I assume that you still miss your deceased father and have made these offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra to show your appreciation for him. Bonten, Taishaku, the Gods of the Sun and the Moon and the Four Heavenly Kings have pledged to reside in the house of such a person. Naturally, a promise must be kept. Therefore, how could they break their pledge to the Buddha? (Gosho: Ueno-dono go-henji)
Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the June 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.
This month, I will continue where I left off last month, in my explanation of the gosho, “The Merit of Offering” (Ueno-dono go-henji). Those of you who have the English version, please turn to page 12. In the Japanese Gosho, please turn to page 824.
In April, I spoke first about Lord Nanjo Tokimitsu, the recipient of this letter, and then about the ten major disciples of Shakyamuni, whose description appears thereafter in the gosho. In May, I presented the story of the brothers Rida and Arida, to illustrate the vast benefits of making gokuyo offerings.
This month, my sermon will cover the conclusion of this gosho.
Let us begin with the following passage:
There are many stones here in the valley of Minobu, but there is no stone-like dried taro. It is summer now and people are occupied working in their fields. I hear that you are busy carrying out the orders to construct a shrine. Even at such a hectic time, you thought of me in this village on Mount Minobu and have sent me these offerings.
The valley of Minobu is located approximately 15 miles to the northwest of Head Temple Taiseki-ji. The Fuji River flows forth nearby. The lush green leaves of summer and the autumn colors make the region extremely picturesque. The valley is an area that is full of natural beauty. The steward of this territory was Hakiri Sanenaga, and Kuon-ji Temple on Mount Minobu was built with his support. The Daishonin lived there at the time, and many believers traveled to see him on tozan pilgrimages. Unfortunately, however, after the Daishonin’s passing, Mimbu Niko and Hakiri Sanenaga engaged in numerous slanderous practices. Consequently, it no longer houses the True Buddha today. Our Second High Priest Nikko Shonin rigorously protected the essential treasures, such as the Dai-Gohonzon, and he left the area of Minobu. After his departure, Minobu was transformed into a slanderous region, where various gods and Buddhas were worshipped. It became a land that was most inappropriate for the achievement of kosenrufu in the Latter Day of the Law.
Based on the Daishonin’s description, we can imagine that Minobu was an undeveloped region, where rocks and stones were untouched. At the time, there may have been a great deal of rubble in Minobu, but valuable food items, such as dried taro root, were scarce. It was undoubtedly a time when resources were in short supply. Under such circumstances, Nanjo Tokimitsu’s offering of dried taro was truly precious. Nanjo Tokimitsu was a busy man who was facing many demands. At the time, a major shrine near Nanjo Tokimitsu’s territory was undergoing renovations. Therefore, people who lived in the area were mobilized to provide labor. Nanjo Tokimitsu was involved in this mobilization. Despite his hectic life, Tokimitsu managed to send a gokuyo offering to Nichiren Daishonin. Knowing this, the Daishonin expressed his sincere appreciation to him.
Next, the Daishonin wrote:
I assume that you still miss your deceased father and have made these offerings to Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra to show your appreciation for him. Bonten, Taishaku, the Gods of the Sun and the Moon and the Four Heavenly Kings have pledged to reside in the house of such a person. Naturally, a promise must be kept. Therefore, how could they break their pledge to the Buddha?
The Daishonin stated that he understood how Nanjo Tokimitsu missed his deceased father and that the offering of dried taro root was a memorial offering to his father, to show his appreciation to him. The Daishonin praised and applauded Nanjo Tokimitsu for his kindness towards his parent.
Here, the Daishonin referred to Bonten, Taishaku, and the others. We regard these entities as guardian deities.
In Brahmanism, Bonten (Brahma) is revered as the creator of the universe. In Buddhism, he is known as the benevolent deity who controls the saha world. He appears without fail, when the Buddha emerges to expound the Law. Together with Taishaku, he protects Buddhism.
Taishaku (Indra) was originally the god of thunder, according to Indian mythology. In Buddhism, however, he is known as a benevolent god who protects the Law.
The Gods of the Sun and the Moon represent deifications of the sun and the moon. The proliferation of heretical teachings causes distortions in the movement of the sun and the moon. Droughts, floods, and other great calamities occur as a result. However, with the expansion of True Buddhism, the sun and moon function as benevolent gods to protect all mankind and the Law and to bring peace and tranquility to the land.
The Four Heavenly Kings refer to Jikokuten (Dhritarashtra), Zojoten (Virudhaka), Komokuten (Virupaksha), and Tamonten (Vaishravana), who are said to reside halfway down the four sides of Mt. Sumeru. They represent the four heavenly deities who protect Buddhism in all four directions of east, west, north, and south.
In this passage, the Daishonin explained that, while the guardian deities usually take up residence in homes where the family members uphold True Buddhism, if there are individuals within that residence who do not uphold true faith and who embrace heretical teachings, then those deities would take leave of the house and return to the heavens. As a result, the deities would be unable to fulfill their pledge. However, the Daishonin further explained that, even in a world where erroneous doctrines are pervasive, if there is an individual who protects and embraces the True Law, the guardian gods would come to his side to fulfill their pledge to protect him.
Without a doubt, the guardian deities would reside in a home where the Gohonzon is enshrined, where the individuals perform daily gongyo and Daimoku without fail, and where they put forth their utmost efforts in shakubuku in their daily lives.
The Daishonin then wrote:
When the protection of the Heavenly Gods is high, those important to you may try to hinder your faith in the Lotus Sutra and great persecutions may befall you. Should that occur, you must have conviction that the Heavenly Gods are always protecting you and are making your faith and practice even stronger. Then, you father will truly attain Buddhahood and surely appear in order to protect you.
When faced with difficulties, make the foundation for all you do. Again, whenever someone hinders your faith in the Lotus Sutra, you should feel delighted.
With my deep respect.
Here, the Daishonin indicated that, whenever the guardian deities provide us with protection, we will encounter obstacles without fail. He stated that, under such conditions, we must have a solid conviction in the protection extended forth by the deities and exert our utmost efforts in our faith and practice. I am certain that many among you have encountered similar experiences.
Some of you may have faced unexpected obstacles as soon as you made a firm determination to perform shakubuku.
Others may have encountered obstacles immediately after you made the determination to go on a tozan pilgrimage and to strengthen your faith and propagate True Buddhism.
There may be still others among you who faced obstacles, such as injuries and accidents, as soon as you made the determination that you would definitely attend the monthly events at the temple.
I am certain that you have encountered many other such experiences. Regardless of what obstacles may arise one after another to defeat you, the protection of the guardian deities is always available to those who uphold strong faith. This will enable you to expiate your negative sins and karma from your past and bring forth benefits in your life. A Buddhist practice in which there are no obstacles cannot represent a true practice. In fact, the Daishonin warned Lord Tokimitsu at the time: “Those important to you may try to hinder your faith in the Lotus Sutra and great persecutions may befall you.” It is apparent from this excerpt that the government authorities were prohibiting Nanjo Tokimitsu from practicing his faith, and Tokimitsu was facing great obstacles. For those of us who are the Daishonin’s disciples, the greatest hindrance – greater than falling ill or suffering an injury – would be to be prohibited from upholding our faith and practice. There is no greater obstacle in this world than being unable to chant Daimoku. We would be unable to overcome our obstacles, if we are unable to uphold True Buddhism. Indeed, Tokimitsu was caught in such a dilemma.
The Daishonin encouraged Tokimitsu by saying that if Tokimitsu, himself, stood tall and strengthened his faith, he would enable his deceased father to achieve enlightenment. He further stated that, under such conditions, Tokimitsu’s father would undoubtedly protect him. This is, indeed, the fundamental significance of the memorial service and the toba memorial tablets for the deceased. The offerings that he made, without every begrudging his life, were manifested as the greatest benefits for his deceased father. Regardless of what obstacles may arise before us, we must never fear anything and advance forth assiduously in our faith and practice. This would be the utmost offering that we could present to the Buddha. The benefits of such offering would not only reach our deceased father but would also manifest themselves, without fail, in the form of good fortune in our lives. The Buddha would continue to protect us at all times with these benefits.
Since April, I focused my sermons on the gosho, “The Merit of Offering.” Based on this gosho, I hope that you have understood the great significance of making gokuyo offerings to the Buddha and memorial offerings to the deceased.
You may possess various hardships and sufferings at the present time. Some of you may be ill, others may be suffering from injuries, and still others may be encountering problems at work. If you are suffering from any such difficulties, I ask you to look upon them as individual missions for you to challenge and overcome and be convinced that they are, in fact, benefits. Furthermore, I ask you to overcome them, without fail, through your performance of sincere Daimoku and shakubuku. The Daishonin stated that doing so would enable you to receive the protection of the guardian deities, without fail.
I would like to conclude my sermon for today by sincerely praying for your ever-strengthening devotion, your continued good health, and for the increasing prosperity of Myoshin-ji Temple.
Next month, I would like to start another series of sermons, by focusing on the gosho, “The Passing of Ishikawa’s Daughter” (Ueno-dono go-henji), which is on page 29 of Volume 1 of the Gosho. If you have your own copy of the Gosho, please be sure to bring it with you.
I extend my sincere appreciation to you for your attendance today.
