Let me let Joy tell you how she described herself to me: "Well I'm thirty five black American female, college educated, divorced, single parent to a wonderful nine year old who has the blessing of hearing his mom chant lol! " Let me explain how I am as a brother is different from a Japanese Priest or the Japanese system of Buddhism. Being an African American who is 61 years old I know the Black female college educated single parent better than any Japanese Priest. This mother knows that I understand the challenges her Black son face. A Buddha is known by his appearance. It is not words that children listen to, they see your actions. In the case of Joy he son needs to see strong Black Buddhist men.

Let me bring in a point of wisdom and experience. Joy apparently has in her background a strong African American male whom she respects. We met over the internet. One point to note many African Americans sisters are messed up in the head due to challenge many brother face. Please note that the residues of slavery still exist among African Americans. Slavery caused us to have a break-down in family and it is very, very difficult for a Black man and Black woman to remain married. There are so many dynamics going on here. It is rare that Joy would put faith in an African American male. It is apparent to me that she has a background where she can trust a Black male who is not a "Preacher." The sisters do respect the "Preacher".

Lets get into the lecture. This Gosho has many titles. We use the one from the SGI Website so those of you who want to read the Gosho can visit the SGI website and read the lecture. I wrote this lecture not only for joy, but I used this lecture to give you an idea about the Proud Black Buddhist World Association. The challenge of starting a Nichiren Buddhist Sect that is inclusive of African and African American culture is challenging. I would think that such a task would have came from a Buddhist scholar like Mr. Alan Billups. Certainly it would have come from someone who is college educated. The 1st question those who are Buddhist would ask is how can a Black man who is not a Priest teach Buddhism better or equal to a Japanese like Daisaku Ikeda or a Priest? My friend Shaka criticized me and called my Buddhist knowledge remedial.

Let me explain to you how I handle such critics. Back in the day Thomas Edison was on trial. The prosecuting attorney was wearing him out with question, after question that he could not answer. Thomas Edison stopped for a minute and told the prosecutor; young man I have a box on my desk where I can reach 35 people, if you want to know answers to such questions I can have you an answer in minutes. Everyone in the court shut up because Thomas Edison had sense enough to understand that if he needed an answer he knew where to look. While I am not the smartest Buddhist I know enough to research and find an answer.

We who are Nichiren Buddhist have to look no further than the Gosho to find an answer how to teach Buddhism. In the Gosho Nichiren Daishonin writes: teach others to the best of you ability, if only a single sentence or phase. Since we are instructing others how to practice Buddhism we base our teaching not out of our ego, but we let Nichiren Shonin give the instructions as to what chapters of the Lotus Sutra to recite. Those who learn Buddhism from the Proud Black Buddhist World Association you will not have members who are confused about the Gohonzon. We teach with the Gosho. Nichiren Shonin is very clear and he tells us to recite the Expedient means and Life Span Chapters of the Lotus Sutra as the most important. Let us read the exact words of Nichiren Shonin from the Gosho:

But to return to your question. As I said before, though no chapter of the Lotus Sutra is negligible, among the entire twenty-eight chapters, the “Expedient Means” chapter and the “Life Span” chapter are particularly outstanding. The remaining chapters are all in a sense the branches and leaves of these two chapters. Therefore, for your regular recitation, I recommend that you practice reading the prose sections of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters. In addition, it might be well if you wrote out separate copies of these sections. The remaining twenty-six chapters are like the shadow that follows one’s body or the value inherent in a jewel. If you recite the “Life Span” and “Expedient Means” chapters, then the remaining chapters will naturally be included even though you do not recite them. It is true that the “ Medicine King ” and “ Devadatta ” chapters deal specifically with women’s attainment of Buddhahood or rebirth in the pure land . But the “ Devadatta ” chapter is a branch and leaf of the “Expedient Means” chapter , and the “ Medicine King ” chapter is a branch and leaf of the “Expedient Means” and the “Life Span” chapters. Therefore, you should regularly recite these two chapters, the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” chapters. As for the remaining chapters, you may turn to them from time to time when you have a moment of leisure.

Those who start to Practice with the Proud Black Buddhist World Association have a clear understanding as to why we Nichiren Buddhist recite the "Expedient Means & the Life Span" Chapters of the Lotus Sutra. The Silent Prayers are simply added by the Buddhist sect. In our case we added to our Prayer Book those whom we consider great Bodhitstavas 1. Dr. Martin Luther King  2. Malcolm X  3.Nelson Mandela  4. Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar.

Saint Nichiren Shonin writes in this Gosho in this same Gosho: "First of all, when it comes to the Lotus Sutra , you should understand that, whether one recites all eight volumes, or only one volume, one chapter, one verse, one phrase, or simply the daimoku , or title, the blessings are the same. It is like the water of the great ocean, a single drop of which contains water from all the countless streams and rivers, or like the wish-granting jewel , which, though only a single jewel, can shower all kinds of treasures upon the wisher. And the same is true of a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a million such drops of water or such jewels. A single character of the Lotus Sutra is like such a drop of water or such a jewel, and the hundred million characters are like a hundred million such drops or jewels."
We share that the Lotus Sutra is everything in Nichiren Buddhism this is the spirit we teach.

The Recitation of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span” Chapters

One important point about this Gosho Mrs. Yoshimoto who this Gosho was written to had a Gohonzon.  Nichiren Daishonin spent little time speaking about the Gohonzon.  Most of the Gosho he speaks about the "Lotus Sutra."  In the writings of Saint Nichiren he speaks about the Lotus Sutra about 3000 times. If you want to understand the Gohonzon you must learn about the Lotus Sutra.  Of course Joy and many Buddhist are   confused about the Gohonzon because she and other are not be taught about the "Lotus Sutra." We at the Proud Black Buddhist World Association put the Lotus Sutra at the top of the List.
The Buddhist teaching for Black people means building strong marriages, relationships and strong communities. This is what we teach to joy and others.
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