Nichiren Writes,
“I have received a hundred slabs of steamed rice cake and a basket of fruit. New Year’s Day marks the first day, the first month, the beginning of the year, and the start of spring. A person who celebrates this day will accumulate virtue and be loved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually, moving from west to east and as the sun shines more brightly, traveling from east to west.”
First of all, as to the question of where exactly hell and the Buddha exist, one sutra states that hell exists underground, and another sutra says that the Buddha is in the west. Closer examination, however, reveals that both exist in our five-foot body. This must be true because hell is in the heart of a person who inwardly despises his father and disregards his mother. It is like the lotus seed, which contains both blossom and fruit. In the same way, the Buddha dwells within our hearts. For example, flint has the potential to produce fire, and gems have intrinsic value. We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts. You may question how it is that the Buddha can reside within us when our bodies, originating from our parents’ sperm and blood, are the source of the three poisons and the seat of carnal desires. But repeated consideration assures us of the truth of this matter. The pure lotus flower blooms out of the muddy pond, the fragrant sandalwood grows from the soil, the graceful cherry blossoms come forth from trees, the beautiful Yang Kuei-fei was born of a woman of low station, and the moon rises from behind the mountains to shed light on them. Misfortune comes from one’s mouth and ruins one, but fortune comes from one’s heart and makes one worthy of respect.
The sincerity of making offerings to the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the New Year is like cherry blossoms blooming from trees, a lotus unfolding in a pond, sandalwood leaves unfurling on the Snow Mountains, or the moon beginning to rise. Now Japan, in becoming an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, has invited misfortune from a thousand miles away. In light of this, it is clear that those who now believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten thousand miles away. The shadow is cast by the form, and just as the shadow follows the form, misfortune will befall the country whose people are hostile to the Lotus Sutra. The believers in the Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, are like the sandalwood with its fragrance. I will write you again. Nichiren, The fifth day of the first month, Reply to the wife of Omosu.
Background of the Gosho: This letter was written to the wife of Omosu in acknowledgment of offerings Nichiren Daishonin had received from her at the beginning of the year. The precise year of this letter, however, remains unclear. Omosu derived his name from that of the area in which his estate was located, Omosu Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province. His full name was Ishikawa Shimbei Yoshisuke. His wife was the elder sister of Nanjō Tokimitsu. In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin explains the operative principle of the Ten Worlds in a simple, poetic way, revealing that both Buddhahood and hell exist within the life of each individual. A person with a heart full of hatred experiences the world of hell; a person with faith in the Lotus Sutra experiences the world of Buddhahood.
The New Year signals a new beginning, a time when we are inspired to make fresh determinations. In this passage, Nichiren Daishonin teaches the key to starting a fulfilling year with happiness and hope.
It is generally believed that he composed “New Year’s Gosho” in 1281 for the wife of Omosu, who sent him 100 steamed rice cakes and delicacies in celebration of New Year’s Day. She was Nanjo Tokimitsu’s elder sister and married to Lord Omosu, the steward of Omosu Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province.
Nichiren thanked her for the offerings, stating, “A person who celebrates this day will accumulate virtue and be loved by all” (WND-1, 1137).
The wife of Omosu had lost her beloved daughter to illness in the spring of 1278. Her New Year’s offerings were likely an expression of her determination to remain steadfast in her Buddhist practice despite suffering such personal loss.
Conveying his admiration for her resolve, Nichiren likened her sincerity to the opening up of cherry blossoms, lotus flowers and sandalwood leaves, and the rising of the moon. He teaches that, no matter the difficulties we encounter, as long as we continue to earnestly strive in our Buddhist practice, the flowers of happiness will beautifully blossom in our lives.
Earlier in this letter, the Daishonin explains that all people are inherently Buddhas worthy of the highest respect. He decries the fact that Japan has abandoned this idea, making the country “an enemy of the Lotus Sutra.”
In contemporary terms, we could say this means that when people lose sight of and disregard the respect for the dignity of life, the fabric of society erodes and devolves. This is what Nichiren means by “inviting misfortune from a thousand miles away.”
In contrast, as practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, we are striving to spread the principles of Buddhism so that the dignity of life and respect for all human beings takes root in society.
Nichiren writes, “The believers of the Lotus Sutra . . . are like the sandalwood with its fragrance” (WND-1, 1137). In other words, when we believe in the Lotus Sutra, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon, transform our lives by overcoming all obstacles and establish an indomitable life condition, we establish a groundswell of inexhaustible happiness that permeates our lives and the lives of those around us. SGI President Ikeda describes this happiness as “the wonderful fragrance of good fortune and benefit, which enfolds not only [ourselves] but others as well”.
He goes on to state, ‘Believers in the Lotus Sutra’ will never be swept away by the swirling tide of misfortune, no matter how bleak the times or the situation in society may be. The network of good formed by people who embrace the Lotus Sutra can break the cycle of misery afflicting a nation and redirect it toward peace and security”.
The Year of Great Victory is upon us. Let’s not only make New Year’s resolutions at the start of this year. In 2022, let’s also begin each day of our lives as if it is New Year’s Day by abundantly chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, amplifying our life force, refreshing our determination and taking resolute action. This is the way to lead society to peace, the way to lead lives of complete fulfillment and the way to “gather fortune from ten thousand miles away.”
Thanks!!!
Happy New Year!!!
Have a great year ahead 🙂
