Goriyaku (merits or favorable rewards) must be felt; be conscious (aware) and moved (touched) by it. Some people can feel and become aware of it. Others may be unaware of it. In this case, it is necessary for someone to tell the person that he had received Goriyaku. To recieve merits which can be seen is not the final objective of HBS. By receiving merits one can percieve that the HBS religion is a true religion and become faithful parishioners. In other words, to receive spiritual awakening (enlightenment) is important.As such, a receipt of divine benefits are manifest evidences; benefits which can be seen.
Buddha is a person who was spiritually awakened, or a person who perceived the truth. Dharma is the fundamental true law of this world which Buddha percieved. In this instance, even if Buddha had not appeared in this world, the law would have been perceived since it had existed from the beginningless past. It was Buddha who was awakened to it. We are fortunate that Shakyamuni Buddha was born in this world. If not we would have been unable to meet the Odaimoku religion based on the wonderful Dharma.
The Lotus Sutra elucidated that the principles of the Dharma, the Eternal Buddha and the Odaimoku were not separate entities. They were one body-identical. That is what Shakyamuni Buddha perceived and Nichiren Shonin claimed that the Odaimoku should be the object of worship based on the Dharma.
Yes. An identical truth is possessed in our soul, which is known as “Ichinen Sanzen” (Ichinen means a life for one instant or a life of exceedingly short period of time, and sanzen refers to all phenomena in this world. Therefore lchinen Sanzen means all phenomena in this world are included both in our thought for one instant and even in a minute grain of sand). By chanting the Odaimoku, the “Ichinen Sanzen” possessed in our soul is activated and the bad seeds are filtered.
Your actions, speech and thoughts all become the seeds that are sowed into the Arayashiki. Therefore. to detest or hate someone will create bad seeds. However, try not to see only the minus side of the principle. By accomplishing good deeds one can build good destinies. This is the teaching of Buddhism.
Yes. Just like yesterday is connected to today, and today is to tomorrow. It is like an extended spider web stretched out into space. Various people and events are all related to one another.