Now Is the Time to Study the Supreme Philosophy of Life (Part 2)

When we read each word and passage of this letter, the courage to fight on staunchly wells forth within us, together with a vigorous and powerful life force. 

Why is it that good and just individuals practicing the correct teaching of Buddhism are showered with criticism and abuse, and persecuted by those in power? The reason for this and the pattern of such persecution are clarified in Nichiren Daishonin’s writings. 

For example, in “The Swords of Good and Evil,” the Daishonin employs metaphors to explain this in an easily accessible way: 

Stones are split open for their hidden gems, deer are slain for their hides and meat, fish are caught for their flavor, the kingfisher is killed for its gorgeous feathers, and a beautiful woman is envied for her beauty. This is the case with me. Because I am the votary of the Lotus Sutra, I have suffered all manner of persecution at the hands of the three powerful enemies. How wondrous that you have, nonetheless, become a disciple and a supporter of such a person! (WND-1, 451) 

Behind such persecutions is a seething vortex of envy toward individuals of exceptional integrity and character who champion the cause of truth and justice. 

And in “Reply to Sairen-bo,” Nichiren warns about negative functions that seek to obstruct the correct teaching of Buddhism from spreading throughout society: 

The devil king of the sixth heaven has attempted to take possession of my body. But I have for some time been taking such great care that he now no longer comes near me. Therefore, because the power of the heavenly devil is ineffectual against me, he instead possesses the ruler and his high officials, or foolish priests such as Ryokan, and causes them to hate me. (WND-1, 310)

Exerting ourselves in practice and study and gaining personal experiences of the power of faith enable us to see all phenomena clearly illuminated by the “bright mirror” of Nichiren’s writings, also called the Gosho, to deepen our conviction in faith and to use everything that happens as a source of growth. Through reading the Gosho with our lives—that is, actually practicing its teachings—we can build firm character, attain enduring happiness and establish a solid and indestructible state of being. 

The Japanese writer and statesman Yukio Ozaki (1859–1954)—a significant contributor to the establishment of Japan’s parliamentary system of government, who also wrote under the pen name Gakudo Ozaki—declared: “When philosophy advances, a nation naturally prospers, and when philosophy declines, a nation moves in the direction of ruin.”^[1]

That’s why our goal of “establishing the correct teaching for the peace of the land” is so crucial. Its actualization depends on the presence of people who uphold the correct teaching and doctrines of Nichiren Buddhism. Kosen-rufu means the appearance, throughout Japan and the world, of immensely capable individuals who make this great Buddhist philosophy the foundation of their lives. 

Victorious women,
their lives dedicated
to a great vow,
enjoy brilliant everlasting benefit
as expounded in the Gosho.

The great Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–81) declared: “A lofty ideal … has been always the source of ‘living life,’ not the intellectual and theoretical life, but the sparkling, joyful life.”^[2] 

Recently (in September 2007), I had the opportunity to talk with members from Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. At the end of our meeting, a young women’s division representative declared in a ringing voice: “The young women of Yamanashi love studying the Gosho! We will make Yamanashi into Japan’s leading region in study!” Both my wife and I were very happy to hear these words, which perfectly embodied second Soka Gakkai President Josei Toda’s hopes for the young women’s division. 

Mr. Toda’s guideline for the young women that they should all become happy without exception was coupled with the call: “Young women, make the Gosho your foundation!” This is because Buddhist study is a source of inspiration and strength that enables us to spread happiness. A young woman solidly grounded in the teachings of Nichiren Buddhism can bring bright hope to her family, friends, community and workplace, like a beacon illuminating the darkness. 

In response to that young woman’s sincere declaration, I told her: “If you read and study the Gosho, you will grow wise and develop a truly beautiful heart. Your whole family will be splendid. If you chant daimoku, good fortune and wisdom will shine in your life like stars sparkling in the heavens above, and you are certain to be victorious in the end.” 

Nichiren Daishonin wrote to his follower Nichinyo, a woman of steadfast faith who earnestly sought his teachings and studied and practiced wholeheartedly: 

At the ceremony of the “Treasure Tower” chapter [of the Lotus Sutra], the Thus Come Ones Many Treasures and Shakyamuni, the Buddhas of the ten directions, and all bodhisattvas gathered together. When I ponder where this “Treasure Tower” chapter is now, I see that it exists in the eight-petaled lotus flower of the heart within the breast of Nichinyo.^[3] This is like the lotus seed containing the lotus flower within it. (“The ‘Entrustment’ and Other Chapters,” WND-1, 915) 

This magnificent Buddhist realm, which may seem too wonderful to imagine, is actually not found in some distant place. It exists in the heart of a woman who strives in the two ways of practice and study, where it shines with the brilliant light of wisdom and embraces all of the people in her life.

The Culture of Peace Forums being conducted by the women’s division are winning wonderful support and understanding in local communities throughout Japan. As the French author Romain Rolland (1866–1944) observed, those who possess a rich philosophy have a duty to share it with others.^[4] Our noble women’s and young women’s division members are all great philosophers of happiness and peace who are committed to doing just that.

In the citadel of benefit,
steadfastly uphold
the Daishonin’s teaching
of uniting in the spirit of
“many in body, one in mind.”

Nichiren Daishonin’s direct disciple and successor Nikko Shonin solemnly proclaimed in his “Twenty-six Admonitions of Nikko”: “The doctrines of the five senior priests differ in every regard from the teachings of our late teacher” (Gosho zenshu, new edition, p. 2195 [Gosho zenshu, p. 1617]). He is said to have written these admonitions in 1333—51 years after the Daishonin’s death—meaning that Nikko Shonin persevered for over half a century in his staunch struggle to refute the errors of these five senior priests who had betrayed the spirit of their mentor. 

It is essential to realize that the only way for disciples to faithfully preserve the teachings of their mentor and ensure that these survive through the ages is to wage a tenacious and unflagging struggle to refute the erroneous and reveal the true. This is the spirit of Buddhist study in the Soka Gakkai, grounded in the shared commitment of mentor and disciple.

Moreover, the five senior priests arrogantly disdained and deliberately burned those writings that the Daishonin had specifically penned for some of his followers in the more readily accessible native Japanese form of writing, rather than in scholarly Classical Chinese, which only the well-educated could read. But Nikko Shonin alone valued these vernacular writings of the Daishonin as the unsurpassed treasures that they were and made painstaking efforts to preserve them for future generations. He even anticipated a time when they would be translated into many languages for people of other nations—a great endeavor that we, the Soka Gakkai, have made a reality.

Today, people across the globe are intently studying Nichiren’s writings. Just this year alone, study exams will be held in 40 countries and territories for a total of more than 135,000 members of ardent seeking spirit. This signals a resounding victory for our tradition of Buddhist study based on the spirit of mentor and disciple, a united commitment to strive for kosen-rufu just as the Daishonin teaches. 

The Belgian historian of science George Sarton (1884–1956), whom I read as a youth, wrote in a work titled The History of Science and the New Humanism, “In the long run, generous ideas will survive ungenerous ones, and justice, injustice.”^[5] 

Napoléon Bonaparte (1769–1821) declared: “March at the forefront of the ideas of your age.”^[6] Not wealth or power but ideas lead the world. 

My dear fellow members, especially my young friends in the youth division, engrave the ultimate principles of Buddhism, the world’s supreme philosophy, deep in your lives and march in the vanguard of the 21st century, leading through the example of your own victories.

“When the skies are clear, the ground is illuminated. Similarly, when one knows the Lotus Sutra, one understands the meaning of all worldly affairs” (“The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind,” WND-1, 376), writes the Daishonin, expressing the utter and profound conviction of one who upholds the Mystic Law.

With the Buddhism of the Sun shining brightly in our hearts, let us joyfully study the Gosho and challenge ourselves again today, as great experts of peace and happiness!

Cherishing the Daishonin’s teachings, 
triumph, advance, 
upholding the invincible 
jeweled sword of faith
to wage a champion’s struggle. 

April 18, 2025 World Tribune, pp. 2–3