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Guidance from Sixty-Eighth High Priest Nichinyo Shonin On the occasion of the September Kosen-rufu Shodai ceremony conducted today at the Head Temple, I would like to express my appreciation to the large number of participants here today. I believe that some of you already know that a meeting of the Commemorative Department for the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron was held here at the Head Temple. During the meeting, it was decided that next year we will conduct a General Meeting for the advancement of the Great Assembly of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth at four venues in Japan. Based on the current situation, this General Meeting will be held in order to make a breakthrough. It will be a pre-meeting to bring greater momentum and a leap forward toward our objectives for 2009, for which all Hokkeko believers should work together in itai doshin. First, on February 3rd of next year, which falls on a Sunday, we will hold a meeting for the priests and believers of the Kansai propagation region, Chubu propagation region, Chugoku propagation region, and Shikoku propagation region at Kyocera Dome Osaka, located in the west ward of Osaka city. Presently, the goal for attendance for this meeting is twenty-eight thousand believers or more. The second meeting will be held on February 24th, which is also on a Sunday, at the Kita-Kyushu Media Dome in the Kokura north ward of Kita-Kyushu City. The attendees will be the priests and believers from the Kyushu Propagation region. The target for the attendance at the present time is eight thousand believers and more, if possible. The next meeting will be held on April 29th on a Tuesday, which is a national holiday. It will take place at the Tsukisamu Green Dome in the Toyohira ward of Sapporo City, and will be attended by the priests and believers from the Hokkaido propagation region. The attendance target for the Hokkaido region will be around three thousand five hundred believers. The fourth and final meeting will be held on June 25th on a Sunday, at Saitama Super Arena located in the Chuo ward of Saitama city for the priests and believers from the Kanto propagation region and the Tohoku propagation region. At the present moment, the attendance goal for this meeting is twenty-seven thousand believers. I am thus planning to conduct these great General Meetings for all of Japan, divided into the four main areas of Hokkaido, Eastern Japan, Western Japan and Kyushu. For more details, please ask the chief priests and leaders of your local chapters. There will also be further information about these General Meetings at the Kosen-rufu advancement meetings. I sincerely ask that all of you attend these memorable events. I will also definitely be participating in the General Meetings at all four venues. The Distinctions of Benefits (Funbetsu kudoku; seventeenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra states:
Ajita, if there are living beings who, on
hearing that the life span of the Buddha is of such long duration, are
able to believe and understand it even for a moment, the benefits they
gain thereby will be without limit or measure. Suppose there are good men
or good women who, for the sake of anuttara-samyak-sambodhi, over a period
of eight hundred thousand million nayutas of kalpas practice the five
paramitas—the paramitas of dana (almsgiving), shila (keeping of the
precepts), kshanti (forbearance), virya (assiduousness) and dhyana
(meditation), the paramita of prajna being omitted—the benefits they
obtain will not measure up to even a hundredth part, a thousandth part, a
hundred, thousand, ten thousand, millionth part of the benefits mentioned
previously. Indeed, it is beyond the power of calculation, simile or
parable to convey the comparison. Ajita refers to Bodhisattva Maitreya (Jpn. Miroku). The Buddha told Bodhisattva Maitreya that if there are living beings who, upon hearing that the life span of the Buddha is of such long duration, are able to believe and understand it even for a moment, the benefits they gain will be without limit or measure. If there are good men or good women who, for the sake of enlightenment, practice the five paramitas of almsgiving, keeping of the precepts, forbearance, assiduousness and meditation over a long period of eight hundred thousand million nayutas of kalpas, the benefits they will obtain won’t measure up to even a hundredth part, a thousandth part, a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, millionth part of the benefits mentioned previously. It is beyond the power of calculation, simile, or parable to emphasize or convey the comparison of the tremendous benefits one will receive for a single moment of faith and understanding (ichinen shinge). Ichinen shinge (the initial stage of faith that produces a single moment of belief or appreciation in one's heart upon hearing the Lotus Sutra) refers to first of the Four Stages of Faith. The principle of the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice was taught in the Distinctions of Benefits chapter of the Lotus Sutra. More specifically, they are described as the Four Stages of Faith [during the Buddha’s lifetime] and the Five Stages of Practice after the Buddha’s passing. The initial single moment of faith and understanding is the stage when believers first take faith in and practice the Lotus Sutra. In the Life Span (Juryo; sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, the principle of kuon jitsujo—the Buddha's actual attainment of enlightenment in the remotest past—was expounded. Among the people who heard the revelation of the Buddha’s enlightenment in the remotest past, the disciples who embraced the Lotus Sutra during the Buddha’s lifetime would gain benefit through the Four Stages of Faith, and those disciples who embraced the Lotus Sutra after the Buddha’s passing would gain benefit through the Five Stages of Practice. The Four Stages of Faith during the Buddha’s lifetime are: 1. To produce even a single moment of faith in the sutra (ichinen shinge): This means that people would listen to and believe in the Lotus Sutra and seek to foster faith. 2. To understand the Buddha’s teaching in the sutra (ryakuge gonshu): This refers to how the people would cultivate a general understanding of and belief in the contents of the sutra. 3. To propagate this teaching widely to others (koi tasetsu): This indicates how the people, themselves, would believe in the teachings for which they cultivated an understanding and how they would then propagate these teachings to others. 4. To realize the truth expounded by the Buddha with deep faith (jinshin kanjo): This signifies how people would foster profound faith in the doctrines, actively participate in faith and practice, and receive benefits. The Five Stages of Practice following the Buddha’s passing are: 1. To rejoice upon hearing the Lotus Sutra (shozuiki hon): This means that people feel joy when they first listen to the Lotus Sutra. 2. To read and recite the sutra (dokuju hon): This signifies that people will read and recite the Lotus Sutra. 3. To propagate the Lotus Sutra (seppo hon): This means that the people will believe in and embrace the Lotus Sutra, and will expound it for the sake of others. 4. To practice the Six Paramitas while embracing the Lotus Sutra (kengyo rokudo hon): This means that the people will uphold the Lotus Sutra and perform the Six Paramitas, which consist of almsgiving, keeping the precepts, forbearance, assiduousness, meditation, and the obtaining of wisdom. 5. To perfect the Six Paramitas (shogyo rokudo hon): This refers to how the people will correctly perform the Six Paramitas, based on the Lotus Sutra. Among the Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, the first of the Four Stages, to produce even a single moment of faith in the sutra, and the first of the Five Stages, to rejoice upon hearing the sutra, are both beginning stages. At these stages, the practitioners have no understanding of profound theory and doctrine—they only have faith. However, this faith is, in fact, the fundamental point of the practice. Nichiren Daishonin expounds in the Gosho, “The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra”: Thus faith is the basic requirement for entering the way of the Buddha. (Gosho, p. 353; MW-3, p. 5) And in the “Orally transmitted teachings” (“Ongi kuden”) he states: The single character “faith” in “a single moment of faith and understanding” becomes the cause for acquiring the seed of the Buddha's wisdom. The single character “faith” corresponds to the stage of first hearing the name of the Law (myoji soku). Thus, the single character “faith” is the sword to extirpate the ignorance of the true nature of existence at the final stage of practice. (Gosho, p. 1773) The “Orally transmitted teachings” (Ongi kuden) further states:
Ichinen sanzen arises from the single
character “faith,” and the attainment of the Buddha Way by all Buddhas of
the Three Existences also comes from the single character “faith.” This
character is the sharp sword that can cut through the Fundamental Darkness
(gampon no mumyo). The passage, “Having no doubt is called belief,”
demonstrates that faith is the sharp sword to sever and remove doubts and
delusions. As we can understand from the above golden words of Nichiren Daishonin, the immense benefits that come from producing even a single moment of faith and understanding arise from the benefits of the word “faith,” and they are indeed immeasurable. This is just as the passage states, “ the attainment of the Buddha Way by all Buddhas of the Three Existences also comes from the single character “faith.” On the other hand, the Gosho, “Letter to the Brothers” teaches:
The great demon of fundamental darkness
can even enter the bodies of bodhisattvas who have reached near perfect
enlightenment and prevent them from attaining the Lotus Sutra’s blessing
of perfect enlightenment. How easily can he then obstruct those in any
lower stage of practice! The devil king of the sixth heaven takes
possession of the bodies of wives and children, and causes them to lead
their husbands or parents astray. He also possesses the sovereign in order
to threaten the votary of the Lotus Sutra, or possesses fathers and
mothers, and makes them reproach their filially devoted children. The “Orally Transmitted Teachings” shows us exactly how to overcome and banish the great demon of Fundamental Darkness. The character “faith” is the only sharp sword that can sever Fundamental Darkness. Also, it is stated that: The single character “faith” is the seed for the perfect state of enlightenment. (Gosho, p. 1738) In order to banish the great demon of Fundamental Darkness and prevent the workings of the Devil King of the Sixth Heaven and practice correct faith, the crucial point lies in the single character “faith.” This means absolute faith, with no doubt in the Dai-Gohonzon. Today, the priesthood and laity are working hard together in itai doshin toward the achievement of our objectives for 2009. However, this is also the time when various obstacles and devils will arise. However, we can always keep in mind the golden words of Nichiren Daishonin, who taught that “the character ‘faith’ is the sharp sword that can sever Fundamental Darkness.” We must stand up and produce even a single moment of faith and understanding and have absolute conviction in the Dai-Gohonzon. No matter what kind of obstacles or devils may come upon us, we must overcome them with the spirit of itai doshin. We have another four months remaining until the end of this year. I would like to conclude my address for today by praying that you will forge ahead, powerfully and courageously, toward our objectives without wasting any precious time. |