Of the four areas of English; 1. Hearing, 2. Speaking, 3. Reading and 4. Writing, an English teacher
should focus on the hearing and speaking areas almost exclusively. (Japanese have had enough experience with copying and translating
english words and sentences.)
* I try not to bring any written material to class. Written English only slows down the conversations.
How can I get the students interested in speaking English?
1. I ask them for THEIR topics. And, 2. I ask them questions about each topic.
(At first, you need to ask a lot of questions so that they can get used to the questioning process. Conversation
is Questioning and Answering. Without questions, there is no conversation.)
What should I have as a backup if things grow stale?
1. Bring along a lot of PICTURES of current events, topics of your own interest, and topics of what you
think your students might be interested in. (I try to keep the topics on the lighter side. When things grow stagnated, I just
move on to the next picture.)
What is the most important thing when it comes to teaching English in Japan?
1. I think it is important to enjoy yourself. If you are truly having fun, THEY will have fun.
And, that makes for better learning.
Note: I know that Japanese need to increase their reading and comprehension speeds. But, unless you can
get them interested in reading English, they just won't read. (not even your textbook... I don't use a textbook.)
As for writing, I encourage them to write every day. I even give some students a notebook. I
promise not to read their notebooks, but I mention that I would like to glance through it in order to check if they have been
writing EVERY DAY. It's probably a good idea to ask them to write about their life. I also mention that they should
not edit their notebooks. (That's when they will throw away their notebooks.) But, by simply writing every day, they
will greatly improve their writing skills.
I hope you will read this letter over and over again together with Toshiro’s wife. The sun dispels darkness, no matter
how deep. A woman’s heart may be likened to darkness, and the Lotus Sutra to the sun. A baby may not always recognize
its mother, but a mother never forgets her own baby. Shakyamuni Buddha may be likened to the mother, and a woman to the baby.
If two people long for each other, then they will never be parted. But though one person yearns for the other, if the other
does not feel the same way, then they will be united at times but separated at others. The Buddha may be likened to the one
who always longs for the other, and a woman to the one who does not. But if we truly yearn for Shakyamuni Buddha, how could
he ever fail to reveal himself to us?
You may call a rock a jewel, but that does not make it one. You may call a jewel a rock, but it remains a jewel. In our
age, the doctrines of the Nembutsu and other sects that are based upon the Buddha’s provisional teachings are all like
rocks. People may say that the Nembutsu is equal to the Lotus Sutra, but that does not in fact make it so. And people may
slander the Lotus Sutra, but that does not affect it any more than calling a jewel a rock affects the jewel.
In the past there was an evil ruler in China named Emperor Hui-tsung. Led astray by Taoist priests, he destroyed Buddhist
statues and sutras and forced all the monks and nuns to return to secular life until not one remained in the religious calling.
Among the monks was one named the Tripitaka Master Fa-tao who refused to be cowed by the imperial command. As a result, he
was branded on the face and exiled to the region south of the Yangtze River. I was born in an age when the rulers put their
faith in the Zen sect, which is as erroneous as the doctrine of Taoists, and I too, like Fa-tao, have met with great difficulties.
You two women were born as commoners and now live in Kamakura, [the seat of the government,] yet
you believe in the Lotus Sutra without concern for the prying eyes of others or the danger
it may pose for your lives. This is nothing short of extraordinary. I can only imagine your faith
to be like the jewel that, when placed in muddy water, miraculously cleanses it. You are like someone who, when taught something
new by a wise man, believes his every word and thus grasps the truth. Is this because Shakyamuni Buddha and the bodhisattvas
Fugen, Yakuo and Shukuoke are dwelling in your hearts? This is what the passage of the Lotus Sutra means when it says that
if in the land of Jambudvipa one is able to believe in this sutra, then that is due to the power of Bodhisattva Fugen.
A woman is like a wisteria, a man like a pine. The wisteria cannot stand for a moment if it is separated from the pine
tree that supports it. And yet, in this turbulent age, when you do not even have servants you can rely on, you have sent your
husband here [to Sado Island]. This shows that your sincerity is deeper than the earth, and the earthly gods must certainly
realize this. Your sincerity is loftier than the sky, and the heavenly gods Bonten and Taishaku must also be aware of it.
The Buddha taught that people from the very moment of their birth are accompanied by two messengers, Dosho (Same Birth) and
Domyo (Same Name), who are sent by heaven and who follow them as closely as their own shadows, never leaving them even for
an instant. These two take turns ascending to heaven to report the person’s offenses and merits, both major and minor,
without overlooking the slightest detail. Therefore, heaven must know about your sincerity. How encouraging! How reassuring!
