Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 -- TO MY FRIENDS -- Instead of comparing ourselves with others let’s try to progress one step from who we were yesterday! By working on polishing our own lives lets build a solid and firmly rooted self! Tuesday, March 25th, 2014 --- DAILY GOSHO --- (In the Latter Day of the Law, the votary of the Lotus Sutra* will appear without fail.) The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith. Doesnt a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? All rivers flow into the sea, but does the sea turn back their waters? * Votary of the Lotus Sutra: One who practices and propagates the Lotus Sutra in exact accordance with its teachings. Details here: sgilibrary.org/search_dict.php?id=2613 (A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 33) Selection source: The New Human Revolution, Seikyo Shimbun, March 21st, 2014 Wednesday, March 26th, 2014 —— DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ---- In one of his letters, Nichiren Daishonin warmly encourages and praises the lay nun Toki (the wife of Toki Jonin), who devotedly nursed her ailing mother-in-law, who was in her 90s, until the latter passed away peacefully. The lay nun Toki also faced her own health problems, which had perhaps been caused in part by exhaustion from caring for her mother-in-law. Nevertheless, she refused to be defeated by illness. Encouraging her, the Daishonin writes: ‘There is nothing to lament when we consider that we will surely become Buddhas (WND-1, 657). There is no reason to lament and ask yourself why, after so many years of sincere and diligent practice of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, you should have to fall ill, or a family member should require nursing care, or some other such situation. Your practice has enabled you to lessen your karmic retribution and makes it possible for you to change poison into medicine. When families practicing the Daishonin’s Buddhism pull together to overcome such obstacles based on faith, they will be able to open the way to the attainment of Buddhahood on a truly profound and meaningful level.” SGI Newsletter No. 8958, Wise Members of the Many Treasures Group, Forge Ever Onward! From the April 2014 issue of the Daibyaku-renge, translation released 18th March 2014 * The Japanese kanji is available by clicking on Seikyo Shinbuns web-site address at seikyoonline.jp/news/index.html
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 20:29:42 +0000