On the occasion of the March Kosen-rufu Shodai Ceremony, conducted today at the Head Temple, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the large number of participants in attendance.

     In the blink of an eye, we have welcomed in the month of March. I trust that all of you are diligently working toward the successful achievement of our objectives of “Doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and gathering at the Great Assembly” for the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron, and also for the success of the Commemorative General Tozan in 2009.

     I am always mentioning that it is eminently important for us to achieve the objectives of “Doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and gathering at the Great Assembly.” These objectives were set by the Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin for the sake of the advancement of worldwide Kosen-rufu.

     In order to achieve these objectives, we have decided that this year, the year before the grand celebration in 2009, we will hold Pre-General Meetings at four venues in Japan. These will be designated as the “General Meeting for the Advancement of the Great Assembly of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.” We already held the first one, the Western Japan General Meeting, at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka on February 3^rd. This was followed by the Kyushu General Meeting at the Kita-Kyushu Media Dome on February 24^th. Both meetings ended with great success.

     For the Western Japan General Meeting, our target was 35,000 believers. Even though we had bad weather that day, with heavy snow, we had 33,017 believers in attendance from the western regions. Members traveled from places as far away as Shikoku and Shizuoka to gather for this general meeting, which was held with great magnificence.

     For the Kyushu General Meeting, our target was 10,000 believers, and excluding support staff and performers, we had 10,133 believers gather together for this General Meeting. If we included the support staff and others, we would have counted more than 11,000 believers attending this meeting. Believers gathered from the Kyushu region, some from as far away as Ishigaki Island, and we held a splendid General Meeting for all in attendance.

     At the Kyushu General Meeting, we exceeded the targets set by the participating propagation areas and achieved more than 100% of our attendance goal. This was surely a complete triumph, thanks to the single-minded efforts of the head and members of the steering committee, the reception staff, ushers, and security support. All of them united with the priests and lay believers, together with one mind and body, to ensure the success of this General Meeting.

     I would like to sincerely commend you on these great efforts, lead by the Chief Priests and Kotos in each Hokkeko chapter. The priests and lay believers came together, worked in itai-doshin, and made the General Meeting a great success. Congratulations!

     I am sure that many of you here today participated in the Western Japan General Meeting. The believers whose chapters are located near Head Temple Taisekiji, including the Special Propagation Region, are usually on the receiving side, welcoming the believers to the Head Temple. This time, you were on the traveling side, going to the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. Still, you managed to break through your initial targets, and furthermore, achieved almost 100% of the attendance goal at the General Meeting. This was, indeed, the result of your tireless efforts in home visitations to each and every household. I believe it was also good for you to experience things from a different viewpoint, and to sense and understand the feelings of the believers who come from afar to Head Temple Taisekiji. Because of your efforts for this General Meeting and the challenges you experienced, I believe that you have come to understand the importance of itai-doshin for our future advancement. I truly express my heartfelt appreciation to those of you living in the vicinity of Head Temple Taisekiji who have gathered here today.

      This General Meeting is a “Pre-General Meeting,” held as a kick-off for the grand celebration in 2009 and for the Commemorative General Tozan. Therefore, the activities following this General Meeting to promote the achievement of our objectives for next year will be very important. In other words, today, we are focusing our utmost efforts on next year’s objectives of “Doubling the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and gathering at the “Great Assembly,” and the success of the Commemorative General Tozan. After the General Meeting this year, it is crucial that each and every one of us stands on the front line and work toward the achievement of our objectives.

     Nichiren Daishonin stated in “On the Three Great Secret Laws” (“Sandai hiho-sho”):

     In other words, to chant Daimoku only for one’s own sake and not for others is the “Daimoku in principle only.” If we do not perform shakubuku, we are going against the intentions of Nichiren Daishonin and are chanting the Daimoku of the Pre-Lotus Sutra and the Theoretical teachings. The Daimoku of the Pre-Lotus Sutra and Theoretical teachings will never enable us to attain enlightenment.

     The Daishonin also stated in, “Conversation Between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man”:

 The present age is a defiled one. Because the minds of people are warped and twisted, and provisional teachings and slander alone abound, the True Law cannot prevail. In times like these, it is useless to practice the reading, reciting and copying [of the Lotus Sutra] or to devote oneself to the methods and practices of meditation. One should practice only shakubuku, and if he has the capacity, use his influence and authority to destroy slander of the Law, and his knowledge of the teachings to refute erroneous doctrines.              Gosho, p. 403; MW-5, pp. 104-105)

     And, in the Gosho, “Encouragement to a Sick Person” (“Nanjo-hyoe-shichiro dono gosho”) the Daishonin stated:

No matter what great deed one may perform, even if he reads and transcribes the entirety of the Lotus Sutra a thousand or ten thousand times or masters the meditation to perceive ichinen sanzen, should he fail to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, he will be unable to attain the Way.                                (Gosho, p. 322; MW-6, p. 19)

    Furthermore, in “Reply to Lord Soya” (“Soya dono gohenji”) he stated:

     Moreover, in “Reply to the Lay Nun Myoho” (“Myoho bikuni gohenji”) the Daishonin stated:

     These passages are very strict; however, by looking at the other side, we can see that one who performs shakubuku will be able to receive boundless joy beyond description. Shakubuku not only to saves the other person—it also brings our own life condition to a higher level and leads us to accumulate tremendous fortune.

     Shakubuku is not theory. It is actual practice. There are common proverbs that state: “Nothing comes from nothing,” “You must sow before you can reap,” and “Never shoot never hit.” We may have a bell or a drum, but if we do not strike it, there will be no sound. It is the same with shakubuku. It is precisely because we do shakubuku that we are able to obtain tremendous fortune.

     We have only one more year remaining before the grand celebration of the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron. I would like to conclude my address for today by praying that the inspiration and encouragement you felt during the Western Japan General Meeting and the Kyushu General Meeting will lead all of you to wholeheartedly advance and exert great effort for shakubuku, so we can achieve our objectives for next year. Let us joyfully report our achievement to the Three Treasures and to the Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin, who set these objectives for us.