The World of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings
17:
The Practice of
Respecting
Others
A Battle between the Devilish
Nature and the Buddha Nature
Soka Gakkai Study Department Chief Katsuji Saito:
This series has a two-fold purpose: to review
the events of Nichiren Daishonin’s life and to clarify the main doctrines of the
Daishonin’s teaching. In terms of the Daishonin’s life, we have so far discussed
events through
and immediately after his exile to Sado.
From here on, we will focus on the Daishonin’s activities and the
doctrines he articulated from the time he
retired
to
Mount.
Minobu
through to
the end of his life.
Soka Gakkai Study Department Vice Chief Masaaki Morinaka:
The Daishonin’s return from Sado
signalled
his victory
over all of the four
major
persecutions[1]
he encountered in his lifetime.
SGI President Ikeda:
These were no ordinary hardships
that beset the Daishonin;
rather, they
required an
intense struggle against the devilish nature inherent within secular and
religious power. I think we can say that by overcoming all of these
persecutions, the Daishonin
demonstrated through his own life
the power of the Mystic Law and the power of the world of Buddhahood,
which can
defeat any devilish
force
or tendency.
Morinaka:
At the time of the
Tatsunokuchi Persecution, the Daishonin
“cast off the transient and revealed the true”,[2]
manifesting the
life-state
of Buddhahood that is one with the Mystic Law.
Saito:
It is through the power of Buddhahood inherent in human life that
people in the
defiled
age of the Latter Day of the Law
can
attain enlightenment.
That was why
the Daishonin
embodied
it in the form of the Gohonzon,
which he bestowed on all humankind.
We could even describe the four
major
persecutions he faced
as
serving as opportunities to test and prove
the power of Buddhahood.
President Ikeda:
As we have mentioned before in our discussions, the
Latter Day
of the Law
is an “age of conflict”. Seemingly
swept along
by
an irresistible force, countries and individuals are carried from one conflict
to the next. The
strength
to stand firm against this raging current of the times
can be found in an unshakeable belief
in the Buddha nature
within ourselves and
others,
as well as in actions that
put this
belief
into practice
and show respect for the lives of all people.
This is
because the irresistible momentum that leads to conflict arises from
“ignorance”.[3]
In Buddhism, ignorance specifically means the lack of awareness or belief that
all people possess the Buddha nature. It is also
the
dark impulse that drives one to disrespect human life and violate its
innate
dignity. The inherent devilish nature
of
authority and religion, the dominant cause of conflict in the Latter Day, has
this
ignorance as its foundation.
Morinaka:
Technology and social systems have developed remarkably in modern times.
Nevertheless, humankind has yet to free itself of this ignorance and the evil it
breeds.
Indeed, the degree of conflict even appears to be intensifying.
Saito:
One could conclude that the more science and
human achievement
have advanced, the more dangerous the world situation has become.
President Ikeda:
That
is
precisely why the philosophy and practice of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, which
identifies the Buddha nature as
being
the
very core
of
our
humanity, are so vital. Only
the Daishonin’s
Buddhism can cure
the deep malaise of our
present age
that is caused by an absence of humanity, a lack of commitment to putting the
welfare and dignity of people first.
Saito:
In your 2002 peace proposal
–
published four months after the 11 September 2001, terrorist attacks
in the
United States
–
you posed the questions, “What is the true danger? What are the real enemies?”
You then suggested that the most formidable enemy is the “dehumanisation
that exerts a demonic dominion over contemporary society”.[4]
Morinaka:
I was impressed by the words of
Swiss psychologist
Carl Jung that you cited
in that proposal:
“A million zeros joined together do not, unfortunately, add up to one.
Ultimately everything depends on the quality of the individual.
. . .”[5]
President Ikeda:
The many problems of the present age can be genuinely solved only if they are
approached with profound insight into the nature of human life. The Daishonin’s
Buddhism thoroughly addresses the struggle between the devilish nature and the
Buddha nature
inherent in human existence.
The four
major
persecutions the Daishonin
encountered
were battlefields on which this fundamental struggle unfolded.
In each instance, the Daishonin won a decisive victory. Buddhism is always a win-or-lose
struggle.
Only through this fundamental struggle on the level of life itself can
there be a change in the destiny of humankind. In this sense, as the reality of
these times being an “age of conflict” becomes more deeply apparent,
the active humanism
of Nichiren Buddhism is needed more than ever.
Saito:
Therein lies the
Soka Gakkai’s
mission. To believe in the Buddha nature
of ourselves and
others, and to carry out the practice to
bring forth
that
enlightened nature both in ourselves and others
– this, concisely, is the mission of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.
President Ikeda:
We are living in
what Buddhism describes as “a
defiled
age”.
Acts of deplorable folly that fly in the very face of decency and conscience
abound, shrouding the world in darkness.
Many express pessimism about this state of affairs: they wonder
whether humankind is
making any progress,
or they feel overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness. But, at the same time,
countless others still have hope, believing that now is precisely the time to
place our faith
in the wonderful potential
that human beings possess.
Will the pure stream be polluted by the waters of the foul stream? Or will the
waters of the pure stream cleanse the polluted waters of the foul?
Unfortunately, in our world today the momentum of forces corresponding to the
“waters of a foul stream” shows little sign of abating.
Many thinking people
I have met
from around the world share the recognition that humankind now stands at a very
important crossroads. Many wise, responsible, forward-looking individuals are
one in their conclusion that
nothing will change unless
human beings themselves change.
As the
darkness and confusion
of our world grow deeper,
humanity itself will
be increasingly called into question. We must focus on
the human being.
How
can we
enable each person to elevate his or her state of life?
This is an urgent question on which the future of humanity hinges.
Morinaka:
The time has come for the active humanism of the Daishonin’s
Buddhism
to reveal its true power.
President Ikeda:
The
“time”
has indeed arrived.
Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism is the Buddhism of mentor and disciple.
First, taking the lead in
shakubuku,
a practice of profound respect for the
Buddha nature
of oneself and others, the
Daishonin
stood in the vanguard
of the struggle for the Law
and strove to defeat the workings of the devilish nature so that all people
could reveal their enlightened
nature.
Later, prompted by the
events at
Tatsunokuchi and
his subsequent exile to
Sado,
the Daishonin
began to
strongly encourage
his disciples
to join him in this
great
struggle
to lead people
to enlightenment.
The Sado Exile onward thus signalled the time for his disciples to stand up and
fight.
This struggle entails a battle
against the devilish nature
inherent in life; it is none other than
shakubuku.
I am
also
convinced that the Soka Gakkai appeared in the present age because the decisive
moment for this struggle has arrived.
Today,
let’s discuss the significance of the practice of shakubuku.
Shakubuku and Shoju
Saito:
Because shakubuku is understood to mean the refutation of other teachings, it is
sometimes viewed as
self-righteous
or exclusivist. But I think this
view
is mistaken.
President Ikeda:
Shakubuku
is a practice that is a concrete expression of our
belief in the Buddha nature
within ourselves
and others;
it is a humanistic act of the highest respect for others. Nonetheless, shakubuku
has tended to be misunderstood. I believe this arises from its firm stance in
fundamentally confronting the devilish nature inherent in life.
Saito:
It
was
only after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution that the Daishonin
seriously began
teaching his disciples about the significance of shakubuku.
About
a
month after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, the Daishonin sent
the letter titled
“Lessening One’s Karmic Retribution” to
Ota Saemon-no-jo,
the lay priest Soya
Kyoshin,
and
Dharma Bridge Kimbara[6]
(WND-1, p. 199ff).
In that writing, he teaches that those who carry out the practice of shakubuku
are certain to encounter great persecution.[7]
President Ikeda:
In the same letter, the Daishonin explains that in
“good
countries”
the Law spreads readily, while in
“evil
countries”
persecution and
oppression
accompany the propagation of the Law. He indicates that the two propagation
methods of shoju[8]
and shakubuku should be employed accordingly.
In “The Opening of the Eyes,” the Daishonin says that shoju should be the
primary method
at a time
“when
the
country is full of evil people without wisdom,”
and that shakubuku should come first “at a time when there are many people of
perverse views who slander the Law”. (WND-1, p. 285)[9]
In this way, he indicates that
in the case of Japan,
from the standpoint of the “country”, priority should be placed on the method of
shakubuku. He says:
“There are two kinds of countries, the country that is passively evil,[10]
and the kind that actively seeks to destroy the Law. We must consider carefully
to which category Japan
at the present time belongs.” (WND-1, p. 285) As this statement suggests, the
Daishonin’s intent is to specifically
focus on the country of
Japan
of that day,
and to
clarify
that shakubuku is necessary because
Japan
is
a
country
of perverse views
that actively seeks to destroy the Law.
However, the Daishonin teaches that
on a more fundamental level
the question of whether to employ shoju or shakubuku
“depends
on the time”. He concludes his discussion of shakubuku in “The Opening of the
Eyes”,
saying:
“The propagation of the Buddhist teachings should follow the time.” (WND-1, p.
287)
Likewise, in such writings as “Letter from Sado” and “On Practising the Buddha’s
Teachings”, the Daishonin
explains
that the method of propagation should be chosen according to the time.
Morinaka:
In “Letter from Sado”, he
writes:
Buddhism should be spread by the method of either shoju or shakubuku, depending
on the age. These are analogous to the two worldly ways of the literary and the
military. The great sages of old practised the Buddhist teachings as befitted
the times. (WND-1, p. 301)
Saito:
In “On Practising the Buddha’s Teachings”,
he
states:
In this age, the provisional teachings have turned into enemies of the true
teaching. When the time is right to propagate the teaching of the one vehicle,
the provisional teachings become enemies. When they are a source of confusion,
they must be thoroughly refuted from the standpoint of the true teaching. Of the
two types of practice, this is shakubuku, the practice of the Lotus Sutra. With
good reason T’ien-t’ai stated, “The Lotus Sutra is the teaching of shakubuku,
the refutation of the provisional doctrines.” (WND-1, p. 394)
President Ikeda:
The Latter Day of the Law is an “age of
quarrels and disputes
in which the
pure
Law
becomes obscured and
lost”. (WND-1, p. 394)[11]
It is a time when people
not only
lose sight of the Lotus Sutra as the
true
teaching that clarifies the Buddha’s intent to
enable all people to reveal their
Buddha nature,
but also a time in which they have difficulty
distinguishing
the true teaching
from provisional teachings that expound expedient means.
Morinaka:
In addition,
in such an age,
the provisional teachings
lead
people
astray
and cause them to fall into
the
evil paths.
Aberrant
priests
who slander the
true teaching of the
Lotus Sutra
abound and the Buddha’s
genuine doctrine
is completely forgotten. The Daishonin appeared in such an age.
President Ikeda:
As indicated by the line in “On Practising the Buddha’s Teachings”, “The
provisional teachings have turned into enemies of the true teaching,”
(WND-1, p. 394) the provisional teachings actually
work
to obstruct the Buddha’s true intent of enabling all people to
reveal
their
Buddha nature.
They become none other than “devilish
functions”.
The Daishonin was the only person who genuinely understood this.
Therefore,
in order to
both
lead people to happiness
and protect Buddhism, he fought the devilish nature that
had become
pervasive within the
established
Buddhist institutions of his time. He had no choice but to launch what he
described as a “battle between the provisional and the true teachings”. (WND-1,
p. 392) This struggle would determine whether people would
be able to reveal
their Buddha nature or be overrun by the devilish nature.
Saito:
Considered from this perspective, it is clear that there is nothing exclusivist
about the practice of shakubuku.
President Ikeda:
In saying that the method of propagation “depends on the time”, the Daishonin is
acknowledging that
particular
practices of the provisional teachings
were valid
during the Former and Middle Days of the Law,
when devilish forces seeking to hinder people from manifesting their Buddha
nature through the Law were not so strong.
At such a time,
propagation by the method of shoju
was appropriate.
In short, the Daishonin endorses shoju as long
as
people have not lost sight of the purpose of Buddhism,
the goal
of revealing the Buddha nature of oneself and others
taught in the
true teaching of the
Lotus Sutra. That is the major premise.
By
the
dawn of the
Latter Day of the Law, however, this fundamental objective of Buddhism had
been completely forgotten. Therefore, in addition to emphatically affirming the
true teaching, actively refuting the devilish nature lurking in the
provisional
teachings
expounded by various Buddhist
schools
was
an indispensable part of propagation
for the Daishonin.
Morinaka:
Certainly, the
Buddhist schools of
the Daishonin’s
day
could not be described as religious
organisations
dedicated to helping
people
achieve
genuine
happiness for themselves and others. On the contrary, they all went against
the
original intent
of Buddhism,
which was to help people awaken to and
reveal
the Buddha nature in their own lives and thus
achieve
happiness in the present
and future.
Their teachings in fact served to have the opposite effect [that is, preventing
them from revealing their Buddha nature and realizing happiness].
President Ikeda:
Fundamentally,
shakubuku
may be thought of as a
battle
between the inclination to respect human beings and the tendency to
diminish
them. Buddhism enables people to develop a solid
character and self-identity.
Both Shakyamuni and Nichiren Daishonin ultimately taught that a
“single
individual can save the world”. Buddhism strongly proclaims that there is
nothing
greater than
the human being. It
sets forth
the “behaviour as a human being”. (WND-1, p. 852) indispensable for pursuing the
highest and
most humane way of life,
a life
filled with compassion and courage.
Buddhism
allows people to develop their capacity for good actions and to defeat the
fundamental
ignorance
that scorns the
sanctity
and dignity of human life. That is the substance of Buddhist practice in the
Latter Day.
Saito:
We could say that shakubuku is the specific action necessary to achieve these
ends.
President Ikeda:
Nichiren Daishonin urged all his followers to pursue this lofty course, just as
he had.
He knew, however, that if they did so,
they
would
also be
likely to encounter persecution,
like he had.
Nevertheless,
the Daishonin boldly called on them to practise shakubuku. For
only by
following this noble path
could
true happiness
be
found.
The other key reason was that he wanted
to
foster
disciples who would
actively champion the cause of
kosen-rufu,
an undertaking
to
enable each person to bring forth
their
inherent
Buddha nature.
Only when
there are
disciples
ready to take action
with
the same spirit as their mentor can kosen-rufu be accomplished.
Each practitioner
has to become a courageous “lion king”.
In order to elevate the
life-state
of humankind, it is
vital
that such genuine disciples emerge.
Saito:
The Daishonin
wrote many important treatises and letters, including
“The Opening of the Eyes” and “Letter from Sado,”
at a time when
he and his followers were experiencing
harsh
persecution. While being oppressed by the
ruling powers,
he proclaimed that this was precisely the time to
undertake
shakubuku.
President Ikeda:
The realization of kosen-rufu is not possible without
the “passing of the torch” of the Mystic Law from mentor to disciples.
In any age, the
polluted
current
of the Latter Day