The Major Writing of Nichiren Daishonin Vol 2, p201
Bring forth the great power of faith and establish your reputation among all the people of Kamakura and the rest of Japan as "Shijo Kingo of the Hokke sect". Even a bad reputation will spread far and wide. A good reputation will spread even farther, particularly if it is a reputation for devotion to the Lotus Sutra.
This Gosho was written in May 1272 when Nichiren Daishonin was 51 and living in exile on Sado Island. The recipient, Shijo Kingo, was the leader of the Daishonin's disciples living in Kamakura. On 12 Sept 1271, he followed the Daishonin to Tatsunokuchi where the Daishonin was nearly executed.
After the Tatsunokuchi persecution, many disciples met with rigorous suppresssion from the military authorities. Some were imprisoned, others were being dismissed from their jobs. Consequently, many of them gave up their faith. Despite such circumstances, Shijo Kingo contrived to make the difficult journey to Sado Island to visit the Daishonin, just before this Gosho was written. The trip itself required that he traverse the breadth of the Japanese mainland, passing through bandit-infested mountains, and then make the dangerous sea crossing to Sado. It took almost a month to complete the journey. Shortly after Shijo Kingo had returned to Kamakura, Nichiren Daishonin sent him this letter, most probably in gratitude for the samurai's visit.
The Gosho explains that, based on the practice of this Mystic Law, one can enjoy the state in which earthly desires are enlightment and the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana--in other words, one can attain Buddhahood as a common mortal.
In this Gosho passage, Nichiren Daishonin urges Shijo Kingo to display the power of faith in daily life, specifically, in society and in his family. "Bring forth the great power of faith and establish your reputation among all the people of Kamakura as 'Shijo Kingo of the Hokke sect'" is a very well-known passage and applies to all believers living today just as much as it did to Shijo Kingo in the 13th century. It teaches us to demonstrate the greatness of the Buddhism we practice through the kind of lives we lead.
The fundamental principle of the Lotus Sutra is "faith equals daily life", therefore, one's attitude of faith naturally will be revealed in one's daily life and one's way of life. As SGI President Ikeda says:"Faith manifests itself in daily life, and Buddhism in society. By refreshing your life force through faith, you can work and study much harder than others, and then place their trust in you, and may remark at how, as a Buddhist or as a member of the SGI family, you stand out among others. This is a kind of actual proof."
Hence the practice that the Daishonin teaches is in no way divorced from, or contradictory to, the reallities of society. Because Nam-myo-ho-renge-kyo, the true entity of life, permeates all worldly phenomena, we can manifest the benefits of faith in any aspect of daily life, for example, in the form of improved health, better human relationships, favourable opportunities, the resolution of a specific problems, and a erwarding life. However, if we are careless in our place of work, family and attitude towards life, we cannot be said to be people of correct faith. Thus only when we, in our own unique circumstances, demonstrate the great blessings of faith in this way will we be able to provide the most convincing proof of the validity of our practice.
The phrase "A good reputation" does not mean that we need to adopt a strained air, pretending to be perfect, or that we should flatter people so that they will like us. Rather it means to "bring forth the great power of faith" and resolve to prove the greatness of Nichiren Daishonin's teaching as our fundamental mission in life. Then, through our just and compassionate dealings with others and our basic attitude towards living, the light of the Buddha wisdom will shine.
One who embraces correct faith must be able to gain trust and respect in the society. In the case of Shijo Kingo, he was resented by his colleagues for several years, both on account of his faith and his own outspoken personnality. Yet, because he "carried through with his faith in the Lotus Sutra", he was eventually able to win the trust of his lord and others, and be respected by the people around him. Shijo Kingo has long been admired aas an exemplary believer precisely because he persisted despite all difficulties and eventually proved the power of faith in his own circumstances.
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