The True Entity of Life
 April 2007 Oko
By Reverend Kimura

Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme Object of Worship in the world. Forge strong faith and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas. Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if only a single sentence or phrase. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Gosho, p. 667, MW-1, p, 95)

            Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the April 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.

1.         Background of the Gosho

            “The True Entity of Life” (“Shoho jisso sho”) was written on the 17th day of the fifth month of the tenth year of Bun’ei (1273), when Nichiren Daishonin was 52 years of age and living in Ichinosawa in Sado. The original document no longer exists.

            The letter was addressed to Sairen-bo Nichijo (also known as Nichiei). Sairen-bo was born in Kyoto and was a scholar-priest of the Tendai sect. He had entered the priesthood at Mt. Hiei. On the 23rd day of the third month of the first year of Bun’ei (1264), a Tendai follower burned down the main entry gate and the buildings of Enryakuji Temple. Sairen-bo was somehow implicated in this terrible incident and was exiled to Sado.

            Shortly after Nichiren Daishonin was exiled to Sado in the 11th month of the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), Sairen-bo was drawn to his supreme virtues and became his disciple in the second month of the following year (1272). He was given the name Nichijo (Nichiei).

            In the Gosho, “Reply to Sairen-bo” (“Sairenbo gohenji”), Nichiren Daishonin, himself, described Sairen-bo’s background. According to this writing, Sairen-bo became a priest at the age of 17. He was assiduous in his practice and study, but due to the aforementioned circumstances, he was sent to Sado. A karmic bond enabled him to meet Nichiren Daishonin and to become his disciple. Sairen-bo’s health had been frail since birth, and he cherished plans to seclude himself in a mountain.

            Given these conditions, Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following to Sairen-bo:

The votaries of the Lotus Sutra must never slacken in their faith, and they must never nurture deceptions. By entirely devoting their lives to the Lotus Sutra and practicing according to the golden words of the Buddha, they will live a safe and long life and achieve great karmic effects, without fail, not only in their present existence but also in their future lives. They will also be able to achieve the great objective of Kosen-rufu. 　　　　　　　       (Gosho, p. 642)

The Daishonin offered these kind words of encouragement to Sairen-bo, by explaining to him that he would be able to live a safe and long life as a benefit of embracing the Mystic Law (Myoho). In the Gosho, “On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings” (“Nyosetsu shugyo sho”), the Daishonin further clarifies:

Now when the true and provisional teachings are utterly confused, it would be equally unnatural for one to seclude himself in the mountains, carrying out the easy practice of shoju, and avoid refuting the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. He would lose all chance to practice the Lotus Sutra.              (Gosho, p. 673; MW-1, p. 105)

He points out that retiring in the mountains would be a totally inappropriate form of practice during the Latter Day of the Law and that people must do shakubuku in this age. Thus, he explains the correct attitude in faith to his disciples and followers.

2.                  A brief summary of the Gosho

            In this Gosho, the Daishonin explains the principle of the True Entity of Life to Sairen-bo, who had previously embraced the Tendai teachings but was now his disciple.

            The Gosho begins with the following passage:

In the Hoben chapter of Volume One of the Lotus Sutra is the passage: “The True Entity of all Phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas. This reality consists of the appearance, nature…. and their consistency from beginning to end.” What does this passage mean? Answer: It means that all beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds, from Hell at the lowest to Buddhahood at the highest, are, without exception, the manifestations of Myoho-Renge-Kyo.　　　(Gosho, p. 664; MW-1, p. 89)

The Daishonin explains that the essential entities of the Ten Worlds, from the lowest world of Hell to the highest realm of Buddhahood, are entirely manifestations of Myoho-Renge-Kyo.

            Not a single individual other than Nichiren Daishonin has presented this explanation. T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, Dengyo, and others were aware of this teaching in their hearts, but they did not reveal it because they were Bodhisattvas of the Theoretical Teaching and, therefore, did not possess the karmic bond and capacity to do so. Furthermore, they were not born during the age of the Latter Day of the Law. This teaching can only be propagated for the first time by the Bodhisattvas of the Earth taught by the True Buddha, in the Latter Day of the Law. He continues:

Reality is another expression for Myoho-Renge-Kyo; hence Myoho-Renge-Kyo is manifest in all phenomena… All phenomena are themselves manifestations of Myoho-Renge-Kyo. This is the meaning of "all phenomena reveal the True Entity." 　　　　　　　　　　(Gosho, p. 665; MW-1, p. 91)

This reveals the significance of the True Entity of Life within the Essential Teaching.

Next, the Daishonin indicates that he possesses the precious internal enlightenment of the one who propagates the Mystic Law (Myoho) and inscribes the great mandala—the Object of Worship. He explains the gravity of the sin of persecuting him. He then expounds on the benefits of making offerings to him and upholding faith and practice as his disciples and followers. The Daishonin taught that thoroughly upholding faith in True Buddhism would bring forth tremendous benefits without fail. Furthermore, the Daishonin stated that people would be able to share a karmic bond with the Bodhisattvas of the Earth by becoming his disciples and exerting their utmost efforts, in total unity with their master, to propagate the Mystic Law (Myoho). Nichiren Daishonin taught that it would have been impossible to chant the Daimoku without the advent of Bodhisattva [Jogyo]. He further stated that he, and all the priests and lay believers who would chant the Daimoku now and in the future, would be able to achieve Kosen-rufu without fail.

            The Daishonin said he could not hold back tears of joy, when he considered his own identity during the Ceremony in the Air and when he thought about his precious karmic bonds and benefits as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. He wrote:

Because I view things in this way, I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now an exile. Joy as well as sorrow brings us to tears… I am now in exile because I spread the teaching of Myoho-Renge-Kyo… I cannot hold back my tears when I think of the great persecution confronting me now, or when I think of the joy of attaining Buddhahood in the future. Birds cry, but never shed tears. I, Nichiren, do not cry, but my tears flow ceaselessly.         (Gosho, p. 667; MW-1, p. 94)

These words express the spirit that we must emulate as we advance in propagating True Buddhism.

            In conclusion, the Daishonin informed Sairen-bo that this Gosho contained extremely important principles. He instructed him to sincerely embrace them, grasp their meaning, and believe in them. He offered him the following encouragement:

Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme Object of Worship in the world. Forge strong faith and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas. Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if only a single sentence or phrase. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　(Gosho, p. 667-668, MW-1, p, 94-95)

            The Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin explained this passage in the following way:

Practice and study that are not based on faith are ineffective. There are some people who assiduously go through the motions of practice. There are others who are focused only on study. Examples of the latter include individuals such as the current professors at the Buddhist University who ignore faith and concentrate on the formal and specialized study of Buddhism. There are also various scholars among the priests of heretical sects. They may maintain minimal faith, but they have lost sight of the Object of Worship—the most essential Buddha of True Buddhism. Therefore, it is impossible for them to foster true faith. As a result, their thoughts and studies possess a professional and clinical characterization; and the principles they investigate are far removed from any considerations of the benefits and virtues of saving all people and guiding them, based on True Buddhism. This is all too evident when we look upon the nature of the Buddhist University and heretical sects today. Indeed, practice and study are a part of Buddhism. Of these, practice consists of the practice for oneself and for others. Practice for oneself refers to chanting Daimoku for one’s own benefit. Practice for others represents the act of sharing True Buddhism with others and urging them to take faith. Study is an investigation onto itself, but both practice and study must be based on faith. (Dai-Nichiren, Vol. 539)

            Nichiren Daishonin established the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism as the supreme essence of his propagation, and we, along with all humanity, are able to achieve the great benefit of attaining enlightenment in our present form (sokushin jobutsu), when we uphold sincere and pure faith in the Dai-Gohonzon, when we assiduously uphold the two ways of practice and study, and when we exert our utmost efforts toward the great objective of Kosen-rufu.

3.         Let’s devote our lives to the great objective of Kosen-rufu

            Our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin gave us the following directions in this year’s “New Year’s Address”: 

Only when we sincerely embrace the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism and uphold faith in it as the true Object of Worship, can we achieve our own enlightenment in our present form.　(Daibyaku-ho, Vol. 708)

 In order to achieve the supreme life condition and live a happy and comfortable life, we must uphold the doctrine of Nichiren Daishonin—the one and only true teaching in the world—and we must worship the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism, the Entity of the Law of Nichiren Daishonin.

            We must sincerely understand and appreciate the profound compassion of the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin, who made his advent into this world during the Latter Day of the Law. He established the Gohonzon, the supreme Object of Worship in the entire universe, and bestowed it upon us. It is absolutely impossible for all mankind to attain enlightenment without the Gohonzon. We must share this knowledge with as many people as possible, in order to bring them salvation.

            The Daishonin wrote:

 Single-mindedly chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and urge others to do the same; that will remain as the only memory of your present life in this human world. (“Questions and Answers on Embracing the Lotus Sutra” [Jimyo hokke mondo sho] Gosho, p. 300, MW-5, p, 38)

 Let us all etch these directions deep into our hearts and be eminently victorious this year. Moreover, let us dedicate ourselves to the successful achievement of the great objective of Kosen-rufu.

            I ask you to cultivate a strong conviction that actual proof in the form of true benefits and the protection of the Gohonzon will be manifested in your lives, if you chant sincere Daimoku and exert yourself in shakubuku. Let us all advance forth courageously and resolutely throughout this “Year of Action.”

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