Nichiren Shonin recognized that the eternal life of the Buddha was of crucial importance. Therefore, he taught that we do not need to be born into a pure land after death so that we can come into the presence of the Buddha and thereby awaken to the truth. According to Nichiren Shonin, the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra reveals that we are already in the pure land. We are already in the presence of the Buddha. We are able to directly realize Buddhahood through our faith, because it is already a part of our lives.
Lotus SeedsQuotes
Social Action
There is one final element that deserves mention because it is so easy to overlook. Though not a part of our ritual practice, it is very important that we, as Buddhists, express the virtue of generosity in our lives. Donation to a Buddhist does not mean only the giving of money, but sharing our time and compassion. Therefore, social action should be an important part of our lives. This can mean many different things – Buddhism does not impose political or social beliefs upon its practitioners. However, whether it is working to feed the hungry, supporting disarmament, or whatever cause suits our personal beliefs within the context of Buddhist ethics, we should reach out to our communities and give our time and energy to make the world a better place. This is, after all, the goal of Buddhism – making this world the Buddha’s Pure Land and easing the suffering of all sentient begins.
Awakening to the LotusPleasures and Pain
Impermanence is not itself suffering. Human beings suffer because they fail to realize that all things change. Desiring constancy, they think their hopes are betrayed when they fail to find stability in a world that cannot offer it. For the person whose outlook and desires are mistaken, impermanence causes suffering. In the Buddhist’s long-term view, the inconstant condition of all mortals is suffering because all transient pleasures must pass into pain.
Basic Buddhist Concepts
Developing A Capacity for Compassion and Wisdom
Because the Buddha’s life and heart exist without regard to time and space, his capacity for compassion and wisdom are equally as endless. We humans often have small hearts and lives and perhaps cannot imagine ever having as great a capacity for compassion and wisdom as the Buddha. We may never be able to conceive of living without hate, jealousy or anger. Through our connection with the Buddha, however, we can develop such a capacity for compassion and wisdom as well as connection with all living beings.
Buddha Seed: Understanding the OdaimokuThe Great Mirror of Enlightenment
The Mandala, in fact, is a great mirror of enlightenment, in which all things and all phenomena are simultaneously reflected. If a man sits in front of this mirror, and views his own body reflected therein, he will find his body at once transformed into that of the Buddha of Original Enlightenment, and discover in his body the source from which all things and all phenomena in the external world have taken their rise.
Doctrines of Nichiren (1893)With Joy
We can be as the Tathagatas and show our friends many examples of how with our Buddhist practice we can repair and become happy in the triple world. Let us renew our efforts to practice with joy, live with joy, and interact with joy. Lets all manifest and bring into reality the Buddha land in our lives.
Lotus Path: Practicing the Lotus Sutra Volume 1The Universal Nexus Binding All Beings
When a deed or work is performed with the intention and pious desire of dedicating it to the soul of a certain person, its efficacy will establish a closer communion between the dedicator and the objective. If the soul to whom it is dedicated is travelling in the inferior resorts of transmigration, the piety and virtue of the dedication will help it along its way towards a better resort and finally to Buddhahood. If it has already attained a certain height of spiritual enlightenment, the dedicator himself will be led up more closely to the realm of bliss. Since the connection between the two is not merely based on their relationship during earthly existence but is in fact a partial manifestation of the universal nexus binding all beings, the dedication may, nay must, at the same time be directed to all fellow beings and the merit thereof will be participated in by them all.
History of Japanese ReligionA Seed We Plant in Our Lives
It should be clear that the Odaimoku is more than simply the title of the Lotus Sutra. Neither is chanting the Odaimoku viewed by Nichiren Buddhism as merely a concentration device or a mantra practiced for accruing benefits. It is an expression of the practitioner’s faith and joy in the Buddha’s teaching contained in the Lotus Sutra, the teaching that buddhahood is not only a potential within all our lives but an active presence leading us to awakening in this very moment. The Odaimoku is like a seed that we plant within our lives. Continuing to chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo as our essential daily practice, we nurture that seed so that ultimately the wisdom and compassion of buddhahood can bloom within us and within all beings.
Lotus World: An Illustrated Guide to the GohonzonThe Power of Odaimoku
When you face difficulties, the Odaimoku will lead you to a path to overcome these difficulties. When you have many troubles, it will lead you to a path to show what the cause of your suffering is. And when your life is being threatened, it will lead you to a secure place unconsciously. Also, the Lotus Sutra has a mystical power to save deceased spirits. At a funeral or memorial service, Odaimoku chanted by attendees transfers their rewards to the deceased spirits, making them calm and peaceful.
Spring WritingsAn Ever-Increasing Treasure
Ultimately the goal for practitioners of Buddhism is enlightenment, and in the Lotus Sutra we are told that enlightenment is one that is equal to that of all Buddhas. In a sense our goal of enlightenment is also an ever-increasing treasure. As we develop and mature in our practice we are able to see that enlightenment is an ever unfolding and evolving objective. It isn’t that the end point changes, instead it is that we are able to see ever expanding possibilities, we are able to imagine greater growth as we actually begin to grow. When we begin we cannot possibly understand the degree to which our life is capable of expanding.
Lecture on the Lotus Sutra