New Year’s Eve Gongyo Address
December 31, 2012
Reverend Shogu Kimura
Good evening everyone! Together with you, I have just completed the last gongyo for this year, “The Year of Taking Action to Do Shakubuku.” I express my sincere appreciation to you for coming all the way to Myoshinji Temple on this New Year’s Eve, in spite of your busy schedules and great distances.
Tomorrow, we will welcome the “he year of Advancing Kosen-rufu Through Shakubuku.” Currently, as priests and lay believers of Nichiren Shoshu, we are continuing to steadfastly advance forth with great devotion towards our objective to achieve an increase of 50% in the Hokkeko membership by the year 2015. This represents an important process in our objective to achieve a Hokkeko membership of 800,000 by the year 2021. Without accomplishing our first goal, there is no way that we would be able to attain the next goal thereafter.
This year, our shakubuku efforts had an extremely slow start; however, in the second half of the year, we were able to achieve one shakubuku after another, at an amazing pace. As a result, 57 new believers took faith this year.
I am convinced that we were able to accomplish this because all of you sincerely chanted Daimoku and advanced forth with great devotion, based on unity characterized by different bodies but one mind.
Our Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin stated:
The practice of chanting Daimoku holds the key to opening forth everything. When we chant Daimoku, a mysterious karmic bond of doing shakubuku and propagating the teachings will be naturally manifested in our current individual situations and characters, as priests and lay believers. (Dai-Nichiren, January 1999)
Indeed, I am certain that the results manifested in the latter half of this year are exactly as those described by the Honorable Retired High Priest in his instructions.
Moreover, our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin said:
What is the purpose of the Daishonin’s advent in the Latter Day of the Law? It is to enable all people to become happy. In other words, he made his advent for the sake of kosenrufu. When we do shakubuku, we are assisting in the achievement of kosenrufu. Rather than being an act aimed at achieving happiness only for our individual selves, its objective is to bring salvation and happiness to multitudes of people. There is absolutely no need to brace ourselves. We must sincerely teach others by saying, “This Gohonzon is truly wonderful. So let’s chant Daimoku together. Let’s achieve happiness together.” (“Essentials of Benefits” [Kudoku yobun], p. 221)
Because we are assisting the Buddha, the benefits that we receive are extremely great. I ask each one of you gathered here today to advance forth with great devotion, so that you can successfully achieve shakubuku next year. There is no need to brace or strain yourselves. You should simply follow the directions of our High Priest and chant Daimoku. If you sincerely strive to do your utmost in the practice of shakubuku, you will be able to successfully do shakubuku without fail. At the same time, you will be able to eradicate your personal karmic sins and establish a life condition of true happiness.
As priests and lay believers of Myoshinji Temple, let us all form a solid unity characterized by different bodies but one mind and work to fulfill the expectations of our virtuous master, our High Priest, as we proceed forth to achieve the objective of increasing our Hokkeko membership by 50% by the year 2015.
I would like to conclude my brief final address for this year.
I sincerely thank you all for your attendance.