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2006 Chapter General Meeting I extend my sincere congratulations to you on this splendid occasion of the 16th General Meeting of the Myoshin-ji Chapter of the Hokkeko. In particular, I express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you who traveled from Canada, Washington, Nevada, and other distant regions, in spite of the holiday weekend. Thank you very, very much. We have only six months left in the “Year to Stand Up and Take Resolute Action,” and the year 2009, the 750th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Truth through the Writing of the Rissho ankoku ron, is only 3 years away. Our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin stated the following about the “Year to Stand Up and Take Resolute Action”: The “Year to Stand Up and Take Resolute Action” represents a time when all Hokkeko members must renew their determination. They must stand tall, establish their solid determination, and move to action towards the achievement of our objectives of doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and of our great assembly in 2009. What is the nature of this action? Needless to say, it is none other than the performance of shakubuku, which is absolutely essential to the successful achievement of the objectives of doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and our great assembly. (Dai-Nichiren, 724-66) I am certain that you are all aware that Buddhism can be generally classified into the Hinayana and Mahayana teachings. There is no question that the Mahayana is the more superior of the two forms of Buddhism. In our society today, there are those who only seek superficial understanding and live each day aimlessly, with no sense of purpose or objective. Such people are living a life characterized by Hinayana principles. Indeed, Hinayana enlightenment consists of a self-centered life condition, in which a person is oblivious to the achievement of happiness of others and continues to seek a personal and transient happiness that is only limited to himself. In other words, when we do not perform shakubuku, we are only mindful of our own happiness and, therefore, our lives are no different from the limited enlightenment achieved through Hinayana Buddhism. Our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin said the following: Shakubuku represents the compassionate act of saving all mankind. It is the act of sowing the seed of the Mystic Law (Myoho) – the five characters of Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo – of the True Cause, in the barren hearts of the people in society, who are immersed in the Three Poisons and completely influenced by the poisons of heretical teachings and religions. Shakubuku signifies the supremely positive Buddhist practice of leading those people to enlightenment in their current forms. It is the most essential and precious Mahayana mission with which the Bodhisattvas of the Earth have been tasked. (Dai-Nichiren, 724-66) I must emphasize here that we must not be confused about the nature of shakubuku. It definitely does not mean attacking or being confrontational with people. Shakubuku is the act of denouncing the erroneous teachings upheld by individuals and leading those persons to the correct doctrine. I have heard people say that talking about religion invariably leads to an argument or that war is caused by religious differences. Why do you think this is so? There is a principle that teaches us to “follow the Law and not the Person” (eho-fuenin). The True Teaching is to follow the doctrine of the Buddha and not the words of a mortal person. When religions fight with one another and when a religion attacks another, they are, in fact, following the teachings of a person. This shows the imperfect nature of the doctrines embraced by the people in those religions. A conflict is inevitable if those religions uphold the doctrine that they will defeat their opponents by force, if they cannot win by the verity of their teaching. During the lifetime of the Daishonin, the Nembutsu believers realized that they were unable to defeat the Daishonin on the basis of doctrine. Therefore, they attacked him in various ways and tried to kill him. The Daishonin remained unshaken by such assaults, and he continued to denounce the mistaken teachings of his opponents. When we look upon the Sokagakkai believers today, we can see that they are doing exactly what the Nembutsu believers did during the Daishonin’s lifetime. When they realized that it was absolutely impossible for them to win on the basis of doctrine, they used newspapers and other media sources to slander the High Priest. They fabricated stories and tried to destroy the members of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood by suing them and dragging them into court. They have been continuing this unrelenting assault. However, there will never be a war or conflict between Nichiren Shoshu and the Sokagakkai. No matter how much the Sokagakkai attacks and provokes the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and members, our High Priest, the priests, and the lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu will never return the assault. We will never attack the Sokagakkai members. Based on the True Law, we will continue to denounce only their mistaken doctrines. If the Daishonin’s Buddhism taught us the vengeful philosophy of “an eye for an eye,” the relationship between Nichiren Shoshu and the Sokagakkai may have evolved into a conflict in which lives would have been harmed or taken. We must understand that shakubuku definitely does not entail engaging in arguments or conflicts. Since the teachings we uphold are true, there is no reason to harass those who embrace erroneous doctrines. Let me repeat: When we perform shakubuku, we denounce the mistaken teachings and not the person. Furthermore, shakubuku represents the act of sincerely praying for the happiness of others and leading them on the correct path. Why, then, are there so many religions in this world which assert that they, alone, are true? Let me explain this by making reference to a parable. Let us assume that there is an elephant and three people. These individuals have never encountered an elephant in their lives. We will place a blindfold on each of the men and ask them to feel the elephant. We then ask them to state their impressions. The first person touches the elephant’s leg and replies, “An elephant is like a huge log.” The second individual touches the tusk and says, “An elephant is as solid as a rock.” The third man touches the trunk and reports, “An elephant is long and slithery like a snake.” The three men then discuss their findings concerning the elephant. Based on their individual impressions, all three men assert the validity of their respective findings. There is nothing in common among the three perspectives, and the men ultimately begin to argue and fight. The observations made by the three men – that the elephant is like a log, like a rock, and like a snake – are all partially true. However, we cannot possibly say that what each man described was, in fact, an elephant. None of the three individuals was able to gain a perspective of the elephant as a whole. Therefore, each man believed that his observation is most accurate and true. By stepping back and looking at the elephant, all three men would have been able to gain an immediate understanding of the elephant as an animal. However, they were unable to gain this perspective because they were focused on a single area. As a result, their perspective made the elephant seem like a completely different animal. In the same way, the numerous religions that exist in the world are exactly like the assertions of the men who touched only a part of the elephant. The assertions of every religion may, in fact, contain a partial truth, but they definitely do not portray the entire true perspective. Since the believers embrace their own notions, based on their shallow understanding, they uphold strange assertions. Shakyamuni studied various teachings 3,000 years ago, and the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, did the same during the Latter Day of the Law. They realized that ultimately there is no Law other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to achieve the salvation of all mankind. In the erroneous religions and sects that proliferate around the world, the believers are oblivious to the heresy of their teachings; they uphold an illusion that their doctrine is true, when, in fact, they have a perspective on only a part of the teaching. Their cherished doctrine does not contain an essential principle of truth that is consistent and pervasive. By contrast, the Daishonin’s teaching manifests this essential principle that permeates the entirety of the universe. As the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, we form perspectives and thoughts based on the correct teachings of Buddhism. It is our mission to achieve salvation for both ourselves and others as soon as possible. I am convinced that this is the practice of compassion that we have been tasked to perform. Let us use this occasion of the Chapter General Meeting today, to renew our determination and to motivate and activate ourselves to advance forth towards our objective to achieve kosenrufu, the ultimate propagation of True Buddhism. I would like to conclude my guidance for today, by sincerely praying for your ever-strengthening devotion and your continued good health. I extend my sincere appreciation to you for your attendance today. |