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“Letter to Konichi-bo” You say in your letter, “Because my son killed others, I would like you to tell me into what kind of place he may be reborn.” A needle sinks in water, and rain will not remain in the sky. Those who kill even an ant are destined for hell, and those who merely cut up dead bodies cannot avoid evil paths. All the more must they suffer who kill human beings. However, even a large rock can float on the sea when carried aboard a boat. Does not water extinguish even a great fire? Even a small error will destine one to the evil paths if one does not repent of it. Yet even a grave offense can be eradicated if one repents of it sincerely. (Shimpen gosho, p. 962; MWND-4, p. 155) Good morning everyone. Today, on this occasion of the March Oko sermon in our expression of gratitude to our master Nichiren Daishonin, I have sincerely recited the sutras and chanted Daimoku together with you. Moreover, I have sincerely prayed for you to eliminate your sins and negative karma from this and infinite past lifetimes; for you to redouble your faith; for you to enjoy a safe and long life; for peace and harmony to reign in your home; for all matters to proceed forth smoothly; and for the successful achievement of all your great objectives in this and future existences. I am certain that the Daishonin would be truly pleased to see so many of you in attendance today. Zange, or repentance, is extremely important in our Buddhist practice. Repentance represents the act of being sincerely ashamed of having sinned and revealing our regrets to the Buddha, to a teacher, or to people in general. It is to be truly remorseful of our sins and pledge never to commit them again. Penance, in Christianity, refers to the act of seeking god’s forgiveness. According to this notion, a person asks god for forgiveness, although he himself committed the sin. Christianity teaches that this represents the great love of god. No doctrine could be more irresponsible than this. If this is accepted as reasonable behavior, then it would follow that people could repeatedly engage in negative behavior, as long as they seek penance from god. They would not be expected to be responsible for their own behavior. In Buddhism, the notion of repentance does not involve seeking forgiveness from the Buddha or a god. It refers to the process of expiating our sins, based on our faith, through our own prayers to the Gohonzon and through repentance, as we receive the Buddha’s protection. This is how we are able to manifest enlightenment in our lives. I once read in a book that a person’s evaluation of himself is usually 70% higher than the objective estimation of him by others. For example, a criminal in prison would invariably make excuses and try to protect himself. Needless to say, as long as a person is in a frame of mind such as this, he would be unable to repent. He would only cultivate ways and means to escape his current state. He would then assert that he was justified in doing what he did. It is extremely difficult for people in the Latter Day of the Law to hold an accurate perspective of themselves. This means that we are tremendously hard on others and truly easy on ourselves. It is extremely difficult to be repentant. Why, then, is repentance necessary? What must we repent? We must repent the slanders and the large and small negative deeds that we have committed. In the gosho, “Rebuking Slander of the Law and Eradicating Sins” (Kashaku hobo metsuzai sho), the Daishonin explained that committing even one of the five cardinal sins – consisting of killing one’s father; killing one’s mother; killing an arhat; injuring a Buddha; and causing disunity among believers – would cause one to be tormented in the hell of incessant suffering for one kalpa (approximately 16 million years). In the same gosho, “Rebuking Slander of the law and Eradicating Sins” (Kashaku hobo metsuzai sho), the Daishonin further stated: As for the person who slanders the Lotus Sutra, though he may not be serious at heart, if he so much as manifests the outward appearance of animosity, or if he disparages the sutra even in jest, or if he makes light, not of the sutra itself, but of those who act in its name, then, the sutra says, he will fall into the hell of incessant suffering for countless kalpas of the kind described above. (Gosho, p. 711; MWND-6, p. 53) From this passage, we can see that, even in jest, we must never disparage or belittle the Gohonzon or those who believe in the Gohonzon. In the excerpt, there was a reference to the torments of the hell of incessant suffering. According to one source, the hell of incessant suffering is described as being like the unrelenting agony of being burned from head to toe by flaming magma, without any relief for even a fraction of a second. The hell of incessant suffering refers to the continuation of this suffering for 16 million years multiplied by eternity. In reality, the Buddha did not present a detailed explanation of the conditions of hell. I have heard that the Buddha did not do so because it would cause a frightful situation in which we, as common mortals, would vomit blood and die, just from listening to the descriptions of this hell. In the gosho, “Letter from Sado” (Sado gosho), the Daishonin described the current conditions of people who committed slanders in their past lifetimes and did not repent their sins. He presented the following eight classifications: 1. They are slighted and belittled by people. 2. They possess an ugly physical form. 3. They lack sufficient clothing. 4. They lack food and can only eat humble fare. 5. They are financially destitute, even when they put forth great effort in their work. 6. They are born into an extremely poor family. 7. They are born to parents who uphold heretical beliefs and possess distorted views. 8. They are persecuted by their sovereign. The descriptions of these eight sufferings represent strict guidance – on the consequences of not repenting and committing slanders – based on the principle of cause and effect. As humans, we retain no memory of our past lives. It is difficult for us to believe that we have committed tremendous slanders in the past. We try not to think about such matters. Consequently, it is extremely difficult to repent the sins from our past lifetimes. However, when we look upon ourselves, born in the Latter Day of the Law, it is absolutely undeniable that we have committed slanders in our past lifetimes. This is clearly presented in the following gosho passage: When I, Nichiren, hold up the bright mirror of the Lotus Sutra before my own person, all is spotlessly revealed, and there can be no doubt that, in my previous existences, I was guilty of slandering the Law. (Gosho, p. 712; MWND-6, p. 53) The gosho passage on which we are focusing today contains the following words: Even a small error will destine one to the evil paths if one does not repent of it. Yet even a grave offense can be eradicated if one repents of it sincerely. This means that even if we commit a small sin, we will be unable to eradicate it, if we do not repent and chant Daimoku, based on sincere faith in the Gohonzon. By contrast, even if we happen to commit a grave offense, if we truly repent it and modify our ways and exert forth our utmost efforts to protect and support True Buddhism, our sins will be expiated without fail. The Daishonin further stated: “If, in my present existence, I do not wipe out that offense, then in the future how can I escape the pains of hell?” (Gosho, p. 712; MWND-6, p. 53) We have amassed in our lives not only the effects of the sins that we committed in our current lifetime but also the innumerable negative karma from distant kalpas in our past lives. If we do not take responsibility for these sins, if we blame others for them, and if we do not completely expiate these slanders in this lifetime, we will ultimately slander True Buddhism and suffer the torments of hell in our future lifetimes. Our 67th High Priest Nikken Shonin stated: I am certain that you are aware that zange, or repentance, represents the profound determination to express regret for and modify your sins and transgressions. Doing so will enable you to change the negative karma that you have accumulated until now. Furthermore, repentance refers to your determination never to commit those sins again. In today’s world, there are many people who commit transgressions and are cautioned by others; they immediately apologize, but their words are insincere. They are disingenuous and are right back to committing the same offenses the next day. This does not characterize true repentance. In fact, it actually represents slander against Buddhism. True repentance is to modify one’s actions, based on his determination never to repeat negative deeds; it is to strive to do what is correct. When people sincerely determine to do this, they will manifest forth a tremendous strength and will receive the protection of the Buddha in their individual lives. This, in turn, is manifested as the true benefits of repentance.” (April 27, 1980) These directions help us to understand that the act of repentance is not only for those specific people who have committed evil deeds. In fact, it is essential that, as individuals who were born in the Latter Day of the Law, we must all constantly re-examine our lives and sustain a truly correct heart and mind. Even if we experience something unpleasant, we must never blame others in our environment. First and foremost, we must re-examine ourselves. Doing so will increasingly enable us to chant Daimoku and achieve the true eradication of our negative karma. As you know, even now, on a daily basis, the members of the Sokagakkai continue to discharge slanderous venom and insults against our High Priest Nichinyo Shonin and our retired High Priest Nikken Shonin. Indeed, these members characterize extreme examples of those who have forsaken the spirit of repentance. They chant phony Daimoku to a fake gohonzon – not to the Gohonzon bequeathed by the Head Temple. They ignore the directions of our High Priest, and they have modified the gongyo book and the silent prayers. If they continue to act in this way, they cannot possibly hope to expiate their sins and negative karma. If you meet these unfortunate souls, please perform shakubuku and teach them about the spirit of repentance. Let us review and etch in our hearts the three great objectives set forth for this year for the overseas believers: 1. Let’s carry out the practice of gongyo, chanting daimoku, and shakubuku. 2. Let’s participate in and encourage others to attend the Oko Ceremony and Kosenrufu Gongyo and Shodai Ceremony every month. 3. Let’s promote the study of Buddhism, nurture active members, and foster itai-doshin. Let us unite and advance forth together to expiate slander, sins, and negative karma in our past and current lives; to attain true happiness that would continue throughout infinite future kalpas; and to achieve kosenrufu. I extend my sincere thanks to you for your attendance today, in spite of your busy schedules. |