Oko Sermon
Reverend Shogu Kimura
January, 2012
Shakubuku is Our Most Important Mission
I hope that all of you have welcomed the New Year, 2012, “The Year of Advancing Kosen-rufu Through Shakubuku,” with great enthusiasm and in good health. The objectives for our activities this year are:
- To consistently do Gongyo and Shodai together with our families
- To accomplish our individual shakubuku goals through consistent shakubuku activities
- To encourage all believers to make a pilgrimage to the Head Temple
I am certain that you have made new determinations to achieve the shakubuku goals for this year.
The annual objectives that we receive each year are basic issues of faith. We must repeatedly carry out these fundamental issues, in order to profoundly feel the joy of faith. Every individual should spend each day in abundant joy. This is the best manifestation of the actual proof of practicing true Buddhism correctly.
In March of last year in Japan, many people fell victim to the great earthquake and the subsequent tsunami, and numerous individuals were harmed. These incidents were closely reminiscent of those described in the following passage in the Daishonin’s Risshō ankoku-ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True Buddhism):
In recent years there have been unusual occurrences in the heavens and natural disasters on earth. Famine and epidemics rage in all lands beneath the skies and in every corner of the realm. Dead cattle and horses are everywhere, and human skeletons clutter the streets. More than half the population has already perished, and there is not a single person who does not mourn. (Gosho, p. 234; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 1)
The Japanese people pride themselves on their highly advanced technology. They may be able to explain the intricate mechanisms involved in the occurrence of earthquakes. They also can raise social awareness in preparing for earthquakes and disaster prevention. However, those who encounter disasters continue to abound. Science is only able to explain the cause-and-effect relationship of the phenomena that occur. It cannot explain the fundamental source of individual suffering. Concerning this issue, Nichiren Daishonin stated:
When I, with my limited knowledge, read the sutras, I find that all people have gone against the correct Law and become wholly devoted to evil doctrines. This is why all the guardian deities have abandoned this country and sages have left this land, not to return. Seizing this opportunity, devils and demons rush in, bringing disasters and calamities. This is most fearful. We must speak out (Gosho, p. 234; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 3)
Here, the Daishonin reveals that various calamities are caused by people’s adherence to erroneous doctrines. Of course, the “correct Law” mentioned in this passage refers to true Buddhism. This “correctness” signifies good reason or common sense.
Based on the revelation in the Lotus Sutra, it represents the law of cause and effect that transcends the three existences. It denotes the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect (inga guji). Thus, evil refers to any deed that goes against this principle. Slander is an act that goes against the Lotus Sutra. It is none other than an act that opposes the truth. A distortion is created when there is opposition to the truth. Consequently, this distortion gives rise to various forms of disaster and unhappiness.
In recent years, there has been a great deal of discussion on global warming and how it may be caused by the destruction of nature. Advocates strongly have been urging people to protect and restore nature. Nichiren Daishonin, however, states the following in the Gosho, “Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime” (“Isshō jōbutsu-shō”):
If the hearts and minds of the people are impure, so is their land. If their hearts and minds are pure, their land also remains pure. The pure and impure lands are not two separate realms. The goodness or evil of our hearts and minds determines the nature of the land. (Gosho, p. 46)
Therefore, true resolution will not come about, until the impure hearts and minds of those who are engaged in the destruction of nature are purified. In other words, calamities and human unhappiness and suffering will never cease, as long as slander permeates our world. Our High Priest stated:
The safety and tranquility of our world and society (realm of the environment) are extremely important for our happiness. To achieve this, we must eliminate all slanders. (Dai-Nichiren, vol. 786, p. 69)
Through our shakubuku efforts, we will be able to eliminate slanders, which are the very source of all misfortune. Furthermore, by doing shakubuku, we will be able to eradicate our own slanders and karmic misdeeds that we have amassed from the infinite past.
In the conclusion to the Risshō ankoku-ron, the Daishonin wrote:
From now on, I will faithfully uphold your compassionate admonition so that I may clear my foolish and deluded mind. I will immediately eliminate [all slanderous teachings] and make every effort toward realizing the peace throughout the land. These efforts will also secure my own peace of mind in this lifetime and will enable me to attain supreme happiness in future existences. Not only will I take faith in the correct Law, but I will also refute the erroneous views of others! (Gosho, p. 250; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 43)
To practice true Buddhism is to “not only take faith in the correct Law, but also to refute the erroneous views of others.”
Even if we receive the Gojukai Ceremony and embrace the Gohonzon, if we do not do morning and evening Gongyo and if we remain completely oblivious to the importance of doing shakubuku, we cannot claim to be upholding a true practice. To make matters worse, under such conditions, we ultimately will live our lives in vain, without ever experiencing the great joy of practicing true Buddhism.
When a person realizes his individual mission and exerts his utmost efforts to achieve it, his days will be enriched and he will experience the true joy of life. For all of us, the priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, doing shakubuku is our most essential mission.
On the occasion of the meeting for Kotos in March of last year, High Priest Nichinyo Shonin gave the following guidance:
We must protect and support our society and our world, and we must pray for global peace and tranquility. We are able to pray for such peace and tranquility through our achievement of shakubuku. Therefore, we must never slacken in our efforts. This year, I ask each chapter to successfully attain its designated goal without fail, regardless of what circumstances may arise.
(Dai-Nichiren, vol. 783, p. 55)
The High Priest teaches that our individual shakubuku efforts are the essential actions we must take in order to establish peace and tranquility in our world. I pray that each of you will make great strides in various areas of your life, as you practice the three objectives for action, based on the directions from our High Priest.
I would like to conclude my sermon for this month by sincerely praying for your continued good health and your ever-increasing achievements.