[ARTS] One Candle in the Darkness

[Paco]

Image.jpg

I made this several months before I joined Treeleaf, but I thought after Jundo's talk yesterday it might be good to share.

Text: "If you light a lamp for somebody, it will also brighten your path."
- Nichiren Daishonin

I vow to do my best to be a candle in the darkness.

Gassho,
Paco
sat/lah

edit: quote corrected, thanks Jundo

[Bion]

Oh, I love that! You somehow captured the life of a candle!

Gassho
sat lah

[Paco]

Oh, I love that! You somehow captured the life of a candle!

Gassho
sat lah

Thank you so much, Bion!

Gassho,
Paco
sat/lah

[ZenJay]

Beautiful, simple, elegant, and what great timing with Jundo’s talk! Fantastic my friend!!! You really have a gift!

Gassho,
Jay

Sat/lah today

[Paco]

Beautiful, simple, elegant, and what great timing with Jundo’s talk! Fantastic my friend!!! You really have a gift!

Gassho,
Jay

Sat/lah today

Thank you, Jay! So kind of you to say, my friend!

Gassho,
Paco
sat/lah

[Jundo]

May I use this picture when I post my talk from the Zazenkai this week, Paco? That was part of the theme.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

[Jundo]

May I use this picture when I post my talk from the Zazenkai this week, Paco? That was part of the theme.

Gassho, Jundo
stlah

Sorry, my spider sense also went off. It is a lovely thought, but also a "fake Buddha quote." Not Buddha, but apparently from Nichiren.

I was very grateful to have a commenter suggest that it might come from one of the works of Nichiren Daishonin, but I wasn’t able to track down the reference he gave me. However with a little searching I was able to locate the original in a passage known as “The Three Virtues of Food,” which is a fragment of a letter, written by Nichiren, possibly in 1278:

If one gives food to others, one will improve one’s own lot, just as, for example, if one lights a fire for others, one will brighten one’s own way.

This is a different translation but it’s from the same original.

Nichiren’s followers regard him as a Buddha, but when a quote is attributed to the Buddha then it’s Shakyamuni Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) that is meant, and these are not the words of the founder of Buddhism.

Again, this isn’t to question the spiritual validity of the quote. I just want to straighten out false attributions.

fakebuddhaquotes(link)

There are some other lamp quotes at the link.

I have a thing about internet memes that become Buddha or Dogen quotes.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Paco]

Sorry, my spider sense also went off. It is a lovely thought, but also a "fake Buddha quote." Not Buddha, but apparently from Nichiren.





There are some other lamp quotes at the link.

I have a thing about internet memes that become Buddha or Dogen quotes.

Gassho, J
stlah

I can change the quote to a different one fairly easily as it is a digital creation. I will look at the link, find a new quote, upload a new version and then yes, of course you may use the image.

Thank you for researching the origin of the quote.

Gassho,
Paco
sat/lah

[Paco]

Hi Jundo

Here are two different versions. Please use the one you prefer. If you need a larger file size for a larger image, just let me know. It's an honor to have you ask to use this, even if I did get the quote wrong the first time.
Lamp2.jpg
Image.jpg

Gassho,
Paco
sat/lah

[Jundo]

Thank you, Paco. Of course, we Zen folks are not Nichiren folks. Nichiren was an interesting character, something like Martin Luther in Japan, but also a bit of a character who proclaimed himself (his followers certainly did) as Buddha reborn, so a bit of a guru. They do not engage in Zazen, but chant the name of the Lotus Sutra. The group has tended to say that theirs is the only true Buddhism, and all other sects are not. Wiki Roshi says this ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Buddhism

My wife's family are Nichiren Buddhists. We joke that ours is thus a mixed marriage.

Gassho, J
stlah

[Paco]

Thank you, Paco. Of course, we Zen folks are not Nichiren folks. Nichiren was an interesting character, something like Martin Luther in Japan, but also a bit of a character who proclaimed himself (his followers certainly did) as Buddha reborn, so a bit of a guru. They do not engage in Zazen, but chant the name of the Lotus Sutra. The group has tended to say that theirs is the only true Buddhism, and all other sects are not. Wiki Roshi says this ...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nichiren_Buddhism

My wife's family are Nichiren Buddhists. We joke that ours is thus a mixed marriage.

Gassho, J
stlah

That's interesting about your wife's family.

Yes, I am aware of the differences between Soto Zen and Nichiren Buddhism. There is a Nichiren temple near me. Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter and Tina Turner were all Nichiren Buddhists. It's interesting to me from an academic perspective but not the path for me.

I just thought it was a nice quote in relation to your talk. There is just a blank no quote version in the post above if you'd prefer. If not. That's ok too. I was just moved by your talk.

Gassho,
Paco
sat/lah

[Jundo]