Category Archives: Higan

Higan, perfections

Six Perfections: Energy in Ethics

This is the fifth day of Paramita Week

The role of energy in ethics can be highlighted by reflecting on ways in which we might fall short in life. There are two basic ways in which it is possible for a person to fail ethically. The most obvious of these is to act unjustly, to commit crimes against one’s society and oneself, to be a negative, destructive force. But another way is to fail in the positive, failing to live constructively on behalf of oneself and others. This second failure signals a deficiency of energy, a lack of constructive striving toward something worthwhile. Failing in this sense, people may never commit a crime against others or do anything explicitly wrong; their failure consists of not generating the energy of constructive life, thus failing to live a life in keeping with their capacity.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 146
Higan

Fall 2022 Higan

This is the fourth day of Paramita Week, the Fall Equinox. Below is the September 2017 lecture by Ven. Kenjo Igarashi.

As Buddhists, we observe several religious customs throughout the year, many of which involve praying for our ancestors. Most recently, we had the Obon (お盆) service in August, followed by the upcoming Ohigan (お彼岸) service in the fall. While there may be many meanings and reasons behind observing these Buddhist traditions, there are two that I would like to focus on in this article. They include (1) acknowledging life’s impermanence and most importantly, (2) reflecting on the importance of our Buddhist practice.

(1) Recognizing Life’s Transience
There are certain Buddhist customs, including those mentioned above, that remind me of the notion of shogyo mujo (諸行無常), or in English, “the impermanence of worldly things”. I first learned this concept in college when training to become a priest. We are made aware of this impermanence in our daily lives, ranging from daily tasks that we do (e.g. watering plants to prevent them from wilting) to happenings that we hear about from others that are beyond our control (e.g. the unexpected deaths we hear about on the news). However, it is often funerals and memorial services that amplify this notion of impermanence. They evoke a stronger sentiment because of our direct connection to the deceased. It also forces us to face and acknowledge that life on this earth, including our own, is transient.

Throughout my approximate 50-year career as a minister, I have always reflected on this notion of impermanence as a way to help me understand death as a sad, but unavoidable end to the course of one’s life. However, no matter how many funerals I have attended or conducted, it remains one of the most difficult tasks that I must do as a priest.

(2) The Importance of One’s Buddhist Practice
As previously mentioned, many Buddhist customs focus on expressing gratitude and remembering those that have passed. However, some people tend to focus too much on this idea. In fact, many spend little or no time understanding the significance that these traditions play in furthering a person’s Buddhist practice and faith.

Many of Nichiren Shonin’s writings include letters he wrote to his followers who expressed their individual concerns about reaching Enlightenment. As many of you know, in Buddhism we believe that the deceased goes on a 49-day journey after their death, where they will reflect on their lifetime of memories. They will be reminded of the most joyous moments of their life, as well as some of the difficult times. Nichiren Shonin knew of the hardships that one might face throughout this journey, as explained in a letter to one of his followers:

“I, Nichiren, am the world’s utmost devotee of the Lotus Sutra. If you pass away after me, remember that there are many trials that you must undergo (throughout your 49-day journey). Pass each trial by declaring in front of the judge that you are the follower of Nichiren, the world’s utmost devotee of the Lotus Sutra. When you must cross the fast ripples of the deep river, the Lotus Sutra will become your boat. When you must climb the treacherous mountains, it will become your vehicle. And when you must travel along a dark road, it will become that glimmer of light in the darkness. I, Nichiren, will promise to wait for you at the entrance to the Northeast gate to Enlightenment, so that you do not lose your way.”

Nichiren Shonin provides positive reassurance in his letter thus far. Yet his tone changes in the subsequent lines, informing the individual of consequences that could result from lack of Buddhist practice and faith. He continues:

“However, I must warn you of the importance of having faith (in the Lotus Sutra). An individual lacking piety should not expect to receive help upon claiming to be Nichiren’s follower. They will enter into the suffering world as quickly as the large rock that tumbles down the cliff, and the raindrops that fall from the sky and hit the earth.”

Nichiren Shonin’s statement directly relates to the teachings in Chapter 6 of the Lotus Sutra. It states that while everyone has the potential to become the Buddha, whether or not the individual achieves enlightenment depends on his or her level of commitment to practicing Buddhism. The hope is that they do not just rely on praying during services at the temple, but also make an effort to individually practice Buddhism in their daily lives.

Since an individual’s life is transient, we have a limited time (i.e. our individual lifespan) in which we can practice our faith in this world. I am hoping that many of you will try to incorporate both of these ideas as you continue to practice and find ways to deepen your faith in Buddhism.

Ven. Kenjo Igarashi
September 2017

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Six Perfections: Resilience in the Face of Suffering

This is the third day of Paramita Week

Perhaps the most widely recognized Buddhist phrase is the first noble truth, the Buddha’s initial assertion that “life is suffering.” This claim has prompted a great deal of critical questioning, even rejection of Buddhism, on the grounds that its negative assessment of human life fails to emphasize human happiness and the joy of life. But this response is based on a misunderstanding, a misreading of the way suffering is positioned in Buddhist thinking. The mistake is understandable, though, given the stark form that this pronouncement takes: “Life is suffering.” Without working through the meanings of the Sanskrit suffering – the reasonable tack taken in introductory books on Buddhism – let us simply rephrase the first noble truth in order to get on with the point behind this first meaning of the perfection of tolerance. Suffering in human life is unavoidable; life always entails periods of suffering. All human beings, no matter how privileged their circumstances, will encounter hardship – we will all get sick, we will all injure ourselves, we will all encounter disappointment, we will all face obstacles, we will all feel the pain of depression, and at some point, we will all confront our own death.

Although every one of us knows that, we nevertheless hide from its truth; we wish otherwise, hope otherwise, and invariably become disillusioned when we encounter pain in spite of our best efforts at avoidance. The Buddhist first noble truth is a frank, startling call to awaken from this avoidance and to face the truth of suffering directly and wisely. As the Buddhist teachings unfold around the first truth, we recognize that, far from a passive rejection of happiness in preference for despair, the teachings demonstrate enormous insight into the human situation by outlining paths of action for overcoming the destructive impact of human suffering. Buddhist teachings begin with a stark warning: Life does entail suffering and, unless you face that fact thoughtfully and courageously, your own habits of response to it may deepen the impact or negative effects of suffering, pushing you toward diminished forms of life.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 95-96
Higan, perfections

Six Perfections: The Morality of Compassion

This is the second day of Paramita Week

Buddhists have recognized that all of us begin the cultivation of morality from within whatever quality of self-understanding we happen to have. That means, of course, that our initial motives for moral action will be predominantly self-centered. But as moral practice matures and the accompanying mental transformation progresses, practitioners gradually recognize how the perfection of morality is grounded in compassion and sincere concern for others.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 60
Higan, perfections

Six Perfections: The Generosity of Bodhicitta

This is the first day of Paramita Week

All practices of giving take place in view of an ideal, a mental model of admirable beings who demonstrate what a life of generosity would be like. Buddhists call this mental model the “thought of enlightenment” (bodhicitta). In the most general sense, this is an initial idea, hope, or sense that superior forms of human life are possible and that “I” can gradually transform myself toward these freer forms of life. As soon as this ideal is firmly in mind to the point that it begins to influence and change what one desires, then the discipline is already under way. To begin the process, one works toward habituating oneself in the performance of certain actions, both mental and physical. Images of the goal – generosity at the most mature level imaginable – serve to provide reasons to act and motivation to undergo the discipline of practice.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 31-32
Higan

Fall 2022 Paramita Week

Higan is a seven-day period that happens three days before and three days after the Spring and Fall Equinox. During this period Buddhists are asked to consciously reflect upon themselves and their deeds in relation to the Six Paramitas, the perfections in behavior that make up the Bodhisattva practice. The three days before the Equinox and the three days after focus on each of these perfections. On the day of the Equinox, which this fall is Sept. 22, a ceremony his held honoring one’s ancestors and loved ones who have passed away.

The Sanskrit word traditionally translated as “perfection” is pāramitā. This is an ancient word whose origins are obscure. On one account, pāramitā derives from pāram, meaning “the other side” plus the past participle itā, meaning “gone.” From this perspective, something is perfected when it has “gone to the other side,” that is, when it has fully transcended what it would be in ordinary lives. Others, however, link pāramitā to the term pārama, which means “excellent,” or “supreme,” such that something is perfected when it arrives at the state of excellence or supremacy. But whatever its etymology, the word pāramitā soon became a technical term in Buddhist ethics naming the dimensions of human character that are most important in the state of enlightenment.

Six Perfections: Buddhism & the Cultivation of Character, p 6
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Six Perfections: Wisdom

The right way of seeing things and the power of discerning the true aspect of all things is wisdom—the last of the Six Perfections. … [Wisdom is the ability both to discern the differences among all things and to see the truth common to them. In short, wisdom is the ability to realize that anybody can become a buddha. The Buddha’s teachings stress that we cannot discern all things in the world correctly until we are completely endowed with the ability to know both distinction and equality.]

We cannot save others without having wisdom. Let us suppose that there is an impoverished young man lying by the road. And suppose that we feel pity for him and give him some money without reflecting on the consequences. What if he is mildly addicted to some drug? He will grab the money given to him and use it to buy drugs. In this way he may become seriously, even hopelessly, addicted. If we had handed him over to the police instead of giving him money, he would have been sent to a hospital and could start life over again. This is the kind of error we may commit in performing donation without wisdom. Though this is an extreme case, similar cases on a smaller scale occur all the time. Thus, even though we may do something useful for others or practice good conduct in order to save them, none of our mercy or kindness is effective unless we have true wisdom. Far from being effective, our mercy may have a harmful effect. Therefore wisdom is an absolutely indispensable condition in practicing the bodhisattva-way.

Buddhism for Today, p38
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Six Perfections: Meditation

The fifth of the Six Perfections is meditation, dhyāna in Sanskrit and zenjō in Japanese. Zen means “a quiet mind” or “an unbending spirit,” and jō indicates the state of having a calm, unagitated mind. It is important for us not only to devote ourselves to the practice of the Buddha’s teachings but also to view things thoroughly with a calm mind and to think them over well. Then we can see the true aspect of all things and discover the right way to cope with them.

Buddhism for Today, p38
Higan, b4today

Six Perfections: Assiduity

The fourth of the Six Perfections is assiduity. This means to proceed straight toward an important target without being distracted by trivial things. We cannot say we are assiduous when our ideas and conduct are impure, even if we devote ourselves to the study and practice of the Buddha’s teachings. Even when we devote ourselves to study and practice, we sometimes do not meet with good results or may even obtain adverse effects, or we may be hindered in our religious practice by others. But such matters are like waves rippling on the surface of the ocean; they are only phantoms, which will disappear when the wind dies down. Therefore, once we have determined to practice the bodhisattva-way, we should advance single-mindedly toward our destination without turning aside. This is assiduity.

Buddhism for Today, p37-38
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800 Years: The Journey to the Other Shore

Today, March 20, 2022, is the Spring Equinox. Three days before today and three days after Nichiren Buddhist practitioners consider the Six Paramitas and assess how well they have approached each perfection. In the middle of this seven-day practice, Nichiren churches pay homage to ancestors and loved ones who have passed away.

This week is called Higan, which translates literally as arriving at the other shore. For purposes of my 800 Years of Faith project, I want to use this opportunity to consider how practice and study make it possible to advance once we have our initial moment of faith.

The essential nature of practice is well illustrated by Nikkyō Niwano’s discussion of Buddhist fundamentals in Buddhism for Today:

“[Śākyamuni taught three truths]: ‘All things are impermanent’ (Shogyō mujō), ‘Nothing has an ego’ (Shohō muga), and ‘Nirvana is quiescence’ (nehan jakujō). These three great truths are also called the Seal of the Three Laws (sambō-in). They are so important that they are said to be the three fundamental principles of Buddhism.

“However, an ordinary person cannot easily realize these three great truths. In order to do so, it is necessary for him to practice them and endeavor to achieve them in his daily life: he must practice the bodhisattva way with his mind, his body, and his actions. This means that he must devote himself to the practice of the doctrines of the Eightfold Path (hasshō-dō) and the Six Perfections (roku-haramitsu).

Buddhism for Today, p26-27

The need for study is underscored by the common misinterpretation of “Nirvana is quiescence.” As Nikkyō Niwano explains:

“[The law that nirvana is quiescence] has been misunderstood because of misconstruing the word “nirvana.” Many people think nirvana is synonymous with death. The words “Śākyamuni Buddha entered nirvana” are ordinarily used to refer to the death of the Buddha. For this reason the law “Nirvana is quiescence” has been understood to refer to a paradise like the Pure Land of Amitābha Buddha, which in Pure Land Buddhism is believed to be our ideal destination after death.

“The Sanskrit word nirvāṇa has the negative meaning of ‘extinction’ or ‘annihilation.’ Therefore this word also means the state in which one’s body dies or disappears. At the same time, nirvana means the state reached by extinguishing all illusions, and this is the sense in which it is used in the teachings of the Buddha. In the true sense of the word, nirvana means the state attained by completely destroying all illusions and of never being tempted by them in the future. Therefore the words ‘Śākyamuni Buddha entered nirvana’ mean not his death but the enlightenment attained by him.

“The law ‘Nirvana is quiescence’ teaches us that we can completely extinguish all the sufferings of human life and obtain peace and quietude when we destroy all illusions. How can we reach this state? The only way is to realize the two laws ‘All things are impermanent’ and ‘Nothing has an ego.’ ”

Buddhism for Today, p32

With practice and study, faith will surely grow.

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