Lecture in Praise of Nichiren Daishonin January 2018, Oko Lecture “The Great Vow Signifies the Propagation of the Lotus Sutra” In Nichiren Daishonin’s later days, when he was living in Mount Minobu, he gave lectures to his disciples on the essential passages of the Lotus Sutra. With the Daishonin’s permission, Nikko Shonin recorded these lectures in the form of the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi kuden). They also are known as the Orally Transmitted Teachings on the Lotus Sutra (Shūchūhokekyō kuden). Contained in the Orally Transmitted Teachings is the following passage: The great vow signifies the propagation of the Lotus Sutra. (Gosho, p. 1749) The great vow is the vast and limitless intent of the Buddha to save all mankind. It is also the desire of common mortals to expiate their negative karma and attain enlightenment. In the Opening of the Eyes (Kaimoku-shō), the Daishonin revealed the three great vows (sandai seigan) in the following way: I am making a great vow....I shall be the pillar of Japan. I shall be the eyes of Japan, and I shall be the great vessel of Japan. Such is my vow, and I shall never abandon it. (Gosho, p. 572) Here, Nichiren Daishonin swore that he, himself, would be the unshakable pillar to support not only Japan, but all of Jambudvipa (the entire world). He swore that he would be the eyes of all the people and would lead them to the correct practice. Furthermore, he swore that he would be the grand and majestic great ship to carry all mankind to the life condition of enlightenment. This is the tremendously compassionate, great vow of the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law to bring salvation to all the people. Moreover, in the Reply to Sairen-bō (Sairen bō-gohenji), the Daishonin states: The votaries of the Lotus Sutra must neither discard their faith nor dishonestly live their lives. If they devote their lives completely to the Lotus Sutra and practice precisely as stated in the golden words of the Buddha, they will, without fail, enjoy a long and healthy life, unaffected by misfortunes and illnesses. They will achieve the ultimate supreme effect not only in their future lifetimes but also in their current lives. Moreover, they will be able to attain the great aspiration of kōsen-rufu. (Gosho, p. 642) Thus, the Daishonin teaches that we must aspire to fulfill the great vow of kōsen-rufu, which is the most precious and significant objective for all of us in the Latter Day of the Law. We must never slacken in our efforts and never engage in deception. We must honestly practice according to the words of the Buddha and do shakubuku. In The Dragon’s Gate or Reply to Lord Ueno (Ueno dono-gohenji), the Daishonin instructs us in the following way: My disciples, now is the time to uphold great conviction!....In the end, death comes to everyone. The sufferings at the time of death are equal in magnitude to the sufferings that will come with invasion. Since death is the same in any case, you should be willing to give your life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra. Regard the offering of your life as the reunion of a dewdrop with the sea or the settling of a speck of dust upon the earth. (Gosho, p. 1428; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin-1, pp. 57, 59) Here, the Daishonin encourages us—the believers who embrace the teachings of true Buddhism—to be ready to give our lives for the conviction we uphold and to devote ourselves to the propagation of the mystic Law (Myōhō). The Lotus Sutra refers to Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws, hidden in the depths of the Juryō chapter of the essential teaching. In the Gosho, Questions and Answers between a Sage and a Foolish Man (Shōgu mondō-shō), the Daishonin states: If we single-mindedly continue to chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, how can we not eradicate all our offenses or gain true happiness in the future? This is the truth and it is of great significance. We must take faith in and embrace this [teaching of Nam-Myoho-Renge- Kyo]. (Gosho, p. 406) Thus, by sincerely chanting Daimoku, we are able to expiate our karmic offenses from infinite kalpas in the past and amass benefits and good fortune. Nichiren Daishonin writes the following in Reply to Kyō’ō (Kyō’ō dono-gohenji): You should believe in this mandala with the utmost sincerity. Nam- Myoho-Renge-Kyo is like the lion’s roar.... I, Nichiren, with sumi ink, have infused my life [into the Gohonzon]. So believe in it. The will of the Buddha is the Lotus Sutra, but the spirit of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. (Gosho, p. 685) Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo represents the inner enlightenment of Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha. The Daishonin revealed and inscribed his inner enlightenment in the form of the Gohonzon. As common mortals in the Latter Day of the Law, we believe in this Gohonzon and practice assiduously for ourselves and for others to attain enlightenment. The propagation of the Lotus Sutra is to spread it throughout the ten thousand years and eternity of the Latter Day of the Law, by telling people about the Three Great Secret Laws—the Object of Worship, the Daimoku, and the High Sanctuary of true Buddhism. This represents the true purpose of Nichiren Daishonin’s advent into this world. Thus, the propagation of the Lotus Sutra is none other than the actual practice of shakubuku. Nichiren Daishonin states the following in the Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi kuden): The “great vow” signifies the propagation of the Lotus Sutra. “Sympathize with mankind” refers to sympathize with the entire population of Japan. “Those in this evil world” represent Nichiren and his followers. The “expanse” signifies Jambudvipa (the entire world). The “sutra” denotes the Daimoku. Now is the time when I, Nichiren, and my disciples must chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. (Gosho, p. 1749) When the Daishonin states, “The ‘great vow’ signifies the propagation of the Lotus Sutra. ‘Sympathize with mankind’ refers to sympathize with the entire population of Japan,” he is instructing us, the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, to be constantly mindful of propagating the Buddhism of the sowing of the true cause, revealed by the True Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. We must do shakubuku, based on our compassion for the people who are struggling and suffering in this evil world, stained by the five impurities, Next, he says, “‘Those in this evil world’ represent Nichiren and his followers. The ‘expanse’ signifies Jambudvipa. The ‘sutra’ denotes the Daimoku. Now is the time when I, Nichiren, and my disciples must chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo.” This means that the True Buddha as well as we, the disciples and followers, were born into this impure and evil world of the Latter Day of the Law because we made a great vow in our past lives to propagate true Buddhism at this time. The Daishonin explains that, as a result, we were born into this vast Jambudvipa world, in order to propagate Nam- Myoho-Renge-Kyo of the practice for ourselves and for others, with patience, endurance, and compassion. Nichiren Daishonin was born in the Latter Day of the Law, into this evil world full of the five impurities, because of his great vow to propagate the Lotus Sutra. Those who must succeed him in carrying on this great vow are the people whom the Daishonin refers to as “Nichiren and his followers.” They are Nichiren Daishonin, the successive High Priests, and all of us, the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu. It is clear that there is profound significance contained in the golden words, “The great vow signifies the propagation of the Lotus Sutra.” As common people, we constantly live our lives with various aspirations. Among these aspirations, the most precious one is to embrace and propagate the Three Great Secret Laws. Herein lies our true worth as humans. In our practice, it is important to make a vow to the Gohonzon. “The great vow signifies the propagation of the Lotus Sutra,” and it indicates the successful achievement of the great aspiration of kōsen-rufu. Ushitora Gongyō is performed every day at the Head Temple, and the High Priest prays for world peace and the achievement of the great aspiration of kōsen-rufu. Every morning, during the fourth prayer, we, too, pray for the achievement of kōsen-rufu. Our prayer for kōsen-rufu is the fundamental basis and, in addition to that, we offer our individual, personal prayers to the Gohonzon. None of our prayers will come true, however, if we neglect our determination to accomplish kōsen-rufu and only pray for our personal achievements and desires. Most importantly, we must act upon the vow we make to the Gohonzon. Our vow is to actually perform shakubuku and help develop the faith and practice of those people whom we lead to the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. It is also to teach the new believers to do shakubuku, so that we all can advance together in our practice for ourselves and for others. By so doing, we can achieve true peace and tranquility in our lives. Furthermore, we can establish a perpetual happy life condition in the future, both in our present life and in future lifetimes. In the Gosho, On the Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and Death (Shōji ichidaiji kechimyaku-shō), the Daishonin writes: All disciples and believers of Nichiren should chant Nam-Myoho- Renge-Kyo with the spirit of many in body, one in mind (itai dōshin), overcoming all differences among themselves, [to become united with the heart of the Buddha], just like fish being inseparable from the water in which they swim.