Manifesting the qualities of the law
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Transcript of Manifesting the qualities of the law
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This sentence, spoken by Nichi-
ren, shows that the wise do not
allow themselves to be influenced
by praise or criticism, or swayed
by the ups and downs of publicopinion. In other words, since our
hearts react in their own unique
way, the manner in which we
interpret our own personal cir-
cumstances is of vital importance;
therefore, we must try to have the
greatest spiritual and mental cla-
rity. In Buddhism it is said that
someone with a disturbed mind
will distort what they hear, no
matter how logical the truth theyare shown.
Our circumstances change cons-
tantly. A great mission cannot
succeed if those in charge of it are
worried about their popularity or
criticism from others. Any pro-
gress, is in fact obstructed, by the
greed, anger and stupidity to
which all human beings are prone.
Society requires a harmonious
cooperation and a broad vision.
Moreover, as the Daishonin warns
in this letter, a truly wise person
must keep in mind both the happi-
ness of others and Kosen-rufu,
applying the power of faith and
his greatest unceasing efforts inorder to achieve these.
In Buddhism, ones life-state
is an essential question. This phi-
losophy does not measure human
beings according to race or ethnic
origins. Neither does it take into
account academic achievements
or social status. Instead, it focu-
ses entirely on the life-state and
heart of each individual.
This letter was addressed to
Shijo Kingo, who, as a result of
his excellent professional achie-
vements, aroused the envy of his
work colleagues, and was therefo-
re persecuted, slandered and for-
ced to endure terrible circumstan-
ces.
In this respect, in his letter, the
Daishonin speaks largely of Shijo
Kingos life-state and the princi-
Manifesting the Qualitiesof the Law
31Civilizacin
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Gosho t o duscuss
W
orthy persons deserve to be called so because they
are not carried away by the eight winds: prospe-
rity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, suf-fering, and pleasure. They are neither elated by prosperity
nor grieved by decline. The heavenly gods will surely pro-
tect one who is unbending before the eight winds. (The
Eight Winds, WD p. 794)
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Civilizacin
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ple which teaches that wisdom
comes from faith.
In this same document we find
the phrase, You must be aware ofwhere the real problem lies, and
act with caution.
When people are burdened with
worries, they tend to make a
mountain out of a molehill. The
same can be said of countries.
The most trivial matters can be
enough to make us fluctuate bet-
ween joy and sadness. Then life
becomes emotionally unstable,
and we find ourselves bouncingback and forth between happiness
and sorrow, and this, coupled with
a narrow outlook on life, makes
for profound suffering.
A year before writing this letter,
in his famous document entitled
Happiness in This World of
June 1276, the Daishonin offers
similar guidence to Shijo Kingo:
Though worldly troubles may
arise, never let them disturb
you. (Happiness In This World,
WND p.681)
When things are going well, we
feel that we can take on the world,
but life is full of obstacles and
unexpected events, and when
these occur, we realise that we
cannot isolate ourselves from
others, and therefore we go in
search of encouragement and
mutual support. It is of vital
importance that we keep in close
contact with people who are sin-
cere and encouraging. That way
we can prevent destructive forcesfrom entering into our lives.
Encouragement and mutual sup-
port can provide enormous
strength.
Nichiren Daishonin did every-
thing in his power to support and
protect his disciples. He gave
them the spirit of faith so that they
would be able to confront and
overcome all obstacles, and
through his behaviour showedthem the enormous power of the
Mystic Law.
He was especially close to Shijo
Kingo and sent him many letters
offering encouragement and gui-
dence. He taught him how to be
wise, and immune to the influen-
ces of the eight winds, as the Bud-
dhist teachings manifest in the
behaviour of their believers.
The Daishonin transmitted the
essence of human behaviour to
Kingo, and his guidance was
meticulous and sincere on the
most diverse issues. Dont lose
your temper!, Always be
alert!, Watch out for acci-
dents!, Think ahead!, If our
are going to drink, dont overdo
it!, Recognise and value your
friends in faith, Dont scold
your women!, Respect others!.
Gosho t o duscuss
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Manifesting the Qualities of the Law
He bravely showed Kingo that
there was no strategy more
powerful that that of the Lotus
Sutra. He declared: It is the
heart that is important, and Acoward cannot have any of his
prayers answered. (The Strategy
of the Lotus Sutra WND p.1001)
Both ignorance (illusion) and
the dharma nature (enlighten-
ment), are inherent in our lives.
In The Entity of the Mystic
Law, the Daishonin says that
when we understand that our lives
are endowed with both ignorance
as well as the Buddha nature, wecan understand the illusion that is
found in evil, dismiss it, and then
base our lives on the state of the
dharma nature. This specifically
means basing our lives on prayers
and faith in the Lotus Sutra, and
manifesting in our everyday lives
the qualities of the life state of
Buddhahood, in our behaviour.
Firm faith in the Law is the won-
derful way in which those whoselives are obscured by illusion can
come into contact with their inhe-
rent Buddha nature and reveal
that state which is inseparable
from the dharma nature.
All our activities stem from the
belief in the Buddha nature of all
people. This does not refer to
something special, which is remo-
ved from our everyday lives; but
is about us being true to oursel-
ves. The important thing is to
believe in our potential, strive to
reveal our Buddha nature, grow as
human beings, and above all be
happy without fail ... and help
others to do the same.
In order for humanism, as pro-
claimed by the Buddhist tea-
chings, to flourish, the key lies in
the absolute belief in the funda-
mental goodness of human beings
and in the dedication to cultivate
this goodness, as much as in one-
self as in others. This way of
living is what the Daishonin calls,
the behaviour of a human being.
How, specifically, then did he
tell Shijo Kingo to be wise? In
short, he offered guidance concer-
ning his behaviour as a human
being, especially with regard to
valuing those around him, and in
controlling his short temper.
What is important is to clearly
identify our own weaknesses, and
transform them instead of hidingfrom them, thus creating a solid
identity for ourselves which can-
not be shaken or affected by any-
thing. By facing and overcoming
our negative and destructive ten-
dencies, we can consolidate a
powerful faith.
Life is full of ups and downs.
The benefits we accumulate in the
depths of our lives, however,
when we embrace the Law, are
indestructible under any circums-
tances. In times of hardship, we
need to tenaciously persevere,
with profound conviction in this
unchanging fact. Difficulties fine
tunes and polishes our lives,which can then shine with good
fortune and benefits No precious
stone not even the largest can
glitter and shine until it has been
cut and polished. This is also true
of human lives.
33Civilizacin
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