SGI-USA Study Curriculum

Lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra
by SGI President Daisaku Ikeda

Great Benefit Comes From Practicing Honestly and Uprightly

Sho u shu ku-doku. Nyuwa shichi-jiki sha. Sokkai ken gashin. Zai shi ni seppo. Waku-ji i shi shu. Setsu butsu ju muryo. Ku nai ken bussha. I setsu butsu nan chi.

But those who practice meritorious ways,
who are gentle, peaceful, honest and upright,
all of them will see me
here in person, preaching the Law.
At times for this multitude
I describe the Buddha's life span as immeasurable,
and to those who see the Buddha only after a long time
I explain how difficult it is to meet the Buddha. (LS16, 231)

Gentle and Peaceful' Means Having an Open Mind

The passage we studied last time (March 15 World Tribune) describes how human beings befuddled with illusion see the world around them as filled with suffering and engulfed in an all consuming fire.

The above passage teaches that by steadfastly maintaining honest and upright faith we can receive the great benefit of the Mystic Law. It indicates that those who have accumulated benefit and who are gentle, peaceful and honest can see the Buddha expounding the Law for people's happiness.

"Gentle and peaceful" means possessing an open mind free of all obstinacy or narrow-mindedness. This is not by any means to say weak-kneed. It is the spirit to see the truth exactly as it is, without being swayed by prejudice, bias, appearances and the like.

"Honest and upright," as these words suggest, means an attitude of directly approaching and seeking out that which is good and great.

The eternal Buddha is visible to those who are "gentle, peaceful, honest and upright." The Buddha's life is eternal and indestructible. Those whose minds are gentle, peaceful and upright can continuously live with a sense of absolute peace of mind in being together with the Buddha. And those who are always with the Buddha will be liberated from loneliness and impatience, anxiety and despair. They can abide in a state of eternal happiness.

For us, "gentle, peaceful, honest and upright" refers to our attitude of faith in the Gohonzon. From a literal standpoint, to "practice meritorious ways" means to accumulate benefit by carrying out various Buddhist practices. But our practice is none other than the practice of chanting daimoku to the Gohonzon for ourselves and others.

Nichiren Daishonin says that "the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, contain all the benefits amassed by the beneficial practices and meritorious deeds of all the Buddhas throughout the past, present and future" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 4, p. l 29). Chanting daimoku confers the ultimate benefit and is the wellspring of all benefit.

Accordingly, this sutra passage teaches that we should always chant the Mystic Law with a pure and earnest seeking mind toward the Gohonzon. When we possess such sincere faith, a life state identical to that of the eternal Buddha manifests within us. An open and upright mind connects us directly with the life of the Buddha.

In the above passage, this is explained by the lines, "all of them will see me / here in person, preaching the Law." The Buddha is always here preaching the Law. In other words, at all times we can live embraced by the Buddha's compassion and in perfect accord with the Buddha's wisdom.

When we base ourselves on the great conviction that we are always together with the Gohonzon, that we are always together with the Daishonin, we are fearless. When something happens, we calmly challenge the situation, fully exercising our wisdom and all the while chanting daimoku. By doing so, we cannot fail to be protected; we are certain to realize a life of victory.

Also, "all of them will see me / here in person" indicates the principles of the mutual possession of the ten worlds and ichinen sanzen, that a life-moment possesses 3,000 realms. The beings of the nine worlds perceive and are embraced by the world of Buddhahood. In other words, the nine worlds are endowed with the world of Buddhahood, and the world of Buddhahood is endowed with the nine worlds.

In the "Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings," Nichiren Daishonin says:
The revelations in the "Life Span" chapter make clear that 'all of them will see me / here in person' indicates the principle of ichinen sanzen. Now Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are the very persons to whom this refers. (Gosho Zenshu, p. 757)

This Gosho passage refers to "Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." Certainly the members of the SGI are carrying through with "gentle, peaceful, honest and upright" faith just as the Daishonin teaches. The SGI is a gathering of "those who practice meritorious ways, / who are gentle, peaceful, honest and upright." It is a body dedicated to accomplishing the Buddha's will and decree, whose members honestly put the Buddha's spirit into practice.

The SGI therefore abounds with the power of the Mystic Law and the strength of justice. The Daishonin says, "When the lion king... roars; the hundred cubs will then feel emboldened" (MW5, 288). Daimoku is the lion's roar. We are a gathering of lions.

Our benefits from exerting ourselves for kosen-rufu is immense. Our efforts are definitely known to the Gohonzon. As long as we possess the roar of the lion, the SGI is certain to prosper and develop eternally.

The next part, "At times for this multitude / I describe the Buddha's life span as immeasurable, / and to those who see the Buddha only after a long time / I explain how difficult it is to meet the Buddha," reveals the Buddha's immense wisdom to save people on the most fundamental level. From the standpoint of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, it indicates the great power of the Gohonzon.

Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, said, "When we read this passage with a clear understanding, we develop great confidence in our own lives.

While to those "peaceful, honest and upright," Shakyamuni reveals that the Buddha's life is infinite, to those who see the Buddha only after much time has elapsed, he teaches that the Buddha is difficult to meet. The Buddha always exists, but he is rarely encountered. While seemingly contradictory, this, as I have previously noted, is the main theme of the jigage, or verse section, of the "Life Span" chapter.

If Shakyamuni were to say only that the Buddha always exists, then people would come to depend entirely on the Buddha --- an outcome inconsistent with Buddhism, whose purpose is to enable all people to become Buddhas.

The Buddha wants people to become self-reliant. He wants them to develop the state of Buddhahood in their own lives. This is the Buddha's wish. And so, as the ultimate expedient means, the Buddha appears to enter extinction. He thereby causes people to sense that the Buddha is difficult to encounter and arouses in them a seeking mind.

Fundamental salvation can only be achieved by perceiving the eternity of one's own life. And this sutra passage reveals the Buddha's skillful and wise way of preaching to induce such a realization. Just saying that the Buddha's life is eternal is mere idealism. What this implies from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism is that our own lives are eternal. The important thing is that we --- now, in our present lives --- become profoundly aware of this.

To lead all people of the Latter Day of the Law to enlightenment, the Daishonin manifested his own eternal life in the form of the Gohonzon. From the standpoint of the Daishonin's teaching, this is the meaning of "I describe the Buddha's life span as immeasurable."

With "gentle, peaceful, honest and upright" faith, we worship the Gohonzon as the manifestation of the Daishonin's supreme life. When we possess such faith, such seeking mind, we can see the Gohonzon, the life of the Daishonin, in our own lives. And we can profoundly sense the eternal and indestructible benefit we possess. Unless we arouse a mind of faith, we cannot truly see the Gohonzon. This is the implicit meaning of "I explain how difficult it is to meet the Buddha."

President Toda explained: "We are taught that our lives are eternal. But when we truly understand the meaning of eternal, we realize that our present existence in this world is what is important. We must not waste our lives. That's why we chant daimoku and carry out the practice of propagation."

Because our lives are truly eternal, the present moment is precious. Neglecting this existence means neglecting our lives eternally. It is always the case that our actions "from now on" matter a great deal.

Our lives are eternal and endowed with indelible nobility, as is the life of the Buddha. The ten worlds all exist in our lives and minds at each moment. We have infinite potential. This is the fundamental spirit of Buddhism, which places high value on the present, and is the basis for the idea of life's sanctity.

To Advance Bathed in the Great Light of the Gohonzon

Ca chi-riki nyo ze. Eko sho muryo. Jumyo mushu ko. Ku shugo sho toku. Nyoto u chi sha. Motto shi sho gi. To dan ryo yo jin. Butsu-go jippuko.

Such is the power of my wisdom
that its sagacious
beams shine without measure.
This life span of countless kalpas
I gained as the result of lengthy practice.
You who are possessed of wisdom,
entertain no doubts on this point!
Cast them off, end them forever,
for the Buddha's words are true, not false. (LS16, 231)

This passage describes the Buddha's boundless wisdom that, like the spring sunshine, rejuvenates and nourishes all life. Spring causes a full-fledged explosion of life --- of beautiful flowers and fresh young leaves, which, bathed in the great light of the sun, manifest such unreserved vibrancy that they seem to be vying to outdo each other. In the same way, the great light of the Buddha's wisdom shines on and nourishes the bud of Buddhahood in the lives of all people.

As in the previous section, "Such is the power of my wisdom" describes how the Buddha uses his wisdom to skillfully lead people to attain Buddhahood, by sometimes preaching the truth and sometimes employing expedient means.

The Buddha's wisdom is limitless and therefore "its sagacious beams shine without measure." The light of the Buddha's wisdom dispels the darkness in the lives of countless people, the darkness in the world. The great light of the benefit of the Gohonzon shines upon all people eternally --- transcending life and death --- and throughout the universe.

"This life span of countless kalpas" refers to the Buddha's eternal life. The Buddha's life of infinite wisdom and compassion is eternal. The Buddha's great wish is for all people to possess the light of this wisdom and recognize the infinite span of their lives. Daily we encourage people to become happy --- and to do so through their own efforts.

All people are different. Life is complicated. We worry about how to encourage each person in light of his or her unique circumstances. And while making strenuous efforts each day, we continue giving people courage and hope. Nothing is more praiseworthy. We are leading truly noble and mystic lives. Each day, we manifest boundless wisdom and illuminate the lives of friends with the light of hope.

In this sense, "its sagacious beams shine without measure. / This life span of countless kalpas" refers to us, "doctors of humanity," who illuminate a confused society with sun-like life states. These lines could also be said to express the noble function of our lives in receiving tremendous life force from the Gohonzon and sending out to people a continuous stream of happiness.

'The Buddha's Words Are True, Not False'

The Buddha's limitless life was "gained as the result of lengthy practice." Literally, Shakyamuni is saying that he acquired his life span as the result of Buddhist practice over a long period of time. This corresponds to the passage in the earlier, prose section of the chapter, "originally I practiced the bodhisattva way, and the life span that I acquired then..." (LS16, 227).

But, as President Toda said, "In terms of the implicit meaning, it is not something that was attained as a result of practicing for a long time, but something originally possessed and eternal, something innate in life." In other words, each of us originally possesses a life identical to the eternal Buddha's.

Shakyamuni further proclaims: "You who are possessed of wisdom, / entertain no doubts on this point! / Cast them off, end them forever, / for the Buddha's words are true, not false." He is saying we should be confident that the Buddha's eternal and undying life exists within us.

You must "entertain no doubts on this point!" These are strong words, the words of someone speaking wholly in earnest; they are vigorous. At the same time, they overflow with mercy. The Buddha is a person without falsehood, a person of truth. And his true disciples are honest and upright.

The Buddha is upright. He is earnest. Disciples who follow the Buddha directly, uprightly and without any distortion or hesitation can manifest the Buddha's boundless wisdom and life force as their own. There is absolutely no doubt about this --- so the Buddha assures us in this passage. How truly fortunate we are!

[ Previous | Contents | Next ]