I do love this simple, Tendai line of encouragement to 'Light up a corner of our world'. It is both simple and deep having similarities with many special paths (Christ's teaching of 'Nobody lights a lamp and then hides it under a table' comes to mind). The Buddha also taught we are Light and to be Lights unto ourselves.
Dengyo Daishi (Saicho) restates this teaching in his "一隅を照らす" and the Light both he and the Buddha refer to is the Dharma or Truth. But how may this be achieved? I am reminded of how a forest fire begins and spreads from tree to tree until the whole forest is engulfed. The result being largely due to the similarity of the trees nature and this is an important element. This means, we may view this teaching based on two aspects of 'Lighting up'.
'Lighting up' carries the personal meaning that we each are of the essence of the Buddha which is en-lightened or ignited by fuel (teaching) of the Dharma as one may light one candle from another. This in turn takes on the meaning of waking up to the illusory world we each have created for ourselves. Therefore, to Light up our own, personal world means to stop the process of burying ourselves deeper (into illusion) and begin the process of digging ourselves out. This is important in that Light can only be effectively extended to others and beyond once we are, ourselves en-lightened to some degree.
A second point may be found in Saicho's "Treasure of a Nation", a short welcoming speech/prayer to yearly ordinands. Here, Light refers to man's 'Spiritual Nature'. Treasure, he taught, is not the accumulation of wealth or territory which makes a nation great, but 'Spiritual Buddha Nature'. When Buddha Nature is set free, harmony, love and compassion are the norm. He is reminding us that whatever we consider worth, value and treasure to be, is but a mere shadow, if that, in comparison to that which we already have/are.
Gassho
(Reverend Jiryo Moxon)
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"Light up a corner of your world" (一隅を照らす)
