Learning from the Gosho - The Bodies and Minds of Ordinay Beings

The sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra deal with the bodies and minds of ordinary beings. The Buddha preached them in terms that would be accessible to the minds of ordinary people, and therefore, though they represent the preachings of the Buddha, they do not go beyond the scope of the minds of ordinary people. Hence they are called the sutras that were preached in accordance with the minds of others.
To illustrate, suppose that there are parents who do not care for sake themselves, but who have a beloved son who is extremely fond of it. Feeling tenderly toward their son and desiring to win his affection, they urge him to have some sake and in so doing pretend that they themselves like it, too. The foolish son thereupon concludes that his father and mother in fact like sake....

The Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, is known as a sutra that was preached in accordance with the Buddha’s own mind. Because the Buddha’s mind is an excellent mind, persons who read this sutra, even though they may not understand its meaning, will gain inestimable benefit.
Mugwort that grows in the midst of hemp, or a snake inside a tube [will as a matter of course become straight], and those who associate with people of good character will consequently become upright in heart, deed, and word. The Lotus Sutra exerts a similar influence. The Buddha will look upon one who simply puts faith in this sutra as a good person.
Concerning the Lotus Sutra, however, the form of its teaching will vary depending upon the people’s capacity, the time, the country, and the individuals who propagate it. Yet it seems that even bodhisattvas who have reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenment do not understand these relationships. How much less can ordinary people in the latter age ever fathom them!

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1, Pg. 1128

Learning from the Gosho - On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime

You must never think that any of the eighty thousand sacred teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime or any of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three existences are outside yourself. Your practice of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of the sufferings of birth and death in the least unless you perceive the true nature of your life. If you seek enlightenment outside yourself, then your performing even ten thousand practices and ten thousand good deeds will be in vain. It is like the case of a poor man who spends night and day counting his neighbor’s wealth but gains not even half a coin. That is why the T’ien-t’ai school’s commentary states, “Unless one perceives the nature of one’s life, one cannot eradicate one’s grave offenses.” This passage implies that, unless one perceives the nature of one’s life, one’s practice will become an endless, painful austerity. Therefore, such students of Buddhism are condemned as non-Buddhist. Great Concentration and Insight states that, although they study Buddhism, their views are no different from those of non-Buddhists.

Source: The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 3 -4 )

Learning from the Gosho - The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life

The ultimate Law of life and death as transmitted from the Buddha to all living beings is Myoho-renge-kyo. The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo were transferred from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, the two Buddhas inside the treasure tower, to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, carrying on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past. Myo represents death, and ho, life. Living beings that pass through the two phases of life and death are the entities of the Ten Worlds, or the entities of Myoho-renge-kyo.

T’ien-t’ai says that one should understand that living beings and their environments, and the causes and effects at work within them, are all the Law of renge (the lotus). Here “living beings and their environments” means the phenomena of life and death. Thus, it is clear that, where life and death exist, cause and effect, or the Law of the lotus, is at work.

The Great Teacher Dengyo states, “The two phases of life and death are the wonderful workings of one mind. The two ways of existence and nonexistence are the true functions of an inherently enlightened mind.” No phenomena—either heaven or earth, yin or yang, the sun or the moon, the five planets, or any of the worlds from hell to Buddhahood—are free from the two phases of life and death. Life and death are simply the two functions of Myoho-renge-kyo. In his Great Concentration and Insight, T’ien-t’ai says, “Arising is the arising of the essential nature of the Law, and extinction is the extinction of that nature.” Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, the two Buddhas, are also the two phases of life and death.

Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are in no way different or separate from one another. To chant Myoho-renge-kyo with this realization is to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death. This is a matter of the utmost importance for Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters, and this is what it means to embrace the Lotus Sutra.

For one who summons up one’s faith and chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the profound insight that now is the last moment of one’s life, the sutra proclaims: “When the lives of these persons come to an end, they will be received into the hands of a thousand Buddhas, who will free them from all fear and keep them from falling into the evil paths of existence.”

Be resolved to summon forth the great power of faith, and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the prayer that your faith will be steadfast and correct at the moment of death. Never seek any other way to inherit the ultimate Law of life and death, and manifest it in your life. Only then will you realize that earthly desires are enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. Even embracing the Lotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 216, 218)

Learning from the Gohso - A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering

In the Latter Day of the Law, the votary of the Lotus Sutra will appear without fail. The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith. Doesn’t a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? All rivers flow into the sea, but does the sea turn back their waters? The currents of hardship pour into the sea of the Lotus Sutra and rush against its votary. The river is not rejected by the ocean; nor does the votary reject suffering. Were it not for the flowing rivers, there would be no sea. Likewise, without tribulation there would be no votary of the Lotus Sutra. As T’ien-t’ai stated, “The various rivers flow into the sea, and logs make a fire burn more briskly.”

One who listens to even a sentence or phrase of the sutra and cherishes it deep in one’s heart may be likened to a ship that crosses the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, “Even a single phrase cherished deep in one’s heart will without fail help one reach the opposite shore. To ponder one phrase and practice it is to exercise navigation.” Only the ship of Myoho-renge-kyo enables one to cross the sea of the sufferings of birth and death.

The Lotus Sutra speaks of “someone finding a ship in which to cross the water.” This “ship” might be described as follows:

As a shipbuilder of infinitely profound wisdom, the World- Honored One of Great Enlightenment, the lord of teachings, gathered the lumber of the four flavors and eight teachings, planed it by honestly discarding the provisional teachings, cut and assembled the planks, forming a perfect unity of both right and wrong, and completed the craft by driving home the spikes of the one true teaching that is comparable to the flavor of ghee. Thus he launched the ship upon the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. Unfurling its sails of the three thousand realms on the mast of the one true teaching of the Middle Way, driven by the fair wind of “the true aspect of all phenomena,” the vessel surges ahead, carrying aboard all people who can “gain entrance through faith alone.”

The Thus Come One Shakyamuni is at the helm, the Thus Come One Many Treasures takes up the mooring rope, and the four bodhisattvas led by Superior Practices row quickly, matching one another as perfectly as a box and its lid. This is the ship in “a ship in which to cross the water.” Those who are able to board it are the disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren. Believe this wholeheartedly.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 33-34)

Always Seeking the Law Within Ourselves

Through his writings, the Daishonin emphasizes that the key to realizing a great transformation which lies in our “heart” is nothing else but our Ichinen or our inner resolve. This admonition is extremely strict, because it means if we ever forget this fundamental point, we will be unable to attain enlightenment and that once we become negligent in renewing our determination, our practice of chanting diamoku will not bring about the beneficial power inherent within the mystic law.

No matter how much or how long we have been practicing Nichiren Daishonin`s Buddhism, if we are in fact seeking the law outside ourselves, then it could be said that we are in danger of lapsing into a non- Buddhist approach to life. You may think that this is unlikely, but actually it can happen to anyone of us. President Ikeda says that we should never forget the Daishonin's strict admonition that "you must never think that (any of the eighty thousand sacred teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha`s lifetime or any of the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas of the ten directions and three existences) are outside yourself ".

The practice for chantimg Diamoku is meant for attaining Buddhahood in this life time by manifesting the mystic truth that is inherent in all people. Since it is the way to enable all living beings to attain Buddhahood, no other practice is more wondrous. However once we lose sight of the wonderful, mystic truth within us, we will also loose sight of the essential message of the Buddhism – that of enabling every person to attain Buddhahood. We will then find ourselves in effect practicing an “ outer, non- Buddhist way”. For this reason, Nichiren Daishonin strictly warns against the attitude of looking for solutions outside yourselves.

Seeking the law outside yourself means that you are defeated by your fundamental darkness.

The foundation of our practice lies in opening up our innate Buddha nature for which we need to engage in a constant inner struggle. If we allow ourselves to be defeated by the functions of the three obstacles and four devils, then we will not be able to attain Buddhahood in this life time .

If we engage in this battle, then we can bring forth from within us the wisdom and insight of a Buddha, gaining control over our fundamental darkness. However, once we stop fighting, our inherent fundamental delusion will obscure our Buddha nature, strengthening our innate five poison of Greed, Anger, Foolishness, Arrogance and Doubt. This is exactly what had happens to us when we think that the law is outside ourselves.

Examples of wrong attitude in faith

President Ikeda enumerates five erroneous attitude in faith,which are in sharp contrast to seeking the law within ourselves :

1. Shifting responsibility to others:
The purpose of this practice of faith lies in establishing within us an indomitable self that is as solid and dauntless as Himalayas.However if we forget about the original purpose of the faith we can veer off the correct course and thus end up seeking the law outside ourselves.For instance ,though you may chant diamoku,if you pray while blaming others or your environment,making them out to be bad ,you are actually avoiding dealing with your own fundamental delusions – in other words ,you Are seeking the law outside yourself .This means you are offering prayers to the Gohonzon while keeping your fundamental darkness intact. This type of prayer is no different from tring to scoop up water with a strainer .It stands to reason that your situation will not improve ,no matter how much time goes by .

2. Escapism:
When one depends upon the external forces, such as a God or a Buddha, or some kind of supernatural power to fulfil one's wishes then one is escaping from reality, that is, one is trying to escape or is not confronting something and one does not want to face their individual problems. This type of attitude in faith is typical example of trying to find the law or solution outside oneself.

In this kind of erroneous faith one is using faith as a cloak to hide away from actual problems. This attitude is comparable to the case where, in climbing a mountain, one just wanders aimlessly around in the foothills without taking the first step up the slope without which one cannot scale the mountain. It is important that we challenge our own problems; else we will never be able to develop ourselves enough to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

3. Disbelief, Grudges and Complaints:
If one suspects that the idea of Buddha nature is little more than mere theory or that nothing will really change, this basic disbelief will find expression as a prayer that is vague or lacks conviction. Such half hearted prayer can never function to transform our inchinen or life itself .

Grumbling or complaining are an expression of our general disbelief. Although we know that it is not good to complain it is still hard to restrain ourselves from complaining and having grudges.

It may be difficult for ordinary people to avoid complaining, but as practioners of the mystic law, we should be able to handle our inner negativity wisely, using it as a leverage for our further growth. In other words, President Ikeda says, “While you may not be completely free of grudges and complaints, as long as you are advancing forward you are alright.” It is vital to set our ichinen or solidify our determination. For example if one is going to shoot an arrow without a clear target, it is hard to pull the bowstring back to its fullest.

4. Ill feelings and resentments towards fellow members:
Disbelief in one’s own innate Buddhahood is problematic, but it is also equally problematic to fail to believe that Buddha nature exists in others as well. This is because negating the existence of Buddhahood within another’s life also means to follow the path of seeking the law outside oneself. Having ill feelings or jealousy towards fellow members and making slanderous remarks against them makes one a Non Buddhist. These are the causes by which we deny the Buddha nature inherent in our comrades.

As indicated, in The Heritage of Ultimate Law of Life, we cannot achieve the great goal of kosenrufu without the unity of Many in Body One in Mind. It is the devilish function or the fundamental darkness existing within oneself that prevents us from uniting with our fellow members or achieving harmonious unity.

5. Cowardice
We should never give in to cowardice. No matter what kind of trials and tribulations we may confront, we should never waver and continue to generate courage to challenge the situation. The power of Myo ho renge kyo is the force with which we can overcome any obstacles.

President Ikeda says, “Perceiving the devilish functions in life as they are and struggling without trying to escape reality – This is the way of life, that one who chants daimoku should choose”. Nichiren Daishonin writes, “The prayers that Nichiren and my disciples offer cannot be fulfilled if we were cowardly”.

By arousing courage based upon faith, we can dispel the heavy clouds of cowardice, darkness and delusions and be illuminated by the sun of the Mystic Law as the flower of MyoHo Renge Kyo comes to bloom in our life.

All the above mentioned life tendencies reflect the pattern where we seek the Law outside ourselves and these attitudes function to deepen and strengthen our innate fundamental darkness. Therefore what we need to do is exactly the opposite of all these five negative attitudes which is:

1) Faith with which we stand alone
2) Self Challenge
3) Conviction
4) Unity
5) Courage

The true and correct attitude that we must have is to seek the law within our life.

Source: Blue Deeper Than Indigo - Pg: 74 - 79 (Excerpt from the Explanation of the Gosho 'On Attaining Buddhahood in this Lifetime').

Letter to Niike

Becoming a Buddha is nothing extraordinary. If you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with your whole heart, you will naturally become endowed with the Buddha’s thirty-two features and eighty characteristics. As the sutra says, “hoping to make all persons equal to me, without any distinction between us,” you can readily become as noble a Buddha as Shakyamuni. A bird’s egg contains nothing but liquid, yet by itself this develops into a beak, two eyes, and all the other parts, and the bird soars into the sky. We, too, are the eggs of ignorance, which are pitiful things, but when nurtured by the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is like the warmth of the mother bird, we develop the beak of the thirty-two features and the feathers of the eighty characteristics and are free to soar into the sky of the true aspect of all phenomena and the reality of all things. This is what is meant by the sutra passage that says in essence: “All people dwell in the shell of ignorance, lacking the beak of wisdom. The Buddha comes back to this world— the land where sages and common mortals live together, the latter undergoing transmigration with differences and limitations — just as a mother bird returns to her nest, and cracks the shell of ignorance so that all people, like fledglings, may leave the nest and soar into the sky of the essential nature of phenomena and the reality of all things.”

“Knowledge without faith” describes those who are knowledgeable about the Buddhist doctrines but have no faith. These people will never attain Buddhahood. Those of “faith without knowledge” may lack knowledge but have faith and can attain Buddhahood. This is not merely my own opinion; it is stated clearly in the Lotus Sutra. In the second volume, the Buddha says, “Even you, Shariputra, in the case of this sutra were able to gain entrance through faith alone, not because of any wisdom of your own.” This shows that even Shariputra, unsurpassed in his wisdom, was able to attain Buddhahood only by embracing and firmly believing in this sutra, and that his wisdom alone did not enable him to become a Buddha. If Shariputra could not attain Buddhahood.through his wisdom, how can we ordinary people, with limited knowledge of the doctrines, dare to dream that we may attain Buddhahood when we do not have faith? The Buddha explains that people in the latter age will be arrogant, though their knowledge of the doctrines is trifling, and will show disrespect to the priests, neglect the Law, and thereby fall into the evil paths. If one truly understands the Buddhist teachings, one should show this in one’s respect for the priests, reverence for the Law, and offerings to the Buddha.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 1030)

Nam Myoho Renge Kyo - The Mystic Truth that Embraces And is Inherent in All Things

What is this “mystic truth that is inherent in all living beings”? The underlying philosophy of the Lotus Sutra is that all people can attain enlightenment by perceiving the “mystic truth” that is inherent in all life. However it was Nichiren Daishonin who identified and grasped this mystic truth. He states: “This truth is Myoho-Renge-Kyo”. This is the stance of Nichiren Buddhism and we study the gosho from this standpoint.

The Great Teacher T’ien-T’ai, expounded the practice of “observing the mind” as deeply looking into one’s own life and recognizing the ten worlds within it, and of clearly perceiving the world of Buddhahood within oneself and revealing it.

However, the practice of “observing the mind” as taught by the Great Teacher T’ien-T’ai could only be carried out by an elite subset Buddhist practitioners who had left the secular world and had become monks. However, the practice of “contemplation and meditation on the law” is originally a task to deeply perceive one’s own heart. Our life contains both fundamental enlightenment as well as fundamental darkness. Therefore, without an extremely solid practice of contemplation or meditation, one would probably end up amid the delusion of fundamental darkness instead of reaching an enlightened state. T’ien-T’ai himself warned of this danger. Therefore, only people who had become real experts in the practice of contemplation and meditation on the Law could correctly carry out the practice of observing the mind.

Nichiren Daishonin states that it is virtually impossible for the common mortals of the Latter Day of the Law to pursue such a practice of contemplation and meditation on the Law as expounded by the Great Teacher T’ien-T’ai. He believed that such a teaching is not a religion for the people. President Ikeda explains this as follows:

‘The question is how to enable all people to perceive this “mystic truth” that is originally inherent in all living beings. A widely accessible Buddhism will not be possible if only a very limited number of people can follow the way set forth for apprehending the mystic truth. Before the Daishonin, the great teacher T’ien-T’ai of China tried to establish the means for perceiving this mystic truth through the practice of contemplation and meditation on the Law. But it is not a means that was readily accessible for the people of the Latter Day of the Law.’

So how did the Daishonin solve this problem? President Ikeda puts forth the conclusion as follows: “The initial step the Daishonin took in opening the great path to universal enlightenment was to name the mystic truth.” This is an important point. By giving “the mystic truth” a name, the Daishonin made it possible for anyone to engage in this practice. Naturally, to name this “truth” one needs to know its essential nature. Therefore, only Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, could give it the correct name.

President Ikeda explains that naming something is an “act of creativity”. One can give a name to something only when on accurately understands its true essence. He further writes that giving something a name that essence becomes open to all people and its value can be shared by everyone. When we understand this, we can understand the profundity of the passage – “This truth is Myoho-Renge-kyo”.

Not only did Nichiren Daishonin name the truth of Myoho-Renge-Kyo, he also established the method of practice by which all people can enter the realm of this truth. President Ikeda explains:

‘The Daishonin’s next step in opening this great path was to establish the practice of chanting daimoku. The Daishonin appended the word Nam to the universal truth of Myoho-renge-kyo and established the practice of invoking this truth. Nam means “dedicating one’s life to”. Chanting Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo aloud represents a determination and vow to dedicate one’s life to the realm of truth of Myoho-renge-kyo in thought, word and deeds.’

At the same time, chanting daimoku enables each person to actualize a way of life based on the universal truth of Myoho-renge-kyo. The crucial point in chanting daimoku in the Daishonin’s Buddhism is not simply intoning the name of an “external truth”. Chanting daimoku constitutes a practice to actually summon forth the “inner truth” that pervades the universe and our own selves and live our lives in accord with that truth. This practice could be described as a process of establishing a self capable of activating and tapping from within the “mystic truth originally inherent in all living beings”.

We often explain that Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is a fundamental Law or principle that pervades the universe as well our own lives. Conversely, Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, the Law of our own lives, is itself the Law of the Universe.

By chanting daimoku we are able to summon forth our own innate Buddhahood. The wisdom and compassion of the Buddha that emerges through chanting daimoku enriches our being and brings happiness to ourselves and others. As more and more people come to chant daimoku for their own happiness and that of others, it will be possible to forge a dedicated alliance of people whose lives shine with the Buddha’s compassion. As more people are led to true happiness in this life, they become the central people in creating lasting peace in this world. This is the essence of kosen-rufu. Accomplishing kosen-rufu does not mean that all people on this earth should embrace the Daishonin’s Buddhism and practice it. Rather, as more people awaken to the principles of Buddhism, as taught by the Daishonin, the efforts, dedication and power of these awakened people moves the world towards peace.

Our task is to call out to as many people as possible, so that they can strive to awaken to the Buddhahood within themselves. Therefore, we need to have an organization devoted to kosen-rufu in order to keep doing this. This is the SGI organization. Therefore all members of SGI have this incredibly significant mission. We have awakened to the conclusion of Buddhist teachings that has been taught in the last millennia. We have the mission, responsibility and role to convey this conclusion.

Source: Blue Deeper Than Indigo - Gosho Study Series Vol. 1 (Pg:63-66)

Learning from the Gosho - Climbing Up Dragon Gate

On Mount Tien-t’ai in China, there is a waterfall a thousand feet high called Dragon Gate. From early spring on many fish gather at the foot of this waterfall in hopes of climbing it. When one in a thousand or one in ten thousand succeeds in making the ascent, it becomes a dragon. Fish desiring to become dragons are like common persons wishing to be admitted to the palace of the emperor, or like poor persons seeking treasure. And becoming a Buddha also is similar to these things.

That waterfall, which plunges a thousand feet, thunders down faster than an arrow shot from a strong bow in the sky.

When the fish come to climb the waterfall, people gather together throwing nets, casting lines, and shooting at the fish with bows and arrows, so that there is not an inch open on either bank.

In the sky above hawks, eagles, kites and crows circle, awaiting their chance. When night falls, tigers, wolves, foxes, and raccoon dogs appear out of nowhere, snatch up the fish and devour them.

You should know what it is to become a Buddha through this example. We have no idea how many times, as sentient beings transmigrating through the six paths; we have been born in India as a lion, or in China or Japan as a tiger, a wolf or a fox. Or how many times in the heavens as a hawk, or an eagle, or on the ground as deer or a snake. Or how many times we have been born as a pheasant to tremble before a hawk, or a mouse to cringe before a cat, and, while yet living, have had our heads pecked at or our flesh bitten off.

The pile of bones from the bodies that we have lived and died in over the course of one kalpa would soar higher than Mount Sumeru and be packed deeper than the earth. Though our lives are precious, they are all too easily snatched away.

Therefore you must resolve that if, this time, you give up your body and sacrifice your life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, it will without fail become the source of satisfaction of countless, innumerable kalpas of lifetimes!!

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - II (Pg. 673)

Learning from the Gosho - The Four Virtues and Four Debts of Gratitude

When the Buddhas of the three existences of past, present and future appear in the world, they all preach the importance of repaying the Four Debts of Gratitude. And the worthy men of antiquity, the Three Sovereigns, The Five Emperors, Confucius, Lao Tzo, Yen Huei and the others, taught the practice of the Four Virtues.

The Four Virtues are: (1) Filial piety towards one’s father and mother, (2) Loyalty to one’s lord, (3) Courtesy towards one’s friends and (4) Pity and kindness towards those less fortunate than oneself.

First, being filial towards one’s father and mother means that though a parent may act unreasonably or speak in a tone of ill will, one never shows the slightest anger or looks displeased. One never in any way disobeys a parent; is always mindful of providing a parent with all manner of good things, and if this happens to be impossible, in the course of a day one at least smiles twice or thrice in their direction.

Second, being loyal to one’s lord means that one never has anything to be ashamed of in serving him. Though it may mean sacrificing one’s own life, if it will benefit one’s lord, one acts with a willing heart. For though one’s trustworthiness may at first go unnoticed, in time it will be openly rewarded.

Third, treating one’s friends with courtesy means that, although one may encounter them ten or twenty times in the course of a single day, one greets them courteously as though they had traveled a thousand or two thousand miles to see one, never showing them indifference.

Fourth, treating those who are less fortunate with pity and kindness means that, toward those whose circumstances are inferior to one’s own, one thinks of such persons as one’s own children and shows them consideration at all times, exercising pity and compassion.

These, then are the four virtues, and if you observe them in this manner, you may be called a worthy man or sage. If you pay attention to these four concerns, then although you may err in other ways, you will still deserve to be called a good man. If you can follow these four patterns of behavior, then although you have never read all the three thousand volumes of the Confucian and Taoist classics, it will be as though you had in fact read them.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - II (Pg. 636)

Learning from the Gosho - Letter to Misawa

Although the people who study Buddhism outnumber the dust particles of the land, those who actually become Buddhas are fewer than the specks of dirt that can be placed on a fingernail. This the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment clearly states in the Nirvana Sutra. On reading it, I wondered why it should be so difficult, but after some thought I realized that indeed it must be so. Although people study Buddhism, it is difficult for them to practice it correctly either because of the ignorance of their minds, or because, even though wise, they fail to realize that they are being misled by their teachers.

Moreover, even though one may encounter a wise teacher and the true sutra and thereby embrace the correct teaching, when one resolves to break free from the sufferings of birth and death and attain Buddhahood, one will inevitably encounter seven grave matters known as the three obstacles and four devils, just as surely as a shadow follows the body and clouds accompany rain. Even if you should manage to overcome the first six, if you are defeated by the seventh, you will not be able to become a Buddha.

Let us leave the first six for now. The seventh is caused by the devil king of the sixth heaven. When an ordinary person of the latter age is ready to attain Buddhahood, having realized the essence of all the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime and understood the heart of the important teaching set forth in Great Concentration and Insight, this devil is greatly surprised. He says to himself, “This is most vexing. If I allow this person to remain in my domain, he not only will free himself from the sufferings of birth and death, but will lead others to enlightenment as well. Moreover, he will take over my realm and change it into a pure land. What shall I do?” The devil king then summons all his underlings from the threefold world of desire, form, and formlessness and tells them: “Each of you now go and harass that votary, according to your respective skills. If you should fail to make him abandon his Buddhist practice, then enter into the minds of his disciples, lay supporters, and the people of his land and thus try to persuade or threaten him. If these attempts are also unsuccessful, I myself will go down and possess the mind and body of his sovereign to persecute that votary. Together, how can we fail to prevent him from attaining Buddhahood?”

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 894-895)

Learning from the Gosho - The Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra

Question: Is it possible, without understanding the meaning of the Lotus Sutra, but merely by chanting the five or seven characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo once a day, once a month, or simply once a year, once a decade, or once in a lifetime, to avoid being drawn into trivial or serious acts of evil, to escape falling into the four evil paths, and instead to eventually reach the stage of non-regression?

Answer: Yes, it is.

Question: You may talk about fire, but unless you put your hand in a flame, you will never burn yourself. You may say “water, water!” but unless you actually drink it, you will never satisfy your thirst. Then how, just by chanting the daimoku of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo without understanding what it means, can you escape from the evil paths of existence?

Answer: They say that, if you play a koto strung with a lion’s sinews, then all the other kinds of strings will snap. And if you so much as hear the words “pickled plum,” your mouth will begin to water. Even in everyday life there are such wonders, so how much greater are the wonders of the Lotus Sutra!

We are told that parrots, simply by twittering the four noble truths of the Hinayana teachings, were able to be reborn in heaven, and that men, simply by respecting the three treasures, were able to escape being swallowed by a huge fish. How much more effective, then, is the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, which is the very heart of all the eighty thousand sacred teachings of Buddhism and the eye of all the Buddhas! How can you doubt that by chanting it you can escape from the four evil paths?

The Lotus Sutra, wherein the Buddha honestly discarded expedient means, says that one can “gain entrance through faith alone.” And the Nirvana Sutra, which the Buddha preached in the grove of sal trees on the last day of his life, states, “Although there are innumerable practices that lead to enlightenment, if one teaches faith, then that includes all those practices.”

Thus faith is the basic requirement for entering the way of the Buddha. In the fifty-two stages of bodhisattva practice, the first ten stages, dealing with faith, are basic, and the first of these ten stages is that of arousing pure faith. Though lacking in knowledge of Buddhism, a person of faith, even if dullwitted, is to be reckoned as a person of correct views. But even though one has some knowledge of Buddhism, if one is without faith, then one is to be Nichiren, follower of the Great Teacher Kompon [Dengyo] considered a slanderer and an icchantika, or person of incorrigible disbelief.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 141 - 142)

Learning from the Gosho - The Difficulty of Sustaining Faith

This is in regard to the passage “This sutra is hard to uphold.” According to Acharya Ben, you said to him: “I have been practicing the Lotus Sutra correctly since last year, when you told me that those who embrace this sutra will ‘enjoy peace and security in their present existence and good circumstances in future existences.’ Instead, however, great hardships have showered down on me like rain.” Is this true, or did he give me a false report? In either case, I will take advantage of this opportunity to resolve any doubts you may have.


A passage from the Lotus Sutra reads that it is “the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand.” Many hear about and accept this sutra, but when great obstacles arise, just as they were told would happen, few remember it and bear it firmly in mind. To accept is easy; to continue is difficult. But Buddhahood lies in continuing faith. Those who uphold this sutra should be prepared to meet difficulties. It is certain, however, that they will “quickly attain the unsurpassed Buddha way.”


To “continue” means to cherish Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the most important principle for all the Buddhas of the three existences. The sutra reads, “We will protect and uphold what the Buddha has entrusted to us.”


The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai stated, “One accepts because of one’s power of faith and continues because of one’s power of constant thought.” Another part of the sutra reads, “This sutra is hard to uphold; if one can uphold it even for a short while I will surely rejoice and so will the other Buddhas.”


A fire burns higher when logs are added, and a strong wind makes a kalakula grow larger. The pine tree lives for ten thousand years, and therefore its boughs become bent and twisted. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is like the fire and the kalakula, while his persecutions are like the logs and the wind. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is the Thus Come One whose life span is immeasurable; no wonder his practice is hindered, just as the pine tree’s branches are bent or broken.


From now on, always remember the words “This sutra is hard to uphold.”


Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 471)

Learning from the Gosho - The One Essential Phrase

You asked whether one can attain Buddhahood only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and this is the most important question of all. This is the heart of the entire sutra and the substance of its eight volumes.

The spirit within one’s body of five or six feet may appear in just one’s face, which is only a foot long, and the spirit within one’s face may appear in just one’s eyes, which are only an inch across. Included within the two characters representing Japan is all that is within the country’s sixty-six provinces: the people and the animals, the rice paddies and the other fields, those of high and low status, the nobles and the commoners, the seven kinds of treasures and all the other precious gems. Similarly, included within the title, or daimoku, of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the entire sutra consisting of all eight volumes, twenty-eight chapters, and 69,384 characters, without the omission of a single character.

Everything has its essential point, and the heart of the Lotus Sutra is its title, or the daimoku, of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Truly, if you chant this in the morning and evening, you are correctly reading the entire Lotus Sutra. Chanting daimoku twice is the same as reading the entire sutra twice, one hundred daimoku equal one hundred readings of the sutra, and one thousand daimoku, one thousand readings of the sutra. Thus, if you ceaselessly chant daimoku, you will be continually reading the Lotus Sutra.

Even though one neither reads nor studies the sutra, chanting the title alone is the source of tremendous good fortune. The sutra teaches that women, evil men, and those in the realms of animals and hell— in fact, all the beings of the Ten Worlds— can attain Buddhahood in their present form. [This is an incomparably greater wonder than] fire being produced by a stone taken from the bottom of a river, or a lantern lighting up a place that has been dark for a hundred, a thousand, or ten thousand years. If even the most ordinary things of this world are such wonders, then how much more wondrous is the power of the Buddhist Law! We ordinary beings are fettered by evil karma, earthly desires, and the sufferings of birth and death. But due to the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature— innate Buddhahood, the wisdom to perceive it, and the actions to manifest it— we can without doubt reveal the Buddha’s three bodies— the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body. The Great Teacher Dengyo states, “Through the power of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law they can do so in their present form.” Do not doubt this in the least.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - I (Pg. 922 - 924)

Learning from the Gosho - New Year's Gosho

First of all, as to the question of where exactly hell and the Buddha exist, one sutra states that hell exists underground, and another sutra says that the Buddha is in the west. Closer examination, however, reveals that both exist in our five-foot body. This must be true because hell is in the heart of a person who inwardly despises his father and disregards his mother. It is like the lotus seed, which contains both blossom and fruit. In the same way, the Buddha dwells within our hearts. For example, flint has the potential to produce fire, and gems have intrinsic value. We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts. You may question how it is that the Buddha can reside within us when our bodies, originating from our parents’ sperm and blood, are the source of the three poisons and the seat of carnal desires. But repeated consideration assures us of the truth of this matter. The pure lotus flower blooms out of the muddy pond, the fragrant sandalwood grows from the soil, the graceful cherry blossoms come forth from trees, the beautiful Yang Kuei-fei was born of a woman of low station, and the moon rises from behind the mountains to shed light on them. Misfortune comes from one’s mouth and ruins one, but fortune comes from one’s heart and makes one worthy of respect.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1 (Pg. - 1137)

Learning from the Gosho - The Kalpa of Decrease

A person of wisdom is not one who practices Buddhism apart from wordly affairs, but rather, one who thoroughly understands the principles by which the world is governed.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1 (Pg. 1121)

Learning from the Gosho - On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime

If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured since time without beginning and to attain without fail unsurpassed enlightenment in this lifetime, you must perceive the mystic truth that is originally inherent in all living beings. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth innate in all life.

The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, true and correct in both word and principle. Its words are the ultimate reality, and this reality is the Mystic Law (myoho). It is called the Mystic Law because it reveals the principle of the mutually inclusive relationship of a single moment of life and all phenomena. That is why this sutra is the wisdom of all Buddhas.

The Vimalakirti Sutra states that, when one seeks the Buddhas’ emancipation in the minds of ordinary beings, one finds that ordinary beings are the entities of enlightenment, and that the sufferings of birth and death are nirvana. It also states that, if the minds of living beings are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds.

It is the same with a Buddha and an ordinary being. When deluded, one is called an ordinary being, but when enlightened, one is called a Buddha. This is similar to a tarnished mirror that will shine like a jewel when polished. A mind now clouded by the illusions of the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but when polished. it is sure to become like a clear mirror, reflecting the essential nature of phenomena and the true aspect of reality. Arouse deep faith, and diligently polish your mirror day and night. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our life from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend or words express. When we look into our own mind at any moment, we perceive neither color nor form to verify that it exists. Yet we still cannot say it does not exist, for many differing thoughts continually occur. The mind cannot be considered either to exist or not to exist. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor nonexistence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the ultimate reality. Myo is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and ho, to its manifestations. Renge, which means lotus flower, is used to symbolize the wonder of this Law. If we understand that our life at this moment is myo, then we will also understand that our life at other moments is the Mystic Law. This realization is the mystic kyo, or sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1, Pg. 3-4

Learning from the Gosho – The Problem to be Pondered Night And Day

The Treatise on the Treasure Vehicle of Buddhahood by Bodhisattva Saramati reads: “Those who are ignorant and unable to believe in the correct teaching, who hold false views and are arrogant, suffer such hindrances in retribution for the slanders of their past lives. They cling to incomplete doctrines and are attached to receiving alms and being treated with deference; they recognize only false doctrines, distance themselves from good friends, approach with familiarity such slanderers who delight in attachment to the teachings of the lesser vehicle, and do not believe in the great vehicle. Therefore they slander the Law of the Buddhas.

“A person of wisdom should not fear enemy households, snakes, the poison of fire, the god Indra, the roll of thunder, attacks by swords and staves, or wild beasts such as tigers, wolves, and lions. For these can only destroy one’s life, but cannot cause one to fall into the Avichi hell, which is truly terrifying. What one should fear is slander of the profound teaching as well as companions who are slanderers, for these will surely cause one to fall into the frightful Avichi hell. Even if one befriends evil companions and with evil intent spills the Buddha’s blood, kills one’s own father and mother, takes the lives of many sages, disrupts the unity of the Buddhist Order, and destroys all one’s roots of goodness, if one fixes one’s mind on the correct teaching, one can free oneself from that place. But if there is someone who slanders the inconceivably profound teaching, that person will for immeasurable kalpas be unable to obtain emancipation. However, if there is one who can cause others to awaken to and take faith in a teaching such as this, then that person is their father and mother, and also their good friend. This is a person of wisdom. After the Thus Come One’s passing, that person corrects false views and perverse thoughts, and causes people to enter the true way. For that reason, he has pure faith in the three treasures, and his virtuous actions lead others to enlightenment.”

A wise person, while dwelling in security, anticipates danger; a perverse one, while dwelling amid danger, takes security for granted. A great fire fears even a small quantity of water, and a large tree may have its branches broken by even a small bird.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1 (Pg. 620-622)

Learning from the Gosho - Letter to the Brothers

This world is the domain of the devil king of the sixth heaven. All of its people have been under the rule of this devil king since time without beginning. Not only has he built the prison of the twenty-five realms of existence within the six paths and confined all humankind within it, but also he has made wives and children into shackles, and parents and sovereigns into nets that block off the skies. To deceive the true mind of the Buddha nature, he causes the people to drink the wine of greed, anger, and foolishness, and feeds them nothing but dishes of evil that leave them prostrate on the ground of the three evil paths. When he happens on persons who have turned their hearts to goodness, he acts to obstruct them. He is determined to make believers in the Lotus Sutra fall into evil, but if he is unsuccessful, he tries to deceive them gradually by luring them toward the Flower Garland Sutra, which resembles the Lotus Sutra.

The great demon of fundamental darkness can even enter the bodies of bodhisattvas who have reached near- perfect enlightenment and prevent them from attaining the Lotus Sutra’s blessing of perfect enlightenment. How easily can he then obstruct those in any lower stage of practice! The devil king of the sixth heaven takes possession of the bodies of wives and children, and causes them to lead their husbands or parents astray. He also possesses the sovereign in order to threaten the votary of the Lotus Sutra, or possesses fathers and mothers, and makes them reproach their filially devoted children.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1, Pg. 495-496

Learning from the Gosho - The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

In the past, the boy Snow Mountains offered his body for the sake of half a verse, Bodhisattva Ever Wailing sold his body, the boy Good Treasures threw himself into a fire, the ascetic Aspiration for the Law peeled off his own skin, Bodhisattva Medicine King burned his own arms, Bodhisattva Never Disparaging was beaten with sticks and staves, the Venerable Aryasimha was beheaded, and Bodhisattva Aryadeva was killed by a non-Buddhist, [all because of their devotion to Buddhism].
These events should be considered in terms of the time in which they occurred. The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai declared that practice “should be that which accords with the time.” The Great Teacher Chang-an states, “You should let your choices be fitting and never adhere solely to one or the other.” The Lotus Sutra represents a single truth, but the way of its practice varies greatly according to the people’s capacity and the time.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1, Pg. 764

Learning from the Gosho - Aspiration for the Buddha Land

Life is limited; we must not begrudge it. What we should ultimately aspire to is the Buddha land.

Source: Writings of Nichiren Daishonin - 1, Pg. 214