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Reply to Lord Toki
Having studied the sutras, I, Nichiren, am, without a doubt, the votary
of the Lotus Sutra. I have not received the protection of the heavenly
deities for the following reasons: first, the guardian deities have fled
this land of evil; secondly, the protective power of the gods has
diminished because they have not been accorded the opportunity to savor
the Law; and thirdly, the forceful demons of evil have found their way
into the hearts of the three powerful enemies, and even the likes of
Bonten and Taishaku are overcome by them. Each of these points has become
apparent through manifest passages and principles. Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the December Oko sermon, in our expression of gratitude to our master Nichiren Daishonin, I have sincerely recited the sutras and chanted Daimoku together with you. Moreover, I have sincerely prayed for you to eliminate your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; for you to redouble your faith; for you to enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives in this and future existences. I am certain that the Daishonin would be truly pleased to see so many of you in attendance today. The Daishonin wrote this gosho on the 10th day of the 4th month of the 9th year of Bun’ei (1272), when he was 51 years of age. He addressed it to Lord Toki. The original gosho exists today at the Nakayama Hokekyo-ji Temple in Chiba Prefecture. Unfortunately, the temple is currently not a Nichiren Shoshu temple. The Daishonin encountered the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in the 8th year of Bun’ei (1271), a year before he wrote this letter. Furthermore, he was exiled to Sado in the same year. Thus, this gosho was written during his exile to Sado. There are dozens of known writings of the Daishonin addressed to Lord Toki. They include such important gosho as the “True Object of Worship” (Kanjin no honzon sho), “The Essentials of the Lotus Sutra” (Hokke shuyo sho), and “On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice” (Shishin gohon sho). Among the Daishonin’s followers, Lord Toki was one of the earliest to take faith, and he upheld his practice and protected and supported the Daishonin throughout his life. However, in the gosho, “Establishing the Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of Worship” (Shi-bosatsu zoryu sho), there are passages which show that he inquired about making images of the Buddha. In his later years, he proceeded to inscribe his own object of worship. In essence, he possessed little knowledge and understanding about the true purpose of the Daishonin’s advent into this world and about the transmission of the lifeblood heritage of the Law. It is unfortunate, indeed, that these are all associated with the slanders that exist today. However, Lord Toki contributed greatly to the preservation of the original writings of the gosho. In fact, more than fifty original gosho documents still remain at the Nakayama Hokekyo-ji Temple. The gosho passage for this month focuses on the guardian deities. During our morning gongyo everyday, we pray for Daibontenno, Taishakutenno, Dainittenno, Daigattenno, Daimyojotenno and all the other Shoten Zenjin, sworn guardians of the Lotus Sutra, to be increasingly nourished by the power of Myoho-renge-kyo, so that they will be able to continually protect those who embrace True Buddhism. Why is it that we pray to the guardian deities every morning during gongyo? When we look at the world around us today, there are famines, wars, and epidemics. The chaotic conditions are no different from those that existed 700 years ago, during the lifetime of the Daishonin. I am certain that even in your immediate environment, you are aware of strange phenomena and conditions that impede you from leading a carefree existence. In terms of the foods we consume, for example, there are concerns about pesticides, chemicals, and air and land pollution. When we fly in airplanes, we are threatened by acts of terrorism. Even today, we still cannot board a flight with a bottle of water. When we ride on trains, we are in danger of being caught up in derailment accidents caused by human error. We may be driving safely, but we can easily get involved in accidents caused by total strangers who are intoxicated. The war continues in Iraq, and North Korea has been involved in nuclear testing. Furthermore, in various parts of the world, there are numerous children who are starving to death. In addition to these, the earth has been threatened by a number of unforeseen natural disasters. The list of these unsettling issues is truly endless. The Daishonin taught us that these disconcerting conditions intensify when the protection of the guardian deities diminishes. This month’s gosho passage presents 3 causes for such conditions. The first of these is set forth as follows: The guardian deities have fled this land of evil. The guardian deities have forsaken the land, and the evil demons have settled in their stead. This is the cause for the calamities, and the reason for the pervasive feeling of fear and uncertainty. The Daishonin indicated the same conditions in the following excerpt from the Rissho ankoku ron (“On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism”):
The people of today all turn their backs upon what is right; to a man,
they give their allegiance to evil. This is the reason that the benevolent
deities have abandoned the nation and departed together, that sages leave
and do not return. And in their stead come devils and demons, disasters
and calamities that arise one after another. Thus, the guardian deities took leave of the land and the evil demons take up residence in their place and cause calamities. This is known as the doctrine of the heavenly deities. The second cause is presented as follows: The protective power of the gods has diminished because they have not been accorded the opportunity to savor the Law. In the “Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman” (Kangyo hachiman sho), the Daishonin wrote: Now, as I contemplate the current conditions in Japan, a long while has passed since things began to change. The protective deities of old have depleted themselves of good fortune and their reserve of happiness has dwindled. Their power and influence have decreased significantly. They can only intensify their power and influence by savoring True Buddhism. Thus, the savoring of the Law functions to cultivate and extend life. It must eliminate calamities in the nation caused by war, and it must protect the people. (Gosho, p. 1532) The Law savored by the guardian gods represents the Lotus Sutra. These deities are empowered by virtue and honesty, as they protect the world. When erroneous religions extend their influence, the Lotus Sutra – the essence of the savoring – is diminished as a matter of course. Then, the empowering elements of virtue and honesty are lost. Furthermore, the power of the protective deities is extinguished. As a result, calamities and disasters come forth in their stead. The third cause is set forth as follows: The forceful demons of evil have found their way into the hearts of the three powerful enemies, and even the likes of Bonten and Taishaku are overcome by them. This means that the demons of evil take the form of the three powerful enemies and the guardian deities cannot withstand them. The following passage is from the gosho, “The Treatment of Illness and the Points of Difference between Mahayana and Hinayana and Provisional and True Teachings” (Jibyo daisho gonjitsu imoku): The gods hate evildoers, and demons hate good people. Because we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, it is natural that demons should be everywhere in the country. (Gosho, p. 1237) The slanderous power of the demons of evil is extremely strong in the Latter Day of the Law. The protective deities are overwhelmed by such power, and as a result, the world gradually deteriorates. In other words, the disasters and suffering existing in this world do not represent a coincidental occurrence. They are caused by an increase in the number of people who slander True Buddhism. The increase in the number of people who embrace erroneous faiths corresponds with the decline of the protection given by the guardian deities. What is the cause of the decline in protection from the guardian deities? It is none other than the human heart that is defiled by selfish motivations and greed. It is caused by the slanderous heart that refuses to uphold True Buddhism. Our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin presented the following instructions on the occasion of the Kosenrufu Gongyo meeting in October of this year: Currently in our world, we see the occurrence of unfortunate and tragic incidents and accidents almost on a daily basis. Without a doubt, it is important to establish and enforce laws and regulations, to try to save people from these dreadful conditions. However, we must seek a resolution that is more radical than this. According to this radical resolution, the focus is placed precisely on the individuals themselves. This means that the key to fundamental resolution rests in the cleansing of the human heart. Conversely, a temporary and superficial resolution cannot be considered a true remedy. In essence, the secular laws, concerning politics, economics, education, and culture, are all ultimately rendered positive or negative by the people who use them. Accordingly, as long as the six senses – through the six sense organs of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, and mind – are pure, then all conditions will progress forth in a positive direction. However, it is impossible to achieve a true effect while people are tainted by the earthly desires. This means that the hearts of people must be cleansed in order to eliminate suffering in this world and to receive the protection of the guardian deities. What happens when a person is overwhelmed by earthly desires? Since such a person is only focused on his own selfish motivations and greed, he is unable to consider true happiness in the world. As a result, protection from the guardian deities is diminished. When this protection is extinguished, the power of the demons of evil to destroy the world is naturally strengthened. Under these conditions, the life of anyone who prays solely for his own happiness will eventually be destroyed. Make no mistake that if we slacken in our own daily faith and practice and expect the guardian gods to save us, we are not upholding correct faith. When we practice assiduously and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we will receive positive effects as benefits for upholding our faith. Let us recognize this and strive forth to achieve true happiness and peace. Let us perform shakubuku on as many people as possible, as we proceed towards our imminent objective of doubling the number of the Boddhisattvas of the Earth who will congregate for the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho Ankoku-ron. Performing shakubuku is, indeed, the only supreme way to bring salvation to the confused and deluded individuals in our society today. Only 20 days are left in this year. During this time, let us strive forth in our devotion to achieve the objectives for this year. Moreover, let us welcome the new year, 2007, in good health and high spirits and with new goals and objectives. This has been a lengthy sermon, and I extend my appreciation to you all for your kind attention. I would like to conclude my final sermon for this year. Thank you very much. |