Appreciation of the Qualities of Others

The Justice Chronicle, provided by Soka Gakkai International-USA, is a free monthly e-mail in support of the Soka Spirit movement. Soka Spirit is the SGI's educational effort to create value and deepen our understanding of Nichiren Buddhism through increased awareness of issues surrounding the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood and the spiritual foundation of the SGI movement.

1) FROM THE WISDOM OF THE LOTUS SUTRA

This excerpt is from SGI President Ikeda's collection of dialogues with Katsuji Saito, Takanori Endo and Haruo Suda entitled The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra. The following excerpt is from volume 3, part 2, on the Devadatta chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Devadatta was a follower of Shakyamuni, thought to be his half-brother, who started his own order.

BY FIGHTING EVIL AROUND US WE ERADICATE IT WITHIN OUR LIVES

Ikeda: Second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda often said that Devadatta represented male jealousy. He would often point out that while jealousy is usually associated with women, it is not uncommon in men, in whom it may take a particularly virulent form.

Jealousy, instead of leading to appreciation of the greatness or outstanding qualities of others, impels us to try to find fault with, injure or somehow drag the other person down. That is its fearful power. But the net effect of jealousy is to injure and drag oneself down. The Greek philosopher Antisthenes said, As iron is eaten away by rust, so are the envious consumed by their own passion.

Saito: It seems to me that the state of Japan today is no different than when Nichiren Daishonin wrote, The men of Japan are like Devadatta (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 963-64). In a country ruled by jealousy, people cannot respect greatness and they regard tripping others up through underhanded means as natural behavior. It's truly a sad situation.

Ikeda: Devadatta saw only that Shakyamuni was widely respected; he did not attempt to understand Shakyamuni's heart. Shakyamuni, unbeknownst to others, must have agonized day and night over the question of how to lead people to happiness and make them aware of the treasure of their own lives. How he must have struggled to gain self-mastery! What continuous and painstaking efforts he must have made! But Devadatta did not try to understand Shakyamuni's difficult ordeal.

Why couldn't he see this? Most likely it's because he had given up his own internal struggle. If we perceive our inner evil but neglect efforts to conquer it, then our lives are instantaneously stained with evil. In that sense, a good person is someone who struggles against evil. It is by fighting the evil around us that we eradicate evil within our lives and so purify them. That is the path of human revolution.

Saito: Perceiving inner evil -- this brings us to the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life. The extreme evil that Devadatta represents, dwelling in the world of Hell, exists even in the life of the Buddha, a being of the utmost goodness. That's because of the mutual possession of the Ten Worlds and three thousand realms in a single moment of life.

Ikeda: Exactly. In that sense, the Lotus Sutra's doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life is the ultimate philosophy of self-reflection. It is a philosophy of equality that does not permit anyone the arrogance to claim special nobility or status. It is a philosophy of the sanctity of all life.

According to three thousand realms in a single moment of life, even a supremely benevolent being such as the Buddha possesses the nature of evil, and even a great villain like Devadatta possesses the Buddha nature. On this premise, the paths of good and evil diverge greatly, going in completely opposite directions; the path we take depends on whether we continue struggling against evil. This is in fact the key to understanding the Devadatta chapter. In conclusion, a spirit of resolute struggle against evil runs throughout the chapter. (pp. 76-77)

Five in a series.

2) FROM MY DEAR FRIENDS IN AMERICA

This series contains excerpts of speeches SGI President Ikeda made in the United Statesÿ which relate to Soka Spirit and are contained in the book My Dear Friends in America.

This excerpt is from a speech given on Jan. 29, 1995, in Honolulu.

FROM A DEPENDENT LIFE TO A CONTRIBUTIVE ONE

First Soka Gakkai president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi categorized the life of human beings into three different types: 1) a dependent life, 2) a self-reliant life and 3) a contributive life.

Without going into a lot of detail, a dependent life is one in which we have no firm sense of purpose or mission, always being swayed by the opinions of others -- a life, if you like, where we have no self-identity.

Many religions have demanded blind faith, taking away people¡s independence. President Makiguchi opposed such enslavement. What he called for instead was the solidarity of awakened common people. To achieve this, he proposed a self-reliant way of life in which we advance on the path of our choice with firm, independent character. He also stressed a contributive way of life in which we set our fundamental goal in life toward the realization of happiness for ourselves and others, casting aside arrogance and self-satisfaction to respect and benefit others. As each of us develops and elevates our life from a state of dependence to self-reliance and then to contribution to others, he maintained, we will be able to manifest our full splendor as human beings in everything we do.

The SGI is a noble organization of humanism, of people who live such a contributive life. Basing ourselves on the supreme Law of life, we dedicate ourselves untiringly for the happiness of humanity, the prosperity of society, the flourishing of culture and the realization of world peace.

Dr. N. Radhakrishnan, honorary president of the Bharat Soka Gakkai, the SGI organization in India, has traveled all the way to Hawaii to attend the culture festival and my lecture. I would like to introduce an Indian maxim that he shared with me: Earthworms, detesting the sunlight, stretch themselves to their full length just before the sun rises in an attempt to threaten and intimidate it. But they are actually powerless to do anything. Those who are attacking the SGI, he said, are like these earthworms. No matter how they may try to oppress us, the SGI is like the morning sun. He voiced his confidence that the SGI¡s justice will shine brilliantly in the end.

The true nature of Nichiren Shoshu has been clearly revealed for all to see. Let us powerfully illuminate the world with the rising sun of hope for the twenty-first century. (pp. 377-79)

Twenty-seven in a series.