NOW

Ichinen

David Bloomfield discusses the meaning of this vital concept
from UKE January 1998 

                                                      by Bonita

We sometimes hear of people accomplishing superhuman feats in the face of extreme adversity: a mother lifting the impossible weight of a truck that threatens to crush her offspring; a crippled dancer who, advised by medical experts that she will never walk again, goes on to prove that she can; a prisoner of war who, against all the odds, survives his torturous ordeals to escape. These people have incredible determination. In Buddhist terms, the actions of these people are a manifestation of their strong ichinen.

The renowned Buddhist scholar and priest T'ien-t'ai (538-97) used this term in his analysis of life, based on the Lotus Sutra. His theory, known as ichinen sanzen, outlines the enormous scope of expression which life is able to manifest from moment to moment. Ichinen (one mind or life-moment) refers to the entity of life, and sanzen (three thousand) to the various aspects that this entity expresses. Together they mean the totality of life in a single moment.

What we do, what we think and the way we behave, are all manifestations of our ichinen. it is the motivating force which permeates every aspect of our existence, even beyond our conscious thoughts. Most importantly, this theory signifies that all people have the potential to reveal Buddhahood.

By inscribing the Gohonzon, Nichiren Daishonin established the means whereby anyone can actually realize Buddhahood in their daily lives. Through the fusion of our lives with the Gohonzon in our daily practice, and our determination to realize our goals, we are able to achieve what we had previously thought unachievable. Like the engines and rudder of a powerful ship on the high seas, our strong ichinen faultlessly guides us to our destination. If our ichinen is weak however, we drift aimlessly, and inevitably succumb to the raging torrents of our own negativity.

Second Soka Gakkai President, Josei Toda, explained that ichinen has six meanings.
Firstly, he said, ichinen is revealed in thoughts, appearance and behaviour, thus encompassing the oneness of body and mind (shiki shin funi).

Secondly, ichinen comprises both positive and negative tendencies. Our lives can be directed towards happiness and fulfillment, or suffering and destruction. Take, for example, the continuing conflict over Northern Ireland. A positive approach to its resolution is taken by those prepared to enter into dialogue based on respect, with the objective of securing lasting peace through peaceful means. On the other hand, terrorists, who are prepared to destroy lives, including perhaps even their own, reveal their ichinen in a negative way. However, with a change of heart, even such negative intentions can be instantly transformed and start to create value. Equally, we can devote ourselves to creating value and helping others, only to give in to our negativity at the crucial moment when our positive intentions are undermined.

Thirdly, our ichinen expresses the oneness of self and environment (esho funi). Whatever our life-state, it pervades the entire universe and affects everything:
…"if the minds of the people are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds" (MW-1, p. 4).

Fourthly, the simultaneity of cause and effect (inga guji) is contained within our ichinen. In a single moment our ichinen is revealed in each cause we make (through thought, word and deed) the effect being created simultaneously, simply waiting for the right circumstances to appear. The moment our ichinen changes, our situation changes, even though it may not be apparent immediately. The act of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon contains both cause, faith in the Gohonzon, and effect, revealing our Buddhahood.

The above four meanings of ichinen deal with life's reality at each moment from a general point of view. Whether people practise Buddhism or not, their ichinen encompasses every aspect of their existence. The fifth and sixth meanings deal specifically with those who practise to the Gohonzon. In theory everyone possesses Buddhahood but in reality, few can actually reveal it unless they chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith in the Gohonzon.

This is the fifth meaning of ichinen, as outlined by Josei Toda. Through faith in the Gohonzon, we can activate our Buddha nature and the power of the Law, and live, moment by moment, in the highest possible life condition.

Finally, ichinen encompasses the Oneness of the Person and the Law, which is inscribed in the centre of the Gohonzon as 'Nam-myoho-renge-kyo Nichiren'. The Gohonzon embodies ichinen sanzen as a concrete reality. We reveal Buddhahood through the fusion of our enlightened life with the Law of the universe.

"Even our eternal journey through time is included in this single moment of life. An individual's daimoku and determination in faith at this moment form causes that will later become manifest, based on the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect. For this reason, your ichinen at this very moment is the most important issue in the Daishonin's Buddhism". (Daisaku Ikeda, Daily Guidance, Vol. 3, p. 235).

Cause & Effect

  
As we go about our daily lives, in every single moment, we make causes in the things that we think and say and do. Buddhism teaches the existence of a law of cause and effect which explains that when we make a cause, the anticipated effect of that cause is stored deep in our lives, and when the right circumstances appear then we experience the effect.

This concept of cause and effect is at the heart of Buddhism, and the characters for 'renge' in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean the simultaneity of the internal cause and the internal effect. This means that, through chanting, we have made the cause for our Buddhahood, and the effect of it exists simultaneously with that cause. By chanting we are directly causing our Buddhahood to appear.

Renge literally means 'lotus flower', which is a beautiful plant that floats on the surface of water and its beauty is nourished through its roots in the mud. This is a metaphor for our lives. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo uses the `mud` in our lives to enable us to reveal our highest life state.But the Lotus flower is significant for a second reason. It is a plant that flowers and seeds at the same time. It beautifully illustrates the profound working of life where the effect is simultaneous with the cause.

An example of the way Buddhism views cause and effect might be of a young person going home to spend a weekend with their parents. They have a blazing row before the end of the weekend and the young person leaves. In Western society we tend to see the blazing row as the cause and the young person leaving the effect. But Buddhism focuses attention on the internal cause and effect. So it may be that the internal cause turns out to be that the young person disrespects their parents,at quite a deep level, perhaps without realising it. The effect which is simultaneous with this cause is the state of hell, and it is this that is triggering the arguing. This example could equally be the other way round,with the parents doing the disrespecting. It is the internal cause and effect which a person who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo can change,replacing their internal feelings with respect.


Through the simultaneity of cause and effect we can cause our Buddhahood to appear. To help us gain a clearer understanding of what Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is we need to appreciate the nine consciousnesses. The nine consciousnesses can be thought of as different layers of consciousness which are constantly operating together to create our lives.And as we progress through explanations of these consciousnesses the significance of the principle of the simultaneity of cause and effect should become apparent.

(SGI-UK Study)

Guidance on prayers answered based on our Goals

By -- SGI Vice President Kawai

Mr. Kawai's guidance in faith, conveyed by Mr. Noro, based on President Ikeda's guidance

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We practice this faith not for mere exertion, that is, not for the sake of practice, but for change and progress and as quickly as possible.
Members may say, I'm doing many SGI activities, but so what? The real question is how much have I changed my life, my environment, and my livelihood? How much benefit have I received? There are many members who are doing lots of daimoku, but there is no change in their lives. Something is wrong. Buddhism is not the Law of Cause and Effect in Action. It is the Law of cause and effect in ichinen (determined prayer). For example, faith is not "feeling refreshed" after prayers and activities. Faith exists for us to change our lives. When we wish to travel somewhere, first we decide on the destination, then we plan on the action (route/ mode of transport) and then we travel and reach that destination. Faith is the same.  In faith, we must first have clear targets, prayer nd action .It is important to pray strongly and then take action and we will see the results without fail. It is important to determine to change. That is to pray "I want to change", and then take necessary action. It is absolutely no use to ask the Gohonzon, "What should I do?" There will be no answer. YOU must decide what you want to accomplish, not the Gohonzon. Once we decide / determine on some goal, there may seem no solution. But that is precisely why we pray. If it were possible, we would not need the Gohonzon. If there is a way out, then there really is no need to chant. But we pray to change the impossible to possible. Do not engage in "what shall I do..." daimoku, that is, while chanting to think of strategies / look for options in your mind. There is absolutely no need to think of methodology, because there is no way out! We should simply pray like this "I want to accomplish this. I will accomplish this."

If, while chanting, we think that our desires are unattainable / impossible, then that is the prayer that will be reflected onto the universe. And that is exactly the answer we will get back from the gohonzon... impossible/no solution. We must pray with 100% confidence in the Gohonzon. I believe in the Gohonzon, my prayer will definitely be answered, just as the Gosho states "no prayer to the Gohonzon will go unanswered". This is the Buddhist formula, which is 100% correct. It is our doubts that get in the way. While chanting, we always try to find ways out of our problem. Therefore, our ichinen is not directed towards the Gohonzon, but directed elsewhere. Thus it follows, that there is no real joy in daimoku and activities. We just keep doing what we were told to do.

There was a young lady (student division) who wanted to go to USA from Japan to study. It was impossible, as she had no money etc. So she prayed, not chanted, but deeply prayed "I want to go to USA to study - I will go" One year later, she reported positive results. There had seemed no solution, but a "bridge" was formed through her sincere daimoku. This is the Mystic Law. It is beyond our understanding, which is why it is called Mystic. So there is no need to think, just trust and pray...

--> There was a WD who came for guidance. Her husband had terminal cancer and doctors said he would not live longer than 3 months. Her question was "can he be cured?" The answer was "I don't know". The leader went on to say that President Toda's guidance was that when we determine that the only one thing we can trust is the gohonzon, then the body begins to recover from sickness.

This means to cure ones own illness by oneself, through faith. The human body is capable of producing 700 types of medicines. But when our life force is weak, then nothing is produced. When our life philosophy is polluted by slander, and impurities then our life cannot produce its healing power. Buddhism is great. Our life is great! It is supreme. It is Divine. It is the life of the Buddha. So through faith we can always manifest this supreme state of the Buddha, this power of the Gohonzon.

People call Buddhism great, but actually it teaches us that our own lives are great. With determination, great life force and wisdom can be manifested from our lives and bodies to overcome sickness which is one's negative karma -the source of which is slander. So the real question is not whether the illness is curable, rather, the question is whether i can determine it is curable. The woman told her husband about this guidance and together both corrected their ichinen and prayed and he was cured.

A Woman's Division leader in Japan could not walk due to pain in her legs caused by rheumatism. She was asked "do you think that your disease can be cured?" She replied "No!" "So then that is your desire. Your state of mind and that is why the answer from the Gohonzon is - - no cure!" replied the senior leader. The leader continued by saying that if the medical doctor has given up, if he says there is no cure for your condition, then that is the time to summon up your determination to change the impossible to possible. The very next day, the woman called the leader to report that when she determined, the pain disappeared from her legs and 2 weeks later she was completely cured. Her suffering had been caused by her thinking that it was impossible to be cured, that she would have to live with this life condition. But the moment she determined (ichinen) to overcome through faith in the gohonzon, the power of the mystic law was manifested through her life.

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There are 3 kinds of directions to drive our practice:

Forward "Gear". Forward Gear practice consists of: having a clear and specified target and determination to accomplish it through prayer and action, for example: I want a white cat. She must be of Persian species, 3 yrs old, with blue eyes, female. And I want her in 2 weeks. I will get it. In other words, doing a lot of activities and daimoku with no targets and clear goals is no use, as it will not produce any changes in your life.

Neutral "Gear" Neutral Gear Practice is chanting out of duty, with no joy. A habitual practice. E.g.: I am a leader, I have responsibilities, so I'm doing activities. But there is no effect. Its like the car analogy... the engine is full and ready to go... but nothing happens.

Reverse "Gear" Reverse Gear Practice is when the more activities and daimoku one is doing, one is still going backwards, rather than forward in one's life. In other words, one may be making a lot of seemingly good causes, but one is also complaining. There is slander and grudges against others. Or one might be Complaining about ones' own situation on not seeing immediate results. This is dangerous practice.

Just like in automatic transmission car, there is very little difference between Forward and Reverse Gears, from outward appearance it is difficult to tell where one's ichinen is. But one's life will ultimately clearly manifest it.

Slander
Even if you commit slander without realizing it, it is still slander. One should never criticize leaders. Right or wrong, one should not complain at all. Instead, one can chant for them to grow and one will benefit from that too. Similarly, never do "onshitsu" in your family. That is do not complain, criticize or carry a negative feeling towards husband /wife, children or parents. This is your karma. You chose your spouse/partner  children.
Chant for their growth. Further, do not depend / rely on others. Do not complain that they don't do this or that. Criticism will bring no benefit. But it will certainly bring negative effects.

In conclusion
We must eradicate the following types of prayer:

Ø   Out of habit or ritual (that is without any target or determination)
Ø Out of delusion (that is while chanting, trying to find solutions to your problems)
Ø Out of disbelief (that is thinking that this is impossible and will not happen / change)

Instead, pray with your entire heart, your entire being that I am going to build a bridge towards my happiness and those of others by myself, by using the Supreme wisdom of Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. One needs to have the experience of benefits / breakthroughs, so as to encourage others. "I have so many benefits through this practice... what about you?" Especially, senior members must receive many benefits. Buddhism is reason. Otherwise what is the use of practicing this faith? If they don't witness changes/ benefits then their faith has become habitual.

We need to experience benefits through faith and prayer to show power of Gohonzon and encourage others. President Toda and President Ikeda said there are 10 reasons why no change or benefits occur in senior leaders' lives, even though they have been practicing for a long time.

Ø Unclear determination

Ø No concrete targets in faith

Ø Doing regular Gongyo but no concrete prayer

Ø Passive Gongyo and activities from a sense of obligation

Ø A complaining and begrudging attitude about faith

Ø Seeking spirit for senior leaders/ guidance has become weaker

Ø Not working hard in office or home

Ø Depressed because of various sufferings in life

Ø Weak of sense of mission for Kosen Rufu

Ø Sense of responsibility as leader is weaker

Even if one of the above is missing, then faith has become habitual and there is no benefit. We must have dreams, which lead to hope and finally become reality when we chant! Therefore, we must have big dreams!

Experience 
The President of a Fisheries Co was very concerned about the drop in catch of fish as it was affecting his sales, so he went for guidance. The leader asked him "You say that you can't get lots of salmon fish. Does this mean that there is no salmon or are you unable to catch them?" "I can't get any," he replied. "Why can't you call them to your net? Did you pray like that?" The leader encouraged. "No I didn't"."There is no natural boundary in the ocean. So why don't you pray like that?" The leader encouraged. So he did. His catch went up from 20 fish to 300 in one day. His company went from deficit to surplus. This is no miracle. This is the Law. This is reason.

What is amazing is when you don't get benefits even though you do chant.

Karma and Buddha Nature

By Jeanny Chen

(This is a presentation delivered at the first SGIPy National WD and YWD Conference in October, 2002. My trip to Paraguay was approved and permitted by Sensei and the SGI-Japan Headquarters. During my six-day stay I dialogued with the SGIPy members, and had the most incredible experience in my 13 years of practice.)

How many of you know what Buddha nature is?

In order to help you understand this commonly-used term, instead of explaining the term itself, I am going to use an example to demonstrate the characteristics of Buddha nature. Hopefully, the illustration will paint a vivid picture that will allow you to grasp the concept and identify your own Buddha nature. When we understand what Buddha nature is and recognize that we have it within our lives, we can then employ it to work wonders for us. But before I elaborate on the characteristics of Buddha nature, I would like to talk about karma first. 

Understanding karma will help us understand Buddha nature. Karma Every person we encounter, everything that happens to us and the various conditions that surround our lives are the exact manifestations of our karma. Our parents, relatives, friends, co-workers, fellow SGI members, neighbors, ex boyfriends… etc. all play different roles in our lives or our karma. Where we were born, where we live, where we work and what incidents occurred at certain points in time are also the manifestation of our karma. Put it this way: our entire life story describes exactly what our karma is. Let me read what Nichiren Daishonin quotes from the Parinirvana Sutra in his writing “Letter From Sado”: "Good man, because people committed countless offenses and accumulated much evil karma in the past, they must expect to suffer retribution for everything they have done. They may be despised, cursed with an ugly appearance, be poorly clad and poorly fed, seek wealth in vain, be born to an impoverished and lowly family or one with erroneous views, or be persecuted by their sovereign. It is due to the blessings obtained by protecting the Law that they can diminish in this lifetime their suffering and retribution." -- The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 304 

According to this writing, our bad karma was created by what we thought, said and did in the past. Thus, based on the law of simultaneity of cause and effect, we wrote the script of the drama of our own karma. And we will carry it with us lifetime after lifetime, unless we change it through our practice of the Mystic Law. The same writing makes it clear that we have done similar things to people in previous lives, so all the effects are coming back to us in this life. For example, people who are now being physically abused by their spouses must have been the abusers of their spouses or of other people in their previous lives. People who win the lottery this life must have rendered monetary contributions to others in their previous lives.

The Daishonin also says that the most serious cause that we have committed was our past slander of the Mystic Law. On the surface, we suffer because we were born in a poor country or family, born incapable or born physically handicapped… We live on one adversity after another. We can’t find our ideal soul mate. Our children bring us headaches and trouble. Most women never feel pretty enough or sexy enough…etc. Gentlemen don’t express much of their feelings. I don’t know if they are also troubled by such superficial matters as the color, the curve, the length and the thickness of their hair.

Anyways, there are simply hundreds of things that could make our lives so difficult! The true aspect of all those superficial phenomena, however, is that they are our very own karma. We need those people and that environment to play their respective roles in the drama of our lives in order to bring our karma into view. If our karma had not been played out, we would have been unable to change it. Even if we could switch the entire cast, the new players would still act according to what we wrote in the script of our karma.

Our lives would still be the same. For example, let’s say I have bad karma in marriage. I am married to Jose, who loves to flirt and fool around with other ladies. I am very upset about his conduct. Now, forget about Jose. Let another man Humberto be my husband. He would still behave exactly the same. Both of them have no other choice. Anyone who plays the role as my husband has to act according to the script I wrote for my own life. The script of my life says that I will marry a man who flirts with other ladies, no matter how charming I am. I am the director who directs my husband to behave that way. Let’s look at another example. Suppose I was born to a very poor family with 10 siblings. My parents were uneducated. They could barely make a living throughout their lives. Under such circumstances, they failed to provide a good shelter for their children. They were too busy and too worried to even show their love towards the children. This is how my childhood karma says I will live my childhood. I can only be born to this kind of couple, so that I will live my childhood in poverty and without love. Even if another couple became my parents, they would provide me with the same bad living conditions.

Likewise, if we have only good karma in our lives, the drama of our karma would need a cast that manages their lives nicely in order to provide us with happy and comfortable environments and lives. Of course, the people in our lives have their own karma. Only those whose karma is being poor can play the roles of the poor couple, as in our previous example. But they are not to blame for our lives and our destiny. We don’t even have to forgive them. We are totally responsible for whatever we have to go through. Because we accept responsibility for our own lives, we can freely turn it around without depending on other people’s changes or other people’s actions. And we don’t have to carry bitter feelings of being ill-fated, mistreated, and born lowly and trapped, because we asked for it in the first place, and now we can change our destiny by ourselves through practicing Nichiren Buddhism.

The second president of the SGI, Josei Toda, explains that we were all present at the Ceremony of the Air when Shakyamuni Buddha entrusted us, the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, with spreading the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. We were already Bodhisattvas at the time. We should be able to be born into good environments to enjoy happy lives. But, out of our compassion for all human beings, we voluntarily relinquished the reward due us and took that mission. We thus deliberately made bad causes and carried with us the bad karma to be born in the saha world, into an environment with the conditions that we chose of our own volition. Therefore, we were born with our respective karmas to suffer. That suffering becomes the impetus for us to seek out the solution. Under such circumstances, we were willing to embrace our suffering and practice the Mystic Law.

Thanks to Nichiren Daishonin, President Ikeda and the SGI organization, we have the Gohonzon and can follow the correct teaching. Through our diligent practice day in and day out, we polish our lives, activate our wisdom and strong life force from our innate Buddhahood. As a result, we can overcome our difficulties, change our karma, show actual proof, build credibility and deepen our faith. Thus, we become capable of proving the greatness of the Mystic Law and spreading it. Now it is clear why we say that our suffering is our mission. It is the noble mission we took on. It is also the purpose and meaning of our lives. In other words, we use our lives to suffer.

The ultimate purpose of our suffering is to spread the Mystic Law and bring happiness to others. How admirable! In this case, we know that suffering is not the major event of our lives. It is only the prerequisite of our noble mission. Once we realize the true reason behind our suffering, we are done with the suffering part. Then, we can claim to our Gohonzon and our own lives that from now on, we don’t have to suffer any more. We can move on to our main mission, spreading Nichiren Buddhism. With such a realization, we have mentally set ourselves free from our karma. Is my explanation about karma clear enough? Are you still being hypnotized by the words ‘true aspect’, ‘phenomena’ and ‘drama of our karma’? No? Great! So, if our husbands are not successful in their careers and don’t bring enough money home, from now on, are we going to blame them, complain to them, fight with them, bother them to death and leave no peace at home? Of course not! Instead, we should embrace the situation as our karma and take total responsibility. This way, with peace of mind we can focus on changing our karma. Then, we can discuss with our husbands their ideal career goals and chant for the goals as our own. If both partners practice this Buddhism, when the husband joins forces with the wife to chant and take action for those goals, the results will come faster and greater. However, since most husbands are the main income resource for the household, they are tied up with their current jobs. It is up to the wives to decide how much extra effort that they want to devote towards changing their family’s financial karma.

A married couple shares each other’s karma, good and bad. From now on you are the master of your karma instead of its slave. Congratulations! Your status has changed. Now, let’s get back to: Buddha Nature Nichiren Buddhism teaches that we all have Buddha nature inherent in our lives. Even if we cannot perceive it, at least with our common sense we can tell that it is good stuff. Since it is said that we already have ownership of it, it doesn’t hurt and doesn’t cost us a penny to bring some value out of it, right? We should at least give ourselves a chance to try it out. I have found out that Buddhahood is an incredible channel for us to use to communicate with another person without the person’s presence, contacting them through our minds when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Many people encounter problems communicating with their loved ones, their associates at work or their fellow SGI members… etc. If we have found no other opportunity or possibility to smooth out our relationships with others, this is the ultimate way out! How do we communicate with another person’s Buddhahood?

Why open up Buddha nature? How does it work? Just like some people have active, positive and aggressive natures, and other people’s natures are negative, domineering, and abusive, Buddhas have their nature too. Among the characteristics of Buddha nature are wisdom, life force, compassion and happiness. 

Buddha’s immense wisdom sees the true aspect of all phenomena. People whose life state is in Buddhahood understand how karma functions in their lives. They are not deceived by the superficiality of any situation. In other words, they know that any situation happens to them because they themselves have made their karma that way. Their karma is the ‘real aspect’ or the ‘underlying truth’ of their suffering. With that wisdom, they know that they should work on changing their karma instead of focusing on suffering from the terrible things that happen to them. They certainly are wise enough to know how to communicate based on the truth, nothing but underlying truth. They know how to manage damage control, how to interact perfectly, and what to say to reach the win/win result. 

When people emerge their Buddha nature, their strong life force won’t be defeated by any circumstance. Again, because they understand karma, no matter how bad the situation, they have no worries and no negative concerns. Their wisdom gives them a clear mind about the truth of all problems they encounter. Also, they know how to eradicate their karma. Thus, they are strong, upbeat and courageous. When two such positive minds talk, their optimistic energy can only spark a constructive outcome. Compassion is the lifeblood and trademark of Buddhas. They respect and embrace all beings as they are and for what they are, regardless of their status. Thus, both ways of any communication are original, genuine and straightforward without being distorted, abated or blocked. Messages will be sent compassionately and humbly at one end. They will be warmly acknowledged, equally treated and thoughtfully responded to by the other person. How can anything not turn out to be harmonious and satisfactory this way?

With the wisdom to see the underlying truth of all phenomena, with the undefeatable life force to overcome any challenge and with the compassion to create nothing but good causes, Buddhas enjoy absolute happiness under all circumstances. They take everything as a blessing because they can always change poison into medicine. Nothing could ever upset or irritate them in such a high life condition. In other words, whatever you say is perfectly fine. Thus, is it a surprise that the dialogue between two forever-happy people comes to a happy ending? Prayers offered from the bottom of our hearts in the world of Buddha reach every corner, move the most obstinate and work wonders, be it a relationship, health, job hunting or promotion issue. It is the ultimate dialogue we conduct with Gohonzon, the universe, ourselves, family members, friends, co-workers, future employers, future soul mate, ex-husband, ex-girlfriend… etc. 

A heartbroken elderly mother had been mistreated by her son and daughter-in-law. She was devastated. She depended on their assistance in areas of her daily life. What she asked from them – especially from her son – was fair and clear communication. She was unable to get it. Her son only listened to his wife’s twisted, one-sided stories, putting her on the spot. After learning about dialogue in the world of Buddha, she engaged in a sincere daimoku campaign. She put all three of them in the world of Buddha. She apologized for the inconvenience she had placed on them. She appreciated their filial caring and prayed for the daughterin-law’s happiness. She specifically chanted for her son’s wisdom to see the truth. Within a week, her son’s attitude changed totally. Within one month, the daughterin-law became sweet and thoughtful. The elderly woman was overjoyed; she had found her happiness again. Throughout the episode, no outsider had to risk becoming entangled in their domestic affairs. Not a single person became offended. It was a seamless victory, achieved through heart-to-heart dialogue, via daimoku, at the state of Buddhahood.

Now, let’s check to see if we have the above mentioned characteristics of a Buddha within our lives. In “The Opening of the Eyes” (WND p 279) Nichiren Daishonin refers to what the Contemplation on the Mind Ground Sutra says: “If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present.” This quote urges us to be wise in what we do now in order to live our ideal life in the future. It is based on this same teaching that Buddha wisdom can perceive past, present and future. Now that we understand karma, we already have the same wisdom to see the three existences of our lives too! In my humble opinion, as practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, once we understand the true aspect of karma, we have the wisdom and compassion to embrace all occurrences and all people that appear in our environment. We don’t need to place blame on other people anymore. Because we now know how to turn around our situation through this Buddhism, we are motivated to muster a strong life force with which to face our difficulties head on. 

Our wisdom is powerful only when accompanied by the correct action. Well, we understand karma. But how do we eradicate karma so that we can move on to a brand new life? We may work through two channels: through our Buddhist practice and through working in the real world. Let’s talk about eradicating karma through Buddhist practice:

1. We set goals of how we wish to change our karma and chant for the goals. If we suffer from financial karma, we set a goal to become rich! If we suffer from the karma of illness, we set a goal to become as strong as a bull! And if our relationship is a pain in the neck, we set a goal to become women of irresistible charisma, wisdom and virtue who could enjoy their sweetheart’s love more and more each day!

2. But besides chanting for the goal, we have to take action to make the goal come true. I set the goal for my husband to love me more and more each day over ten years ago. Since then he has been working very hard and non-stop to keep my goal a reality. It is the smartest goal I have ever set for my life. But, I don’t just chant and do nothing. I work hard to make myself deserve his infinite love.

3. We introduce this Buddhism to as many people as possible, to fulfill our mission. This way, we are showing that we have moved to our true mission and that we are too busy to suffer any more. Shakubuku is one of the most effective ways to eradicate karma and to bring us fortune.

4. We chant to eradicate our karma. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo puts us on the right track and in perfect rhythm with the universe. According to what the Daishonin writes in “On Prolonging One’s Life Span”: “Sincere repentance will eradiate even fixed karma, to say nothing of karma that is unfixed.” (WND p 954) I would like to use the person in the previous example, whose parents are very poor and has 10 siblings, as an example to illustrate how we can pray to eradicate karma:

1. I apologize to Gohonzon for my past slander of the Mystic Law, and now I am going to help spread and protect the Mystic Law.

2. I apologize to Gohonzon for the bad causes I have created in the past. I vow to Gohonzon that because now I practice this Buddhism, I will create only good causes, and no more bad causes.

3. I apologize to my parents that because of my bad karma, they had to suffer their lives in poverty and anxiety in order for me to experience my bad karma.

4. I appreciate my parents because they used their lives to suffer in order to manifest my bad karma. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to eradicate it. I also appreciate their tremendous hard work in raising my 10 siblings and praise all the good virtues they have.

5. I promise to Gohonzon and myself that I am going to practice this Buddhism very earnestly so that I can eradicate my bad karma. In this case, my parents and I will not have to suffer from poverty anymore.

6. I reassure Gohonzon that now that I am awakened to my true identity as a Bodhisattva of the Earth, I will definitely carry out my true mission to help others without having to use my own suffering as an impetus. In this case, I don’t have to suffer anymore. Now, let’s talk about eradicating karma through working in the real world: What we think, say and do becomes the substance of our life. If we keep on doing the same thing as before, our lives will be forever the same. In fact, our lives will get worse as we grow older. Therefore, if we want to live a different life, we have to do things differently, or do something extra. I personally really dislike suffering, therefore, if I have to choose, I will do both to change my life once and for all! When we chant for the goal to change our job karma, we mean to advance and increase our income. The Buddhist Gods will protect us and provide right opportunity. Our wisdom will emerge and we get better ideas with fulfill this goal. Our life force will be strong so that we can endure to breakthrough. in our job us with the which to the process.

Here comes the hard part. We are already tied up with everyday work. In order to do something extra, we might have to sacrifice our sleep and leisure time. Please don’t dislike me because I say this. Every move creates new causes in our lives. A good cause produces good effects; a bad cause, bad effects; no cause, no effects. Therefore, we have to be very diligent, active, earnest, positive and hard working. There’s no time to worry, to complain or to feel sad. For example, if we want to get out of poverty, we need to increase our skill in making money. We obtain more education or learn from all kinds of resources. We can work on more than one job. We spend more time on and work harder at our job to become more skillful and to get promotions. We also try to stop unnecessary spending. Of course we can set a goal to marry a millionaire. Then we will instantly become rich without going through all the effort! But the opportunity is limited to the single persons and maybe only for the pretty or handsome ones. Unless we have the penetrating ichinen to work persistently and make a change, we will soon go back to our routine before we see any change.

We have to plunge into an all-out effort to totally turn around our life. We should not give up and just run away from the problem. Otherwise, 10 years or 20 years from now, we will still be suffering from the same thing and living the same old sorrowful life. It might take five to ten years before we see the solid result. But, if we don’t ever do it, it will never happen, even after lifetimes. Our karma will stay with us forever. We get to make the decision. Do you feel restless and breathless after hearing all the heavy-duty words? Since I came a long way, this is a rare opportunity for me. I have to show off my ‘strength’. You may wonder where the way out is. As the practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism, we have Gohonzon and infinite fortune. We know how to set goals and to chant for them. We have the protection, wisdom and life force to fight against vicious karma. Although the job market is so bad, there are still hundreds of thousands of jobs that need to be filled. Our determination is that as long as there is still one opportunity available, we should be the one who gets the job. That’s the best opportunity for us to show our strength as Buddhists. Yes, the economy is so bad. But there are plenty of people who are still doing very well financially. We should determine to be among those people who are successful and can show actual proof. This is the best opportunity for us to exert ourselves to prove the validity of this great Buddhism! The lives of the practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism withstand any hardship because the benefits of Gohonzon are expansive, infinite and know no bounds! Buddhism is to win or to lose.

This Buddhist practice is powerful but not magic. It can help manifest amazing results only when accompanied by our strong determination and untiring actions. There’s absolutely no shortcut. We have to take persistent and painstaking actions to make things happen. Even though there is the law of simultaneity of cause and effect, we cannot expect good effect to fall on us prior to making good cause. Cause must precede effect. If we are not happy with our country’s karma, the change starts from our personal karma. Each and every one of us can contribute to make a difference!


 

How Often Do We Chant?

Our basic ritual, which includes chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, reciting sections of the Lotus Sutra, and offering silent prayers, is carried out diligently each morning and evening. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the primary practice, is like fuel for an engine. Reciting the sutra is a supplementary practice, like adding oil to that engine. When the two are combined, it is most effective, and we feel the confidence of performing in top condition.

We are also free to chant as often as we like and to our heart's content. Most new practitioners will experiment with chanting until they experience something tangible, sort of like a "test drive." The duration of any particular chanting session is up to each individual's preferences and needs. The complete morning and evening ritual, however, should become the basis of our daily practice, a special time when we can communicate directly with the rhythm of the universe.As we start to see actual proof of the power of our Buddhist practice, we naturally come to share our experiences with friends and encourage them to try practicing as well. This sharing with others is another key to developing our inner potential for enlightenment, or Buddhahood.

The SGI's ultimate purpose is to contribute to the establishment of a peaceful world where all people experience happiness. We can make our lives larger and experience a stronger life-condition by endeavoring to help others. This way of life founded on compassion is instrumental in helping us strengthen our own Buddha nature. It is the altruistic interaction with people in our daily lives that will help us grow and become enlightened.This is not only Buddhist theory -- most people recognize the satisfaction and growth that accompany their efforts to truly help others. Practicing Buddhism to overcome our own problems or circumstances gives us insight we can share. We can chant for our families and friends, we can encourage others to practice, we can begin to show our own transformation so that others will be encouraged to find out the source of our great changes and newfound personal freedom.

The Process

The Buddha nature is not just a happy feeling or an existential bliss; it is an actual state of life based on the Mystic Law of the universe. We do not need to understand exactly how this Mystic Law works before we can make use of it to our advantage. Laws of nature require neither our understanding nor our belief in them. Although we cannot see the law of gravity, we can attest to its existence. The law of life (Mystic Law), which Buddhism postulates, is far too profound to be fully discussed here. Nonetheless, a few basic concepts can be explained as follows:

Eternity of Life

Some religions teach that we live only one lifetime, and when we die, we go permanently to some beautiful hereafter such as Heaven or some horrific eternal torture chamber known as hell. Buddhism's view of eternal life, however, posits that one's life or essence has no real beginning or end. We live many lifetimes, repeating the cycle of birth and death. Like going to sleep at night, we refresh our bodies and wake up anew.Buddhism explains that our lives possess an eternal and unchanging aspect. When we die, our life functions may stop, but the essence of our lives -- our eternal identity, with myriad causes engraved in it -- continues in a form that cannot be seen. Death then becomes the potential for life. Again, death is just like a rosebush in winter, which contains the potential for flowers (life) within and when the correct external circumstances are present, the roses will bloom (birth).
Everything we've done until this moment adds up to who we are. This is the law of cause and effect. For every cause, there must be an effect. This is karma. We make myriad causes every day through our thoughts, words and deeds, and for each cause we receive an effect.

Buddhism says that, in essence, this law of cause and effect is simultaneous. The moment a cause is created an effect is registered like a seed planted in the depths of life. In fact, this law is symbolized by the lotus flower, which seeds and blooms at the same time. While the effect is planted the same instant the cause is created, it may not appear instantly. When the correct external circumstances appear, the effect will then transform from potential to actual. Looked at another way, our karma is like a bank balance of latent effects we'll experience when our lives meet the right environmental conditions.

As we live our lives (making causes), effects reside within us, and when we die, those effects dictate the circumstances of our birth in the next life. When we are reborn, therefore, we still face the same problems or karma from causes we have made. This goes a long way to explaining why people are born under such different circumstances -- in other words, why people have different karma.
This principle suggests we can change our karma or destiny that we may have thought unchangeable. This is the great hope and promise offered by Buddhist practice. While in theory all we have to do is make the best causes to get the best effects, many times we feel we have little control over the causes we make. A prime example is when we get angry at and say something we don't really mean to people who are close to us. At such times, the condition of anger may seem more powerful than our general nature. When we practice Buddhism, however, we can establish Buddhahood as our basic condition of life and face our circumstances filled with wisdom and compassion.