| Q & A JAPAN DIASTER By Reverend Raido Hirota |
| This is NOT an official site of the Nichiren Shoshu Shoshin-kai |
| Translated and edited by Udumbara Foundation staff. |
Question:
The gosho "On Attaining Buddhahood (Issho Jobutsu Sho)" it says, if the
minds of the people are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are
pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves.
The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds." In the wake of the
devastating earthquake and tsunami, have the Taisekiji priesthood reevaluated
their position?
Answer:
Since I’m not them, I don’t know what they are thinking or what they have
learned in the midst of this major disaster. In the Lotus Sutra, it is written that
in the time of Mappo (“The Age of Dharma Decline”), the world would fall
into disorder.
Due to the sins of wrong teachings, not only the world but also nature would
be in disorder. Nichiren Daishonin pleaded this to the world in the “Rissho
Ankoku Ron”, but Nichiren Daishonin is not happy about the world going into
disarray, or proud that his prediction came true. Rather, he is pleading with us
to take this as a wake-up call, and to awaken to the true teachings of Namu-
Myoho-renge-kyo.
By the way, this is not the fault of Mappo or slander. If the world’s disorder
weren’t taken as a wake-up call, and if there were nobody who woke up to
the true faith after that, then it would be evidence that we, the communicators
of the Buddha’s teachings, didn’t perform our mission or carry out our
responsibilities well.
The number of people who were killed or are missing due to the earthquake
and tsunami on March 11th reached well over 20,000 as of March 25th. As a
believer of Namu-Myoho-renge-kyo, I regret the lack of ability to pursue the
mission and responsibilities. From now on, I’m going to send out the message
even more than before. A believer has to think of what they can do as a
believer first.
The gosho "On Attaining Buddhahood (Issho Jobutsu Sho)" it says, if the
minds of the people are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are
pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves.
The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds." In the wake of the
devastating earthquake and tsunami, have the Taisekiji priesthood reevaluated
their position?
Answer:
Since I’m not them, I don’t know what they are thinking or what they have
learned in the midst of this major disaster. In the Lotus Sutra, it is written that
in the time of Mappo (“The Age of Dharma Decline”), the world would fall
into disorder.
Due to the sins of wrong teachings, not only the world but also nature would
be in disorder. Nichiren Daishonin pleaded this to the world in the “Rissho
Ankoku Ron”, but Nichiren Daishonin is not happy about the world going into
disarray, or proud that his prediction came true. Rather, he is pleading with us
to take this as a wake-up call, and to awaken to the true teachings of Namu-
Myoho-renge-kyo.
By the way, this is not the fault of Mappo or slander. If the world’s disorder
weren’t taken as a wake-up call, and if there were nobody who woke up to
the true faith after that, then it would be evidence that we, the communicators
of the Buddha’s teachings, didn’t perform our mission or carry out our
responsibilities well.
The number of people who were killed or are missing due to the earthquake
and tsunami on March 11th reached well over 20,000 as of March 25th. As a
believer of Namu-Myoho-renge-kyo, I regret the lack of ability to pursue the
mission and responsibilities. From now on, I’m going to send out the message
even more than before. A believer has to think of what they can do as a
believer first.
| We chant continuously for a full recovery as soon as possible. |