---- DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT ----
"In 'The Opening of the Eyes,' the Daishonin writes about Shariputra and other figures from the sutras who abandoned bodhisattva practice.
"In past lives, Shariputra practiced the bodhisattva way for a period of 60 kalpas, making offerings to people. When a Brahman appeared and asked him for one of his eyes, Shariputra responded by giving the Brahman his eye. The Brahman smelled the eye and, declaring that it stank, threw it on the ground and crushed it. This convinced Shariputra that it was impossible to save people of this sort and that he should concentrate on seeking only his own enlightenment instead. In spite of having practised almsgiving for 60 kalpas, Shariputra discarded his bodhisattva practice and lapsed into the Hinayana teachings. This is an instance of abandoning faith.
"The Brahman's act was so cruel and arrogant that Shariputra's response would appear reasonable from an ordinary perspective. But Buddhism, which teaches that the Law exists within the heart of each person, does not view things from the relative perspective of whether others or one's circumstances are good or bad. From the standpoint of the eternal and indestructible Law of life, all that matters is what one does oneself, whether one wins over oneself. That is the measure of everything."
"In past lives, Shariputra practiced the bodhisattva way for a period of 60 kalpas, making offerings to people. When a Brahman appeared and asked him for one of his eyes, Shariputra responded by giving the Brahman his eye. The Brahman smelled the eye and, declaring that it stank, threw it on the ground and crushed it. This convinced Shariputra that it was impossible to save people of this sort and that he should concentrate on seeking only his own enlightenment instead. In spite of having practised almsgiving for 60 kalpas, Shariputra discarded his bodhisattva practice and lapsed into the Hinayana teachings. This is an instance of abandoning faith.
"The Brahman's act was so cruel and arrogant that Shariputra's response would appear reasonable from an ordinary perspective. But Buddhism, which teaches that the Law exists within the heart of each person, does not view things from the relative perspective of whether others or one's circumstances are good or bad. From the standpoint of the eternal and indestructible Law of life, all that matters is what one does oneself, whether one wins over oneself. That is the measure of everything."
--- DAILY GOSHO ---
"From this you should understand that anger can be either a good or a bad thing."
(On Reprimanding Hachiman - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.2, page 931)
(On Reprimanding Hachiman - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.2, page 931)
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