TagGosho Newsletter

Background Nichiren Daishonin addressed this letter in February 1272 to Sairen-bo, a former priest of the Tendai school of Buddhism, when both were exiled on Sado Island. It seems this letter was a response to a question Sairen-bo had asked about the heritage of the ultimate Law of life, an important principle in the Tendai

“If one lights a fire for others, one will brighten one’s own way.” (“On The Three Virtues of Food,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 2, p. 1060) In the letter “On the Three Virtues of Food,” Nichiren Daishonin expresses his sincere gratitude to a disciple who had sent him needed provisions. He explains that

The following text is excerpted from Ikeda Sensei’s lecture on “The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon,” which can be found in Learning From Nichiren’s Writings: The Teachings for Victory, vol. 4, pp. 4–8. The Gohonzon Exists for the Enlightenment of All People “To begin with, this Gohonzon was revealed in the last eight years of

Background This letter details the figures represented on the Gohonzon and their significance. It was written in 1277, when Nichiren was living at Mount Minobu. Details are unknown about the recipient, Nichinyo, but it is thought that she was an educated person with strong faith. She deeply appreciated having received the Gohonzon and sent Nichiren

The following text is excerpted from Ikeda Sensei’s lecture on “The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra,” which can be found in Learning from the Writings: The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 143–44. In its original sense, the term strategy refers to battle tactics, the science of warfare or martial arts. Considered more broadly, it

Background Nichiren wrote “The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra” to Shijo Kingo, who had, some years prior, incurred the wrath of his feudal lord, Ema, after trying to convert him to Nichiren Buddhism. He eventually regained his lord’s trust by continuing to serve him sincerely and by following Nichiren’s advice in the matter. But some

The following excerpts are from The World of Nichiren’s Writings, a discussion between Ikeda Sensei and Soka Gakkai study department leaders on the life of Nichiren and context of his writings. They can be found in vol. 1, pp. 2–3. Katsuji Saito: To begin with, I would like to ask about Nichiren’s writings in general

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

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

The following excerpt is from Ikeda Sensei’s lecture on “On Repaying Debts of Gratitude” in his lecture series Learning from the Writings: The Hope-filled Teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, pp. 222–27. To repay one’s debts of gratitude is the highest virtue. Neglecting gratitude is a reflection of a life controlled by innate negativity. As we each

The following was published in the December 2021 Living Buddhism, pp. 26–27. The Three Great Secret Laws represent core principles of Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching. They are: 1) the object of devotion of the essential teaching, 2) the daimoku of the essential teaching and 3) the sanctuary of the essential teaching. Here, “essential teaching” refers to

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Buddhism’s ultimate goal has always been to enable people to attain Buddhahood, or enlightenment. Early Buddhists believed, however, that achieving this highest state of life required carrying out incredible efforts over countless lifetimes. The Lotus Sutra expounds a radically different perspective, teaching that rather than a destination to be reached sometime in the future, Buddhahood

The following installment is from “Nichiren: His Life and Legacy,” adapted from Ikeda Sensei’s series The World of Nichiren Daishonin’s Writings. It was originally published in November 2011 Living Buddhism, pp. 41–45. From the Editors Following the execution attempt at Tatsunokuchi Beach, Nichiren Daishonin. was detained under house arrest for about a month in what

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The following excerpts are from the introduction to Ikeda Sensei’s series SGI President Ikeda’s Lecture Series: The Opening of the Eyes, pp. 3–9. The central theme of Nichiren Daishonin’s lengthy two-part treatise, “The Opening of the Eyes,” can indeed be summed up in the short phrase opening the eyes. While the Daishonin’s original text of

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In [founding Soka Gakkai President Tsunesaburo] Makiguchi’s copy of the collected writings of Nichiren Daishonin, many passages in “The Opening of the Eyes” are underlined in red and the margins are filled with notes, such as “Propagation,” “Great vow” and “What is the mark of a genuine practitioner?” These notes reflect his solemn spirit to

The following is excerpted from On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime: SGI President Ikeda’s Lecture Series, pp. 31–33 Practicing Nichiren Buddhism means not being swayed this way and that; it means constructing a self that is solid and resolute like towering Mount Fuji. But if we neglect this task and focus our energies somewhere else,

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