The Eight Winds

Worthy persons deserve to be called so

because they are not carried away by the eight winds:

prosperity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure (criticism), suffering, and pleasure.

They are neither elated by prosperity nor grieved by decline.

The heavenly gods will surely protect one who is unbending before the eight winds.

Nichiren`
The teaching of Eight Winds warns before being swayed by attachment

to favorite conditions (prosperity, honour, praise and pleasure) -

or aversion to negative situations (decline, disgrace, censure and sufferings) -

both influences which we are bound to meet through changing conditions in the course of our life.

A teaching of inner strength and personal freedom

It is natural to enjoy positive circumstances, and feel dislike to negative encounters (such as when facing
rejection or criticism). However, unbending before such influences manifests inner strength. Nichiren
encourages us to develop the ability to perceive the impact of the situation in a balanced manner, without
being overwhelmed or consumed by its influence on our spirit. It is our strength, which decides on the
influence or the impact on our circumstances, and on how to transform our conditions into creating value.

The doctrine of the Eight Winds clarifies the conditions for building a solid core - and for maintaining ones
freedom from the chains of influences.

The Eight Winds as testing powers

The mentioned influences of the Eight Winds convey to us a feedback reaction from our surroundings
about our relations or circumstances. Praise, for example can be regarded as a positive reaction while
criticism as a negative one. It is important to be impartial towards such perceptions we receive and to
determine not to be driven by emotional expressions. Our path to enlightenment will be obstructed when
we assign a sense of influential authority on our feelings and on our lives by the experienced situations -
rather than becoming unswayed by their impact.

Ones self-worth is derived from the belief in ones Buddha nature, an inherent value, which is not derived
from praise, rejection from others or from current material conditions. Many worthy individuals were
subjected to criticism and even to abuse. It is how we react to such influences that reveals our belief in our
inner value. Nichiren reminds us that worthy people are tested by abuse . WND1p303 The Eight Winds
can be regarded as factors by which we can test our own strength and our level of self development on the
path of spiritual and mental freedom.

The importance of consistency

When facing the impact of the Eight Winds in our life, our behaviour would show the depth of our
commitment and consistency. Behaviour can manifest the degree of ones freedom from the influence of
the Eight Winds. Such behaviour can be found in the lives of the three founding presidents of SGI. For
example: Ikeda endured a phase of extreme poverty at the start of his practice, having even no proper
clothing or food. Due to his consistent efforts and continual struggle, however, writing and publishing
many books which sold in millions of copies - he enjoyed further prosperity. Neither the situation of
previous decline and poverty, nor the developed situation of prosperity - had any influence on Ikedas spirit
and commitment for delivering Nichirens message world wide. As a person, Ikeda was harshly criticised
by various sides, but was also greatly praised by many people. These social powers, however, did not
affect his dedication to world wide propagation of Buddhism, and his consistency and inner commitment
provided an actual proof of Nichirens teaching on unbending before the Eight Winds.

What influences our motivation?

Encountering prosperous circumstances, or praise from others, enhance a feeling of encouragement and
support. It is not wise, however, to consider such positive influences as a reliable fuel for our motivation
to carry on with efforts for what we want to achieve.

When our motivation is based on creating value through any situation no matter what - then neither
the positive nor the negative influences of the Eight Winds would be able to control or affect our
actions. A remarkable example of how Nichiren survived extreme poverty, decline and attacks - in
particular at the exile to Sado - shows that such circumstances were not an obstacle weakening his
motivation or preventing him from creating great value : producing the most profound treaties about his
teachings of Buddhism. It was at the midst of such extremely harsh conditions at exile when Nichiren
inscribed the first Gohonzon. Nichirens motivation to open for ordinary people the direct path to
enlightenment - depended only on his will and not on the environment. The same spirit was inherited and
manifested by the three founders of the SGI.

The determination to create value without bending before the Eight Winds would trigger support from
lifes protective forces and ensure ones success in realising desired goals.

_________________________

Author: Safwan Zabalawi Homepage

The Eight Winds
Worthy persons deserve to be called so because they are not carried away by the eight winds: prosperity,
decline, disgrace, honour, praise, censure, suffering and pleasure. They are neither elated by prosperity
nor grieved by decline. The heavenly gods will surely protect one who is unbending before the eight winds.
But if you nurse an unreasonable grudge against your lord, they will not protect you, not for all your
prayers.

(Passage from The Eight Winds, The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, p794)

Around 1277, Nichiren Daishonin wrote a letter to one of his followers, Shijo Kingo, who was upset with his
lord when he threatened to move Kingo and his family to a distant province. In this letter, The Eight
Winds, The Daishonin encouraged Kingo that only by remaining unwavering in faith and letting go of an
unreasonable grudge could he receive a satisfactory result.

When most of us begin practicing Buddhism, we are looking for something to make our lives better. Not
just to take the stress off the day like a piece of cake or a cold beer, but something that can fundamentally
improve our lives. And some of us, myself included, think it will provide an eradication of problems. The
hard times will disappear; the good times will go unimpeded.

Yet the problems do not evaporate. They rarely do. And the good times we seek do not manifest the way
we expected.

A dictionarys definition of the eight winds reads: Eight conditions that prevent people from advancing
along the right path to enlightenment People are often swayed either by their attachment to prosperity,
honour, praise and pleasure (collectively known as four favourites), or by their aversion to decline,
disgrace, censure and siffering (four dislikes or four adverse winds). (The Soka Gakkai Dictionary of
Buddhism, p151).

The eight winds are not things we can ignore. These winds, or conditions, are in our faces every day. We
cannot avoid them. But we can learn how to navigate them, how to not let them take us off course.

It is human nature to gravitate towards the pursuit of prosperity or pleasure and shun decline and pain. It
makes perfect sense. Prosperity means we get more stuff, decline means we do not. Pleasure feels good;
pain does not.

But if we centre our lives on such an outlook, we are led away from true happiness. Happiness is not simply
the abundance of pleasure in the absence of pain. Rather, it is to remain confident and optimistic in the
face of everyday reality.

Second SGI President Josei Toda once wrote: Absolute happiness is a state such that, whatever your
situation, you feel an immense sense of worth and satisfaction; and whenever you are, to be alive is itself a
joy Even when we encounter situations that make us angry, we become angry joyfully. When we
establish such a state of life, our life is one of boundless joy. (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra, vol IV, p80)

When I first moved to Los Angeles, I was trying to make it as an actor, getting very little work, even less
money. At one point I got a national commercial eating hamburgers.

Got to the set, treated really well, my own trailer, etc. Got home after that first day, feeling pretty good
about myself, and found an eviction notice waiting on my door. While the wind of pleasure had me in the
morning, the wind of decline got me that evening. All I could do was continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-
kyo, and continue with my work.
Fortunately, the commercial went well, a bit of income arrived in time and I did not get evicted. I was given
a wake-up call. Change can happen in a heartbeat just keep your head on straight.

So how do we provide ourselves with the best opportunities for happiness and success? By always basing
ourselves on our practice to the Gohonzon and forging ahead through each struggle.

In another letter to Shijo Kingo, the Daishonin wrote: Muster your faith and pray to this Gohonzon. Then
what is there that cannot be achieved? (WND, p412)

No matter what we have gone through or what we have accomplished, another obstacle may be right
around the corner. The important thing is to persevere with the knowledge that this practice is the means
to progress. It is the key to make us all that we wish, and more.

SGI President Ikeda once stated: Taking faith in the Daishonins Buddhism does not mean that all
difficulties will disappear. Being alive means that we will have problems of one kind or another. But no
matter what happens, it is important that we remain firm in our hearts. (The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra,
vol V, p9)

This persistence, even in the face of defeat, makes us stronger, and therefore assures us of victory.

The goal of Buddhism is not to avoid problems, but to reach a state of life where problems do not define or
defeat us. To become so strong that no matter how hard the eight winds blow, they cannot take us off
course.

Adapted from an article written by Craig Green from World Tribune, SGI-USA weekly paper.