WHAT IS A 'PROPHET'...A PROPHET IS ONE WHO CAN SAY "I"...AN "I" THAT SAYS I AM HERE WITH A 'MESSGE' OF HOPE,

THE PROBLEM IN TRYING TO FIND, "WHAT IS A PROPHET" IS MORE OF NOT HAVING A BEGINNING OR AN END, WHICH ONLY LEADS TO THIS ARGUING IN CIRCLES, BECAUSE...

PROPHET, MESSANGER IS SINGLE NOT PLURAL. (S-M-I-L-E)

MOS T OF THE BLOGGERS ON THIS SITE ARE HERE TO GIVE TESTIMONEY AGAINST THEIR OWN SELF...

TESTIMONEY THAT SAYS , "I AM AFRICAN-AMERICAN THEREFORE I AM WORTHLESS AND I AM HERE TO PROVE IT!!!...!!!...!!!...WELL "I" AM NOT BE IT BY : CREED, SKIN COLOR OR GENDER..."I" LOVE AND RESPECT MY SELF TOO MUCH AND I AM TOO PROUD TO BE A MEMBER OF HE BLACK COMMUNITY TO DO LESS THAN LOVE AND RESPECT MY OWNSELF 1000%. (S-M-I-L-E)

ENCOURAGING DEVOTION

At that time the bodhisattva and mahasattva Medicine King, along with the bodhisattva and mahasattva Great Joy of Preaching and twenty thousand bodhisattva followers who were accompanying them, all in the presence of the Buddha took this vow, saying: "We beg the world-honored one to have no further worry. After the Buddha has entered extinction we will honor, embrace, read, recite and preach this sutra. Living beings in the evil age to come will have fewer and fewer good roots. Many will be overbearingly arrogant and greedy for offerings and other forms of gain, increasing the roots that are not good and moving farther away than ever from emancipation. But although it will be difficult to teach and convert them, we will summon up the power of great patience and will read and recite this sutra, embrace, preach and copy it, offering it many kinds of alms and never begrudging our bodies or lives."

At that time the five hundred arhats in the assembly who had received a prophecy of enlightenment said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, we too will make a vow. In lands other than this one we will broadly preach this sutra."

Also there were eight thousand persons, some still learning, others with nothing more to learn, who had received a prophecy of enlightenment. They rose from their seats, pressed their palms together and, turning toward the Buddha, made this vow: "World-Honored One, we too in other lands will broadly preach this sutra. Why? Because in this saha world the people are given to corruption and evil, beset by overbearing arrogance, shallow in blessings, irascible, muddled, fawning, and devious, and their hearts are not sincere."

At that time the Buddha's maternal aunt, the nun Mahaprajapati, and the six thousand nuns who accompanied her, some still learning, others with nothing more to learn, rose from their seats, pressed their palms together with a single mind and gazed up at the face of the honored one, their eyes never leaving him for an instant.

At that time the world-honored one said to Gautami, "Why do you look at the thus come one in that perplexed manner? In your heart are you perhaps worrying that I have failed to mention your name among those who have received a prophecy of the attainment of supreme perfect enlightenment? But Gautami, I earlier made a general statement saying that all the voice-hearers have received such a prophecy. Now if you would like to know the prophecy for you, I will say that in ages to come, amid the Law of sixty-eight thousands of millions of buddhas, you will be a great teacher of the Law, and the six thousand nuns, some still learning, some already sufficiently learned, will accompany you as teachers of the Law. In this manner you will bit by bit fulfill the way of the bodhisattva until you are able to become a buddha with the name Gladly Seen by All Living Beings Thus Come One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct, well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of people, teacher of heavenly and human beings, buddha, world-honored one. Gautami, this Gladly Seen by All Living Beings Buddha will confer a prophecy upon the six thousand bodhisattvas, to be passed from one to another, that they will attain supreme perfect enlightenment."

At that time the mother of Rahula, the nun Yashodhara, thought to herself, the world-honored one in his bestowal of prophecies has failed to mention my name alone!

The Buddha said to Yashodhara, "In future ages, amid the Law of hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of buddhas, you will practice the deeds of a bodhisattva, will be a great teacher of the Law, and will gradually fulfill the buddha way. Then in a good land you will become a buddha named Endowed with a Thousand Ten Thousand Glowing Marks Thus Come One, worthy of offerings, of right and universal knowledge, perfect clarity and conduct, well gone, understanding the world, unexcelled worthy, trainer of people, teacher of heavenly and human beings, buddha, world-honored one. The life span of this buddha will be immeasurable asamkhya kalpas."

At that time the nun Mahaprajapati, the nun Yashodhara, and their followers were all filled with great joy, having gained what they had never had before. Immediately in the presence of the Buddha they spoke in verse form, saying:

The world-honored one, leader and teacher,
brings tranquility to heavenly and human beings.
We have heard these prophecies
and our minds are peaceful and satisfied.

The nuns, having recited these verses, said to the Buddha, "World-Honored One, we too will be able to go to lands in other directions and broadly propagate this sutra."

@STEVE, THANKS SO MUCH FOR THIS...

AS IT IS EASTER SEASON, I BELIEVE IT FITS RIGHT INTO IT. (SMILE)...

IT IS JUST TOO, TOO BAD THAT SO FEW CAN RELATE TIS MESSAGE TO EASTER BECAUSE THEY KNOW SO LITTLE WHAT EASTER IS REALLY ABOUT...I SHALL EXPLAIN THIS LATER.. SINCE MOST .PEOPLE NEED TO BE SATIFIED WITH THEMSELVES FOR CALLIING ME D-E-A-D !!!!WRONG.LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!(S-M-I-L-E)

MUCH LIKE NOW AFTER THIS POSTING HARRY IS USING THE WORD "I" AND IS STILL USING THE "I" TO SEEK OTHERS TO HELP/ DO HIS MISSION FOR HIM...EDUCATE!!!EDUCATE!!!EDUCATE!!!(SMILE)...

EACH TUESDAY, WE GATHER AT A MEMBER'S HOME AT 1PM WST.AND CHANT FOR AN HOUR...SEE YOU AFTER WE DO "DAIMOKU" AND WILL EXPLAIN AS I SAID I WOULD ON TIS MATTER. (SMILE)