February Oko 2010
Myogyoji Temple Oko
Passage February 2010
On the Buddhafs Behavior
(MWND 1-176)
None of you who declare yourselves to be my
disciples should ever be cowardly. Neither should you allow concern for your
parents, wives or children to hold you back, or be worried about your property.
Since the infinite past you have thrown away your life more times than the
number of dust particles on earth in order to save your parents, your children
or your property. But you have not once given your life for the Lotus Sutra.
You may have tried to practice its teachings to some extent, but whenever you
were persecuted, you ceased to live by the sutra. That is like boiling water
only to pour it into cold water, or like trying to strike fire but giving up
halfway. Each and every one of you should be certain deep in your hearts that
sacrificing your life for the Lotus Sutra is like trading rocks for gold or
filth for rice.
I would like to thank you for attending todayfs Oko ceremony
despite your busy schedule. I have offered your sincere Gokuyo to the Gohonzon,
and sincerely prayed to the Gohonzon for the further development in faith;
eradication of your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; to
enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for
all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of
all your great objectives in this and future existences.
For those who have requested for Toba, I have offered my sincere prayers
to the Gohonzon for the peace and happiness of your late relatives, friends,
and ancestors.
Todayfs ceremony coincides with the Otanjo-e
Ceremony, commemorating the birth of Nichiren Daishonin. Nichiren Daishonin was
born on February 16, 1222, the son of a fisherman Mikuni no Taifu
Shigetada, and his wife Umegiku-nyo,
in the fishing village of Kominato, Province of Awa
(presently the southern part of Chiba Prefecture).
Nichiren Daishonin's birthdate
February 16, has a mystic connection with Shakyamunifs date of death, February 15. These dates
indicate the Daishoninfs Buddhism began at the point
where the power of Shakyamunifs Buddhism ceased to
help people. Shakyamuni was born in India to a royal family as the prince of
King Shuddhodana. In contrast, the Daishonin was born
to ga fishermanfs familyh or ga common family.h
The Daishoninfs humble origin has three
profound and significant points in Buddhism.
1. The Daishonin went through various persecutions to fulfill the
predictions about the practice of the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in the
world. The gFortitudeh or the Kanji chapter of the Lotus Sutra states the
following passages:
@@@@@@@@@ gccurse
and speak ill of ush
@@@@@@@@@ gcattack
us with swords and stavesh
@@@@@@@@@ gcagain
and again we will be banishedh
If the Daishonin had been born to a royal, noble or shogun family, He
could not have fulfilled the prophecies of the Lotus Sutra. and
it would have been impossible for Him to overcome the persecutions and to
reveal Himself as the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
2. The people in the age of Mappo, the Latter Day of the Law, do not
have any past relationship with Shakyamuni. Therefore, the Daishonin, as the
True Buddha of Sowing, made His advent as a common person in this world so we
could receive the benefit of the relationship we have with Him as the True
Buddha who sows in our lives the seed of the True Cause of original
enlightenment. We can thus concretely form a relationship with the True
Buddhafs Three Virtues of sovereign, teacher and parent.
3. Nichiren Daishonin quotes in the Gosho gOn the Four Stages of Faith
and the Five Stages of Practiceh:
@@@@@@@@@ gcthe
truer the teaching, the lower the capacity.h
And again in the Gosho gThe Person and the Lawh:
@@@@@@@@@ gSince the law is
supreme, the person is worthy of respect; since the person is worthy of
respect, the place is sacred.h
These passages suggest that the Daishonin manifested the principle of
gthe True Buddha is a common mortal.h He was born in a low and humble social
status so that He could lead all the people in the defiled age of Mappo who
possess low faculties and low capacities, and whose lives are tainted with the
three poisons of greed, anger and stupidity.@
Thus was the Daishonin able to actually manifest the great benefit of
showing that ga common mortal is equal to the Buddhah and gearthly desires are
enlightenment.h
Having taken these three factors into consideration the Daishonin
stated:
gI, Nichiren,
humble person though I am, have received Shakyamuni Buddhafs royal command and
have come to this country of Japan.
If I, Nichiren,
had not appeared in this country of Japan, the golden words of the Buddha would
have been in vain, and the proof demonstrated by Taho
Buddha would have been worthless. cWere it not for me, Nichiren, the words of
the Buddha would have been meaningless".
And in the gOne Hundred and Six Comparisonsh, the Daishonin stated:
gMy true identity
is the Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom. My provisional identity is the
reincarnation of Bodhisattva Jogyo, Nichiren, the
present Great Master of the Essential Teaching.h
This reveals that Bodhisattva Jogyo is still
His provisional identity. The true, ultimate identity is the Buddha of
Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom who has existed from the very beginning of the
remotest past.
The birth of Nichiren Daishonin signifies the advent of the True Buddha
of gthe eternal past, which is equal to the age of Mappoh and gthe Buddha of
Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom from the time of the eternal pasth in this age of
Mappo. The birth date of Nichiren Daishonin, February 16, 1222, was truly the
most significant day. Neither Shakyamuni, Tfian-tfai
nor Dengyo had previously revealed the greatest Buddhism in the entire
world. The Daishoninfs mission originated at the time
of His birth as a human being.
We should well understand the significance of the advent of Nichiren
Daishonin deep in our hearts, and appreciate the great debt of gratitude we owe
to Him. Let us make further efforts to propagate True Buddhism at this time.
Today, I have read a passage from the Gosho gOn the Buddhafs Behavior.h This Gosho was written by Nichiren Daishonin at Minobu in the second year of Kenji (1276), when He was 55 years old. It was a letter that was addressed to Konichi-ama, a nun who resided in Amatsu, which is located inside Awa Province. The Gosho preaches the behavior Nichiren Daishonin took while refuting heresy and upholding the truth and the endurance of persecution to propagate the Law, especially during the period where Nichiren Daishonin discarded His provisional identity and revealed His true identity (Hosshaku Kempon) through the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, His exile to Sado Island, and His entry into Mt. Minobu.
This passage expresses that we, as common mortals, are willing to sacrifice our lives for our family, jobs, or things within our ordinary life. When it comes to sacrificing for the protection and propagation of this Buddhism, however, it becomes very difficult to do so But, even if we encounter difficulties or hardships that threatens our very lives, if we have the power of faith and practice strong enough to avoid going taiten, then we are also capable enough to accomplish our goals that we pledged to the Gohonzon. Nichiren Daishonin mentions in the Gosho gThe Gift of Riceh,
Yet even
common mortals can attain Buddhahood if they cherish one thing: earnest faith.
It is clear that through our practice of faith where one should
spread the Buddha's teachings even though it may cost him his life, namely, to
seriously and strongly pursue the path towards enlightenment and strive with
strong devotion, we can attain enlightenment and the will of Nichiren
Daishonin, Kosen-rufu.
Through the protection and propagation of this True Buddhism, and for the
sake of seeking the truth, we are capable of living in peace and boundless joy
from the Law.
In our daily lives, we will surely encounter the four sufferings of
birth, death, illness, and aging. Through our encounters with the four
sufferings we react in many different ways: we worry, we suffer, we rejoice, we
are pleased, going through these emotional swings. It is a natural for anyone.
It also means that we are easily swayed by these swings and find it difficult
to establish who we are.
If you recall, Shijo Kingo was serving his Lord, Ema
Mitsutoki. Shijo Kingo did shakubuku him, resulting
in Lord Ema's anger, and Shijo was ordered not to
leave his house. During this time, many of his co-workers slandered him, and he
was emotionally drained by all of this. It was during that time Nichiren
Daishonin gave His golden words in the Gosho gHappiness in this Worldh.
Suffer
what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering
and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,
no matter what happens. Then you will experience boundless joy from the Law.
Strengthen your faith more than ever.
Whenever we encounter pain or suffering in life, we often think to
ourselves, gWhy am I dealing with pain and suffering when Ifm doing this
practice? Is it because of my lack in faith? Or the lack of shodai?h
We are hesitant to ask this question, if even pointed out by someone else. When
that happens, we always put on a bold front, and deny any existence of pain or
suffering. But Nichiren Daishonin clearly states that we should accept the
suffering that we face. Accept it as it is, for it is not a sign of weakness,
but a sign that we are willing to accept and overcome anything that we might
face.
Also, we should enjoy whatever there is to enjoy, and through our
chanting of Daimoku, we are able to live through pain and joy without being
swayed by them, and live a peaceful life.
By holding absolute faith in the Gohonzon, chanting Daimoku, and
striving in this practice, we are able to open up to the unlimited boundless
joy from the Law.
68th High Priest Nichinyo Shonin guides us with the
following:
gWhen we are
practicing and encounter difficulty, we think that something is going to
happen. But that is not the case. The guardian deities will definitely protect
us. But, there is going to be a struggle within ourselves, so we must overcome
that. If we do not take that first step forward, the deities will not protect
us. This is very importantc. This passage tells us to make the determination to
conduct shakubuku.h
As you well know by now, 68th High Priest Nichinyo Shonin has
set up two goals for us to accomplish. One is to increase our membership 50% by
2015, and the other is to have 800,000 members worldwide by 2021, the 800th
anniversary of the advent of the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin. The goal for
2015 is very crucial for us if we are to accomplish the goal of 2021. Letfs
strive in our practice of conducting shakubuku, daily Gongyo and Shodai, and
continue the growth and development of ourselves, as
well as the development of Myogyoji Temple.
In closing, I wish for further development of faith and greater health
and happiness for each and everyone here today. Thank you very much.