What’s the benefit of studying Nichiren’s writings?

Written amid his persecutions and hardships to spread the Mystic Law, they exude his wisdom, compassion and powerful resolve for all people’s happiness. We can connect directly with Nichiren’s towering life state by reading them. 

More than historical records, they remain relevant today, offering practical insights into overcoming current challenges, developing compassion and creating value in society. 

Winning With the Writings

Since the Soka Gakkai’s establishment in 1930, the Gosho has been a treasured source of encouragement and strength for its members. 

Amid governmental pressures on Soka Gakkai members in 1940s Japan, founding President Tsunesaburo Makiguchi remained steadfast in faith, guided by Nichiren’s writings, until his death in prison in 1944. 

His disciple Josei Toda’s first project as the second Soka Gakkai president was compiling the complete works of Nichiren Daishonin, which the Soka Gakkai published in Japanese as Nichiren Daishonin Gosho zenshu on April 28, 1952. 

Nichiren stressed that faith requires both study and action:

Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. You must not only persevere yourself; you must also teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only a single sentence or phrase.^[1]

Study helps us understand the value of applying and sharing Buddhism with others. 

Ikeda Sensei, as the third Soka Gakkai president, exemplified applying the Gosho to daily life. In his Youthful Diary, he often recorded passages that inspired him to create fresh goals and determinations. He also used the Gosho as the impetus for his campaigns and efforts to advance kosen-rufu. Because Sensei applied Nichiren’s writings in all aspects of life and Buddhist practice, studying the Gosho based on his guidance and lectures helps us correctly grasp its meaning.

During a 2007 visit to the Yamanashi Study Training Center, Sensei talked with young women who shared their love of studying the Gosho. He said:

To enjoy reading the Gosho—that’s so admirable. You are sure to win! Just by reading it, you gain benefit. The same goes for chanting [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo]. These writings are like stars filled with daimoku, glittering across the sky. It’s amazing. In the end, we will win in everything. Nothing can defeat people of faith who study Nichiren’s writings. This has been my experience. This is exactly why I have won in everything.^[2]

Train Like a Master Swordsman 

Even reading a few sentences from the Gosho each day can be empowering. Sensei wrote: 

The Soka Gakkai has advanced based on the strength of its members’ solid grounding in Buddhist study, a pursuit that can be likened to the rigorous training of a master swordsman. Opening the pages of Nichiren Daishonin’s writings with the spirit of receiving direct instruction and guidance from the Daishonin himself, members everywhere have deepened their understanding of faith, practice and study; summoned forth courage and emerged victorious in their struggles for kosen-rufu. When we advance with Nichiren’s writings as our foundation, we will never be deadlocked.^[3]

Even if we sometimes struggle to understand the Gosho, each reading brings benefits. Like stars “glittering across the sky,” these writings guide us, illuminating our path and strengthening our wisdom, compassion and resolve. By deepening our study, we can see that no obstacle can stand in the way of our growth and victory. 

—Prepared by the SGI-USA Study Department

April 4, 2025 World Tribune, p. 10