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New Year’s Gongyo Address Happy New Year to you, on this early spring day of the 756th 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 Great Advancement.” This “great advancement” refers to the enthusiastic efforts that we must make, as we make tremendous strides forth to achieve the specified objectives, based on our solid unity as priests and lay believers. In keeping with the designation of “great advancement,” we have once again received three themes for the year, to help us in our actual practice.
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The first of these is:
Our morning and evening Gongyo and Daimoku represent the fundamental practices of our faith, and they are the essential source of all benefits that are intricately associated with all our actions. Let us perform sincere morning and evening Gongyo and great amounts of Daimoku. Let us use the benefits and joy that we will achieve as a result as the driving force for us to do shakubuku.
2. The second theme is: There is no other way than to do constant shakubuku to successfully achieve the objectives set forth for the doubling of the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who will congregate at the Great Assembly. Once again this year, our annual goal for Myoshinji Temple is to shakubuku 50 people. This is a promise that we have made to the True Buddha Nichiren Daishonin. We cannot break our promise with the Buddha. Let us strive forth together so that we can achieve this objective without fail.
3. The third theme is: Fostering individuals of talent for the sake of achieving kosenrufu cannot be accomplished without encouraging people to come to worship at the temple and without going to visit them in their homes. In particular, I ask you to invite people in your areas and urge them to accompany you to the Kosenrufu Shodai-kai on the first Sunday of each month and to the Go-ho’on Oko Sermon on the second Sunday. Moreover, if you notice that there are individuals who have become inactive and who have not been at the temple recently, please communicate with them, chant Daimoku with them, and encourage them. Solid unity within the Hokkeko chapter and carrying through faith and practice characterized by many bodies but one mind (itai doshin) will enable us to achieve the designated objectives for 2009. Last year, on the occasion of the O-tanjo-e Ceremony celebrating the birth of Nichiren Daishonin, our High Priest stated the following: Today, when we look at the society around us, we see the direct manifestations of the five impurities of the evil world in the Latter Day of the Law. Wars and ethnic struggles abound in various parts of the globe, and there are frequent occurrences of incidents that are too tragic and cruel to observe. These horrible conditions are all caused by the venomous evils of erroneous doctrines and slander. Furthermore, they are also caused by a lack of compassion in the hearts of people. The hearts of people are the essential determinants of when peace will reign, when fighting will occur, when people will find happiness, and when they will descend into the depths of suffering. Accordingly, we would not encounter the incredibly tragic and unfortunate incidents and accidents today, if numerous people around the world – regardless of who they are – embrace the compassionate will of the Buddha who seeks to bring salvation to all mankind and if they endeavor to support one another. In other words, our current world of extreme confusion would change without fail, if many people in society have compassion in their hearts. Moreover, as the Daishonin wrote, “You must chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo without any other thoughts,” everyone must uphold the True Buddhism of the Daishonin, face the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism, and sincerely chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Otherwise, the change cannot be achieved. Accordingly, in order to attain true world peace and happiness for all people, it is absolutely essential to shakubuku as many people as possible as soon as possible, and enable them to embrace the True Buddhism of the Daishonin. Shakubuku is the only way to propagate the Daishonin’s teachings, so that we could lead and transform our current muddled and confused society into a pure and unmuddled world. To achieve this, success in doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and the actualization of the Great Assembly are necessary conditions. We must consider the designated objective of doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth as a directive from the Daishonin. We must achieve this without fail. I am convinced that we will receive infinite benefits when we successfully attain this objective. I ask each one of you assembled here today to make a solid determination right now to participate in the tozan pilgrimage in 2009. If you make excuses that you are too sick, too old, or too poor, you will never be able to go on tozan. Before you focus your mind on your various concerns, I ask you to make a firm determination that you will participate in the tozan pilgrimage. Let us fulfill the objectives set forth for us by the Daishonin and our High Priest and participate together in the tozan pilgrimage in 2009, in complete unity between priesthood and lay believers. I would like to conclude my New Year’s Gongyo address by sincerely praying for your continued good health and your increased devotion to your faith. I thank you all for your efforts in attending this ceremony. |