Bowie General Meeting

The Bowie District held its general meeting commemorating the 6oth anniversary of President Ikeda's practice on August 25th at the Community Center. 15 members attended (not all pictured). The theme of the meeting was "Creating Waves of Victory through Our Human Revolution". We discussed the 7 points of Human Revolution postulated by President Ikeda.

Letter to the Brothers Study Points

(3) “Letter to the Brothers”
The following study points are related to the following passage:
“The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight is especially profound. If you propagate it, devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching” (WND-1, 501).

When We Spread the Correct Teaching, Negative Functions Will Arise
Nichiren Daishonin emphasizes that those who practice and propagate the correct teaching of Buddhism will invariably encounter obstacles, and that the appearance of such obstacles serves to confirm the validity of their practice. This is a fundamental principle of Buddhism and a major point of this letter. (See Study Guide, pp. 49–50, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, pp. 53–54.)

Uncovering and Strengthening Our Buddhahood
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—“the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life”—is the teaching that enables ordinary, unenlightened people to uncover their Buddhahood. All phenomena—body and mind, self and environment, sentient and insentient, cause and effect—are integrated in the life-moment of the common mortal. One’s life at each moment actually contains the whole of reality and pervades the entire universe. (See Study Guide, p. 50, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 54.)

It is through a courageous practice that we transform the source of our suffering and bring forth the power to overcome it.When this transformation of our fundamental darkness takes place in the context of propagating the Law, our Buddha nature is strengthened to the utmost and we are assured of victory. (See Study Guide, pp. 50–51, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, pp. 54–55.)

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The following study points are related to the following passage:
“One passage from the same volume reads: ‘As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere. . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching” (WND-1, 501).

“The Wise Will Rejoice While the Foolish Will Retreat”
Once we resolve to struggle for the sake of our enlightenment and help others do the same, we invariably encounter resistance from the fundamental darkness within, which also manifests in the form of external hindrances. By quoting the passage from the Great Concentration and Insight, Nichiren encourages Munenaka that his disinheritance actually demonstrates his strong faith, and that by persevering through this obstacle, he can change his destiny and further his enlightenment. (See Study Guide, pp. 51–52, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, pp. 55–56.)

Developing the Wisdom To See Through All Negative Functions
Only when we fail to recognize obstacles as functions trying to obstruct our progress in faith are we influenced or frightened by them, and only then do we allow them to come between the Gohonzon and us, and thus fall into the lower states of life. However, once we can recognize such hindrances for what they are,we will quickly find that we have the will and the courage to challenge them. They will no longer have power over us; rather, we can take them as proof that we are practicing Buddhism correctly. (See Study Guide, pp. 52–53, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 56–57.)

There is no other way for us to defeat devilish functions that arise from fundamental darkness than manifesting the life of a Buddha from within. To manifest Buddhahood, there is no other way than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith. (See Study Guide, p. 53, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 57.)

Hardships Can Be a Good Teacher
We may tend to think of visible benefits as proof that we are practicing correctly, but in light of the above passage, the appearance of obstacles can also be tremendous proof of our progress in faith. What we must remember, then, is to “be neither frightened nor influenced by them,” as Nichiren teaches. Once we are resolved to overcome them, hardships can be a good teacher and a good means to lead us to purer faith, greater strength and a higher state of life. (See Study Guide, p. 53, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 57.)

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The following study point is related to the following passage:
“Whatever trouble occurs, regard it as no more than a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra” (WND-1, 502).

No Trouble Lasts Forever
When we face a serious problem, it often seems as though it will drag on indefinitely. But in reality, no trouble lasts forever. Most sufferings will not even last a lifetime. Faith in the Gohonzon, on the other hand, awakens us to the part of our lives that is eternal. In saying, “Whatever trouble occurs, regard it as no more than a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra,”(WND-1, 502), Nichiren teaches us to not be deluded by relatively minor hardships, thereby compounding our suffering or perhaps even abandoning our faith. To practice Buddhism is to wage a battle against devilish functions. Challenging devilish functions to reveal the pure state of Buddhahood is the essence of Buddhism. Our enlightenment and kosen-rufu itself can be actualized only when we are prepared to overcome obstacles and devilish functions. (See Study Guide, p. 53, or May–June 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 57.)

Gift of Rice Study Points

(2) “The Gift of Rice”
The following study point is related to the following passage: “As for the matter of becoming a Buddha, ordinary people keep in mind the words ‘earnest resolve’ and thereby become Buddhas” (WND-1, 1125).

Earnest Resolve Determines the Quality of Our Lives From Moment to Moment
Nichiren Daishonin explains that our earnest resolve is the key to revealing our innate Buddhahood. Earnest resolve refers to our innermost determination to practice and spread Buddhism for ourselves and for the sake of others. In terms of making Buddhist offerings, it denotes our sincerity—our heartfelt actions. The power of our resolve determines the quality of our life from moment to moment and also determines whether or not we reveal our Buddha life-condition and enjoy authentic happiness. (See Study Guide, p. 36, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 70.)

The following study point is related to the following passage: “When we carefully consider what exactly earnest resolve refers to, it is the doctrine of observing the mind” (WND-1, 1125).

Observing the Mind Means Perceiving and Manifesting Buddhahood Within Us, No Matter What Our Circumstances
To “observe one’s own mind and to find the Ten Worlds within it” (WND-1, 356) means perceiving and manifesting Buddhahood within us, no matter what our circumstances. Put simply, the “observation of the mind” refers to one’s practice to attain Buddhahood. Nichiren teaches that by embracing the Gohonzon with faith and chanting Nammyoho- renge-kyo, we can perceive and bring forth our innate Buddhahood. (See Study Guide, p. 37, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 71.) Our earnest resolve to devote ourselves to Nichiren Buddhist practice is synonymous with the “observation of the mind”—with our attainment of Buddhahood. (See Study Guide, p. 38, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 72.)

The following study point is related to the following passage: “When we inquire into what exactly the doctrine of observing the mind refers to, it means that offering one’s only robe to the Lotus Sutra is equivalent to peeling off one’s skin. . . . This is the teaching called the paramita of almsgiving for the observation of the mind that is set forth in the seventh volume of Great Concentration and Insight” (WND-1, 1125–26).

Benefit of Offerings
Offering in actuality refers to the physical offering of one’s body and life for Buddhism as demonstrated by the stories of legendary sages. Offering in principle denotes the offering of
one’s material possessions with the earnest resolve to support the further spread of Buddhism as demonstrated by ordinary believers such as this letter’s recipient. Nichiren teaches that the benefit derived from offering in principle is no less than the benefit derived from offering in actuality. In other words, making offerings out of one’s earnest resolve to spread Buddhism and protect its integrity is the solid path toward attaining Buddhahood. (See Study Guide, p. 39, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 73.)

The following study point is related to the following passage: “The true path lies in the affairs of this world. . . . In the end secular matters are the entirety of Buddhism” (WND-1, 1126).

Buddhist Practice and Daily Life Are Never Separate
The “true path” refers to the correct teaching of Buddhism which does not exist apart from secular matters. The practice of the correct teaching does not exist anywhere apart from society and one’s daily life. (See Study Guide, p. 40, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 74.) Since “all phenomena are Myoho-renge-kyo” (WND-1, 384), from the ultimate iewpoint of those awakened to the Law of Myoho-rengekyo, Buddhism is at one with secular matters. Buddhist practice and daily life are never separate. (See Study Guide, p. 41, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 75.)
Continually bringing the humanistic wisdom of Buddhism to our individual lives, families and communities—this is the genuine way to practice Buddhism. (See Study Guide, p. 41, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 75.)

The following study point is related to the following passage: “The essence of the sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra is that all phenomena arise from the mind. . . . But it is not so with the Lotus Sutra. It is the teaching that the moon itself is mind, and the flower itself is mind” (WND-1, 1126).

The Spiritual and Material Are Essentially Inseparable
From the non-dualistic viewpoint of the Lotus Sutra the spiritual and material are essentially inseparable. Each life, each entity, is at one with the cosmic life. That is, “the moon itself is mind, and the flower itself is mind.” Instead of seeking the ultimate reality in a transcendent, metaphysical realm beyond all phenomena, the Lotus Sutra finds the ultimate reality at one with all phenomena, the cosmic life at one with our lives. (See Study Guide, p. 42, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 76.)

The following study point is related to the following passage: “You should realize from this that polished rice is not polished rice; it is life itself” (WND-1, 1126).

Sincere Buddhist Offering Is Not Self-sacrifice
The sincere offerings we make to support the spread of Buddhism are in themselves the offerings of our lives and the cause for our Buddhahood to emerge. A genuine Buddhist offering—made out of one’s earnest resolve and directed toward the correct teaching—is not self-sacrifice. It is ultimately a gift each of us gives to his or her true self, that is, the Buddha dwelling deep within our lives. Moreover, it is an expression of and further cause for our joy and appreciation in practicing Buddhism. (See Study Guide, p. 44, or March–April 2007 Living Buddhism, p. 78.)