The sincerity of making offerings to the Lotus Sutra at the beginning of the New Year is like cherry blossoms blooming from trees, a lotus unfolding in a pond, sandalwood leaves unfurling on the Snow Mountains, or the moon beginning to rise.
Now Japan, in becoming an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, has invited misfortune from a thousand miles away. In light of this, it is clear that those who now believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten thousand miles away.
The shadow is cast by the form, and just as the shadow follows the form, misfortune will befall the country whose people are hostile to the Lotus Sutra.
The believers in the Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, are like the sandalwood with its fragrance. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Vol 1, p1,137)
The recipient of this letter, the wife of Omosu, is also the elder sister of Nanjo Tokimitsu.
It was written in appreciation of the offerings of steamed rice cakes and a basket of fruits that Nichiren Daishonin received at the beginning of the year.
Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten thousand miles away and adorn their lives in victory – this is, in fact, the greatest pride of every SGI member who is dedicating his or her life to the great vow of realising world peace.
Nichiren Daishonin said in this passage that those who sincerely practise the teachings of the Lotus Sutra are like cherry blossoms blooming from trees or lotus flowers unfolding in a muddy pond for they will mytically be able to enjoy a life of great good fortune and great fulfilment without fail. The source of this great good fortune and benefits is none other than the source, doubt-free faith in the Mystic Law.
On the contrary, those who are hostile to the Lotus Sutra and slander the teachings of the Mystic Law will invite misfortune instead of fortune from a thousand miles away.
In the first half of this letter, the Daishonin revealed that a Buddha does not exist in some faraway land but in our five-foot body. That is to say, we are in fact Buddhas. The Daishonin explained this based on the principle of the mutual possession of Ten Worlds and concluded that praising and practising the Lotus Sutra, a teaching that expounds the universal enlightenment of all people, is the only key that unlocks and manifests the state of Buddhahood inherent in one’s life.
For all of us, SGI members, we can open our Buddha nature and manifest it in our lives just as the shadow follows the form and “gather fortune from ten thousand miles away”.
On top of this, we can bring the flower of humanism to full bloom in our lives and lead a life that is true to ourselves.
SGI President Ikeda said, “If we have faith in the Gohonzon, chant daimoku, and work for kosen-rufu, happiness will gather around us from ten thousand miles away. We live in a world where many people think only of their happiness. Yet you, while bearing various personal hardships and sufferings, lend an ear to your friends in need and offer them words of encouragement.
You are working earnestly for kosen-rufu and striving to introduce Buddhism to others. What a wonderful thing that is! There may be people who appear to have higher social status or seem to be happier than you, but the person who believes in and propagates the Mystic Law is already the happiest person in the world and a great leader. Why? Because the Mystic Law is the path to absolute happiness. Because the Mystic Law is a teaching that awakens us to the truth that all living beings are Buddhas. Nothing surpasses the Mystic Law – this is the truth conveyed in the Daishonin’s writings.”
Sharing the same commitment as the successive presidents of the Soka Gakkai who lived out their lives in accord with the original spirit and decree of Nichiren Daishonin, let us score one victory after another this year and live lives that are filled with great good fortune and immeasurable benefits.
THE SPIRIT OF THE NEW YEAR GOSHO
To Celebrate the new year is to delight in growth and renewal. We gather with Friends and family to reflect on the year gone by and to set goals for the new year.
I have made a pledge to quit drinking alcohol and read more often, exercise and so on. It is a day of optimism and hope. It is the celebration of spring.
Even in the heart of winter Nichiren Daishonin wrote : “A person who celebrates this day will accumulate virtue and be beloved by all, just as the moon becomes full gradually moving from west to east and the sun shines more brightly travelling from east to west ( wnd,1137. ).
In Daishonin time, the new year began closer to the physical beginning of spring. Throughout the Gasho he speaks of Lotus flowers blooming, cherry blossoms emerging.
The movement of the moon and other springs time metaphors. However there is much more to this letter than paying homage to the changing seasons.
In this letter, written to a lay believer Nichiren Daishonin outlined an essential aspect of Buddhist practice.
In the SGI. To openly embrace responsibility for our own happiness is one of the fundamental principles of Buddhism. This is like the Spirit of the new year.
Assumpta: We do not gather on new year’s eve to blame things in the past for our troubles, instead we look to the coming year as an opportunity for change.
Misfortune comes from one’s mouth and ruins one. But fortune comes from one’s Heart and makes one worthy of respect. ( wnd 1137 ).
Tsasi: Likewise, the Lotus-Sutra emerges from the mud and the people who embrace the lotus sutra and chant Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo are awakened to their Buddha nature.
We who Practise the Daishonin’s Buddhism know that we create our own fortune just as surely as we are responsible for our own Suffering.
Assumpta : President Ikeda has often said; “Buddhism is action, Buddhism in a sense, does not wait for winter to end, it jumps right into spring. It is in a constant state of reform.
Tsasi: Likewise, in our own Hearts, in intimate relationships, in our families and in the Sgi we are constantly growing.
Assumpta : For example it is easy to say I would be happy if only my wife was not so Lazy.
Tsasi: Or, I would like my district if the meeting were not Boing. Everyone has problems and dislikes . But to remain idle is not Buddhism if we merely sit by the side lines and complain, we are not practising with the spirit of new year.
On the other hand, if we sincerely chant for wisdom and openly engage those around us in dialogue and take action, we will surely overcome such minor difficulties and face all aspects of our daily lives with pride instead of bitterness.
Occasionally the problem we face in life can be repetitive and discouraging, and find ourselves confronting the same difficulty over and over with seemingly no change in sight.
For example, one might desire to quit from alcoholism & destructive habits only to slip back into it after trustrating in such time it is easy to slide into a swamp of pessimism and apathy.
Assumpta : But we all know that no battle is won without determination to win or not to be defeated.
