Taken from Buddhism in Daily Life, SGI Quarterly No. 19, January 2000
Often, people who know Nichiren Buddhism for the first time are surprised by the position of this for the wishes, which seems to contradict the prevailing image of Buddhism, because for many, it is associated with asceticism and indeed, there are many schools and traditions that emphasize the need to eliminate desire and cut with all attachments.
A life controlled by the desires is miserable. In the Buddhist scriptures it symbolizes that state of life with "hungry demons" with giant heads and enormous mouths but with very narrow gorges that make it impossible to satisfy their hunger. The horror which intentionally produce these images, Shakyamuni Buddha cultivated due to the need to separate people from their attachment to things, including physical existence. Shakyamuni was to tell them that real happiness was not here and end up losing attachments.
deeply rooted trends of attachments and desires (in Japanese), Bonn, translated into English as "Earthly Desires" (in English: worldly desires). But, as these trends also include hatred, arrogance, distrust and fear, the translation "deluded impulses" (in English: deceptive motives or impulses), it might be appropriate in some cases. Is it really possible to eliminate such desires and attachments? After all, the attachments are natural human feelings and desires are a vital and necessary aspect of life. Desire, for example, protect yourself and loved ones, has been the inspiration for a wide range of achievement in the creation of social support groups. Also, the desire to understand humanity's place in the cosmos has led to the development of philosophy, literature and religious thought.
In this sense, to eliminate all desires is not possible or indeed desirable. If we strip away full of desires, we could end up undermining our will to live, both individually and collectively.
Nichiren's teachings emphasize the transformation, rather than elimination, of desires. Desires and attachments are seen as fuel for the pursuit of enlightenment. He says: "Now Nichiren and those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo ... burn the firewood of earthly desires and contemplate the fire of enlightened wisdom ..." In the same vein, the Universal Value Sutra states: "Even without quench his worldly desires or denying the five desires, they can purify all their senses and eliminate all faults." Nichiren's approach has the effect of popularizing, humanizing and democratizing Buddhism. In other words, to make the aspirations, dreams and frustrations of everyday life "fuel" for the process of enlightenment, opening the way Nichiren Buddhist practice to those who were traditionally excluded, due to the requirement to withdraw world of meditation, those, for example, who want to continue playing an active role in the world.
Thus it is no coincidence that this attitude toward the wishes should be central in the tradition of Mahayana Buddhism that emphasizes the role of lay practitioners. For people who live amid the constant changes and the tense reality, these challenges are precisely the most effective stimulus to engage in Buddhist practice, rather than an abstract goal of "enlightenment" that requires cutting all desires and attachments. Overcome the problems, conduct long-cherished dreams and goals: This is the kind of everyday things of which we get a sense of fulfillment and happiness. SGI President has emphasized the importance of not cutting our attachments, but to understand and ultimately, use them.
faith experiences of the members of SGI describe events and changes that appear to the naked eye to be focused on the outside and material life. But such "benefits" are only part of the story. Buddhism divides the benefits of engaging in "conspicuous" and "inconspicuous." The benefits of getting a new job, overcoming an illness, a successful marriage and so on, are not separated from a deep and thorough process of self-reflection aimed at inner transformation. The degree of motivation generated by desires, can bring such intensity to our practice, which eventually gets spiritual reward. Bonno Soku Bodai literally means "earthly desires are enlightenment" and the concept forms a key thesis of Nichiren Buddhism. Through our Buddhist practice, even the most mundane and misleading impulse can be transformed into something noble and generous, our desires, naturally focused on ourselves extend to other desires concerning our families, friends, communities and eventually the world.
In this way, the nature of desire is gradually transformed, desire for material and physical desires a more spiritually oriented, to live a fuller life. As President Ikeda: "I believe in the existence of another kind of human desires: I call this fundamental desire, I have the conviction that the fundamental desire is the driving force actively to all other human desires to the creativity. It is the source of all driving energy inherent in life, it is also the desire to unite their lives with the life of the universe and get your vital energy. "
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