Gosho Passage
Though the baby fish are many, there are few that grow up to be big fish. Though the flowers of the mango tree are many, there are few that turn into fruit. In like manner, there are many people who set their hearts on enlightenment, but only a few who continue their practice and in fact attain the True Way.
(Gosho, p. 1048; MW-3, pp. 211-212)
Gosho
Background and Recipient
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this Gosho in Minobu, on the ninth day of the 12th month of the second year of Kenji (1276), when he was 55 years of age. He wrote this letter in response to a Gokuyo offering sent to him by Matsuno Rokuro-zaemon and had it delivered by Sammi-bo.
The recipient of the letter, Matsuno Rokuro-zaemon, was the feudal lord of Matsuno in the Ihara region of the province of Suruga (presently Fujikawa-cho, Ihara-gun, Shizuoka Prefecture). After he received this Gosho, he entered the priesthood. He died in the first year of Koan (1278). The Daishonin stated in the Gosho, “Wu-lung and I-lung” (“Ueno-ama gozen go-henji”):
In your letter you mention the anniversary of the death of your father, Matsuno Rokuro Zaemon Nyudo. You say, “Since he left many sons behind, memorial services for him will be conducted in as many different ways.”
(Gosho, p. 1574; MW-4, p. 306)
It is apparent from this passage that he had many children. References
do not exist for each of his children, but records reveal that his eldest son
was Matsuno Rokuro-zaemon no jo and his second son was Nichiji, one of the six
senior priests. He also had a daughter who subsequently became the mother of
Nanjo Tokimitsu.
In the opening paragraph, the Daishonin thanks Lord Matsuno for his various Gokuyo offerings. He gives a description of the Minobu area, and then writes about the scholar priest Nichigen, who became the Daishonin’s disciple. He praises Nichigen for discarding all desires for fame and fortune and for his solid devotion to the Way, in serving the Daishonin. Following this, he addresses Lord Matsuno’s question concerning whether or not there is a difference in benefits according to who chants the Daimoku. He responds by stating that the benefits of the Daimoku chanted by a sage are no different from the benefits of the Daimoku chanted by a fool. The Daishonin then discusses the Fourteen Slanders. These are presented to explain the meaning of a passage from the Parable (Hiyu; 3rd) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. This passage, which is also quoted in Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke mongu-ki), reads as follows:
If a person fails to have faith …
If this person should slander a sutra such as this …
When his life comes to an end
He will enter the Avichi hell.
(Hokekyo, p. 175)
The Daishonin warns all lay believers and priests against these slanders. Next, he gives a detailed explanation of the principle of giving one’s life to seek the Law, as exemplified by Sessen Doji, who willingly offered his life to a demon in order to learn the Law. Through this, the Daishonin teaches us the attitude that we must uphold in our faith and practice, as priests and lay believers. He warned the priests by stating that those who engage in idle activity and gossip are no better than animals dressed in priestly robes—tantamount to thieves who steal the names of the priests. Quoting the scriptures, the Daishonin encourages the priests to practice without begrudging their lives (fushaku shimmyo) and to propagate the Law through shakubuku. Then, the Daishonin addresses the lay believers and explains the importance of chanting Daimoku and presenting Gokuyo offerings. He urges the laity to follow the lead of the priests in propagating the Law through shakubuku. Finally, he concludes his letter by describing the supreme life condition of enlightenment that can be attained through redoubling our efforts in our faith and practice.
The
passage on which we are focused this month immediately follows the Daishonin’s
explanation of the Fourteen Slanders, the fourteen types of offenses against
the True Law. Here, the True Law signifies True Buddhism and, in the Latter Day
of the Law, it denotes the Three Great Secret Laws propagated by Nichiren
Daishonin. I will briefly explain each of them.
(1) Arrogance (kyoman): to display an arrogant and belittling attitude towards True Buddhism.
(2) Negligence (kedai): to slacken in one’s Buddhist practice.
(3) Arbitrary, egotistical judgment (keiga): to evaluate True Buddhism according to one’s arbitrary understanding and to be attached to one’s egotistical views.
(4) Shallow, self-satisfied understanding (senshiki): to assess True Buddhism according to one’s shallow knowledge and to refuse to seek a profound understanding.
(5) Attachment to Earthly Desires (jakuyoku): to form an attachment to one’s desires and not to seek True Buddhism.
(6) Lack of seeking spirit (fuge): to refuse to understand True Buddhism.
(7) Not believing (fushin): to refuse to believe in True Buddhism.
(8) Aversion (hinjuku): to dislike and criticize True Buddhism.
(9) Deluded doubt (giwaku): to doubt and to hold delusions about True Buddhism.
(10) Vilification (hibo): to slander True Buddhism.
(11) Contempt (kyozen): to belittle those who embrace True Buddhism.
(12) Hatred (zozen): to hate those who embrace True Buddhism.
(13) Jealousy (shitsuzen): to envy those who embrace True Buddhism.
(14) Grudges (konzen): to resent those who embrace True Buddhism.
These Fourteen Slanders are not only committed by those who are non-believers
of Buddhism. Even those who have received Gojukai and have practiced Buddhism
for many years—such as those who follow the SGI—commit slanders such as
arrogance, shallow, self-satisfied understanding, and arbitrary, egotistical
judgment, and fall off the correct path of True Buddhism.
Of these Fourteen Slanders, we must be particularly cautious against being arrogant. There are times when we may be prone to becoming over-confident, and this, in turn, could lead to arrogance. This is especially true when we over-estimate ourselves. Arrogance could easily develop in our hearts, and it would cause us to lose our way. Let us constantly be mindful of these Fourteen Slanders and cautiously advance with great devotion in our daily practice.
Let Us Adorn Ourselves with the Seven
Kinds of Gems (shippo)
In the Gosho, “On the Treasure Tower” (“Abutsu-bo gosho”), the Daishonin states:
It is the Treasure Tower adorned with seven kinds of gems—listening to the true teaching, believing it, keeping the precept, attaining peace of mind, practicing assiduously, unselfishly devoting oneself, and forever seeking self-improvement.
(Gosho, p. 793; MW-1, p. 30)
It is important to adorn ourselves with these seven kinds of gems. To
do so, we must constantly endeavor to listen to the True Teaching and believe
in and follow the directions of our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin. We must be
constantly mindful of not committing the Fourteen Slanders, and we must
establish a solid practice by continuing to chant Daimoku. We must also
willingly exert ourselves in our practice and always remember to make sincere
Gokuyo offerings to the Gohonzon. Furthermore, we must continue in this way and
reflect upon our actions and thoughts.
The last item—forever seeking
self-improvement—is essential. We must constantly reflect upon ourselves to
make certain that we are not committing the Fourteen Slanders. For example, if
we slacken and neglect to do Gongyo, we are committing the slander of
negligence. If we do not do shakubuku, we are also committing the slander of
negligence. We may not commit all Fourteen Slanders at once, but by repeatedly
committing the slander of negligence, we gradually distance ourselves from the
path to enlightenment. There are no holidays in our Buddhist practice. Let us
continue to proceed everyday on the path to enlightenment, without ever
slackening.
Conflicts never cease to rage in various countries around the world, and extraordinary social problems and incidents occur ubiquitously in society. Most people are totally unaware that the cause for these conditions lies in the antiquated doctrines and ideologies that have lost their power and remain only in form.
The teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, which we uphold, are based on the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect (inga guji)—a singular and absolute principle that is beyond simple human comprehension. In other words, we cannot bring forth true global peace without Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings. Therefore, our advancement in shakubuku and propagating the Law is actual progress toward establishing true world peace. Let us etch this point deep in our hearts and advance toward the achievement of the mission that we shoulder as individuals who practice True Buddhism.
This year has been designated the “Year of Great Advancement.” Each of us must advance with ever more enthusiasm in our faith and practice, as we move toward the imminent 750th Anniversary of Revealing the Truth and Upholding Justice through the Submission of the Rissho ankoku-ron in 2009. If every believer in Nichiren Shoshu is able to shakubuku one person this year, we will be able to actually achieve the doubling of the number of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. In essence, we must put into practice our objective for every individual to shakubuku one person each year. Doing so will enable us to respond to the great compassion of our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin.
We must continue to chant Daimoku in our practice for ourselves and for others (jigyo keta). We must achieve great success in our shakubuku efforts and change our life conditions, as we all congregate on the significant occasion next year at the Head Temple. Let us share with the believers from all around the world the joy of having successfully achieved our goals.
I would like to conclude my sermon by praying for your continued good health and great achievements throughout this year.
Thank you very much.