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The Importance of the Single Character for “Faith”

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The Importance of the Single Character for “Faith” Lecture in Praise of Nichiren Daishonin February 2018, Oko Lecture The Importance of the Single Character for “Faith” In the Gosho, On Attaining Buddhahood (Isshō jōbutsu-shō), Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following about the profound significance of Myoho-Renge-Kyo: The mystic truth inherently possessed by all living beings is none other than Myoho-Renge-Kyo. Therefore, by chanting Myoho-Renge-Kyo, they can become aware of the mystic truth that is inherently within them. [Myoho-Renge-Kyo] is the king of sutras and manifests the ultimate truth in character and principle. Thus, its words are, in themselves, the true entity, and the true entity is, in itself, Myoho-Renge-Kyo. (Gosho, p. 45) In other words, the Chinese characters making up the scriptures of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are not simply characters. These characters themselves present the true entity and all phenomena in the universe and the enlightenment of the Buddha. Therefore, when we chant the Daimoku of Myoho-Renge-Kyo, which is the fundamental core of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, to the Gohonzon of the essential teaching, our confusion and delusion as common mortals will be purified and transformed into the enlightenment of the Buddha, through the power of the benefits of the Daimoku. The following is a passage from the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi kuden): The title of this [Life Span of the Tathagata (Nyorai juryō; sixteenth)] chapter [of the Lotus Sutra] is a matter of great significance that corresponds to the very life of Nichiren. It is none other than the transmission of the heritage described in the Wondrous Powers of the Tathagata (Jinriki; twenty-first) chapter. Tathagata refers to Shakyamuni, or in a broad sense all the Buddhas of the three existences and ten directions. In a strict sense, however, Tathagata is [the Original Buddha] whose true identity is an uncreated and unadorned being endowed with the three enlightened properties. Now in the Latter Day of the Law, from the standpoint of Nichiren and his followers, in theory, Tathagata means all living beings; however, in reality, Tathagata represents Nichiren’s disciples and believers. Thus, the uncreated and unadorned three enlightened properties signify the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. The venerable name of these three enlightened properties is Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. This is what is referred to as the actual Three Great Secret Laws [hidden in the depths] of the Juryō chapter of the Lotus Sutra. (Gosho, p. 1765) The five and seven characters of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo inherently possess the significance of the entirety of the Three Great Secret Laws, based on the transmission of the essence of the Lotus Sutra from Shakyamuni to Bodhisattva Jōgyō. Nichiren Daishonin, who is the reincarnation of Bodhisattva Jōgyō, the votary of the Lotus Sutra, and the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, made his advent into this world. He opened the great path to lead all the people of Jambudvipa (the entire world) to the true faith and practice of the Three Great Secret Laws and realize true world peace—kōsen-rufu. Nichiren Daishonin states the following about this faith and practice in the Gosho, All Phenomena are Contained in a Single Life-moment (Sōzai ichinen-shō): Question: If an ignorant person, who is unable to read or write, chants Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, what benefit could he gain? Answer: Suppose this illiterate person, who cannot read, write, or understand even a single word, takes faith in and chants Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. He first will gain the benefit of verbal action from among the three categories of action: thoughts, words and deeds. Once he gains benefits [through all three categories of action], he definitely will be able to receive the seed of Buddhahood into his heart and liberate himself from the sufferings of life and death. (Gosho, p. 115) Even if people are unable to read, if they assiduously uphold faith and practice for themselves and for others, with absolute faith in the Dai- Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching, they will be able to attain enlightenment without fail. The true purpose of the Buddha is to lead all people, without discrimination and regardless of their life conditions, to the correct Buddhist practice to enable them to attain enlightenment and to transform the world into the Buddha land. Since this is the absolute purpose of true Buddhism, individual intellect and physical capacities are irrelevant. In The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke daimoku-shō), Nichiren Daishonin states: Ultimately, faith is the foundation for entering the Buddha way. (Gosho, p. 353) Moreover, he states the following in the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi kuden): The attainment of Buddhahood of all Buddhas of the three existences also arises from the single character faith. (Gosho, p. 1737) We are carrying out our practice of the Daishonin’s true Buddhism, which is the one and only way to attain enlightenment. We must realize, however, that achieving true happiness and attaining Buddhahood only can be brought about through faith. The Daishonin teaches that all Buddhas of the past, present, and future only can attain enlightenment through the single character for “faith.” Even though people may have abundant knowledge and superior intellect, they cannot attain enlightenment without Buddhist practice that is based on faith. Those who depend on shallow knowledge and are over- confident in their abilities may become arrogant and ultimately will distance themselves from true faith and practice. There is no path to enlightenment under these conditions. The Daishonin writes about this in the Letter to Ni’ike (Ni’ike gosho): Those who have knowledge but no faith are people who have an understanding of the Buddhist doctrines but do not believe in them. They definitely will not attain enlightenment. Those who have faith but no knowledge are persons who believe, even though they lack knowledge, and they are able to achieve enlightenment. (Gosho, p. 1461) There may be those who do not quite understand the doctrines of Buddhism and those who are not adept at Buddhist studies. If they believe in the Gohonzon with a pure heart and chant Daimoku, and if they exert their utmost efforts in their practice for themselves and for others, sincerely following the guidance of the High Priest, they will be able to attain enlightenment. This year has been designated “The Year of Action.” “Action” has a wide variety of meanings, but here, it means to sincerely put forth our efforts in chanting Daimoku, doing shakubuku, and helping others develop their faith. High Priest Nichinyo Shonin gave us the following guidance: It is truly essential for us, as priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, to teach others that they can achieve happiness, without fail, through faith in the Dai-Gohonzon. We all must be fully aware that difficulties will arise when we do shakubuku. However, we must overcome these difficulties with sincere Daimoku and strengthen our resolve ever more and resolutely perform the actual practice of shakubuku. By so doing, we can bring about not only the happiness in the lives of those with whom we share the Buddhism of the sowing through shakubuku, but also secure our own happiness as well. (Collected Sermons of High Priest Nichinyo Shonin [Goshinan-shū], vol. 2, p. 86) Within the Hokkeko, we all must believe in various possibilities and take action together. We must save the people who suffer from confusion and delusion in society. Let us exert our utmost efforts in doing shakubuku and helping others develop their faith, as we advance toward our objective of establishing a Hokkeko organization of 800,000 believers by 2021, the 800th anniversary of the birth of our Founder, Nichiren Daishonin. Furthermore, let us continue to take action together toward the achievement of our great objective of kōsen-rufu. .
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