CategoryGosho Study

Answer: You can transform any situation by persisting in chanting, studying and taking action.

“My wish is that all my disciples make a great vow. We are very fortunate to be alive after the widespread epidemics that occurred last year and the year before. But now with the impending Mongol invasion it appears that few will survive. In the end, no one can escape death. The sufferings at that

Answer: Every effort you make to talk with others about Buddhism is a cause for their happiness and yours, so keep trying!

Answer: Because we share deep bonds with the departed, strengthening our lives will lead to their eternal happiness.

Answer: Flip the script. Use the problem as an opportunity to bring out your full potential.

“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) Background One’s

Answer: By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we can always find a way forward.

Answer: Develop “Faith Like Boiling Water”

“The heart of the Buddha’s lifetime of teachings is the Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the ‘Never Disparaging’ chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies

“Those who believe in the Lotus Sutra are as if in winter, but winter always turns to spring. Never, from ancient times on, has anyone heard or seen of winter turning back to autumn. Nor have we ever heard of a believer in the Lotus Sutra who turned into an ordinary person. The sutra reads,

“They give their lives for shallow, worldly matters but rarely for the Buddha’s precious teachings. Small wonder they do not attain Buddhahood.” (“Letter from Sado,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 301) Background What is the purpose of life? What do we live for? How can we best use our lives? Nichiren Daishonin

“Even if it seems that, because I was born in the ruler’s domain, I follow him in my actions, I will never follow him in my heart.” (“The Selection of the Time,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 579) Background Nichiren Daishonin used words and ideas in his struggle for justice and the

“This I will state. Let the gods forsake me. Let all persecutions assail me. Still I will give my life for the sake of the Law.” (“The Opening of the Eyes,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 280) Background When he wrote these lines, Nichiren Daishonin was facing the greatest difficulty in his

“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.”

“It must be ties of karma from the distant past that have destined you to become my disciple at a time like this. Shakyamuni and Many Treasures certainly realized this truth. The sutra’s statement, ‘Those persons who had heard the Law dwelled here and there in various Buddha lands, constantly reborn in company with their

“Abutsu-bo is therefore the treasure tower itself, and the treasure tower is Abutsu-bo himself. No other knowledge is purposeful. It is the treasure tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures—hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one’s attachments, and reflecting on oneself.” (“On the Treasure Tower,”

“What can we say, then, of persons who are devoting themselves to Buddhism? Surely they should not forget the debts of gratitude they owe to their parents, their teachers, and their country. But if one intends to repay these great debts of gratitude, one can hope to do so only if one learns and masters

“Even when Jakusho and other priests set out from Japan to take some sutras to China, no one was found there who could embrace these sutras and teach them to others. It was as though there were only wooden or stone statues garbed in priests’ robes and carrying begging bowls.” (“On the Buddha’s Prophecy,” The

“The lion king is said to advance three steps, then gather himself to spring, unleashing the same power whether he traps a tiny ant or attacks a fierce animal. In inscribing this Gohonzon for her protection, Nichiren was like the lion king. This is what the sutra means by ‘the power [of the Buddhas] that

“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.”