The Gosho states, If you try to treat someone’s illness without knowing what the cause of the illness is, you will only make the person sicker than before. We must not give superficial advice to a member without recognizing and pointing out the fundamental cause of his problem. Otherwise, far from solving his trouble, we will cause him even more difficulty than before. If a thief chants dai-moku to the Gohonzon with the stolen goods still in his pocket, can he erase his crime? No, he cannot. He must return the stolen article to its owner and then make reparations. This is a familiar example used to explain the principle of erasing one’s negative karma. We must chant to the Gohonzon very hard and make great efforts for the sake of kosen-rufu in order to eradicate our past slanders.
If all people who embraced the Gohonzon invariably got injured, then we could say that there was something wrong with the Gohonzon. But when you are the only one who met with a particular mishap, then, rather than blaming the Gohonzon, you must realize that the cause lies within yourself. Even if a thief takes faith, he still has to answer for the crimes he committed previously. Likewise, we must experience the effects of what ever bad causes we made before we began chanting. However, we can eradicate that bad karma after experiencing its effects far more lightly than we would if we did not practice to the Gohonzon.
A seed, no matter how well-bred, cannot sprout unless it is covered with earth, The same can be said of us human beings. Only when we are besieged by the dirt of difficulties and obstacles can we grow, using those problems as nourishment. When we are actually faced with hardships, however, we often lose courage and try to run away from them, or complain. It is precisely at such times that we must examine our faith, make a new determination, and chant earnestly. In this way we can not only overcome the problem but further develop our Buddha nature.
Then, looking back, we will realize that we owe our present happiness to our past hardships, just as a seed owes its growth to the dirt. From time to time I hear some member say, I’m too busy to practice faith. I’ll practice when I have some spare time. He is like a man who, when building a house, tries to erect the framework and shingle the roof before laying the foundation. Or, like someone with an injured leg who says, I’ll go see a doctor as soon as I can walk again. It is a typical example of putting the cart before the horse. Our foremost aim should be our own human revolution.
We are busy, and we have problems. That is why we must pray to the Gohonzon, so that we will be able to make time to practice and thereby change any poison into medicine. You need not try to look perfect simply because you are a leader. To do so will retard your human revolution. Let your members see with their own eyes how you are actually challenging and struggling with your bad karma, trying with all your might to overcome it. This is the correct attitude a leader should take.
