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New Year’s Gongyo Address Happy New Year to you, on this early spring day of the 755th anniversary of the establishment of True Buddhism. Our 68th High Priest Nichinyo Shonin and our retired 67th High Priest Nikken Shonin have both welcomed the New Year in good health and high spirits. As priests and lay believers, we must sincerely appreciate them for their compassion and guidance. I have just completed the New Year’s gongyo, and I have offered my sincere prayers for you to put forth increased efforts in your activities; for you to redouble your faith; for you to perform successful shakubuku; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives throughout this year. Our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin designated this the “Year of Action.” This “action” refers to our efforts to strive forth to achieve the specified objectives and to form a solid unity as priests and lay believers to pray, to be active, to perform shakubuku, and to experience benefits. Our High Priest stated: Our objectives of doubling the number of believers – the Bodhisattvas of the Earth – and the great assembly of these believers can only begin when we stand forth and take action. No results can ever be achieved without action. However much we may think about benefits in our minds, we will only be dealing in the realm of theory. Only by putting shakubuku into action can we experience true benefits. “Action,” then, is absolutely essential in accomplishing this. Based on the significance of such action, there are 3 objectives for our practice for this year: 1) The first objective is: To enrich the power of our faith and practice with consistent Gongyo and Daimoku. Gongyo and Daimoku represent the fundamental basis of our faith and practice. They signify the essential source of benefits that is associated with all forms of action. Let us all perform gongyo without fail everyday, and let us never slacken in our performance of the daily Daimoku goal that we set for ourselves. Furthermore, let us offer the following prayer everyday without fail: I sincerely pray for the actual achievement of doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and gather at the Great Assembly for the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron in 2009. 2) The second objective is: To resolutely do Shakubuku based on solid unity between priesthood and laity. Kosenrufu cannot be achieved by the priests alone; it also cannot be achieved only by the lay believers. The achievement of kosenrufu is only possible when the priests and laity unite their efforts. At a Daimoku Meeting in May of last year, our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin stated that “the doubling of the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth can only be accomplished through shakubuku.” Without doing shakubuku, it would be absolutely impossible to double the number of believers – the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Our shakubuku goal at Myoshinji Temple for this year is 50 new believers. This is a promise that we make with the True Buddha Nichiren Daishonin. We must never break our promise with the True Buddha. Let us strive forth together and increase our devotion to be able to successfully achieve this promise without fail. 3) The third objective is: To diligently cultivate capable believers based on the bond of true itai doshin. Attendance at temple functions and home visitations are absolutely indispensable to cultivating capable individuals for the sake of kosenrufu. On the first Sunday of each month, we hold the Kosenrufu Shodai-kai (Daimoku ceremony), and on the second Sunday, we hold the Oko Sermon in appreciation to the Daishonin. In addition to attending these functions by ourselves, let us make it a point to enthusiastically invite people from our respective areas to join us. Moreover, if you notice that some people have not been at the temple recently, please contact them, chant Daimoku together with them, and encourage them to practice. When we, as individuals in our Hokkeko chapter, all unite and uphold faith and practice characterized by different bodies but one mind (itai doshin), we would be able to successfully achieve the objectives set forth for the year 2009. Our High Priest said: I am firmly convinced that, when you sincerely chant Daimoku, pray, and take action and when you rise forth as Hokkeko believers – in absolute unity characterized by different bodies but one mind – to perform shakubuku, the heavenly deities will act to support you without fail, enabling you to accomplish that shakubuku. The stronger our individual faith, the stronger the bond will be that unites us in our Hokkeko group. I am convinced that this will enable us to achieve our shakubuku goals and bring prosperity to Myoshinji Temple. As a result, we will be able to achieve the goals of doubling the number of believers – the Bodhisattvas of the Earth – and congregating at the Great Assembly. We must consider the goal of doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to be an objective set forth by the Daishonin. We must successfully accomplish this objective without fail. I am convinced that we will receive immeasurable benefits when we achieve this objective. In addition, starting this year, I will accept special gokuyo offerings for the Head Temple, for the restoration of the Mieido Hall and the reconstruction of the temples along the Tatchu area on the grounds of the Head Temple. The initial offering will be made in April, at the time of the tozan pilgrimage. The next offering will be made in August, and the one following that will be made in November. You can offer any amount as many times as you wish. As always, I would like to say that the amount of the gokuyo offering is not important; what is essential is that it is a sincere offering that comes from your heart. Let us all support and protect our Head Temple with our true faith and sincere gokuyo offerings. I will send information to you about Special Gokuyo offering after we can prepare to accept your gokuyo offering. I would like to conclude my address on this occasion of the New Year’s Gongyo Ceremony, by expressing my sincere appreciation to you for your attendance today. We will now prepare for the New Year’s toast. The toast will be with apple cider – not sake – for everyone. Starting this year, the Head Temple also will no longer serve alcohol, in an effort to prevent believers from getting involved in possible accidents. I ask you for your understanding on this matter. |