When a difficulty arises, don’t assume a casual attitude, thinking, “Because I’ve been chanting dai-moku, the problem will somehow solve itself,” Instead, take the matter seriously, pray to the Gohonzon to change poison into medicine, and courageously challenge your problem. Your earnest prayer will bring forth abundant wisdom and vigorous energy from within, which in turn will enable you to find a way out of your situation, no matter how adverse it may be.
No matter what situation may confront you, don’t allow yourself to become completely caught up in means and methods, but put into practice the teaching in the Gosho which states, “Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other.” Establish an attitude of “dai-moku first under any and all circumstances.” Then, based on your dai-moku, you can work out the best method. This is the prime point of faith, a posture centered on the Gohonzon. Human beings are inclined to seek comfort and shun difficulties. Remember, however, that one can only train and improve himself through struggle and effort. Be a person of unswerving faith who chants persistently, no matter what may occur.
When something good happens, regard it as a benefit from the Gohonzon and chant dai-moku in heartfelt appreciation, When something bad happens, recognize that the only way to change it fundamentally is through faith in the Gohonzon, and chant dai-moku in earnest. If you maintain pure faith in this way for five years, ten years, twenty years and so on, upholding the attitude of “the Gohonzon first” and “dai-moku first,” your life will naturally follow a course along which all your desires will be fulfilled. We are told that if we recognize devilish functions for what they are, we will not be defeated by them. To give an analogy, when you realize that what you thought was a ghost is actually a withered tree swaying in the wind, then you will not be frightened by it any longer.
Shakyamuni was harassed by Devadatta, and Nichiren Daishonin was persecuted by Hei no Sacmon. They were not “devils,” however. Regardless of the age, the devilish nature always lurks within life, trying to make believers abandon their faith, to foment ill feelings between them and disrupt their unity. Only our strong faith enables us to detect such “devils.” Consider everything which impedes our faith to be the working of these devilish tendencies. Pray to the Gohonzon with the inflexible resolution to conquer these devilish influences and change poison into medicine. Then no problem will remain unsolved.
The Gosho states, “Were it not for these [devils], there would be no way of knowing that this is the true teaching.” Devil in Buddhism means the negativity in herent in life which acts to impede our practice by causing us various problems. The trouble is that we cannot see our devilish nature itself. It doesn’t announce, “I am the devil,” when it emerges. That is why it is necessary to pray to the Gohonzon so that we can recognize and defeat it. When you resolve to struggle in earnest for the cause of kosen rufu, obstacles and devils will arise to prevent you from doing so. In many cases, you must battle the devil within before going out to struggle elsewhere. Bear this in mind so that you will always be able to make a fresh start in your faith.
The Gosho states, “many evil forces are vanquished by a single great truth.”! No matter how fierce the workings of one’s devilish nature may be, they are no match for the Gohonzon. This clearly explains why we must pray to the Gohonzon. In giving guidance in faith, we must be careful not to be blinded by the surface problem alone and get caught up in looking for techniques to solve it. The Gosho teaches, “Buddhism is like the body and society like the shadow. When the body is crooked, so is the shadow.” Faith is the body, and the problem is the shadow. It is therefore important to urge those who seek guidance to correct their attitude in faith before anything. In the course of giving guidance, you may learn some thing about a member which he or she does not want to be made public.
Never be so careless as to divulge it to others. By making such thoughtless disclosures you betray the confidence placed in you and create distrust. Keep confidential matters strictly to yourself. It is only common sense that we respect other people’s privacy.
Some members enjoy the high spirits generated by the atmosphere of meetings, but are weak when it comes to maintaining their personal practice. No matter how well one may understand the depth and greatness of Buddhism, if he fails to practice, his faith remains at the theoretical level. Always remember the teaching that faith is expressed through practice. Some people say that they will not undertake anything until they have developed sufficient capability to do so. As long as they adhere to this notion, they won’t be able to achieve anything. Take a person who has never swum in his life. As long as he refuses to jump into the water, saying that he will do so when he has learned how to swim, he will never be able to master the art.
One learns how to swim by actually plunging into the water and desperately trying to float, aided by someone with abundant experience. Then, after repeated practice, he becomes a good swimmer. The willingness to engage in activities does not emerge automatically simply because your leaders urge you. It wells forth when you are faced with a problem and resolve to tackle it with all your might. To illustrate, suppose you see a child fall into a pond. What will you do? It is only natural that you promptly dive into the water and save him. Certainly no sane adult would stand by idly without helping, thinking, “It’s too chilly, I might catch cold.” The same is true with faith. When you recognize faith as essential to your happiness, you will not hesitate to practice.
First of all, fervently chant to the Gohonzon. Then you will realize how important it is to engage in activities, and you will find an irrepressible desire to do so welling forth. Sometimes you may be too busy with your work to attend meetings as you would like to, but don’t feel ashamed of yourself or give up activities entirely. Certainly you must have a few days off during the month, which you can spend doing activities. And even if you cannot attend a meeting, you can learn what happened there from those who participated. The question is not whether you have time, but whether you are truly willing. Some members say, “I have no ability to convert other people.” They should understand that this is precisely why they must pray to the Gohonzon—to develop that ability.
If all the people to whom we introduce true Buddhism took faith instantly, kosen rufu would be achieved without effort. In actuality, however, our movement is a long and arduous task. That is because it is not easy for many people to understand Buddhism. This is quite to be expected, however. Think of those parents who, estranged from their children, their own flesh and blood, are unable to communicate with them, Or of a husband and wife who were married while in the passion of love but who now find a gulf widening between them. If people so closely connected find it hard to communicate, it is only natural that we should have a hard time trying to make other people, who are not even related to us, understand Buddhism.
Even if the person you are trying to convince will not easily accept the practice, do not complain. Complaining means that you are being defeated by your environment. The more difficult the task, the more dai-moku you must chant.
Then you can achieve the greater result. The most valuable element of a discussion meeting is the contributions of the participants. It requires enormous courage to speak up before an audience. We must therefore appreciate their courage and treasure their remarks. The words uttered by one person often inspire all the others, motivating them to strive even further for their own happiness. Contributing to kosen-rufu means more than just engaging in shaakubuku or carrying out other activities. You yourself must become a valuable asset to kosen-rufu.
In other words, strive to become indispensable in your chapter, your place of work and your family. Perhaps you have heard the story known as “The Poor Woman’s Lamp.” A poor woman cut off her hair to buy oil for a lamp as an offering to the Buddha. Though she could afford only a small amount, her lamp continued to burn throughout the night, while all the lamps donated by wealthy people went out in the strong winds coming down from Mount Sumeru. Some of you may be too busy to do activities. Others may be in financial straits.
However, no matter what your situation, it is vital that you resolve to find even a little time to struggle for kosen rufu in order to repay your debt of gratitude to the Gohonzon. Therein lies the cause for accumulating good fortune. No matter what your struggle, you need strong life force in order to win. When your life force is strong, you can turn even the worst of problems into fuel for your own development. Think of wheat seedlings: the more often they are trodden under, the stouter they grow. Become individuals who are flexible yet strong.
The Gosho teaches that although the Buddha nature exists within the life of each individual, it cannot be perceived, much less revealed, unless one encounters a good influence. Without the proper influence, the seed of Buddhahood in one’s life cannot sprout, let alone bear blossoms and fruit. You must take a long-range view of life. If you lose sight of faith because of trifling matters or because you are swayed by the words and actions of people around you, you are hurting no one but yourself.
Maintain your faith throughout life so that in the end you will be able to look back and feel the utmost joy and satisfaction. That is the greatest benefit one can obtain from his practice of faith. Some members say that their circumstances do not allow them to practice. They are like seeds which hate the dirt. Without the influence of earth and fertilizer, seeds cannot sprout and grow. In order to make our seed of Buddhahood sprout, we must utilize the environment unfavorable to our practice in other words, our problems as a springboard for our own growth.
