Buddhism teaches there are ten states of life or mind called the Ten Worlds.
When we look at a person’s face, at times he appears joyful, enraged, or calm. At other times, we may see the appearance of greed, foolishness or flattery. Anger is a manifestation of the world of hell, greed is a manifestation of the world of hunger, stupidity is a manifestation of the world of animality, fawning is a manifestation of the world of anger, calmness is the manifestation of the world of humanity, and joy is the manifestation of the world of rapture.
written by Nichiren Daishonin in 13th century Japan
Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism teaches from the world of hell to the world of rapture, these six paths are all present in our hearts. The four noble worlds of learning, realization, bodhisattva, and Buddhahood are hidden and dormant and cannot be seen. Even though the world of Buddhahood exists as a potential within us, it is hidden in the depths of our life. We need the seed of the Buddha to activate our Buddha nature.
Visit our Temple — Online or In-Person — this Sunday, March 19th, for a brief lecture on the Ten Worlds by our Chief Priest, Rev Sakabe.
Learn how you can receive the seed of the Buddha to activate your Buddha nature.
Learn how to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and properly use the Juzu Beads, Buddhist prayer beads.
Q&A with our Chief Priest.
The meeting starts at 2:00 pm and concludes around 3:15 pm. Open to the public. If you register for online participation you will receive an email about 1:00pm Sunday with the link to the Myosenji’s Live Stream.
Even if one does not study the sutra, chanting the Daimoku alone is a tremendous good cause. [The Lotus Sutra states that] evil people, women, those of the worlds of animality and hell—those of all the ten worlds—will be able to attain enlightenment. This is analogous to a rock taken from the bottom of a river possessing the ability to ignite a fire, or a lamp having the ability to illuminate a place that has been dark for one hundred and ten million years. Such mysterious phenomena are found even in trivial matters of society, not to mention the mystic power of the Law of Buddhism.
written by Nichiren Daishonin, 13th century Japan
In this passage, the Daishonin teaches that the Daimoku of the Lotus
Sutra—Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo—possesses great mystic power. Therefore, even
if one chants the Daimoku based on faith alone, without understanding
the meaning, this action is the good cause and the source of
accumulating benefit. The Daishonin also states that all living beings
in the ten worlds, including evil men, women, animals, and those who
have fallen into the world of hell can attain enlightenment.
Sunday, January 29th, Myosenji Temple will host a lecture on the Ten Worlds by our Chief Priest, Rev Sakabe. He will explain how to awaken your Buddha nature, transcend the six lower paths and find joy and happiness in your life. Register Today!
Learn how to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and properly use the Juzu Beads, Buddhist prayer beads.
Q&A with our Chief Priest.
The meeting starts at 2:00 pm and concludes around 3:15 pm. Online & In-Person.
Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, no matter what happens. Then you will experience boundless joy from the Law. Strengthen your faith more than ever.
Karma is both positive and negative. It can serve to open opportunities, reduce suffering and create joy. It can also serve to disrupt, damage or take control of your life. Everyone in this world possesses both positive and negative karma. The only option we have is to face and overcome our karma to achieve peace and happiness in our life.
When you chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to the Gohonzon (object of worship), you acquire the wisdom to recognize positive opportunities and you acquire the courage to break through any difficulties. It is because the practice of chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo awakens us to what the origin of our present suffering is, and also gives us the confidence that we can overcome our negative karma.
Karma Lecture – Sunday, January 22nd
Visit Myosenji Temple this Sunday, January 22nd, in-person or online, to hear our Chief Priest explain how you can change your karma, effectively reflect on your karma, and understand the causes you make and the effects you receive. Discover whether or not your current thinking is counter-productive to your happiness. Register Today!
Learn how to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and properly use the Juzu Beads, Buddhist prayer beads.
Q&A with our Chief Priest.
The meeting starts at 2:00 pm and concludes around 3:15 pm.
If you have decided to become a Buddhist or are interested in learning how to become a Buddhist, after Sunday’s meeting (about 3:30 pm) Rev Sakabe will be performing the Acceptance of the Precept Ceremony, the ceremony where you become a Buddhist.
New Year’s Day marks the first day, the first month, the beginning of the year and the start of spring. A person who celebrates this day will gain virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually, moving from west to east, and the sun shines more brightly traveling from east to west.
(Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, wrote this to his followers in 13th century Japan.)
Making determinations and chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo indicates the significance of New Year’s Day. Even though one may be dressed in beautiful clothes and filled with determination for the new year, without chanting Daimoku (Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo), determinations will be short-lived and self-centered. When the festivities are over, one simply returns to a world of delusion and old problems. Read more about the New Year’s Day Buddhist ceremony (The Gantan Gongyo) on our Head Temple’s web site.
In the United States, all attention this week is on our celebration of Thanksgiving. It’s a traditional time for family, food and football. It’s also a celebration to remind Americans to practice gratitude and appreciation for everything in our lives.
The concept of repaying debts of gratitude is fundamental in Buddhism. According to the principle of the oneness of self and others, the reason each individual is able to exist at the present moment is due to the many influences of others. We are able to exist only because of connections to others: to parents and ancestors, teachers, friends, neighbors, society, the nation and the environment. In fact, we owe our existence to everything, both the tangible and the intangible. One who is awakened to this feels gratitude for all living beings, and to all existence.*
Intro Video and Lecture on Buddhism’s Core Beliefs and Origins
Learn how to chant Nam Myoho Renge Kyo and properly use the Juzu Beads, Buddhist prayer beads.
Q&A with our Chief Priest.
The meeting starts at 2:00 pm and concludes around 3:15 pm.
If you have decided to become a Buddhist or are interested in learning how to become a Buddhist, after Sunday’s meeting (about 3:30 pm) Rev Sakabe will be performing the Acceptance of the Precept Ceremony, the ceremony where you become a Buddhist.
*Excerpted: Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice, p.35
