Daily Gosho - Reply to Sairen-bo

The mentor and disciple relationship formed most of the discussion during last night's Women's Division meeting. In President Ikeda's book "A Piece of Mirror", he writes about choosing our mission in life, and attaining absolute happiness by fufilling the profound mission of achieving kosen-rufu. Well, as Sairen-bo did all those years ago, we have chosen our mission in life by standing up, side by side with our mentor in faith. We chose this brave and courageous path in the distant past - the time is now, in the murky pond of the Latter Day of the Law, for us to achieve it...

"You and I have been born together in this defiled age of the Latter Day of the Law, in the country of Japan in the southern continent of Jambudvipa, and with the utmost reverence we chant with our mouths Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the ultimate reason for which the Buddhas appear in the world; we believe in it in our hearts, embrace it with our bodies, and delight in it with our hands. Has all of this not come about solely because of some bond of karma we share from the past?"

Selection source: "Kyo no Hosshin", Seikyo Shimbun, August 16th, 2012 Reply to Sairen-bo http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=309

Background
This letter was written to Sairen-bo Nichijo in the fourth month of the ninth year of Bun’ei (1272) at Ichinosawa on Sado Island. Sairen-bo, a former Tendai priest, was also living in exile on Sado. From the letters sent to him by Nichiren Daishonin, it appears that Sairen-bo was well versed in Buddhist teachings. The Daishonin, on receiving the government’s pardon, left Sado and moved to Minobu. Somewhat later Sairen-bo was also pardoned, whereupon he returned to his native Kyoto. He received a number of important writings from the Daishonin, including The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and The True Aspect of All Phenomena.

In this letter, the Daishonin expresses his heartfelt gratitude for the various articles from Kyoto that Sairen-bo had sent to him as offerings. For an exile such as Sairen-bo, these articles must have been exceedingly precious.

The Daishonin also refers to a letter that Sairen-bo had sent him. In his letter Sairen-bo explained that he had pledged near the beginning of the second month to follow the Daishonin, and he expressed his desire to be considered one of the Daishonin’s disciples.

With regard to Sairen-bo’s recent pledge to become his disciple, the Daishonin quotes from the Lotus Sutra and its commentaries to illustrate the profound relationship between teacher and disciple. He then states that one should discard evil teachers and follow good ones. He reveals that he himself is the true and correct teacher for the Latter Day of the Law and declares that Sairen-bo was born in order to aid him in his efforts, thereby encouraging his disciple to exert himself in Buddhist practice.

The Daishonin reveals the great benefits to be gained by observing the precept of the perfect teaching— in other words, faith in the Mystic Law. And he tells Sairen-bo that, although they may both be exiles, in the future they are sure to attain Buddhahood and that, therefore, he feels great satisfaction and joy. In conclusion, the Daishonin encourages Sairen-bo by suggesting that they are both likely to be pardoned soon.