Bright and Warm as the Sun
Nichiko Niwano, President of Rissho Kosei-kai
The Light That Shines from Wisdom
In the Suttanipata, one of the oldest collections of
the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha, we find
these words of his: “Solar by clan, Shakyas by
birth. From that lineage I have gone forth.”
This was Shakyamuni’s response when asked
about his origins by King Bimbisara, who was
deeply impressed by the noble demeanor of the
mendicant Shakyamuni.
It is said that at that time the king dismounted
from his royal carriage, sat down before Shakyamuni,
and happily exchanged greetings. The virtue
conveyed by Shakyamuni’s serene and relaxed
appearance seemed to emit rays of light that, just as
his lineage has suggested, were so bright they lit up
the surrounding area as if the sun had come down to
the earth.
Of course, this impression was not created
merely by his outer appearance. The light was not
only a reflection of his sublime exterior, it was the
radiance shining from the wisdom that flowed from
a mind always alert and clear. This is evident from
the following words that Shakyamuni said to the
king, who had offered donations of material things:
“I did not renounce secular life in order to fulfill
physical desires. For from desire comes suffering,
while in diligence there is peace and comfort. My
mind delights in making every effort to advance
spiritually.”
Perceiving well what causes the mind to become
tranquil and brings true serenity, Shakyamuni thus used his wisdom to speak pleasantly yet frankly,
and so guiding the king to the teaching and leading
him to take refuge in the Dharma.
The aura of brightness has great power to attract
people. The rays of light that seem released from
within shine on others. For us, striving to achieve
the brightness of the sun can be called our ideal.
Warmth Born of Compassion
When we speak of the sun, the impression that
most of us have is of a provider of warmth. Of
course, that may not be the way people in scorching
arid desert areas think of it. In Japan, however,
the su n does indeed bathe the land in warmth and
empowers plants and trees to send forth buds that
blossom in the spring—in other words, it provides
the spark of life as the source of the necessary
energy.
In that regard, the brightness and warmth of the
sun are also essential for the lives of human beings.
If we speak in concrete terms of the type of
words and deeds that create warmth, we can say
that, fir st of all, being open-minded and seeing the
goodness in other people is the first step in being
warmhearted. Just as the sun causes plants to
sprout and grow, being considerate toward others
and recognizing their positive qualities, and
encouraging their further development through
kindness and compassion is to demonstrate our
genuine warmth.
Furthermore, sympathizing with others when
they are enduring difficult circumstances, and
wishing them well and encouraging them to rebuild
their lives are examples of our warmheartedness.
Ryokan (1758 - 1831), a Zen monk, of Echigo was
himself poor and could not support people in difficulty
with either money or goods. He was eager to share warm feelings with them at least through
kind words, which resulted in the many poems and
other writings he left to us. This was an embodiment
of his natural kindness and compassion.
Displaying warmheartedness has nothing t o do
with gain or loss, or with winning or losing. It
arises from the realization that it is all right to lose
sometimes. When we adopt the attitude of accepting
every type of circumstance and acknowledging
its value—just as the sun shines unconditionally
upon the entire earth, or just as a mother is devoted
lovingly to raising all her children—then we can
calmly accept whatever life brings. Our inner
natures gain new breadth and we become endowed
with feelings of warmth and kindness.
When our eyes are fixed only on practicality
and achieving abundant results and we concentrate
only on getting ahead of others, losing will then
only cause us to suffer. Once we become free of the
obsession with competing, however, we can learn
the value of failure, come to know what is sufficient,
and then we can, on our own, lead lives of
cheerful optimism.
Most important for us as members is diligence
in becoming like the sun, shining on many other
people the light of the wisdom we have gained and
the warmth of our compassion.
June 2010
From “Kosei” Translated by Kosei Publishing
Read past Guidance messages from President Niwano.
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