The Teacher of The Law

Last time I looked at Shakyamuni’s enlightenment after overcoming temptation from the devil under the Pipal (Bodhi) tree, and this time I wanted to look at how he started to teach this profound wisdom and how his teachings developed until the time of his death.

Turning to Chapter 2 of the Lotus Sutra, we find that Shakyamuni wanted to teach people but worried they wouldn’t be able to grasp this profound teaching.  T’ien-T’ai believed from his research - and the following extract - that Shakyamuni tried to teach the Flower Garland Sutra and the interconnectedness of everything to the local people during this 21 day period, and their inability to understand gave him cause for concern.  In his earlier teachings Shakyamuni mentioned the re-appearance of Mara encouraging him not to teach this law to others as they wouldn’t understand it.  This was followed by the appearance of Brahma to encourage him to share this wisdom with the world.  In the Lotus Sutra we don’t have the appearance of Mara, but the text shows that Shakyamuni was struggling to think of how he could teach people and whether his efforts would be worthwhile or not. 

“When I first sat in the place of enlightenment and gazed at the tree and walked around it for the space of three times seven days I pondered the matter in this way.  The wisdom I have attained, I thought, is subtle, wonderfull, the foremost.  But living beings, dull in capacity, are addicted to pleasure and blinded by foolishness.  With persons such as this, what can I say, how can i save them?

 At that time the Brahma kings, along with the heavenly king Shakra, the four heavenly kings who guard the world, and the heavenly king Great Freedom, in company with other heavenly beings and their hundreds and thousands and ten thousands of followers, reverently pressed their palms together and bowed, begging me to turn the wheel of the Law.

Immediately I thought to myself that if I merely praised the buddha vehicle, then the living beings, sunk in their suffering, would be incapable of believing in this Law.  And because they rejected the Law and failed to believe in it, they would fall into the three evil paths.”  (LSOC2, p76 - 77)

Previous teachings mention that next Mara said to Shakyamuni that rather than live with the knowledge that he would be unable to save people he should take his own life and enter nirvana, but again in the Lotus Sutra we find this as an internal thought process that is quickly resolved, when Shakyamuni decides to break this wisdom down into more manageable chunks of information that would be easier for people to understand:

“It would be better if I did not preach the Law but quickly entered into nirvana.  Then my thoughts turned to the buddhas of the past and the power of expedient means they had employed, and I thought that the way I had now attained should likewise be preached as three vehicles.”  (LSOC2, p 77)

This internal dialogue is interesting because it shows that a Buddha, or someone enlightened to the reality of the universe, is not a God or someone who has escaped from the suffering and pain of everyday life.  They still face the same trials, temptations, desires and sufferings as others, but choose to make continuous efforts, drawing on this Buddhist wisdom, to make the right choices in their life.  

Throughout the rest of his lifetime, Shakyamuni taught thousands of sutra in an effort to lead people towards Buddhahood and to fulfil his “... vow, hoping to make all persons equal to [him], without any distinction between us.”  (LSOC2, p70).  Some of these sutra were very short and some very long, some were based on useful practices and skills, others based on useful knowledge.  Some were stand alone teachings, some refuted what had gone before and others confirmed that previous sutra were the true path to Buddhahood.  In 6th century China, T’ien-T’ai categorised all of these teachings into periods and he came up with the following: 

PERIOD	YEARS TAUGHT	SUTRA	NOTES
THE   FLOWER   GARLAND   PERIOD	21 DAYS	Avatamsaka Sutra (Flower Garland Sutra)	Shakyamuni’s first attempt to lead people to enlightenment proved too challenging at the time and he realised he would need to break the teaching down into smaller steps that people could understand.
THE   AGAMA   PERIOD	12  YEARS	PALI CANON	This was the start of the Hinayana, or Therevadan, teachings.  Both the Therevadan and Vinaya schools come from this period, as do the early schools of RITSU and  SHINGON.
THE   CORRECT   AND   EQUAL   PERIOD	8 YEARS	Early Mahayana Sutra, including Vimalakirti, Muryoju, Amitayus & Amida Sutras.  This period also included some of the esoteric sutras.	At this time Shakyamuni refuted the earlier teachings and started to teach the provisional Mahayana teachings.  Some of them focus on ways to be reborn into a perfect land in the next life.  The PURE LAND school comes from these teachings, as do some of the later ideas of the SHINGON and RITSU schools and the ZEN schools.
THE   WISDOM   PERIOD	22 YEARS	Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, The Heart Sutra and the Diamond Sutra	These refute the provisional Mahayana teachings and lead people to a higher level Mahayana teaching, such as supreme wisdom, non-substantiality, etc. in preparation for his final teachings.
THE   LOTUS   PERIOD	LAST 8 YEARS OF HIS LIFE	Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Sutra on How to Practice Meditation on Bodhisattva Universal Worthy and the Nirvana Sutra	The earlier teachings allowed followers to overcome the earthly desires that were understood to cause suffering and achieve a state of peace and calm, but Shakyamuni now felt the time was right to reveal in The Lotus Sutra how all people could acquire the same profound enlightenment he himself had attained.  These teachings are the foundation of the early Tendai schools and Nichiren Buddhism.

 

As you can see, the final years of Shakyamuni’s life were dedicated to revealing the complete wisdom that he had awoken to more than 40 years before.  He now felt that he had laid all of the groundwork necessary and, although he still knew that “the door to this wisdom [was] difficult to understand and difficult to enter”  (LSOC2, p56), he decided the time was right to teach the complete truth of the universe, life and death and how to achieve absolute happiness in this lifetime.   This ultimate teaching was the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra, including it’s opening and closing sutra, and his final teaching, delivered on the day he died, was the Nirvana Sutra.  This DIDN’T replace the Lotus Sutra, but confirmed that the Lotus Sutra was his final teaching which contained the complete wisdom of his enlightenment.  He also wanted to warn his followers that Mara (the Devil King) would change his shape into that of a Buddha and try to destroy Shakyamuni’s correct teaching.  For this reason, the Nirvana Sutra also advised his disciples that they should continue to follow the Mystic Law of the Universe, rather than deifying or worshipping him (or any other future Buddhist leaders).  

NEXT TIME – A look at some of the early Buddhist teachings.

Breaking Dawn - Awakening

 

In previous posts I looked at the early part of Shakyamuni's journey in "The Prince and The Pipal", and the temptations he faced under the Pipal tree (which later became known as a Bodhi tree) in "The Devil and The Buddha" . Here, Daisaku Ikeda continues the story of Gautama's enlightenment:

“After overcoming the onslaught of devilish forces, Shakyamuni's mind was left fresh and invigorated, his spirit as clear as a cloudless blue sky.

Having secured an impervious inner state, Shakyamuni now focused on his past. No sooner had he looked back over his present life, than images of his immediately preceding life began to appear. As he continued this inner quest, memories of countless former existences came back to him vividly one after another. And further beyond that still, he recalled countless formations and destructions of the universe.

Shakyamuni realized that his present existence as he sat meditating under the pipal tree was part of an endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, which had continued since time without beginning. He thus awakened to the eternal nature of life that spans past, present and future.

At that moment, all fears and doubts which had resided in the depths of his life like a heavy sediment since birth evaporated. He had arrived at last at the deep, unshakable roots of his own existence. He felt the darkness of illusion that shrouded him fall away as the brilliant light of wisdom illuminated his life. He had unlocked within himself a state of being akin to commanding a clear, unhindered view in all directions from atop a lofty mountain peak.

With this sharply focused inner vision, Shakyamuni turned his attention to the karma of all living beings. Images of all kinds of people undergoing endless cycles of birth and death passed through his mind. Some were born into misery while others, into fortunate circumstances. With single-minded concentration, Shakyamuni traced the cause of this discrepancy.

"Those burdened by the karma to be unhappy," he observed silently, "have in some past lifetime, through their actions, words or thoughts, committed evil deeds and slandered the practitioners of the Buddhist Law. Their attachment to erroneous views formed the basis for mistaken actions.

In contrast, those who were good and virtuous in their actions, words and thoughts, who did not slander practitioners of the Buddhist Law and conducted themselves correctly based on correct views, enjoyed happiness in later existences.

"The present life is determined by karma accumulated from past existences, while future existences are determined by our actions in this life."

Shakyamuni now clearly understood this. He plainly discerned the uncompromising law of cause and effect operating in people's lives throughout the unending cycle of life and death.

Dawn was drawing near. At the very moment the morning star began to shine in the eastern sky, something happened....

Like a limitless, penetrating beam of light, Shakyamuni's wisdom suddenly broke through to illuminate the eternal, immutable truth of life.

In that instant, Shakyamuni attained a profound awakening. He had finally become a Buddha--one enlightened to the supreme truth. It was as if a door within his life had been thrown open to the entire universe, and he was released from all illusion. He felt he could now move and act freely based upon the Law of life. It was a state he had never experienced before in this lifetime.

Now Shakyamuni understood:   The entire universe is subject to the same constant rhythm of creation and change. This applies equally to human beings. Those now in infancy are destined to grow old and eventually die and then to be reborn again. Nothing, either in the world of nature or human society, knows even a moment of stillness or rest. All phenomena in the universe emerge and pass into extinction through the influence of some external cause. Nothing exists in isolation; all things are linked together over space and time, originating in response to shared causal relationships. Moreover, a Law of life permeates the entire process."

Shakyamuni had grasped the wondrous truth of existence. He was convinced that he could develop himself limitlessly through this Law he had awakened to. All criticism, obstacles and hardships would be nothing more than dust before the wind.

Shakyamuni thought:  "Unaware of this absolute truth, people live under the illusion that they exist independently of one another. This ultimately makes them prisoners of their desires, estranging them from the Law of life, the eternal and unchanging truth of existence. They wander about in darkness and sink into unhappiness and suffering.  But such darkness stems from delusions in one's own life. Not only is such spiritual darkness the source of all evils, but also the essential cause of people's suffering over the realities of birth, aging, sickness and death. By confronting this delusion and ignorance in our own lives, we can open the way to true humanity and indestructible happiness."

As the sun rose over the horizon, its bright light began to dispel the morning mist. It was truly a radiant dawn of happiness and peace for all humankind.
Bathed in the joy of his awakening to the Law, Shakyamuni watched the light of a new morning spread across the land.”

(These extracts come form the website http://www.sgi.org/sgi-president/writings-by-sgi-president-ikeda/on-shakyamuni.html and are from Daisaku Ikeda's history of the SGI "The New Human Revolution: Vol. 3" (SGI-USA, 1996).  The picture "Exploding Sun" is credited to schnuffibossi1 and comes from http://magicpineapples.wordpress.com/.)

Once enlightened, Siddhartha Gautama became more commonly known as Shakyamuni  (meaning "Sage of the Shakyas") and Shakyamuni Buddha.  But now that he had awakened to the Law, would he teach it to others?  And if so, how would he teach it so they could fully understand this profound wisdom?   (To be continued ...)

      

The Devil and The Buddha

(Continued from the previous post "The Prince and the Pipal".)

Most of the information we have about Gautama’s enlightenment comes from a combination of word of mouth and his own teachings, but these are not always infallible.  We will look at this in a future post about Shakyamuni as a “Teacher of the Law”, and how when he came to teach others about the way to achieve enlightenment he had to break the reality of his enlightenment into stages, so that people would be able to understand the profound truth he had awoken to.  In the same way, some of these early teachings also serve as an approximation  of the Buddha’s enlightenment, but as these were also adapted to the people’s understanding at various stages of his teaching, and are a combination of fact, verse, and allegory, as Nichiren Buddhists we need to view them in terms of the knowledge we have from the Lotus Sutra.   These early teachings, as we shall see later, are not essential to our practice, but they do give us an insight into how Shakyamuni attempted to lead his followers and disciples during the early years of his teaching to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra.
 

 

One of the most famous sutra that outlines Gautama’s enlightenment is the Padhana Sutra in which he talks about “Mara”, “Namuci” (another name for Mara meaning “He who does not let go of his hold over other beings easily”) and “O Evil One”. 

So, returning to Gautama’s spiritual journey, in this sutra, we join him cleansed, refreshed and nourished sitting beneath the Pipal tree meditating.  Shakyamuni then mentions the arrival of Namuci, who “encourages” him to give up his fast and meditation and instead choose to live, explaining that if he chooses life he can achieve great things: 

"When, near the river Nerañjara, I exerted myself in meditation for attaining to security from bondage,  there came Namuci speaking words of compassion:

"'You are emaciated and ill-looking, you are near to death! A thousand parts of you belong to death and only a fraction of you is alive. Live, good Sir! It is better to live. Living you may perform meritorious deeds. ... It is difficult to enter the path of exertion, it is difficult to do, difficult to maintain.'"

Gautama asks the Devil why he has come to him, a person with faith, energy, wisdom and purity:

"You who are the friend of the negligent, O Evil One, for what reason have you come here? Those who still have use for merit Mara may consider worthwhile addressing. I have faith and energy and wisdom. Being thus bent on striving why do you ask me to live? ... In me, who abides enduring such an extreme experience, the mind does not long for sensual pleasures. See the purity of a being!”

And then Gautama reveals that he is not easily deceived by the Devil and exposes the many faces that Mara uses to try and trick people:

"Sensual desire is your first army, the second is called discontent, the third is hunger and thirst, the fourth craving, the fifth sluggishness and laziness, the sixth fear, the seventh indecision, and the eighth disparagement of others and stubbornness: gain, fame, honor, prestige wrongly acquired and whoever praises himself and despises others -- these, Namuci, are your armies ... A lazy, cowardly person cannot overcome them, but by conquering them one gains bliss.”

Finally Gautama proclaims that he will defeat this Devil, and then teach others how to do the same:

"It is better for me to die in battle than to live defeated ... I am going out to fight so that [Mara] may not shift me from my position. This army of yours, which the world together with the devas is unable to subdue, I will destroy with wisdom, like an unbaked clay-bowl with a stone. Having mastered the mind and firmly established mindfulness I shall wander from country to country guiding many disciples."

Mara then admits defeat and disappears disappointed:

"For seven years I followed the [Buddha] step by step but did not find an opportunity to defeat that mindful Awakened One.  Overcome by sorrow ... thereupon the unhappy spirit disappeared from that place.”

We can see from this sutra that Mara had been constantly by Gautama’s side for the last seven years, and there are other reports of other temptations by Mara (the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven), including an attempted seduction by three female devils (manifestations of Mara) and other challenges to renounce his spiritual journey in favour of returning to the political realm of being a leader of his people, rather than allowing them to suffer under the control of a less humanistic ruler. 

In these teachings, Mara and his army of spiritual demons represent a personification of evil, but within Buddhism, especially Nichiren Buddhism, these devils and demons are the functions in life and the fundamental darkness that resides in the hearts of people.  They are the negative thoughts that creep into our minds, especially when we are tired or feeling low, making us doubt ourselves, lose confidence or procrastinate.  They can attach themselves to some of our basic desires such as hunger, thirst, and the instant gratification of sensual desires to try and interrupt our practice of Buddhism.   And they are also the destructive emotions that reside in the hearts and minds of other people (or indeed ourselves!) such as anger, arrogance, jealousy, hatred, lust, pride, vanity and egotistical tendencies that lead to belittling others to boost one's own standing, ridicule, persecution, torture and murder.   (To be continued ... )

The Prince And The Pipal

Siddhartha Gautama, who later become known as Shakyamuni Buddha, was born about 2,500 years ago to King Shuddhodana and Queen Maya, rulers of the Shakya people, a small tribe located at the foot of the Himalaya mountains.  His family’s kingdom was small, but as a prince, he wanted for nothing and lived a life of luxury.  

Within Buddhist tradition the story goes that Gautama’s journey of enlightenment began with four meetings outside the Eastern, Southern, Western and Northern palace gates with an old man, a sick person, a dead body and an ascetic (someone who has renounced material comfort and leads a life of austere self-discipline often as an act of religious devotion).  Whether this story is true or not, or whether he was just aware of the suffering of people in general, Gautama decided to embark on a search to understand how to overcome the sufferings of life and death.  His father was against this, but Siddhartha managed to sneak out of the house and embarked on his quest.

Indian society was generally following the Brahmanic traditions, based on the Hindu texts, the Vedas, but new religions were also gaining in popularity which rejected these traditions.  Some were based on lives of hedonism and complete materialism and others on lives of extreme self-denial and fatalism.   None of these seemed to provide answers to the questions he had about the reality of life and even after studying with a couple of masters of yogic meditation and achieving the same level as them, he felt that meditation had become the purpose of their life, rather than a method to discern the answers he was looking for.  He also joined a community of ascetics and endured several years of some of the severest austerities including long periods of fasting,  sleep deprivation, and other endurances.  But, even after pushing himself to the very limits of human endurance, his tortured body was no closer to a solution.
 

Turning his back on this community of ascetics he went to a river to bathe and a young girl from a nearby village offered him a bowl of rice and milk.  Feeling refreshed he sat beneath a pipal tree with his legs crossed in the lotus position.  Gautama then made a determination.  Combining the two practices of self-denial and meditation, he vowed to remain in this position, even if he were to die, until he attained enlightenment.  Gautama started to meditate, reflecting on his life, and his journey to this point.  And, as a result of this single-minded reflection and his battered body’s renewed energy and focus from being cleansed and nourished, his meditation took him deeper than he had ever gone before...   (to be continued ...)

Why a Mentor Disciple Day?

This isn't the first time I've written about the Mentor-Disciple Relationship but today I wanted to focus on WHY the SGI recognize July 3rd as Mentor-Disciple Day and what it signifies.

To check out previous posts on the mentor-disciple relationship go to mentor-disciple-day, part iv of leaders-of-the-pack and oneness-of-mentor-and-disciple or check out this summary of those previous posts:

1.      The mentor-disciple relationship has its basis in the Emerging from the Earth chapter of the Lotus Sutra when the Bodhisattvas of the Earth (the disciples) rise up and vow to Shakyamuni (the mentor) to spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra.

2.      According to Nichiren Daishonin, it’s our ties of karma that have destined us to become his disciple and according to the Lotus Sutra we will constantly be reborn in company with our teachers.  (The Ultimate Law of Life, WND-1, p217)

3.      In the Nirvana Sutra we are warned to "follow the Law not the person". Chanting allows us to awaken our Buddha wisdom and open our karmic ties to “see” the true nature of potential teachers and find a teacher who is following the Law (practising Nichiren Buddhism correctly) in their own lives.  

4.      President Ikeda is not our God or an object of worship, but a lay believer of Nichiren Buddhism and a Bodhisattva of the Earth.  Many SGI members have a deep respect and admiration for him and feel a deep gratitude towards him, based on his role as a spiritual advisor and as an inspirational role-model in faith. 

5.      The ONENESS of the mentor-disciple relationship is not about doing what we are told by our mentor, but taking responsibility for our lives, making decisions and practising Buddhism with the same intent, determination and purpose as our mentor. 

So what is the significance of July 3rd as Mentor-Disciple Day in the SGI?  Do we need a special day to reflect on this relationship?  Shouldn't we be giving thanks and expressing our gratitude to Shakyamuni, Nichiren Daishonin and our present mentor, Daisaku Ikeda, more frequently than once a year?  Well obviously we do, because we recite two of the most important sections from Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra twice a day and also express our gratitude and appreciation to our significant mentors in our twice daily prayers.

Some other Nichiren Buddhist schools seem to focus on the "mentor" part of Mentor-Disciple Day and see it as yet another example of how SGI members love to idolise President Ikeda and raise him even higher on his pedestal, but this couldn't be further from the truth.

So what did happen today to make this a significant day in the SGI calendar?  During World War 2,  the military government had demanded that all religions enshrine, and pray to, a Shinto talisman to show their support for the state religion.  At that time the Nichiren Shoshu school compromised their faith by acquiescing to the military and government pressure, and many of the founding members of the Soka Gakkai had turned their back on their faith for fear of persecution.  Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and his disciple Josei Toda however, refused to compromise their faith in Nichiren Buddhism and were sent to prison. 

Mr. Makiguchi died in prison for his beliefs on 18 November 1944, but the following year Josei Toda was released from Toyotama Prison on 3rd July.  After making his way home and witnessing the devastation of Japan, he knelt before his Gohonzon and cried out "Gohonzon and Nichiren Daishonin!  I, Josei Toda swear to work to achieve kosen-rufu"  (Human Revolution: Volume 1, p27).

Consequently, Mentor-Disciple Day is a time to remember Josei Toda's vow to the Gohonzon and Nichiren Daishonin to advance kosen-rufu, and a celebration of his determination to rebuild the Soka Gakkai and continue the sincere efforts of his mentor Tsunesaburo Makiguchi to awaken people to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra. 

It is this that SGI members honour on July 3rd, and throughout the month of July, by reaffirming our own determinations to stand up as Bodhisattvas of the Earth and embracing our commitment to advance kosen-rufu with the same sincerity and intention as our mentor, President Ikeda.  Mentor-Disciple Day is an opportunity for us to renew the promises we made to Shakyamuni Buddha to propagate the Mystic Law in the "Emerging from the Earth" chapter of the Lotus Sutra.

In the Gosho "Flowering and Bearing Grain" Nichiren writes, "If a tree is deeply rooted, its branches and leaves will never wither. If the spring is inexhaustible, the stream will never run dry. Without wood, a fire will burn out. Without earth, plants will not grow. ... It is said that, if a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell.  If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything.” (WND-1, p909) 

So ultimately, 3 July is a day when we can celebrate the strength we gain, and the benefit we receive, from this eternal bond of mentor and disciple.  WE can build on the results of Josei Toda's propagation campaigns conducted with the same spirit as Mr. Makiguchi, and WE can build on the results of President Ikeda's worldwide growth of kosen-rufu conducted with the same spirit as Josei Toda, by carrying out OUR OWN actions for shakubuku and growth with the same intent, determination and spirit as President Ikeda, based on the solid foundation of the Mystic Law of Shakyamuni's Lotus Sutra and the daimoku, wisdom and encouragement of Nichiren Daishonin.

Finally, I was thinking how nice it would be if anti-SGI groups and individuals took a moment to reflect on the debt of gratitude they might owe to President Ikeda instead of using Mentor-Disciple Day as another opportunity to criticise him and the SGI.  I genuinely believe that the SGI is practising Nichiren Buddhism correctly and that President Ikeda has been a strong influence in the development of my own understanding of Buddhism, but even people who think their own school of Nichiren Buddhism is the correct one may owe a debt of gratitude to President Ikeda.  You might now be a member of another Nichiren sect, or practice as an independent Nichiren Buddhists, but if you were introduced to Nichiren Buddhism by an SGI member, a former SGI member, or used to practise as an SGI member, you owe a debt of gratitude to President Ikeda for his worldwide advancement of kosen-rufu which has enabled you to encounter, and make a connection with, the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra.  

 

** In July 2015 I posted an entry about the origins of the mentor/disciple relationship with Shakyamuni: http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/mentor-disciple-origins-shakyamuni.html

** In July 2014 I posted an entry about making a great vow and the spirit of Mentor-Disciple Day:  http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2014/07/building-our-own-future.html

** And there is more information on the ONENESS of Mentor and Disciple here:      http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/oneness-of-mentor-and-disciple.html

The Fourteen Slanders

In reply to a letter from one of his followers about whether ordinary people can receive the same benefits as a priest by chanting daimoku, Nichiren Daishonin replies that they can, and that the only way you would reduce any benefit from chanting (as a priest or an ordinary person) would be if you acted against the intent of the Lotus Sutra.  He then lists the fourteen ways that people do this (through our attitude to ourselves and the Lotus Sutra - causes 1 to 10 - and through our attitude towards people who follow the Lotus Sutra - causes 11 to 14:

“There are fourteen evil causes: (1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering [the Law], (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges.” (The Fourteen Slanders, WND-1, p756)

In Chapter 28 of the Lotus Sutra (“Bodhisattva Universal Worthy”), it says that anyone who tries to expose the faults or evils of someone who accepts and upholds the Lotus Sutra, whether what they are saying is true or not, will suffer themselves!!!  So how can we deal with people that have these “faults or evils”? 

Satoru Izumi, a former vice-president of the Soka Gakkai, asked Mr. Makiguchi about this and he explained  “It all comes down to whether or not you have compassion.  If you point out another member’s errors out of a genuine desire to help him correct them, you are doing good.  On the other hand, if you do so only to criticize or disparage him, then even if what you say is true, you are doing wrong.” (Guidelines of Faith, p66)

“Take these teachings to heart, and always remember that believers in the Lotus Sutra should absolutely be the last to abuse one another."  (WND-1, p756)

For the Sake of Peace

In the Gosho, “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land”, Nichiren Daishonin advises us: “If you care anything about your personal security, you should first of all pray for order and tranquillity throughout the four quarters of the land, should you not?”  (WND-1, p24)

Life in thirteenth century Japan was a time of great social and political turmoil and after seeing the suffering of the nation, Nichiren Daishonin believed that it was due to the ruling government following an incorrect religion.  He dedicated himself to studying with the various schools of Buddhism and realized that the Lotus Sutra held the key to not just personal transformation and enlightenment, but also had the potential to transform society. 

From that moment on, he devoted his life to spreading the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra, encouraging his followers and trying to persuade influential figures in the government to change their faith and offering them solutions to Japan’s problems based on Shakyamuni’s most profound teaching.

Times have changed, as have political and economic structures, but the SGI has continued this spirit of trying to overcome the problems facing the world through Buddhist wisdom.

On 17^th February 1952, at a panel discussion of the youth division, Toda stated “I am not on the side of communism or “Americanism”.  I uphold the idea of ‘global nationalism’ (The Human Revolution: Vol. 5, p224).  He used the phrase chikyu minzokushugi (‘global nationalism’) in a context which might more naturally be called “global citizenship” today.  President Ikeda explains this ideal, stating “[W]e must create through kosen-rufu an era when, as Josei Toda put it, the conventional views of the state will be replaced by global nationalism – the realization of all mankind sharing in a common destiny.”  (The Human Revolution: Vol. 5, p227)

A few years later on 8^th September 1957, President Toda gave a speech at another youth event in which he made a declaration for the abolition of nuclear weapons.  This declaration became the foundation for the future direction of the Soka Gakkai, as a Nichiren Buddhist peace movement committed to respecting the dignity of human life through faith and humanistic principles.   

The SGI continues to raise awareness on a range of issues through petitions, exhibitions such as “From A Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace” (which can be seen here) and various publications and DVDs.  Between 1974 and 1985, Youth Division members collected together, and published, over 3,000 World War 2 experiences from victims of the war and the atomic bombs, and in 2005 the Women’s Peace Committee of the SGI made a DVD including the accounts of 31 female war survivors.

In addition, President Ikeda has maintained the momentum of this declaration through his annual peace proposals, dialogues with various world leaders, academics and philosophers, and other initiatives and sister organisations, such as the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research (see http://www.toda.org/).
 

Some of the early world issues that President Ikeda spoke out about were the immediate ceasefire in the Vietnam War (in 1966) and for improved diplomatic relations between Japan and China in 1968, but it wasn’t until 1983 that he started to write his annual Peace Proposals which are distributed to UN officials and NGOs (non-governmental organisations).  There have now been 31 of theses yearly proposals and in an article in The Seikyo Shimbun on 30 January 2007, Majid Tehranian, a former director of the Toda Institute for Global Peace and Policy Research, wrote:

“Each proposal which Daisaku Ikeda has sent to the world since 1983 has been impressive.  These proposals clearly express Mr. Ikeda’s passion for peace, reconciliation and co-operation in the world.  They arise from Buddhist humanism.  From that starting point, the vision for world peace calls for commitment from us as global citizens.  The proposals fall in the fields of disarmament, security and global governance.  Mr. Ikeda has conducted dialogue on a global scale.”

But have President Ikeda’s peace proposals made a difference, or do they just find their way into the nearest wastebasket?   The following table (taken from an article in The Art of Living in January 2008) lists just some of the initiatives recommended by President Ikeda and the subsequent responses.

YEAR	PROPOSAL	RESPONSE
1985	Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty	Adopted in 1996
1988	Global Citizens Charter	Earth Charter finalized in 2000
1993	Control on Arms Exports	Will start discussion in 2006
1994	NE Asia Peace Conference involving Six Countries	First Six-Party talks held in 2003
1995	International Criminal Court	Created in 2003
1997	Landmine Ban Treaty	Came into effect in 1999
1999	Ban the Use of Child Soldiers	Protocol came into effect in 2002
2000	World Solidarity Foundation to fight poverty	Agreement to establish in 2002
2002	Treaty to Deal with Nuclear Terrorism	Adopted in 2005
2004	UN Peace Building Committee	First meeting in 2006

 

In 1987 President Ikeda also made a proposal for a “UN Decade of Education for Global Citizenship” especially stressing the need for education in the fields of environment, development, peace and human rights.  Since then the UN has instituted the UN Decade for Human Rights Education (1995 to 2004), the International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World (2001 to 2010) and the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 to 2014).

At the heart of all of these proposals is the need to establish dialogue between people and nations to encourage peaceful cooperation.  President Ikeda is now in his eighties but he continues to work at establishing “tranquillity throughout the four quarters of the [world]” and contributing to the happiness of humanity through his thoughts, words and deeds.

"Bridges towards an indestructible peace for humankind can only be built by fostering people and by forging strong ties between them, their hearts and minds. And that process is, by its very nature, a gradual, grassroots effort. We cannot expect quick results. We must be committed to it for the long term."   (Daisaku Ikeda)

Check out this year’s proposal (and previous ones) at http://www.sgi.org/sgi-president/proposals.html

GR - ATTITUDE

One of the greatest attitudes we can have as Nichiren Buddhists is gratitude:  gratitude to Nichiren Daishonin, gratitude to the Gohonzon, gratitude to our practice and "Gratitude no matter what!".

Enjoy What There Is To Enjoy

Many people give praise to the Gohonzon if they are involved in a serious accident and only sustain slight injuries, but if they return home from an uneventful day at work safe and sound will complain “Nothing good happened today”.  Similarly, a quick recovery from an illness is seen as a benefit, whereas a long period of good health is barely noticed. 

It seems that some of us only thank the Gohonzon if we are involved in an accident, become sick or overcome another difficulty, when surely the greater benefit, and the thing we should be most grateful for, is to not encounter any of these misfortunes at all.

Suffer What There Is To Suffer

In the postscript to the Gosho “On Polished Wheat”, Nichiren encourages Nanjo Tokimitsu to have a positive attitude to his troubles: “Whatever happens… you must not despair. … If things should not go as you wish … then determine to be more contented than ever.”  (WND-2, p576) 

Can we really be grateful if the worst happens?  I think we can.  Rather than blaming ourselves or others if things don’t turn out as we’d like or if we face obstacles, we should embrace the situation and focus on “What can I do to make the most of this opportunity?” or “How can I turn this poison into medicine?”  We don’t necessarily need to have the answer at that moment.  We just need to chant "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo" as “earnestly as though to produce fire from damp wood” (WND-1, p444) and take action based on our Buddha wisdom.

Winning in our lives, through our faith in Nichiren Buddhism, is not the absence of problems, but being happy and hopeful despite them.  If we can engrave an attitude of “Gratitude no matter what” in our hearts, and chant with a determination to find the benefit in any situation, we can achieve the same high life state, and enjoy the same absolute happiness, that Nichiren Daishonin did.

A Beneficial Practice

The following explanation of the benefits of Nichiren Buddhism comes from chapter 15 - "Why Do We Chant Every Day?" - of President Ikeda's book "Discussions of Youth": Sometimes our immediate prayers are realized, and sometimes they aren't. … Buddhism accords with reason. Our faith is reflected in our daily life, in our actual circumstances. Our prayers cannot be answered if we fail to make efforts appropriate to our situation.


In Nichiren Buddhism, it is said that no prayer goes unanswered. But this is very different from having every wish instantly gratified, as if by magic. If you chant to win in the lottery tomorrow, or to score 100 percent on a test tomorrow without having studied, the odds are very small that it will happen.  Nonetheless, viewed from a deeper, longer-term perspective, all your prayers serve to propel you in the direction of happiness.

Furthermore, it takes a great deal of time and effort to overcome sufferings of a karmic nature, whose roots lie deep in causes made in the past. There is a big difference, for example, in the time it takes for a scratch to heal and that required to recover from a serious internal disease. Some illnesses can be treated with medication, while others require surgery. The same applies to changing our karma through faith and practice. In addition, each person's level of faith and individual karma differ. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, however, we can bring forth from within a powerful sense of hope and move our lives in a positive, beneficial direction. …

It’s unrealistic to think that we can achieve everything overnight. If we were to have every prayer answered instantly, it would lead to our ruin. We'd grow lazy and complacent. …

Suppose that rather than working, you spend all your money playing and are now destitute. Do you think someone giving you a large sum of money would contribute to your happiness in the long run?  … It would be like making superficial repairs to a crumbling building, without addressing the root problem.  Only by first rebuilding the foundation can we build something solid upon it. Faith enables us to transform not only our day-to-day problems, but our lives at their very foundation. Through our Buddhist practice, we can develop a strong inner core and a solid and inexhaustible reservoir of good fortune.

There are two kinds of benefit that derive from faith in the Gohonzon: conspicuous and inconspicuous. Conspicuous benefit is the obvious, visible benefit of being protected or being quickly able to surmount a problem when it arises - be it an illness or a conflict in personal relationships. Inconspicuous benefit, on the other hand, is less tangible. It is good fortune accumulated slowly but steadily, like the growth of a tree or the rising of the tide, which results in the forging of a rich and expansive state of life. We might not discern any change from day to day, but as the years pass, it will be clear that we've become happy, that we've grown as individuals. This is inconspicuous benefit.

When you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo , you will definitely gain the best result, regardless of whether that benefit is conspicuous or inconspicuous. … No matter what happens, the important thing is to continue chanting. If you do so, you'll definitely become happy. Even if things don’t work out the way you hoped or imagined, when you look back later, you'll understand on a much more profound level that it was the best possible result. This is tremendous inconspicuous benefit.

The true benefits of Nichiren Buddhism are of a lasting and inconspicuous nature that accrues in the depths of your life.  Conspicuous benefit, for instance, might allow you to eat your fill today, but leave you worrying about your next meal. As an example of Inconspicuous benefit, on the other hand, you may have only a meager meal today, but you are steadily developing a life where you will never have to worry about having enough to eat. The latter is a far more attractive prospect, I think. … The more we exert ourselves in faith, the greater the benefit we experience.

(taken from "Discussions on Youth", p225 – 228)