Learning from the Gosho: The Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin by SGI President Ikeda
SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lecture 14 - A Letter of Condolence
The Buddha Shares Others' Sufferings
A strong person is gentle. "Birds cry, but never shed tears. I, Nichiren, do not cry, but my tears flow ceaselessly" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin vol. 1, p. 94). Nichiren Daishonin wrote these famous words while in exile on Sado Island. He had great and abounding compassion. He was the perfect embodiment of profound feeling and towering wisdom.
Dostoevsky writes, "Great ideas spring not so much from noble intelligence as from noble feeling." (1)
Buddhism is a religion of compassion and wisdom --- these are inseparable. A person of true wisdom has unparalleled compassion. A person of deep compassion embodies the wisdom of Buddhism.
The Japanese word for compassion, jihi includes the meaning of suffering together or crying out in sympathy with others. The Buddha first of all shares others' sufferings.
Take the case of a mother whose child has died, who is sitting in a daze on the roadside. Probably no words can heal her heart. And passers-by, unable to do anything, will have no choice but to walk briskly past. Occasionally, a cleric may stop before her and try to instruct her with a look of affected enlightenment. But no one can truly share her grief.
No matter how science advances, even though it can send a human being into outerspace, it cannot assuage a mother's sorrow. Maybe only the words of a woman who has been in the same situation can reach her.
What would the Buddha do in such an instance? He would probably sit down at the mother's side. And he might simply continue sitting there, not saying a word. Even if no words were exchanged, the mother would sense the warm reverberations of the Buddha's concern. She would feel the pulse of the Buddha's life. Eventually, she would lift up her face and before her eyes would be the face of the Buddha who understands all her sorrows. The Buddha would nod and the mother would nod in reply.
Even without words, there is no greater encouragement than heart-to-heart exchange. On the other hand, even if a million words are spoken, nothing will be communicated in the absence of heartfelt exchange.
At length the Buddha would stand up, and the mother, as though following his example, would probably also rise. Then, together, they would advance forward one step, then another --- their way gently illuminated by the light of the moon. The Buddha would tirelessly offer encouragement, until the mother could lift her head high, until she could determine to lead a life of great value for her deceased child's sake.
The Buddha is sometimes gentle, sometimes stern, sometimes offering bouquets of words and sometimes taking action with those suffering. To the mother, the Buddha is a true ally, for he empathizes with her sufferings and brings her the greatest peace of mind. For this reason, the Buddha's words penetrate her life.
At its roots, compassion is the spirit to suffer alongside and pray with those suffering. The Daishonin possessed such a spirit. He joined Ueno-ama Gozen, the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu (Lord Ueno), (2) in her grief and tears when her youngest son, Shichiro Goro, passed away at the tender age of 16. He continued to offer her encouragement until she regained the will to go on living.
During the first year or so after Shichiro Goro's death, the Daishonin sent approximately 10 letters to the Nanjo family. We can imagine how his deep concern must have warmed their grieving hearts.
Starting with this installment, we will begin studying a number of letters sent to the Nanjo family by the Daishonin --- and the human drama that they tell.
"Letter to a Bereaved Family"
On the matter of the death of Nanjo Shichiro Goro, all people, once born, are certain to die. This is known to all people, both the wise and the foolish, both those of high and low standing. Therefore, when that time comes, one should not lament or be alarmed as though learning this for the first time. I have borne this in mind myself and also taught it to others. But since the time has actually arrived, I cannot help wondering even now whether this [Shichiro Goro's death] is a dream or fantasy. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1567) (3)
Just as there is the drama of joy upon the birth of a child, there is the drama of grief upon the death of a loved one. In the fall of 1280, these two dramas played out one after the other in the Nanjo family.
The drama of joy was the birth of a son. In a letter dated Aug. 26 that year, the Daishonin expresses his delight to Nanjo Tokimitsu and his wife on their being blessed with a son in addition to their infant daughter. The Daishonin named the boy Hiwaka Gozen (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1566).
It must have been deeply moving for the couple that the name he selected contained the Chinese character for sun (Jpn hi), which forms part of the Daishonin's name, Nichiren (i.e., the same character is also pronounced nichi). This was one year after the Atsuhara Persecution, (4) and they must have felt that the weariness had in an instant been swept away. Above all, Tokimitsu's mother, Ueno-ama Gozen, was deeply moved by the birth of a grandson who would succeed as head of the family and by the Daishonin's congratulatory message.
But only 10 days later, on Sept. 5, the Nanjo household was visited by misfortune. Tokimitsu's youngest brother. Shichiro Goro, died suddenly. He was only 16. While the cause of his death is unknown. it must have been very sudden and unexpected. Their celebration of the birth of a son and grandson was overturned, replaced by sorrow at Shichiro Goro's death. The family's grief knew no bounds.
The Daishonin, too, was surprised by this turn of events. As soon as the messenger bearing news of Shichiro Goro's death arrived, the Daishonin immediately wrote a reply to Tokimitsu, the "Letter of Condolence" which we are studying this time, dated Sept. 6.
The impermanence of life is inescapable. In Buddhism, this is a fundamental premise about the nature of existence. Why should death come as a shock? From the standpoint of life's eternity, it could be said that birth and death are occurrences of minuscule significance. That is all well and good in theory, but the human heart cannot fully come to terms with such events through theory alone.
The Daishonin was thoroughly human, a most humane person. Hearing the unexpected report, he was in disbelief. He wondered whether it was "a dream or fantasy." Further on, he indicates that he is in such turmoil he doesn't feel up to continuing to write. These words must have expressed the feelings of the bereaved family members as well.
In the letter "Sad News of Lord Goro's Death," (5) which is thought to have been written to Nanjo Tokimitsu about a week later, the Daishonin says:
Until now I have repeatedly thought to myself that the matter of Nanjo Shichiro Goro's death must have been a dream or a fantasy, or certainly untrue, but it is again mentioned in your letter. And so, for the first time, I have become convinced of its truth. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1566)
The Daishonin says that he has had a hard time accepting Shichiro Goro's death. What compassion the original Buddha shows! He mourns the death of this young follower, just as a parent would.
The Daishonin inscribed his immense compassion for all humankind in the Gohonzon. He says: "Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens" (MW-1, 161). Just as he says, in both times of joy and times of sadness, everything will turn out for the best if we continue chanting daimoku.
Someone may expound a fine teaching while abiding in a place of comfort and safety --- but that is not Buddhism. A genuine Buddha lives among the people, grieves and suffers with them and shares their hopes and laughter. That's how the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, conducted himself.
Above all, the Daishonin did not blithely brandish theories of karma. Making condescending pronouncements to suffering people like, "That's just your karma," will only add to their misery. Someone battling destiny feels like there is a gale raging through his or her heart. When we encounter people in such a state, we should stand with them in the rain, become sopping wet with them and work with them to find a way out of the storm. In the end, that's probably all another human being can do.
Even if the attempt is not totally successful, through making this effort we forge a bond between ourselves and the other person. This is not mere sympathy or sentimentality. The effort to regard someone else's suffering as your own and thus offer prayer for its resolution creates a life-to-life bond. Through this bond one person touches another's life.
'Eternal Family' of the Mystic Law
Above all, how your mother (Ueno-ama Gozen) must be grieving. She was preceded in death both by her parents and siblings, and she was bereaved of her beloved husband. Still, her many children must have been a comfort to her.
(Shichiro Goro] was a charming child and, moreover, a boy. He was very handsome and brave and had a trustworthy look. He made others feel refreshed. His having died so young, however, while defying reason, is like the buds of a flower being withered by the wind, or the full moon suddenly waning.
It doesn't seem real to me [that he has died], and so I do not feel inclined to continue. I will write you again.
With my deep respect
Nichiren
The sixth day of the ninth month of 1280
Postscript: When I met him on June 15, he struck me as a lad of splendid spirit and as very gallant. I am most sad that I will not be able to see him again.
Still, since he believed deeply in Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra, in his last moment he was splendidly composed. He certainly went to the pure land of Eagle Peak where his father dwells. They must have had a joyful reunion. How wonderful! How wonderful! (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1567-68)
Ueno-ama Gozen had experienced a great deal of suffering. Her husband, Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, died in 1265. He was still in the prime of his life and ought to have had many years ahead of him. He was survived by five sons and four daughters, all still young when he died; Tokimitsu, the second son, was only 7. Shichiro Goro, the youngest child and fifth son, was still in his mother's womb when his father died. In another Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin writes to Ueno-ama Gozen:
When your husband, the late Lord Ueno, preceded you in death, he was still in the prime of life and your grief on that occasion was no shallow matter. Had you not been pregnant with his child. I know you would have followed him through fire and water. Yet when this son was safely born, you felt that it would be unthinkable to entrust his upbringing to another so that you could put an end to your life. Thus you encouraged yourself and spent the following fourteen or fifteen years raising your children. (MW-7, 247-48)
The child to whom he refers is Shichiro Goro, who had now suddenly died. The mother looked forward to the growth of Tokimitsu and Shichiro Goro with high hopes. Shichiro Goro was handsome, intelligent and well-liked by others. It also appears that he was very dutiful toward his mother.
It seems as though even the Daishonin was at a loss as to how to encourage the mother. He conveys his feelings most openly and candidly. The mother, her heart made sensitive by sadness, must have keenly felt the Daishonin's kindness, which pervades each line of the condolence letter he sent to the Nanjo family via Nanjo Tokimitsu. How the Daishonin's warmth must have consoled her grief-stricken heart! Simply having someone who understands everything can give us the strength to go on living.
In the postscript, the Daishonin reiterates his regret at the death of this youth who had such a promising future.
When Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro died, the Daishonin wrote: "While he was in this world he was a living Buddha, and now, he is a Buddha in death. His Buddhahood transcends both life and death" (MW-2 [2nd ed.], 207).
The Daishonin teaches that someone who embraces the Mystic Law, even though their life may be short, is a Buddha in both life and death In the postscript to "A Letter of Condolence," the Daishonin says that without doubt Shichiro Goro has been reunited with his father at Eagle Peak.
In another letter, he writes to Ueno-ama Gozen:
You must feel that if only he [your son Shichiro Goro] had left word where you could go to meet him, then without wings, you would soar to the heavens, or without a boat, you would cross over to China. If you heard that he was in the bowels of the earth, then how could you fail to dig through the earth?
And yet there is a way to meet him readily. With Shakyamuni Buddha as your guide, you can go to meet him in the pure land of Eagle Peak. (MW-7, 262)
The Daishonin tells Ueno-ama Gozen that she can definitely meet her son at Eagle Peak. Time and again, the Daishonin offers her warm encouragement.
It is extremely difficult to understand the impact that losing a child has on a mother. Even now, I cannot forget how my mother looked when she received official notification that my eldest brother had died in the war. She turned away, her shoulders went limp and her body seemed fraught with grief. My mother did not cry in front of us, but I had the clear sense that from that day she aged considerably.
Such is the cruelty of war. I will fight with my life to oppose war, which plunges mothers the world over into sorrow and grief. For the happiness of all mothers and children, for the creation of a society where they can all look up at blue skies with smiling faces --- toward this end we are striving to develop a great undercurrent of compassion in society. This is the great objective of our movement.
(This concludes President Ikeda's lecture on "A Letter of Condolence.")
1. Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Eternal Husband, trans. Constance Garnett (London: William Heineman, l 917), p. 105.
2. Ueno is the name of a village near Mount Fuji of which Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, and later his son Nanjo Tokimitsu, was steward. Lord Ueno refers to the head of the family, at the time of this writing, Nanjo Tokimitsu.
3. "Ueno Dono Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1567-68), written in September 1280 when the Daishonin was 59. It is addressed to Nanjo Tokimitsu (Lord Ueno).
4. Atsuhara Persecution: A series of threats and acts of violence against followers of Nichiren Daishonin in Atsuhara Village near Ueno, beginning in 1278. The persecution culminated in 1279 when three farmers were executed for refusing to abandon their faith. Nanjo Tokimitsu used his influence to protect believers during this time, sheltering some in his home and negotiating for the release of others who had been imprisoned. The government punished him for his role by levying severe taxes on his estate, forcing him to live in poverty.
5. "Nanjo Dono Gohenji."
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Lecture 15 - Clear Sake Gosho
If I Don't Protect Them, Who Will?
In Buddhism there is no sentimentality. Buddhism is neither idealism nor formalism. It is a dedicated struggle to help people who are suffering become happy, to fill their hearts with new strength and life force so they can declare, "No matter what, I will survive!"
So Buddhism is an all-out, earnest struggle. There is no place in Buddhist practice for an easygoing or lackadaisical attitude. Having a position in the organization or social standing does not mean one will automatically be able to give others hope. Only by waging a great inner struggle, with the spirit to expend one's very life, can you truly encourage others.
When Nanjo Tokimitsu's younger brother Shichiro Goro suddenly died, Nichiren Daishonin was nearing the end of his own life. Despite his physical infirmity, the Daishonin continued sending Tokimitsu and his mother, Ueno-ama Gozen, letters of encouragement.
What lengths the Daishonin went to for the sake of his followers! In his actions we see his spirit to resolutely protect all who embrace the Mystic Law, his determination for the well-being of all his followers and his firm conviction, "If I don't protect them, who will?" Through his example, it seems to me, the Daishonin teaches the proper attitude for all Buddhist leaders.
The Great Light of Daimoku Illuminates the Three Existences
A certain sutra passage says that children are one's enemies.1 Perhaps there is reason for this. The bird known as the owl devours its mother, and the beast called hakei2 destroys its father. A man called An Lushan3 was killed by his son, Shih Shih-ming [actually, An Ch'ing-hsu], and the warrior Yoshitomo killed his father, Tameyoshi.4 Thus the sutra has grounds for saying that children are one's enemies.
Another sutra passage says that children are a treasure. King Myoshogon5 was destined, after his life had ended, to fall into the hell called the great citadel of incessant suffering, but he was saved by his son, the crown prince Jozo. Not only was he able to escape the sufferings of that great hell, but he became a Buddha called Sal Tree King. A woman called Shodai-nyo, for the faults of greed and stinginess, was confined in the realm of hungry spirits, but she was saved by her son Maudgalyayana and was freed from that realm.6 Thus the sutra 's statement that children are a treasure is in no way false. (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 7, pp. 261-62)7
Four months had passed since the death of Shichiro Goro, Ueno-ama Gozen's youngest child. Although the New Year had arrived, the mother's sorrow had not yet healed. On Jan. 13, 1281, the Daishonin sent her this letter, the "Clear Sake Gosho."
The New Year is actually the start of spring. At the outset of the letter, the Daishonin, as though echoing the mother's sentiments, writes: "The blossoms that once fell are about to bloom again, and the withered grasses have begun to sprout anew. Why does the late [Shichiro] Goro not return as well?" (MW-7, 261)
The Daishonin then explains that, for a parent, in some cases a child becomes an enemy and in other cases a treasure. He backs up this assertion with examples from the Buddhist sutras and history. Like the sons of King Myoshogon and Shodai-nyo, respectively, there are children who save their parents. The late Lord Goro was undoubtedly such a son, the Daishonin declares.
The Lotus Sutra expounds the oneness and simultaneous enlightenment of parent and child. Children, through faith, can definitely cause their parents to attain Buddhahood. In this scenario, from the parent's perspective, the child is not merely a child but what Buddhism calls a "good friend," someone who leads another to Buddhism. In the same way, the child can also attain Buddhahood through the parent's faith. It all depends on the parent's resolute faith and nothing else. It is important that we have unshakable confidence in this.
We should chant with the determination to definitely lead our children, as well as our parents, to happiness and complete fulfillment. Each daimoku we chant with such determination becomes a brilliant sun illuminating the lives of our children or parents, transcending great distances and even the threshold of life and death.
People wanting to have a child may tend to imagine that if only they could they would be happy. But --- as the Daishonin indicates when he says that a child may become a parent's enemy --- countless people become miserable on account of their children. Happiness or unhappiness in life does not hinge on whether we have children.
For that matter, those who do not have children can love and look after that many more children of the Buddha with the same parental affection they would show their own children. This is most respectworthy.
Also, some agonize because they cannot have children. And they may be deeply hurt by someone even casually needling them about "starting a family." When it comes to such highly personal matters, we should exercise great sensitivity and discretion.
Time and Again We Will Be Reunited
The sutra states, "If there are those who hear the Law, then not a one will fail to attain Buddhahood."8 This means that even if one were to point at the earth and miss it, even if the sun and moon should fall to the ground, even if an age should come when the tides cease to ebb and flow, or even if flowers should not turn to fruit in summer, it could never happen that a woman who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo would fail to be reunited with her beloved child. Continue your devotion to faith and bring this about quickly! (MW-7, 262-63)
"You will definitely meet your son at Eagle Peak," the Daishonin tells Ueno-ama Gozen. The Daishonin first seeks to give her confidence, saying that her son has certainly attained Buddhahood. Next, he gives her hope, encouraging her that she will definitely meet her son again.
From the standpoint of life's eternity over past, present and future, when people are separated by death it is as though one has merely gone a short distance away. This could even be likened to someone going to another country, making it impossible to see the person for a while.
Once at a question-and-answer session, a member whose child had died asked second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda whether it was possible to reestablish a parent-child relationship with his dead child in his present life. Mr. Toda replied:
It's impossible to say for certain whether you will meet your dead child again during your lifetime. When I was 23, I lost my daughter, Yasuyo. All night, I held my dead child in my arms. I had not yet taken faith in the Gohonzon. I was beside myself with grief and slept with her in my embrace.
So we were separated, and I am now 58. When she died she was three, so if she were alive now I imagine she would be a full-grown woman.
Have I or have I not met my deceased daughter again? This is a matter of perception through faith. I believe that I have met her. Whether one is reunited with a deceased relative in this life or the next is a matter of faith.
That day my daughter died was the saddest in my life. Throughout the night, I lay sobbing, holding her cold body close to me.
Let me add something else. Never has the world been filled with such sorrow for me as it was then. One day at my office in Meguro, I thought to myself, "What if my wife were to die?" And that brought me to tears. And then my wife, too, died: Later I wondered what I would do if my mother died. I was, of course, very fond of my mother. Pursuing things still further, I shuddered at the thought of my own death.
While in prison during the war, I devoted some time to reading the Lotus Sutra and one day I suddenly understood. I had finally found the answer. It took me more than 20 years to solve the question of death. I had wept all night long over my daughter's death and dreaded my wife's death and the thought that I, too, would die. It's because I was finally able to answer this riddle that I became the president of the Soka Gakkai.9
On another occasion, Mr. Toda said: "It is not a given that you will be reunited as parent and child. It sometimes happens that the person is reborn as someone close by, though not in your immediate family."
We are connected by the invisible life-to-life bonds of the Mystic Law. We are the family of the original Buddha. We are eternal comrades.
Transcending life and death, time and again we will be reunited in the garden of our mission and renew our connection with each other. Life is hopeful and death is hopeful, too. Ours is a brilliant journey across eternity!
In any event, death is a certainty. No one can escape it. Therefore, it's not whether our lives are long or short, but whether, while alive, we form a connection with the Mystic Law --- the eternal elixir for all life's ills --- that, in retrospect, determines whether we have led the best possible lives. By virtue of our having formed such a connection, we will again quickly return to the stage of kosen-rufu.
The important thing is that surviving family and friends live with dignity and realize great happiness based on this conviction. Their happiness shows that they have conquered the hindrance of death and eloquently attests to the deceased's attainment of Buddhahood.
2. On My Sickness
The Spirit to Struggle for Others at All Times
From the seventeenth day of the sixth month of the eleventh year of Bun'ei (1274), when I retired here [Mount Minobu], through the eighth day of the twelfth month of this year [1281], I have not ventured away from this mountain. For the past eight years I have become weaker year by year because of emaciating sickness and old age and my mental powers have waned. I have been ill since the spring of this year, and with the passing of autumn and arrival of winter I have grown weaker by the day and each night my symptoms have grown more severe. For more than 10 days now I have hardly been able to eat anything. Meanwhile the snow grows deeper and I am assailed by the cold.
My body is as cold as a stone, and the coldness in my breast is like ice. At such times, I warm up some sake and consume kakko,10 and it's as though a fire has been kindled in my heart, or like entering a hot bath. Sweat washes my body and the droplets cleanse my feet.
As I was happily thinking about how I might respond to your sincerity, tears welled up in my eyes....
While I, Nichiren, have been refraining from responding to letters from people on account of my illness, I am so saddened by this matter [of Shichiro Goro's death] that I have taken up my brush to write you. I, too, shall not be long in this world. I believe that I will certainly meet Lord Goro. If I should see him before you do, then I will inform him of your grief. (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1583-84)11
The Daishonin describes his condition without embellishment. He is entirely unaffected; he makes no attempt to make himself appear to others as somehow special. In so doing, he reveals true greatness.
What sense does it make for ordinary people of the Latter Day of the Law to put on airs? What can they possibly stand to gain? We should focus instead on the self, polishing the self and striving to always live with honesty and sincerity, modesty and humility.
Since we are human, we will as a matter of course undergo the four sufferings of birth, old age, sickness and death. The important thing is that we withstand the onslaught of these sufferings and overcome them with true nobility.
Several years before this letter was written, the Daishonin wrote with an air of calm detachment to Abutsu-bo of Sado Island: "I was born and since I have already reached an age of nearly 60 years, there is no doubt that I have also experienced old age. Sickness and death are all that remain" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1317). What a lofty state of life! It is as though he is calmly looking down on the dark clouds of sickness and death from blue skies high above.
The Daishonin wrote this letter to Ueno-ama Gozen in December 1281 --- just 10 months before his death --- in response to an offering of food and medicine she had sent in the knowledge that he was physically weakened and not eating. The offering included unpolished rice, clear sake and medicinal herbs for use as stomach medicine.
He describes his physical condition in detail. This suggests just how grateful the Daishonin must have been for Ueno-ama Gozen's sincerity. He may have taken her gesture of concern as an indication that she had recovered from her grief at her son's death and regained the leeway to respond to others' needs.
More than a year had passed since Shichiro Goro had died. Time, it is said, is an excellent physician that eventually cures all ills. Even so, a void in the heart cannot easily be filled.
The Daishonin again touches on Shichiro Goro's passing, sharing Ueno-ama Gozen's sorrow. He concludes the letter by telling her in effect, "If I should die before you do, then I will meet the late Lord Goro and tell him of your sorrow."
When he wrote this letter, the Daishonin had grown so weak and emaciated that he didn't even feel like taking up his writing brush. He does so in this case not simply to express his gratitude for the offerings, but as an indication of how highly he treasures Ueno-ama Gozen's feelings. He doubtless wanted to write her even if it meant pushing himself unreasonably.
The Buddha continually prays for people's happiness. The verse section of the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra contains these lines:
At all times I think to myself:
How can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha? (LS 16, 232)
This prayer of the Buddha concludes the "Life Span" chapter. The Buddha, 24 hours a day, day after day and month after month, is constantly concerned about the others' well-being. Continually and unswervingly, he sends people encouragement. This is the world of Buddhahood.
We who have embraced the Gohonzon should struggle to thoroughly protect all the people in our communities and organizations --- to help them become happy, stand up and receive benefit. We should do so with the spirit of this passage, "At all times I think to myself...." Everything depends on leaders having such a sense of responsibility.
Leaders must always have the sensitivity and compassion to lend a hand where help is needed. They must also give guidance that is both warmhearted and reasonable. The Daishonin's encouragement is a model for all Buddhists and for all leaders in society.
Embraced by his mother's strong faith, Nanjo Tokimitsu overcame a severe illness and went on to live to 74. In Buddhism, everything has meaning. It may be that Shichiro Goro "bequeathed" his own life span to Tokimitsu.
Carrying on the flame of his father and younger brother, Tokimitsu dedicated his life to kosen-rufu in keeping with the vow he made during his youth. And his magnificent life also attests to the victory of his mother and Shichiro Goro.
(This concludes President Ikeda's lectures on the letters sent to Ueno-ama Gozen.)
1. A paraphrase of the Shinjikan Sutra, vol. 3. The passage mentioned in the next paragraph which says that children are a treasure, is taken from the same text.
2. Hakei: a legendary beast resembling a tiger, said to eat its father.
3. An Lu-shan (705-757): a military officer in China during the T'ang dynasty.
4. Tameyoshi and Yoshitomo: warrior leaders of the Minamoto clan who in 1156 fought on opposing sides in a conflict involving the imperial family.
5. Myoshogon: Wonderful Adornment, a king who appears in the "Former Affairs of King Wonderful Adornment" (27th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
6. This story is described in the Urabon Sutra (see MW-7, 167). Maudgalyayana is also known as Mahamaudgalyayana.
7."Ueno-ama Gozen Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1575-76), written in January 1281 when the Daishonin was 60. He wrote this letter in response to an offering of various items from Ueno-ama Gozen, the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu and Shichiro Goro. At the beginning of the letter he lists her various offerings; the first item mentioned is clear sake (Japanese rice wine), hence the title.
8. Lotus Sutra, the "Expedient Means" (2nd) chapter.
9. Josei Toda, Toda Josei Zenshu (Collected Writings of Josei Toda) (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1982), vol. 2, pp. 174-75.
10. Kakko: A medical herb, tamalapatra (sandalwood) fragrance.
11. "Ueno Dono Haha Gozen Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1583-84), written in December 1281 when the Daishonin was 60.
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Lecture 16 - The Ultimate Teaching Affirmed by All Buddhas of the Past, Present, and Future
Polish Your Eternal Entity
What, ultimately, is Buddhism? The Buddhist canon encompasses an immense number of scriptures, known as the 84,000 teachings. And then there are also countless commentaries. Trying unaided to come to terms with such a monumental body of material is like journeying through a vast jungle without a map.
However, Nichiren Daishonin clearly states, "The 84,000 teachings are the diary of one's own life" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 563). The Buddhist sutras, in other words, are a record, a diary, of one's life. "They are about you," he is saying. "There is nothing at all in the sutras that does not pertain to your life."
Life Transcends Both Birth and Death
To conceive of life and death as separate realities is to be caught in the illusion of birth and death. It is deluded and inverted thinking.
When we examine the nature of life with perfect enlightenment [the true enlightenment of one awakened from the dream of illusions], we find that there is no beginning marking birth and, therefore, no end signifying death. Doesn't life as thus conceived already transcend birth and death?
Life cannot be consumed by the fire at the end of the kalpa, nor can it be washed away by floods. It can be neither cut by swords nor pierced by arrows.
Although it can fit inside a mustard seed, the seed does not expand, nor does life contract. And although it fills the vastness of space, space is not too wide, nor is life too small. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 563) (1)
Death is an issue of the greatest importance for all people without exception. No one can honestly say that death is of no concern.
At the same time, however, few important issues are given as little serious consideration as death. It is said that there are two things people cannot gaze at directly: the sun and death.
The French philosopher Blaise Pascal (1623-62) decried people's tendency to avoid thinking of their own mortality: "This negligence in a matter where they themselves, their eternity, their all are at stake, fills me more with irritation than pity; it astounds and appalls me." (2) His dismay at people's irrational indifference toward death drove him to use such strong words.
What is death? What becomes of us after we die? Failing to pursue these questions is like spending our student years without ever considering what to do after graduating. Without coming to terms with death, we cannot establish a strong direction in life. Pursuing this issue brings real stability and depth to our lives.
Many views of life and death have been articulated over the ages by religious leaders, philosophers and scientists. Without going into a detailed discussion, I think it's fair to say that human knowledge has not advanced sufficiently to either definitively affirm or deny the possibility of life after death. Science takes as its object of investigation phenomena discerned with the five senses; what happens after death is beyond its purview. Its basic stance disqualifies it from speaking on the matter one way or the other.
No view of the nature of existence can offer direct proof of what happens after death. It seems, therefore, that rather than trying to compare the relative merits of different views, it is far more fruitful to ask how a particular view influences people's lives in the present- whether it makes them strong or weak, happy or miserable.
Buddhism teaches that life is eternal. It encourages us to use this existence to thoroughly polish the eternal entity of our lives. Eternal happiness, it explains, lies precisely in making such efforts.
With the view that life continues eternally over past, present and future, accomplishing human revolution becomes the ultimate purpose. When we polish and revolutionize our lives, then life is joyful --- and death is joyful, too. We will also experience happiness in our future lives. What else can we call eternal?
In a letter to his follower Shijo Kingo, Nichiren Daishonin says, "No matter how dearly you may cherish your estate, when you die, it will only fall into the hands of others" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 3, p. 238). You should not jealously cling to your possessions, the Daishonin says. All too often, people fail to fully come to terms with their mortality and as a result become attached to things that ultimately have no worth.
In his Essays, the French Renaissance philosopher Montaigne ( 15 33-92) introduces the following episode about a king of ancient Greece who was planning to conquer Italy:
When King Pyrrhus [of Epirus, 319-272 BCE.] was undertaking his expedition into Italy, Cyneas, his wise counselor, wanting to make him feel the vanity of his ambition, asked him: "Well, Sire, to what purpose are you setting up this great enterprise?" "To make myself master of Italy," he immediately replied. "And then," continued Cyneas, "when that is done?" "I shall pass over into Gaul and Spain," said the other. "And after that?" "I shall go and subdue Africa; and finally, when I have brought the world under my subjugation, I shall rest and live content and at my ease." ...Cyneas then retorted, "tell me what keeps you from being in that condition right now, if that is what you want. Why don't you settle down at this very moment in the state you say you aspire to, and spare yourself all the intervening toil and risks?" (3)
The source of this anecdote is Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans. Pascal and others in later ages have cited it.
The point is that people find contemplating their lives and facing mortality so distasteful that they instead look for one thing after another in which to absorb themselves. Thus avoiding the essential point of polishing their lives, they arrive finally at death without having prepared in the least for that moment. The King Pyrrhus anecdote teaches the folly of such a life.
Tolstoy wrote: Death is more certain than the morrow, than night following day, than winter following summer. Why is it then that we prepare for the night and for the winter time, but do not prepare for death. We must prepare for death. But there is only one way to prepare for death --- and that is to live well. (4)
"To live well" means to develop, cultivate and elevate our lives. Socrates called this "attending to one's soul." His famous words to the effect that "philosophy is practice for dying" carry the same meaning.
In the Gosho we are studying this time, Nichiren Daishonin teaches that the eternal entity of our lives cannot be burned by fire, corroded by water or destroyed by weapons. The eternal entity can both fuse with the universe in all its vastness and take the minuscule form of a mustard seed. It truly exists in the perfectly free state of non-substantiality (Jpn ku).
Buddhism teaches how we can gain firm control over the function and power of the free, unimpeded aspect of life --- the power of the Mystic Law. This is the teaching of a single life moment possessing 3,000 realms. Herein lies the ultimate meaning of faith.
We possess within us indestructible life force equal in power to the universe. When we tap this life force, we have no sufferings or worries that we cannot overcome.
What Is True Transcendental Power?
People, confused by their minds, fail to understand and awaken to the true nature of their lives. The Buddha is awakened to and manifests the wondrous workings of life, which he has called '`transcendental." By transcendental he means "in command of all laws of life, unobstructed by anything." This free transcendental power exists in the lives of all sentient beings. Therefore, foxes, raccoon dogs and the like can manifest their respective transcendental powers. This is the [expression of] their relative enlightenment.
It is from this single entity of life that the differences among lands arise. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 563)
True transcendental power is not along the lines of so-called "supernatural" abilities. It is actually the ability to help others become happy. Nichiren Daishonin says, "Aside from the attainment of Buddhahood, there is no 'secret' and no 'transcendental power"' (Gosho Zenshu, p. 753).
Manifesting true transcendental power means thoroughly polishing the eternal essence of our lives, elevating ourselves toward the state of Buddhahood. By so doing we can realize eternal happiness and develop our state of life to one where we can help others become happy, too.
It may be that supernatural abilities enable people to fly. But being able to fly won't make you happy. For that matter, to fly all you need to do is get on an airplane.
As the Daishonin indicates where he says, "It is from this single entity of life that the differences among lands arise," society and even the land change depending on the state of life of people living there. The power to change even the environment exists in the heart.
A great human revolution in the life of one person can change the destiny of humankind and the planet. It is Buddhism, the Lotus Sutra, that encourages and enables people to become aware of this great power, to draw it forth and use it. Buddhism gives people the means to develop themselves thoroughly, and opens their eyes to the limitless power inherent in their lives.
Through training hard, an athlete can bring out hidden strengths and abilities to the maximum. Similarly, the extent to which we can manifest our latent power, the true essence of our lives, depends on our practice. The requisite discipline is Buddhist practice-it is faith. With the view of life existing eternally over past, present and future, establishing solid faith becomes the fundamental concern. We should make establishing solid faith our main purpose in this existence.
The Daishonin says: "Explaining the wonder of life is the prime objective of all the sutras. One who is awakened to the workings of the mind is called a Thus Come One" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 564). Buddhism reveals the "wonder of life" from a wide variety of angles. Attaining Buddhahood is the same as gaining a full understanding of this wonder.
The Buddha Fully Grasps the Wonder of Life
Explaining the wonder of life is the prime objective of all the sutras [that Shakyamuni preached], termed the 84,000 teachings. These doctrines all exist in one's life. Accordingly, the 84,000 teachings are the diary of one's life.
We hold and embrace the 84,000 teachings in our lives. To suppose that the Buddha, the Law and the pure land of Eagle Peak exist apart from one's life and to seek them outside is a delusion. (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 563-64)
The Buddhist sutras, again, are said to number 84,000. This is because human beings supposedly have 84,000 earthly desires; the sutras are to explain the means for overcoming these.
The sutras are a record of the Buddha's life. But the Daishonin also says, "The example of one person represents the impartial truth inherent in all human beings" (Gosho Zenshu, p.564). The sutras are a diary of each person's life. Whether we can believe this, whether we can remember this, depends entirely on us.
Buddhism was expounded for each of us. By fully comprehending the wonder of life, we gain complete, total freedom. We have no sufferings that we cannot overcome, no prayers that are not answered. We gain all the good fortune and enter the journey of eternal life in which living is a joy and dying is joyful, too.
Happiness does not exist outside us. It is found within, in our own state of life.
Yet modern civilization continually draws our gaze outward. Ours is a civilization, it is said, which has forgotten death --- death has become an anathema. People try to get by without thinking about or coming into contact with it. But does ignoring death enrich life?
While science can push back the moment of death, it cannot stop it. Death is a condition of human life --- no one can escape it. A civilization that has forgotten death, therefore, has forgotten human beings. And a civilization that has forgotten human beings will not bring people happiness.
Tolstoy says: "An enlightened man is he who knows why he lives and what he ought to do. Do not try to be either learned or educated, but strive to become enlightened." (5)
In this sense, aren't the lives of SGI members, who strive to cultivate themselves and serve others based on the eternity of life, "enlightened"?
There are countless dramas of life and death in the SGI. I have heard of one person who, after expressing gratitude for the SGI, said, "I'll be back soon" and then passed away. Another person, smiling gently, closed her eyes, saying, "I'll be born right away and return to the garden of kosen-rufu." Someone else died after bravely relating his dream --- to undertake great activities in his next life --- while listening to such well-loved Soka Gakkai tunes as "Song of Comrades" and "The Song of the Human Revolution." Aren't these enlightened people who have awakened to the eternity of life and met death with complete composure?
A civilization that revolves around cultivating life respects human dignity and excellence. It is a society that treasures people of wisdom.
In modern society, where highest value tends to be placed on material wealth and utility, people are often judged on whether they are "useful." As a result, the elderly and the sick tend to be marginalized. A civilization that does not squarely face death also deserts people in sickness and old age. For the rapidly graying populations of many countries, this spells a bleak future.
This would not be the case in a civilization that treasures human maturity and depth of wisdom. If there is value in the young shoots of spring and the light of summer, then there must also be value in the mature trees of autumn and the grand sunsets of winter.
This is all the more so for those who practice Buddhism. For us, old age is a time of unsurpassed fulfillment when we put the finishing touches on the "golden journal" of our lives and attain Buddhahood; days of mission when we show actual proof and relate to others the wonder of life and power of the spirit we have experienced. This lifetime is precious and irreplaceable.
As a young man, the great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-81) was once arrested for revolutionary activities and sentenced to die. He was taken to the execution grounds and, along with his friends, tied to a stake. Guns were pointed at them.
The thought that in a few moments he would no longer be in this world stirred a powerful reaction in the young Dostoevsky. A character from one of his novels in a similar situation thinks to himself:
What if I were not to die! What if I could go back to life --- what eternity! And it would all be mine! I would turn every minute into an age; I would lose nothing, l would count every minute as it passed, l would not waste one! (6)
At the last moment the execution was canceled, but the episode left its imprint on Dostoevsky's entire life. His experience might have been extreme, but if we think about things objectively, everyone, differences in their length of life notwithstanding, is certain to die. From that standpoint, each of us is a "prisoner on death row."
Incidentally, I understand that efforts are being made to educate people on death. One example of this is having people imagine that they have only three months to live, encouraging them to think how they would spend that time. This kind of exercise prompts people to think earnestly about what they need to accomplish.
Tolstoy observed: If a man knows that he will die inside of thirty minutes, he will not do anything trifling or foolish in these last thirty minutes, surely not anything evil. But is the half century or so that separates you from death essentially different from a half hour? (7)
Use your time wisely and polish your life. When I was young, my health was so poor that I might have died any time. Therefore, I threw myself into efforts for Buddhism with the determination to use each moment to the fullest.
We have to work hard. We have to develop ourselves. As the Daishonin says, "Arouse deep faith and polish your mirror night and day" (MW-1, 5). That is the fundamental objective of life and the conclusion of "The Ultimate Teaching Affirmed by All Buddhas of Past, Present and Future." Daily, we carry out this practice, the essence of Buddhism --- this is the same as mastering the 84,000 teachings.
Let us live aware of the fantastic wonder of life, with the realization that each day is a priceless treasure.
(This concludes President Ikeda's lecture on "The Ultimate Teaching Affirmed by All Buddhas of Past, Present and Future.")
l. "Sanze Shobutsu Sokanmon Kyoso Hairyu" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 558-75), written in October 1279 when the Daishonin was 58.
2. Blaise Pascal, Pensees, trans. A.J. Krailsheimer (NewYork: Penguin Books, 1966), pp. 156-57.
3. Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, The Complete Works of Montaigne, trans. Donald M. Frame (Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press, 1957), p. 196.
4. Leo Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life, trans. Archibald J. Wolfe (New York: International Book Publishing Company, 1919), part 2, p. 179.
5. Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life, part 1, p. 296.
6. Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Idiot, trans. Constance Garnett (New York: Bantam Books, 1988), p. 57.
7. Tolstoy, The Pathway of Life, part 2, p. 32.
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Lecture 17 - Reply to Myoho Bikuni (1)
A Person of Justice Invites Persecution
Life is a journey. Nichiren Daishonin's entire life was a difficult journey that frequently brought him to the precipice between life and death. As he put it, "As mountains pile upon mountains and waves follow waves, so do persecutions add to persecutions and criticisms augment criticisms" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2 [2nd ed.], p. 99).
A number of men and women accompanied him on that arduous path. From a secular standpoint, they did not benefit in the least from doing so; they were persecuted, badgered and even ridiculed. Yet they maintained their allegiance to the Daishonin, filled with the sense of wonder in being alive at the same time as he.
Life is a journey. Today, those followers who advanced throughout their lives with the Daishonin, the original Buddha, shine with a brilliant hue --- as they will throughout eternity.
Myoho Bikuni, (1) the recipient of the letter we will now begin studying, (2) was one such individual. Of all the letters the Daishonin wrote, this is one of the longest. It even has the flavor of a concise autobiography.
This Gosho conveys the sublime spirit of the Daishonin, who continually exerted himself for the people's happiness. This time we will study a portion from the latter half of the letter.
Why are there obstacles? Why is a person of justice persecuted? The Daishonin explains why, illuminating the underlying mechanism at work.
What emerges is the stark contrast between those who continually ask themselves how they should live and those who live by their wits, principally concerned with protecting what they already have.
The Daishonin's Sole Desire: To Protect the People
My situation is the same [as the T'ang general Li-ju Hsien]. Although I brought forth [this teaching of the True Law] out of the desire to help the people of Japan, l am not allowed even to enter the province of my birth, and now, too, I have left the province of my exile. In living secluded deep in this mountain [Mount Minobu], I resemble Li-ju Hsien.
Since I have no wife or children in either my native province or in my place of exile, there is certainly no need for me to grieve [as Li-ju Hsien must have]. Still, apprehensive thoughts of my parents' graves lying untended and of people dear to me weigh on my heart. My feelings are beyond words to express. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1415)
At the start of this passage, the Daishonin refers to an incident during the reign of Chinese emperor Tai-tsung of the T'ang dynasty in the eighth century. A general named Li-ju Hsien had led a great army northward, but his forces were defeated by the enemy and he was taken prisoner. He then spent 40 years in captivity. During that time, he took to wearing the region's clothes and even married a local woman and had children.
He was allowed to wear T'ang dress only on New Year's Day. His yearning for his home did not wane so when T'ang forces attacked the land, he approached the T'ang camp alone. Because he was wearing the local people's clothes, though, Li-ju Hsien was mistaken for the enemy and nearly killed.
The opportunity eventually came for him to appeal to the T'ang emperor, Te-tsung, but suspicions still lingered. In the end he was sent alone into exile to a distant land in the south.
Though he was sincerely patriotic, he could neither see his home nor be with the wife and children he had left behind. What a cruel fate! What grief Li-ju Hsien must have felt!
The Daishonin compares his own situation to Li-ju Hsien's. Although he expounded the Lotus Sutra solely out of the desire to "help the people of Japan," he could not return to his native Awa. And having left Sado Island, his erstwhile place of exile, he was confined to the recesses of Mount Minobu.
In the Daishonin's home province, ruling power was in the hands of Tojo Kagenobu (3) and members of the Hojo family. It appears that they unjustly prohibited him from entering the region.
Of course, the Daishonin never married or had children. Still, he says he is anxious about the condition of his parents' graves and anxious to see people dear to him. When the Daishonin thought about his home, the faces of many friends and relatives must have come to mind. He certainly did not forget people with whom he had formed connections. The Daishonin was a person of such warmth.
At the time, it was common and even regarded as natural for priests to marry. The Shasekishu, (4) a collection of tales portraying the social conditions of the day, describes such things in detail. It even relates the account of an elderly priest who encouraged all priests he met to marry, so as to have someone to provide for them in old age.
Despite the trend of his times, the Daishonin always conducted himself as a true priest. Nevertheless, society was rife with rumors that he, a man of impeccable integrity, was a "lawless priest," i.e., that he broke the precepts. His bad reputation, based entirely on malicious fabrication, spread far and wide (MW5, 6). This situation --- like that of children striking their parent --- was completely absurd.
Through and through, the Daishonin's spirit was to prevent the country from going astray and to help the suffering multitudes. He had profound compassion for the people. But the Japanese not only failed to understand his spirit --- they trampled on it.
In taking the actions that he did, the Daishonin was prepared for such reaction. No matter how wise or good people may be, if they fail to fight when it is necessary to do so, they will not attain Buddhahood. They will not achieve victory as human beings. Instead, they will eventually fall into the state of Hell. Nichiren Daishonin fervently upheld the Buddha's admonitions.
Those who don't speak the truth when it is time to may avoid danger. Those who don't take courageous action may be able to live in peace and security. This is probably what wily and cunning people do.
But if someone were trying to kill your parents, you would naturally try to warn them. If someone is clearly about to set out on the wrong path, isn't it one's duty to correct the person? Therefore, the Daishonin urged people to return to the correct path, to go forward along it.
The Daishonin did not expect that those in power would readily accept the truth. He didn't necessarily see them as having the sincerity to be concerned about justice or think about people's well-being. Rather, it was as plain as day to him that by raising the cry to establish the peace of the land through the propagation of the True Law, he would call forth great persecution.
He could not abide in silence. No matter what the outcome, as a Buddhist and a human being, he had no choice but to declare with all truth and honesty what was correct and what was mistaken. Like other "emissaries of the Buddha," he took action "because he treasured the Buddhist Law and did not fear secular rules" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1412). For the sake of truth, he did not fear authority. For precisely that reason, he met with great persecution. That's why, whatever the difficulties he faced, the brilliance of the Daishonin's humanity will shine eternally.
Stand-alone Faith Yields Great Benefit
Yet, I feel joy. Although their bodies have perished, the warriors who, true to their ways, marched forward in the cause of their lord, taking the lead in crossing the Uji and Seta rivers, (5) made names that will be known in ages to come.
For the cause of the Lotus Sutra, I, Nichiren, have likewise been driven from my dwelling and attacked on many occasions, suffering wounds on my body. My disciples have been killed. I have twice been condemned to exile in distant regions. And, once, I was almost beheaded. All this I bore for the sake of the Lotus Sutra.
The Buddha preaches in the Lotus Sutra that more than 2,200 years after his death, in the 95th 500-year period [i.e., at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law] when the Lotus Sutra is about to spread throughout the world, the Devil of the Sixth Heaven will take possession of people, abusing, striking, banishing or killing those who happen to take faith in this sutra, in an attempt to prevent them from propagating the sutra's teachings. He goes on to say that those who stand in the vanguard at that time win benefit as great as though they had given offerings to the Buddhas of the three existences and the 10 directions. And the Buddha also promises that he will transfer to such persons the benefits resulting from his own trials and the ascetic practices he underwent as a bodhisattva. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1415)
Why, amid persecution, does the Daishonin say that he feels joy? Just as in battle warriors fight in the front ranks so they can make names for themselves that later generations will remember, the Daishonin stood up in the vanguard of the struggle to propagate the Lotus Sutra.
He says that at the time of kosen-rufu, enemies of the Buddha will appear and persecute the votaries of the Mystic Law. Those who lead the way in the struggle at that time, he asserts, will receive all the benefit that caused Shakyamuni to attain Buddhahood.
It is important to push ourselves to advance on the forefront. It all comes down to self-motivation, conviction and the spirit to stand alone. Those who do activities only because they are told to do so, or out of a sense of obligation, will not experience true Joy.
Since we're alive we ought to live with freshness and vigor. If we're going to run, then we should run with all our might. That way we can manifest great strength and realize tremendous benefit.
The Daishonin speaks of the time "when the Lotus Sutra is about to spread throughout the world." That time is truly right now. The sonorous voices of people chanting the Mystic Law can now be heard in 128 countries. This is an age without precedent in Buddhism's history. Right now, we are correctly and profoundly actualizing these words of the Daishonin. What noble lives we are leading!
Nichiren Daishonin explains the reason why he meets obstacles, saying, "This is entirely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra." It is not, he indicates, for any other reason; it is entirely because he is spreading the Mystic Law.
While it might seem that people today are carrying out the same actions, some may deep down be motivated by the desire to protect personal interests. Some may be doing so out of vanity. Some may have calculating minds.
Ultimately it comes down to whether --- even if others are not aware of our efforts --- we are truly praying and working for kosen-rufu. This difference, while inconspicuous and very subtle, is the decisive factor. And it becomes apparent in whether we attain Buddhahood, whether we realize ultimate victory as human beings.
Buddhism Is Suited to a Global Age
When in the past Bodhisattva Never Disparaging (Jap. Fukyo) spread the Law, respected monks and nuns, known for their wisdom and for upholding all 250 rules of the monk's regulations, gathered in a great assembly and cunningly enticed the laymen and laywomen to slander and attack Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. But Bodhisattva Never Disparaging never thought of turning back and continued to spread the Lotus Sutra, until finally he attained Buddhahood.
Bodhisattva Never Disparaging of the past is the present Shakyamuni Buddha. The respected monks who envied and attacked him fell into the Avichi hell (6) for a thousand kalpas. Even though they praised thousands of sutras including the Kammuryoju (7) and Amida sutras, hailed the names of all Buddhas, invoked the Nembutsu of Amida Buddha, and day and night read the Lotus Sutra, because they had viewed the true votary of the Lotus Sutra with enmity, neither the Lotus Sutra, nor the Nembutsu teaching nor the precepts could save them, and they fell into the Avichi hell for a period of a thousand kalpas.
Those monks at first regarded Bodhisattva Never Disparaging with disdain, but later had a change of heart and themselves took action to serve him, following him as slaves would obey their master. Nevertheless, they could not avoid falling into the hell of incessant suffering.
The people of Japan who are now hostile toward Nichiren are the same. No, my situation is completely different from that of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging --- he was scorned and beaten, but he was never sent into exile by the ruler. He was struck with sticks and staves, tiles and rocks, but he was not wounded or nearly beheaded.
For more than 20 years, I have been continually vilified and attacked by sticks and staves, tiles and rocks. In addition, I have been wounded, exiled, and even nearly beheaded. My disciples have had their lands confiscated, been jailed, sent faraway, driven away from their homes, or had their rice paddies and fields stolen. They have been treated even worse than night robbers, thieves, pirates, mountain bandits and rebels. (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1415-16)
Kosen-rufu is a movement to open the eyes of all people to their Buddha nature. In a dialogue that he conducted toward the end of his life, Joseph Campbell ( 1904-87), an American authority on comparative mythology, remarked:
When the world changes, then the religion has to be transformed...today there are no boundaries. The only mythology that is valid today is the mythology of the planet --- and we don't have such a mythology. The closest thing I know to a planetary mythology is Buddhism, which sees all beings as Buddha beings. The only problem is to come to the recognition of that. (8)
According to Campbell, myths are value systems that give the people of an age or era meaning in life and joy. He identifies Buddhism --- which, as he puts it, "sees all beings as Buddha beings" --- as the thought system best suited to an age of "one world."
Bodhisattva Never Disparaging perceived the Buddha nature in all people and bowed in reverence to them as he walked along. As a result, people rejected and persecuted him.
No matter how someone may claim to treasure the Law, if he or she persecutes those who spread it, rather than receiving benefit, he or she will be severely punished. Those who persecuted Bodhisattva Never Disparaging later regretted their actions, but they could not avoid retribution for the negative causes they had created.
This was all the more true for those who persecuted Nichiren Daishonin and never even felt remorse for their actions. The Daishonin says, "Even a small error will destine one to the evil paths if one does not repent of it" (MW4, 164). Not only did they subject the Daishonin to persecutions of an incomparably greater magnitude than those that befell Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, but they never came to regret their actions. In light of the Law of life, their retribution surely defies description.
By contrast, the lives of those who, no matter how they are vilified, thoroughly dedicate themselves to justice are infinitely bright. The sun of hope blazes in their hearts. The followers of the Daishonin who crossed mountains and rivers together with their mentor were filled with brilliant hope.
Living With Hope
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda once said:
When we consider the lives of great historical figures, we see that without being defeated by the difficulties or hardships of life they steadfastly maintained hope that might seem to ordinary eyes like a dream. Moreover, they lived out their lives without ever abandoning their hopes; they never capitulated.
They could do this, I think, because they were deeply convinced that their hope did not arise from selfish desires or egoism. It was based on a sincere wish for all people's happiness.
From the time the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, at age 16 awoke to the great wish to lead all people to happiness, becoming enlightened to the great truth of the universe, until he reached 32, he engaged in study to confirm his conviction. Thereafter, until the day he died at 61, he never strayed a single step from the hope, the dream, of his youth to which he dedicated his entire life. Reflecting on his life, which represents the realization of this dream, is like gazing upon a magnificent palace....
What I wish most of my comrades, whether they be young or old, is that they will have firm hope in their lives and live with that optimistic spirit. Needless to say, we should remember that the inner resilience that enables us to live with an unwavering sense of hope and confidence derives from the Gohonzon, which embodies the oneness of the Person and the Law and is the life of Nichiren Daishonin.
Let us plant our feet firmly on the ground and live with brilliant hope. At the same time, let us strive to bring equally bright hope to others and help them gain a solid footing in life. (9)
My mentor lived his entire sublime life in just this way. Nichiren Daishonin teaches the wonder of a life lived with the great aspiration to create a new age in which the people take the lead. Let us advance ever forward, always with out sights on the future.
The great French author Victor Hugo ( 1802-85) cried: "What is the question of today? It is to fight. What is the question of tomorrow? It is to win." (10)
1. Bikuni: a Japanese transliteration of the Sanskrit term bhikshuni, meaning "nun."
2. "Myoho Bikuni Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1406-19), written in September 1278 when the Daishonin was 57.
3. Tojo Kagenobu: the steward of Tojo Village in Nagasa District of Awa Province. A passionate believer in the Nembutsu.
4. Shaseki-shu (Collection of Sand and Pebbles): a work by the Buddhist monk Muju Ichien (1226-1312) in 10 or 12 fascicles, written in 1279. A collection of notes, which reflect the spirit of Buddhism in the Kamakura period, about chance occurrences in daily life.
5. The Uji and Seta rivers were strategic points for defending Kyoto, the capital. They were also the focus of fighting in the struggle between the Minamoto and Taira clans.
6. Avichi Hell: the hell of incessant suffering.
7. The sutra setting forth meditation on Amida Buddha.
8. Joseph Campbell with Bill Moyers, The Power of Myth, ed. Betty Sue Flowers (New York: Doubleday, 1988), pp. 21-22.
9. Remarks made on Jan. 1,1957. Josei Toda, Toda Josei Zenshu (Collected Works of Josei Today) (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1983), vol. 3, pp. 292-93.
10. Translated from French: Victor Hugo, Victor Hugo Oeuvres Completes, vol. l5 (Paris: Le club francais du livre, 1970), p. 1247).
SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lecture 18 - Reply to Myoho Bikuni (2)
Courage --- The Key to Happiness
When people encounter great obstacles, it's a sure sign they are creating tremendous positive change. This is as true today as it certainly was in Nichiren Daishonin's time.
At the start of 1268, an incident occurred that no one in Japan anticipated. An official letter arrived from the Mongol Empire. Unless Japan did as instructed and submitted to a tributary relationship, the Mongols would attack. People became racked with fear. As the Daishonin says, "Everyone from the ruler above to the people below quaked and trembled with fear" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 172). The country was thrown into turmoil; it was as though the world had turned upside down.
Only one person, Nichiren Daishonin, surveyed these events and the great commotion that ensued calmly. The warning that he had made eight years prior in his "Rissho Ankoku Ron" (1) had now become a reality.
This turn of events resulted in a clear change in people's attitudes toward the Daishonin. "This is incredible," people thought. "His teaching must really be correct." From then on, people began chanting daimoku in increasing numbers. In a letter to one believer, the Daishonin says, "Now one tenth of the people in Japan chant only Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 5, p. 294).
But it was precisely then, in 1271, that great oppression bore down on the Daishonin with the Tatsunokuchi Persecution --- where he was nearly executed by the authorities --- and his subsequent exile to Sado Island. That was three-and-a-half years after the arrival of the letter from the Mongols.
Just what had happened? Why had the Daishonin had to encounter such great persecution? This will be the subject of our discussion this time.
Jealous Priests Acting in Collusion with the Authorities.
This [the Daishonin's having encountered persecutions incomparably greater than those which Bodhisattva Never Disparaging faced] is entirely because of the charges made [against the Daishonin to the rulers] by high-ranking priests of the Shingon, Nembutsu and Zen sects.
Accordingly, their offense is more weighty than the earth. Therefore, the earth shakes more violently than a ship on the sea in the midst of a great storm. The 84,000 stars glare down from the heavens, day and night there are abnormal phenomena in the heavens and the sun and moon also show great irregularities.
Already 2,227 years have passed since the Buddha entered nirvana. Even when King Mihirakula (2) burned all the Buddhist halls and monasteries of the five regions of India and murdered all the monks of the 16 major states, (3) or when Emperor Wu-tsung (4) of T'ang China destroyed Buddhist temples and pagodas in China and broke up the Buddha images, or when Mononobe no Moriya (5) burned the girded bronze statue of the Buddha with charcoal and persecuted the monks and nuns, forcing them to return to secular life, never have such comets [as the great comet of 1264] or such great earthquakes [as the great earthquake of 1257] occurred.
The evil of people today is hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of times more severe. In these earlier cases, the evil mind of a single ruler [was the cause of the persecution]; the persecution did not arise from the hearts of the ministers on down [who merely carried out the king's wishes]. Moreover, King Mihirakula and the others were enemies of the provisional Buddha and sutras. And the monks [who were persecuted] did not practice the Lotus Sutra.
Now, however, the persecutions are completely against the Lotus Sutra and they represent a great evil spirit that arises not only from the heart of the ruler himself but from the hearts of wise people throughout the entire land and of the entire populace. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1416) (6)
The Daishonin says that scheming was behind the great persecutions that befell him. These attacks arose as a direct result of accusations made against him by respected priests. From various Buddhist schools, priests acting in collusion with government officials leveled accusations against the Daishonin that could not possibly have been true. This was in order to have him done away with.
At the root of this was jealousy. These priests feared people would recognize that the Daishonin was correct. And they alone wanted to have people's respect. They could not match the Daishonin in debate, though. So even though the Daishonin sought a public confrontation, they refused to comply.
By rights, these priests ought to have devoted their lives to the well-being of the people, the good of the country and Buddhism itself. Getting caught up in petty emotionalism is a great mistake. But the higher people's standing --- when they feel that their position is in jeopardy --- the more likely they are to ignore reason and trample on justice.
The first Soka Gakkai president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, said: Generally speaking, people who pride themselves on being good or extraordinarily good are most concerned with whether someone superior to them in character may appear. Or whether a method other than theirs will be proven superior. In that case, the higher a person's position, the more directly he or she is destined to make the causes for great evil or extraordinarily great evil....
Had Nichiren Daishonin not appeared, then Ryokan, (7) Doryu (8) and others [who were regarded as respected priests by society in the Daishonin's day] would likely have ended their lives revered as living Buddhas. Unfortunately for them, unable to accept the supremacy of the Daishonin's teaching, consumed by concern for their personal interests, they became priests of the greatest evil. (9)
And so, behind the great persecutions that befell the Daishonin were the dark machinations of people jealous of the advance of kosen-rufu, the widespread propagation of the True Law.
The Daishonin describes the mind-set of his persecutors as follows: When a woman becomes envious, a great fire burns in her heart, and as a result her body turns red. The hair on her body stands on end, her limbs shake and a flame rises to her face, which turns vermilion. Her eyes open wide like the eyes of a cat glaring at a mouse. Her hands tremble, resembling the leaves of an oak blown by the wind. To those nearby, she resembles a great demon. This is the state of the ruler and high-ranking priests of Japan, as well as the monks and nuns. When they hear Nichiren declare that the invocation of the Nembutsu to Amida Buddha, on which they rely, leads to the hell of incessant suffering, that Shingon is a teaching that destroys the country and that Zen is the practice of devils, they grind their teeth [in a fit of rage] while counting their prayer beads and bobbin" their heads [in exasperation] while ringing their prayer bells.
Although they appear to uphold the precepts, they harbor an evil spirit [to do away with the Daishonin]. Saint Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple, who is revered as a living Buddha, has made charges to the government on folded paper [official stationary folded in half]. Saint Doryu of Kencho-ji has ridden on a litter and kneeled before magistrate officials. Nuns of high standing who have received all of the 500 precepts [from Ryokan and others] write their accusations down on the finest silk and present them to high officials. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1416)
The ancient Greek tragedian Euripides (484-406 B.C.E.) characterizes envy as the greatest of human ills. The flames of envy are directed toward others --- but the envious person is consumed in the flames. The second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, said:
It is a great mistake to suppose that only women are envious. Men are envious, too. In Japanese, the word envy (shitto) [is written with two Chinese characters both containing the element for woman but it] could just as easily be written using the element for man .... It is often male jealousy that wreaks havoc in the world. (10)
That's right. The envy of evil priests directed toward the Daishonin plunged Japan into turmoil. Ryokan, who reverently presented his slanderous accusations to the government, and Doryu. who rode on a magnificent litter to make his appeals to government officials, groveled before those in power. What shameful hypocrisy they displayed, while passing themselves off as saints!
Why, then, did the government become a willing accomplice in their schemes? There were strong ties between the respected priests and the country's rulers. Ryokan and the others had many influential followers. Also, as the Daishonin indicates, women of high social standing who trusted these priests took action behind the scenes to turn key people in the government against the Daishonin.
And the country's rulers had their own agendas. In fact, they took advantage of the national crisis, of the impending attack by a foreign power, to quickly expand their sphere of influence. Proclaiming the need to unify the nation to respond to the crisis, officials steadily worked to augment the government's autocratic powers. Those in positions of authority never miss an opportunity to increase their clout.
For example, the ruling Hojo clan used the attack threatened by the Mongols as a pretext to appoint members of their own clan to governorships in provinces throughout western Japan. Even areas where the government's footing had formerly been weak came under Hojo control.
There was an increasing consolidation of power. This government, a military regime to begin with, became increasingly militaristic. Under such circumstances, the government was most aggressive toward people and groups critical of the regime. So it was that Nichiren Daishonin and his followers caught the authorities' attention. Other schools, following the decrees of the government or imperial court, offered prayers for the "defeat of the foreign invaders."
The Daishonin alone cried out that it was useless to offer such prayers; that the prayers offered by adherents of erroneous schools, far from doing any good, would in fact produce an opposite result. His cry struck a chord of sympathy with the people. To the ruling authorities, championing the need to unify the country and concentrate power, nothing could have been more vexing.
From 1268 through 1271, the government's autocratic powers increased. And the Mystic Law also proceeded to spread widely. In other words, the authoritarian government and the rising tide of people seeking justice and peace came head to head. There was a collision between the "top-down" repressive power of the government and the "bottom-up" popular movement critical of that power. This culminated in the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and Sado Exile of 1271.
Certain events illustrate this vividly. The day after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution (which took place on Sept. 12, 1271), the government issued a notice to warriors in the Kanto region, which includes the capital, Kamakura, that those with lands in Kyushu (11) should set out for that domain in all haste to prepare for the Mongol invasion. It instructed them to take measures to defend the realm from the foreign power and also suppress anti-establishment elements within their territories. That these two events, the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and the notice, took place at exactly the same time was no coincidence. For the government, severe suppression of the Daishonin's followers was part of the strict 11th-hour policy it had implemented in anticipation of the Mongol invasion.
Behind the imposition of stricter martial law, there was, in addition to the foreign threat, an internal power struggle. As the Hojo clan consolidated its control, conflict with other forces opposed to its dominion grew fierce.
People were filled with suspicion and vied to undercut one another. Thus, even though the leaders appealed to the people to unify the country, embers of civil strife and schisms --- the disaster of internal strife which the Daishonin predicted in the "Rissho Ankoku Ron" --- smoldered under their feet.
The system of open deliberations that had become a tradition of the Kamakura regime broke down under these circumstances. The affairs of government began to be conducted behind closed doors. Government meetings consisted of important officials of the ruling Hojo clan gathering together at the home of the most powerful person of the day. The most important policy decisions were made at such secret councils.
With this system of closed door government, Hei no Saemon (12) and others who wanted to persecute the Daishonin came to wield tremendous influence as retainers of the Hojo clan. There is a record of the period when Hei no Saemon wielded dictatorial powers that says, "People could not help but live in fear." (13)
In such an authoritarian regime, there is no correct reasoning. Nor is there the compassion to put the people's minds at ease. Self-interest and ambition dominate everything.
Because the government had fallen into such a corrupt state, it was easily moved by the slanderous words of people who hated the Daishonin. The leaders lacked any public accountability, so all it took was a single malicious accusation for them to engineer someone's downfall or death. They may have tried to take a person's life merely because someone else had related there was a rumor about the person going around.
People's hearts were in turmoil. It was a tumultuous age. In the absence of any hope for the future, the sense of foreboding only intensified.
Evil priests took advantage of these conditions to start false rumors about the Daishonin. Ordinary people, unaware of the truth, readily believed what they heard.
Even a small lie, through countless repetition, became absurdly exaggerated. People somehow came to accept it as the truth.
This is analogous to how the ingestion of small amounts of poison can gradually and innocuously incapacitate the body, rendering it defenseless. Thus when the false rumors spread that the Daishonin's disciples were starting fires. people accepted it as true (MW-1, 184).
The behind-the-scenes scheming of evil priests dovetailed with the self-interest of those in power. This resulted in great persecution of the Daishonin. These priests were the very image of the third of the three powerful enemies (14) the Lotus Sutra describes.
Nichiren Daishonin, fully aware of this pattern, dared to enter the maelstrom. In the "Letter From Sado," he says, "When an evil ruler in consort with heretical priests tries to destroy true Buddhism and banish a man of wisdom, those with the heart of a lion will surely attain Buddhahood as Nichiren did" (MW-1, 35). The Daishonin indicates that when great persecution arises, caused by the collusion of an evil ruler and erroneous priests who make slanderous accusations, it represents an opportunity to attain Buddhahood.
We must have the spirit of a lion. The Daishonin says, "The lion fears no other beast" (MW-1, 241). Courage is the absolute condition for attaining Buddhahood. Courage is the absolute condition for becoming happy. President Makiguchi said, "A single lion will triumph over a thousand sheep." (15)
We are direct followers of Nichiren Daishonin, a person of the greatest courage. We have to stand alone with the courageous spirit of lions. Like lions, we have to fight courageously and win the laurel of victory.
1. "Rissho Ankoku Ron" (On Securing the Peace of the Land Through the Propagation of True Buddhism), Nichiren Daishonin's first official remonstration with the authorities urging them to reject erroneous practices end place their faith in the True Law.
2. Mihirakula: a king of the ancient kingdom of Cheka in India. According to the Daito Saiiki Ki (Record of the Western Regions of the Great T'ang Dynasty), he destroyed temples and stupas in many parts of India. As a result, when he was about to die the earth trembled and a storm arose. He fell into the hell of incessant suffering.
3. Sixteen major states: the countries in ancient India --- Anga Magadha, Kashi, Kosala, Vriji Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Ashmaka, Avanti, Matsya, Shurasena, Gandhara and Kamboja.
4. Wu-tsung (814-46): the 15th emperor of the T'ang dynasty. In 845 he initiated a sweeping persecution of Buddhism throughout his domains.
5. Mononobe no Moriya (d. 587): an official who opposed the adoption of Buddhism. When an epidemic broke out, he declared it was because of the new religion and attempted to halt all Buddhist practice.
6. "Myoho Bikuni Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1406-19), written in September 1278 when the Daishonin was 57.
7. Ryokan (1217-1303): a priest of the Shingon-Ritsu sect during the Kamakura period (1185-1333).
8. Doryu (1213-78): a priest of the Rinzai sect of Zen, also called Rankei. In 1246, he came to Japan from China. He opposed the Daishonin and, with Ryokan and others, plotted against him.
9. Makiguchi Tsunesaburo Zenshu (Collected Writings of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi) (Tokyo: Daisan Bunmeisha, 1987), vol. 10, p. 33.
10. Toda Josei Zenshu (Collected Writings of Josei Toda) (Tokyo: Seikyo Shimbunsha, 1988), vol. 8, p. 359.
11. Kyushu: the westernmost of Japan's four major islands, situated closest to the Asian continent.
12. Hei no Saemon (d.1293): an official of the Hojo regency He served two successive regents, Hojo Tokimue and Hojo Sadatoki, and wielded tremendous influence in political and military affairs as deputy chief of the Office of Military and Police Affairs. He collaborated with Ryokan and other leading priests to persecute Nichiren Daishonin and his followers.
13. Takayuki Okutomi, Kamakura Hojoshi no Kisoteki Kenkyu (Basic Research on the Kamakura Hojo Clan) (Tokyo: Yoshikawa Kobunkan, 1980) p. 229.
14. Priests revered as saints and respected by the general public who, in fear of losing fame or profit, induce the secular authorities to persecute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
15. Makiguchi Tsunesaburo Shingenshu (A Collection of Tsunesaburo Makiguchi's Sayings), ed. Takehisa Tsuji (Tokyo: Daisan Bummeisha, 1979), pp. 26-27.
SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lecture 19 - Reply to Myoho Bikuni (3)
Truth Unwelcome in a Society Pervaded With Lies
Lies erode sanity and distort common sense. Lies are the door to misfortune. They inflict a kind of violence.
Shakyamuni was once asked, "What here [in this world] is the best wealth a person can have?" He answered that the greatest treasure is faith, honest conviction in the truth. (1) This time we will consider how to conduct ourselves in a world where lies are rampant.
In trying to do away with Nichiren by making slanderous accusations against him, Ryokan and the others while reading the Lotus Sutra fail completely to comprehend it. And while hearing it are utterly deaf to its meaning.
They are drunk on the sweet old sake of the words of Shantao (2) and Honen (3) who say that "not one person in a thousand [can attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra]," or of Kobo (4) and Jikaku (5) who characterize the Lotus Sutra as "just empty theory" or of Bodhidharma (6) who claims that the true teaching of Shakyamuni was transmitted apart from the sutras. As a result, they have become deranged .
For are not people intoxicated who, while seeing the plain statement [in the Lotus Sutra] that the "Lotus is foremost" (LS10, 164), say that the Dainichi Sutra is superior to the Lotus Sutra, or that the teaching of Zen is the supreme Law, or that the Ritsu sect is truly respectworthy or that the Nembutsu is the teaching that actually matches people's capacity?
They are like people who say that stars are superior to the moon, that rocks are superior to gold, that east is west or that the sky is land. Because of their distorted minds, they feel tremendous animosity toward those who tell how things really are and explain that the moon and gold are superior to stars and rocks, that east is east and the sky is the sky.
Under such circumstances, should one blindly follow the majority? Today the majority is just a gathering of many people out of their minds.
I feel the greatest pity for all ordinary men and women who, because they base themselves on this distorted way of thinking, will experience the sufferings of hell. (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1416-17) (7)
Nichiren Daishonin always told things exactly as they were. His actions strictly accorded with the words of Shakyamuni and the sutras. And he never distorted the teachings of the mentor (i.e., Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra) to suit his circumstances or because of emotionalism. Truly, in every way his actions mirrored the teachings of Buddhism.
But someone perfectly upright will be detested in a society that is crooked. The Huai-nan-tzu, a Chinese classic, contains a saying that something straight cannot be bundled together with a collection of bent objects; similarly, an upright, honest person will not be received in a society where dishonest people hold sway. (8)
Suppose, for instance, that someone repeatedly says the sun rises in the West. Eventually, 999 people out of a thousand may be brainwashed into believing it as fact. These people are as though intoxicated. Under such circumstances, someone who dissents and asserts that the sun rises in the East will be attacked and persecuted. It is an upside-down society in which falsehood has become endemic.
This was precisely the situation in militarist Japan during the war 50 years ago. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda, the first and second presidents of the Soka Gakkai, who appealed for peace and human rights, were accused of being unpatriotic, of being enemies of the country and were thrown in prison.
Who were the true winners? The people in power who had these two men imprisoned? The Nichiren Shoshu priests, who sided with the authorities in persecuting them and other practitioners who faithfully followed the Daishonin's teachings? No, they definitely were not.
In an age gone mad, Nichiren Daishonin asked, "Should one blindly follow the majority?" With this question, he deftly exposed the tendency of the Japanese to blindly submit to the will of others.
In this letter, the Daishonin says of the propagation of the Pure Land, or Nembutsu teaching, "People, without giving careful consideration [to whether the teaching is correct], took faith in the Nembutsu one after another because it is easy to practice" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1410).
Has the spiritual climate of Japan, the tendency of the Japanese to be carried away by the current of the times, changed over the centuries? Have the people of Japan developed the wisdom to reject lies and deception?
Japanese society is said to be one of the few essentially non religious societies in the world. The great Russian author Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) said: "The religion of those who do not recognize religion is to follow everything the powerful majority does. Simply put, it is the religion of submission to those currently in power." (9) This is truly a profound insight. Tolstoy put his finger on Japanese society's fundamental ailment.
Unless people possess firm conviction in their hearts --- unless they can honestly say to themselves, "I will never compromise on this point" and, "I will stake my life on defending this ideal" --- they will be swayed, unable to resist the pressures of the majority. And of course it will then be even more difficult for them to endure persecution at the hands of the authorities.
Ultimately, such people, in everything they do, will follow the powerful majority. They will have a wait-and-see attitude and take whatever action is expedient at the moment. With the hollow justification that "there's no other way," they will time and again capitulate to those in power.
As an example, we can cite Japan's collapse 50 years ago as a result of the Japanese people's inability to resist the current of the times and their repeated deferment to precedent. When Japan was in such dire straits, who risked their lives to raise a truly patriotic cry? Wasn't it Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda?
The Soka Gakkai is now changing the spiritual climate of Japan. The only way is to empower and enlighten the people. Unless people gain the ability to see the essence of things for themselves, Japan will be condemned again to go down the slope of decline. I do not think I am alone in my concern for Japan's future.
Nichiren Daishonin was treated as an enemy by 13th century Japan. Many groundless, defamatory rumors were spread about him. Yet despite relentless persecution, he courageously waged a lone struggle against great odds. "There are legions of enemies opposing the single king of the Law [Nichiren] and the handful who follow him," he says (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 101).
But even though he was virtually alone, the Daishonin was calm and composed. He gazed down, as though from the sky above, on the events enveloping him as though they were illuminated by the brilliant sun of truth.
The Soka Gakkai, given the many great difficulties that have beset it, would likewise have fallen apart long ago if it were fraudulent or fake. But because we dedicate ourselves to the truth and because we are not dishonest, we resolutely face whatever challenges confront us without being alarmed or shaken in the least.
A Brilliant Struggle, a Triumphant Life
In the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says that in the Latter Day of the Law those who slander the Lotus Sutra and fall into hell will be more numerous than the dust particles that comprise the earth, while those who believe in the Lotus Sutra and become buddhas will be fewer than the specks of dirt one can pile on a fingernail.
You should consider things in light of these words. Is it possible that the people of Japan correspond to the specks of dirt on a fingernail and the one person Nichiren to the dust particles [of the worlds] in the 10 directions?
Nonetheless, what karmic relationship could have caused you and your sister-in-law to send me a robe? Your making of such an offering surely indicates your desire to join those who count themselves among the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail.
The Nirvana Sutra also says that even though one might be able to dangle a thread from the Brahma heaven in a great wind and thread it through the eye of a needle set upon the earth, it is extremely difficult to encounter the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law.
The Lotus Sutra tells of a turtle that lives at the bottom of the sea. Once every 3,000 years the turtle rises to the surface. At that time, if he happens to find a hollowed-out sandalwood log, he can rest in its hollow to cool his belly while warming his back in the sun. Because the turtle is one-eyed and squint-eyed, he sees west as east and east as west. [And even if he is fortunate enough to find a log shaped just right, he may be unable to climb into its hollow (LS27. 315).]
These examples illustrate just how rare the men and women born in the evil age of the Latter Day are who can thread themselves through the needle 's eye or rest in the hollow of the Lotus Sutra and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1417)
Shakyamuni once took a pinch of dirt and placed it on his fingernail. Pointing out that the dirt could easily fall off because of its precarious position, he asked his disciple Mahakashyapa, "Which is greater, the amount of dirt on this fingernail or the amount of dirt of the worlds in the 10 directions?"
Mahakashyapa replied, "The amount of dirt of the worlds in the 10 directions is of course incomparably greater than the amount of dirt on your fingernail."
"That's right," Shakyamuni said, nodding. "Although people are fortunate enough to have been born as human beings, those who persevere in following the correct path and attaining the Buddha's state of life are comparable to the specks of dirt that can be placed on a finger nail. Whereas those who deviate from the correct path and tall into an evil path are comparable to the dust particles of the worlds in the 10 directions." (10)
There are two paths in life: correct and evil. One path deviates from the state of life of eternal happiness and descends into misery. That is the life of those who fall into the category of "dust particles of the earth" --- it is a state of inexorable downward momentum. just as in gravity pulling everything down to earth. The other path is of those who embrace the Mystic Law throughout their lives and ascend the slope of limitless growth and advance. It is a positive life of upward momentum --- a life of struggling against the gravitational force of decline and defeat to soar vibrantly into the blue skies of happiness. It is the life of those who have a place among the "specks of dirt on a fingernail."
Nichiren Daishonin thus assures Myoho Bikuni that she is following the supreme way of life.
Even after the Daishonin was no longer in Kamakura and had retired to Mount Minobu, persecution continued. The storm of oppression against Shijo Kingo, the Ikegami brothers and other followers in the capital grew fierce. Ryokan of Gokuraku-ji temple tried in various ways to pressure key figures among the Daishonin's followers to abandon their faith.
In the Suruga region, present-day Shizuoka Prefecture, authorities lay in wait for any chance to destroy the community of the Daishonin's followers. This culminated in the Atsuhara Persecution in 1279, the year after this letter was written. But signs of the impending attack were already evident in 1278.
In April 1278, there was a rumor in Kamakura that the Daishonin would be exiled for a third time. Under these circumstances, Myoho Bikuni determined to advance with the Daishonin and take action on his behalf. And she was not alone in cherishing this resolve. Her determination was shared by the wife of her elder brother. This sister-in-law made an offering to the Daishonin of a robe (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1406).
It is a marvel that they possessed such sincerity, such faith, even while surrounded by persecutors of the Daishonin as numerous as "the dust particles of the earth." The Daishonin praises both of them and attributes their faith to a profound karmic relationship. It was a karmic relationship with the Daishonin that impelled them to act as they did; there was nothing coincidental about it.
Encountering the Mystic Law is even more difficult than dangling a thread from heaven to earth in a strong wind and threading it through the eye of a needle. It is more difficult than for a one-eyed turtle to find a piece of floating wood in the middle of the ocean with a hollow in it that is just the right size to enter.
We have the rare good fortune to have been born at this time of unprecedented kosen-rufu. This is due to a profound and unbreakable karmic relationship. Our mission is ever so profound! The important thing, therefore, is that we always continue to uphold the Mystic Law and realize ultimate victory in our lives.
The Daishonin says, "One who perseveres through great persecution and embraces the sutra from beginning to end is the Buddha's emissary" (MW-3, 290). At times of great persecution, we must summon forth strong faith, chant resolute daimoku and speak out for justice. We have to offer prayers with the spirit to squarely face the persecution and struggle selflessly. Those who do so will become Buddhas. They correspond to the "specks of dirt on a fingernail."
Cultivating Good Relations-the Key to Happiness
What karma or relation from the past could have made you want to present an offering to this person [Nichiren]? When we read the Lotus Sutra, we find it explains that this spirit arises in a person when Shakyamuni Buddha enters his or her life.
This is comparable to how when someone becomes drunk on sake an unexpected spirit may arise in them and they may want to give things away to others, even though they previously had no such inclination. Thus, someone who would otherwise fall into the world of Hunger on account of stinginess and greed may, through the external cause of sake, be possessed by the spirit of a bodhisattva.
Dirty water becomes clear when a jewel is placed in it. When a person faces the moon their mind begins to wander.
A demon depicted in a painting has no spirit, but is still frightening. A courtesan in a painting cannot steal your husband, but it can still elicit envy. One will not want to enter even fine brocade bedding if the image of a snake is woven into if. When we feel hot, a warm breeze is unpleasant.
The same is true of people 's minds. Since you are a woman who devotes herself to the Lotus Sutra, it must be that the dragon king's daughter (11) has entered your heart. (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1417-18)
The mind changes in response to external causes or relations. The examples the Daishonin gives are superb. A spirit like the bodhisattva spirit may, on account of drink, even manifest in a person ordinarily not inclined to be charitable, prompting him or her to give things to others. Just viewing the painting of a demon can arouse fear.
Our lives are determined by the relations we form. And the SGI is a cluster of relations of the very best kind. In a society pervaded with cruel relations, where many people delight in others' misfortunes, we can find, with our fellow members, the greatest solidarity and peace of mind. We have to resolutely protect the noble gathering of the SGI members.
The most important relationship we form in life is with a mentor. No one is happier or more fortunate than one who advances with his or her mentor. l have reached my 50th year of practice; I joined the Soka Gakkai on Aug. 24, 1947. On an evening 10 days prior [Aug. 14], I met my mentor, Josei Toda, for the first time. Mr. Toda was 47 and I was 19.
Half a century has passed. I have given myself totally to fulfilling my destiny in this lifetime in which I have encountered the Mystic Law --- which is so difficult to encounter --- and have had the great fortune of meeting so rare and exceptional a mentor. I have thoroughly dedicated myself to the path of the oneness of mentor and disciple.
There have been days of storms, violent winds and raging seas. Still, I can say with full conviction that these 50 years of living with President Toda have been days of unsurpassed happiness. During these 50 years with my beloved, courageous fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth, I have made Nichiren Daishonin's will of kosen-rufu a reality. And these 50 years, as a true disciple of the Daishonin, I have won completely in the continuous struggle against the great hardships the Gosho predicts the Mystic Law's practitioners will face. My life is completely free of regret, like a cloudless blue sky.
And I will continue to advance, to struggle-solely out of the hope for the growth and dynamic advance of the youth. I will continue single-mindedly advancing for kosen-rufu, to fulfill the vow that I made to President Toda and open a brilliant path for all of you.
The Journey to spread the Mystic Law is long
Yet encouraging each other,
We continue onward hand in hand.
In accordance with these lines composed by President Toda, let us ever continue advancing in eternal unity.
1. The Book of the Kindred Sayings, a translation of the Sanyuttaikaya (Grouped Suttas) by Mrs. Rhys Davids (Oxford: Pali Text Society 1993), p. 59.
2. Shan-tao (613-81): the 3rd patriarch of the Chinese Pure Land school.
3. Honen (1133-1212): the founder of the Japanese Pure Land school.
4. Kobo (774-835): the 3rd patriarch of the Japanese Shingon school.
5. Jikaku (794-866): the 3rd patriarch of the Japanese Tendai school.
6. Bodhidharma (6th century C.E.): the founder of the Chinese Ch'an (Jpn Zen) school.
7. "Myoho Bikuni Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 1406-19), written in September 1278 when the Daishonin was 57.
8. Liu An (d. 122 B.C.E.), Huai-nan-tzu.
9. Translated from Japanese: Torusutoi Zenshu (Complete Works of Tolstoy), trans. Toru Nakamura (Tokyo: Kawade Shobo Shinsha, 1974), vol. 15, pp. 135-36.
10. Sutra of the Great Nirvana, vol. 33.
11. Dragon king's daughter: the daughter of Sagara, one of the eight dragon kings said to dwell in a palace at the bottom of the sea. According to the "Devadatta" (12th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, she conceived the desire for enlightenment when she heard Bodhisattva Monjushiri preach the Lotus Sutra in the dragon king's palace. Later, she appeared before the assembly at Eagle Peak and attained enlightenment immediately, without changing her form.
SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lecture 20 - Happiness in This World
We Practice Faith To Become Truly Happy
We practice faith to fully enjoy life, to lead the happiest possible existence. The Gosho we will study this time, "Happiness in This World," (1) explains the "secret teaching" that makes this possible. It is a short letter, but it offers a complete exposition of the ultimate principles of faith. When we deeply understand this Gosho, we have internalized the secret of faith and of life.
There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The sutra says, "The people there [in my land] are happy and at ease." (2) "Happy and at ease" here means the joy derived from the Law. You are obviously included among the "people," and "there" indicates the entire world, which includes Japan. "Happy and at ease" means to know that our lives --- both our bodies and minds, ourselves and our surroundings --- are the entities of ichinen sanzen and the Buddha of absolute freedom. There is no greater happiness than having faith in the Lotus Sutra. It promises us "peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next." (3) Never let life 's hardships disturb you. After all, no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages.
Just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and when you drink sake, stay at home with your wife. Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. Then you will experience boundless joy from the Law. Strengthen your faith more than ever.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The twenty-seventh day of the sixth month in the second year of Kenji (1276) (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, pp. 161-62)
Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo --- the Greatest Happiness
There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
"Human beings" at the outset carries great significance. This means all humankind; the Daishonin's teaching can benefit all people without exception.
Buddhism is a teaching that exists for all human beings. It is not only for the Japanese or the people of one particular country or ethnic group. Nichiren Daishonin declares that, ultimately, for all people --- whether poor or wealthy, famous or unknown, powerful individuals or ordinary citizens, artists or scientists --- apart from chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, there is no true happiness, no true joy or fulfillment in life. That's because when we chant daimoku, our lives become one with the life of the Buddha, enabling us to draw forth the inexhaustible strength to carry out our human revolution and to help others do the same.
Fame, wealth and social status alone do not guarantee happiness. Many wealthy individuals suffer terribly within their mansions. Some people may be so bound up in vanity that they can find no peace of mind. Many famous people feel miserable the moment they slip from the limelight.
Let's say there are two people who work in the same company, perform identical jobs and have equivalent material resources and social standing; yet one feels happy while the other feels nothing but despair. It is not at all uncommon to find such disparities among people whose lives are otherwise quite similar. The disparities arise due to differences in people's inner states, differences in their hearts.
Nor can it be said that the advance of science or economics necessarily brings happiness. In every case, whether we feel happy or unhappy ultimately depends on us. Without changing our state of life, we can find no true happiness. But when we do change our inner state, our entire world is transformed. The ultimate means for effecting such change is chanting daimoku.
The sutra says, "The people there [in my land] are happy and at ease"
This sutra passage is from the jigage section of the "Life Span of the Thus Come One" (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It means that in this world people ought to live in happiness and ease. We recite this passage every morning and evening in gongyo.
We are born in this world to enjoy life. We are not born to suffer. This is the basic premise of the Lotus Sutra on the nature of human existence. To live happy and at ease in this world means to enjoy our work and family life, to enjoy helping others through Buddhist activities. If we have a truly high state of life, then even when unpleasant things happen we view them as making life all the more interesting, just as a pinch of salt can actually improve the flavor of a sweet dish. We feel true delight in life, whatever happens.
This sutra passage assures us that we can definitely develop such a great life force. And it urges us to exert ourselves in Buddhist practice toward that end.
"Happy and at ease" here means the joy derived from the Law.
To experience the "joy derived from the Law" means to fully savor the eternally unchanging Mystic Law and the power and wisdom that derive from it. In contrast to this joy, there is the "joy derived from desires" --- the enjoyment that comes from fulfilling desires of various kinds. While it might seem like genuine happiness, such joy is only temporary and superficial. It does not arise from the depths of our lives and it soon gives way to unhappiness and dissatisfaction.
Faith enables us to receive the eternal joy derived from the Law. So let us engrave in our hearts this point: We ourselves receive this joy. Because we receive it ourselves, our happiness does not depend on others. No one else can make us happy. Only by our own efforts can we become happy.
Therefore, there is no need to feel envious of others. There is no need to bear a grudge against someone or depend on another person for our happiness. Everything comes down to our state of life. It is within our power to take our lives in any direction we wish.
To be dragged around by other people or the environment is not the way of life the Lotus Sutra teaches. True happiness is not feeling happiness one moment and misery the next. Rather, overcoming the tendency to blame our sufferings on others or on the environment enables us to greatly expand our state of life.
Also, at the most fundamental level, faith is for our sake, not for anyone else's. While we of course practice for ourselves and others and to realize kosen-rufu, ultimately we are the prime beneficiaries of all our efforts in faith. Everything is for our growth; everything contributes to the development of our state of life and the establishment of Buddhahood in our lives. When we practice with this determination, all complaints vanish. The world of Buddhahood that had been covered by the dust of complaints begins to shine, and we can freely and fully savor the joy deriving from the Law.
True 'Peace and Security' Is Having Courage to Overcome Hardships
You are obviously included among the "people," and "there" indicates the entire world, which includes Japan. "Happy and at ease" means to know that our lives --- both our bodies and minds, ourselves and our surroundings --- are the entities of ichinen sanzen and the Buddha of absolute freedom.
The Daishonin says that this passage, "The people there [in my land] are happy and at ease," is about you. The sad thing is that no matter how much we read the sutra or study the Gosho, we still have the tendency to think, "That might be true for others, but my situation is different." Particularly, when we are assailed by storms of adversity, when it seems as though our hearts will burst with woe, we may think, "My sufferings alone are beyond help." But in this passage the Daishonin is telling us that this definitely is not the case.
When this letter was written, Shijo Kingo, its recipient, had been libelously accused of various wrongs by his colleagues and had fallen from favor with his lord as a result. This was all due to envy. Kingo had enjoyed the deep trust of his lord, but he also had the straight-forwardness to speak out when he felt it necessary. As a result, he had made many enemies.
People have the tendency to become envious over the slightest thing, which is perhaps human nature. They may try to undercut someone of whom they feel envious and then delight at the person's misfortune. We must not be defeated by this pitiful tendency. To allow ourselves to become caught up in or swayed by such whirlpools of emotion, going from elation one moment to dejection the next, is pointless.
As indicated by the phrase "[receiving oneself] the joy derived from the Law," the key is to develop such inner strength that we can look upon everything from the world of Buddhahood, the condition of supreme happiness. And, as the Daishonin says, steadfastly chanting daimoku enables us to do this.
Also, as the Daishonin indicates where he speaks of "both our bodies and minds, ourselves and our surroundings," Buddhism is not abstract theory involving only the mind. Nor is it about changing our subjective outlook irrespective of other people and our surroundings.
The good fortune and benefit we accumulate in the depths of our lives become manifest on the material plane, as well as in our environment. In our bodies and minds, ourselves and our surroundings, it is our mind of faith, which is invisible, which moves everything with enormous power and strength in the best possible direction --- toward happiness, toward the fulfillment of all our wishes.
Someone who puts this principle into practice is a "Buddha of absolute freedom." Leaving aside a doctrinal discussion of this term, the Buddha of absolute freedom is a Buddha who, while remaining an ordinary person, freely receives and uses limitless joy derived from the Law.
Specifically, the Buddha of absolute freedom is Nichiren Daishonin. In a general sense, the term also refers to those striving to achieve kosen-rufu who have a direct connection in faith to the Daishonin.
"Absolute freedom" is interpreted by the Daishonin as meaning "the property to freely receive and use."
In one place he says, "The 'property to freely receive and use' is the principle of a single life-moment possessing 3,000 realms " (Gosho Zenshu, p. 759).
Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, explained that the Gohonzon is an inexhaustible store of benefit. And Nichikan Shonin declared, "[If only you take faith in this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even for a while,] no prayer will go unanswered, no offense will remain unforgiven, all good fortune will be bestowed and all righteousness proven." (4)
The extent to which we can receive and use the vast, profound joy derived from the Law depends entirely on our faith. Will we take only a small cup of water from the ocean, or will we fill up a large swimming pool? Can we freely receive and use still more? This is determined entirely by faith.
If somewhere in your heart you have decided, "I alone am incapable of becoming happy," "Only I cannot become a capable person" or, "Only my sufferings will forever remain unresolved," then that one factor of your mind or determination will obstruct your benefit.
In this passage, therefore, the Daishonin's intention is to tell Shijo Kingo, who was experiencing great hardship, "You, too, can definitely become happy just as the sutra states." The Daishonin expresses his immense compassion here.
There is no greater happiness than having faith in the Lotus Sutra. It promises us "peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next."
There is a saying, "A small heart gets used to misery and becomes docile, while a great heart towers above misfortune." True happiness is not the absence of suffering; you cannot have day after day of clear skies. True happiness lies in building a self that stands dignified and indomitable like a great palace --- on all days, even when it is raining, snowing or stormy.
Attaining "peace and security in this life" doesn't mean having a life free from all difficulties, but that whatever difficulties. arise, without being shaken in the least, you can summon up the unflinching courage and conviction to fight against and overcome them. This is the state of life of "peace and security in this life."
And, as indicated by the dictum, "If you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present," (5) establishing a great state of happiness and security in this life is proof that in the future you will experience good circumstances; being born into a place conducive to your further growth.
Some religions teach that people will become happy after death even if their present lives are filled with misery. But this is not the teaching of the Lotus Sutra, which explains that we can thoroughly enjoy both the present and the future. That is the essence of Buddhism.
Toward establishing such an existence, we need to develop a strong life force by chanting daimoku and thoroughly challenging the realities of our lives. It is through such efforts that we realize true "peace and security in this life" and "good circumstances in the next."
Regard Both Suffering and Joy As Facts of Life
Never let life's hardships disturb you. After all, no one can avoid problems, not even saints or sages.
Not even saints and sages, the Daishonin says, can avoid difficulties. In society, people tend to suppose that if someone is vilified and persecuted, the person must be somehow bad or evil. But from the standpoint of Buddhism, it is possible that people may be verbally attacked and undergo difficulties even though they are without guilt or blame. People may label or write about a good person as though evil, asserting that lies are true and depicting the truth as a lie. This is a fact of human society.
Shijo Kingo, too, suffered on account of calumny. But the Daishonin told him, "Never let life's hardships disturb you." Those who resort to libelous accusations are defeated as human beings; nothing is more lowly and base. We should not be swayed in the least by such despicable actions. Just as you do not put garbage into your mouth, you must not permit such rubbish into your heart. The Daishonin in effect encouraged Shijo Kingo to shut the cowardly behavior of his accusers out of his mind. The Roman philosopher Seneca (4 B.C.E.?-C.E. 65) says that the arrows of slander cannot pierce a person of wisdom's heart. (6)
Much human misery arises from people despairing over things that despairing cannot help. We should not worry about things that no amount of worrying will resolve. The important thing is to build a golden palace of joy in our hearts that nothing can disturb --- a state of life like a clear blue sky above the storm, an oasis in the desert, a fortress looking down on high waves.
What matters most is that we fight thoroughly against injustice with a lofty, dauntless spirit. While waging a determined struggle against evil that nearly cost him his life, Nichiren Daishonin cried out [to Shijo Kingo, as they were being led to the execution grounds at Tatsunokuchi], "You should be delighted at this great fortune" (MW-1, 181). And he wholeheartedly anticipated that his disciples would "form their ranks and follow him" (MW-1, 176).
Even a tiny speck of evil that causes people to be unhappy should not be tolerated. Attaining "peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next" lies precisely in carrying out such a struggle with the faith of indomitable courage.
Just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and when you drink sake, stay at home with your wife.
The moment he set foot outside his home, Shijo Kingo was in danger of being attacked by enemies. The Daishonin cautioned him not to act with imprudence, but to stay at home and chant daimoku. And he advised that Shijo Kingo and his wife encourage one another. He taught his follower, in other words, the importance of faith for building a happy, harmonious family.
The Daishonin urged Shijo Kingo to live happily in the present, without brooding on events of the past or needlessly troubling himself over what might happen in the future. Happiness does not lie far off in the distance. It is to be found in the here and now.
Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. Then you will experience boundless joy from the Law.
In times of suffering, chant daimoku. In times of joy, chant daimoku. Chanting daimoku is itself happiness. In life, there are both times of suffering and of joy. These are all irreplaceable scenes in life's drama. Without suffering, we could not appreciate joy. Without tasting the flavors of both suffering and joy, we could not savor life's profundity.
"Suffer what there is to suffer," the Daishonin says. Suffering is inevitable in life. Therefore, we need to be prepared for hardship and to have the inner fortitude to rise above our worries and anxieties. We have to cause the "serene light of the moon of enlightenment" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1262) --- the world of Buddhahood-to shine in our lives. Then earthly desires are transformed into enlightenment and we can use everything that happens to fuel our happiness.
To "enjoy what there is to enjoy" means to cause the "mystic lotus of the heart" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 978) to brightly blossom with a sense of appreciation and joy. Someone who can find joy, who can feel appreciation, experiences a snowballing exhilaration and joy in life. Such is the heart's function.
The ocean, even when waves are crashing on its surface, is calm and unchanging in its depths. There is both suffering and joy in life --- the point is to develop a profound, indomitable self not influenced by these waves. A person who does so receives the joy derived from the Law.
In the journey of kosen-rufu things will not always proceed smoothly. But we are eternal comrades. People who come together in good times but desert one another when the going gets rough are not comrades. Turning a blind eye to the sufferings of others, using the rationale that "it has nothing to do with me," is not the spirit of comrades. True comrades share both suffering and joy.
We suffer together, rejoice together and bring our lives to fruition together. We regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. To maintain this comradeship, this single-minded commitment to faith, is our eternal guideline in advancing toward kosen-rufu. Let us ever advance with the strong unity of faith!
Strengthen your faith more than ever.
When Nichiren Daishonin was taken to be executed at Tatsunokuchi, Shijo Kingo ran straight to his side. Clutching the reins of the horse on which the Daishonin rode, he resolutely stood at his side, vowing to kill himself and join him in death. He was a person of immensely strong faith who boldly ran forward along the path of mentor and disciple.
Even to Shijo Kingo, who possessed such strong faith, the Daishonin says, "Strengthen your faith more than ever." It's not a matter of what we've done in the past --- it's what we do from now on that counts. Strength of faith is what everything comes down to. Faith is strength. It is the greatest power people have.
We receive the power of the Buddha and power of the Law embodied in the Gohonzon in accordance with the power of our faith and practice. Faith is the secret art for thoroughly infusing our daily lives with the inherent power of the universe.
Shijo Kingo exerted himself in faith just as the Daishonin instructed. After his difficulties passed, he showed actual proof by regaining the firm trust of his lord and having the size of his lands doubled. Those colleagues who harassed him suffered pitiful consequences.
To practice just as the Daishonin instructs is the fundamental spirit of the SGI. We are advancing in strict accord with the Gosho's teachings. As long as we remember this point, we can definitely achieve great victory in life and our efforts for kosen-rufu.
The Gosho is truly an eternal teaching, which we should be most grateful to have. Thanks to our having encountered this teaching, we can lead wonderful lives of eternal victory.
(This concludes the series "Learning From the Gosho, the Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin.")
1."Shijo Kingo Dono Gohenji" (Gosho Zenshu, p. 1143), written in June 1276 when the Daishonin was 55.
2. LS16, 230.
3. LS5, 99.
4. From his "Commentary on 'The True Object of Worship.'"
5. From the Shinjikan Sutra. See MW-2 [2nd ed.], 172.
6. Seneca: Moral Essays, trans. John W. Basore (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1958), vol. 1, pp. 57-59.
