Nichiren Daishonin observes that many people feel imprisoned within their own homes. They fear the moods of their family members. They check the atmosphere of the room before they speak. They believe their suffering comes from the outside. This view is incorrect. The teachings state that the environment is merely a reflection of the inner life.

The principle of esho funi explains this truth. Life and its environment are two phases of the same entity. The body and the shadow are inseparable. When the body bends, the shadow bends. When the body is upright, the shadow is upright. To blame the shadow for being crooked is futile. One must correct the posture of the body.

A person without faith reacts to the environment like a leaf in the wind. They are happy when others are kind. They are miserable when others are angry. This is the state of slavery to circumstance. The practitioner of the Lotus Sutra must behave like the sun. The sun possesses its own gravity. It burns with its own light. It compels the planets to follow its rhythm. It does not wait for the weather to improve. It creates the weather.

The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai described the mind as a mirror. If the mirror is covered in dust, the reflection is dark. The faults of a husband or a child appear monstrous. The practitioner chants Namu Myoho Renge Kyo to polish this mirror. This practice removes the dust of delusion. A clear mirror reflects the truth. One sees the suffering human behind the angry face.

When the practitioner changes, the family changes. This is inevitable. A single pillar of strength stabilizes a shaking house. The roar of the lion silences the other beasts. One must not seek a pure land far away. The pure land exists in the transformation of the present moment.

Watch the video above to understand this battle.

依正不二

Namu Myoho Renge Kyo