Chapter 8
Part II

THE PARABLE OF THE GEM IN THE JACKET

Suppose a poor man visited his old friend. He was treated well with food and drink, and fell asleep.

His friend had to go out on official business, so he fastened a priceless gem inside the garment of the poor friend as a gift to him, and went out. The drunken man did not notice what his friend had given him. After a while he got up and went to another country. He had great difficulty in getting food and clothing. He was satisfied as a homeless man.

Some time later the good friend happened to see his old friend again. He said, "Alas, man! Why have you had such difficulty in obtaining food and clothing? I fastened a priceless gem inside your garment the last time you came to my house. The gem is still there. You have not noticed it! What a fool you are! Trade that gem for what you want! You will not be short of anything you want."

This parable was told by the Arhats of the Buddha's disciple who had been assured by the Buddha of their Future Buddhahood. Arhats thought that they had attained Nirvana when they attained Arhat-ship. Receiving the Assurance of Buddhahood was for them like a treasure given unexpectedly.

All of us possess the Buddha nature or Buddha seed, but we have not yet conceived this. Since the Buddha revealed the Lotus Sutra, we must recognize everyone's Buddha nature and realize that we ourselves are Bodhisattvas. In the Lotus Sutra, we have been granted proof that we can attain Buddhahood through this realization while striving to do our best through maintaining faith and chanting the Odaimoku, the teaching of equality and harmony.

Nichiren Daishonin revealed "Ichinen Sanzen" or the Three Thousand Worlds in One Thought. One's thought affects others and his environment. Our thoughts are connected to the entire world. In other words, we are the Buddha's children. We inherit all the merits and virtues of the Buddha Sakyamuni. The Eternal Buddha is the universe itself. We can receive limitless merits and virtues from throughout the universe when we sincerely trust the Eternal Buddha and the Odaimoku.

~ Namu Myohorengekyo ~