[As the time of execution approached at Tatsunokuchi, Shijo Kingo], in tears, said, “These are your last moments!” I replied, “You don’t understand! What greater joy could there be? [You should smile and rejoice!]”[1]
“The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 767
Nichiren Daishonin consoles his beloved disciple Shijo Kingo, who was ready to die alongside him.
No devilish function can undermine the vast and boundless life state of the Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. As members of the Soka Gakkai who carry on this dauntless spirit, let’s summon forth the great power of faith, rejoicing, “What greater joy could there be”?
This is because second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda taught us that “casting off the transient and revealing the true” in our own lives means to cheerfully overcome obstacles and expand our life state day by day and month after month.
Translated from the September 11, 2020 Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper.
References
- September 12 is the anniversary of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, during which Nichiren Daishonin “cast off the transient and revealed the true.” ↩︎
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