The Major Writing of Nichiren Daishonin Vol 4, p271
This teaching has never been taught before. Here in this world, in all the 2,225 years since the passing of the Buddha, not a single person chanted it. Nichiren alone, without sparing his voice, now chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Repaying Debts of Gratitude is one of Nichiren Daishonin's 10 major writings. It is dated July 21,1276, a little more than two years after the Daishonin had retired to Mount Minobu. It was prompted by the news of the death of Dozen-bo, the chief priest of the seicho-ji temple, who had been the Daishonin's teacher when he first entered the temple at the age of 12. Nichiren Daishonin wrote this treatise as an expression of gratitude to Dozen-bo. The title literally means the repayment of moral obligations or debts of gratitude. The opening part of the Gosho mentions four major obligations: to one's parents, to one's teacher, to the Three Treasures of Buddhism, and to one's sovereign. This writing particularly emphasizes gratitude towards one's teacher. Our teacher is Nichiren Daishonin. Without Nichiren Daishonin there would be no Gohonzon, no way to manifest our innate Buddha nature and no way to overcome the suffering of birth and death. The only way to repay our debt of gratitude to the True Buddha is to practice and propagate his teaching, and complete the task of worldwide kosen-rufu which the Daishonin began.
During the 2,000 odd years following the death of Shakyamuni, no one could utter the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter how strongly he desired. It was Nichiren Daishonin who risked his life to expound this invocation, in full knowledge of the storms of persecution which would certainly assail him thereupon. We must never for a moment forget the great debt of gratitude that we own to Nichiren Daishonin.
The phrase "Nichiren alone" indicates the spirit to stand alone, the relization that oneself is the source of the pure stream of Buddhism which benefits mankind for all eternity. This spirit of standing alone applies to all of us as well when we exert out of our own volition to practise and introduce the Daishonin's Buddhism. It is such spontaneous sincere efforts that determine the degree of our good fortune and happiness.
Another important phrase is "without sparing his voice, now chants...". This phrase emphasizes the important practice of introducing the Daishonin's Buddhism to others. The Daishonin used unflagging voice to teach mankind the ultimate truth of life, without begrudging his life. As the T'ien t'ai master Chang-an states,"The voice does the Buddha's work". We introduce the Daishonin's Buddhism through our voice as we engaged others in sincere heart-to-heart dialogues. It is important that our voices are vibrant and resonant. If, when introducing Buddhism to others, you become irritated or emotional, then your words will not find their way into others' hearts. All that will remain in others' hearts will be a sense of realization in others, then your voice can be called "clear and resonant". But to able to do so one must constantly strengthen one's faith and knowledge of Buddhism. Herein lies the importance of subscribing to and reading the Eternal Aurora and Soka Times, at the same time attending study meetings. A deep understanding of Buddhism will not only enable us to explain the Daishonin's teachings better, it will also strengthen our own conviction of faith.
The important point is to what extent you can open the Treasure Tower in one person, that is, how much of the Buddha's work you can carry out. That is why we should not spare our voice. Our life span is limited. If we wish to spend it carrying out our noble mission, we must continue to speak about the Daishonin's Buddhism with all our might.
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