It would be a mistake to think that Nirvana is unimportant. It would be easy to think the Magic City served little or no purpose since it was not the final objective and it was only temporary. However we should also consider that without the Magic City the travelers would not have continued on their journey and instead would have turned back. So too with Nirvana, it is integral to our complete practice. The Magic City may not have been the destination but it was an integral part of the journey.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraQuotes
The Unity of the Universal, Ideal, and Historical
In Shakyamuni Buddha we can see the unity of the universal, the ideal, and the historical in an otherwise ordinary person who is no different than any of us, except for his awakening. By affirming the unity of the Three Bodies in Shakyamuni Buddha, we are affirming our own ability to awaken to the ultimate truth and to base our lives upon it.
Lotus SeedsTrue Compassion
When we feel true compassion, our words and actions will affect other people and serve to increase their joy or lessen their pain. When this happens, we will make this world the Buddha’s pure land, not only in deepest truth but in a way that can be seen by all people.
Awakening to the LotusThe Law of Dependent Origination
The Buddhist law of dependent origination is the logical integration of the first two seals of the Law. In simple terms, dependent origination means that every effect has a definite cause and every cause a definite effect. Nothing comes into being by accident. Actions do not occur in a haphazard fashion. Only when certain causes and conditions are present can a particular effect or result be achieved. This is by no means to imply an all-encompassing first cause like divine will or a foreordained plan for life. Causes and conditions vary in infinite ways to generate infinite kinds of results. But for any fixed set of causes and conditions, the result, too, is fixed.
Basic Buddhist ConceptsThe Practice of the Seven Characters
Through the practice of the seven characters of the Odaimoku – Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo – people can unite with the Eternal Buddha as a part of his life. This is known as Sokushin Jōbutsu, attaining Buddhahood with one’s present form. This is also referred to as Juji Jōbutsu, attaining Buddhahood by upholding the Lotus Sūtra and the Odaimoku and practicing the Sūtra in one’s daily life.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuTransformation of Paradise
[O]ur founder, in his work entitled Hanson Syo, or “The Object of Worship,” says: “The world of evils is now free from the three calamities of conflagration, wind, and deluge, and has got rid of the four epochs of creation, existence, destruction, and emptiness. Thus we find it transformed into Paradise. The Buddha did not die in past times, nor will he be born in the future. He is one and the same with those whom he enlightens. His mind contains all phenomena in time and space.”
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)Long Continued Effort
Sometimes our practice is easy; sometimes it is much harder. Either way, our focus should remain on our objective. It seems this is pretty universal advice. Whether it be exercise, which I am sure you know requires constant effort to stay in shape, or now with this research self-control, or Buddhism, the long continued effort is what really yields the greatest results.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1The Root, Stem and Branches, and Flowers and Fruits
A saying ascribed to Prince Shōtoku, the founder of Japanese civilization, compares the three religious and moral systems found in Japan to the root, the stem and branches, and the flowers and fruits of a tree. Shinto is the root embedded in the soil of the people’s character and national traditions; Confucianism is seen in the stem and branches of legal institutions, ethical codes, and educational systems; Buddhism made the flowers of religious sentiment bloom and gave the fruits of spiritual life.
History of Japanese ReligionThe True Focus of Devotion
Nichiren felt that clarifying what should be the true focus of devotion for Buddhists was of great importance, because it reveals the nature of our aspirations and determines the focus of our concentration and energy. To this end, Nichiren taught that the proper focus of devotion is the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha in the act of transferring the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Flower Sutra to all sentient beings during the ongoing Ceremony in the Air described in the sutra itself.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the Gohonzon‘A Wonderful Dispensation of Nature’
“Ho” generally means a “rule” or “precept” today. Originally, “Ho” came from the Sanskrit word “Dharma,” which means “holding” and “law”, but when used in a Buddhist context it has a unique meaning. It means “a wonderful dispensation of nature” and “permanent truths” or “Universal Law,” and also means the Buddha’s teaching. This is because of the Buddha’s enlightenment 2,500 years ago. His achievement was to fully understand the “Universal Law.” So, “Ho” or “Dharma” means both “Universal Law” and the Buddha’s teachings. The essence of the “Universal Law” is expounded by the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra.
Spring Writings