Jesus on the Nichiren Buddhist altar?

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Queequeg
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Re: Jesus on the Nichiren Buddhist altar?

Post by Queequeg »

Jikan wrote: An even more controversial point that is worth considering is not my idea, but Brook Ziporyn's idea. Ziporyn claims on the basis of his study of TienTai thought that Nichiren and Jesus share many important characteristics as historical figures--that the patterns of their lives share many parallels, and that these parallels matter. It's in the book Being and Ambiguity. I'll post some quotations later if I can find them. The gist of his claim is that the same thing that made Nichiren great also made Jesus great, but in an entirely different context (in fact it has to do with how both of them related to and intervened in their historical moment, so the context is key).
Just reread that chapter. We can't talk about that here... Brains would explode because of the bricks and mortar of language and ideas with which he makes the argument before the substance could even come into focus.

You mention "Different context" but he's talking about exploding context... Lol.

Discussion of Being and Ambiguity as performance art. Lol
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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rory
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Re: Jesus on the Nichiren Buddhist altar?

Post by rory »

Hmm sorry about that, I was just thinking more deeply about what wealth really means. I agree with you and think that a Scandinavian type socialism here would be fair and give everyone enough to have time & leisure to devote themselves to the dharma.

As for Jikan I don't think he is a crypto-Christian, rather it seems to me (and I could be wrong) that he unconsciously has imbibed and validates Christian values, making him a syncretist, which is pretty normal in Buddhism, I was a bit tough as he's a cleric a Tendai priest; so if you're up front about that, it's fine. But from my vantage with Euro-American priests they really have no clue how much Christian theology/culture they've imbibed and are now transmitting.

Here's an example: Jesus tossing out the money-changers in the temple.(they were there to help people buy animals to sacrifce in the temple) In Japan booths and shops line the way to temples where you can buy stuff: incense to burn, altar items etc. It's mercantilism & religion. No difference and no problem. That's perfectly fine. In fact the young Japanese priest years ago at the Tendai Betsuin had a little table where he sold incense, omamori etc. We all were able to purchase items for our altar and he made a bit for himself. So what is objectionable about that?

My insistance is that those of us with different religious and cultural backgrounds really examine them and decide consciously what to reject and what to keep. I think it's even more important when you are teaching others that you do the work and understand the historical context of those cultural beliefs (Jesus liking the poor, gays etc; all this pre- existed in the polytheistic Roman empire)
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
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nichirenista
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Re: Jesus on the Nichiren Buddhist altar?

Post by nichirenista »

The issue of wealth is a difficult one for me, because as I've posted on another thread, my birth father is now a millionaire -- and all indication is that he is miserable and lonely, and I've heard virtually no one likes him. ("Heard," because I haven't seen the man in more than 20 years.) And when I was a little boy my sister had a boyfriend who came from a billionaire family that sold diamonds in the diamond district on Fifth Avenue in New York City. I remember my sister's boyfriend describing the $800,000 diamond in his store window as "just an illusion," and I remember him being a drug addict. I'm not some naïve idealist who believes money is wrong; I know that money is necessary for living in this world, but I've also seen that it is not, in and of itself, happiness.
illarraza
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Re: Jesus on the Nichiren Buddhist altar?

Post by illarraza »

nichirenista wrote:The issue of wealth is a difficult one for me, because as I've posted on another thread, my birth father is now a millionaire -- and all indication is that he is miserable and lonely, and I've heard virtually no one likes him. ("Heard," because I haven't seen the man in more than 20 years.) And when I was a little boy my sister had a boyfriend who came from a billionaire family that sold diamonds in the diamond district on Fifth Avenue in New York City. I remember my sister's boyfriend describing the $800,000 diamond in his store window as "just an illusion," and I remember him being a drug addict. I'm not some naïve idealist who believes money is wrong; I know that money is necessary for living in this world, but I've also seen that it is not, in and of itself, happiness.
I wonder what the earthly desires are equal to enlightenment crowd [SGI versus the the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana crowd] make of Nichiren who often persisted on grass, snow, and brachen to survive. Nichiren teaches:

"In these passages from the sutras, our compassionate father, the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment, admonishes us, the ordinary people of the latter age; it is his warning to us, his ignorant children. Nevertheless, the people do not awaken for even one instant; nor do they conceive a desire to attain the way for even a single moment. In order to decorate their bodies, which, if abandoned in the fields, would be stripped naked overnight, they spend their time striving to pile up articles of clothing.

When their lives come to an end, within three days their bodies will turn into water that washes away, into dust that mixes with the earth, and into smoke that rises up into the sky, leaving no trace behind. Nevertheless, they seek to nurture these bodies and to amass great wealth." -- No Safety in the Threefold World

Question: How can you be certain that the exiles and sentences of death imposed on you are the result of karma created in the past?
Answer: A bronze mirror will reflect color and form. The First Emperor of the Ch’in dynasty had a lie-detecting mirror that would reveal offenses committed in this present life. The mirror of the Buddha’s Law makes clear the causal actions committed in the past. The Parinirvāna Sutra states: “Good man, because people committed countless offenses and accumulated much evil karma in the past, they must expect to suffer retribution for everything they have done. They may be despised, cursed with an ugly appearance, be poorly clad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign. They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.”

This sutra passage and my own experience tally exactly. By now all the doubts that I have raised earlier should be dispelled, and thousands of difficulties are nothing to me. Let me show you phrase by phrase how the text applies to me. “They may be despised,” or, as the Lotus Sutra says, people will “despise, hate, envy, or bear grudges against them”—and in exactly that manner I have been treated with contempt and arrogance for over twenty years. “They may be cursed with an ugly appearance,” “They may be poorly clad”—these too apply to me. “They may be poorly fed”—that applies to me. “They may seek wealth in vain”—that applies to me. “They may be born to an impoverished and lowly family”—that applies to me. “They may be persecuted by their sovereign”—can there be any doubt that the passage applies to me? The Lotus Sutra says, “Again and again we will be banished,” and the passage from the Parinirvāna Sutra says, “They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions.” [These passages also apply to me.]

The passage also says, “It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.” The fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight has this to say on the subject: “The feeble merits produced by a mind only half intent on the practice cannot alter [the realm of karma]. But if one carries out the practice of concentration and insight so as to observe ‘health’ and ‘illness,’216 then one can alter the cycle of birth and death [in the realm of karma].” It also says, “[As practice progresses and understanding grows], the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere.”

From the beginningless past I have been born countless times as an evil ruler who deprived the votaries of the Lotus Sutra of their robes and rations, their fields and crops, much as the people of Japan in the present day go about destroying the temples dedicated to the Lotus Sutra. In addition, countless times I cut off the heads of the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. Some of these grave offenses I have already paid for, but there must be some that are not paid for yet. Even if I seem to have paid for them all, there are still ill effects that remain. When the time comes for me to transcend the sufferings of birth and death, it will be only after I have completely freed myself from these grave offenses. My merits are insignificant, but these offenses are grave.

If I practiced the teachings of the provisional sutras, then these retributions for my past grave offenses would not appear. When iron is heated, if it is p.282not strenuously forged, the impurities in it will not become apparent. Only when it is subjected to the tempering process again and again will the flaws appear. When pressing hemp seeds, if one does not press very hard, one will not get much oil from them. Likewise, when I vigorously berate those throughout the country who slander the Law, I meet with great difficulties. It must be that my actions in defending the Law in this present life are calling forth retributions for the grave offenses of my past. If iron does not come into contact with fire, it remains black, but if it contacts fire, it turns red. If you place a log across a swift stream, waves will pile up like hills. If you disturb a sleeping lion, it will roar loudly.

The Nirvana Sutra says: “It is like the case of a poor woman. She has no house to live in and no one to aid or protect her, and in addition she is beset by illness, hunger, and thirst; she wanders through various places, begging for a living. While staying at an inn, she gives birth to a baby, but the master of the inn drives her away. Though the baby has just been born, she takes it up in her arms and sets out, hoping to journey to another land. But along the way, she encounters fierce wind and rain, and she is troubled by cold and bitten by mosquitoes, gadflies, hornets, and poisonous insects. Coming at length to the Ganges River, she clasps her child in her arms and begins to cross it. Although the current is very swift, she will not let go of her child, and in the end both mother and child are drowned. But through the merit that the woman gained by her loving tenderness, she is reborn after her death in the Brahmā heaven.

“Manjushrī, if there are good men who wish to defend the correct teaching, they should emulate this poor woman crossing the Ganges who sacrificed her life because of her love for her child. Good man, the bodhisattvas who guard the Law should behave in this way. They should not hesitate to give up their lives. Then, although they do not seek emancipation, emancipation will come of itself, just as the poor woman, though she did not seek to be reborn in the Brahmā heaven, was nevertheless reborn there.”

The Great Teacher Chang-an interprets this story from the Nirvana Sutra in terms of the three obstacles.217 Observe how he does this. The fact that the woman is called “poor” indicates that the person does not have the treasure of the Law. The fact that she is identified as a woman indicates that the person has a measure of tenderness. The “inn” signifies an impure land. The child she bears is the heart that has faith in the Lotus Sutra, or the wisdom that perceives one’s inherent Buddha nature. Being driven out of the inn by its master signifies that the person is exiled. The fact that the baby has just been born means that very little time has passed since the person began to have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The fierce wind the woman encounters is the imperial decree sentencing the person to exile. The mosquitoes, gadflies, and other insects are the “many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of” the votary of the Lotus Sutra. The fact that both mother and child are drowned indicates that, though in the end the person had his head cut off, he never renounced his faith in the Lotus Sutra. Being reborn in the Brahmā heaven means being reborn in the realm of Buddhahood.

The power of karmic rewards extends to all of the Ten Worlds, even to the realm of Buddhahood. Even though one might go around killing people throughout the provinces of Japan and China, if one does not commit any of the five cardinal sins or does not slander the Law, one will not fall into the hell of incessant suffering. Yet one must go through other evil paths for a period of p.283numerous years. Even if one observes ten thousand precepts and performs ten thousand good deeds, if one does so with a mind only half intent, one cannot be reborn in any heaven of the world of form. To be born a king in the Brahmā heaven of that world, one must add the spirit of compassion to one’s karma that is laden with outflows and draws one to the world of humanity. The poor woman in the sutra passage was reborn in the Brahmā heaven because of her concern for her child. Her case is different from the nature of causality that is commonly known. Chang-an offers two interpretations of it, but in the end it is nothing other than the loving kindness with which the woman cares for her child that makes the difference. Her concern concentrates on one thing just like the Buddhist practice of concentration. She thinks of nothing but her child, which is similar to Buddhist compassion. That must be why, although she created no other causes to bring it about, she was reborn in the Brahmā heaven.

The path to Buddhahood is not to be found in the Flower Garland doctrine of the phenomenal world as created by the mind alone, in the eight negations of the Three Treatises school, in the Consciousness-Only doctrine of the Dharma Characteristics school, or in the True Word type of meditation on the five elements of the universe. Only the T’ien-t’ai doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is the path to Buddhahood. Even in the case of this doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, we do not possess the kind of wisdom and understanding to comprehend it fully. Nevertheless, among all the sutras preached by the Buddha during his lifetime, the Lotus Sutra alone contains this jewel that is the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. The doctrines of the other sutras are merely yellow stones that appear to be jewels. They are like sand, from which you can extract no oil no matter how hard you squeeze it, or a barren woman who can never bear a child. Even a wise person cannot become a Buddha through the other sutras, but with the Lotus Sutra, even fools can plant the seeds that lead to Buddhahood. As the sutra passage I have quoted earlier puts it, “Although they do not seek emancipation, emancipation will come of itself.”

Although I and my disciples may encounter various difficulties, if we do not harbor doubts in our hearts, we will as a matter of course attain Buddhahood. Do not have doubts simply because heaven does not lend you protection. Do not be discouraged because you do not enjoy an easy and secure existence in this life. This is what I have taught my disciples morning and evening, and yet they begin to harbor doubts and abandon their faith.

Foolish men are likely to forget the promises they have made when the crucial moment comes. Some of them feel pity for their wives and children and grieve at the thought of parting from them in this life. In countless births throughout many long kalpas they have had wives and children but parted from them in every existence. They have done so unwillingly and not because of their desire to pursue the way of the Buddha. Since they must part with them in any case, they should remain faithful to their belief in the Lotus Sutra and make their way to Eagle Peak, so that they may lead their wives and children there as well." -- The Opening of the Eyes

How terrible are the slanders Nichiren has committed in his past and present existences! Since you have been born into this evil country and become the disciples of such a man, there is no telling what will happen to you. The Parinirvāna Sutra states: “Good man, because people committed countless offenses and accumulated much evil karma in the past, they must expect to suffer retribution for everything they have done. They may be despised, cursed with an ugly appearance, be poorly clad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign.” It continues: “They may be subjected to various other sufferings and retributions. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution.” Were it not for Nichiren, these passages from the sutra would virtually make the Buddha a liar. The sutra says, first, “They may be despised”; second, “They may be cursed with an ugly appearance”; third, “They may be poorly clad”; fourth, “They may be poorly fed”; fifth, “They may seek wealth in vain”; sixth, “They may be born to an impoverished and lowly family”; seventh, “They may be born to a family with erroneous views”; and eighth, “They may be persecuted by their sovereign.” These eight phrases apply only to me, Nichiren.

One who climbs a high mountain must eventually descend. One who slights another will in turn be despised. One who deprecates those of handsome appearance will be born ugly. One who robs another of food and clothing is sure to fall into the world of hungry spirits. One who mocks a person who observes the precepts and is worthy of respect will be born to an impoverished and lowly family. One who slanders a family that embraces the correct teaching will be born to a family that holds erroneous views. One who laughs at those who cherish the precepts faithfully will be born a commoner and meet with persecution from one’s sovereign. This is the general law of cause and effect.

My sufferings, however, are not ascribable to this causal law. In the past I despised the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. I also ridiculed the sutra itself, sometimes with exaggerated praise and other times with contempt—that sutra as magnificent as two moons shining side by side, two stars conjoined, one Mount Hua16 placed atop another, or two jewels combined. This is why I have experienced the aforementioned eight kinds of sufferings. Usually these sufferings appear one at a time, on into the boundless future, but Nichiren has denounced the enemies of the Lotus Sutra so severely that all eight have descended at once. This is like the case of a peasant heavily in debt to the steward of his village and to other authorities. As long as he remains in his village or district, rather than mercilessly hounding him, they are likely to defer his debts from one year to the next. But when he tries to leave, they rush over and demand that he repay everything at once. This is what the sutra means when it states, “It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law.”

The Lotus Sutra says: “There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us and will attack us with swords and staves, with rocks and tiles . . . they will address the rulers, high ministers, Brahmans, and householders, [as well as the other monks, slandering and speaking evil of us] . . . again and again we will be banished.” If the offenders are not tormented by the wardens of hell, they will never be able to [pay for their offenses and] escape from hell. Were it not for the rulers and ministers who now persecute me, I would be unable to expiate my past sins of slandering the correct teaching.

Nichiren is like Bodhisattva Never Disparaging of old, and the people of this day are like the four categories of Buddhists who disparaged and cursed him. Though the people are different, the cause is the same. Though different people kill their parents, they all fall into the same hell of incessant suffering. Since Nichiren is making the same cause as Never Disparaging, how could it be that he would not become a Buddha equal to Shakyamuni? Moreover, those who now slander him are like Bhadrapala18 and the others [who cursed Never Disparaging]. They will be tortured in the Avīchi hell for a thousand kalpas. I therefore pity them deeply and wonder what can be done p.306for them. Those who belittled and cursed Never Disparaging acted that way at first, but later they took faith in his teachings and willingly became his followers. The greater part of the fault of their slander was thus expiated, but even the small part that remained caused them to suffer as terribly as one who had killed one’s parents a thousand times. The people of this age refuse to repent at all; therefore, as the “Simile and Parable” chapter states, they must suffer in hell for a countless number of kalpas; they may even suffer there for a duration of major world system dust particle kalpas or of numberless major world system dust particle kalpas.

Aside from these people, there are also those who appeared to believe in me, but began doubting when they saw me persecuted. They not only have forsaken the Lotus Sutra, but also actually think themselves wise enough to instruct me. The pitiful thing is that these perverse people must suffer in the Avīchi hell even longer than the Nembutsu believers."

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Re: Jesus on the Nichiren Buddhist altar?

Post by illarraza »

Josei Toda: I will not ask whether you are sincerely practicing, because propagation is something you should carry out of your own initiative. Instead, I want to ask whether your businesses are doing well, whether you are making money, and whether you are enjoying good health.
Nichiren Daishonin: I have not enough to eat. I am living off grass, brachen, and melted snow. I wear the hide of deer that have died in the forest and icicles grow from my scraggly beard. My only visitors are the winter hares, racoons, and roe deers. It is very cold in my hermitage. But deep within this mortal flesh I preserve the ultimate secret Law inherited from Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, at Eagle Peak.
Josei Toda: You should chant more Daimoku. Our environment reflects our life condition. Why would you think anyone will practice this teachings without showing any actual proof? You should follow in the footsteps of Taisaku here, he is well on the way to becoming a billionaire by teaching the Dharma to silk robed laymen.
Nichiren Daishonin: I desire and am satisfied with little. My only wish is to attain Buddhahood, overcome my heavy karma for long having slandered the Law in countless past lives, and to help others do the same.
Josei Toda: That's not enough Nichiren. You should aspire to "five Cadillacs" and having enough money to donate a dozen community centers to the Soka Gakkai to which you should be forever grateful.
Nichiren Daishonin: You may think that those who believe in the layman Taisaku double tongue are prospering but you should see what has become of those who paid for the construction of Shinonamachi, Fukushima, and the Tokyo seventh ward community centers. Again, the lord Abe is the ruler of Japan and partner to the SGI New Komeito but by his conduct he has called down on himself an enemy almost as great as the land of Jambudvipa. The era of widespread temple building is long over.
Josei Toda: You just don't get it. The Gohonzon is a happiness-manufacturing machine. How can you be happy without money and tons of adoring members?
Nichiren Daishonin: Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one.
Josei Toda [ruffled]: What do you have to be arrogant about Nichiren? You don't have a pot to piss in and barely a handful of followers. If you had a correct faith, you would have had 750,000 followers who worship the ground Taisaku and me walk on and in this very life. Chill out Nichiren. Have a couple glasses of sake with me. I really shouldn't because my liver is shot from all that sake but just this once.
Nichiren Daishonin: Slanderers are as numerous as the dust particles of the land while true believers are as few as the specks of dirt that can fit on a fingernail. What were you saying about enjoying good health? Your eyes are yellow and your complexion is sallow . Although I too suffer from poor health, having had persistent abdominal pains and chronic diarrhea for years... the persecutions, continuously running for my life, having had barely enough to eat, the endless debates, and worrying about my disciples, my spirit dwells in this body as the moon is reflected in muddy water, or as gold is wrapped in a filthy bag. Your mind however, is clouded and warped from long having embraced the slanderous teachings of Taisekaji.

Thus I Heard
Illarraza
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