Family Day 2022 brings together 1,000 Nichiren Shoshu believers in Singapore as one entity to celebrate our collective faith and practice. Our activities during the event will reflect on kinship within our personal families and the temple community at large. Through short lectures by our temple priests, games, and experience sharing, believers will have the opportunity to deepen existing bonds and kindle new connections. Most importantly, believers can also be inspired to renew our commitment to the Gohonzon: generate good causes together, support each other through challenges, and continue to practice steadfastly for the True Happiness of ourselves and others.
The event is shaped by three core values that are vital to practising as a family:
- One Harmonious Family 家和乐
One joyful and harmonious family means that the whole family is united in one mind. The family is a community of common destiny, so to speak, where people believe in each other from the bottom of their hearts and support each other unconditionally, no matter what happens. If the hearts of this community are divided, the family will not function.
Our founder, the True Buddha Nichiren Daishonin teaches that:
“With the spirit of many in body, one in mind, they will achieve everything, whereas, in the case of one in body, many in mind, they will not accomplish anything.” (Gosho, p.1389)
He guides us on how crucial it is to unite minds to achieve various challenges.
The key to One joyful and harmonious family lies in a practice-centred life:
Specifically, the daily practices of morning and evening Gongyo (Sutra recitation) and chanting of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo together with all family members. Through the benefit of this faith, each individual can manifest as a great personality and build a spirit of many in body, one in mind, and one joyful and harmonious family.
御本佛日连大圣人在《异体同心事》教示：「若异体同心万事可成，同体异心诸事不成。」（御书1389页）日莲大圣人教导我们，以团结一心的精神来克服一切问题和困难的重要性。
一家和乐代表着家庭的成员都有着异体同心的精神。家庭是个命运共同体。也就是说，无论发生什么事，每个成员都从心底相信彼此，并无条件支持对方。如果家庭成员不同心，家庭就无法和谐了。
御本佛日连大圣人在《异体同心事》教示：「若异体同心万事可成，同体异心诸事不成。」（御书1389页）日莲大圣人教导我们，以团结一心的精神来克服一切问题和困难的重要性。
达成一家和乐的关键在于实践以信心为中心的生活:
具体来说，所有家庭成员一起做早晚勤行以及唱诵题目是尤其重要的。通过修行所带来的功德，每个人都能展现良好的人格，建立异体同心，和谐的家庭生活。
2. Passing Down the Faith to the Next Generation 法统相续
Passing down the faith to the next generation means inheriting the True faith and practice of Nichiren Daishonin from the parents to the children. However, it is not merely passed on to the child due to parental will.
Parents must follow the golden words of: “I, Nichiren, have done nothing else but one thing. That is, to dedicate myself to having all the people of Japan chant the five and seven characters of Myoho-Renge-Kyo. This act of compassion is the same as a mother trying to put milk into the mouth of her infant.” (Gosho, p. 1539)
And pray for the child to grow up well by bestowing the supreme teaching of “Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo” to the child with compassion.
Children must feel the gratitude given by their parents:
“My head is that of my parents as are my legs; my ten fingers are also those of my parents as is my mouth. It is same as the relationship between a seed and its fruit, and one's body and its shadow.” (Gosho, p. 958)
And be determined to practice and repay their debts of gratitude. Only through the efforts of both parties can faith be correctly passed on to the next generation, and that is when the inheritance of the faith would be established.
法统相续意味着将日莲大圣人正法的信心与修行从父母亲传给孩子们。不过，这并不只是以父母的权利，理所当然的态度传给孩子。
父母亲应该跟随此御金言：
「今日莲（…）又無他事，只竭力将Myoho-Renge-Kyo之七字五字，置入日本国一切众生之ロ也。此即母勤以乳入赤子口中之慈悲也。」(御书1539页)
以慈悲之心将" Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo "至高无上的正法赋予孩子，祈求他们能顺利成长。
孩子们也该对父母的付出给予感激之心:
「我之头乃父母之头，我之足乃父母之足，我之十指乃父母之十指，我之口乃父母之口也。譬如种子与果实，身与影。」(御书95页)
然后，决意以修行来报恩于父母。唯有双方都付出努力，才能将正确的信心传承给下一代，从而达致法统相续
3. Appreciation 报恩感谢
The spirit of appreciation is the foundation of One joyful and harmonious family and Passing down the faith to the next generation. In our busy lives, how much can we feel the debts of gratitude to our family and express our appreciation to them? If we forget to appreciate, we will be unhappy. All things become valuable because of gratitude; if we take them for granted, they instantly become meaningless.
Nichiren Daishonin teaches as follows: “Disciples of the Buddha must first realize what the four debts of gratitude are, and then repay them.” (Opening of the Eyes, p.530)
The four debts of gratitude are:
Gratitude owed to one’s parents, gratitude to all living beings, gratitude to one’s sovereign, and gratitude to the Three Treasures (the Buddha, the Law, and the Priesthood). In other words, we need to know that we must live because we owe these four debts of gratitude. When we feel these debts of gratitude, appreciate them deeply, and then determine to repay this gratitude, our character as full-fledged human beings living in society will be formed.
一家和乐以及法统相续是建立在拥有感恩之心的基础上。在忙碌的生活中，我们对家人有多少感恩之心，又该如何表达感恩之意呢？如果我们忘了这份感恩之心，我们将会不开心。万物之所以有价值，是因为我们心存感恩。如果我们把它们当作是理所当然的，那么它们将会变得毫无意义。
日莲大圣人在《开目抄》有所教示：
［佛弟子应知四恩而知恩报恩。］（开目抄530页）
文段中的四恩包括了:
父母之恩、一切众生之恩、国土之恩、以及三宝（佛、正法以及僧侣）之恩。换句话说，我们如今能够生存，都是因为我们需要报这四恩。当我们可以感受到这四恩，并心存感激，而努力决意去报恩，那我们作为一个完整的人在社会上的人格就会形成。
New to Nichiren Shoshu and interested to join in our activities? Have a look at our activities schedule or find out more about the basics of our practice! You can also reach out to us here so we can assist you directly!