On practicing the Buddha's teaching

I am very happy to join Heartwood district in studying “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings.” Thank you for inviting me. It gives me a chance to deepen my understanding of this wonderful writing and remind myself of why Sensei wants us to study it.

We began studying “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings” in October last year. So we are now in our sixth month. You may be deeply inside the writing by now, every month enriching your understanding. Or you may be tired of it – why do we have to study the same thing over and over? Wherever you are at, congratulate yourself if you are seriously using this opportunity to directly connect with Nichiren's words and to grasp Sensei's vision for our movement.

Thank you for this opportunity to refresh my practice through this important writing. In Sensei's introduction he mentions the crucial occasions that “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings” has been tapped. Mr Makiguchi used “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings” in the final section of his landmark book, “On Value Creation.” Toda-Sensei and Sensei too, used this writing often, notably at times when they were beginning something new, times of transition, times of initiation.

Nichiren wrote “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings” while in exile on Sado island. He wrote it soon after completing his monumental thesis “The True Object of Worship.” “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings” is also a thesis. It is not a letter to one follower. Letters of encouragement often have been given titles by later scholars. The original letter did not have a title, other than Letter to Nanjo, or Reply to Shijo Kingo. This is like letters we write. They normally do not have titles. Nowadays we write emails and give them subjects to distinguish one from another. So Nichiren scholars have assigned titles over the years to distinguish one letter from another.

“On Practising the Buddha's Teachings,” however is a thesis. It is written to the world. Nichiren himself gave its title. Let's spend a minute looking at the title.

“The Buddha's teachings” means the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra teaches the absolute conviction in our own Buddhahood and in the Buddhahood of everyone else. Each person possesses the inner capacity for transformation. Every person has the potentiality for wisdom, life-force, compassion. Every person is equally worthy of dignity and respect.

To practice the Lotus Sutra means to activate our own Buddhahood and to awaken others to their inner dignity and nobility.

You might think that practising means chanting and gongyo and such. You are wrong. This writing and others make it clear that practice means shakubuku. 

This writing. “On Practising the Buddha's Teachings” is about five pages in your Major Writings. Sensei wrote that he read it “countless times.” The postscript reads, “keep this writing with you at all times and read it over and over.” It clarifies that “Buddha's teaching” means only the Lotus Sutra and that “practising” means shakubuku. But it most of the thesis is concerned with another question – who is practising exactly as the Buddha taught? Whose actions are in accord with the Lotus Sutra? This question of who is at the core of this writing. Nichiren answers this question in two ways. First he identifies himself as the only one who practises exactly in accord with the Lotus Sutra.

Second he says that his followers could also be practitioners. So this second meaning is especially significant as we look to young people to inherit the mission for kosen-rufu.

Because Nichiren identifies these two practitioners – the teacher and the proteges, Ikeda-Sensei sees this writing as especially important to our understanding of the oneness of mentor and disciple.

How does Nichiren know that he is the only true practitioner of the Lotus? What is the criteria for identifying the practitioners? This is the question of this gosho and, I believe, the major question of our time. The answer can be found in the effect of the practice. The Lotus Sutra makes it clear that the practitioners will meet great and powerful enemies. Great forces will arise to block their path.

You might think that the proof of the practice is in wealth, health and benefit. You would be wrong. It is a mistake we make over and over. So and so can not tell their experience because they are having difficulties. Such and such a leader keeps their troubles hidden until the final happy ending. This kind of thinking is very pervasive. It contradicts Nichiren's words and actions.

It is something like the person with the broken leg who can not go to the doctor until his leg heals.

Makiguchi Sensei said that until we meet powerful enemies we can not call ourselves practitioners. We can only call ourselves followers.

Do we want to be Ikeda fans, Ikeda followers? Do we look to him to make us feel better, as a kind of spiritual salve for our wounds? Or do we want to be practitioners, fulfilling our mentor's great vision and living lives of depth and purpose?

Turning to this month's material, we find a discussion of shoju and shakubuku. The Daishonin states that shakubuku is the practice for this time.

Over the years a lot of words have been written and spoken about shoju and shakubuku. What actions get dropped into the shoju bucket? Which into the shakubuku bucket? Is shoju a 'softer' form of shakubuku? Sometimes we hear we should do something like shoju with shakubuku spirit. If we meet this 'kind' of person we should do one or the other.

Occasionally we may hear language like over here we do do shoju back over there they do real shakubuku. This language takes us out of our place. Or we hear something like, back in the day we sure did shakubuku, but now it is more like shoju. This language takes us out of our time.

The Daishonin's Buddhism is concerned with the issues of this time and place. And his writings make clear that shakubuku is the practice of this time and place. I, for one, am fairly easily distracted. It takes rigour and discipline for me to stay in the present moment and current place. Time and spaced shifting are traps well worth avoiding.

All these discussions about shoju and shakubuku are worthwhile, although occasionally confusing, and I am certain they will continue in the future.

Here are my thoughts: Shakubuku is compassionate action to awaken and activate others' great inner trans-formative power. This compassionate action is based on absolute conviction that both we and others are Buddhas. Shakubuku is behaviour that helps others elevate their own lives. This is what is means to practice.

Shakubuku is not informing another person about the existence of Nam myoho renge kyo. Nor is it bringing them to a meeting, or getting them to join a group, or having beads.

To practice as the Buddha teaches is assist others to awaken their inner nobility and dignity.

Too often the debate contains false choices between “hard” and “soft,” between “you can't push people” and “they will come to you,” between absolutism and tolerance. Shakubuku is compassionate action, based on absolute respect for others great potentiality to help them raise themselves.

Unfortunately chanting is not enough. We practice the mystic law, not the magic law. There are people in the world today who chant Nam myoho renge kyo and are actively engaged in trying to destroy the Buddha's teachings.

The gosho and sensei's lecture refer to provisional teachings. Provisional teachings are not in some distant place or ancient time. Provisional teachings are any philosophy that does not enhance life, that does not respect the equal potentiality of every person. Provisional teachings can include consumerism, authoritarianism, militarism and all manner of thinking that pervade our culture. Provisional teachings are here and now, within us and around us.