As we welcome the New Year, the 772nd since the establishment of Nichiren
\nDaishonin\u2019s Buddhism, I am delighted to see Nichiren Shoshu priests and lay believers
\nall greeting the New Year in good spirits and with renewed resolve to further advance in
\nfaith and practice.
\nThis year\u2019s slogan\u2014and our course of action for 2024\u2014is the \u201cYear of Further
\nProgress in Shakubuku.\u201d Let\u2019s make it a truly significant year, one of great progress in
\nour quest to bring about kosen-rufu! In a spirit of repaying our debt of gratitude to the
\nthree treasures of true Buddhism, let\u2019s focus all our energy into putting shakubuku into
\npractice, priesthood and laity unanimously united, many in body, one in mind with
\nNichiren Daishonin!
\nThe reason is simple. All you need to do is look at the world today\u2014in particular, the
\nsituation in the wake of the lingering COVID pandemic \u2014through the lens of Buddhism.
\nIn the Rissho ankoku-ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation
\nof True Buddhism), Nichiren Daishonin elucidates:
\n\u2026All people have gone against the correct Law and become wholly devoted to
\nevil doctrines. This is why all the guardian deities have abandoned this country and
\nsages have left this land, not to return. Seizing this opportunity, devils and demons
\nrush in, bringing disasters and calamities. This is most fearful. We must speak out!
\n(Gosho, p. 234; The Gosho of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2, p. 3)
\nHis opening words, \u201cAll people have gone against the correct Law and become
\nwholly devoted to evil doctrines,\u201d are clear. We need to realize that at the root of the
\nworld\u2019s misfortune is the toxin of people\u2019s slander (hobo); namely, their rejecting the
\ncorrect teaching and instead following false doctrines.
\nGiven this perspective, though we are many in body, it is essential that we, priests and
\nlay followers alike, be of one mind and concentrate all our energy on advancing the
\nworldwide propagation of the mystic Law.
\nIn \u201cQuestions and Answers between a Sage and an Unenlightened Man\u201d (\u201cShogu
\nmondo-sho\u201d), the Daishonin states:
\nTo bestow benefit upon all people through the propagation of Buddhism, one first
\nmust have a thorough understanding of the teaching, capacity, time, country, and
\nsequence of propagation. As for the periods [of propagation], there are the Former,
\nMiddle, and Latter Days of the Law. As for the Law, there are both Mahayana and
\nHinayana teachings. As for the practices, there are shoju and shakubuku. If one
\ncarries out shakubuku during the period when shoju should be practiced, this will
\nbe inappropriate. On the other hand, if one performs the practice of shoju during
\nthe era when shakubuku must be used, this will be an offense. Thus, it is of
\nforemost importance to know first whether the present time is for shoju or
\nshakubuku. The time to practice shoju is when the Lotus Sutra spreads throughout
\nthe nation and there is not a single evil teaching or master. At that time, one should
\nwithdraw to the forests and devote oneself to the practice of observing one\u2019s mind
\nand the Law, carrying out the practices such as the five practices, the six practices,
\nand the ten practices. However, during the time of shakubuku, one should not act
\nin this manner. When erroneous doctrines of various sects become rampant and
\ncompete against each other, gaining acclaim by taking the stance that their
\nrespective doctrines are superior to others; and when incorrect teachings are
\nviewed as equal to the correct Law, and Mahayana and Hinayana followers fight
\nwith each other over what is correct\u2014this is the time, above all else, to refute these
\nslanderers. This is the practice of shakubuku. The Lotus Sutra and the Nirvana
\nSutra both state that if one is unaware of this principle and is mistaken about the
\nimplementation of shoju and shakubuku, one will be far removed from receiving
\nthe benefit of attaining Buddhahood. Rather, one will fall into hell. This is also
\nclearly stated in the interpretations provided by Tiantai and Miaole. What I mention
\nhere is critical in conducting Buddhist practices.
\n(Gosho, p. 402)
\nIn light of this passage, and in view of the current turmoil in Japan and the world
\ntoday, we need to realize that now, as at no other time, is when each of us needs to take
\naction, steadfast in the conviction that we are refuting errant teachings and proclaiming
\nthe correct one, and translate into practice the Daishonin\u2019s mandate found in \u201cOn
\nPracticing according to the Buddha\u2019s Teachings\u201d (\u201cNyosetsu shugyo-sho\u201d) where he
\nwrites:
\nWhomever you may meet, conduct shakubuku to the people and refute the
\nteachings of the other sects. Proclaim repeatedly with all your might that the Lotus
\nSutra is the only teaching that will lead the people to Buddhahood, and that the
\nvarious other teachings obstruct them from attaining enlightenment and are the root
\ncause for leading them to fall into hell.
\n(Gosho, p. 673)
\nIn closing, let me say that I sincerely hope you will etch this passage into your hearts,
\nand that the many members of your temples will be of one mind in aiming towards
\nkosen-rufu of the whole world. I look forward to your waging a great campaign of
\ncourageous shakubuku so that you and all humanity can achieve Buddhahood in this
\nlifetime!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As we welcome the New Year, the 772nd since the establishment of Nichiren Daishonin\u2019s Buddhism, I am delighted to see Nichiren Shoshu priests and lay believers all greeting the New Year in good spirits and with renewed resolve to further<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-guidance"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1635,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1633\/revisions\/1635"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.senmyozanhokkejitemple.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}