Here is a question from my daughter-
What is a Bodhisattva of the Earth?
And a few follow up questions -
Am I one?
Why am I one?
- Comments (76)
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#1 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.The teachings of duality? Go ahead enlighten everyone about the teachings of duality in buddhism. That should be a hoot.
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#2 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.Read Chapters 11 and 23 of the Lotus Sutra and you will learn everything you need to know about the principle of Buddhist duality.
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#3 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
That’s hardly an explanation. But what has any of that to do with your denial of,
“Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or seperate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death”
which as I said was the whole point?
In any case it’s not a matter of non-dualism and dualism, nor is it a matter of theoretical and essential, really it is a matter of enlightenment or delusion. You’ve chosen delusion though at any moment you could choose enlightenment. Just open your eyes and grasp the heritage of the law. I’m sure you will sooner or later. -
#4 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
“The heritage of the Lotus Sutra flows within the lives of those who never forsake it in any lifetime whatsoever—whether in the past, the present, or the future. But those who disbelieve and slander the Lotus Sutra will immediately “destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world.” Because they cut themselves off from the potential to attain enlightenment, they do not share the heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death.”
Since you, SGI leaders and, for the most part, SGI members, are slanders, what hope do you ever have to become equal to Shakyamuni Buddha?
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#5 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
I have all the hope anyone can have. Your lies don’t affect me and don’t dampen my faith in any way. Even you with no understanding, who parrots words he doesn’t understand, and attacks those who keep, recite, and teach to others the Lotus Sutra, can have hope because in any given moment you can change. Even you could embrace the Lotus Sutra, instead of cutting yourself off from it as you do now.
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#6 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
Are you saying that you have changed? That you no longer hate, envy, and despise Nichiren Daishonin. That you would no longer give up your faith in the Lotus Sutra should the Muslims gain ascendency, gladly prostrating yourself before Allah on a Muslim prayer rug? Shan-wu-wei too kept, recited, and taught others the Lotus Sutra, yet he was an a person of incorrigeable disbelief. The same gowes for SGI members who believe their is no salvation without the mentor and who teach that the Lotus Sutra is the teaching of interfaith.
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#7 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
You’ve not only not understood my own sarcasm nor sarcastic imitation of you, never understood a joke, but you’ve never understood anytyhing I said straightforwardly either. As to your twisted interpretations of what the SGI believes or doesn’t believe I’m not going to waste my energy trying to straighhten you out. But I always like how when yoju have no answer to give you revert to attack mode. Wait you don’t revert, you remain eternally in attack mode. And who do you attack most? Believers and teachers of teh Lotus Sutra who do not agree with your fundamentalist interpretations of what shouild be a universal teaching. Not just SGI or Nichiren Sho Shu, you attack Nichiren Shu as well. If some independent practitioner agrees with you on 98% you’ll condemn them for the 2%.
I haven’t changed. I hate and despise you characature of Nichiren but I don’t envy him.
I’d still rather be a Muslim than a member of your group. And yes even though from the outside you may seem to follow the Lotus Sutra since you despise it’s essense and you are a person of incorrigeable disbelief. I don’t think anyone can help you but one day your own buddha nature will arise. -
#8 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
Understood a joke? Even in jest, to slander a votary is an extremely grave offense and how much more so, repeatedly slandering Nichiren who teaches the Lotus Sutra in the midst of a great assembly? If my offenses are grave, how much more so yours?
Steve can attest that I have never once condemned him and I doubt he agrees with 98% of what I say.
As for my twisted interpretation of what SGI believes, I use their words, lectures, songs, videos, interfaith activities, and semi-nude reliefs of Ikeda to present in their own words and pictures what they believe. If my interpretation is twisted, then they must have some secret teachings that they are not yet revealing to the world, perhaps what Ikeda describes as, “I have not yet revealed one ten millionth of my power.”
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#9 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
To Mark, Well you slander them all the time no joke at all. I’m sure my slander of your slander will have no ill effect. You’re not a votary of the Lotus Sutra, that’s a false claim by you. You have no understanding of the Lotus sutra. What you have is an axe to grind and any excuse to you is a good one. Just go read your own blog, it should be obvious.
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#10 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
I think everone should read Mark’s blog to a certain mindset it will appear as the dharma, others will see it as wildly inappropriate, and some will see it as I do funny as hell a Keystone Kop kind of comedy of errors and blundering.
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#11 | Written by Steve about 8 years ago.“Steve can attest that I have never once condemned him and I doubt he agrees with 98% of what I say.”
- I can attest to this [if it was me you were referring to]. Neither has anyone from KH ever spoken a word against me, or even told me I have to join.
Mark only speaks out against those who go against what Nichiren taught. The followers of provisional Buddhism do not slander Nichiren, it is those who claim to be Nichiren’s disciples, but in their hearts despise him, who are the slanderers.
Clown Hidden, you sound very angry. If you had a passage from Nichiren to say Mark is wrong, I think you would have already quoted it. But if you are relying on your own interpretation, then you may be guilty of placing your own opinions above Nichiren’s.
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#12 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
Thanks for the advertisement clown. Too bad they will not find your invective laden rants there, your threats against Greg, me, and our families, your curses, expletives, your potty mouth, and your slander of Nichiren and the Kempon Hokke. I have removed most of these posts but I saved them for anyone who cares to see if your walk matches your talk. All this for what? To protect a man [Ikeda] and his teachings that you abhor in your heart [I have this little exchange between you and Maltz and other's about your warm fuzzy feelings towards the SGI mentor.....NOT], just to be contrary and to demonstrate your superiority but really, all it shows is your lack of sincerity.
You exhibit zero self control and your real agenda is to protect Clown from any real or perceived slight.
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#13 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
That’s o.k. you provide the funny part. Editing me out won’t make much difference. I was just extremely slow to learn that the best way to show your true value is to let you go on without interuption. I’m sure you’ve heard the one about ‘give him enough rope and he’ll hang himself’ that’s you. I don’t have to say anything just let you speak for yourself.
And your slights were real but coming from you they are like offerings of flowers and perfume. -
#14 | Written by u about 8 years ago.I’m relatively new to Buddhism, and I’m a bit out of my league here when it comes to arguing the meaning of sutras and esoteric phrases from Buddhist texts. But I always assumed the point was to understand we are responsible for the life conditions we find ourselves in, and that we continue to learn this by compassionately helping others recognize this as well. I thought that was what a Bodhisattva of the Earth was.
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#15 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
I’d say thyat is pretty good for the world of humanity, but for the higher worlds you need to have some understanding or communication about your true nature beyond causes and conditions.
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#16 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
“But I always assumed the point was to understand we are responsible for the life conditions we find ourselves in, and that we continue to learn this by compassionately helping others recognize this as well. I thought that was what a Bodhisattva of the Earth was.”
Yes. I think the key to your response is “compassionately”. The compassionate means and actions of Nichiren to this end [the forceful practices] is frowned upon by some Nichiren schools but the Kempon Hokke take it as our bones and marrow.
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#17 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
Ahh yes, the great compassion of telling anyone who doesn’t believe exactly as you do or won’t join your little circle that they are damned. Who has ever seen compassion such as this? The funny part is you think by doing so you are following Shakyamuni and Nichiren.
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#18 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
Steve, Mark goes against anyone with a different interpretation. If some one wants to claim that someone who reads writes and keeps the Lotus Sutra and even spreads that teaching to others is a slanderer I’m not buying it, regardless of what quotes you have. I believe in reason and rationality above quotes taken out of context and twisted. Nor do I believe in the absolute infalliblity of anyone you want to quote. If your opinion is that I am arrogant that is your right, to me I am am simply convinced that uptight findamentalists are not only wrong but that their stupidity and lack of logic is damned funny regardless of which religion they profess.
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#19 | Written by CL about 8 years ago.Steve,
It doesn’t take a “word” of any scripture to prove Mark is wrong. Hidden within his sometimes valid criticisms about large-scale religious organizations is a very hurt, hurtful ego-bruised child of a man. Elsewhere, he asks why the “suffering” of others is greater than his suffering or the suffering of those who hang on his every word and in doing so, he tears out the good roots of his practice like a bitter, twisted Johnny Appleseed.
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#20 | Written by Bruce Maltz about 8 years ago.When the Bodhisattvas of the Earth appear at the Ceremony in the Sky, those that are present ask “Who are these Bodhisattvas? We have never seen them before?” The Eternal Buddha answers, “These are my original disciples that I have personally taught ony by one in a time so long ago, it is not possible to describe.
I have taught them the Bodhisattva way, they are prepared for Buddhahood.. they have been hiding under the either of the Saha World until now getting ready to appear in the later day…” The Sutra also goes on to say get rid of expediate means, all practice will have no effect in the latter day, distinguish the right time, and all essential teachings that those Bodhisattvas of the Earth already learned from the Eternal Buddha, who also says, “This is the most difficult teaching to believe, because it is complete.”
Before the ceremony is complete, he stops and announces that he transfers all his eternal causes to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to take to the Saha World when they return in the Later Day, and spread the Secret of the Sutra (everyone has Buddhahood * 3000 worlds) and next we are back in India in Soho.
1. People do not believe the Sutra, They do not have confidence in the Eternal Buddha. They don’t understand about people and gods. Confusion of Christianity, and intenional brainwash from SGI take over. Nichiren himself describes Buddha as a person.2. People believe Nichiren’s wrongly translated letters instead of the Sutra.
3. No mention of Religion or worship or Religious Practice in the Sutra, yet everyone attaches themselves to such expediate means, so they again do not listen to Eternal Buddha.
4. No mention of starting a Sect, Temples, Groups, Leaders, Priests, Japan HQ, SGI, Kempon or any other special group in the sutra, yet everyone would rather believe a human and their interpertation, rather than the Sutra itself. It is the hardest to believe. No mention of mandala, or scrolls, or you must have Gohonson. Buddha Nature is inside as Nichiren says, but current sects force all members seek Buddha outside their life.
5. People like Rogow attach themself to a sect, McCormick to all forms of ego Buddhism, when all those practice will make one worse in spirit and follow a life of chasing their ego. Buddha himself says taking the wrong medicine will make one worse.
Lotus Sutra says, Bodhisattvas of the Earth come to the Earth with Buddha Nature, not a Buddha, and there is no need to practice anything because there is no practice that is strong enough to make a difference in our climate of corruption, but we ignore those words in the Sutra because of our ego.
We love to chant and meditate and pretend to be a leader or priest!! Yet we all come back personally taught and trained by the Original Buddha to be a Bodhisattva in Mappo, it says so in the Lotus Sutra, unless you do not believe it. It is hard to believe, it is much easier to believe Hindu+Christianity, or the current combo called Buddhism.
Hope I answered the question.
Bruce -
#21 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
When I first heard these things from Bruce I couldn’t believe them. The more I looked the more correct he seemed. I have not been able to find any error in what he says. I always thought there must be some practice.
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#22 | Written by CL about 8 years ago.
Agreed. We are so fortunate and it is so profound to be born as a human being.
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#23 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
Those who couldn’t support a faith and practice as Nichiren’s even for a day, criticizing the Great Man’s faith and practice, criticizing their leader specifically mentioned in the Lotus Sutra. What a sorry state you are in.
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#24 | Written by Mark Rogow about 8 years ago.
Those with a different interpretation of the Lotus Sutra than Nichiren Daishonin are destined for hell. The only surprising thing is that you aren’t already there.
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#25 | Written by clown hidden about 8 years ago.
Which is more funny that Nichiren is supposedly named in the Lotus Sutra or that anyone with a different interpretation is goinfg to hell?
Great example of the quote. “Only the madman is absolutely sure.” -
#26 | Written by CL about 8 years ago.
It might be instructive for everyone to listen to a podcast of Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR from Monday where she interviews C. Peter Wagner, one of the leaders of the New Apostolic Reformation. Kempon Hokke is basically a “buddhist” version of this movement, a fundamentalism that knows no limits to intolerance, anti-intellectualism, and literalisms.