We often hear the
Japanese word ÔKudokuÕ when we talk about the benefits we receive in this
practice. The word Kudoku can be translated as ÔbenefitÕ or ÔmeritÕ or
sometimes Ôfortune.Õ In general, Kudoku means that one accumulates reward or
virtue (toku)
by repeatedly performing good or virtuous deeds (ku). In the Ongi Kuden, the oral
commentary of Nichiren Daishonin compiled by Second High Priest Nikko Shonin
(Gosho - p.1775), Nichiren Daishonin states: ÒÕDeedsÕ (ku) means happiness. ÔDeedsÕ
(ku)
also means to expiate evil, while virtue (toku) means to engender good.
Merit (the great happiness, kudoku) is attaining Buddhahood in oneÕs present
form.Ó In
other words, the merit which we accumulate through our practice of True
Buddhism results in happiness and fortune, which ultimately means to attain
enlightenment in our present form. In the work titled, Kanjin no Honzon Sho
Mondan (Mondan Shu - p.443), Twenty-sixth High Priest Nichikan Shonin
states: ÒThe merit of this object of worship is infinite and boundless; its
unfathomable, wondrous functions are all-encompassing and profound. Therefore,
if even for a short moment one believes in this object of worship and chants
Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, no prayer will fail to be answered, no sin will fail to be
expiated, no fortune will fail to come, and no truth will fail to become
evident.Ó
It is undoubtedly
true that most people join Nichiren Shoshu because they want to overcome their
troubles and sufferings and become happy. Everyone, however, has their own
individual reasons for taking faith in this religion, but regardless of oneÕs
motivation, great rewards always result when one forms a relationship with the
correct object of worship and carries out a correct and straightforward
practice of Nichiren DaishoninÕs teachings. This is indicated by the Great
Teacher Miao-lo, who taught, ÒEven if one is not sincere when one begins in
faith, the merits will still be great if one forms a relationship with the
correct object (of worship).Ó The key point here is the absolute necessity for us to
form a deep relationship with the correct object of worship!
In the Ongi Kuden
(Gosho - p.1732), Nichiren Daishonin states: ÒThe Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo that
Nichiren now chants will enable all living beings of the ten thousand years of Mappo to attain Buddhahood . . .
. There can be no doubt that the grave illness of the delusions of all living
beings will be cured by the supreme medicine of the Mystic Law.Ó The words, Òthe Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo
that Nichiren now chantsÓ is indicative of the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the
Essential Teachings, because the Dai-Gohonzon Itself is the enlightened life of
the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. Enshrined at Taisekiji, the Head Temple of
Nichiren Shoshu, the Dai-Gohonzon is the basis of our faith. As disciples of
Nichiren Daishonin, we, the people of Mappo, receive immeasurable merit or
benefit by correctly believing in and accepting the Dai-Gohonzon and, under the
direction and guidance of our current High Priest, Nikken Shonin, by sincerely
chanting the Daimoku of the Essential Teachings which Nichiren Daishonin
Himself chanted. In the Gosho, The Letter to Myomitsu Shonin (MW5 -
p.203: Gosho - p.969), Nichiren Daishonin states: ÒAt first one person, then
two persons, then a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand and then all the
people throughout the country will come to chant the Daimoku; before you know
it their blessings will accumulate in your person. Those blessings will be like
the drops of dew that gather to form the great ocean or the specks of dust that
pile up to become Mount Sumeru . . . . And the more one praises the blessings
of the Lotus Sutra, the more his blessings will increase.Ó As the above passages
indicate, any person who sincerely chants the Daimoku with strong faith in the
Gohonzon and with the enthusiasm to serve the purpose of Kosen-rufu will be
endowed with merit or benefit so great that it cannot be comprehended with the
insight or wisdom of a common mortal. By persevering in our faith and practice,
we can all obtain this wonderful merit!
We have to
remember, however, that there are two types of benefit in True Buddhism. One is
called conspicuous, the other inconspicuous. Conspicuous
benefit appears directly, in the present Ð things like making money,
curing illness, avoiding disaster, escaping from an accident or solving
problems closely related to our daily lives. Inconspicuous
benefit, on the other hand, does not immediately manifest itself in an
obvious manner Ð it might be difficult to see or you might receive
it without realizing it. Inconspicuous benefit is the great benefit you
feel in living a life protected by the Gohonzon as you overcome all of your
sufferings and tribulations and as you accumulate great fortune from your faith
and practice over a long period of time. Although most people think of the
benefit they receive through their faith and practice as being something
immediate and visible, this is actually not the correct interpretation of benefit
for people in the Latter Day of the Law. In the Gosho, Teaching, Practice,
and Proof (MW4 - p.113; Gosho - p.1104), Nichiren Daishonin states: Ò. .
. . those who obtained benefit during Shoho and Zoho received ÔconspicuousÕ
benefit, because the relationship they formed with the Lotus Sutra during the
distant past had finally matured. On the other hand, those born today in Mappo
receive the seed of Buddhahood for the first time, and their benefit is,
therefore, inconspicuous.Ó
The first one
thousand years following the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha are called the Shoho period. This period is
commonly called the Former Day of the Law, or, more accurately, the Age of the
Genuine Law. The next one thousand years are called the Zoho period. This period is commonly
called the Middle Day of the Law, or, more accurately, the Age of the Formal
Law. The significant point about this is that the people who lived during these
two periods, Shoho and Zoho, already had the Ôroots of goodnessÕ which I mentioned in last monthÕs
Oko. In other words, they had already received the seed of enlightenment in the
distant past and had accumulated the Ôroots of goodnessÕ by practicing the
Buddhism of Shakyamuni. For this reason, the benefit they received was
primarily conspicuous, or benefit which appeared right away.
In contrast,
people born in the age of Mappo Ôfundamentally do not yet have good roots.Õ In
other words, we, the people of
Mappo, have not formed a relationship to Buddhism in the past by receiving the seed
of enlightenment. Because of this, we have not accumulated merit or the Ôroots
of goodnessÕ from the past; we have accumulated immeasurable negative karma
instead. The seed of enlightenment, which is essential to becoming a Buddha, is
planted in our lives for the very first time through Nichiren DaishoninÕs True
Buddhism. Mappo, therefore, is the period of time when people receive
inconspicuous benefit. Receiving inconspicuous benefit can be compared to the
analogy of a tree; a seed for a tree is planted in the ground and soon sprouts
and grows, but it takes many years before the tree will bear fruit.
This doesnÕt mean,
however, that there is no conspicuous benefit for the people living in the age
of Mappo. For people who have only recently started their practice of Nichiren
DaishoninÕs Buddhism, the so-called Ônew believersÕ benefitÕ appears in order
to show the great power of the Gohonzon, which is the power of the Buddha and
the power of the Law. In addition to this, conspicuous benefit is also received
by the people of Mappo when a problem must absolutely be solved -- to overcome
an illness, for example. To receive this type of benefit, however, not only
requires us to sincerely chant Daimoku to the Gohonzon, but also requires us to
have a strong determination to overcome whatever problem or obstacle is facing
us, a determination based on our desire to serve the Three Treasures by doing
whatever we can to advance the Will of Nichiren Daishonin, which is Kosen-rufu.
Although
these types of conspicuous benefit are important, they are truly small and
almost insignificant when you consider the inconspicuous benefit of gradually
building a life of indestructible happiness, which is known as Ôattaining
enlightenment in this lifetime and in our present form,Õ which is the ultimate
purpose of our faith and practice.
The reason why the
people of Shoho and Zoho primarily receive conspicuous benefit while the people of Mappo
primarily receive inconspicuous benefit can be more easily understood if we
compare this to the process of overcoming an illness. The illnesses of the
people who lived during the two thousand years of Shoho and Zoho were
relatively light, because they had been taking the medicine of the Buddha for a
long time. As a result, the effect of the medicine appeared right away as a
conspicuous benefit. The illnesses which afflict the people of Mappo, however,
are extremely serious, because our negative karma is very deep. We cannot be
cured by ordinary medicine, which is another way to refer to the provisional
teachings taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. Our illnesses can only be cured by the
most unfathomable and wondrous medicine of Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and even if the
effect of this wonderful medicine is not readily apparent, it is still
there! We receive it without realizing it. It is truly an inconspicuous
benefit, because all of the illnesses of our bodies and minds are ultimately
cured. This is a very important point. The cure referred to is not merely the
treatment of a symptom or a temporary remission; it is, instead, a complete
cure of the very root or origin of the disease itself.
Nichiren
Daishonin, the True Buddha of time without beginning or ending, teaches us that
all life is eternal, that it never perishes; life, in other words, is not
limited to this current lifetime, but rather spans the three existences of
past, present, and future. True benefit, therefore, is the elimination or
eradication of the hindrances of negative karma from the infinite past and the
establishment of a life of indestructible happiness which extends into the
infinite future. If we again use the analogy of fighting a sickness, what this
means is that inconspicuous benefit, or the complete elimination of a disease
at its very source, is far more valuable than conspicuous benefit, or the temporary
treatment of the symptoms of a disease.
How, then, can we
receive the true benefit of Nichiren DaishoninÕs Buddhism? First of all, itÕs
important to realize that we have to make a cause before we can expect any kind
of effect. ThereÕs no such thing as an effect without a cause! To receive the
effect of true benefit, there must first be a cause, and that cause is our
sincere prayer to the Gohonzon. In the Gosho, Letter to Domyo Zemmon
(MW6 - p.173: Gosho - p.1041), Nichiren Daishonin states: ÒConcerning prayer,
there are conspicuous prayer and conspicuous response, conspicuous prayer and
inconspicuous response, inconspicuous prayer and inconspicuous response, and
inconspicuous prayer and conspicuous response. However, the essential point is
that, so long as you carry out faith in this sutra, all your wishes will be
fulfilled in both present and future existences.Ó In this way, Nichiren
Daishonin explains about the relationship between prayer and benefit.
ÒConspicuous
prayer and conspicuous responseÓ is when one wholeheartedly prays with a specific
target or goal in mind and then, as a result, achieves that goal or target; the
benefit appears right before oneÕs eyes as a result of strong prayer based on
faith in the Gohonzon. ÒConspicuous prayer and inconspicuous responseÓ is when a specific prayer
comes true without one noticing it or before one is aware of it; the fortune
gained from this type of prayer accumulates without one being aware of it. ÒInconspicuous
prayer and inconspicuous responseÓ is when one accumulates virtue and fortune from
continuous prayers offered day by day without a specific goal or need in mind;
although the results of this day-to-day effort do not immediately appear, they
will definitely appear over a long period of time. ÒInconspicuous prayer and
conspicuous responseÓ is when, as in the preceding example, one accumulates virtue and
fortune from continuous prayers offered day by day without a specific goal or
need in mind; the difference is that, at an important time, even without a specific
prayer, a good result will appear when needed.
In terms of
benefit or response, the age of Mappo is a time of inconspicuous benefit and
inconspicuous response. In terms of prayer, however, we have both specific
prayers and those non-specific prayers which we hold in our hearts every day.
Both types of prayer can be fulfilled, so it is very important that you deeply
realize that their fulfillment is brought about by your sincere faith and
steady practice to the Gohonzon and by your strong determination to serve the
cause of Kosen-rufu.
The Shinge (Faith and Understanding)
Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states: ÒOne gains the supreme cluster of
jewels without seeking it.Ó In the Gosho, Ongi Kuden (Gosho - p.1800),
Nichiren Daishonin explains that the phrase Òwithout seeking itÓ may be interpreted as, Òto
gain just what one wants without seeking it.Ó To put this another way, this indicates that
oneÕs desires will naturally come true, even without frantically praying for
them day after day; this doesnÕt mean, however, that your desires will be
fulfilled without doing something to achieve them. The difference as to whether
they come true or not is determined by the condition of your faith. In the
Gosho, Reply to Nichigon Ama (MW5 - p.305: Gosho - p.1519), Nichiren
Daishonin states: ÒWhether or not your prayer is answered depends upon your
faith; (if it is not,) the fault in no way lies with me, Nichiren.Ó In other words, no matter how
splendid a plate of food might look when it is set in front of you, you will
never know how delicious it is by only looking at it. You can only find out how
good it is by actually eating it. The same can be said about our faith and
practice of Nichiren DaishoninÕs True Buddhism. We cannot gain any real benefit
from it unless we are willing to earnestly carry out our faith; there is no
other way to experience the true ÔflavorÕ of benefit of Buddhism.
In the Gosho, Unseen
Virtue and Visible Reward (MW5 - p.259; Gosho - p.1362), Nichiren Daishonin
gives the following guideline for faith; ÒUnseen virtue brings about visible
reward.Ó This
means that benefit will definitely appear if a person perseveres in doing
Gongyo, Daimoku, and shakubuku, even if no one else sees these efforts. It is
not genuine faith to only put on a grand display of faith when others are
watching; no merit or benefit will be gained that way. True benefit is created
in our life when we accumulate infinite merit by resolutely cultivating our
powers of faith and practice toward the Dai-Gohonzon of the Essential Teachings,
which possesses the power of the Buddha and the power of the Law! People who
believe in the Gohonzon and chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo can definitely transform
their earthly desires and sufferings into supreme wisdom or happiness and can
naturally receive the inconspicuous benefit of enlightenment, the greatest
merit of faith. This merit or benefit, moreover, doesnÕt only benefit that
single individual; it extends into the realm of the land, providing a way to
solve the problems of the nation, such as war, disaster, and famine. The Juryo (Life-span of the
Tathagata) Chapter of the Lotus Sutra states: ÒThis land of mine is
peaceful and secure; it is always filled with heavenly beings.Ó What this means is that the
accumulation of merit through our faith and practice of Nichiren DaishoninÕs
True Buddhism will also build a peaceful and safe society. How wonderful! LetÕs
keep this guidance always in our minds!