Myohorengekyo Anrakugyohon Dai Jushi(14) PEACEFUL PRACTICES
It was "The Encouragememt Of Keeping This Sutra" that preached the determination of those who promote the Lotus Sutra, while "Peaceful Practices" preached the intentions of those who practice the Lotus Sutra. It sounds like easy practice, but it is by no means the case. Comfortable practice means practicing and preaching with a peace of mind. The desire is based on the power of one's will. In this "Peaceful Practices" it is said that the intention is not to be persecuted from the outside but to be tempted by the inner heart.
The main point of the chapter 14
In response to the large vow of the bodhisattva of the eighty billion nayuta, Manjusri Bodhisattva asks the Buddha what kind of attitude is necessary to preach the Lotus Sutra to a disturbed world, in order to put together the attitude to increase the Lotus Sutra It was.
Here Buddha showed four practices. The first is ①to have a strong will, to see things correctly in a meekness order, to be close to a heart that is not distracted by various secularities and is always biased. ② And get closer to a quieter heart. Second, show great teaching by paying close attention to verbal disrespect in conversation. Thirdly, don't miss the pride of your heart, and pray deeply and worship. The fourth is that the heavens always protect us when we come into contact with them without fail. It is a very precious thing, as it gives the pearl of Head.
Nichiren Shu Ishikawa Dojo statement
How to behave ~ physical peaceful practices
First of all, it is divided into two ways, one is how to behave and the other is where people approach and seek.
① How to behave-Preach the knowledge about behavior. It is to maintain a constant heart of insult, be meek and not violent, be confident in whatever happens, not be upset, do things correctly, do not behave inaccurately. Preaching.
② A place to seek and approach-It is to approach something like a powerful person or a rich man who has the desire to use, use, or ask for something. First, you should not approach the king, minister, or secretary of the government office. Second, do not approach religions other than Buddhism, those who preach on wickedness, those who play with boring writing, those who are compliant to others, and those who disagree with others' opinions. Third, don't approach and engage in trivial games or magicians. Fourth, do not approach cruelty by approaching the person who kills the creature. Fifth, do not approach and listen to Buddhist disciples who practice the teachings of Hina-yana Buddhism, who seek their own enlightenment. Sixth, when teaching a woman, one must teach her with a strict attitude. Seventh, do not become acquainted with men and become familiar with them. Eighth, do not enter into another person's house by yourself. If you must go, think of Buddha in mind and think that you and Buddha will enter together. Ninth, when preaching to a woman, do not treat her with a friendly smile. Tenth, don't let a boy like a child go by.
In addition, the sutras preach the second approach. It is important to meditate in a quiet place and prepare your mind. In the first approach, we talked about the world of discrimination concretely, while in the second approach, we talked about the world of equality and nothingness.
Commandments of Words ~Verbal peaceful practices
Next,Preaching the verbal peaceful practices. Don't preach anything that makes a mistake in a person's mistake or scripture. In addition, the scriptures argue that we should not say the good or bad of others and their strengths and weaknesses. Even if you are a Hina-yana Buddhist who is completely different from the teachings of the Lotus sutra, don't speak ill of his name. We should also refrain from praising people by name. Don't tell anyone what you like or hate.
If you treat with such a big heart of compassion, you can understand the person's heart naturally and you can answer with a warm feeling so as not to go against the heart of the other person. This is nothing but the verbal peaceful practices.
How to hold heart ~ Mind peaceful practices
The third way to explain how to hold your mind is the mind peaceful practices. First of all, those who follow the teachings of the Lotus Sutra should not be jealous. It means that you should not be jealous of people who are better than you. In addition, do not deceive one's heart by flattening others or making discretion. Also, do not say something that distracts the other person, such as "what you are doing is in a different direction" or "you are no good because you are lazy".
Next, don't argue for a discussion and then argue. Because it is barren. In addition, the Lotus Sutra pedestrians must bring mercy to everyone. In particular, it is important to agree with the suffering of sentient beings and to have a feeling of saving the suffering.
Finally, preach the teaching with equality. Explain the teaching to any person with the sympathy and desire to put them in the correct Buddhist way.
Pledge to increase teaching ~Pledge peaceful practices
Lastly, Buddha preached to Manjusri Bodhisattva about the pledge peaceful practices. When the Bodhisattva is about to be destroyed after Buddha's extinction, the person who holds the "Lotus Sutra" will be taught what kind of mind should be held.
First of all, it is necessary to evoke the spirit of gratitude to all people, and to provoke the heart of grief even to those who are not Bodhisattva. A person who is not a Bodhisattva is a person who is only thinking about his enlightenment and his salvation. Even if you live by thinking that you should be the only one, you will never be satisfied. It is a pledge to preach to such a person and decide to both believe in the true path of Mahayana Buddhism.
In the end of life, few people believed in the teachings of Buddha. In such a case, it is a great struggle to enhance the teachings of the Buddha, but it is a pledge peaceful practices to do that.
In order to fulfill this pledge peaceful practices, we must first believe in the immortality of the Buddha. The belief that the Buddha is with him, at any time and in any evil world, supports his unwavering vow. Whatever the persecutor who appears when enlightening the "Lotus Sutra", the Buddha protects the person who preaches. The reason for this is explained in the sutras, "because this sutra is a place that protects all the past, future, and present divine powers of the Buddha."
See "Reading the Lotus Sutra" by Shigeo Kamada
The metaphor in the tied hair
Shakyamuni-Buddha, who preached the four peaceful practices, then explains that the teaching of "Lotus Sutra" is the best teaching by the sixth metaphor of "Seven metaphors of the Lotus Sutra".
The analogy is that the Weel-Turning-Holy-King, who unifies the world, does not easily give the treasure jewel hidden in the hair tied to the heroes of the battle, but only to the greatest warriors. It is a metaphor that it does not preach easily, but preaches to the true hero who cures all the anxieties.
It can be likened to the Buddha preaching the Lotus Sutra, opening all provisional teachings, revealing the unifying truthful teachings, and giving everyone the proof that they will definitely be Buddha.
Refer to the Nichiren Sect Encyclopedia