Gosho Passage 6
Your face bears definite signs of a hot temper. But you should know that the heavenly gods will not protect a short-tempered person, however important they may think he or she is. If you should be killed, even though you might attain Buddhahood, your enemies would be delighted, but we would feel only grief. This would indeed be regrettable.
Lecture: Faith Is a Battle Against One’s Own Fundamental Ignorance
“You are certain to show signs of a short temper on your face.” “Short-tempered” (hara-ashiki) denotes an impatient, irritable disposition. Whether Kingo’s face naturally looked severe or appeared stern due to ongoing strain, this remark cuts to the heart of Kingo’s personality.
Kingo was uncompromising, righteous, and passionate. Yet such a nature can sometimes backfire. To Kingo, the Daishonin declares: “The heavenly gods will not protect someone who is hot-tempered.”
Personality itself creates no barrier to attaining Buddhahood. Illuminated by the Mystic Law, any personality can shine, and utilizing each unique disposition enables kosen-rufu to advance harmoniously.
However, the Daishonin spoke strictly here to shatter Kingo’s fundamental ignorance. Ignorance generates dark impulses and bad habits. Everyone faces personal challenges in human revolution. Confronting one’s fundamental weakness and striving to grow is crucial. In making continuous efforts to advance lies the growth of faith and the expansion of one’s life state.
A mentor may reprimand a disciple strictly out of deep care and the desire to see them develop, as well as to shatter the negativity lurking within their life.
In this instance, Kingo’s temperament carried a high risk of worsening the situation. When strong righteousness leads one to overlook consideration for others, friction arises, creating gaps for negative forces to exploit.
If Kingo were harmed due to resentment, his enemies would rejoice, while fellow practitioners would lament. The Daishonin taught that Kingo’s victory was not his alone, but was intimately tied to the victory of all disciples, urging him to exercise utmost vigilance to ensure his safety.