The following will be published on the January 2023 issue of Creative Life:
New Year's Gosho
I have received a hundred slabs of steamed rice cake and a basket of fruit. New Year's Day marks the first day, the first month, the beginning of the year, and the start of spring. A person who celebrates this day will accumulate virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually, moving from west to east, and as the sun shines more brightly, traveling from east to west. (WND-1, p 1137)
(The following explanation is adapted from President Ikeda's Study Lecture Series, "Learning from the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin: The Teachings for Victory".)
Ushering In a New Year Filled with Happiness and Hope
Background
The "New Year's Gosho" is addressed to a follower named the wife of Omosu, who sent Nichiren Daishonin 100 steamed rice cakes and a basket of fruit one New Year.
The recipient of this letter was the wife of Ishikawa no Hyoe, also known as Lord Omosu, the steward of Omosu Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province (part of present- day Shizuoka Prefecture). She was an elder sister of Nanjo Tokimitsu.
This letter is thought to have been composed in 1281 [at Minobu, the year before the Daishonin's death]. Tokimitsu was facing great difficulties at the time [owing to the ongoing Atsuhara Persecution], forced by the authorities to pay heavy punitive taxes and supply unpaid labor simply because he was a follower of Nichiren Daishonin.
In addition, the wife of Omosu had lost a beloved daughter to illness in the spring of 1278. Nevertheless, the wife of Omosu greeted each New Year with the resolve to remain steadfast in her Buddhist practice as a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin, not only for her own sake but also on behalf of her departed daughter. As this New Year approached, she must have renewed that determination as she sent the Daishonin these offerings. The Daishonin in turn wholeheartedly praises her sincerity and vibrant resolve.
Explanation
Making Every Day a Fresh Start
New Year's Day marks the start of a new day, a new month, and a new year. In the East since ancient times, therefore, it has been known the day of "three beginnings." In Japan, according to the old lunar calendar, New Year's Day also marks the beginning of spring. All in all, it is a very festive day of many new beginnings.
Nichiren Daishonin says that a person who celebrates this day based on the Mystic Law will steadily accumulate virtue and benefit and come to be loved by all, just as the moon gradually grows fuller and the sun shines more brightly as it rises higher in the sky (cf. WND- 1, 1173).
The first day of the New Year is a day of beginnings.
Everyone can start the New Year with a fresh new determination.
It is a wonderful opportunity to reawaken ourselves to the Buddhist spirit of "true cause"—the spirit of always moving forward from the present moment on.
When we do so, our lives are sure to overflow with irrepressible joy.
Let us strive every day as we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo resonantly before the Gohonzon to begin anew, powerfully bringing forth fresh life force from within us. The purpose of our Buddhist practice is to lead lives of complete fulfillment, with the spirit that every day is New Year's Day, and illuminated by the morning sun of time without beginning.
Building a "Magnificent Palace" of Victory in Life
As Mother Earth embarks on another journey around the sun, courageous Bodhisattvas of the Earth, burning with a noble sense of mission, have risen into action with a great vow for kosen-rufu in 192 countries and territories.
Bodhisattvas of the Earth are the disciples who share the same spirit as the Buddha; they stand up with the same vow as their teacher and carry on their teacher's courageous and persevering actions.
We of the Soka family have ushered in the dawn of an exciting New Year, more determined than ever before to make a fresh start and advance anew.
"In life, one must have hope!"—my mentor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda, declared in a New Year's message.
He then went on to speak of the nobility of living out one's life with the great altruistic hope for the happiness for all humanity, refusing to be defeated by any adversity.
Specifically citing the lofty life of Nichiren Daishonin, he noted with profound emotion: "The way that the Daishonin held fast to every one of his youthful hopes and dreams and brought them to fruition in his own life is a truly monumental achievement, shining like a magnificent palace."
When I recall these words of my mentor, I am deeply struck anew by the phrase "magnificent palace."
Let us take the Daishonin's selfless dedication to fulfilling the great vow to propagate the Lotus Sutra as an eternal model and source of inspiration. Let us overcome every obstacle and each build a truly "magnificent palace" of victory in life, wherever we are around the globe.
Mr Toda brought his New Year's message to a close as follows: "Let us plant our feet firmly on the ground and live with bright hope.
At the same time, let us also help others plant their feet firmly on the ground and have bright hope in their lives as well."
Let's advance with the strong resolve to make 2023 a year of brilliant hope and abundant happiness for ourselves and others!
