I, Nichiren of Awa Province [part of present-day southern Chiba Prefecture], have doubtless inherited the teachings of the Law from these three teachers [Shakyamuni, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyo], and in this era of the Latter Day I work to uphold the Lotus school and disseminate the Law. Together we should be called the four teachers of the three countries [i.e., India, China, and Japan].
“On the Buddha’s Prophecy,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 402
On February 16, we will celebrate the 800th anniversary of Nichiren Daishonin’s birth.[1] Today, his Buddhism of the Sun is brightly illuminating the world.
The Soka Gakkai is the organization carrying out Nichiren’s intent, actualizing his prophecy of the westward transmission of Buddhism and worldwide kosen-rufu. The heritage of the ultimate Law of life and death flows in the lives of practitioners committed to fulfilling their vow as Bodhisattvas of the Earth together with the Soka Gakkai, the epitome of unity in diversity.
The Daishonin took great pride in his beloved home region, declaring: “I, Nichiren of Awa Province.” In the same spirit, let us continue to spread the light of “establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land” from the places where we have chosen to fulfill our mission!
Translated from the February 13, 2021 Seikyo Shimbun, the Soka Gakkai’s daily newspaper.
References
- Nichiren Daishonin was born on February 16, 1222. According to the traditional Japanese way of counting, a person is counted as one year old on the day of their birth. ↩︎
You are reading {{ meterCount }} of {{ meterMax }} free premium articles
