Before I leave Chapter 19 and the purification of the six sense organs of the teacher of the dharma, I want to linger over the mental transformation that comes from our progression in faith.

In “Dannotsu Bō Gohenji, Response to a Follower,” Nichiren writes:

“Please remember that the service to your lord itself is practicing the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Interpreting the scriptural statement in the Lotus Sūtra (“The Merits of the Teacher of the Dharma” chapter), Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, therefore, states in his Great Concentration and Insight, “All the activities and daily work of the people in the secular world do not contradict the truth preached by the Buddha.” Please contemplate the spirit of this scriptural statement again and again.”

Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 131

This is the transformation of the mind of faith. As explained in the Introduction to the Lotus Sutra:

“[Among] the teachings of the purification of the six sense-organs, especially important are the words in the section on purification of the mind: ‘When they expound the scriptures of non-Buddhists, or give advice to the government, or teach ways to earn a livelihood, they will always be in accord with the right teachings of the Buddha.’ ‘To give advice to the government’ means to enter into the realm of politics and administration. ‘To teach ways to earn a livelihood’ refers to the realms of industry, economics, and our daily work. Theories of politics and economics belong to the ever-changing secular world. Buddhism, on the other hand, belongs to the eternal world, which lies beneath the transitory. Buddhist teachings and the common law (social rules) are distinct. … However, in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, the Dharma cannot ignore the rules of society. On the contrary, the Dharma (truth) is the basis for social rules. Human society cannot function properly, even in politics or economics, unless it is in accord with the basic law of the universe. This law is what is meant by Dharma.”

Or as Thich Nhat Hanh offers in Peaceful Action, Open Heart:

“Having received this great merit, with our mind faculty transformed, any thought we have, any concept we entertain – all have the flavor of the Buddhadharma. Even though we may not yet have realized perfect wisdom or put an end to all our mental afflictions, with a purified mind faculty every thought, every calculation, every deduction, every word we speak is in accord with the Buddhadharma. There is nothing we teach that is not the truth, and the value of what we teach is equivalent to that of the Dharma taught by all the Buddhas in the sutras. The far-reaching merit of the Lotus Sutra transforms all those who hear it, understand it, accept it in faith, and practice it into teachers of Dharma who share their insight and joy with others in order to help them realize the truth of the ultimate dimension and cross to the shore of freedom.”

Peaceful Action, Open Heart, p126

---

Table of Contents Next Essay