The Selection of the Time Part 1.1

President Toda, and his direct disciple and successor, Ikeda Sensei, were united in their determination to take personal responsibility for kosen-rufu. Never flinching even in the face of a very challenging reality, these great mentors were distinguished in their optimism about the future and their joy to be practicing alongside ordinary people in extraordinary times. 

I sense in that optimism, a spirit they inherited from Nichiren Daishonin, whose letters to his followers, called the Gosho, were replete with such warm encouragement as:

The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith. Doesn’t a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? (“A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 33)

The Soka Gakkai’s emergence and astonishing growth were made possible by the tremendous efforts of the founding mentors of Soka. At the same time, there was the mystic element of the time of our movement’s development—it “emerged from the earth” exactly 700 years after Nichiren first chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

Buddhism teaches that our lives unfold through the “mystic communion” or interaction between the causes we make in each moment and the circumstances we are in. Every morning and evening during gongyo, we recite the ”ten factors of life,” including internal cause and external relation.

 Our circumstances matter, but they don’t determine our future. The Daishonin and the mentors of Soka repeatedly emphasized that our happiness comes about from the combination of our karma and our choices—our determination to transform our karma and the actions we take to make that happen.

Sensei discusses the relationship between time and our actions in explaining the opening of the “Expedient Means” chapter of the Lotus Sutra: 

And so the time became ripe. Shakyamuni finally broke his long silence and began to expound the Lotus Sutra—the ultimate teaching that enables all living beings to attain Buddhahood. This is the meaning of “At that time,” which begins the “Expedient Means” chapter.

In other words, it indicates the time when a Buddha stands up to guide people to enlightenment and the time when the disciples have established a single-minded seeking spirit for the Buddha’s teaching. It signifies a profound concordance of the disciples’ hearts with the mentor’s heart. This scene opens the grand drama of mentor and disciple, who dedicate themselves to the happiness of humankind. (The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, p. 24)

The time becomes significant only when people recognize their mission to stand up and work for the happiness of all people. 

As the national leadership team, we strongly feel that, at this crucial moment in our country’s history, and indeed the history of the world, now, more than ever is the time for us to stand together to advance kosen-rufu. 

It is a time to boldly and joyfully share our Buddhist practice with one person after another. 

For that reason, we felt it most appropriate to embark on a fresh advance with the study of Nichiren’s writing “The Selection of the Time.” We are convinced that heartfelt prayers, heartfelt action, coupled with sincere study of this profound writing, will propel our precious community forward at this crucial juncture.

Starting with the October Living Buddhism and carrying us into the first part of next year, we will study Sensei’s lecture on this Gosho, divided into easily digestible installments. 

We look forward to studying this monumental lecture together and, through our own actions, make this a truly significant time for kosen-rufu. 

Sincerely,
Adin Strauss
SGI-USA General Director 

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The Time for Worldwide Kosen-rufu, for World Peace

This lecture was originally published as part of “The Teachings for Victory” series in the January through June 2011 Living Buddhism. Part 1 will be continued in the November issue. 

My mentor, second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda, stood up alone in the confusion of postwar Japan to rebuild the Soka Gakkai. He spoke out passionately for the cause of kosen-rufu, and his words continue to resound in my heart to this very day. He cried out: 

I don’t want to see the people plunged into even greater misery than they have already experienced during the war. 

• • •

The people of the Latter Day are steeped in suffering. … Who is going to save and help this troubled world?

• • •

Now is the time for kosen-rufu! 

Whenever Mr. Toda came across a report of conflict in some part of the world or of a disaster in Japan or elsewhere, he grieved over the painful plight of those affected. And he would renew his resolve to propagate the Mystic Law so that such suffering might never recur. He genuinely wished with all his heart to eradicate misery from the face of this Earth and remained committed to this goal to the end of his life. To me, this has always epitomized the spirit of a genuine leader of the Soka Gakkai. 

“How can I help those who are suffering and living in abject misery right in front of me?” “If I don’t take action now, when will I?” Sensing the time had come, Mr. Toda courageously embarked on taking personal leadership for kosen-rufu. He declared: “The fundamental reason for the Daishonin’s appearance in this world was to help people throughout Japan—no, throughout Asia and indeed around the globe—become happy through the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” 

Buddhism always takes into account the time, because it is concerned with the welfare of those who are living at the present moment. Starting with this installment, we will turn our attention to Nichiren Daishonin’s well-known treatise on this subject, “The Selection of the Time.” The title has important significance for Nichiren Buddhism, because “selecting the time” means correctly selecting the Latter Day as the time for the widespread propagation of the Mystic Law—that is, the time for kosen-rufu. 

Born in the Latter Day of the Law, Nichiren was alive at just the right time. As someone who deeply recognized the importance and significance attaching to this time period in terms of Buddhism, he unerringly selected the most appropriate teaching for the Latter Day and began propagating it to free people of the present age from suffering. 

The right time for propagation, the right person to initiate the propagation and the right teaching for propagation—when these three vital elements of time, person and the Law are in place, the way for relieving people from suffering on the most fundamental level will open.  

During his day—a period coinciding with the start of the Latter Day, an age that the sutras describe as rife with conflict or with quarrels and disputes—Nichiren chose as the teaching most suited to this time the great Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is implicit in “Life Span,” the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra and represents the essence of this sutra. 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the seed of Buddhahood; it is the cause by which all Buddhas attain enlightenment. When we dispel the clouds of darkness or ignorance enveloping our lives by means of the “sharp sword” of faith in the Mystic Law, our lives will be illuminated by the light of the Mystic Law and instantly come to manifest the “dignified attributes that we inherently possess” (see “The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 832). In other words, we can tap the infinite power of the Mystic Law within our lives and reveal our innate Buddhahood. Simultaneously obtaining the true cause and true effect of Buddhahood in our lives through the power of faith is the working of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.^[1]

When we awaken to the equal and impartial Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we come to feel a deep connection to others, and as more people share this kind of kinship, it will bring humanity closer together. We also gain the strength to triumph over the tumultuous times of the Latter Day and create peace and happiness. The key is for each of us to manifest in our lives the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the fundamental Law of enlightenment. This is the purpose of our efforts for kosen-rufu. Further, through our continuous efforts to spread the correct teaching, we can overcome the crisis of the decline of the Law—a situation in which “quarrels and disputes prevail, and the pure Law is obscured and lost” (“On Practicing the Buddha’s Teaching,” WND-1, 391). 

Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who initiated this struggle at the start of this evil age. “The Selection of the Time” details his valiant efforts to propagate the Mystic Law as the votary of the Lotus Sutra. In a specific sense, therefore, this writing can be viewed as proclaiming the identity of the teacher who correctly selects the time—the correct teacher of Buddhism who leads all people to enlightenment in the Latter Day of the Law. 

Moreover, the Latter Day continues into the eternal future. Especially, in this writing, the Daishonin states that “great struggles and disputes such as have never been known in the past” (WND-1, 542) will unfold throughout the world. “Great struggles and disputes” matching this prediction certainly arose during the 20th century, which has been dubbed the “century of war.” Amid this turmoil, the Soka Gakkai emerged. 

Founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi died in prison for his beliefs, refusing to compromise when persecuted by the Japanese military regime that instigated one of the most horrific wars of the 20th century. This is the source of the Soka Gakkai’s vital inheritance of Nichiren Buddhism as a teaching for realizing peace. 

What is the best way to spread the Daishonin’s teaching in the world today, and how can we truly make it shine as a philosophy contributing to the peace and welfare of all humanity? Herein lies the mission and challenge of the Soka Gakkai, which appeared at this most timely juncture in the present age. 

I myself have devoted constant thought to how we should propagate this humanistic teaching for the sake of people’s happiness and world peace and have translated my ideas into action. Above all, for these past 50 years, I have taken full responsibility for kosen-rufu and striven earnestly to convey Nichiren’s spirit to the world. In doing so, I have always paid close attention to the time, and also chosen the most appropriate time to take action, just as taught in this writing.  

As a disciple of Josei Toda and a human being, I have worked tirelessly for a world without war and overcome countless obstacles to bring people and nations closer together and build bridges of peace through trust and friendship. Through my example, I have sought to demonstrate to the youth who will carry on in my footsteps that, by understanding the time and taking action that accords with that time, and also by pooling the power of ordinary people everywhere, we can definitely accomplish a lasting legacy of creating peace. 

It is now time for the Soka Gakkai to further consolidate the already sound foundation it has established for kosen-rufu in Japan and around the world. This year 2010—a year of many important anniversaries for the Soka Gakkai—marks a brilliant milestone in the annals of kosen-rufu. At this auspicious time in our history, I hope you’ll join me in studying “The Selection of the Time” to reaffirm just how significant it is that the time of worldwide kosen-rufu predicted by Nichiren has arrived in the present age. Let’s also continue to do our utmost to create the right time for furthering kosen-rufu. 

I will now begin my lecture, with the hope that it may be a source of courage and inspiration as you pursue your goals with a lofty sense of pride and mission as people who have gathered together at this momentous time to dedicate your lives to the cause of kosen-rufu. 

• • •

‘Selecting the Time’—Choosing the Right Time 

When it comes to studying the teachings of Buddhism, one must first learn to understand the time. (WND-1, 538)

In this opening passage, Nichiren Daishonin highlights the importance of the time, which is the main theme of this writing. 

He composed “The Selection of the Time” in 1275 at the age of 53, while residing at Mount Minobu. It is thought to have been entrusted to a believer named Yui who lived in Nishiyama in Suruga Province (present-day central Shizuoka Prefecture).^[2]

In October 1274, the previous year, Mongol forces had attacked Japan. This was the calamity of foreign invasion that Nichiren had predicted in his treatise of 1260, “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land.” He thus wrote “The Selection of the Time” in an environment where a second Mongol invasion seemed inevitable and the entire country was in a state of panic and consternation. 

In this writing, Nichiren clarifies how, functioning as the world’s foremost sage or person of wisdom, he stood up alone in this defiled age rife with war and conflict to proclaim the great pure Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. He explains that he has waged a selfless struggle to avert the danger of the correct teaching of Buddhism perishing in the Latter Day, and to create the time for worldwide kosen-rufu in order to lead all people to enlightenment. And he concludes by calling on his disciples to continue this struggle into the future. This is the main message of “The Selection of the Time.” 

At the beginning of this writing, he states that if one wishes to study Buddhism, “one must first learn to understand the time” (WND-1, 538). He thus makes it clear that the first imperative for a Buddhist is to gain an insight into the time. In the context of this writing, the “time” specifically means the time for expounding the Law. 

Nichiren goes on to explain that the Buddha Great Universal Wisdom Excellence (a Buddha of the past),^[3] Shakyamuni Buddha (a Buddha of the present), Bodhisattva Maitreya (a Buddha of the future)^[4] and others did not expound the Law in the period during which they were waiting for the right time to come; they only did so after discerning and selecting the proper time (see WND-1, 538). 

Therefore, even when Buddhas are asked to preach the Law, they refrain from doing so until the right time arrives. They do not preach the teaching for attaining Buddhahood before then, even if people of outstanding capacity to comprehend it are present. On the other hand, once the appropriate time comes, they freely expound this teaching even to those deemed to have inferior capacity for understanding. 

Based on this, Nichiren confirms that the main criterion for Shakyamuni commencing to preach the ultimate Law for attaining enlightenment was not whether people had developed a sufficient capacity to understand it, but whether the time to preach it had in fact arrived. These observations by Nichiren in this writing amounted to a direct repudiation of the generally accepted stance of Buddhist schools of the day that people’s capacity was more important than the time. 

That doesn’t mean, of course, that the Daishonin completely disregarded people’s capacity. As is clear from the letters he addressed to individual followers, he put great thought and care into conveying his message in a way that would resonate with the capacity of each recipient. 

But a far more important consideration was the fact that the Latter Day of the Law is the time when it is necessary to keep proclaiming the correct teaching in order to lead all people to enlightenment, irrespective of their capacity or the opposition such efforts might arouse. Because Nichiren was deeply aware of this, he placed the utmost importance on the time. In this writing, he discusses this factor of time at length. 

• • •

The Teaching for the Time of the Latter Day

But when Shakyamuni Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra to the gathering on Eagle Peak, the great king Ajatashatru,^[5] who had been the most unfilial person in the entire land of Jambudvipa [the entire world],^[6] was allowed to sit among the listeners. Devadatta,^[7] who had spent his whole life slandering the Law, was told that in the future he would become the Thus Come One Heavenly King, and the dragon king’s daughter,^[8] though impeded by the five obstacles,^[9] became a Buddha without changing her reptilian form. Those predestined for the realms of voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones were told that they would in fact become Buddhas, like scorched seeds that unexpectedly sprout and put forth flowers and fruit. The Buddha revealed that he had attained enlightenment countless kalpas in the past, which puzzled his listeners as greatly as if he had asserted that an old man of a hundred was the son of a man of twenty-five. ^[10] And he also expounded the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life,^[11] explaining that the nine worlds have the potential for Buddhahood and that Buddhahood retains the nine worlds.

Thus a single word of this Lotus Sutra [is] a wish-granting jewel,^[12] and a single phrase is the seed of all Buddhas. We may leave aside the question of whether Shakyamuni’s listeners at that point possessed the capacity to understand such doctrines or not. The fact is that the time had come for him to preach them. As the sutra says, “Now is the very time when I must decisively preach the great vehicle.”^[13] (WND-1, 539)

At the place where he first gained enlightenment under the bodhi tree and subsequently expounded the provisional Flower Garland Sutra,^[14] Shakyamuni did not reveal the ultimate teaching for attaining Buddhahood, even though great bodhisattvas of superior capacity had gathered around him (see WND-1, 538). At the assembly on Eagle Peak where he preached the Lotus Sutra, however, he expounded this supreme teaching even to people previously dismissed as having inferior capacity. These included King Ajatashatru, who was guilty of the most unfilial conduct; Devadatta, who had spent a good part of his life slandering the Law; the dragon king’s daughter, a female in non-human, reptile form; and persons of the two vehicles (the voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones), who had been condemned as forever incapable of attaining Buddhahood (see WND-1, 539). 

Indeed, Shakyamuni went on to clarify the potential for enlightenment of evil people, women, persons of the two vehicles and other beings of the nine worlds. He further revealed that he had actually attained enlightenment not in this lifetime but in the remote past. And he explains that, despite his identity as an eternal Buddha, he repeatedly appears in the saha world^[15] as a being of the nine worlds and engages in bodhisattva practice. 

These teachings all embody the principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds—the life states from hell through Buddhahood.^[16] Since this principle represents the true teaching for attaining Buddhahood, the question of people’s capacity is essentially irrelevant when it comes to gaining enlightenment. 

In this portion of “The Selection of the Time,” Nichiren Daishonin notes: “He [Shakyamuni Buddha] also expounded the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, explaining that the nine worlds^[17] have the potential for Buddhahood and that Buddhahood retains the nine worlds” (WND-1, 539). The nine worlds having the potential for Buddhahood and Buddhahood retaining the nine worlds is simply another way of expressing the principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds. Even deluded beings in the nine worlds from hell through bodhisattva are endowed with the enlightened world of Buddhahood; and the world of Buddhahood similarly contains the nine worlds. In short, Buddhahood and the nine worlds do not exist separately, but each of the Ten Worlds contains within it all of the other nine worlds.

The Lotus Sutra in its entirety proclaims the truth of this wondrous principle of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds. When we embrace this teaching of the Lotus Sutra, our innate Buddhahood wells forth through the power of our faith. Hence, Nichiren compares a single word of the sutra to “a wish-granting jewel,” and likens a single phrase to “the seed of all Buddhas” (WND-1, 539). 

A wish-granting jewel, as the name implies, is a precious jewel that has the power to manifest anything one desires. It symbolizes the beneficial power of the Mystic Law of three thousand realms in a single moment of life.^[18] And because each word or phrase of the Lotus Sutra is the jewel of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, it is the “seed,” or cause, for the enlightenment of all Buddhas.  

The provisional sutras expounded prior to the Lotus Sutra do not reveal the doctrines of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms in a single moment of life. As such, they provide no way to bridge the chasm between the nine worlds and the world of Buddhahood. Even if they have a limited power to help certain beings of the nine worlds enhance their capacity for understanding the Buddha’s teaching, these provisional sutras do not constitute a universal “seed” or cause for attaining enlightenment. 

Why was it, then, that Shakyamuni only revealed the Law for attaining Buddhahood—
elucidating the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms in a single moment of life—for the first time in the Lotus Sutra? The Daishonin says that this development had nothing to do with whether Shakyamuni’s listeners “possessed the capacity to understand such doctrines or not,” but was entirely because “the time had come for him to preach them” (WND-1, 539). In other words, it wasn’t so much that the Buddha now decided to preach the Law because he had successfully cultivated the capacity of his followers to a level where they were ready for his ultimate teaching, but, rather, because he clearly perceived that the right time had come for him to expound the Law in accordance with his own enlightenment, regardless of others’ capacity. 

From the October 2026 Living Buddhism