CONFERENCE OF GREG MARTIN
Today we will talk about the "object of devotion" of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. The first point I would like to mention is that the first Japanese dictionary was written by the Portuguese. Hundreds of years ago, came to Japan a few ships which also came Jesuit priests. They interpreted what they saw as their Christian perspective. For that reason, many of the words that refer to Buddhist writings are influenced by the Christian perspective. An example is the "object of devotion." In the translations that were used Goshen previously used the word "object of worship" but worship the Gohonzon is to place above us, and that's not the real relationship with the Gohonzon us why in the new translations use "object of devotion." You can say, for example, that a person is engaged or devotion to his family but this is not the same as saying that his family be worshiping. One can be devotions and dedicated to his teacher or his mentor but not worship or worshiping. Clearly, when we think of our relationship with the Gohonzon we must change the idea that we are worshiping an external power that is above us. It's actually something that we do. We devotions to the Gohonzon by our Buddhist practice.
The second point I would like to mention is that in almost all cultures is the idea that objects have power by themselves. In fact, something that led to a great schism in the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox felt that the pictures were in themselves a divine power. The Roman Catholics said no, that these pictures represent. For this contention, the church was divided between Orthodox Christians and Catholic Christians. Even now many people believe that images have power. It is a very old idea that is deeply rooted in the minds of people.
When we believe that an object has to the idea is that a person or a priest has given that power. Or a miracle has occurred and that a supreme being given the power to that object. So this object, which is like a battery that is charged, we can take home and we plugged our lives. Or we think that this object is like a computer from which you can download a program, then load the program into our lives. This, at a fundamental level, is to believe that power is outside ourselves, ie we do not have that power, and therefore we have to get something or someone outside ourselves. This belief that power is up there or out there and not within us, that There is a power that is bigger and better than us, leads us to put something or someone above us. And by putting someone above us, we necessarily place below that someone or that something.
Unfortunately human history is full of such examples. I think the reason is that it is extremely difficult for humans to believe in themselves. We are so aware of our weaknesses, our negativity, our shortcomings. So when we see others who seem to be better than we easily come to believe that they have something we do not have.
religions for many thousands of years have taken advantage of this lack of Human beings have credibility in itself. When you do have enslaved people spiritually. But this is only possible when people agree not to believe in themselves. It is only possible when we do not trust our own power. In this Gosho Nichiren says very clearly that this is not true. There is no person, or any supreme being, or any entity outside of ourselves that we can supply any power.
When you received your particular Gohonzon and enthroned in their homes, that will change your life? If you do gonguio, chant, and study activities, have a Gohonzon change your life? The answer is no, and the reason is that, without you, the Gohonzon has no power. You are the key. His faith and practice is what activates the power of the Gohonzon.
In this Gosho Nichiren Daishonin clearly states that an object, by itself, can not be equal to a Buddha. The reason is that the object lacks two things: the voice of the Buddha and the spirit of Buddha. The chant, that is, the invocation Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is inscribed in the center of the Gohonzon and the Gosho says, "... the voice makes the work of the Buddha." Daimoku part of the object of devotion, Gosho in opening the eyes, Nichiren Daishonin says:
The Buddha has 32 characteristics or traits, they all represent the physical aspect. Thirty-one of they belong to the category of visible physical characteristics ... can be represented in perceptible forms, such as pictures or statues. The missing feature, the voice ... belongs to the category of invisible and physical attributes ... can not be captured in any way whether in painting or picture.
By submitting the Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin did most of the work, to leave us the Gohonzon that we have in our homes, let the perfect potential. In this regard, Nichiren states:
Since the death of Buddha have been two kinds of pictures of him, carved in wood or painted, they are holders of the 31 characteristics of the Buddha but lack of pure voice and far-reaching. Therefore not equal to the Buddha and also lack the spiritual aspect.
It takes a human being to sing daimoku Daishonin's work is complete. And for you to complete the work begun by the Buddha, you must be a Buddha. The Gohonzon includes the person who sings the chant, we are part of the Gohonzon. That is why the Daishonin says "never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself." After all, power, power supply, you are.
This is something that challenges us to change the way we view ourselves. It challenges us to go beyond the lack of credibility in us. Therefore if we sat in front of the Gohonzon to beg, to ask the Gohonzon as if it were a supreme being, we only express very little of the power of the Gohonzon. But when you really grasp "I am Buddha," the chanting to the Gohonzon we are doing the work of the Buddha, that's when we arise and manifest our Buddhahood.
One more thing, the daimoku still not enough if enough daimoku would be a magic formula anyone could repeat and always work. But we've all gone through times when we sang daimoku and has not worked.
The last ingredient, as the phrase of former Gosho is the spiritual aspect the Buddha. There are many other sects of Nichiren Buddhism with Gohonzon, including Nichiren Shoshu, who do the same daimoku we do, who study the same as studying us, they do gonguio, which have a Gohonzon, they do activities, but there is a difference in the kind of result they derive from that. The reason is that they lack the spiritual aspect of the Buddha. In the Gosho
on Getting the state of Buddha, the Daishonin says you can be practicing and still not be a Buddhist. In fact, I think many of us are Buddhists on the outside but inside we are still Christians. So we have real proof, but we have little actual test can not yet express the vast and incredible real test of power of the Gohonzon. The key is the spiritual aspect of Buddha, ie the ichinen of faith: Playing with "the same ichinen of Nichiren" or "the same mind of Nichiren" "with the same goal of Nichiren." This means "practice with rufu kosen deep desire. "The key is to have" the same objective and the same intention of Nichiren. "
When chanting to the Gohonzon with the same objective as Nichiren, that's when we completed the Gohonzon. That's when you wake up the power of the Gohonzon. Why study is so important. Without studying the Gosho and do not read the guidance of the President Ikeda, we can not know what the goal of Nichiren.
daimoku We may be singing but being diverted to something very distant from the goal or intent of the Daishonin. We may be praising the Gohonzon with our daimoku but be betraying their intentions. For example, we may be singing a long chant, but breaking the unit. We may be doing heavy activities but instead of having the heart in the kosen rufu, we can be doing to meet our little ego. That is not to have the same goal of Nichiren. That reduces the power of the Gohonzon. So get directions. We all know the conclusion of all orientations in the faith: more daimoku sing ... Do any of you received an orientation in which you say "not much daimoku sing? (Laughs) No, of course not always the conclusion is "more daimoku." So as we know it, especially the division of men (laughs) think: "Why counseling? I will say that the key is that daimoku sing and that I already know. "The reason we seek the guidance is not to tell us more daimoku we sing is to amend our ichinen of faith, ie for we can guide our attitude and intention toward the same attitude and the same intention of Nichiren Daishonin.
For example if we suffering from disease and we get discouraged by the doctor's words. Daimoku but we do feel we can not gain the confidence and courage to turn the power of practice, we defeat the doctor's diagnosis and can not be confident that had the Daishonin, we are making and singing gonguio daimoku but in our hearts our determination is different from that of Nichiren.
When our determination and our hearts are on the same goal of Nichiren Gohonzon power lies dormant, latent. Then go to our responsibility to ask for guidance (although it almost always happens is in the Ladies Division) (laughs) this person we da orientation and says: "What's happening with you? I overtook cancer June 6 times! (Laughter) So this person we read a sentence of Goshen, and says "the Gohonzon is absolute, you can also ... struggle to live for kosen rufu, "then our faith ichinen right up again and say," If she could do it, I can also do. "Then we go to the Gohonzon and chanting with a different attitude, and immediately the power of Gohonzon has been asleep and wakes up the benefits begin to flow.
Sometimes we think our faith is right, we believe that all is well, then go to a serious charge and this person realizes that our faith is not really right, and tell us, look, is bent and then we make a "chiropractic" to our faith twisted and straightened. Straightening our attitude begins to change things. The guidelines are to change the attitude, an experienced leader can see that the attitude of a member is incorrect. By doing this "spiritual chiropractic" changes everything.
Undoubtedly, the chanting in the same spirit of Nichiren is when we are to Buddhist practice the two things that we have to make to the power of the Gohonzon is complete: the voice of the Buddha, and the aspecto espiritual del Buda, es decir, el mismo objetivo y la misma intención de Nichiren, nuestra actitud en la fe.
Para quienes no tienen el mismo objetivo de Nichiren Daishonin el Gojonzon es un pedazo de papel, esto nos ayuda a comprender la esencia del danto. Cuando comienzan a traicionar los goshos y pierden el objetivo de Nichiren Daishonin, entonces el Gojonzon ya no es el Gojonzon, no tiene poder, no es una falla del Gojonzon, al ellos desviarse el Gojonzon permanece dormido. Por eso, nuestros amigos miembros que se han ido con el danto han perdido el poder del Gojonzon por eso seguimos hablando con ellos una y otra vez. Nikken no quiere que sepamos que ya nosotros tenemos dentro de nosotros el poder que necesitamos, quiere que creamos Nikken is who has the power. That he alone can activate the power of the Gohonzon and he can take it away. They know how hard it is that a man should fully believe in himself.
But Nichiren Buddhism in its most fundamental level there is to teach each and every one of the people she ... herself ... and not something external to it ... has the most power within. This is the goal of Nichiren, THAT IS THE INTENTION OF Nichiren.
Thus, when the Bodhisattvas of the Earth we sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant a sincere daimoku with the same intention of Nichiren Daishonin to achieve Kosen rufu, we completed the Gohonzon, we completed Buddha's work, and complete the work of the Buddha is something that only a Buddha can do, in so doing, we take the Buddha of the Gohonzon, and while we make the Gohonzon of the Buddha Buddha is within us out also. This fusion of kyo-chi-myo-go, including the Gohonzon Buddhahood Buddhahood and our own results in the grand ceremony of kosen rufu. It is exactly what is described in the Lotus Sutra in the air ceremony.
is important that we learn the problem with the clergy and we repeat to ourselves over and over again and to repeat to our children and our grandchildren that we have the MAXIMO to imagine in our own lives. There is no other source of power that the lives of us human beings chanting to the Gohonzon.
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