FIRST, chant daimoku.
First, be in good health.
First, work cheerfully.
First, establish your finances.
And first, take the initiative.
WHAT is the purpose of life? It is happiness. And there are two kinds of happiness: relative and absolute. Relative happiness comes in a variety of forms. The purpose of Buddhism is to attain Buddhahood. In modern times, this could be explained as realizing absolute happiness – a state of happiness that can never be destroyed or defeated.
“SUCH-and-such is sick. So-and-so is suffering financially. I must do my best to give them encouragement.” To think in this way, to offer prayers and take action for others’ happiness – this is the behaviour of a Buddhist. Those who make efforts to bring joy to others even though they may be suffering themselves are bodhisattvas.
TO have the desire to sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant daimoku is very important. It is an expression of one’s determination to improve oneself. That spirit is important. That spirit is the proof of our humanity, an expression of the noble spirit to accomplish something with our lives.
THE human heart is unfathomable. It is fickle and constantly changing. From moment to moment, our inner state of mind changes; we experience various emotions – joy, sorrow, anger, pain. Life, too, is full of changes. That is why, for countless centuries and millennia, humanity has pondered the question of what constitutes the best and surest way to lasting happiness.
NOTE: Visit http://nichirendaishoningosho.blogspot.com/ for Nichiren Daishonin's gosho, A Gift of Rice.
First, be in good health.
First, work cheerfully.
First, establish your finances.
And first, take the initiative.
WHAT is the purpose of life? It is happiness. And there are two kinds of happiness: relative and absolute. Relative happiness comes in a variety of forms. The purpose of Buddhism is to attain Buddhahood. In modern times, this could be explained as realizing absolute happiness – a state of happiness that can never be destroyed or defeated.
“SUCH-and-such is sick. So-and-so is suffering financially. I must do my best to give them encouragement.” To think in this way, to offer prayers and take action for others’ happiness – this is the behaviour of a Buddhist. Those who make efforts to bring joy to others even though they may be suffering themselves are bodhisattvas.
TO have the desire to sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant daimoku is very important. It is an expression of one’s determination to improve oneself. That spirit is important. That spirit is the proof of our humanity, an expression of the noble spirit to accomplish something with our lives.
THE human heart is unfathomable. It is fickle and constantly changing. From moment to moment, our inner state of mind changes; we experience various emotions – joy, sorrow, anger, pain. Life, too, is full of changes. That is why, for countless centuries and millennia, humanity has pondered the question of what constitutes the best and surest way to lasting happiness.
NOTE: Visit http://nichirendaishoningosho.blogspot.com/ for Nichiren Daishonin's gosho, A Gift of Rice.
