Oko Sermon
Reverend Shogu Kimura
August, 2009
Eliminating Arrogance in our Faith and Practice
Arrogance refers to a contemptuous attitude toward others. It describes a person who is self-important and haughty. Arrogance is characterized by greed, anger, and stupidity, which all function as huge obstacles that prevent people from attaining enlightenment. No one is able to attain Buddhahood without overcoming this obstacle of arrogance. Today my sermon focuses on eliminating arrogance in our faith and practice.
First, I will describe the various types of arrogance, based on the Gosho and the instructions of our High Priest.
(1) Seven Types of Arrogance (Shichi man)
There are seven types of arrogance (shichi man) described in A Treasury of Expositions on the Law (Jpn. Kusha ron; Skt. Abhidharma-kosha-shastra). They are: 1) Arrogance (man), 2) Haughty arrogance (ka man), 3) Condescending arrogance (man ka man), 4) Self-centered arrogance (ga man), 5) Supreme arrogance (zo jo man), 6) Immodest arrogance (hi man), and 7) Pompous arrogance (ja man).
The first type, arrogance (man), is an attitude in which a person flaunts his superiority over those who are inferior and asserts himself among his peers. You may wonder why such an attitude would be considered arrogant if this characterization represents the truth. It is arrogant because such a person is entirely preoccupied with himself. He feels superior when he compares himself to others and classifies them as being inferior or equal to him.
Nichiren Daishonin asserts the superiority of his Buddhism, based on his explanation of the supremacy of the Law. While his assertion may seem arrogant, it is, in fact, not so. We must be mindful not to confuse the fact that there is a distinction between an evaluation based on the Law and that based on one’s own, egotistical perspectives.
The second type, haughty arrogance (ka man), describes a person who believes that he is superior to those who are actually his equals and considers himself to be equal to those who are, in fact, superior to him. In this form of arrogance, people tend to self-aggrandize their worth.
The third type is condescending arrogance (man ka man). A person in this state believes that he is far superior to those who, in actuality, are superior to him. He even looks down upon them. He is a pretentious individual who is unable to correctly evaluate situations.
The fourth type is self-centered arrogance (ga man). This denotes a person who is obsessed with his own thoughts and views and considers himself to be most precious. He holds the conceited notion that he is most superior. In standard Japanese, the word “ga man” means “to endure” or “to persevere,” but as a Buddhist term, it has the opposite meaning.
The fifth type of arrogance is supreme arrogance (zo jo man). This refers to a person who believes that he has mastered the Buddhist teachings, even though he has not achieved a correct understanding or realization concerning them. The following passage is from the Expedient Means (Hōben; second) chapter of the Lotus Sutra:
What they had not attained they supposed they had attained, what they had not understood they supposed they had understood. (Hokekyo, p. 100; Lotus Sutra, Watson, p. 30)
This describes the occasion during Shakyamuni’s sermon on the Lotus Sutra, when five thousand individuals became supremely arrogant and left the assembly, believing that they had attained the supreme understanding when, in fact, they had not.
Moreover, in the Encouraging Devotion (Kanji; thirteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra, there is a description of individuals possessing three types of supreme arrogance who persecute the votaries of the Lotus Sutra in various ways. They are called the three powerful enemies. The first group is extremely arrogant lay people (zokushu zo jo man). The second group is extremely arrogant priests (domon zo jo man). The third group is extremely arrogant false sages (sensho zo jo man). During his lifetime, Nichiren Daishonin faced the three powerful enemies, including:
- Nembutsu believers who criticized and denounced him
- Priests of the Nembutsu, Zen, and Ritsu sects who persecuted him with defamatory accusations and slander
- Authorities of the Kamakura government, such as Heino-saemon, who subjected the Daishonin to persecutions, which included exiles and assaults with swords and staves.
Today, this situation is reflected in the Soka Gakkai, in which 1) the general members; 2) the paid leaders of the Gakkai; and 3) Daisaku Ikeda and the executive leaders of that organization clearly exhibit the characteristics of the three types of supreme arrogance (sanshu no zojoman).
The sixth type of arrogance, immodest arrogance (hi man), describes an individual who believes that he is only slightly inferior to those who are actually significantly superior to him. Even though the actual discrepancy between them may be as apparent as night and day, such a person haughtily brings down others and boosts himself up and is convinced that the difference between them is only slight.
The seventh type is pompous arrogance (ja man). This represents a person with no virtues who is attached to his heretical perspectives and believes that he is actually virtuous. He considers himself to be great. The evil form of arrogance that he possesses functions to lead others into the evil paths.
All of the forms of arrogance above the fifth—supreme arrogance (zo jo man)—are frequently manifested in boastful individuals who have a certain social stature and possess some knowledge. They usually are not interested in learning, listening, and receiving guidance, since they feel that they already know things and have a general understanding of issues and, therefore, they do not need to listen. Such an attitude promotes further arrogance and causes them to descend into the evil paths.
Nichiji Shonin, who previously was the Chief Priest of Hodo-in Temple, presented the following guidance:
There is a difference between having conviction or having confidence and exhibiting supreme arrogance (zo jo man). You must never lose yourself to arrogant attitudes. (February 1973, Koshi-e Ceremony)
We must always be aware of the difference between conviction in our practice, based on the relationship between master and disciple (shitei sotai), and conviction based on our own arbitrary views. If we are not mindful of this, we might lose ourselves to arrogant attitudes without realizing it. If we do not cultivate a sense of mission for kosen-rufu, we will ultimately lose our individuality.
(2) Continuation of Our Practice
In the “Letter to Ni’ike” (“Ni’ike-gosho”), Nichiren Daishonin writes:
Everyone appears to believe sincerely when he first embraces the Lotus Sutra, but as time passes, he tends to become less devout; he no longer reveres nor serves the priest and arrogantly forms distorted views. This is most frightening. Be diligent in developing your faith until the last moment of your life. (Gosho, p. 1457; MW-1, p. 254)
Here, the Daishonin teaches us to maintain a continuous practice.
In our extra-curricular lessons, in driving a car, and in our work, we find that accidents or mishaps occur most frequently not during the initial stages of our learning or apprenticeship but actually around the time when we become independent and get accustomed to the activity. Failures and blunders occur most often at this time. When our eagerness to improve ourselves wanes, our carelessness and laxity grows. Before long, this laxity transforms into an arrogant attitude within us. There have been all too many drunk drivers who were overconfident in their driving skills and felt that they would be fine, as long as they were not caught, but they ended up ruining their lives.
Nichiren Daishonin states the following in his Gosho, “The Three Obstacles and Four Devils” (“Hyōe sakan dono-gohenji”):
It is an undeniable fact that fire can at once reduce even a thousand-year-old field of pampas grass to ashes, and that the merit one has formed over a hundred years can be destroyed with a single careless word. (Gosho, p. 1183; MW-2, p. 286)
Thus, the Daishonin admonishes us that a small fire could burn down a thatched house that is a thousand years old and a single lie could destroy merit and trust that has been built and maintained for a hundred years. The same is true in our practice. If a person fails to continue the initial determination that he made in his practice, his shallow understanding of Buddhist principles will give rise to an arrogant attitude. This is described in the following passage from “The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter” (“Ueno dono-gohenji”):
Some among my disciples profess to know the teachings well, but this attitude is incorrect.
(Gosho, p. 1219; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin vol.1, pp. 33-35)
Furthermore, in the following excerpt from the Gosho, “The Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei” (“Zemmui sanzo-shō”), the Daishonin criticizes those who develop an attitude of supreme arrogance (zo jo man):
In effect, their arrogant minds tower like mountains, and the greed in their hearts is deeper than the seas.
(Gosho, p. 438; MW-4, p. 63)
In addition, the Daishonin admonishes us in “Recitation of the Expedient Means and Life Span Chapters” (“Gassui-gosho”):
In the end, for the sake of a small good, he commits great evil. And yet, in his heart, he prides himself on having practiced “great good”—such are the times we live in. (Gosho, p. 301; MW-6, p. 5)
Thus, he warns us that the world is increasingly filled with arrogant people who aggrandize their actions and believe that they have done great deeds.
(3) The Principles and Karmic Bonds of Buddhism
Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin states:
An individual who truly understands the principles and the karmic bonds of Buddhism would never develop an arrogant attitude. However, one who does not know the principles of true Buddhism would be prone to become arrogant and, as a result, would place himself at a great disadvantage both in secular and religious matters.
(9/5/1983: On the occasion of the completion of the Main Hall of Daiji-in Temple)
When we understand the significance of karmic bonds, we can understand that our parents did not unilaterally or arbitrarily choose to give us life. We realize that, based on our karmic bonds, we ourselves chose to be born. According to the statistical calculations of a certain scholar, the chances are one in six million that we would encounter our parents, spouses, siblings, friends, and others in our lives. When we understand that the people in our lives are those with whom we possess this karmic bond, we could not possibly look down upon them and assert that we are superior to them. We must associate with them with respect and sincerity. Karmic bonds are truly mystical. Our subordinates today may become our bosses in the future.
We must honestly and sincerely follow our High Priest’s guidance on the fundamental attitude to uphold in our faith and practice. We will go awry, without fail, if we follow our own arbitrary views in faith. The bullet train is able to move at a tremendous speed because it runs on a rail. We must always nurture our sense of appreciation and seek to repay our debt of gratitude, so that we never go off track and derail from the lifeblood practice of our faith.
High Priest Nichinyo Shonin presented us with the following directions by discussing Kanmyo-in Nichiji Shonin’s story about the Hakone Long-Distance Marathon:
The most problematic element in our practice is arrogance. The saying goes, “Both boastfulness and conceit are manifestations of stupidity.” There is nothing more troublesome than arrogance. Kanmyo-in Nichiji Shonin told me a story one day. You may not be very familiar with Kanmyo-in Nichiji Shonin. He was, at one time, an athlete who ran the Hakone Long-Distance Marathon. Before the war, he held the record for the Tsurumi – Totsuka segment of the race. Of the stories he told me, there is one about a middle-distance runner who was one of the best athletes in Japan. On one occasion, he happened to drink saké wine on the day before the race. However, the next day he won the race. From that point on, all the effort that he had heretofore put in his endeavor was destroyed and went to waste. It was his arrogance that did him in. He felt that he was invincible, even if he drank alcohol the night before his races. He believed that he could perform well. Thereafter, he gradually slackened in his training. Before long, he was completely destroyed. Such was the account of the athlete.
This story is applicable to our Buddhist practice. Actually, it applies significantly to all aspects of our life. In other words, we must never be lazy. The root cause of laziness is arrogance. We must be completely mindful that one of the fourteen slanders is arrogance (kyoman). I ask you all to practice assiduously and to never be arrogant. Never have an arrogant attitude in your faith. (Collection of Guidance [Goshinan shu], Vol. 1, p. 81)
This year, we have been fortunate enough to encounter the great occasion of the 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron. We must consider this to be our supreme good fortune. Let us make certain that there is nothing—not even the slightest carelessness or arrogance—that will bring us great regrets in the future, as we proceed to achieve the objectives set by our Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin. Let us all form a solid unity characterized by different bodies but one mind (itai doshin) and advance with ever more devotion to participate in the general tozan pilgrimage of 20,000 overseas believers and to continue our practice of shakubuku and chanting Daimoku.