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Three Learned Doctors Pray For Rain Therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a zenchishiki, or good friend. How far can one's own wisdom take one? If one has even enough wisdom to distinguish hot from cold, he should seek out a good friend. But encountering a good friend is the hardest possible thing to do. … Moreover, in this evil latter age, evil companions are more numerous than the dust particles which comprise the earth, while the number of good friends is smaller than the amount of earth one can pile on a fingernail. (MW 6-109 ~ 110) Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the March 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 passage that we just recited is from the gosho, “Three Learned Doctors Pray for Rain.” Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in Minobu, on the 22nd day of the 6th month of the first year of Kenji (1275), when he was 54 years of age. He addressed it to Ouchi Tasaburo. Also known as Lord Nishiyama, Ouchi Tasaburo was the steward of the Nishiyama region of the Fuji area of Suruga province. Apparently, Lord Nishiyama initially embraced the doctrine of the Shingon Sect. However, he converted to True Buddhism as a result of the shakubuku activities of Nikko Shonin, who frequented the Suruga area and who proceeded forth to establish the Head Temple. After the passing of Nikko Shonin, he followed Nichidai, who was a disciple of Nikko Shonin. By the river in Nishiyama, he constructed the Nishiyama Hommon-ji Temple. Although this is no longer a Nichiren Shoshu temple today, it is considered one of the five major temples in the Fuji region, along with our Head Temple Taiseki-ji and Myoren-ji Temple. Lord Nishiyama received eight letters from the Daishonin. Of these, the original writing of the current gosho, “Three Learned Doctors Pray for Rain,” is stored at our Head Temple Taiseki-ji, although a portion of it is lost. We are able to see it during the great Omushibarai Ceremony, the airing of the sacred treasures at the Head Temple. The “three learned doctors” in the title refer to Shubhakarasimha (Jpn. Zemmui), Vajrabodhi (Jpn. Kongochi), and Amoghavajra (Jpn. Fuku), who went to China from India and propagated the teachings of Shingon. At a later time, people called this gosho “Three Learned Doctors Pray for Rain,” because the three Shingon figures in China performed the prayers to cause rain to fall. However, the rainfall that they prayed for turned into a violent typhoon that brought about great destruction to the land and people. By making reference to this tremendously negative phenomenon, the Daishonin denounced the heresy of the Shingon doctrines. The rainfall would make it seem as though the three men were successful in praying for rain. However, it only functioned to prove that prayers based on an erroneous teaching would cause unhappiness and misfortune without fail. I am certain that you are all familiar with the following golden passage from the Daishonin’s Gosho: In judging the relative merit of Buddhist doctrines, I, Nichiren, believe that the best standards are those of reason and documentary proof. And even more valuable than reason and documentary proof is the proof of actual fact. (Gosho, p. 874) These words functioned to introduce the issue set forth by the Daishonin, indicating that the prayers for rain by the three religious figures – as illustrated in this gosho – represented evil phenomena. Unbeknownst to us, in our lives as humans, we are greatly influenced – positively or negatively – by those around us with whom we share a karmic bond. The gosho segment on which we are focused today describes the good friends (zen chishiki) and evil companions (aku chishiki) – individuals with whom we share a karmic bond – based on the perspective of the Law. First, the Daishonin illustrated the good Buddhist friends: When a tree has been transplanted, though fierce winds may blow on it, it will not topple if it has a firm stake to hold it up. But even a tree that has grown up in place may fall over if its roots are weak. Even a feeble person will not stumble if those supporting him are strong, while a person of considerable strength of character, when alone, may lose his footing on an uneven path. (Gosho, p. 873) When strong winds blow, even a tree planted in the ground would not topple if it is supported by firm stakes. Moreover, even though a tree may have grown naturally in place, it would fall in the wind if its roots are weak. In the same way, even an individual lacking strength could be prevented from falling if those supporting him are strong. By the same token, even a person with some strength would be drawn into the path of evil, if he is alone. In our Buddhist practice, those who provide us with positive support are called “good friends” (zen chishiki). They represent people who discriminate between truth and heresy and do not lead others astray. Furthermore, the good friends are the companions, fellow believers, and leaders who are able to correctly instruct and guide us. Needless to say, the good friends for us are none other than the True Buddha Nichiren Daishonin and our essential master, our High Priest. We must continuously chant Daimoku to the Gohonzon and uphold the directions of our High Priest, who has received the heritage of the lifeblood transmission of the Law. Furthermore, by understanding the essential objective set forth by the Daishonin, we would be able to draw close towards our good friends. In addition, we, ourselves, could function as good friends and develop as talented individuals who would be able to achieve our objective of kosenrufu. By contrast, what do the evil companions represent? In the gosho, “Reply to Sairen-bo” (Sairen-bo go-henji) the Daishonin wrote: If you associate with evil persons, then as a natural result you will find that, in two or three instances out of ten, you are following their teachings, and in the end you, too, will become an evil person. (MWND-7, p. 22) Evil companions (aku chishiki) skillfully take advantage of the personal weaknesses and lazy nature in faith of people who uphold true Buddhism. They accomplish this by using sweet words, pretending to be caring and supportive, and by employing language that give people the illusion that they are good, intimate friends. If we are unable to determine that such people are evil and we follow them, we would be gradually deceived by them and we would eventually end up with the same characteristics as those of the evil companions. As a matter of course, slanderous individuals who do not practice Buddhism frequently function as evil companions and try to prevent us from upholding our faith and practice. However, we must understand that there are times when fellow believers can function as evil companions. For example, there may be people who secretly criticize the temple, the priests, or their fellow believers and cause others to harbor resentment. They may also criticize our strict faith and practice and cause individuals to weaken and fail. There are some people who are oblivious to their own flaws but are quick to find fault in others. There also are individuals who immediately complain, when things do not go as they please. In addition, there are some persons who unilaterally speak their minds, without being sensitive to the feelings of others. As a result, such people are truly disruptive and troublesome to their fellow Hokkeko believers. However, in their minds, they justify their disruptive behavior by telling themselves that all is well, since they are putting forth their utmost efforts in faith. They do not see the negative consequences of their actions. On the surface, these people seem to be upholding faith as we do, but in reality, their behavior is characterized by that of negative people – evil companions. You must never exhibit high-handed behavior, even if you hold a high position, even if you have been practicing Buddhism for a long time, and even if you are the person who introduced and sponsored another person to take faith. You must never talk down to others and you must never have an arrogant attitude in your dealings with fellow Hokkeko believers. The Daishonin was concerned about the presence of evil companions within the group of fellow believers. He wrote: A half-hearted individual who professes to uphold faith would present dissenting arguments that would destroy the faith of others. The Daishonin warned that those with insincere faith would say things that go against the principles of True Buddhism and destroy the faith of others. Individuals who have lost their humility and think that they would never function as evil companions because they are sincere in their faith would find that, unbeknownst to them, they would gradually become such evil companions. Fundamentally, the Nichiren Shoshu priests and the leaders and believers of the Hokkeko who function to support the priests all represent good friends (zen chishiki). Those who distance themselves from this network of good friends and choose to embark upon a different, arbitrary path would eventually turn into evil companions. The priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu are advancing forth together, based on the directions of our High Priest, towards the precious objective of achieving the ultimate propagation of True Buddhism through shakubuku. The priests strive to provide correct order and instruction and guide the believers. Furthermore, the believers encourage one another as they proceed forth together. Each individual represents a good friend who leads others to the correct path of the Buddha. It is important for us to understand that the priests and lay believers and the Hokkeko believers are all good friends who must mutually help one another on the path to enlightenment. It is essential, as fellow believers who uphold true faith, to understand one another in their respective positions and to respect each other. What is most significant here is to have faith. Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin stated: If you study a little and feel that you have become a great priest or that you have become a great believer, you have, in fact, lost sight of faith. As such, your attitude would have absolutely no merit or advantage in your faith and practice. (Summarized) Let us never lose sight of the prime point of faith, and let us sincerely and honestly foster strong faith. As priests and lay believers, let us become superior good friends to one another and devote ourselves to our faith and practice, as we advance forth together, based on the directions of our High Priest, towards achieving great success in our 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. I extend my sincere appreciation to you for your kind attention throughout my sermon. I would like to conclude my sermon for this month by sincerely praying for your ever-increasing achievements and your continued good health. |