As I said before, we must limit individual guidance to guidance in faith. The purpose of guidance to individual members is, in the final analysis, to encourage them from the standpoint of faith and let them resolve to practice with renewed determination. If we neglect matters of faith and only provide them with means and methods in a secular sense, it is no longer guidance in faith, Let us assume that a member becomes ill, The doctor advises that he undergo surgery. The member, however, cannot decide for himself and comes to his leader for guidance. Now, whether or not to have surgery is something for the patient to decide after talking it over with his physician. We are in no position to advise him in this matter.
The same holds true with other troubles members face in their everyday lives. They agonize over those problems, try every means available to solve them, and finally, at their wits’ end, come for guidance. Merely teaching them methodology will not do them any good.
The Gosho does not provide any specific instructions as to how to cure illness or overcome poverty. Instead, it makes us realize that the fundamental cause of all our sufferings lies within our own destiny, and teaches us to strengthen our faith in order to change our destiny for the better, Suppose you are troubled over your child’s illness. You fervently pray for him to recover as soon as possible. This is understandable enough, but you should first of all realize that it is your destiny to have a hard time because of a sick child. Whenever parents with ailing children came to Mr. Toda, he would say, “You have the karma to experience difficulties because of your child. That’s why he has fallen ill.
You have no other alternative but to change your own destiny.” This of course applies not only to children but to anyone in your family your spouse, brother or sister, or parent. As I explained, it is important for a member who is distressed over a sick relative to make his agony a motivation for changing his destiny. It is equally vital for the patient himself to transform his illness into an impetus to spur on his faith. The Daishonin teaches, “Your husband’s disease seems to be the merciful consideration of the Buddha, for the jomyo and Nirvana sutras expound that those who are ill can attain Buddhahood. (Ota Jomyo lived in Shimosa Province (part of present-day Chiba and Ibaraki prefectures). He was a disciple of Nichiren Daishonin with a seeking mind in faith. From Nichiren’s letters to him, we can see the great trust and hope that he had for Jomyo.). Illness awakens a great seeking spirit.”
As the mentioned passage indicates, we usually do not become aware of our bad karma, the effect of our past negative causes, until we actually suffer from sickness or other problems, If we fall ill, we must tell ourselves, “This disease is the merciful consideration of the Gohonzon, intended to awaken me to faith. Now is the time for me to muster strong faith. Now is the chance to change my destiny.” When we are so determined, we will find ourselves in a higher and broader state of life. The above Gosho passage teaches an important principle applicable not only to the pains of illness but to all other troubles we undergo in life. Our individual guidance is aimed at convincing each suffering member of this principle and encouraging him to solve his problem on the basis of faith.
The term “Buddhist apology” (sange in Japanese) is often mentioned in connection with the changing of karma and the eradication of slander. It does not indicate a casual attitude, the shallow idea that all you need to do is to regret your past actions and ask the Gohonzon to forgive you. We must naturally pay the karmic debt we have accumulated since the remotest past, though, of course, we experience the retribution of our bad karma much more lightly owing to our faith.
The Daishonin teaches, “These people seemed to have repented, but apparently they had not repented profoundly enough.” In concrete terms, “profound apology” means to maintain strong faith. But when we face difficulties, we tend to forget about “profound apology” and instead blame others for our hardship. When we think about it, however, it is a reality of life that not everything goes as we wish. You will achieve nothing by harboring a grudge against other people, thinking that you have a hard time because of this or that person.
What is important is a positive attitude to consider such people to be good influences for further strengthening your faith. The purpose of individual guidance is to make the recipient deeply aware of the necessity of that active posture so that he will begin striving for his human revolution based on the Mystic Law. Regarding the great blessing of the Gohonzon, the Gosho, “The Lotus Sutra Reveals the Buddha’s Enlightenment, states, “The Lotus Sutra is the Buddha’s teaching, the embodiment of his wisdom.
If you profoundly believe in even a single character or ‘dot’ of it, you will become a Buddha without changing your present form. This is just as white paper, when dipped in ink, becomes black, or as black lacquer, when mixed with white pigment, turns white.”
