I’m dedicating 2023 to gratitude. The idea came to me last year after attending a Chicago Rissho Kōsei-kai talk led by Kyohei Kevin Mikawa.
Expecting a discussion of the Lotus Sutra, I instead found myself reading aloud from a Rissho Kōsei-kai magazine article written by a member in Oklahoma. His was a story of woe not unlike many “experiences” I heard over the years when I was a member of Soka Gakkai. What struck a chord in me, however, was the “lesson” taken from this personal history of abandonment and neglect: gratitude – gratitude for meeting the Lotus Sutra; gratitude for the promise embodied in Namu Myoho Renge Kyo.
I don’t recall the exact words Kyohei Mikawa used, but he explained that in our journey to become a Buddha all of these trials and tribulations become the celebrated obstacles and hardships we overcame on our way to enlightenment. Hearing this, I was reminded of the songs warriors sing after great battles. This adversity we face today is the stuff of legends tomorrow.
Yesterday I concluded my 800 Years of Faith project with a lengthy quote from Ryusho Jeffus Shonin. Today and daily through Feb. 24, I’ll be publishing quotes from Ryusho’s book, Important Matters, which features quotes from Shute Hoyo Shiki, the manual used to train Nichiren Shu priests. Here’s an example that plays into my theme of gratitude:
Important Matters, p 27-28The Shute Hoyo Shiki says:
“Our own bowing and the Buddhas who are bowed to are all originally within one mind in which there is no bowing and no one to receive it. Although there is no bowing and no one to receive it there is certainly the response of the Buddhas and the receptivity of the ordinary people.”
Shute Hoyo Shiki – Udana-in Nichiki, page 391
For me, bowing when there is no bowing means that all my life is both an expression of gratitude and an attempt to repay the favors I have received. Bowing when there is no one to bow to means that, when I succeed in living according to the principle that all beings possess Buddha nature, then even if people do not seem to respond, their lives are forever impacted and the Buddha within them bows. Their receptivity is not dependent upon their knowledge or awareness; the Buddha is always receptive. The one mind of self always abiding in the Lotus Sutra is far reaching and encompassing. The one mind abiding in the Lotus Sutra speaks to the one mind of every being in the universe and so the universe abides in us and bows to us.
Gratitude, of course, is not a Buddhist concept. The beneficial effects of a grateful attitude are widely cited in many fields. But gratitude is an important element of our Buddhist practice.
Nichiren wrote early on in his Essay on Gratitude:
What is the best way for Buddhists to express their gratitude for the unfathomable kindness that they have received? The way is by mastering Buddhism completely and being sagacious. How can anyone guide blind persons across a bridge, if he himself is blind? How can a captain, who does not know the direction of the wind, sail his ship to transport many merchants to a mountain of treasure?
Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Second Edition, Doctrine 3, Page 1
Bishop Shokai Kanai explains in “Phrase A Day“:
Most people see Nichiren’s vigorous actions which have appeared externally, but they do not try to see his religious point which has come from within his inner self.
For Nichiren Daishonin, “Ho-on” or gratitude was the nucleus of his religion. “Ho-on” means to show appreciation that you are living because of others. Any society is formed with each individual depending on others, so that we must show appreciation of all people. But if the appreciation is referred to only in our daily living, it is not real gratitude, or “Ho-on”.
According to Nichiren Daishonin, the real gratitude is to lead all people to the faith in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, which was revealed by the Buddha Śākyamuni.
Nichiren might have received all sorts of earthly kindness from many people. But he never tried to return their kindness with worldly matters. Rather, in order to have real salvation for them, Daishonin preached Buddha’s teachings by sacrificing his own life. He cast away all attachments, even his own life. Daishonin’s four major persecutions and many other minor persecutions proved his willingness to sacrifice his own life. We, as his followers, should not be afraid of any obstacles to living in truth; then, we will be given power to overcome such obstacles.
Gratitude is a recurring theme in the Daily Dharma lessons distributed by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. The Daily Dharma published Dec. 10, 2022, offers this:
When we who are living in this latter age of Degeneration keep and practice this [Lotus] Sūtra, we change the focus of our own existence. We lose our dependence on the things we thought we needed to make us happy, and thus learn to appreciate them for what they are. We set aside our fear of losing these things and gain the courage to handle situations we previously thought were impossible. We stop focusing on what we need to live and find gratitude for what sustains our lives.
Our gratitude should be boundless. That’s my goal for 2023.