[Within the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha], the Sangha is the Buddhist community, consisting or both clergy and lay people who support and encourage us in establishing a life devoted to following the Buddha and the Dharma. The Sangha provides us with a community that enables us to reach out to the larger community of all beings. Without the Sangha, we are like a plant lacking firm roots that can easily be swept away by a storm. The way of the truly compassionate person is the way of engagement with one’s fellow beings. The Lotus Sutra teaches us that our awakening depends upon the awakening of all other beings around us. The Sangha is the community in which we grow in our own practice by supporting each other.
Lotus SeedsQuotes
Greatest Joy of All Joys
Nichiren Shonin stated in the Ongi Kuden (Oral Teachings) that “Namu Myoho Renge Kyo is the greatest joy of all joys” and further taught us in the lssho Jobutsu Sho ( On Attaining Buddha hood), “Whether you chant the Buddha’s name, recite the Sutra or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous efforts will implant benefit and good fortune into your life. With this conviction, you should put your faith into practice.” Here, the Buddha’s name is that of the Eternal Buddha of the 16th chapter (Juryo) of the Lotus Sutra: Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
Odaimoku: The Significance Of Chanting Namu Myoho Renge KyoChoosing to be Happy
In spite of the fog created by the appearance of multiple choices for everything in our life, there really is one fundamental choice that we need to make and often ignore. That choice is the choice of whether or not to be happy. The Buddha has given us the ultimate teaching, the purpose for the existence of all Buddhas, the treasure-store of teachings. It is our choice whether or not we will take advantage of it, pick it up, and embrace it, and choose to be happy.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1Life is a Journey to Rediscovery
The Parable of the Skillful Physician and His Sick Children can be understood from the perspective that being born in this Saha world is the act of taking poison. We are born forgetting our eternal connection to the Eternal Buddha. We are unaware of the truth of our Buddhahood potential residing in the core of our lives. As Buddhists, our life is the journey to rediscovery of that truth – the realization of the good medicine.
Physician's Good MedicineUnited in the Adoration of the Lotus
What [Nichiren] meant was this: 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 Scripture. 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 Rissho Ankoku Ron and explained on many occasions. Now this Kingdom of Buddha is, properly speaking, immanent in the soul of every one, but it can only be realized in the spiritual and moral community of those who are united in the Adoration of the Lotus, and in the worship of the Supreme Being as revealed by Nichiren.
Nichiren, The Buddhist ProphetFirm Faith
Firm faith comes from a firm belief in the Lotus Sutra. The following are Nichiren Shonin’s words:
“Have faith in the Great Mandala Gohonzon, the most superlative in the world. Endeavor! Endeavor to strengthen your faith, so that you may be blessed with the protective powers of all Buddhas. Learn and practice to strengthen your faith. Without learning and practicing there is no Buddhism. Follow these teachings yourself and influence others to do the same. To learn and to practice are a part of faith. Even if only a word or a phrase, spread it to others.” -Shoho Jisso-sho
We are only able to learn and practice faithfully with the support of true faith.
Spring WritingsThe Inherent Potential for Buddhahood
I am not sure if you remember a little while back I mentioned how it is hard for people to believe they could become Buddhas. I won’t say for certain that this is the most common hindrance but of all my years of practicing with others and teaching and guiding this does seem to be one area that is difficult for many people to fully embrace. The fact that the Buddha tells us many times that the teaching of the Lotus Sutra is a teaching which enables all living beings to manifest the inherent potential for Buddhahood that lies within each person seems to be very difficult to grasp. Some people I am afraid think there must be some fine print in the text or some part that was left out of the translation that specifically mentioned their name as the single exception to this universal promise of the Buddha. … These people seem to be content with what little scraps they can get from their practice and refuse to enter the house to live, to enter into and realize enlightenment is in fact within their very lives.
Lecture on the Lotus SutraThe Sanctuary of the Buddha’s Teaching
[Within the Three Treasures of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha], the Dharma is the Buddha’s teaching that enable us to cut through the delusions and bad habits that prevent us from awakening. On a deeper level, the Dharma is not just the teachings, but also the reality that the teachings points to.
Lotus SeedsKaikyoge
The Kaikyoge (Verses for Opening the Sutra) states? “We can approach enlightenment when we see, hear or touch this Sutra. Within it is expounded the body of the Buddha’s truth and essence. Every letter composing this Sutra is a manifestation of the Buddha. Just as the scent of incense can be perceived as it is approached, all living beings shall be benefited by this Sutra, spontaneously and without hindrance.”
Odaimoku: The Significance Of Chanting Namu Myoho Renge KyoQuestioning
Examining the teachings of the Buddha we see that the Buddha frequently waits until he is asked a question before he teaches. In fact our Buddhist practice really doesn’t begin to take place until we ourselves ask and prepare for the answer to the question of how to end suffering.
It isn’t until we become aware that we suffer, or that there might be an alternative to suffering do we begin to even look for a way to end suffering. When we awaken to the truth about suffering being an option we begin to ask questions about how to end it, how to practice Buddhism.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1