Myosenji Views

Above all, both you and your husband are upholders of the Lotus Sutra. You will surely bear a jewel of a child who is going to inherit the seed for the propagation of the Lotus Sutra. I wholeheartedly congratulate you. The child is the one who will inherit both your physical and spiritual aspects. How could you possibly suffer a prolonged labor? I expect that the child will be born quickly. If you take this medicine, there can be no doubt. Even the darkness becomes bright when a lantern is lit, and even muddy water becomes clear when the moon shines on it.

This is the doctrine of original cause and original effect. It teaches that the nine worlds are all present in beginningless Buddhahood and that Buddhahood exists in the beginningless nine worlds. This is the true mutual possession of the Ten Worlds, the true hundred worlds and thousand factors, the true three thousand realms in a single moment of life.

Praising the united efforts of the Ikegami brothers, the Daishonin writes, “Could there ever be a more wonderful story than your own [that will be recounted by future generations]?” (“Letter to the Brothers,” WND-1, 499). "Let us unite to write a triumphant story of kosen-rufu that will continue to shine into the eternal future of the Latter Day of the Law. And as we do so, let’s joyfully and harmoniously accumulate great benefit day after day—each more wonderful than “a hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss” (see “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude,” WND-1, 736)—on the unsurpassed stage of our mission!

What victories!

“Three times a charm” or “Three times a bomb”?

“The Plagiarist”

Nichiren points out the one factor that determines the direction of not only each individual but also of the nation and society as a whole: that is, whether people are enemies of the Lotus Sutra or whether they have faith in the Lotus Sutra. If we express this in contemporary terms, it means that everything depends on whether the principles of respect for the dignity of life and respect for human beings taught in the Lotus Sutra become the spirit of the age, or whether society descends into a callous, coldhearted era in which life is devalued and people disrespected.

It is an immense source of pride for me that so many of my beloved members in Japan and around the world say that, through practicing Nichiren Buddhism, they have become happier than they could ever have imagined possible. Cherishing the Daishonin’s words, 'Those who now believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten thousand miles away' (WND-1, 1137), there are now countless “experts in the art of happiness” in the SGI, who have triumphed over the darkness of karma and sufferings such as financial hardship, illness, trouble with relationships and personal weaknesses. The Mystic Law is the great teaching that enables us to transform any hardship into happiness, as Nichiren assures us when he says, 'Misfortune will change into fortune' (WND-1, 412). Nichiren Buddhism enables those who have suffered the most to attain the greatest happiness.

With the most powerful life force, one can stand surrounded by good fortune and dwell at ease in a beautiful magnificent palace of happiness. Such happiness is not self-centered. Rather, it is an inexhaustible happiness, happiness that can embrace both oneself and others.

The fundamental causes of the emotions of happiness and suffering we experience are not something outside us, but exist ultimately in our hearts. The pain of hell and the limitless joy of Buddhahood are nowhere but within the depths of our own lives.

The first day of the new year is a day of beginnings. Everyone can start the new year with a fresh new determination. It is a wonderful opportunity to reawaken ourselves to the Buddhist spirit of “true cause”— the spirit of always moving forward from the present moment on. When we do so, our lives are sure to overflow with irrepressible joy.