I would like to wish you a Happy New Year, the 756th year since the establishment of True Buddhism, “The Year of Great Advancement.”

On the occasion of the first Kosen-rufu Shodai Ceremony of the year, conducted today at the Head Temple, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the believers in attendance for your participation, despite your busy schedules.

We have another year remaining until the grand celebration of the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the ”Rissho Ankoku-Ron” in 2009. This year, “The Year of Great Advancement,” will be a crucial year for the successful achievement of our objectives for 2009. In order to achieve our goals, it is vital that we do our best during this “Year of Great Advancement.” Thus, we must first achieve the objectives right before us. Otherwise, we will not be able to achieve those for 2009.

Since the first day of the year, I have been speaking about this whenever the opportunity has arisen. In order to triumph during this “Year of Great Advancement,” we must fulfill two requirements.

First, each chapter must fulfill the pledges and goals it set for this year. This is particularly true for the shakubuku goal. All the members of each chapter must put forth their collective efforts, and no matter what, achieve the shakubuku goal.

The objective of “Doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth” will primarily be achieved by the practice of shakubuku. Worldwide Kosen-rufu, the propagation of the Buddhism of the Sowing, will also be achieved first and foremost by the practice of shakubuku. Our faith, in fact, must also be based on the practice for oneself and for others. Therefore, if we forget about the practice of shakubuku and only practice for our own sake, we will never be able to gain fortune and blessings from the Three Treasures of Buddhism.

I hope that each and every one of you will etch these points into your hearts, and, with boundless energy, valiantly do shakubuku, as you courageously move forward for the sake of worldwide propagation and uphold the significance of this “Year of Great Advancement.”

Second, we must ensure the complete success of the General Meeting for the Advancement of the Great Assembly of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, which will be held at four venues across Japan. As you know, this will be held as a pre-General Meeting in order to promote the achievement of our objectives for 2009. The priesthood and laity must combine their efforts, and achieve great results in making a breakthrough in shakubuku activity for the grand celebration in 2009. This will truly bring great significance to the pre-General Meeting.

          We will start off by holding the Western Japan General Meeting at Kyocera Dome in Osaka on February 3rd. This will be followed by the Kyushu General Meeting, the Hokkaido General Meeting, and the Eastern Japan General Meeting.

        For the great success of these pre-General Meetings, the priesthood and laity must work together in itai-doshin and put forth their best efforts no matter what difficulties they may face.

         Therefore, I hope that each chapter can do its best to fulfill the two targets for “The Year of Great Advancement.”

        Today, due to our past, deep karmic causes, we have the opportunity to work together for the grand celebration of the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the "Rissho Ankoku-Ron”. This is, indeed, an extremely honorable event. We should feel very fortunate to be part of this grand celebration.

     The Gosho, “Conversation Between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man” states the following:

        As explained in this Gosho passage, to be born as a human being and to be able to encounter the great teachings of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is an extremely difficult matter—as difficult as it is for a one-eyed turtle to encounter a floating log with a hole just the right size for him.

       Nichiren Daishonin states in the Gosho, “An Outline of the Entrustment and Other Chapters” (“Nichinyo gozen gohenji”):

It is said that the Yellow River becomes clear once in a thousand years, and that a sage likewise appears in the world once in a thousand years. A Buddha appears in the world once in countless kalpas. Yet even if one should meet a Buddha, it is far more difficult to encounter the Lotus Sutra. And even if one should encounter the Lotus Sutra, it is rarer still for an ordinary person of the latter age to meet the votary of the Lotus Sutra.                                            (MW-5, p. 268)

            In other words, the Yellow River, which is said to be the second largest river in China, will become clear once in a thousand years, and at that time, a sage will likewise appear in the world. And it is also said that the Buddha will appear in the world once in countless kalpas, which is an indefinite period of time.

             Furthermore, even if one could meet a Buddha, it is far more difficult to appear at the time when the Buddha preaches the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, even though one might encounter the Lotus Sutra, it is extremely difficult for an ordinary person in the Latter Day of the Law to meet the votary of the Lotus Sutra.

          There is the expression, “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.” It refers to someone encountering the type of good opportunity that happens only once in one’s life. Even in a thousand years, let alone an indefinite time period, it is more rare and more difficult for one to be able to meet the votary of the Lotus Sutra.

The votary of the Lotus Sutra here refers to Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha who appears in the Latter Day of the Law. It is thus stated in “The Selection of the Time” (“Senji-sho”):

            And the “Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings” states:

           The votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law signifies the True Buddha who exists throughout the Three Existences, and this refers to Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha of the infinite past of kuon ganjo, who appears in the Latter Day of the Law.

Today, it is an extremely rare occurrence for us to be able to encounter the True Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, who is the True Buddha of kuon ganjo. And even rarer still, are the immeasurable benefits that we, common mortals, are able to accumulate.

Not only have we been fortunate to encounter the True Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin, we are also very fortunate to be part of the grand celebration of the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho-ankoku-ron. This is even rarer than encountering the Udumbara Flower, which blooms once every three thousand years.

Therefore, we must not miss this opportunity, and with single-minded and wholehearted determination, aim to achieve the objectives for 2009 with our heart and soul. If we do not, it will be meaningless for us to have obtained birth in the human world, something difficult to achieve, and to have encountered the sacred teachings of the Buddha, which are rarely to be met. And moreover, we will ruin this opportunity to encounter the grand celebration of 2009, which will never happen again.

The Gosho, “The Selection of the Time,” states:

One who wishes to study the teachings of Buddhism must first learn to understand the time.                                                                       (MW-3, p. 79)

           And again, the Gosho, “The Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country” states:

           Just like the proverbs that state: “exhaled air never waits for inhaled air,” and “what is done cannot be undone,” if we let the time slip away, it will become too late, and we will constantly regret that our accumulation of practice has so far amounted to nothing.

Therefore, I would like to ask each and every one of you to press ahead without flinching, based on the spirit that, “The body is insignificant while the Law is supreme,” and, “never begrudging one’s life for the sake of propagating the Law.” The opportunity to work toward the grand celebration of the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of "Rissho Ankoku-Ron" has come without us even praying for it. Don’t let this golden opportunity slip away.

I would like to conclude my address for today by sincerely praying that each and every one of you here today will keep in mind what I have just said, and will be encouraged in the faith of practice for oneself and for others, so you can move forward in itai doshin and work together for the primary objective of this year—the complete success of the General Meeting for the Advancement of the Great Assembly of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.