[The Way of HBS]
How to practice, How to live
as a HBS Practitioner
Rev. Nisso Fukuoka
“Personal health exceeds wealth kept in storage.
A healthy soul is more important than personal wealth".
(Gokyoka)
Explanation:
Personal health is more important than having wealth or assets. More important than personal wealth is storing true wisdom.
Immortality of the Soul
“Why do human beings collect material goods?" A person who has experienced moving from one place to another undoubtedly has thought of disposing unwanted things during that time and couldn't because that would be wasteful to do so. However, they continue to complain that their home is cluttered with unusable things.
At the time of death, our body and soul will disappear from this present world and, simultaneously, all assets one has carefully collected are left behind.
What happens to our soul? “When burnt, it turns into ashes. When buried it turns into dirt, but the spirit lives on forever" (Gokyoka). Nissen Shonin, the founder of HBS, contended that all “actions" taken in this world, whether good or bad, are stored as seeds in the core of our soul known as the “Eight Consciousness" or the “Arayashiki" which will continue to exist even after our body has turned to dust. The seed will turn either into good or bad energy, and will flow as destiny into our future life based on our past behavior. Therefore, a healthy soul is more valuable than having wealth.
Merits gained by Meeting Good People
What can one do to gain “Health of Soul"? Gain true wisdom. True wisdom is not necessarily accumulating knowledge or acquiring highly academic records. Wisdom can be gained by meeting “respectable people who possess wisdom". The meaning of “learning" is to become a “clever imitator".
How can we meet persons who possess wisdom? You have already met such persons. They are the three Great Masters, Nichiren Shonin, Nichiryu Shonin and Nissen Shonin. They are the great teachers who teach us what true wisdom is. What can we learn from them? In this chapter, I would like to elaborate on Nichiren Shonin only.
Nichiren Shonin was a humble person
There are many people who have images of Nichiren Shonin as an exclusive, aggressive and complacent person. Unquestionably, he was adamantly opposed to authoritarianism of that period and a person who steadfastly stood by the Essential Section of the Lotus Sutra and refused to compromise with other Buddhist doctrines. However, after studying many letters, which Nichiren Shonin wrote to his disciples and practitioners, his character is completely contrary to the foregoing image. He was truly a humble and refined person. A renowned Japanese scholar, after much research as to who might be the most clever and smartest person to possess knowledge and refinement, disclosed that there was no other who can be compared to Nichiren Shonin.
Nichiren Shonin, after declaring Namumyohorengekyo for the first time at age 32 and until he entered Mount Minobu at age 52, spent most of the years spreading the teaching of the Lotus Sutra. During his exiled years, he was unable to keep on hand a record of his writings for references and cross—references. However, there are numerous passages, quotations, citations and compositions which were gathered from books and Buddhist doctrines from all over the county. Nichiren Shonin, who studied and researched this great number of Buddhist doctrines, recorded them in his head and so he was able to write passages and quotations from memory. He possessed great scholarship with an extreme intellect but he claimed himself to be “just an ordinary person". He said: “I am an ordinary person, who just believes in the Odaimoku, and is grateful for it".
Nichiren Shonin not only stipulated it, but he practiced it by spreading its teachings.
An ordinary person with little knowledge likes to brag about his intellect. Such people not only have a superiority complex, but also have a tendency to rank people by their positions in society and education. Nichiren Shonin, however, taught us that a person who chants the Odaimoku is a true wise person who can receive the wisdom of the Buddhas.
Nichiren Shonin stated he was a person in the first stage of the six stages of non—duality (Practices) (Rokusoku). The six stages are: (1) The stage at which one does not yet know the truth that all beings have the Buddha—nature. (2) The stage at which one understands that one has the Buddha—nature. (3) The stage at which one begins the practices. (4) The stage at which one has attained superior wisdom similar to the true wisdom of the Buddha (5) The stage in which one partially awakens to true wisdom and thus begins to realize the true Buddha—nature and (6) The final stage of enlightenment at which one completely realizes the Buddha—nature.
Nichiren Shonin stated that people Myojisoku should constantly chant the Odaimoku with joy and no matter how resourceful they maybe, they should remain in the level of the Myojisoku. His reasoning is that those people should absolve their body and mind to the merits of Buddhist enlightenment wrapped in the Odaimoku and to chant it with joy. These are the persons who can receive the wisdom of the Lotus Sutra.
