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Tag Archives: The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude

THE FOUR VIRTUES AND THE FOUR DEBTS OF GRATITUDE

30 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by shrutisr in The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude

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“Fourth is the debt of gratitude to be paid to the three treasures of Buddhism. If we examine the Flower Garland Sutra, the first sutra to be preached after the Buddha attained enlightenment, we find that it is a Mahayana work preached by the Buddha in his aspect as the Thus Come One of the reward body. Thus, to the voice-hearers, cause-awakened ones, and others, it was like daytime to an owl or nighttime to a hawk; though they listened to it, it was as though they did so with deaf ears or blind eyes. This being the case, though people hoped that the sutra would enable them to pay back the four debts of gratitude, because it speaks disparagingly of women,3 it was hardly possible for them to repay the debt of gratitude owed to their mothers with the sutra.”

——————–

Nichiren Daishonin teaches that repaying our debt of gratitude to the three treasures of Buddhism is most important in order to establish the best possible life as a human being. The three treasures are the three pillars of Buddhist faith and practice—namely, the treasure of the Buddha, the treasure of the Law (the Buddha’s teachings) and the treasure of the Buddhist Order (the community of believers). Nichiren’s discussion of the debt of gratitude we owe to the three treasures in this writing is predicated on the question of what is the sutra that truly benefi ts all people. Referring to Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s classification of Shakyamuni’s lifetime teachings according to five periods, the Daishonin specifically investigates which sutras contain the teaching of the attainment of Buddhahood by women, which he identifies as the criterion for repaying one’s gratitude to one’s parents, and especially to one’s mother. The classification of the five periods evaluates Shakyamuni’s teachings, not just in terms of chronological periods, but based on a thorough investigation of the Buddha’s true intent—that is, what his message was and how he was trying to convey it. We can assume that Nichiren is presenting the basics of this classification system to Tokimitsu here in an easily accessible fashion, as an aid to the young man’s further study of Buddhism. He then poses the question of which sutra enables one to truly repay the four debts of gratitude. He indicates that when the Buddhist scriptures are measured by the benchmark teaching of the attainment of enlightenment by women, only the Lotus Sutra passes the test. Tokimitsu’s father died when he was young, and it was his mother (the lay nun Ueno) who kept the family together. Having personally witnessed this, Tokimitsu must have earnestly wished to repay his debt of gratitude to his mother and assure her abiding happiness. At the same time, he must have also felt a desire to repay his debt of gratitude to his father, who had taught him about faith in the Mystic Law. In this letter, Nichiren directly addresses the foremost concern of Tokimitsu, opening the young man’s eyes to the greatness of Buddhism and teaching him how to live as a person of wisdom. When the four virtues—starting with the Taoist and Confucian teaching of being good to one’s parents and evolving into a code of conduct for worthies and sages—are regarded anew from the perspective of the supreme teaching of the Lotus Sutra, they can all be regarded as actions of Buddhas in daily life. This includes such things as smiling at our mother to reassure her, winning the trust of others at our workplace, respecting our friends and treating our juniors with compassion. The Mystic Law is the great teaching that leads not only our parents, to whom we owe a profound debt, but also our siblings, our friends and all those in our lives to happiness that will endure throughout the three existences of past, present and future. Even if our parents and friends don’t understand our Buddhist practice now, the beneficial power of the Mystic Law is absolute. If we our selves strive earnestly in faith, we will definitely be able to lead those around us to enlightenment, just as the sun rises in the sky and brightly illuminates all on earth. There is no need to fret or to rush things.

Source: Selected Sections From SGI President Ikeda’s Study Lecture Series, “The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude” Youth, Become Champions of Humanism Who Shine With the Supreme Philosophy of the Mystic Law!

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THE FOUR VIRTUES AND THE FOUR DEBTS OF GRATITUDE

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by shrutisr in The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude

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Eternal, Father, Gosho, Human Revolution, Life, Mother, Nichiren Buddhism, Nichiren Daishonin, Society, The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude

“Next, the four debts of gratitude of Buddhism are (1) the debt of gratitude to be paid to one’s father and mother; (2) the debt of gratitude to be paid to the ruler of the nation; (3) the debt of gratitude to be paid to all living beings; and (4) the debt of gratitude to be paid to the three treasures [the Buddha, the Law, and the Order].”

——————–

Nichiren Daishonin discusses the four debts of gratitude as elucidated from the perspective of Buddhism. Gratitude entails knowing to whom we are indebted for our present life and circumstances and, by dedicating ourselves to our Buddhist practice, repaying that debt of gratitude. In another sense, repaying our debts of gratitude means elevating our state of life from one of being supported by others to supporting others and drawing the power to do so from the innermost depths of our being. In Sanskrit, there is the expression kritajna, which literally means “acknowledging (jna) what has been done on one’s behalf (krita).” After one acknowledges and appreciates what has been done for one, the next step is to live a life dedicated to the welfare of others. This is the origin of the phrase repaying debts of gratitude that appears in the Chinese sutras. Knowing and having appreciation for the fact that who we are now is the result of the actions and support of many others can powerfully affirm our sense of self and establish a solid foundation for our lives, which creates the basis for ongoing personal growth

Repaying our debts of gratitude is the challenge of human revolution, the process by which we can develop our potential to the greatest possible extent. In this letter, Nichiren discusses the four debts of gratitude owed by all. The first is the debt of gratitude to one’s father and mother. How infinitely profound is the debt we owe to our parents who gave us life and nurtured us! The Daishonin says that our debt to our father is higher than Mount Sumeru, and our debt to our mother is deeper than the ocean . We must find some way of repaying this enormous debt. The first thing we need to do, he tells us, is to take faith in Buddhism. The greatest wish of parents is the growth and happiness of their children, so entering the path to happiness by having faith in and practicing Buddhism is the kindest thing we can do for our parents and the best way to repay our debt of gratitude to them. Second is the debt of gratitude to the nation’s ruler. This is the gratitude owed to the sovereign for supporting one’s livelihood, thereby providing one with food, shelter and clothing . In today’s democratic world, where sovereignty rests with the people, it is gratitude to society itself. Similarly, therefore, Nichiren’s remarks about praying for the ruler to “enjoy peace and security in the present existence and good circumstances in future existences”could today be interpreted as praying for the happiness of every member of society. The third is the debt of gratitude to all living beings. Life is eternal, extending through the three existences of past, present and future; the sutras teach that we have been born in this world after having undergone the cycle of birth and death infinite times. From that point of view, at one time or another in the past, all men have been our father and all women have been our mother. Buddhism sees us all as related and owing debts of gratitude to one another. Nichiren indicates here that this is why we should wish for the happiness of all people. Since supreme happiness lies in attaining the life state of Buddhahood, the best way to repay our debt of gratitude to others is to teach them Buddhism, the ultimate means for gaining enlightenment.

Source: Selected Sections From SGI President Ikeda’s Study Lecture Series, “The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude” Youth, Become Champions of Humanism Who Shine With the Supreme Philosophy of the Mystic Law!

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