Nichiren Daishonin was a person of profound appreciation and humanism. He always opened his letters to disciples by expressing his deepest gratitude for the offerings they sent him, going so far as to detail each one. To a husband and wife who offered him an unlined robe, he wrote that, when he dons the robe and recites the sutra, each of the 69,384 characters that make up the text, becomes a golden Buddha: “Though the robe is only one, it clothes each and every one of the 69,384 Buddhas. And because that is so, the husband and wife who presented me with this robe will be visited by these Buddhas, who will regard the couple as their supporters and watch over and protect them” (“Regarding an Unlined Robe,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 600).
The May Commemorative Contribution activity (April 28–June 1) is a meaningful opportunity to express our gratitude and reaffirm our dedication to advancing our kosen-rufu movement through financial support.
The following excerpts feature Ikeda Sensei’s reflections on Nichiren’s writings highlighting the longstanding tradition of making offerings in Buddhism. The exerpts can be found in Learning From the Gosho: The Eternal Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, coming soon to SGI-USA bookstores.
Ikeda Sensei
On the offerings of a summer robe from the lay nun and lay priest of Ko:
In the upper-left corner of the Gohonzon is an inscription that reads, “If there is one who makes offerings, his good fortune will surpass that of making offerings to a Buddha of ten honorable titles.” Doesn’t this signify the promise the Gohonzon makes to us that we will receive benefit when we revere the Gohonzon? Benefit, or value, and loss, or antivalue, constitute the reality of our daily lives. (Learning From the Gosho, p. 94)
On receiving a robe from Toki Jonin’s mother:
Nichiren Daishonin says that by his wearing this robe, Shakra, Brahma, and all heavenly deities would know of the mother’s and son’s ardent spirit in making the offering and that the heavenly gods in the ten directions would definitely protect them. He concludes the letter by telling them that their benefit in making such an offering would illuminate their lives eternally, in lifetime after lifetime. (Learning From the Gosho, pp. 136–37)
On a letter to a couple Nichiren never met who sent him an unlined robe:
The Mystic Law elucidates the inscrutable workings of the heart. The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life explains the immense power of the heart. A Buddha is someone who understands on the most profound level the inscrutable workings and the power of the heart.
As stated in the Lotus Sutra passage “They will enjoy peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences” (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 136), Nichiren assures the couple [who offered an unlined robe to him] that they have absolutely nothing to fear in their present and future existences.
First, he says that in their present lives their offering will become a “prayer” and a “treasure.” He thus indicates that, through the protective function of all Buddhas, their sincere faith in offering a robe will become a cause for the fulfillment of all desires and the accumulation of immense benefit.
Then, at the point of their death, he says that they will be protected by all Buddhas and need have no fear. …
For an offering of but a single unlined robe, Nichiren promises eternal good fortune and benefit. This is because he perceives the sincerity with which the robe is imbued. (Learning From the Gosho, pp. 17–19)
To the mother of Oto, who journeyed from Kamakura to Sado with her small child to visit Nichiren:
Actions taken for kosen-rufu cannot fail to produce effects. If we are confident of this—and to the extent that we have this confidence—effects will manifest without fail. But if doubt partially clouds our confidence, then we will see only vague or indistinct results, like the light of a half moon.
The path that the mother and her daughter, Oto, traveled was not simply a road. It was the path for attaining Buddhahood, the path for accumulating boundless good fortune and benefit. …
Our spirit changes our being. It changes our lives. Why does the Buddha have an indestructible, diamond-like life? In answer to this question, Shakyamuni explains that it is because he has steadfastly and thoroughly protected the correct teaching. Having a strong spirit for kosen-rufu enables us to develop a diamond-like life. The boy who offered a mud pie to Shakyamuni was later reborn as King Ashoka. …
In activities for kosen-rufu, absolutely no effort is wasted. Everything is engraved in our lives and enables us to establish a diamond-like and totally free state of life. Rather, in overcoming our own weaknesses and exerting ourselves daily for the sake of friends, we have already achieved victory as human beings. Ultimately, our victory or defeat in life is not decided by someone else. We decide it for ourselves. Those who steadfastly adhere to the path that they have chosen are winners. (Learning From the Gosho, pp. 121–22)
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