The relationship between our own happiness and the happiness of others is central to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. In fact, to reveal the full potential of our practise in our daily life, it is vital to achieve a balance between the two.

'Ones voice when chanting daimoku permeates the entire universe; there is no world in the ten directions that it does not reach'. (Gosho Zenshu p 808) 'The daimoku we chant is the sound of hope and fortitude that resounds throughout the cosmos. It is also an expression of wisdom, for it lifts the hearts of people and fills them with joy'. (SGI Newsletter no 152, p 226)

However, for our daimoku to contain such power that it permeates the entire universe, we must develop a strong sense of compassion. True compassion opens up our perspective on life, releases the wisdom and courage, and enables us to experience the state of Buddhahood.

Love is thought to be the most powerful and positive of all emotions experienced by human beings. Indeed, many consider it to be our ultimate goal, the force through which we can transform our own and others happiness into joy. However, it is only too evident that in modern society, love has become increasingly conceptualised and abstract.

To some "love" means a desire to give and to help, whilst to others it can mean the desire to take and exploit. When love which is given is not returned, one can experience overwhelming bitterness and jealousy. This can easily turn emotions originally rooted in love, into hate. Recently, cases of stalkers, using the excuse of "love" to intimidate and frighten their victims have become all too common.

'In our world it is not uncommon for hatred to underlie what is strenuously asserted to be love or for egoism to hide behind a mask of love… Perhaps today the giving of love arising from personal human feelings is being lost, or is being relegated to the activities of welfare and charity organizations,. This of course, is love not rooted in human emotions but institutionalised'. (Daisaku Ikeda, Choose Life, p 356)

The Buddhist concept of compassion (jihi), involves taking two actions: firstly, to remove sorrow; and secondly, to bring happiness to others. Together these give love a substantial meaning as the emotion is indivisible from taking practical action to relieve distress and replace it with hope and courage.

In our efforts to help remove the fundamental cause of suffering in someone's life, it is important to feel empathy; to have the ability to feel the suffering of another as if it were one's own, and to desire to alleviate it. Without empathy, there is no willingness to help others and so no practical action will be taken to remove suffering. The second aspect of compassion -the bringing of happiness - does not mean to give people transient, worldly pleasure, but to enable them to feel great joy welling up from within as they awaken to the power of the mystic law (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) working in their lives.

From the Buddhist perspective, the universe is a living entity whose component parts are interdependent. It is impossible, therefore, for we human beings to feel happy independently of our environment - we cannot be truly happy whilst others are miserable. The more we strive to bring happiness to others, based on the Buddhist spirit of jihi, the happier we ourselves become.

The compassion of people who have made a deep commitment to fulfilling their mission, and whose faith arises from their openhearted daimoku, will always be renewed. This is one aspect of the word myo - of myo-ho-renge-kyo - to revitalize, or to open. Chanting daimoku enables us to revitalize our life-force and our wisdom, and renew our commitment to the realization of our own and others happiness.

In his lectures on the Hoben and Juryo Chapters of the Lotus Sutra, Daisaku Ikeda quotes the second president of Soka Gakkai, Josei Toda:
'Only through believing wholeheartedly in the great spirit of compassion and the great power of wisdom of the true Buddha, can we ordinary people, as followers of the original Buddha, attain enlightenment and become Buddhas in our present form. There absolutely are not any other Buddhas'. (SGI Newsletter No 152, p. 92)

Each of us must take responsibility for our own karma, and it is certainly true that karma cannot be changed by authority, status, or wealth. However, our lives are all inextricable linked, and in this sense our own human revolution can have a profound effect on those around us.

This page was last modified on Sunday, August 20, 2006.