The Storehouse

I experienced first hand how Nichiren Daishonin revealed his originality and breathed new life into the ancient teachings of the Lotus Sutra. Recently, while studying 'The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings' (Ongi Kuden), I was deeply moved by how much Daishonin desired and believed in each person becoming happy, strong, and independent.

On page 83 of Ongi Kuden, Nichiren elucidates on the Lotus Sutra passage "This storehouse of the Lotus Sutra is hidden deep and far away where no person can reach it." as follows:

"The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings says: The words "this storehouse of the Lotus Sutra" refer to the daimoku. The words "hidden deep" refer to the essential teaching. The words 'hidden deep' refer to the essential teaching. The words "far away" refer to the theoretical teaching. "No person can reach it" applies to those who slander the Law. Now Nichiren and his followers who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, are not included among the people who "can never reach it."

When I first read the Lotus Sutra passage on my own, I interpreted" This storehouse of the Lotus Sutra is hidden deep and far away where no person can reach it." to mean that the storehouse is rare and very hard to access. I thought to myself," hmmm... "no person can reach it" in the passage most probably means that .it can rarely be reached or be reached by a rare person' ... just as only a few people endowed with great capability can climb the highest peak of Mount Everest." On the contrary and to my utter delight, the Daishonin clarified in his orally transmitted teachings that his disciples who simply chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are excluded from among the people who "can never reach it". That means those who chant are accessing the secret and rare storehouse without any doubt.

This is how we in the SGI understand Buddhism which is the opposite of Nikken priesthood's distortion. The Nichiren Shoshu priesthood suggests that the priests are special and only they have access to the "secrets" thus making the storehouse a privilege of the high priest or the priests alone. Contrasting such an exclusive view, Nichiren Daishonin teaches that chanting daimoku - which is an act of faith - is what makes the storehouse accessible. We access it the moment we chant. In fact, it is our own storehouse that we access. "Faith alone is what really matters,” said the Daishonin. I was moved by his critical clarification which will forever reverberate in my heart. For a while, I had dwelled in the incorrect meaning of the passage but the clouds of delusion cleared with Nichiren's words.

If the secret storehouse is so directly accessible then why it is said that practicing the Lotus Sutra is most difficult of all. Why the 'Six easy and seven difficult acts'? Why practicing Buddhism correctly is said to be a huge challenge. I think the answer is that 'Six easy and seven difficult acts" refocuses our efforts towards a rewarding challenge. The act of keeping faith and continuing to chant and practicing correctly itself is the most real challenge of life but it guarantees ultimate happiness with actual proof of growth, fulfillment, and happiness along the way. Deepening and keeping our realization that '"Faith alone is what really matters" is an arduous undertaking and yet the most rewarding of any or all life's investment. Nichiren Daishonin made it clear that faith is critical in ensuring lasting happiness for our loved ones and for ourselves. Most importantly, he demonstrated with his own life that winning over this worthy challenge is absolutely possible. How much do I appreciate his enlightening words! How indebted I am!

It's true that we practitioners of the Mystic Law live in the realm of great fortune - as if in a town of billionaires skilled at using faith at our will to withdraw unlimited fortune from the storehouse of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The only poor man in this town is the one who goes around calling true billionaires bankrupts .. erroneously proclaiming an exclusive ownership of a universal and inexhaustible wealth. This "free for all" storehouse contains treasures namely courage, compassion, wisdom, and action. These are treasures of higher-order, treasures of the heart which are now being aspired by even the wealthiest among all such as Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. We in this practice actually begin from this wealthy point, living and concluding life amidst these indestructible treasures.

Ah, there is that stream of clear freshwater .. 
flowing ceaselessly in the backyard of every home in this town, 
quenching everyone's thirst caused by the scorching heat of our time. 
This stream is abundant and free for all those who seek. 

As an exception, however, 
the stream deprives anyone access to its amrita, 
Those who attempt to obstruct its flow for others 
by raising proprietary barricades.