When Tina Turner left her first husband - who was also her boss, captor, and brutal tormentor - she snuck out of their Dallas hotel room with a single thought in her mind: "The way out is through the door."
From there she fled across the midnight freeway, semi-trucks careening past her, with 36 cents and a Mobil gas card in her pocket. As soon as she decided to walk out that door, she owned nothing else.
When she filed for divorce, she made an unusual request. She didn't want anything: not the song rights, not the cars, not the houses, not the money. All she wanted was the stage name he gave her - Tina - and her married name - Turner. This was the name by which the world had come to know her, and keeping it was her only chance to salvage her career.
Things could have gone a lot of ways from there. She could have labored in obscurity for decades, maybe making records on small labels to be prized by vinyl connoisseurs in Portland. She could have stayed in Vegas, where she first went to get her chops back up, and worked as a nostalgia act. And, of course, given what she had been through, she might have ... not made it.
What happened instead is that Tina Turner became the biggest global rock star of the 80s. I'm old enough to barely remember this, but if you aren't, it was like this: The Rolling Stones would headline a stadium one day, and the next day it would be Tina Turner. A middle-aged Black woman - she became a rock star at 42! - sitting atop the 1980s like it was her throne.
She managed this because of whatever rare stuff she was made of (this is a woman whose label gave her two weeks to record her solo breakthrough, Private Dancer, which went five times platinum); because she decided to speak publicly about her abusive marriage and forge her own identity, and in doing so give hope and courage to countless women; and also because - in a perhaps unlikely twist for a girl from Nutbush, Tennessee - she had her practice of Soka Gakkai Nichiren Buddhism, to which she credited her survival. She remained devout until the end.
Tina's second marriage - to her, her only marriage - was to Erwin Bach, a German music executive 16 years her junior. Of him, she said, "Erwin, who is a force of nature in his own right, has never been the least bit intimidated by my career, my talents, or my fame."
In 2016, after a barrage of health problems, Tina's kidneys began to fail. A Swiss citizen by then, she had started preparing for assisted suicide when her husband stepped in. According to Tina, he said, "He didn't want another woman, or another life."
He gave her one of his kidneys, buying her the remainder of her time on this earth and perhaps closing a cycle which took her from a man who inflicted injury upon her to a man willing to inflict injury upon himself to save her from harm.
Born into a share-cropping family as Anna Mae Bullock in 1939, she died Tina Turner in a palatial Swiss estate: the queen of rock 'n roll; a storm of a performer with a wildcat-fierce voice; a dancer of visceral, spine-tingling potency and ability; a beauty for the ages; a survivor of terrible abuse and an advocate for others in similar situations; an author and actress; a devout Buddhist; a wife and mother; a human being of rare talent and perseverance who, through her transcendent brilliance, became a legend.
Incredible Eulogy by Will Stenberg
image | IMDb
Sent from my iPhone
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Thursday, May 25, 2023
5月 佛法概念 ver2
< Slide 1 >
勤行和唱题
（5月份座谈会上分享）
不超过10分钟
完整的解释刊登在2023年4月份的《创价时报》
（A）重点
简介：
上个月我们学到与他人分享佛法就是"化他行"，这个月我们将学习另一部分，那就是"自行"。"自行"就是指勤行（读诵《法华经》的摘录）和唱诵南无妙法莲华经。
< Slide 2 >
1.什么是"南无妙法莲华经"？
--那是日莲大圣人悟得的贯穿宇宙与生命的根源之法。
--是从根本上解决万人苦恼的法。
--相信御本尊，并唱念南无妙法莲华经时，我们内在本有的佛界被唤起，就能从生命奥底涌现用之不尽的生命力。
< Slide 3 >
2.我们在勤行时诵读的是什么？
--我们每天勤行时，唱诵题目和诵读《法华经》"方便品第二"和"如来寿量品第十六"的自我偈。
--释尊说出的一切经典中，至高且究极真理的经典就是《法华经》。
在总共二十八品的《法华经》中，我们之所以诵读
"方便品"和"寿量品"的自我偈，是因为这是开启万人成佛之道的《法华经》最重要的两品。
< Slide 4 >
《方便品》
• 指宇宙所有的一切现象 皆为“妙法”所显现。
《寿量品》
《寿量品》
• 指释尊其实是自久远的过去成佛以来，就常住于此娑婆世界的佛。
< Slide 5 >
3.勤行和唱题是什么关系？
--确信御本尊并唱诵南无妙法莲华经的题目始终是勤行的根本，因此，称唱题为"正行"。
--诵读《方便品》和"寿量品"的"自我偈"则是为了助显"正行"的题目的功德，故称为"助行"。
--可以将唱题比喻为米饭和面食等主食（=正行），而诵读经文比喻为盐和醋等增添主食味道的调味料（=助行）。
< Slide 6 >
4.不明白自己诵读的经文的意思，也行吗？
--即便不明白南无妙法莲华经或者所诵读的经文的意思，勤行的功德也不会变。
--比如说，即便不了解外语的意思，只要发音正确的话，还是能够正确地传达给使用该语言的人。同样的，我们唱题和勤行的声音能通达御本尊，准确地被佛与菩萨的世界所理解。可以说，当我们勤行和唱题时，我们是在讲佛与菩萨的世界的语言。
--重要的是相信御本尊的心，以及赞叹和增强御本尊功德力的心。
< Slide 7 >
5.勤行和唱题时，重要的是什么？
--最重要的，是有"要到御本尊前唱题"的一念，即便只是片刻也好。
--努力这样做，这本身已经是胜利了。
< Slide 8 >
更何况持续认真地勤行、唱题，是多么不简单。全都是为了自己，不是义务而是权利。
< Slide 9 >
御本尊决不会强逼你来信。发自内心的信仰才叫信心。所做的都成为自己的助益。
< Slide 10 >
“苦悟其苦、乐开其乐，苦乐与共，同唱南无妙法莲华经可也。”
< Slide 11 >
痛苦的时候就痛苦，高兴的时候就高兴，率直地面对御本尊就可以了。
< Slide 12 >
“法华经行者的祈求也不可能不能如愿！”
___
--痛苦的时候或者高兴的时候，都率(shuai)直地面对御本尊就可以了。
--池田先生在指导中说道："就算只唱一遍题目，也能响彻全宇宙。妙法的音律定能撼动诸天。"
--所以，让我们持着大确信来祈求吧。
--认真地勤励于勤行和唱题时，就会涌现出能超越任何困难和课题的强盛生命力与智慧。
--祈求可说是朝往目的"引擎"。
____
< Slide 13 >
（B）池田先生的指导
勤行是崇高的仪式，是打开自身宝库的作业。在生命的大地上挖掘生命力的涌泉。挖掘取之不尽、用之不竭的智慧、慈悲、勇气的源流。
< Slide 14 >
"宇宙的实体也是南无妙法莲华经。"我等生命"也是南无妙法莲华经的表露。而"御本尊"也是南无妙法莲华经的当体，三者皆是南无妙法莲华经，原本就是一体。
因此唱念南无妙法莲华经，就是以御本尊为中心，使我们的生命与宇宙的齿轮吻合，开始不断往幸福的方向运转。
< Slide 15 >
春夏秋冬365天，和大自然的韵律一致的话，将发挥超越任何烦恼的"生命力"、"智慧"和"福运"。
勤行能使人一面发动"佛界"此生命力之引擎，一面打开困境，不断向前，奋勇奔向希望、正义的方向。
* * *
更何况持续认真地勤行、唱题，是多么不简单。全都是为了自己，不是义务而是权利。
御本尊决不会强逼你来信。发自内心的信仰才叫信心。所做的都成为自己的助益。
（摘自池田先生的《春对话》）
SGS教学部准备
May 2023 Buddhist Fundamentals
Gongyo and Daimoku
(To be shared at the May Discussion Meeting)
Not More Than 10 Minutes
The full explanation is published on the April 2023 issue of Soka Times.
(A) Key Points
Introduction:
Last month, we learnt that sharing Buddhism with others constitute "practice for others". This month, we shall study the other aspect, "practice for oneself", which specifically refer to doing gongyo (reciting excerpts of the Lotus Sutra) and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
1. What Is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo?
- Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the fundamental Law that pervades the entire universe and all life to which Nichiren Daishonin had awakened.
- It is the fundamental Law for resolving the suffering of all humanity.
- When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon, we can manifest our inherent Buddha nature, thereby causing an inexhaustible source of life force to well forth from the depths of our lives.
2. What are we reciting during our gongyo?
- In our daily practice of gongyo, we chant the daimoku of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and recite excerpts portions of the Lotus Sutra — an extract from the "Expedient Means" (2nd) chapter and the verse section of the "Life Span" (16th) chapter.
- Among the vast array of teachings that Shakyamuni Buddha preached, the Lotus Sutra is the scripture that conveys the ultimate truth of his teaching.
- Among the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the reason we recite the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" chapters is that these are the two most important chapters of the Lotus Sutra, which opens the way to enlightenment for all people.
3. What is the relationship between gongyo and chanting daimoku?
- Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon is fundamental; it is therefore called the "primary practice".
- Reciting the "Expedient Means" and "Life Span" chapters helps bring forth the benefit of the primary practice; it is therefore called the "supporting practice".
- When eating rice or noodles, the primary source of nourishment, seasonings such as salt or vinegar are used to enhance, or supplement, the flavour.
4. Is it okay that I don't understand the meaning of what I'm reciting during gongyo?
- Even though you may not understand the meaning of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo or the sutra that you are reciting, the benefit you receive from carrying out the practice of gongyo will remain the same.
- For example, even though you may not understand a foreign language, if you pronounce the word correctly, it can be communicated to those who are proficient in the language. In the same way, our voices chanting daimoku and reciting the sutra during gongyo are communicated to the Gohonzon, and unerringly understood in the realm of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. You might say that when we do gongyo and chant daimoku, we are speaking the language of Buddhas and bodhisattvas.
- What's important here is our heart of faith in the Gohonzon and the heart to praise and enhance the beneficial power of the Gohonzon.
5. What is it that's important when carrying out the practice of gongyo and chanting daimoku?
- What matters most is having the spirit to sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant, even if it's just for a little while. Striving and making the effort to do so is itself a victorious step.
- Whether experiencing suffering or joy, we should just take everything to the Gohonzon, expressing whatever is in our hearts as we chant.
- Ikeda Sensei says in his guidance, "Even a single utterance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo reverberates throughout the entire universe. The sound of the Mystic Law cannot fail to awaken and activate the protective forces of the universe."
- Let's offer our prayers based on absolute conviction.
- When we diligently strive to carry out the practice of gongyo and chanting daimoku, a surge of vibrant life force and wisdom will well forth from the depths of our lives to enable us to prevail over any hardships or obstacles that we encounter.
- Prayers is the powerful engine that propels our advancement towards our goal.
(B) Sensei's Guidance
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Tapping the Dynamic Wellspring of Life Force through Gongyo and Daimoku
Gongyo is a solemn ceremony. When we do gongyo, we open wide the doors of the treasure storehouse within; we mine the dynamic wellspring of life force that lies dormant in the vast inner reaches of our being; we tap an inexhaustible source of wisdom, compassion and courage. The universe and our lives are manifestations of the Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and the Gohonzon is also an embodiment of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Since all are entities of the Mystic Law, they are essentially one and indivisible. Therefore, when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and focus on the Gohonzon, our lives and the universe merge like cogs in a machine meshing together with perfect precision, and we begin to turn in the direction of happiness and fulfillment. Then we can be in rhythm with the universe 365 days of the year, manifesting the vigour, wisdom and good fortune with which to surmount any problem or suffering. When we rev up the powerful, revitalizing engine of Buddhahood, we can break through any impasse and boldly steer a course in the direction of hope and justice.
***
You can imagine the immense benefit you will obtain when you earnestly continue to do gongyo and chant daimoku. Basically, you do gongyo and chant daimoku for yourself. Your practice of gongyo and daimoku is not an obligation, it is a right. The Gohonzon will never demand that you chant to it. An attitude of appreciation in being able to chant to the Gohonzon is the heart of faith. The more you exert yourself in faith – in doing gongyo and chanting daimoku – the more you stand to gain.
(From Ikeda Sensei's "Discussions on Youth")
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Prepared by SGS Study Department
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