Scenery of the Head Temple

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_johnarundel_
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Scenery of the Head Temple

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Fresh leaves and Azaela Flowers at Head Temple Taiseki-ji at the foot of Mt. Fuji



The third High Priest Nichimoku Shonin wrote the following poem before he peacefully passed away on November 15th, 1333,
Generations shall pass
And our determination shall grow
At the foot of Mount Fuji
Like smoke that reaches far beyond the clouds.

History about the buildings at the Head Temple - https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/taisekiji.html

Image
"The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the core of the Lotus Sutra and the origin of all Buddhas throughout the entire world. Upon seeing the signs that these five characters now must be propagated, I, Nichiren, have set the precedent, today, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law."

- Nichiren Daishonin, “Shuju onfurumai-gosho” 種種御振舞御書


https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/daishonin.html
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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I didn't know how close it is to Fujisan. Isn't it risky to store the Daigohonzon close to an active volcano?
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Tatsuo wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 4:55 amIsn't it risky to store the Daigohonzon close to an active volcano?
Gotta have something to keep the volcano safe
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Yeah. So, this is one thing that people need to understand that explains a lot about the Japanese:

They're always expecting cataclysmic disaster because it happens like clock work; devastating earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions - you just hope you're not stuck in one of the really deep subways like the Oedo Line when it hits. That's why they love ephemeral things like cherry blossoms and seasonal fruit - it reminds them of the beauty in impermanence. Its part of why they have a rich spiritual tradition that does not involve praying for control - because you can't control it. You just roll. Its why they love Fujisan - It is a remarkably beautiful volcano that can be seen from Tokyo on clear days - even from Ise Shrine, but is also a constant reminder of raw devastating power. The certainty of disaster is why Edo (old name of Tokyo) developed and ethos of living for today and making the most of the moment.

Tokyo area is due for a major earthquake. Fuji is due for an eruption.

Just like every disaster, they'll deal with it and rebuild. If artifacts are lost, well, that's just impermanence, like morning dew.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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the thread reminds me of the following :

Me old man's ashes are resting there..one day i would like to deposit me mum's ashes there..so they can be together...

and i just want to say:

I owe so much to Nichiren ShoShu ...hope everyone realizes that i TRULY value that above my trying to figure it all out..

like i said i had intense experiences with this School . Sometimes i fear my trying to figure it out might be causing irrefutable damage to my person..

but I'm a warrior .. so i will take my punches and press on till i get it.
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Minobu wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:33 pm Me old man's ashes are resting there..one day i would like to deposit me mum's ashes there..so they can be together...
That's very beatiful.

My grandfather passed away some years back. We participated in a memorial ceremony at the Mutsubo with the young training priests. It was very powerful.
"The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the core of the Lotus Sutra and the origin of all Buddhas throughout the entire world. Upon seeing the signs that these five characters now must be propagated, I, Nichiren, have set the precedent, today, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law."

- Nichiren Daishonin, “Shuju onfurumai-gosho” 種種御振舞御書


https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/daishonin.html
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Tatsuo wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 4:55 am I didn't know how close it is to Fujisan. Isn't it risky to store the Daigohonzon close to an active volcano?
I honestly never thought about that until now.

The Daishonin says that the pure land is where the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra dwells. The pure land or the Buddha-land is unaffected by the five impurities (go-joku), so such a land should be peaceful and tranquil. As the Dai-Gohonzon is the enlightened life of the True Buddha and the essence of the Lotus Sutra, I would assume that the High Sanctuary at Mt. Fuji would be peaceful, tranquil, and protected from disasters and calamities.
"The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the core of the Lotus Sutra and the origin of all Buddhas throughout the entire world. Upon seeing the signs that these five characters now must be propagated, I, Nichiren, have set the precedent, today, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law."

- Nichiren Daishonin, “Shuju onfurumai-gosho” 種種御振舞御書


https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/daishonin.html
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Fortyeightvows wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 10:41 am
Tatsuo wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 4:55 amIsn't it risky to store the Daigohonzon close to an active volcano?
Gotta have something to keep the volcano safe
Hahaha. Very True.
"The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the core of the Lotus Sutra and the origin of all Buddhas throughout the entire world. Upon seeing the signs that these five characters now must be propagated, I, Nichiren, have set the precedent, today, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law."

- Nichiren Daishonin, “Shuju onfurumai-gosho” 種種御振舞御書


https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/daishonin.html
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Queequeg wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:31 pm Tokyo area is due for a major earthquake. Fuji is due for an eruption.
Hopefully when Kosen-rufu is achieved, this threefold world will be transformed into the Buddha-land, and the three calamities and seven disasters (sansai-shichinan) will cease to occur.
"The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the core of the Lotus Sutra and the origin of all Buddhas throughout the entire world. Upon seeing the signs that these five characters now must be propagated, I, Nichiren, have set the precedent, today, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law."

- Nichiren Daishonin, “Shuju onfurumai-gosho” 種種御振舞御書


https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/daishonin.html
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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_johnarundel_ wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 7:48 pm
Minobu wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:33 pm Me old man's ashes are resting there..one day i would like to deposit me mum's ashes there..so they can be together...
That's very beautiful.

My grandfather passed away some years back. We participated in a memorial ceremony at the Mutsubo with the young training priests. It was very powerful.
So your mom and dad are practitioners as well ?

If i may ask are you from Japan?
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Queequeg wrote: Sun Jul 26, 2020 3:31 pm Its part of why they have a rich spiritual tradition that does not involve praying for control - because you can't control it. You just roll.
There is a long tradition of praying for control in Mikkyo. And not only esoteric schools are involved in these prayers but every temple selling omamori is also selling the idea of controlling ones life by purchasing charms.
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Tatsuo wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 2:15 pm There is a long tradition of praying for control in Mikkyo. And not only esoteric schools are involved in these prayers but every temple selling omamori is also selling the idea of controlling ones life by purchasing charms.
The Japanese response might be, well, those prayers for control are foreign influences. :smile:

In the shinto view, you can't control the gods. You can only supplicate and hope they look on you fairly. As far as I know, this is the same with Buddhist deities.

This fundamentally informs Nichiren's views - he argued that the gods had abandoned Japan and no longer protected it because the Japanese no longer honored the Saddharma. This approach can be traced at least as far back as Shotoku Taishi's constitution that enshrined the Three Jewels as its foundation. The view was that as long as the Japanese revered the Saddharma, the gods would protect the land. Buddhism in the beginning was in fact viewed by many as a more effective means of pleasing the gods.

One of the reasons Nichiren said the gods had abandoned the Japanese is precisely because they were obsessed with the kind of magic Mikkyo prayers, particularly of the Shingon variety.

Protection, Nichiren argued, naturally comes when we honor the Saddharma.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Queequeg wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:34 pm The Japanese response might be, well, those prayers for control are foreign influences. :smile:
(...)
Protection, Nichiren argued, naturally comes when we honor the Saddharma.
You cannot simply say that the last 1400 years of Buddhist practice in Japan are foreign influence and that before the introduction of Buddhism Japanese people did not believe in prayers for control. We know really little about pre-Buddhist Shinto and the creation myths of Japan are about just this - taking control of the country.

Nichiren was, if I remember correctly, also involved in prayer for control as he was praying for rain and for the defeat of the Mongols. And in modern times it is also Nichiren temples selling omamori.
Last edited by User 3495 on Tue Jul 28, 2020 12:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Tatsuo wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:59 pm Nichiren was, if I remember correctly, also involved in prayer for control as he was praying for rain and for the defeat of the Mongols. And in modern times it is also Nichirem temples selling omamori.
In Nichiren Shoshu, visiting shrines or purchasing or selling omamoris is prohibited. No such items are sold at temples, and belivers are strongly discouraged from purchasing them elsewhere. Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin strongly admonished against mixing practices.

Omamori Gohonzons however, are sometimes bestowed upon a member by the priest. However, this is not done lightly, as the temple is very careful about bestowing Gohonzons.

I cannot however speak for Nichiren Shu or other Nichiren sects.


On a different note, as Queequeg mentioned, we naturally recieve protection when we chant Daimoku. The Daishonin states in "Attaining Enlightenment at the Initial Stage of Faith through the Lotus Sutra" ("Hokke shoshin jobutsu-shō"),
When, with our mouths, we call upon the mystic Law (Myōhō), our Buddha nature also will be called forth and will emerge without fail. The Buddha nature of Bonten and Taishaku will be summoned to provide us protection. The Buddha nature of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas will be beckoned, andthey will rejoice.

(Gosho, p. 1321)
and in "Reply to Shijo Kingo" ("Shijo Kingo dono-gohneji"),
The greater one’s conviction, the stronger the protection of the guardian deities. This shows that the protection of the gods depends on the strength of our faith.

(Gosho, p. 1292)
"The five characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are the core of the Lotus Sutra and the origin of all Buddhas throughout the entire world. Upon seeing the signs that these five characters now must be propagated, I, Nichiren, have set the precedent, today, at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law."

- Nichiren Daishonin, “Shuju onfurumai-gosho” 種種御振舞御書


https://www.nichirenshoshu.or.jp/eng/daishonin.html
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Tatsuo wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:59 pm
Queequeg wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:34 pm The Japanese response might be, well, those prayers for control are foreign influences. :smile:
(...)
Protection, Nichiren argued, naturally comes when we honor the Saddharma.
You cannot simply say that the last 1400 years of Buddhist practice in Japan are foreign influence
Buddhism came from India, from China, from Korea. There are Japanese who most certainly insist Buddhism is a foreign influence that has defiled Japanese culture. Don't believe me? There are nationalists who will most definitely be happy to yell at you about it.
We know really little about pre-Buddhist Shinto and the creation myths of Japan are about just this - taking control of the country.
The creation myths are not about control. They are about the creation of the islands and their population.

When we look at Shinto practice, its all about supplication and seeking to please the kami so that they will be inclined to favor the people with prosperity. I'm not sure where you are getting this drive for control idea from.
Nichiren was, if I remember correctly, also involved in prayer for control as he was praying for rain and for the defeat of the Mongols. And in modern times it is also Nichiren temples selling omamori.
Yes, he prayed for rain as a challenge to the Shingon monks who were conducting prayers at the behest of the state. It wasn't about controlling the rain, but rather asking the kami to testify to the validity of his teaching by delivering rain. Again, not about control.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Queequeg wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 1:37 am
Tatsuo wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:59 pm
Queequeg wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 4:34 pm The Japanese response might be, well, those prayers for control are foreign influences. :smile:
(...)
Protection, Nichiren argued, naturally comes when we honor the Saddharma.
You cannot simply say that the last 1400 years of Buddhist practice in Japan are foreign influence
Buddhism came from India, from China, from Korea. There are Japanese who most certainly insist Buddhism is a foreign influence that has defiled Japanese culture. Don't believe me? There are nationalists who will most definitely be happy to yell at you about it.
That doesn't make it a fact that extremists are claiming this. If it did then all religions or philosophies would be foreign to almost every region they have been practiced for hundreds of years. There are right-wing extremists in Europe who would claim that Christianity is foreign to Europe. It simply doesn't matter what ridiculous beliefs extremists have. Buddhism hasn't been foreign to Japan since the Heian period.
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Queequeg wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 1:37 am
The creation myths are not about control. They are about the creation of the islands and their population.

When we look at Shinto practice, its all about supplication and seeking to please the kami so that they will be inclined to favor the people with prosperity. I'm not sure where you are getting this drive for control idea from.
The story of Ninigi is about pacifying the land and therefore about establishing control. I don't know enough about modern Shinto practice so I will not debate about this but control (of uncertainties in ones own life) is always part of prayer and I guess also in Shinto. Why would students pray at shrine for good grades if they don't expect to control the uncertainties of school exams?
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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Tatsuo wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 8:56 am
Queequeg wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 1:37 am
Tatsuo wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 11:59 pm
You cannot simply say that the last 1400 years of Buddhist practice in Japan are foreign influence
Buddhism came from India, from China, from Korea. There are Japanese who most certainly insist Buddhism is a foreign influence that has defiled Japanese culture. Don't believe me? There are nationalists who will most definitely be happy to yell at you about it.
That doesn't make it a fact that extremists are claiming this. If it did then all religions or philosophies would be foreign to almost every region they have been practiced for hundreds of years. There are right-wing extremists in Europe who would claim that Christianity is foreign to Europe. It simply doesn't matter what ridiculous beliefs extremists have. Buddhism hasn't been foreign to Japan since the Heian period.
1. Buddhism, no matter what you try and say, is not of Japanese origin. It has been adopted by Japanese and evolved in particular ways that mark it as Japanese, making it indelibly a part of Japanese culture and history... but its still foreign. This really should not be a controversial statement. Its fundamentally objective. The positive Japanese spin on this would be, the Japanese take foreign influences and make them better. Beyond evidence based facts all you have is interpretation, conjecture and spin.
2. It was a throwaway line meant as a joke. Chill. I personally don't have any particular opinion on this except that to deny the place of Buddhism in Japan is silly.
3. It is a fact that there is a strain of Shinto that views Buddhism as a foreign defilement. This goes back to ancient customs - Buddhist monks were not permitted on some shrine grounds like Ise. Try to discuss Buddhist-Shinto syncretism in the Japanese academy. Get ready for some serious backlash and bullying. They're not fringe people.
Tatsuo wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 9:36 am
Queequeg wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 1:37 am
The creation myths are not about control. They are about the creation of the islands and their population.

When we look at Shinto practice, its all about supplication and seeking to please the kami so that they will be inclined to favor the people with prosperity. I'm not sure where you are getting this drive for control idea from.
The story of Ninigi is about pacifying the land and therefore about establishing control. I don't know enough about modern Shinto practice so I will not debate about this but control (of uncertainties in ones own life) is always part of prayer and I guess also in Shinto. Why would students pray at shrine for good grades if they don't expect to control the uncertainties of school exams?
I'm not sure if that's quite the story. You're referring to Ninigi, Amaterasu's grandson? Its not about prayer for control - its the origin myth of the Imperial family. Its probably the half-myth, half-oral history of the Yamato clan conquering the what's now Kansai.

Again, though - I guess you can interpret prayers as prayers for control. I would not put it that way. The prayers are offered in an attitude of supplication and reverence. There are no demands made. More like, "can you please favor me with good grades?" That's different than what I would say are prayers for control involving the subjugation of gods and directing their actions as some rituals are conceived of.

To illustrate - consider the shrine festivals. All the fun stuff that happens, the dancing, music, games, food, etc., is intended as entertainment for the gods to entice them to come and visit the shrine and hang out for a while. There is no idea that the gods and the forces of nature they represent can be controlled. All that can be done is to please them and hope they are pleased so that they will be favorable to human society.

In the shrines themselves are objects that sometimes are the dwelling place of the gods, but not always. So the mirror in the shrine is not always inhabited by the god. Its only there sometimes. Most of the time, the god is thought to be out frolicking, doing what they do. They're not sitting around in the shrine waiting for people to come and pray to them.

My point was, the gods in Japan are viewed as independent, doing their thing, not particularly concerned with humans. (For a good illustration, consider the movie My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro, the spirit of the camphor tree, is kind of indifferent to May. He let's her tag along and sometimes takes her on and adventure, but basically, he's doing his own thing. And consider the way they worship at the tree shrine.) Kami are traditionally viewed as family - ancestors or distant cousins. There isn't the kind of maniacal drive for control in the religion.

To the extent that kind of control came with esoteric Buddhism, well, so there's that.

People are always looking for advantages, but it has nuances. My point is that, Japan is subject to devastating natural forces that cannot be controlled. I would argue this is deeply woven into their religion and their national character. Sometimes you see that impulse for control burst out - I would associate that with the samurai and warrior culture. But that culture bursts forth from time to time, but then subsides, and Japanese go back to enjoying getting drunk under cherry blossoms.
There is no suffering to be severed. Ignorance and klesas are indivisible from bodhi. There is no cause of suffering to be abandoned. Since extremes and the false are the Middle and genuine, there is no path to be practiced. Samsara is nirvana. No severance achieved. No suffering nor its cause. No path, no end. There is no transcendent realm; there is only the one true aspect. There is nothing separate from the true aspect.
-Guanding, Perfect and Sudden Contemplation,
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Re: Scenery of the Head Temple

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The origin region of a religion doesn't matter much if the religion has been part of the mainstream culture for well over 1000 years. There is no "pure" Japanese culture completely without Buddhism anymore and Japanese Buddhism is not at all foreign to Japan. Someone who claims there is a pure national culture without all different types of influences so obviously does not have a clue how cultures develop. And even if it were a majority opinion in Japan that Buddhism is kinda foreign it wouldn't change the fact that this is still an extremist position. Sometimes in history extremism is the majority, which does not make it less extremist. But there is no need to go into this more since you already said that this is not your opinion but the opion of some groups in Japan.

Now concerning the aspect of control in prayer in Japanese Buddhism and Shinto, I would seriously doubt that people praying at shrines really know the theological details and right mindset. If you go to a shrine and offer a prayer you seek to control a part of your life which is uncertain by asking for help from the kami. It's not about subjugation or control over the kami. I don't know any religion where prayer is seen as a way of controlling the gods as you described it.
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