Lecture in Praise of Nichiren Daishonin July 2013, Oko Lecture The Mission of Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism (Rissho ankoku) According to the dictionary, the “land” (kuni) refers to a “nation,” a “country,” or “land that is under the control of a government established on the earth.” (The Great Dictionary of the Japanese Language [Nippon kokugo dai-jiten], vol. 4, p. 954) Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following in his Gosho, “The Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country” (Kyoki jikoku-sho): Among lands, there are those that are cold, hot, poor, prosperous, centrally located, peripheral, large, and small; there are also lands that are committed to theft, those that are committed to killing life, and those that do not uphold filial piety. (Gosho, p. 271) Thus, the simple word “land” can represent countries of different sizes and those with variations in population density, climate, history, culture, and languages. There are countless differences among them. However, regardless of the differences in size and history, the fact remains that the essential basis of all lands is ultimately the earth. Let us assume, for argument’s sake, that the earth came to exist on January 1 and that time until today amounts to one year. According to this assumption, the first primeval life came about on February 25. Fishes came into existence on November 20. The age of the dinosaurs lasted from December 13 through the 26, and the first ancestors of humans appeared at approximately 8 p.m. on December 31. And the time since the beginning of farming and raising domesticated animals and the present time amounts to the last one minute and eight seconds of the year. (This is referenced from the website: “How to Progress in the 21st Century on the Cosmic Calendar.”) We can see from the perspective of the history of the earth that humans are extreme newcomers. Conversely, we can say that the natural environment was created over an incredibly long period of time before the advent of humans. However, in this very short time, we, as humans, have repeatedly damaged and contaminated the environment. It is frightening that we have affected Mother Earth to the extent that numerous forms of life have been forced into crisis situations. These current conditions represent none other than the evil age of the five impurities, as predicted in the Expedient Means (Hōben; second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. During Shakyamuni’s lifetime three thousand years ago, it is likely that there still were remnants of primitive ways of life. We cannot help but be impressed by the Buddha’s infinite foresight and wisdom, since he accurately predicted the conditions that would prevail today. These five impurities do not represent isolated occurrences in a single country. They occur ubiquitously in numerous countries and among various nations, as they mutually affect one another. Who should take responsibility for these conditions? We, as humans, are the only ones who are able to change these circumstances. In the Rissho ankoku-ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism), the Chinese character that Nichiren Daishonin uses for the word “land” (koku) is most frequently the one that combines the country or enclosing-box radical (kuni gamae) with the character for “people” (min). This choice clearly reveals Nichiren Daishonin’s conviction that a country must be governed by the people. When the people change, the land changes; and when the land changes, the global environment also changes. In the process in which the five impurities progress, the root causes are earthly desires, known as the impurity of desire (bonnō joku), and the impurity of ideologies and modes of thought, known as the impurity of view (ken joku). These impurities and earthly desires accumulate and advance to bring about the impurity of living beings (shujō joku), in which all of society falls into a condition of impurity and chaos. When we continue to live in a social environment characterized by the impurity of living beings and are affected by it, the condition in which life is impure becomes the normal daily routine for us. As a result, our life force is weakened in both body and mind, and we advance to the stage of the impurity of life itself (myō joku). Finally, the impurity of the age (kō joku) is a condition in which society cannot be purified for a long time and remains in that condition, as though it is one long period. Governments and societies solely try to correct the middle stages of the impurity of the people and the impurity of life. However, the fundamental causes of the five impurities lie in the impurity of earthly desires and the impurity of thought in humans. Therefore, an ultimate resolution cannot be achieved as long as these two impurities are not cleansed. If leaking gas from the kitchen fills up the house, we can temporarily avoid a disaster by opening all the windows and evacuating the building. However, the fundamental resolution lies in stopping the leak by placing a regulator in the gas pipe. The same is true for the impurities of humans. Simply put, the impurity of earthly desires and the impurity of thought represent life conditions in which the people are focused only on their own gains. They arise from the three poisons of greed, anger, and stupidity. In order to purify and transform the three poisons, we must chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo to the Gohonzon, representing the life condition of truth, so that we can activate our Buddha nature. This is true for everyone, regardless of nationality, race, age, and gender. In “The Teaching Affirmed by all Buddhas of the Three Existences” (“Sanze shobutsu sōkanmon-shō”), Nichiren Daishonin states: Even though one may possess the Buddha nature of the three causes, without a karmic bond with a good influence (zen chishiki), one is unable to be enlightened to it, know it, and manifest it. The karmic bond is called such because it manifests itself without fail when one associates with a good Buddhist influence. (Gosho, p. 1426) Thus, even though we possess the Buddha nature, if we do not encounter the Gohonzon, the supreme good influence, we are unable to call forth and activate it. Let us take, for example, a magnet and an iron rod. The iron rod does not possess magnetic power but, after a prolonged period of association with a magnet, it can gain the same power as that magnet. In other words, the iron rod, through its association with the magnet, is able to manifest its latent magnetic potential. In the same way, when we embrace and worship the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, we are able to activate our Buddha nature and cleanse ourselves of the three poisons. When numerous people are able to achieve this, it is possible to stop the deterioration of social conditions and the destruction of the natural environment caused by the five impurities. In the Risshō ankoku-ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism), Nichiren Daishonin wrote: If you truly desire your own peace and security, should you not first pray for peace of the entire nation? (Gosho, p. 249; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 40) Our own security and happiness always are affected by our environment. Even if we are able to temporarily achieve our own happiness, it will be extinguished immediately if our family encounters a crisis, if problems occur in our relationships with people at work or with our neighbors, or if the safety of our country is threatened. Therefore, when we strive to establish the security of our families, living environment, and nation, we are able to achieve our own true happiness. The spirit that is carried through not only in the title but also throughout the Risshō ankoku-ron is the fact that we must achieve the security of the land as our first priority by establishing the truth. We cannot establish the truth by waiting for the security of the land to materialize. It is no easy feat to establish the truth—that is, to refute erroneous religions and the doctrines and values that are based on them. However, if we do not do this, it will be impossible to effect a change in our own lives. If one person’s life does not change, then the environment around him remains unchanged. Then, how would it be possible to effect a change in the country or in the world? A passage in the Risshō ankoku-ron states: You must immediately renounce your erroneous belief and take faith in the supreme teaching of the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. Then this entire threefold world will become the Buddha land. How could the Buddha land ever decline? All the lands in the ten directions will transform into treasure realms. How could a treasure realm ever fall to ruin? If the nation never declines and the land is indestructible, you will find safety and peace of mind. (Gosho, p. 250; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 42) We must advance with devotion and do shakubuku with the conviction that we can achieve peace in our land and the entire world, through the small but correct accumulation of our determination, based on the principle of the oneness of life and its environment (eshō funi). As priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, we are the only people who are aware of the fundamental cause of the delusion and confusion that exists in the world today and who know what must be done to bring about a resolution. Knowing the way to bring salvation to the land, we must never be uncompassionate individuals who do not take action. The Teachers of the Law (Hosshi; tenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra states that those who expound the Lotus Sutra for the sake of others are the envoys of the Tathagata. This chapter teaches us to follow the principle of the three rules of preaching—the robe, the throne, and the room—and widely propagate the teaching by doing shakubuku. In other words, the security and peace of the world is dependent on our propagation efforts. Even if we encounter various obstacles and devilish functions that try to impede our progress, we must understand that now is the time to fulfill our mission as the envoy of the Tathagata. On the occasion of the Hokkeko Meeting for Kotos held in March of this year, our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin clearly explained: We are not politicians; nor are we diplomats. In secular terms, we are ordinary citizens. However, what is it that we can do? Indeed, when we look upon this from the perspective of true Buddhism, we are able to establish the truth and bring peace to the land. This is the doctrine that was presented to us by the Daishonin, the True Buddha. (Dainichiren, vol. 807, p. 51) We always must look at the actual conditions that exist in our world today. Let’s never lose sight of the fact that the purpose of doing shakubuku is to transform our environment, including the physical environment and all of society, into a secure and peaceful Buddha land. We must be constantly mindful of this objective and do shakubuku, even as we endure all hardships and difficulties. Let us follow the principle of the robe, the throne, and the room, and uphold the spirit to be willing to give our lives for the propagation of the Law (the throne). Let’s engage others with great compassion (the room). Finally, let us advance together and fulfill our great objective, starting with the successful achievement of our goals for 2015.
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 02:51:47 +0000
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