Forgive me if I missed a thread that covers this. I've been visiting this forum for a while, and I can't always remember what has already been asked. I know people have talked in general about the merits of chanting, but I was thinking a comparative approach could be helpful. For example, I am pretty sure both Nichiren Shoshu and SGI talk (or used to talk) about conspicuous vs. inconspicuous benefits. Soka Gakkai had become known for this because of some of its proselytizers were telling people to chant for whatever they wanted as if it was a magic trick, although it appears in some ways that has been tempered and recast as being in the right place at the right time with the right attitude to successfully pursue your goals. Still, an acquaintance told me once how he doesn't always get what he wants so much as what he needs. For example, he was stranded and found just enough change for bus fare - the exact amount.

So, would those who practice with SGI or Nichiren Shoshu care to elaborate or correct me? And what about those from other groups? Does your school/sect/organization talk about or emphasize benefits and if so, in what way? And if possible would everyone include concrete examples in their replies?

Thanks!

I think the idea that practices like meditation, chanting, making offerings, etc., generate merit is fairly ubiquitous in all schools of Buddhism, as is praying for positive outcomes to various situations we may find ourselves in. Nichiren Shu isn't any different in that regard, but I've never been taught to chant in order to obtain "benefits," conspicuous or otherwise, and I've never heard any Nichiren Shu teacher use those terms. Perhaps it can be comforting to chant for certain things sometimes, but if you're chanting, I think things generally unfold in the way that works out for the best in the long run, but not necessarily the way we might immediately want. At least that's what I've found.

There are both. Although as far back as President Makaguchi up until now , we have always said that the inconspicuous, spiritual benefits of practice pale the conspicuous ones into insignificance.

The days of using the conspicuous benefits as a means of expediency - as you mention - are far past. Not that it was untrue, but placed the reasons for practice in the wrong place - that, sadly, some never went on to understand.

I can't put it any better than Ha-Ha has, but it is true that the initial entry into the 'observation of ones own mind" might entail observing even the mundane desires of the practical world. For instance, if you are chanting for a new Playstation, then find yourself in a conspicuous position to obtain one, then you become outwardly attached to the object, ignoring your practice not to mention the rest of humanity, then you've missed the boat. The key is to go back to practice and carry the object of attachment into the (transformative) fire with you.

As for "benefits" both conspicuous and inconspicuous, they have always been there, emerging from you and passing back into you, opening and closing and opening, except you might not have gotten the chance to observe it from the correct buddhist perspective. In other words, you might not have been able to understand the distinction among the benefits.

peace

cl

This is often mixed up a bit. It is in the Gosho; The Teaching, Practice, and Proof.

冥益 {myo yaku}. 冥 = dark. 益 = gain.

This is translated as inconspicuous benefit. It refers to gradual cultivation of conditioned merits, conditioned blessings that are not apparent. According to Nichiren, all conditional merits in the Latter day are 冥益. Nichiren Buddhism stresses innate virtues over acquired merits. This has to do with awakening in our present form. We do not display the outer signs of acquired awakening. Instead, we awaken to the inherent virtues represented by the 4 leaders of the Bodhisattvas from Underground. These point to the unborn, non-arisen, un-fabricated, and unconditioned.

myo yaku does not refer to the presence of spiritual blessings, nor an absence of material wealth. It refers to the sewing of seeds.


顕益 {ken yaku} 顕 = apparent, obvious.

These are attained merits. This has nothing to do material versus spiritual blessings in the modern sense. It has to do with attained versus unattained awakening. Attained awakening would be like the Samyaksam, Pratyeka, and Anubuddhas whose blessings are 顕益.

ken-yaku does not mean social status or economic wealth. It means to actually display merits like like the 6 paramittas. It is like the fruit or harvest.

"Those who obtained benefit during the Former and Middle Days of the Law received 'conspicuous' benefit, because the relationship they formed with the Lotus Sutra during the lifetime of the Buddha had finally matured. On the other hand, those born today in the Latter Day of the Law receive the seeds of Buddhahood for the first time, and their benefit is therefore 'inconspicuous'" -- Nichiren {Watson translation}.

I wonder how others translate these terms, and if they were coined by Nichiren , or if there is a Tendai precedent? SGI Library gives no Sanskrit equivalent.

Hi Robby, true in your explanation, which emphasis more on the Buddhist meaning of Conspicuous / Apparent ( 顕, Jp. Ken ) and Inconspicuous / Not Apparent, ( 冥, Jp. Myo ) .

At the same time, it would more complete to includes the emphasis of the meaning of 益 ( Jp. Yaku ) which translated as Benefit /Gain, which also equal to the term of Merit / Virtue / Beneficial Reward ( 功徳 Jp. Kudoku , Sanskrit terms as Guna or Punya ) which is more concrete and even portable, and related to the another Mahayana Buddhist term of Transferrence of Benefit ( 廻向・回向, Skt. Parinama or Parinamana; Jp. Eko ).



ASN

If you'll indulge me. I reproduce a fairly lengthy a article on this subject from the United Kingdom Express (now Art of Living) in which Robert Samuels, SGI-UK General Secretary discusses the relationship between prayer and benefit

UKE August 1999

At times during our practice we may worry about whether we should be chanting towards some specific objective or directing our prayers in general towards kosen rufu and achieving our human revolution. Or we may become concerned why it appears that some of our prayers seem not to be answered.

In the Gosho Letter to Domyo Zemmon Nichiren Daishonin alleviates our worries, clarifying the relationship between our prayers and the resulting benefit, concluding with the essential point that as long as we maintain strong faith in the Gohonzon all our wishes will be fulfilled in both our present and future existences.

Conspicuous prayer
Conspicuous prayer refers to the times when we have a concrete goal or desire, or perhaps are facing a serious difficulty and chant sincerely for a solution to the situation. Our minds might tell us that there is no way out of a seemingly deadlocked situation, but the fact is that through strong prayer our Buddha wisdom emerges to reveal far more possibilities that our limited minds first imagined.

Nichiren Daishonin demonstrated the power of such prayer when he narrowly escaped execution at Tatsunokuchi: just as the executioner’s sword was about to fall, a brilliant orb – possibly a meteor – shot through the sky, terrifying the soldiers detaining the Daishonin and making the execution impossible. In the Gosho 'On Prayer' he says: " … the prayer made by the votary of the Lotus Sutra is answered as surely as an echo comes back from the sound, a shadow follows the body, a clear pool reflects the moon, a cold mirror draws moisture to it, lodestone attracts iron, amber gathers dust, and a polished mirror reflects the shape of things."

Conspicuous response
Conspicuous response refers to the clearly recognizable benefits we accrue as a result of our prayers, and is a reflection of our growing good fortune. It appears, for example, when the benefit of the Gohonzon must be shown to new believers. It is the kind of benefit people often receive quite soon after they begin to practice; having chanted for something specific like money or a job, its immediate appearance can almost seem miraculous. In other words, conspicuous response from our prayers enables us to gain greater confidence in our Buddha state and sustains us in our daily practice.

Nichiren Daishonin said that in terms of the three proofs used for judging the validity of a religion, documentary and theoretical proof were vital, but that actual proof was most important. In this sense, conspicuous benefits provide actual, demonstrable proof of the power of this practice.

However, such conspicuous benefits are not the prime reason we practice Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism and if we regard faith only as something to help in overcoming personal problems or for accruing material benefits we will get lost in a very shallow view of this practice. In guidance given by President Ikeda he said: '… the benefits of the Mystic Law are ‘inconspicuous’ and therefore must be evaluated over the course of a lifetime. As common mortals, we tend to be always seeking a quick solution, taking a short-sighted view of things, and making superficial judgements. However, the Buddha’s wisdom permeates the three existences of past, present and future. Therefore, as a result of one’s prayers, even if that prayer is not answered immediately, one will eventually find himself moving in a positive direction towards benefit. Although from our perspective it may appear that a prayer has not been answered, when viewed from the ‘Buddha’s eye’ it has actually, in substance, been fulfilled. It is difficult for the eyes of common mortals to perceive the law of cause and effect which pervades past, present and future.

Inconspicuous prayer
Most important of all is maintaining a steady and consistent practice throughout our lives. Maybe we are not always chanting with a specific object in mind but, quite naturally, as we carry out the three elements of faith, practice and study, we accumulate good fortune in our lives. Nichiren Daishonin encourages us to have faith ‘like flowing water’ rather than like fire, which is discarded when we can’t immediately see a conspicuous result.

Having struggled with a particular problem and clearly seen a beneficial result we may then find it difficult to sustain our practice, the original aim that started us practicing having been achieved. Or, similarly, we may have been challenging a thorny problem for months or even years, not having seen a conspicuous result. Soka Gakkai second president Toda, in his essay ‘On Benefit’, encourages us to continue:

The benefit that a person receives upon joining SGI is evidence of the great power of the Dai-Gohonzon, and it is because of such evidence that we can confidently proclaim this religion to be absolute. But the benefit that a new member has thus far received through his practice is by no means the end. In fact, to be satisfied with the benefits one sees as a new member would be a grave mistake. After maintaining a correct practice of faith like flowing water for three, five, ten or even twenty years, then, without expectation or thought on our part, surprising benefits will appear. If you ask why this is so, it is because these benefits appear as a proof of that person’s eventual attainment of Buddhahood.

Inconspicuous result
The ultimate result, then, of our steady practice to the Gohonzon is establishing the state of Buddhahood in our lives. From the moment we chant daimoku to the Gohonzon we can manifest our highest life condition. In doing so we can fully express our great qualities and strengths, while redirecting and overcoming the sway of our negative and selfish impulses. Without even realizing it we begin to expand our state of life and reveal the four virtues of eternity, happiness, true self and purity.

Nichiren Daishonin refers to the actual proof of his Buddhism as the purification of the six senses (sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch and the ‘mind’ which integrates and makes sense of the information supplied by the other five senses). In other words, inconspicuous benefit means to be able to see and understand things as they really are, without the distorting ‘mirror’ of our karma.

Prayer and benefit
We can therefore see from the above that when Nichiren Daishonin refers to conspicuous prayer and conspicuous response, he means those times when our sincere prayer is answered immediately and we can open up a way to solve our problems or fulfill our desire.

Conspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response is when our strong, specific prayer does not necessarily lead to an immediate result but instead we accumulate benefit in our life through our prayer that will reveal itself gradually over time. What we want will come either to us at later time, when we are fully able to benefit from it; or we will realize with hindsight that fulfilling the desire really would not have made us happy anyway.

Inconspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response refers to the fact that, due to the fortune we accumulate through a consistent practice, our lives are naturally purified and enriched and we will attain a life condition of deep happiness that cannot be destroyed by external events.

Finally, inconspicuous prayer and conspicuous response signifies that the latent benefits we have accumulated through our steady practice will appear at a crucial moment to protect us.However, Nichiren Daishonin clearly points out the importance of strong faith at all times. In his guidance ‘My Problem’ president Toda exhorts us to practice strongly so as to experience the full benefits of the Gohonzon continuously:

Although our lives are filled with a supreme treasure, if our power of faith or power of practice is insufficient, we will be unable to cause this treasure to rise to the surface of our daily lives. If we cannot understand this point and allow our powers of faith and practice to grow weak we will no longer be able to receive benefit. It would also be a pitiful waste if, not believing this, we stopped practicing, throwing away this supreme treasure.

Nichiren Dashonin’s Buddhism teaches the oneness of life and its environment, and that an environment is a reflection of the individual living within it. It can be seen then that the conspicuous benefits we receive are a result of the reformation or changes in our inner life.

However, we cannot tap the great treasures of Buddhahood if we are not challenging our human revolution and individual growth. When we practice and chant daimoku strongly and consistently we can transform even our seemingly negative experiences into benefit, for they can all become causes for our growth and serve to strengthen our Buddhahood. In this way, as president Ikeda describes, we can win a victory in life:

Set for yourself a target in faith to achieve in ten years, and one to achieve in twenty years. In that time, a sapling can grow into a big tree and a child can become an adult. It happens before we know it. As we steadily continue our faith, our seed of Buddhahood ripens and develops tremendously in just the same way. We will no doubt complete lives of perfect fulfillment in the long run. I want you to advance courageously, confident of this, and mobilize all the energy in your life.

End


More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all.

Gosho : The Three Kinds of Treasure

Thank you for insightful comments. I do not want to be incite-ful. I do think Soka Gakkai tends to get 顕 {ken} and 冥 {myo} confused. That is clear from the definitions in their own Dictionary; which are different from how the terms are frequently used on the streets. Let me give an example:

A person who is wise and generous possessess 顕 {ken} 益 {yaku}. A foolish and stingy person who is practicing also possesses those merits; they simply are not apparent. Another thing, people should know that 冥 {myo} is not the same 妙 {myo} as in myoho. It gets confusing because yet another 智{myo} means 'light.'

I was curious if 益 {yaku} means the same as 徳 {toku / doku}. Also, what is the difference between Guna or Punya? Punya is generally translated as merit; which infers something that must earned; something that is acquired.b So these, once acquired or earned would be 顕 {ken} 益 {yaku}. Thost does not mean they are concrete.

Virtue is different, because it infers qualities we innately possess. We do not need to earn these; we need to reveal them. I think this distinction is implicit in Nichiren Buddhism, but I do not know if there are explicit terms. This concept of 顕 {ken} 益 {yaku} and myoyaku 冥益 might express that, I do not know. I think either a merit or a virtue might be apparent or not at a given point. A treasure of the heart could be either.

A conspicuous blessing when one that has matured and born fruit. An inconspicuous blessing is still a seed that must be cultivated.

Hi Robby , why you said that, do you have more concrete example to illustrate?

looking at both the Chinese and Japanese Dictionary, they both pointed that 冥 here is used as dark , opaque , inexplicable , mysterious, obscureness, unnoticeable, obscurity.





As for the similar myo used in 冥 {myo} , 妙 {myo} , 智{myo} it is not surprising as east asian language are common to to have many words shared the similar pronunication, they are usually identified by the actual writing character.

ASN

1) Actually , 冥 is a very ancient word, it used mainly in the ancient times for dusk/dark , whereas the modern usage it is already much distorted from the original and became associated to hades, realm of the dead , unknown , devine interference , deep contemplation etc

One original usage 冥时 dusk time ( refering after sunset / night time ) , could still be found in some southern han's Chinese dialects or classical scriptures.
translated as 'without those inconspicuous efforts , there is no well conspicuous results.' - xunzhi /classic literature

2) Another Buddhist terms used in Nichiren Buddhism related to 冥 is the :
境智冥合, ( Jp. Kyochi-Myogo ) translated as Fusion of Reality and Wisdom , but the 冥 Myo here is not fully translated in English version.
literally, it should be the Inconspicuous Fusion of Reality and Wisdom.

3)
What do you think how would be the different ?

Kutoku and made of two different term ,
i) Ku 功 translated Rewards / Merits , and ii) Toku 徳 translated as Virtue
Both of them are seem as benefit obtained from the correct practice, for one is more in apparent aspect and the other is in not so apparent .


ASN

Excellent Ansanna.

The ultimate verification being as to whether this is a reality - that transcends theory - in ones own life.

Although I'm unclear as to what 'inconspicuous efforts' refers to, as in "without those inconspicuous efforts , there is no well conspicuous results." ?

Thanks

< 无冥冥之志,无昭昭之明。> —《荀子·劝学》。of Xunzhi , 313BCE？－238BCE, indeed very ancient!

Mainly it states that ' without all those the unseen resolve ( virtues/efforts )behind , there could not possible for the visible fruit of reward "

It is similar to Nichiren writting on unseen virtue and visible reward. quite certain Nichiren was quite familiar with these ancient Chinese classical text , and he borrowed them in his writings to encourage his disciple Shijo Kingo.



ASN

OK then. Cheers.

I realize that. Westerners who rely on romaji are easily confused by the homophones. Many people think the Dai in Daimoku is the same as the Dai in Daigohonzon. I use the kanji and mention that to educate those who do not know the kanji. I do so for those who are not familiar, and get confused by the romaji; not for those who know the kanji.

I was not saying it is surprising at all, it is bewildering to those who are unaware. a few years ago, we had a conversation elsewhere, in which the shin of shindoku was confused first with citta and then with shraddha. The format would not accept the fonts, so I had a terrible time explaining. I finally made jpeg pictures and linked them. Some here might see odd gibberish instead of the kanji. They can fix that several different ways. They need the font packs. The browser might even prompt for the download. My browsers detect nearly all the fonts now except at some text only yahoo groups.



Ah, that helps. Do you know if sanskrit terms distinguish merit and virtue? I think I see merits as earned and apparent in their presence or absence. Virtue is something more implicit; it is not really learned so much as discovered.

with gratitude for your patience

robin

Hi Robby, that's what forum here are for , it is purely for our common study and verification in Buddha Dharma, that where we could borrow one another strengths ..

Again , when we are talking about 功徳 Kotoku here in Nichiren Buddhism, we are discussing the term in it's ancient , near original meaning.

As in some current modern age, this term 功徳 at many time has distorted , it has become a term assosicated with ritual of blessing, where the lay practitioners would paid highly for the priest/ordained to perform recitation of sutra and blessing for them. ( example, the family paid the temple to perform a 功徳 for their late parent ). It much devated from the original self power and earns one's merits in their own cultivation.

But as I said , this is originally an ancient term, it even find itself as one of the title of one chapter of the Lotus Sutra:

妙法蓮華経 - 法師功徳品 - 第十九
Lotus Sutra - Benefits of the Teacher of the Law - Chapter -19th
I think by tracing the sanskrit text of Lotus Sutra itself, you could find the original sanskrit term for 功徳 Kutoku.

Or maybe some of our Dharma friends or scholar monks could gives a pointer.


ASN

Thanks all! The answers have been very interesting and helpful.

Sure have if I do say so myself. Thank you gentlemen.

Also see

妙法蓮華経 - 分别功德品 - 第十七
Lotus Sutra - Distinction of Benefits - Chapter 17th
: the benefit of listening to the SadDharma

妙法蓮華経 - 随喜功德品 - 第十八
Lotus Sutra - The Benefits of Joyful Acceptance - Chapter 17th
: the benefit of accepting and upholding the SadDharma

妙法蓮華経 - 法師功徳品 - 第十九
Lotus Sutra - Benefits of the Teacher of the Law - Chapter -19th
: the benefit of teaching the SadDharma, obtaining the purification of the six organs

And

妙法蓮華経 - 常不轻菩萨品 - 第二十
Lotus Sutra - Bodhisattva Never Disparaging -Chapter 20th
: expound the benefit of practice with the state of joy and gratitude

妙法蓮華経 - 如来神力品 - 第二十一
Lotus Sutra - The Mystic Powers of the Tathagata
: states the benefit of Supernatual Powers obtained when expounded the SadDharma in the Latter Days of Dharma,
the very place itself during the teaching LS and turning the SadDharma wheel is the Buddha land and the place of attaining full enlightenment (parinirvana).


ASN

功 {ku} = merits one achieves, credits one earns. I suspect that this punya in sanskrit. We create merit by wholesome thoughts, words, and deeds. I discuss that here: Power of Threes: Trikarma 三業; How Karma is Created. I: Intentions

徳 {toku] = virtues one possesses inherently; elicited by practice. It could be said these are ceded to us or bestowed upon us by the Buddha's saving grace; but I see that as a figure of speech.

I suspect that this is guna in Sanskrit. I think, while we possess virtues in seed form, they still must be cultivated. Other might say that we only possess the womb of virtue and receive the seed as Daimoku. It may feel like we are being granted these gifts by ceremony, but I see Gongyo and Daimoku as waking up our virtues.

I am not sure if it makes any practical difference; but it might. If we set around waiting to have virtue bestowed, we might miss the boat.

Robby

功徳利 - ' merits and benefit , advantage '
Anusamsa ; page 107

- ref. IRIAB, soka university
http://iriab.soka.ac.jp/orc/pdf/BPPB-04.pdf

Anusamsa, a benefit, Pali, Dnisamsa
- ref. JSTOR

ASN

http://member.giga.net.tw/lanceyy/My%20Bud.../MyBudDicA.html


http://www.zftrans.com/bbs/simple/index.php?t2672.html

So, is he saying: 功徳利 {kutokuri} merits and benefit - advantage is a translation of the word Anusamsa? Anusamsa / Dnisamsa appears to be a very obscure term; or maybe there are other romanized spellings? Dn looks like an unusual dipthong.

徳 toku -- primarily is guna = virtue. Can be kushala-mula, vrtta, and punya = wholseome roots, good deeds, and merits.

Guna = virtues; innate attributes of a muni / shonin 聖人.
Punya = merits, the acquired results of good deeds; acts motivated by wholsesome roots. I think this distinction might get lost in translation to Chinese. There is also artha / attha 利益; a skill, an objective value, a material gain.

功德利 only the one guy has that.
http://buddhism-dict.net/cgi-bin/xpr-ddb.p...f-5fb7-5229%27)

Elsewhere, someone has 利益 as anusamsha, Also 福利
.

Do you have the link to the sanskrit text of Lotus Sutra?