The secret to my constant flow of quotes from books I read is an app on my phone called Office Lens. This is a Microsoft product that integrates with One Drive. Using Office Lens I can take a picture of a block of text and have the app save an editable version of the text in a Word file. Best of all, the image is included so that occasional OCR failures can be fixed.

Not every book I read merits extensive quotes. My Office Lens folder is cluttered with quotes I’ve set aside but never uploaded here. Since they don’t do me any good there, I’m working my way through the odds and ends.

Today’s example is The Awakening of Faith, which is attributed to Aśvaghoṣa. The Awakening of Faith is described as a “comprehensive summary of the essentials of Mahāyāna Buddhism.” While there is a great deal of substance here, I only set aside two things I felt merited saving for use later.

First is the full title of the work, The Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna.

It should be noted that the term “Mahāyāna” here is not used in the usual sense of the word, that is, Mahāyāna versus Hinayāna. According to the definition given in the discussion immediately following, Mahāyāna designates Suchness or the Absolute. The title of the text, the Awakening of Faith in the Mahāyāna, should therefore be understood as the “Awakening of Faith in the Absolute,” not in Mahāyāna Buddhism as distinguished from Hinayāna Buddhism.

I wonder whether this applies in more instances where the Great Vehicle is discussed.

The second concerns how one is to look at the Reality of Dependent Origination.

“Because these two aspects are mutually inclusive”: Reality is conceived as the intersection of the Absolute order and the phenomenal order; therefore, it contains in itself both the Absolute and the phenomenal order at once. The Absolute order is thought to be transcendental and yet is conceived as not being outside of the phenomenal order. Again the phenomenal order is thought to be temporal and yet is conceived as not being outside of the Absolute order. In other words, they are ontologically identical; they are two aspects of one and the same Reality. Perhaps the most famous and simplest statement of the relationship between the Absolute and the phenomenal order can be found in the sayings of Nāgārjuna (second century A.D.), e.g., “There is no difference whatsoever between nirvāṇa (Absolute) and saṃsāra (phenomena); there is no difference whatsoever between saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.”

This is a recurring discussion. I recently finished T’ien-t’ai Buddhism and Early Mādhyamika, which is almost entirely devoted where Nāgārjuna and T’ien-t’ai intersect and diverge. I’ve lots of quotes that I’ll need to eventually add here.

Finally, I have this excellent summary of what it means to be a Buddhist.

On Mount Chunwang in Henan province there was a monk [Chan Master Daolin] who practiced meditation sitting in a tall pine tree day after day. His practice was so effortless and spontaneous that birds formed their nests next to his meditation Site. People gave him the nickname “Bird Nest Master” and frequented his treehouse to seek his guidance. …

One day the great Tang poet Bo Juyi (772-846), who was then a regional magistrate, visited Daolin at his treehouse. Bo Juyi asked Daolin, “Master, your residence looks so high on the tree. Isn’t it dangerous?”

The master said, “Magistrate, yours is far more dangerous than mine.”

Bo continued, “But, Master, I, your humble disciple, rule over all the rivers, mountains, and lands in this region. Why am I in a danger?

“Fire and firewood destroying each other,” replied the Master, “that’s how your mind ‘s thoughts operate, and you cannot quiet them. Is that not truly dangerous?”

Bo paused and then asked again, “Master, please instruct me in the cardinal teaching of Buddhism.”

Daolin said, “Abstain from all bad deeds, and practice all good deeds.”

“Even a three-year-old child knows that,” said Bo with dissatisfaction.

Daolin told Bo, “A three-year-old child may know it, but even an eighty-year-old man cannot put it into practice.”

Bo Juyi bowed low at the master’s feet.

I have scanned and uploaded to the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church’s Brochures page a copy of a small biography of Nichiren published in 1968. The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren was written by the Rev. Eisen Hosino, who at the time was Chief Priest of Jitsujoji Temple, Jomkuji, Achi-ken. The book was translated into English by Senchu Murano, then a Rissho University professor.

The book is factually thorough but not particularly inspiring. I much prefer Nichiren, the Buddhist Prophet, by Masaharu Anesaki or Nichiren, Leader of Buddhist Reformation in Japan by J.A. Christensen.  I also highly recommend Rev. Ryuie McCormick’s Lotus in a Sea of Flames, a novelized account of Nichiren’s life steeped in Nichiren Shu doctrine.

Recently I came across a Nichiren Shu brochure published in 1994 to mark the 700th memorial year of Nichiji Shonin. The brochure includes photos of objects found at Rikkaji Temple in Senka, China.

1. 1. A scroll of Mandala written by Nichiren Shonin
   2. An image of Nichiren Shonin
   3. Odaimoku written by Nichiji Shonin
   4. A cup made of silver
   5. Kegon Sutra
   6. A container of Incense
   7. A pill case
   8. An incense case
   9. A crape wrapper

Included with these objects was a poem:

Seven years of travel seems
but one night’s dream,
Endless missionary journeys
East and West and East
Against the Moon, a bird – please!
fly one thousand leagues,
Speak my heart to my master
loving to his grave.

I’ve posted the text and images from the brochure on the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church website.

For several days I’ve wanted to write about my new supplemental service booklet I created but I keep getting distracted. Sanshō-shima.

My first attempt was sidetracked into an illustrated tour of my altar’s evolution.

When I started today I got distracted updating the booklet text to include macrons that had been dropped from several words.

So here I am again.

In the past 2000 days, my daily service has not evolved as much as my altar, but it has changed. For example, back in September 2015, I was chanting Daimoku an average 10 minutes each service. Today, it’s more like 20 minutes. Then I used a timer; now I have a ritual that includes counting 40 to 50 Daimoku while focusing on the Mandala Gohonzon, then 40 to 50 Daimoku on Śākyamuni, and then 40 to 50 Daimoku on Many Treasures and then 40 to 50 Daimoku on the Buddhas in Manifestation Throughout the Universe. Then I focus 40 to 50 Daimoku on Nichiren and then move on to my traveling altar, first the mandala amulet and then the Kishimojin amulet. (I count using my fingers, with four or five Daimoku for each finger depending on how many I can chant with one breath.) Then I greet each of the Seven Happy Gods, identifying each of them – e.g. Bishamon, Vaiśravaṇa, Heavenly King of the North, who represents Dignity – followed by three Daimoku. After I’ve identified all seven I repeat their features – Dignity, Honesty, Joy, Wisdom, Longevity, Happiness and Fortune – and three more Daimoku. I then focus three Dailmoku each on my deceased parents and stepmother and my wife’s parents. I finished by chanting while reading silently a portion of the Letter to Hōren, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 56-57.

Since last summer, when I added the Seven Happy Gods to my altar, I have given each god it’s own day. In November last year, I settled on my present order – Monday, Bishamon; Tuesday, Ebisu; Wednesday, Benten; Thursday, Jurojin; Friday, Fukurokuju; Saturday, Hotei; and Sunday, Daikoku – and in March, I assigned each a character from Na Mu Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo.

These are not the only gods I’m including in my daily service. In January of last year I began offering a daily prayer for the 30 Guardian of he Lotus Sutra, Sanjubanshin. At the time there was a booklet you could buy with a page for each of the 30 deities, but that is no longer available.

Prayers for the daily Happy God and the daily guardian deity are said before my morning service.

What prompted the creation of my new supplemental service booklet was the desire to add a daily quote from Nichiren’s writing. I found the quotes in Raihai Seiten, a Nichiren Shu Service Book Companion compiled by the Los Angeles Nichiren Buddhist Temple’s Nichiren Shu Beikoku Sangha Association. This was compiled in 2001-2002 when Rev. Shokai Kanai was the head priest. I was able to purchase a copy of the booklet from Rev. Shokai Kanai’s son, Rev. Shoda Kanai, who is the head priest at the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada. The quotes are not the same as the A Phrase A Day booklet created in 1986.

I’ve created two PDF versions of the booklet. One is suitable for reading and the other is formatted to be printed on both sides of 8.5×11 paper.

PDF files updated April 2, 2021

Download Readable PDF

Download Printable Booklet

For anyone who donates $20 or more to the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church, I will print out the booklet on my laser printer, fold and staple the pages, and mail the booklet to you. Forward a copy of your donation receipt to me at info@500yojanas.org along with your mailing address.

On June 23, I passed the 2,000 day marker on this 500 Yojanas Journey to the Place of Treasures. It occurred to me while chanting this morning that a pictorial view of the evolution of my altar would be a nice way to mark the occasion.

My blog post from the conclusion of the first 500 days offers a nice retrospective on how this journey began. But sitting in front of my altar today I am in awe of how my life has changed in such a short 2000 days. I’m not suggesting the elaborate changes to my altar space are particularly beneficial. I often think a simple altar with just a Lotus Sutra, a candle, flowers, incense and water would be a perfect tribute to the One Vehicle. Still, the evolution of my altar reflects my growing faith.

So, here’s a retrospective:

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Held the first service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church since February. Zoom is great, but live is better.

Very much enjoyed attending Rev. Shoda Kanai’s online Kaji Kito ceremony today. During this period of sheltering in place, I’ve enjoyed the opportunity to experience the Nichiren Buddhist Kannon Temple of Nevada in Las Vegas services.

Kaji Kito services are monthly events at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church and so I’m familiar with the ritual. Unlike Sacramento’s service, Rev. Shoda Kanai’s ceremony includes recitation by the congregation of a Prayer of Repentance. One of the values of such a prayer is its illustration of what is considered good and bad behavior. What should I be mindful of?

Prayer of Repentence

Repentance is the mysterious medicine which cures illness and the Secret Dharma to change one’s fate.

If we wish to cure terrible disease or transform evil karma, then we should repent our sins.

The law of cause and effect is strictly impartial and impossible to escape. Since even minute transgressions bring about dreadful effects, the great sins of being unfilial, unjust, unfair, unfaithful, unethical, turning one’s back on virtue and forgetting the debts of gratitude that we owe others who have shown us favor, will bring about even worse retribution. The accumulation of these sins becomes the cause for severe disease inviting misfortune and disaster.

Reflecting deeply upon this, I realize that I have perpetuated this behavior since the infinite past. I have become drunk with the wine of illusion which has consequently created unlimited and profoundly evil karma within my life.

For example:
I may have been a child who despised my parents,
A disciple who disgraced his master,
A subject who defied the sovereign,
A husband who oppressed his wife,
A wife who conquered her husband,
A mother-in-law who despised her daughter-in-law,
A daughter-in-law who opposed her mother-in-law,
Or a sibling who erected a wall of disharmony toward another.

I may have shown spite for those who treated me favorably, schemed to take advantage of another’s misfortune, broke a promise, spoke ill of others, lied, spoke recklessly or deceitfully,
Or acted immorally, behaved violently, killed, or stole.
Or my feelings were so strong that I refused to get along or compromise with others,
With feelings so cold that I could not love another,
Or so profoundly vindictive that I bore grudges against others.
Or I may have been unjust and caused others to suffer,
With desires so strong that I had uncontrollable attachment to things.

And I may have committed other various sins, offenses and transgressions which when accumulated, resulted in the manifestation of evil karma. This karma then became the very substance of my bones and flesh which beckoned miserable consequences. Not only did these evil actions give birth to terrible karma, but they set the stage for further commitment of other sins during this lifetime.

This phenomena is just like the person who wears black clothes and refuses to acknowledge the filthy grime around their own collar, or the person who wears white and is dreadfully terrified of even the slightest speck of dirt or impurity.

I must feel, however, profound joy for the one piece of great fortune that I possess. I have been able to encounter the Wonderful Dharma of Myoho-Renge-Kyo which is extremely difficult to encounter.

As I now kneel before the Eternal Buddha, sacred Lord of the Dharma Realm, I am grateful to have been endowed with the heart that is able to deeply repent in order to expiate my sins.

The Sutra states that the vast sea of evil karma is created from illusion to the truth. If I embrace the desire to repent my sins and sit erect in observance of the true aspects of life, I will see that the offenses of mankind are just as frost and dew which dissipate in the warm rays of the sun.

I sincerely repent my offenses, heartily praying that the ray of Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo that I chant and embrace, will shine its sacred light on the true aspects of my life.

I further pray that my evil karma which I myself have created since the infinite past be expiated, that I may quickly be saved from the suffering of illness, that my fixed evil karma be transformed and that I am granted the great benefit of peaceful existence throughout this lifetime.

This I sincerely pray, mindful of all that has been mentioned.

Now we agree to disagree on some of these. “A wife who conquered her husband?” If I raised this topic at home I’d get plenty of argument from my wife. And, of course, there are times, like the present, when it is every citizens’ duty to “defy the sovereign” and recognize institutionalized wrongs. Silence is complicity.

Keeping those anachronisms in mind, I’m going to include this prayer with my recitation of The Sutra of Contemplation of the Dharma Practice of Universal Sage Bodhisattva, which follows Day 32 in my 32 Days of the Lotus Sutra practice. Perhaps I’ll also include another Las Vegas innovation, the Reidan Daimoku Hand Gestures. I’m still unable to complete a full cycle without missteps.