Rissho Kosei-kai

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dsaly1969
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Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

I practice with Rissho Kosei Kai which is a Lotus Sutra -centered "Ekayana" sect of Buddhism from Japan. RKK is obviously Nichiren influenced but does not consider itself to be a Nichiren school (so I guess this is the best category on this board).

The main practice of RKK is chanting portions of the chapters of the Lotus Sutra (in RKK we chant these in the language of our understanding - in my case English as the point is to understand what you are chanting - chanting helps you to focus and internalize) as well as O-Daimoku (basically the title of the Lotus Sutra) as well as Ti Sarana (Taking the Three Refuges). Our daily liturgy called Kyoten is most similar to that of Nichiren Shu. A practice unique to RKK is hoza which is a form of group counselling which uses the foundational teachings of Buddhism (the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path but also the Six Paramitas) as a framework to examine our everyday life problems and issues through the lens of Buddhadharma.

We consider ourselves to be mainstream Buddhism and engage in a lot of interfaith and peace activities. Many of us also practice sitting meditation as a part of our daily practice. RKK is very ecumenical and believes that there are "84,000" paths to enlightenment so we do not suffer from the "one true school" syndrome - folks should gravitate to the school of Buddhadharma which resonates best for them.


Here are some links to RKK websites:

http://www.rk-world.org/home.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.buddhistcenter-rkina.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is a link to the online text (and pdf download) for "Buddhism for Today" which is the RKK basic text used for study along with the Lotus Sutra:

http://www.rk-world.org/publications/bu ... y_toc.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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rory
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by rory »

Welcome! It's nice to see other Lotus Sutra Buddhists here. Doesn't RKK have a wonderful statue of Shakyamuni Buddha as its headquarters?
gassho
rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
dsaly1969
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Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:19 pm

Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

rory wrote:Welcome! It's nice to see other Lotus Sutra Buddhists here. Doesn't RKK have a wonderful statue of Shakyamuni Buddha as its headquarters?
gassho
rory
Hi Rory!

It is nice to meet you!

Yes, RKK uses a statue of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni as its object of devotion in the same way that the Nichiren sects use a Gohonzon. Most RKK members have an altar with an image of the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni installed at their home altars (RKK ministers come out and bless and install the image formally.) RKK churches and some longtime practitioners may have the statues themselves. You can find an image of the one at RKK HQ here:

http://www.rk-world.org/devotion.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

When I first came across Lotus Sutra Buddhism, it was through SGI like many other folks. I was not comfortable with their particular emphasis and outlook so I went independent for quite a while and seriously looked at Nichiren Shu for which I still have high regard. When I ran across RKK it was the best fit for me (but I think that all of the various Lotus Sutra schools may meet the needs of particular individuals). RKK's daily practice itself is very similar to Nichiren Shu but their focus and emphasis was more in line with how I wanted to practice.

Gassho,

Dave
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rory
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by rory »

Hi Dave;
that is a beautiful statue :smile: I too regard Rissho Kosei Kai as a Lotus Sutra School, you really stick with the sutra which I admire. I've enjoyed reading the magazine as well. In fact we had a discussion about how many followers of Lotus Sutra schools there are in Japan, and the figure someone posted omitted the 'new' religions, but really I see Rissho as totally mainstream.

It's true that we come to our various schools via different pasts: I was Pure Land, Nichiren Shu, Tendai then Kempon Hokke, my school is scholarly like yours and Nichiren Shu; we share the same core beliefs but stricter, but that really suits me. I regard anyone who worships the Eternal Buddha, Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra as a compadre!
:namaste:
rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
dsaly1969
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Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:19 pm

Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

Oh yeah, RKK is totally mainstream. Of course there are plusses and minuses to that. On the minus side, its mainstream and more moderate tone is a reason that RKK does not see a lot of membership growth as they are not driven as much by fervency. But in the past couple of years RKK has started making more efforts to outreach to English speaking seekers.

It's just good to know that there are other compadres out there. I'm also excited that RKK is finally getting an Online Sangha off the ground and they have been having live online RKK services and hoza on Saturdays. This will help with isolated RKK members like me as I do not get down to Los Angeles often anymore. And you know how quick Japanese organizations are to change and trying new things. :stirthepot:

Gassho,

Dave
dsaly1969
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

Good news! After the requisite lengthy testing period, the RKK Online Sangha is now published and live!

http://rkina.org/onlineministry/index.html
Illuminaughty
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by Illuminaughty »

Do RKK members chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo?
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rory
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by rory »

Illuminaughty wrote:Do RKK members chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo?
No, they're not a Nichiren sect, they've replaced Nichiren with Niwano, their modern founder, so they study his writings (kinda like Ikeda) and the Lotus Sutra.
gassho
rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
Quonab
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by Quonab »

rory wrote:
Illuminaughty wrote:Do RKK members chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo?
No, they're not a Nichiren sect, they've replaced Nichiren with Niwano, their modern founder, so they study his writings (kinda like Ikeda) and the Lotus Sutra.
gassho
rory
Well, that's not quite right. Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the O-Daimoku that Dave talked about in the first post on this topic. Just in addition to the O-Daimoku, selections from the Lotus Sutra are usually chanted along with it.

Quonab
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rory
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by rory »

Hmm sorry; am I correct in thinking Rissho Kosei Kai would chant the title of the Lotus Sutra merely as the title, not as most Nichiren sects do as the essence of the practice.
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
Quonab
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by Quonab »

rory wrote:Hmm sorry; am I correct in thinking Rissho Kosei Kai would chant the title of the Lotus Sutra merely as the title, not as most Nichiren sects do as the essence of the practice.
gassho
Rory
No. Chanting is the core practice of Rissho Kosei Kai. The title is not 'merely a title,' it is the embodiment of the entire sutra. I'm pretty sure this idea comes straight from Nichiren.

Rissho Kosei Kai is centered around the Lotus Sutra. The biggest difference I see between RKK and the Nichiren sects is that RKK sees Nichiren as a very important and revered interpreter of the Lotus Sutra, and Nichiren sects see Nichiren as the canonical interpreter of the Lotus Sutra. I may be mistaken, I haven't talked to a lot of people in Nichiren sects.

Quonab
illarraza
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by illarraza »

Quonab wrote:
rory wrote:Hmm sorry; am I correct in thinking Rissho Kosei Kai would chant the title of the Lotus Sutra merely as the title, not as most Nichiren sects do as the essence of the practice.
gassho
Rory
No. Chanting is the core practice of Rissho Kosei Kai. The title is not 'merely a title,' it is the embodiment of the entire sutra. I'm pretty sure this idea comes straight from Nichiren.

Rissho Kosei Kai is centered around the Lotus Sutra. The biggest difference I see between RKK and the Nichiren sects is that RKK sees Nichiren as a very important and revered interpreter of the Lotus Sutra, and Nichiren sects see Nichiren as the canonical interpreter of the Lotus Sutra. I may be mistaken, I haven't talked to a lot of people in Nichiren sects.

Quonab
Nichren Daishonin is the Supreme Votary of the Lotus Sutra [Hokkekyo-no-gyoja] in the Latter Day of the Law who inherited the lineage of the votaries, Shakyamuni Buddha, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo. He is the one who practices and propagates the Lotus Sutra exactly as the Sutra teaches. He is likewise, "This man"referred to in Chapter 21 of the Sutra and the earthly incarnation of Bodhisattva Superior Practices [Eminent Conduct or Visisticaritra]. He represents the virtue of True Self [courage, compassion, and wisdom].

Illarraza
dsaly1969
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

Hi all,

Since the beginning of the year I have switched my personal Buddhist practice to more of a Theravada focused practice from Rissho Kosei-kai (RKK assisted by having such a focus on studying the core teachings of the Buddha such as the 4NT, 8FP, etc.) as my interests developed more in that area after quite a few years practicing within Mahayana (mostly Japanese) traditions. So I am spending more time nowadays on other forums but saw that this topic was still active.

To clarify: RKK does chant the O-Daimoku (Namu Myoho Renge Kyo) in addition to portions of chapters of the Lotus Sutra. RKK reveres Nichiren as a Great Bodhisattva (this stance puts them very close to some schools within Nichiren Shu but RKK does not view the writings of opinions of Nichiren in the Gosho or Goibun as inerrant or infallible). RKK reveres the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni as per the Lotus Sutra and does not view Nichiren as the "Buddha for the Latter Age" as does Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu.

RKK is solidly in the Mahayana camp and works cooperatively with other Buddhist sects.
dsaly1969
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

And much has changed again over the course of a year. I have relocated to the Los Angeles area and am connecting with two Buddhist sanghas - Rissho Kosei-kai (which is now very active) and the Long Beach Buddhist Church (not Pure Land but independent/nonsectarian and focused on the core teachings of Shakyamuni). Both are from a Japanese Mayahana background with the lay follower-focus and less ascetic stance of the post-Kamakura era schools combined with a focus on the core teachings of Buddhism (for RKK the Lotus Sutra is the "framework" for Ekayana Buddhism).
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rory
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by rory »

Glad this thread is bumped: Rissho is doing excellent outread now I'm happy to say.

You can enroll for this online course on Basic Buddhism with the RKK pov:
http://www.buddhistcenter-rkina.org/onl ... ourse.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And there is an online sangha for those of us far from temples:
http://rkina.org/onlineministry/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I find this amazingly helpful and am going to spend the summer experiencing Rissho, I did when I lived in Ireland back in 2004 but I was simply too far away and there weren't the opportunities that exist today do to the internet. Kudos for helping to spread the Dharma!
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
dsaly1969
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Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:19 pm

Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

Here's a good starting place to navigate Rissho Kosei-kai:

http://buddhismrkla.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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rory
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by rory »

Just attended the online sangha, (though halfway through due to my own fumbling with the computer). I was surprised at the real excellence; we had a substantive lesson on a passage from the Lotus Sutra by the minister and then a thorough discussion of how to incorporate this, the Lotus Sutra's teachings, into our own lives. I really liked this practicality and emphasis on lay people. The minister was very knowledgable, professional, as well as helpful and open. The sangha multi-cultural which was great.

This was my first meeting but I'll be back next week, I'm grateful to RKK for doing such a thoughtful, well-planned and worthwhile outreach.
gassho
Rory
Namu Kanzeon Bosatsu
Chih-I:
The Tai-ching states "the women in the realms of Mara, Sakra and Brahma all neither abandoned ( their old) bodies nor received (new) bodies. They all received buddhahood with their current bodies (genshin)" Thus these verses state that the dharma nature is like a great ocean. No right or wrong is preached (within it) Ordinary people and sages are equal, without superiority or inferiority
Paul, Groner "The Lotus Sutra in Japanese Culture"eds. Tanabe p. 58
https://www.tendai-usa.org/
dsaly1969
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Joined: Fri Mar 09, 2012 9:19 pm

Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by dsaly1969 »

I'm glad to hear you had such a positive experience Rory! :woohoo:
joybringer
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Re: Rissho Kosei-kai

Post by joybringer »

I am so glad to see RKK practitioners speaking on Buddhism on a general forum.

I am a RKK practitioner myself and what I think of what is important to me is that RKK's emphasis is on constant practice in which we try and see every encounter that we have as being meaningful for our growth and others. To revere the Buddha Nature of others is therefore key.

RKK will be presenting a lecture on Buddhism and Happiness at the New York Church - Dharma Center at the end of August.

Peace and Joy
Gassho
Joybringer
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