Life is precious because:
- We are born with a life that has a debt of gratitude.
We do not enter this world by chance. Due to the deeds of my past lives
and the deeds of my ancestors, we can come into this world as a human
being. We are forever indebted to the Buddha, our past lives and our ancestors.
- We have a great cause and mission to fulfill
while here on this earth.
Our great cause and mission to fulfill while we are here is to believe
in the Buddha, the universal truth and practice the bodhisattva way to
help others. Spread the teachings.
- We have a container of virtues.
We are carried in a container made of virtues. Virtues are the structure/substance
that this container is made from and we use it to go from life to life.
As we are born in this world we bring along with
us three beautiful things:
- Grace of the Buddha
A reward or pleasant situation that comes from the law correctly.
- Buddha Nature
Our character, well roundedness, integrity and goodness
- Practice
The ability to follow the Bodhisattva way of life or in other words
The ability or effort of sharing/giving without expectations for the
happiness of others.
These
three items form Virtues/ “Toku” (Japanese). Virtue means excellence,
righteousness, effective force or power or a particular effective goodness
or beneficial quality.
Based on our past life, our karma*, both good and bad and
the deeds of our ancestors determine our container size, shape and condition.
The structure/substance that forms our container is deeply dependent on
these very two important factors. Since we are not aware of what our past
life was like or the deeds of ourselves and ancestor, we can not easily
determine what our container looks like, how deep or big it is or what the
condition of it is, we often go thru life suffering and not being able to
improve ourselves. Thus we are transporting ourselves in a weakened/faltering
container from life to life. Not knowing where to improve will hinder us
from enhancing this precious container.
*Karma-- (total effect of a person’s action and conduct during the
successive phases of existence, held to determine destiny in Buddhism)
The
Grace of the Buddha gives us a chance to come in contact
with the Lotus Sutra, the great harmony and learn of the Buddha’s
compassion, wisdom and guidance. This great situation comes directly from
the universal law and life force. This chance/encounter gives us the ability
to perfect our character or Buddha nature thru the Practice,
the ability to help others in order to help you, help yourself, by being
able to practice the teachings we are able to earn good virtues and cleanse
our karma. By practicing Ancestral veneration (praying for our ancestors
to show our appreciation for their life and sacrifices), coming to toban
(church duty day), attending hoza (circle of sharing and learning), tedori
(home/member visitation to help others) we are able to learn more and more
about our own selves and where we need to improve to increase our virtues.
People who have virtue are able to receive Buddha’s positive energy,
while people who do not, cannot continue good deeds and will not be able
to expand/improve their container. The Buddha gives us such tools as Birth
Star Analysis (9 stars analysis), Name Character analysis and the Sangha
of the church to help understand or focus on what our structural damage
maybe and thus resulting from our practice to correct or improve this damage,
we are able to enhance/widen/deepen our container to be better and stronger
for the next life.
We
should strive to acquire as many virtues as possible since the acquisition
of virtues not only broadens our horizons, but also advances us on the path
to the attainment of Buddha hood and helps us to live life in great harmony
with each other. (2)The list of virtues we should aspire to are patience,
wisdom, courage, moderation, justice, courtesy, discernment, faith, kindness,
honesty and a sense of responsibility.
(2) Taken from the book: Modern Mediation, A Buddhist Sampler, by
Nichiko Niwano, pg 46.
I am a second-generation Rissho Kosei-kai member, my mother
joined because of my sister’s asthma. Rissho Kosei-kai became our
family religion and I would often help my mother in picking up senior members
and taking them to services, toban or other church activities. I did not
really have a major problem that made me come to this church, so I was a
member that helped, but really did not know why I was coming to church.
I often believed that by coming to church I would have good luck in life
and be protected. While coming to church with my mother, JoAnn Ozaki became
a friend and she often encouraged me to come to church to participate in
activities with her sisters and the other youth members. She was practicing
the bodhisattva way of life, helping others.
It
was the Grace of the Buddha (the Buddha blessing/giving
me a chance to come). I came to church, but still felt that I really didn’t
have any problems. Of course there were many ups and downs, but I always
thought I could take care of myself and of course as time went on, I often
felt that I did not have anymore good luck, it was getting harder and harder
to overcome even the smallest of problems, I got angry faster, always controlling
my family, had no patience and often seemed irritable. My Character
was a negative thing and because of my actions/deeds more cracks damaged
my container, causing what little virtues I had to escape or leak out. Thru
the years, my mother and JoAnn always kept me coming to church, as I strayed
they would pull harder to get me to come closer. Rev, Mae, Charlotte, Suesan,
Donna, Karen, the Nakashimas and many more of the members of our church
always encouraged me and never gave up on me. They were all practicing!
Thru the lectures and studies
I slowly began to understand that this world is really not about good or
bad luck, but about how to live harmoniously with everything around us and
thru the Buddha’s guidance and compassion, we are given a chance to
improve ourselves and the container in which we travel with from life to
life. My family and group members started monthly ancestor veneration services;
we came to toban and hozas, learned things about our birth star and name
characteristic. These tools helped us to understand family, and ourselves
and helped me to improve my patience at work, home and
in the community. This also made our district group stronger and closer,
we were able to share in each other’s hardship and learn and appreciate
what Buddha is trying to teach us. Even my husband often helps. I could
learn to see his good Buddha nature too. Thru these practices,
I became happier and my family became happier. I know that there will be
more ups and downs ahead of us, but now I know that it is not good or bad
luck, but it is the blessing and the compassion of the Buddha to remind
us all of why Life is so preciousness, we are not born by chance or by luck,
life is precious because we have a debt of gratitude, we have a cause or
mission to fulfill and we are traveling in a container made of virtues.
Together with these three things and the compassion of the Buddha, we cannot
take life for granted.
