The HOPEFILLED TEACHINGS of NICHIREN DAISHONIN SGI PRESIDENT IKEDAS LECTURE SERIES On Repaying Debts

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The HOPE-FILLEDTEACHINGS ofNICHIREN
DAISHONINSGI PRESIDENT IKEDAS LECTURE
SERIESOn Repaying Debts of Gratitude
A Great River Enriching Humanity Our Victory As
Disciples Is the Greatest Way to Repay Our
Gratitude to Our Mentor
Beach Cities Study Promotion Committee
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1. The Lives of Genuine Buddhist Practitioners
Shine with Appreciation and Gratitude

• Nichiren recognized his debt of gratitude to his
  country.
• strictly admonished various schools of Buddhism
  that slandered the Law and went against the
  Buddhas original intent.
• Surmounted life-threatening persecutions
• Then cast off his transient status as an ordinary
  person
• to reveal his true identity as the Buddha of the
  Latter Day of the Law (hos-shaku-kempon).
• Nichiren revealed the Gohonzon as the object of
  devotion and manifestation of his enlightened
  state of life.

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Three Great Secret Laws

• the invocation - Nam-myoho-renge-kyo
• the object of devotion - the Gohonzon,
• and the place of worship - the sanctuary
• Nichiren revealed and established the Three Great
  Secret Laws as the framework for spreading the
  teachings of the Lotus Sutra throughout the
  Latter Day.
• Determinedly carried out the struggle to reveal
  the correct Law hidden in the depths of the Lotus
  Sutra that would lead all people to
  enlightenment,
• took on the momentous battle of repaying his
  gratitude to the three treasures.

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2. A Treatise Containing Matters of the Utmost
Importance

• This writing contains a detailed description of
  his ardent pursuit of Buddhism in his youth
• a comprehensive account of his subsequent efforts
  to spread the Mystic Law.
• He clarifies the immeasurable benefits of
  Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret
  Laws,
• which constitutes the great Law that will lead
  all people to enlightenment and that is to be
  propagated throughout the eternal future of the
  Latter Day

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3. Chanting and Spreading the Mystic Law Without
Sparing Ones Voice

• A universal teaching will only spread when the
  time is right and
• when a person willing to give his or her life to
  propagating it appears.
• Nichiren worked tirelessly
• without sparing his voice to teach people about
  the path he had pioneered.
• As a result, he established the Three Great
  Secret Laws.

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Tribute to Dozen-bo

• Nichiren's teacher and mentor
• He pays tribute to his first teacher by stating
  that this benefit in its entirety will return to
  Dozen-bo.
• Dozen-bo protected Nichiren and remained friends
  with him until his death.

Statue of Nichiren Daishoinin at Seicho-Ji Temple
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Three Treasures

• Three things that all Buddhists should revere and
  serve
• Buddha one who is awakened to the truth of life
  and universe.
• Law Dharma or Buddhist teachings, means the
  teachings that the Buddha expounds in order to
  lead all people to enlightenment.
• Sangha, or Buddhist Order the group of
  believers that practices the Buddhas teachings,
  preserves the Law, spreads it and transmits it to
  future generations (LB, JUL-AUG., 2009, p. 76).

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3. Chanting and Spreading the Mystic Law
Without Sparing Ones Voice

• We must never forget that Nichirens
  people-centered Buddhism has flourished solely
  because of unceasing efforts to spread the Law.
• His unrelenting efforts to speak out and spread
  the correct teaching epitomize the spirit of not
  begrudging ones life.

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Nichirens Profound Struggle

• The power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will endure for
  eternity because the Law itself is infinitely
  profound and
• because of the selfless struggles Nichiren
  underwent to establish and propagate it.
• Because there is depth in the teaching
  accompanied by a profound struggle, kosen-rufu
  will advance and be achieved.

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4. The Three Virtues of Nichiren Daishonin
Function to Actualize Kosen-rufu

• The Buddha vows to save all people.
• Widespread propagation of the correct teaching
  that continues after the Buddhas passing is the
  fundamental wish of Shakyamuni, Many Treasures
  and all Buddhas throughout time and space.
• This passage is Nichirens declaration that he
  has actualized this vow.

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Three Virtues

• It also points to the Daishonins three
  virtues--those of parent, teacher and sovereign.
• Definition
• The benevolent functions of sovereign, teacher,
  and parent a Buddha is said to possess.
• sovereign is the power to protect all living
  beings,
• teacher is the wisdom to instruct and lead them
  to enlightenment, and
• parent is the compassion to nurture and support
  them.

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5. A Teaching of Transformation The Benefit
Gained From One Days Practice in the Impure
World

• Nichiren says
• A hundred years of practice in the Land of
  Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit
  gained from one days practice in the impure
  world.
• Striving to free people from suffering at the
  most fundamental level in this defiled latter age
  is an action that brings immeasurable benefit.

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6. The Time to Open the Way for Kosen-rufu is the
Latter Day

• A defiled age requires the appearance of a
  genuine Buddha
• who can expound a great teaching capable of
  freeing the people of suffering and positively
  transforming the times.

Nichiren Daishonin
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7. I Pray to the Buddha for Final Victory

• Winning and losing are both part of life, but I
  pray to the Buddha with determination for final
  victory.
• We need daunting struggles to develop intrepid
  faith.
• The truth is we are Buddhas and even if we
  sometimes fail, we cannot fail as human beings as
  long as we deepen our faith.