Guidance from Sixty-eighth High Priest Nichinyo Shonin
On the Occasion of the February Kōsen-rufu Shōdai Ceremony
February 4, 2018
Reception Hall, Head Temple Taisekiji
On this occasion of the February Kōsen-rufu Shōdai Ceremony, conducted here today at the Head Temple, I would like to express my heartfelt appreciation to the large number of participants in attendance. As you know, February is the month when our Founder, Nichiren Daishonin, was born.
On February 16th in the first year of Jō’ō (1222), Nichiren Daishonin made his advent into this world. This had been prophesized in the Lotus Sutra. The Daishonin’s transient status was [the reincarnation of] Bodhisattva Jōgyō (Superior Practice), while his true identity is the True Buddha from the infinite past of kuon-ganjo. The purpose of his advent was to lead the people without the seed of Buddhahood in the Latter Day of the Law, and enable them to attain Buddhahood in one’s present form, through Myoho-Renge-Kyo of the sowing hidden in the depths of the Life Span (Juryō; sixteenth) chapter of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra.
We must correctly embrace the great aspiration of our Founder Nichiren Daishonin, which is to save all living beings in the Latter Day of the Law. Then, we must devote ourselves to do shakubuku—refuting heresy and revealing the truth—based on the spirit of itai dōshin, as we aim toward the achievement of the propagation of the Law throughout the entire world. Herein lies the most important mission for both the priesthood and laity of Nichiren Shoshu.
The Daishonin teaches the following in the Gosho, Questions and Answers Between a Sage and a Foolish Man (Shōgu mondō-shō):
The world today is defiled with impurities. People’s minds are distorted, filled with envy, and provisional and slanderous teachings abound. This makes it difficult for the true Law to be propagated. At such a time, it is of no use to practice the reading, reciting, and transcribing of sutras, or to contemplate, meditate, or discipline oneself. You simply must perform shakubuku. You should powerfully vanquish slanderous teachings, and use the doctrines to censure erroneous teachings to the best of your ability.
(Gosho, p. 403)
In this evil age of the Latter Day of the Law, when the world is filled with the five impurities, the Daishonin revealed that the best way to save many people, who suffer the greatest misery due to the poison of slander of evil doctrines, is shakubuku. He teaches that one must single-mindedly carry out shakubuku in the Latter Day of the Law. Furthermore, the Daishonin teaches in the Gosho, Reply to Soya (Soya dono-gohenji) as follows:
If a priest and his followers become aware of an enemy of Buddhism, and let the slanderer be, without reproaching him, there is no doubt that all of them will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. The Great Teacher Nanyue stated, “They will fall into hell with evil men.” Trying to attain enlightenment without admonishing slander of the Law is like seeking water in fire or fire in water. How useless! How futile! (Gosho, p. 1040)
The Daishonin strictly admonishes that if a priest and his followers see someone committing a slander but do not carry out shakubuku to this person, then “both the priest and his followers definitely will fall into the hell of incessant suffering.” At the same time, he points out that the root cause for misfortune, sufferings, and confusion in the world is solely due to the poison of slander of erroneous doctrines. Thus, those who see slander of the Law and pray only for their own attainment of Buddhahood, without refuting the errors of others, are just like “seeking water in fire or fire in water.” The Daishonin strictly warns us that even though we practice Buddhism, if we let slanderers be, and do not refute their errors through performing shakubuku, then we will not be able to achieve enlightenment.
Today, both the priesthood and laity of Nichiren Shoshu are striving as one and advancing forth, as we aim toward our goal—the establishment of a membership of 800,000 Hokkeko believers by 2021. At this time, each of us, etching into our hearts these golden words, must composedly carry out shakubuku, based on a firm resolve, no matter what difficulties and obstacles may arise, so that we will, by any means, achieve our goal—establishing a membership of 800,000 Hokkeko believers. This is the objective that we vowed to achieve in front of the Gohonzon.
In particular, our shakubuku challenge for this year and the next three years will be extremely important, since we have only three years remaining until the auspicious occasion when we will commemorate the 800th Anniversary of the Advent of our Founder Nichiren Daishonin. Those chapters that fell behind must catch up at any cost, renewing their resolve and accumulating efforts. In order to achieve this, all the members must earnestly strive to chant Daimoku. With the benefits and joy from chanting Daimoku, the members must take one action after another. If one acts, one will grow wise. If all the members of a chapter unite and courageously do shakubuku, they certainly will be able to make up for any delays in reaching their goal. Yes, they certainly must catch up. Yōzan Uesugi, the feudal lord of the Yonezawa domain, exactly stated the following:
Do and it will be done; don’t do and it will not be done. If something is not done, that is because no one did it.
At the same time, the chapters that currently are showing success must continue to advance steadily, cautiously taking to heart the following warning: “Don’t let your guard down even after a victory.” I sincerely wish that all of the chapters will achieve their shakubuku goals without fail.
The Daishonin teaches the following in the Gosho, Letter to Nanjō Hyō’e Shichirō (Nanjō hyō’e shichirō dono-gosho):
No matter what great merit one gains by performing good deeds; even if one transcribes the Lotus Sutra ten million times, and achieves the observation of the mind based on the principle of ichinen sanzen (three thousand realms in a single life-moment), should he fail to denounce the enemies of the Lotus Sutra, he will not be able to attain enlightenment. (Gosho, p. 322)
Moreover, the Daishonin teaches in the Gosho, The Doctrine of Ichinen Sanzen (Ichinen sanzen hōmon) as follows:
Even if a medicine is compounded with one hundred or one thousand ingredients, one’s illness will not be cured unless one puts it in his mouth. Even if one owns treasures in a storehouse, he will starve unless he opens it. Even if one carries medicine in his pocket, he will die unless he takes it.
(Gosho, p. 110)
He also teaches the following in the Gosho, Recorded Lectures (Onkō kikigaki):
Now is the time of the Latter Day of the Law, when one can attain Buddhahood by propagating the seven characters of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and enable others to receive benefit [from the Buddha]. (Gosho, p. 1818)
I sincerely wish that you will engrave these golden words into your minds. Then, let us reaffirm that now is the time when we must do shakubuku—refuting heresy and revealing the truth—based on our firm resolve. We must dauntlessly carry out a courageous practice, overcoming every difficulty, thereby realizing our goal—the establishment of a membership of 800,000 Hokkeko believers. I truly hope that, for the next three years, you will further unite as one, based on the spirit of itai dōshin, and devote yourselves to your practice, as we aim toward the achievement of our goal.