Category Archives: Blog

In Nichiren’s Eyes

Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick has published another of his thoroughly documented Buddhist tomes, “On the Opening of the Eyes: Annotated Translation with Glossary of the Kaimoku-sho.”

One can consider this a sort of prequel to Ryuei’s masterful Open Your Eyes: A Nichiren Buddhist View of Awakening, which uses the Kaimoku-sho as the basis for a historical look at the spread of Buddhism and specifically Nichiren’s teachings as viewed within the context of medieval Japanese culture.

Ryuei is, of course, not the first person to translate the Kaimoku-sho into English. I have five other English translations in my library:

  1. The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2, published by the Nichiren Shoshu.
  2. The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, published by Soka Gakkai
  3. Selected Writings of Nichiren, translated by Burton Watson and others and published by Columbia University Press.
  4. Writings of Nichiren Shonin, Doctrine 2, compiled by Kyōtsū Hori and published by Nichiren Shū Overseas Propagation Promotions Association
  5. Kaimokushō or Liberations from Blindness, translated by Senchū Murano and published by the Numata Center for Buddhist Translation and Research.

Actually, the first three of the five appear to be the same translation. And there is not much difference in any of the translations since they are all working from the same Japanese text: Taisho Volume 84, Number 2689.

Here’s an example:

From Soka Gakkai’s translation in Volume 1 of The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin:

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 not 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.

From the Writings of Nichiren Shonin, Doctrine 2, compiled by Kyōtsū Hori:

In the immemorable past, I must have been born a wicked king and must have deprived practicers of the Lotus Sutra of their food and clothing and their properties on numerous occasions just as some people today in Japan have been destroying the Lotus temples. I must have also cut off the heads of numerous practicers of the Lotus Sutra. I may have purged myself of some of these grave sins but not all of them. Even if I have, there are the residuals. In order to attain Buddhahood, I must completely compensate for all those serious sins. My merits in spreading the Lotus Sutra are still shallow while my sins in the past are still deep. If I had preached only provisional sutras, grave sins in my past lives would not have been revealed. It is like a forging iron, for instance. Unless you hit it and forge it hard, hidden scars will not be seen. They appear only when the iron is hit hard many times on an anvil. Or it is analogous to squeezing hemp seeds. Unless squeezed hard, there is little oil. Ever since I, Nichiren, strongly condemned those who slander the True Dharma in Japan, I have been persecuted. It must be that grave sins in my past lives are revealed through my merits in defending the dharma in this life. It is just as a piece of iron remains black unless heated by fire, and becomes red when placed in fire. Even calm water makes great waves when quickly stirred by a log. A sleeping lion roars loudly when awakened by a touch of hand.

From Kaimokushō or Liberations from Blindness, translated by Senchū Murano:

I think I was born as an evil king and plundered food, clothing, land, and so forth from practitioners of the Saddharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra countless times during my previous consecutive existences since the beginningless past, just as the people of Japan today are destroying the temples of the Saddharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra. I also think that I beheaded practitioners of the Saddharma-puṇḍarīka-sūtra countless times during my previous consecutive existences.

I may have already expiated some of these serious sins. But even the sins that I think I have already expiated may not have been expiated satisfactorily. In order to eliminate the bonds of birth and death, I must completely expiate all the sins I have committed.

My merits are trifling while my sins are serious. When I practiced Provisional Mahayana sutras, I did not have to commit these serious sins. When you forge a sword, the scar of the sword is not visible until the iron is red enough for forging and hammering is repeated. When you press sesame seeds with more power, you get more oil from them.

Now I am vehemently criticizing the slanderers of the Dharma in this country. I am persecuted probably because my protection of the Dharma has caused me to expiate the great sins that I had committed in my previous existences. Iron is black without fire, and red in fire. When a stream is checked abruptly by logs, mountainous waves will be made. When disturbed, a sleeping lion will roar.

And, finally, Ryuei’s translation:

In the beginningless past, I must have been born as a wicked king and must have deprived practitioners of the Lotus Sutra of their food and clothing and their properties on numerous occasions just as some people in Japan today have been destroying temples dedicated to the Lotus Sutra. I must have also cut off the heads of numerous practitioners of the Lotus Sutra. I may have purged myself of some of these heinous transgressions but not all of them. Even if I have, I am still experiencing the residual effects. In order to be delivered from samsara, I must completely renounce all those heinous transgressions. My merits are shallow while my transgressions are deep. If I had practiced only provisional sutras, heinous transgressions would not have been revealed. It is like forging iron, for instance. Unless you hit it and forge it hard, hidden impurities will not be seen. They appear only when the iron is forged many times on an anvil. It is also analogous to squeezing hemp seeds. Unless squeezed hard, there is little oil. Ever since I, Nichiren, strongly condemned those who slander the True Dharma in Japan, I have been persecuted. It must be that heinous transgressions in my past lives are revealed through my merits in defending the Dharma in this life. It is just as a piece of iron remains black unless heated by fire, and becomes red when placed in fire. Even calm water makes great waves when blocked by a log. A sleeping lion roars loudly when disturbed.

The Nichiren Shu translation and the one by Murano add subheadings describing the content. Soka Gakkai and Ryuei skip these embellishments and divide the letter into its original two portions.

What makes Ryuei’s On the Opening of the Eyes an invaluable addition are his notes and glossary, which make up three quarters of the 404-page book.

Ryuei has broken up the text into numbered blocks. The number corresponds to a note that identifies the exact section of the original Japanese text and adds pointers to entries in his extensive glossary.

An example of the text:

65. In the Original Gate, the attainment of awakening for the first time [under the Bodhi tree] is disproven and the effects of the four doctrinal teachings are thereby eliminated. As the effects resulting from the four doctrinal teachings are eliminated, the causes leading to those effects shown in the four doctrinal teachings are eliminated. Thus, the cause and effect of the ten realms expounded in the prior sutras and the Trace Gate was eliminated and the doctrine of the cause and effect of the ten realms as expounded in the Original Gate was established. This is the doctrine of the original cause and original effect. In this relationship, the beginningless nine realms are all included in the beginningless buddha-realm. This is the true mutual possession of the ten realms, one hundred realms and one thousand aspects, and three thousand realms in a single thought-moment.

Example of the note:

65. Taisho text 2689 in volume 84, lines 214b04-214b11

See glossary for: attainment of awakening for the first time, cause and effect, four doctrinal teachings, mutual possession of the ten realms, one hundred realms and one thousand aspects, original cause and original effect, ten realms, and Bodhi tree.

Gloassary examples. (The glossary entries include the Chinese ideograms, but they are dropped here because I am unable to reproduce them.)

attainment of awakening for the first time: (J. shijō shōgaku)
The ideograms literally mean “first attaining true awakening” and refer to Shakyamuni Buddha’s attainment of unsurpassed, complete, and perfect awakening under the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, India. Contrary to this, the sixteenth, “The Duration of the Life of the Tathagata,” chapter of the Lotus Sutra declares: “To tell the truth, good men, it is many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of kalpas since I became the Buddha.” (LS, p. 247) Thus, the attainment of buddhahood in the remotest past of five hundred dust-particle kalpas ago was revealed.
cause and effect: (J. inga;)
The ideogram [not shown] means “cause” and the ideogram [not shown] means “effect.” The “law of cause and effect” encompasses the functioning of various kinds of causes and effects in every area of conditioned life.
four doctrinal teachings: (J. shikyō or kehō no shikyō;)
Zhiyi classified Shakyamuni Buddha’s fifty-years of teaching from the time of teaching the Flower Garland Sutra to the time of teaching the Lotus Sutra and Nirvana Sutra into five periods according to the order of teaching. They are further categorized into four doctrinal teachings: 1) the tripitaka teaching that is regarded as hinayana, 2) the shared teaching for voice-hearers, privately-awakened ones, and bodhisattvas, 3) the distinct teaching for advanced bodhisattvas, and 4) the perfect teaching that is complete and well-rounded without taking sides.
mutual possession of the ten realms: (J, jikkai-gogu;)
According to Zhiyi, the world consists of the ten realms of hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, animals, asuras, humans, gods, voice-hearers, privately-awakened ones, bodhisattvas, and buddhas. Each of these realms mutually contain characteristics of the nine others in and of itself. This means that, for instance, human beings have characteristics of the nine other realms from beings in hell up to buddhas; asuras have those of the rest of the ten realms; buddhas also have characteristics of the nine other realms. This idea was set up by Zhiyi based on passages in the Lotus Sutra such as “The buddhas appear in the worlds in order to cause all living beings to open the insight of the buddha.” It meant to him that those beings in the nine realms other than the realm of buddhas also possessed the characteristics of buddhas. The idea of “mutual possession” provided the basis for another important Tiantai school doctrine, the “three thousand realms in a single thought-moment.”

Nichiren Shonin established and spread the practice of chanting Namu Myoho Renge Kyo on the foundation of the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment and the mutual possession of the ten realms as the ultimate means of attaining buddhahood by an ordinary person.

one hundred realms and one thousand aspects: (J. hyakkai-sennyo;)
According to the teaching of Zhiyi in the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sutra, an individual mind has ten realms (from the realm of the hell-dwellers up to and including the buddha-realm), each of which includes in itself characteristics of the other nine realms, as per the teaching of the mutual possession of the ten realms, making one hundred realms. Each of these one hundred realms has ten suchnesses, so there are one thousand aspects of existence. (FTP, p. 182; PMLS2, p. 74) In the Great Calming and Contemplation, Zhiyi further taught that as these one thousand aspects have three categories of existence, there are three thousand realms in a single thought-moment. (CSQI, pp. 815-816)
original cause and original effect: (J. hon’in-honga;)
The original cause is the causal conduct of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Original Gate of the Lotus Sutra. The original effect is his resulting virtue. That is to say, the original cause and original effect means the great merit of Shakyamuni Buddha’s practice since the eternal past and the great virtue he gained as a result of his great conduct.

Original cause and original effect are the first two of the ten subtleties of the Original Gate. They also refer to the mutual possession of the ten realms. This is because the realm of buddhahood, the effect aimed for in Buddhist practice, includes the other nine realms that are the causes of buddhahood’s unfolding. Conversely, the realm of buddhahood is nascent within each of the nine realms. (WNS2, p. 48)

ten realms: (S. daśa-dhātu; J. jikkai;)
The combination of the six destinies and the four noble states. The realms of the: 1) hell-dwellers, 2) hungry ghosts, 3) animals, 4) asuras, 5) humans, 6) gods, 7) voice-hearers, 8) privately-awakened ones, 9) bodhisattvas, and 10) buddhas.
Bodhi tree: (S. Bodhi-druma; J. Bodai-ju or Dō-ju)
The pipal or sacred fig tree (Ficus religiosa) in Bodhgaya under which Shakyamuni Buddha was sitting when he attained unsurpassed, complete, and perfect awakening.

Multiply that example by 288 and you have an idea of what Ryuei has accomplished with this book.


Tomorrow: Why Reading Glasses Are Sometimes Necessary for Eyes

Establishing A Foundation for What It Means To Be A Nichiren Buddhist

Starting today and running through the end of 2021, I will be publishing excerpts from The History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, From Śākyamuni Buddha Through Nichiren Shōnin to the Present. As always, these are things I want to remember and they don’t necessary represent the full breadth of the material covered. For example, I’ve saved nothing from the 31 pages devoted to the history of various Nichiren schools after Nichiren’s death. This is valuable information for the book’s original audience – Nichiren Shu priests in training – but holds little interest in my quest to establish the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren’s teachings as the guiding light of my daily life.

This material is translated from a collection of essays and as a result each essay author exerts an influence over the material. For example take this explanation of the trials Śākyamuni overcame as he sat under the bodhi tree:

Under the Bodhi tree, demons appeared who tried to interfere with his meditation with temptations. In the Sutta-nipāta, a collection of some of the oldest scriptures, Śākyamuni recalls the demon’s temptations as follows: “Sensual passions are your first army. Your second is called Discontent. Your third is Hunger and Thirst. Your fourth is called Craving. Fifth is Sloth and Drowsiness. Sixth is called Terror. Your seventh is Uncertainty, Hypocrisy and Stubbornness. Your eighth is Gains, Offerings, Fame and Status wrongly gained, and whoever would praise self and disparage others.”

Although Śākyamuni says that demons used ten weapons, it should be noted that the demons are certainly not portrayed as supernatural beings separate from reality. These demons are the embodiments of the essential desires or afflictions humans possess from birth.

This categorical rejection of a spiritual world is a little surprising. While I understand why a non-Buddhist might suggest that demons simply represent “embodiments of the essential desires or afflictions humans possess from birth,” such a statement strips from Buddhism its mystical heritage. It is that heritage that I believe the Aragyo training makes real. Ministers who accomplish the 100-day ascetic training emerge with a real sense of the spiritual realm. Since two of my favorite priests – Revs. Kenjo Igarashi and Shoda Kanai – have completed multiple Aragyo trainings, I am biased toward that view.

Although dry and academic, this book provides an excellent foundation for what it means to be a Nichiren Buddhist.

Obon vs. Higan

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The memorial tablet in front of the statue of Nichiren is for all of the deceased members of the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church

Attended the Fall Higan service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. Rev. Igarashi used the occasion to explain the difference between Obon and Higan, since both involve memorial services for our ancestors.

Rev. Igarashi explained that the two are completely different. For one telling of the story of Obon see Urobon-e or consider this excerpt from Nichiren’s On the Ullambana Service.

For Obon, Rev. Igarashi said, we just invite our ancestors to visit and serve them a lot of food and chanting. Higan, on the other hand, is a full week of focusing on the six paramitas.

As explained by the Nichiren Shu brochure on Higan, the Six Paramitas are:

  1. fuse means to offer one’s self wholeheartedly and unconditionally, without any expectation of its return.
  2. jikai is to follow and maintain the general precepts of the Buddha.
  3. nin-niku suggests a resilience to persevere through hardship.
  4. syojin refers to the necessity of conscientious effort in accomplishing one’s goals.
  5. zenjo points to qualities existent in meditation, calling upon one’s concentration, adjoined by calmness and poise.
  6. Chie is the Buddha’s wisdom, reinforced with its practical application.

In Rev. Igarashi’s telling, jikai or precepts, the 250 or 500 Hinayāna rules governing behavior of monks and nuns, were replaced by Nichiren with chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. In the age of Mappō, the latter age of degeneration, chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō is jikai. “Just chanting Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō. That’s the same thing as upholding the precepts,” Rev. Igarashi explained.

“It is very important to understand that precepts is practice,” Rev. Igarashi said. “Of all the paramitas, the most important is practice.”

After a retelling of the Parable of the Magic City, Rev. Igarashi said:

“That’s why we need more practice, practice, practicing. We need to extinguish our bad karma, otherwise we will never get a better life. That’s why we need more practicing.”

Guide de pratique du Sutra du Lotus

Lotus Sutra Practice Guide in French

A French translation of Ryusho Jeffus’ Lotus Sutra Practice Guide: 35-Day Practice Outline is now available at nichiren-etudes.net.

The Kingdom of Buddha

I have now completed publishing “Nichiren, The Buddhist Prophet” by Masaharu Anesaki. Back in June, when I started, I offered a lengthy quote that I felt showed Anesaki’s insight into Nichiren’s Buddhism. It seems fitting to offer a concluding quote:

Buddhahood, or Truth, is eternal. It can be, and ought to be, made a fact in our own life. Nichiren is the man sent to lead all to that life, and he is now assisted by his followers, who are, therefore, the Saints prophesied in the [Lotus Sutra]. The attainment of Buddhahood is not a matter of individuals or of the aggregate of individuals, it is the embodiment of the all-embracing communion of all beings in the organic unity of Buddhahood which is inherent in them all. This realization is the Kingdom of Buddha, the establishment of the Land of Treasures, as Nichiren had declared in his Risshō Ankoku Ron and explained on many occasions.

Nichiren, The Buddhist Prophet, Chapter 9, Page 98-99


In September, as I did in March, I will devote the entire month to Higan and the Six Pāramitās. For the remainder of August I’m going to published some quotes from Nikkyō Niwano’s Buddhism for Today, which I have been using in my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra posts.

The Start of the 49 Day Journey

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In front of the statue of Nichiren is a memorial tablet created by Rev. Igarashi for Mark Washington

Today Rev. Igarashi held a memorial service for Mark Washington, the son of Renee Dennis, a member of the church. Mark died Aug. 20, 2021, of complications related to Covid-19.

Rather than attempt to paraphrase Rev. Igarashi’s special prayer and his sermon, I’ll just reprint an article published in the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church newsletter in May 2016.

The Significance of the 49-Day Journey After Death

Last November [2015] marked the 40-year anniversary since I first became an overseas minister. Since then, I have spent these past several months reflecting on my various experiences throughout my journey as a Buddhist priest in the United States. It led me to realize that while I have much more that I wish to tell to you about Buddhism, there are also many concepts that need further explanation. One example that comes to mind is the importance of the 49th day memorial service for the deceased, which is specific to Buddhist traditions. Its significance is often times downplayed or even forgotten, when compared to the notion of holding funeral services. I wish to elaborate on this topic by briefly taking you through the 49-day journey of the deceased.

When an individual passes away, it is said that 49 nails are hammered into their body and soul, restraining both the physical body and soul from moving. Every seven days, starting from the day of the individual’s passing, until the 49th day, we hold memorial services for the individual. Seven nails will be removed every seventh day, until all 49 of these nails are removed, to ultimately free the deceased’s soul. On the 49th day, there will be a trial or hearing held in front of the so-called ”judge”, who will be standing in front of six gates, bearing no signs. However, we all know that each of these gates leads the individual to six possible realms of existence. These include hell, those of hungry spirits, animals, ashura, humans, or the heavenly beings. Everyone wants to either return as a human being, or enter the realm of heavenly beings. This judge in front of the six gates, will not guide this individual to the proper gate, but only instruct them to choose one. The individual will choose the gate based on what they may think is only instinct, yet this decision will also be guided by the actions that the individual took during their time on this earth.

While it may seem as if we take little part in the deceased individual’s 49-day journey, this is not the case. One way we can assist them, is by chanting ”Namu myo ho renge kyo”, which as you know, is the name of the Buddha nature that we all possess. We chant this odaimoku throughout the 49 days to call upon the deceased individual’s Buddha nature. If you recall, the Buddha nature can be imagined as the inside of a seed, while the outer shell represents bad karma resulting primarily from previous actions. Whenever we chant the odaimoku, the Buddha nature slowly grows. While this is a slow process, the more we chant, the more the Buddha nature shows, until it finally appears by sprouting through the outer shell. If the Buddha nature does not appear at the end of the 49 days, the individual will not be able to reach Enlightenment.

While death signifies the end of an individual’s time in this world, it does not mark the ultimate endpoint of their spirit. Please remember that your Buddhist practice can serve an important purpose in providing happiness for not only yourself, but also others, including the deceased.

Ven. Kenjo lgarashi

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Mark Washington and his mother, Renee Dennis, at Christmas, 2020

Remembering Ryusho – One Year On

Offering for Ryusho JeffusToday is the one year anniversary of the death of Ryusho Shonin. I held a personal memorial service for him this morning, offering him cookies and a piece of local artwork. Sweets and art – two things Ryusho always appreciated.

A formal memorial service will be held for Ryusho on Sunday, Aug. 15, starting at 10:30am Pacific time – 1:30pm Eastern; 6:30pm GMT (London); 7:30pm CET (Prague). The service will be held over Zoom. If you want to attend, you must register in advance.

Register for Rev. Ryusho Jeffus Shonin’s memorial service
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Click to register to attend Rev. Ryusho Jeffus’ One Year Memorial Service

One Year Memorial Service for Rev. Ryusho Jeffus

Ryusho JeffusThe One Year Memorial Service for Rev. Ryusho Jeffus will be held online on Sunday, Aug. 15 via Zoom at 10:30 AM Pacific Time – 1:30 PM Eastern Time, 6:30 PM GMT (London), 7:30 PM CET (Prague).

You must register in advance if you want to attend.

To register, click here.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join Rev. Ryusho Shonin’s Service. Check your spam folder if the email does not arrive. For questions about the service, contact Mark Herrick.

Day 14

Day 14 covers all of Chapter 9, The Assurance of Future Buddhahood of the Śrāvakas Who Have Something More to Learn and the Śrāvakas Who Have Nothing More to Learn, and opens Chapter 10, The Teacher of the Dharma.

Having last month considered the Buddha’s prediction for Ananda, we consider the question posed by the new Bodhisattvas.

There were eight thousand Bodhisattvas who had just resolved to aspire [for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi] in this congregation. They thought, ‘As far as we have heard, even great Bodhisattvas have never been assured of their future Buddhahood. Why have these Śrāvakas been so assured?’

Thereupon the World-Honored One, seeing what the Bodhisattvas had in their minds, said to them:

“Good men! Ānanda and I resolved to aspire for Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi under the Void-King Buddha at the same time [in our previous existence]. At that time Ānanda always wished to hear much while I always practiced strenuously. Therefore, I have already attained Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi[, but he has not yet]. Now he protects my teachings. He also will protect the store of the teachings of future Buddhas, teach Bodhisattvas, and cause them to attain [Anuttara-samyak-saṃbodhi], according to his original vow. Therefore, now he has been assured of his future Buddhahood.”


This month the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area discussed Chapter 9. It is a fine discussion but for me the discussion of the chapter underscores something stressed in the Sutra of Innumerable Meanings:

“O you of good intent! This sutra can be likened to a single seed from which a thousand million seeds result. And each of these seeds, in turn, also results in a thousand million in number. In this way, the production of seeds is limitless in measure. So it is also with this sutra—it is a single teaching that gives rise to a hundred thousand meanings, and each one of these, in turn, produces a thousand million in number. In this way, meanings are produced to an unlimited and boundless extent.”

In the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of the San Francisco Bay Area discussion of Chapter 9 there is a lot of discussion about practice and in particular the perils of becoming disheartened if your personal practice falls short of your goal.

While it is important to remember that a single Daimoku is the equivalent of reciting the entire Lotus Sutra, I think the point Chapter 9 is making is that just knowing stuff is not enough. You have to put that knowledge to work. In the above quote from today’s portion of Chapter 9, we learn that Śākyamuni and Ananda both aspired for enlightenment under the Void-King Buddha, but Ananda was too focused on learning and neglected his practice. In the future, he will protect the store of the teachings of future Buddhas, just as he does now, but he will also teach Bodhisattvas, and that will be how he becomes a Buddha named Mountain-Sea-Wisdom-Supernatural-Power-King.

See Early Ideas about the Dharma-kāya

Feeding Visiting Relatives and Hungry Spirits

Enjoyed attending this morning’s Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada combination Obon and Segaki Memorial Service.

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Rev. Shoda Kanai playing all of the instruments in his orchestral arrangement
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Rev. Shoda Kanai feeding the hungry spirits. The tobas — paper stupas — are for people for whom this was there first Obon. Among those tobas is one for Rev. Ryusho Jeffus.
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Included among the 18 participants in the Zoom service was this Valued Customer.