Reverend
Shogu Kimura
June 19, 2005
Good morning, everyone! I sincerely appreciate the efforts that you have made to come to the temple today, after attending the Oko sermon just last week.
As you know, based on your great support of the temple, last year, we held the 20th anniversary celebration of the establishment of Myoshin-ji Temple. We hosted many priests and lay believers from Japan and held a solemn, magnificent celebration. This marks the first year of our advancement towards our next objective, the 25th anniversary celebration. This is an extremely important year for us.
At the ceremony in June last year, I asked you for a special gokuyo offering for refurbishing the temple and for the 20th anniversary celebration. As a result, I received your truly sincere and precious gokuyo offerings. As you can see, we now have the ornamental canopy, and we were able to complete much needed repairs on the temple. Some of you may have already noticed that the entire plumbing system for the restrooms has been refurbished. Needless to say, these improvements were only possible due to your pure devotion and the great compassion of our High Priest.
Once again, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to you. Thank you very much.
In general, it is not customary to present a detailed report on the sum of the gokuyo received and how the amount was used. However, since I, as the Chief Priest of Myoshin-ji Temple, specifically asked you for the special gokuyo offering, I have presented with you with accounting reports from time to time, since last year. There are still a few repairs that must be performed, but when these are completed, I intend to transfer the remaining funds from the special gokuyo offering to the general gokuyo, for the maintenance of the temple.
The Daishonin instructed us in numerous gosho about the benefits of presenting gokuyo offerings. In his letters to Nanjo Tokimitsu, the Daishonin provided detailed directions on the benefits of presenting offerings, given the social conditions of the time.
Although it is slightly lengthy, I would like to present you with the directions of our High Priest, Nikken Shonin, in which he made reference to the contents of the letters sent by the Daishonin to Nanjo Tokimitsu.
Today, due to the presence of Nichiren Shoshu and particularly due to the existence of its foundation – the Head Temple Taiseki-ji, the Daishonin’s True Buddhism has been correctly transmitted. The Daishonin’s Buddhism is characterized by the propagation of the true principles of the Three Great Secret Laws, based on the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism (hommon no kaidan). Such foundation was possible only because of the protection and support of True Buddhism presented by Nikko Shonin, who received the true principles of the Law, without any distortions, based on his life condition characterized by the oneness with his master, Nichiren Daishonin, and Nikko Shonin, himself, as the disciple (yuiga yoga). In addition, it was possible only because of the contributions that were set forth by Nanjo Tokimitsu, who donated the land and the temple buildings and who offered his protection and support to the advancement of the foundation of the essential Great Law, as the follower who presented the offering of the temple property. It is not an overstatement to say that Taiseki-ji in its present form would not exist without the devout faith of Nanjo Tokimitsu. … Thus, the Head Temple is the focal point from which the teachings of Nichiren Shoshu – the singular true teachings of the Daishonin – are being propagated to achieve kosenrufu throughout the world. We must deeply understand that the foundation for this lies in the faith of Nanjo Tokimitsu, characterized by the spirit of protecting True Buddhism. … Nanjo Tokimitsu described his desolate life as one in which he “did not even have a horse on which to ride.” Even under such conditions, he made every effort to continuously present gokuyo offerings to the Daishonin. His sincere spirit essentially enabled the correct transmission of True Buddhism.
(Dai Nichiren, Vol. 712)
Taiseki-ji would never have been established were it not for Nanjo Tokimitsu. In the same way, without your gokuyo offerings, Myoshin-ji would never exist, and kosenrufu in America would never advance forth. Myoshin-ji shoulders an essential responsibility in the process of propagating the True Buddhism of Nichiren Shoshu in the northwestern region of the United States and Canada. You are the very individuals who are capable of protecting the temple.
In Nichiren Shoshu, even if we receive cash for a gokuyo offering, we never say that we “received money or cash.” Moreover, when we receive your gokuyo offering, we do not say, “Thank you.” Without fail, when we receive your gokuyo offering, we literally say, “We acknowledge and receive your offering,” or we may say, “We will offer this to the Gohonzon.” We say this because Nichiren Shoshu priests receive the gokuyo offerings in the Gohonzon’s stead. We do not consider the believers’ gokuyo offerings to be “donations” or “cash.” The gokuyo offerings are considered to be the “pure treasures” offered to the Buddha.
In the gosho, “Letter to Niike” (Niike gosho), the Daishonin stated the following about gokuyo offerings:
Stop and ponder! How rare is the faith that moves one to give alms to a priest who knows the heart of the Lotus Sutra! He will not stray into the evil paths if he does so even once. Still greater are the benefits arising from ten or twenty contributions, or from five years, ten years, or a lifetime of contributions. They are even beyond the measure of the Buddha’s wisdom. The Buddha taught that the blessings of a single offering to the votary of this sutra are a hundred thousand myriad times greater than those of offering boundless treasure to Shakyamuni for more than eight billion aeons.
(Gosho, p. 1456; MWND-1, p. 253)
Even a single coin presented as a sincere gokuyo offering will bring forth immeasurable benefits. The Daishonin further stated the following in his “Letter to Abutsubo” (Abutsubo gosho):
You may think you offer Gokuyo to the Treasure Tower of the Thus-Come-One, Taho Buddha, but that is not so. You offered it to yourself.
(Gosho, p. 793)
Thus, we may think that we are presenting our gokuyo offerings to the Buddha, but we are, in fact, presenting such offerings to ourselves. This means that the benefits of such offerings will directly come back to ourselves.
If anyone ever thought that those who are wealthy should support Myoshin-ji Temple or that he does not need to make gokuyo offerings because he does not have any money, then such a person would be unable to support and protect Myoshin-ji Temple, and he would not be living according to the essential spirit of the Daishonin.
Based on the Daishonin’s gosho passages and the directions of our High Priest Nikken Shonin, we can uphold the conviction that the special gokuyo offering for the 20th anniversary celebration represented a truly rare and precious opportunity for the priests and lay believers of Myoshin-ji Temple and that the benefits of having made the offering are truly immeasurable.
This is your temple – your truly precious temple – which was established by the Daishonin and our High Priest Nikken Shonin.
I humbly pray everyday that many more believers would attend our 25th anniversary celebration, four years from now; that our temple would prosper every more; and that we will all advance forth to achieve kosenrufu.
I would like to conclude my address for today by asking you all to be proud that you, as individuals, are Hokkeko members of Myoshin-ji Temple. I further ask you to cultivate a solid conviction towards the Gohonzon and uphold unshakable faith and practice, as you perform your daily activities.
I understand that, in past years, you have been holding a potluck on the day of the anniversary, but today, we will celebrate with only coffee and some snacks. This is because we are planning to have a picnic after the Oko sermon in August. We have been trying to find a good date on which to schedule the picnic, but it has been difficult to find such a date, and we have finally decided to have it after the Oko sermon in August. I must go to the Head Temple in August, to the Summer Training Meeting. I know that some of you would like to begin the picnic in the morning, but it is not possible on this occasion.
Please drive safely as you return to your homes. I extend my sincere thanks for your attendance today.
