佛教杂志《Tricycle》访谈国际创价学会会长池田大作 —— 人性革命的信仰

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池田大作是国际创价学会（Soka GakkaiInternational，简称SGI）会长。SGI是世界最大的在家佛教团体，其美国分会会员的种族结构是当地最多元化的。在这个不可多得的访谈中，池田向《Tricycle》特约编辑克拉克‧斯特兰德（Clark Strand）述该团体不寻常的历史、其往往被误解的信仰活动，以及会员的祈念内容。

〈编按∶本次采访特辑刊载在2008年冬季号的《Tricycle》（三轮）上。这份美国佛教杂志的特约编辑克拉克‧斯特兰德博士，是美国著名佛学家。〉

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　　由好莱坞明星、知名爵士音乐家，到世界各地的一般信徒，创价学会佛教徒最广为人知的，就是他们唱诵的那句耳熟能详的“南无妙法莲华经”（Nam-myoho-renge-kyo），一句以日语发音的《法华经》题目。《法华经》明示，受持此经的人无一例外都能成就正觉。

　　创价学会（“创价”意即创造价值）由牧口常三郎（1871-1944）于1930年创立。牧口是一名教育家，其教育思想深受十三世纪日本僧侣日莲的教义影响。日莲在世时为了日本的改革，曾试图规谏当时的掌权者治国应遵循《法华经》的理念。牧口于1943年被捕入狱。当时，日本的军政府以国家神道的名义，逼迫所有佛教宗派合并，牧口是因为拒绝迎合政府的严令，而被控以违犯《治安维持法》之罪遭到逮捕。他一年后在狱中逝世。战争结束后，由他弟子户田城圣（1900-1958）着手重建创价学会。学会发展迅速，会员剧增，逐渐成为一个推进和平、维护民众权益的草根民众运动集团，备受全日本瞩目。户田1958年逝世后，于世界各地弘扬创价学会所信奉的日莲佛法之责，就落在其弟子池田大作（1928~）身上。池田于1975年在关岛成立了国际创价学会（SGI）。

　　SGI拥有遍布世界一百九十二个国家与地区的一千二百万会员，是世界最大的在家佛教团体，也是美国的佛教宗派中会员人种最多元化的一个。在美国，其会员分属两千六百个区域小组，全国约有一百所会馆。

佛教杂志《Tricycle》

　　即便在欧美的佛教徒之中，修习禅、内观（Vipassana）和金刚乘（Vajrayana）等禅定流派的信徒，与SGI会员之间有着明显的不同。这些禅定流派的佛教徒对SGI差不多毫无认识。SGI是个怎麽样的团体？有何教义？SGI在这个多元文化的世界急速扩展的原因何在？

　　本次作为首个美国杂志SGI会长池田大作所作的专访，由《Tricycle》特约编辑克拉克‧斯特兰德透过电邮方式进行、安德鲁‧格伯特（AndrewGebert）翻译。斯特兰德曾花了两年时间对这位SGI最高领导的思想哲学进行研究，包括其对佛教未来的展望、宗教间对话，以及全球性问题等的想法。

采访内容

　　问∶大多数的美国人对日莲佛法几乎一无所知，只知道其信徒唱念《法华经》的题目“南无妙法莲华经”（以下称为“唱题行”）。可否为本杂志读者解释这个基本修行在日莲佛法中所具有的意义？

　　池田∶日莲用了如此比喻来说明题目和其作用所在∶“好比笼中的小鸟鸣叫，飞翔空中的鸟听到呼唤而聚集前来。飞翔空中的鸟聚集前来，笼中的小鸟也会想飞出去。口中唱出妙法，我们身中的佛性听到呼唤也一定会显现出来。”

　　唱念“南无妙法莲华经”的意思是唱诵自身和一切众生的佛性之名。此举是出于相信万物皆有佛性的信念，通过呼唤自身的佛性，以此“信力”来突破生命中阻碍佛性显现的“根本无明”。所谓“根本无明”，就是生命本身具有的根本迷惑，它妨碍佛性的显现，是让人尝尽生死之苦的根本原因。唤起自己这与生俱来的佛性，就可将自身苦于生死流转的迷茫生命，转变为脉动着“常乐我净”四德的生命。

　　问∶乍看之下，这彷佛与道元的“只管打坐”和法然的“称名念佛”同出一源，皆为日本镰仓时代的专修教义。

　　池田∶正如您所指出的，日莲的“唱题行”与道元的“只管打坐”和法然的“称名念佛”之间有许多雷同之处。镰仓时代是武士执政时期的开始，这三种修行的形成，无论是有意或是无意，皆是为了应对那战乱不息的年代。

日莲佛法的“唱题行”

　　“只管打坐”的坐禅修行，其目的是显现自身的佛性，而非寻求或依赖身外的某种绝对性真理，是“自力”佛教的代表。“称名念佛”则仰赖自身以外的阿弥陀佛之力来救济自己，这是“他力”佛教的代表。日莲说∶“法华经非自力，也绝非他力。”日莲的“唱题行”，让人展现潜伏在自身生命中、而能超越自身的力量和智慧。《法华经》兼备“自力”佛教与“他力”佛教的特徵。

　　问∶您似乎在提示，从某种角度来说，《法华经》结合了“自力”佛教与“他力”佛教两家的特长。

　　池田∶是的。日莲的修行方式符合现实，讲求实效，任何人都可尝试学习修行。透过这方面的修行，人人都可从自己的生命发掘无穷活力和智慧。假如民众能达到如此的生命境界，就能战胜人生的苦恼，放弃囿于“小我”的状态，从而升华至“大我”精神，进而解决面临的冲突和纷争。我坚信，日莲佛法为人类的未来点亮了明灯。

　　问∶信奉日莲佛法的SGI会员，为了事业成功、良好健康、美满婚姻，甚至世界和平，而唱念《法华经》的题目。可是，这种不祈求六根清净，反而为满足俗世烦恼而祈求的做法，似乎有违于传统的佛教观。对于这个矛盾，您有何看法？

　　池田∶宗教的目的是让人获得幸福。如果从这个角度看待此问题，就可了解这其实并没有任何矛盾可言。大乘佛教的理想，是实现“自他的幸福”，而《法华经》就是这个理想的最高典范。《法华经》阐释“万人成佛”的至理，明示一切众生，不分男女，不究学历，不论种族阶级或出身，不顾文化社会背景如何，都能成佛。诵念《法华经》的题目，就是要确认自己这决意，终生贯彻初衷。

　　问∶尽管如此，佛教的传统，尤其是大乘佛教的传统，一贯重视为了悟道成佛的出家修行。那麽《法华经》是否一种以宗教大众化为目的的改革？

　　池田∶为了克服烦恼、寻求安心，一部分的修行者选择了出家。只要这做法的目的是成就大乘佛教所说的“智慧波罗蜜”（智慧之道），《法华经》并不予以否定。但若只满足于灭绝自身的烦恼而故步自封，那麽所能达到的淡泊心态只是短暂而无法持久的，与真正的佛的圆满具足心境不能相提并论。

　　日莲教示“以信得慧”之道，让所有人都能实践“智慧之道”。透过对日莲佛法的“信心”，日常生活的一切遭遇皆可成为显现“智慧”的外缘。把现实生活中的烦恼转变为涌现智慧的契机，日莲称之为“烦恼即菩提”。

　　问∶您谈及，为了世俗的欲望而唱题，那麽烦恼就会升华为菩提，这对日莲佛法以外的佛教徒来说比较难以理解。

　　池田∶或许不易，但由于是重要的一点，希望包括SGI会员在内的众多佛教徒能够理解。日莲佛法的唱题行，并不是吟唱可以满足欲望的咒语。唱题行是基于对生命真理的信仰，与此真理冥合而进行的修行。其目的在于让人超越日常生活中被烦恼所苦、执着于满足欲望的“小我”，确立满溢佛的智慧和慈悲的“大我”，可谓磨练生命、变革人性的道路。

　　草创期的创价学会曾被嘲笑是个“病人和穷人的组织”。我的恩师，创价学会第二任会长户田城圣却引以为荣，宣称∶“救济穷人和病人的宗教，才是真正的宗教。这样的佛教，才可称为真正的佛教。不管如何遭人唾弃嘲笑，创价学会必与老百姓、不幸的人站在同一阵线，为他们奋斗。以佛的眼光来看，这才是最崇高的行动。”户田会长凝望着日本战后荒芜的光景，对学会的行动抱着不移的确信。

　　再说，《法华经》并没有否定现世利益。即便是抱着获得现世利益的初衷皈依《法华经》的人，也可透过此经的教义，确立以此信仰为本的人生。从与佛法结缘的那一刻起，不论人生处于哪一个转捩点，或面对着何等苦恼和忧虑，自己本身将随着信仰逐步成长，得入智慧之道。《法华经》阐释，信奉这宣导万人成佛的经典，让心灵保持清净，就可确保日常生活中的言行举止与佛法的基本精神协调一致，并享有正确的人生。《法华经》和日莲佛法主张，佛与凡夫之间是绝对没有隔阂存在的。

　　问∶日莲谏劝日本国家领导，主张他们皈依佛法，实现以佛法为基础的社会，他所用的词语内容含有预言未来的成分。西方学者认为，日莲是首位做出如此行动的佛教僧侣。根据日本的传统想法，宗教应该辅佐而非挑战既成的权力结构。然而，日莲却奋不顾身，阐述何谓以佛法哲理为根本的社会。日莲到底为何会做出如此勇敢的举动？

　　池田∶诚如您所说的，传统上日本的众多宗教都依附国家的权力结构。了解日莲与权力抗争的原由，可以说是更深入了解日莲本身的关键。

　　促使日莲奋然立起的，是他欲救济“苦恼民众”的慈爱和责任感。日莲的行动正是出于他“与民同苦”的慈爱，以及对“变革社会”的热忱。

　　在十三世纪的镰仓时代，日本自然灾害、粮食短缺、瘟疫、战乱等此起彼伏，平民百姓的生活受到严重的打击。可是无论是掌权者，或是依靠他们权力的宗教家，大家只管明哲保身，不顾人民的死活。厌世情绪充斥于世，人民皆感软弱无力。对于眼前这民不聊生的状况，日莲无法坐视不理。他不畏惧当时的政治军事权势，展开一轮思想与言论的争斗。

　　问∶那岂不是很危险？

　　池田∶正是如此。日莲自己也很清楚，那样的举动是非常危险的。1260年，他执笔《立正安国论》，将这份警世的论文呈给镰仓幕府掌管实权的北条时赖。日莲深知，在封建的日本社会，让当权者改变意识是第一要务。“立正安国”是依据正法，使国家（社会）安泰昌隆之意。由那时候起，日莲成了被迫害的对象，屡屡遭到袭击，并数度被判处流刑。尽管如此，他非但不向权贵显要献媚阿谀，还追究他们失职之责。日莲所阐释的济度现世的教义，让他在民众之中赢得许多支持者。这都是任由社会鱼肉的人民，日莲对他们所产生的影响，被视为对当时的权力结构的一种威胁。

　　对日莲而言，这都是预料中事。他毫无掩饰地表述过自己的心绪，谈到自己最初的一段时间曾经犹豫不决，不知是否要踏出为社会敲响警钟的一步。他述道∶“这件事只要稍微透露口风，一定会招来父母、兄弟、师长甚至国主施加的难。不讲出来，又好像不够慈悲”。

　　经过一番深思熟虑，并谨记着《法华经》“于如来灭后……广令流布，使不断绝”的教诲，他终于发下宏愿，立意要变革社会，使万众皆幸福。

[ 本帖最后由 网络侠客 于 28-6-2009 06:29 PM 编辑 ]

网络侠客

问∶创价学会又是如何发扬日莲的这份精神遗产？

创价学会牧口会长（右）和户田会长（左）

　　池田∶创价学会由牧口常三郎和户田城圣两位会长于1930年创立。两人都是寻求革新的教育家，曾共同为日本教育的改革鞠躬尽瘁。牧口会长于1928年皈依日莲佛法，户田会长也随之入信。与日莲相同，牧口与户田非常关心在现实生活中苦恼的民众，尽心竭力地为他们的幸福奋斗。

　　第二次世界大战爆发后，二人在日本军国主义的狂澜中巍然屹立。当时的军政府为了方便其侵略他国的政策，利用国家神道来对国民进行精神统一，牧口和户田对此严加谴责，以招致二人被逮捕入狱。牧口会长因营养失调而于1944年在狱中逝世，享年七十三岁。户田会长最终获释，在战后荒芜的日本重建创价学会。

　　问∶可是反对创价学会所推进的“和平”与“包容万人的人性主义”的思想的，不仅是军部政权吧？

　　池田∶您说得对，甚至当时的宗教界也缺乏对创价学会的理解。日莲入灭约七百年后，其佛法已与民众脱节，在若干年前还被诠释为极端国家主义。牧口会长让日莲佛法回归其“为人争取幸福”的本义。牧口会长本着这理念促进社会改革，他由社会的根基开始做起，从小学教育的革新，到人民生活的改善，逐步推进他所指望的社会变革。

　　问∶几乎所有的佛教流派都响应军政府的要求，合力支持由其发动的战争，日莲佛教不也随波逐流吗？

　　池田∶在那个军国主义沸腾的疯狂时期，牧口会长所属的“日莲正宗”屈服于强权的压迫。例如，该宗僧侣从日莲的文献中删除和修改被有关当局视为有“问题”的词句。相反的，牧口会长一生贯彻日莲佛法“为民众的幸福奉献”的人道精神，在狱中为此信念殉身。

　　问∶战后崛起的创价学会所秉持的现代化、全球化人本主义，是否是牧口会长反战立场所造就的？

　　池田∶可以这麽说。但用“受到启发而形成”来形容两者之间的因果关系或许更贴切。牧口会长严守日莲佛法的人本主义精神，他的奋斗成了我们学习和仿效的模范。

　　其弟子户田城圣熬过艰苦的监狱生活，获释后重建学会，之后出任学会第二任会长。户田会长让佛法在现代社会中重展光辉。他在狱中曾钻研含义深奥的《法华经》，通过自身的悟达，理解到“佛即生命”这佛教史上前所未有的结论，由此得悉该经典不但超越种族、宗教和文化等差异，还可普遍地在现代人心中引起共鸣。出于此原因，户田会长致力宣扬《法华经》的教义，使其成为人人皆可理解、活用的现代哲学。

　　户田会长深信创价学会继承了日莲佛法的精髓，肩负广泛宣弘日莲佛法的使命。户田会长从未离开过日本，但他的心却一直关注着世界的和平。

　　户田会长在1957年9月，即他逝世的半年前发表了《禁止原子弹氢弹宣言》，断然指出核武器威胁人类生存的权利，是绝对恶。此宣言其实也是在宣扬《法华经》爱护和平、尊重生命的精神。户田会长尽他所能，让日莲佛法普及于世，我相信这是他最大的成就。

　　问∶可是户田会长并没有将创价学会领上世界的舞台。那成了您创办国际创价学会（SGI）的目的？

　　池田∶作为学会的第三任会长，我深受两位前辈的启发和激励，一直身感自己肩负弘扬日莲佛法、使之延续未来万年的重大责任。户田会长于1958年4月辞世数周前的某一天还把我唤到他身边，告诉我他梦见自己去了墨西哥，提到那里有许多人在期待学习佛法。在诠释日莲佛法的过程中，我尝试把只通用于日本人民的固有文化和历史的部分，由教义的核心内容中划分出来。一直以来，我与来自不同领域的各方人士对话交流，以期在表达自己的思想时，能表现得更贴切，并广泛地深入人心。我相信，所有的文化和宗教，都是人性的深邃表露，因此在谈话时，经常参考佛教以外的文化传统，汲取文学、艺术、科学和医学等领域的构思和洞察，与包括创价学会会员在内的人分享来自不同文化和宗教背景的思想家的箴言。


　　问∶我记得美国学者理查‧西格（Richard Seager）在其研究创价学会的著作中指出，他并没有在日本美国两地的创价大学校园内看到传统的佛像或其他的佛教饰物，却见到雨果和惠特曼的铜像，这让他感到惊讶。

　　池田∶英国哲学家怀特海（Alfred NorthWhitehead，1861-1947）如此形容宗教∶“其原理或许永恒不灭，但原理的表达方式却必须不断演变改善。”在我看来，用此话来形容佛教尤为贴切。无论生于任何年代，或来自何种文化背景，但凡是人，则谁都希冀和平和幸福。佛教这个充满发展潜力的生命哲学，原本便是为了回应人们这份永恒不变的心愿而存在的。因此文化间对话是佛教在今后千年期间发展的关键。佛教固然必须坚守其核心理念及教义本质，但同时也需要接触他者、去学习和进化。SGI重要的使命，在于“重新探求”佛教、使它“净化”和“普遍化”。我认为这也是佛教的本质所在。

　　问∶您将《法华经》的教导定义为“人性革命”。我想，这定义中的“人”，正符合了您所推重的佛教人本精神，但就“革命”而言，SGI的教义中有些什麽革命性的侧面？宗教的人本精神又如何促成这方面的“革命”？

　　池田∶佛法本来就是一种“革命性”哲学，其中的“成佛”论更是个先进革新的概念。“成佛”虽然是个巨大的转变，但其实也意味回归人原本最自然的状态。日莲曾表述∶“潮之涨落，月之盈亏，春夏秋冬四季之间，必有迁移变化，凡夫之作佛亦如是。”

　　户田会长在世时经常提到“人性革命”（日语∶“人间革命”），以致这个措辞后来被广泛使用。那是用以形容“成佛”的现代词。对日莲佛法而言，“成佛”会对社会造就深远的影响。在内心进行精神变革的人，可以领会生命真正尊贵之处。如此变革，可以克服由无视和不重视生命所造成的种种现代社会弊病。出于这个理由，人的幸福、社会的和平，都是建构在内心变革的基础之上。在日莲佛法看来，幸福和平与内心的变革息息相关，两方面是表里一致的事物。

　　户田会长解释∶“‘人性革命’并不是什麽特别或超乎常理的活动。简单来说，这可以是由怠惰变得勤奋的改变，也可以是寻找学习的乐趣的过程，又可以是让贫困的生活变得富裕的转化。‘人性革命’是指人生基本方向的改变，而能够使这成为现实的，是提倡意识变革的佛道修行。”

　　问∶那可与我们所熟悉的“成佛”论大相径庭。

　　池田∶在日本和一些亚洲国家和地区，“成佛”已被看成往生或死后的事。户田会长之所以称之为“人性革命”，是为了强调人人都可以在一生之中成就这样的变革，使自己的潜质和特长开花结果。我相信，拥有这般志向的人民，无论处在世界的任何一方，假如都能团结起来，就可共同开创通往非暴力的全球革命之道。

　　问∶释尊在《法华经》的结尾中宣称∶“若见受持是经典者，当起远迎，当如敬佛”。您如何解释这段话？

　　池田∶我相信，对于生活在这多元宗教的世界的佛教徒来说，这番话提供了明确的处事指南。日莲称“当起远迎，当如敬佛”这八个字为释尊“最上第一之相传”。这样的品行，是释尊最欲见到后世的《法华经》修行者培养的。毕竟，关爱世人原本就是人应有的行为。

　　《法华经》的“常不轻菩萨品”描述了“常不轻菩萨”的事迹，说这位菩萨每每遇到人时都礼拜赞叹∶“我深敬汝等，不敢轻慢。所以者何？汝等皆行菩萨道，当得作佛。”在这个通讯交通皆发达但问题累累的时代，这不正是我们现代佛教徒必须学习的榜样？

　　大乘佛教称我们这个时代为末法时代。据说，末法的特徵包括动荡不安、纷争不断等状态。若要逆转这股时代激流，我们必须相信自己和其他人都身具佛性，并勇于尊重和敬爱其他人，除此别无他法。

　　问∶如此态度在国际政坛上已不可多见，但未来总是充满希望的……

　　池田∶那是必然的，佛法已经指明如何点燃这种“希望”。那是个唤醒人们心中佛性的过程，其中关系到相信自己和其他人，以及“当如敬佛”般地尊敬其他人。日莲宣导的“折伏”布教方式，能在此发挥重要作用。“折伏”所注重的，是在与人接触时相信对方的佛性，以慈悲相待，祈愿对方的幸福，如此才可进行有诚意、互敬互爱的对话。这就是布教的真意。布教首先便是透过持续、互敬的对话，来构建信赖与友谊的。

　　尊敬他人这慈悲心，是万人具有的本性，那是希望的泉源，亦是个超越宗教信条的普世真理。佛教徒尊重他人是出于尊敬对方的人性，而不计较对方的宗教信仰。日莲曾用个颇富诗意的譬喻来形容这一点∶人向镜中礼拜时，则镜中之影又向自己礼拜。这是佛教真正的精神，也是我那麽肯定希望必然存在的原因。

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资料来源： http://sgichn.org/works/chs/presscutting/tricycle090618-chs.html
英文版： http://www.tricycle.com/interview/faith-revolution?page=0%2C2
tricycle 的网址： http://www.tricycle.com/

[ 本帖最后由 网络侠客 于 28-6-2009 06:26 PM 编辑 ]

池田先生

按报告了。。。

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DAISAKU IKEDA is President ofthe Soka Gakkai International, the world’s largest Buddhist lay groupand America’s most diverse. In a rare interview, Ikeda speaks tocontributing editor Clark Strand about his organization’s remarkable history, its oft-misunderstood practice, and what its members are really chanting for.
          
From Hollywood celebrities to renowned jazz musicians to everydaypractitioners around the world, Soka Gakkai Buddhists are best knownfor their familiar chant, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. What they are chanting is the Japanese title of the Lotus Sutra, which posits that all of us—without exception—can attain enlightenment through faith in its teachings.

TheSoka Gakkai (Value Creation Society) was founded in 1930 by TsunesaburoMakiguchi [1871–1944], a Japanese educator whose theories were stronglyinfluenced by the teachings of Nichiren, a 13th-century Buddhist priestwho sought to reform Japanese society by bringing its leadership inline with the Lotus Sutra’s teachings. Makiguchi was arrestedunder the Peace Preservation Act in 1943 by the Japanese government forrefusing to consolidate with other Buddhist sects under the banner ofState Shinto, effectively challenging the authority of the militarygovernment. He died in prison a year later. After the war his discipleJosei Toda [1900–1958] turned the Soka Gakkai into a nationalphenomenon, increasing its membership dramatically and establishing itas a grassroots social movement that championed peace and the rights ofordinary people. At Toda’s death in 1958, the task of spreading theSoka Gakkai’s Nichiren Buddhist teachings to the internationalcommunity fell to Toda’s disciple Daisaku Ikeda [b. 1928], who foundedthe Soka Gakkai International (SGI) on the island of Guam in 1975.

With12 million members in 192 countries, SGI is the world’s largestBuddhist lay group and the largest, most ethnically diverse Buddhistschool in America, where its members gather in 2,600 neighborhooddiscussion groups and nearly 100 community centers nationwide.

AmongWestern convert Buddhists, there has always been a sharp divisionbetween members of SGI and meditation-oriented students of traditionslike Zen, Vipassana, and Vajrayana. Students of the meditationapproaches tend to know little, if anything, of SGI. So what is thepractice of SGI? What are its teachings, and how do they account forits rapid spread to so many different cultures around the world?

Thisinterview with SGI President Daisaku Ikeda, the first granted to anyAmerican magazine, was conducted this summer via email by Tricyclecontributing editor Clark Strand and translated by Andrew Gebert. It isthe culmination of a two-year-long conversation with SGI’s topleadership on the future of Buddhism as it relates to interreligiousdialogue and issues of pressing global concern.


MostAmericans know little about Nichiren Buddhism, except that itsfollowers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the title of the Lotus Sutra.Could you help our readers to understand the role of this core practicein Nichiren Buddhism? Nichiren used the following analogy to explain the daimoku,or “Great Title,” and how it works: “When a caged bird sings, birds whoare flying in the sky are thereby summoned and gather around, and whenthe birds flying in the sky gather around, the bird in the cage strivesto get out. When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, ourBuddha-nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge.”

To chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyois to call out the name of the Buddha-nature within us and in allliving beings. It is an act of faith in this universal Buddhanature, anact of breaking through the fundamental darkness of life—our inabilityto acknowledge our true enlightened nature. It is this fundamentaldarkness, or ignorance, that causes us to experience the cycles ofbirth and death as suffering. When we call forth and base ourselves onthe magnificent enlightened life that exists within each of us withoutexception, however, even the most fundamental, inescapable sufferingsof life and death need not be experienced as pain. Rather, they can betransformed into a life embodying the virtues of eternity, joy, trueself, and purity.

On its surface, this seems just likethe other singlepractice teachings that came out of Kamakura Japan—like Dogen’s practice of just sitting or Honen’s chanting of thenembutsu. As you note, there are apparent similarities between these practices and Nichiren’s practice of chanting the title of the Lotus Sutra.These can, I believe, be attributed to a shared response, conscious orunconscious, to the particular conditions and challenges of theKamakura era, a conflict-torn age when Japan was transitioning to asamurai-centered political system.

The Zen practice of just sitting is representative of the kind of jiriki,or “self-power,” practice that makes no appeal to any kind of absolutetruth or being beyond oneself. On the other hand, the chanting of nembutsu, relying on and seeking salvation in Amida Buddha, is representative of the tariki, or “otherpower,” approach. Drawing upon the teachings of the Lotus Sutra,Nichiren declared that it was wiser to avoid leaning too much on eitherthe self-power or the other-power approach. Nichiren’s practice ofchanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo leads us to discover a power andwisdom that exists within us and at the same time transcends us. Itembraces aspects of both the self- and other-power practices.

In a sense, then, you seem to suggest that it represents the best of both worlds.Yes, and because Nichiren’s approach is both so accessible and sopractical, it enables ordinary people to cultivate the vast sources ofenergy and wisdom they already possess within. It empowers us to livecourageously and victoriously amidst the terrible realities of this eraof conflict and strife. As such I am confident that it can play a vitalrole in illuminating the path forward for humanity.

NichirenBuddhists chant the daimoku to get what they want—a successful career,better health, a good marriage, even world peace. Nevertheless, from apurely traditional point of view, it would seem a violation of basicBuddhist doctrine to chant for the satisfaction of earthly desiresrather than striving to overcome them. Isn’t this a contradiction?If you think that the purpose of religion is happiness, there really isno contradiction. The ideal of Mahayana Buddhism is the realization ofhappiness for oneself and for others. Nowhere is this more completelyset out than in the Lotus Sutra, which recognizes theBuddha-nature in all people—women and men, those with formal educationand those without. It declares that all people, without regard to theirclass, origin, personal, cultural, or social background, can attainenlightenment. Our recitation of the title of the Lotus Sutra is a way of renewing our vow to live in accord with this ideal.

Evenso, the Buddhist tradition—even the Mahayana tradition—has tended tofocus on a monastic approach to enlightenment. Do you see in the LotusSutra the suggestion of some kind of populist reform? The Lotus Sutradoes not deny the validity of monastic practice, of people dedicatingthemselves to their practice in a setting conducive to overcomingdeluded impulses and attaining a peaceful state of mind. The problemarises when the practice comes to be seen as an end in itself, ratherthan a means of entering into the path of wisdom. Nichiren was thefirst to make the attainment of wisdom through faith a possibility forall people. By following his teachings, it becomes possible to useevery occurrence in life—pleasant or painful—as an opportunity for thefurther development of our innate wisdom. When Nichiren declares thatearthly desires lead to enlightenment, he is describing a process bywhich even ordinary people living in the midst of deluded impulses andearthly desires can manifest their highest wisdom.

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Istill think a lot of non-Nichiren Buddhists will have a hard timeunderstanding how chanting for earthly desires leads to enlightenment. Well,to begin with, I think it is important for all Buddhists—even membersof the SGI—to understand that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not some kind ofmagic formula to be recited to fulfill desires. It is a practice thatexpresses our faith in the truth and brings our lives into rhythm withthat truth. It is a path for overcoming the so-called lesser self thatis attached to desires and tormented by deluded impulses. It is aprocess of training and transforming our lives to be able to manifestour greater self, to bring forth our Buddha-wisdom and thecompassionate capacity to realize happiness for ourselves and otherpeople.

In its early days, the Soka Gakkai was despised andlaughed at in Japanese society as a gathering of the sick and poor.Josei Toda, my life mentor, took this as a point of pride, however, anddeclared with confidence: “The true mission of religion is to bringrelief to the sick and the poor. That is the purpose of Buddhism. TheSoka Gakkai is the ally and friend of the common people, a friend tothe unhappy. However much we may be looked down on, we will continue tofight for the sake of such people.” Faced with the devastation ofpostwar Japan, Toda was convinced that, in the eyes of the Buddha, thiswas the most noble action.

Moreover, the Lotus Sutradoesn’t deny the value of worldly benefit. By allowing people to startto practice in expectation of such benefit, the teachings of the Lotus Sutraestablish a way of life based on faith, and through thisfaith—developed step by step, starting from wherever we happen to findourselves in life when we come to the Buddhist path, and with whatevernatural human worries or concerns happen to have us in their grip atthe time—we enter the path of wisdom. By believing in this sutra thatteaches universal enlightenment and by purifying our mind, we are thenable to bring our daily actions into harmony with the core spirit ofBuddhism. In the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren, there is no essential dichotomy between enlightenment and the lives of ordinary beings.

Western scholars have observed that Nichiren was the firstBuddhist leader to speak with a truly prophetic voice, insisting thatJapanese leaders embrace the dharma and make it a social reality. Whatinspired Nichiren to take such a bold step, risking his life to asserta Buddhist vision of society in a country where religion hadtraditionally been expected to support the existing power structurerather than hold it to account? You’re right that in Japanreligion has traditionally been expected to support authority.Nichiren’s very different response to power holds a key tounderstanding his character.

Nichiren felt compassion for thesufferings of the common people and a sense of responsibility for doingsomething about this. And this empathy and earnest commitment to socialtransformation are at the very core of all Nichiren’s actions.
Thirteenth-centuryKamakura Japan was a terrible time to live. Life was constantlythreatened by earthquakes, droughts, and other natural disasters, aswell as famine, pestilence, and armed conflict. But neither thepolitical nor the religious authorities of the day were able to seebeyond their attachment to their own power and position to takeeffective action. The result was a pervasive sense of powerlessness anddespair among the populace. Nichiren was by nature incapable of turninga blind eye to other people’s pain. So he spoke out, launching a battleof ideas that challenged the existing order.

Daisaku Ikeda and his wife, Kaneko [second from left], visiting members of the Soka Gakkai International in Tokyo in 1979. © Seikyo Shimbun

That sounds very risky. It was. But Nichiren understood the risks. In 1260, he presented his treatise, Rissho Ankoku Ron (On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land),to the highest de facto authority of Japan, the retired regent HojoTokiyori. He did this because he was convinced that in a feudalsociety, changing the awareness of those at the top of the pyramid ofpower was essential. In the years that followed, in spite ofpersecution and the constant threat of assassination or execution,Nichiren fiercely maintained his independence, insisting on holdingthose in power to account. He gained many adherents among the commonpeople at this time by teaching them that happiness in this world wasindeed possible. But his influence among the downtrodden sectors ofsociety was naturally perceived as a threat by those in power.

Nichirenhad clearly foreseen all of this, and his writings record with greatfrankness the doubts and questions that assailed him early in hiscareer as he pondered whether or not he should speak out. At one pointhe confessed to a disciple: “I, Nichiren, am the only person in allJapan who understands this. But if I utter so much as a word concerningit, then parents, brothers, and teachers will surely censure me, andthe ruler of the nation will take steps against me. On the other hand,I am fully aware that if I do not speak out I will be lacking incompassion.” After a process of intense self-questioning, Nichirenrecalled the words of the Lotus Sutra urging that thisteaching be spread after the Buddha’s passing, and he made a great vowto transform society and enable all people to live in happiness.

How did the Soka Gakkai take Nichiren’s legacy forward?The Soka Gakkai’s first leaders, Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and Josei Toda,were both innovative educators dedicated to the reform of educationalpractices in Japan. Mr. Makiguchi converted to Nichiren Buddhism in1928, two years before he founded the Soka Gakkai, and Mr. Todafollowed him in embracing faith in Buddhism soon after. Like Nichiren,they dedicated themselves to the happiness of ordinary peoplestruggling to live their lives.

During World War II, however,they found themselves facing persecutions when they resisted thecurrents of Japanese militarist fascism and criticized the state’s useof Shinto to spiritually unite the Japanese people behind the wareffort. They were arrested and imprisoned as a result. In 1944, Mr.Makiguchi died in prison from extreme malnutrition. He was 73 at thetime of his death. Mr. Toda emerged from prison to rebuild theorganization amid the devastation of defeat.

But it wasn’t just the military government that opposed the Soka Gakkai’s message of peace and radical inclusion, correct?That’s right. During the almost seven centuries since his death,Nichiren’s Buddhism had become desensitized to the interests andconcerns of the common people. At times it had even been interpreted asa highly nationalistic teaching. Mr. Makiguchi rediscovered NichirenBuddhism as a religion dedicated to the happiness of ordinary people.He sought to promote such happiness, starting at the foundations ofsociety, by reforming educational practices in Japan. With time, hisgoals expanded to include sharing the practice with people from allwalks of life as a means of transforming the lives of ordinary peopleand thus society itself.

Didn’t Nichiren Buddhism alsounite behind the war effort, as required by the government, likevirtually all other schools of Japanese Buddhism? DuringJapan’s years of militarist madness, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood,with which Makiguchi was associated, gave in to pressure from thepolitical authorities. For example, they agreed to modify or deletepassages from the writings of Nichiren that were considered problematicby the authorities. In contrast, Mr. Makiguchi upheld the originalintent of Nichiren Buddhism—a humanistic dedication to the happiness ofordinary people—and died in prison as a result.

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Would you say that the modernist, global-reaching humanism ofthe postwar Soka Gakkai was born of Makiguchi’s resistance to the war? Yes.Though “inspired by” might be a better way of putting it, becausePresident Makiguchi’s struggle to preserve humanistic values stands asan enduring example for us. It was his disciple Josei Toda who, havingsurvived the prison experience, really defined what can be recognizedas “modern Buddhism.” In prison, Mr. Toda read the difficult-to-graspwords of the Lotus Sutra with his very being, gaining thegroundbreaking insight that the Buddha is nothing other than lifeitself. I am personally convinced that this is an insight of profoundsignificance within the larger history of Buddhism. Through hisawakening in prison, Mr. Toda developed a universal means of expressingthe core message of the Lotus Sutra in a way that made itaccessible to contemporary humanity, reviving it as something potentlymeaningful to daily life in the modern world, regardless of race,religion, or cultural background.

Toda was convinced that theSoka Gakkai was heir to the mission to widely propagate NichirenBuddhism for realizing a peaceful society, and he made this pledgecentral to the identity of the organization. Although he himself nevertraveled outside of Japan, he was deeply concerned about the peace ofthe world.

In September 1957, just six months before his death,he issued a historic call for the banning of nuclear weapons, which hedenounced as an absolute evil threatening humanity’s right to exist. Inthis way he sought to communicate the Lotus Sutra’scommitment to the sanctity of life and peace to the entire world. I amconvinced that Mr. Toda’s efforts greatly contributed to the work ofuniversalizing Nichiren Buddhism.

But it wasn’t Toda whotook the Soka Gakkai global. That has been your mission in the foundingof the Soka Gakkai International, correct? As theorganization’s third president, I have been deeply inspired by mypredecessors. I have felt a powerful responsibility to universalize andensure the long-term flourishing of the teachings. Just weeks before hedied in April 1958, Mr. Toda called me to his side and told me that hehad dreamed of going to Mexico, that there were people there waiting tolearn about Buddhism. In terms of the teachings, I have tried toseparate out those elements in the traditional interpretation ofNichiren Buddhism that are more reflective of Japanese cultural andhistorical contingencies than they are of the underlying message. Tothis end I have continued to engage in dialogue with a wide range ofpeople around the world in order to refine and universalize theexpression of my ideas. Because I am convinced that all cultures andreligions are expressions of deep human truths, I have regularlyreferenced philosophical traditions other than Buddhism, bringing inthe ideas and insights of literature, art, science, and medicine, andsharing the inspiring words and insights of thinkers from a wide rangeof cultural and religious backgrounds with people, including themembership of the Soka Gakkai.

I remember that in hisbook on the Soka Gakkai, the American scholar Richard Seager noted withsurprise that there were no traditional Buddhist images or iconsvisible on the grounds of Soka University’s Japanese or Americancampuses, though he found statues of Victor Hugo and Walt Whitman.The British philosopher Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947) wrote aboutreligion: “Its principles may be eternal, but the expression of thoseprinciples requires continual development.” To me, this is especiallytrue for Buddhism, which is a dynamic life philosophy that responds topeople’s unchanging desire for peace and happiness across differenthistorical and cultural settings. This is why dialogue between culturesis so crucial for the development of Buddhism in the next millennium.While staying true to its essence, Buddhism needs to encounter, learn,and evolve. In this sense, I am convinced that the work of rediscovery,purification, and universalization—taken on by the SGI as its coremission— is the very essence of Buddhism.

You haverecast the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in terms of a process you call“human revolution.” The first part of that term gives expression toyour philosophy of Buddhist humanism. But there’s also revolution. Whatare some of the more revolutionary aspects of Buddhism as taught by theSGI, and how does religious humanism spark that kind of revolution?Buddhism is inherently revolutionary. I can’t think of anything moreradical than enlightenment. It is both a return to our most naturalstate and a dramatic change. To quote Nichiren, “There is definitelysomething extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising andsetting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, andspring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when anordinary person attains Buddhahood.”

The expression “humanrevolution” was made famous by President Toda. It is a way ofexpressing the idea of enlightenment in contemporary language. InNichiren Buddhism, enlightenment always impacts society. Through aninner, spiritual transformation individuals can awaken to a genuinesense of the sanctity of life. This counters the disregard and mistrustfor life that is at the root of what is wrong in contemporary society.This inner change is thus the basis for realizing both individualhappiness and a peaceful society. Again, in Nichiren Buddhism the twoare never separate.

In terms of the individual, Mr. Todaexplained it this way: “Human revolution isn’t something special or outof the ordinary. It could be as simple as someone who had been lazy anduninspired becoming enthused and committed. Or someone who hadn’t beeninterested in learning putting themselves into their studies. Or aperson who has struggled with poverty becoming more stable andcomfortable in their life. Human revolution is a change in a person’sbasic orientation in life. And it is the transformation in awarenesscaused by Buddhist practice that makes that possible.”

Yes. But that’s a very different conception of Buddhahood than most of us are used to.By using the language of “human revolution,” Mr. Toda transformed theidea of Buddhahood, which in Japan and other parts of Asia had come tobe understood as pertaining principally to the afterlife, into theclear and profound goal of developing and bringing to fruition our ownunique capacity and character while we are alive. I earnestly believethat when people who are making such efforts unite and realizegrassroots solidarity on a world scale, we will see the path opened tothe realization of a nonviolent global revolution.

Atthe very end of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha declares, “If yousee a person who accepts and upholds this sutra, you should rise andgreet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would a Buddha.”How do you interpret Shakyamuni’s words? I believe that these words offer a clear guide for Buddhists living in a religiously plural world.

Nichirenstates that the eight Chinese characters that translate as “you shouldrise and greet him from afar, showing him the same respect you would aBuddha” express his first and highest transmission— the human qualitiesShakyamuni hoped most to see in those who practiced the Lotus Sutrain the future after his passing. In other words, the most fundamentalthing is our action and behavior as human beings, our ability to carefor and treasure a single individual.

There is a chapter of the Lotus Sutradedicated to Bodhisattva Never Disparaging, who reverentially salutedeach person he encountered with the words: “I have profound reverencefor you, I would never dare treat you with disparaging and arrogance.Why? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certainto attain Buddhahood.” This provides us with a concrete model for ourinteractions with others as modern Buddhists living in an age ofinternational interconnection and global issues and concerns.

Accordingto the teachings of Mahayana Buddhism, the period of time we are livingin is called the Latter Day of the Law, an era of conflict and strifewhen all things tend toward conflict. The only way of resisting andcountering the violent tides of such an age is with strong faith in theBuddha-nature of oneself and of others. And the way that this is putinto practice is through the respect we can offer others.

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We don’t see much of that today in international relations, although there is always hope for the future.
Indeed there is, and Buddhism can offer ways to cultivate just thatkind of hope. To believe in both oneself and others, and to treatothers as one would a Buddha—this is the practice that awakens andcalls forth the Buddha-nature that resides within us all. It is herethat the practice of straightforward propagation advocated by Nichirenhas its true significance. It is precisely because we are able tomuster faith in the Buddha-nature of the other person that wecan bring forth compassion from within ourselves and, desiringhappiness for all, continue an earnest and respect-filled process ofdialogue. This is the real spirit of propagation— of spreading Buddhismfrom one person to another. It first and foremost involves buildingtrust and friendship through respectful, ongoing dialogue.

Allpeople are equally endowed with the inherent capacity to respectothers, and this capacity is a source of inexhaustible hope because itembodies a universal truth that transcends the specifics of religiouscreeds. The respect offered by Buddhists to other people is offered invirtue of their humanity, without regard to their religious belief orcreed. Nichiren described this with a poetic metaphor, saying that whenwe bow to a mirror, the figure in the mirror bows back reverentially atus. This is the true spirit of Buddhism, and yes, it is reason forgreat hope.

[ 本帖最后由 网络侠客 于 28-6-2009 06:28 PM 编辑 ]