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FEATURE
DEBBIE RIPLEY
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Faith, practice and study –
the foundation of happiness
Robert Harrap looks at these three crucial aspects of Nichiren Buddhism
I
n ‘The True Aspect of all Phenomena’, Nichiren
Daishonin writes:
Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study.
Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism.
You must not only persevere yourself; you must also
teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith.
Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is
only a single sentence or phrase. (WND-1, p. 386)
From this passage, we can see that Nichiren Daishonin
is explaining that there are three aspects to Buddhist
practice: faith, practice and study. This article will look
at each of these three aspects in turn.
Faith
In the reference books, ‘faith’ is often defined as
‘faith in the Gohonzon’. In previous articles, we have
seen that the Gohonzon is the object which Nichiren
Daishonin inscribed so that his followers would have a
reminder in their homes of the life-state of Buddhahood
that exists in every person’s life. Nichiren Daishonin
calls the Gohonzon ‘the object of devotion for observing
the mind’ and in an important writing1 he confirms that
observing the mind means to recognise that we have
all the Ten Worlds in our lives, including the world of
Buddhahood. ‘Faith’ therefore is to recognise that each
of us is responsible for our own life-condition. If we are
unhappy in our lives, we can change our life-condition
by taking responsibility for our reaction to whatever is
happening in our lives at the time and raising our lifecondition, and even reveal the life-state of Buddhahood
which is inherent in our lives.
When I was growing up, because my parents were
Christians I would be taken to church by my family.
There, during the services, I heard this same word
‘faith’ being talked about but it was being used in a very
different way. Faith was in God, the creator, and the allpowerful force in the universe, according to the Anglican
tradition. Faith was externally directed towards God, and
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Practice
Practice includes the chanting we do ourselves to reveal
our own Buddhahood, as well as the support we give
other people on their own journey of faith.
On an individual level, practice refers to our twice daily
rhythm of morning and evening gongyo2 and chanting
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. It is our opportunity to make a
reality out of the ideas discussed above in relation to
‘faith’. If faith means having confidence that we have
Buddhahood in our lives, then ‘practice’ is what we do
in order to make that life-condition manifest in our lives.
The way we chant then is very important.
Earlier I mentioned that our prayer is not a request
but a determination. Having made a determination, it
is important to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the
confidence that there will be a change in that direction.
In any one moment, we can be either the Buddha or
an ordinary person. A common mortal may doubt that
a determination will become a reality, but the Buddha
has no doubt that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will make a
difference. Our challenge is to chant like the Buddha
with confidence to achieve our determinations, rather
than as a common mortal who cannot imagine the
desired change coming about, or, even, that we do
not deserve to have that change occur in our lives.
This feeling from a place of low self-esteem is a
manifestation of delusion, not enlightenment.
Chanting, then, is what we call ‘practice for oneself’
and encouraging others to reveal their Buddhahood is
called ‘practice for others’. There are different aspects
Chanting, then, is what we
call ‘practice for oneself’ and
encouraging others to reveal their
Buddhahood is called ‘practice
for others’
to this, whether it is telling someone about Buddhism,
or playing a part in a discussion meeting or supporting
an activity in one way or other to help it run smoothly.
Practice for others is a way of putting the life-condition
of ‘bodhisattva’ or compassionate behaviour into action.
Sometimes we hear the word ‘shakubuku’ to refer to
introducing someone to Buddhism. This word implies
some sort of a ‘fight’, but the fight refers not to how
we interact with other people but rather a struggle with
our own negativity, whether it is shyness, or a feeling
we don’t know enough about Buddhism to share our
practice with others, or some other aspect of negativity.
Nichiren Daishonin reassures us that it doesn’t matter
that we are not experts in Buddhism, when he tells us
that we may ‘teach others to the best of our ability, even
if just a single sentence or phrase.’ After all, what is
persuasive is not the demonstration of how much we
know about Buddhism, but rather that it is impacting
on our state of happiness and our attitude to the
challenges in life.
Study
Nichiren Daishonin encouraged us to study so that we
will understand what is happening to us as we undergo
the process of moving our lives in the direction we have
chosen. An earlier article [in October 2015] refers to
the inevitable negativity which will invariably emerge as
we draw out our Buddhahood with the determination to
bring happiness to ourselves and others. This negativity
would be a great shock if we were not expecting it but
because we have studied Nichiren Daishonin’s letters
and encouragement, we can be prepared for it, and then
respond in the way Nichiren recommends when he says
‘the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat.’ (WND1, p. 637)
In the SGI, there are three main sources of study
material: the Lotus Sutra which forms the basis of
1 cf. Nichiren Daishonin, ‘The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind’ (WND-1,
p. 354).
2 Gongyo: literally ‘assiduous practice’. The twice daily recitation of extracts from
the Lotus Sutra.
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prayer, too, was a request, a supplication or a plea to
this external force.
Later, when I met Buddhism, these same words,
‘faith’ and ‘prayer’ would be used, but in a completely
different way: faith as a Buddhist means belief in my
inner potential, and prayer is not externally directed, but
about drawing out that inner potential. It’s true that we
look at something outside of ourselves when we chant –
the Gohonzon is an object which we place in a cabinet,
but we are not praying to it in the hope that it will solve
our problems for us. Rather we are chanting with the
Gohonzon so that we can draw out our highest potential
and then take action to achieve our goals. If we think
the Gohonzon is some sort of amulet which is capable
of magical powers, then we will quickly be disappointed.
Our prayer is not a request but something much more
powerful: it is a determination. It is not a request from a
position of weakness, but an expression of strength; our
prayer is a determination. Prayer does not mean asking
the Gohonzon to sort things out for us; instead it is a
statement of ‘This is what I am going to do’ or ‘This is
how things are going to be different’.
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FEATURE
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Nichiren Buddhism, the writings of Nichiren Daishonin
(and other texts from his lifetime such as The Record of
the Orally Transmitted Teachings) and then the guidance
and encouragement from SGI President Daisaku Ikeda.
These three sources span the history of Buddhism: the
Lotus Sutra is the great Mahayana Buddhist teaching
which is our link back to Shakyamuni Buddha and
which introduces principles of equality and respect; the
writings of Nichiren Daishonin clarify why Nam-myohorenge-kyo is the teaching for ordinary people to reveal
their greatest potential; and President Ikeda’s works
show the examples of the three founding presidents
of the Soka Gakkai and how Nichiren Buddhism can
transform our lives and the world around us.
Writing in an essay about the aims and purpose of
Buddhist study, and particularly mentioning how valuable
it is to ‘engrave’ lines from the Daishonin’s writings in
our memory, President Ikeda has written:
Through Buddhist study, it is important that we gain
a deeper sense of joy and conviction in the greatness
of the Daishonin’s Buddhism; that we develop a
more profound attitude towards morning and evening
gongyo and chanting daimoku; that we are able to
recall the Daishonin’s teachings and summon forth
invincible courage when we encounter problems or
difficulties; and that we come to advance with pride
and confidence, knowing that we possess a noble
mission to strive for kosen-rufu in unity with our fellow
members.3
My own experience is that there are some lines from
Nichiren Daishonin’s writings which I have been able
to absorb into my life. When I have found myself in
difficult situations the words have bubbled up through
layers of consciousness, which have felt like receiving
guidance directly from the Daishonin. One example is a
sentence which President Ikeda once dedicated to the
men’s division: ‘Now, no matter what, strive in faith and
be known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra and remain my
disciple for the rest of your life.’ (WND-1, p. 385)
Another is one of the passages where Nichiren
Daishonin encourages us to chant from the perspective
that we are already revealing our Buddhahood: ‘You,
yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally
enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You
should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction.’
(WND-1, pp. 299-300) Even if we can’t remember the
exact words, it is worth trying to remember the spirit of
what Nichiren Daishonin wrote all those centuries ago,
because it is still so relevant for us today.
President Ikeda continued in the same essay
mentioned previously:
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The purpose of Buddhist study is so that we can
develop into truly exemplary practitioners of the
Daishonin’s Buddhism, courageous champions of faith
and practice. We must never err on this point. Mr Toda
said that there were two kinds of Buddhist study – one
that delved into the teachings academically and the
other that explored the teachings through faith. United
by the deep bonds of mentor and disciple, Mr Toda
and I waged all our struggles for kosen-rufu based on
Buddhist study that explored the teachings through
faith. That is why the Soka Gakkai has triumphed.
Through studying the Daishonin’s teachings while
actively exerting themselves in efforts to advance
kosen-rufu, our members have achieved one brilliant
victory after another.4
This confirms that study should not be dry and
theoretical but needs to be something that can help us
to be able to transform our lives.
Supporting other people
We have seen that practice has two aspects: for oneself
and for others. In fact, faith and study also can be
seen as having the same aspects. In terms of faith, if
it means that we develop the confidence that our own
lives have the wonderful potential of the Buddha state
then it should also mean that we have the belief that
other people’s lives have that same wonderful potential.
It could not be that only some people have all the Ten
Worlds (including Buddhahood) but that others have only
a few of them.
Similarly, study has two aspects. Clearly, as we read
or learn about Buddhist principles, we benefit from this
knowledge ourselves and we are also then in a position
to share what we have learned with others.
These three aspects of faith, practice and study are
what are needed for us to reveal our Buddhahood – and
they are what Nichiren Daishonin himself put into action.
We might think that perhaps some special, enlightened
people have access to a fourth, secret, aspect, but
that is not the case. If we make sure that our daily
Buddhist practice has to some degree or other these
three aspects of faith, practice and study, with the aim
to benefit both ourselves and others, then we will lead
the greatest of all possible lives grounded in absolute
happiness. ■
3 SGI Newsletter No. 8360, 18 October 2011.
4 SGI Newsletter No. 8363, 26 October 2011.