In this isuue, I would like to share with you about one of the bodhisattva's Buddhist practices.  There are six practices for bodhisattvas, which are charity, precepts, endurance, endeavor, meditation and wisdom.

I would like to focus on the practice of endurance this time.  

Let us review what we have learned so far about the six practices of bodhisattva.

First, we learned the practice of charity.  The Buddhist way of charity is not to "give and take", but to "give and give".  Do you remember? If you keep giving away, you will naturally able to acquire something much greater than you have given away even though you do not expect any return.

Second, we learned the practice of precepts.  We, Nichiren-shu Buddhists, have only one precept which is to chant Namu-Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo.  When we chant Namu-Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo, we will naturally know what is right and what is wrong.   That's what we have learned so far.

Now, let's think about endurance.  "Endurance" sounds like, "you have to be patient", doesn't it?  You may say, "I'm always patient.  Everyone is self-centered around me.  Everyone is trying to avoid their responsibility.  Everyone is blaming each other..."  Okay, okay, I understand.  However, let's think about this.  To whom do you have to be patient?  Do you have to be patient to your wife, husband, children, parents, relatives, boss, or friend?  No, you have to be patient to yourself, not anyone else.   Do you know where your real enemy is?  According to the Buddha's teaching, your enemy exists inside you.  Your enemy is your greed, your anger and your ignorance, which are called the Three Poisons in Buddhism.

According to a Buddhist legend, when Gautama Siddharta (Shakyamuni Buddha’s given name) was sitting under a bodhi tree, a huge army of evil came to him and attacked him with arrows.  Thousands of arrows were shot towards him at once.   But, before those arrows reached him, they all turned to flower pedals. The more arrows the army shot, the more flower pedals fell on Gautama Siddharta.

The army was actually the greed, anger and ignorance inside Gautama Siddharta.  Those arrows were all his worldly desires.  He could turn all those desires into harmless flower pedals by his endurance.  After he beat the army of evil inside him, he became the Buddha Shakyamuni, which literally meant "the Awakened One of the Shakya clan".

Whenever you are frustrated by your spouse, children, parents, relatives, coworkers, customers or friends, you may think that you must be patient toward those people.  However, it is very difficult or even impossible to change those people.  Rather than trying to change those people, why don't you change yourself first?  If you are able to change your view of those people, who are self-centered, irresponsible or always blaming others, to a more compassionate and respectful perspective, then you will not have to expend as much patience as before.  That's the Buddhist way of endurance.

When you chant Namu-Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo, think of your compassion and respect inside you.  Then, you can endure anything.  Be confident in yourself.   If you have to try hard, chant Namu-Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo.  The name of the highest teaching of the Buddha Shakyamuni will help you for sure.

Namu-Myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo