February 2007 Oko Sermon
By Reverend Shogu Kimura
I, Nichiren, am the son of a chandala family who lived near the seashore in Tojo in Awa Province, in the remote countryside of the eastern part of Japan. To discard my body, which would otherwise decay in vain, for the sake of the Lotus Sutra will be like exchanging rocks for gold. None of you should lament for me.(Sado go-kanki sho, Shimpen gosho, p. 482; MWND-5, p. 123)
Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the February Oko sermon in our expression of gratitude to our master Nichiren Daishonin, I have sincerely recited the sutras and chanted Daimoku together with you. Moreover, I have sincerely prayed for you to eliminate your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; for you to redouble your faith; for you to enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives in this and future existences. I am certain that the Daishonin would be truly pleased to see so many of you in attendance today.
The 16 th of this month represents the birthday of our master Nichiren Daishonin. It is the coldest time of the year at Head Temple Taiseki-ji. The pagoda-opening ceremony, in which the doors of the five-storied pagoda are opened is performed every year on this day.
Nichiren Daishonin was born in Kominato, in Awa Province (present-day Chiba Prefecture), on the 16 th day of the 2 nd month of the 1 st year of Joo (1222), 171 years following the commencement of the Latter Day of the Law. His father was Nukina Jiro Shigetada, and his mother was Umegiku-nyo. According to legend, several days prior to the Daishonin’s birth, fresh water began to well forth from the sandy shores and pale blue lotus flowers bloomed on the waters off the beach. Furthermore, on the day of his birth, lotus flowers bloomed in the pond in the garden, and a carp jumped 5 feet (approximately 1 m 50 cm) into the air in the ocean -- all to celebrate the Daishonin’s birth.
Today’s gosho passage begins with the following words:
I, Nichiren, am the son of a chandala family who lived near the seashore in Tojo in Awa Province, in the remote countryside of the eastern part of Japan.
In ancient Indian society, chandala referred to the lowest class of people, in charge of butchering animals. Shakyamuni, who made his advent into this world 3000 years ago, and T’ien-t’ai in China and Dengyo in Japan were all born into royalty – the highest classes in their respective societies. They were born into royalty so that their noble position would easily enable the people in society to believe in True Buddhism. Among the founders of Buddhist sects in Japan during the lifetime of the Daishonin, Honen of the Jodo Sect, for example, was the child of a wealthy and powerful family. Eisai, well- known as the founder of the Rinzai School of Zen, came from a heritage steeped in Shinto Shrines. Moreover, Shinran and Dogen were both born into nobility.
Why, then, was the Daishonin born as the son of a fisherman, a member of a lowly social class? There are 2 reasons. A passage in the “Orally Transmitted Teachings” (Ongi kuden) stated:
The Buddha in the Latter Day of the Law is a common mortal. He is a common mortal priest.
The first reason is that he appeared in this world as the True Buddha in the form of a common mortal in order to save all mankind, steeped in the three poisons, through the Mystic Law (myoho) of the Buddhism of the Sowing. In the Latter Day of the Law, people who strongly manifest the three poisons would be unable to understand the teachings of a Buddha who is dressed to the hilt in wealth and glitter. Thus, the Daishonin chose to be born into this world as a common mortal, and he manifested the behavior of the True Buddha in his life.
The second reason for his lowly birth is based on the prediction made by Shakyamuni. The following passage is from the Supernatural Powers chapter (Jinriki hon) of the Lotus Sutra:
As the light of the sun and moon can vanish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he passes through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings.
In other words, the Buddha who will make his advent into the world in the Latter Day of the Law, would characterize an extremely precious individual in the entire universe. This person – like the sun’s rays that can eliminate darkness and nurture all entities – would bring salvation to all people in the deluded and evil world of the Latter Day of the Law.
Indeed, “his person,” referenced in the passage from the Lotus Sutra represents the Buddha who “passes through the world.” He is none other than Nichiren Daishonin, who has chosen to take the form of a common mortal. Numerous examples of persecutions that would befall one who propagates the Lotus Sutra are contained in the Encouraging Devotion chapter (Kanji hon) of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin, alone, encountered all these persecutions and made his advent into this world as the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
If the Daishonin had been a member of the imperial nobility, his social standing would have prevented him from suffering the four great life-threatening persecutions.
Indeed, it was because he was born into a family of fisherfolk – considered to be of humble birth at the time – that he was able to endure the repeated severe persecutions and truly fulfill with his life the predictions made in the Lotus Sutra.
The rest of the passage for this month reads as follows:
To discard my body, which would otherwise decay in vain, for the sake of the Lotus Sutra will be like exchanging rocks for gold. None of you should lament for me.
Through these words, the Daishonin taught us that, in our Buddhist practice, we would be
able to open forth the way to enlightenment in our lives by propagating the Law, based on faith characterized by a spirit of not begrudging our lives for the sake of True Buddhism (fuji shaku shimmyo).
What, then, is faith characterized by a spirit of not begrudging our lives for the sake of the Law?
In ancient times, when Bodhisattva Yakuo “Medicine King” was performing his Buddhist practice, the Buddha, who had expounded the Lotus Sutra, entered into nirvana. Yakuo, in presenting an offering to the Buddha and expressing his debt of gratitude to him, proceeded forth to burn his elbows repeatedly for 72,000 years.
Furthermore, there is another story which describes how Shakyamuni, who was born in India, was performing his practice in an earlier lifetime; in order to receive a verse of the sacred teachings containing 16 letters, he peeled his own skin to use as parchment. He broke off his bone and used it as a writing brush, and he used his own blood as ink.
Another account describes Shakyamuni in another former lifetime as Sessen Doji, practicing austerities in the Himalayan mountains. He had learned the initial 8 letters of a Buddhist teaching: “All is changeable, nothing is constant. This is the law of birth and death.” Sessen Doji willingly gave his life to a hungry demon – who was, in fact, a Buddha – to be taught the remaining 8 letters of the teaching: “Extinguishing the cycle of birth and death, one enters the joy of nirvana.”
These three stories illustrate how, in order to attain enlightenment, we must perform our Buddhist practice by upholding strong faith and determination, so that we do not begrudge our lives for the sake of the three precious treasures of True Buddhism.
In a passage from this gosho, prior to the section we are focusing on this month, the Daishonin wrote:
I always assumed that, on the path of attaining Buddhahood, one is certain
to meet some great trial that will demand of him that he be willing to give
up his life; only then can one become a Buddha.
(Sado go-kanki sho, Shimpen gosho, p. 482; MWND-5, p. 123)
This passage teaches us that, in order to attain enlightenment, we must uphold a tremendous determination in which we do not begrudge our lives for the sake of the Law.
It focuses on the strict and serious nature of our Buddhist practice and encourages us to foster such strong resolution.
However, the spirit of not begrudging our lives for the sake of True Buddhism (fuji shaku shimmyo), certainly does not mean that you should desecrate or waste your life. The Daishonin has expounded practices to follow other than discarding your lives.
In the gosho, “The Revelation of the Essential Truth” (Kenryu shoi sho), the Daishonin instructed us that, if we are unable to strive, toil, and provide our sweat and hard labor for the sake of the Three Treasures and if we are unable to respectfully work for the Three Treasures, we may present truly sincere offerings to the Treasure – the Gohonzon – such as delicacies and tangible treasures.
Then, the Daishonin, proceeded forth to write that, if we are unable to present these offerings, we must thoroughly serve the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. In other words, this means that we must serve the Daishonin, the successive High Priests, and the Nichiren Shoshu priests. We must work like servants for the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, in order to accomplish the eternal permeation of the Law. The Daishonin taught us to put forth our utmost efforts to serve them to achieve such permeation.
Furthermore, we could provide true benefits for all mankind by performing shakubuku to generate positive phenomena and to destroy evil.
Accordingly, today, in the Latter Day of the Law, we need not peel our skin for parchment and we need not offer our bodies as food to a hungry demon. Instead, we must sincerely follow the Three Treasures. In particular, we must believe in the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism, the true purpose for the Daishonin’s advent into this world. Moreover, we must actively perform our Buddhist practice, based on the principle of practice for ourselves and for others. By so doing, we would be able to tremendous benefits, characterized by the achievement of enlightenment in this lifetime and worldwide kosenrufu.
We can achieve these objectives – “exchanging rocks for gold” – precisely because we chant sincere Daimoku and perform shakubuku.
Unshakable faith in the Buddha is not something that we can suddenly master one day. It can only be cultivated gradually through the continuous performance of our daily Buddhist practice.
When we look upon the current situation in our society, we find that public support in America for President Bush, which was as high as 84% immediately following the 9-11 terrorist attacks, has fallen to 34% today. This drop is a manifestation of the increasing public distrust of politics.
Moreover, the El Niño phenomenon has caused global warming. As a result, there are polar bears that die because they cannot reach a safe spot on the ice. It has also resulted in an increasing number of migrating birds that lose their way and fly in total confusion.
Recently in Japan, most of the homicides have been characterized by tremendous cruelty, in which the victims are dismembered and disposed.
Just the other day, there was a robbery at the Safeway Store near Myoshinji Temple. The perpetrators have not yet been caught.
As disciples of Nichiren Daishonin, we are the only people who can bring salvation to our pathetic world. To accomplish this, there is no way other than our performance of shakubuku, based on faith characterized by a spirit of not begrudging our lives for the sake of True Buddhism (fuji shaku shimmyo), among the priests and lay believers who follow Nichiren Daishonin.
Let us use this opportunity of the Otanjo-e Ceremony, (celebrating the Daishonin’s birth), to renew our determinations and to advance forth together in true devotion to achieve increased unity within our Hokkeko organization and to successfully attain our shakubuku objectives.
I extend my sincere appreciation to you for your kind attention throughout my lengthy sermon. I would like to close my Oko sermon for this month by sincerely praying for your continued good health and for you to strengthen your devotion and your practice.
