The following essay by Ikeda Sensei was translated from the March 30, 2001, issue of the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper, Seikyo Shimbun.
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda often said: “Any place where the Gohonzon is enshrined is an infinitely sacred place. Any place where there are people with faith dedicated to kosen-rufu is a Buddha land. The spirit of Nichiren Daishonin resides there.”
The most important thing is to carry on the true spirit of Nichiren Daishonin and to act in complete accord with his writings.
SGI members around the world, determined to realize Nichiren’s dream of kosen-rufu, are working hard to transform their respective communities into joyous lands of Tranquil Light. This is the path of a true world religion.
Nichiren Daishonin said that since he had given his life at Tatsunokuchi, it was equivalent to a Buddha land (see “The Persecution at Tatsunokuchi,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 196). Indeed, his towering state of life as the original Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law was brilliantly revealed at the site of this great persecution. The luminous object was an acclamation from the universe celebrating and testifying to the start of Nichiren’s journey into the boundless future. The Tatsunokuchi Persecution was a ceremony in which the Daishonin revealed, on the level of phenomenal reality, a part of the infinite power of the Mystic Law that governs all things in the universe.
Nichiren writes: “The sun and moon are bright mirrors that reflect all that happens in the four quarters of the sky, and therefore the heavenly gods must surely know and understand me! The sun and moon are bright mirrors that reflect all that happens in the worlds in the ten directions, and therefore the Buddhas must surely know and understand me! There should be no particle of doubt [as to whether they will guard me]” (“Errors of the True Word and Other Schools,” WND-2, 437). The great struggle for kosen-rufu is reflected in the bright mirrors of the sun and moon, and all Buddhas and heavenly deities throughout the universe are watching. That is why the Daishonin was filled with the unshakable conviction that he was resolutely protected even as he faced execution at Tatsunokuchi.
First Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi always used to say, “The Soka Gakkai must cast off its transient status and reveal its true identity.” What did this mean? President Toda taught us that it meant having a strong awareness spread through the entire organization that we are true disciples of Nichiren Daishonin and striving in our activities based on an unwavering commitment toward the realization of worldwide kosen-rufu.
Ten years have passed since the treacherous and callous excommunication by the Nikken sect.[1]
In that time the SGI, which has inherited the true teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, has boldly cast off its transient status and revealed its true identity. The praise and recognition of intelligent and aware people the world over bears brilliant testimony to this fact.
The Daishonin states, “Nichiren triumphed at Tatsunokuchi because the heavenly deities joined forces with him” (Gosho zenshu, p. 843).
That morning, the light of daybreak brilliantly illuminated Tatsunokuchi. It was a dawn of truth and justice breaking through the darkness of conspiracy. It was the triumph of compassion for the people over the demonic aspect of power. It was the triumph of fundamental enlightenment over fundamental ignorance. It was the triumph of Buddhahood, which struck fear into the devil king of the sixth heaven who reigns over the earth. It was the jubilant victory of life over the sinister shadow of murder hanging over the attempt to kill the votary of the Lotus Sutra.
Obstacles lead to enlightenment. Persecutions lead to kosen-rufu. Nichiren taught us this with his very being. No matter how extreme the threat to our lives, as long as the blast furnace of strong faith burns hot, we will win, he told us.
Do not be defeated by persecution, by enemies, by sickness or by your own weakness. Only by winning will the sun of happiness rise. Only by winning will the sun of kosen-rufu rise.
Later, the Daishonin was led from the Tatsunokuchi execution ground to the residence of Homma Rokuro Saemon of Echi, a retainer of Sado Island’s constable Hojo Nobutoki. There, Nichiren ordered sake for the soldiers who had accompanied him, to thank them for their services. As the time came for them to leave, some of the soldiers bowed their heads, joined their palms together in reverence and vowed to the Daishonin to discard the Nembutsu [the practice of the Pure Land school of Buddhism].
A profoundly humane act can melt the most frozen hearts, like the light of the sun, causing the mighty river of truth and justice to rise and grow in power.
Later, the military government executed five Mongol envoys at Tatsunokuchi. Nichiren lamented this, saying how pitiful it was that the innocent Mongol envoys had been beheaded (see “The Mongol Envoys,” WND-1, 628). Had the government only heeded his words of warning, he remarked, it would never have come to this.
When I met with Mongolia’s youthful prime minister [in February 2001], I shared the Daishonin’s sentiments on this incident with him. Today, there is an ever-deepening and expanding understanding of the SGI’s humanistic philosophy in Mongolia.
The Kamakura shogunate marked the real start of military rule in Japan. The structures and policies of the Kamakura military government (1192–1333), headed by a generalissimo, or shogun, were carried on by the Muromachi (1338–1573) and the Tokugawa (Edo) (1603–1867) governments. And even after the Meiji Restoration in 1868, Japan effectively remained under military rule.
At the beginning of this 700-year period of military governance, Nichiren Daishonin established the foundation for peace that is the Mystic Law. Then, in the last days of that long era, stressing the validity of the Mystic Law, Mr. Makiguchi and Mr. Toda gave their lives to fighting against the military government.
Spreading Buddhism while struggling against persecution, leading others to happiness while battling against obstacles—this is the basic formula expounded in the Lotus Sutra; it is also the eternal path of the SGI. Our fellow members in the endeavor of kosen-rufu, Bodhisattvas of the Earth, now live in 163 countries and territories [now 192]. I am convinced that this proves that the SGI has inherited the triumphant legacy of justice and truth of Tatsunokuchi.
How wondrous it is that the Soka Gakkai appeared 700 years after Nichiren Daishonin and that we are now 70 years into our great advance in the movement for worldwide kosen-rufu!
The Buddhism of the Sun that rose from the depths of darkness on that day seven centuries ago has now begun to shine ever more brilliantly, illuminating the entire world. Humanity thirsts for the light of this great philosophy of hope. It is the dawning of a new millennium. It is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Now is the time for us to spread with all our hearts the Mystic Law, the source of limitless vitality, and thereby adorn our lives with victory. Let us send this great light to one person after another and transform our communities and our societies into treasure lands pervaded by human harmony.
The Daishonin said to his disciples in Kamakura: “Though enemies lurk in wait for you, your resolute faith in the Lotus Sutra has forestalled great dangers before they could begin. Realizing this, you must strengthen your faith more than ever” (“General Stone Tiger,” WND-1, 953). Those with resolute faith are true practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism and genuine pioneers of kosen-rufu. They are eternal and unparalleled victors.
September 13, 2024, World Tribune, pp. 2–3
References
- In 1990, Nikken Abe, the then-high priest of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, jealous and hostile toward the Soka Gakkai and Ikeda Sensei, devised a plot called “Operation C” (“C” for “cut”) to destroy the Soka Gakkai and place its members under the priesthood’s control. Their plot culminated in the excommunication of all Soka Gakkai members on Nov. 28, 1991, which SGI members now celebrate as the Day of Spiritual Independence. ↩︎
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