What's New
in the
Coffeehouse?

Coffeehouse Archives:
2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | Now
Don's latest Eternal Buddha shrine ~ Jan 2004: Click here to learn about the Ancestral Tablets in front!

Not all new links added to the Coffeehouse are listed here,
but I do try to share the most interesting additions
and the latest in Nichiren Buddhist Cyberspace,
plus anything else that strikes my fancy!
~¤~Don Ross, an Interdependent Buddhist~¤~

Coffeehouse Archives for 2004

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  • Added links to Nichiren-Etudes.net in the Coffeehouse, the new webpage for what appears to be the French Independent Movement: "Etudes Nichirenistes est un groupe de personnes indépendantes de tous les mouvements religieux ou laïques, ainsi que de toute société, association ou entreprise."
  • 12/14/04

  • Begin the localization of Nichiren's Coffeehouse by adding the latitude and longitude to some webpages. By next month, a majority of search engines will first present locally relavant listings. Already, I have added the coordinates for San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, and Sebastopol (all in California) on the appropriate homepages, and will likely add them to my Worldwide Directory of Lotus Sutra Schools as well.
  • Uploaded new versions of Ryuei's and Dharmajim's homepages because I discovered that the javascript code I was using for the links actually blocked most spiders from finding the content. This problem has now been rectified.
  • 12/6/04


    Here are the first twenty chapters of the Rev. Ryuei's newest online book housed in the Coffeehouse, an extensive commentary on Nichiren DaiShonin's Rissho Ankoku Ron, said to be both the beginning and the end of Nichiren Buddhism, put online for Ryuei by Pia:
  • The World’s Suffering - Causes and Solutions
  • The Origin of the Sutras and the Role of their Predictions
  • The Transmission of Buddhism to East Asia and the West
  • Prophecies of the Latter Age of the Dharma
  • The Subversive Nature of Nichiren’s Prophetic Stance
  • Review of Pure Land Buddhism Part 1: The Triple Pure Land Sutras
  • Review of Pure Land Buddhism Part 2: Pure Land Buddhism in India and China
  • Review of Pure Land Buddhism Part 3: Pure Land Buddhism in Japan
  • Review of Pure Land Buddhism Part 4: The Life and Teachings of Honen
  • Review of Pure Land Buddhism Part 5: The Pure Land School after Honen
  • Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 1: Rejecting the Gateway of the Holy Path
  • Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 2: Casting Aside the Miscellaneous Practices
  • Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 3: Closing the Gateway of the Mahayana Sutras
  • Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 4: The Band of Robbers in the Parable of the White Path
  • Key Points of the Senchaku Shu Part 5: Lay Aside, Abandon, and Set Aside All but the Nembutsu
  • Nichiren’s Critique of the Senchaku Shu Part 1: Honen’s Slanderous Recommendations
  • Nichiren’s Critique of the Senchaku Shu Part 2: The Effects of Honen’s Teachings on Buddhism in Kamakuran Japan
  • The Buddha’s Criteria for Evaluating Teachings
  • The Sutra Classification System of the T’ien-t’ai School
  • Competing Systems of Sutra Classification
  • 11/30/04

  • Over the years, people have asked if they could donate to support Nichiren's Coffeehouse, but I have not accepted for a variety of reasons. Until now, that I have found a way for you to receive the additional value of traffic as well. As recent visitors to the Coffeehouse may have noticed, I have added content-based Google ads to nearly every webpage I have ever created (>1000). This will now bring fresh content to every page, every visit. Already I can see old friends who are advertising thru Google... but it would be nice if other entrepreneural buddhists would hock your wares and/or Sanghas thru Google and the Coffeehouse. What's more, you can target your audience so only visitors in your geographic area will see the ad, whether in Google, AOL, or the Coffeehouse visitors living in your area. You set the max cost per click and your maximum cost per day. Bid low on your cost per click for maximum value.
  • For example, people surfing the Coffeehouse or Googling with the keywords Nichiren, Lotus Sutra, or Buddhism, and who live in the SF Bay Area or San Diego County, are now likely to see an ad for Myokakuji Nichiren School (Ryuei.net) and/or Reiyukai America (RYKUSA.org). The ads are already up in Google, but it takes a few days for them to appear elsewhere on the web, such as in AOL or the Coffeehouse. May the interdependent nature of the world wide web benefit all sentient beings far into the future.
  • 11/28/04

  • Book Review by Andy Hanlen: "For those of you who enjoy science fiction, there's a book I've just finished that is a lot of fun. Radiant by James Alan Gardner. The protagonist, a young woman, is a Buddhist of sorts and the Buddhist theme runs throughout. Each chapter starts with some Sanskrit or Pali term, or sutra quote, and Buddhism is integral to the plot line. It's pretty accurate, as far as it goes, in general Buddhist terms, and the author has clearly done his homework regarding Buddhism. Not a great book, all in all, but quite readable and, in my opinion, very enjoyable for its references to Buddhism." [Source]
  • Happy Thanksgiving to all in the USA!
  • 11/25/04

  • I went to a party last night, invited by an old friend. It was almost all SGI members. It felt a little odd to be there, but it was an interesting evening nevertheless. I talked with one fellow, an SGI district leader who sells Usana Health Products as a sideline. And so, since he was a nice guy, I've decided to give him a few links to boost his search engine ratings and to encourage all health conscious SGI members around the world to visit and patronize Bruce Calkins' website.
  • 11/14/04

  • At the invitation of the old japanese ladies of Reiyukai San Diego this morning (my one anniversary of being a member) I brought and displayed my hard copy of the GohonzonShu, including all 125 original lithographs of Nichiren Daishonin's authenticated Gohonzons and the explanatory book in japanese (also in the Coffeehouse) as well as the first three generations of Prayer Gohonzons in the USA, including a small 5x7 black and gold Gohonzon that anyone anywhere can now make at their local trophy shop, because of the efforts of the Gohonzon Restoration Project and others. While previously some were leary of the idea of Gohonzons widely available online, they were impressed with the high quality Mandalas which modern technology and the Independent Movement have made available.
  • 11/7/04

  • Here's my second article for Job Giant, scheduled to be printed in Dec. This is a fun little piece weaving together the Confucian Odes and workplace safety for the restaurant industry. It is called, Confucius Say: Do Come Dine Again.
  • 11/5/04

  • I will be writing a series of articles about workplace safety for San Diego's largest free employment and career development newspaper, Job Giant. While these are not buddhist articles, some of the visitors here may find them of interest. The first is for their retail edition and poses the question: What if your customer suddenly clutched their chest and passed out in front of you? Do you know what to do? I call it, The Retail Cardiac Chain of Survival; or, How to Survive a Heart Attack at the Mall. It was given top listing in the newspaper.
  • 11/4/04


  • Added links to a dozen Nichiren-esque bloggers to my Discussions Around the Lotus Pond mostly (but not all) from FraughtWithPeril.com.
  • 10/28/04

  • Here's a Prayer Gohonzon featured at SacredSource.com along with many other sacred spaces. Sacred Source is the best provider for an affordable Nichiren statue for your family altar.
  • 10/22/04

  • Updated the Worldwide Directory to change the name and URL for the Water & Moon Hall of the Compassionate Lotus Tradition in Memphis, Tennessee, at the resident minister's request.
  • 10/20/04

  • REIYUKAI FRIENDSHIP CIRCLE - Japanese-American lay Buddhist series, in English. All are welcome, 3rd Sunday of every month, 10:30am, National City, 3142-I East Plaza Blvd. Explore Reiyukai's approach to the Wonderful Dharma & ancestor appreciation using Daniel Montgomery's book (The Eye of the Sutra). Hosted by Reiyukai America's, Joe Walters jgwalters@sbcglobal.net and the webmaster of this interfaith oriented NichirensCoffeehouse.net, Don Ross campross@flash.net. (A press release written by Don, approved by Reiyukai, and e-published weekly in the best guide for Buddhist activities in San Diego County.)
  • 10/17/04

    Last August Julie spent time checking the links in the Coffeehouse. THANK YOU, JULIE! Finally, I have cleaned up the Coffeehouse with the fruits of her work. Now there should be no more bad links on the following pages:
  • Discussions Around the Lotus Pond
  • Independent Movement
  • Nichiren Shu Buddhism
  • Women in Buddhism
  • As of today, Nichiren's Coffeehouse has received appx 1.459 million clicks since 1997. This year alone, we are averaging more than 1300 page views a day! Thank you everyone!
  • Added AmericanGongyo.org to 2 pages in the Coffeehouse.
  • 10/15/04

  • Reiyukai San Diego held its first Basic First Aid class today since they have graciously opened their facilities for my new company to hold regular CPR classes. Thank you Reiyukai!
  • 10/13/04

  • Don's Don't Let 'em Be an Ancestor! was published in this month's Reiyukai America News. It is a fun little piece that weaves together ancient chinese poetry, first aid info, and Reiyukai's focus on ancestor remembrance.
  • 10/1/04


    Pia uploaded a bunch of new articles today:
  • A new essay with recommend readings by topic for Ryuei's extensive website, called How to Read Ryuei.net.
  • A new chapter called The Formation of the Sangha for his book based on Pali Canon.
  • The talk he gave at the American Academy of Religions in September 2003, given on a panel whose theme was The Challenge of Asian Religions in America.
  • Ryuei's O'higan (equinox) sermons for 2003 and 2004 when, it is said, the veil between the worlds are thinest.
  • His Mother's Day sermon on the Izu Exile in 2003.
  • The poem he wrote and presented at the temple for Bodhi Day, December 8, 2003.
  • 9/23/04


  • Don's 20 year anniversary of becoming a buddhist.
  • 8/25/04

    Pia uploaded three more articles for Ryuei today:
  • The Lineage of Nichiren Buddhism from Shakyamuni Buddha to Nichiren Shonin.
  • The Worldwide Propagation of Nichiren Buddhism explores the overseas propagation of Nichiren Shu Buddhism, begining with one of Nichiren's six senior disciples, Nichiji Shonin.
  • Nichiren Buddhism in the 20th Century: "The 20th century would prove to be a difficult time for Nichiren Buddhism...."
  • 8/24/04


  • Pia Trans and her brother Thomas have graciously agreed to assist the Rev. Ryuei with his website, since I have been otherwise preoccupied. Ryuei.net will continue to be housed and funded by Nichiren's Coffeehouse, but they will be able to create and upload files to his not-so-little corner. Thank you Pia and the Nichiren Shu in Denmark!
  • July 2004


  • Locate and obtain two specialty domain names: Babysitter-Training.com and Pet-First-Aid.com.
  • Taking a series of classes thru the Small Business Administration, leaving me little mental space for the Coffeehouse....
  • 5/14/04


  • Before I buy any more domain names for my new business, I first buy a special one (long overdue) as dana for Dharmajim: Dharma-House.org.
  • Then buy the domain name: OptiWell-inc.com.
  • 4/21/04

  • A few weeks after closing her site, the Buddha Jones reopened under the domain name: SokaCult.com! Yeah!!!
  • Mid-April

  • Begin the incorporation process, going into business with a Mormon family to teach CPR and First Aid in San Diego County. From schizophrenic to CEO, who'd'a thunk? Not me! It wasn't even in the game plan, until just a few months ago....
  • 4/2/04


  • Buy my first business domain names: OptiWell.net and Classes.bz.
  • 3/29/04

  • Only one week later... a Buddhajones replacement site! Visit the premier of FraughtWithPeril.com to blog with the Rev. Ryuei of Nichiren Shu, Andy Hanlen of the Independent Movement, the Rev. Greg Dilley of the SGI and now Mercia Nitzsche of Nichiren Shoshu!
  • Set free 100 living beings (decollate snails, see below) in my garden today.
  • 3/28/04

  • Buddhajones.com closed her doors today with this notice on her homepage: "BuddhaJones.com no longer exists. If you liked it and miss it, I encourage you to start your own site. Thanks for your support and dedicated readership during the last four years or so. I had fun. I hope you did too."
  • 3/21/04

  • Spring Equinox!
  • 3/20/04

  • Attended an interesting lecture with a friend at the San Diego monastery of the Vedanta Society, to listen to Swami Bhaskarananda, the senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India, on the concept of God in the Vedanta.
  • 3/14/04

  • Along with the new pro package I have obtained to host this large website, comes many ways for me to be able to observe the traffic coming into this site, as well as where they go. As I find new interesting facts, I will post them here from time to time. For example, here are the top five websites sending traffic to Nichiren's Coffeehouse thus far this month:
    (1) jbbs.shitaraba.com/study/364/ is a japanese language study site owned by some Fuji school practitioner.
    (2) Web.thn.jp/welcome/sokagakkai_ch_hp/ is a japanese language site with extensive links.
    Tied for #3:
    (3a) Geocities.co.jp/CollegeLife-Library/6963/itamandarasingi.html is a japanese language site with what appears to be a study of Nichiren's Great Mandalas.
    (3b) Kaiundo Co. is the only known buddhist accessories store where you can buy Mandalas in the Nichiren tradition outside of Japan (near Los Angeles) with a simple phone call. Please note that they are not Nichiren buddhists, but rather provide Mandalas for several japanese traditions. They get a fair amount of business from Independent Nichiren Buddhists. Would you like Daimoku jewelry and/or pendant Gohonzons? They now have those too!
    (5) My recent interview at Buddhajones.
  • Added my first listing for North Dakota (USA) to my Worldwide Directory, the unofficial homepage for SGI-USA's North Dakota District.
  • Set free more than 1600 living beings in my garden today, including 1500 lady bugs, 100 decollate snails (that eat other snails), and then bury a handful of composting earthworms as is my near-daily ritual.
  • 3/12/04

  • The Federal Supreme Court of Sao Paulo state recently dismissed a lawsuit filed by Nichiren Shoshu seeking to overturn a March 2000 Supreme Court ruling that evicted the priesthood from Ichijo-ji temple, returning it to the possession of SGI-Brazil. According to the Feb. 13, 2004, Sao Paulo Court Registrar, the Superior Court ruled "there exists no legal basis for an appeal." The legal battle over Ichijo-ji temple building, which has since been renamed "Josho Kaikan" (Ever Victorious Center), began in 1991, when Nichiren Shoshu attempted to replace an SGI-Brazil trustee of the facility with an individual associated with the priesthood. The SGI trustee then filed suit against the move, which was declared to be illegal by three Brazilian courts. Under Brazilian law, however, parties are entitled to contest any verdict within two years of its ruling. Nichiren Shoshu filed its suit on April 24, 2002, but with the recent dismissal, has lost legal recourse to the contested facility. [Source: today's Justice Chronicile published by SGI-USA] Updated my worldwide directory accordingly.
  • 3/8/04

  • Attend the monthly meeting for Reiyukai San Diego and brought a friend (an SGI member) to check them out.
  • 3/7/04

  • Portland, Oregon today became the second US city to issue Marriage licenses to, and the third US city to begin marrying, same sex couples!
  • 3/3/04


    s

  • Andy Hanlen, an IRG co-founders, finally posted his letter of resignation from SGI-USA last year on his blog today. It is very interesting reading... if you are interested in that sort of thing.
  • 2/28/04

  • Today, Jason West, the 26-year-old Green Party mayor in New Paltz, NY, 75 miles north of NYC, joined Gavin Newsom of San Francisco as the country's only mayors to marry same-sex couples, opening yet another front in "the flowering of the largest civil rights movement the country's had in a generation"! [Y!News]
  • 2/27/04

  • Added about half of my genealogy webpagesto this server, including the first webpage I ever made because its previous host is no more. Also included on this server is a webpage about my ancestor, the Rajah Ram Mohun Roy, who created the first non-sectarian, non-caste based religion in modern India.
  • Met Reiyukai's North American Bureau Chief, Mr. Obara who lives in Mexico City, who is visiting San Diego today for a planning mtg, and meet several other staffers as well. They all seem like very nice people.
  • 2/22/04

  • Added the Y!Group Gohonzon Info to my newly updated webpage on How to Aquire Gohonzons Independent of Sectarian Buddhism.
  • 2/21/04

  • Finish updating the GohonzonShu with links to new .zip files to save bandwidth and download time (for Mandalas that have been restored only). As of now, all old Gohonzon .bmp and .tif files should be downloadable in a compressed .zip file. If a file is still missing, please let me know!
  • The City of San Francisco continues to marry same sex couples... more than 1,000 marriages in the past week!
  • 2/20/04

  • Details details... I've never been very knowledgeable about how to manage my domain names, but with the advent of ever simpler technology, even I am figuring it out....
  • LotusSutra.net was down for a few days but is working again. I have removed the URL mask for this domain name, so now, those entering the Coffeehouse thru this portal will see the real actual address of the webpage. This is because visitors were sometimes confused because even after leaving my site, the domain name sometimes remained in the browser window.
  • Ryuei.net now forwarding to its new server, with an URL mask, so that his website is more clearly differentiated from my own.
  • BuddhistInmates.net is also now forwarding to its new correct location, with an URL mask, for the same reason.
  • As before, all old web addresses should still be functional.
  • 2/18/04

  • We Love You -- But We Don't Recognize You, Mark Maxey's reflections after his recent SGI home visit in Oklahoma. Added to these Coffeehouse archives at his request.
  • 2/16/04

  • For the third day in a row, the City of San Francisco continues to issue Marriage liscences to hundreds of gay and lesbian couples. A happy St. Valentine's Day indeed.
  • Added the 2004 schedule for the San Jose Nichiren Buddhist Temple to Ryuei.net where the Rev. Ryuei is an assistant minister.
  • 2/14/04

  • Hundreds of gay and lesbian couples continue to be married in San Francisco today. Mayor Newsom calls this an act of "Constitutional" obediance.
  • Wondering what Buddhism has to say about homosexuality? Check out my webpage Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgenderism in the Buddhist World for many different perspectives.
  • 2/13/04

  • Bravo to San Francisco! Where today they were the first city in the USA to MARRY 90 gay couples, an act of civil disobediance initiated by their mayor. It makes me misty thinking about it. Bravo!
  • Added the new homepage for the Rissho Kosei-kai Buddhist Church of Hawaii, RKhawaii.org to the Coffeehouse, at their request.
  • 31 Nichiren-inscribed Gohonzons have been digitally cleaned up thus far and uploaded to the Files section of Gohonzon Info (by RJM). Additional Nichiren-inscribed Gohonzons will be uploaded, as they are digitized and cleaned up, on an on-going basis until all 128 extant Nichiren Gohonzons have been uploaded.
  • 2/12/04

  • DHARMA CONFERENCE ANOUNCEMENT: Click here for all of the information regarding the upcoming Nichiren Buddhist Dharma Conference in Houston, April 16th thru 18th, 2004. This will be hosted by the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of Texas. Everyone regardless of affiliation or level of knowledge/involvement is welcome. If you have any questions or comments, please email Mike Barrett directly. Please cross-post and/or forward this message as you please.
  • 2/11/04

  • Added my first Lotus Sutra Center listing for the country of Lithuania, at their request: Reiyukai.lt.
  • Updated my listing for the Nichiren-shu Buddhist Sangha of Houston, TX. Their old domain name and website will only be functional until the end of this month. Their new address is www.Nichiren-shu.org/Houston.
  • 2/10/04

  • I've been working out in the yard a lot lately, almost every day, for hours a day. It remains one of my favorite activities.
  • Set free 50 decollate snails (that eat other snails) in the new composting and garden areas I've created in the past week. I have been taking dead city soil and inoculating it with Life, and the conditions to support life.
  • Set out 10 praying mantid egg cases in the yard, after letting them "pray" to the Eternal Buddha for several days while an offering to the Buddha Shrine above.
  • 2/7/04

  • Have you ever thought about using worms to aerate your soil? Most commercially available worms are for composting (vermicomposting) and do not burrow very deep into the soil and so are of limited value in a garden. However, I recently found a nice mix of worms for outdoor gardening (vermigardening). While they are a bit pricey, they are difficult to raise, and so it is understandable. I received 1,500-2,000 of these worms in the mail today (oh, happy day!) from CTvalley.com and scattered them around the yard in places I have been preparing for them. Some went into my worm compost bin, so that I can add their descendents to the soil in the future. The three kinds of earthworms include an 8' deep burrowing (Amynthas spp), medium burrowing (4') European Nightcrawler (Eisenia hortensis) and a top feeding Redworm (Eisenia fetida) that is a non-burrowing worm. Adding these to my African Nightcrawlers and Tiger Worms makes a virtual United Nations of Worms surrounding my home!
  • 2/6/04

  • I woke up this morning and checked on my website first thing, and it was down again! So, exploring the new controls I discovered that it could not be a bandwidth problem... So I emailed my tech support and received this immediate response: "Ack! The forwarding was messed up on the premium (old) URL - so sorry Don!!! All fixed now - thanks for letting us know. "
  • A note to Webmasters: while all old urls will continue to forward to our new server, if you want the fastest possible link, change the campross.crosswinds.net portion of your link to the Coffeehouse to NichirensCoffeehouse.net
  • 2/3/04

  • What a week from cyber-hell! As any visitor to this website in the past week knows, it was down the entire week! Only three visitors managed to see a webpage other than the over-bandwidth error message most visitors were receiving. At first I thought this site was using more than its alloted 1GB bandwidth per day, but now I see that was not the problem. It appears the site was on hold while our new domain name was resolving to its new server; at least I think that is all it was. The website seems to be working fine now....
  • Except for the fact that yesterday their server crashed in NYC and while most of the websites were safe... you guessed it... this site got whacked and swallowed by a big blackhole in cyberspace. It is currently being uploaded by FTP. Thank you for your patience!
  • Boy, this world is full of wackos.... I just got an email from an ex SGI-France member who thought that my site had been hacked by SGI or NSS members because they didn't like my image of the DaiGohonzon (the page she was viewing). Can you spell P-a-r-a-n-o-i-d? I informed her that unless the SGI bogey-men were in charge of the NYC power grid and brought it down to sabotage my website, then we have nothing to worry about.
  • Well, at least I know people are now seeing my webpages, but remember this is a HUGE website, and so it is likely to take all day and maybe into the night to upload it all.
  • And oh, BTW, speaking of new domain names, as a part of the additional cost for this site, my server has acquired a new domain name to point here. In addition to all existing web addresses remaining current, NichirensCoffeehouse.net will also now get you here!
  • 2/2/04

  • Chant portions of the Threefold Lotus Sutra, known as the Blue Sutra, with my local Reiyukai and then visit one of the vietnamese buddhist temples in my neighborhood to meet the Buddha by viewing his relics as they travel around the world with the Maitreya Project.
  • When I came home from this outing, I found that the Buddha Jones had just put online a new interview where I tell all, well not quite all, about the history of this website, the origin of the worldwide spread of the Prayer Gohonzon, the Gohonzon Shu, and much more. Click here! Thank you Lisa and Raheim!
  • 2/1/04


  • Good news! As of today, Nichiren's Coffeehouse should be faster to surf and to download Mandalas. We will no longer be sharing bandwidth with other crosswinds.net customers because I have contracted with them for a professional package. This website will now be housed on its own 1 GB RAID server, with 30 GB bandwidth for a good price and all existing URLs will continue to work! THANK YOU for making this a popular site!
  • 1/26/04

    Happy Lunar New Year!

  • Celebrated this new Chinese Year of the Monkey by visiting my neighborhood Ch'an temple, Hsi Fang, for their Thousand Buddhas Chanting Service to greet the New Year by chanting the names of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas from the seven Mahayana schools of Buddhism.
  • 1/22/04

  • Having a successful website has its pros and cons. I received a letter from my server saying that this website was using more bandwidth than any of their other users and giving me options for my site. Either I need to pay more $, or decrease the bandwidth used, or both. So, I have decided to try to decrease the bandwidth used by this site by putting the .bmp and .tif Gohonzon images (and a few other files, as well) into .zip files. I should have done this years ago.... People's biggest complaint is that they take too long to download. This problem will soon be solved. However, in the next couple of days, all .bmp and .tif images will be removed and will be replaced by compressed files and so if you are having problems downloading any file, don't worry... I will be fixing the html for the GohonzonShu and other pages in the very near future and will post my progress here.
  • 1/21/04

  • Had a very enjoyable day hiking with friends in our desert mountains today to visit the fossils at the Anza Borrego windcaves with a mixed group of buddhists: SanDiegoOutdoors.com and EarthMomma.com.
  • 1/18/04

  • Added a pic of my latest altar to this page with my full sized replica of the Prayer Gohonzon (4 feet wide by 5 feet tall, not including the border) with several Reiyukai Sokaimyo (ancestral tablets) in front.
  • Added a new listing for the Nichiren Dharma Center on Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada, at their request to my worldwide directory. They meet twice weekly Wed. 7:30 PM and Sundays 10:30 AM for chanting, study, and discussion. Everyone Welcome. Contact: Henry Landry.
  • 1/17/04

  • Added SokaSpirit.com's featured article for Sept 2003 on "Internet Gohonzons" to my webpage with SGI-USA's official memo on this topic.
  • Divide this webpage into two, giving 2003 its own page.
  • Nichiren's Coffeehouse surpassed 1.1 million clicks today since 1997, now averaging about 1,300 clicks a day!
  • 1/16/04

  • Did my own version of a Buddha Eye Opening Ceremony for my new Big Daddy of a Prayer Gohonzon. My head is still realing... Wow! I chanted daimoku, pounding my African drum NShu style, and did the full Reiyukai Blue Sutra which includes portions of ten chapters of the Threefold Lotus Sutra. The Mandala itself is four feet wide and five feet tall. Sitting on my old table, it goes close to the ceiling. The statue arrangement is as you have seen on my site and is arrayed in front of it. Praying/ chanting/ meditating in front of it is like kneeling before Taho Buddha's enormous Treasure Tower, the top of which is lost to sight above the clouds... all of this, in my dining room.
  • 1/11/04

  • Enshrine the largest Nichiren Mandala in the southern half of the USA today in my home. WOW! It is huge! Picture coming to this webpage within the week.
  • Attend the New Year's Party at Reiyukai San Diego.
  • 1/10/04

  • Set free 50 living beings in my garden today: carnivorous snails (to eat the snails which eat the plants...).
  • 1/9/04

  • Updated the of Ryuei's first book on the Pali Canon with his personal updates. Updates for the other chapters coming soon! Hopefully... if I stay focused. ;-}
  • Added Ryuei's updates to his 2nd chapter on the Pali Canon, this one on the .
  • 1/6/04

  • Added Dharmajim's Commentary on the , which he calls .
  • 1/5/04

  • Created a new Yahoo!Group today which will be the official online Reiyukai America discussion group for those interested in learning more about Reiyukai, the Mother of New Religions and one of the largest in Japan to be based upon the Lotus Sutra. This new discussion group will be co-facilitated by Joe Walters, the General Manager of RYK-USA.
  • 1/4/04

  • Added specific info on the two essential components on a Reiyukai family altar (Gohoza).
  • 1/2/04

    Happy New Year!

  • Brought in the New Year today by chanting portions of the Threefold Lotus Sutra with my local Reiyukai in San Diego and a traditional japanese New Year's meal. Yum, yum!
  • Nichiren's Coffeehouse begins the year with 1.081 million clicks (since 1997). It seems this site is NOW receiving about 1,000 clicks a day... THANK YOU, EVERYONE!
  • Added contact info for Nichiren Shoshu in Singapore to my Worldwide Directory (Source: Registry of Societies, Singapore)
  • 1/1/04

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