In the eighth volume of [the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s] Great Concentration and Insight and in the eighth volume of [the Great Teacher Miao-lo’s] The Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight” it says, “The stronger one’s faith, the greater the protection of the gods.” This means that the protection of the gods depends on the strength of one’s faith. The Lotus Sutra is a fine sword, but its might depends on the one who wields it.
—“General Stone Tiger,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 953
Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance
The heavenly deities will definitely protect the practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, who uphold and propagate the sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. The Buddhas and bodhisattvas will praise such individuals, and the gods of the sun and moon will light their way before and behind.
But it is the individual’s faith that activates these protective functions. The realization of our prayers depends on our wholehearted effort and earnest determination. This, indeed, is the lesson to be found in the Great Teacher Miao-lo’s words “The stronger one’s faith, the greater the protection of the gods.” Strong faith, strong resolve, is the key to victory. The power brought forth from the mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra hinges on the faith of the person who wields it. …
In one sense, our aim as practitioners of Nichiren Buddhism is to build and live lives in which nothing can defeat us. Faith in the Mystic Law enables us to establish a life state of absolute victory—victory of a deeper dimension than the relative victories and defeats we experience as our daily lives unfold. By steadily exerting ourselves in our Buddhist practice and gradually cultivating inner strength day after day, we can develop the powerful conviction in faith that will allow us to wholeheartedly challenge any difficulty when the winds of karma blow, or when the three obstacles and four devils assail us.
“Treasures of the heart” are something that we slowly accumulate over time. Our steady efforts each day to polish our lives and strengthen our faith and resolve are the means by which we can build an unshakable state of life in which we “enjoy ourselves at ease” (see The Lotus Sutra and Its Opening and Closing Sutras, p. 272). (The Teachings for Victory, vol. 4, p. 74)
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