By Dr. Tetsugai Obo
Chairman of Seminar
Bureau of SGI Doctor Division
This meeting consists of doctors, nurses, and staff of the
medical field that took place at
In
For many Japanese, the village-like mentality deeply lies in their
consciousness. In this culture, people are taught not to view things as black
and white, not to take a position either way, not to be arrogant, or audacious,
or meddlesome.
This year, I have been thinking about this. I see many psychiatric
patients, patients with asthma, patients with sinus infection, patients with
eczema, and patients with severe allergy. I have seen more than 10,000 patients
so far in my practice. What I found in common with all these patients was their
conformity. I hardly see non-conforming people.
Imagine that out of 10,000 people the vast majority of them are
conformists! How interesting! I can't help thinking that conformists are more
susceptible to having an illness.
The word conformist in Japanese, majime,
has changed its meaning over the past decades. It used to mean "serious or
sincere," but now it means "to go with the flow of custom or
culture." Above all, Japanese culture is troublesome. It is a culture that
promotes sickness.
[Japanese culture values] modesty, the virtue of humbleness, being
refined -- males should say little, females should be one step behind -- being
considerate, being harmonious, suppressing yourself, not being audacious, not
being overconfident, and not being arrogant. In other words, to kill yourself
is Japanese culture. Therefore, the more you conform to it, the more devastated
you will become.
In general, conformists lack individuality and are passive. Leaders in
society, such as presidents of companies, tend to be arrogant and aggressive
and powerful. They also tend to lack common sense, however, and are
authoritative in nature. In this society, from the standpoint of Japanese
culture, I have observed that bad people have more energy. Good people are not
energetic and are sickly after all.
From a Buddhist viewpoint, one who is shining the true self of the entity
of Myoho (Mystic Law) is in a
sense audacious. Audacious people live according to the Mystic Law. On the
other hand, conformists who suppress themselves actually kill the entity of
Myoho. This is slander.
The best example is the congressmen of the Japanese Democratic Party.
After the elections they were interviewed and their attitude was only that of
self-absorption. It makes you wonder why they get elected but these people are
truly energetic, powerful and have a lot of fortune.
On the other hand, conforming and serious people lack fortune. President
Ikeda often says, "Let's be audacious, bold and tough. Be confident and
persuasive." After all, this is the correct way. The problem is not that
bad people run the world but that good people are killing themselves.
If serious people, kindhearted people, good people, and warmhearted
people speak up and stand up for justice and create momentum, selfish people
will automatically feel uncomfortable and eventually vanish. President
Makiguchi once said that only if we create this can we have the "era of
humanistic competition."
In fact, this Japanese culture of being conforming and serious is the
culture of the village. If you act differently you will become an outcast of
the village. The people of village culture do not like those people who speak
clearly of issues of black and white.
The Murayama administration was a good example of village culture. During
that time, the great Kobe earthquake occurred. Many Japanese people felt
frustrated over how the government handled the disaster. Many showed anger and
questioned the administration as to why it didn't help the victims right away.
The spokesperson responded by saying, "There is nothing we can do about
it. We have to follow the rules. We can offer help to the masses but not to
individuals." This incident showed the lack of compassion by the
government.
Village culture is unmerciful because it prioritizes the institution over
the people. In other words, the village culture is a culture that oppresses
people. This kind of culture is what is a fundamental base of the Japanese
culture. But there is another Japanese culture called the culture of the ocean.
Do you remember when the Japanese baseball pitcher Nomo came to play for
the Los Angeles Dodgers? At that time the major league was on strike. Many
wondered what was going to happen to Nomo and questioned if he would make it in
the major leagues. Many Japanese people and the mass media wrote bashing
articles against Nomo. People asked him why he was going overseas.
Yet Nomo came to America without any hesitation. Before you knew it he
was in the all-star game as a rookie. Suddenly Japanese paparazzi were on his
side and praising him. They wanted Nomo to say, "I will do my best for
Japan." However, he refused to say it. Instead he said, "I enjoy
pitching."
We all thought Nomo must have been fluent in English, but he could hardly
speak it. In an interview after winning a game, Nomo had a translator with him.
I was wondering if he was scared. By just looking at Nomo I felt that he didn't
have a typical Japanese attitude.
Later I found that he was born in Osaka but his parents were originally
from an island off the coast of Japan. These islands are still islands of many
fishermen. Nomo's parents had the culture of the ocean people. The ocean culture
is very independent, energetic, and open.
On the other hand, village culture is very concerned with the opinion of
the public, it is conservative and has a pattern of having two different sides:
smiling on the surface but disagreeing inside.
On the ocean side of Japan there is a strong tendency for ocean culture
and on the mountain side there is the village culture. When visiting a region
which shares both of these cultures, some leaders of the Soka Gakkai will ask
why it is so different even in the same organization. After I explain the
village and ocean culture they can understand the differences.
Nichiren Buddhism is Based on Ocean Culture
Many Japanese religions and philosophies are based on the village
culture. Do you know the only religion based on the ocean culture? Yes, it's
the Daishonin's Buddhism!
Nichiren Daishonin called himself the son of the sendala, in other words the son of a fisherman. It is the lowest
of the caste system. It means the son of an untouchable, and he was proud of
that. It was the time that you could do anything you wanted if you were born in
a higher caste. The Daishonin placed himself within the lowest class of his
time.
The Daishonin fought against the highest authority of the nation. The
Daishonin fought authority head-on without any support. I think that showed a
great contrast between the Daishonin who had no status or authority and the
others with all power.
As they clashed the Daishonin called authorities "the ruler of this
little island country." For people of the village culture this was
inconceivable. Only the Daishonin, who truly was a man of the ocean culture,
was capable of making such a bold statement.
The Daishonin's Buddhism is a philosophy of the ocean culture. That's why
it's very independent, open, progressive and energetic. Nevertheless, the
Daishonin's Buddhism eventually became influenced heavily by the village
culture after his death. The Daishonin's Buddhism became corrupted. As a result
the high priest became absolute. Eventually lay followers were considered too
unworthy to see the high priest.
Seven hundred years passed and President Makiguchi was born as a son of a
fisherman in Arahama. He was raised in the ocean culture, so despite the time
period, he did not have a village mentality. President Toda was raised in
Atsuta and born in Ishikawa prefecture. He also was the son of a fisherman. One
of his ancestors was captain of a fishing boat. He truly was a man of the
ocean. President Ikeda was a son of a seaweed maker. When looking at this, the
Soka Gakkai entirely consists of the ocean culture. It is directly connected to
the Daishonin except some areas that became village-like in the last 700 years.
Interestingly, my senior, Professor Miyata at Soka University, is doing
research on President Makiguchi. He suggested that if he [Makiguchi] had ever
directly encountered the priests from the Head Temple he wouldn't have joined
the Nichiren Shoshu sect.
President Makiguchi was in search of a religion that could be the basis
of his Soka educational system. In one word, Soka education means to open up
person's possibilities, to view every student with a warm heart to help the
student be independent and logical. He was searching for a religion that would
lay a foundation for his educational system. Then he encountered [Priest
Horigome of] Nichiren Shoshu.
Priest Horigome had founded a temporary branch office in Nakano. Priest
Horigome was studying philosophy at Waseda University. He concluded that
Buddhism could no longer contribute to society as long as it remained in the
temple. He thought they needed to start a religious movement in which lay
believers could play an active role. That's why he founded that temporary
branch.
When Priest Horigome -- who believed in the Buddhist movement of lay
believers -- and President Makiguchi -- who believed in the Soka educational
system -- met, a religious movement based on humanism started.
Ironically, there was no such tradition within Nichiren Shoshu. Because
of that, from the very beginning, the priesthood thought that the Soka Gakkai
was arrogant. They also claimed that the lay believers shouldn't be audacious.
This is a good example of the confrontation between village culture and ocean
culture.
In the past there was the Tanuki festival incident and many other
incidents that involved the priesthood and they all originated from the
difference between those two cultures, village and ocean. I think that these
differences became more evident in situations such as the current priesthood
issues with the Soka Gakkai. Therefore, this situation could not have been
avoided.
This is a prelude to what I really wanted to discuss. Let's go back to
the prime point and look at ourselves.
How many points could you give yourself out of a score of 100 right now?
Please raise your hand if you think you fall within the range of 0 to 60
points. Thank you very much.
Now raise your hand if you think you fall between 61 to 99 points.
Usually only a few people raise their hands here. Most people raised their
hands with points 0 to 60. Oh, the doctors division is different because most
of you raised your hands within the higher group.
How about 100 points? Oh, two people raised their hands. Thank you very
much. Except these two, the rest of you are not practicing Nichiren Daishonin's
Buddhism. Can you believe it?
Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is the religion that teaches us that we are
100 points. As noted previously, the Daishonin's Buddhism emphasizes living
audaciously, boldly, and tough. It is hard to understand this.
In Chinese characters shinjin
(faith) means "believe from the heart." What is it you are going to
believe in? It is the Gohonzon and also the Lotus Sutra. What does it mean to
believe in the Lotus Sutra? It means to believe that oneself is the entity of
the Mystic Law. The head is Myo,
the throat is Ho, the chest is Ren, Ge is the stomach, and the legs are Kyo.
We were taught that faith means to believe that your life itself is
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and the entity of the Mystic Law. Do you remember this?
Would you rate Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Buddha at 60 points?
Last November, I was invited to a district meeting to give a Gosho
lecture. There were six French members from Southern France who owned
vineyards. SGI-France is considered a cult by the government and treated
unlawfully. Everybody in France practices very seriously. At this meeting we
studied "On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime."
The Gosho says "...when you chant Myoho and recite Renge, you must
summon up deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself." When you
chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo you name your life Myoho-renge-kyo. Deepen your faith
as you declare your name Myoho-renge-kyo.
When I asked the French members, "Who can believe that you are
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Buddha in here?" All six of them raised their hands by
saying YES! Three out of forty Japanese members raised their hands.
Actually, Gakkai members live by the village culture. The Daishonin's
Buddhism and the Soka Gakkai should be a religion of the ocean culture. But it
has become a religion of the village culture. Well, it's hard to understand...
I'd like to make a comparison.
The Strange Principle
I have written an article titled, "A Strange Principle," for
the health section of the Seikyo
Shimbun. After observing many people, I have found that conformists --
hard working, responsible, caring and altruistic people -- mysteriously enough
come to a deadlock. Those conforming to [the expectations of] others while
working hard cannot break through. These altruistic people often face
rejection, refusal, being made fun of, and in extreme cases are despised. Have
you seen these people? Serious conformists can't advance.
On the contrary, irresponsible, arrogant, and shrewd people are
successful in every attempt. Since everything goes well, they are targeted for
flattery and they become even more successful. This is a very popular
phenomenon. I have encountered various types of people and their lives, and I
have witnessed many of these cases. What is this all about? Earnest people are
fooled and the villains get fattened up. I pondered "why?" for a long
time but I didn't get an answer.
I had an opportunity to research while still contemplating this issue. I
began to see the mechanism of the strange principle little by little.
Hesitantly, I wrote about it in the Seikyo
Shimbun. I was afraid that it would be too controversial or that it
would be cut, but I had to write it anyway because I thought there must be some
people bothered by the same thoughts. Luckily, the article made it to the final
print, and some people responded.
One of the responses read: "As you have written I have done my best
to do shakubuku [teach people
about Buddhism] up until last year, to promote the Seikyo Shimbun, did lots of zaimu [financial contribution], and fought with all my strength.
But this year I am fighting illness and I'm on welfare. Why, despite my hard
work are all of these things happening to me? I don't understand. Even though
it is written so, it lacks thorough explanation and I still don't understand
what you mean."
Immediately I answered his questions via letter and he was really happy.
Actually, there is another principle that causes such phenomena. I selfishly
named the principle that lies beyond such superficial phenomena as the
"strange principle".
The principle means that, even if they are fighting for others in need --
for their families, doing SGI activities for kosen-rufu, working for world
peace and against injustices in the world -- those who kill themselves and who
neglect themselves will eventually lose fortune.
Therefore, this is a principle that as long as you neglect your own life,
then others will neglect you.
People say, "As long as I persevere and endure someday my hardship
will eventually pay off. Until then I must be patient." The Daishonin
wrote: "Where there is unseen virtue, there will be visible reward."
But the harder you endure the worse off you become. One after another you
go through even more hardships. Thus you are not making any "unseen
virtue."
Why? Because you are killing your life which is the entity of the Mystic
Law. You accumulate fortune when you rejoice and enjoy whatever you do and when
you allow your life to shine as it is. It will become your good fortune.
Automatically, others will value your existence.
Smiling Is Contagious
This month in the SGI Graphic
President Ikeda talked about his wife and her smile. Mrs. Ikeda is always
smiling.
President Ikeda said, "Having a smile should not be a result of your
happiness. Smiling becomes the cause to be happy. Smiling when you are happy or
smiling as a result of your happiness is not the right way. No matter how hard
your life is, you keep smiling. Within your life fortune will accumulate."
This is what I mean by a "strange principle."
For instance, some say, "You can overcome your problems if you do shakubuku, if you promote Seikyo Shimbun you can be happy. You
can be happy if you try to do more zaimu."
This is a life condition of hunger. You are always expecting something in
return. If you don't overcome your problem you will resent having made the
effort. This is different from the life condition of Bodhisattva. The Daishonin
states: "Self and others rejoice together."
There is a famous allegory of Tokusho Doji. He wanted to donate something
to the Buddha because of watching others make their contributions. Since he
didn't have anything to give he made a mud pie. If he thought he could get
something in return by giving the mud pie, such as getting a benefit later or
being reborn as King Ashoka -- if he did it as if he were trading the mud pie
-- he would not have gained any benefit..
One's life gains benefit when one is delighted to do so. It is not
"give and take." Neither is it the spirit of self-sacrifice.
It is wrong to think, "As long as I do my best and work hard
selflessly, I will somehow get benefits." Which category do you think
President Ikeda falls into: finding a way to shine as he lives, or [meekly]
enduring everything? Obviously, the first is the answer.
This is the "strange principle." Strange means Myo and principle is Ho. People who neglect the entity of
the Mystic Law lose fortune. People who shine their entity of the Mystic Law
multiply fortune.
The question is which way you are. Simply, it is either way. It is
whether you shine in your life, and the direction in which you enjoy living, or
a direction in which you disrespect yourself. The most important thing is which
way the basis of your life is facing.
I would like to ask again, who would give themselves 100 points in this
audience? There are a lot of honest people.
The Gohonzon Exists in You
We do Gongyo every morning and evening. Do you remember the second silent
prayer? Yes, it is appreciation for the Gohonzon: "I offer my deepest
praise and most sincere gratitude to the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret
Laws, which was bestowed upon the entire world."
Do you all show appreciation to the Gohonzon and realize that it is also
your life? Or do you all think that the Gohonzon is just placed in your shrine?
The Daishonin wrote to people like you, "If you think the Law is outside
yourself, you are not embracing the Mystic Law."
In another Gosho passage, "Never seek this Gohonzon outside
yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary
people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-rengy-kyo."
Within your heart, within your life itself -- "the Gohonzon exists
only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people." We have studied this.
Do you remember studying that? Yet when we chant to the Gohonzon we actually
put it outside ourselves. In other words, what we have learned and what we do
are completely different. Why is this so?
In fact, we are all poisoned by the village culture previously mentioned
and also by the Japanese culture. The village culture equals the Nembutsu
culture. In the Nembutsu culture the Gohonzon is absolute and the Daishonin is
absolute.
While having no fortune, having a low life condition, and having no
strength, some of us need to appeal to the Gohonzon for mercy and for the
Gohonzon to share benefit and wisdom with us. That is the Nembutsu culture. If
you switch the Gohonzon with Amida Buddha, it makes sense. The mechanism is
that we are so miserable -- let's ask the Amida Buddha for its mercy.
The Lotus Sutra is different. President Ikeda over the period of four and
a half years has taught us the Wisdom
of the Lotus Sutra. [In this dialogue] the word ken means to view, hotou
means the Treasure Tower. This means to view the Treasure Tower.
This Treasure Tower appears in the Lotus Sutra. The height of the
Treasure Tower is a 500 yojun. If calculated, it would be more that 500 times
the height of the
Nevertheless, it's not a mountain of scraps but it's a tower of
treasures. It is very majestic, splendid, and universal.
This grand Treasure Tower actually symbolizes the greatness of our lives.
In other words, to realize that our life and existence is universal, splendid,
magnificent, and eternal is called kenhotou.
The Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon using the ceremony of the Treasure
Tower. Thus, the Daishonin clearly explained that the Gohonzon is the clear
mirror used to view our bodies as the greatest Treasure Tower.
However, even though we study this, we worship the mirror and we find
ourselves reflected in the mirror as unworthy. This shows us how poisoned we
have been by the Nembutsu culture. That's why as mentioned earlier in the
strange principle, we tend to go in the direction of "as long as I
endure." We rejoice only in good times but we cannot rejoice or enjoy when
we are down. We begin to say, "I'm not worthy."
The Lotus Sutra is a sutra that teaches us that even when our life
condition is the worst, we are still great. Did you know that?
There is a difference between the Lotus Sutra and provisional teachings.
It is called the five-fold comparison. The reason why the Lotus Sutra is
superior to the provisional teachings is because theoretically, the Lotus Sutra
preaches the attainment of enlightenment for the people of the two vehicles,
evil people, and women. At that time, the public neglected those groups of
people. Therefore, the provisional teachings did not help them.
On the contrary, the Lotus Sutra taught that those people who were
discriminated against and neglected by the public were truly great. This
philosophy was revolutionary. It was truly humanistic.
From the standpoint of life philosophy, [these people who are
discriminated against] are in fact the life condition of ourselves when we are
down. It is our most miserable self. In comparison with others, you can't help
thinking that you are inferior. Within yourself, in such miserable
circumstances, you need to believe that you are the entity of the Mystic Law.
That is the true meaning of embracing the Lotus Sutra.
That is why the Lotus Sutra is difficult to believe and difficult to
understand. It is not difficult to see yourself as great if you are healthy, in
rhythm, and admired. Yet it is difficult to believe, and understand yourself as
great when you face the biggest failure, face being ridiculed, and face
depression.
Believing yourself as great is the true meaning of embracing the Lotus
Sutra.
A Great Buddha Is Reading This
I was unable to understand the meaning of compassion (jihi). Although the Doctors Division
was often called compassionate, the more I pondered, the less I comprehended.
In Japanese ji means
benevolence, which I understood, yet I could not understand the word hi which means sad. Some say jihi means to share suffering with
others, another is to eliminate pain and give joy. Yet I still didn't
understand. At that time I read a passage in an essay by President Ikeda:
"When your soul is victorious, your sadness becomes hi of the word jihi." When I read that I had a revelation.
I had been reading jihi as
meaning to be benevolent and sad, which made me more confused. If read by the
Chinese character, it reads to be benevolent in times of sadness. Thus, it
means to embrace yourself with a warm heart when you are at your lowest point,
when you are in the midst of the worst suffering, or in the depths of your
anxiety. Here lies the aspect of a victorious life.
For those who are able to embrace themselves in the midst of suffering,
their sadness is no longer sadness. Such sadness itself will be transformed
into courage when embraced by one's own compassionate heart. Despair will
evolve into hope. The true meaning of an indestructible life lies only this
way.
Only those who embrace themselves can truly cherish others who are
suffering and regard others' suffering as it if were their own. For example,
when you are low you don't like yourself. Later when you are feeling better and
seeing others in the same situation you may say, "What a pity!" Yet
deep within yourself you judge them by thinking, "How weak. He is a
failure after all."
The way you judge yourself is exactly how you judge others. When
embracing and respecting your lowest self with a compassionate heart like
"I love me" or "I'm truly great," you can respect other
people.
Gohonzon means the object of fundamental respect. President Ikeda has
said, "What do we fundamentally respect? It is one's life. Our life has
the highest value. It is the foundation of respect. The respect of one's life
therefore cannot be based on whether one succeeds or fails. No matter what
happens, we must start from respect. This is the meaning of embracing the
Gohonzon. This is Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism.
So now, who is going to give 100 points to yourself? (laughter) Thank you
very much. There are so many obedient people. There are still a few people who
could not raise their hand. I want to make one more point.
In the Gosho, "The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life", it
reads: "Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago,
the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human
beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant
Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate law of life
and death. This is a matter of the utmost importance for Nichiren's disciples
and lay supporters, and this is what it means to embrace the Lotus Sutra."
This is the foundation of the Daishonin's Buddhism. "This is what it
means to embrace the Lotus Sutra." This is the most important sentence of
the Gosho. Nichiren Daishonin, the Gohonzon, and oneself are in no way
different or separate from one another. "To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with
this realization is to inherit the ultimate law of life and death."
Because of that, when we grade ourselves with 60 points we are grading
the Gohonzon 60 points and Nichiren Daishonin 60 points. Aren't we? Yet they
are "in no way different or separate from one another." Don't we call
this slander?
The person who says, "I grade the Gohonzon and the Daishonin 100
points but I grade myself 60 points" doesn't believe that they are
"no way different or separate from one another." We call this
disbelief.
People who do not grade themselves with 100 points, we call
"slanderers" and "disbelievers." In the same Gosho it says,
"Those who disbelieve and slander the Lotus Sutra will immediately
'destroy all the seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world.' Because they cut
themselves off from the potential to attain enlightenment, they do not share
the heritage of the ultimate law of life and death."
"Those who disbelieve and slander the Lotus Sutra" -- those who
cannot believe in themselves 100 percent "will immediately destroy all the
seeds for becoming a Buddha in this world."
Those who grade themselves a Buddha of 100 points -- those who believe
and enjoy it -- live with the life condition of great security and are received
and supported by a thousand Buddhas when they come to the end of their life.
"How can we possibly hold back our tears."
If you can not raise your hand here, you will never be able to raise your
hand. I will ask you once again. I am not threatening you. This is what the
Daishonin says. This is the last time I will ask you. Do you grade yourself 100
points? (Big laughter) Thank you very much.
You Are a Great Buddha
First you have to decide "A great Buddha is sitting." Making
this decision requires courage. This is what we call the courage of faith. You
have to recognize from the bottom of your heart: "I am the truly great
Buddha." This means "Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the greatest joy among
joys."
After this meeting when you're going home, please think, "The great
Buddha is walking." Great Buddha is looking at a mirror, reflecting a life
and praising this life. This is the true meaning of doing gongyo and chanting
daimoku.
Probably if I say this some people will argue that this is arrogant. I
have a concern that this is going back to the village culture. So I want to
talk about arrogance.
Arrogance is the mind of oneself being superior to others. It means that
arrogant people are always comparing themselves to others. "I am doing
more, I am fighting more. I am a bigger leader, I am richer, etc."
Arrogant people feel secure by confirming their superiority. This
function of life is called "arrogance."
The reason people feel more secure when they compare themselves with
others is because they have anxiety in the depths of their lives. They have
disbelief and inferiority at their core, thus they become anxious after short
periods of relief. Later on, they catch others and need to be reassured that,
"I'm more impressive, I'm greater!" These kinds of people, who
continue to show off, are called arrogant. Deep within their arrogant hearts
they have inferiority and self-doubt.
On the other hand, the world's greatest people -- as an old Japanese
proverb says "the riper the rice grain, the lower it hangs" -- the
greater the person the more humble he is. They respect other people because
they have confidence and pride in themselves.
Such confidence and pride does not come from the recognition of others.
The world's greatest people did not become the best because of recognition. The
public recognizes these people because they are the forerunners of the fields
in which others paid no attention.
Fundamentally the greatest way of living is to have confidence and pride
in oneself. At a glance, to view yourself as "I am a great Buddha, I rate
myself a perfect 100 points" seems arrogant. Actually, it equals the
greatest way of living. Since it is similar to having an arrogant attitude, it
is called "the arrogance of the Lotus Sutra."
The arrogance of the Lotus Sutra is the correct way because its meaning
is fundamentally different from arrogance in attitude.
President Ikeda repeatedly says, "You are Buddhas. Don't be
deceived. Please believe that you are all Buddhas." I bet we don't really
believe what our mentor says, do we? We think President Ikeda is just saying
that to encourage us. We think he is saying "You are Buddhas" to
encourage us, but the truth is different. We take our mentor's words as
encouragement, but we don't really believe it. Such an attitude is arrogant.
It's okay that we seem like we are arrogant, or audacious or bold
although people might not like it. If we change our attitude this way,
everything strangely starts to open up.
The world will not take Japan seriously if Japanese people remain in the
village culture. Finally, the time has come to spread the philosophy of the
Lotus Sutra that possesses the independence of the ocean culture to the world.
In a sense, the time has come for the Soka Gakkai to take the lead. It's not a
good idea that the Soka Gakkai remains like the village culture.
When you go to bed, think: "A great Buddha is going to sleep
now." In the morning, as you wake up, no matter how you feel, think:
"A great Buddha is waking up." When you change clothes, when going to
the bathroom, when washing your face, and making miso soup, think "This
miso soup is made by a great Buddha. This is a great bowl of miso soup."
Live your life by praising your own life, enjoy whatever you do, and taste
every bit of it.
Each morning wake up with the Buddha, and each evening go to sleep with
the Buddha. Live life with joy every moment -- this is the true meaning of the
practice of reading the Lotus Sutra with your life.
We chant three times at the end of this meeting. Let's chant three times
while remembering that this chanting praises our lives.
Thank you very much for today!