SGI-USA Study Curriculum
Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda
Secure a Great State of Life by Taking Action
for Kosen-rufu
Shari-hotsu. Nyorai chiken. Kodai jinnon. Muryo muge.
Riki. Mu-sho-i. Zenjo. Gedas. Sanmai. Jin nyu musai. Joju
issai. Mi-zo-u ho.
Shariputra, the wisdom of the Thus Come One is expansive
and profound. He has immeasurable [mercy], unlimited [eloquence],
power, fearlessness, concentration, emancipation and samadhis,
and has deeply entered the boundless and awakened to the
Law never before attained. (LS-2, 24)1
This passage explains the expansive powers of the Buddha.
That. is, it describes the wonderful state of life that
those who embrace the Gohonzon can develop.
Interpreting this passage of the "Expedient Means"
chapter from the standpoint of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism,
the second Soka Gakkai president, Josei Toda, taught that
it explains the state of life [embodied] in the Gohonzon:
The difference between the state of life of [the Buddha
of] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and that of the Buddha of the theoretical
teaching of the Lotus Sutra is as vast as that between heaven
and earth. [Just as the sutra says] without our having made
the slightest effort, "'This cluster of unsurpassed
jewels has come to us unsought" (LS-4, 87). We are
given in its entirety the benefit of all Buddhas throughout
the existences of past, present and future.
Even though we have not carried out any practices in the
past, by believing in the Gohonzon our lives become endowed
with many, varied powers. And, through the principle of
the simultaneity of cause and effect) we enter the world
of Buddhahood just as we are as ordinary people.
From the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, these
powers are all attributes of the state of life of the Gohonzon.
These powers well forth in our own lives when we carry through
with our faith. What a wonderful teaching this is.
The Functions of Buddhahood in Our Lives
Here, Shakyamuni identifies "immeasurable mercy,"
"unlimited eloquence," "power," "fearlessness"
and so on, as attributes of the Buddha's state of life.
To put it simply, the Buddha's concern for the people is
infinite ("immeasurable mercy"), he can freely
expound the teaching through words ("unlimited eloquence"),
he has penetrating insight into life and the power to discern
the causes of people's unhappiness ("power"),
and he has the courage to fully articulate the truth ("fearlessness").
Armed with these powers of wisdom, the Buddha dives into
the great ocean of the people and, while facing persecution
himself, leads them to enlightenment through his wholehearted
efforts.
Create a Rhythm of Continual Growth in Your
Life
The Buddha's "immeasurable mercy" includes the
four infinite virtues of giving others happiness, removing
their suffering, rejoicing at their happiness without any
feelings of jealousy, and treating everyone impartially,
abandoning attachment to prejudice and hatred. The Buddha's
spirit of consideration toward the people is expansive and
infinite; it knows no bounds.
In concrete terms, what does "immeasurable" mean
for us as ordinary people? It means not to give up halfway.
In spreading the teaching or giving individual guidance
in all aspects of the struggle for kosen-rufu--the important
thing is that we follow through whenever we become deadlocked,
we can tap inner strength through our practice to the Gohonzon
and then challenge ourselves to see how many walls we can
break through. Such faith to advance limitlessly may be
characterized as "immeasurable."
Also, it may be hard to get a practical sense of the meaning
of the spirit of compassion. President Toda used to say
that "courage substitutes for compassion." Our
courageous actions as emissaries of the Buddha are comparable
to the Buddha's compassionate practices.
In society today, if anything there is a tendency for people
to try to avoid developing relations with others. Ours might
be also characterized as a society of envy where people
view the happiness of others with jealousy.
In such an environment, SGI members actively seek to develop
relations with others out of the desire to help them become
happy. Yet in such a society, these compassionate actions
are liable to be misunderstood and, indeed, may meet with
great resistance.
Nevertheless, each day we pray and take action for others:
giving people happiness, removing their sufferings rejoicing
at their happiness as if it was our own and dedicating ourselves
to their well-being without discrimination. An immeasurable
spirit of removing suffering and imparting joy pulses in
the SGI. In this regard, we definitely stand alone.
Wherever people, instead of feeling jealous, rejoice at
seeing others gain happiness, wherever people can encourage
one another - that is a realm pervaded with happiness. By
contrast, those who go through life constantly comparing
themselves to others and consequently seesawing between
feelings of joy and sorrow will find themselves utterly
deadlocked in the end.
As President Toda taught, we need to live our own lives.
Just as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess
their own unique qualities, each person is unique. We cannot
become someone else. The important thing is that we live
true to ourselves and cause the great flower of our lives
to blossom. If we fail to do so, then what is the purpose
of our lives? What is the purpose of our existence?
There is no need whatsoever to compare ourselves to others.
Rather, we should consider whether we have grown by comparing
how we are now to how we were in the past. The Buddhist
way of life is to grow each day, accomplishing more today
than yesterday and more tomorrow than today.
Earnest Faith Is the Key to a Life of Freedom
Next, "unlimited eloquence" indicates the power
to freely understand and freely express oneself without
hindrance. "Unlimited eloquence" comprises four
unlimited powers of understanding and preaching. These are:
complete knowledge of the teachings, thorough knowledge
of the meanings deriving from the teachings, complete freedom
in the use of various languages and dialects to express
the teachings, and the ability to preach freely and bravely,
employing the other three unlimited powers.
The Buddha has the wisdom to freely understand the teachings
and freely expound them. In saying that the Buddha does
so "freely," we should note that while he appears
to do so with composure, this is not something that happens
automatically. President Toda said that even lectures on
the Gosho could be classified as "unskilled,"
"skillful" or "artistic," pointing out
that one does not all of a sudden arrive at the level of
"artistic." Reaching that stage requires earnest
practice and training.
The Buddha is earnest. Precisely because he is earnest,
wisdom wells forth in his life. "How can I send out
a message that will touch a chord in each person's life?"
he continually asks himself. The Buddha is earnest in weaving
a tapestry of words. He racks his mind and exercises ingenuity.
He brings to bear the power of expedient means. Such efforts
find expression in his "free" preaching of the
Law.
Throughout his life, Nichiren Daishonin continued to send
highly detailed encouragement to his followers. Sometimes
he would join them in their sadness, other times he would
admonish them, show them tolerance or encourage them all
the while sending them words of revitalization. He had a
thorough knowledge of the daily life, family make-up, worries
and personality of each of his followers.
For example, to Sennichi-ama, after her husband Abutsu-bo
had died, he declared that Abutsu-bo had definitely attained
Buddhahood. At the same time, pointing out that her son
Tokuro Moritsuna, as a fine successor, had become a votary
of the Lotus Sutra, he also says, "There is no treasure
greater than a child, no treasure greater than a child!"
(MW- 6 p. 304). He thus expresses delight at the growth
of a capable successor.
Another follower (Konichi-ama) was worried about her deceased
son's future existence because, as a soldier he had taken
the lives of others. To this mother, the Daishonin explains
the teaching that "Even a small error will destine
one to the evil paths if one does not repent of it. Yet
even a grave offense can be eradicated if one repents of
it sincerely" (MW-4, 164). He teaches her that the
child can definitely be saved from falling into the evil
paths of existence through the strong faith of the parent.
Children bring their parents joy, and they also cause them
worry. But the Daishonin's Buddhism teaches that, so long
as they have faith, parent and child can definitely both
become happy. The Buddha's preaching is free and unrestricted.
It certainly is not rigid or narrow. The Buddha knows how
to explain the Law in concrete terms and based on firm principles
so as to help individuals revive their spirits and create
value in their situations. For this reason, the Buddha puts
people's hearts at ease.
The Gosho conveys Nichiren Daishonin's words to encourage
and invigorate people. One can imagine the joy of his followers
upon receiving a letter from the Daishonin - right down
to the look of determination that must have appeared on
their faces.
The Gosho, transcending its time and place of origin, is
a message of happiness for all humanity. The Gosho is a
living textbook of humanism. It is the supreme inheritance
of humankind.
Open a 'Path' Among the People
"Power," in the above sutra passage, refers to
the 10 powers of wisdom of the Buddha. For example, the
Buddha has the power to judge people's understanding of
the teaching, to understand their various hopes, and to
know the states of life of all people.
The 10 powers all revolve around the ability to understand
people's minds and hearts. This ability, again, represents
the crystallization of the Buddha's tenacious efforts in
that regard.
The important thing is that Shakyamuni used his powers
of wisdom to pioneer a path of great happiness among the
people. He went out himself among the people to single-handedly
spread the teaching, and he called upon his disciples to
do the same. The Daishonin, too, continually expounded the
Law to the people.
Unless you go out among the people, you cannot understand
their hearts. For example, because Nikko Shonin spared no
effort in visiting the area of Atsuhara, the lay followers
there could carry through with their faith without succumbing
to the great persecution that befell them. Through Nikko
Shonin's example, these followers, all of them farmers,
came to understand the wondrousness of Buddhism and the
Daishonin's greatness soon after they converted. And Nikko
Shonin stood in the lead among them even at the height of
the persecution.
Detailed reports went out from Nikko Shonin to the Daishonin,
who was at Mt. Minobu. Because Nikko Shonin was present
on the scene, the Daishonin could gain accurate information
and then take appropriate measures. It thus became possible
for him to send continuous encouragement to, and open the
hearts of, his followers who were in the eye of the persecution.
Because Nichiren Daishonin and Nikko Shonin had deep knowledge
of the hearts of the people, they could provide the greatest
encouragement, and the followers of Atsuhara could overcome
the persecution.
In any age, understanding the hearts of the people is the
basis for victory. A genuine leader, a true leader of Buddhism
makes the greatest efforts to understand people's hearts,
to understand their thoughts, and to understand their struggles.
Notes:
- Ed. note: All quotations from the Lotus Sutra are from:
The
Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson (New York: Columbia
University Press, 1993). For purposes of convenience,
all citations from this work will be given in the text
and abbreviated as follows: LS followed by the chapter
number, and then the page number.
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