Feeling very fortunate and joyful today, on the anniversary of my Gohonzon receiving ceremony. A lot has happened in the last 17 years, and I'm sure there is a lot more to come!
Regarding those who 'cannot believe in this sutra', I heard a wonderful piece of guidance at a meeting yesterday. When we share the Mystic Law with others, we are helping them form an eternal connection to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism, even though they may not start practicing in this lifetime. Amazing!
So today, I will celebrate the fact that I have been born in the Latter Day of the Law, and that I can fulfill my mission right here. *Smiling*
"What a joy it is for us to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law and to have shared in the propagation of the Lotus Sutra! How pitiful are those who, though born in this time, cannot believe in this sutra!"
(Letter to Niike - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 1026) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=1026 Selection source: Kyo no Hosshin, Seikyo Shimbun, September 22nd, 2012
Background
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in the second month of 1280 to Niike Saemon-no-jo, an official in the Kamakura shogunate. Niike was from Niike Village in Iwata District of Totomi Province. He and his wife had been converted to the Daishonin’s teachings by Nikko Shonin and had maintained their faith despite government pressure.
First, Nichiren Daishonin tells Niike what great fortune it is to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law with the mission to spread the correct teaching of Buddhism throughout the world. Yet it would be foolhardy to profess faith in the Lotus Sutra and then commit slander. The consequence is to descend into an evil path of existence, regardless of one’s role or status. Using the example of the coldsuffering bird, the Daishonin admonishes his believers never to lapse into negligence, or be tempted by fame or fortune.
After mentioning the deplorable state of the country and the degradation of Buddhist priests, he depicts the purpose of the Lotus Sutra by comparing an ordinary person to an egg. Like the fluids in an egg that develop into a bird, enlightenment exists as a potential within human life. Lastly, he says that the key to enlightenment is faith in the Gohonzon.
No comments:
Post a Comment