“The True
Entity of Life”
(“Shoho jisso sho”)
Gosho Passage
Believe in the Gohonzon, the
supreme Object of Worship in the world. Forge strong faith and receive the
protection of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas. Exert yourself in the
two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no
Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others.
Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your
ability, even if only a single sentence or phrase.
(Gosho, p. 667, MW-1, p, 95)
1. Background of the Gosho
“The True
Entity of Life” (“Shoho jisso sho”)
was written on the 17th day of the fifth month of the tenth year of
Bun’ei (1273), when Nichiren Daishonin was 52 years of age and living in
Ichinosawa in Sado. The original document no longer exists.
The letter
was addressed to Sairen-bo Nichijo (also known as Nichiei). Sairen-bo was born
in Kyoto and was a scholar-priest of the Tendai sect. He had entered the
priesthood at Mt. Hiei. On the 23rd day of the third month of the
first year of Bun’ei (1264), a Tendai follower burned down the main entry gate
and the
buildings of Enryakuji Temple. Sairen-bo was somehow implicated in this
terrible incident and was exiled to Sado.
Shortly
after Nichiren Daishonin was exiled to Sado in the 11th month of the
eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), Sairen-bo was drawn to his supreme virtues and
became his disciple in the second month of the following year (1272). He was
given the name Nichijo (Nichiei).
In the
Gosho, “Reply to Sairen-bo” (“Sairenbo
gohenji”), Nichiren Daishonin, himself, described Sairen-bo’s background.
According to this writing, Sairen-bo became a priest at the age of 17. He was
assiduous in his practice and study, but due to the aforementioned
circumstances, he was sent to Sado. A karmic bond enabled him to meet Nichiren
Daishonin and to become his disciple. Sairen-bo’s health had been frail since
birth, and he cherished plans to seclude himself in a mountain.
Given these
conditions, Nichiren Daishonin wrote the following to Sairen-bo:
The votaries of the Lotus Sutra
must never slacken in their faith, and they must never nurture deceptions. By
entirely devoting their lives to the Lotus Sutra and practicing according to
the golden words of the Buddha, they will live a safe and long life and achieve
great karmic effects, without fail, not only in their present existence but
also in their future lives. They will also be able to achieve the great
objective of Kosen-rufu.
(Gosho, p. 642)
The Daishonin offered these kind
words of encouragement to Sairen-bo, by explaining to him that he would be able
to live a safe and long life as a benefit of embracing the Mystic Law (Myoho). In the Gosho, “On Practicing the
Buddha’s Teachings” (“Nyosetsu shugyo sho”),
the Daishonin further clarifies:
Now when the true and provisional
teachings are utterly confused, it would be equally unnatural for one to
seclude himself in the mountains, carrying out the easy practice of shoju, and
avoid refuting the enemies of the Lotus Sutra. He would lose all chance to
practice the Lotus Sutra.
(Gosho, p. 673; MW-1, p. 105)
He points out that retiring in the mountains would be a
totally inappropriate form of practice during the Latter Day of the Law and
that people must do shakubuku in this age. Thus, he explains the correct
attitude in faith to his disciples and followers.
2. A brief summary of the Gosho
In this
Gosho, the Daishonin explains the principle of the True Entity of Life to
Sairen-bo, who had previously embraced the Tendai teachings but was now his
disciple.
The Gosho
begins with the following passage:
In the Hoben chapter of Volume One of the Lotus Sutra is the passage: “The
True Entity of all Phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas.
This reality consists of the appearance, nature…. and their consistency from
beginning to end.” What does this passage mean? Answer: It means that all
beings and their environments in any of the Ten Worlds, from Hell at the lowest
to Buddhahood at the highest, are, without exception, the manifestations of
Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
(Gosho, p. 664; MW-1, p. 89)
The Daishonin explains that the essential entities of the Ten Worlds,
from the lowest world of Hell to the highest realm of Buddhahood, are entirely
manifestations of Myoho-Renge-Kyo.
Not a
single individual other than Nichiren Daishonin has presented this explanation.
T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, Dengyo, and others were aware of this teaching in their
hearts, but they did not reveal it because they were Bodhisattvas of the
Theoretical Teaching and, therefore, did not possess the karmic bond and
capacity to do so. Furthermore, they were not born during the age of the Latter
Day of the Law. This teaching can only be propagated for the first time by the
Bodhisattvas of the Earth taught by the True Buddha, in the Latter Day of the
Law. He continues:
Reality is another
expression for Myoho-Renge-Kyo; hence Myoho-Renge-Kyo is manifest in all
phenomena… All phenomena are themselves manifestations of Myoho-Renge-Kyo. This
is the meaning of "all phenomena reveal the True Entity."
(Gosho, p. 665; MW-1, p. 91)
This reveals the significance of the True Entity of Life
within the Essential Teaching.
Next, the Daishonin indicates that
he possesses the precious internal enlightenment of the one who propagates the
Mystic Law (Myoho) and inscribes the
great mandala—the Object of Worship. He explains the gravity of the sin of
persecuting him. He then expounds on the benefits of making offerings to him
and upholding faith and practice as his disciples and followers. The Daishonin
taught that thoroughly upholding faith in True Buddhism would bring forth
tremendous benefits without fail. Furthermore, the Daishonin stated that people
would be able to share a karmic bond with the Bodhisattvas of the Earth by
becoming his disciples and exerting their utmost efforts, in total unity with
their master, to propagate the Mystic Law (Myoho).
Nichiren Daishonin taught that it would have been impossible to chant the
Daimoku without the advent of Bodhisattva [Jogyo]. He further stated that he,
and all the priests and lay believers who would chant the Daimoku now and in the
future, would be able to achieve Kosen-rufu without fail.
The Daishonin
said he could not hold back tears of joy, when he considered his own identity
during the Ceremony in the Air and when he thought about his precious karmic
bonds and benefits as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. He wrote:
Because I view things in this way,
I feel immeasurable delight even though I am now an exile. Joy as well as
sorrow brings us to tears… I am now in exile because I spread the teaching of
Myoho-Renge-Kyo… I cannot hold back my tears when I think of the great
persecution confronting me now, or when I think of the joy of attaining
Buddhahood in the future. Birds cry, but never shed tears. I, Nichiren, do not
cry, but my tears flow ceaselessly.
(Gosho, p. 667; MW-1, p. 94)
These words express the spirit that we must emulate as we
advance in propagating True Buddhism.
In
conclusion, the Daishonin informed Sairen-bo that this Gosho contained
extremely important principles. He instructed him to sincerely embrace them,
grasp their meaning, and believe in them. He offered him the following encouragement:
Believe in the Gohonzon, the
supreme Object of Worship in the world. Forge strong faith and receive the
protection of Shakyamuni, Taho and all the other Buddhas. Exert yourself in the
two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no
Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others.
Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your
ability, even if only a single sentence or phrase.
(Gosho, p. 667-668, MW-1, p, 94-95)
The
Honorable Retired High Priest Nikken Shonin explained this passage in the
following way:
Practice and study that are not
based on faith are ineffective. There are some people who assiduously go
through the motions of practice. There are others who are focused only on
study. Examples of the latter include individuals such as the current
professors at the Buddhist University who ignore faith and concentrate on the
formal and specialized study of Buddhism. There are also various scholars among
the priests of heretical sects. They may maintain minimal faith, but they have
lost sight of the Object of Worship—the most essential Buddha of True Buddhism.
Therefore, it is impossible for them to foster true faith. As a result, their
thoughts and studies possess a professional and clinical characterization; and
the principles they investigate are far removed from any considerations of the
benefits and virtues of saving all people and guiding them, based on True
Buddhism. This is all too evident when we look upon the nature of the Buddhist
University and heretical sects today. Indeed, practice and study are a part of
Buddhism. Of these, practice consists of the practice for oneself and for
others. Practice for oneself refers to chanting Daimoku for one’s own benefit.
Practice for others represents the act of sharing True Buddhism with others and
urging them to take faith. Study is an investigation onto itself, but both
practice and study must be based on faith.
(Dai-Nichiren, Vol. 539)
Nichiren
Daishonin established the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism
as the supreme essence of his propagation, and we, along with all humanity, are
able to achieve the great benefit of attaining enlightenment in our present
form (sokushin jobutsu), when we
uphold sincere and pure faith in the Dai-Gohonzon, when we assiduously uphold
the two ways of practice and study, and when we exert our utmost efforts toward
the great objective of Kosen-rufu.
3. Let’s devote our lives to the great
objective of Kosen-rufu
Our High
Priest Nichinyo Shonin gave us the following directions in this year’s “New
Year’s Address”:
Only when we sincerely embrace the
Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True Buddhism and uphold faith in it as
the true Object of Worship, can we achieve our own enlightenment in our present
form.
(Daibyaku-ho, Vol. 708)
In order to
achieve the supreme life condition and live a happy and comfortable life, we
must uphold the doctrine of Nichiren Daishonin—the one and only true teaching
in the world—and we must worship the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of True
Buddhism, the Entity of the Law of Nichiren Daishonin.
We must
sincerely understand and appreciate the profound compassion of the True Buddha,
Nichiren Daishonin, who made his advent into this world during the Latter Day
of the Law. He established the Gohonzon, the supreme Object of Worship in the
entire universe, and bestowed it upon us. It is absolutely impossible for all
mankind to attain enlightenment without the Gohonzon. We must share this knowledge
with as many people as possible, in order to bring them salvation.
The
Daishonin wrote:
Single-mindedly chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo and urge
others to do the same; that will remain as the only memory of your present life
in this human world.
(“Questions
and Answers on Embracing the Lotus Sutra” [Jimyo
hokke mondo sho] Gosho, p. 300, MW-5, p, 38)
Let us all etch these directions
deep into our hearts and be eminently victorious this year. Moreover, let us
dedicate ourselves to the successful achievement of the great objective of
Kosen-rufu.
I ask you to cultivate a strong
conviction that actual proof in the form of true benefits and the protection of
the Gohonzon will be manifested in your lives, if you chant sincere Daimoku and
exert yourself in shakubuku. Let us all advance forth courageously and
resolutely throughout this “Year of Action.”