SGI-USA Study Curriculum

Selected Lectures on the Gosho by SGI President Ikeda

The True Object of Worship
- Kanjin no Honzon Sho -

Lecture 1 of 3 from Selected Lectures on the Gosho, vol. 1.

Prime Point of Faith

Throughout the world, members of the Soka Gakkai observe 1978 as the second "Year of Study." It seems especially suitable to begin the year by studying together a passage from Kanjin no Honzon Sho (The True Object of Worship). As he made clear in this treatise, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon (the object of worship) to save all people in the Latter Day of the Law. This is an article of faith for us, and a doctrinal pillar of our belief I give this lecture in the light of guidance received from High Priest Nittatsu, who alone carries the heritage of Nichiren Shoshu.

By way of introduction, let me expand upon the meaning of kanjin no honzon, which might be literally rendered as "the object of worship for the observation of one's mind." In this, or any, discussion we must never lose sight of our single most important truth: the ultimate principle of Buddhism is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws, and Nichiren Daishonin embodied it as the object of worship so that all succeeding generations could attain Buddhahood. The prime point of our faith and practice is that object of worship, and throughout the Latter Day of the Law, no other principle can lead us to Buddhahood.

Honzon, or object of worship, means something which one reveres above all, something to which one devotes one's life. The Daishonin expounded in the Ongi Kuden (his oral teachings of the Lotus Sutra, compiled by Nikko Shonin): "Nam derives from Sanskrit and signifies devotion. There are two objects of devotion: the Person, which is Shakyamuni, and the Law, which is the Lotus Sutra." The Daishonin used "Shakyamuni" and "Buddha" to mean exactly the same thing whenever he talked about the Lotus Sutra from the viewpoint of his own enlightenment. In the above quotation "Shakyamuni" indicates not Gautama Buddha of India, but the original Buddha who revealed the supreme teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as hidden within the Juryo chapter of the Lotus Sutra. If the original Buddha appeared in the Latter Day of the Law as Nichiren Daishonin, then what is the Lotus Sutra referred to in the passage above? It is not the twenty-eight-chapter Lotus Sutra expounded by Gautama Buddha, for the Daishonin wrote in Reply to Lord Ueno, "Now in the Latter Day of the Law neither the Lotus Sutra nor the other sutras are valid. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone is valid." Whenever the Daishonin speaks of spreading the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day, he means the essence of the sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Thus, "devotion to Shakyamuni and the Lotus Sutra" means "devotion to Nichiren Daishonin and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

As you read through the Gosho you will find that, depending on the situation, the Daishonin sometimes explains the object of worship in terms of the Person and at other times in terms of the Law. The following passages speak of the object of worship in terms of the Person: "The object of worship in the Juryo chapter is Shakyamuni, the Buddha appearing in this world who has possessed the three enlightened properties of life* since time without beginning" (from On the Three Great Secret Laws); "Throughout the world as well as in Japan all people should revere Shakyamuni of true Buddhism as the object of worship" (from Requital for the Buddha's Favor).

*The property of the Law (hosshin), the property of wisdom (hoshin) and the property of action (ojin). Hosshin is the truth of a Buddha's life; hoshin is the wisdom to perceive the truth; while ojin is the merciful actions of a Buddha to save the people and the physical body which manifests the Buddha's life in this world for that purpose.

On the other hand, Debates on the Object of Worship discusses the object of worship in terms of the Law. It reads, "Question: What should common mortals in the evil-filled Latter Day of the Law take as their object of worship? Answer: They should make the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra their object of worship." By "the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra" the Daishonin means the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

The Daishonin describes the object of worship alternately as the Person and the Law in order to clearly establish that the Person and the Law are united in the Gohonzon; or, the Person is the Law, and the Law is the Person. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the life of Nichiren Daishonin, and he embodied it in the form of a mandala. That is the Gohonzon. The Ongi Kuden passage quoted above assumes the oneness of the Person and the Law, as the Daishonin declares elsewhere in the same Gosho: "The supreme title of the Buddha who is originally endowed with the three enlightened properties of life is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

With regard to the unity of the Person and the Law embodied in the Gohonzon, the Daishonin states in The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon: "The Great Teacher Dengyo wrote, 'The entity of ichinen sanzen is the Buddha who obtained enlightenment for himself, and that Buddha assumes no august attributes.' Therefore this Gohonzon is the supreme mandala never before known, for it has not appeared until more than twenty-two hundred and twenty years after the Buddha's death." "Ichinen sanzen" represents the Law, and the "Buddha," enlightened to the Law, Buddha to save people and the physical body which manifests the Buddha's represents the Person --- the Buddha is one with the Law.

Here we can conclude that Nichiren Daishonin realized that he himself was the Buddha who embodied the Mystic Law. He was also the Buddha endowed with the three enlightened properties of life. In the Ongi Kuden, he identified that Buddha, as the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law, to be himself. The Daishonin embodied his enlightened life in the form of the Gohonzon.

Reply to Kyo'o, which was sent to Shijo Kingo and his wife, reads: "I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."

Believing wholeheartedly in the teaching contained in these passages, we worship the Gohonzon as the manifestation of Nichiren Daishonin's life. With this conviction, it is possible to say that Nichiren Daishonin resides even today within the Grand Main Temple at Taiseki-ji --- as the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary. The successive high priests of the Head Temple are entitled to transcribe the Dai-Gohonzon so that the Gohonzon is enshrined at temples, community centers and individual homes throughout the world. There is no need to lament not being alive during the lifetime of Nichiren Daishonin, nor should anyone regret not living near the place where the Daishonin made his advent and where the Dai-Gohonzon exists. More importantly, I would like you to be assured that no matter the place or age in which you live, so long as you embrace the Gohonzon and pray to it, you are in the eternal land of the Buddha. Be convinced that you rise with the Buddha every morning and you spend all day, every day, together with the Buddha.

If the Gohonzon is Nichiren Daishonin's life, and if the Gohonzon embodies the oneness of Person and Law, then the Daishonin embodied the same fusion within himself. Hence, the Gohonzon is the entity of ichinen sanzen. As Dengyo stated, "The entity of ichinen sanzen is the Buddha who obtained enlightenment for himself," and Nichiren Daishonin is that Buddha.

It is extremely difficult for an ordinary person to try and fathom the Daishonin's spirit and behavior, but I would venture to guess that the life-or-death struggle he fought- and won-over twenty years, from the time of his declaration of true Buddhism until the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and the Sado Exile, confirmed to himself his identity as the object of worship in the form of the Person. By confronting and overcoming terrible, continuing persecutions, the Daishonin lived out all the predictions in the Lotus Sutra of the trials that those who propagate the Mystic Law in the Latter Day are destined to meet.

In the Hosshi (10th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra we read, "Since hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?" The Hoto (11th) chapter mentions "the six difficult and nine easy acts," and the Kanji (13th) chapter contains a twenty-line verse which describes the three powerful enemies. To have actually lived the sutra's words during his activities as its votary reconfirmed the Daishonin's realization that both the originally enlightened Buddha indicated in the sutra and the entity of ichinen sanzen revealed during the ceremony in the air are his own life.

A passage in The Opening of the Eyes says, "Although Nichiren's knowledge of the Lotus Sutra is ten million times less than that of either T'ien-t'ai or Dengyo, his perseverance and supreme compassion are awe-inspiring." Because of his supreme compassion to save all people from their suffering, the Daishonin endured the worst sort of adversity for more than twenty years. Persecutions began from the moment he engaged in the propagation of the Mystic Law. In Buddhism, opposition by those in power is traditionally considered the most severe and unpredictable of the "three powerful enemies." The Daishonin incurred the wrath of that enemy when he first remonstrated with the government, submitting his treatise, Rissho Ankoku Ron (The Security of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism). Problems might never have arisen had the Daishonin not translated his boundless compassion into action. As he later wrote in the Gosho, "My present exile is not because of any crime." He did not incur the anger of the government for breach of law or custom, but because he expressed his compassion through his actions. The government's fear of him only reflected the magnitude of the actions he took.

Observing One's Mind

We, his disciples who live true Buddhism throughout the world, are heir to his great compassion, and so we, too, will inevitably encounter some opposition. We must encourage each other to grow strong with the conviction that the validity of our Buddhist faith and practice will be borne out only when we unflinchingly persevere through all circumstances.

By surviving the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and the Sado Exile, Nichiren Daishonin fulfilled all the predictions of the Lotus Sutra as Bodhisattva Jogyo, and then he revealed his identity as the original Buddha. It was after Tatsunokuchi and before Sado that he inscribed the first Gohonzon.

The invincible life-condition of the original Buddha was already within the depths of his being. The late president Josei Toda, in a lecture on a passage of To the People of Seicho-ji Temple, stated that when the Daishonin, as an acolyte at that temple, prayed to Bodhisattva Kokuzo to become the wisest man in Japan, he already realized that he was the original Buddha.

Actually, the Daishonin could not have declared the beginning of true Buddhism at the age of thirty-two had he not attained the necessary life-condition. He knew all too well that the age of the Latter Day of the Law had already come, when prophecy foretold a decline in the power of Shakyamuni's Buddhism; he knew it would have been entirely inappropriate to bring back Shakyamuni's Buddhism as a new set of beliefs. He was able to bring to the people a totally new kind of Buddhism because he was convinced of his identity and his mission to save all people of the Latter Day of the Law. Still, the Daishonin manifested himself as the original Buddha only after living to the letter the predictions in the Lotus Sutra for a period of some twenty years. After the incident at Tatsunokuchi and banishment to Sado, he cast off the transient identity as an envoy of the Buddha and actually declared his true identity as the original Buddha.

Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon so that all generations born in the Latter Day could attain Buddhahood. His own contemporaries were personally able to experience his greatness, and because he was naturally bound to die, he inscribed his own life in the form of the Gohonzon for posterity. We often think of the Gohonzon as a physical representation of the Law, but it is actually the embodiment of both the Person and the Law. "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nichiren" is boldly inscribed down the center of the Gohonzon; "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" is the Law, and "Nichiren" is the Person.

The Daishonin considered the fundamental quality of the Gohonzon to be the oneness of Person and Law. But how should we, who worship the Gohonzon, consider it? According to the Daishonin we should take the viewpoint of kanjin, literally, to see one's mind; hence the title of this work on the Gohonzon, Kanjin no Honzon Sho.

What is the meaning of kanjin? A passage from this Gosho says, "Kanjin means to observe one's own mind and to find the Ten Worlds within it." The Daishonin added that just as a person cannot see his own face without a mirror, one cannot see the Ten Worlds in his own mind without the mirror of Buddhism. Another passage in the same Gosho reads, ". . . various sutras make reference here and there to the six paths and the four noble worlds [that constitute the Ten Worlds], but only in the clear mirror of the Lotus Sutra and T'ien-t'ai's Maka Shikan (Great Concentration and Insight) can one see his own three thousand conditions --- the Ten Worlds, their mutual possession, and the thousand factors."

As is clear from this passage, kanjin means to see ichinen sanzen, three thousand potential states, in a momentary existence of life. Yet, ichinen sanzen is the truth of one's life, confined to the realm of theory. The Daishonin concludes that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the concrete entity of ichinen sanzen, the ultimate reality containing three thousand potential states of life. Therefore, "to observe one's own mind and to find the Ten Worlds within it" means perceiving one's life to be the entity of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

A human being in any one of the Ten Worlds has the ultimate entity, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, in the depths of his life. The theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra tells us, in fact, that each individual human being is originally an entity of the Mystic Law. In the core of the theoretical teaching, the Hoben chapter, is the phrase, "all phenomena reveal the true entity." Nichiren Daishonin construes that phrase as expressing the ultimate truth. That is why he brings it into The True Entity of Life, in the following way: "All beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds, from Hell at the lowest to Buddhahood at the highest, are, without exception, the manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo.... All phenomena are themselves manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. This is the meaning of 'all phenomena reveal the true entity.'"

The existing fact that every individual person is inherently the entity of the Mystic Law is not the same as the actual attainment of Buddhahood. If it meant Buddhahood, then there would be no difference between the Buddha and the common man, nor would there be any need for Buddhist faith and practice. The question is whether or not each individual awakens to the realization that he or she is an entity of the Mystic Law. The Kanjin no Honzon Sho describes the attainment of the supreme state of Buddhahood in one's own life. When people awaken to their true entity, they attain Buddhahood; one who does not remains an ordinary mortal. This is, as you know, what the Daishonin means in The True Entity of Life: "There is a clear distinction between a Buddha and a common mortal, in that a common mortal is deluded while a Buddha is enlightened. The common mortal fails to realize that he himself possesses both the entity and the function of the Buddha's three properties."

A passage occurs in On Attaining Buddhahood: "If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured through eternity and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth within you."

To "awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life," and to realize that you have always been Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is to attain supreme enlightenment. Awakening to the fact that you are the entity of the Mystic Law is to observe your own mind (kanjin). Kanjin, then, ultimately means attaining Buddhahood.

Thus, the object of worship "for the observation of one's mind" exists so that the people in any of the Ten Worlds can see themselves as the entity of the Mystic Law and attain Buddhahood. No matter what one's life-condition is, the Gohonzon enables anyone and everyone to equally attain Buddhahood, or enlightenment. This became possible for the first time when Nichiren Daishonin established the object of worship.

Faith Means Embracing

You may perhaps know that when the twenty-sixth High Priest, Nichikan Shonin, explained how to read the title, he said, "Consider the word for your inheritance from me." His definition was, of course, intended to refute misinterpretations, such as "observing the object of worship in one's mind" or "observing one's mind through the treatise on the object of worship."

More important, he declared that the Gohonzon is "the object of worship 'for' observing one's mind," not "the object of worship as a theoretical truth." The latter title relates to theoretical revelation of ichinen sanzen, the surface realization gleaned from the Lotus Sutra, or "Buddhism of the harvest." Shakyamuni's Buddhism of the harvest means that he expounded his enlightenment as an effect, while the Daishonin's philosophy, Buddhism of the seed, teaches the cause of enlightenment and instructs the common mortal in his quest for the ultimate state of life. In contrast, Shakyamuni's object of worship is expounded in the literal interpretation of the Lotus Sutra. "The object of worship for observing one's mind" is the actual embodiment of ichinen sanzen, or Buddhism of the seed, which was revealed in the depths of the Lotus Sutra.

The vital point here is that the inscription by Nichiren Daishonin of the object of worship is the embodiment of ichinen sanzen, as he himself revealed in order to sow the seeds of enlightenment. Shakyamuni Buddha's object of worship is theoretical ichinen sanzen, expounded so that others might reap the harvest of enlightenment.

This is a vast subject, actually. All religions have objects of worship that are usually expressions or symbols of some supernatural or external power governing life and human destiny. People have a subservient attitude in prayer when asking for salvation, forgiveness and compassion, or in some cases, try by subservience to satisfy those powers and avoid their wrath. Such attitudes have contributed to creating the special position of the clergy as intermediaries between man and his object of worship. The pursuit of external objects symbolizing the supernatural inevitably leads to the formation of a strict hierarchy in the religious world. This extended to the secular world, where the aristocracy, especially chieftains and kings, were often said to be sanctioned by the divine grace, which led to rigid social stratification as well. That is why so many religious groups developed negative, inhumane ideas about human dignity and equality.

The "theoretical ichinen sanzen" revealed in Shakyamuni's Buddhism of the harvest is completely different from those established religions. However, since Shakyamuni expounded his enlightenment as an effect, his object of worship became separated from common mortals still suffering in delusion. The enlightened were inevitably regarded as special and ideal, much removed from the lives of ordinary people. Consequently, this type of view drives people into the same pitfalls encountered in other religions. T'ien-t'ai's Buddhism provides a good example of this. It was based on the Buddhism of the harvest and became a religion of the privileged class. It was inevitable that it would appeal only to emperors, nobles and distinguished individuals, and alienate the common people.

In contrast, "the object of worship for observing one's mind" is the life of ichinen sanzen, the source of enlightenment. According to Nichikan Shonin, the "observation of one's mind" in this context is the kanjin of the ordinary people. "The object of worship for observing one's mind," therefore, does not exist outside our lives; it is identical to the Mystic Law which has always dwelt in the lives of all people. That is why the Daishonin declares that there is no distance between the object of worship and people. A person need only chant daimoku to the Gohonzon morning and evening to awaken in his being the entity of the Mystic Law.

Such awakening needs sufficient wisdom, however. The Lotus Sutra tells us that "faith is the key to wisdom." One must "use faith instead of one's limited understanding" and "gain entrance through faith." Nichiren Daishonin redefines "faith" in concrete terms as "embracing" the Gohonzon. To "embrace" the Gohonzon is to observe one's own mind, that is, to awaken to the fact that you yourself embody the Mystic Law. This is what we call juji soku kanjin, embracing the Gohonzon is in itself enlightenment.

Finally, I want to discuss kanjin no honzon in relation to the Three Great Secret Laws. Three comprise the Gohonzon which is the object of worship of the supreme teaching; chanting daimoku with firm faith in the Gohonzon; and kaidan, the sanctuary of the supreme teaching, which is the place where the Gohonzon resides. In essence, however, all three are contained in the One Great Secret Law: the Gohonzon-the object of worship for observing one's mind. The object of worship of the supreme teaching is the life of the Buddha of absolute freedom who is in perfect harmony with the universe. The daimoku of the supreme teaching is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo --- the name of the original Buddha enlightened in the three properties of life. That is why Nichiren Daishonin stated in the Debates on the Object of Worship: "They should make the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra the object of worship."

Similarly, dan of kaidan (literally, sanctuary for ordination) is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit mandala, and essentially it means that the Gohonzon is the "sanctuary." The idea of sanctuary has its origin in ancient India, from the altar that was set up as a place where priests received precepts. It is said that the Four Heavenly Kings* were positioned at the four corners of the sanctuary to ward off demons, and a statue of the Buddha was enshrined in the center to dignify the ceremony for priests taking vows.

*Jikokuten (Skt., Dhritarashtra), Komokuten (Virupaksha), Bishamonten (Vaishravana) and Zochoten (Virudhaka), lords of the four heavens, said to live halfway down the four slopes of Mt. Sumeru. Their respective functions are to protect the world, to see through evil and punish those who commit evil, to listen to the sutras and protect the place of practice, and to relieve people of their sufferings. In the Darani (26th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, they pledged to protect those who embrace the sutra.

Various people flanked the Buddha to indicate his status. As the Daishonin stated in The True Object of Worship, the Buddha who preached the Hinayana sutras was flanked by Mahakashyapa and Ananda; when expounding provisional Mahayana and the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutras he was flanked by Bodhisattva Monju and Bodhisattva Fugen.

The object of worship, to which the original Buddha is central, is flanked by Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho Buddha, who are again flanked by the Four Great Bodhisattvas, Unknown in the Former and Middle Days of the Law, this object of worship is the Gohonzon which Nichiren Daishonin established to enable all people to see the truth of their lives. As High Priest Nittatsu has declared, this Gohonzon is the High Sanctuary. Therefore the Dai-Gohonzon is called "the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws" and, again, that is why all three can be identified with the One Great Secret Law.

Clearly, then, the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws is the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary that Nichiren Daishonin inscribed on October 12, I279. As he revealed in Persecutions Befalling the Buddha, that was the purpose of the Daishonin's advent. With the inscription of the Dai-Gohonzon, the great law was established to save all mankind throughout all time.

Nichikan Shonin made the following statement about the greatness of the Dai-Gohonzon:

This is the origin of all Buddhas and sutras and the place to which they return. The blessings of the myriad of Buddhas and sutras throughout space and time, without a single exception, all return to this Gohonzon, which provides the seed of Buddhahood and is hidden in the sutra, just as the tree's hundreds and thousands of branches and leaves all return to the same root. This Gohonzon provides great and boundless benefits. Its mystic functions are vast and profound. so if you take faith in this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo even for a while, no prayer will go unanswered, no sin will remain unforgiven, all good fortune will be bestowed, and all righteousness proven.

Let us all know only the greatest joy in being able to see the Dai-Gohonzon, and never faltering, let us practice our faith all the more intensely until we realize with invincible conviction that to embrace the Gohonzon is to attain Buddhahood. Let us strive to propagate the great law wherever it is in our power to do so, and thus achieve utmost fulfillment in our lives. Deepening our faith this year, let us study harder than ever before and work courageously in our activities for shakubuku so that this year will be one of pride and confidence.

Attitude toward Study

This is one of the most important passages of this treatise, centering on the principle that "embracing the Gohonzon is attaining Buddhahood." First, I urge you to learn the attitude you should take toward reading and studying this writing. Nichiren Daishonin himself discussed this in his cover letter dated April 26, 1273-one day after he wrote The True Object of Worship. I would like to look especially at those passages which relate to this subject.

In the beginning of his letter the Daishonin expressed his thanks for gifts --- summer kimono, sumi inksticks, writing brushes --- and stated: "I have written down some of my thoughts concerning the true object of worship and I am sending the treatise to you (Toki), Ota, Soya and the others." Because he deliberately said "some of my thoughts," one may get the impression that this treatise is relatively insignificant. It is his modesty, however, that made him speak so casually of one of his most vitally important teachings, into which he poured his heart and soul. "It concerns a very important matter, the purpose of my advent. Only those who are strong in faith and open-minded should be allowed to read it." He warns that the content of the treatise demands serious reading, because it is a statement of his own enlightened life-condition.

He knew that Toki, Ota, Soya and the others mentioned in the letter were strong in faith, and therefore he allowed them to read the treatise. Nichiren Daishonin strictly warned them to allow "only those who are strong in faith and open-minded" to share it --- those who thoroughly believe in the Daishonin and persist in faith throughout their lives without faltering, no matter what happens to them.

Let me stress two relevant points in your study: (I) Strengthen your faith so that you can carry it out throughout your life, and (2) sharing the great life force and compassion of the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, develop an unquenchable passion for propagation in this age.

The cover letter also states, "The treatise contains much criticism and few answers. What it reveals, however, has never been heard of before, and it is bound to startle those who read or hear of it. Even if you show it to others, never let three or four persons read it together at a time."

In the history of Buddhism the ultimate truth, the ultimate order, was considered to "beggar all description and defy all imagination," lying beyond the reach of human words and intellect. Even less conceivable was the possibility that it might materialize in a tangible form. But Nichiren Daishonin embodied it as the Gohonzon so that all people could comprehend the truth by chanting daimoku to it. That the Gohonzon actually did become a material reality is so difficult to believe or understand that neither existing knowledge nor human reasoning can explain it. Nichiren Daishonin knew that something so incredible would only create suspicion, and that might develop into disbelief and slander, eventually dooming many to the pit of hell. That is why he warns: "Never let three or four persons read it together at a time."

Saying, "Only those who are strong in faith and open minded should be allowed to read it," the Daishonin stressed that only believers who can discuss it together frankly should be allowed to do so. When Nichikan Shonin lectured on The True Object of Worship, he began by con firming the real meaning of the Daishonin's strict warning. Then he said, sensing the bond among his listeners that united them in the same goal and strong, seeking faith, "I feel as if all of you, more than forty people, were one person.

The same is true of ourselves. We are a body of believers who have single-minded faith in the Gohonzon, and united we are working to achieve the noble goal of kosen-rufu. Moreover, I am convinced that Nichiren Daishonin would feel tremendous joy in knowing that such a great number of people, who have pure faith and unity, read and study a work that reveals his innermost enlightenment.

Nichiren Daishonin closed the letter by saying: "In the twenty-two hundred and twenty odd years since the Buddha's passing, the ideas contained in the heart of this treatise have never been revealed before. Despite all the official persecutions befalling me, I expound it now at the beginning of the fifth half-millennium, when the time is ripe for its propagation. I hope those who read it will remain firm in their faith so that both master and disciples can climb Eagle Peak together to pay their respects to Shakyamuni, Taho, and all the other Buddhas in the universe."

The great compassion in this work, the Daishonin's indomitable efforts to leave this letter to posterity even in the face of such severe trials as a government exile to Sado Island, never fails to move me when I read it. He wrote it even while day and night he was hounded by followers of heretical sects, such as Nembutsu, trying to take his life. The quality of the paper of the original text, which consists of seventeen pages, differs between the first and second halves, and the Daishonin had to use both sides of the paper, testifying to destitution so severe he could not even obtain the necessary brushes and paper. No difficulty was too much, however; he encouraged anyone who read the letter to carry out his faith and attain Buddhahood no matter what, since he was emerging into the very core of Buddhism.

The so-called "three Buddhas" --- Shakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha and all the other Buddhas in the universe --- also stand for the three properties of the Buddha --- the property of the Law, the property of wisdom, and the property of action. They also represent the Buddha with the three enlightened properties of life. "To pay their respects to the three Buddhas" means to awaken to the truth that you are the Buddha with the three enlightened properties, that is, to attain Buddhahood. To "climb Eagle Peak" means that by attaining Buddhahood, our environment also becomes the Buddha's land, clearly signifying the oneness between human life and its environment.

The text we are studying now is just a part of the whole treatise, Kanjin no Honzon Sho, or The True Object of Worship, but because it is the most essential, we can discover the essence of the entire writing by studying it. It is important to be aware that Nichiren Daishonin wrote this treatise during his exile to Sado Island. The Daishonin revealed the object of worship amidst great persecution, and in so doing he taught us the principle of Buddhism: difficulties or obstacles lead us to enlightenment. To me, the profound meaning contained in the treatise comes through powerfully when I consider the period in his life from the time of this writing to the inscription of the Dai-Gohonzon.

The Gohonzon we revere embodies the original Buddha's life-condition, exalted far above any persecution resulting from the devilish nature hidden in the government authority. When we pray to the Gohonzon, therefore, we are taking our difficulties and making them the cause for human revolution. Studying The True Object of Worship has taught me how inexorably true that is, and that is why I urge you to study it also, and preserve your faith and keep it always strong, no matter what the circumstances, so that you can fill the pages of your life with satisfaction and meaning.

The Seed of Wisdom

Question: You have not yet fully answered my question about the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds.

"Embracing the Gohonzon is attaining Buddhahood" is the central principle of true Buddhism, as well as the most important teaching in The True Object of Worship. Nichiren Daishonin uses questions and answers to bring out the meaning of this teaching. In the section that precedes the question quoted above, he posed another question: it is difficult to believe and understand that the sacred life of a Buddha exists within all ordinary people. In summary, the Buddha's benefit, power, wisdom and dignity are so magnificent, vast and profound that it is inconceivable for us, ordinary mortals, to possess the same supreme condition of life.

In answer to this question, Nichiren Daishonin quotes passages from sutras. A passage from the Muryogi Sutra, which opens the Lotus Sutra, states that the king of all Buddhas and the queen of the Lotus Sutra join together to give birth to a bodhisattva. The Fugen Sutra, which closes the Lotus Sutra, states: "This Mahayana sutra is the treasure, the eye and the seed of life for all Buddhas in the universe throughout the past, present and future." They are saying that the fortune and virtue of the Buddha are boundless, his wisdom fathomless, and his power vast, but there is some seed, or cause, which has given birth to them all.

According to the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, attaining each of the Buddha's attributes-fortune, virtue, power, wisdom- requires its own corresponding Buddhist austerity. One had to be born over and over again for an unimaginably long period of time to carry out these austerities. This process is like the growth of a tree. Whereas the provisional sutras attempt to analyze each leaf and branch, the Lotus Sutra looks at the seed, the origin of the branches and the leaves. The statement in the Muryogi Sutra, "Infinite meaning derives from the one Law," is the declaration that the one Law produces infinite fortune and wisdom. The Fugen Sutra states that the fortune, virtue and wisdom of all Buddhas are derived from the one original law, but it is the Lotus Sutra that makes the definitive statement. Furthermore, what the sutra has revealed as the Law, that is, the original seed, is the title of the sutra --- Myoho-renge-kyo, or ultimately Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

To embrace Myoho-renge-kyo is to embrace the seed of all Buddhas. If Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is planted in the life of a common mortal, he will be endowed with all the fortune, virtue and wisdom of the Buddha; and when it is nurtured with care he will eventually reap the fruit of the benefits and wisdom of Buddhahood. This is the meaning of juji soku kanjin: embracing the Gohonzon, the embodiment of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is attaining Buddhahood. In any case, the above quoted passage, "Question: You have not yet . . . ," seeks a definitive answer to the preceding doubt about the possibility of Buddhahood inherent in all people. The questioner demands a full explanation, so that he can dispel all his doubts about the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds.

Human Attributes

Answer: The Muryogi Sutra states: "[If you embrace this sutra,] you will naturally receive the benefits of the six paramitas without having to practice them."

The sentence quoted in the answer appears in the explanation of the seventh of the ten "mystic powers of benefit contained in this sutra" mentioned in the Muryogi Sutra. Needless to say, because the Muryogi Sutra is an introduction to the Lotus Sutra, "this sutra" means the Lotus Sutra, specifically its title, Myoho-renge-kyo. The passage that includes the quoted sentence reads as follows:

If good people, men and women alike, hearing this sutra either during the Buddha's lifetime or after his departure, rejoice, believe and develop a seeking spirit; if they embrace, read, recite, copy, preach and practice its teaching; if they aspire to Buddhahood, manifest all the good properties of life and foster a spirit of great compassion; and if they wish to save all people from suffering, they will naturally receive the benefits of the six paramitas without having to practice them; they will awaken to the law of eternity in themselves; all their delusions of life and death and earthly desires will be immediately destroyed, and they will rise to the seventh stage of bodhisattva practice.

If you carry out faith for others as well as for yourself with joy, seeking spirit and gratitude, you will naturally develop and manifest the benefits of the six paramitas, even though you do not practice all those that are essential to the bodhisattva austerities. This is because "this sutra" or Myoho-renge-kyo contains the treasures of all the Buddhas.

Let me elaborate on the six paramitas. They are six different kinds of practice which the bodhisattvas of Mahayana Buddhism were required to carry out in order to attain Buddhahood. There is even a whole sutra that specifically deals with them alone, and they have been the essential practice in Mahayana Buddhism since ancient times. Paramita is a transliteration of the Sanskrit and stands for "salvation" or "reaching the other shore." "This shore" is the human life-condition, ridden by suffering and illusion, whereas the other shore is nirvana, or the life-condition of enlightenment. Each of the six paramitas must be practiced in order to cross over to the other shore of enlightenment. Do not overlook this point: this passage of the Muryogi Sutra teaches us that those who embrace the Mystic Law do not have to practice the six paramitas as austerities, but that they will naturally acquire all the benefits which would follow from their practice.

Then, what do the six paramitas stand for? Frankly, I think we can say that they represent the attributes which make human beings truly ''human.'' Throughout the ages men have pondered human attributes, and the pursuit of the truth of humanity has spurred men to think, to probe, to write, and countless minds have groped for answers. I think the six paramitas are, in a sense, a systematic answer to their vital quest. They are also the sure guideline for our movement toward human revolution, toward the reformation and completion of an individual self. In short, they provide us with the goals of our human revolution.

The first of the six paramitas is almsgiving. There are three kinds of almsgiving: the almsgiving of treasure, which means material offerings; the almsgiving of the Law, which means preaching and teaching of the Law; and the almsgiving of fearlessness, which means to remove fear and give peace of mind. I will not go into detail, but let me simply remind you that material offerings are not the only means of giving alms. Buddhists place greater emphasis on preaching and teaching of the Law, or removing fear and giving peace of mind.

Material offerings limit salvation to a short period of time. Since material things are limited, they cannot offer complete salvation. Take a famished person, for example. If you give him bread, he can survive only another day. Instead, if you teach him practical skills, he can work and survive throughout his life without being hungry. This is, in a general sense, the almsgiving of the Law. For those who sink into despair so deep that they lose the will to live even when they can earn a living, it is necessary to give alms in the form of fearlessness, since it removes fear and anxiety and gives them hope and peace of mind.

In Beethoven's talks about "joy through suffering," we can be uplifted. His words become, in effect, the almsgiving of fearlessness. The almsgiving of treasure causes a person to rely on another and tends to deprive him of his spirit of independence, whereas the almsgiving of the Law and of fearlessness brings the spirit and ability of independence. Remember that in Buddhism the almsgiving of the Law and of fearlessness is of utmost importance. As we practice our faith, shakubuku, lectures and guidance to introduce and explain Buddhism to others are the almsgiving of the Law, which includes the almsgiving of fearlessness.

Once you embrace the Mystic Law, the practice of almsgiving requires courage. Of course, the spirit of Buddhism is basically compassion, but the late president Toda used to say, "We are common mortals. Even though you talk about practicing compassion, it is easier said than done. Courage goes hand in hand with compassion. Courage leads to compassion." Your courageous and imperturbable work for propagation, in the face of the rough waves which may assail you, is itself the practice of compassion. Keep in your mind the Daishonin's words, "You cannot be cowards and still be Nichiren's disciples," and advance fearlessly in propagation.

The second of the six paramitas is the keeping of precepts. In Buddhism "precept" is construed as "to stem injustice and to stop evil," meaning to extirpate evil karma created by thought, word and deed, and to interdict Buddhists from all vices. Precepts were originally laid down as norms for those who practiced Buddhism. But since priests who renounced the secular life represented those who practiced Buddhism in its early days, precepts were actually laid down as rules to regulate their collective life. That is why they are generally complicated and cover all aspects of life. As the ages passed and situations changed, people began to find it impossible to carry out the precepts. In fact, they gradually became more harmful to human nature than beneficial. This is why Hinayana Buddhism, which is mainly predicated on precepts, passed into oblivion in the Middle and Latter Days of the Law in China and Japan.

This simply explains the fallacy in thinking that precepts postulated under certain circumstances in a certain society can be applied without revision to people in different circumstances. According to the original purpose of precepts, on the contrary, different precepts should be laid down to fit new circumstances.

As the principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds shows, the human mind contains both vice and virtue. A passage of Treatment of Illness reads:

Good and evil have coexisted in human life since time immemorial. According to the provisional teachings and the sects based on them, both good and evil remain in one's life through all the grades of the bodhisattva practice up to the stage of togaku, the one just below Buddhahood. Then only the people at and below togaku have some faults or other. In contrast, the Hokke sect based on the Lotus sutra reveals the principle of ichinen sanzen and shows that both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest stage of myokaku, or enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Bonten and Taishaku, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the Devil of the Sixth Heaven.*

*Most powerful of the devils, who dwells in the highest of the six realms of the world of desire. He works to prevent believers from practicing Buddhism and delights in dominating people at his will.

The Daishonin says that even a Buddha has all of the Ten Worlds and is the entity of ichinen sanzen. The Buddha possesses the life-conditions of Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger. Much more so in the case of ordinary people. These evil natures are always trying to manifest themselves. They are linked with the basic instincts of material existence, the fundamental motivation for human survival, and therefore their workings are most likely to dominate. Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva, on the contrary, which represent the good side of life, work to transcend ugly characteristics deeply embedded in our life, and thus they have to work against the instinctive human tendency toward evil. It is like trying to counteract the law of gravitation.

Constant effort and precaution are necessary therefore to prevent yourself from gravitating toward your evil nature, like walking on the edge of a cliff. To keep the precepts is like steering a car safely through on a dangerous road.

Generally speaking, duties which one imposes on himself of his own will can be considered precepts. The French writer Romain Rolland wrote in his Vie de Beethoven: "Often he spoke of the duty which he imposed on himself to act by means of his art 'for poor humanity, for humanity to come,' to help humanity, to restore human courage, and to shake people off from their sleep and cowardice. He wrote to his nephew, 'Our time needs mighty spirits to lash into action these wretched, beggarly human souls.' "* The duty Beethoven imposed on himself was a precept for his own life. In modern terms, a precept is self-restraint or self-control, and in that sense it is a vital requisite of man.

*Translated from Vie de Beethoven (Paris: Librairie Hachette, I920), p. 72.

The third of the six paramitas is perseverance. If you try to scale the highest summit of the human life-condition called Buddhahood, you should naturally be prepared for thorny roads on the way. A proverb says, "It is easy to overcome a robber in the mountains, but difficult to subdue one in the heart." Indeed, the sutras contain innumerable stories about how those who practiced Buddhism had to persevere through great hardships and overcome huge obstacles. The difficulty in perseverance comes out sharply in the story of Shariputra. In his past existence he gave up practicing his faith when he could not bear seeing one of his eyes being thrown away after he had given it to a Brahman as alms.

Shakyamuni Buddha faced and persevered through horrendous persecutions, which are known as "the Nine Great Persecutions." A passage of On Zenmui Sanzo states: "The Buddha, as he made his advent in this world, was named Shakyamuni, which means perseverance. He did not censure but forbore the slanders of all the people." In the Gosho, On Four Kinds of Gratitude, is the passage: "This world is called saha which means 'enduring.' This is why the Buddha [born in this world] is named Shakyamuni (perseverance)." Nichiren Daishonin stressed forbearance as one of Shakyamuni's most important characteristics.

Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day Of the Law, more than anyone else truly and completely epitomized perseverance as he lived through persecutions even greater than anything that befell Shakyamuni Buddha. He made his advent in this evil Latter Day to save the people who slander true Buddhism. Hence the prediction of the Lotus Sutra, "Since hatred and jealousy abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing?"

What I have been talking about so far is the discussion of perseverance in relation to the Buddhist austerities and practice. Broadly speaking, life in this world as a human being is always accompanied by experiences which are undesirable, laborious and painful. But how pitiful are those who take their own lives when they find life unbearable!

We must work together to remove the sources of pain and suffering from our society so that people can be happy in life, and much more, we must try to eliminate the stupidity of fighting and abusing each other. Nonetheless, you must realize that despite your efforts, unavoidable suffering will follow you throughout life. It is vital that man persevere through his suffering, and to bear all hardship and pain in order to live the justice he espouses. This vital requirement is what the third of the six paramitas teaches us.

The fourth of the six paramitas is assiduity. It means to give utmost effort, both physical and spiritual, in practicing ceaselessly the five paramitas, including the following two, meditation and wisdom. Assiduity here means to practice ceaselessly.

I would like to expand on this subject in terms of the way we live. Since we are heir to joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure, all of us are naturally imperfect. A true religion does not suppress and mold these subtle human emotions into a fixed pattern, but cherishes each emotion as it sends the courage and vitality to live directly into the heart, the mother of emotions. Imperfection can even be a positive attribute. Since the human being is imperfect, he needs a progressive spirit, and progress gives meaning to existence. If human beings do not make efforts to advance, human society will be plagued by Animality and Anger. That is why assiduity is so crucial. A top can stand on its tip because it spins rapidly; a bicycle maintains balance when it moves ahead. The same is true of human beings. Have you ever noticed the vibrant voice and fresh, glowing complexion of those who are trying to advance and progress?

The fifth of the six paramitas is meditation, implying concentration on the contemplation of truth. Shakyamuni Buddha gives us a typical example of this paramita of meditation or mental concentration. Abandoning severe ascetic practices, bathing in the Nairanjana River and having gruel offered by Sujata, Shakyamuni was purified both physically and spiritually and entered meditation under the Bodhi tree. Later on, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai of China established the idea of isshin sangan (the wisdom to see the Three Truths in views of the momentary existence of life) and ichinen sanzen (three thousand conditions in a momentary existence of life), stressing specifically the practice of meditation. That is why his teachings are generally referred to as "the Buddhism of the meditation of the mind and the Law."

As has been stated so far, meditation is a vital form of practice which is the final stage of Buddhist austerities. It is also one of the vital requirements for human existence. What is meditation? In a broad sense it is having goals and ideals to achieve, something fundamental to use as a guide for life. Without clear goals and a secure foundation, both the "perseverance" and "assiduity" will eventually be frustrated. Even if "perseverance" survives frustration, a person will eventually end up feeling a sense of aimlessness and futility. First President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi maintained imperturbable mental and spiritual calm even when he was in prison. His exalted life-condition shines through a passage in a letter he sent to his family from prison:

Unlike the time when I was in the custody of the Metropolitan Police Department, I now live alone in a three-tatami-mat room, and as long as I can read, I feel comfortable and satisfied. Please keep our home secure without worrying about me.... In this solitary prison cell, which I feel is for the better, I am able to dedicate myself to contemplation. I strictly observe morning and evening gongyo, and I never neglect making a special prayer.... Faith is first and foremost for both you and me. Even though this is an ordeal it pales into insignificance before Nichiren Daishonin's. Forge your faith all the more strongly. I think it totally inappropriate to lament the present hardship, for we live bathed in vast and boundless blessings. As the sutras and the Gosho teach us, we will certainly see later on through experience that "poison never fails to turn into medicine."

President Makiguchi's clear mind and sublime attitude are a good example of the meditative spirit that comes of living the cause of Buddhism, despite persecution.

People's minds are unstable, and vulnerable to changing situations and groundless rumors, because of their lack of the fundamental guidelines --- the composure of "meditation." As a result, entire societies lose sight of the humanistic way of life and end up hurting and killing one another. The history of humankind has demonstrated the deplorable propensities of man, confirming my belief that we can best contribute to lasting peace through propagation of true Buddhism, the only faith that gives human beings a fundamental support from within.

The last of the six paramitas is wisdom, wisdom which enables one to master all the laws, remove deluded views and perceive truth as it is. The ultimate goal of Buddhist practice is to achieve Buddhahood. Buddha means an awakened or enlightened one, that is, a person who has awakened and attained wisdom. This is made clear by the original Sanskrit word Buddha which derives from budh, meaning enlightenment or perfect wisdom. Hence, another title of the Buddha is the Enlightened One.

Enlightenment or wisdom in contemporary language is often used to mean specific knowledge in physics, economics, mathematics, or any other field. In contrast to that kind of wisdom, which differs according to the field, the ultimate wisdom that is the source of and embraces them all, is the wisdom the Buddha possesses. That is why the Buddha's wisdom is called anuttara-samyak-sambodhi in Sanskrit. Anuttara means to be supreme, the highest; samyak stands for equity and impartiality as well as purity and all-inclusiveness, and sambodhi connotes full awakening or unsurpassed wisdom. The Sanskrit phrase as a whole means "the supreme and all-inclusive wisdom and the supreme and impartial awakening."

Wisdom, as the last of the six paramitas, means then the ultimate awakening or wisdom in Buddhism. Generally applied to ways of living, however, wisdom has also been considered a fundamental attribute for man in all times and places. In the contemporary Western world, human beings are categorized as Homo Sapiens, to distinguish them from the earlier Pithecanthropus and Homo erectus. While Homo Sapiens means one who has sagacity, intelligence and wisdom, in ancient India people called human beings manusha or "thinking human," for they regarded wisdom as the characteristic of man.

By means of wisdom human beings have been able to grasp myriad's of phenomena and have understood the law of causality which governs them. This understanding has enabled them to foresee what will ensue from a given phenomenon and how to prepare for it. Thus, wisdom has enabled human beings to gain the power necessary to protect themselves from the menaces of nature and to harness those forces for constructive purposes. In fact, biologically speaking, human beings, feeble and fragile as they are, have continued to survive until the present age by virtue of their wisdom.

On the other hand, man, who has conquered all other living beings with his powerful intellect, now sets about to destroy nature and even jeopardize his own existence. At this crucial point our lives depend on controlling and reorienting the destructive power of knowledge by the wisdom of the internal self, which springs from the depths of life. It is Buddhism which gives us the wisdom of the innermost self That is why I cannot overstress the need to recognize that Buddhist wisdom is the highest requirement for contemporary mankind.

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