What is Kosen Rufu?

Now I Entrust It To You

I used to have a very vague idea of what kosen-rufu was and just had some image of world peace. During kosen-rufu gongyo (an hour of daimoku for “kosen rufu” on the first Sunday of the month in the UK) I would chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" and think about politicians hugging or people of all different nations holding hands in a circle and kids playing without a care in the world.

 

2011 was a terrible year for news and many people were being blown all over the place between Hell and Rapture in response to the news and events around the world on a nightly basis. The riots across London in August made people feel that life just didn’t seem worth living. They thought what the hell is going on. And at times, even I wondered if the SGI really could make a difference in people’s lives and deal with problems on this scale?

 

A few days later the broom brigade came out. People had gathered together through an internet campaign to clean up the streets. Life seemed much brighter and people started to feel more hopefully about the future. They realized, as did I. that people could make a difference within their communities. We can pick up a broom. We can volunteer to help with various causes. We can make donations to relief funds and charities. All of these activities can make a difference in our communities and make us feel better, but they are often short term fixes. We need long-term solutions to the problems in our communities and around the world. It was then that I really started thinking about the importance of kosen-rufu. I had a look online and found this quote by President Ikeda:

 

“For the members of the SGI, kosen-rufu means the ceaseless effort to enhance the value of human dignity, to awaken all people to a sense of their limitless worth and potential.”

I know it’s impossible for me to awaken ALL people to their limitless worth and potential, but I can influence the people around me.

We all know the phrase charity begins at home and the same is true of kosen-rufu. Kosen-rufu begins with us. It’s the example we set in our lives. The way we shine in our families, workplaces, schools and communities. It’s treating the people around us with respect and relating to them as individuals who possess the same potential to reveal their Buddhahood that we do. We smile warmly at the people we meet, and say a few words of greeting to a neighbour. This shared humanity creates value in our communities. Other people start to feel good about themselves and this good feeling will spread through the lives of the people they come into contact with as well.

People will pick up that we have something different about us. We seem to flow through life, riding the waves of the obstacles that come up. It doesn’t mean we don’t suffer at the break up of a relationship, the death of a loved one, being made redundant, etc. Everyone experiences loss in their lives, but it’s the positive way we deal with it and the growth in our personal development and faith that makes us shine.

 

In Chapter 22 of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni says “Now I entrust it to you. You must accept, uphold, recite and broadly propagate this Law”. Joining the SGI and receiving our Gohonzon is like getting married and it’s a lifetime, eternal commitment. By receiving our Gohonzon we are promising to accept, uphold, recite and broadly propagate the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra in accordance with the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin to fulfil our vows as Votaries of the Lotus Sutra. We are committing our lives to the Mystic Law, our individual human revolution, shakubuku and kosen rufu.

 

KOSEN RUFU = HUMAN REVOLUTION + SHAKUBUKU

Kosen rufu needs both of these. There’s no point improving ourselves if we don’t also tell other people how to tap into the unlimited potential in their own lives. It doesn’t matter how good the teaching is, if we decide to keep it to ourselves. Similarly, there’s no point in telling others about our faith if we all decide to accept our own fundamental darkness and flaws, settling for anything less than being the best we can be. We need to work on our own weaknesses to become outstanding members of society and teach people about Nichiren Buddhism while we are doing it.

Changing Society One Person At A Time

How do societies change? They change because people change. As people change they change the way they vote, the way they relate to others and the things that are important to them. John F Kennedy said, “Our problems are manmade – therefore, they can be solved by man. And man can be as big as he wants.”

 

Our mission as Bodhisattvas of the Earth is to rise up and help ourselves, and other people, to be as big as they want to be. To help them awaken their fundamental enlightenment, improving their lives and leading them to a state of absolute happiness. And then to join us in our mission to spread the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Buddhism far and wide.

You don’t need to be scared of talking to others. Just do your best to teach them about the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra and how to achieve happiness in their lives. If people are encouraged to embrace the faith straight away that’s great. But, even if they don’t, what’s important is that you have stirred up their life. You have spoken to their Buddha nature and planted a seed of compassionate wisdom and absolute joy in their lives. When they are ready for it to grow, it will be there waiting. They may not appreciate it at the time, but talking to them about Buddhism will be the greatest gift they will ever receive.

To be honest, we have no idea how far-reaching our words could be. President Ikeda was invited to his first meeting by an old school friend. I don’t know where that school friend is today, but we can clearly see the effects of his shakubuku on our organisation. All of President Ikeda’s achievements over the last 60 years came about because a friend invited him to a discussion meeting. When we talk to our friends and invite them to our meetings we have no idea how far this invitation could take them personally or to what extent it could benefit society.

2012 has had its share of positive news, such as the London Olympics and the Queen's Jubilee, but there has also been a fair share of negative news as well -floods, hurricanes, corporate tax evasion, predatory paedophiles, a new war bubbling under in the Middle East, etc. As depressing as these news stories can be, as Nichiren Buddhists we are filled with hope.

This practise is not about having no reaction to bad news and disasters, it’s about dealing with those emotions in the higher life states of learning, realization, bodhisattva and Buddhahood. It’s about focussing our emotions on taking action and bringing about real lasting results in society by changing one person at a time.

 

WE CAN DO THAT. WE CAN TALK TO ONE PERSON. AND THEN WE CAN TALK TO ANOTHER. AND ANOTHER …

 

We are not helpless. Kosen-rufu is about knowing we can do something. We can talk to people about our faith. We can change people’s attitudes, one by one. Together, we can change our communities. We can change our cities. We can change our country. We can change the world.

Kosen-rufu is going on right now. It’s not a state of world peace in a hundred years time. It’s not some fuzzy image of people all over the world holding hands or politicians hugging. It’s the clear, bright flow of Shakyamuni’s wisdom (as revealed in the Lotus Sutra) in our lives today. Kosen-rufu IS the life-force of Nichiren Buddhism.

 

“Kosen-rufu is not merely a campaign for expanding the membership of the Soka Gakkai. It is the process whereby people who have changed their own lives through human revolution, influence their families, their local community and ultimately the nation. … Soka Gakkai members who have revolutionised their own lives, will display their abilities in their daily activities creating great waves. The waves will gradually form a new tide surging towards the next century contributing greatly to the eventual change in the destiny of all humankind.”(The Human Revolution: Vol. 9, p120)