April 2024 Oko Lecture

“On Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra”

(“Sho hokke Daimoku-sho”)

In the Latter Day of the Law, there are many who do not possess the seed of
Buddhahood. There are only a few who possess it. Thus, there is no doubt that
the people [in the Latter Day of the Law] will fall into the evil paths. [Since
they are going to fall into the evil paths one way or another,] we should
strongly teach and make them listen to the Lotus Sutra and let them form a
poison-drum relationship with it. Thus, now is certainly the time to create a
reverse relationship by propagating the Lotus Sutra.
(Gosho, p. 231)

Explanation

In the Latter Day of the Law, many do not possess virtue—the seed of Myoho-
Renge-Kyo—and only a few possess it. Therefore, without a doubt, most people
will fall into the evil paths. If they are going to fall into the evil paths anyway, we
should strongly teach them and cause them to listen to the Lotus Sutra, so that they
can form a poison-drum relationship with it. Thus, it is indisputable that now is the
time in the Latter Day of the Law to strongly expound the Lotus Sutra and let them
form a reverse relationship with it.

Explanation of the Major Terms

 Seed of Buddhahood: Here, it refers to the fundamental seed of

Buddhahood characterizing Myoho-Renge-Kyo of the Buddhism of the
sowing of the true cause from the infinite past of kuon-ganjo.

 Poison-drum relationship: Poison-drum refers to a drum smeared with

poison. It is an allegory contained in the Nirvana Sutra (Taisho Tripitaka, 12-
410), which teaches that merely hearing the sound of this drum will cause a
person to die. When one insists on expounding the Lotus Sutra, those who
 refuse to listen to it will, in fact, be slandering true Buddhism. However,
based on the poison-drum relationship, such people are actually creating a
relationship with true Buddhism.

 Reverse relationship: This means to form a relationship with the Law by

slandering true Buddhism.

Background and Summary

This Gosho was written on the 28th day of the fifth month of the first year of
Bun’o (1260) in Nagoe, in Kamakura when Nichiren Daishonin was 39 years old. A
month and a half following this writing, the Daishonin submitted the Rissho
ankoku-ron (On Securing the Peace of the Land through the Propagation of True
Buddhism) to Hojo Tokiyori and conducted his first remonstration against the
sovereign.
The Gosho consists of 15 questions and answers. It compares the doctrines of
Nembutsu, which was popular at the time, and the teachings of the Lotus Sutra,
revealing their relative superiority and inferiority, as well as the truth and heresy of
these doctrines, from the standpoint of the comparison between the Lotus Sutra and
the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. The Daishonin indicates that the Lotus Sutra alone is
the true Law. He expounds that chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is the
essential path to attaining enlightenment.
Essential doctrines are presented, such as the benefits of chanting Daimoku, the
fundamental basis of the practice. Nikko Shonin listed this Gosho as one of the ten
major writings of Nichiren Daishonin.
The passage we are studying is the 13th question and answer presented in
this Gosho and, through the principle of the “poison-drum relationship,” the
Daishonin explains the significance of doing shakubuku.

Essential Points

The Tremendous Benefits of Chanting the Five Characters of Myoho-Renge-

Kyo

In this Gosho, the Daishonin states, “The benefits of chanting the five characters
of Myoho-Renge-Kyo are tremendous.” (Gosho, p. 230) Here, he indicates that the
unsurpassed benefits of chanting Daimoku are beyond imagination.
Nikken Shonin, the Sixty-seventh High Priest of the Head Temple, said the
following about the Daimoku that we chant every day:
 This Daimoku is, in fact, the Daimoku of the Essential Teaching, which our
founder, the Daishonin, propagated in the Latter Day of the Law. Furthermore, it
is the Daimoku that we, the people of the Latter Day of the Law, chant as we
believe in the Gohonzon of the Essential Teaching….The Daimoku that we
chant is not different in the slightest from that chanted by the True Buddha. We
truly must be full of gratitude.
(Dainichiren, May1994, p. 39)

High Priest Nikken Shonin revealed the truly invaluable and profound
significance that we are performing the same practice as that of the True Buddha.
Nichikan Shonin, the Twenty-sixth High Priest, stated:

Even if you have received the acceptance of the precept (Gojukai), you will not
possess power specifically if you do not have the Gohonzon.
(“Reply to Fukuhara Shikiji” [“Fukuhara Shikiji dono gohenji”])

Here, Twenty-sixth High Priest Nichikan Shonin explains the significance of

enshrining the Gohonzon and engaging in assiduous practice. All of you in
attendance today must be keenly aware that, when you face the Gohonzon and chant
sincere Daimoku, you can live a daily life of great enrichment. Therefore, those
who are currently practicing without a Gohonzon should welcome the Gohonzon as
soon as possible into their homes, work assiduously on their faith and practice, and
establish an unshakable life of happiness.

Let Us Practice Shakubuku with Strong Determination and Perseverance

People in the Latter Day of the Law do not hold a true karmic relationship with
the Buddha from past lifetimes, and they do not possess the seed of Buddhahood
that would enable them to attain enlightenment. Therefore, the Gosho, “Teaching,
Practice, and Proof” (“Kyo gyo sho-gosho”) teaches:

At this chaotic and evil time, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo of the Life Span (Juryo)
chapter, the fundamental seed of the essential teaching, must be sown for the
first time into the hearts of those who commit [the five cardinal] sins and slander
the Law.
(Gosho, p. 1104)

Accordingly, it is necessary for them to receive the sowing of the seed of

Myoho-Renge-Kyo from Nichiren Daishonin, the True Buddha of the Latter Day of
the Law. This is the essential factor for achieving enlightenment.
 The people who receive the sowing of the seed of the mystic Law (Myoho)
through shakubuku are divided into two categories. The first immediately believes
in the mystic Law and forms a positive relationship with the Buddha. The second is
unable to believe in and embrace true Buddhism and engages in slander.
Nonetheless, they form a relationship—a reverse relationship—with the Buddha,
based on their evil karmic deeds. People with a reverse relationship fall into hell and
suffer as a result of their offenses of not believing and slander. However, because
they have actually formed a relationship with Myoho-Renge-Kyo, they are
guaranteed to attain enlightenment at some time. Therefore, the following excerpt
from today’s passage states:

…we should strongly teach and make them listen to the Lotus Sutra and let them
form a poison-drum relationship with it.
(Gosho, p. 231)

This means that we must do shakubuku, refuting heresy and revealing the truth,
even when people are unable to honestly believe in and embrace the true teaching.
We must thoroughly refute slander against the Law, expound true Buddhism, and
urge them to embrace the mystic Law (Myoho).
Today, as we live in a chaotic world, suffering from the ravages of war,
epidemics, and starvation, now is precisely the time when we must engage in the
shakubuku of all people, without hesitation, regardless of who they may be. We
must not quickly shut people out, just because they do not listen to what we have to
say. That would lack compassion. Let us tirelessly continue to do shakubuku, with
the strong determination that “we want to bring salvation to people no matter what.”

Guidance from High Priest Nichinyo Shonin

If people do not listen to us and do as we say, we may tend to arbitrarily give up

on them and abandon them….It is frequently the case that, even when people
stubbornly resist, they may change their minds and decide to convert. It is
important never to sever the connection to shakubuku, as we patiently continue
our shakubuku efforts.
(Dainichiren, May 2018, p. 54)

Conclusion

In April, we officiate the Risshu-e Ceremony: Celebrating the Declaration of

True Buddhism. In the early morning of the 28th of April in 1253, Nichiren
Daishonin stood alone in the Kasagamori forest at the top of Seicho-zan Mountain
waiting for the dawn. He was thirty-two years old. As the sun slowly arose above
the Pacific Ocean, Nichiren Daishonin joined His hands in prayer and began to
chant the Daimoku: “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, Nam-
Myoho-Renge-Kyo . . . .” His purpose was to bring about the life condition of
happiness and the achievement of enlightenment in one’s present form for all
people and to make the world a pure and peaceful place.
He taught that erroneous doctrines and religions are the root cause of
unhappiness and suffering in this world, and he expounded the significance of
embracing true Buddhism. Needless to say, the achievement of kosen-rufu is the
foremost will of the Daishonin. Furthermore, it is the great objective—the cherished
pledge of Nichiren Shoshu for 770 years—that we, as the disciples and followers of
the Daishonin, must never forget for even an instant. It is of foremost importance
that we consider the Daishonin’s will to be our heart’s objective, to advance one
step or two steps forward on our path to kosen-rufu.
Let us take the benefits of chanting Daimoku and apply them to our shakubuku
activities to implement great advancements toward kosen-rufu.