Practice of chanting Daimoku

The present time of you contains your past and your future.

Please see Kanjin Honzon-sho, p146 NOPPA,

The gist of these passages is that Sakyamuni Buddha's merit of practicing the bodhisattva way leading to Buddhahood, as well as that of preaching and saving all living beings since His attainment of Buddhahood are altogether contained in the five words of Myo ho ren ge kyo and that consequently, when we uphold the five words, the merits which He accumulated before and after His attainment of Buddhahood are naturally transferred to us.

文の心は、釈尊の因行・果徳の二法は妙法蓮華経の五字に具足す。我等この五字を受持すれば、自然に彼の因果の功徳を譲り与えたもう。

I try to translate this sentence myself.
Please be careful. The above NOPPA's sentence is not wrong, but Nichiren shu contained their original doctrine here and there when they translated to English.

These passages mean that Sakyamuni Buddha's cause and effect are contained into the five of words of Myoho renge kyo. If we keep this five of words, His cause and effect are naturally transferred to us.

Nichiren shonin continues to say,

It means that Sakyamuni Buddha , within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, and attained Buddhahood in the eternal past described as 500 dust-particle kalpa ago.

"My life span, which I obtained through the practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired. It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa." This reveal the bodhisattva-realm within our mind.

Daimoku is not Hoben. The truth of the Buddha Sakyamuni has been contained into the faith to Daimoku. The 4 Stages of Faith and 5 Stages of Practice has been contained into the pure faith to chapter 16. If you uphold Daimoku, you will practice as a bodhisattva, a disciple of the eternal Buddha Sakyamuni.

The Lotu Sutra is Myoho renge kyo in Japanese. The Lotus Sutra is the true teachings of the Buddha Sakyamuni. Namu is Namaste in Sanskrit. That is to say, Namu is the oath to become a believer. Namu Myoho renge kyo means to become a believer of the Lotus Sutra. The most important teachings of the essential section is that the Buddha Sakyamuni is eternal and his guidance is eternal. That is to say, Namu Myoho renge kyo is the oath to believe the eternal Buddha Sakyamuni and his guidance is eternal. The eternal Buddha is not the Namu Myoho renge kyo. Daimoku, the Namu Myoho renge kyo, is not the enlightenment of the eternal Buddha. Daimoku is the most important teachings of the Buddha Sakyamuni. Nichiren shonin said in Kanjin Honzon-sho, for those who are incapable of understanding the truth of “the 3,000 existences contained in one thought,” Lord Sakyamuni Buddha, with His great compassion, wraps this jewel with the five characters of Myo, ho, ren, ge, and kyo and hangs it around the neck of the ignorant in the Latter Age of Degeneration. The eternal Buddha Sakyamuni exists in all human beings. The 3,000 existences contained in one thought is the compassion of the eternal Buddha Sakyamuni in your mind that works for everythings in the cosmos. Nichiren shonin teaches that this Daimoku is the most important and that it has been given to bodhisattvas such as Jyogyo by the eternal Buddha Sakyamuni. If you realize that you are the true disciple who has been given Daimoku from the eternal Buddha Sakyamuni, you surely will be able to become a Buddha.

The Buddha Sakyamuni never practiced chanting Daimoku himself. There is no beginning and no end on the work of the eternal Buddha Sakyamuni.

Daimoku is the most important conviction. There is a perfect authentic writing of Nichiren shonin, " The 4 Stages of Faith and 5 Stages of Practice." And please see chapter 17.

“Furthermore, the good men or women who do not speak ill of this sutra but rejoice at hearing it after my extinction, should be considered, know this, to have already understood my longevity by firm faith. It is needless to say this of those who[not only rejoice at hearing this sutra but also]read, recite and keep it. They also should be considered to be carrying me on their heads…..He is son. I will accept his place as mine. I will be there. I will walk, sit or recline there.(Senchu Murao)

“Again, if after the Thus Come One has entered extinction there are those who hear this sutra and do not slander or speak ill of it but feel joy in their hearts, you should know that this is a sign that they have already shown deep faith and understanding. How much more in the case of persons who read, recite and embrace this sutra! Such persons are in effect receiving the Thus Come One on the crown of their heads….When a son of the Buddha dwells in such places the Buddha will accept and utilize them, and constantly in their midst will wark, sit or lie down.(Burton Watson)

This is Daimoku, Namu Myoho renege kyo.

Whenever you chant Daimoku, you have to be conscious of the real existence of the eternal Buddha Shakamuni.

There are all of Three Great Secret Dharmas in the Mandara-Honzon. Honmon-no-Honzon is the eternal Buddha Shakamuni accompanied with four Bodhisattvas and so on. Honmon-no-kaidan is Precept Platform in the sky on Pure Land of Mount Sacred Eagle. Honmon-no-Daimoku is teaching us that each of us is under the enlightenment of the eternal Buddha Shakamuni from the distant past to the distant future, also it is our oath to Buddha Shakamuni, which shows our strong faith to Hokkekyo Honmon. When you practice in front of Mandara Honzon in the quiet room, you should meditate with chanting Daimoku. You have to invite Buddha Shakamuni and his Bodhisattva and so on. Needless to say, and Nichiren-shonin. You have to transfer your room to Precept Platform in the sky on Pure Land of Mount Sacred Eagle. You have to image that you are given a mission to spread true Dharma by Myoho-Renge-Kyo, lotus sutra, from Buddha Shakamuni.

Then you must try to feel to the teachings and encouragement of Buddha. Also you must try to listen to the teachings and encouragement of Nichiren shonin. The eternal Buddha Shakamuni is making efforts to give us the truth, wisdom and compassion at all times. The Buddha attempts to unify and harmonize our mind and our society. Therefore you must have a strong faith to Lotus sutra and the eternal Buddha in the first place. Then you have to encourage the faith of Lotus sutra to the people. It is most important thing to get the guidance of the Buddha and protection from Gods.

If you want to listen to the teachings of Buddha Shakamuni and Nichiren shonin in meditation of chanting Daimoku, you need to learn eagerly about the teachings of Buddha Shakamuni and the works of Nichiren. Also you need to study the philosophy of Buddhism correctly. Otherwise, an evil spirit in your mind disguised to Buddha will deceive you. But it is very difficult to study wide-ranging Buddhism by yourself. So you need to find a true teacher and to get advice from that teacher who has actual activities to spread the true dharma of Lotus sutra and a good knowledge of Buddhism. And Mandara Honzon must be done Kaigen by a real Hokke priest. Nichiren shonin strictly advises that if you do not it, it would be like a dead body occupied by a devil.

I will explain about The Three Bodies of the Buddha briefly. You will be able to understand that there is the truth of the universe. That is the Dharma. The dharma really exists under the background of all phenomena. It is very difficult to get the dharma of the universe concretely. But if you want to know it by only your ability, you have to develop completely your ability of insight like the Buddha Shakamuni.
Also, it is very difficult to get concrete image of Hombutu(the Buddha of Honmon), the true form(noumenon) of the Buddha Shakamuni. But we can understand it through three aspects, Dharma-kaya(法身), Sambhoga-kaya(報身) and Nirmana-kaya(応身）. Because those three bodies of the Buddha are embodiments of the eternal Buddha.

At first, you have to understand that there is no difference between the world you are seeing and your mind. And the eternal Buddha Shakamuni exists in the basis of the spirit of all human beings. It is like the Dharma exists in the basis of the universe. Dharma-kaya(法身) is the body which is reflecting the truth of the universe. Sambhoga-kaya(報身) is the body of wisdom which generates all kind of beneficial teachings. Nirmana-kaya(応身）is the body of compassion which appears for saving people. The Buddha Shakamuni of Honmon has all three bodies. Dharma-kaya contains Sambhoga-kaya and Nirmana-kaya in his body. Sambhoga-kaya contains Nirmana-kaya and Dharma-kaya in his body. Also, Nirmana-kaya contains Dharma-kaya and Sambhoga-kaya in his body.

Tendai-daishi(chigi) focused on Sambhoga-kaya of the Hombutu. Therefore he tried to get the wisdom of Buddha by practice of Shi-kan(止観). Almost Nichiren-shu was influenced by the Singon sect and worships to the truth of the universe as Dharma-kaya. But it would be difficult to get enlightenment by worshipping to the truth of the universe like Hinduism do. Kempon Hokke shu is sure that Nichiren-shonin focused on Nirmana-kaya and emphasised that we have to believe the real existence of the eternal Buddha. Nichiren shonin convinced us of the real existence of the eternal Buddha to get guidance from Buddha Shakamuni himself. We could get the true dharma through the teachings of the eternal Buddha. It is the same as Jyuryo-hon, teachings of the chapter 16.

Some Nichiren's sects such as HBS chant only Daimoku as a spell for the pursuit of happiness. And their devotion to the Sambhogakaya is different from Rev.Tendai's thought. Rev.Tendai focused to the Sambhogakaya of Buddha Shakamuni to get the wisdom of the eternal Buddha Shakamuni who has three bodies. But they devote to the Sambhogakaya as a master of Buddha Shakamuni. They insists that the Sambhogakaya is different from Buddha Shakamuni and believe that Daimoku is the Sambhogakaya. Therefore, they do not worship Buddha Shakamuni as the Hombutsu. To tell the truth, there are many priests who insist the same in Nichiren-shu as well. They insists that Namu myoho Renge Kyo is the true Tathagata. Also, SGI insists the same. And further, they say that the true Tathagata as the essence of the universe, Namu myoho Renge Kyo, is Nichiren himself. All of them can not understand Nichiren shonin's works correctly. And they emphasize their selfish doctrines by some Nichiren's works that are not authentic writings. Therefore, there is a lot of people who feel that Nichiren's Buddhism is not Buddhism unfortunately.

Myoho in Japanese is Saddharma. Saddharma, the truth, is maintaining order, harmonizing three thousand realms of the cosmos. You have to bear in mind that there is no difference between your mind and the cosmos. There is the doctrine of Ichinen-Sanzen in Hokke Buddhism. Three thousand realmes are contained in your mind. There are two type of Ichinen-Sanzen. It is said that Ri-Ichine-Sanzen was taught by Tendai taishi. But Nichiren shonin emphasized Ji-Ichinen-Sanzen. Ri(the truth) means Saddharma. Ji(the actual) means the activity of the eternal Buddha Shakamuni taking Saddharma on himself. Nichiren shonin says that Buddha Shakamuni contained Ichinen-Sanzen in Daimoku. Ichinen-Sanzen which is contained in Daimoku is the seed to become Buddha. Therefore, we must realize Buddha's activity by chanting Daimoku and play an active part as true disciples of Buddha Shakamuni. And we also must give Daimoku for those who slander the activity of Buddha Shakamuni.

SGI is giving Daimoku for people to slander Buddha Shakamuni.

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