Mission
Rissho Ankoku Ron submitted to Regent of Japan – 1260
Miniature copy of Nichiren Shonin’s Rissho Ankoku Ron at Myosho-ji
“The more I’ve thought about happiness, the more surprised I’ve been at the importance of the “atmosphere of growth.” I think this is a huge engine of happiness, and when you have a mission, you create an atmosphere of growth whenever you pursue that mission.
Have you found a way to have a mission? What is it – and does it boost your happiness?” (Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project)
When Nichiren submitted the Rissho Ankoku Ron to the Japanese Regent in 1260 it was not for the purpose of establishing a state sponsored religion. His intent was not to force his beliefs on anyone. His intent was to present his intreptation of the teachings of the Buddha and propose a solution to the sufferings being experienced by the Japanese population.
In the three year period prior to Nichiren’s submission of the Rissho Ankoku Ron over half of the population of Japan had died either due to famine, natural disasters, or disease. His motivation was to look for and offer a solution to end the sufferings of not just the people of Japan directly but all the people throughout the world indirectly.
His belief was that because the people had abandoned the correct teaching and had taken up with incorrect teachings the entire country had fallen victim to the three poisons of Buddhism; greed, ignorance, and anger. It wasn’t just that the people were following incorrect teachings but that the government was sponsoring those who were misleading the people. His solution was two-fold. Ideally of course he hoped that the people when provided factual information about the teachings of the Buddha would change their practices. Second he urged the government to stop sponsoring religions.
Nichiren from the point of his submission of the Rissho Ankoku Ron endured many persecutions because of his beliefs. He also engaged in numerous debates with religious leaders of his time. He was such a skilled debater that one of the icons used to represent him is a debating stick used during formal debates. Time after time when allowed to present the facts of the teachings of the Buddha Nichiren proved his opponents wrong.
It seems that the more he proved the correctness of his position the more people it angered and the more he was persecuted.
“I am the King of the Dharma. I expound the Dharma without hindrance. I appeared in this world in order to give peace to all living beings.” (Lotus Sutra, Chapter III)
I began today with a recent web article on mission. I thought it was interesting especially since today we are talking about what Nichiren viewed his mission to be and what the mission of the Buddha was.
In both cases it was not for personal fame or profit, it was solely to enable all living beings to become happy, if they so chose. The Buddha never forced nor coerced anyone to follow his teachings. Nichiren likewise never did either. In fact when Nichiren was offered state support, the construction of state sponsored temples and government endorsement he walked away from the offer.
Today as we reflect on these two influential figures I wonder how we view the purpose or mission of our own lives. Do we see our function as one of mere existence or something of greater purpose?
It isn’t necessary to be a great person to do great things, frequently it is ordinary people with a clear purpose in their lives to help others who do the most, even if they do not get top billing in the news.
From the quote above:
“Have you found a way to have a mission?”
