Saturday, July 6, 2013

How Are Prayers Answered?

Gosho: Reply to Kyo’o

“The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith,” the Daishonin wrote. Here I would like to consider what it means to be ‘courageous in faith.’ Being courageous in faith means:

1. If you have a problem that needs solving, or a dream that you want to see fulfilled, you will take it straight to the Gohonzon and pray to attain your goal. Some people are afraid to attack their problem head-on through daimoku, thinking that it will somehow disappear automatically. This is not courageous faith. Other people never see their hopes realized because they decide in advance, “Oh, that’s impossible,” and never chant daimoku in earnest for what they desire. You can never discover the real power of the Gohonzon in this way. If you have a dream, especially an impossible one, then have the courage to stake your life on it and chant to the Gohonzon for its fulfilment.
2. Not giving in to doubt. Ofcourse, strong faith takes time to develop, and having doubts along the way is nothing to be ashamed of. But a brave person will pursue his practice until his doubts are resolved. A coward will let doubts get between him and his happiness and be defeated by them. It is well worth whatever struggle we must make to resolve our doubts and deepen our conviction.
3. Persevering until our goal is completed. Big dreams take more time and effort to accomplish than small ones. If you give in to frustration and impatience and give up halfway, you cannot enjoy the full benefit of Buddhist practice. Along the way, you may become discouraged or experience setbacks from time to time, and feel you are not making progress. In the long run, however, as the Daishonin says, ‘This sutra fulfils one’s desires.” There can be no exception. It was precisely for the sake of accomplishing the impossible that the Gohonzon was inscribed.

Muster up the lions’ courage and practice to the Gohonzon as the Daishonin teaches. There there is truly nothing that cannot be achieved.

Source: George M Williams, Vice President SGI

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