Continual Propagation to the Fiftieth Person
(Goju tenden)
Okyobi Sermon, June, 2005
Reverend Shogu Kimura
What is the Continual Propagation to the Fiftieth Person?
My sermon this month is on the principle of the “benefits of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person” (goju tenden no kudoku). This refers to the benefits of the fiftieth person who hears and rejoices in the Lotus Sutra after the Buddha’s passing. The benefits that this person would receive are incomparably greater than those that could be gained from a great dispenser of charity who continuously gave invaluable treasures to all people in the universe for eighty years. “Continual propagation” represents the transmission of the teachings from person to person. The principle of the benefits of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person is contained in the Benefits of Responding with Joy (Zuiki kudoku; eighteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
“Responding with Joy” (zuiki) basically describes the joy one feels in observing others perform good deeds. In other words, the “benefits of responding with joy” refers to the great benefits that occur when people feel joy upon hearing the teachings of True Buddhism. The principle of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person signifies the process of saving increasing numbers of people by further transmitting this joy to them.
At the beginning of the Benefits of Responding with Joy (Zuiki kudoku; eighteenth) chapter, Maitreya asked the Buddha, “After the World–Honored One has passed into extinction, if those who hear this sutra are able to respond with joy, what amount of blessings will they acquire?” Shakyamuni responded by presenting the principle of the “benefits of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person.” He sated, “After the Buddha’s passing, one person, having heard, responds with joy and spreads the teachings, and the teachings in this way continue to be handed along from one to another until they reach the fiftieth person. The benefits of even this fiftieth person are tremendous.”
Shakyamuni then described the benefits that this fiftieth individual would receive: “The benefits that this person would receive are incomparably greater than those that could be gained from a great dispenser of charity who continuously gave invaluable treasures of all varieties to all the people in the entire universe for eighty years and who, furthermore, led them to the supreme life condition that could be attained through the Hinayana doctrines.” Thus, Shakyamuni revealed the enormity of the benefits of the Lotus Sutra.
We assume that the tremendous joy felt by the first person would decrease by the time the fiftieth person heard about it. Even so, the sutra described the great benefits that this fiftieth individual would receive. This signifies the tremendous enormity of the benefits of the first person to hear and rejoice in the Lotus Sutra.
Next, in the Benefits of Responding with Joy chapter, Shakyamuni states: “Tremendous benefits will come to those who, for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, go to worship at the temples, listen to the Law, invite others to the sermons, share their seats at the places of worship, and tell others about the Law. Immeasurable, indeed, are the benefits of those who single-mindedly listen to this Law, share it with others, believe in it, and correctly practice it.” Shakyamuni revealed here that the benefits were truly immeasurable for those who advanced in their practice for themselves and for others.
The principle of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person functions to compare the great benefits of the fiftieth person who rejoices upon hearing the Law with the multi-fold benefits of those who actually practice the Lotus Sutra based on the practice for oneself and for others. It further instructs and encourages those who come after the Buddha’s passing to practice the Lotus Sutra.
How This Principle Applies to Our Faith and Practice
For us, in the Latter Day of the Law, the Lotus Sutra is none other than the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws. The Buddha is Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha from the infinite past of kuon-ganjo. The principle of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person is not merely an illustration in the Lotus Sutra. It is a process that can be applied to our own faith and practice. In the “Orally Transmitted Teachings (Ongi-kuden) Nichiren Daishonin stated the following about this principle:
It expounds the joy of the benefits of the Mystic Law. The benefits of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person can be described in the following way: The number “five” in “fifty [written in characters that signify “five-tens”]” represents the five characters of the Mystic Law (Myo-Ho-Ren-Ge-Kyo), and “ten” denotes the people who inhabit the Ten Worlds. “Continual propagation” refers to the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life (ichinen sanzen). On the surface, this principle denotes the benefits received by the fiftieth individual. The fifty people here represent all mankind—the fifty people of the Mystic Law and the continual propagation of the Mystic Law. Thus, you must continually propagate Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo. (Gosho, p. 1811)
The Daishonin indicates that the principle of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person refers to upholding the Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws and continuing faith with great joy. “Continual propagation” represents the propagation of the benefits of the Gohonzon. Referring to this, the Daishonin teaches that it is essential to understand the tremendous benefit of upholding faith based on our practice for ourselves and for others. We must joyfully and vigorously advance for the sake of kosen-rufu.
Essential Issues in Our Daily Lives
Next, let us discuss Nichiren Daishonin’s instruction concerning the significance of continuing our joy. He wrote in his Gosho, “Buddhism is like the body and society like the shadow. When the body is crooked, so is the shadow” (Gosho, p. 1469; MW-3, p. 308).
Slackening in our Buddhist practice is like the distortion of the body. As a matter of course, the shadow—our daily lives— will inevitably become distorted as well. This may happen gradually, unbeknownst to us, as we drift away from the principles of True Buddhism.
Our most fundamental practice is our performance of Gongyo and Daimoku, the practice for ourselves. Gongyo and Daimoku are the most supreme Buddhist practices in which we are able to completely fuse our lives, as common mortals, with the Gohonzon, the very entity of the Buddha’s enlightenment.
Our High Priest Nikken Shonin presented us with the following directions on the benefits of chanting Daimoku:
When you continue to chant sincere Daimoku, the various forms of suffering caused by your slanders and selfishness will naturally and correctly resolve themselves over the Three Existences.
When you chant the absolute Daimoku of the Mystic Law, you will first experience a sense of confidence and peace. You will then feel a mysterious power settle in the depths of your life. You will be able to rise up courageously to achieve shakubuku and your other responsibilities. You will cultivate patience and fulfillment as necessary, and you will nurture a confident and determined spirit. Furthermore, you will thoroughly know yourselves and you will be able to reflect upon yourselves. You will be able to construct a truly free life condition, characterized by innumerable virtues of the heart. These are all the mystical virtues that you will be able to achieve by chanting the Daimoku of the Mystic Law. (Daibyakuho, Jan. 2004. Vol. 1)
When we do Gongyo and chant Daimoku without slackening, unbeknownst to us, we will gradually develop a life that manifests the enlightenment of the Buddha. Conversely, when we slacken in our efforts, we will gradually exhibit a life that does not manifest the enlightenment of the Buddha. We may be unable to determine this within a brief period of time, but it will be definitely established “naturally ... over the Three Existences.” In other words, if we are careless in our efforts to perform Gongyo and Daimoku, our daily lives will be tantamount to castles in the sand.
The following passage is contained in the Gosho:
Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken even a bit, demons will take advantage. (Gosho, p. 1397; MW-1, p. 242)
When we are completely distracted by our daily lives and slacken in our performance of Gongyo and Daimoku, or when we are overcome by external factors and find that our joy is waning, we can assume that the “demons are taking advantage” of us. Nichiren Daishonin taught that this is a manifestation of our careless spirit. When the Daishonin said, “Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month,” he wanted us to understand that doing Gongyo and chanting Daimoku assiduously everyday will enable us to maintain our joy and, furthermore, will provide us with the driving force to amass benefits and positive causes.
Nichiren Daishonin described “joy” in the following way, “Joy signifies happiness for both yourself and others.” Thus, he taught that the benefits of our practice could turn into true joy only when they are shared with others, through the practice for others. High Priest Nikken Shonin explained the Buddhist practice of practicing for oneself and for others, in the following way:
It is the path through which to attain benefits by achieving salvation for oneself and for others.
When we meticulously perform Gongyo and Daimoku (practice for oneself) and actively do shakubuku (practice for others) can we achieve the life condition of enlightenment, filled with joy that comes from the essential benefits of our Buddhist practice, as described by the principle of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person.
Let us now affirm once again with one another the objectives of our practice for this year, designated as the “Year of Advancement with Unity between Priesthood and Laity”:
- Let us assiduously perform Gongyo and Daimoku.
- Let us attend the Oko sermons and the kosen-rufu Daimoku meetings.
- Let us achieve the objective of “one shakubuku per person each year.”
Three months have already gone by since the beginning of the “Year of Advancement with Unity between Priesthood and Laity.” Are we doing Gongyo and chanting Daimoku with joy? Are we attending the Oko Ceremonies and actively participating in kosen-rufu Gongyo and other meetings? Moreover, in addition to attending such activities by ourselves, are we making efforts to invite our fellow believers to attend them together with us? Are we vigorously doing shakubuku to share the benefits of our practice with others?
Let us affirm in our hearts once again that the benefits of those who assiduously perform their Buddhist practice are truly immeasurable, just as they are described in the principle of the continual propagation to the fiftieth person. Moreover, let us advance and achieve our great objectives for the upcoming “750th Anniversary of the Revelation of the Truth Through the Writing of the ‘Rissho ankoku-ron.’”