The Daishonin writes: “Suppose a lion has a hundred cubs. When the lion king sees its cubs attacked by other beasts or birds of prey, he roars; the hundred cubs will then feel emboldened, and the heads of those other beasts and birds of prey will be split in seven pieces” (WND, 949).
The practice of the hundred cubs, who represent the disciples, is to gain courage from the roar of the lion king, the mentor, and defeat other beasts and birds of prey that attack them.
In other words, if the disciples only rely on the mentor to battle and defeat devilish forces without taking on the struggle themselves and emerging victorious, they cannot possibly carry on the mentor’s spirit.
This guidance is an abstract from 'The World of Nichiren Daishonin Writings' with universal value and application
None of us believe from the start that we possess great power and ability. But when we gain courage from the mentor, the strength to take action and fight wells forth in our lives. We already possess that strength and ability within us. When we embrace the Mystic Law that is the lion king, that power and ability naturally well forth. From the perspective of those who are the Buddha’s disciples, people who just revere the Buddha from afar as mere bystanders do not qualify as genuine disciples. To assert that the Buddha exists apart from human beings and that ordinary people are only ever destined to be guided by the Buddha is not genuine Buddhism. The Lotus Sutra teaches that all people are Buddhas, and that Shakyamuni seeks to enable all to attain the same lofty state of life as he. |
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