Autumn Writings is the third volume of essays by Kanto Tuskamoto Shonin, the founder of Enkyoji Buddhist Network. Rev. Kanjin Cederman Shonin writes in the Forward:
“The most powerful reason that I wish to share these lectures with everyone is because of their simplicity and the easy-to-grasp explanations that Tsukamoto Sensei uses to share many very profound teachings.”
I’ve previously published quotes from Spring Writings and Summer Writings, and I will be publishing several quotes from Autumn Writings that relate to faith in the coming weeks.
What I want to do now is consider Rev. Tsukamoto’s guidance on the third jewel, the Sangha.
“At a Conversion Ceremony we, as Buddhists, vow to devote ourselves to the Three Treasures. Are you still devoted to the Three Treasures now? People who consider themselves Buddhists may have no problem with two of the Treasures – Buddha and Dharma. How about the third one, the Sangha/Temple? Actually, Sangha is very difficult. While the first two Treasures are to assist you in prayer and understanding, the third one, Sangha, is not only for prayer and understanding, but you also have to show your faith through your practical behavior and your commitment to the Sangha voluntarily.” [page 44]
For Rev. Tsukamoto, faith can’t exist without the sangha.
“If you were to lose your Sangha/Temple, what would happen to your faith? Some say, ‘I will continue my faith by myself’ or ‘I am okay because I do Gongyō every day on my own.’ However, it is not easy to maintain the Faith by yourself without the Sangha, because a Nichiren Shū Sangha/Temple is the best place to develop and practice your faith. This influence will appear in your Gongyō or prayer. If you continue to perform Gongyō alone every day, naturally you will fall into a habit of doing everything your own way. This will materialize in your chanting pronunciation and service manner. What is worse is that there will be no specialist like a Minister to correct what is wrong. You will not notice the errors by yourself and therefore will continue to do everything improperly and think that your way is correct.” [page 45]
In today’s interconnected world, I would argue that there is no place outside the sangha of believers. For me, Sanghas are like Italian restaurants. Each has its own flavor and focus, dictated by the chef’s tastes. We have an opportunity to find our sangha anywhere or everywhere in the world. Our task is to find the one we enjoy the most.
I do, however, agree with Rev. Tsukamoto’s point about Gohonzons and sangha membership:
“I often wonder why there are so many people who want to have a ‘Gohonzon,’ but no one wants a Sangha/Temple. This is very strange. Sangha/Temple should be a ‘top priority’ over a private Gohonzon because the Temple is ‘Kaidan’ – the precept dais – it is the only place able to offer a Gohonzon. Therefore, if you don’t have a Temple, you cannot receive a private Gohonzon.” [page 47]
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