New Year’s Day Address
January 1, 2012
Reverend Shogu Kimura
Happy New Year to you in this “The year of Advancing Kosen-rufu Through Shakubuku”.
We extend our heartfelt joy to our 68th High Priest Nichinyo Shonin and our 67th Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin who have both welcomed this new year in good health and high spirits and who send their compassion, instructions, and guidance to us, the priests and lay believers.
I have just completed the New Year’s gongyo and have sincerely prayed for all of you, in the year ahead, to put increasing efforts in your achievements, to redouble your faith, and to accomplish shakubuku. I have further prayed that peace and harmony would reign in your families, that the Law would be successfully passed to your progeny, and that all your prayers would come true.
As priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, we are vigorously advancing forth to achieve an increase of 50% in the Hokkeko membership by the year 2015, the 770th anniversary of the birth of Nikko Shonin. In the numerous temples in various countries throughout the world, the priests and lay believers have formed a solid unity to advance with devotion, based on the directions of our High Priest. The objective to increase the Hokkeko membership by 50% is absolutely essential to be able to achieve the further objective of 800,000 Hokkeko believers by the year 2021. As we embark upon the new year, once again, we have received three great objectives:
- To consistently do Gongyo and Shodai together with our families.
- To accomplish our individual shakubuku goals through consistent shalubuku
- To encourage all believers to make a pilgrimage to the Head Temple.
Each of these objectives is indispensable to the successful achievement of our designated goals. The first day of the new year is a particularly ideal time to make a fresh determination towards the accomplishment of these objectives. This year, the goal of the Myoshinji Chapter is to achieve 50 shakubuku. Based on your efforts, 57 individuals newly embraced true Buddhism last year. It was a year of tremendous advancement for Myoshinji Chapter.
I ask you all to renew your determinations, as you consider this wonderful day to be a new beginning towards the ultimate propagation of true Buddhism through kosenrufu. I further ask you to practice and advance forth, based on the directions of our High Priest.
The Nirvana Sutra (Nehan-gyo) contains the words: “All mankind possesses the Buddha nature.” In other words, every individual possesses a nature within his life that would enable him to become a Buddha. This Buddha nature is inherent in all people, regardless of who they are.
However, even though the Buddha nature is inherent within us, it cannot be manifested without an external karmic bond.
The Daishonin wrote in the “Teaching Affirmed by All the Buddhas” (Sokanmon sho):
Even though one may possess the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature, if he does not encounter the karmic bond of a Buddhist friend, he will never be able to be enlightened to it, to know it, and to manifest it. (Gosho, p. 1426)
In other words, if we do not encounter the “Buddhist friend” – the Gohonzon – we would not be able to manifest our Buddha nature, know it, and be enlightened to it. Conversely, if we possess a bond with the Gohonzon, we can manifest our Buddha nature without fail.
Furthermore, in the gosho, “Conversation Between a Sage and an Enlightened Man” (Shogu mondo sho), the Daishonin wrote:
Myoho-Renge-Kyo represents the Buddha nature of all mankind. … Thus, by chanting the words of the Daimoku once, one would be able to call forth and collect together the Buddha nature of all people. At that time, the three properties – of the body of the Law, the bliss body, and compassionate action – of the Buddha nature within him will be drawn and manifested in his life. Such is the achievement of Buddhahood. (Gosho406)
Therefore, chanting the Daimoku of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the only way by which to call forth our Buddha nature.
The first of the three great objectives for this year is to “To consistently do Gongyo and Shodai together with our families.” I am certain that you understand the tremendous importance of this objective. At the same time, I am also certain that you realize how doing shakubuku and propagating the Daimoku are truly precious and characterize an act of supreme compassion. However, there may be some of you who are unsuccessful in doing shakubuku and are troubled because you are unable to overcome difficulties. The Daishonin stated:
Your faith will determine whether or not your prayers come true. I, Nichiren, am not at fault in any way. (Gosho, p. 1519)
This means that whether or not our prayers are answered depends upon our faith in Myoho-Renge-Kyo. We must not blame others when things do not go as planned. In fact, it is essential that we, ourselves, thoroughly believe in the Gohonzon and chant Daimoku.
Furthermore, we must constantly uphold a joyous faith and practice and try to go on tozan pilgrimages at the Head Temple, where the Dai-Gohonzon is enshrined. I would like for all of you to be convinced that true happiness will be manifested without fail when we pray to expiate all our karmic sins from the infinite past.
Our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin said the following on the occasion of the Kosenrufu Daimoku Meeting last May:
Now, we have been born into the world as humans, which is difficult to do. Moreover, we have come upon true Buddhism, which is also difficult to encounter. And we have embraced the Dai-Gohonzon, the most supreme entity in this Jambudvipa world. We are, therefore, in the highest life condition.
This joy is supreme and incomparable. We must sincerely appreciate these truly rare conditions. Therefore, we earnestly repay our debts of gratitude to the essential Three Treasures. At the same time, we must not passively accept these benefits and joy; rather, we must follow the teaching of the practice for oneself and for others. As such, we must tell as many people as possible about the true Buddhism of the Daishonin. I am convinced that it is most essential now to do shakubuku by sowing the seed of true Buddhism. (Dai-Nichiren, June 2010)
Indeed, now is the time for us, as priests and lay believers, to form a solid unity to successfully fulfill the goals, as we advance forth with devotion to achieve the great objectives designated for “The year of Advancing Kosen-rufu Through Shakubuku,” based on the directions that we received today from our High Priest and the guidance from our Overseas Director Reverend Urushibata.
I would like to conclude my address for today by sincerely praying for your continued good health and your ever-increasing achievements.
Thank you very much for your kind attention.