SGI Presentation The treasure tower March 23, 2023 disc.pptx

The treasure tower ppt, gohonzon, taho Buddha, shakyamuni

1. March Discussion Meeting The Treasure Tower: Perceiving the Buddha Nature within our Own Lives March Living Buddhism Pgs. 40-41 1

2. The emergence of the treasure tower “The Emergence of the Treasure Tower,” the 11 th chapter of the Lotus Sutra, begins with the scene of an enormous stupa—a tower described to be one-third the size of the planet, adorned with jewels, flowers and seven kinds of treasures—rising from the earth. Within the tower sits Many Treasures Buddha, who praises Shakyamuni Buddha for expounding the truth of the Lotus Sutra. 2

3. The Treasure Tower / The Gohonzon / The Ceremony In the Air Buddhas and bodhisattvas assemble from throughout the ten directions to listen to Shakyamuni preach the Law. With the appearance of the treasure tower, Shakyamuni enters the tower and sits next to Many Treasures Buddha. The grand scene known as the Ceremony in the Air begins when Shakyamuni raises the entire assembly into the air alongside the treasure tower. At this ceremony, he entrusts the Bodhisattvas of the Earth with spreading the Lotus Sutra in the evil age after his passing. 3

4. The Treasure Tower Ancient Artistic Rendering 4 P ICTORIAL REPRESENTATION OF CEREMONY IN THE AIR https://www.worldtribune.org/2022/how-do -the-fantastic-events-in-the-lotus-sutra-apply-to-me/

5. The treasure tower is an allegory for our innate Buddha nature   The treasure tower is an allegory for our innate Buddha nature. Its vastness and grandeur represent the supreme value inherent in our lives. When Nichiren inscribed the Gohonzon, he based it on the Ceremony in the Air, establishing it as the “clear mirror” by which we can perceive our enlightened true selves. Taho Buddha and Gautama Buddha face one another representing the fusion of subjective wisdom and objective reality. 5

6. Abutsu-bo , a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin , sought to understand this same point. Nichiren responds: In the Latter Day of the Law, no treasure tower exists other than the figures of the men and women who embrace the Lotus Sutra. It follows, therefore, that whether eminent or humble, high or low, those who chant Nam- myoho - renge-kyo are themselves the treasure tower and, likewise, are themselves the Thus Come One Many Treasures. No treasure tower exists other than Myoho-renge-kyo . (“On the Treasure Tower,”  The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin , vol. 1, p. 299) So, how does this enormous treasure tower relate to us? 6 6

7. The Treasure Tower is None Other Than All Living Beings, and all living beings are none other than the complete entities of Nam- myoho - renge-kyo The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings , p. 230). Abutsu-bo is therefore the treasure tower itself, and the treasure tower is Abutsu-bo himself. No other knowledge is purposeful. (“On the Treasure Tower,”  The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin , vol. 1, p. 299). 7

8. The Seven Kinds of Treasures Adorning our Lives There are seven kinds of treasures adorning the treasure tower, described in the Lotus Sutra as gold, silver, lapis lazuli, seashell, agate, pearl and carnelian. 8

9. [These Jewels]… correspond to the treasures that we gain through Buddhist practice: 1) hearing the correct teaching [the Mystic Law], 2) believing it, 3) keeping the precepts [embracing and upholding the Gohonzon], 4) engaging in meditation [chanting to the Gohonzon], 5) practicing assiduously, 6) renouncing one’s attachments, and 7) reflecting on oneself (see “On the Treasure Tower,” WND-1, 299). 9

10. Scripts after Slide 7 Ikeda Sensei says: Nichiren teaches that all of these elements are encompassed in faith in the Mystic Law. Indeed, if we look at our daily SGI activities, we can see that this is in fact true. With regard to the seven treasures, ultimately it is not jewels or precious stones that adorn our life and the treasure tower within us but rather our heart and our actions. ( Teachings for Victory , vol. 3, p. 125) When we earnestly carry out our Buddhist practice, our hearts, actions and lives come to exude the same noble brilliance as the treasure tower described in the Lotus Sutra. 10

11. Let us construct “treasure towers of kosen-rufu ” in our communities. We perceive the treasure tower in our own lives, and we perceive the treasure tower in the lives of others. And we are working to sanctify the places where we live and the entire world with forests of treasure towers…Let us each leave behind an eternal golden monument of personal achievement. Let us adorn our lives by challenging ourselves with the spirit “This is where I will build my treasure tower” ( The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra , vol. 3, p. 29). 11

12. Discussion Questions