Gakkai Online

Here's a link to the Ruby's web site. There is a lot of stuuf here.

http://www.gakkaionline.net/

a Nichiren Reader

a Nichiren Reader

Here's a link to a collection of translations of Nichiren Daishonin's writings. These are probably not endorsed by SGI since, in the introduction, the author refers to some twisiting of meaning. There are also some translations of the Oral Transmissions. This is not riveting reading but may be enlightening to some.

January discussion meeting

The theme of our meeting on 14 Jan is ‘Peace Begins with Friendship’. The 10 Dec WT carries a speech given by President Ikeda that offers some guidance on this subject.

 

The gosho contains a number of references to good friends:

 

In the Nirvana Sutra, we read: "If a person separates himself from good friends, refuses to listen to the correct teaching, and instead embraces evil teachings, then as a result he will sink down into the Avichi hell, where the size of his body will become eighty-four thousand yojanas in total length and breadth."

 

Therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a good friend. How far can our own wisdom take us? If we have even enough wisdom to distinguish hot from cold, we should seek out a good friend. But encountering a good friend is the hardest possible thing to do. For this reason, the Buddha likened it to the rarity of a one-eyed turtle finding a floating log with a hollow in it the right size to hold him, or to the difficulty of trying to lower a thread from the Brahma heaven and pass it through the eye of a needle on the earth. More-over, in this evil latter age, evil companions are more numerous than the dust particles that comprise the land, while good friends are fewer than the specks of dirt one can pile on a finger-nail.

 

The side bar on page 3 provides additional insight from President Ikeda.