Our Daily Practice

Nichiren Buddhism has three components - faith, practice and study - and the practice is further broken down into two parts -  practice for yourself and practice for others.


Practice for others is simply talking to other people about this Buddhism and telling them you think its good and beneficial to your life.  Sometimes in the media or online this can be portrayed as cult-like behaviour, but it's no different to recommending a great movie you've seen or a new product you've loved.  Also, if your experience of this religion wasn't great you wouldn't recommend it to others or you would give them a negative impression.  We don't need to stand on a soapbox shouting about it or go door to door "pestering" people.  It's just something that may naturally come up in conversation with friends, neighbours and co-workers.

Practice for yourself.  I've already mentioned in an earlier post chanting "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" to awaken your Buddha nature and tap into the mystic law of the universe.  You can chant this any time you feel like it, but it also forms part of our morning and evening routine.  Twice a day we recite extracts from two of the key chapters of the Lotus Sutra, which contain the core message of our faith, chant "Nam myoho renge kyo" and give thanks and appreciation in five prayers.

The two chapters we read from are Chapter 2 "Expendient Means" and Chapter 16 "Life Span".  Nichiren Daishonin, didn't leave any hard and fast rules about daily practice other than recite part of these two chapters daily and chant "nam myoho renge kyo", but within the SGI (and other Nichiren Buddhist groups) the length of the extracts recited has become shortened to make it more manageable as part of your daily life, and prayers have been introduced to focus your thinking and determination and to show gratitude and appreciation for the practice. 

Our Gongyo book contains the words needed to recite the chapters from the Lotus Sutra and also guidelines for the prayers, and it mentions that the wording of the prayers is there as a guideline, and that it is the sincerity and heartfelt thoughts that are more important than the specific wording. 

The 4 basic prayers are...

(1) Appreciation to the functions in life and the environment which support us because of our practice.

(2) Appreciation to the Dai-Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin and his first successor Nikko Shonin.  These three represent the three treasures of Buddhism (the mystic Law, the Buddha and the community of believers) and we also include Nikko Shonin's successor Nichimoku Shonin to show the continuation of this buddhism being passed on to future generations.

(3) This prayer shows our appreciation and desire for the spread of our faith throughout society.  We foces on achieving kosen-rufu - a time when everyone is awakened to their Buddha nature and the achievement of peace throughout the world.  We also pray for the eternal development of the SGI (the group we belong to which can bring about this positive change in people's lives) and also show appreciation to the three founding presidents of our organisation for their dedication to teaching and introducing others to this Buddhism.

(4) This prayer is our own personal prayers and determinations and is in 3 parts.

(4i) A prayer to bring forth our Buddhahood, change our karma, carry out our self-improvement and fulfil our wishes.  You can include thanks to other people supporting you in your life, for the safety and well-being of friends and family, for the achievement of your own personal goals (new job, house, etc.)

(4ii) A prayer to all of those who have passed away and our deceased relatives.  For many people this is a great source of comfort especially after someone has recently died.  Twice a day we are giving thanks and cherishing the memory of those we have loved and continue to love.

(4iii) Finally, we pray for peace throughout the world and the happiness of all humanity.


If you would like to try the daily practice, 

The text for the silent prayers can be found here - http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/resources/gongyo/silentprayers.php

The text for the Lotus Sutra extracts can be found here - http://www.sgi-usa.org/memberresources/resources/gongyo/liturgyofnichirendaishonin.php



Here is morning Gongyo (First prayer, lotus sutra extracts and 8 minutes chanting.  Prayers 2 to 5 are missing so you need to do those on your own)

For evening Gongyo, just start from 1.15.  After the bell, hit pause and say "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" 3 times and then continue with video.




Here is a slower version of just the Lotus Sutra extracts.

WE ARE ALL BUDDHAS

One of the key points of the Lotus Sutra is that everyone of us, no matter what gender, what social class, what ethnicity or what sexual preference is a BUDDHA. 

This can be really difficult to believe especially when you are suffering and going through hardships, and even Shakyamuni Buddha explains in the Lotus Sutra ... "The door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter."

But, whether you believe it or not, You ARE a Buddha in the making. 


The only thing harder than believing in the concept that "We are all Buddhas" is changing some of our deep seated beliefs about ourselves and the world.

I used to believe in Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy. 
After watching Jaws when he was eight, my step-brother used to believe there was a shark in his closet.
When I was ten, I used to think the idea of kissing girls was disgusting.

I’m sure some of you had similar beliefs, and like me, as you grew up, you realized that none of these were true.  I did and my life is certainly better for it – especially the one about kissing girls!

But for some reason there are lots of other equally ridiculous beliefs that we hold on to as adults:

“Life should be fair”

“Other people are to blame for my suffering”

“Everything always happens to me”

"I'm so useless at everything"

None of these negative beliefs help us in our lives, but we still cling to them like security blankets.  Even when I first learnt that Father Christmas wasn’t real I still held on to the belief just in case I didn’t get any presents! 


Think of a ridiculous belief that you have about your ability or the situation you are in.

Think to yourself: "How will I take control of my life if this isn't true?"

How will I take control of my life, if other people aren't to blame for my suffering?
How will I take control of my life, if I am not useless at everything?
How will I take control of my life, if I make more time for the important things?

Think of the potential YOU have WITHIN you to improve your current situation.

Base your life on the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin and the power of “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo”.

Truly believe with your whole being that "YOU HAVE THE BUDDHA POTENTIAL" and truly appreciate the BUDDHA NATURE in others.


BONUS QUOTE from President Ikeda

If somewhere in your heart you have decided "I alone am incapable of becoming happy", "Only I cannot become a capable person" or "Only my sufferings will forever remain unsolved," then that one factor of your mind or determination will obstruct your benefit.

The extent to which we can receive and use the vast, profound joy derived from the Law depends entirely on our faith.  Will we take only a small cup of water from the ocean, or will we fill up a large swimming pool?

(Learning from the Gosho, p240)

CULT vs SGI

On factnet.org they have a list of the 8 warning signs of a destructive cult.

             Let’s see how the SGI compares to this…

  

1	A destructive cult tends to be totalitarian in its control of its members' behaviour. Cults are likely to dictate in great detail not only what members believe, but also what members wear and eat, when and where members work, sleep, and bathe, and how members think, speak, and conduct familial, marital, or sexual relationships.	SGI members are encouraged to develop themselves individually through faith, study and practice.  We all have our own individual human revolutions.  There are no strict rules governing what to eat, what to wear, etc.
2	A destructive cult tends to have an ethical double standard. Members are urged to be obedient to the cult and follow cult rules as well as confessing all to the leaders. But, outside the group they are encouraged to manipulate outsiders or non-members, and either deceive them or reveal very little about themselves or the group. In contrast respectable faith groups teach members to abide by one set of ethics and act ethically and truthfully to all people in all situations.	Everyone within the SGI is using their faith in Nichiren Daishonin’s buddhism to improve their lives and the lives of others.  We are all trying to be better people in all our relationships both inside and outside of SGI meetings.  We are encouraged to study and to freely talk to others about our beliefs and encourage them to study and learn more about our faith.
3	Destructive cults have two basic purposes: recruiting new members and fund-raising. Other faith groups also perform such tasks, but these are incidental to their main purpose of improving the lives of the members and of humankind in general. A cult's real goal is to increase the prestige and often the wealth of the leader.	Like all religions, the SGI wants to expand its membership and raise funds for administrative fees, building management fees and educational purposes.  If you benefit from this Buddhism why wouldn’t you want to share it with others and encourage them to join?  With regard to fund-raising, contributions are only allowed by members who sincerely want to make donations.  Non-members are not allowed to contribute and no-one is forced to make donations.  At the end of the day the main purpose of the SGI is to improve society and secure the happiness of ALL humanity.
4	A destructive cult appears to be innovative and exclusive. The leader claims to be breaking with tradition, offering something novel, and instituting the ONLY viable system for change that will solve life's problems or the world's ills. But these claims are empty recruitment methods and members who are then subjected to mind control to inhibit their ability to examine the actual validity of the claims of the leader and the cult.	The SGI is based on spreading the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, a buddhist monk from 700 years ago.  The writings and speeches of President Ikeda explain the wonder and meaning of Nichiren Daishonin’s writings and teachings and help us to deepen our understand of Shakyamuni’s Lotus Sutra. Whether you become a member, or just attend meetings as a guest, you are encouraged to study to prove to yourself the validity of the teachings.
5	A destructive cult is authoritarian in its power structure. The leader is regarded as the supreme authority and members adhere to the leader's wishes.	Leaders within the SGI are basically there to organise meetings and provide administrative information.  Leaders are by no means perfect and have their own human revolution to do.  Also, any leader or lecturer that is arrogant enough to think they are better than other members needs to rethink their position.  We are all Buddhas and all Buddhas are equal.
6	A destructive cult's leader is a self-appointed messianic person claiming to have a special mission in life. For example, a leader of flying saucer cults claiming that beings from outer space have appointed them to save members from harm.	President Ikeda is respected as a mentor – someone who we can look up to as a role model – but ultimately our future happiness depends on us.  President Ikeda’s mission is to achieve peace throughout the world and the happiness of all humanity by encouraging us in our practice.
7	A destructive cult's leader insists on being the focus of members’ devotion and allegiance.	The focus of the SGI’s practice is the Gohonzon and our own Buddha wisdom.  President Ikeda is a respected mentor, but he doesn’t claim to be descendent from a God or a divine being, to have any secret information or insight only available to him or be able to grant our wishes.  He just explains his understanding of Nichiren Buddhism and encourages us in faith to be the best we can be within our communities.
8	A destructive cult's leader tends to be determined, domineering, and charismatic.  They use these qualities to persuade followers to abandon or alter their families, friends, and careers to follow the cult. The leader then takes control over followers' possessions, money, time, and lives.	Through his position as president of the organisation, Daisaku Ikeda has been able to engage in dialogues with other world leaders and scholars, but he never dictates how members should live their lives.  We are not encouraged to cut off family members, quit our jobs, hand over all our savings, etc.

UPDATE - In reply to Mark from the Kempon Hokke's comments, please go to the following pages for further discussion:

Mark's comments as a blog post: http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cult-vs-sgi-part-2.html

My reply to Mark's comments: http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cult-vs-sgi-part-3.html

Mark's replies to me: http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/cult-vs-sgi-part-4.html

Getting Along With Friends

This guidance is President Ikeda’s response to a child’s question and comes from an article in The Seikyo Children’s News (Japanese) from June 8, 1997.

Q. I have quarrelled with my friend. What should I do?

A. Though you may have had a disagreement with your friend, there is no reason to feel bitter about him, or think about parting ways. Change the mood of the situation, and try to approach it with a new and fresh perspective. In some cases, it could be that you are more at fault than your friend. In other cases, your friend may be more at fault than you. However, at that stage, take some time to reflect and then initiate a discussion with him. If you did something wrong, you should apologize. If you behave in this way, you will turn your quarrel into a chance to develop an even better friendship with him.

Ten Major Writings

Nichiren Daishonin’s successor Nikko Shonin spent his life collating the writings of Nichiren Daishonin in a book called the Gosho – the Collected Writings of Nichiren Daishonin.  Some of these were letters to individual followers and some were treaties for general publication.  In addition to collecting together the various writings, Nikko Shonin also declared that the following were the 10 most important writings.  Here they are listed in chronological order of when they were written.

1.     On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land     (WND1, 6-32)
2.     On Reciting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra                           (WND2, 211-238)
3.     The Opening of the Eyes                                                            (WND1, 220-298)
4.     The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind                  (WND1, 354-382)
5.     Choosing the Heart of the Lotus Sutra                                     (WND2, 481-494)
6.     The Selection of the Time                                                         (WND1, 538-594)
7.     On Repaying Debts of Gratitude                                             (WND1, 690-745)
8.     Letter to Shimoyama                                                                  (WND2, 684-718)
9.     On the Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice      (WND1, 783-793)
10.  Questions and Answers on the Object of the Devotion      (WND2, 787-801)

He also made a list of the five major writings which are indicated above in bold.

WND is "The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin" Volume 1 or 2.

To Be Or Not To Be

The Lotus Sutra contains many Bodhisattvas who live shining lives and are an inspiration to others.  Here's my growth tip for today.

STEP ONE – Make a “To Be” list

Many of us make to do lists to try and focus our time, but my stepdad used to recommend making a “To Be” list to focus your personality.

 Make a list of the kind of qualities you’d like to be: patient, forgiving, confident, punctual, determined

STEP TWO – Create your own Bodhisattva name

 Using your “To Be” list from STEP ONE, create your own Bodhisattva by combining positive words like always, excellent, paramount, eternal, vibrant, stunning, outstanding, etc.  You may need to change the adjectives from STEP ONE into their noun form.

i.e.  Bodhisattva Steadfast Patience, 
        Bodhisattva Effortless Forgiveness,

       Bodhisattva Supreme Confidence,
        Bodhisattva Perfect Punctuality       
        Bodhisattva Unsurpassed Determination

STEP THREE – Become the Bodhisattva

Keep your “To Be” list or Bodhisattva name next to the Gohonzon or somewhere you will frequently see it and chant to awaken these valuable qualities in your life. 

Nikko & Nichimoku Shonin

Every day during the second prayer we give praise and gratitude to two of Nichiren Daishonin's disciples, but who were they and why are we thankful to them?

NIKKO SHONIN

Nikko Shonin met Nichiren Daishonin at Jisso-ji temple in 1258 when he was 12!  Nichiren was researching its sutra library while preparing for On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.

Nikko Shonin started to devotedly serve Nichiren and joined him during his Izu Exile when he was 15, where he converted a priest of the Shingon school to Nichiren’s teachings.

Nikko Shonin recorded the lectures Nichiren gave on the Lotus Sutra and collected them together in The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings.

When Nichiren died, Nikko Shonin was the only one of the six senior priests who fulfilled the commitment to watch over his tomb.  They all denied they were followers of Nichiren’s teachings due to pressure from authorities and declared they were priests of the Tendai school.

Nikko Shonin's life was spent promoting Nichiren’s teachings, educating disciples and collecting together Nichiren’s writings, which he called the Gosho (honourable writings)

NICHIMOKU SHONIN

 

At 14 he witnessed a religious debate at Izu-san temple between the senior priests and Nichiren’s disciple Nikko.  He was so impressed he became Nikko’s disciple and served and supported Nichiren Daishonin.

Shortly before Nichiren’s death a Tendai priest challenged him to a debate.  Nichiren appointed Nichimoku to represent him, and Nichimoku beat the priest by winning every one of 10 rounds of doctrinal debate.

After Nichiren died, Nichimoku supported Nikko in keeping watch over the tomb and also devoted himself to propagating Nichiren’s teachings.

Nichimoku Shonin is remembered for his commitment to practice and propagate Nichiren’s Buddhism.  He also remonstrated more than forty-two times with the Kamakura government and the imperial court at Kyoto to encourage them to adopt Nichiren’s teachings.


I found some of this information and the pictures from another Buddhist website about 8 months ago, but since then that site seems to have closed.

The Abundance of Life

Today,

I re-dedicate my life to

Kosen-rufu: To be strong so that

nothing can upset my peace of mind. To talk of

health, happiness and hope to every person I meet. To

make friends feel that there is something good and beautiful in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and to be optimistic about life.

To think only the best, and work towards doing and expecting only the best. To be just

as happy about the successes of others as I am about my own. To forget any

mistakes of the past and press forward to greater achievements

in the future. To give so much time to improving myself,

that I have no time to criticise others. To be too strong

for fear, too kind for anger and too happy

for worry. To lift my heart in faith

each day, so the Gohonzon

may show forth in

my life.

(based on The Optimist Creed by Christian D. Larsen)