Propagation: Encouraging Others to Practice Workshop

“At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then
two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others.
Propagation will unfold this way in the future as well.”
(“The True Aspect of All Phenomena,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p. 385)

Why it needs to be done:

We Accumulate Benefit through Action
Nichiren Daishonin says, “The element ku [in the work kudoku, or benefit] means eliminating evil, while the element doku means producing good.” (GZ, 762). Benefit in the Daishonin’s Buddhism means getting rid of the fundamental darkness in one’s life and bringing forth goodness. To manifest benefit we need to carry out the practice of propagating the Daishonin’s teaching. Doing so means refuting the mistaken beliefs that cause people to suffer and enabling them instead to live based on the Mystic Law.

Propagation is the action we take to “eliminate evil and produce good”. Through carrying out this practice for others, we also manifest the same effect in our own life.

The word transmission in the Lotus Sutra means propagation. In terms of the mentor-disciple relationship, transmission is the work of the disciples...

...How can one propagate the Daishonin’s Buddhism without knowing about other teachings in the world? When based on the Mystic Law, all laws of the world and society begin to function in their most valuable way. All endeavors in human society – in the fields of politics, economics, learning and so on – become revitalized. They come to display their full potential and attain new life. The lifeblood of Buddhism pulses within society. Cut off from secular affairs, Buddhism cannot reveal its full validity...

...The time will come when all people, including those of Learning, Realization and Bodhisattva, will enter on the path to Buddhahood, and the Mystic Law alone will flourish throughout the land. In that time, because all people chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo together, the wind will not beleaguer the branches or boughs, nor will the rain fall hard enough to break a clod. The world will become as it was in the ages of Fu Hsi and Neng Shun in ancient China. Disasters will be driven from the land and the people will be rid of misfortune. They will also learn the art of living long, fulfilling lives...
(From Living Buddhism April 1999)

That’s something we are all learning how to do. To find out more, come to the propagation session and let’s learn more on propagation for the 21st Century and beyond!

Here are some quotes about Buddhist propagation (also known as “shakubuku”). They are from various sources:

Ikeda: First, as the major premise, all efforts to teach people about Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day constitute shakubuku. Basing ourselves on the spirit of shakubuku to teach views, while at other times we might explain the truth with a others about the Mystic Law without selfish concern, at times we might strictly refute a person’s mistake broad-minded spirit of tolerance for the other person’s beliefs...

. . . shakubuku in essence means to declare the truth. All our efforts to explain Buddhism with a sincere and earnest desire to help others become happy are shakubuku...

Ikeda: It is a great mistake to suppose that shakubuku means trying to force someone to take faith. Doing shakubuku essentially means speaking the truth. Since the Lotus Sutra explains the truth, it is called the "sutra of shakubuku.”

Now, in the Latter Day of the Law, all our efforts to tell people about and spread Nam-myoho-renge-kyo –– the essence of the Lotus Sutra –– constitute shakubuku.

Shakubuku does not mean going out to pick a fight. Shakubuku, sharing the teachings of the Daishonin’s Buddhism with others, has to be of thoroughgoing compassion. Josei Toda, the second Soka Gakkai president, once said:

We should do abundant shakubuku out of sincere conviction in the Daishonin’s teaching. And in so doing, we should not harbor feelings of antipathy toward others. We should not get into angry disputes. All we need to do is teach people earnestly and gently. The important thing is that we have this spirit to teach. If someone opposes or attacks us, then that person will suffer the consequences of his or her actions. It is important to share Buddhism with a spirit of compassion. It’s almost like being in love.

President Toda certainly had a way of putting things! Shakubuku will never cause one to have regrets!

Introducing others to Buddhism is neither about religious debate nor about the mere growth of this school. It is about emulating the compassion of Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, and taking action in his place.