On Repaying Debts of Gratitude: Lecture by Daisaku Ikeda

(From the January 2015 issue of Daibyakurenge)

The Gosho Passage

If Nichiren’s compassion is truly great and encompassing, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread for ten thousand years and more, for all eternity, for it has the beneficial power to open the blind eyes of every living being in the country of Japan, and it blocks off the road that leads to the hell of incessant suffering. Its benefit surpasses that of Dengyō and T’ien-t’ai, and is superior to that of Nāgārjuna and Mahākāshyapa.

A hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit gained from one day’s practice in the impure world. Two thousand years of propagating Buddhism during the Former and Middle Days of the Law are inferior to an hour of propagation in the Latter Day of the Law. This is in no way because of Nichiren’s wisdom, but simply because the time makes it so. In spring the blossoms open, in autumn the fruit appears. Summer is hot, winter is cold. The season makes it so, does it not?(WND-1 p. 736)

Lecture

Uniting Humanity through the Spirit of Compassion

This is the dawn of a new era of dynamic progress. As we look up at the brilliant sun, I am certain that the hearts of all my dear fellow members are filled with the refreshing light of hope. It is time to take a courageous new step. From today, let us engrave a new history of personal advancement in golden letters of victory. Let mentor and disciple, and comrades across the globe, together weave a “story for all eternity.”

I remember it vividly, even now. Exactly 40 years ago, a small gathering of global citizens took place. It was January 26, 1975. In Guam, once a fierce battlefield of the Pacific War where so many lives were lost, approximately 160 pioneers—the Bodhisattvas of the Earth—assembled from 51 countries and territories for the first World Peace Conference.

It was not a meeting of heads of state, scholars, or economists. It was a gathering of nameless ordinary people. Yet, in the heart of each individual, beyond differences of race, ethnicity, or nationality, burned the flame of a sublime vow. On that day, at that moment, the SGI (Soka Gakkai International) was born—founded on a shared sacred pledge to pave the way for “World Peace” through “World Kosen-rufu.”

“Sowing Seeds of Peace Throughout the World”

In my first speech, I declared: “The sun of the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin has begun to rise over the horizon. Rather than seeking to make yourselves bloom as flowers, I ask that you devote your noble lives to sowing the seeds of peace, which is the Mystic Law, throughout the entire world. I shall do the same.”

The Great Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin is the “Buddhism of the Sun,” enveloping all humanity in the light of compassion, life’s dignity, and respect for the human being. Amidst the great turning point from the 20th to the 21st century, the friends of the SGI have all endured and overcome the turbulent waves of society with wisdom, excelling as good citizens. Today, the SGI has developed into a global network of “Peace, Culture, and Education” spanning 192 countries and territories. The sun of Buddhist humanism, which began to shine from the horizon to break the darkness, now illuminates the entire sky with increasing brilliance.

At the start of this “Year of Dynamic Progress in a New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu,” I would like to once again study this famous passage from “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude.” It is a golden teaching that our founding father, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, had marked with a strong line in his own copy of the Gosho.

Revealing the Fulfillment of the Vow in “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude”

“On Repaying Debts of Gratitude” was written by Nichiren Daishonin upon the passing of his childhood teacher, Dozen-bo, to express his gratitude. In this writing, the Daishonin reveals the vow he made in his youth when he first set out on the Buddhist path: to become a person of wisdom who understands the essence of Buddhism and to fundamentally save all people from suffering. The fulfillment of this vow is regarded as the fundamental purpose of his entire life.

In the concluding section, he reveals the “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws” as the fundamental Law for the salvation of all living beings. He describes how, in the world after Shakyamuni’s passing, he alone began to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo “without sparing his voice” and maintained his propagation through the spirit of “not begrudging one’s life.”

In other words, the establishment of the Three Great Secret Laws and the foundation for kosen-rufu over the ten thousand years of the Latter Day and for all future eternity constituted the fulfillment of his fundamental vow. He presented this as the greatest proof of repaying his debt to his late teacher. Using metaphors such as “if the roots are deep, the branches will be lush” and “if the source is distant, the stream will be long,” he demonstrates that the Mystic Law is the fundamental and eternal great Law. It is after this that the passage we are studying is taught. Today, this passage is read with dignity by representatives of the Young Women’s Division during the Kosen-rufu Vow Gongyo sessions at the Hall of the Great Vow for Kosen-rufu.

An Array of Successors Who Inherit “Great and Encompassing Compassion”

The “Law” is eternal and constant. However, no matter how excellent a Law may be, its great power only manifests in reality when there are “people” who practice it. As the Gosho states, “The Law does not spread by itself; because people propagate it, both the people and the Law are worthy of respect.” On the other hand, every human being is subject to the principles of birth, aging, sickness, and death. How can limited human beings allow the Law to exist eternally in the real world?

Nichiren Daishonin manifested the eternal Mystic Law—which only a Buddha can perceive—as the Gohonzon of the Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws. He established it so that we, ordinary people of the Latter Day living amidst chaos and suffering, could embrace and practice it. When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo while facing this Gohonzon, we join the great vow of the “Bodhisattvas of the Earth” for kosen-rufu in the Latter Day, as depicted in the ceremony of the Ceremony in the Air.

In other words, it is only through the appearance of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth—those who uphold and propagate the Three Great Secret Laws established by the Daishonin—that the Mystic Law can be spread in this real world and save people for all eternity. “If Nichiren’s compassion is truly great and encompassing…” When the Daishonin said this, his compassionate eyes likely saw a vast group of people rising up—the second and third ranks of successors—burning with the same vow as him, practicing the Mystic Law in this Sahā world, and saving the masses.

Indeed, who is it today, across Japan and the world, who propagates the Law with patience and pride, carrying the mission of the “Work of the Buddha” as “Emissaries of the Buddha”? Who has courageously plunged into the ocean of the masses to encourage those sinking in suffering? Who has resuscitated people, one after another, from the depths of despair to a life of hope? It is the members of our Soka Gakkai and the pioneers of our SGI. You are the ones who have proven in fact the Daishonin’s words: “The Nam-myoho-renge-kyo that Nichiren now chants will lead the living beings of the Latter Day for ten thousand years to the attainment of Buddhahood.”

Declaring the “Transformation of All Humanity’s Karma”

I once received a photograph of the headwaters of the Ganges River from a leader of our worldwide movement. The source of that eternal river, originating from Himalayan glaciers, was a truly fierce torrent. Like a roaring lion, it had a “momentum” that nothing could stop. I believe that, just like that river starting from a thunderous torrent, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will moisten all humanity with the water of wisdom, peace, and happiness. I believe the Daishonin imbued that surging spirit into his words “great and encompassing compassion.”

He teaches that this fundamental Mystic Law and its practice have the benefit to “open the eyes of all living beings in Japan.” Japan represents the entire world (Enmubudai). Strong faith in the Mystic Law breaks through the darkness of fundamental ignorance, opens the “eye” of the Buddha-world within one’s own life, and allows it to manifest. The sun rises brilliantly in the hearts of all people. Furthermore, the Daishonin sternly declares, “to block the road to the hell of incessant suffering”—that he has indeed sealed it off. “The hell of incessant suffering” refers to the slandering of the Law, such as the Nembutsu sect of his day.

His great conviction was to save Dozen-bo, who could not let go of his attachment to Nembutsu, and by extension, to put all living beings throughout eternity on the track to happiness. “If there is even one person suffering, I will save them, even if I have to search through the grass roots. I will never let them fall into a life of despair and regret!”—This is the spirit of the Soka mentor and disciple, linked to the lion’s roar of the Daishonin’s compassion. At the same time, this teaching can be viewed as a grand declaration for the “transformation of all humanity’s karma,” sealing off the slope toward total catastrophe for all human groups—from families to nations and human society as a whole.

Breaking the Darkness of Mistrust and Powerlessness

Looking at history, tragedies such as massive natural disasters, wars, and famines have repeatedly swallowed up and snatched away the lives of individuals. There are harsh realities that make us realize how powerless human beings can be. Since ancient times, there have been many words of resignation that treat such disasters as a fate or karma beyond human intellect.

However—one hundred years ago, the French literary giant Romain Rolland raised a fierce voice of protest as nations slid into World War I, fueled by the “old cliché” that “the fate of war is stronger than any will.” “There is no destiny! Destiny is what we desire. It is also, more often, a lack of our will.” Rolland resolutely rejected the irresponsible stance of national leaders and intellectuals who succumbed to the trend of war as if it were “fate.”

In the final analysis, the root cause is the sense of powerlessness—the belief that whatever an individual does is useless—which stems from ignorance of and distrust in human dignity and infinite potential. Nelson Mandela, the former President of South Africa whom I deeply admire, also fought against that root cause. I cannot help but feel that the Daishonin’s roar, “to block the road to the hell of incessant suffering,” was precisely aimed at breaking through this darkness of human distrust.

In “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land,” he identifies the root cause of people falling into the hell of incessant suffering: “Rather than offering ten thousand prayers, it is better simply to prohibit this one evil,” and “You must quickly change the tenets that you hold in your heart and embrace the one true vehicle… then the source will be blocked and the root cut away.” I believe the Daishonin sounded the alarm regarding the “Three Calamities and Seven Disasters,” specifically “the calamity of warfare” and “the two disasters of internal strife and foreign invasion,” precisely to shatter fatalism and powerlessness, seal off the “road to the hell of incessant suffering,” and prevent humanity from falling into tragic misery.

Enveloping Modern Society in the Spirit of Compassion

If we reflect, the 20th century was an era in which “World Wars” occurred twice on an unprecedented scale. Amidst those great conflicts, nuclear weapons were created, opening the door to a crisis of human extinction—a first in human history. Furthermore, due to rapid environmental destruction, the survival of the Earth’s ecosystem is threatened in the 21st century. Additionally, amidst globalization, economic crises and epidemics have become threats on a global scale.

Is there a way to block “humanity’s catastrophe”? This is an unavoidable challenge posed to our time. Our Soka Gakkai and the SGI were born exactly when this crisis of human survival realistically surfaced. Our founding president, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, who stood bravely against militarism supported by State Shinto—which drove people to war—shouted, “Now is the time for national remonstration!” and fought to the end for the people’s happiness, eventually dying in prison. Then, our second president, Josei Toda, who vowed to fight against the violent nationalism and the demonic nature of power that had killed his mentor, stood alone in the charred ruins of a defeated Japan, raising the banner of kosen-rufu.

In President Toda’s heart burned the flame of the vow for “propagation in the East” and the “Westward transmission of Buddhism,” and he felt deep “同苦” (shared suffering/empathy) for the people of Asia and the world who were suffering from constant war. Furthermore, amidst the growing threat of global nuclear war, he issued the “Declaration Calling for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons.” This was a lion’s roar aimed at severing the roots of the demonic nature that threatens the people’s right to survival and blocking humanity’s fall into hell.

President Toda asserted: “What I feel most strongly in modern times is that people’s lives lack compassion and self-awareness. Is not lack of compassion itself the state of the modern world?” He appealed for the creation of more people whose natural behavior overflows with compassion. The purpose of our kosen-rufu movement is to let the warm blood of compassion flow even more pulsingly through a heartless society and to open a human century of peace and happiness.

Buddhism is for Those Who Suffer

Here, I would like to consider “compassion” (jihi) a little further. Compassion has two aspects: the meaning of “giving joy” (ji) and “removing suffering” (hi). Tracing the origin to Indian languages, “Ji” comes from the Sanskrit maitrī, meaning connection with sentient beings or friends. “Hi” is karuṇā or anukampā, meaning pity, sympathy, or kindness. It can also be called “shared suffering” (dou-ku). An early Buddhist scripture titled “Metta Sutta” (Compassion) contains this passage: “Whether they are seen or unseen, dwelling far or near, born or to-be-born—may all beings, without exception, be happy.” This shows how vast and boundless the world enveloped by compassion is.

Compassion is “equality.” It expands horizontally to infinity and extends vertically through eternity. At the same time, that compassion is not merely “equal”; it is directed toward the most unhappy person. The Daishonin, through the scripture stating that Shakyamuni’s greatest worry at his passing was the sinful King Ajatashatru, stated: “A person may have many children, but a parent’s heart is with the child who is ill.” Who is suffering the most? Who needs help the most? It is the person suffering right before our eyes.

I have always maintained that “those who suffer the most have the greatest right to be happy.” Buddhism exists for those who suffer the most. To empathize with that person, to think and act from their perspective—that is where compassion shines. From a higher perspective, in the Latter Day—the most difficult of times—where the Sahā world is deeply covered by suffering that must be endured, reaching out to all human beings and removing their suffering is the fundamental purpose of Buddhism. What is the key to rising above suffering? Since the fundamental cause of suffering is the denial of dignity and distrust in humanity, the key is the realization of dignity and trust and respect for human beings.

When we realize that every life is originally supreme, that nothing in this world is useless or meaningless, and that we ourselves are one of those precious treasures, a strong sense of self, unshakable peace, and limitless gratitude are born. And when we know that every other person is also a precious treasure without exception, deep respect, firm trust, and compassion arise.

Action to Save People in Real-Life Suffering

The manifestation of this compassion is the spirit of shakubuku. “To lack compassion and feign friendship is to be a person’s enemy,” and “To remove evil for another is to be their true friend”—these are the words of Great Teacher Zhanran (Miao-lo). Truly caring for another and removing evil is the essence of compassionate action; this correct practice is the act of shakubuku. The Daishonin declared: “A hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit gained from one day’s work in the impure world.”

Needless to say, the Nembutsu sect despises this Sahā world as an “impure land.” They teach that through exclusive practice of Nembutsu, one will be reborn in the Land of Perfect Bliss, said to be “ten billion lands to the west,” and attain Buddhahood by practicing peacefully there. However, such an ideal place exists only in the imagination. We must cultivate and create the path to happiness within this reality of hardship. The Daishonin broke through the philosophy of “resignation” and escape from reality as a mere temporary expedient, and declared that fighting in this reality called the Sahā world is the correct practice of the Latter Day. This is the fundamental path for the people to become happy.

This act of shakubuku is essentially a “Buddha’s work,” a Buddhist practice that cannot be accomplished without compassion. However, in reality, it is not easy for ordinary people to manifest compassion. Therefore, President Toda taught us that for ordinary people, what replaces compassion is “courage.” In accordance with this guidance, our fellow members have plunged into the lives of friends, into the midst of human beings, and into the masses. Burning with pure courage. This practice of a “day in the impure world,” living for the spirit of shakubuku, becomes the greatest merit, the golden history of our human revolution, and shines as the supreme “treasures of the heart” of our lives.

The Time for Propagating the Mystic Law is “Now”

Nichiren Daishonin wrote “The Selection of the Time” (or similar works like “The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings”) while in exile on Sado. He described the era as one of conflict, where the Law had perished, with evil rulers and people slandering the correct Law. He noted that in such a time, his birth was a “misfortune of the time.” In the Daishonin’s era, everyone felt it was the “Evil Age of the Latter Day.” There was a pervasive despair that the world was ending “because it is the Latter Day.”

In contrast, the Daishonin rose up as the Buddha of the Latter Day, declaring that “because it is the Latter Day,” the most powerful Law must finally appear to benefit the people, and the time for the propagation of the Mystic Law is “now.” It is the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who choose this “time” called the Latter Day and take up the struggle not based on whether they can or cannot, but because it is necessary and because it is right. The deeper the darkness of the era’s crisis, the more one stands up, realizing it is the time for a powerful philosophy—like the sun—to arise and shatter despair. President Makiguchi did so. President Toda did so. We, too, stood up with determination. This is the Soka Gakkai. And the地涌の同志 (comrades who emerged from the earth) throughout Japan and the world have sown the seeds of peace in the hearts of the people and created the “Age of Humanism.”

The Sun of “Religion for People”

Twenty years ago, on January 17, 1995, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake occurred in Japan. So many people were lost, and immense damage was caused. I can never forget that suffering and shock. In the very midst of it, our members—based on the teaching that ” ‘Wonderful’ (Myo) means to revive”—desperately and earnestly encouraged one another and rose up like a phoenix. They caused the sun of “Religion for People,” the source of hope for living, to rise.

Immediately after the earthquake, our friend and the “Mother of the Human Rights Movement” in America, Rosa Parks, sent a message to the Young Women’s Division in Hyogo: “I believe that now is the time for you and your friends to summon your courage, stand up for the reconstruction of Kobe, and through that appearance, encourage the world.” She expressed her hope that the friends of the Young Women’s Division would sing “We Shall Overcome” with a new spirit in the face of this difficult challenge. Regarding that moment when Mrs. Parks stood up against racial discrimination and said “No!”, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pointed out that “she was there because of the Zeitgeist (spirit of the times).” At a major turning point of historical change, there is often a mysterious convergence and exquisite coordination between “people” and the “time.”

SGI’s Procession of Compassion Connecting the World

Dr. King observed: “Human progress is never rolled in on wheels of inevitability.” “Human progress” is brought about by the “tireless efforts” of people who are deeply aware of their mission. Conversely, “without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation.” Therefore, he concluded: “We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right.” The “time” for worldwide kosen-rufu certainly did not begin to move by simply sitting and waiting. The “time” was created by the friends of Soka who determined with their entire being that “the time to stand is now.” Just as the Daishonin stated, “due to the work of the time,” the time for the flourishing of the great Law had become full. And now, in various places throughout the world, compassionate Bodhisattvas of the mission—those who “emerged from the earth”—are appearing one after another.

The Underlying Strength of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to Overcome Hardships

Forty years ago, at the departure of the SGI, I concluded my speech like this: “Please spend your lives brilliantly as courageous disciples of the Daishonin and as compassionate disciples of the Daishonin, for the sake of your respective countries.” The countries and regions where SGI friends live—that is the real world itself. Everyone sincerely seeks peace and happiness. Also, everyone carries suffering and lives while struggling. Many are still tormented by the violence of division and animosity that toys with nations, societies, and ethnic groups. Even if a country looks wealthy, there are those suffering from discrimination and inequality.

In this real world, SGI members have prayed for the happiness of themselves and others and for world peace, bravely challenged their human revolution and the transformation of their karma, and spread flowers of trust and friendship. Some encountered Buddhism while wandering to escape war, and eventually returned to their homelands to run for kosen-rufu. In countries torn apart by conflict, there are comrades who maintain contact and form alliances of chanting Daimoku. Right where you are!—They have determinedly stood up alone, realizing that this is their mission and no one else’s. There are no limits for the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Members have plunged into any location and engaged with people in any circumstance. Like the scripture describing them as “clever at answering difficult questions… their minds are free from fear… they are firm in their minds of patience,” they have overcome walls of misunderstanding, insult, and social discrimination through dialogue based on courage, wisdom, and sincerity.

Our fellow members have also stood by friends who were in the depths of despair and grief, where words fail. Sometimes, the warmth of a hand or shared tears was the only dialogue. Yet, they never gave up hope. They believed that everyone possesses the underlying strength (sokojikara) to not be defeated by hardship, to repel adversity, and to turn destiny into mission. In the early days of the Soka Gakkai, people hurled insults like “a gathering of the poor and the sick.” However, President Toda took a higher view, saying, “Is not the religion that saves those suffering the most the truly powerful religion? Is that not the action of compassion?” O, the noble figure of those Bodhisattvas who never abandon a suffering friend and work for the happiness and victory of themselves and others! I am certain that in the actions of these Gakkai members, the spirit of “great and encompassing compassion” taught by the Daishonin is alive and vibrant. We have entered an era in which, for the first time in human history, ordinary citizens living in every region of the Earth can form a grassroots network. In his final years, the Russian literary giant and great global citizen Tolstoy noted: “Only an increase in love among human beings can change the current social structure.” “As far as I look at the development process of life in this world, what appears there is only the law of mutual aid. In short, history is nothing but a process in which this unique law of universal emphasis gradually manifests clearly.” These words resonate with the expansion of “compassion.”

Let Us Advance the Scrum of Soka People

How brightly society will change when the spirit of “compassion” permeates every corner of society and begins to pulse! Towards the “Age of Humanism” and the “Age of the Dignity of Life”—there is absolutely no doubt that the advancement of our scrum of Soka people will create and open that dawn. The actions of “great and encompassing compassion” by people awakened to their mission will surely change the life-state of humanity. And we will transform the world, which is like a burning house, into a world of peace and non-war, where people do not slaughter one another—that is our Soka prayer and the SGI’s mission. As long as there are suffering people, the struggle of the Soka Gakkai will never end. President Toda shouted, “I want to eliminate the word ‘misery’ from the face of the Earth.” Kosen-rufu is a struggle to remove humanity’s pain and spread “acts of compassion” throughout the world. It is an eternal challenge to continue sowing the seeds of peace and happiness. Our solidarity in the Soka Gakkai unites humanity with this spirit of “compassion.”

The “Year of Dynamic Progress in a New Era of Worldwide Kosen-rufu” marks the arrival of that “Spring of Hope.” The time has come for the solidarity of the life-force of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth to make great progress. Come, let us begin new actions of courage. While connecting the hearts of people who desire peace, let us leap forward with high spirits, using our local communities and our Earth as our stage.