SGI-USA Study Curriculum

Selected Lectures on the Gosho by SGI President Ikeda

The True Object of Worship
- Kanjin no Honzon Sho -

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

The Buddha's Life Is Our Own Body

The Hoben chapter states: "At the start I pledged to make all people perfectly equal to me, without any distinction between us. By now the original vows that I made have already been fulfilled. I have led all the people on the path to Buddhahood." The enlightened life of Shakyamuni Buddha is our own flesh and blood. His practices and resulting virtues are our bones and marrow.

The subject in this passage from the Lotus Sutra is Shakyamuni, who attained Buddhahood in this life. In terms of his in-depth interpretation, however, Nichiren Daishonin uses the quote to indicate the original Buddha. Nichikan Shonin therefore takes this passage to imply the Buddha of absolute freedom since time without beginning. Nichiren Daishonin himself explains this passage from the Hoben chapter in the Ongi Kuden: " 'I' means Shakyamuni who is the Buddha since time without beginning. He is the teacher of true Buddhism, which is actually we, common mortals.... The Juryo chapter says that we are the Buddha with the three enlightened properties of life."

In a nutshell, the subject of the sentence is Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. He states that when an ordinary person embraces the Gohonzon and sincerely chants daimoku, he becomes the Buddha with the three enlightened properties of life just like Nichiren Daishonin. That is also why he wrote, "The enlightened life of Shakyamuni Buddha is our own flesh and blood." This means that the enlightened life of the Buddha, the three properties inherent in it, exists within the lives of common mortals. Thus, the Daishonin shows again that anyone can become a Buddha just as he is.

The last sentence in the passage relates to something I have discussed many times --- that the practices and resulting virtues of the Buddha are all contained in our lives. Let me expand on the "practices and resulting virtues" in terms of cause and effect. The practices are the cause --- the nine worlds of life in which common people enjoy all kinds of happiness. However, the happiness of the nine worlds is all relative happiness. The resulting virtues are the effect --- Buddhahood. That is the world of absolute happiness in the depths of enlightened life.

When we embrace the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, we see that "the enlightened life of Shakyamuni Buddha is our own flesh and blood." In his own words, Nichikan Shonin says, "If we believe and embrace this Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, our flesh and blood is the Gohonzon of ichinen sanzen, the life of the original Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin." Since the Gohonzon embodies the life of Nichiren Daishonin who is the original Buddha, we manifest the same entity when we believe and embrace the Gohonzon and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Then, Nichiren Daishonin as our master is the Buddha, and as his disciples we are also Buddhas-that is, we realize the oneness of master and disciple. That is why Nichikan Shonin interprets this passage as a statement of the oneness of master and disciple.

Religions in all ages have systematized theologies that center on some kind of absolute being transcending human existence. The Judeo-Christian religions create such a gap between God and human beings that all their believers can do is to throw themselves up to God's grace. Buddhism, however, assures us that all people are essentially Buddhas, and as such, the most sublime possible existence. The Daishonin's egalitarian declaration, therefore, completely departs from religions that place human beings in a position inferior to the deity. At the same time, his lofty, humanistic declaration fundamentally supports modern declarations of human rights which have tried to restore human dignity and take absolute power out of the hands of authorities supposedly representing the absolute being.

There is profound significance in the fact that Nichiren Daishonin compares "the enlightened life of Shakyamuni Buddha" to "flesh and blood," and "practices and resulting virtues" to "bones and marrow." Talking about himself, the Daishonin said in the Letter from Sado:

In my heart I cherish some faith in the Lotus Sutra, but my body, while outwardly human, is fundamentally that of an animal, which once subsisted on fish and fowl and was conceived of the male and female fluids. My spirit dwells in this body like the moon reflected in a muddy pond or gold wrapped in a filthy bag.

The physical and spiritual entity of a human being is more elevated than any other existence --- it reflects the "moon" of Buddhahood and encloses the "gold" of Buddhahood. It is easy to think of the deep compassion Nichiren Daishonin gave each individual desperately struggling to survive through the three calamities and seven disasters.* My heart resounds to his voice in The True Entity of Life, "I, Nichiren, do not cry, but my tears flow ceaselessly," as if I were actually hearing it.

*Calamities described in various sutras. There are two categories of three calamities --- minor and major. The minor ones are inflation (especially when caused by famine), war, and pestilence. The major ones are disasters caused by fire, wind and water. The seven disasters differ according to the sutras. The Yakushi Sutra defines them as pestilence, foreign invasion, internal strife, extraordinary changes in the heavens, solar and lunar eclipses, unseasonable storms and typhoons, and unseasonable droughts.

All in all, the significance of our activities lies in how well we can attune ourselves to the vibrant life of the original Buddha. One person opens the treasure tower of another, who, in turn, opens the treasure tower of a third, thus extending the reach of our activities. Our steady work to bring human life in tune with the vibrant chords of the Gohonzon will extend to more and more people as it continues. The Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) once said:

The meaning of the living words that come out of the experiences of great hearts can never be exhausted by any one system of logical interpretation. They have to be endlessly explained by the commentaries of individual lives, and they gain an added mystery in each new revelation.*

*Rabindranath Tagore, Sadhana (Madras: The Macmillan Co. of India Limited, 1972), p. viii.

We do not study the Gosho merely to understand its literal meaning. Rather, we etch each word into our lives. Buddhism actually exists in the heart of each individual, just as Nichiren Daishonin teaches, "The eighty-four thousand teachings are the diary of my own being." The teachings of the Gosho draw from the depths of our own being an indestructible will to live, as opposed to the use of the power of authority to teach and instruct human beings from above. This is why those teachings vibrate in our daily actions and why they are called the Buddhism for real life, not just theorizing.

One human heart moves another. Nichiren Daishonin teaches us this as a living principle. In order to save all ordinary people, he himself was born as one of us and shared our human joys and sorrows. He united himself indivisibly with our hearts. His life-condition is that of absolute happiness, which is described in the Gosho as the "treasures of the heart." Because it contains an indomitable sense of fulfillment, it far surpasses any "treasures of the coffer" or "treasures of the body," which fall into the category of relative happiness. In this regard, President Toda once said, "Belief in this great faith keeps the rhythm of life in tune with the universe, so that one can feel the joy of living to his heart's content. A life force filled with joy is the very source of happiness." To take the goal of attaining Buddhahood in this life means to attain the joy of living. Be firmly convinced that this is the only way we can become enveloped by the great compassion of the original Buddha, who "pledged to make all people perfectly equal to me, without any distinction," and advance together unperturbed by any obstacles.

The Spirit to Protect

Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sutra says: "Those who choose to protect this sutra serve Taho Buddha and me.... They also serve all the other Buddhas present who dignify and glorify all the worlds." Shakyamuni, Taho, and all the other Buddhas in the ten directions represent the world of Buddhahood within ourselves. By searching them out within us, we can receive the benefits of Shakyamuni, Taho, and all the other Buddhas. This is what is meant by the following passage in Chapter Ten: "If one hears the Law for even a single moment, he will be able to attain perfect enlightenment."

This passage discusses the oneness of parent and child in terms of the three enlightened properties of life. "Me" in the quotation refers to Shakyamuni and means the enlightened property of wisdom. "Taho" stands for the enlightened property of the Law, and "all the other Buddhas" are the Buddhas who came to participate in the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra from the worlds in the ten directions of the universe. Since they appeared in those worlds as emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha, they collectively mean the enlightened property of action. Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas symbolize the three enlightened properties of life. "Those who choose to protect this sutra (the Gohonzon)" succeed those Buddhas and manifest the three enlightened properties of life, just as children succeed their parents. By protecting the Gohonzon they receive the same benefits as they would receive for serving the Buddha with the three enlightened properties of life. That is why Shakyamuni, Taho and other Buddhas represent the world of Buddhahood within ourselves.

The point I would like to make here is the meaning of "protect." In various sutras, the Buddha urged people to protect his teachings. "Protect" may sound conservative, but it is not a passive act. In order to let the flow of Buddhism continue, one must positively transmit it to others and make it prosper. The true spirit of Buddhism flows within the actions of propagation to save those who are unhappy. Let me also draw your attention to the word "choose" in the above quotation. Clearly, it suggests not a passive but a positive attitude; it means to practice Buddhism with your thoughts, words and actions.

Protection is to maintain one's faith in the Gohonzon from beginning to end. By doing so, one guards the supreme life-condition of Buddhahood within oneself To protect the Gohonzon is to protect one's own life, as the Daishonin teaches us in the Gosho, On the Treasure Tower: "You may think you offered gifts to the Treasure Tower of Taho Buddha, but that is not so. You offered them to yourself" As is inscribed on the Gohonzon, the condition of Buddhahood within us exists in the midst of the three thousand constantly shifting conditions of life. Such life-conditions as Hell, Hunger, Animality and Anger are all inherent in practical life, as are Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva, and all the other life-conditions.

If you slacken in your efforts even a moment, the life-condition of Buddhahood goes behind the thick clouds of the nine worlds. We must always embrace and protect the Gohonzon to the limits of our power so that the Mystic Law within us, which always shines brilliantly, may not be covered by the cloud of obstacles and devils. Water becomes foul unless it flows ceaselessly, and so does human life. Carry out your morning and evening gongyo and challenge a new goal every day, as Nichiren Daishonin urges us in the Gosho: "Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken even a bit, demons will take advantage."

Next, I ask you to protect the children of the Buddha just as you protect the Gohonzon. To protect the children of the Buddha is to protect the sutra and teachings. The Daishonin stresses in On the Buddha's Prophecy, ". . . there was no one there to whom these sutras could be taught. Their efforts were as meaningless as trying to teach Buddhism to wooden or stone statues garbed in priests' robes and carrying mendicants' bowls." He also said in On Taking Faith in the Lotus Sutra, "If the Law is supreme, so is the person who embraces it. To slander that person, therefore, is to slander the Law. To disrespect the child is to disrespect the parents." Therefore we must protect the children of the Buddha. They are your brothers and sisters unified in the profound bond of Buddhism. They are Bodhisattvas of the Earth, endowed with an irreplaceable mission. I ask you to "arise and greet him from afar, and respect him in the same way as you do the Buddha," just as the Lotus Sutra describes.

Thirdly, it is important to firmly protect the precious organization of Buddhists wherein you encourage and teach each other. Nichiren Daishonin states in The Three Priests' Prayers for Rain: "There is no better way to attain Buddhahood than to have good friends (zenchishiki). What good will one's own wisdom do? If one has sense enough to distinguish between hot and cold, he should treasure his good friends. However, the most difficult thing of all is to meet a good friend." In order for us common mortals to attain Buddhahood, there is no way but to meet good friends, and the Daishonin therefore urges us to seek them out.

I want you to understand that each one of you is a good friend to everyone else. The Nichiren Shoshu Soka Gakkai consists of individuals gathered to encourage and polish each other under the common goal of attaining Buddhahood and kosen-rufu. We must treasure and respect our Buddhist association and our Buddhist friends, for they are part of the most valuable treasure we have. To protect them is to protect the sutra.

Our association still has a long way to go toward worldwide propagation. But the dignity of the original Buddha running deeply within it will brighten the future of mankind in the decades to come. My conviction comes from an unshakable belief in the Daishonin's words in The True Entity of Life: "Only I, Nichiren, at first chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then two, three and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. Likewise, propagation will unfold this way in the future. Doesn't this signify 'emerging from the earth'?" To protect yourself and your Buddhist organization dedicated to justice is to protect the future of all mankind.

To Hear the Sutra Is to Live It

To "hear" in the quote from Chapter Ten means to embrace the Gohonzon. In the Ongi Kuden, Nichiren Daishonin interprets "hearing" in terms of faith and practice. The section concerning "Thus I heard" reads, ". . . according to T'ien-t'ai, 'I heard' symbolizes those who strongly embrace the sutra.... People who do not believe in the sutra never hear the sutra in this sense. Those who practice the Lotus Sutra hear the essence of this phrase."

"To hear the Law for even a single moment" means that even if you only embrace the Gohonzon and practice for a moment, you are able to manifest the supreme enlightenment of the Buddha at that moment. Every moment that we believe in the Gohonzon and chant daimoku, the life-condition of Buddhahood wells up from within us. If you begin the day with a sincere recitation of gongyo, praying to achieve your goals, and conclude it with evening gongyo, chanting daimoku with gratitude to the Gohonzon, you will attain Buddhahood in this lifetime, and in all future existences.

Let me quote a relevant passage from T'ien-t'ai's Hokke Mongu (Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra) which clarifies the meaning of "Thus I heard." "Question: You should say, 'My ears hear., Why do you instead say, 'I hear,? Answer: 'I, indicates the master of the ears. It receives all perceptions. This is how the world is understood." The true meaning of "hearing" is not merely the auditory function but perception with all the power of one's life itself. In other words, all human perceptions, including consciousness, work collectively at the same time. "I" thus signifies life in its totality.

Elsewhere in the same work, T'ien-t'ai quotes Bodhisattva Nagarjuna's Treatise on the Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra which reads, "There are three kinds of self in common mortals: the deluded self, the arrogant self and the original self." "Self" can be interpreted in many ways, but it is vital to grasp the nature of self. If it is a deluded or arrogant self, then the true spirit of Buddhism cannot enter into one's life. To be exact, "I" of "Thus I heard" is Ananda, one of the ten major disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha, and the treatise says about him, "Ananda is a man of pursuing spirit who, free from his deluded self, firmly subdued his arrogant self. Thus he well deserves to be called a man of the original self." When you eliminate arrogance and illusion and seek Buddhism with a pure seeking spirit, you can, like him, say that you "hear" Buddhism in the deepest sense of the word.

T'ien-t'ai also says, "To expand on the meaning of 'hearing" Ananda was born the very night the Buddha attained enlightenment. He served the Buddha for more than twenty years, but he did not 'hear' the Buddha's teachings before he served the Buddha." T'ien-t'ai meant that to "serve" the Buddha is to "hear" the teachings. "Hearing" in this context is not merely listening to words; it means a life-to-life interchange. Onshitsu (hatred and jealousy) critically impedes this life-to-life contact of faith. To define onshitsu, Nichiren Daishonin quotes Miao-lo in the Gosho: "On indicates having ill feelings, and shitsu means unwillingness to listen [to the Buddha's teaching]."

Think hard about what he means by "unwillingness to listen." "Good advice sounds harsh to ears" and "Good medicine tastes bitter" are common proverbs. Common mortals remain common mortals exactly because they do not like hearing what is disagreeable and painful. On the contrary, they are all too easily swayed by flattery and adulation. As long as you take the line of least resistance, you cannot expect to grow. Worse, you are creating the cause for your own ruin, since you surround yourself with people who do not help build inner strength, but rather, serve to tear it down.

In a story from Taikoki (The Life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi) by Eiji Yoshikawa, a character named Menju Iyeteru appears. He was mentor to the attendants of Shibata Katsuiye, one of the powerful feudal lords of sixteenth century Japan. He was also a man of considerable insight, in spite of his youth. He felt that Shibata was behaving wildly, so one day he turned down a page in a book his lord wanted to borrow so he would notice it. Seeing the corner folded over, Shibata looked at that page and what he read there was an implicit remonstration against his behavior. Reading on, he felt displeasure sweep through him. From that time on the lord always kept Menju away from him.

Who was a faithful subject? Later on, when Shibata's troops were almost wiped out by Toyotomi Hideyoshi at the battle of Shizuga-take, it was Menju who saved Shibata's life. As their forces began to retreat, Menju repeatedly implored Shibata to hand over the banner that would identify him as the leader. Shibata gave in, and no sooner had Menju taken it than he turned his horse around and, together with a small number of soldiers, rode straight back into the enemy's ranks, dying a heroic death. At that, Shibata realized immediately Menju's deep loyalty. He was pierced by remorse that he had given the banner to him, but it was too late. The victor, Toyotomi Hidoyoshi, is said to have reverently buried Menju's severed head and then sought out his mother to give her his personal condolences. This episode was originally written down to illustrate the loyalty of a subject to his lord, vaunting the values of the age of warring lords, but I think that we can glean another precious lesson from it. Shibata Katsuiye was unwilling to listen to Menju Iyeteru. His arrogance and negligence led him to take the line of least resistance, which caused his defeat at the battle, and ultimately, his death.

We must plunge in among our fellow members, speaking and carefully listening to everything they have to say. The horrible aspect about onshitsu is that it creates a wall between the hearts of members, destroying the unity. Once fenced off by these walls, our hearts become victim to the three poisons of greed, anger and stupidity. Then we unconsciously destroy all of our own good fortune. This is why individual guidance and sincere person-to-person encouragement are so significant. In the long run, an organization can live up to its purpose only when it can nourish each individual member. True, it requires tremendous life force to listen to your troubled and grieved friends and it also takes tremendous courage to open your hearts to those who are hard to get along with. But the very difficulty involved is a valuable thing in attaining your own human revolution and awakening souls that have long lain dormant in the lives of those friends. I urge you to muster up your courage, to move, listen and speak to them all. The Daishonin says in the Gosho, "When you split one joint in the bamboo, all the others follow." So, no matter how harsh your situation may be, when you face it directly and break through it, like splitting one joint in the bamboo, you can create a new, much better situation. Above all, pray to the Gohonzon with this conviction in your heart, for every prayer allows your inner, true self to shine.

All Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Within

The Juryo chapter reads: "The time is limitless and boundless a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand nayuta aeons* since I in fact attained Buddhahood." Present within our lives is the Lord Shakyamuni who obtained the three enlightened properties of life before gohyaku-jintengo, the original Buddha since time without beginning. The Juryo chapter states: "Once I also practiced the bodhisattva austerities, and the life which I then acquired has yet to be exhausted. My life will last yet twice as many aeons from now." He was speaking of the world of Bodhisattva within ourselves. The Bodhisattvas of the Earth are the followers of Lord Shakyamuni in our lives. They follow the Buddha just as T'ai-kung and Tan, the Duke of Chou, served as ministers to King Wu of the Chou dynasty and later assisted his son and successor, the infant King Ch'eng; or just as Takeshinchi served Empress Jingu and later her grandson Crown Prince Nintoku as a highly valued minister. Bodhisattvas Jogyo, Muhengyo, Jyogyo and Anryugyo represent the world of Bodhisattva within our lives.

Nichikan Shonin states that this passage establishes the oneness of subject and lord in terms of kuon ganjo* time without beginning or end. In other words, the Buddha (lord) and bodhisattvas (subjects) are one in our single entity of life. Both the Buddha of kuon ganjo and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth exist within ourselves when we develop the inner life of kuon ganjo.

The first quote in the passage reveals the time of gokyaku-jintengo when Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood. The Daishonin refers to the Buddha of beginningless time who attained Buddhahood "before gohyaku-jintengo." The word "before" indicates that he is shifting time reference from the temporal framework of gohyaku-jintengo to that of kuon ganjo, time without beginning or end. Nichiren Daishonin said in The Entity of the Mystic Law, "Before gohyaku-jintengo Shakyamuni attained the entity of the Lotus Flower of the Mystic Law and then appeared in various worlds to show how to attain Buddhahood, revealing the ultimate principle to which the people are yet to be enlightened." This passage and the text given above point to the same frame* that of kuon ganjo or "before gohyaku-jintengo." According to The Exegesis of The True Object of Worship by Nichikan Shonin, ga jitsu jobutsu irai (since I attained Buddhahood) refers to the three enlightened properties of life as an entirety: ga (self) signifies the enlightened property of the Law, jobutsu (attaining enlightenment) the enlightened property of wisdom, and irai (the time since enlightenment) the enlightened property of action.

The second quote in the text reveals the practice through which Shakyamuni attained Buddhahood. The practice represents the True Cause, the nine worlds that have existed in our lives since time without beginning --- kuon ganjo. The first quote refers to the True Effect which symbolizes the Buddhahood of kuon ganjo. The two quotes reveal that both the True Cause and the True Effect exist in our own lives.

Nichikan Shonin interprets the second quote in the text as "a natural flow," and as he puts it, "just as all rivers flow into the ocean," so all your activities based on true Buddhism will always lead to the ocean of resulting virtues (Buddhahood). This principle bears profound significance to our practice. In the ordinary world, in spite of all your efforts and pains you do not necessarily attain your objectives. In many cases you may end up a miserable failure. In real life the same causes do not necessarily bring about the same results, and efforts often turn out to be futile, or even become tragedies.

In Buddhism, however, no cause ever fails to produce its effect; all causes lead toward a greater effect. Dedication to the Gohonzon and efforts to teach it to others are never wasted, becoming the source of blessings. It is a stream which begins in the recesses of the mountain and at first is too small to notice, but it eventually finds its way onto the plains and finally reaches the ocean. Similarly, efforts in the world of Buddhism, no matter how inconspicuous, will inexorably flow into the great ocean of nirvana. This is what "a natural flow" means. Never forget that your painstaking efforts to propagate the Mystic Law will secure you benefits which last forever.

"The Bodhisattvas of the Earth are the followers of Lord Shakyamuni in our lives." The life-conditions of the nine worlds are represented by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who maintain support of the life-condition of Buddhahood and help to manifest it. They are the followers of the Buddha within ourselves. Thus, the Daishonin assures us that both the Buddha of kuon ganjo and the Bodhisattvas of the Earth exist within our lives. To make the relationship between these two life-conditions easier for his contemporaries to grasp, Nichiren Daishonin used the example of subjects and lords. Ordinarily, one thinks first of feudalistic customs when mention of subjects and lords comes up, but what the Daishonin is stressing is the function of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to help manifest the life of Buddhahood. He spoke of the oneness of subject and lord in terms of the internal development of human life.

Another important point is implied by the analogy drawn in the text. T'ai-kung was a historical figure in ancient China who was met and singled out by King Wen of the Chou dynasty as an indispensable minister. After the king's death he served his successor, King Wu. After King Wu passed away, T'ai-kung even served his successor, the infant King Ch'eng. Tan, the Duke of Chou, was one of King Wu's younger brothers and therefore an uncle of the infant king. He handled state affairs as regent until the young king reached adulthood. Similarly, in Japan Takeshiuchi no Sukune served the infant Crown Prince Nintoku. These mature and experienced ministers all served infant kings. The analogy is meant to show that though the life-condition of Buddhahood emerges when we first embrace the Gohonzon, it is still weak and underdeveloped. So what is necessary to make the Buddha's life-condition unshakable? The essential factor is the workings of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. They are the single factor that can activate the life-condition of Buddhahood.

The Mission of Propagation

The Bodhisattvas of the Earth represent the life-condition that works to propagate the Mystic Law. They are all bodhisattvas who emerged from the ground in the ceremony of the Lotus Sutra to take on the mission to spread the True Law in the evil Latter Day of the Law. In other words, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth find their raison d'ˆtre in single-minded devotion to the propagation of true Buddhism. They attain their original life-condition when they carry out their mission. Nichiren Daishonin teaches us through this analogy that vigorous practice based on a profound awakening to our mission of kosen-rufu is necessary, for without it we cannot support, protect and foster the life-condition of Buddhahood which exists in the depths of our lives.

In retrospect, the Soka Gakkai owes what it is today to the life-or-death struggle President Makiguchi and President Toda waged in prison to protect true Buddhism. President Josei Toda often told young men's division members: "A man should struggle with the harsh realities of life which confront him, no matter who or where he is, and no matter what task he may shoulder. When I was in prison I made the firm vow: 'Now I am in prison. So long as I am in prison, I will wage my battle right here.' " It was there that President Toda one day suddenly realized his profound mission and attained the supreme life-condition. Later on he said, "On the eve of the day I was released from prison I was able to pledge to the late president, Mr. Makiguchi, 'Our lives are eternal; they have neither beginning nor end. I have realized that we were born with the great mission to propagate the seven characters of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. Judging our capacity from what I now understand, we are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.' "

We can find our own original pledge and mission in the declaration of our revered teacher Toda, and his ceaseless efforts, supported by this conviction and carried out because of his realization, have brought about the unprecedented prosperity of true Buddhism we enjoy today. I ask you, therefore, to understand deeply that as a Bodhisattva of the Earth you can protect, develop and display the vigorous life force as the Daishonin teaches us, when you dedicate yourself to the activities for propagation and work courageously for your own growth.

The Daishonin said, "Bodhisattvas Jogyo, Muhengyo, Jyogyo and Anryugyo represent the world of Bodhisattva within our lives." The Four Great Bodhisattvas appear in the Yujutsu (15th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. As numerous as the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers, bodhisattvas emerged rank after rank from the ground led by these four. Our lives contain all of their functions. The innumerable Bodhisattvas of the Earth, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas preached in other sutras, and the living beings in the Ten Worlds all exist within our own lives. That is why Change an wrote in his preface: "The Maka Shikan reveals the teaching that T'ien-t'ai himself practiced in the depths of his being." The Gohonzon, the object of worship for observing one s own mind, is the objective entity that allows the great life-condition existing in one's life to become manifest. "To observe one's own mind" (kanjin) means that embracing the Gohonzon makes that life-condition manifest.

Society fluctuates, and so do human minds. But the great pulsing rhythm that throbs between the universe and the innermost self remains steady with our firm faith in the Gohonzon. For this reason nothing can bolster your existence more strongly than unshakable faith in the Gohonzon, which is that ultimate reality. Those who live up to their belief at times face slander and criticism. As they go forward unperturbed, they may seem obtuse, but their spirit of forbearance is forged all the more strongly in the process. As Goethe said, "The hammer probably seems more active and devoted than an anvil. But it is the quiet anvil that endures endless pounding."

Who will eventually win the victory, a man of belief or those who drift along with the times like flotsam on the waves? Time will answer the question. Having faith provides the greatest and most enduring strength. I ask you to proudly advance in your mission and, as you do, to cherish the words of President Toda: "There are countless successes and failures in life, but for the final victory we must pray to the Buddha."

The oneness of master and disciple, the oneness of parent and child and the oneness of lord and subject, so deeply and clearly shown to us by Nichikan Shonin through the Gosho, also indicate the vital import of The Opening of the Eyes. This text reveals the object of worship in terms of the Person who embodies the three virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent. The life of Nichiren Daishonin, the original Buddha --- the object of worship in terms of the Person in the Latter Day --- is manifest in its entirety in the Gohonzon. Nichiren Daishonin is the Gohonzon, and the Gohonzon is the original Buddha with the virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent; to know this fact is to feel all the more profound gratitude for being able to worship the Gohonzon.

Life Pervades the Universe

The Great Teacher Miao-lo declares: "You should realize that our life and its environment are the entity of ichinen sanzen. When we attain Buddhahood, according to this principle, our life pervades the entire universe, physically and spiritually."

This is an excerpt from the Guketsu (Annotation of the Maka Shikan) by Miao-lo. I will conclude my lecture with some thoughts about this quote, for, while it is extremely difficult to understand, it is indispensable for understanding the life-condition of Buddhahood. I will, therefore, discuss it in considerable detail according to Nichikan Shonin's Exegesis.

First of all, "our life and its environment" means the life and environment of the original Buddha. The entity of ichinen sanzen, therefore, is the Gohonzon, which embodies the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and the three thousand conditions of life. But ichinen of ichinen sanzen means single-minded faith, and so, when we take faith in the Gohonzon, our life and its environment both become the entity of ichinen sanzen.

The last sentence in the quote, "When we attain Buddhahood . . ." describes the life-condition we manifest when we attain Buddhahood. "This principle" indicates the Mystic Law of kuon ganjo, the most difficult to comprehend. "Physically" here means the physical aspect of our life, the combination of the five elements-earth, water, fire, wind and ku. It is an objective truth to be realized. "Spiritually" refers to the subjective wisdom to realize that truth, the wisdom that comes from strong faith in the Gohonzon.

As a whole the above-quoted passage tells us that when we embrace the Gohonzon, our life manifests itself as the Buddha of kuon ganjo --- that perfect union of objective reality and subjective wisdom. In other words, because the Gohonzon is the entity of ichinen sanzen embodying the oneness of life and its environment, when we take faith in it, our life becomes the same entity of ichinen sanzen. This is what is meant by juji soku kanjin (to embrace the Gohonzon is to attain Buddhahood).

The pervasiveness of life, both physical and spiritual, throughout the entire universe is a sign of the boundlessly vast life of Buddhahood and of the common people as well It not only confirms that the world of humanity contains all the Ten Worlds, but also demonstrates how vast and sublime is the life of ordinary people. To me, this particular sentence also reveals true freedom.

To say that life pervades the entire universe may sound groundless and utterly inconceivable, but even natural science has come to recognize the potential of life through the gradual discovery of just what a highly complicated structure human life has. Take just the physical body Each organ has its own highly sophisticated mechanism. The liver works to detoxify the body, and so far, over two hundred specific functions have been identified. According to some estimates, the liver may perform as many as a thousand functions in all. The chemical reactions the liver carries out, moreover, are highly complex, and not one so far has ever been successfully simulated in a laboratory. The liver is actually an enormous chemical plant. Not even a huge complex of factories would be sufficient to artificially duplicate all the chemical functions of the liver. Therefore, when the liver starts to malfunction, wide-ranging effects are experienced. One becomes spiritually disturbed, sometimes suddenly waking at night, or walking in his sleep.

Then again, look at the lungs. The total area of all the alveoli (air sacs) of the lungs is roughly the same as that of four large rooms. The lungs work to purify blood. The total length of all blood vessels in the body is 96,000 kilometers --- enough to circle the earth twice. Our brain weighs just a little over one kilogram, yet it contains some twenty billion brain cells. Each of its nerve cells has an axon and branches, and intelligence develops as the axons interweave. Personality is determined by the particular pattern in which they interweave, but the total possible combinations of nerve axons are almost incalculable --- they out-number even the atoms in the island universe that surrounds our planet. That is why it is virtually inconceivable that any two personalities would be exactly alike.

A small calculator often works faster and more accurately than we do in simple calculations, and a large computer makes short work of even massive figures. But even the largest computer is no match for the tiny cells in our brain when it comes to such sophisticated functions as making judgments or creating something. At the present state of the art, an artificial brain built with a capacity even approaching that of the cerebrum would cover the entire surface of the earth. And even if the labor, technology and sheer space needed were available, it is doubtful that it would approximate the human brain. Not just the brain, but every organ in this diminutive body of ours, performs operations which, if artificially reproduced, would be global, or even cosmic, in their magnitude. Seen in this perspective, a person uses only a fraction of his naturally-endowed abilities in the course of his life.

Deeper Energies of the Mind

When it comes to human spiritual functions, the scale expands hyperbolically. Our conscious spiritual activities alone are infinitely complicated and diverse, expressing themselves in the achievements of human civilization --- in the arts, humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. The world of the unconscious, however, is another matter altogether. It remains an almost untapped, vast reservoir of power and ability whose dimensions we can only begin to quantify through the work of psychoanalysts and, in the past, the a posteriori testimony of mystics. The conscious mind is the tip of the iceberg peeking above the waves, while the huge bulk below is the unconscious. It is difficult to counter the idea that in the long run, even though we think we act from conscious motives, the unconscious is universally dominant in man.

In Seishin Bunseki Nyamon (Introduction to Psychoanalysis), the Japanese psychologist Otoya Miyagi gives several examples of how the force of the unconscious dictates the workings of the conscious mind, and in turn controls our physical actions. Even an action that appears to be mere chance is, according to Miyagi, influenced by something in the unconscious, of which we know next to nothing. A person living in Zurich, for instance, is reported to have pondered over whether to spend his holiday at home or make a promised, but unsavored, visit to a friend who lived in Lucerne. He dallied over the matter, but finally decided to go on the trip and left home. On the way, he mechanically changed trains at a station while reading the morning paper. Only when the conductor came up to him a while later did he realize that he had changed to a train headed back to Zurich. Psychologists explain this as a case where the unconscious wish to spend the holiday at home was stronger than his sense of responsibility and conscious judgment, and that unconscious desire controlled his actions.

We sometimes quite casually forget a promise to do something or meet someone; but psychologically this is called "the oblivion of intention." In an interesting example of this type, a person was forced to invite one of his acquaintances to a particular function when he did not want to at all. He called and invited his acquaintance, but said that since he did not remember the exact date and time, he would send him a written invitation. Then he completely forgot, until the day after the function. In this case, too, the particular actions are explained by a dominant, unconscious urge. For most of us, actually, we are more likely to lose a letter with a bill in it than one containing a check, and will forget a dental appointment before we forget a party.

Experience and psychosomatic research have shown that the force of the unconscious always influences the body --- the physical aspect of life. Professor Torijiro Ikemi at Kyushu University cites several cases in his book Shinryo Naika (Internal Medical Examination and Treatment), to testify that the force of the unconscious causes many illnesses in the human body. The first is the story of a middle-aged widow who is president of her own company. At some point, both legs became numb from the waist down, and she was unable to stand or walk without holding on to something. Ever since her husband was killed in the war shortly after their marriage, she had toiled to care for their child by herself. Some four years ago she was finally able to establish her own firm. Two years later, however, the company suffered a huge deficit when an assistant, whom she had deeply trusted, cheated on the accounts. Profoundly shocked, she lost all trust in other people. About the same time she noticed her legs becoming numb. She began a series of various treatments but her legs did not get any better. The cause of her affliction was the shock she suffered two years before and the unconscious dimension of her distrust in others, but she has never connected the two. Only by restoring her trust in other people will she get better. The profound spiritual shock also disabled her physically.

In another case, a white-collar worker suffered from hives and nausea for several months. The doctor made him keep a daily diary of his condition. It soon became clear that every Saturday he felt nothing wrong, but by Sunday afternoon hives began to appear, and he felt nausea on Wednesdays. Asked about the situation in his company, he answered that he was on bad terms with his boss. In addition, he could not do the kind of work he wanted to on his job. The situation had continued unchanged since he first entered the firm. Professor Ikemi indicated that his unconscious resistance and resentment had built up since he began to work there, and they brought on the illness. Mixed emotions deep down inside, frustrated hopes for the future and distrust of his own ability combined to cause his body to react with hives and nausea. The diary testified to the unconscious force; he was free from worry on Saturday and so there was nothing wrong with him, but on Sunday afternoon he became gloomy and restless, and he would break out all over again.

These phenomena offer impressive testimony to the power of the unconscious to disturb the physical property of life and eventually cause sickness, but they occur in a relatively shallow realm of human life. Human life extends to a stratum of the unconscious far deeper than we can imagine. Professor Hayao Kawai at Kyoto University, a Jungian psychologist, discusses the mind in Muishiki no Kozo (The Structure of the Unconscious) : "Judging from these examples, Jung considered that the stratum of the human unconscious could be divided into two, the personal unconscious related to the individual life, and the collective unconscious common to all human beings. They lie in such a deep stratum, however, that we are hardly ever aware of them in our daily lives." He also said about the collective unconscious, "It is not personally acquired but inherently endowed, and universal among all mankind."

The collective unconscious, which forms the deepest stratum of each human life, also forms a foundation common to all mankind. It is said that the entire spiritual heritage of man, gathered over two million years, flows within this deepest stratum. One of Jung's followers, C. S. Hall, analyzed man's fear of snakes and darkness, and concluded that such fears could not be fully explained by the experiences of a single lifetime. Personal experiences only seem to strengthen and reaffirm the inborn fear. We have inherited a fear of snakes and darkness from ancestors back in the unknown past. This is, then, a hereditary fear, according to Hall, which proves that ancestral experience is an engrained memory living in the deepest stratum of human life.

The unconscious contains not only all the experiences of our human ancestors; it also contains the experiences of our pre-human predecessors as well. The footprints of each change in the course of our development are etched into the deepest stratum of each human life, reflecting in some way the vicissitudes of the universe. I suspect that Jung conceived of some four billion human beings on the earth living as one being, and the great universe as a huge living existence. Each human being perhaps seemed like a cell which absorbs vital energy from the original force --- universal life itself. This, I think, is the reality that Jung tried to articulate by his concept of the collective unconscious.

As Vast as the Universe

"Our life pervades the entire universe, physically and spiritually." This is the Buddhist intuitive conception of the vast expanse of one's life on a cosmic scale, which modern natural science has only just begun to recognize. Penetrating insights that arose out of Buddhist truths were thus able to uncover the boundless potential of human beings well before anyone could identify or quantify them scientifically. By now, natural science, too, has begun to find ways to identify the cosmic reach of the human potential, but the Buddhist approach to man allows for a still vaster expanse of life, reaching through the universe.

Jijuyushin, the Buddha of unrestricted freedom, means the full manifestation of this cosmic potential in a single human life. It is the state one can obtain for himself. Nichiren Daishonin redefines it in the Ongi Kuden: " . . . the entity of life which one receives to do as he wishes." The Buddha of unrestricted freedom is the life force which manifests itself freely and moves even the macrocosm. Therefore, the principle of "the macrocosm is identical with the individual microcosm" is not some abstract idea but a solid reality for those who devote themselves to the salvation of the unhappy with Buddhahood established as the basis of their lives.

This principle makes it clear that our individual life is completely fused with the cosmic life and it has the same power as the life of the Buddha. How, then, can we bring forth the same life force as that of the original Buddha of kuon ganjo? For that purpose, Nichiren Daishonin inscribed his own life in the form of the true object of worship. "To embrace" is "to observe one's mind" and it is possible solely because the Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon, the only power that enables us "to observe one's mind" and "to manifest the Buddha's enlightenment." Nichiren Daishonin waged a lifelong battle for the single purpose of inscribing the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws. That is why he declared that he had fulfilled the purpose of his advent when he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon on October 12, 1279.

The persecutions which he confronted to fulfill his mission were of terrible magnitude. He did not inscribe the Dai-Gohonzon until exactly the right time. The peasants of Atsuhara, who represented all those with pure faith in the Latter Day, inspired Nichiren Daishonin to inscribe the Dai-Gohonzon when they persisted in their faith in the face of severe persecutions. The Dai-Gohonzon inscribed that October, seven hundred years ago, is the priceless entity joining the ultimate principle of Buddhism with the original Buddha's boundless compassion. It is the source of unified light which illuminates the darkness of mankind throughout the entire Latter Day.

Hundreds of years have passed since he inscribed it, and the compassionate light of the Dai-Gohonzon has brightened the lives of more than ten million in this country alone. It is now spreading on into the world, just as the Daishonin wrote, "If Nichiren's mercy is truly great, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity." Now, in the second "Year of Study," we approach the fiftieth anniversary of the founding of the Soka Gakkai (1980) and the seven hundredth memorial service for Nichiren Daishonin (1981).* I will close now, in the deep hope that you dedicate yourselves and your lives to the two ways of practice and study. I hope you will strengthen your faith to achieve your own enlightenment in this life and work for the happiness and prosperity of all mankind.

*Since Nichiren Daishonin died on October 13, 1282,, it may seem like the memorial service in 1981 should be called the 699th and not the 700th. According to Japanese tradition, however, the date of one's death is actually the first anniversary. In this light, it might be assumed that Nichiren Daishonin's second memorial was observed on October 13, 1283. Tradition confuses the issue, however, by calling this first-year service the "first anniversary" rather than the second, as would be expected. On the second anniversary (for instance, on October 13, 1784, for Nichiren Daishonin) the service becomes the "third anniversary" and it adheres to strict numerical computation from there on. (There is no second anniversary.) So 1981 is the 700th anniversary, using this system.

[ Previous | Contents ]