“Letter from Sado” (Sado gosho)
Oko Sermon for April 2005
Reverend Shogu Kimura
One who climbs a high mountain must eventually descend. One who slights another will in turn be despised. One who deprecates those of handsome appearance will be born ugly. One who robs another of food and clothing is sure to fall into the world of Hunger. One who mocks noble men or anyone who observes the precepts will be born to a poor family. One who slanders a family that embraces the True Law will be born to a heretical family. One who laughs at those who cherish the precepts will be born a commoner and meet with persecution from his sovereign. This is the general law of cause and effect. (Gosho, p. 582; MWND-1 p. 33)
Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the April 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 forth 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.
The gosho on which we are focusing this month represents the Daishonin’s instructions concerning the principle of the absolute retribution of cause and effect (inga oho). This principle of cause and effect characterizes Buddhism as the supreme teaching.
As human nature goes, we are reluctant to believe in negative cause and effect. However, as priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, we must, first and foremost, understand this principle of cause and effect and squarely face reality. We must overcome negative cause and effect through our faith and practice. The wonderful thing about the Daishonin’s teachings is that, through the benefits of chanting Daimoku, we are able to expiate our sins from our past lives and open forth our future. Whenever this principle of cause and effect is mentioned, we may tend to immediately envision causes based on negative karma, but we must never lose sight of the fact that this principle also encompasses the causes based on positive karma. The very fact that we were born into this world as humans and able to encounter the Daishonin’s Buddhism and chant Daimoku is proof, indeed, that we have made supreme causes in our past lifetimes.
I am certain that most of you feel that the Daishonin’s message in this gosho passage seems strict, but it is, in fact, a matter of course.
This principle also applies to matters in society in general. How could we make positive causes in society as a whole? The first thing that comes to mind is to be kind to others. I remember that, as a child, I was instructed by my parents and my school teachers to be kind to others. When we give the matter some thought, we may, in fact, find that we have been gradually mastering the principle of cause and effect, unbeknownst to us, in the course of our lives. There are religions in the world that do not expound the principle of cause and effect. However, even the practitioners of such religions usually impart the instruction to be kind to others. They do this because the Law of cause and effect, in fact, is inherent in their lives. Thus, even those who uphold and believe in the teachings of religions that do not preach the principle of cause and effect, are natural believers in cause and effect. In other words, the entirety of this world is based on the Buddhist principle of cause and effect.
Recently, when I was reading a manuscript written by a Chief Priest in Japan, I encountered an explanation concerning “kindness.” Let me share this with you.
Professor Iwatsuki of Kagawa University in Japan stated that there are five patterns in acts of kindness.
- A person possesses a sense of obligation to be kind to others. This is a reasonable motivation, but emotions are usually lacking.
- A person performs a kindness, expecting to be reciprocated. This is motivated by a contractual calculation in anticipation of a return benefit.
- A person performs a kindness to feel a sense of superiority. This is a deliberate form of kindness performed by a person in power towards someone who is weak.
- A person performs a kindness based on a desire for self-salvation. This is a kindness forced upon others without any regard for them; as a result, one who performs this form of kindness is unable to eliminate the emptiness in his own heart.
- A person performs a spontaneous act of kindness. This describes a person who spontaneously helps those in trouble, without ever giving the matter any thought. This kindness is not characterized by any conceptualized form of kindness.
The professor classified kindness into these five categories.
An act of kindness may seem identical on the surface, but, in fact, it can be characterized by contemptible motivations or suffering as much as it can be characterized by a precious natural urge. The more honest the recipient of the kindness is, the better he is at intuiting the real motive of the person who performs the kindness. True kindness can only be understood by those who actually have experienced a positive form of kindness. What, then, is a truly positive form of kindness? Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following in his gosho, “The Three Kinds of Treasure” (Sushun tenno gosho):
More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. (Gosho, p. 1173; MWND-2, p. 279)
The Daishonin instructed that it is most important to amass the treasures of the heart. True kindness is not characterized by any of the first four patterns described previously. It is, in fact, the fifth form of kindness: “A person performs a spontaneous act of kindness. This describes a person who spontaneously helps those in trouble, without ever giving the matter any thought. This kindness is not characterized by any conceptualized form of kindness.” This, indeed, describes not the treasures in a storehouse or the body but the treasures of the heart. You may have friends and family members who seem to be truly happy. However, based only on appearance, it is impossible to determine whether or not they are truly happy. True kindness is none other than the performance of shakubuku, based on true kindness towards others.
There are people who insist that they are happy. In fact, they wear beautiful clothes and eat lavish meals, and they may seem to be truly happy. However, it is a manifestation of stupidity (guchi) to be captive to a form that can be destroyed at any time. Those who are controlled by their desires are manifesting greed (musabori; don). Those who compare themselves to others and belittle each other are characterized by anger (ikari; jin). There may be those who appear to be living a happy life, but in fact, they may be controlled by the three poisons of greed, anger, and stupidity (don jin chi), and, therefore, they may be amassing the fundamental causes for suffering. The three poisons that infect the individuals form complex associations that cause negative karmic relationships to aggravate the negative causes and spread them throughout society. They function to lead people into misery and suffering. However, people generally tend to avoid taking responsibility for themselves by trying to assign the cause of their individual suffering to their personal environment. Therefore, even those who assiduously work to improve their respective personal environments suddenly become extremely reticent about improving themselves.
These all characterize the poisons that are caused by turning our backs to the Buddhist principle of cause and effect. There is no exception, whether they are conscious or unconscious acts. Our heart is like a seed from which various buds of thought emerge and thrive. When these encounter karmic bonds, such as the environment, the effects blossom forth as action. The resulting suffering, happiness, joy, and sadness are like the fruits of the harvest. The issue, then, is the seed that we sow in our hearts. If we sow a seed based on the three poisons of greed, anger, and stupidity, we will cause our own downfall, without fail, and bring forth an environment of unhappiness. By contrast, if we sow the seed of the Buddha’s true enlightenment and carefully cultivate it, we will, without fail, manifest happiness thoroughly characterized by wisdom, courage, compassion, and appreciation. We will then be able to lead our environment – our society – to peace. This seed is none other than the Gohonzon of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Buddhism of the sowing of the True Cause. This seed is cultivated by chanting the Daimoku of the Mystic Law and practicing assiduously.
When we find a person in trouble, we must first tell them about the Daishonin’s Buddhism. This will present that person with an opportunity to attain the life condition of supreme happiness. There may be those who feel that performing shakubuku is difficult because they are far inferior in appearance than others. There is no need to feel this way. In the gosho, “Establishing the Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of Worship” (Shi bosatsu zoryu sho), the Daishonin wrote:
I, Nichiren, am the poorest person in Japan, but in light of Buddhism, I am the wealthiest person in the world. (Gosho, p. 1368; MWND-3, p. 293)
There is no reason to feel that performing shakubuku is difficult because your appearance is inferior to that of others. What are most essential are the treasures of the heart. The ultimate kindness is to sincerely consider the happiness of others and teach them the True Law. This form of kindness emerges from the treasures of the heart.
The only means by which to make this essential cause is to practice the Mystic Law. The important issues here are the attitude with which we perform our practice of the Mystic Law and the way in which we deal with each and every aspect of life, based on the resultant benefits. We are fortunate to be born as humans into this world and to encounter the Daishonin’s Buddhism. We must never lose sight of our good fortune. Whenever we encounter difficulties, we must chant sincere Daimoku and create the supreme cause. By so doing, let us all construct a life condition of the ultimate happiness that will encompass this and all our future lifetimes.
Today, in my sermon, I quoted a passage from the “Letter from Sado” (Sado gosho) and explained the principle of cause and effect. Please drive safely as you return home. On the 24th of this month we will hold the ceremony commemorating the Anniversary of the Establishment of True Buddhism and the Chapter General Meeting. I sincerely ask you all to invite your friends and fellow believers and attend this significant undertaking. Thank you for your kind attention through this entire sermon.