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The Wall between Buddhist Study & -Practice, between Man's Word & -Deed: "Shoten Zenjin"

posted January 16, 2009 - 4:26pm
The Wall between Buddhist Study & -Practice, between Man's Word & -Deed: "Shoten Zenjin"

Uncle MythMan says ...

Buddhist study–the study of all things one sees when awakened–all boils down to "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (the Hepburn Anglicanization of the Korean Sanskrit ... "it's all Greek to me," probably).

Let's see a little more of what Soka Gakkai International, USA says about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo:
The invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo was established by Nichiren Daishonin on April 28, 1253. Having studied widely among all the Buddhist sutras, he had concluded that the Lotus Sutra contains the ultimate truth of Buddhism: that everyone without exception has the potential to attain Buddhahood.

The title of the Lotus Sutra in its Japanese translation is Myoho-renge-kyo. But to Nichiren, Myoho-renge-kyo was far more than the title of a Buddhist text; it was the expression–in words–of the Law of life which all Buddhist teachings in one way or another seek to clarify.

What follows is a brief and unavoidably limited explanation of some of the key concepts expressed by this phrase.

Nam:
The word nam derives from Sanskrit. A close translation of its meaning is "to devote oneself." Nichiren established the practice of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a means to enable all people to put their lives in harmony or rhythm with the law of life, or Dharma.

In the original Sanskrit, nam indicates the elements of action and attitude, and refers therefore to the correct action one needs to take and the attitude one needs to develop in order to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Myoho:
Myoho literally means the Mystic Law, and expresses the relationship between the life inherent in the universe and the many different ways this life expresses itself.

Myo refers to the very essence of life, which is "invisible" and beyond intellectual understanding. This essence always expresses itself in a tangible form (ho) that can be apprehended by the senses.

Phenomena (ho) are changeable, but pervading all such phenomena is a constant reality known as myo.

Renge:
Renge means lotus flower. The lotus blooms and produces seeds at the same time, and thus represents the simultaneity of cause and effect.

The circumstances and quality of our individual lives are determined by the causes and effects, both good and bad, that we accumulate (through our thoughts, words and actions) at each moment. This is called our "karma."

The law of cause and effect explains that we each have personal responsibility for our own destiny. We create our destiny and we can change it.

The most powerful cause we can make is to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; the effect of Buddhahood is simultaneously created in the depths of our life and will definitely manifest in time.

The lotus flower grows and blooms in a muddy pond, and yet remains pristine and free from any defilement, symbolizing the emergence of Buddhahood from within the life of an ordinary person.

Kyo:
Kyo literally means sutra, the voice or teaching of a Buddha. In this sense, it also means sound, rhythm or vibration.

Also, the Chinese character for kyo originally meant the warp in a piece of woven cloth, symbolizing the continuity of life throughout past, present and future.

In a broad sense, kyo conveys the concept that all things in the universe are a manifestation of the Mystic Law.

Primary Practice:
'Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo' (Daimoku) is the primary practice of SGI members. Through this practice, one is able to reveal the state of Buddhahood in one's life, experienced as the natural development of joy, increased vitality, courage, wisdom and compassion.

The 'chanting' referred-to-as 'practice' is really more like a "rote-study exercise."

(That is to say, it's like 'lifting weights in the gym'; it builds your awakened 'muscles' for further use in the living daylight.)

Shoten zenjin (the environ's properties that keep you safe) are one of the things acknowledged in daimoku. For Buddhists, shoten zenjin might be better-understood as 'space to breathe ... time to clear your mind so that you might focus enough to properly nam (see above).'

But the real practice happens when you venture beyond "shoten zenjin"—when you either look past it and see how ren and ge push each other around with-or-without myoho, or when you yourself go outside of shoten zenjin with your mentors and -students and you see how following myoho-renge-kyo actually makes your life happier.

For instance, my primary Buddhist practice is a constant chant as I walk around my neighborhood. Doing that, I am distinctly aware that I also have to breathe.

(At gatherings for daimoku, I'm sure people have to breathe as well; but the matter is swept under the rug by the recording-technology that makes the recorded leader sound like he doesn't need to take a breath....)

So I whisper, 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo-Nam-myo-,' & whisper on the inhale, '-ho-renge-kyo-Nam-myo-' exhaling whisper, '-ho-renge-kyo-Nam-myo-" inhaling ... etc.

So I see how the studied sequence of events there (beginning with listening, going out and doing right, letting things happen, and reporting) is not the sequence we experience (in which we are the things allowed to happen and the events reported before we have enough mind-power to knowingly listen).

We each personally start at ho (i.e. as students, answering the respected mentor's call), we do what the mentor advises and/or what nature forces us to do, letting our deeds be seen and heard, and thereby gaining enough prestige to become masters ourselves.

Word-count checked by the Word Count Tool

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Comments

You've Helped Find a Creational Power in Buddhism @rawnak

Thank you, rawnak (Priya)! I knew the three 'branches' of Buddhism are Study, Wisdom & Practice, but you helped me see how they combine to create Understanding! (Studying, you find the Wisdom of 'why people do things a certain way'; having confidence in that Wisdom, you wisely Practice action-&-Reaction to your environment; thus Practicing, you have more time to Study; which brings more Wisdom; which improves Practice; and on-and-on). ---Give Your Opinion Too!, & Google MIGHT find some extra money for you like they do for My Latest Work!

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I don't know how

I missed reading this article, Mythman. Thanks for the enlightenment. It was a good read and well written. I always wondered what those words meant. Get money writing articles on Xomba Here

Catch Us Up on Your Meaning of "Nyc" @eve21

Are you shortening the word "nice," or comparing the community here to New York City somehow? (I "know" it's the first, but I've 'known' things wrong before :-D) And do you mean 'Karma'? I mean, I'm sure Dharma is important and has 'laws' too (I forget what it is just now); but Karma is the idea about your ancestors' spiritual debts-and-credits and makin stuff right. ---Joining Xomba FREE Helps Writers A LOT, but Google signs the checks for our writing about Buddhist Chant, Dr. Hot4Words, Happy Bounties~

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Glory in Conversion from Matter back to Energy! @veghead-XHell.X

Right on! XHellcatX, the animals find glory in your digestive system! (trust me) & Veghead ... oh! the joy of the carrots screaming praise to your digestive juices! ---Joining Xomba FREE Helps Writers A LOT, but Google signs the checks for our writing about Buddhist Chant, Dr. Hot4Words, Happy Bounties~

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Nyc :)

Great article, would be nice if you did a piece on "Laws Of Dharma". Always wanted to know

To the free thinkers, peace & power to us all and hell with rest.

that's why I used "huckster" and "so-called", XX

As far as I know, man (sic) can't live by breath alone. And yes, plants do have some degree of sentience, but as far as science has discerned, not as much as animals. And since we've all gotta eat something to survive, my choice is plants, period.

veghead's Xombytes

Please tell me you're kidding...

...about breatharians....seriously, it's not possible. Even Buddha had a bowl of rice every now and then. But I do agree with Veghead about B12. And I reckon plants are more sentient than people reckon but that's just my tuppence worth; - it ain't gonna stop me from eating me greens or meat. Subscribe to XHellcatX's Xombytes

sounds good, mythman

A little pun there. ;)

veghead's Xombytes

plants are lowest on the sentience chain

So it's more Buddhist to eat veggies, although if you can handle it, being a breatharian is even better. Which reminds me of a muscle-bound guy in San Francisco who used to appear at local events with his barbells, claiming that he achieved his strength without even eating. Turns out that he ate plenty, but in secret. A former girlfriend exposed his after-midnight trips to the neighborhood McDonald's for fast food. He's still around, and he's still a huckster, working off the Internet now. Guy named Wiley. But there are other so-called breatharians in the world, and not surprisingly a number of them live in India. As for B12, it has to be the most misunderstood vitamin out there. You CAN get B12 from real veggie food, not just supplements. The raw ingredients for B12 come from the soil, which is not animal, and it can be obtained from both animal- and plant-based cultures. Animals just serve as factories for B12 synthesis (bacteria and cobalt), and it can just as easily be done with plants.

veghead's Xombytes

@MJ Dakota--Sound: That's the Way All Literature Began

At the community-center/"temple"/whatever, they have a recording of some guy chanting 'nam-myoho-renge-kyo' over-and-over without end. You would think they would put that on the "Soka Gakkai International, USA"-site; and maybe they do, but the closest thing I could find was a recording of the 'gongyo' (the sections of the Lotus Sutra which the Buddhists recite together at meetings). Still, I was sure someone somewhere had 'nam-myoho-renge-kyo' recorded; so I did a prosperous search, and found this. (Search around those sites to see what things mean, or ask me about specific stuff ... it is an honor to serve.) As far as 'making time for it,' studying Buddhism is sort of like studying common physics or common economics; stuff follows the rules of gravity, so knowing those rules makes life easier (but not necessarily more- or less-comfortable)|more money goes to those who oversee the workers before it goes to the workers, but the work is what the money comes for ... ---GET MONEY for Being ONLINE as 1 of Us FREE, writing about Movie Ideas, a 'Hot' Atheist, Movies, Divine Art~

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