Awakening and Revealing the Buddha Nature Within

[T]he Daishonin says that all people possess the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature —the innate Buddha nature, the wisdom to perceive it, and the good deeds, or practice, to develop this wisdom and cause the Buddha nature to emerge. This is the fundamental truth underlying the respectworthiness of all people and the ultimate principle motivating us to engage in the practice of Bodhisattva Never Disparaging. (…) However, even gold, if it remains buried in the ground, cannot reveal its value. Likewise, to mine the gold of the Buddha nature, we need good deeds, or practice, to develop wisdom and uncover the gold. This wisdom is what enables us to perceive the lustrous gold within us and to recognize its true value.

The defining characteristic of Buddhism is that it clarifies the way to activate the Buddha nature which, though inactive at the moment, exists innately within all people.

The ability to awaken and reveal the Buddha nature exists potentially within everyone, but the influence of another person is required to make an ordinary human being aware of that. What Buddhism calls a good friend is crucial for bringing forth the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature.

Only a good friend dedicated to the vow for kosen-rufu, who prays for a person’s happiness and teaches them about Buddhism, can awaken that person’s Buddha nature. In some cases, it’s as if that gold of the innate Buddha nature is buried deep in solid rock. But a good friend remains undeterred and keeps at it until they uncover the gold of happiness. Only through the patient, persevering efforts of such a good friend to connect them to Buddhism will a person finally awaken to their potential and become able to excavate their precious inner treasure with their own hands (…) chant[ing] and spread[ing] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.[1]

The lecture from which the above Gosho quote and commentary have been taken from, which is the one with which the series The Buddhism of the Sun – Illuminating the World concludes, Daisaku Ikeda speaks about one of the thinkers with which he published a dialogue:

University of Denver professor Ved Nanda, a renowned authority on international law, [said] (…): “I, too, have faith in the goodness of the human heart, and I believe that life itself is good. Though we may feel that modern society is enveloped in darkness, change presents ever-present possibilities. I believe in friendship and in people.”[2]

Professor Nanda also had tremendous faith in Soka youth, saying: “It is clear that the work of these young people has been a significant force in solidifying the foundation for world peace.”[3]

Believing steadfastly in our own and others’ Buddha nature (…) are key to transforming this age of the Latter Day of the Law. (…) When one young person after another embraces and carries on this practice, it will bring us steadily and surely closer to realizing world peace.[4]