Daily Gosho - The Three Kinds of Treasure

Lots of thoughts this week about the behaviour of others, and how it affects me. I reacted badly to a situation this morning - you know those times when as soon as the words come out of your mouth, you start kicking yourself? Yep, one of those. My lesser self reacted in the world of Anger - my bad. I blamed the other person for my anger - really silly of me and undeserved. So, today, on this day of love and romance, the 14th of February, I will strive even harder to expand my heart and reveal my compassion for those around me. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging - I am seeking your heart!

"More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!"

(The Three Kinds of Treasure - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 851) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=848 Selection source: The World of Nichiren's Encouragement, Seikyo Shimbun, October 14th, 2012

Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the ninth month of 1277 and addressed to Shijo Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo Yorimoto, commonly known as Shijo Kingo, in Kamakura. Sometime around 1274, Shijo Kingo had begun making efforts to convert his lord, who was named Ema, to the Daishonin’s teachings. Lord Ema, however, did not respond positively. Instead, he reduced the size of Kingo’s landholdings and threatened to send him to the remote province of Echigo. Kingo’s colleagues spread scurrilous reports about him, and Kingo was accused of fomenting trouble at a debate in the sixth month of , during which the Tendai priest Ryuzo-bo was bested by the Daishonin’s disciple Sammi-bo.

Nichiren Daishonin cautions Shijo Kingo and instructs him on the best course of behavior in his trying circumstances. Later that year Lord Ema fell ill, and Kingo, applying his medical skills, helped cure him. The lord was most grateful and in 1278 restored, and later even increased, Kingo’s landholdings.

At the outset of this letter, the Daishonin tells Kingo that he should remember his debt of gratitude to his lord, and stresses the Buddhist teaching that fundamental changes within oneself inevitably result in changes in the environment. He mentions that when he was about to be executed at Tatsunokuchi Kingo vowed to die by his side. Now Kingo is undergoing a severe ordeal and the Daishonin is exerting all his powers to protect him. The Daishonin says that, since Kingo was fortunate enough to have been born human and encountered the true teaching, he should accumulate “the treasures of the heart” and win the respect of others. Finally, through historical references to Emperor Sushun and others, the Daishonin teaches Kingo that as a Buddhist he should conduct his daily life admirably and be considerate of others.