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 Repetition Without End
Nichiko Niwano, President of Rissho Kosei-kai
Learning the Teachings
It is said that Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, preached
his teachings every day without fail from the time he became
enlightened until shortly before his death. Those teachings are
supposed to have been very numerous and are called “the
84,000 teachings” to convey that. According to the ability of
each of his listeners to understand, Shakyamuni taught that all
living beings are equally children of the Buddha, and as such are
all part of the One Great Life, interconnected, working together,
and forever flowing and changing. Various sufferings occur in
our lives, but following our encounter with the Buddha’s
teachings, we can realize the precious value of our own lives.
That realization of our own intrinsic worth in turn makes us
realize that others are equally worthy and that by respecting
each other, we are enabled to overcome our suffering.
One of the basic religious practices in Rissho Kosei-kai is
learning the Buddha’s teachings. This means to correctly
understand the teachings, consider how they can be applied in
our daily lives, and repeat this process again and again. That is
how we make the teachings our own. When we realize that
everyone is a child of the Buddha and part of the One Great Life,
we cannot help but want to share this with other people and wish
to live in peace with them. That is how we awaken to the vow of
Shakyamuni, and thus we could say that learning the teachings
is to follow the example of Shakyamuni. The kanji character shu
in shugaku (to learn) conveys the image of a chick practicing
flapping its wings and thus soon able to fly like its parents. Gaku
conveys awareness of the speech and conduct of respected
persons and wanting to follow their example.
Always Reflecting on Ourselves
The kanji character shu is a cognate of the Japanese words
meaning to accustom or become accustomed to. By repeating
something again and again, we accustom ourselves to it, and it
becomes easier to do what once seemed difficult. That is the basic
meaning of “learning.”
When we are studying something, we have the feeling then
that we are understanding it. However, since at that very moment
and in the following moments all things are changing, including
ourselves and our situations, so to always work diligently at
learning the teachings is how we should seek the Way and
advance spiritually. None of us is perfect. Although we absorb the
teachings, we sometimes still get angry, look with envy at others,
and feel dejected when we fail unexpectedly. Even so, at just such
times we should reflect on ourselves according to the teachings
and ask ourselves, “Is this really all right?” Isn’t it in never failing
to take such steps that we ensure our faith?
The three basic practices are chanting the Lotus Sutra;
guiding someone new to the faith, sharing the teachings with
other members, and participating in hoza sessions; and
continuing our learning of the teachings. By repeating them, let
us devote ourselves to bodhisattva practice so as to fulfill
Shakyamuni’s vow to achieve the happiness of all people.
Read past Guidance messages from President Niwano. |
