The following will be published on the August 2019 issue of Creative Life:
Regarding an Unlined Robe
I have received the unlined robe that you kindly sent me…. When I don this robe, take my place before the Buddha, and recite the Lotus Sutra, then all the 69,384 characters that make up the sacred text, each individual character one by one, becomes a golden Buddha. Though the robe is only one, it clothes each and every one of the 69,384 Buddhas. And because that is so, the husband and wife who presented me with this robe will be visited by these Buddhas, who will regard the couple as their supporters and watch over and protect them. For this husband and wife in their present existence they will be a prayer, a treasure; and when the husband and wife are on the point of death, they will be a moon, a sun, a path, a bridge, a father, a mother, an ox or a horse, a palanquin, a carriage, a lotus, a mountain, coming to greet and convey them to the pure land of Eagle Peak. (WND-2, p 599-600) |
The following explanation is adapted from SGI President Ikeda's study lecture series, "Learning from the Gosho: The Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin", lecture on the Gosho, "Regarding an Unlined Robe".
Background and Outline
This letter was written in August 1275, a little more than a year after Nichiren Daishonin retired to Mount Minobu. He had received a gift of a robe from a couple, followers of his whom he had not yet met. An unlined robe is a light garment suitable for use in hot weather.
The Daishonin's life at Minobu was by no means easy. Winters were bitterly cold, and his shelter was inadequate. Food was another problem.
The couple must have been concerned about the difficulty of the Daishonin's life in the mountains. In their gift, we can sense a real human tenderness. Theirs was an offering made with sincerity.
The Daishonin may have used the brief interval before the couple's messenger set out on his return journey to take up his brush and compose a letter of thanks and this is the letter.
While the names of the husband and wife who received this letter are not known, it is surmised that they may have been relations of the Nanjo family, or followers living in Kamakura. Since they had not yet met the Daishonin directly, they were probably not central figures among his followers. From the contents of the letter, however, it is apparent that they were carrying through with steadfast faith.
The Daishonin replied to the sincerity of this couple with sincerity. The letter is pervaded with the compassion of the Daishonin, who assures them that their sincerity is definitely known to all Buddhas, and that they are certain to attain Buddhahood.
Their offering was a robe and yet not a robe; in the gift, the Daishonin perceived the heart and very life of his followers.
It is rare to find a religious figure who wrote such considerate letters of appreciation in response to each offering received. Nearly all of the Daishonin's personal letters to his followers were written in thanks for offerings.
The Daishonin replied from his heart to others' hearts. He replied to sincerity with great sincerity --- and with lightning speed. This was also the spirit of Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president. The Soka Gakkai has developed to such an extent because we have maintained this spirit to this day.
Disciples reading the Daishonin's letters must have been deeply moved by his warmth. More than a few continued to advance together with the Daishonin despite great persecution. That was because of the heart-to-heart bonds that existed between the Daishonin and each of his followers.
It is the same in the Soka Gakkai. The Soka Gakkai is strong not because of its organization but because of the invisible bonds of the heart we are creating.
A Sincere Offering Confers Immeasurable Benefit
Explanation
What a welcome promise the Daishonin makes! He says that the couple who has made this offering to the Lotus Sutra's votary will be protected by 69,384 Buddhas. Such a grand spectacle defies the imagination. With such protection over the three existences, what could they possibly have to fear?
As stated in the passage of the Lotus Sutra, "they will enjoy peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences" (LSOC, p 236), the Daishonin assures the couple that they have absolutely nothing to fear in their present and future existences.
First, he says that in their present lives their offering will become a "prayer" and a "treasure." He thus indicates that, through the protective functions of all Buddhas, their sincere faith in offering a robe will become a cause for the fulfillment of all their desires and the accumulation of immense benefit.
Then, regarding the journey after death, he says that they will be protected by all Buddhas and need have no fear. Their faith in making this offering will become a "sun" and "moon" brightly illuminating their journey, as well as a "great path" and a "bridge" over which to make their way.
They will be gently-led by the hand by a loving "mother" and "father". They can ride with composure on either an "ox" or a "horse," a "litter" or a "cart". And finally, they will board the "lotus flower" for Buddhas and bodhisattvas, and arrive at the "treasure mountain" --- the pure land of Eagle Peak where the Buddha dwells.
For an offering of but a single unlined robe, the Daishonin promises eternal good fortune and benefit. This is because he perceives the sincerity with which the robe is imbued.
The unlined robe the couple sent was woven through and through with their sincerity. No doubt the Daishonin could sense this in its warmth and feel. How truly noble and pure were the hearts of this couple, who believed in and devoted themselves to the Daishonin at a time when the entire country was desperately trying to persecute him.
In another Gosho, the Daishonin says, "It is the heart that is important". (WND-1, p 1000) As the story of the boy who makes an offering of a mudpie to Shakyamuni and is later reborn as King Ashoka illustrates, the heart is indeed mysterious and inscrutable.
The Mystic Law elucidates the inscrutable workings of the heart. The doctrine of a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms explains the immense power of the heart. A Buddha is someone who understands, on the most profound level, the inscrutable workings and the power of the heart.
SGI President Ikeda once said, "[F]aith is not just a matter of embracing the Gohonzon and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but is also a matter of our heart, or the attitude with which we practice. Is our heart directed toward kosen-rufu? Our innermost heart, the attitude in the depths of our being, determines everything."
Whether we become happy, attain enlightenment, move in the direction of Buddhahood, or wind up in a state of suffering—everything is the exact result of the wondrous workings of our heart or mind. This point cannot be overemphasized.
Selfishness, complaint, doubt, deviousness, conceit, arrogance, and so forth are all causes of unhappiness for both ourselves and others. When we allow ourselves to be ruled by such negative attitudes, we are like a plane that has lost its direction in a heavy fog. We can see nothing clearly. The distinction between good and bad, right and wrong, becomes blurred. We plunge not only ourselves but our passengers—our friends and others around us—into misery.
In contrast, a sincere concern for others, a dedicated commitment to our beliefs, a sense of responsibility toward fulfilling our mission for kosen-rufu, a wish to wholeheartedly encourage and support our fellow members, a feeling of appreciation, gratitude, and joy—these attitudes are causes that will produce boundless good fortune, not only for ourselves but also for our family and loved ones as well as our descendants. They give rise to strong protection by the heavenly deities—the positive forces of the universe—and enable us to advance directly along the path to attaining Buddhahood.
Cherishing absolute conviction in this point, let's take the opportunity to express our profound sense of gratitude during the months of September and October through the members contribution fund.
| SGI President Ikeda's Guidance
Boundless Benefit Resides in Making Offerings to the Lotus Sutra
The Daishonin states in his writings, "Those who make offerings to the Lotus Sutra will receive the same benefit as they would by making offerings to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the ten directions, because all the Buddhas of the ten directions originate from the single character myo." (WND-1, p 949) The benefit of making offerings to the Lotus Sutra is boundless. Through that benefit, we can triumph over any obstacle and devilish function. And nothing is stronger than a person whose life is instilled with this confidence. The Lotus Sutra—epitomized by the single character myo—is the source of the enlightenment of all Buddhas of the ten directions and three existences. The sutras teach that countless Buddhas have appeared in the universe from the infinite past and will continue to do so into the infinite future. The Lotus Sutra is the teacher by which all Buddhas attain enlightenment. (cf WND-1, p 948) Therefore, making offerings to the Lotus Sutra is equivalent to making offerings to all Buddhas throughout time and space, and the benefit that derives from doing so is immeasurable. The Daishonin is saying to the effect: "To make offerings to the Lotus Sutra is to make offerings to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. Therefore, they are all sure to protect you. You will absolutely never become deadlocked. You need not worry about anything. You can serenely savour a state of life that is as eternal and vast as the universe."
(From SGI President Ikeda's lecture series, "Learning from the Gosho: The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin)
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