manifesting the qualities of the law

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This sentence, spoken by Nichi-

ren, shows that the wise do not

allow themselves to be influenced

by praise or criticism, or swayed

by the ups and downs of publicopinion. In other words, since our

hearts react in their own unique

way, the manner in which we

interpret our own personal cir-

cumstances is of vital importance;

therefore, we must try to have the

greatest spiritual and mental cla-

rity. In Buddhism it is said that

someone with a disturbed mind

will distort what they hear, no

matter how logical the truth theyare shown.

Our circumstances change cons-

tantly. A great mission cannot

succeed if those in charge of it are

worried about their popularity or

criticism from others. Any pro-

gress, is in fact obstructed, by the

greed, anger and stupidity to

which all human beings are prone.

Society requires a harmonious

cooperation and a broad vision.

Moreover, as the Daishonin warns

in this letter, a truly wise person

must keep in mind both the happi-

ness of others and Kosen-rufu,

applying the power of faith and

his greatest unceasing efforts inorder to achieve these.

In Buddhism, ones life-state

is an essential question. This phi-

losophy does not measure human

beings according to race or ethnic

origins. Neither does it take into

account academic achievements

or social status. Instead, it focu-

ses entirely on the life-state and

heart of each individual.

This letter was addressed to

Shijo Kingo, who, as a result of

his excellent professional achie-

vements, aroused the envy of his

work colleagues, and was therefo-

re persecuted, slandered and for-

ced to endure terrible circumstan-

ces.

In this respect, in his letter, the

Daishonin speaks largely of Shijo

Kingos life-state and the princi-

Manifesting the Qualitiesof the Law

31Civilizacin

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Gosho t o duscuss

W

orthy persons deserve to be called so because they

are not carried away by the eight winds: prospe-

rity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, suf-fering, and pleasure. They are neither elated by prosperity

nor grieved by decline. The heavenly gods will surely pro-

tect one who is unbending before the eight winds. (The

Eight Winds, WD p. 794)


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ple which teaches that wisdom

comes from faith.

In this same document we find

the phrase, You must be aware ofwhere the real problem lies, and

act with caution.

When people are burdened with

worries, they tend to make a

mountain out of a molehill. The

same can be said of countries.

The most trivial matters can be

enough to make us fluctuate bet-

ween joy and sadness. Then life

becomes emotionally unstable,

and we find ourselves bouncingback and forth between happiness

and sorrow, and this, coupled with

a narrow outlook on life, makes

for profound suffering.

A year before writing this letter,

in his famous document entitled

Happiness in This World of

June 1276, the Daishonin offers

similar guidence to Shijo Kingo:

Though worldly troubles may

arise, never let them disturb

you. (Happiness In This World,

WND p.681)

When things are going well, we

feel that we can take on the world,

but life is full of obstacles and

unexpected events, and when

these occur, we realise that we

cannot isolate ourselves from

others, and therefore we go in

search of encouragement and

mutual support. It is of vital

importance that we keep in close

contact with people who are sin-

cere and encouraging. That way

we can prevent destructive forcesfrom entering into our lives.

Encouragement and mutual sup-

port can provide enormous

strength.

Nichiren Daishonin did every-

thing in his power to support and

protect his disciples. He gave

them the spirit of faith so that they

would be able to confront and

overcome all obstacles, and

through his behaviour showedthem the enormous power of the

Mystic Law.

He was especially close to Shijo

Kingo and sent him many letters

offering encouragement and gui-

dence. He taught him how to be

wise, and immune to the influen-

ces of the eight winds, as the Bud-

dhist teachings manifest in the

behaviour of their believers.

The Daishonin transmitted the

essence of human behaviour to

Kingo, and his guidance was

meticulous and sincere on the

most diverse issues. Dont lose

your temper!, Always be

alert!, Watch out for acci-

dents!, Think ahead!, If our

are going to drink, dont overdo

it!, Recognise and value your

friends in faith, Dont scold

your women!, Respect others!.

Gosho t o duscuss


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Manifesting the Qualities of the Law

He bravely showed Kingo that

there was no strategy more

powerful that that of the Lotus

Sutra. He declared: It is the

heart that is important, and Acoward cannot have any of his

prayers answered. (The Strategy

of the Lotus Sutra WND p.1001)

Both ignorance (illusion) and

the dharma nature (enlighten-

ment), are inherent in our lives.

In The Entity of the Mystic

Law, the Daishonin says that

when we understand that our lives

are endowed with both ignorance

as well as the Buddha nature, wecan understand the illusion that is

found in evil, dismiss it, and then

base our lives on the state of the

dharma nature. This specifically

means basing our lives on prayers

and faith in the Lotus Sutra, and

manifesting in our everyday lives

the qualities of the life state of

Buddhahood, in our behaviour.

Firm faith in the Law is the won-

derful way in which those whoselives are obscured by illusion can

come into contact with their inhe-

rent Buddha nature and reveal

that state which is inseparable

from the dharma nature.

All our activities stem from the

belief in the Buddha nature of all

people. This does not refer to

something special, which is remo-

ved from our everyday lives; but

is about us being true to oursel-

ves. The important thing is to

believe in our potential, strive to

reveal our Buddha nature, grow as

human beings, and above all be

happy without fail ... and help

others to do the same.

In order for humanism, as pro-

claimed by the Buddhist tea-

chings, to flourish, the key lies in

the absolute belief in the funda-

mental goodness of human beings

and in the dedication to cultivate

this goodness, as much as in one-

self as in others. This way of

living is what the Daishonin calls,

the behaviour of a human being.

How, specifically, then did he

tell Shijo Kingo to be wise? In

short, he offered guidance concer-

ning his behaviour as a human

being, especially with regard to

valuing those around him, and in

controlling his short temper.

What is important is to clearly

identify our own weaknesses, and

transform them instead of hidingfrom them, thus creating a solid

identity for ourselves which can-

not be shaken or affected by any-

thing. By facing and overcoming

our negative and destructive ten-

dencies, we can consolidate a

powerful faith.

Life is full of ups and downs.

The benefits we accumulate in the

depths of our lives, however,

when we embrace the Law, are

indestructible under any circums-

tances. In times of hardship, we

need to tenaciously persevere,

with profound conviction in this

unchanging fact. Difficulties fine

tunes and polishes our lives,which can then shine with good

fortune and benefits No precious

stone not even the largest can

glitter and shine until it has been

cut and polished. This is also true

of human lives.

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