Material for Discussion Meetings (April)

Passage

The element ku in the word kudoku (benefit) means good fortune or happiness. It also refers to the merit achieved by wiping out evil, while the element toku or doku refers to the virtue one acquires by bringing about good. —The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 148

Background

In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Nichiren Daishonin explains important points from each chapter of the Lotus Sutra and reminds us that the heart of the sutra—and of our lives—is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

In this passage, he teaches the meaning of “benefits.” He explains that by practicing Buddhism, we can enjoy “good fortune” and “happiness.” 

But how do we experience this? By working to overcome negativity inside us and around us, and by bringing out our positive qualities. This is what he means by “wiping out evil” and “bringing about good.”

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—the greatest good—and share Buddhism with others, we can lift our life condition, bring out our Buddha nature and break through our struggles. 

From Ikeda Sensei’s The New Human Revolution

Shin’ichi Yamamoto (representing Ikeda Sensei in the novel) speaks about the benefits of chanting to the Gohonzon at the first Fukuyama Chapter meeting in Hiroshima, April 1961.

“Regarding the Gohonzon’s benefit (Jpn kudoku), [Nichiren] Daishonin says, ‘[The element ku] refers to the merit achieved by wiping out evil, while the element toku or doku refers to the virtue one acquires by bringing about good’ (OTT, 148). This means that the ‘benefit’ of our practice is eradicating the evil in our lives and cultivating good. In other words, while we speak of receiving benefit, it is not bestowed on us from without. It wells forth from within our own lives like water from a spring. Through the Buddhist principle of the oneness of life and its environment,^[1] we can also change our environment and ‘gather fortune from ten thousand miles away’ (“New Year’s Gosho,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1137). 

“Propagating the Mystic Law is an act that extinguishes evil and cultivates good in others’ lives. Our activities to teach people about Buddhism simultaneously open the path of benefit for them and for ourselves. This is the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin.” (The New Human Revolution, vol. 4, revised edition, pp. 105–06)

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What Do You Think? 

Making Causes In Every Moment

Life can feel like one thing after another happening to us—dilemmas, difficult people, repeated disappointments. Some might call it “karma,” referring to negative effects from past actions. But labeling our problems as karma doesn’t help us change them.

Nichiren Buddhism offers a radical perspective: Instead of seeing karma as an unalterable fate, we can discover the power in each moment to redirect our future. 

Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we tap into the deepest level of life, transforming our inner state and our behavior and, as a result, our circumstances.

Rethinking Cause and Effect

We often think cause and effect unfold separately—cause now, effect sometime later. Nichiren Buddhism, however, teaches that they occur at the same moment, simultaneously. A shift in our heart now contains the seed of a wonderful future, just as a small seed already holds the potential of a great tree.

Moving from fear to courage, from resignation to hope immediately influences our relationships, how we respond to opportunities and even our health. This is how we “turn poison into medicine” or hardships into fuel for growth: Once we decide and chant to make change, a new path forward begins to open before us.

Nichiren Daishonin often cites this sutra passage: 

If you want to understand the causes that existed in the past, look at the results as they are manifested in the present. And if you want to understand what results will be manifested in the future, look at the causes that exist in the present.^[2]

Instead of dwelling on the past or future, this teaching shifts the focus to “this moment.” We’re never really stuck. We shape the future we envision through the actions and determinations we make right now.

Breaking the Karmic Cycle

We all fall into patterns—same old mistakes, same troubled relationships, same bad habits. We can see karma, in a sense, as the track our life follows because of our repeated behavior.

But we can break this cycle right now. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is itself the strongest cause we can make. Instead of reacting with irritation, avoidance, self-doubt or other negative tendencies, we can readily summon our courage, compassion and wisdom. Taking part in SGI activities for our own and others’ happiness accelerates this inner shift. Even if we don’t see results immediately, change is already underway. 

Ikeda Sensei encourages us: 

The past is the past and the future is the future. Keep moving forward with a steady eye on the future, telling yourselves: “I’ll start from today!” “I’ll start fresh from now, from this moment!” This is the essence of Nichiren Buddhism, the Buddhism of true cause, the spirit to start from the present moment.^[3]

Practically, it means deciding that—even if yesterday was a mess—this moment becomes a fresh starting point for taking a new direction. 

From Wishing to Doing

People who begin practicing Nichiren Buddhism often describe a shift from fear to confidence, from hesitation to action. Chanting summons the wisdom and life force to act.

Sensei says: “No banner of victory adorns a life of inaction. No banner of happiness will fly where faith is not accompanied by action.”^[4]

Happiness doesn’t happen by accident. Our goals come to fruition when we chant, make clear determinations and take steps toward our growth and to support the happiness of others. 

At a time when many people feel stuck or hopeless, we can help them set their lives on a new course. Let’s not hesitate to share our experiences of joyful transformation.

From the April 2026 Living Buddhism