“Food gives us energy and sustenance to live and keeps up our strength. Clothes protect our bodies from the cold and strong sunrays and cover our bodies from the eyes of other people.
To offer such things to practitioners to support their religious activities is to accumulate good deeds.”
Nichiren Shonin, A letter to a female follower, HBS 3-1057
The above is from a thank you letter which Nichiren Shonin sent to a female follower.
There are many letters which Nichiren Shonin wrote and sent to his followers that have been handed down to us today. Most of them are thank you letters to show gratitude for Fuse and Kuyo (offerings and sustenance). In the letters, he often wrote Gohomon (teachings) which were related to the Ofuse and Kuyo.
No matter how devoted and faithful Buddhist practitioners are, it is difficult for them to sustain their strength to engage in the practices without having food to sustain themselves and without clothes to protect themselves from the cold in winter and the strong sunshine in summer. Moreover, without support, it is impossible to construct places for their missionary work.
From this point of view, Nichiren Shonin attached importance to Fuse and Kuyo from lay followers and was all praise in his letters to them who keep in mind to make offerings of various things.
Nichiren Shonin’s religion was not mere spiritualism, nor mere materialism. When spirit and body, mind and things work and support each other, the value of each other increases. That was Nichiren Shonin’s belief for the Buddhist practitioner for the propagation of the Lotus Sutra.
Buddhism is basically a religion which teaches the ‘middle path’ (Chudo). Chudo means every existence or work supports each other and compensates each other, avoid the extreme view and way to live.
Our way of religion as HBS followers is also the same. When we offer prayers to the Gohonzon through our practices, we should avoid extreme selfish desires. For example, “May I be in sound health in order to enjoy gorgeous meals every day.” Or. “May I get a lot of money to spend a luxurious life.” Such unbalanced prayers should be modified in this way. “May I be in sound health to engage in the daily religious practices as HBS followers.” Or. “May I have some more money to support the temple and priest’s activities even more.”
The meaning of ‘walk on the middle path as a follower of HBS’ is to engage in the various practices not only for oneself but for others. We should not walk on the path alone but with others. Let us invite others to the path called Ichibutsu Jo (One Great Buddha Path) as bodhisattvas of the Lotus Sutra. The path surely leads to the Pure Buddha Land (Jakko) where Great Master Nichiren Sonin lives.
Merits and virtues which we have accumulated through offering Fuse and Kuyo for the temple and priests become savings for our journey to the Pure Buddha Land.
Let us support the priests who engage in religious activities while facing this unprecedented disaster of COVID-19.
To HBS Followers
Merits and Virtues of Offerings and Sustaining
Walk on the ‘Middle Path’ (Chudo)