Faith and Attitude
SGI-UK Adviser, Mistsuhiro Kaneda
The second instalment of a lecture given
at the September 1999 Summer Course
UK Express April 2000

As well as praying, our attitude towards ichinen, or determination, is important. The crux, or essence, of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism is the philosophy of ichinen sanzen, three thousand realms in a single moment of life. The word ichinen means one single instant in life, one moment, or one thought. So one life-moment, or ichinen, is something that is quantitatively very small and very short.

The Chinese Buddhist scholar T'ien-t'ai (538-597), who analysed and elaborated upon the philosophy of ichinen sanzen, explained that one life-moment is as fleeting as snapping one's fingers - it takes just one-sixtieth of a second; and he explained that people's ichinen changes every single one-sixtieth of a second. Given the extreme brevity of a single life-moment, or ichinen, and also how easily it changes - once every sixtieth of a second - we can see that to maintain our ichinen, or determination, for a long period of time, is something that is in fact very difficult. Following on from this, we can also see how it's possible to find, for example, that we no longer love the person we've loved up until now - we may even hate them. That is how fleeting and transient ichinen is.

Past, present, or future?
The key thing with ichinen is whether our attitude is backward looking, focused on the present, or looking towards the future. There are some people who are constantly looking nostalgically at the past, saying, "Things used to be so much better back then… Those were the good old days. "This is because their ichinen is constantly looking backwards, at the past. If people are continually saying things were better five or ten years ago, this indicates that they aren't happy in the here and now. If we are constantly attached to our past, we will harbour doubts, complain, grumble, and tend to slander people.

Those whose ichinen is constantly focused on the present don't know what to do when they have a problem. They are constantly examining the problem, thinking, "What shall I do?" and are unable to go beyond this. Of course, realizing that the problem exists is, in itself, an advantage - so in that sense, it's positive. However, just being aware that you have a problem is not a solution! When our ichinen is directed only at the present, we tend to be overwhelmed by feelings of inertia, or a sense of obligation.
The ideal, therefore, is for our ichinen to be constantly looking forwards, into the future. So the correct attitude is not simply being aware of our problem and constantly asking ourselves, "What shall I do?" We need the attitude, "I'm going to do this"; the determination, "I will do this". That is the correct attitude in ichinen.

When our ichinen is directed backwards or sideways (towards the past or present), we don't have to do anything. We can just remain idle and passive. In order to turn our ichinen forwards, to make progress, requires a lot of effort. For this reason, I would like all of you to reflect on how you chant. When you chant, is your ichinen looking forwards into the future or not?

No more worries
We often hear talk of 'the strategy of the Lotus Sutra', but what exactly does this mean? Firstly, we clarify our goal, fix it, and determine - with a strong ichinen - that whatever happens we absolutely will achieve it. Then we pray.

Suppose that we're worried about something. This worry will constantly be on our minds until we solve the problem. The reason why we chant, as I said earlier (see last month's instalment), is so that we can have the wisdom to realize the best possible strategy - the best method of achieving our goal. Of course, wisdom alone is not enough. We also need life-force, strong vibrant energy that will allow us to take the best possible action towards our goal. And once we take action, the shoten zenjin (Buddhist gods) will protect us.

Feeding the shoten zenjin
In the Lotus Sutra, the shoten zenjin swore to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. However, the only way they can increase their efficiency, influence and power is through our daimoku. It is by chanting and allowing the shoten zenjin to taste, if you will, the elixer of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, that their efficiency is increased. Naturally, the shoten zenjin of people who chant a lot of daimoku but never take any action become very fat. They get rather obese and think to themselves, "You know, you have chanted enough daimoku! I have been very well fed. Now, please take action, because if you do, I will be very ready to protect you."

If we don't chant daimoku, the shoten zenjin will not be able to protect us when the crucial moment comes, even if we do take action, because they have not been able to taste the elixer of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. President Ikeda has often said that the shoten zenjin, or Buddhist gods, are not some kind of special, otherworldly beings. On the contrary, shoten zenjin indicates the people around us. This term in fact refers to human beings who may be in our immediate surroundings. President Ikeda has explained that this is why Soka Gakkai leaders have to take great care of members: because when the crucial moment comes, the members will act as shoten zenjin in order to protect their leader.

The heart of strategy
If you pray hard, take action and persevere, then what you thought was impossible does become possible. However, sometimes when we are at an impasse, when we feel that we cannot find the way forward, or achieve the result we desire, we search for strategies or methods, what we call 'ways and means'. Of course, I'm not saying that you should never think, or try to come up with good ideas. What I am saying, however, is that first of all you should chant. This will allow you to bring out your Buddha state. Once you have brought out your Buddha state, then think about what action it's best to take.
When your life condition is such that it's immersed in deeply ingrained fundamental darkness, although you may try to use your head to think of solutions, you will not come up with brilliant ideas. So you should stop thinking and start chanting to bring out your Buddha nature. When you have done that, it's time to start thinking.

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