This month's Gosho study from Living Buddhism is on "Letter to Horen." In it, the Daishonin describes the characters of the Lotus Sutra as individual Buddhas emitting beams of light...able to find all those, living and dead, with whom we are connected.
Wow.
What a great thing to learn about while we are all striving to perfect our Gongyo and deepen our faith.
Daisaku Ikeda states in Living Buddhism,
June 2015, page 32:
"...Through chanting the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can transmit benefit even to deceased family members, relatives, friends or acquaintances who may have opposed our Buddhist practice - benefit that will warmly embrace them and lead them to a state of profound peace and comfort.
Similarly, through the power of the Mystic Law, our family members and friends who have passed away in the course of the journey for kosen-rufu - whether from illness or as a result of unexpected accidents or natural disasters - will also be able to enter the path of Buddhahood.
The best offering we can make for the eternal happiness of the departed is to live fully and strive vibrantly for kosen-rufu in their stead..."
"The Daishonin says that
each of the 510 characters
of the verse section
of the "Life Span" chapter
of the Lotus Sutra,
from "ji ga toku burrai"
(Since I attained Buddhahood) (LSOC, 270)
to "soku joju busshin"
(quickly acquire the body of the Buddha) (LSOC, 273), changes into a sun
and then into a Buddha.
It emits great beams of light
that pervade every corner of the universe,
finding Kyoshin's father wherever he might be
and illuminating him
(see WND-I, 517-18).
In other words,
each chapter
of the verse section of the "LifeSpan" chapter
recited by Kyoshin
becomes the Buddha,
shining with the brilliant light of compassion
that reaches his deceased father
in whatever state of being he may reside,
relieving him of his suffering
and guiding him to enlightenment."
I had this in mind during Gongyo over the last few days.
What a wonderful life-giving practice we have!
