Sunday, May 28, 2023

Tina Turner (RIP): Nam myoho renge kyo


Tina Turner: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo (two-hour Nichirin Buddhist mantra)
(Tina Turner Blog) The great American singer has succumbed to old age, sickness, and death, as many (but not all) of us will someday other. Wait, who won't succumb? The awakened (the noble ones known as the arhats have made an end of rebirth and therefore also of death; they do not die but recline into final nirvana, the "deathless state" or amata, unending bliss, the "unconditioned element"). Back on Dec 15, 2015, Turner released this profession of her Buddhist faith in a fringe kind of Buddhism that's about as far away from the Teachings of the historical Buddha as one could get and still call it "Buddhism." But Japan came up with many deviant-innovations to the religion and secular philosophy of early Buddhism, distinguishing tareki and jariki, "other willed" and "self-willed." In this form of Buddhism, one is going to get all of her wishes by simply chanting a magic mantra over and over again, but not just to any. It has to be chanted at this magic box one purchases. It's like the Law of Attraction with the universe as a big ATM Gift Machine when we put in the work of wishing and wanting and not doing direct action (karma) to get it but rather a kind of indirect pleading/ordering by the secret code of Nam myoho renge kyo, which might translate to something like "I pay homage to this magic box [so give me all that I want, and hurry up as I've already repeated the mantra hundreds of thousands of times and I'm in a hurry to have all my wishes fulfilled already." #TinaTurnerBlog #TinaTurner tinaturnerblog.com.

From the first Beyond CD, Tina Turner chants the mantra Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Here is the original text of the full mantra chanted with English translation/signification:

Myoho Renge Kyo — The wonderful Law of the Lotus Sutra 
Ho ben pon dai ni: Skillful Ways
Ni Ji Se Son — There the World Honored One 
Ju San Mai — Quietly came up 
An Jo Ni Ki — From his stillness (samadhi)
Go Shari Hotsu — And said to Shariputra [foremost in wisdom]: 
Sho Bu' Chi E — The wisdom of the buddhas 
Jin Jin Mu Ryo — Is profound and cannot be measured 
Go Chi E Mon — Its gate is hard to understand 
Nange Nan Nyu — And difficult to enter. 
Is Sai Sho Mon — No shravaka-disciple 
Hyaku Shi Butsu — Or self-taught buddha 
Sho Fu No Chi — Can understand it. 
Sho I Sha Ga — Why is that? (It's because) 
Butsu Zo Shin Gon —the [present] buddhas attended on many 
Hyaku Sen Man Noku — hundreds of thousands of billions 
Mu Shu Sho Butsu — Of [past] buddhas
Jin Gyo Sho Butsu — And practiced the many teachings 
Mu Ryo Do Ho — Of those buddhas bravely and energetically 
Yu Myo Sho Jin — To their far-flung fame till they attained 
Myo Sho Fu Mon — The profound Law 
Jo Ju Jin Jin — Which you've never heard before, 
Mi Zo U Ho — And also because they are exposing 
Zui Gi Sho Setsu — The Law [Dharma] according to the capacities 
I Shu Nan Ge — Of all living beings a way that the intention is hard to understand 
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra! 
Go Ju Jo Butsu I Rai — Since I became the Buddha, I also 
Shu Ju In Nen — Have been stating various teachings 
Shu Ju Hi Yu — With different stories of previous lives, 
Ko En Gon Kuyo — Various parables, and various similes. 
Mu Shu Ho Ben — I have been leading all living beings 
In Do Shu Jo — With countless expedient means 
Ryo Ri Sho Jaku — In order to save them from materialism, 
Sho I Sha Ga — Because I have the power 
Nyo Rai Ho Ben — To employ skills, 
Chi Ken Hara Mitsu — And the power to perform 
Kai I Gu Soku — The perfection (reached goal of wisdom) of insight 
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra! 
Nyo Rai Chi Ken —The insight of the Tathagatas [Wayfarers or Thus Come/Thus Gone Ones]
Ko Dai Jin Non — Is wide and deep. 
Mu Ryo Mu Ge — They have all the [states of mind 
Riki Mu Sho I — Towards] countless [living beings], 
Zen Jo Ge Da's' San Mai — unchecked [intelligence], powers, 
Jin Nyu Mu Sai — Fearlessness, absorption-concentrations, 
Jo Ju Is Sai — Liberations and samadhis. They entered 
Mi Zo U Ho — Deep into no limits, and attained the Law which you've never heard before 
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra! 
Nyo Rai Nyo Shu Ju Fun Betsu —The Tathagatas divide the Law 
Gyo Ses Sho Ho — Into various teachings and state 
Gon Ji Nyu Nan — Those teachings so gently and skillfully 
Ek Ka Shu Shin — That living being are delighted. 
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra! 
Shu Yo Gon Shi — In short, the buddhas attained 
Mu Ryo Mu Hen — The countless teachings 
Mi Zo U Ho — Which you've never heard before 
Bus Shitsu Jo Ju — No more 
Shi — Will I say 
Shari Hotsu — Shariputra,
Fu Shu Bu Setsu — Because the Law 
Sho I Sha Ga — attained by the buddhas 
Bus Sho Jo Ju — Is the highest Truth. 
Dai Ichi Ke U — Rare [to hear] and hard 
Nan Ge Shi Ho —To understand. 
Yui Butsu Yo Butsu — Only the buddhas attained 
Nai No Ku Jin — The highest Truth, that is
Sho Ho Jis So — The Reality of All Things 
Sho I Sho Ho — In regards to:
Nyo Ze So — Their appearances (form? shape? size?) as such, 
Nyo Ze Sho — Thier natures (essence) as such, 
Nyo Ze Tai — Their embodiments (present rebirth) as such, 
Nyo Ze Riki — Their powers (potentiality also possibilities) as such, 
Nyo Ze Sa — Their activities (function or role) as such, 
Nyo Ze In — Their primary causes (obvious cause) as such, 
Nyo Ze En — Their environmental causes (process) as such, 
Nyo Ze Ka — Their effects (latent or hidden effect) as such, 
Nyo Ze Ho — Their requital (final outcome or return) as such, 
Nyo Ze Hon Ma' Ku Kyo To — And the combination of these [factors] as such (over and over again)

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