The Opening of the Eyes, Part 2
Oko Sermon September 2004
Reverend Shogu Kimura
On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, between the hours of the Rat and the Ox (11:00 P.M. to 3:00 A.M.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul that has come to this island of Sado and, in the second month of the following year, snowbound, is writing this to send to his close followers. The description of the evil age in the Kanji chapter seems so terrifying, but because I have dedicated myself to the True Law, I, Nichiren, have nothing to be terrified about. Those observing me wiII be awestruck. This treatise is the bright mirror of Shakyamuni, Taho, and all the other Buddhas of the ten directions in which contemporary Japan is reflected. At the same time, it may be regarded as a keepsake from me. (Gosho, p. 563; MWND-2, p. 140)
Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the September 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 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.
Today happens to be the anniversary of the Tatsunokuchi persecution. Therefore, in reference to this anniversary of the Tatsunokuchi persecution, I have chosen to focus on the passage from the Gosho, "The Opening of the Eyes."
As Nichiren Daishonin stated, he encountered four major persecutions and countless minor ones. The four major persecutions were as follows: the persecution at Matsubagayatsu; the exile to Izu; the Komatsubara persecution; and the Tatsunokuchi persecution. Of these, the Tatsunokuchi persecution represented an essential turning point for Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha, in which he - in his very form as a common mortal - manifested his true entity as the True Buddha, characterized by the principal of “the eternal past of kuon is in itself the Latter Day of the Law." This process is known as "casting off the transient and revealing the true identity" (hosshaku kempon).
After midnight on the 12th day of the 9th month of the 8th year of Bun'ei (1271), slightly past 2 a.m. on the 13th, the Daishonin was taken by samurai warriors of the Japanese feudal government to Tatsunokachi, the execution site. Tatsunokuchi is presently located in Fujisawa City in Kanagawa Prefecture. Although Tatsunokuchi was called an execution site, it apparently was not equipped with special facilities for its designated function. The execution site, which was in a specified area of Tatsunokuchi, consisted of a straw mat on which prisoners were beheaded.
Before the Daishonin was placed on the mat to be beheaded, there was an incident in which Shijo Kingo and his brother, who were at the Daishonin's side, asked him if he would let them accompany him in death. Shijo Kingo was convinced that the Daishonin would soon be executed and shed tears of boundless sorrow, as he told the Daishonin that the final moment had arrived. But the Daishonin told Shijo Kingo that being beheaded at this time - that is, offering his life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra was, indeed, what he had always prayed for, and therefore, it was a most joyful event. He urged Shijo Kingo not to be sad and never to lose sight of this teaching and his promise. He said that it was a happy occasion. His admonition against Shijo Kingo is presented in the following passage:
Shijo Kingo, in tears, said, "These are your last moments." I replied, "How thoughtless you are! You should be delighted at this great fortune. Don’t you remember your promise?" (Gosho, p. 1060)
The Daishonin was surrounded by Shijo Kingo and his brother and numerous believers who were genuinely concerned for him and chanted Daimoku aloud. The samurai warriors of the feudal government then encircled the Daishonin; and one of them raised his long sword and held it above the Daishonin's head, ready to execute him. At that very moment a ball of fire as bright as the moon suddenly appeared in the sky from the direction of Enoshima. It was so bright that the people could clearly see each others' faces. This incredible incident caused the warrior with the long sword to fall to the ground. Most of the samurai warriors fell to the ground or desperately ran in fear. This episode is described in the Gosho in the following way:
I had no sooner said this when a brilliant orb as bright as the moon burst forth from the direction of Enoshima, shooting across the sky from southeast to northwest. It was shortly before dawn and still too dark to see anyone's face, but the radiant object clearly illuminated everyone like the bright moonlight. The executioner fell on his face, his eyes blinded. (Gosho, p. 1060)
In the darkness, they were hardly able to see each other's face. But suddenly a light as bright as the moon appeared and enabled them all to see one another. There are various scientific explanations concerning this ball of light. Some say that it was a large meteorite, and others speculate that it was a thunderbolt. In fact, no one really knows the true nature of the light. Various historical documents allude to this incident and, therefore, we can be certain that the bright light appeared at the time. It has been scientifically shown that the strange phenomenon at Tatsunokuchi couId actually have occurred. The most significant issue here is that a natural phenomenon that is truly rare actually occurred at the very moment when the Daishonin was about to be beheaded. As the saying goes, "a saint 'will never die a violent death.” An individual manifesting the life condition of a Buddha would never die by execution.
In the Gosho passage that we are focusing on today, the Daishonin wrote:
(B)etween the hours of the Rat and the Ox (11:00 P.M. to 3:00 A.M.), this person named Nichiren was beheaded.
This indicated the fact that all Buddhas achieve their ultimate enlightenment after passing the hour of the Ox, representing the end of death - the end of the darkness of ying, and reaching the hour of the Tiger, signifying the beginning of life - the beginning of yang in the interim period between darkness and light (ying and yang), life and death. Shakyamuni in India, at the age of 30, reached enlightenment on the 8th day of the 12th month at the hour of the Tiger. The Daishonin also attained enlightenment on the 12th day of the 9th month at the hour of the Tiger. Based on this, in Nichiren Shoshu, we have performed gongyo, under the leadership of our High Priest at the time between the hours of the Ox and the Tiger, for 700 years, without missing a single day.
This sermon today is an expression of our gratitude to the Daishonin, the True Buddha, for his great compassion, At the same time, it also represents a ceremony to honor the Daishonin for withstanding the suffering caused by the many great persecutions and to pledge to him that we will uphold our faith characterized by a spirit to give our lives for the sake of True Buddhism (fuji shoku shinmyo) and that we will achieve the great objective of kosenrufu.
Therefore, those of us who were born at this time, in the Latter Day of the Law, must uphold the Daishonin’s spirit and practice, which he showed us with his very life, We must cultivate a spirit that will enable us to overcome the worst obstacles. With his own life, the Daishonin taught us that we can achieve a life of true enlightenment, without fail, if we overcome obstacles, if we continuously put forth our utmost efforts, and if we uphold sincere faith and practice throughout our lives. However, for us to be able to discern obstacles for what they really are in our daily lives, it is essential for us to possess strong faith in the Gohonzon and to practice without ever slackening.
In the Gosho, "On Persecutions Befalling the Buddha" (Shonin gonanji), the Daishonin wrote:
Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken even a bit, demons will take advantage. (Gosho, p. 1397)
Thus, if we slacken even a little in our daily lives, the demons will take advantage without fail. When these obstacles occur one after another in our lives, those of us who are sincerely putting our utmost efforts in our faith and practice will be able to easily discern that they are, indeed, obstacles. However, those who are unable to do so will be defeated by those obstacles. They will begin to complain and harbor doubts in the Gohonzon.
Those who complain that they have been practicing for 30 years but have seen no improvement in their lives should reassess their own faith and practice before they harbor any doubts in the Gohonzon's benefits. Are they correctly performing their daily gongyo? Are they chanting sincere Daimoku for the sake of kozenrufu? Are they assiduously performing shakubuku? A person's faith and practice are not necessarily exemplary simply because they have been practicing for a long time. The critical issue is whether or not that person is currently upholding sincere faith and practice. We are all common mortals in the Latter Day of the Law and, as such, we possess a negative life condition that tends to blame the Gohonzon for our own shortcomings in faith. If you recognize this life condition in your own lives, you must sit before the Gohonzon and sincerely chant Daimoku; but you will find that a path will open before you, without fail. You must never doubt the Gohonzon. Not believing is one of the fourteen slanders. Doubt your own faith before you doubt the Gohonzon, and chant sincere Daimoku.
Do you have complaints such as the following: “since I don’t get along with my district chief, I no longer want to go to district meetings.” – “I don't want to go to the temple because I don't like the ways of the temple." - "I can't practice with the people in my area because they all lack faith." Complaints such as these show that these people are already afflicted by the devilish obstacles. They will eventually be done in by the obstacles and will become individuals who continually voice complaints about others. Those who complain when things do not proceed as they wish and those who blame the temple or other members for matters that manifest their own lack of faith are the personification of true arrogance. If there are Hokkeko members who secretly spread rumors about others or who complain to other Hokkeko members that there are issues concerning the temple that do not proceed in exactly the way they wish and if their words and actions cause confusion within the Hokkeko, then they would be committing the tremendous slander of causing disunity among believers - which is one of the five cardinal sins. If you find that you begin to feel this way, then, it is essential to reassess your own faith and practice, before you blame the Gohonzon or others. In the Daishonin's Gosho, "Letter from Sado" (Sado gosho), he wrote:
Neither non-Buddhists nor the enemies of Buddhism can destroy the Buddha's True Law, but the Buddha's disciples definitely can. As the sutra says, a parasite in the lion's bowels will devour the lion. A man of great fortune cannot be ruined by his enemies but only by those close to him. (Gosho, p. 579)
The worst misconception that we can have as common mortals is to possess a self-centered perspective of our world. It is not surprising that this is the case. The perspective that we possess is self-centered because it is based on what we can see as individuals; and we cannot see ourselves. Herein is the significance of faith in the Daishonin's Buddhism. If we sincerely believe in the Gohonzon, we will find that we are able to see our own individual selves rather than others. It is usually the case that we are able to see ·the faults of others and are blind to am own flaws. There are shortcomings within us that remain unnoticed for long periods. Indeed, we can consider the Gohonzon to be a mirror that reflects our soul. Thus, the Gohonzon exposes our individual selves and functions to correct the spiritual distortions contained therein. When our own lives are thus exposed before us and when we are able to see the true nature of various things, we will no longer have the time to complain about the faith possessed by those around us. This is because our own individual faith is not perfect.
The Daishonin wrote:
It is lack of courage that prevents one from attaining Buddhahood, although he may have professed faith in the Lotus Sutra many times since the remotest past. There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide the rising and setting of the moon the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat. (Gosho, p. 1184)
Regardless of the obstacles that may emerge before us, we must maintain the faith of a sage. We are, indeed, the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu - the disciples of the Daishonin - who correctly embrace the one and only True Buddhism of the Daishonin. There is absolutely no reason for us to become fools. I ask you all, the believers here at Myoshinji Temple, to be sagely believers who can triumphantly challenge the three obstacles and four devils and defeat them by vigorously chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, as you constantly advance. I further ask you to share the Daishonin's Great Law with other individuals, as you perform shakubuku. Such behavior is most appropriate for the disciples of the Daishonin.
In the Daishonin' s Gosho, "Letter to the Brothers" (Kyodaj sho), he wrote the following:
Whatever trouble may occur, consider it as transitory as a dream and think only of the Lotus Sutra.
Here, the Daishonin instructs us that those who exert their utmost efforts to uphold correct faith and practice must consider the most disconcerting occurrences to be transitory dreams and chant sincere Daimoku to the Gohonzon. Human nature is extremely weak. Even the slightest trouble can almost overwhelm us, and we can also direct those troubling sentiments upon others. There will be no progress in our lives if we do so, however. Regardless of what obstacles we may encounter, we must challenge them all with our faith. At such a time, we must focus only on the Gohonzon and advance for the sake of kosenrufu.
Obstacles can appear one after another at any place; in anyone's spirit; in any daily existence; and in any form. I ask you all to take this opportunity of the anniversary of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution to affirm that you will never be defeated by the devilish obstacles, that you will deal with all situations through correct faith, and that you will confidently advance forth with sagely faith.
I sincerely appreciate the efforts that you have made to come such long distances to attend this sermon.
The newly appointed kanji will be announced hereafter, and I ask you for your attention. I would like to conclude my sermon for today by sincerely praying for your continued good health and increased success in your activities. Thank you very much.