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From: hms@princeton.edu (Hsing-Mean Sha)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.eastern
Subject: Re: Meditation 2 ways: Different yet the Same
Keywords: Buddhism
Message-ID: <1990Nov22.003547.2369@nas.nasa.gov>
Date: 22 Nov 90 00:35:47 GMT
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> 
> You are probably right. But you are talking about Shakymuni's Buddhism
> and not Nichiren Daishonin's. Shakyamuni said that none of his teachings
> would lead the people to enlightenment 2000 years after he died. But
> he also predicted a Buddha greater than to be born in a small, island
> country northeast of India and provide a way for everyone to gain
> enlightenment. Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282), born in Japan, studied
> all of Shakyamuni's teachings, and proclaimed the True Law to be
> Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the Law by which all Buddhas have gained their
> enlightenment. This is the Law hidden in the Lotus Sutra, which Shakyamuni
> entrusted to Boddhisattva Jogyo with to propagate in the Latter Day of 
> the Law (2000 years after he died) and was reborn as Nichiren.
> 
> This is the true Buddhism to follow in this day and age. What you are
> talking about is Hinayana or provisional Mahayana Buddhism, which


I personally believe that Lotus sutra is one important sutra of Mahayana
Buddhism.  Six paramitas which I wrote in my previous posting are also
written in the Lotus sutra. I don't know what is provisional Mahayana Buddhism.
As I said before, there are many branches of Buddhism.
Depending on your own karma, you choose the best suitable one to follow.
But, for the interest of knowledge, I really would like to know how to
practice in Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism and what the difference between
Nichiren Daishonin's and Shakyamuni's.  

In buddhism, everybody has the Buddha mind, and in the eyes of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, we are all Buddhas in some sense.  The prediction is not
too much important to me.   Actually, this is my first time to hear about this
prediction.   I am also very interested in knowing which chapter of Lotus
sutra about the claim of no-one-get-enlightment-2000-years...  I maybe missed
again after I checked my Lotus sutra at home (I cannot find out this claim). 

As Diamond sutra said, even Buddhist Dharma can be got rid of,... and
Buddhist dharma is like a ship, we can not go to the other side without
getting rid of the ship...    Yes, this may not be proper for the
beginners, and this is a teaching for Bodhisattvas. But, this is also
the main reason I like Buddhism, since it even says we should not just
follow the dharma while we are going to reach the other side. In the
Buddhist sutras I have read, I never found any idea of *absolute truth*.
This is the reason I dont understand why you claim Nichiren Daishonin's
is the true Buddhism to follow in this day and age.  I think it may be
true for you, and I respect your confidence. 


>             Respectfully,
>   	         Keith Evans		kde@heawk1.gsfc.nasa.gov

    Hsing-Mean Sha in Princeton    hms@cs.princeton.edu