Lecture in Praise of Daishonin January 2014, Oko Lecture

“People who take faith in the Lotus are attracting happiness from ten thousand miles away.”

Happy 2014—the New Year of Accomplishing Our Shakubuku Goal! I am certain that you are exultant and in high spirits, as you uphold the three points for action for this year—to carry out shakubuku based on consistent Gongyō and Shōdai; to successfully achieve our shakubuku goal with unity between the priesthood and laity; and to promote pilgrimages to the Head Temple for new believers. Let’s successfully accomplish our designated objectives for the upcoming auspicious occasion next year of the 770th anniversary of the birth of . I pray for your ever-increasing achievements during this year. Today’s lecture will focus on the following passage from the “Reply to the Wife of Omosu”(“Mushimochi-gosho”):

People who take faith in the are attracting happiness from ten thousand miles away. (Gosho, p. 1552)

This Gosho was written by Nichiren Daishonin in Minobu, on the fifth day of the first month of the fourth year of Kōan (1281). It is a letter addressed to the wife of Omosu (the wife of Ishikawa Shimbei Yoshisuke, the land steward of Omosu). In it, the Daishonin thanks the wife of Omosu for her new year’s offerings of steamed rice cakes, fruits, and other items. He clearly and simply explains the doctrine of ichinen sanzen (three thousand realms in a single life-moment) and then candidly describes the enormity of the benefits to those who present Gokuyo offerings to the votary of the Lotus Sutra. According to information contained in other Gosho writings, we know that the wife of Omosu was the elder sister of Nanjō Tokimitsu. Her faith was extremely pure, and she later received the Buddhist name Myoichi-sonni. Furthermore, her son, Magosaburō Yoshitada, carried on the pure faith of his mother. Together with his uncle, Nanjō Tokimitsu, and the Hokkekō believers of Koizumi, he contributed to the establishment of the Omosu-danjo Seminary, where Nikko Shonin spent his later years. In the fifth month of 1281 when this letter was written, Japan experienced its second attack from the Mongols. In this Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin wrote:

The country of Japan is now an enemy of the Lotus Sutra and is inviting disasters from a thousand miles away. (Gosho, p. 1551)

In 1279, the Japanese government beheaded several emissaries from the Mongol Empire. After that, the Mongols began preparations to send troops to attack Japan. Meanwhile, centered around the dazaifu (the local government office with jurisdiction over the southern areas), Japan also was preparing to take on and fight the Mongol soldiers. There was much confusion and restlessness among the people in Japan. However, even in such times, the Daishonin expounded that:

People who take faith in the Lotus Sutra are attracting happiness from ten thousand miles away. (Gosho, p. 1552)

He explained that those who believe in true Buddhism will be powerfully protected by the guardian deities. In this Gosho, Nichiren Daishonin begins by praising the wife of Omosu for her strong faith in making Gokuyo offerings to him on New Year’s Day. He states that New Year’s Day marks the beginning of all things for the entire year:

It is the first day, the first month, the first of the year, and the beginning of spring. (idid.)

The Daishonin explains that those who welcome New Year’s Day with great appreciation in their hearts, based on the true teachings, will see their fortune and virtues prosper as a result of their appreciation and determination. Furthermore, they will be loved and respected by others. Next, in response to the question about where Hell and the Buddha are located, the Daishonin reveals that they “exist within our five-foot body.” He explains that both Hell and Buddhahood are the functions of life that are inherent within our bodies and that they are manifested in response to various karmic bonds. The Daishonin assumed that most people believed in the generally accepted notion that Buddhahood could not possibly exist within the body of a common mortal, who is strongly influenced by the three poisons of greed, anger, and stupidity. Thus, he used examples that easily can be understood to explain how common mortals like us are able to attain enlightenment by believing in true Buddhism. He uses examples such as the lotus flower that blooms from within the muddy swamp, the fragrant sandalwood that grows from the vast earth, and the beautiful Yang Guifei (Yang Yuhuan; consort of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty) who was born to a lowly maidservant. Furthermore, he explains that the good and evil intentions within our hearts will be manifested as words and actions, which will bring forth good fortune or misfortune in our lives. In conclusion, the Daishonin repeatedly praised the good will of people who make offerings to the Lotus Sutra (the Gohonzon). He compared those who believe in the Lotus Sutra with those who are hostile and oppose it. Those who go against the Lotus Sutra invite misfortune from thousands of miles in the distance. By contrast, those who believe in it are able to amass good fortune from thousands of miles away. The Daishonin concludes this Gosho by explaining that those who believe in the Lotus Sutra will inherently possess good fortune and the virtues of faith, just as the sandalwood inherently possesses its beautiful fragrance. In the last several years, all over the world, we have been experiencing conditions that are described in the opening paragraph of the Risshō ankoku-ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism):

In recent years there have been unusual occurrences in the heavens and natural disasters on earth. Famine and epidemics rage in all lands beneath the skies and in every corner of the realm. (Gosho, p. 234; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin-2, p. 1)

This portrays the very condition that is described in the following passage from the “Reply to the Wife of Omonsu” (“Mushi mochi gosho”):

Just as this shadow accompanies its body, disasters come to a country where people are enemies of the Lotus Sutra. (Gosho, p. 1552)

In order to eliminate the source of all misfortune, it is absolutely necessary to propagate true Buddhism. This is because, without the achievement of kosen-rufu, it is impossible to bring about true world peace and establish a stable and tranquil society. The current designated objectives from our High Priest, which we must accomplish by 2015 and 2021, represent a milestone in the actualization of kosen-rufu. You must have conviction in and follow his directions and put forth your utmost efforts in your practice for yourselves and for others. As a result, the condition in which “People who take faith in the Lotus Sutra are attracting happiness from ten thousand miles away” will be manifested, without fail, in each of your lives. Buddhism expounds the principle of ganken-ōgō (based on aspiration, choosing to be born into the saha world in order to help the people). You were born in a land far away from Japan, and you are unable to frequently worship the Dai-Gohonzon. This is definitive proof that you have been born with a tremendous mission to propagate true Buddhism in the land where you live. You must acknowledge your own mission and practice true Buddhism, with a strong determination to exert your utmost efforts for the sake of the Law. Consequently, you will amass good fortune from thousands of miles away, and you will find that benefits and good karmic relationships naturally will manifest in your life. Furthermore, when you put forth your best efforts to uphold sincere faith and practice, based on the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, and when you work assiduously in your daily life and job, over and beyond the performance of anyone else, you will achieve a life condition and circumstances that will enable you to go on tozan pilgrimages. This is actual proof of the benefits of practicing true Buddhism, and it will be transformed into the power to do shakubuku. This is the basis of the designated points for action in our practice throughout this year. “To carry out shakubuku based on consistent Gongyo and Shodai” means that we must acknowledge the fact that we are the envoys of the Buddha and propagate true Buddhism. The Daishonin states the following in the “Orally Transmitted Teachings” (“Ongi kuden”):

Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo today are true envoy of the Buddha. (Gosho, p. 1749)

Our daily practice of Gongyo and Daimoku also enables us to contemplate the causal karmic relationships with which we were individually born. Furthermore, shakubuku is essential, in order for us to be able to transform the three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering in our lives into the three virtues of the property of the Law, wisdom, and emancipation. Shakubuku also is necessary in order to enable us to convert the hardships and suffering in our life into the mission to propagate true Buddhism. Only when the benefits of practicing true Buddhism are overflowing within our lives can we successfully achieve the practice for others for the first time. This is because our experiences of personally overcoming hardships and suffering through true Buddhism will be transformed into the power to accomplish successful shakubuku. The next point for action is “to successfully achieve our shakubuku goal with unity between the priesthood and laity.” In order to actualize kosen-rufu, the priests and lay believers must correctly understand their respective functions and form a solid unity of cooperation, based on many in body, one in mind (itai-doshin). The Daishonin teaches the following in the “Letter to Soya Nyudō” (“Soya nyudo dono moto gosho”):

The Nirvana Sutra states, “Within, there are disciples who understand the immeasurably deep doctrines. Without, there are the pure minded laity. Thus is Buddhism perpetuated into eternity.” (Gosho, p. 790)

Without such solidarity, there will be no success. In order to accomplish our designated goals and further advance toward the achievement of kosen-rufu, all individual believers in the Hokkeko chapter must discard their attachments to fame and fortune and strive forth on the great path to kosen-rufu. As a result, this point for action naturally can be achieved. The final point is “to promote pilgrimages to the Head Temple for new believers.” This is based on the compassion of our High Priest, who seeks to thoroughly train and cultivate the new believers and to teach them the significance of the tozan pilgrimage. Then, they can have an audience with the Dai-Gohonzon as soon as possible, through the benefits of doing Gongyo, Daimoku, and shakubuku. We must strive to achieve a life condition in which we can make pilgrimages to the Head Temple at any time. This is none other than the actual proof of the benefit of practicing true Buddhism. Furthermore, the benefits of going on pilgrimages to the Head Temple are great, and doing so will cause people to achieve a life condition that will enable them to go again and again. Many people all over the world already have experienced this. Let’s encourage our new believers to look upon these exemplary senior members and advance with devotion. Now, under the leadership of High Priest Nichinyo Shonin, we, the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, are assiduously propagating the Law through shakubuku, as we strive to increase the Hokkeko membership by 50 percent by the year 2015, the auspicious occasion of the 770th anniversary of the birth of Second High Priest Nikko Shonin. Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following in the “The Property of Rice” (“Beikoku-gosho”):

I entrust you with the responsibility of propagating true Buddhism in your province. The seed of Buddhahood comes forth according to karmic relations. Therefore, you must expound the doctrine of the one vehicle. (Gosho, p. 1242)

We must acknowledge that the country in which we reside now is, indeed, the place where we have been commissioned by Nichiren Daishonin to achieve kosen-rufu. In our respective countries, let’s sincerely and assiduously proceed toward the achievement of kosen-rufu, as we protect and support true Buddhism. In this “Year of Accomplishing Our Shakubuku Goal,” let us propagate true Buddhism to as many people as possible through geshu (sowing the seed of Buddhahood) and shakubuku, so that we can actualize the establishment of a peaceful land through the propagation of true Buddhism (rissho ankoku).