Follow current master in the seat of the Law or Shakyamuni?

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illarraza
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Follow current master in the seat of the Law or Shakyamuni?

Post by illarraza »

From Gosho Admonitions Against Slander [concluding passages] Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, page 163.

"In the Nirvana Sutra Shakyamuni stated, "If even a good priest sees someone slandering the Law and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust him or to punish him for his offense, then that priest is betraying Buddhism. But if he takes the slanderer severely to task, drives him off or punishes him, then he is my disciple and one who truly understands my teachings." Never forget this admonition against ignoring another's slander of Buddhism. Both master and disciple will surely fall into the hell of incessant suffering if they see enemies of the Lotus Sutra and fail to reproach them. The Great Teacher Nan-yueh wrote, "They will fall into hell with evil men." To seek enlightenment without repudiating slander is as futile as trying to find water in the midst of fire or fire in the midst of water. No matter how sincerely one believes in the Lotus Sutra, any violation of its teachings will surely cause him to fall into hell, just as one crab leg will ruin a thousand pots of lacquer. This is the meaning of the passage in the Lotus Sutra, "The poison has penetrated deeply, causing them to lose their true minds."

The Lotus Sutra teaches us: "In lifetime after lifetime they were always born together with their masters in the Buddha lands throughout the universe," and "If one seeks out the teacher of the Law, he will soon attain the way of the Bodhisattva. If he follows and studies under this teacher, he will be able to see Buddhas equal in number to the sands of the Ganges River." T'ien-t'ai interprets this, saying, "One who first began to aspire for enlightenment when following this Buddha will follow him again and attain a stage of faith from which he can never backslide." Miao-lo adds, "One who first hears about the Law from some Buddha or bodhisattva will return to the same Buddha or bodhisattva to attain enlightenment." Above all, follow no one but your original teacher and go on to attain Buddhahood. Shakyamuni is the original teacher for all people, as well as their sovereign and their parent. Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes: "Good advice is harsh to the ear." But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower and the people like the field. If you go against these principles, in your next lifetime, not even I, Nichiren, can save you."

Following a current Master in the seat of the Law, whether it be Daisaku Ikeda or Nichnyo Shonin, is to practice another religion, or at best, another Buddhism other than the Lotus Sutra Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. More precisely, it is to practice a combination of the Chan teachings on the Patriarchal Transmission of the Golden Mouth Ones and the Shingon teachings of Guru Yoga. Please keep this in mind when choosing a Nichiren Sangha.
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noisemonkey
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Re: Follow current master in the seat of the Law or Shakyamuni?

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Jikan wrote:2. Do not be disruptive

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noisemonkey
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Re: Follow current master in the seat of the Law or Shakyamuni?

Post by noisemonkey »

"Question: In the Hoben chapter of Volume One of the Lotus Sutra is
the passage: "The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and
shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance,
nature...and their consistency from beginning to end." What does this mean?
Answer: It means that all beings and their environments in any of
the Ten Worlds, from Hell at the lowest to Buddhahood at the highest, are,
without exception, the manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. Where there is an
environment, there is life within it. Miao-lo states, "Both life (shoho)
and its environment (eho) always manifest Myoho-renge-kyo." He also
states, "The true entity is invariably revealed in all phenomena, and all
phenomena invariably possess the Ten Factors. The Ten Factors invariably
function within the Ten Worlds, and the Ten Worlds invariably entail both
life and its environment." And, "Both the life and environment of Hell
exist within the life of Buddha. On the other hand, the life and
environment of Buddha do not transcend the lives of common mortals." Such
precise explanations leave no room for doubt. Thus, all life in the
universe is clearly Myoho-renge-kyo. Even the two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and
Taho, are functions of Myoho-renge-kyo who appeared to bestow its blessings
upon mankind. They manifested themselves as the two Buddhas and, seated
together in the Treasure Tower, nodded in mutual agreement.
No one but Nichiren has ever revealed these teachings. T'ien-t'ai,
Miao-lo and Dengyo knew in their hearts but did not declare them aloud.
There was reason for their silence: The Buddha had not entrusted them with
this mission, the time had not yet come, and they had not been the Buddha's
disciples from ages past. No one but Jogyo, Muhengyo and the other leaders
of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth can appear during the first five hundred
years of the Latter Day to spread the Law of Myoho-renge-kyo. Only they are
qualified to inscribe the object of worship which physically manifests the
ceremony of the two Buddhas seated together in the Treasure Tower. This is
because both the Law and the object of worship are the reality of ichinen
sanzen revealed in the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching.
The two Buddhas, Shakyamuni and Taho, are merely functions of the
true Buddha, while Myoho-renge-kyo actually is the true Buddha. The sutra
explains this as "the Tathagata's secret and his mystic power." The
"secret" refers to the entity of the Buddha's three properties and the
"mystic power" to their functions. The entity is the true Buddha and the
function, a provisional Buddha. The common mortal is the entity of the
three properties, or the true Buddha. The Buddha is the function of the of
the three properties, or a provisional Buddha. Shakyamuni is thought to
have possessed the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent for the
sake of us common mortals, but on the contrary, it is the common mortal who
endowed him with the three virtues." From the True Entity of Life (Totaigi Sho)
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