From Gokokuji Temple Kamakura Vol.09

Let's Practice True Buddism.

Dear Fellow Friends
We hope everything is fine with all of you.
Today, we are going to give you some beneficial information based on the book. The information is cited in “Nichiren Shoshu Basics of Practice” which is published by Nichiren Shoshu. Today’s theme is continuation of The five prayers of Gongyo: the last “News Letter Vol. 8”. The cited information is below:

CHAPER 5

The Five Prayers of Gongyo

Continuation of the last “News Letter Vol.8”

FIRST PRAYER

The innate protective functions and powers of the universe are called the shoten zenjin (guardian dieties). The shoten zenjin are nourished by Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, and function through the power of Nam-Nyoho-Renge-Kyo.In the first prayer, facing east, we offer our Daimoku to the shoten zenjin, with central focus on Dainittenno (the powers and functions exhibited by the sun), and pray that their protective functions may thereby increase.We will now investigate the meaning of this prayer in more detail, as supported by the Gosho and other souces.

The Shoten Zenjin Protect Those Who Correctly Practice and Uphold the Lotus Sutra

The Peaceful Practices (Anrakugyo;14th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra states that the shoten zenjin will protect those who teach the Lotus Sutra to others, and in the Dharani (26th) chapter, the shoten zenjin vow to Shakyamuni that they will always protect votaries of the Lotus Sutra. In "On Prayer" ("Kito-sho"), the Daishonin explains that they must keep this vow because they themselves are able to attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra. In a famous passage from that Gosho, the Daishonin promises that the shoten zenjin will always uphold this vow:

...even if ebbing and flowing of the tides were to halt, or even if the sun were to rise in the west, the prayer of a votary of the Lotus Sutra would never fail to be answered...Even if a votary of the Lotus Sutra is insincere, even if his wisdom is on the level of a fool, even if his body is impure and even if he does not possess virtue from keeping the precepts, if he chants Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, [the shoten zenjin] will never fail to protect him.

(Gosho, p.630)

The Doctrine of the Ascent of the Shoten Zenjin to the Heavens

The Daishonin teaches that wen the country is filled with slander against the Lotus Sutra, the shoten zenjin will be starved for the flavor of Myoho and will return to the heavens. The country will then be invaded by demons and various disasters will occur.The Ghosho, Rissho ankoku ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land Through the Propagation of True Buddhism) states:

All people have gone against the correct Law and become wholly devoted to evil doctrines. This is why all the guardian deities have abandoned this country and sages have left this land, not to return. Seizing this opportunity, and demons rush in, bringing disasters and calamities.
This is most fearful.

(Ghosho, p.234)

Still, even if slander of the Law throughout the entire country causes the shoten zenjin to abandon the nation, they will still protect a votary of the Lotus Sutra. The Daishonin explains this in the "Letter to Niike":

However, now that I am spreading the Lotus Sutra as the Buddha's envoy, everyone from ruler to the lowliest subject has become a slanderer. So far, Hachiman has done everything possible to prevent hostility to the Lotus Sutra from developing among our people...but now in fear of breaking the pledge he made at Eagle Peak, he has razed his shrines and ascended to heaven. Even so, should there be a votary of the Lotus Sutra who would give his life for it, Hachiman will watch over him.

(MW, Vol.1, p.258 Gosho, pp.1459-1460)

Wherever they may be, the believers who protect the true Law and propagate the Daishonin's teachings correctly will definitely be protected by the shoten zenjin.

The Shoten Zenjin are Part of the Functions of the power of the True Buddha

In his Exegesis on "Repaying Debts of Gratitude", Twenty-sixth High Priest Nichikan Shonin explains:

The Buddhas of the ten directions and the three existences, as well as the gods of heaven and earth, Bonten, Taishaku, Nitten, and Gatten, all return to their original enlightened state, and become part of the life of the one Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom.

(Mondan, p.395)

In other words, the shoten zenjin are transient manifestations of the True Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom. Thus, one of the doctrines of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is that the shoten zenjin are actually part of the functions of the power of the True Buddha. The Daishonin indicates this in the "Letter to Ko-no-ama Gozen" where He gives the tender guidance:

Whenever you yearn for me, Nichiren, look toward the sun which rises in the morning and the moon which appears in the evening. I will invariably be reflected in the sun and the moon.

(MW, Vol.4, p.143; Gosho, p.740)

Nichiu Shonin explained that part of the meaning of the first prayer of morning Gongyo is that we face the sun as it rises in the east each morning to express reverence for the forms in which the Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom, who appeared in mappo as Nichiren Daishonin, unceasingly bestows benefit throughout the three existences.

SECOND AND THIRD PRAYERS

The second and third prayers are the heart of Gongyo. In the second and third prayers, we offer our appreciation to the three treasures of true Buddhism, the Buddha, the Law, and the priesthood.
In the second prayer we praise the tremendous, limitless beneficial powers of the Dai-Gohonzon, pray that its benefits may ever more widely prevail, and offer our deepest gratitude. At the same time, we promise to dedicate our entire lives to the Dai-Gohonzon (as expressed by the word Namu).
In the third prayer, we offer gratitude in repayment of the debt we owe to the True Buddha, Nichiren Daishonin; to his successor, The Second High Priest Nikko Shonin, to whom the Daishonin transferred the entirety of his Buddhism; to the Third High Priest, Nichimoku Shonin; and to all the successive High Priests, who have correctly transmitted the Daishonin's Buddhism without the slightest change through the present day.

The Three Treasures

The Buddha, the Law, and the priesthood are said to be the three elements that constitute Buddhism. This is because Buddhism can only exist with a Buddha who teaches the Law to the people, the Law (teachings) taught by the Buddha, and the priests who believe and practice the teachings of the Buddha, and who propagate and transmit them. To revere and make offerings to the three treasures of Buddhism is fundamental to faith as a Buddhist.

The Daishonin says in the "Letter to Nikke:"

If one truly understands Buddhism, he should show this in his respect for the priesthood, reverence for the Law and offerings to the Buddha.

(MW, Vol.1, pp.260; Gosho, p.1461)

The Three Treasures in Nichiren Shoshu

Buddhism, in general, defines the three treasures differently in accordance with the time. For example, there are the "three treasures while the Buddha is present in the world" and the "three treasures as perpetuated in the world after the Buddha's passing.'Also, each of the various sects of Buddhism has its own definition of the three treasures.What are the three treasures in Nichiren Shoshu; that is, the three treasures for today, the time of mappo? Nichikan Shonin, the Twenty-sixth High Priest, gave a clear answer to this question in His work "On the Ceremonies of This Sect:"

In mappo, one should believe in the three treasures of sowing of the essential teaching concealed within the depths of the Juryo chapter.

(Seiten, p.949)

The three treasures of sowing concealed within the depths of the Juryo chapter are the Buddha, the Law, and the priesthood of kuon ganjo. That is, the treasure of the Buddha of kuon ganjo is the Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom, who appeared in mappo as Nichiren Daishonin. The treasure of the Law of kuon ganjo is Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, the inner realization of the Buddha of Intrinsically Perfect Wisdom, embodied as the Dai-Gohonzon of the High Sanctuary of the Essential Teaching. The treasure of the priesthood of kuon ganjo is the Great Master of Propagation of the Essential Teaching, Byakuren Ajari Nikko shonin.Furthermore, the successive High Priests from Nichimoku Shonin onward have transmitted the Heritage of the Law of the Daishonin's Buddhism. Thus, the treasure of the priesthood extends to the successive High Priests, and we offer our appreciation to them.

The Three Treasures as One Entity

The three treasures are of course explained as being three separateentities: the Buddha, the Law, and the priesthood. However, within the teachings of true Buddhism, the three treasures are revealed as ultimately being one entity. To explain Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, the treasure of the Law of kuon ganjo, is the eternal, immutable original Law of the simultaneity of cause and effect that spans the three existences. This Law is revealed due to the existence of the True Buddha, who is eternally enlightened to that Law. The True Buddha is interrelated with the original Law. It is not possible to separate the Law and the Buddha.
If there were no priesthood, it would not be possible for the Law to be transmitted to future ages and propagated in the world. The priesthood can only have the mission to protect and pass on Buddhatains because of the existence of the Buddha and the Law. The Daishonin makes all of this abundantly clear in the "Four Debts of Gratitude"

"Shi'on Sho")

Concerning the debt owed to the Law, the Law is the teacher of all Buddhas. It is because of the law that the Buddhas are worthy of respect. Therefore, one who wishes to repay his debt to the Buddha must first repay the debt he owes to the Law. As for the debt owed to the priesthood, both the treasure of the Buddha and the treasure of the Law are invariably perpetuated by priests. To illustrate, without firewood, there can be no fire, and if there is no earth, plants cannot grow. Likewise, even though Buddha existed, without the priests who studied it on, it would never have been transmitted throughout the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days into the Latter Day of the Law. Therefore the Daijuku Sutra states, "Suppose that, in the fifth five-hundred-year period, there should be someone who harasses unlearned monks without precepts by accusing them of some offense. You should know that this person is extinguishing the great torch of Buddhism." Difficult to recompense indeed is the debt we owe to the priesthood!
Thus it is imperative that one repay one's debt of gratitude to the three treasures.

(MW, Vol.5, pp.10-11; Gosho, p.268)

That the three treasures are one entity is also indicated by this passage in the "Shingon Kenmon" Gosho:

In fact, slander of the Law means slander of the Buddha and slander of the priesthood. This is because the three treasures are one entity.

(Gosho, p.608)

The three treasures exist in this world, and because of this, our prayers to eradicate our bad karma can be realized. We should perform the second and third silent prayers with an awareness of how difficult it is to fully repay the debt of gratitude we owe to the three treasures of true Buddhism.

FOURTH PRAYER

In the fourth prayer, we first pray for the attainment of the Daishonin's great aspiration, the propagation of the true Law throughout the entire world (kosen-rufu), and forthe true Law throughout the entire world (kosen-rufu), and for the true world peace that would arise from it. Next, we acknowledge our slanders against the true Law in our past and present lives, and pray to eradicate those slanders, that is, to eradicate the inherent cause that hinders our aspiration for enlightenment and our Buddhist practice. Then we offer prayers to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime, as well as prayers for other personal considerations.

The way to realize both the prayer for kosen-rufu and one's personal prayers is by accepting and carrying out the will and heart of the True Buddha of the three treasures of sowing. In other words, the key is to bring forth a great desire for kosenrufu and to strive diligently in practice for oneself and in teaching others about the Daishonin's Buddhism.

This is the only practice that will enable us to repay our debt of gratitude to the Buddha, the Law and the priesthood. When we fulfill this practice, our prayers can be fulfilled.

Personal Prayers and Eradication of Hindrances Due to Past and Present Slanders

Even though we all share the same faith, as individuals we pray to the Gohonzon about different things because of differences in our current circumstances and backgrounds and differences in the paths we walk as human beings. The fundamental source of these differences is our individual karma from past lifetimes. The negative karma we have accumulated through slandering the Law in past lives is particularly significant because it is the dominant cause of unhappiness and suffering in the present. As Nichiren Daishonin says in the "Opening of the Eyes"

("Kaimoku Sho"):

Likewise, the Shinjikan Sutra states: "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."

(MW, Vol.2, pp.197-198, Gosho, p.571)

Through honest self-reflection, we begin to understand that in order to fulfill our desires we must eradicate the negative karma accumulated in past lives due to slander of the Law.
How can we eradicate past slander of the Law? The answer is to strive seriously in our faith in the true Law, which we have had the great fortune to meet in this lifetime. We must also teach true Buddhism to others. This, of course, is the practice of shakubuku and is directly related to the prayer for kosen-rufu.
We who believe in the Daishonin's Buddhism should not have the short-sighted attitude that faith means only praying about our immediate problems and having our own desires fulfilled. We can eradicate our past slanders and fulfill our desires by correctly carrying out faith based on our gratitude for having encountered true Buddhism, which is so hard to meet. This brings forth a great desire to introduce, encourage, and lead many people to Buddhism. The fundamental sprit of the fourth prayer lies in the second and third prayers, in which we pray to repay our debt of gratitude to the three treasures of Buddhism.

FIFTH PRAYER

In the fifth prayer, we pray that our ancestors and deceased relatives, all deceased Nichiren Shoshu believers, and all others who have died may receive the merit of our offering of Daimoku and attain Buddhahood.
Finally, to conclude Gongyo, we pray that the benefits of the Dai-Gohonzon extend to the farthest reaches of the universe, so that we and all existence may together attain Buddhahood.

Why Do Memorial Prayers Benefit the Deceased?

In morning and evening Gongyo, we offer memorial prayers for the deceased.Of course, the practice of praying for the deceased is not limited to Buddhists; as human beings, it is only natural to pray for deceased ancestors, relatives, and others with whom we have close connections.
Prayers for the deceased should be performed according to the formalities of Nichiren Shoshu; that is, according to the teachings of the Daishonin's Buddhism. When prayers for the deceased are performed according to the teachings of incorrect religions, even though the intention is to help the deceased, those prayers actually result in suffering for both the deceased and the people who perform them. Let's take a look at the deeper religious and philosophical bases of our prayers for the deceased.

Transfer of Merit

The Buddhist term for benefiting the deceased is eko. This is a translation of the Sanskrit word parinama. The original meaning of parinama was "conversion." In relation to prayers for the deceased, eko refers to the act of "transferring the merit one gains from performing virtuous acts and giving it to others." A rough English equivalent of eko in the sense is "transfer of merit."The deceased cannot practice Buddhism. This is why those who are living must accumulate merit through their Buddhist practice on behalf of the deceased and transfer that merit to them.In its fundamental meaning, however, "transfer of merit" is not limited to prayers performed for the deceased. We should transfer merit to living parents, friends, and acquaintances, all other people and all living beings. That merit will then return to us. This is the fundamental significance of eko.The Great Concentration and Insight (Maka Shikan) explains this thorough the following metaphor. If someone blows a bugle, the sound he or she makes, though small, will resound far away. In the same way, if one transfers merit to all living beings (through the correct object of worship), that limited merit will expand outward, turn around, and return.The resulting benefit will be extremely significant.

Nichiren Daishonin teaces:
There are three ways of discharging one's filial piety. Giving someone’s parents clothing and food is the lowest level of final devotion. Not deviating from the intent of one's father and mother is the intermediate level of filial devotion. Transferring merit to one's parents is the supreme level of filial devotion. Since it is the supreme filial devotion to direct one's merit to parents who are living, how much more praiseworthy it is to do so for parents who are deceased!

(Shintei Gosho, Vol.1, p.69)

In the same Gosho, the Daishonin teaches that the deceased person receives one-seventh of the benefit of the transfer of merit; the remainder returns to the person transferring the merit.

Prayer for the Enlightenment of All Existence

We end Gongyo with the prayer that the merit we have just cultivated through Gongyo will be shared by all existence throughout the universe so that we, as well as others, can return to the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light (the life-condition of Buddhahood).The practice of offering prayers for the enlightenment of all existence has its foundation in a passage in the Phantom City (Kejoyu; seventh) chapter of the Lotus Sutra which states, "Our aspiration is to spread this merit universally to all, so that we, together with all living beings, may attain the Buddha Way.
"Enlightenment for oneself alone is not the aim of the Lotus Sutra. According to the principle of the oneness of self and others, the reason each individual is able to exist at the present moment is due to the many influences of others. We are able to exist only because of connections to others: to parents and ancestors, teachers, friends, neighbors, society, the nation and the environment. In fact, we owe our existence to everything, both the tangible and the intangible. One who is awakened to this feels gratitude for all living beings, and to all existence.

Thank you for having you read a long sentence.
If you have any questions, please reply to this e-mail. We are happy to help you to understand what the true Buddhism is.

Overseas department of Gokokuji temple

Notice

Dear fellow friends.
We appreciate your reading the Mail-magazine or other information so far sent from Gokoku-ji. temple here in Kamakura.

Now we like to further inform you that in hope of your keeping up interest in our Buddhism and bracing up the faith toward Nichiren Daishonin teachings, our Nichiren Shoshu temples or relative organizations nearby in your country will make closer contact with you for future necessary guidance and inquiries. Therefore, please acknowledge the above.

Many thanks.

Nichiren Shoshu Risshozan Gokokuji Temple
International Division

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