Monday 6 October 2014

Grade 2 Study exam - 2014. Section A. Q7

This is part of a series of posts to share my preparation for the Grade 2 Study Exam that I will sit this coming November.

From ‘Encountering persecution by sword and staff as predicted in the “Encouraging Devotion” chapter’:

A7
How did Nichiren Daishonin react to these attacks by swords and staves? What function can hardships have in our lives?


Nichiren's immediate reaction was, quite naturally, of outrage. He writes:
‘Though I knew it was for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, being an ordinary person, I felt... [that had] I had the strength, I would have wrested it from him, trampled on and broken it, and thrown it away. However, it was in fact the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra.’
However, wearing the ‘armour of perseverance', the Daishonin forbore his anger, behaved with self‐assurance, and spoke out with dignity for his beliefs. He didn’t display even the slightest trace of violence, hatred, or the desire for revenge.

If we look at them from a broader perspective, the hardships that assail us can function to strengthen us and spur our growth as human beings. As long as we do not allow ourselves to be defeated by suffering, even the most painful experiences can be turned into something positive. Nothing is ever wasted in Buddhism.
The profound teachings of the Lotus Sutra enable us to turn suffering into the driving force for transforming our karma.

Wrod count: 176

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