduce myself,” says The Devil in the Rolling Stones’ classic tune “Sympathy for the Devil.” 

by *mimulux

Unfortunately, devils are not usually so obvious. By nature, they are devious and hard to identify. In addition, our powers to discern good and evil are diminished by two things: our own ignorance or delusion and the cunning of “the devil himself.”

In Nichiren Buddhism “devils” symbolize a function of life. No one actually is a devil, but everyone has the potential to think and behave in a devilish fashion. Terms like devil and evil define modes of human behavior—our own or others’—that can hinder our ability to respect the Buddha nature in ourselves or in others.

Nichiren Daishonin writes of how difficult it is to discern good from evil while in an unenlightened state. He refers to this as a “dream realm,” in which our minds are “invariably engaged with phantoms, and so it gives rise to phantom capacities, phantom receptiveness, phantom responses…” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 836). Or, he writes, that people have “become drunk on the bad liquor of inner darkness” (WND-1, 478). To awaken from our dream state, to sober from our drunkenness of ignorance, we practice Buddhism as members of the SGI, dedicated to awakening and encouraging one another.

Sneakiness and cunning are the devil’s calling cards; according to Nichiren, obstacles and devilish functions arise in “confusing form” (WND-1, 281) to hinder one’s Buddhist practice, or to create division and mistrust among fellow Buddhists. For one who is taken in by these, he says, “The devil will watch over him like a parent” (WND-1, 770).

Devilish functions or the people who embody them often take on an attractive and sympathetic appearance like the “man of wealth and taste” in the Stones’ song. But to sympathize with those who behave in a devilish manner, who hinder the advancement of kosen-rufu, serves neither them nor ourselves. Their error is critical and driven by the worst in human nature—to diminish the value of others, to use others for their own gain, with the effect of estranging people from the community of believers who propagate the most powerful Law, which can relieve suffering.

Shakyamuni Buddha thoroughly reproached his follower Devadatta, who, out of jealousy, tried to destroy the Buddhist Order. The Buddha harshly criticized him in public to alert everyone, including the transgressor, to the seriousness of the offense. SGI President Ikeda explains: “It is by denouncing evil that we can cause such people to open their eyes. That is because hearing voices resounding with the justice of the Mystic Law has the effect of activating the Buddha nature that lies dormant in an evil person’s heart” (June 2003 Living Buddhism, pp. 37–38). When we do this, Nichiren says, we are acting as the offender’s “parent.”

Buddhism does not view good and evil as a duality, as existing independent of one another. Even a Buddha possesses the potential for evil. If this were not so, the principles of “mutual possession of the ten worlds” or “three thousand realms in a single moment of life” would not be true. The potential inherent in any condition of life are all the other possible conditions. The Buddhist principle called the “oneness of good and evil” means that where there is evil, good is an ever-present potential, where there is good, evil is always a possibility. As Nichiren writes, “Good and evil have been inherent in life since time without beginning” (WND-1, 1113). Since both good and evil are always present in all life, it becomes each person’s continual challenge to encourage and nurture good and to suppress evil.

Also, the good and evil we may see in others reflects the good and evil in our own lives. They are universal potentials. “I can see me in you” and “I can see you in me” is a viewpoint basic to Buddhism.

As Buddhists, we do not presume that anyone is exclusively evil, with no potential for good. Nor do we assume ourselves to be exclusively good and incapable of error. Such attitudes are non-Buddhist. To identify evil and discuss it with the conviction that this will lead to the growth and benefit of all involved is the purpose of Buddhist dialogue. In doing so, our aim should always be to inspire and empower others and to unite people rather than divide them.

—Dave Baldschun 

Faith and Attitude

Written by By SGI-UK Advisor Mitsuhiro Kaneda, UK Express March 2000 

Today I’d like to talk to you about how to make your prayers as effective as possible.
Firstly, it is very important to set clear goals. If you are sick, your goal will be to get better as quickly as possible; if you have problems with human relationships, you will want to get over these as soon as possible; and if you have financial difficulties, then of course you should be setting goals accordingly.

Once you have decided on the goal, the most important thing to do next is make a strong determination: ‘Whatever happens, I absolutely will attain that goal’. A firm determination like this is very important. The next stage, of course, is prayer. And after chanting daimoku, the next step necessary is to take action in order to realize your goal. Of course, after we’ve done all that, we know what the effect will be: actual proof. If we do not achieve the goal we have set then, in certain cases, we may need to review the determination, set a new goal, and once again strive to achieve it.

Why we need to pray
There are three reasons why we should pray. Firstly, so we can have the same wisdom as the Buddha. Secondly, so that we can have life-force, in other words the energy, the courage, to take action. Thirdly, so that we can benefit from the protection of the shoten zenjin, the Buddhist ‘gods’, the protective functions within the universe.

One point I’d like to make sure that you really understand, is that the shoten zenjin only start to take action and protect us when we ourselves undertake action. So, in order for us to achieve a goal, we need to act. We need to move. We need to make efforts. And it is important that our actions and our efforts are the best we can possibly undertake. To ensure that our actions and efforts are efficient, we need wisdom. Furthermore, if we are to attain the goal we have set ourselves, we need to make constant efforts – and we also need courage.

So we pray to the Gohonzon to have the wisdom to take the best, most efficient action possible; to have the life-force to make constant efforts; and to attract the protection of the shoten zenjin when we take an action. However, even if we chant ever so hard, it will be very difficult to boil that pot of spaghetti unless we take action. And to make sure that we not only boil the spaghetti, but that it is al dente, we need wisdom and we need experience.

Quality of prayer
The quality of our prayer is also extremely important. For example, someone who is sick may simply pray to overcome their illness. Or they may pray to regain their health in order to fight for kosen rufu. There is a very big difference between these two types of prayer.

To take another example, suppose there’s a couple who have been unable to have children, despite trying for a long time. While they may be chanting to have a child as soon as possible, what are their reasons for wanting a child? Are their reasons purely personal, because it would make them happy, because they want to have children? Or are they chanting to have a child do that they can bring this child up to become someone who will be a capable person for kosen rufu? There is a huge difference between these two in terms of quality of prayer.

The reason it is very important for us to focus on the quality of our prayer is that President Ikeda has said that true and sincere prayers for kosen rufu (not prayers aimed dimply at justifying our own point of view) will be answered without fail.

Taking action
Very often, however, members chant a lot of daimoku but do not take any action. Some people don’t take action because they are afraid of the results they might see. They are afraid that they won’t see the result they want, so they don’t take any action. For example, a salaried employee with a fixed income might want to become self-employed, or start his or her own business, but might not take any action for fear of accumulating a lot of debt.

Another common example is found amongst young people who want to get married. Because they’re not sure that the marriage will work out, and that they will live happily ever after, they are full of anxiety. So, before they get married, they think, “Well, maybe we should live together.” Some end up not getting married as a result of having lived together.

So, even when people chant a lot of daimoku, other factors such as personality and human character come into play and prevent people from taking action, even if they are praying.
Of course, taking action also includes Soka Gakkai activities. When you participate in Soka Gakkai activities, you are encouraging others. So you are actually working as a messenger of the Buddha. Inevitably, therefore, all those who participate in Gakkai activities will accumulate good fortune. And because these people accumulate good fortune, they will be able to achieve their goals and show actual proof.

I know that all of us have very different circumstances and situations – some of us may not have that much free time. Nevertheless, I really want to encourage all of you to participate in Gakkai activities because this will allow not only you, but your whole family, to be bathed in good fortune. So in order to achieve our goals, not only do we need to take concrete action, we also need good fortune. That is why Soka Gakkai activities are crucial.

Make up your mind
In Italy, we have a couple who have been living together for fourteen years. Once they came to me because they wanted to receive guidance. I said to them, “You’ve been trying out your relationship by living together for fourteen years now. The fact that it has continued this long, is this not a sign that it is working?

Even though their relationship had been successful and they still wanted to live together, they still weren’t sure whether they should get married. Of course I gave them all kinds of encouragement, but there is one particular point that I would like to share with you. I asked them, “In order to make a firm determination, how much time do you need?” To make a determination requires less than one second. So I asked, “How many seconds there have been in fourteen years?”

You may laugh at this story but please, reflect on your own life.
To sum up, to put Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism into practice, we need to decide, chant and take action.

FAITH AND PRACTICE DOUBT-FREE FAITH
DECIDE

Clarify the goal and make a determination

DECIDE CHANT CHANT
If you have a problem,
Chant one million daimoku

ACT ACT
Make maximum effort;
strive to resolve the problem

EXPERIENCE
Accumulating experiences deepens one’s faith
Theories without experiences are
no more than pure idealism

RESULT
Show actual proof DON’T DOUBT
Faith means having no doubts

BELIEVE

Action

tracyjtz.deviantart.com

by Daisaku Ikeda

To fly, a plane needs the extra push it gets by acceleration down a runway. To get good grades in school, you need the extra push of study before a test. 

 

Whatever you do, to achieve something better, to reach a higher level, you need a push. 

Buddhism teaches practice for oneself and practice for others. If either one is lacking, you cannot practice properly. 

 

The Gohonzon is the concrete manifestation of the very existence of Nichiren Daishonin, who taught kosen-rufu. Because of that, if you only practice gongyo and chant the daimoku and don’t take any other action for the sake of kosen rufu or improving your own life, the Gohonzon will not have its true, full effect. 

 

If, however, you take actions to achieve kosen-rufu, they will serve as that extra push for your own life and help you leap to higher and higher states of mind in your gongyo and chanting as well. And it is only natural that the energy you acquire through the gongyo practice for yourself will be channeled back into your activities for others, for kosen-rufu. 

 

The fact is that the practice of gongyo and your actions in service of kosen-rufu will become one, and together they will unlock the infinite power of the Mystic Law in your life. 

 

In Buddhism, practice is faith. That means action is faith, and without action there can be no true faith. The action I speak of is the way of practice for oneself and for others that is taught in Nichiren Daishonin’s writings. 

Action is the source of blessings and merits. In propagating the teachings, for example, whether the person you are presenting the teachings to arouses faith or not is his problem. The effects of our action of propagating will vary, depending on the person’s capacities and other conditions. 

 

There is no need at all to rejoice or lament over each effect. You can be proud that you have practiced the truest, most wonderful law of life in the universe to the best of your ability and go forward with your head held high. One who has acted for the sake of kosen-rufu is already a great victor in life. 

 

The words "the heads of those who cause affliction will be split in seven pieces" are written on the Gohonzon. 

This is a warning that it is wrong to seek to harm this law of your own being. 

 

Abandoning the teachings or slandering them are self-destructive actions that are bound to split you apart. 

We also find the words "those who make offerings will acquire blessings surpassing the Buddha’s ten names." 

This forceful statement tells us that the merits of one who make offerings to the Gohonzon and spreads the teaching will be far greater than the magnificent merits of the one who makes offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha. 

This is a promise that our personal microcosm will absorb the nourishment of all the blessings in the macrocosm, the whole universe, and be elevated to a state of existence of the highest happiness itself. 

Thus we know that the children of the Buddha who strive for kosen-rufu are each guaranteed to attain the ultimate degree of happiness. There is no one who will be more blessed.

Buddhism Is The Clear Mirror That Reflects Our Lives

Pablo Picasso, Girl before a Mirror (1932)

by D. Ikeda 

A Japanese proverb has it that the mirror is a women's soul. It is said that, just as warriors will never part with their swords, women will never part with their mirrors. The oldest metallic mirrors to be unearthed were found in China and Egypt. Older still are mirrors made of polished stone surfaces. Suffice it to say that the history of mirrors is as old as that of the human race.

"A bronze mirror may reflect the body, but not the mind. The Lotus Sutra reflects not only our physical form, but out inner being as well. Furthermore, the sutra mirrors, with complete clarity, one's past Karma and it's future effect." [Gosho Zenshu, p.1521]

Even though people may make up their faces, they tend to neglect to polish their lives. Though cosmetics can be applied to the face, one cannot gloss over the face of his soul. The law of cause and effect functioning in the depths of life is strict and impartial. 

Buddhism teaches that unseen virtue brings about visible reward. In the world of Buddhism, one never fails to receive an effect for his actions-whether for good or bad; therefore, it is meaningless to be twofaced, or to try to put on airs.

"A mind which presently is clouded by illusions originating from the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but once it is polished it will become clear, reflecting the enlightenment of immutable truth."[On Attaining Buddhahood]. In this well-known passage, the Daishonin draws parallels between the tradition of mirror polishing and the process of attaining enlightenment. 

Observing one's life means to perceive that one's life contains the Ten Worlds and, in particular, the world of Buddhahood. The Gohonzon is a clear mirror. If you practice faith while doubting its effects, you will get results that are at best, unsatisfactory. This is the reflection of your own weak faith on the mirror of the cosmos. On the other hand, when you stand up with strong confidence, you will accrue limitless blessings. Understanding the subtle workings of one's mind is the key to faith and to attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime.

There is a Russian proverb that says, "It is no use to blame the looking glass if your face is awry." Likewise, your happiness or unhappiness is entirely the reflection of the balance of good and bad causes accumulated in your life. 

People Who Do Not Know About Mirrors
Many people become angry or grieve over phenomena that are actually nothing but a reflection of their own lives-their state of mind and the causes that they have created. Because they are ignorant of Buddhism's mirror of life, such people cannot see themselves as they truly are. This being the case, they cannot guide others along the correct path of life, nor can they discern the true nature of occurrences in society.

With the thought that we are addressing a person's Buddha Nature, we should politely and calmly carry out a dialogue-sometimes, depending on the situation, mercifully correcting him with fatherly strictness. In the course of such human interaction, the Buddha nature in his or her life functions to protect us. On the other hand, if we belittle or regard that person with contempt, as though gazing into our own image reflected in a mirror, we will be disparaged in return. 

In General, the people around us reflect our state of life. Our personal preferences, for example, are mirrored in their attitudes. To the extent that you praise, respect, protect and care for SGI members, who are all children of the Buddha, you will in turn be protected by the Buddhas, and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions and by all heavenly deities. If, on the other hand, you are arrogant or condescending toward members, you will be scolded by the Buddhas in like measures. Leaders, in particular, should be clear on this point and take it deeply to heart. 

We are a gathering of the Buddha's children. Therefore if we respect one another, our good fortune will multiply infinitely, like an image reflected back and forth among mirrors. A person who practices alone cannot experience this tremendous multiplication of benefit. In short, the environment that you find yourself in, whether favorable or not, is the product of your own life. Most people, however, fail to understand this and tend to blame others for their trouble. To a greater or lesser extent, all people tend to see their own reflection in others. 

Say What Must Be Said
We must gain decisive victory over the harsh realities of society and lead a correct and vibrant life. This is the purpose of our faith. We have to become wise and strong. Also, in the organization for Kosen-Rufu, we have to clearly say what must be said. The purpose of Buddhism is not to produce dupes who blindly follow their leaders. Rather, it is to produce people of wisdom who can judge right from wrong on their own in the clear mirror of Buddhism.

The purpose of Buddhism is to attain Buddhahood. In modern terms, this could be explained as realizing absolute happiness - a state of happiness that can never be destroyed or defeated. 

"There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-Myoho-renge-kyo"
[The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, p. 161] 

Edit from a 6 page speech given by President Daisaku Ikeda, June 1981 Summer Course

Joseph Bowie

Joseph Bowie was born on October 17, 1953 in St Louis, Missouri.  He is a  American bandleader, trombonist, and founder of the seminal jazz fusion band, Defunkt. The group has been blending jazz with funk and punk music for more than three consecutive decades.

Bowie is the younger brother of world renowned avant-garde jazz trumpeter Lester Bowie, and saxophonist Byron Bowie. 

After recovering from a bout with drug addiction during the 1980s, Bowie discovered Buddhism and has been a practicing Buddhist ever since. He has since founded Kosen-Rufu, another musical outfit aside from Defunkt. In 2003 Bowie moved to The Netherlands, where he lives in the small town of Gorinchem where he works with a number of groups.

In this short documentary, James talks about how he was introduced to the practice, why and chants. Fast forward the video to the time 5:38 to see this. 

Chanting With Our Entire Being

By TED MORINO 
   
What is the correct approach to chanting?  

    
   
Fundamentally, I think it can be said that if after chanting daimoku you feel refreshed and revitalized, then you chanted great daimoku.  
   
In many of his writings, Nichiren Daishonin states that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the core of his teachings. It seems the Daishonin felt the need to establish first and foremost the act of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo itself in order to guide the people of his time away from misguided practices and beliefs that opposed the original intent of Buddhism. While emphasizing the importance of having faith in the power of the Mystic Law, he appears to forgo addressing any other specific details of exactly how to chant.  

What the Daishonin does stress, however, is our attitude—the realization or conviction that we should have when chanting. He writes: “Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death” (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 216). He also explains: “You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction” (WND, 299–300).  
   
We can discuss the purpose behind the act of chanting from two different levels. On one level, we chant to open our innate Buddhahood, the universal existence and cultivation of which is the ultimate message of the Lotus Sutra and the basis of human happiness. On another level, we can say that we chant to have our specific prayers answered—an intriguing element in the practice of Buddhist faith.  
   
Ultimately, it is important that we chant with our entire being. This is indicated by a phrase the Daishonin quotes from the verse portion of “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which reads, “single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha, not hesitating even if it costs them their lives” (WND, 389). For us, this translates into an earnest desire to reveal our Buddha nature each time we chant. He states, “As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life” (WND, 389). Explaining the principle of having our prayers answered through the power of faith underlying our act of chanting, Nichiren Daishonin exhorts: “Muster your faith, and pray to this Gohonzon. Then what is there that cannot be achieved?” (WND, 412). And: “Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore be an obstacle?” (WND, 412).  
   
 From another perspective, Nichiren Daishonin cautions, “A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered” (WND, 1001). In this passage, cowardice can be interpreted as the benighted quality of life that is not rooted in our Buddhahood. In other words, cowardice can be defined in Buddhism as the impure elements in life, which, if allowed to take control of the self, separate us from our Buddha nature or the Mystic Law. Conversely, if we are continuously developing our Buddha nature, taking action with the wisdom we tap through chanting and thus courageous in our life-condition, then we are moving toward and becoming the type of person who can have all their prayers answered.  
   
SGI President Ikeda states: “The more specific and detailed the blueprint we have  
in our hearts, the better. The point is to continue vividly painting the target we have and to advance toward that goal single-mindedly. Then, at each instant, the reality of our lives will gradually approach the painting that is our aspiration. “Everything depends on what is in our hearts. Heartfelt prayers will definitely be answered” (Learning from the Gosho, p. 129). In praying to the Gohonzon, we should drop all pretense and just be ourselves, offering sincere prayers for the realization of all our desires. By so doing, we can elevate our life-condition and strengthen our life force to the point where we start sensing what to do about each of our specific goals.  
   
In the final analysis, we should first decide that we are going to win before we chant. This strong determination coupled with our chanting enables us to summon forth the appropriate wisdom to deal with any of the inevitable difficulties we will encounter on the way toward achieving our goals. With this resolution, something positive will start welling up from within our lives through chanting. Worry should not be basis of our prayer, as this can undermine the power of chanting. Rather we should to resolve to win first, so that through each daimoku we chant we are tapping every human quality necessary for our victory.  
   
By chanting such heartfelt daimoku to the Gohonzon, the very core of our lives aligns with the purest life force of the universe, melting away whatever negative effects we may otherwise have to experience due to our karma. “Various sins are just like dewdrops,” wrote the Daishonin. “The ‘sun of wisdom’ (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) is capable of dissolving them all” (Gosho Zenshu, p. 786).  
   
Chanting from the heart solidifies the condition of Buddhahood as the basis of our existence, which is described by the Daishonin as “the unchanging reality which reigns over all of life’s functions” (WND, 832). When Buddhahood is firmly established as the basis of our lives, we gain self-control without being defeated by the five poisons—greed, anger, foolishness, arrogance and doubt.  
   
After chanting, we can return to the reality of our daily lives, acting with renewed confidence to touch the lives of other people and reach our goals. As the Daishonin states, “The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being” (WND, 852).  
   
Lastly, President Ikeda writes about the meaning of prayer in Buddhism, referring to the concept of a pledge or vow in The New Human Revolution. He says to a pioneer member in Brazil: “Prayer in Nichiren Buddhism means to chant daimoku based on a pledge or vow. At its very core, this vow is to attain kosen-rufu. It means chanting resolutely with the determination: ‘I will attain kosen-rufu in Brazil. Therefore, I will show magnificent actual proof in my work. Please enable me to bring forth my greatest potential.’ This is what our prayer should be like. “It is also important that we establish clear and concrete goals for what we hope to achieve each day and then pray and challenge ourselves to achieve each of them. This earnest determination gives rise to wisdom and resourcefulness, thereby leading to success. In short, to win in life we need determination and prayer, effort and ingenuity. It is misguided to dream of getting rich quick, expecting to encounter a rare stroke of luck or some shrewd moneymaking scheme. This is not faith. It is mere fantasy” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 1, pp. 250–251).  
   



  
Special Thanks to Milind Shirke

Happy Kosen Rufu Day

The Japanese phrase kosen-rufu expresses a centrally important concept for members of the SGI. It is often used synonymously with world peace, and has been informally defined as "world peace through individual happiness." More broadly, it could be understood as a vision of social peace brought about by the widespread acceptance of core values such as unfailing respect for the dignity of human life.

The phrase itself is of ancient origin and appears in the 23rd chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which states, "In the fifth five hundred years after my death, accomplish worldwide kosen-rufu and never allow its flow to cease." Here, the phrase kosen-rufu is written with four Chinese characters that could be rendered, respectively, as "widely," "declare," "flow" and "promulgate," and in its most literal sense it means the widespread flow and spreading--and application--of the teachings contained in the Lotus Sutra. Kosen-rufu implies an approach to Buddhist practice that is deeply engaged with the affairs of society and the world.

The stress placed by Nichiren on kosen-rufu typifies his approach to Buddhist practice; that our personal happiness--enlightenment--is inextricably linked with the peace and happiness of our fellow humans and of society as a whole. He rejected the idea that enlightenment is something to be cultivated as a private, inner virtue. He also rejected the idea that the proper goal of Buddhism is to garner reward in the afterlife. What these two ideas have in common is resignation regarding our ability to overcome suffering and positively transform society. For Nichiren, this represented an unacceptable turning away from the core Buddhist tenet that people are capable of realizing genuine happiness in this world. Both approaches were the target of his critique.

In Nichiren's view, enlightenment is not so much a goal or end in itself, as a basis for altruistic action. The life-state of Buddhahood--a condition of limitless vitality, wisdom and compassion--is one which is expressed, maintained and strengthened through committed action to contribute to the well-being and happiness of other people.

For more about Kosen Rufu

Chanting for Love

I am sure many members have already seen this video from 2007, but I just wanted to share it again. Its a humorous skit made by the Knoxville, Tennessee Youth Division. It was the first time that I saw that we can also infuse our practice with a sense of humor.

Chanting for Love is about a young man Brock, who is introduced to the practice and his journey to chant, understand and take action to find love- with mini commercials like Kosen-rufu Door to Door Service and Shakabuku'd! (hey check out the guy talking about being shakabuku'd in front of a Wonder Woman wall picture...nice).

A Buddhist view of Relationships Pt 1

by Eddy Canfor-Dumas

1990 was a bad year for divorce in Britain. Or rather, it was a good year for divorce, but not such a good year for marriage. 153,386 of them broke down ‘irretrievably’, the sole grounds for divorce in English law. Currently, that figure (the most up-to-date available) represents forty-six per cent – almost a half – of all new marriages in England and Wales (331,150).

It’s a sobering thought. Yet for many people the sorry wreckage of so many marriages in our society has not proved a deterrent to splicing the knot. In love, it seems, hope truly does spring eternal.

To many others, though, the number of failed marriages they can see has put them off the idea of matrimony, but not, it seems, the idea of living together in a marriage-type relationship. Even here, though, there is no guarantee that such a relationship is any more likely to succeed than a ‘formal’ marriage. In fact, if the number of marriage-type relationships that broke down could be counted, the overall proportion of ‘divorces’ to enduring relationships might be even higher.

And this is just counting heterosexual relationships. Add in the number of homosexual partnerships that fail and one might wonder how it is that any two people ever manage to stay together and build a successful relationship through their lives.

There have been many reasons put forward as to why so many relationships fail today – amongst others, the decline of the influence of the Church, the advent of the Pill, the growing financial-independence of women and a rise of intolerance generally between people. But whatever the reasons, two conclusions at least can be drawn from the present state of affairs.

First, our judgement as to who would make a good partner is not, on present statistics, all that reliable. And second, even if we do manage to meet and marry (or live with) Mr or Miss Right, our ability to sustain and develop that relationship is frequently tested to breaking point.

Given that, for many people, an enduring and emotionally satisfying (and almost certainly monogamous) relationship with another person is a goal most devoutly to be wished, what does Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism have to offer on these two fundamental problems. – finding the right partner and then working at the relationship so it grows and flourishes, ‘till death do us part’?

Happiness
Before answering those questions, it is important to understand that, for those practising Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings, the most fundamental relationship he or she can have is with the Gohonzon, not with another person. This is because the purpose of Buddhist practice is to establish absolute and unshakeable happiness within one’s own life, and to teach others how to do the same. Essentially this is achieved through chanting Nam myoho renge kyo to the Gohonzon. As Nichiren Daishonin states:

A woman who devotes herself to the Gohonzon invites happiness in this life; and in the next, the Gohonzon will be with her and protect her always (Major Writings, Vol.1, p.213).

He is even more direct in the Gosho Happiness in this World:

There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam myoho renge kyo… There is no greater happiness than having faith in the Lotus Sutra [Gohonzon] (Major Writings, Vol.1, p.161).

This is a difficult lesson to learn, however, living as we do in a society which places romantic love alongside wealth, fame and beauty as perhaps the most desirable of all goals. One might actually say that the real struggle in practising Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism lies in truly accepting the reality that happiness lies within your own life; in developing and revealing your Buddha nature more and more; in discovering your own unique mission in this world; and should not rely on external – and ultimately unreliable – factors like your relationship with your lover or spouse.

In fact, Buddhism has traditionally viewed romantic love with ambivalence, if not downright negativity. This is because desire – including romantic desire – is intimately and inevitably bound up with suffering. . (see ‘Basics of Buddhism, pp31-2) Only the altruistic ‘love’ for others – comparable to the compassionate love of parents for their children – is seen in a positive light. This love – called jihi in Buddhism – is best exemplified in traditional Buddhist teachings by the merciful actions of Shakyamuni Buddha, based on his desire to remove suffering and five happiness to all living beings.

All very well, you might think, but what has this got to do with the real world, where we often find it difficult to get on with our nearest and dearest, let alone feel any stirrings of compassion for ‘all living beings’? Where we fancy each other, fall in love, have affairs and one-night stands? Where we fight and scream, then kiss and make up – or break up?

The answer touches on the basic difference between the ‘traditional’ Buddhism associated with Shakyamuni and the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. Whereas traditional Buddhist teachings stress the necessity of trying to eliminate desire to avoid suffering, Nichiren Daishonin teaches that desire is an unavoidable and fundamental aspect of human life. Quite simply, if we had no desires we would never do anything. Even to live, for example, we have to want to go on living.

So instead of suppressing our earthly desires, Nichiren Daishonin taught that through chanting for them we can attain enlightened happiness. As he states:

When one chants Nam myoho renge kyo even during the sexual union of man and woman, then earthly desires are enlightenment and the sufferings of life and death are nirvana (Major Writings, Vol 2, p.229).

In short, what this means in the context of relationships is that, through chanting Nam myoho renge kyo to find the right partner or to improve our relationship with our existing partner, we reveal our Buddhahood. And it is this process of revealing and strengthening our Buddhahood, with its characteristic qualities of wisdom, courage, compassion and life force, which puts us on the right path towards a happy and fulfilling relationship; a relationship based on mutual respect and a deep spiritual bond, and one in which we share the same dreams, goals and aspirations as our partner. So how does this work in practice?

Why a relationship?
A good starting-point in answering this question might be to ask why one wants ‘a relationship’ – put in apostrophes, thus, because often we seem to regard this intimate connection with another human being almost as a commodity; a ‘thing’ to be desired and possessed and then, as with a car whose performance doesn’t quite match our expectations, discarded or exchanged for another. (Perhaps we should add the dominance of the values of materialism to the list of why so many relationships fail these days.)

Of course, there are many reasons why one should want a close relationship with another person: for company; for sex; for a family; for status; security, money; to be ‘grown-up’ or to escape from one’s family; for vanity – the kudos of ‘catching’ someone generally admired or desired; or the impulse to mother or lord it over another person. And then there’s the intoxicating rapture of simply falling head over heels in love – the true ‘magic’ of romantic love, where reason flies out of the window and we are borne along on a tide of passion.

More prosaically, though, our motives are usually mixed together into a vague, generalized longing for ‘a relationship’, which often seems to proceed meeting anyone ‘special’. Rather, we simply look for someone to fit the template of the ideal partner we have constructed in our minds.

One thing these motives have in common, however, is that they are directed outwards. They are based on the assumption that the other person will make us happy by filling some kind of void in our lives. This, Buddhism teaches, is a mistake.

A relationship with another person might provide many of the things listed above – stimulating companionship, a fulfilling sexual relationship and a happy, healthy family life are among the basic joys of human existence. But to base one’s happiness on it is to fail to recognize the essential instability of the situation. A lifelong companion, however wonderful, will eventually die. Even the best sexual relationship can suffer if other factors alter. And as one’s children grow and mature, their attitude towards their parents can often change for the worse.

So one of the main purposes of chanting about our attitude to relationships is to understand what lies at its root. Is it fear of loneliness? The desire to be loved because, in our heart of hearts, we are so unsure of our true worth? Or simply a restless sexual energy?

Why him? Why her?
In fact, as we chant and study the life-philosophy of Nichiren Daishonin, we can go even deeper into ourselves and begin to see and understand the pattern of our attraction to certain people. For, as Nichiren Daishonin teaches, two people who have chosen to live in a close relationship fit each other perfectly, in all their strengths and weaknesses. Describing the relationship of husband and wife in thirteenth century Japan, he says:

When a husband is happy, his wife will be fulfilled. If a husband is a thief, his wife will become one, too. This is not a matter of this life alone. A man and wife are as close as a body and shadow, flowers and fruit, or roots and leaves, in every existence of life (Major writings, Vol.1, p.146).

This observation is based on the Buddhist principle of the Ten Worlds. Buddhism teaches that all people share ten basic life conditions – Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquility, Rapture, Learning, Realization, Bodhisattva and Buddhahood, all of which have certain characteristics.

Hell is the world of suffering; Hunger is the world of insatiable desire; Animality is the world of the instinct. Anger is dominated by the ego, Tranquility (Humanity) by calmness, Rapture by momentary pleasure, Learning is characterized by the desire to learn from the teachings of others, Realization by the desire to improve oneself through one’s own efforts, and Bodhisattva by the exercise of compassion. Buddhahood, which is revealed through chanting Nam myoho renge kyo, acts as a kind of positive filter which brings out all of the beneficial, value-creating aspects of the other nine worlds.

Everyone tends to live predominantly in one or two of these life conditions, which, although they are displayed according to the personality of each individual, retain their basic characteristics. Thus, one person might be brash and boastful and another quietly superior, but both are exhibiting aspects of the world of Anger, the ego.

The important thing about this, as far as relationships go, is that we tend to be attracted to those people who share the same basic life condition as ourselves.

A person in the grip of Animality, for instance, will take every opportunity to indulge in instinctive pleasures – sex, food, drink, sleep – usually with little thought for the consequences of his actions. He will tend to be attracted to someone who is also in the grip of Animality, even though the object of his attentions might not exhibit all the same aspects of the life condition. For instance, both might share an appetite for sex and alcohol, but one might consistently defer to the wishes of the other in all other matters – as Nichiren Daishonin says of Animality, ‘It is the nature of beasts to threaten the weak and fear the strong’ (Major Writings, Vol.1, p.34).

Exactly how the Ten Worlds operate in individuals can be extremely subtle, and there is no space here to analyse all their various nuances. And they are by no means all bad. Each of the Ten Worlds has both negative and positive aspects (except Buddhahood, which is wholly positive), so if we are fortunate enough to be dominated by, say, the positive aspects of the world of Tranquility (or Humanity) – clear, reasoned judgement – our chances of forging a successful relationship will be much higher than if we are in the clutches of Hell, whether or not we chant Nam myoho renge kyo.

Even so, as we chant about our present and past relationships, we begin to identify which of the Ten Worlds have been dominant in them. Almost invariably, we see that we have been attracted to the same type of person, ‘chosen’ by our own dominant life state.

This pattern Buddhism calls our ‘karma’, habitual behaviour which we are bound to repeat. Take the couple described above. If the man begins to despise his partner’s weakness and continual deference – one of the very things that attracts him in the first place – he might eventually end the relationship. Being dominated by Animality, however, he is only attracted to those who share characteristics similar to the person he has just left. They might appear in a different form –this time, for instance, he might play the subservient role – but essentially he will find himself in the same kind of relationship.

Breaking the pattern.
It is to break out of the pattern imposed on us by our karma that we chant. As we do so and reflect on our actions, we begin to see our motives more clearly. And after a time (it varies from person to person), if we conclude that our attitude is based on the negative aspects of one of the Ten Worlds – especially the ‘lower worlds’ of Hell, Hunger, Animality, Anger, Tranquility or Rapture – we determine to challenge and change it, for the happiness of both ourselves and our partner (present or future).

At the same time we struggle to base our relationships increasingly on the world of Buddhahood, with its deep respect for the inherent dignity of life and for the fundamental equality of all people. For ultimately, Buddhism teaches, it is a relationship based on shared goals, respect and equality that stands more chance of enduring and growing than one based on passion, romance or unrealistic expectations of our partner’s ability to make us happy. As Nichiren Daishonin states:

Explain all this to your wife, and work together like the sun and the moon, a pair of eyes, or the two winds of a bird. With the sun and the moon, how can you fall into the path of darkness? With a pair of eyes, how can you fail to behold the faces of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas of the universe? With a pair of wings, you will surely be able to fly in an instant to the Buddha land of eternal happiness (Major Writings, Vol.2, p.231).

What does this mean in practical terms? First, if we are not involved with anyone at present but wish to be, it means making a strong determination to meet the right person for our happiness – which also means the right person for kosen-rufu – and then, effectively, forgetting about it. Lodged deep in our lives, the desire to meet the right person, coupled with a strong daily practice, will eventually draw that person to us when the time is right.

In the meantime, instead of being obsessed with having ‘a relationship’ and feeling sorry for ourselves that we are alone, we can concentrate on creating value in our society and growing as strong and independent individuals – who are, anyway, generally more attractive to others than those who are always desperately seeking someone.

‘The right partner for kosen-rufu’ does not mean, however, that there will only ever be one person ‘out there’ with whom we can possibly build a happy relationship, whom we somehow hunt out with our chanting; neither does it mean that he or she should necessarily be a Buddhist.

There may, in fact, be more than one person with whom we forge successful, creative relationships on the path of our human revolution towards finding our partner for life. They may or may not be Buddhists (although this would be hard with someone vehemently and consistently opposed to our practice). And even if our partner never chants, if we do our utmost to respect and support him or her in the fulfillment of his or her unique purpose in this life, he or she will respect and support us in turn, and help us fulfil our unique purpose, too.

In this context, chanting is a means of developing sufficient good fortune, through our thoughts, words and deeds based on Buddhahood, to be in the right position to meet the right person at the right time. Chanting also helps us develop enough wisdom to recognize the potential that exists in that other person (and any existing relationship we might have), and then to decide whether to act or not.

So, secondly, once we meet someone to whom we are attracted, we should chant seriously before we become romantically (or sexually) involved with him or her. We need the wisdom (and courage) of our Buddhahood to look clearly and honestly at the nature of our attraction. And if our wisdom counsels against involvement, we must listen to it – or face the inevitable consequences. Our karma to be drawn to a certain type of person may be very strong, but if we have suffered from it in the past, it is only by not succumbing to it now that we can hope to change our pattern of unhappy relationships.

Sex and ‘the learning curve’
But isn’t all this chanting before falling into someone’s arms (or bed) just frankly unrealistic? What about passion? Excitement? Romance? Does Buddhism really advocate sex only within the bounds of marriage or a life-long commitment? If we don’t become involved in the first place, how can we ever know whether or not we want to commit ourselves to this other person? And surely people learn from experience and even ‘failed’ relationships can teach us something?

These are all good questions. In addressing them, it might be useful to bear a couple of points in mind.

First, attitudes to relationships, particularly sexual relationships, vary according to the age and the culture of any society. Broadly speaking, in this country, we have alternated between eras of sexual repression and sexual permissiveness, often running the two in parallel – historically (and hypocritically), for example, there have been different standards of sexual behavior for men and women. Currently, we are going through a stage of sexual permissiveness, where many people feel that it is perfectly natural – indeed, even healthy – to have a number of different sexual partners before settling down with ‘the chosen one’, supposedly for life.

The important question – certainly in terms of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism – is not one of morality but pragmatism. Quite simply, have our current fashions led to greater happiness? To longer, stronger relationships? The answer can hardly be an unqualified ‘yes’.

Take ‘trial marriages’ – living together before deciding to make a legal commitment. A recent study by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys came to the startling conclusion that, of couples who married for the first time in the early 1980’s, those who had previously lived together were fifty per cent more likely to have divorced after five years of marriage – and sixty per cent more likely to have divorced after eight years of marriage – than similar couples who had not lived together.

(Photos by deviantart,photobucket)

How does Buddhism View Sickness?

By Ted Morino SGI-USA Study Dept Leader
What does Buddhism have to say when Buddhist practitioners become ill?

First, Buddhism views sickness as something inherent in life and therefore unavoidable. Its is a part of the cycle of birth, old age, sickness and death. Yet Buddhism urges us to awaken to the fact that illness is not something permanent in life- it is a temporary phenomenon- and that is can be a meaningful event in one's eternal life. When we fall ill, we tend to see the current sickness as the only thing that matters and therefore we can become its slave perceiving it as an immovable wall or foreboding obstacle separating us from happiness. Some people who are ill may even lose the will to live out their existence joyfully.

However, when  we realize that becoming ill is only a natural phase of our lives -and that it can be an opportunity to build an even more solid foundation of happiness in ourselves-then, we can tap the courageous spirit to face the illness and battle it, as Nichiren Daishonin states, "From illness arises the mind that seeks the way" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 5. 280). Therefore, the important thing when it comes to this problem is to have strong will to triumph over the "devil of sickness." This is the faith with which you can say to yourself: "I will defeat my sickness! I will change poison into medicine!" In order words, often times, sickness itself is not the real problem. If we are defeated in our life-condition by sickness, that is the problem.

SGI Pres. Ikeda says: "In life, you may, by rights, become sick from time to time. However, as you practice to the Gohonzon, you will come to realize that you are now sick because being sick now is the most natural thing  for your life at this moment. In other words, you can consider your sickness to be the sickness of hon'nu [a natural illness that accords with the rhythm of the Law]. Put another way, if your life condition remains healthy through the practice of faith, you will never be swayed by your sickness. You will never fall into painful agony due to your illness. Rather, as you go through your current sickness, you will find your true self or absolute happiness solidifying."

Pres. Toda gave the following encouragement to a person struggling with a serious illness, "A human being had a body that has the potential of developing all kinds of disease, including to cure sickness in the body. Curing our own illness is just like the person who has climbed a slope and will surely climb down it. I can say this with conviction based upon the philosophy of Buddhism. Faith is not something we practice out of formality. Chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo with all your heart- with a burning desire in you your heart to overcome your sickness. No sickness will remain uncured if you chant with the type of determination to offer your entire life from now on for the cause of the Gohonzon, that is, for kosen-rufu, for the peace and happiness of all humanity."

Source: World Tribune.11/27/98.n.3219.p.2.WT981127p02

Time of the Season

Buddhism has been called the "first world religion". This was not only because it was a religion (in fact, it owes its continued existence to its dissemination outside India). It is also a world religion because it tolerates and embraces other faiths, often absorbing some of their best points, then moving on to a new synthesis.

There is neither creation nor a Creator. The Universe always existed and always will. Your life is eternal and one with the eternal universe. Most of us who live in the U.S. were raised to believe in God. Polls consistently show more than 90% of Americans believe in God or a supreme being, usually as articulated in some form of Christianity or Judaism. This does not mean that Americans can never practice Buddhism wholeheartedly or that we must give up our faith in order to learn more about Buddhism. Actually, most Buddhists practicing today in American are former Christians or Jews. You can begin your study and practice while you continue to attend church or synagogue.

So now how does this pertain to that time of the season- Christmas?

Buddhism highly values each country's traditions and culture. There is a Buddhist concept of  "Zuiho bini" which says that so long as no seriously offensive act is involved, then even if one were to depart to some slight degree from the teachings of Buddhism, it would be better to avoid going against the manners and customs of the country. Although Buddhists do not believe in a God, as stated here, and I will later post about Jesus and Buddha- many Nichiren Buddhists I know, celebrate the Christmas Holiday. Its a joyous time to be with the ones you love or appreciate for the past year and all that you have accomplished. Christmas or New Year's can also be wonderful opportunity for Human Revolution.

I was originally brought up Catholic, but that doesn't stop me from putting a tree up, gift giving, singing Christmas carols, etc. The bigger message here is,

Peace is the noblest goal of Human beings. Our practice is always about the peace movement, everywhere it exists. The collective goal of Nichiren Buddhists is World Peace, or kosen-rufu in Japanese. Kosen-rufu means to widely teach Buddhism, thereby allowing peaceful principles to transform the lives of the people from within. In other words, world peace through individual enlightenment.

Its all begins with you, peace within yourself. How can be teach Peace on Earth when we don't practice peace within ourselves or in our environment? If people cannot see the dignity, creativity and potential of their own lives, they wont value it in others.

For this holiday season, I chant that we each learn to treasure the value of our own lives, our family, friends and the world. Celebrate with one another and most importantly with yourself. Trim a tree, laugh, sing, give a gift of gratitude, go sleigh riding, smile and be merry!

Sources- (sgi-usa
            The Buddha in your Rearview Mirror 
            Loflo 
            deviantart)

The 9 Consciousnesses

The first five`consciousnesses' are our basic senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste, which we use to take in information from outside ourselves in order to understand what is going on in the world. Imagine the moment of birth. The baby, at that moment is aware of sound, of smell, touch,taste, and sight. Like the baby we become attached to the world to such a degree that, for many, the world in all its complexities continues to hold our attention and we remain ignorant of the working of the deeper `layers` of consciousness.

Eventually the baby grows and learns that what it is seeing is, say `blue` or what it is feeling is `hot`. This is the sixth consciousness or the mind as we are used to thinking of it, which functions to enable us to make sense of what is coming to us through our senses. It is primarily through the interaction of these first 6 consciousnesses that we perform our daily activities. The seventh consciousness is directed towards our inner, spiritual world. It is in the 7 consciousness that the conditioning we experience as we grow up is stored. It is through this consciousness that we have our sense of who we are, our gender, our national identity and so on.

Attachment to a self distinct and separate from others has its basis in this consciousness as does our sense of right and wrong. We might see the appearance of various therapies and counseling in the West as a response to the desire on the part of many to free themselves from some of the conditioning that has taken place in life and which is stored in the 7 consciousness. Western culture really only has an understanding of the first 7 consciousnesses. The concept of an eighth consciousness storing all our internal causes and internal effects (our karma) is generally not in use in daily life. And the concept of a ninth consciousness being the fundamental workings of life itself throughout the universe is definitely not part of our culture! The ninth consciousness in Buddhism is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo or the Law of life. 1 to 5 is sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. 6 is Conscious Mind, 7 is Sub-Conscious/Egoistical Limited Self, 8 is Karma and 9 is Law of Life.


The eighth and ninth consciousnesses are operating at the level of the fundamental interconnectedness of all of life. If our eyes could see our karma and the 9 consciousness we would see all of life as deeply interconnected. The perception created in the 7 consciousness of a fixed and isolated self is thus false. This is one of the deep seated delusions regarding the nature of the self.  The narrow ego of the 7 consciousness resists life expansion. A human life which is`touching` the eighth consciousness is cracking the shell of the limited ego and becoming open to its greater self.  The seventh consciousness is also the seat of the fear of death. Locked in the 7 consciousness the narrow ego assumes it will perish and cease to exist at death. Such a life is unable to see that the eighth consciousness is an enduring flow of life energy that will migrate between life times. The delusion that the 7 consciousness is ones true self is fundamental ignorance, a turning away from the interconnectedness of all being. It is this sense of oneself as  separate that gives rise to discrimination, destructive arrogance, and the acquisition of material possessions and wealth that far surpass what any one human being could possibly need.

The eighth consciousness is a vast storehouse of all the causes and effects which affect the way that the world comes to us. It is where we accumulate our karma, both  positive and negative. It accounts for our looks, our circumstances, our reactions, our good or bad fortune, our work, our relationships, our health, in fact, every aspect of living. As causes are made in thought or word or deed, so internal effects are stored in this level of consciousness. Because the internal cause and effect exists deep inside, on a level of life which is interconnecting with all of life, eventually external causes and effects appear in response to the karma in the eighth consciousness. It is the existence of the eighth consciousness that explains the great differences which exist between say `identical` twins in their experiences of life. It explains how things that happen to a young child appear to have no cause in this lifetime.

It is this eighth consciousness or karma which migrates between lifetimes. It is our karma from previous lifetimes which we are born with and which then causes the world to come to us on the basis of our internal causes in all the different aspects of life. If life were only these eight consciousnesses things would be fatalistic and bleak. One cause would create its effect which would condition all future causes and their effects and so on, leaving us stuck on a particular path with particular tendencies. We cannot gain access to this 8th karmic consciousness with our minds, which are too shallow. Will-power and effort alone will not enable us to change deep seated karmic tendencies.

Buddhism teaches that there is a ninth consciousness which Nichiren Daishonin identified as the Buddha nature, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It is the basis of all life's functions and is known as the 'amala' or 'fundamentally pure' consciousness, shared at the most profound level with all life. As we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, so life force comes from the ninth consciousness, purifying the internal causes and effects that lie in the eighth, and improving the way our sixth and seventh consciousnesses function. We start to create new causes in the eighth consciousness, based not on the tendencies that we have developed after making many different causes, but on the life state of the Buddha, and therefore filled with courage, compassion and wisdom. Another benefit of this process is that we start to see our lives with the eyes of the Buddha, enabling us to see our karma in its true light. As we see it, so it becomes easier to challenge it and change it.

To use an analogy, the emergence of the world of Buddhahood is like the rising of the sun. When the sun dawns in the east, the stars that had shone so vividly in the night sky immediately fade into seeming non-existence. If they disappeared, it would go against the principle of causality. But just as the light of the stars and the moon seems to vanish when the sun rises, when we bring forth the state of Buddhahood in our lives we cease to suffer negative effects for each individual past negative cause made. In other words,this does not deny or contradict general causality. General causality remains an underlying premise of Buddhism. But it is subsumed by what might be termed a 'greater causality'. This greater causality is the causality of attaining Buddhahood. It is the causality of the Lotus Sutra and the Mystic Law. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo then liberates us from our negative or unhappy karma, and enables us to make causes and create lives that accord with our greatest dreams both for ourselves and for the society in which we live. The best causes we can make are those that contribute to kosen-rufu, and help people to establish  Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in their own lives, enabling them to reveal their own Buddha nature.

(Article from SGI-UK)
(Image sources: Deviantart)

The Liturgy of Nichiren Daishonin

The portions of the Expedient Means and Life Span Chapters of the Lotus Sutra recited in the practice of Gongyo.

Part A

THE 2ND CHAPTER. (HOBEN) PROSE FORM

Myoho renge kyo -- The wonderful Law of the Lotus Sutra

Ho ben pon dai ni: Skillful Ways

Ni Ji Se Son -- There the World Honored One

Ju San Mai -- Quietly came up

An Jo Ni Ki -- From his samadhi

Go Shari Hotsu -- And said to Shariputra:

Sho Bu' Chi E -- The wisdom of the Buddhas

Jin Jin Mu Ryo -- Is profound and cannot be measured

Go Chi E Mon -- Its gate is hard to understand

Nange Nan Nyu -- And difficult to enter.

Is Sai Sho Mon -- No Shravaka-Disciple

Hyaku Shi Butsu -- Or Self-taught buddha

Sho Fu No Chi -- Can understand it.

Sho I Sha Ga -- Why is that? (because!)

Butsu Zo Shin Gon -- the [present] Buddhas attended on many

Hyaku Sen Man Noku -- hundreds of thousands of billions

Mu Shu Sho Butsu -- Of [past] Buddhas,

Jin Gyo Sho Butsu -- And practiced the many teachings

Mu Ryo Do Ho -- Of those Buddhas bravely and energetically

Yu Myo Sho Jin -- To their far-flung fame till they attained

Myo Sho Fu Mon -- The profound Law

Jo Ju Jin Jin -- Which you've never heard before,

Mi Zo U Ho -- And also because they are exposing

Zui Gi Sho Setsu -- The Law according to the capacities

I Shu Nan Ge -- Of all living beings a way that the intention is hard to understand

Shari Hotsu -- Shariputra!

Go Ju Jo Butsu I Rai -- Since I became Buddha, I also

Shu Ju In Nen -- Have been stating various teachings

Shu Ju Hi Yu -- With different stories of previous lives,

Ko En Gon Kuyo -- Various parables, and various similes.

Mu Shu Ho Ben -- I have been leading all living beings

In Do Shu Jo -- With countless expedients

Ryo Ri Sho Jaku -- In order to save them from materialism,

Sho I Sha Ga -- Because I have the power

Nyo Rai Ho Ben -- To employ skills,

Chi Ken Hara Mitsu -- And the power to perform

Kai I Gu Soku -- The Paramita (reached goal of wisdom) of insight

Shari Hotsu -- Shariputra!

Nyo Rai Chi Ken -- The insight of the Tathagatas

Ko Dai Jin Non -- Is wide and deep.

Mu Ryo Mu Ge -- They have all the [states of mind

Riki Mu Sho I -- Towards] countless [living beings],

Zen Jo Ge Da's' San Mai -- unchecked [intelligence], powers,

Jin Nyu Mu Sai -- Fearlessness, dhyana-concentrations,

Jo Ju Is Sai -- Liberations and samadhis. They entered

Mi Zo U Ho -- Deep into no limits, and attained the Law which you've never heard before

Shari Hotsu -- Shariputra!

Nyo Rai Nyo Shu Ju Fun Betsu -- The Tathagatas divide the Law

Gyo Ses Sho Ho -- Into various teachings, and state

Gon Ji Nyu Nan -- Those teachings so gently and skillfully

Ek Ka Shu Shin -- That living beings are delighted.

Shari Hotsu -- Shariputra!

Shu Yo Gon Shi -- In short, the Buddhas attained

Mu Ryo Mu Hen -- The countless teachings

Mi Zo U Ho -- Which you've never heard before

Bus Shitsu Jo Ju -- No more

Shi -- Will I say

Shari Hotsu -- Shariputra

Fu Shu Bu Setsu -- Because the Law

Sho I Sha Ga -- attained by the Buddhas

Bus Sho Jo Ju -- Is the highest Truth.

Dai Ichi Ke U -- Rare [to hear] and hard

Nan Ge Shi Ho -- To understand.

Yui Butsu Yo Butsu -- Only the Buddhas attained

Nai No Ku Jin -- The highest Truth, that is

Sho Ho Jis So -- The Reality of All Things

Sho I Sho Ho -- In regards to:

Nyo Ze So -- Their appearances (form? shape? size? ) as such,

Nyo Ze Sho -- Their natures (essence) as such,

Nyo Ze Tai -- Their embodiments (present incarnation) as such,

Nyo Ze Riki -- Their powers (potentiality also possibilities) as such,

Nyo Ze Sa -- Their activities (function or role) as such,

Nyo Ze In -- Their primary causes (obvious cause) as such,

Nyo Ze En -- Their environmental causes (process) as such,

Nyo Ze Ka -- Their effects (latent or hidden effect) as such,

Nyo Ze Ho -- Their requital (final outcome or return) as such,

Nyo Ze Hon Ma' Ku Kyo To -- And the combination of these [factors] as such (over and over again)

Part C

THE 16TH CHAPTER. (JURYO) VERSE FORM (JIGAGE)

Myo ho renge kyo - The Sutra of the Lotus of the Wonderful Law - 16th Chapter.

nyo rai ju ryo hon, dai ju roku - the duration of Life of the Tathagata (Many Treasures).

Ji ga toku bu'rai -- Since I became a Buddha

Sho kyo sho ko shu -- It is many hundreds of thousands

Mu ryo hyaku sen man -- Of billions of trillions

Oku sai a so gi -- Of asankhyas of aeons (many many years).

Jo sep po kyo ke -- For the past countless aeons

Mu shu oku shu jo -- I have been stating the Dharma

Ryo nyu o butsu do -- To hundreds of millions of beings

Ni rai mu ryo ko -- To lead them into the Way to Buddhahood

I do shu jo ko -- In order to save [perverted] people,

Ho ben gen ne han -- I expediently show my Nirvana to them

Ni jitsu fu metsu do -- But In reality I never pass away.

Jo ju shi sep po -- I always live here and preach the Law.

Ga jo ju o shi -- Although I always live here

I sho jin zu riki -- With perverted people

Ryo ten do shu jo -- I disappear from their eyes

Sui gon ni fu ken -- By my supernatural powers

Shu ken ga metsu do -- When they see me seemingly pass away,

Ko ku yo shari -- they make offerings to my relics

Gen kai e ren bo -- they adore and admire me,

Ni sho katsu go shin -- they become devout, upright and gentle,

Shu jo ki shin buku -- And wish to see me

Shichi jiki I nyu nan -- With all their hearts

Is shin yok ken butsu -- Even at the cost of their lives.

Fu ji shaku shin myo -- So I reappear on Mt. Sacred Vulture peak

Ji ga gyu shu so -- With all my people (community/sangha)

Ku shutsu ryo ju sen -- And say to them:

Ga ji go shu jo -- I always live here.

Jo zai shi fu metsu -- I'll never be extinct.

I ho ben rik ko -- But I show my extinction expediently

Gen u metsu fu metsu -- Although I never pass away.

Yo koku u shu jo -- I also state the highest Law

Ku gyo shin gyo sha -- To the living beings of other worlds

Ga bu o hi chu -- If they respect me, they believe me,

I setsu mu jo ho -- And wish to see me.

Nyo to fu mon shi -- But you've never heard this;

Tan ni ga metsu do -- So you thought that I passed away

Ga ken sho shu jo -- I see [perverted] people sinking

Mo tsu zai o ku kai -- In a sea of sufferings.

Ko fu I gen shin -- Therefore, I disappear from their eyes

Ryo go sho katsu go -- And cause them to admire me.

In go shin ren bo -- Whey they adore me,

Nai shitsu I sep po -- I reappear and expound the Law to them.

Jin zu riki nyo ze -- I can do this by my supernatural powers.

O a so gi ko -- For countless aeons

jo zai ryo ju sen -- I lived on Mt. Sacred Eagle

Gyu yo sho ju sho -- And in all other delay.

Shu jo ken ko jin -- [Perverted] people think:

Dai ka sho sho ji -- 'This world is in a great fire.

Ga shi do an non -- The end is coming.'

Ten nin jo ju man -- but really this world of mine is peaceful.

On rin sho do kaku -- It is filled with gods and good people.

Shu ju ho sho gon -- Its gardens, forests, and palaces

Ho ju ta ke ka -- Are adorned with treasures;

Shu ju sho yu raku -- Gem trees have fruits and flowers;

Sho ten gyaku ten ku -- Living beings are enjoying themselves;

Jo sas shu gi gaku -- And the gods are beating heavenly drums,

U man da ra ke -- Pouring music and mandarava blossoms

San butsu gyu dai shu -- On the Buddha and all assembled beings.

Ga jo do fu ki -- My land is pure and indestructible.

Ni shu ken sho jin -- But [perverted] people think:

U fu sho ku no -- ‘It is full of sorrow, fear and pain,

Nyo ze shitsu ju man -- and will soon burn away.'

Ze sho zai shu jo -- Because of their evil karmas,

I aku go In nen -- these sinful people cannot hear even the names

Ka a so gi ko -- Of the Three Treasures

Fu mon san bo myo -- For countless aeons

Sho u shu ku doku -- To those who have accumulated merits

Nyu was shichi jiki sha -- Who are gentle and upright,

Sok kai ken ga shin -- And see me living here,

Zai shi ni sep po -- stating the Dharma,

Waku ji I shi shu -- I say: ‘The duration

Setsu butsu ju mu ryo -- Of my life is immeasurable.'

Ku nai ken bus sha -- To those who see me after a long time,

I setsu butsu nan chi -- I say: ‘It's hard to see a Buddha.'

Ga chi riki nyo ze -- This I can do by the power of my wisdom.

Eko sho mu ryo -- The light of my wisdom knows no limit.

Ju myo mu shu ko -- The duration of my life is forever

Ku shu go sho toku -- I obtained this by ages of practices.

Nyo to u chi sha -- All of you, wise men!

Mot to shi sho gi -- Have no doubts about this!

To dan ryo yo jin -- Remove your doubts, have no more!

Butsu go jip pu ko -- Because the Buddha's words are true, not false.

Nyo I zen ho ben -- The doctor, sent a man skillfully

I ji o shi ko -- To tell his perverted sons

Jitsu zai ni gon shi -- Of his death so he could to cure them,

Mu no sek ko mo -- Was not accused of falsehood through living

Ga yaku I se bu -- Likewise, I am the parent of this world.

Ku sho ku gen sha -- I save all living beings from suffering.

I bon bu ten do -- Because they are perverted, I say

Jitsu zai ni gon metsu -- That I pass away, even though I do not.

I jo ken ga ko -- If they always see me,

Ni sho kyo shi shin -- They will become arrogant and no morals

Ho itsu jaku go yaku -- And cling to the five human desires

Da o aku do chu -- Till they fall into evil paths (Hell, Hunger and Animality).

Ga jo chi shu jo -- I know all living beings,

Gyo do fu gyo do -- Who practice the Way and who do not.

Zui o sho ka do -- Therefore I expound various teachings

I ses shu ju ho -- According to the abilities of all.

Mai ji sa ze nen -- I am always thinking:

I ga ryo shu jo -- 'How can I cause all living beings

Toku nyu mu jo do -- To enter into the highest Way

Soku jo ju bus shin -- So they can quickly become Buddhas?

SILENT PRAYERS

The silent prayers are intended to express our shared sense of gratitude and resolve as believers in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and members of Soka Gakkai International. The wording of these prayers is meant as a guideline to help us express this inner sense of gratitude and determination. Therefore, it is not the specific wording of the silent prayers, but rather what we have in our minds while performing the prayers that is most important.

First Silent Prayer

Appreciation for life's protective forces - (shoten zenjin)

I offer appreciation to the shoten zenjin, the functions in life and in the environment that serve to protect us night and day. I pray that their protective power be further strengthened and enhanced through my practice of the Law. (Chant daimoku three times.)

Second Silent Prayer

Appreciation for the Dai-Gohonzon

I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon the entire world. (Chant daimoku three times.)

Third Silent Prayer

Appreciation for the three teachers

I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. (Chant daimoku three times.)

I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to Nikko Shonin, the Great Leader of the Propagation of True Buddhism. (Chant daimoku three times.)

I offer sincere gratitude to Nichimoku Shonin, the High Priest of Kosen-rufu. (Chant daimoku three times.)

Fourth Silent Prayer

For the attainment of kosen-rufu

I pray that the great desire for kosen-rufu be fulfilled, and that the Soka Gakkai International develop eternally in this endeavor. (Chant daimoku three times.)

I pray to expiate my negative karma caused by my slander of the Law in this life and in the past and to fulfill my wishes in the present and the future. (Offer additional prayers here. Chant daimoku three times.)

Fifth Silent Prayer

Appreciation for the first and second presidents of Soka Gakkai and prayer for the deceased

I offer gratitude to the first president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, and the second president, Josei Toda, for their selfless dedication to the propagation of the Law. (Chant daimoku three times.)

I pray for my deceased relatives and for all those who have passed away, particularly for these individuals:

(Sound bell continuously while offering prayers. Chant daimoku three times.)

I pray for peace throughout the universe and the happiness of all humanity.

(Sound the bell, and chant daimoku three times to conclude gongyo.)