A Guide to the - Rissho Kosei-kai

Yielding Will Teach You MagnanimityIn our everyday lives we usually give thought to work, the way we live, our families, and avariety of other affairs. Something is always coming up that requires our attention, and wemight go so far as to say that we are constantly pursued by such things. When we areenmeshed in pressing matters and are occupied only with what happens around us, however,our outlook cannot but become narrower. My desires, my advantage, my feelings, and myactivities‐‐no matter what we do, we cannot escape from the self, and our hearts become filledwith "me." In human relationships, if everyone asserts this self unhindered, it clashes withothers' selves, and there is no end of trouble.The secret of making a clean sweep of all such troubles is the spirit of humility. To humbleoneself means becoming selfless and open‐minded. This definition of humility is not regularlyfound in dictionaries, and it is based on respect for other people. According to Lao‐tsu,The highest good is like water.Water gives life to the ten thousand thingsAnd does not strive.It flows in places people avoidAnd so is like the Way.Water is a precious thing that gives moisture to all living things, sustaining grasses, trees, andcrops. It never flows against other things, but instead flows into places that most people avoidand stays there in peace. Herein lies the modest spirit. Learning humility means committingoneself to getting along with all people and things, first by seeking out the good in others andgreatly valuing it. People who do this are modest.Stubborn as human beings may seem on the surface, deep inside we nurture tender hearts. Ifwe stubbornly assert ourselves, other people will also grow obstinate. Conversely, if we arewilling to take one big step backward and give way, other people will naturally soften. Ifanything, asserting ourselves is the way of our world, and retreating makes us feel as if we arelosing, so it is quite difficult to take that first small step. This is particularly true among youngpeople, because they place such great emphasis on self‐assertion. Nevertheless, unlesssomeone is willing to discard the small self in order to attain a greater harmony, the clash ofself with self will continue incessantly. Magnanimous people will, at the point of conflict, take astep backward and accept what others have to say. By doing so, they remove all resistance, andnothing remains for the others to collide with.Those who are capable of great accomplishments always realize the truth that sometimes thebest way to win is to lose. The sixteenth‐century warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (at one time lordof Chikuzen) was a good example of this. When his lord, Oda Nobunaga, was struck down in theHonno‐ji Incident in 1582, Hideyoshi immediately withdrew his troops from the siege ofTakamatsu Castle in Bitchu province and crushed Akechi Mitsuhide on the outskirts of Kyoto.Following these events, the various generals loyal to Oda gathered at the castle in Nobunaga'shome province. At the evening banquet Shibata Katsuie, the general and governor of Echizen,became drunk and lay down. He said to Hideyoshi, "It seems quite strange when one thinksabout the past. When you were just an underling you used to massage my legs and hips, andnow you have suddenly risen to the status of lord like me. I'm tired and would like someone torub the small of my back, but I surely couldn't ask you to do that." The various commanders inthe room fell silent, and Sakuma Morimasa, as if to mediate between the two, whispered toHideyoshi, "If the past cannot be forgotten, why not accede to his request?" Hideyoshi lookeddown for a moment and finally replied, "If I may be of service." He edged over to Katsuie,massaged his back very carefully, and quietly returned to his seat. At this point Sakuma51