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The
Lotus Sutra is a Mahayana Buddhist text whose teachings form
the foundation of Nichiren Buddhism. This article is the
first in a series of excerpts of SGI President Daisaku
Ikeda's six-volume work, The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra,
which explores the significance of this ancient text to our
contemporary lives.
Transforming an
Age Bereft
of Philosophy |
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[© Seikyo
Shimbun] |
Humanity is now directing its gaze
beyond the present in search of a powerful new philosophy.
People are looking for something that will satisfy the
spiritual emptiness they feel, something that will revive
their weary, battered lives and fill them once again with
hope and vigor. They recognize that something is wrong with
the present world, which ranks economic performance above
all else.
We are all aware that things cannot continue as they are.
Yet decisions about political, economic and environmental
issues all seem to be made somewhere beyond our reach. What
can the individual accomplish in the face of the huge
institutions that run our world? This feeling of
powerlessness fuels a vicious cycle that only worsens the
situation and people's sense of futility.
The polar opposite of this sense of powerlessness is the
Lotus Sutra's philosophy--the idea that a single life-moment
encompasses three thousand realms (ichinen sanzen)
and the application of this teaching to our daily lives. The
principle of one life-moment containing three thousand
realms teaches us that the inner determination (ichinen)
of one individual can transform everything. It is a teaching
that gives ultimate expression to the infinite potential and
dignity inherent in the life of each human being.
We are living in an era in which there is an absence of any
guiding philosophy. A philosophical and ideological vacuum
drives people to seek their identity exclusively in ethnic
or national affiliation, which can give rise to nationalism
and racism. That, of course, is one of the reasons why
religion is important, but the reality is that in many cases
religion is contributing to divisiveness.
Depending on the use it is put to, religion can be a demonic
force. Religion should bind us together, but it is exploited
by some to create greater schisms between us. Nothing could
be more unfortunate. Religion must always be for the people.
People do not exist for the sake of religion. This must be
the fundamental rule of religion in this new century.
Peace must be a central premise in any discussion of the
21st century. Nothing is of any use without peace. That is
one reason why religion in the 21st century must be a force
for the creation of peace.
The age in which the Lotus Sutra was first taught seems to
have been similar to our current age of uncertainty and
upheaval. It was a time of great intellectual confusion,
with people teaching everything from pure materialism to
hedonism to asceticism. Against that background, Shakyamuni
taught new principles of integration to unify humanity in
this period of great change. And the Lotus Sutra is the
living essence of that teaching.
The Lotus Sutra is the monarch among sutras. A true monarch
does not negate the existence of others, but works to bring
out the full potential of all. The Lotus Sutra teaches of
the great "hidden treasure of the heart," as vast as the
universe itself, which dispels any feelings of
powerlessness. It teaches a vigorous way of living, in which
we breathe the immense life of the universe itself. It
teaches the true great adventure of self-reformation.
The Lotus Sutra has the breadth and scope to embrace all
people on the way to peace. It has the fragrance of
magnificent culture and art. It leads us to an unsurpassed
state of life imbued with the qualities of eternity,
happiness, true self and purity.
The Lotus Sutra has the drama of fighting for justice
against evil. It has a warmth that comforts the weary. It
has a vibrant, pulsing courage that drives away fear. It
awakens us to the universal truth that a change in our
heart, or attitude, can transform everything. It is neither
the parched desert of individualism nor the prison of
totalitarianism; it has the power to manifest a pure land of
compassion, in which people complement and encourage each
other.
Both communism and capitalism have used people as means for
their own ends. But in the Lotus Sutra we find a fundamental
humanism in which people are the goal and purpose, in which
they are both protagonist and sovereign. We could perhaps
call this teaching of the Lotus Sutra a "cosmic humanism."
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