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The Mission of the Priests and Lay Believers of Nichiren Shoshu

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Lecture in Praise of Nichiren Daishonin September 2015, Oko Lecture The Mission of the Priests and Lay Believers of Nichiren Shoshu The mission of the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu is to exert their utmost efforts to accomplish kosen-rufu, the life-long will of Nichiren Daishonin. This issue often has been expounded to everyone, so you may find that this lecture reiterates what you already have heard in the past. However, it is an extremely important matter. The great aspiration of the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu will be expounded and transmitted to everyone, until the ultimate achievement of kosen-rufu. The general term used to refer to the believers of Nichiren Shoshu is the Hokkeko. It represents the collective group of people who believe in and practice the Lotus Sutra of the Latter Day of the Law—the true Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin. The name “Hokkeko” was given to the organization by Nichiren Daishonin himself. On the 12th day of the tenth month of the second year of Kō’an (1279), the Hokkeko believers of Atsuhara, under the leadership of Nikko Shonin, continued to uphold their faith without ever slackening, even amidst tremendous persecutions in which they risked their lives. Seeing this, Nichiren Daishonin established the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching, the ultimate purpose of his advent into this world. There is a supplemental inscription on the Dai-Gohonzon that states “With respect to the Hokkeko” Based on this fact, it is clear that the spirit of the Hokkeko is none other than faith that embodies will of Nichiren Daishonin. Precisely following the predictions contained in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin made his advent into this world to bring salvation to all living beings in the deluded and evil age of the Latter Day of the Law. He expounded the Three Great Secret Laws—the Object of Worship, the High Sanctuary, and the Daimoku of the Essential Teaching of the Lotus Sutra of the Buddhism of the sowing, hidden in the depths of the sutra, which he possessed as the True Buddha from the infinite past of kuon-ganjo. Furthermore, the Daishonin established the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching, which contains the entirety of the Three Great Secret Laws. By so doing, he gave us the path to salvation for all living beings. As he passed into nirvana, Nichiren Daishonin transferred the entirety of his Buddhism to Second High Priest Nikko Shonin. At the time, he memorialized his will in the following way: When the sovereign embraces this Law, establish the [True] High Sanctuary of Hommonji Temple at Mount Fuji. (Gosho, p. 1675) This shows that it is essential for us, as priests and lay believers, to follow the successive High Priests who have strictly adhered to the instructions of Nikko Shonin, so that we can advance toward our aspiration to accomplish kosen-rufu. Nichijun Shonin, the Sixty-fifth High Priest of the Head Temple stated: In essence, in the Nichiren Shoshu organization as a whole and for us as individuals, all of our activities are a pre-requisite to the establishment of the High Sanctuary [achievement of kōsen-rufu]. The fundamental life of our organization exists in our activities, which we uphold to promote the achievement of our aspiration….It is my hope that all of us in Nichiren Shoshu heed this point and put forth every effort into creating unity in the Hokkeko organization, so that we can confidently advance to achieve our aspiration, following in the footsteps of Yashiro Kunishige and the Hokkeko believers, the petitioners of the establishment of the High Sanctuary. (Complete Collection of the sixty-fifth Nichijun Shonin’s Writings, p. 1066) Nichijun Shonin explains that, for Nichiren Shoshu as a whole and for each of us as individuals, all of our activities are based on our aspiration to achieve kosen-rufu. High Priest Nichinyo Shonin gave the following guidance: Today, as we correctly inherit and continue the will of the True Buddha Nichiren Daishonin to save all living beings, we must single-mindedly doing shakubuku to refute heresy and reveal the truth for the sake of the world and for the sake of the people in the entire world. Herein lies the most essential mission for us as priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu. (Collection of Directions of High Priest Nichinyo shonin [Goshinan shū], No. 15, p. 13) Thus, the mission of the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu is to do shakubuku, in an effort to achieve kosen-rufu, the lifelong will of Nichiren Daishonin. Consequently, we must sincerely act upon the goals and designated objectives set out for us to help us actualize kosen-rufu. As we strive to propagate the mystic Law (Myōhō) in our faith and practice and proceed toward our great aspiration kōsen-rufu, we will attain our individual enlightenment in this lifetime. In order to reach these lofty goals of kōsen-rufu and the establishment of the Buddha land, we cannot leave out the enrichment and advancement of our organization based on fundamental ideals. Nichiren Daishonin states: An excellent master, an excellent believer, and the excellent Law—only when these three are united, can a practitioner have his prayers answered, and even disasters that may befall the land can be driven away. (Gosho, p. 1314) The “excellent Law” refers to the Three Great Secret Laws, upholding the Dai- Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching as the ultimate entity. The “excellent master” represents the High Priest, who possesses the transmission of the Lifeblood Heritage of the Law. And the “excellent believer” is none other than you, the believers from all the countries worldwide, who assiduously practice the Buddhism of Nichiren Shoshu, day and night. The Daishonin explains that “only when these three are united, can a practitioner have his prayers answered, and even disasters that may befall the land can be driven away.” Thus, it is extremely important for us to solidly establish our faith and practice as “good believers.” With regards to the “excellent believer” and the “excellent master” in Buddhism, true faith and practice, understanding, and salvation only can be achieved through a correct relationship between the master and disciple. Nichiren Daishonin writes the following in the Reply to Akimoto (Akimoto-dono gohenji): The relationship between master and disciple is made based on karmic bond from the three existences of past, present and future, and in fact, it is also related to the benefits of the three phases of the Buddhism of the sowing, maturing, and harvesting. Thus, you must not seek it from anyone else. The sutra teach that “one always will be born with the master in the lands of the various Buddhas.” They also explain that “if one is close to the master of this Law, he can promptly attain the Buddha way, and if one follows and learns from this master, he will be able to meet Buddhas as numerous as the sands of the Ganges River.” How can these golden words be mistaken! (Gosho, p. 335) Thus, as this passage explains, the relationship between a master and disciple is formed based on a profound karmic bond from a past existence, which also referred to the unceasing relationshop between them throughout three exsitences of the past, present and future. This is the basic of relationship between priests and laities. In the Letter to Ni’ike (Ni’ike-gosho), the Daishonin states: By all means, closely follow the priest who knows the heart of this sutra. Listen and learn from him about the true doctrines of the Law, and carry on with your journey of faith and practice. (Gosho, p. 1457) These relationships between the master and believer, the priest and lay believer, and the master and disciple have been taught as the doctrines of the master and disciple and faith based on the relationship between the master and disciple. In the Reply to the Hokkeko Believers on Sado Island (Sado no kuni hokkekō shū- gohenji), Nikko Shonin states: The Daishonin’s teachings invariably will enable one to attain Buddhahood, through strictly following the correct master-disciple relationship. This issue is foremost. Even if one upholds the Lotus Sutra, a slight deviation from this relationship will cause one to fall into the hell of incessant suffering. (Collected Writings of Successive Nichiren Shoshu High Priests No. vol. 1, p. 183) This strict admonition has been taught to the Hokkeko believers since olden times. Individuals and organizations who have abandoned this significant relationship between the master and disciple will find that, unbeknownst to them, they will embrace erroneous principles, which certainly will cause them to uphold heresy and become slanderers. As priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, we must thoroughly base our faith and practice on the directions of the successive High Priests, who possess the Lifeblood Heritage of the Law. Furthermore, in countries and regions around the world, we must correctly uphold the relationships between the priest and lay believer and between the master and disciple, as we exert our efforts in faith and practice. In each organization, there is a chief priest who is in charge to lead it. Under this chief priest, there are numerous leaders who are in charge of many groups of believers. The roles of these leaders can generally be divided in two. Their first role is to encourage and motivate people to practice. And their second role is to teach others to practice. Those who are able to perform these two roles are true leaders. In order to perform these roles, people must have the determination and commitment to be leaders.
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