May their music touch the heart of all beings

While visiting at Clearwater, Folodia, for attending the wedding ceremony of Chika and Rev. Nick, I saw three grils playing viloline on a street for fundrasing for the earthquake/tsunami disaster in Japan. Thank you all for your coniuted prayers and support. May their beautiful music touch the heart of all beings and we all become one.

Live the Dharma

We had the first Dharma Study session last Tuesday, August 26th, here at the Buddhist Center - RKINA.
We started with short meditation. It is very calming to sit quietly, particularly after a hard working day.

The study was on the Life of the Buddha.
The Buddha was enlightened to the Dharma, shared the Dharma, and lived the Dharma. So the theme of this session is ‘Live the Dharma’.
I shared one story from a book, "Shakyamuni Buddha" by Nikkyo Niwano.

"The Buddha was meditating under a tree in a forest when a large group of young men rushed to him, saying, 'Sage, have you just now seen a young woman pass by here?'

“Calmly opening his half-closed eyes, the Buddha said, 'No, I have not seen such a woman. Why do you seek her?'

“Then the young men told him that the woman had stolen their valuables and disappeared.

“After hearing the story, the Buddha asked them gently.‘Which do you think more important, to seek that woman or to seek yourselves?’

“Startled by the Buddha's words, the young men realized they were being asked a very serious question and assumed a respectful attitude. ‘Oh Sage, we think it is more important to seek ourselves.’

“The Buddha then taught them the Dharma in plain words. The young men all attained the initial stage of enlightenment and became his disciples.”

This is a very significant story.
There is an assumption that if we find “the woman”, we will get back the treasure, and then our anger will go away and we will become happy. But the Buddha is posing a question whether our peace and happiness depends on “the woman”, or “ourselves”.

In the Law of the Twelve Causes, it is revealed that ignorance is the fundamental cause of suffering. So the true way for liberation from suffering and for attainment of complete peace is the process of getting rid of ignorance, or awakening to the truth. Searching the woman without trying to eliminate the fundamental cause of suffering is futile. The process of awakening is the way for the complete peace, and this is the meaning of “seeking yourselves.”

I often seek “the woman” in different form, instead of seeking myself. All forms of irritation tempt me to fix up superficial external causes that create my irritation; a too slow car in front of me, an impolite sales guy in a shop, resentful attitude of my daughter... All these encounters are actually important opportunities for reflection and application of the Dharma. This is the practice of seeking ourselves, the way for awakening.

Come and see our ‘Live the Dharma’ Study session. And let’s live the Dharma.
Mizutani

Opening of the Buddhist Center - RKINA on 4/8/08

I am grateful today that I am positing a story in this blog after long time.

The Buddhist Center - RKINA (Rissho Kosei-kai International of North America) was iaugurated on April 8th, the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha, in the city of Irvine, Orange County, CA.. I would like to share with you a vow I made at the enshrinement service of the Buddhist Center.

[Vow at the Enshrinement Ceremony ]

Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni, Founder Niwano, and President Niwano,
I would like to express my sincere gratitude for all your teachings, support, guidance, and your presence at each and every moment.
Today is the birthday of Shakyamuni Buddha. On this joyful day, we have enshrined the image of the Buddha, here at the Buddhist Center -RKINA. I am filled with great joy and gratitude.

I hear you profoundly proclaiming to us,“Now I entrust it to you. Do you receive and keep, read and recite, and proclaim this Law abroad that all living beings universally may hear and know it.”　(Chapter 22, “ The Final Commission”, the Threefold Lotus Sutra)

We all here respond in unison, “Yes, we receive and keep, read and recite, and share the Lotus Sutra teaching, the guidance of Founder Niwano, the spirit of Ekayana Buddhism, with all people here in this country.

From the enlightened eyes, we are able to feel and see your work at every moment to help reveal buddha-nature of all beings and to bring peace to everywhere. Because of the illusion and attachment, however, we see, think and act in our own way, and mess up our own mind, relationship, and society where we live. It is important, therefore, to walk the bodhisattva way, so that we can see, think, and act in a more enlightened way and we are able to connect to your life.

I would like to vow today to joyfully promote the work of RKINA, so that opportunities to study and practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra (Ekayana Buddhism) are more widely open in this society,
more centers and groups of Rissho Kosei-kai will develop in the US,
and more positive energy will be generated and be extended to all over the world.

Thank you very much for your continued guidance and presence.

In Gassho
Shoko Mizutani

Please join us for a cup of tea and nourishment for your soul at the Buddhist Center -RKINA.
http://www.buddhistcenter-rkina.org/