Today, I would like to tell you a simple story from a Sutra.

There was a mother and daughter in India long ago. The daughter was going to get married the next day. The mother told her daughter how she should behave in her married life. The mother told her three things.

First, wear beautiful dresses every day.
Second, have delicious meals every day.
Third, keep looking in the mirror all the time.

There was a man standing by the room where the mother was telling these three things to her daughter. The man was the groom’s father, and he happened to hear what the mother said. The groom’s father was a Cabinet Minister of the country. He was worried about what he heard from the conversation between his new daughter-in-law and her mother. Anyone would be worried about it if his son’s new wife wanted to wear beautiful dresses everyday, to have delicious meals every day, and to keep looking at the mirror all the time. If I got married to such woman, I would be broke by the end of the day. Although the groom’s father was a Cabinet Minister and a rich man, he was really worried about it.

However, the next day was the wedding ceremony, and it was too late to cancel. The Wedding ceremony was held on the next day as planned. Then, after the wedding ceremony, the groom’s father kept his eyes on his son’s new wife carefully. However, she never wore beautiful dresses and never had extravagant meals. She did not look at the mirror so often either. The father was wondering what was going on.

After a while, he told his son’s new wife that he happened to hear what her mother told her the night hetbre the wedding. He asked her why she did not keep her mother’s saying. She answered. ..l’m doing everything just the way my mother told me.”

Then, the father asked, “Your mother told you to wear beautiful dresses every day, didn’t she ?” She answered. “Father, the beautiful dress that my mother talked about is not only an expensive dress but well-washed and well-cared for dress. So, I always keep my dress neat.” He asked, “What about having delicious meals every day “ She answered, “The delicious meal that my mother talked about does not mean a really gorgeous meal. It means the meal after hard work. After I work hard, the meal must taste better. Having delicious meals every day means working hard every day.” He asked, “What about looking at the mirror all the time” She answered, “The mirror is not a real mirror. It is inside my mind. My mother meant that I should always reflect on myself through the mirror inside my mind.”

The father was, of course, very glad and loved her very much and told everyone that his daughter-in-law was the best. These three instructions are very good for not only brides hut also for everyone.

Wearing beautiful clothes every time means to keep ourselves clean always.
Having delicious’ meals every day means to do our best with everything every day.
And looking at the mirror all the time means to reflect on ourselves through the mirror
inside our mind all the time.

Our founder, Nichiren Dai Shonin also tells us about a mirror in our mind in his writing, Issho Jobutsu Sho,” When you polish a dusty minor, it will surely shine like a jewel. Your immature and misguided mind is like a dusty mirror. When you polish your dusty mind, it will become a mirror reflecting the universal truth. Put your firm faith in the three Treasures (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) and let your mind shine day and night. How do you get it to shine? Just say, Namu Myobo Renge Kyo.” The End.