Happiness In This World
(Shijo Kingo dono gohenji)
Oko Sermon, August, 2005
Reverend Shogu Kimura
Introduction
There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Just chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and when you drink sake stay at home with your wife. Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. Then you will experience boundless joy from the Law. Strengthen your faith more than ever. (Shimpen, p. 991)
Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the August 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.
Time certainly flies. We are already in August. As we experience these hot summer days, I hope that you are maintaining your good health. There are some believers who will go to the Head Temple from August 17th, to participate in the Overseas Believers’ Summer Training Meeting. Those of you who have gone on a tozan pilgrimage at this time of year are familiar with the incredibly hot summers in Japan. The piercing sound of the cicadas seems to intensify the summer heat.
Once an egg is laid, a cicada takes seven years to hatch. Once the cicada hatches, it begins to chirp on the fourth day. It lives for a mere one or two weeks before it dies. A cicada lives its short life of one or two weeks with tremendous vitality. As if to mark its existence in this world, the cicada lets out a truly tremendous noise. I suspect that there are almost no other such small living things that can emit noise as loud as that of a cicada. During its brief life, the cicada only drinks sap from the trees. I have heard that, according to the Chinese, the cicada symbolized purity because it only drank the sap and ate no other food. The symbol of the cicada was used as an embellishment on the helmets worn by the warriors.
The chirping of the cicadas certainly calls to mind the thought of summer. It even evokes a sensation of the overpowering heat of summer. But, when we listen attentively to the noise, we can feel a sense of sadness of the ephemeral nature of things. This is particularly so, when we consider the brief life of the cicada.
We, as believers who uphold the True Buddhism of the Daishonin, must advance forth, seeking to achieve enlightenment for all phenomena – even the cicadas – in this world.
The gosho passage on which we are focusing this month is from “Happiness in this World” (Shijo Kingo dono go-henji).
I have frequently referred to this passage to encourage myself and others, in the face of obstacles in faith and in daily life. Although the passage is famous and is regularly referenced, it tends to be treated more lightly than the serious consideration it deserves.
This passage contains the phrase, “joy from the Law” (ho-raku). There is not one person alive in this world who does not wish for joy. Although many people wish for joy, in fact, there are very few people who have actually achieved such a life condition and are able to maintain it.
Needless to say, joy is the opposite of suffering. The phrase “suffering and joy” (ku-raku) signifies that joy cannot be separated from suffering. Despite this fact, people only seek joy, and they resent and detest suffering. Until they are able to come to terms with this fact and eliminate such resentment, they would be unable to achieve a life condition of joy. What is the nature of such a life condition that enables people to consider suffering to be joy?
Let me explain by describing an incident that occurred in a person’s life. A young man purchased a great luxury car. It was flashy and striking, and everyone admired it. Of course, the car was the young man’s greatest treasure. He covered it, he polished it, and he did not let anyone touch it. One day, however, someone played a joke on him and put a slight scratch on the car. Understandably, the young man was extremely angry and sad. He could not think straight and could hardly work. He decided to rent a garage with an automatic door controller to store his car.
Renting garage space in the big city was extremely expensive, however, and he paid a third of his monthly income on parking his car. The payment for his car loan, the amount for gas, and now the garage space rental ate up more than half of his monthly income. Things were not too bad while he was able to afford his monthly car loan payment. Before long, however, he was no not able to afford it, and he was forced to abandon his car, his most prized possession. The extreme misfortune caused the young man to grow depressed, and he lost interest in all aspects of his life. He was fired from his job, and he descended into a lifestyle that was completely unacceptable by societal standards.
[Making a clever remark on the character that symbolizes “cancer,”] a doctor once said, “Cancer consists of a mountain-high pile of goods.” In the case of the young man in my story, he focused too much on the “joy” of riding in his favorite car, that it had turned into an all-consuming obsession, like cancer.
In other words, it is only natural to seek “joy,” but merely seeking joy, at the exclusion of other things, would lead one to the three evil paths of Hell, Hunger, and Animality.
In short, “joy” arises when a person is at peace and happy in body and mind. The peace and tranquility in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism are characterized by one who is looked upon by the eyes of the Buddha, who listens to the voice of the Buddha, and who chants Daimoku. Thus, one is never able to see true joy, if he is attached to his own arbitrary interpretation of “joy.”
We must set our objectives, not on temporary forms of tranquility, such as a luxury car, but rather on the attainment of enlightenment in this lifetime and the achievement of the supreme life condition. We must squarely look upon and develop our lives into a solid existence in which we would be able to sincerely feel that there is joy in the performance of our Buddhist practice. Then, naturally and without difficulty, we would be able to live the life characterized by the passage, “Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens.”
Shijo Kingo, who received this gosho, possessed an extremely superior faith. He also was the recipient of the gosho, “The Opening of the Eyes” (Kaimoku sho) from the Daishonin. He had tremendous integrity, and he was trusted by everyone. Shijo Kingo, who received strict instructions from the Daishonin, always upheld an attitude in which he considered the Daishonin’s life to be his own. Indeed, he was a stalwart figure who possessed the characteristics of honesty and gentleness, a difficult combination to find in people.
He was a man who understood the Daishonin’s teachings with his life, by chanting Daimoku and performing shakubuku. I am certain that he was a man who was tranquil and happy and who caused others to feel the same.
It is extremely difficult to come into this world with various karma in our lives and to uphold faith under such conditions. Invariably, this entails great hardships. However, when we encounter a hardship, we cannot productively advance forth if we concentrate on why it happened or why it had to happen only to us. Furthermore, our life is whatever we make of it, and we have only this present moment in our current lifetime.
Since May, I have held the Buddhism Introduction Meeting, and on each occasion, I have talked about “True Happiness” and “True Unhappiness.”
Happiness, according to worldly standards, is a dream-like existence that concentrates on the happiness of the current moment. This is because happiness based on material desires is temporary and short-lived. However, people tend to pursue this form of happiness. There are many people in this world who are like the young man I described earlier. Those who are unaware of the correct teachings of True Buddhism are ultimately overwhelmed by the three poisons. They are constantly traversing between momentary happiness and suffering.
What, then, can we do to open forth a life condition that is described by the passage: “Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens.” Our High Priest stated the following:
When one strives to purify and refine one’s heart, he will cultivate warmth for himself and for others. This is extremely important for humans. When a person descends into the realm of selfish desires, many factors will cause him to feel anger and greed. This, in turn, will cause him to forget to look upon himself and others with true warmth. In an individual’s daily life, great happiness can be achieved by constantly dealing with others with warmth and caring.
However, this is all based on faith and practice of the Daishonin’s Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws. (Myokyo, Vol. 98)
Indeed, it is as the Daishonin explained: “There is no greater happiness for human beings than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.”
I ask you all to etch once again in your hearts the significance of this passage. Please continue to assiduously chant Daimoku and perform shakubuku, to achieve the supreme joy and happiness as the disciples of the Daishonin.
Today, after this sermon, we will have a picnic. If you have the time, please stay and enjoy yourselves.
I sincerely thank you for your attendance today.