The Buddhism of Hope

“True cause” (honnin myo) means that we don’t need to waste time and energy regretting things that we can’t change in our past, but should focus on the actions we can actually take in the present to create positive effects in our future. 

In the Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra: volume VI (pp244 – 245), SGI Study Department leader, Katsuji Saito, and President Daisaku Ikeda have the following conversation about true cause and true effect:

Saito:  To continually go forward – this is the Buddhism of the True Cause Ikeda:  Now is eternity.  Right now is the beginning.  The past is gone.  The future has not yet arrived.  The present moment is all that exists. …      To view this present moment of life as the direct effect of some cause in the past is to think in terms of the true effect.  To think, in other words, “I did that, so this happened.”  But that perspective alone will not give rise to hope.  The key is to view one’s life at the present moment as the cause for creating future effects.  This is the true cause that reaches the very depths of one’s being.  It is not a superficial cause. … This Is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the eternal cosmic life, the great principle that moves the entire universe and sparks constant development.  … When we believe in the Gohonzon as the embodiment of that Law, chant the Mystic Law and take action, at that moment we are experiencing eternity. Saito:  So the point is that each moment is time without beginning and everything always starts from now. Ikeda:  This is faith based on the Buddhism of the true cause.  Faith means to have boundless hope.   No matter how bad our present circumstances might be, even If it seems we are fighting a losing battle, we must stand up determined not to be defeated and from there show actual proof of the limitless potential of the Mystic Law.  Is this not the true purpose of faith?

We don’t need to wait until New Year’s Day, next month or even next week, to make a resolution or determination, we simply have to make the decision to plant positive seeds TODAY, NOW, AT THIS VERY MOMENT, and in EVERY MOMENT, of our lives.