You may be wondering: Where are the ethics and morality in Buddhism? Where are the rules on how to live and behave toward one another? The bodhisattva ideal seems rather broad and non-specific. Aren't there any other codes or commandments?
In Buddhism, all behavior has an effect. No one escapes the inevitable retribution for -- or effect of -- making causes that demean the dignity of human life, the repository of the Buddha nature. On the other hand, no one has the unilateral authority to righteously or piously proclaim what that dignity entails, other than the universal existence of Buddhahood within.

The admonition to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon -- the Diamond Commandment -- is as far as the teaching of Nichiren goes in terms of commandments. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo serves to activate the internal compass with which we direct ourselves along the path to enlightenment in this lifetime.

So much evil has been wrought in the name of piety. So many horrors have occurred in the service of religion -- crusades, pogroms, inquisitions and jihad. Buddhism makes no pretense about the existence of good and evil in this world. Both exist as a reality in every human life.

According to Buddhism, both heaven and hell exist in this world, rather than in some real or imagined afterlife.

Instead of spending our lives in anxious anticipation for the hereafter, Buddhism suggests that what transpires in the future will simply be part of the ongoing continuum of existence being lived right now. Living the present moment as if it were our last is most important. This entails making the "causes" that we feel will benefit us in both the long and short term. Making the "right" cause may require a bit of wisdom, but that's what chanting and the Buddhist practice are for.

The growing awareness that now is the most critical moment of life creates the moral mandate for the Buddhist. A growing desire for peace and harmony -- the manifestation of kyo as it knits the interwoven tapestry of the human race -- is the motivation for figuring out what is good and right. The Buddhist cannot procrastinate by rationalizing that the day of reckoning may still be years away.

Similarly, the Buddhist understands that the law of karma is very clear in its assertion that no cause is without its effect. Therefore, it behooves the person who invokes Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to carefully consider the nature of the causes he or she is making each and every day as part of the process of "perceiving the nature of your own life." This is the very purpose for which the Gohonzon was created.

The moral or ethical imperative expounded by Buddhism involves each individual tailoring a dynamic and developing life-process rather than unquestioningly following an externally mandated set of static laws or commandments.

Morality is no less important in Buddhism than it is in the Judeo-Christian tradition; it is simply defined in a less facile and obvious manner. Because Buddhism offers no explicit proscription or prohibition, each believer may make his or her own determination about "the moral thing to do."

"Bad causes" born out of ignorance may have effects somewhat less deleterious than causes born out of the arrogant refusal to change. However, just as in civil law, ignorance should not be used as an excuse.

If we operate on the assumption that people practice any religion in order to gain awareness of their world and deal with the nature of suffering, then what Buddhism has to say about karma can almost be viewed as a law of physics. If we are suffering from anything -- ranging from poverty to ill health to lack of love -- all such effects might be looked at as our life not getting what it needs to sustain or support it.

Granted, my life as a fat, happy American can in no way be compared to the true suffering of a Kurd or Croatian about to be "ethnically cleansed." Nonetheless, the subjective "feeling" of my suffering is to some extent similar. I may feel as though my life is being diminished, that I am not in receipt of either the physical or spiritual sustenance that I need to be at peace or, dare I say it, happy.

Through Buddhist practice, I can elevate my perspective to a place where I recognize my suffering as a lack of some sort of support from an infinite universe with which I am one and to which I am inextricably and eternally bound.

At this point, simple Newtonian physics would have me understand that if I wish energies to be directed toward my being, I need to create forces that emanate outward from my life. This is similar to the attitude of "do unto others as you would have them do unto you," which resonates with the Bodhisattva ideal.

In the service of this attempt, chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a tremendous starting point. This practice allows me to maintain the aforementioned lofty perspective while providing a direct link to the internal, unconscious (for now) Buddha wisdom that motivates my behavior in more enlightened ways. I would like to make more of those enlightened, outwardly supportive behaviors because my prior ignorant, self-centered actions are what got me into this trouble to begin with.

Ultimately the goal, at least for me, is to arrive at a point where personal suffering is minimized so that more and more of my finite energy as a single human can be exerted in relieving the suffering of others.

Buddhism does not promise the annihilation of all suffering. Sakyamuni's teachings began when he perceived suffering as an inevitable aspect of life. What Sakyamuni intended and what Nichiren perfected was a way to totally illuminate my Buddha nature, thereby providing me the wisdom and strength to eternally transform all the sufferings of life and death into fundamental joy. Daimoku provides the wisdom, strength and opportunity while the Bodhisattva ideal supplies the moral imperative.

The Middle Way

Another Buddhist concept that has some bearing on moral and ethical behavior is "Middle Way," not to be confused with Western concepts of the "Golden Mean" or "everything in moderation."

The Middle Way is represented in Chinese by the character chu. This Chinese character resembles a rectangle with a line drawn through it. I was told that the most important aspect of writing this particular character lies in the determination of where to draw the line.

Similarly, the concept of the Middle way is bound up in the determination of what the proper approach to a given situation may be. Just as an artist might draw the line in the pictogram at either end or in the middle, according to his or her individual propensity, so too does the finding of the Middle Way imply that, under certain circumstances, it may indeed involve going to an extreme.

Obviously, a life lived in only extreme behavior may ultimately engender undesired results. But the Middle Way should not be construed as meaning behavior that only takes the cautious, moderate course.

In "On Attaining Buddhahood," Nichiren says, "Life...is neither existence nor non-existence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the Mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the reality of all things." In saying this, Nichiren takes his cue from the teachings of T'ien-t'ai and is pointing at a concept known as the Three Truths in order to clarify his take on how the Middle Way is to be interpreted.

In his writing, T'ien-t'ai explained these as:  

"First the truth of existence; second, the truth of non-being, and third, the supreme truth of the Middle Path. 'The truth of existence' refers to reality as perceived in the mind of ordinary people; this is called 'the truth of existence,' and is also called the 'the mundane truth.' 'The truth of non-being' refers to reality as perceived in the mind of people who have transcended the world; this is called the 'truth of non-being,' and is also called 'the real truth.' 'The supreme truth of the Middle Path' refers to reality as perceived by all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; this is called 'the supreme truth of the Middle Path,' and is also called the 'one real truth.'"

Perhaps the best way to get this Middle Way concept across is to relate some of what Mr. Matsuda once told me as he attempted to explain what truly distinguished the Daishonin's teaching from that of T'ien-t'ai.

As I said earlier, the Daishonin relied upon the theoretical constructs of T'ien-t'ai as the philosophical basis for his practice. However, the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to the Gohonzon is more than mere philosophy -- it is a religious practice.

Whereas T'ien-t'ai was attempting to reveal truths of the universe based on complex theoretical doctrine, the Daishonin concerned himself with passing on a simple practice which, although it encompassed the totality of T'ien-t'ai's doctrine, was not contingent on the comprehension of same.

To put the teachings of T'ien-t'ai into practice, the aspiring Buddhist would have to meditate on writings such as the above for god only knows how long in order to hopefully achieve an intellectual or spiritual awakening that would reveal the meaning of theories like the Three Truths. You can see how this might prove less than universal in its appeal.

Conversely, the Daishonin says that the simple invocation of daimoku to his Gohonzon will manifest the reality of the Three Truths in your life.

And what are those Three Truths? Well, they are both clear and nearly incomprehensible, just like that which they represent. Essentially they refer to the fact that we can see that which exists and do not see that which does not exist -- at least in our present state of awareness.

For instance, we do not see the reality of what happens after death. Nevertheless, we need to appreciate that both existence and non-existence stem from the Supreme truth, which T'ien-t'ai called the Middle Path and the Daishonin referred to as "the Mystic entity of life," the Middle Way.

Flip a coin. It may land heads or tails, but one thing is for certain -- only one of them will be evident to you at any given moment. The other side of the coin, although it exists, is not currently on display. To a limited extent, this is analogous to what the Three Truths are getting at.

There is that which is in evidence, that which is not in evidence -- the other side of the coin, the dark side of the moon, the state of death in the eternal life-death cycle, and the entirety of the whole matter.

When you spend the coin, you plunk down the whole thing, not just the head or tail. In fact a coin that is missing one of its sides is considered invalid or counterfeit. It serves as currency only when it has two sides, one of which we never see if we're looking at the other.

Similarly, even though the vast majority of us will never actually see the dark side of the moon, we infer its existence from our knowledge of the portion visible to us in our sky each night. Our concept of moon includes both that which is revealed to us as well as that which is not.

Death is a further step of faith. Life is what we know and what exists. We know that we will die and yet cannot know when, given our sensory limitations. We cannot know how the state of death, of non-manifest existence (or what T'ien-t'ai called ku) will be.

Nonetheless, being alive and being dead are both integral to that which Buddhism defines as the totality of life, what the Daishonin points out as the Mystic entity of the Middle Path.

Seeking the Middle Way means finding the "coinness" in that piece of metal that has two sides, heads and tails, and ultimately applying it as currency. Both a penny and a quarter have heads and tails, yet a penny will never purchase twenty-five cents worth of goods.

For humans, seeking out the Middle Way means manifesting our fundamental humanness, our Buddha nature, during the course of our lifetime. Chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo enables the direct manifestation of the entity through our daily lives, in our appearance and behavior.

What creates the appearance of charisma and fortune in the lives of some, though perhaps not many, that we meet? I submit that it has to do with the extent to which they (whether they practice Buddhism or not) have been able to tap into the infinite, eternal current that flows in the depths of life. They look human, they act human, they talk human and yet, they seem to have an indefinable something that makes them seem just a little above the fray. We all have it -- we just have to touch base a bit more with our own, unique Middle Way.

In our conversation about the distinction between T'ien-t'ai and the Daishonin's teachings, Mr. Matsuda said, "What you have to remember is that with the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, as described by T'ien-t'ai, the most you can do is meditate upon the Middle Way. As you do, you recognize the reality of ku and the entirety of what life is becomes evident to you.

"With the Daishonin's Buddhism, people who do not have the capability for such reflection -- the vast majority -- need simply to chant daimoku in order to manifest the reality of the ultimate life entity. This makes Buddhism infinitely more accessible, and rather than indulging in only internal, reflective, somewhat selfish meditative behaviors, the Buddhist can make real causes for the creation of global peace and harmony."

Herein lies the key to the Buddhist notion of morality and ethics. By pursuing the Middle Way, the practitioner literally elevates his or her life activity to the global arena.

Although the vast majority of us won't become rich or famous or perhaps even charismatic, we each can attain the absolute confidence that the depths to which we plumb our lives and transform our karma makes a difference in the life of every human being on the planet.

This is an awesome possibility which speaks volumes about the Buddhist concept of morality -- that each of us is fundamentally responsible for all of our companions on this fragile ecosystem known as Earth.

I want to reiterate that Middle Way does not mean that you seek the middle. It refers to the entity of life at the center or core of all existence that projects the light which we see -- as well as the shadow we do not -- upon the movie screen of our daily lives.

If we attend only to light or shadow, failing to seek their origin at the center or "middle," we miss the key to our existence.

In seeking the Middle Way, the Buddhist invokes Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and uses the wisdom that naturally wells up within to make the appropriate causes at the appropriate times. Even our seeming mistakes are made so we can learn. The promise of the Lotus Sutra is that life will not end before we have realized our absolute power.

So what of homosexuality, abortion, capital punishment, infidelity, gun control and all the other issues that have become buzz words in our national obsession to define morality?

Buddhism would say each man and woman must determine for him or her self what the proper take on each of these subjects may be, and encourage people to make their decisions based on the deepest wisdom they find within.

Part of that includes prayer (I'm not going to remind you which one -- they all serve a purpose) and part of that includes not being swayed by the opinions of others. Let the moral pundits of the world all express their opinions and let us listen to all of them and open-mindedly arrive at our own conclusions.

Every man or woman who feels they've cornered the market on what constitutes morality and ethics speaks from lessons learned. None are totally pure and none are totally corrupt.

That being the case, what is critical is that such pundits leave each of us the space to lead our own lives, make our own mistakes and learn our own lessons. When such people dare to speak for all, or even for God or the Buddha, and declare unholy all those who do not follow their way, they then cross the line and open the doors to tyranny and despotism.

This is what set Nichiren Daishonin apart. He simply and elegantly admonished all of us to chant daimoku to the Gohonzon, pursue our life's path utilizing the compass of the Middle Way and, in so doing, become the completely unique Bodhisattvas that we all are. Nichiren's is truly a universal ethic for each and every human being.

I still remember one gathering over twenty years ago, when many Org members were being incorrectly counseled by homophobic leaders that being gay was not in accordance with Buddhism. Mr. Matsuda was asked, "What does Nichiren Daishonin say about being homosexual?"

Mr. Matsuda, who wore rather thick glasses and looked a bit like a Japanese nerd, looked out over the hushed crowd and simply said, "The Daishonin says that if they chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will surely become enlightened."

I think about fifty people in that room were moved to tears by his answer. That said it all. He was not being facetious or coy. He was simply reminding everyone that the promise of the Lotus Sutra is that no one, no matter what they are or what they do, is excluded from the Buddha's assurance of enlightenment.

I believe this non-judgmental, unconditional love that is at the heart of the Buddhist practice comprises the highest moral dictate on the planet.

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Chapter 1: Looking for a Bridge

Chapter 2: Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra

Chapter 3: Defining Nam-myoho-renge-kyo

Chapter 4: The Benefits of Buddhist Practice

Chapter 5: A Focal Point for One's Faith

Chapter 6: The Gohonzon and Bodhisattva Practice

Chapter 7: A Personal Relationship with the Gohonzon

Chapter 8: Theoretical Underpinnings of the Gohonzon

Chapter 9: Theoretical Underpinnings of the Gohonzon, Part Two

Chapter 10: Gongyo, An Intensely Personal Symphony

Chapter 11: The Moment of Death, and Changing Karma

Chapter 12: Total Responsibility

Chapter 13: Propagating an Individual Practice in America

Chapter 14: Ethics and Morality in Nichiren Buddhism