March 2019 Creative Life
The following will be published on the March 2019 issue of Creative Life:
Great Evil and Great Good
Great events never have minor omens. When great evil occurs, great good follows. Since great slander already exists in our land, the great correct Law will spread without fail. What could any of you have to lament? Even if you are not the Venerable Mahākāshyapa1, you should all perform a dance. Even if you are not Shāriputra2, you should leap up and dance. When Bodhisattva Superior Practices3 emerged from the earth, did he not emerge dancing?
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Vol 1, p 1119)
Background and Outline
It is not certain whether this is the text of a short letter or a fragment of a longer piece. Neither its date nor its recipient is known.
During Nichiren Daishonin's time, the entire nation of Japan believed in erroneous teachings that undermined the dignity of life. Due to this, the three calamities and seven disasters occurred one after another and the predictions of internal strife and foreign invasion that the Daishonin made in his treatise, On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, also came true through the outbreak of the February Disturbance (a revolt that took place within the ruling Hojo clan) and the Mongol invasion.
Judging from the contents of the letter, it is highly likely that it was sent to some of the Daishonin's believers who were facing difficulties under such circumstances as an encouragement to them.
With the assurance "When great evil occurs, great good follows," the Daishonin encourages his disciples to regard the hostility they face as an omen of great good, that is, the eventual spreading of the correct teaching. As such, there is no need for them to lament about anything. The Daishonin encourages his disciples in this manner.
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March 2019 Creative Life
He also urges them to rejoice like Mahākāshyapa and Shāriputra, who danced with joy in the Lotus Sutra when they heard the Buddha's teaching of universal enlightenment, and realized that they, too, could become Buddhas. The Daishonin also cites the example of Bodhisattva Superior Practices who emerged from the earth, dancing with joy to shoulder the mission of spreading the Mystic Law and also Bodhisattva Universal Worthy who arrived at the assembly of the Lotus Sutra filled with courageous seeking spirit. Through these examples, the Daishonin encourages his disciples to advance kosen-rufu with joy and courage despite the adverse circumstances that they were facing then.
Bodhisattvas of the Earth Who Live their Lives Based on a Vow are the Ones who Will Help to Realize Happiness of the People
Key Learning Points of the Gosho Passage:
Be determined to transform all "great evil" into "great good"
Advance with the great joy of having encountered the Mystic Law
Be awakened to our mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and open the way
forward to victory!
Explanation
This is a passage in which Nichiren Daishonin teaches us about the mission of Bodhisattvas of the Earth. At the outset of this passage, the Daishonin says, "Great events never have minor omens". The Daishonin is stating that the occurrence of events and its omens are proportional. As such, great events will surely have great omens.
Next, the Daishonin says, "Since great slander already exists in our land, the great correct Law will spread without fail." The society of the Daishonin's day condoned slander of the Law (teachings that denied the sanctity of life) that brought suffering down upon the people. Through this passage, the Daishonin expresses his conviction for the realization of kosen-rufu by stating that since great evil portends great good, the fact that the land is filled with such slanders against the dignity of life portends the arrival of the great good of kosen-rufu – the widespread propagation of the great correct Law.
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It was also a time of great social turmoil with the Mongol invasion in which the people lived in fear. In addition to this, the Daishonin's disciples were subjected to harsh persecutions by the authorities at that point in time. The Daishonin clearly believed that such adverse circumstances signalled a prelude for the great correct Law to be propagated widely. In this way, the Daishonin encourages his disciples to rise into action to bring about a positive transformation in society to spreading the great correct teachings.
Great evil is not something that we should abhor. Rather, we should regard "great evil" as an opportunity for change and confront it squarely with courage. This is why the Daishonin states here, "What could any of you have to lament?"
The Daishonin goes on to say that in fact, we should rejoice for having encountered the Mystic Law and for the opportunity to spread this correct teachings. To illustrate this point, the Daishonin first cites the examples of Mahākāshyapa and Shāriputra. The Lotus Sutra reveals that both Mahākāshyapa and Shāriputra were so overwhelmed with joy to hear the teaching for the universal enlightenment, realizing that they, too, can become Buddhas at the assembly of the Lotus Sutra that they leapt up and danced in joy.
In addition, at the same assembly of the Lotus Sutra, when Shakyamuni Buddha called forth his true disciples to appear so that he can entrust the mission to propagate the teachings of the Mystic Law in the Latter Day of the Law, an immeasurable legion of Bodhisattvas of the Earth sprung forth dynamically from the earth as if they were dancing with joy. Bodhisattva Superior Practices was the leader of this multitude of Bodhisattvas of the Earth who emerged.
Bodhisattvas of the Earth who dedicate their lives to the vow for kosen-rufu are the ones who will work to realize happiness of the people in the Latter Day of the Law. Cherishing the profound karmic bond we share with the Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day, let's be awakened to our mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and advance kosen-rufu through our daily efforts.
SGI President Ikeda says in his guidance, "We are Bodhisattvas of the Earth who have emerged with a vow to realize the goal of kosen-rufu. Every one of us has a unique and precious leading role to play in this endeavor. A life brimming with this exhilarating joy is unstoppable. Let's tap our inherent power as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and bring it to flow forth vibrantly in the places of our mission. Let's make a fresh start forward!"
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Burning with a profound sense of mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth, let's forge ahead dynamically in this Year of Soka Victory!
(Translated from the January 2019 issue of The Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai's monthly study journal.)
Footnotes:
1. Mahākāshyapa: One of Shakyamuni's ten major disciples, known as foremost in the ascetic practices called dhūta. a discipline to purify one's body and mind and remove one's desire for food, clothing, and shelter.
2. Shāriputra: One of Shakyamuni Buddha's ten major disciples, known as foremost in wisdom for his understanding of the true intent of the Buddha's preaching.
3. Bodhisattva Superior Practices: The first of the four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who appear from beneath the earth in the "Emerging from the Earth" (fifteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
SGI President Ikeda's Guidance
We have been born into this world as Bodhisattvas of the Earth to take our place on the stage of our respective missions and there perform the joyous dance of fulfilling our vow for kosen-rufu. Not even the most terrible injustice or calamity can discourage or intimidate us.
We powerfully chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—the "greatest of all joys" (OTT, p 212)—infusing our lives with a vibrant energy that virtually compels us to leap up and dance. We challenge ourselves to confront and battle obstacles, do our utmost to transform great evil or disaster into great good, and spread the supreme teaching of the Mystic Law.
(From the 2nd Soka Gakkai Headquarters Leaders Meeting held on December 8, 2013)
< end of article to be published on CL >
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March 2019 Creative Life
Supplementary Resources for MD District Leaders
Please note that the following WILL NOT be published on CL.
Great Evil Portends Great Good
A society's growth and development depend upon the ideals and philosophies valued by the people who make up that society.
The society of the Daishonin's day refused to recognize the truths he presented to it. It condoned slander of the Law that brought suffering down upon the people. It was difficult for such a society to grow and prosper soundly, given that it granted legitimacy to erroneous Buddhist schools that either ignored or made an empty pretense of working for people's happiness.
But the light of wisdom of the correct teaching of Buddhism shows its true worth in times of great confusion and turmoil. The Daishonin clearly believed that the darkest hour of night was but a prelude to a dawn of people's awakening—an opportunity for change, a turning point. "Great evil portends great good" (WND-1, 1122), he writes. He is saying in effect: "There's no need for pessimism. I, Nichiren, possessing the sun-like wisdom of the Buddha, have appeared in response to this dark time. Great evil portends the arrival of the great good of kosen-rufu." How inspired and heartened the Daishonin's followers must have been by his resolute conviction.
The Daishonin also writes: "If all of Jambudvipa [the entire world] were to be thrown into chaos, there could be no doubt that [this Lotus Sutra would] 'be widely propagated throughout Jambudvipa'" (WND-1, 1122). Of course, the Daishonin's Buddhism does not by any means advocate a doomsday vision; rather, its aim is to put an end to people's suffering and enable them to attain happiness in the real world. Precisely because the Latter Day of the Law is a time of seemingly insoluble challenges, we can take action to transform things, overturning evil practices of the past, carrying out radical reevaluations, and starting at the source to find solutions for change. Such thoroughgoing transformation will, quite naturally, meet with resistance, but it is the only way to open a new path forward. The Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is a teaching of unwavering commitment to the positive transformation of reality—a teaching that makes it possible for us to change this troubled saha world into a realm of peace and happiness without fail.
In other words, the struggle of a person of wisdom is the key to achieving worldwide kosen-rufu.
In his writing, "Great Good and Great Evil," Nichiren Daishonin declares:
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March 2019 Creative Life
When great evil occurs, great good follows. Since great slander already exists in our land, the great correct Law will spread without fail. What could any of you have to lament? Even if you are not the Venerable Mahakashyapa, you should all perform a dance. Even if you are not Shariputra, you should leap up and dance. When Bodhisattva Superior Practices emerged from the earth, did he not emerge dancing? (WND-1, 1119).
The Daishonin encourages his followers by saying that now is the time to forge ahead in high spirits, to set forth anew, joyously and dynamically.
The hallmark of a transformative teaching is that it has the power to help people transform great evil into great good—moving forward toward hope, happiness, security, and peace.
Mr Toda once wrote:
Civilization and scientific progress were supposed to contribute to stronger nations and stronger people, but until now, humanity has been concentrating all its energies on struggles and disputes between nations, taking us in the exact opposite direction of peace. The more technological advances we see in our daily lives, the more high-handed we've become. The more civilized or culturally developed we've become, the more arrogant we've grown. Both advanced technology and civilization, it would seem to me, have contributed to making us not only more high-handed and arrogant, but also envious and cowardly. What, then, can serve as the driving force for creating a utopia of peace and happiness on earth? It has to be religion.
The activities of the SGI, following the great path of putting Buddhism into practice in the real world, offer a brilliant light of hope for the spread of the humanistic principles of Buddhism and the realization of peace for people everywhere.
Since Buddhism
is inseparable
from the affairs of society, we strive with fresh joy, day after day.
(Excerpt from Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory – "The Kalpa of Decrease")
***
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March 2019 Creative Life
Our SGI movement for kosen-rufu is also a great march of the people—one that has called forth Bodhisattvas of the Earth all around the world, spreading an enormous groundswell for peace and hope.
After calmly stating, "When great evil occurs, great good follows. . . . What could any of you have to lament?" (WND-1, 1119), the Daishonin points out: "When Bodhisattva Superior Practices emerged from the earth, did he not emerge dancing? (WND-1, 1119)
Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, is said to have sprung forth dynamically from the earth as if he were dancing. And he was not alone. The Lotus Sutra states that immeasurable Bodhisattvas of the Earth "emerged at the same instant". (LSOC15, 252)
The sutra also goes on to say that the assembly (which was gathered at the Ceremony in the Air) subsequently saw this immeasurable legion of bodhisattvas that had emerged from the earth fill the sky over countless lands. (cf LSOC15, 254) To me, this depicts the great march of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth overflowing with unsurpassed joy—a scene of utter freedom and vibrant energy, yet also of solemn calm, played out on a stage of unfathomable scale.
(Excerpt from Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory – "Our Mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and the Dynamic Development of the SGI toward a Humanistic Century of Peace")
< end of supplementary resources >
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