CategoryGosho Study

Many hear about and accept this sutra, but when great obstacles arise, just as they were told would happen, few remember it and bear it firmly in mind. To accept is easy; to continue is difficult. But Buddhahood lies in continuing faith.   “The Difficulty of Sustaining Faith,”The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p.

Background The two brothers to whom this letter was written were sons of Ikegami Yasumitsu, who held an important post in the government’s Office of Construction and Repairs. Yasumitsu was an earnest supporter of Ryokan, an eminent priest in Kamakura who plotted against Nichiren. For more than twenty years, Yasumitsu strongly opposed his sons’ practice

A passage in the Six Paramitas Sutra says to become the master of your mind rather than let your mind master you.  “Letter to the Brothers,”The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 502 The Ikegami brothers, Munenaka and Munenaga, received this letter from Nichiren Daishonin in 1276 at a critical juncture in their lives. 

“And you demons, by making this man suffer, are you trying to swallow a sword point first, or embrace a raging fire, or become the archenemy of the Buddhas of the ten directions in the three existences? How terrible this will be for you! Should you not cure this man’s illness immediately, act rather as

If in a single moment of life we exhaust the pains and trials of millions of kalpas, then instant after instant there will arise in us the three Buddha bodies with which we are eternally endowed. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is just such a “diligent” practice. The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, p. 214 Nichiren Daishonin dedicated

It is the heart that is important. No matter how earnestly Nichiren prays for you, if you lack faith, it will be like trying to set fire to wet tinder. Spur yourself to muster the power of faith. “The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, pp. 1000–01 The Italian

Background Nichiren Daishonin wrote this treatise, one of his major works, upon learning of the death of Dozen-bo, the priest at Seicho-ji temple who had been his teacher when he first went to school there as a boy of 12. He wrote it to express his gratitude to Dozen-bo and sent it to two senior

You must quickly reform the tenets that you hold in your heart and embrace the one true vehicle, the single good doctrine [of the Lotus Sutra]. If you do so, then the threefold world will become the Buddha land, and how could a Buddha land ever decline?   “On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the

“Showing profound compassion for those unable to comprehend the gem of the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, the Buddha wrapped it within the five characters [of Myoho-renge-kyo], with which he then adorned the necks of the ignorant people of the latter age.” (“The Object of Devotion for Observing the

Suffer what there is to suffer, enjoy what there is to enjoy. Regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens. How could this be anything other than the boundless joy of the Law?  “Happiness in This World,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 681

If you propagate it [Nam-myoho-renge-kyo], devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching.  “Letter to the Brothers,”The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 501 Ikegami Munenaka and Munenaga were brothers who had begun practicing Nichiren Buddhism around 1256. Their father,

Key highlights from this writing

The Great Teacher Dengyo says: “Shakyamuni taught that the shallow is easy to embrace, but the profound is difficult. To discard the shallow and seek the profound is the way of a person of courage.”  “On the Buddha’s Prophecy,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 402 Ikeda Sensei’s Encouragement 1. Courage Comes From Defeating

“One who, on hearing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, makes even greater efforts in faith is a true seeker of the way. T’ien-t’ai states, ‘From the indigo, an even deeper blue.’ This passage means that, if one dyes something repeatedly in indigo, it becomes even bluer than the indigo leaves. The Lotus Sutra is

When one lights a torch for someone at night, one brings light not only to another person but to oneself as well. Likewise, when one livens other people’s complexions, one livens one’s own too, when one gives them strength, one gives oneself strength too, when one prolongs their lives, one prolongs one’s own life as

Iron, when heated in the flames and pounded, becomes a fine sword. Worthies and sages are tested by abuse. “Letter from Sado,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 303 Nichiren Daishonin wrote this passage in a letter addressed to his disciples in March 1272, five months after surviving an execution attempt and being

Key highlights from the Gosho

Though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. “On Prayer,” The Writings

“Because I have expounded this teaching, I have been exiled and almost killed. As the saying goes, ‘Good advice grates on the ear.’ But still I am not discouraged. The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field.” (“The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood,” The Writings of Nichiren

Answer: Especially when working hard toward something, an obstacle is often a sign of progress. Keep going, taking every setback as a chance to become stronger and wiser.