Attended the Sunday service at the Sacramento Nichiren Buddhist Church. Following the Kaji Kito blessing and brief memorial service, Ven. Kenjo Igarashi gave a talk on the Odaimoku.

The photo above shows the prop Rev. Igarashi used to illustrate his lecture. The column on the far right says something along the lines of the thought of enlightenment in one’s mind followed by the fruits of a practice. The column second from the left reverses the idea putting the fruits before the thought of enlightenment.

As Rev. Igarashi explained, a person who seeks enlightenment and practices for himself and for others will see benefits in the way of protection from Śākyamuni and deities and perhaps happiness and good health.

But the reverse – chanting for prosperity or good health – will not bring enlightenment or prompt the protection of Śākyamuni or the various deities who help those who practice the Lotus Sūtra.

And immediately this sprang to mind:

Practicing in search of enlightenment combined with the goal of helping others to reach the other shore is one of those foundational differences between what I experienced while a member of Soka Gakkai and today as one who practices Nichiren Shu buddhism.

The benefits I’ve received from the horse pulling the cart far exceeds anything that came from years of trying to get the cart to move the horse.