To quickly break the long silence in a very cheeky way, here is a quote from the New Human Revolution, Volume 10, page 72-3 of the New UK edition.
I had read the first four volumes ages ago in Italian, then again in English as part of my Taplow Dedicated Lilac training. In September, I decided to read one of these volumes a month until I finish them all.
Here it is.
The Soka Gakkai spirit is having the courage to discard the shallow and seek the profound. It is selfless dedication to propagating the law even at the cost of one's life. It is to strive with unceasing devotion as taught in the lotus sutra. It is to exert oneself bravely and vigourously with passion and resolve. It is to possess the great power of perseverance that enables one to withstand any persecution with composure. It is to practice in accord with the buddha's teachings, working for Kosen Rufu just as the Daishonin instructs. It is the spirit of refuting the erroneous and revealing the true, giving no quarter to injustice. It is the path of the oneness of mentor and disciple, the very lineage of correct faith. It is the firm unity of many in body, one in mind. It is the spirit of showing others the same respect as one would a Buddha.
Another month has gone. Today I went for a lilac activity at the Ikeda Peace Centre, where I knew I was going to be a team of one lilac.
I didn't mind it though. I am going through so much stuff at the moment, that having to sit in the Butsuma to chant for three solid hours was pretty much the one thing I needed.
I need to be kind to myself, I need to chant to fully appreciate myself, and I need to do it now.
It only took me about fifteen minutes of chanting to understand that the searing hot pain in my heart has very little to do with what happened to me in the past year, and everything to do with my karma. That one realisation made it all better, made me believe that I can transform it, because it is inside me, not outside.
It still hurts, like a pride of lions devouring me from the inside, but I can now see the contingency as a distraction from the real problem.
I wrote this experience for an Education Division meeting. Once again, I ended up not sharing it, but hey. The experience proper happened in the last three-four years, as in, my first years in the teaching profession, however in order to understand where I am coming from, I have to, once again, start with my childhood. There will be some overlap with other experiences, since the childhood was the same!
Here we go!
Soooo, my journey to hell is coming real soon.
In the meantime, here is a little quote from The Opening of the Eyes Gosho.
I recently went through all my Buddhist books and wrote inside the front cover when I read them and, if applicable, as part of what study programme.
Lectures on the Opening of the Eyes is one of the books I am studying as part of my LIPC Dedicated Lilac training.
Last Committee meeting (a study/feedback meeting with all the team leaders), I was asked to feedback on Chapter 14 of this book.
This little quote stuck with me:
This is part of a series of posts to share my preparation for the Grade 2 Study Exam that I will sit this coming November.
From ‘Encountering persecution by sword and staff as predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter’:
A7
How did Nichiren Daishonin react to these attacks by swords and staves? What function can hardships have in our lives?
Nichiren's immediate reaction was, quite naturally, of outrage. He writes:
‘Though I knew it was for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, being an ordinary person, I felt... [that had] I had the strength, I would have wrested it from him, trampled on and broken it, and thrown it away. However, it was in fact the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra.’
However, wearing the ‘armour of perseverance', the Daishonin forbore his anger, behaved with self‐assurance, and spoke out with dignity for his beliefs. He didn’t display even the slightest trace of violence, hatred, or the desire for revenge.
If we look at them from a broader perspective, the hardships that assail us can function to strengthen us and spur our growth as human beings. As long as we do not allow ourselves to be defeated by suffering, even the most painful experiences can be turned into something positive. Nothing is ever wasted in Buddhism.
The profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra enable us to turn suffering into the driving force for transforming our karma.
Wrod count: 176
