Saturday, July 11, 2020

July 2020 discussion meeting gosho

2020 年 7 月份座谈会御书

 《覆曾谷书其二》
(别名"轮陀王御书") 白马之鸣,是我等南无妙法莲华经之声也。听得此声之梵天、帝释、日月、四天等,何能不增其色而盛其光乎?何能不为我等守护?须如是坚信也!(御书 1106 页)

白话文 
白马的嘶叫,就是我们唱念南无妙法莲华经的声音。听到这个声音的大梵天、帝释天、日天和月天、四天王等,怎么不会更增威势、灿烂生辉,怎么不会守护我们! 要有这样强盛的一念。

背景与大意


  • 本抄是日莲大圣人在1279 年 8 月,写给曾谷教信的儿子曾谷道宗的一封书信。
  • 父子二 人是 大圣人的中心门人。
  • 当时日本国正处在忧心蒙古随时会再度侵袭的动荡时代。

  • 大圣人在御书中回应 "两袋炒米" 的供养。
  • 大圣人指出米是支撑生命的食物。
  • 对于用米来供养法华经行者的门人的信心,大圣人表示赞扬。

  • 其次,大圣人通过"五味"的譬喻("五味"是指在精制牛奶的过程中所产生的五种 味道),阐明法华经为"五味之主",亦即一切教义之王者(至高的经典)。

  • 之后,大圣人教示南无妙法莲华经的题目正是"一切经之神、一切经之眼目"。(御 书 1101 页)

  • 大圣人进而教示,只要强盛地唱诵此妙法的题目,就能增强十界一切众生的威光势 力,实现安稳的社会。对此,大圣人举出轮陀王与白马的故事(御书 1102 页)为例, 进一步说明。

  • 这个故事是说有一位名叫轮陀王的贤王,据说他一听到白马的嘶鸣,就能提升生命 力,增添威光势力,国家因此而繁荣。

  • 接着,大圣人说出自己与弟子们能在这个乱世与法华经的题目结缘,如此宿习是何等 之大呢。

  • 最后,大圣人断言,就像得到白天鹅支持的白马其嘶鸣让轮陀王苏生,给民众和国土 带来活力一样,大圣人一门的唱题声增加诸天善神的威光势力,必然唤起诸天的守护 作用。

强盛、深切地祈求到底! 以朗朗的唱题为根本

学习御书的要点
  • 妙法是构建安稳社会的泉源
  •  作撼动诸天的确信之祈求!

解说
日莲大圣人在本抄中通过轮陀王与白马的故事,浅显易懂地教导题目的意义。

——话说轮陀王听到白马的嘶鸣,生命力随之增添,就连国家也繁荣起来。
可是 白马必须看到白天鹅才会发出嘶鸣。因此,当有一天所有的白天鹅都不见了,白马也 不再嘶鸣。

于是大王的生命力开始衰弱,国家跟着衰退,也开始遭受外国侵略。

其他人开始祈祷,但仍不见白天鹅归来。可是当马鸣菩萨出现并开始祈求时,白 天鹅立刻出现,白马也高兴地嘶鸣起来。轮陀王则比以前增加了百千万倍的力量,人 们也重获活力,国家恢复安稳。


大圣人透过这个故事,阐示白马的嘶鸣就是我们唱诵南无妙法莲华经的声音 ("白马之鸣,是我等南无妙法莲华经之声也。"(御书 1106 页)),法华经行者唱 诵题目的声音能唤醒一切众生的大生命力的原理。


此外,就如"白马的嘶鸣"这个譬喻所象征的,重要的是要像白马飒爽地奔驰在大草 原上一样,轻快爽朗地唱题。
大圣人进而强调,强盛唱题的声音会增强诸天善神的力量,其结果就是诸天会俨然守 护法华经行者。


诸天善神就是指守护法华经行者的一切"善的作用"。正如"听到这个声音的大梵天、 帝释天、日天和月天、四天王等,怎么不会更增威势、灿烂生辉"般,诸天善神的作 用之强弱,决定于受持妙法的我们的"信心的强弱"。重要的是连诸天也能撼动的确 信的祈求。


池田 SGI 会长写道:"如同白马的嘶叫声会增加帝王的气势,我们朗朗的唱题能更增 添佛天的威光势力。只要透过强盛的祈求,周遭所结缘的人,都将化成诸天善神的作 用,俨然地不断守护我们。伴随妙法为广宣流布奔波,智勇兼具的师子王是没有什么 好怕的。题目正是化不可能为可能的泉源。"


让我们以唱题为根本,让生命力涌出,每天精神奕奕地前进吧! (转译自创价学会教学月刊《大白莲华》2020 年 6 月号)
   
 池田 SGI 会长的指导
 题目有深厚浩瀚的生命变革之功德

唱题行是一项从事变革自己生命的"人间革命"修行。必须是深化自身的一念,足以 打动诸天善神,实现绝对胜利的"誓愿题目",才算是大圣人佛法所说的唱题行。
又如"一切众生,唱南无妙法莲华经外,别无游乐"(御书 1189 页)此文 段,题目有深厚浩瀚的生命变革之功德。于佛教史上,最能深深自觉及体会这无上喜 悦的就是我们创价学会员。
(摘录自池田 SGI 会长讲义:研习胜利经典——《御书》之《覆曾谷书其二》)

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July 2020 Discussion Meeting Gosho
   King Rinda
The neighing of the white horses is the sound of our voices chanting Nam-myoho-renge- kyo. When Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, and the others hear this sound, how could they fail to take on a healthy colour and shine with a brilliant light? How could they fail to guard and protect us? We should be firmly convinced of this! (WND-1, p. 989)
Background and Outline
This letter, dated August 1279, is thought to have been addressed to Soya Doso who, along with his father Soya Kyoshin, was a dedicated follower of Nichiren Daishonin. This letter was written at a time when the country was filled with great anxiety and turmoil at the prospect of a second Mongol invasion.
In this letter, the Daishonin responds to the sincere offering of "two sacks of parched rice". Noting that rice is something that supports life, the Daishonin praises the greatness of his disciple who support the life of the votary of the Lotus Sutra through making the offering.
Following this, the Daishonin uses the metaphor of the "five flavours" (the five flavours produced in the process of refining cow's milk) to clarify the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra among all the sutras by stating that it is the "lord of the five flavours". (cf WND-1, pp. 983– 84)
The Daishonin then teaches that the daimoku of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo "represents the soul of all the sutras; it represents the eye of all the sutras". (WND-1, p. 984)
The Daishonin further teaches that when the daimoku of the Mystic Law is chanted powerfully, all living beings in the Ten Worlds will be invigorated and society will be peaceful and secure. To illustrate this point, the Daishonin relates the Buddhist parable of King Rinda and the white horses. (WND-1, pp. 985–86)
The parable is about a wise and worthy ruler named King Rinda, whose life force was invigorated and thrived when he heard white horses neighing at the sight of white swans. As a result, his realm flourished, too.
Thereafter, the Daishonin reveals that it must have been a profound karmic bond that enabled him and his disciples to encounter the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra in this tumultuous world.
Finally, the Daishonin asserts that just as the neighing of the white horses, sustained by the white swans, revived King Rinda and restored vigour and prosperity to his kingdom and its
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July 2020 Discussion Meeting Gosho
people, the sound of Nichiren and his followers chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will definitely increase the strength and brilliance of the benevolent forces of the universe and activate their protective functions. (cf WND-1, pp. 989–90)
Let's Continue to Offer Powerful and Profound Prayers
Basing Our Lives on the Practice of Chanting Resounding Daimoku
Key Learning Points of the Gosho Passage:
◇ The Mystic Law is the driving force in our efforts to build a society that is peaceful and secure.
◇ Let's offer prayers infused with firm commitment that moves the heavenly deities into action!
Explanation
In this passage, Nichiren Daishonin employs the Buddhist parable of King Rinda and the white horses to illustrate the power of daimoku in easily understandable terms.
The parable relates that there was once a wise and worthy ruler named King Rinda. When he heard white horses neighing, his life force was invigorated, and he flourished and thrived. As a result, his realm did, too. These white horses, however, only neighed when they saw white swans. So when all the white swans disappeared from the kingdom one day, the white horses ceased to neigh. As a result, the king grew weak and so did his kingdom. As such, neighbouring countries began to attack.
Various people offered prayers, but the white swans did not return. Then, Bodhisattva Ashvaghosha came forth and prayed, whereupon the white swans immediately appeared, and the white horses began to neigh joyfully. King Rinda recovered from his enervated state, gaining countless times the physical strength and mental acuity he had before. The people were also revived, and peace and prosperity was restored to the kingdom.
Referring to this parable, the Daishonin reveals that "the neighing of the white horses is the sound of our voices chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." (WND-1, p. 989) By stating so, the Daishonin clearly expresses the principle that the voices of practitioners of the Lotus Sutra chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo have the innate power to awaken the fundamental life force of all living beings — that is, their Buddhahood, or Buddha nature.
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July 2020 Discussion Meeting Gosho
In addition, as symbolically expressed through the metaphor of the neighing of the white horses, it is important that our chanting of daimoku be light, refreshing, and vibrant, like a noble steed galloping freely across the vast open plains.
The Daishonin further teaches that our vibrant voices chanting daimoku give power and strength to heavenly gods and benevolent deities, thereby activating and strengthening their protective functions to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
"Heavenly gods and benevolent deities" refer to all benevolent forces of the universe that work to safeguard and protect the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra.
The Daishonin also states, "When Brahmā, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, and the others hear this sound, how could they fail to take on a healthy colour and shine with a brilliant light?" As stated here, it is when the heavenly gods "hear this sound" that they "take on a healthy colour and shine with a brilliant light". What the Daishonin is teaching here is that whether the benevolent forces of the universe is strong or weak depends entirely on the power of faith of the practitioner of the Mystic Law. In other words, it depends on whether our faith is strong or weak. As such, it's important that we offer prayers infused with a firm commitment that move the heavenly deities into action.
SGI President Ikeda explains this passage in this manner: "Just as King Rinda thrived upon hearing the sound of white horses neighing, our strong and vibrant chanting of Nam-myoho- renge-kyo is what enhances the vitality and power of the Buddhas and heavenly deities throughout the universe. Through earnest prayer, we can transform anyone and everything around us into positive functions that will definitely support and protect us. The wise and courageous champions of Soka who strive for kosen-rufu aligned with the Mystic Law have nothing to fear. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the driving force for making the impossible possible."
Let's summon forth vibrant life force from the depths of our lives through chanting daimoku and make refreshing advancement day after day.
(Translated and adapted from the June 2020 issue of The Daibyakyrenge, the Soka Gakkai's monthly study journal.)
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July 2020 Discussion Meeting Gosho
 SGI President Ikeda's Guidance
Chanting Daimoku Brings Us the Infinitely Profound Benefit of Inner Transformation
Chanting daimoku is our fundamental Buddhist practice for carrying out our human revolution, or inner transformation. To chant with a strong vow or commitment — thereby deepening our own determination and conviction, activating the protective functions of the universe, and achieving absolute victory — is the essence of chanting in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
The Daishonin writes: "There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." (WND-1, p. 681) Chanting daimoku brings us the infinitely profound and vast benefit of inner transformation. This is the greatest happiness — something that countless members of the SGI around the world today deeply recognise and savour.
(From SGI President Ikeda's Study Lecture Series, Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory, "King Rinda")
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