[Slide 1]
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Reply to a Believer
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[ Slide 2]
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If you continue living as you are now, there can be no doubt that you will be practising the Lotus Sutra twenty-four hours a day. Regard your service to your lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by “No worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality.”
(The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol 1, p. 905)
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[ Slide 3]
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(A) Background
·Nichiren Daishonin Composed this letter on April 11, 1278, at Mount Minobu.
·As the title of the gosho suggests "Reply to a Believer" Recipient: A leading lay disciple of the Daishonin but the person’s exact identity and the circumstances surrounding the letter are unknown.
·However, from the content and the Daishonin’s use of the phrase, “your service to your lord”, we can surmise that the letter was addressed to a samurai who was in the service of a high ranking official.
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[ Slide 4]
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- In 1260, Nichiren Daishonin composed the treatise "Rissho Ankoku Ron" (On establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land) and submitted to the Kamakura Shogunate.
- Since carrying out this act of remonstration, the Daishonin was subjected to various persecutions including exiles to Izu Peninsula and Sado Island.
·Four years after the Daishonin was pardoned from his exile at Sado, he received news that there was a plot to send him to exile for the third time.
·And this letter was written after he received this information from this disciple.
·Regarding the possibility of a third exile, the Daishonin writes in this letter, “Even if I were to be exiled again, it would bring me a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times greater good fortune…” (WND-1, p. 905)
[Slide 5]
·The Daishonin states that this would further clarify that he is a votary of the Lotus Sutra who has practised in exact accord with the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.
·In fact, the Daishonin even says, “How wonderful if that were to come about!” (ibid) expressing his great desire for this persecution to happen so that he can further prove the validity of his teachings.
[Slide 6]
·The Daishonin also describes his resolve to continue in his struggle to prove the righteousness of his teachings.
·The Daishonin concludes this writing by calling forth to the recipient of this letter to make up his mind to base his life on faith no matter what the circumstances and regard his service to his lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra, teaching him to show actual proofs of victory in the realities of society.
·This is the passage we are studying today.
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[ Slide 7]
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So let's go into studying the Gosho passage.
(B) Key Points for Sharing
Key Learning Points of the Gosho Passage:
1. It is important to win the trust of others
2. Buddhism is a transformative force that brings about positive changes in reality
3. Our daily life is where we do our human revolution
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[ Slide 8]
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The first learning point is...
1. It is important to win the trust of others
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[ Slide 9]
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At the outset of this Gosho passage, Nichiren Daishonin says,
“If you continue living as you are now, there can be no doubt that you will be practicing the Lotus Sutra twenty-four hours a day.” (WND-1, p. 905)
These are words of appreciation, praising his disciple’s efforts in carrying out his duties at work with dedication and integrity.
Since our daily life, including our work, is where we carry out our practice of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishonin assures us that earnestly applying ourselves to our work is equivalent to practising the Lotus Sutra day and night.
When this letter was written (in 1278) at Mount Minobu, the community of the Daishonin’s disciples were subjected to intense persecutions by the authorities.
To his disciples who were facing such harsh circumstances, the Daishonin encourages them that practising faith is not something extraordinary.
It just means to win the trust of others through our sincere and earnest actions and fulfil our mission right where we are right now.
With regard to this point, Ikeda Sensei says in his guidance:
[Slide 10]
Nichiren Daishonin says, “Regard your service to your lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra.” (WND-1, p 905) Just as the Daishonin teaches here, the place where we carry out our daily activities, including our place of work, is the platform for our Buddhist practice.
Toda Sensei used to remind us that earning the “trust” from others is of utmost importance.
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[ Slide 11]
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In order to do so, we need to have absolute conviction in faith. We must discard arrogance and complacency and forge our lives so that we will never be swayed by anything….
All our hard work based on sincere faith will shine with the brilliance of human revolution. Let us not forget that it is within such struggle that virtues such as fortitude, integrity and trustworthiness are polished and brought to shine from within our lives.
(Tentative translation from President Ikeda’s Essay Series,
“The Song of Human Victory”)
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[ Slide 12]
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The 2nd learning point is...
2. Buddhism is a transformative force that brings about positive changes in reality
Buddhism does not exist apart from the realities of society.
Soka Gakkai members around the world have been carrying out their Buddhist practice while deeply cherishing the principle of “putting Buddhism into action in society” in their hearts.
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[ Slide 13]
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In our context today, the phrase “your service to your lord” in the Gosho passage, “Regard your service to your lord as the practice of the Lotus Sutra”, corresponds to the role we fulfil as an individual in society – specifically, it refers to our occupation or work, the source of our livelihood.
[Slide 14]
In this letter, the Daishonin further cites the words of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai, which reads: “No worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality (the Mystic Law).” (WND-1, p. 905)
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[ Slide 15]
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The Lotus Sutra passage the Daishonin quotes here is from the “Benefits of the Teacher of the Law” (19th) chapter, which details the benefit of the “purification of the six sense organs”, that is obtained by those who embrace the Lotus Sutra.
The passage in question specifically refers to the “purification of the mind”.
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[ Slide 16]
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In other words, when the workings of their hearts and minds are purified through upholding and practicing the Mystic Law, they will naturally be able to perceive everything that happens in life based on the correct perspective of faith.
As such, they will naturally teach and speak in accord with the principles of Buddhism.
That is why by striving in our practice of faith, we can shine with Buddhist wisdom and become a person who is assuring and trustworthy in our place of work, communities and families.
By anchoring our lives on faith, we can turn all our activities in society into a transformative force to bring about positive changes in reality and attain a state of absolute happiness.
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[ Slide 17]
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The last learning point is...
3. Our daily life is where we do our human revolution
Nichiren Daishonin then concludes this Gosho passage with these words:
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[ Slide 18]
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“This is what is meant by ‘No worldly affairs of life or work are ever contrary to the true reality’.”
Since “all worldly affairs of life or work” are never contrary to the “true reality”, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can broadly surmise that our Buddhist practice encompasses all activities in society. These activities in society does not only refer to one’s job.
It includes all our engagements in society and our daily life including doing household chores, raising children, parenting, taking up the challenge to upgrade ourselves in various skills and so forth.
For students, it includes studying and participating in CCA activities.
Each one of us living in this contemporary world is confronting various challenges in life.
These may include challenges at work, in our families, with our health, parenting or caregiving issues we face at home.
However, Nichiren Buddhism teaches that all of these challenges serve as opportunities for us to forge and develop our lives based on faith.
Sensei explains this point in his guidance in this manner:
[Slide 19]
Regarding their jobs as training grounds for forging themselves, Soka Gakkai members have striven to become indispensable assets to their workplaces. And there are countless examples of members showing remarkable actual proof of the power of Buddhist practice and winning the trust and respect of their employers and colleagues.
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[ Slide 20]
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That is because they strove in accord with the Daishonin’s teaching that “The place where the person upholds and honors the Lotus Sutra is the ‘place of enlightenment’ [LSOC28, 364] to which the person proceeds” (cf. OTT, 192). In other words, they bravely confronted their challenges and made persistent efforts in the place where they were, powered by none other than their Buddhist faith and practice.
[Slide 21]
Today, the experiences and actual proof of our members throughout Japan and around the world are testifying to the irrefutable power of Nichiren Buddhism.
(From President Ikeda Study Lecture Series,
“Buddhism of the Sun, Illuminating the World”)
No matter what adversities we may be confronting now,
let’s persist in our efforts to surmount them all with the conviction that it is from this moment,
from where I am right now that my triumphant drama of human revolution will begin.
[Slide 22]
THANK YOU :)
< end of supplementary resources >
Prepared by SGS Study Department
Slide numbering inserted by ccl of BV chapter
