Morning Daimoku #1,171 — Are You Doing Shakubuku on Yourself? Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at the Center of a Common Mortal’s Life

Good morning. I hope you are doing well today. This is Shima from Oubaitori. This is my Morning Daimoku — 10,000 Daimoku Experience Journal.
Today’s talk is titled “Are You Doing Shakubuku on Yourself?”

Am I Doing Things Properly Myself?

Every single day, all sorts of things happen, and I think there are many times when you feel like saying, “Why on earth did this happen?” At those times, the thing we most need to watch out for is whether we ourselves are doing things properly. That is where it all begins.

So, in today’s Morning Daimoku — the truth is, there is a part of our website that has been bothering me, a part that says something different from what I intended. If I fail to notice it and simply leave it as it is, customers may see it and come away with a misunderstanding.

In exactly the same way, the website has to be updated. It has to be improved. Because I want to tell you what is right and true.

I Must Do Shakubuku on Myself

So, in that sense, I must do shakubuku on myself. Am I practicing faith properly? Not “I’m practicing faith as usual, so it’s fine,” or “I’m chanting daimoku, so it’s fine,” but — am I truly practicing faith? This single point is extremely important. Miss this one point, and everything misses the mark.

Faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a practice of continual, diligent effort. If that is so, is my behavior truly that of a Buddha and bodhisattva? Whether I can believe that — the moment I think with the heart of a common mortal, “Today feels good, so it’s like this,” “Today I’m in a bad mood,” “If only that person weren’t around” — in that very moment, I actually slip away from faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at the Very Center of a Common Mortal’s Life

There is no doubt that we are common mortals. But I realized that unless Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enters the very center — the core axis — of a common mortal’s life, it means I am not practicing faith properly.

I will do shakubuku on myself and chant daimoku to the fullest every day. Chanting daimoku to the fullest, I want to rebuild myself anew, starting today, so that my faith becomes what it should be. That is what I resolve.

Let’s Daimoku!

The challenge goes on, wherever it leads.