Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism

Sorry for being AWOL! So I left for India to visit family about 3 weeks ago. While praying with my local leaders at home before leaving, they suggested that I roll up my gohonzon (the scroll- object of worship), put it in its original packaging & give it to them for the time period that I am gone. The local leader suggested this because I have a few sublets occupying my room in this period & they believed it will not be safe to have the precious gohonzon exposed to any visitors’ risks. I had never done this before, and given the current political situation where one fears or worries about re- entering the country, I always felt like having my gohonzon at my home means I am protected & that my mission lies in the US. It was an emotional experience to roll up the scroll while praying and entrusting my local leader with it. The red box here is my budsudan. It’s where my gohonzon scroll hangs. The second picture is that of me & my local leaders in the Hamilton Heights district! NMHRK 🙏🙏

Thankyou for your reply Anupriya 🙏If I may, I’ve always wondered, what kind of role these characters, deities and bodhisattvas play in Buddhism? Are they gods that are worshipped like say the Hindu Gods? I’ve never quite understood their roles tbh!

Hey 👋 Do Nichiren Daishonin Buddhist worship any dieties and follow the same celebrations as other Buddhists?

“To establish meaningful lives, I hope that during your youth you will work hard to polish your intellect. Life, in a sense, is a battle of wisdom. It is the power of Buddhism that enables one to win this battle. True faith is characterized by a brilliance of intellect and depth of wisdom that result from devotion to practice.” - Ikeda Sensei Gosho of the day The benefit of all the other sutras is uncertain, because they teach that one must first make good causes and only then can one become a Buddha at some later time. With regard to the Lotus Sutra, when one’s hand takes it up, that hand immediately attains Buddhahood, and when one’s mouth chants it, that mouth is itself a Buddha, as, for example, the moon is reflected in the water the moment it appears from behind the eastern mountains, or as a sound and its echo arise simultaneously. Wu-lung and I-lung (WND-1, 1099)

Something so beautiful happened this weeek- I found out that someone I had mentioned Buddhism to and made the effort to connect to the local chapter over 8 months ago actually ended up practicing! She had been wanting to meet me since a few months to pray together & learn DJing but I somehow could never find the time. When we finally made it happen, she shared that she had been attending meetings & had begun chanting since a few months. I’ve been introducing people to the practice for years, but she might be my very first official shakabuku! Hooray 🎉 🎊🤩🌿

Daily guidance Oct 7 What will the future be like? No one knows the answer to that question. All we know is that the effects that will appear in the future are all contained in the causes that are made in the present. The important thing, therefore, is that we stand up and take action to achieve great objectives without allowing ourselves to be distracted or discouraged by immediate difficulties. Gosho of the day It seems to me that on the path to attain Buddhahood it may invariably be when one has done something like lay down one’s life that one becomes a Buddha. I think that perhaps it is encountering such difficulties as have already been explained in the sutra—being cursed, vilified, attacked with swords and staves, shards and rubble, and banished again and again—that is reading the Lotus Sutra with one’s life. My faith springs up all the more, and I am confident about my next existence. Banishment to Sado (WND-1, 202)

I had such an enriching time last week practicing for and eventually performing at our Block Level Buddhism meeting in Harlem! I had not jammed with folks while playing my guitar in FOREVER! This is deepening my desire to be in a band so badly! 🎶💫 - Taavi, a brilliant music producer whose co- produced ASAP FERG’s latest album was on the keys. - David Meade, a brilliant drummer who also taught at NYU was on percussion. - I played lead guitar & sang + played rhythm during the chorus section. We played on top of a song called “Open your Eyes”, which is a Buddhist rap song composed by Taavi and Hunter (the rapper).

How did you get into this particular branch of Buddhism & how is it different to other branches?

I love my Buddhist practice to bits, and yet, I feel conflicted about one of its core pillars, which is “shakabuku”. Shakabukuing is the process of introducing others to the Buddhist practice, which we consider as a noble deed, for it is a way to empower those we care about with tools to transform their lives. I love to shakabuku people, i.e introduce them to the practice. Ever since moving to the US, it is rare for me to go to a Buddhist meeting alone. I almost always bring along folks with me. However, at times, I don’t like the way that shakabukuing is pushed by leadership and texts in faith as the way to change our own karma. It becomes an aggressive sales task at times, with targets for how many people we aim to introduce during a campaign or period of time. I like shakabukuing when it’s organic & comes from a place of genuine compassion, rather than with the energy of pushy sales tactics and conversions.

Last week we had a “Lotus Lounge” gathering for the Young Women’s Division (YWD). There were several leaders present in that meeting, as were guests (folks attending for the first time). I, as a practitioner (and newly appointed YWD leader) instinctively took over explaining the introductory concepts of Buddhism to new members as I noticed that they felt a bit lost. I impromptu led this concept & keyword introduction, by the end of which the guests felt grounded and like they knew what was going on. The rest of the room was stunned and impressed by how smoothly I did so. Several older members asked me how I was able to breakdown concepts so easily, as they found it hard to do so when they met non- practicing but curious folks. This was unexpected, but it came super naturally to me. I remember attending this meeting for the first time two years ago in the exact same house, when I was still relatively new to the city. I would speak & occupy space, but my confidence and judgement was nowhere near as strong as it is today. Back then, I would have never been able to just take over like this and answer questions for new members in the way that I did this time. My growth felt so visible to me. I am happy & proud of how far I have come in the way that I show up ☘️😇