Guidance by Vice President Tsuji

I'm sorry the type on this is so small. 

From Forever Sensei Nam Myoho Renge Kyo

It was too good not to share!

FANTASTIC GUIDANCE BY VICE-PRESIDENT TSUJI

Gongyo is directly related to your life. There are three things
directly related sustaining life. One is to eat and rest. It is
important to consume nutrients and to get adequate sleep. These
two are easy to understand and everyone does them. You don't
quit eating or sleeping because you are unhappy with someone.

But when it comes to doing Gongyo, there are those who quit
doing their prayers easily. It is because they do not realize
that Gongyo and Daimoku are directly related to sustaining
their life. You can improve your destiny by chanting Daimoku.
Your karma will further deteriorate with out chanting. If you
do not chant your destiny will revert back to your former bad
karma. It is like reverting back to your former state of having
a weak intestinal system or back to poverty. These types of
changes are not easily recognized. This is why people get lazy
with their daily Gongyo and Daimoku. This is a frightening
thing.
There is a phrase in the Gosho, English Gosho page 81, "There
is no true happiness other than upholding faith in the Lotus
Sutra." But do you really do your Gongyo with this conviction?

You must feel that it gives you the greatest pleasure to do
Gongyo and Daimoku. There is phrase in the Gosho that
emphasizes that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the greatest of all
joys. To be wed is a joyous thing. But Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a
greater joy. To save millions of dollars may make you happy.
But Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is even more enriching. To finally
renovate your home after many years of waiting may bring you
joy but chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is better than that.

Finally getting a child after many attempts may be a joyous
occasion but Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is more joyous than that. Look
into your hearts to see if you are chanting with this type of
gratitude. Are you receiving 100% of the benefits that the
Gohonzon would like to grant you? I feel that m ost of you are
just receiving 10 to 15% of what you could be receiving. With
this type of life condition you will lose to obstacles and deep
karma.

Why do you receive benefits when you chant to the Gohonzon -
and why do you continue to chant? If you chant only to overcome
a specific illness will it only cure that illness? If you chant
for the success of your business, will you only become
successful in business? It is not such a limited practice.

The Gohonzon is telling us it can elevate our life to the
highest level, equal to the Gohonzon. There is a passage in the
Gosho, "hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any
distinction between us." You should chant with deep gratitude
to the Gohonzon for granting you the same life condition as the
Gohonzon.

As you continue chanting you yourself will embody
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. There is another quotation from the Gosho
page 216, " Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment
countless Kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to
Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way
different or separate from one another. To chant
Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the
ultimate law of life and death. If you doubt whether this Gosho
is true or not you are already separated from your Gohonzon.
Because you think there is a difference your connection is
weak. Therefore your benefits are diminished.

There is another quotation from page 832 of the Gosho, "Never
seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only
within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the
Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo." As stated in this
Gosho Nam-myoho-renge-kyo exists within us. But for some reason
it is very difficult to manifest Nam-myoho-renge-kyo or we can
not seem to bring it out. That is why we are mere mortals. Then
how can we manifest it in our lives?

We can bring it forth by just vocalizing Nam-myoho-renge-k yo.
You may see cherry blossom and feel how beautiful it is. You
may see a full moon and enjoy the moonlight. You may see a
cockroach and feel disgusted. By seeing these things you feel
these types of life conditions. You may be moved by hearing
beautiful music or be motivated by hearing President Ikeda's
speech on tape. You achieve these through your ears.

You're related to your Gohonzon through vocalization. That
means by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo out loud you bring forth
your Buddhist life force. There is a phrase in the Gosho that
states that your voice brings out Buddhahood. As long as you
chant Daimoku you bring out your Buddhahood. It will explode
from you. If you are conned or robbed your life will burst
with anger. If your life is filled with worries and suffering
you may commit suicide. If you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo you
can change life filled with such suffering, anger or poverty
and overcome your problems.

There is a Gosho phrase on page 412, "What sickness can
therefore be an obstacle?" For those of you suffering with
poverty there is a phrase on page 1137 of the Gosho "...those
who now believe in the Lotus Sutra will gather fortune from ten
thousand miles away." We recite in our Gongyo, "Jiga toku
burai" or "Since I attained B uddhahood". It is that crucial
that we chant with conviction. To think that someone else will
grant you Buddhahood is wrong. You must act yourself.

I visited the Kawai residence in Fukui Prefecture of Japan to
give guidance at a meeting being held there around February.
Mr. Kawai who is now 51 years old had been blind from three
years old after contracting measles. I told him, "You have
eyeballs don't you? If you have eyes then you can open them.
This Gohonzon is the Gohonzon of "The Opening of the Eyes".

"The Opening of the Eyes" teaches us to see clearly. And yet
you can not see - it must be because you did something against
the Gohonzon and the Buddhist teachings in your past. You must
have committed great slanders in the past. Ask the Gohonzon to
please forgive your slanders. Express your gratitude to have
had the fortune to meet the Gohonzon in this lifetime. Pledge
to dedicate your life to Kosen rufu. Ask the Gohonzon to allow
you to see th e Gohonzon, your family and others around you so
you can contribute towards Kosen-rufu." I asked him to pray in
such a way.

In the beginning of March, I received a message that he
regained his sight after almost fifty years. Through his
experience the whole Fukui prefecture has revitalized itself.
It is such a surprise that one person regaining his sight can
have such a great impact on an entire region.

But what I wonder about this incident is why he couldn't regain
his sight sooner? He was a member who offers his own home for
meetings, never missed his Gongyo and had strong faith. Yet why
wasn't he able to see sooner. It was because his attitude when
doing his Gongyo and Daimoku was incorrect. His faith had gone
off track.

You must pray earnestly, "Isshin yokenbutsu fujishaku shinmyo"
or "single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha". You must chant
with gratitude and conviction that you will become one with the
Gohonzon and Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. There is no such thing as a
sick or poor Buddha. Therefore all worries will be resolved.
That is why you can achieve human revolution. Only human beings
are able to achieve these things.

In May 22nd when I visited Okayama Culture Center a young
mother came to me for guidance. She was concerned about her two>
year old son who was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. This
disease causes shrinking of the muscles until it affects even
the internal organs until it results in death. I told this
mother that it was her karma to suffer over her child. On the
Gohonzon it is written that things are supposed to prosper and
grow, then what is it that such a thing as shrinking happening?
It must be because of the horrendous slander she committed
against the Gohonzon. Pray that the two of you will work
together as mother and child for Kosen rufu so please cure the
disease. The Lotus Sutra is like a like a plague that spans
past, present and future. The Lotus Sutra can even help a
person who has passed away to achieve enlightenment. Your child
is still alive.

It is natural to transmit the Lotus Sutra to your child. There
is no sin that can not be eradicated by this Gohonzon. Your
worry is not the result of your current slanders, it is a
result of slanders in your past life. It is a slander from your
past life that you can remedy in this life. Parent and child
are one. Pray earnestly.

This mother was sort of a complainer and insisted that her son
was named by President Ikeda and that he was a fortune baby. I
told her that President Ikeda will name a child at a parent's
request but he can not change your destiny. It is up to you to
change your own karma and destiny.

I got a message from her afterwards that her son began to run
without falling after three days. She was shocked at how great
the Gohonzon's power was and how happy she was. Her son could
now play on the slide and kneel by himself. He no longer had
nose bleeds when he ran. As she continued practicing and her
son got healthier, her husband began practicing earnestly too.
For this mother who used to complain that she was suffering and
had to practice because of her son, her attitude changed 180
degrees to gratitude towards her son for helping her to
practice. Her practice changed from one of complaint to a
practice of gratitude. With this as a turning point all her
prayers were then answered and her wishes fulfilled.

Each time I hear such experiences I truly comprehend how great
the power of the Gohonzon. To be able to receive guidance to
change our life is the benefit of having the organization. In
the end what our attitude is when we face our Gohonzon is the
most important thing.