Gongyo—which includes reciting portions of the “Expedient Means” and “Life Span of the Thus Come One” chapters of the Lotus Sutra morning and evening—is part of daily practice for Nichiren Buddhists. This series carries Ikeda Sensei’s explanations of gongyo. This section, part of the prose section of the “Life Span” chapter, is no longer recited during our morning and evening prayers. However, we have included it here for its invaluable content. The full text can be found in The Heart of the Lotus Sutra, pp. 181–87.
Ji ju ze rai. Ga jo zai shi. Shaba sekai. Seppo kyoke. Yaku o yosho. Hyaku sen man noku. Nayuta. Asogi koku. Dori shujo.
Literal translation: Ever since then I have been constantly in this saha world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting. And elsewhere I have led and benefited living beings in hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of nayutas and asamkhyas of lands. (The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 266)
Ikeda Sensei:
When we embrace the Mystic Law, we open up within ourselves the great life of beginningless time. Then we ordinary people can manifest our true identity as champions with a mission to dedicate our lives to the people’s liberation while calmly enduring the difficulties of the saha world.
The way of life of a courageous Bodhisattva of the Earth lies in diving headlong into the most difficult situations, embracing those experiencing the greatest suffering, talking to and protecting friends. Through it all, we create a revolution of hope—a revolution toward the understanding that the saha world is itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. When we lead such a way of life, our spirit shines. …
By immersing ourselves in the reality of the saha world to help those suffering, while manifesting the original life of the universe within our own being through our daily gongyo and daimoku, we actualize the principle of the saha world is itself the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. When we awaken to the supremely noble original life within ourselves, then the impure world of reality filled with suffering and fate turns into a pure land overflowing with joy and mission.
The True Heritage of Buddhism Lies in the Spirit to Transform the Land for the Better
Buddhism is certainly
not a religion that encourages people to aim solely for personal enlightenment, secluding themselves away from others and society in mountains and forests. Nor is it a religion that urges people to give up on the present and place all their hopes in the promise of happiness after death. …
It must be said that the pure land, in terms of its original meaning in Buddhism, is alive and well only in the ideals and practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching of “establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land.” The true heritage of Buddhism is found in the spirit to transform for the better the actual land in which we live.
Second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda once said: “We must make this saha world of ours a place of tranquility and peace. Atomic weapons must not fly, and bombs must not rain down from airplanes. There must be no killing of people or death by starvation in the world where we are spreading the Mystic Law.”
In gongyo, we offer prayers for world peace and for the happiness of all living beings. Every day, we listen to the worries of friends and exert ourselves in our practice for kosen-rufu. Truly this is the noble practice for purifying the land of the Buddha.
SGI members carry out their bodhisattva practice as emissaries of the Buddha. Let us make our communities, our countries and the entire world shine brightly as the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light.
When you advance with this determination, you are, in the words of the sutra, “in this saha world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting.”
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