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| Translated and edited by Udumbara Foundation staff. |
| This is NOT an official site of the Nichiren Shoshu Shoshin-kai |
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| THOUGHTS By Reverend Raidou Hirota 2004 |
| The "Rissho Ankoku Ron" says, if you oppose True Buddhism you will have disharmony with your parents, brothers, sisters and relatives. In the Latter Day there will be illness and trouble with the economy, and anyone who tries to fix the problems will be unsuccessful. These troubles will be widespread, occurring everywhere. Doctors will try to cure diseases, but can't. They will try to treat wounds that never heal. There will be more sickness than can be cured. Wars will breakout. People will fall into the four lower worlds. Even if you are fortunate to be born human, you and your country will be embroiled in wars. You, yourself, will learn how to kill. That's the kind of life you'll have. This teaching, expounded by Nichiren Daishonin, was based on the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. What is happening today is exactly as Shakyamuni taught. If human beings view the world as strong versus weak, rich versus poor, big versus small, and feel that these distinctions are important in their lives, then society will be confused and eventually our civilization will collapse. |
| Nichiren Daishonin said that we cannot eliminate our desires. But we must realize how foolish we are if we think, "I am the best," "Stronger is better," etc. such thoughts add to the confusion. That's why we must practice Namu-myoho-renge-kyo and have strong faith. In the "Rissho Ankoku Ron" Nichiren Daishonin appealed to the Kamakura government, warning that if the nation continued to worship the wrong religious, there would be disease and pestilence, other countries would invade Japan, natural disasters such as earthquakes would occur again and again and there would be irregularities in the heavens. Of course, long ago the Japanese believed that comets were a bad omen, and were frightened when they occurred. Nowadays, science has proven that illness, earthquakes, comets and the like are natural occurrence and not a result of religious belief. Scientists ridicule people who are afraid of scientifically proven phenomena. Nevertheless, Nichiren Daishonin pointed out hundreds of years ago that human life and the environment are interrelated. Yet to scientists, an earthquake is an earthquake, a comet is a comet, and sickness is sickness. Each are separate and independent of each other. Just because you chant, there is no immediate possibility of having a world free of war, disasters and hardship. But if each of us who believes and practices true Buddhism were to stop practicing, society would worsen. |
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| Lighning over Monument Valley |
| ON DISHARMONY IN THE WORLD |
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