But your faith alone will determine all these things. A sword is useless in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff.
—“Reply to Kyo’o,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 412
A demon armed with an iron staff—the powerful imagery in this Japanese proverb implies gaining a strong and decisive advantage to defeat an opponent. For those of us practicing Nichiren Buddhism, our “iron staff” is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting gives us an edge over our hardships that guarantees the best outcome.
In this letter, “Reply to Kyo’o,” Nichiren Daishonin encourages a couple regarding their seriously ill daughter, Kyo’o. He urges them to summon courageous faith by chanting to the Gohonzon and assures them that they can activate the protective functions of the universe.
“But your faith alone will determine all these things” he says. “The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith.”
Elsewhere, too, Nichiren likens the power of one’s faith in the Lotus Sutra to a sharp and mighty sword. For instance, he writes, “The Lotus Sutra is a fine sword, but its might depends on the one who wields it” (“General Stone Tiger,” WND-1, 953) and “This word ‘belief’ is a sharp sword that cuts off fundamental darkness or ignorance” (The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 54).
To overcome fear, suffering and doubt, we need courageous faith. Chanting to the Gohonzon helps us bring forth our courage to win over our cowardice and cut through the chains of our negativity.
Nichiren overcame tremendous hardships by wielding the mighty sword of faith. He opened the path for us to do the same by chanting, deciding to win and taking bold action.
—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department
Ikeda Sensei’s Encouragement
1. Put Daimoku First
It is important that we put daimoku first. We must start by earnestly chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Why do we chant? To strengthen our lives and bring out our potential to the fullest extent.
Nichiren Daishonin writes: “The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff” (“Reply to Kyo’o,” WND-1, 412).
We need to break through the limitations of our lesser self and devote ourselves wholeheartedly to spreading the Mystic Law—discarding the negligent tendency to cut corners and do the least amount of work possible and the arrogance to think that our own shallow strategies will somehow carry us through. Nothing is more powerful than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo based on the vow to win for the sake of kosen-rufu.
Youth who chant never regress. When we chant, we embark on a path to victory. Those who take action based on prayer win in the end. (June 29, 2012, World Tribune, p. 3)
2. Transform All Fatigue Into Fulfillment and Joy
Josei Toda often told [Soka Gakkai] leaders: “When you’re tired, that’s the very time to read Nichiren Daishonin’s writings! Even just a line or two is fine. Reading it will expand your life just that little bit more.”
I always used to jot down passages in my diary during my youthful days spent striving alongside my mentor to overcome adversity in postwar Japan. Among them were the Daishonin’s words “The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then one will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff” (“Reply to Kyo’o,” WND-1, 412).
Although my battle with ill heath continued, I still did my best to study the Daishonin’s teachings and to share them with others. Even when friends I’d arranged to meet didn’t show up at the last minute or I wasn’t able to bring a guest to a discussion meeting, I kept rousing my courage and challenging myself anew. This is because Buddhist practice creates genuine value in each person’s life.
In accord with the Buddhist principles of “earthly desires leading to enlightenment” and “changing poison into medicine,” all the problems and challenges we encounter in the course of our efforts for kosen-rufu will turn into causes for our growth and development. All fatigue will be transformed into a sense of fulfillment and joy. This is the power of the Mystic Law, and its benefit is everlasting. (Aug. 1, 2014, World Tribune, p. 3)
May 3, 2023, World Tribune, p. 10
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