Gosho Reading (Nichiren Buddhism)

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter while he was in exile in Itō on the Izu Peninsula. It was addressed to Kudō Sakon-no-jō Yoshitaka, known also as Kudō Yoshitaka, the lord of Amatsu in Awa Province.Kudō Yoshitaka is said to have converted to Nichiren Daishonin's teachings around 1256, about the same time Shijō Kingo and Ikegami Munenaka did, a few years after the Daishonin first proclaimed his teachings. While the Daishonin was in exile on Izu, Yoshitaka sent offerings to him and continued to maintain pure faith. He was killed defending the Daishonin at the time of the Komatsubara Persecution in the eleventh month of 1264. The Four Debts of Gratitude is the only letter still extant that the Daishonin addressed to him.In this letter, in light of the reason for his banishment, Nichiren Daishonin expresses his conviction that he is a true practitioner of the Lotus Sutra. He mentions the “two important matters” that concern his Izu Exile. He states, “One is that I feel immense joy,” and explains the reasons for his joy. The greater part of the letter consists of this explanation. Following this, he states, “The second of the two important matters is that I feel intense grief.” Citing passages from the Lotus and Great Collection sutras that reveal the gravity of the offense of slandering the Law and its devotees, the Daishonin explains that he grieves at the thought of the great karmic retribution his tormentors must undergo. This is the concluding part of the letter.In the body of the letter, the Daishonin gives two reasons for his “immense joy.” One is that he has been able to prove himself to be the votary of the Lotus Sutra by fulfilling the Buddha's prediction made in the sutra that its votary in the Latter Day of the Law will meet with persecution. The other reason is that, by suffering banishment for the sutra's sake, he can repay the four debts of gratitude. He declares that the ruler who condemned him to exile is the very person to whom he is the most grateful; thanks to the ruler, he has been able to fulfill the words of the Lotus Sutra and so prove himself to be its true votary.Then, the Daishonin stresses the importance of repaying the four debts of gratitude set forth in the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra. The four debts of gratitude are the debts owed to all living beings, to one's father and mother, to one's sovereign, and to the three treasures—the Buddha, the Law, and the Buddhist Order. Among these four debts of gratitude, the Daishonin places special emphasis on the debt owed to the three treasures, without which one could not attain Buddhahood.https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/6

This letter, written at Minobu in 1277, is entitled The Workings of Brahmā and Shakra, because it contains the passage, “The time will certainly come when, by the workings of Brahmā, Shakra, and other gods, the entire Japanese nation will simultaneously take faith in the Lotus Sutra.” In this letter Nichiren Daishonin encourages the nineteen-year-old Nanjō Tokimitsu, who succeeded his father as steward of Ueno Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province, to maintain his faith. He also advises Tokimitsu on how to respond to those who attempt to threaten or deceive him into discarding his faith. For if they succeed in their attempt, the Daishonin warns, they will use him “as a means for making many others abandon their faith.”https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/96

This letter was written to Toki Jōnin, a learned and dedicated disciple who lived in Shimōsa Province. In it Nichiren Daishonin stresses the extreme seriousness of the offense of slander and also the importance of embracing the supreme Buddhist teaching. The letter is dated simply the twenty-third day of the eighth month, and though it is generally thought to have been written in the first year of Kenji (1275) at Minobu, no firm conclusion has been reached in this regard. Other opinions are that the Daishonin wrote it in 1276 or even in 1273 while he was still on Sado Island.In the Daishonin's teaching, rather than adherence to a specific code of conduct, one's fundamental posture toward the Mystic Law, or ultimate reality, determines one's happiness or unhappiness in life. A person who seeks and awakens to the ultimate truth within will attain enlightenment, while one who remains in ignorance of it or even slanders it will continue to be bound by suffering. Hence the Daishonin's emphasis on exclusive commitment to the Lotus Sutra, which teaches the direct attainment of Buddhahood for all people.In the last part of this letter, the Daishonin raises a question that had crossed many people's minds: on the basis of what sort of insight does he dare to criticize such eminent teachers of the past as Kōbō, Jikaku, and Chishō? However, instead of answering this question directly, he simply says, “You had better cut short your sleep by night and curtail your leisure by day, and ponder this!” This passage, from which the letter takes its name, suggests that the most important task of our human existence is to seek out and uphold the correct teaching leading to enlightenment.

This letter was written at Minobu in 1278 to Shijō Nakatsukasa Saburō Saemon, commonly called Shijō Kingo. Kingo was accomplished in both the practice of medicine and the martial arts. For nearly the entire first half of 1278, Nichiren Daishonin had suffered from debilitating and chronic diarrhea. Evidently Kingo had sent the Daishonin various medicines that had helped alleviate his illness.In the fall of 1277 a virulent epidemic swept Japan, and Kingo's lord became violently ill. Despite the lord's deep-seated antagonism toward the Daishonin's teachings, he turned to Kingo for help. Lord Ema was most grateful for Kingo's ministrations and rewarded him with an estate three times larger than the one he already had. Yet the Daishonin warns Kingo to be constantly on guard and to take particularly great care to protect himself from attack while traveling.https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/128

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the seventh month of the third year of Kōan (1280) to the lay nun Sennichi, who lived on Sado Island. Sennichi was the wife of Abutsu-bō Nittoku, who had passed away the year before. Abutsu-bō had originally been a Nembutsu believer, but soon after encountering the Daishonin, together with his wife, became his sincere follower and helped provide him with food and supplies during his stay on Sado. After the Daishonin was pardoned from his exile and had taken up his residence at Minobu, Abutsu-bō, despite his advanced age, made at least three journeys to see him. He died on the twenty-first day of the third month, 1279, at the age of ninety-one. His son, Tōkurō Moritsuna, visited the Daishonin at Minobu later that year with his father's ashes and laid them to rest there. The lay nun Sennichi was concerned about the privations of the Daishonin's life at Minobu, and in 1280 sent Tōkurō with various offerings for him. Tōkurō arrived at Minobu on the first day of the seventh month, and Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to the lay nun in acknowledgment of her sincere offerings, entrusting it to her son on his return journey. In the beginning portion, the Daishonin declares that to read even one phrase of the Lotus Sutra is equivalent to reading all the teachings expounded by Shakyamuni Buddha during his lifetime. He assures the lay nun Sennichi that all persons who embrace the Lotus Sutra will attain Buddhahood, and therefore, in the light of the “clear mirror of the Lotus Sutra,” there can be no doubt that her late husband, Abutsu-bō, has attained Buddhahood as well. In the remaining portion of the letter, the Daishonin encourages the lay nun in the face of her loneliness following her husband's death, and also praises the filial devotion of her son, Tōkurō. Especially touched by Tōkurō's two visits to Minobu for his father's sake, the Daishonin concludes his letter by exclaiming, “Surely, there is no treasure greater than a child, no treasure greater than a child!” https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/149

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin established the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at Seichō-ji temple in his native province of Awa, and later he returned to Kamakura, the seat of the military government, to begin propagation. In examining the records, we find that in those days the era names were changed frequently. The year 1253 was in the Kenchō era. Three years later, in 1256, the era name changed to Kōgen, and the next year, to Shōka. Then, two years later, in 1259, it was changed to Shōgen, the following year to Bunnō, and the year after that to Kōchō. In the five years from 1256 to 1261, the era name changed five times. An era name was usually changed only on the accession of a new emperor, or when some natural disaster of severe proportions occurred; the frequency of these changes attests to the magnitude of the disasters that struck Japan during this period. Link to the relevant part of the Gosho. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 (of 5): This episode.

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin established the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at Seichō-ji temple in his native province of Awa, and later he returned to Kamakura, the seat of the military government, to begin propagation. In examining the records, we find that in those days the era names were changed frequently. The year 1253 was in the Kenchō era. Three years later, in 1256, the era name changed to Kōgen, and the next year, to Shōka. Then, two years later, in 1259, it was changed to Shōgen, the following year to Bunnō, and the year after that to Kōchō. In the five years from 1256 to 1261, the era name changed five times. An era name was usually changed only on the accession of a new emperor, or when some natural disaster of severe proportions occurred; the frequency of these changes attests to the magnitude of the disasters that struck Japan during this period. Link to the relevant part of the Gosho. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4: This episode

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin established the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at Seichō-ji temple in his native province of Awa, and later he returned to Kamakura, the seat of the military government, to begin propagation. In examining the records, we find that in those days the era names were changed frequently. The year 1253 was in the Kenchō era. Three years later, in 1256, the era name changed to Kōgen, and the next year, to Shōka. Then, two years later, in 1259, it was changed to Shōgen, the following year to Bunnō, and the year after that to Kōchō. In the five years from 1256 to 1261, the era name changed five times. An era name was usually changed only on the accession of a new emperor, or when some natural disaster of severe proportions occurred; the frequency of these changes attests to the magnitude of the disasters that struck Japan during this period. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/2#:~:text=two%20attendants.34-,Once%20there%20were,-men%20like%20Dengy%C5%8D

An introduction to Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Introduction/3#The%20Life%20of%20Nichiren%20Daishonin:~:text=peacefully%20passed%20away.-,Nichiren%20Daishonin%E2%80%99s%20Buddhism,-Nichiren%20Daishonin%E2%80%99s%20Buddhism

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin established the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at Seichō-ji temple in his native province of Awa, and later he returned to Kamakura, the seat of the military government, to begin propagation. In examining the records, we find that in those days the era names were changed frequently. The year 1253 was in the Kenchō era. Three years later, in 1256, the era name changed to Kōgen, and the next year, to Shōka. Then, two years later, in 1259, it was changed to Shōgen, the following year to Bunnō, and the year after that to Kōchō. In the five years from 1256 to 1261, the era name changed five times. An era name was usually changed only on the accession of a new emperor, or when some natural disaster of severe proportions occurred; the frequency of these changes attests to the magnitude of the disasters that struck Japan during this period. Soon after the Daishonin's arrival, Kamakura and the country as a whole faced a series of disasters and conflicts that served to emphasize his conviction that the Latter Day of the Law had indeed been entered upon. On the sixth day of the eighth month of 1256, torrential rainstorms caused floods and landslides, destroying crops and devastating much of Kamakura. In the ninth month of the same year, an epidemic swept through the city, taking many lives. During the fifth, eighth, and eleventh months of 1257, violent earthquakes rocked the city, and the sixth and seventh months witnessed a disastrous drought. Most frightful of all was an earthquake of unprecedented scale that occurred on the twenty-third day of the eighth month. The year 1258 witnessed no lessening of natural calamities. The eighth month saw storms destroy crops throughout the nation, and floods in Kamakura drowned numerous people. In the tenth month of the same year, Kamakura was visited by heavy rains and severe floods. In the first month of 1258, fires consumed Jufuku-ji temple, and in 1259, epidemics and famine were rampant, and a violent rainstorm decimated crops. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/2#:~:text=the%20seventh%20disaster.%E2%80%9D-,The%20Great%20Collection%20Sutra%20says%3A%20%E2%80%9CThough%20for%20countless%20existences%20in%20the,-past%20the%20ruler

A brief biography of Nichiren Daishonin, the Buddha of the Latter Day of The Law. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Introduction/3#The%20Life%20of%20Nichiren%20Daishonin:~:text=of%20its%20inhabitants.-,The%20Life%20of%20Nichiren%20Daishonin,-Nichiren%20Daishonin%20was

On the twenty-eighth day of the fourth month, 1253, Nichiren Daishonin established the teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo at Seichō-ji temple in his native province of Awa, and later he returned to Kamakura, the seat of the military government, to begin propagation. In examining the records, we find that in those days the era names were changed frequently. The year 1253 was in the Kenchō era. Three years later, in 1256, the era name changed to Kōgen, and the next year, to Shōka. Then, two years later, in 1259, it was changed to Shōgen, the following year to Bunnō, and the year after that to Kōchō. In the five years from 1256 to 1261, the era name changed five times. An era name was usually changed only on the accession of a new emperor, or when some natural disaster of severe proportions occurred; the frequency of these changes attests to the magnitude of the disasters that struck Japan during this period. Soon after the Daishonin's arrival, Kamakura and the country as a whole faced a series of disasters and conflicts that served to emphasize his conviction that the Latter Day of the Law had indeed been entered upon. On the sixth day of the eighth month of 1256, torrential rainstorms caused floods and landslides, destroying crops and devastating much of Kamakura. In the ninth month of the same year, an epidemic swept through the city, taking many lives. During the fifth, eighth, and eleventh months of 1257, violent earthquakes rocked the city, and the sixth and seventh months witnessed a disastrous drought. Most frightful of all was an earthquake of unprecedented scale that occurred on the twenty-third day of the eighth month. The year 1258 witnessed no lessening of natural calamities. The eighth month saw storms destroy crops throughout the nation, and floods in Kamakura drowned numerous people. In the tenth month of the same year, Kamakura was visited by heavy rains and severe floods. In the first month of 1258, fires consumed Jufuku-ji temple, and in 1259, epidemics and famine were rampant, and a violent rainstorm decimated crops. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/2

This letter was written at Minobu in the eighth month of the first year of Kenji (1275) to the lay nun Myōshin, a believer who lived in Nishiyama in Fuji District of Suruga Province. It explains that the Gohonzon is “the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures.” The Gohonzon, or mandala, embodies the reality of the three thousand realms in a single moment of life implicit in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Thus, the Gohonzon is the “essence of the Lotus Sutra.” And the Lotus Sutra is the eye of all the teachings of Shakyamuni. Therefore, the Gohonzon, the “essence of the Lotus Sutra,” is also the “eye of all the scriptures.” https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/73

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Sairen-bō Nichijō while at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273). For some reason Sairen-bō was also in exile on Sado, where he had been converted by the Daishonin in the second month of 1272. A former Tendai priest, he already knew something about “the true aspect of all phenomena”; it was a fundamental concept in the Tendai school of Buddhism. He could not, however, satisfactorily come to grips with this concept through T'ien-t'ai's theory alone, so he asked the Daishonin for an explanation. The True Aspect of All Phenomena is the Daishonin's reply. Though comparatively short, this document elucidates two important elements of the Daishonin's Buddhism. It was completed a month after Nichiren Daishonin wrote The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, in which he explained the Gohonzon, the object of devotion that can lead all people in the Latter Day of the Law to enlightenment. True Aspect of All Phenomena begins with a passage from the “Expedient Means” chapter—the heart of the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra—that implies that no phenomenon is in any way different from the true aspect, or Myoho-renge-kyo. It also implies that all the innumerable forms and realities that exist, both concrete and abstract, are manifestations of Myoho-renge-kyo. The Daishoninthen explains the essence of the Lotus Sutra, Myoho-renge-kyo, and its embodiment, the Gohonzon. This is the first element—the object of devotion in terms of the Law. After clarifying the ultimate teaching of the Lotus Sutra, the Daishoninstates that Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, will propagate that teaching, and that he himself is carrying out the mission entrusted to that bodhisattva. In light of his own behavior and his fulfillment of the predictions in the Lotus Sutra, Nichiren Daishonin suggests that he himself is Bodhisattva Superior Practices. A more profound interpretation, however, identifies him as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law, whose purpose was to establish the Gohonzon for the enlightenment of all people in the Latter Day. Thus True Aspect of All Phenomena also explains the object of devotion in terms of the Person. This is the second element. Referring to both the Person and the Law, the Daishonin clarifies the fundamental object of devotion for the people of the Latter Day. He brings together the points he expounded in The Opening of the Eyes completed in 1272, which focuses on the second element, and in The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, which focuses on the first element. The latter half of this letter explains to Sairen-bō that those who devote themselves to propagating the correct teaching in the same spirit as the Daishonin are themselves Bodhisattvas of the Earth. The Daishonin predicts that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo will spread widely in the future, and concludes by setting forth the key elements of Buddhist practice in the Latter Day of the Law—namely, faith, practice, and study. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/40

This letter was written to Hyōe no Sakan Munenaga, the younger of the two Ikegami brothers. Though it was originally thought to have been written in the first year of Kenji (1275), it is now apparent that it was written in 1277. Munenaga is thought to have taken faith in the Daishonin's teaching around 1256, shortly after his elder brother Munenaka. Both were officials in the Kamakura shogunate, and their father, Yasumitsu, was director of the government's Office of Construction and Repairs. Yasumitsu was a loyal follower of the priest Ryōkan of the True Word Precepts school who was highly active in political affairs. He strenuously opposed their beliefs and disowned Munenaka twice, in 1275 and again in 1277. By disowning Munenaka, Yasumitsu in effect was provoking a rift between the two sons, tempting the weaker Munenaga to trade his beliefs for the right to inherit his father's estate. Supported by the Daishonin's guidance and encouragement, however, Munenaga upheld his faith together with his brother, and in 1278, after a total of twenty-two years' practice, their united efforts finally led their father to accept faith in the Daishonin's teaching. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/77

This letter was written at Minobu in the eleventh month of the third year of Kōan (1280) in response to a petition from the lay nun Nichigon. She is thought to have been either a relative of the lay priest Takahashi, a central figure among the believers in Fuji District of Suruga Province, or the mother of Nichigen, a priest of Jissō-ji temple in the same province who converted to Nichiren Daishonin's teachings. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/155?cmdf=reply+to+lay+nun+nichigon

On the ninth day of the tenth month, 1271, on the eve of his departure for Sado Island, Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Chikugo-bō Nichirō, who was later to become one of his six senior disciples. Nichirō and his father had converted to the Daishonin's teachings in 1254, and Nichirō had received the tonsure under the supervision of his uncle Nisshō, also later to become one of the six senior disciples. At the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in the ninth month of 1271, Nichirō and several other priest-disciples were imprisoned in the custody of Yadoya Mitsunori, an official of the Kamakura government, in a dungeon carved into the side of a hill near Mitsunori's residence in Kamakura.  In the interval between the Tatsunokuchi Persecution and his exile to Sado Island, the Daishonin was held at the mainland residence of Homma Rokurō Saemon, the deputy constable of Sado, in Echi of Sagami Province. It was here that the Daishonin wrote this letter, which demonstrates that, even when about to embark for a destination sure to be marked by privation and hardship, his chief concern was for his disciples. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/26

Although there are different opinions concerning the date of this letter, it is generally accepted that Nichiren Daishonin wrote it in the third month of the third year of Kōchō (1263), shortly after he had been pardoned and had returned to Kamakura following two years of exile on the Izu Peninsula. The Daishonin was then forty-two years old. As the title indicates, this work discusses the significance of embracing the Lotus Sutra and is written in the form of five questions and answers. In the first section, the questioner asks: Which teaching should one practice in order to attain Buddhahood quickly? In answer, the Daishonin declares that the Lotus Sutra enables all people to achieve Buddhahood without p.65exception and is therefore the highest of all the sutras. In the second section, the questioner objects to such exclusive emphasis on the Lotus Sutra as narrow-minded. The Daishonin replies that his assertion of the sutra's supremacy among all the Buddhist teachings is based on the Buddha's own words as they appear in the sutras themselves, and not on the arbitrary theories or commentaries of later scholars and teachers. When the questioner points out that other sutras also identify themselves as “the foremost sutra” or “the king of sutras,” the Daishonin explains that such statements are relative. Only the Lotus declares itself to be supreme among all the sutras preached in the past, now being preached, or to be preached in the future. Next, the Daishonin says that Shakyamuni Buddha did not reveal the truth during the first forty years and more of his preaching, and that only the Lotus Sutra is the true way that leads to Buddhahood. The questioner then asks about an interpretation put forth by the Dharma Characteristics school, which claims that the Lotus Sutra is a provisional teaching, expounded solely for the purpose of leading to Buddhahood the people of the two vehicles, voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, and not for the sake of the bodhisattvas, who had already gained benefit through the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. The Daishonin acknowledges that the Lotus Sutra was indeed expounded chiefly for the people of the two vehicles, whose capacity for supreme enlightenment had been denied in the earlier Mahayana sutras. However, he continues, this does not mean that the Lotus Sutra is a provisional teaching, or that it benefits only the people of the two vehicles. Rather, by singling out those of the two vehicles, for whom Buddhahood is especially difficult to attain, and asserting that even these people can become Buddhas through the power of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni made clear that this sutra is the one vehicle that opens the way to Buddhahood for all people. In the last section, the questioner, now convinced, asks how one should embrace the Lotus Sutra in order to reach enlightenment quickly. Nichiren Daishonin replies that one need not master the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, or perfect the threefold contemplation in a single mind, as the Tendai scholars asserted. Rather, the essential thing is simply to have a heart of faith in the sutra. Faith, he explains, is the fundamental cause for attaining enlightenment, and to slander the Lotus Sutra and its votary is an act that invites indescribable misery. A concluding passage of great poetic beauty stresses the fleeting nature of human existence. To be born as a human and, moreover, to encounter the supreme teaching of Buddhism are rare opportunities. Rather than wasting one's brief yet precious life in the pursuit of worldly fame and profit, the Daishonin says, one should dedicate oneself to faith in the Lotus Sutra and so attain the everlasting joy of enlightenment. He declares that to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo oneself and to enable others to do the same are the most important tasks in this present existence. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/8

Although there are different opinions concerning the date of this letter, it is generally accepted that Nichiren Daishonin wrote it in the third month of the third year of Kōchō (1263), shortly after he had been pardoned and had returned to Kamakura following two years of exile on the Izu Peninsula. The Daishonin was then forty-two years old. As the title indicates, this work discusses the significance of embracing the Lotus Sutra and is written in the form of five questions and answers. In the first section, the questioner asks: Which teaching should one practice in order to attain Buddhahood quickly? In answer, the Daishonin declares that the Lotus Sutra enables all people to achieve Buddhahood without exception and is therefore the highest of all the sutras. In the second section, the questioner objects to such exclusive emphasis on the Lotus Sutra as narrow-minded. The Daishonin replies that his assertion of the sutra's supremacy among all the Buddhist teachings is based on the Buddha's own words as they appear in the sutras themselves, and not on the arbitrary theories or commentaries of later scholars and teachers. When the questioner points out that other sutras also identify themselves as “the foremost sutra” or “the king of sutras,” the Daishonin explains that such statements are relative. Only the Lotus declares itself to be supreme among all the sutras preached in the past, now being preached, or to be preached in the future. Next, the Daishonin says that Shakyamuni Buddha did not reveal the truth during the first forty years and more of his preaching, and that only the Lotus Sutra is the true way that leads to Buddhahood. The questioner then asks about an interpretation put forth by the Dharma Characteristics school, which claims that the Lotus Sutra is a provisional teaching, expounded solely for the purpose of leading to Buddhahood the people of the two vehicles, voice-hearers and cause-awakened ones, and not for the sake of the bodhisattvas, who had already gained benefit through the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings. The Daishonin acknowledges that the Lotus Sutra was indeed expounded chiefly for the people of the two vehicles, whose capacity for supreme enlightenment had been denied in the earlier Mahayana sutras. However, he continues, this does not mean that the Lotus Sutra is a provisional teaching, or that it benefits only the people of the two vehicles. Rather, by singling out those of the two vehicles, for whom Buddhahood is especially difficult to attain, and asserting that even these people can become Buddhas through the power of the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni made clear that this sutra is the one vehicle that opens the way to Buddhahood for all people. In the last section, the questioner, now convinced, asks how one should embrace the Lotus Sutra in order to reach enlightenment quickly. Nichiren Daishonin replies that one need not master the principle of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, or perfect the threefold contemplation in a single mind, as the Tendai scholars asserted. Rather, the essential thing is simply to have a heart of faith in the sutra. Faith, he explains, is the fundamental cause for attaining enlightenment, and to slander the Lotus Sutra and its votary is an act that invites indescribable misery. A concluding passage of great poetic beauty stresses the fleeting nature of human existence. To be born as a human and, moreover, to encounter the supreme teaching of Buddhism are rare opportunities. Rather than wasting one's brief yet precious life in the pursuit of worldly fame and profit, the Daishonin says, one should dedicate oneself to faith in the Lotus Sutra and so attain the everlasting joy of enlightenment. He declares that to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo oneself and to enable others to do the same are the most important tasks in this present existence. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/8

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on the fifth day of the tenth month, 1271, only three weeks after he was nearly executed at Tatsunokuchi. It was sent to three of his leading disciples: Ōta Saemon, a government official, the lay priest Soya Kyōshin, and the Dharma Bridge Kanabara. One of them may have visited the Daishonin while he was being held in detention for exile at the residence of Homma, deputy constable of Sado Island, in Echi. Records indicate that the three disciples lived in Shimōsa Province, to the northeast of Kamakura; this letter may well have been an expression of gratitude for the visit and for their concern for the Daishonin's safety. Following the failure to behead the Daishonin, the government had difficulty deciding what to do with him, so he was temporarily detained at Homma's residence. Just at that time, a wave of arson and murder swept Kamakura, and the Daishonin's followers were blamed. The government then directed that the exile that had been ordered earlier be carried out. The community of believers in Kamakura was deeply upset by this series of events, and the Daishonin sent a succession of letters to reassure them. In this letter, the Daishonin says that hardships allow one to purge oneself of accumulated evil karma in order to bring forth the state of Buddhahood. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/24

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in the tenth month of the eighth year of Bun'ei (1271), just before he left for his exile on Sado Island. At that time, he was being held at the mainland residence of Homma Rokurō Saemon, the deputy constable of Sado. The Daishonin wrote the letter to an acquaintance at Seichō-ji temple in Awa Province, possibly a priest named Enjō-bō. Exile to Sado Island was a harsh punishment, second only to the death penalty. In this letter the Daishonin declares that he has met this persecution solely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra; he emphasizes that the very fact that it has happened demonstrates that he is “reading” the Lotus Sutra with his life. Since the Daishonin seeks to dispel doubts among his followers and revive their flagging courage by pointing out his mission as the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day, this letter may be said to foreshadow The Opening of the Eyes, a major treatise he wrote four months later. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/25

Background This is one of the many letters Nichiren Daishonin wrote to Shijō Kingo, his loyal disciple in Kamakura. Because of Kingo's devotion to the Daishonin's teachings, he was ordered in 1276 to move from his estate near Kamakura to the distant province of Echigo. The letter is not dated, but it is known to have been written in the third year of Kenji (1277). The concept of the “eight winds” is described in works such as The Treatise on the Stage of Buddhahood Sutra. They advise people not to be swayed by their attachment to prosperity, honor, praise, or pleasure (the four favorable winds), or by their aversion to decline, disgrace, censure, or suffering (the four adverse winds). The Daishonin cautions Kingo to remain in the good graces of his lord, reminding him that Lord Ema refrained from harassing him during the Daishonin's exile to Sado, when the government was persecuting the Daishonin and his followers. Then the Daishonin tells Kingo that only by putting faith first and controlling his feelings of resentment against his lord can he expect to find a way out of this impasse. He also says that courts of lawand other expedients are secondary to faith and that, if Kingo is to win, he must proceed exactly as the Daishonin teaches. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/95

This letter, dated the eleventh day of the second month in 1272, was sent by Nichiren Daishonin to Sairen-bō Nichijō, a former Tendai priest who, for reasons that are unclear, was also living in exile on Sado Island. Details about Sairen-bō are scarce, but it is known that he was originally from Kyoto, and that he had studied at Mount Hiei, the seat of the Tendai school, before his exile. He was also present at the Tsukahara Debate, held in front of Sammai-dō, the Daishonin's dwelling at Tsukahara, on the sixteenth and seventeenth days of the first month in 1272. In this debate the Daishonin was the clear victor over Pure Land, True Word, and other priests from Sado and from various provinces of northern Japan. A number of people converted to his teachings at this time, among them Sairen-bō. Sairen-bō was a highly educated priest to whom the Daishonin sent several important essays, including The True Aspect of All Phenomena and The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life. He had a number of unresolved questions about Buddhist theory, and he addressed them one by one to theDaishonin, who in turn answered these questions in written form. The Daishonin praised him, saying, “How admirable that you have asked about thetransmission of the ultimate Law of life and death!” In his reply the Daishoninoffers a look into the wonder of the Buddha's own enlightenment, as well as the practical means whereby ordinary people may attain the same end. In the first paragraph, the Daishonin states that Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the heritage of the ultimate Law of life, and that the transmission of this Lawis made from the Buddha to all living beings. Then he refers to the question ofhow we can inherit the ultimate Law of life and manifest it within ourselves. This Law flows in the depths of the lives of those who believe in theteachings of the Lotus Sutra, practice in exact accord with them, and chant thedaimoku. The Daishonin declares that there is no distinction whatsoever between Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, and us ordinary people. Viewed from the standpoint of the Daishonin's Buddhism, this can be taken as a declaration that there is absolutely no difference or separation between Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha of the Latter Day, the Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo—or the Gohonzon which embodies that Law—and ourselves, who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In terms of time, the heritage—the mystic relationship between the Lawand the lives of the people—courses eternally through past, present, and future, unbroken in any lifetime. In terms of space, the Daishonin proclaims that the heritage of the ultimate Law flows within the lives of his disciples and lay supporters who work in perfect unity for the realization of a peaceful world and happiness for all humanity. Having stated that the ultimate Law is within the lives of human beings, Nichiren Daishonin further explains how to inherit the Law. He emphasizes the importance of the attitude, “now is the last moment... ,” in order to manifest innate Buddhahood, a state that transcends both life and death. In discussing the thousand Buddhas and the ten kings of hell, he reveals the continuity of cause and effect spanning past, present, and future. Whatever state of life predominates while one is alive will continue in the next life. Whether one can succeed to the heritage of the Law depends entirely on one's faith. This is why he strictly warns in his conclusion, “Even embracing theLotus Sutra would be useless without the heritage of faith.” https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/29

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the intercalary third month of the second year of Kenji (1276) to Nanjō Tokimitsu, who lived in Ueno Village, in Suruga Province. Tokimitsu's father, Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō, had died in 1265, when he was seven years old and his mother was pregnant with his younger brother Shichirō Gorō. The death of his father and, later, of his elder brother forced Tokimitsu to assume the duties of steward of Ueno while still in his teens. He was about eighteen years old when he received this letter from the Daishonin. In the seventh month of 1274, immediately after the Daishonin moved to Minobu, Tokimitsu went to visit him there. Inspired by that reunion—Tokimitsu had met the Daishonin with his parents when he was a child—Tokimitsu devoted himself to faith with renewed earnestness. In the first month of 1275, Nikkō visited the grave of the late Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō on the Daishonin's behalf; from that time on, Tokimitsu looked up to Nikkō and aided him in propagating the Daishonin's teachings. About thirty letters addressed to Nanjō Tokimitsu are extant, no less than eleven written during the two-year period between the Daishonin's retirement to Minobu and the date of the present letter. At the beginning of this letter, the Daishonin praises the sincerity of Tokimitsu's faith, expressed in his offerings of an unlined robe, salt, and oil. Such earnestness, the Daishonin says, ultimately reflects Tokimitsu's father's deep faith in the Lotus Sutra and surely must please the late Nanjō. Next, the Daishonin recounts the tale of Ōhashi no Tarō and his son. According to this story, Ōhashi no Tarō, a general in Kyushu and a descendant of the Taira clan, for some reason incurred the wrath of the shogun Minamoto no Yoritomo and was imprisoned in a cell in Kamakura for twelve years. When his son recited the Lotus Sutra out of his ardent desire to save his father, the power of his recitation moved Yoritomo to stay the execution of and pardon his father. With this story, the Daishonin points out that Tokimitsu's sincere attitude in faith is the highest expression of filial devotion and will surely save his late father. In conclusion, the Daishonin addresses the rumor of an impending attack by the Mongols. He emphasizes that only firm faith in the Lotus Sutra will serve as protection against this threat, and points out that, although he himself earnestly wishes to safeguard his followers, the crucial thing is whether or not they develop their own faith. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/85

Written near the end of 1276, this letter was a reply to the lay priest Matsuno Rokurō Saemon. Four in his family received letters from Nichiren Daishonin—he, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. One of his daughters married Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō and gave birth to Nanjō Tokimitsu, a staunch supporter of the Daishonin and his disciple Nikkō. It is thought that Matsuno was converted to the Daishonin's teachings through this connection with the Nanjō family. This letter explains the fourteen slanders, citing Miao-lo's Annotations on “The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra.” These slanders are referred to originally in the “Simile and Parable” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Asked if there is a difference in benefits derived when a sage chants the daimoku and when an ordinary person chants it, the Daishonin answers in the negative. “However, there is a difference,” he continues, “if one chants the daimokuwhile acting against the intent of this sutra.” He explains “the intent” of the sutra by referring to the fourteen slanders. The first ten of the fourteen slanders concern one's attitude and action toward the Law, that is, the Buddha's teachings; the last four concern those toward people who believe in and practice that Law. Emphasizing the importance of unity among believers, the Daishoninsays, “Always remember that believers in the Lotus Sutra should absolutely be the last to abuse one another.” The reason he gives is that “all those who keep faith in the Lotus Sutra are most certainly Buddhas, and one who slanders a Buddha commits a grave offense.” In other words, he warns against the last four of the fourteen slanders: “despising, hating, envying, and bearing grudges against” fellow believers. The Daishonin next recounts in detail the story of the boy Snow Mountains, who offers his body to a fierce demon in order to learn a Buddhist teaching. He encourages Matsuno to make this bodhisattva's spirit a model for his own faith and practice. He further clarifies that a priest who lacks the spirit to study and practice Buddhism diligently, and to strive to refute its slanderers, is “no better than an animal dressed in priestly robes,” a thief who has stolen the title of priest. The Daishonin concludes by instructing Matsuno how to practice his teaching as a lay believer. He encourages the lay priest to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, provide support for the priests, and, in accord with the Lotus Sutra, put effort into spreading the Law. Clearly, in light of the preceding paragraphs, “priests” here indicates not any priest, but the Daishonin's disciples—those who are practicing in accord with the spirit elucidated in this letter. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/92

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to the lay nun Toki in the third month of the second year of Kenji (1276) and entrusted its delivery to her husband, Toki Jōnin, who was visiting Minobu at the time. Toki's mother had passed away toward the end of the second month of the year. In the third month, Toki carried her ashes from his home in Wakamiya, Shimōsa Province, to distant Minobu, where a memorial service was performed for her. From a letter the Daishonin sent to Toki one year earlier, in 1275, it is clear that Toki's mother was over ninety years old when she died. It is also thought that she had been extremely fond of her son. The contents of this letter suggest that the lay nun Toki did her best to support and assist her husband. In addition, the Daishonin likens her faith to “the waxing moon or the rising tide,” suggesting that she was diligent in her practice. He also conveys Toki's feelings regarding his mother's death as well as his sense of gratitude toward the lay nun for her attentive care of her mother-in-law. Thus the Daishonin compassionately encourages the lay nunToki during her illness, which she had been battling since the previous year. It is possible that her illness was due at least in part to the exhausting effort of caring for her mother-in-law. The Daishonin expresses concern over her health in this letter and in another letter sent to Toki Jōnin in the eleventh month of 1276, in which he writes: “I think of your wife's illness as if it were my own, and am praying to heaven day and night.” Although the year of the lay nun's death is not certain, one source indicates 1303, which suggests that she was indeed able to recover and live many years longer. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/82

Nichiren Daishonin sent this letter from Minobu in the seventh month, 1278, to the lay nun Myōhō, who lived in Okamiya Village in Suruga Province. Very little is known about Myōhō. This letter was written in response to a letter she had sent the Daishonin, asking whether one can attain enlightenment by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo alone. A later letter from the Daishonin to Myōhō tells us that the lay nun's husband died shortly after the present letter was written, and that her inquiry was most likely made on behalf of her sick husband. She survived her husband and her elder brother. She was a sincere believer and received several letters from the Daishonin, who apparently placed great trust in her. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/121

Shijō Kingo visited Nichiren Daishonin on Sado Island in the fourth month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272), and the Daishonin entrusted him with this letter for his wife, Nichigen-nyo, who was a devoted follower of the Daishonin's teachings. Nichigen-nyo was the name given to her by the Daishonin. He also named her two daughters, Tsukimaro and Kyō'ō. First, the Daishonin urges Nichigen-nyo to read the letter with Tōshirō's wife. While little is known of Tōshirō and his wife, it is believed that he was one of Kingo's colleagues in the Kamakura government. In the feudalistic society of the time, life was difficult for women since their social status was invariably inferior to that of men. Nevertheless, though she had no one else to rely on, Nichigen-nyo sent her husband all the way from Kamakura to Sado on a journey that was both difficult and dangerous. For this the Daishonin highly praises her faith. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/34

This letter was written to the wife of Omosu in acknowledgment of offerings Nichiren Daishonin had received from her at the beginning of the year. The precise year of this letter, however, remains unclear. Omosu derived his name from that of the area in which his estate waslocated, Omosu Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province. His full name was Ishikawa Shimbei Yoshisuke. His wife was the elder sister of Nanjō Tokimitsu. In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin explains the operative principle of the Ten Worlds in a simple, poetic way, revealing that both Buddhahood and hellexist within the life of each individual. A person with a heart full of hatred experiences the world of hell; a person with faith in the Lotus Sutraexperiences the world of Buddhahood. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/172

This brief letter was written in the eighth month of the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273) and was addressed to Kyō'ō, Shijō Kingo's infant daughter. Since Kyō'ō was then only one year old, however, it may be assumed that the letter was meant for Shijō Kingo and his wife, Nichigen-nyo. They had two children, Kyō'ō (Sutra King) and another daughter, Tsukimaro (Full Moon), who was a year older. Both were apparently named by Nichiren Daishonin. This letter was written in response to news that Kyō'ō had become seriously ill. At this time the Daishonin was living in exile on Sado Island. The Daishonin explains the significance of the Gohonzon, the object of devotion. At the Tatsunokuchi Persecution in 1271, the Daishonin revealed his identity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. Only after this did he begin to inscribe the Gohonzon and bestow it on his followers, particularly those who had staunch faith in his teachings. In this letter, the Daishonin says that the boundless benefits of the Gohonzon will surely cure Kyō'ō's sickness and urges Kingo and his wife to believe firmly in the Gohonzon. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/45

Nichiren Daishonin sent this letter from Mount Minobu to Nanjō Tokimitsu, the steward of Ueno Village in Suruga, in the ninth month, 1281. Nanjō Tokimitsu was then just twenty-two years old. Following the Atsuhara Persecution, in which Nanjō Tokimitsu had played an extremely important role in supporting the believers, government officials had taxed his estate heavily so that he had difficulty maintaining his family. Exactly what illness he was suffering from remains unclear; he recovered, however, and lived for some fifty years after this letter was written. The title of this letter, The Person and the Law, is derived from a passage of The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra that states that, since the Law is wonderful, the person who upholds it is worthy of respect. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/161

This letter was written to a young disciple named Jakunichi-bō Nikke, the son of the lord of Okitsu, Kazusa Province. It is dated the sixteenth day of the ninth month, with no year indicated, though it is believed to be 1279. Early in the Bun'ei era (1264–1275) Jakunichi-bō and his family had become followers of the Daishonin, who was then propagating his teachings in their area. Jakunichi-bō became a priest and later founded Tanjō-ji temple in Kominato to commemorate the place of the Daishonin's birth. It is also thought that this letter may have been addressed, through Jakunichi-bō, to a woman believer who lived in Kazusa Province. In this letter, the Daishonin discloses the meaning of his name, Nichiren, implying that it signifies the Buddha who will bring enlightenment to all people in the Latter Day of the Law. He declares that his disciples must also exert themselves to convey the supreme teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo to all humankind. Then the Daishonin explains that the demons who, according to legend, strip one of one's garments at the time of death symbolize death's stripping one of all pretensions and superficial attainments, whether wealth, power, or knowledge. In conclusion, the Daishonin encourages Jakunichi-bō, pledging to protect p.995him in the next life since the latter protected the Daishonin in this life. Thus the Daishonin suggests the profound and timeless nature of the teacher-disciple relationship. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/137

This letter, written in the fifth month of the first year of Kenji (1275), is one of several that Nichiren Daishonin wrote to the lay nun Myōichi, who lived in Kamakura and was related to Nisshō, one of the Daishonin's six senior priest-disciples. Myōichi was an educated woman who had lost her p.537husband and was struggling with the difficulties of raising her children alone. Nichiren Daishonin wrote to encourage her, explaining that believers of the Lotus Sutra are as if in the midst of winter, but that winter unfailingly turns to spring. This letter reveals that the lay nun's husband was a strong believer, since he continued to follow the Daishonin even when his estate was confiscated because of his faith. He died worrying about the Daishonin, who was then in exile, and about his wife, whose constitution was frail, and who would have to support their two children. But the Daishonin assures Myōich that her husband has received the same benefits as sages such as the boy Snow Mountains and Bodhisattva Medicine King, and that he is protecting his bereaved family. One theory maintains that the lay nun is the same person as a believer named Myōichi-nyo who received the letter The Doctrine of Attaining Buddhahood in One's Present Form. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/65

This letter was written on the twenty-fifth day of the first month in 1278. Shijō Kingo, because of his faith in Nichiren Daishonin's teaching, had long suffered the disfavor of his lord, Ema. In this letter the Daishonin congratulates Kingo on the trust Ema has newly placed in him, and on what appears to be a positive turn of events. Citing a report from a priest who has observed Kingo taking a prominent position in his lord's entourage, the Daishonin nevertheless expresses concern. In the previous year, some of Kingo's colleagues had made false accusations against Kingo to Ema. Kingo's coming into Ema's favor again would surely arouse their jealousy, making them capable of any kind of treachery. For this reason, the Daishonin points out that he must now be extremely careful, attentive, and considerate, citing the example of Confucius thinking nine times before speaking a word, among others. The following year, 1279, an attempt on Kingo's life was in fact made, against which he was able to protect himself. The Daishonin also cautions Shijō Kingo to be warm and charitable in his dealings with the women in his household, and to be supportive and considerate of his younger brothers. Without trust and unity among family members, it would be difficult to protect against the plotting of enemies. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/287

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the last month of the fourth year of Kōan (1281) to the lay nun of Kubo, thanking her for the offerings that she had sent him. The lay nun was a widow who lived with her daughter in Kubo in Fuji District of Suruga Province, but little else is known about her. From the contents of the several letters addressed to her, she appears to have been a believer of pure faith who frequently sent offerings to the Daishonin. In response to her gifts, the Daishonin compares making offerings for the sake of Buddhism to a way of planting “good roots” or accumulating merit and good fortune. In the opening passage, he explains that the benefit gained from donations depends upon the time, the place, and the person to whom they are offered. Moreover, even a large donation, if it derives from wealth obtained by harming or exploiting others, will never produce benefit, even though offered for the sake of Buddhism. Also, the Daishonin explains that one's sincerity in making the offerings and the virtue of the person or teaching to which they are made are vital. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/163

Written in the fourth year of Kenji (1278), this letter is also referred to as Before and after Sado because it makes a clear distinction between the teachings the Daishonin expounded before his exile to Sado Island and those during and after his Sado exile. He compares the former to the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, which Shakyamuni preached as an expedient to lead his disciples to the Lotus Sutra. Concerning his true teaching, the Daishonin says, “I secretly conveyed my teaching to my disciples from the province of Sado.” Quoting the Buddha's words, he refers to that teaching simply as “this great Law.” More precisely, this teaching was explained in two of his most important writings, The Opening of the Eyes and The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. The recipient of this letter is generally believed to be Misawa Kojirō, a lay follower of the Daishonin who was the lord of Misawa in Fuji District of Suruga Province, though some consider it given to Kojirō's grandson, Masahiro. Misawa appears to have kept his distance from the Daishonin for fear of antagonizing and arousing the suspicions of the Kamakura shogunate. But the Daishonin expresses understanding of his position as the lord of a manor responsible for a fief, family, and retainers, and kindly encourages him. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/112

This letter was written at Minobu to Nanjō Shichirō Jirō, commonly known as Nanjō Tokimitsu, in the second month, 1282, when Nichiren Daishonin himself was seriously ill. When he was in his teens, Tokimitsu had assumed his deceased father's duties as steward of the Ueno district, which covered a vast area on one side of Mount Fuji. Particularly during the Atsuhara Persecution, Tokimitsu had made many sacrifices in order to defend the Daishonin's followers who lived in his domains. For his courage, the Daishonin had honored him by naming him “Ueno the Worthy” in a letter written on the sixth day of the eleventh month, 1279, and entitled The Dragon Gate. On first hearing of Tokimitsu's grave illness, the Daishonin had apparently asked a disciple to write a letter of encouragement on his behalf since he himself was too ill to write. Deeply concerned, however, about the youthful believer, he forced himself to take up his writing brush and sent this letter through Nikkō to help Tokimitsu overcome his illness. The Daishonin declares that Tokimitsu is a person who, according to the Lotus Sutra, has made offerings to a hundred thousand million Buddhas in his past existences. He then strictly warns the demons causing Tokimitsu's illness that, if they do not cure him, they will suffer in the great Avīchi hell. The letter is traditionally called The Proof of the Lotus Sutra because it points out that all the Buddhas gave credence to the truth of the Lotus Sutra. However, it is also known as Prayer for a Return to Life from Fatal Illness because Tokimitsu was then battling a serious illness. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/165

In this reply to Nichinyo, Nichiren Daishonin expresses his gratitude for her offerings to the Gohonzon and explains the significance of the object of devotion. The exact identity of Nichinyo is unclear. She is thought to have been either the wife of Ikegami Munenaka, the older of the Ikegami brothers, or a daughter of the lay priest Matsuno Rokurō Saemon, an earnest believer in Suruga Province. Judging from two letters the Daishonin sent her, she seems to have been a woman of good education and considerable affluence. Moreover, as the recipient of a Gohonzon, or object of devotion, she was evidently a sincere believer. This letter contains a description of the Gohonzon that details the figures represented therein and their significance. The Daishonin also underscores the importance of faith in the Gohonzon. In the first half of the letter, the Daishonin points out the rarity and importance of the Gohonzon. He cites the Lotus Sutra and other works to show that the Gohonzon is the embodiment of “the true aspect of all phenomena” and “the three thousand realms in a single moment of life.” In the second half, describing the great benefit of faith in the Gohonzon, the Daishonin declares, “Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself,” adding that the Gohonzon is also found only in faith. Sharing two examples from secular tradition, the Daishonin reminds Nichinyo that faith is by far the most important element in manifesting “the Gohonzon” in one's life. He concludes by stressing that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with faith is the most complete form of Buddhist practice. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/101

This letter was written at Ichinosawa on Sado Island in the fifth month, 1273, to Gijō-bō, who had been the Daishonin's senior at Seichō-ji temple in Awa Province. Nearly a month earlier, Nichiren Daishonin had written The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, in which he had explained both the object of devotion in terms of the Law and the correct practice for attaining enlightenment in the Latter Day. This letter briefly restates the profound contents of The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind. Nichiren Daishonin says that, of all the chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the “Life Span” chapter is particularly important to him. He quotes a passage, “ . . . single-mindedly desiring to see the Buddha . . . ,” and notes, “As a result of this passage, I have revealed the Buddhahood in my own life.” He declares that in his capacity as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law he has realized and embodied Nam-myoho-renge-kyo of the Three Great Secret Laws, which is implied in the depths of the “Life Span” chapter. This is one of the earliest references in his writings to the Three Great Secret Laws: the invocation (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo), the object of devotion (the Gohonzon), and the place of worship (the sanctuary). https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/41

This letter was written at Minobu in the ninth month of 1277 and addressed to Shijō Nakatsukasa Saburō Saemon-no-jō Yorimoto, commonly known as Shijō Kingo, in Kamakura. Sometime around 1274, Shijō Kingo had begun making efforts to convert his lord, who was named Ema, to the Daishonin's teachings. Lord Ema, however, did not respond positively. Instead, he reduced the size of Kingo's landholdings and threatened to send him to the remote province of Echigo. Kingo's colleagues spread scurrilous reports about him, and Kingo was accused of fomenting trouble at a debate in the sixth month of 1277, during which the Tendai priest Ryūzō-bō was bested by the Daishonin's disciple Sammi-bō. Nichiren Daishonin cautions Shijō Kingo and instructs him on the best course of behavior in his trying circumstances. Later that year Lord Ema fell ill, and Kingo, applying his medical skills, helped cure him. The lord was most grateful and in 1278 restored, and later even increased, Kingo's landholdings. At the outset of this letter, the Daishonin tells Kingo that he should remember his debt of gratitude to his lord, and stresses the Buddhist teaching that fundamental changes within oneself inevitably result in changes in the environment. He mentions that when he was about to be executed at Tatsunokuchi, Kingo vowed to die by his side. Now Kingo is undergoing a severe ordeal and the Daishonin is exerting all his powers to protect him. The Daishonin says that, since Kingo was fortunate enough to have been born human and encountered the true teaching, he should accumulate “the treasures of the heart” and win the respect of others. Finally, through historical references to Emperor Sushun and others, the Daishonin teaches Kingo that as a Buddhist he should conduct his daily life admirably and be considerate of others. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/106

In the first month of the twelfth year of Bun'ei (1275), Nichigen-nyo, the wife of Shijō Kingo, informed Nichiren Daishonin that she had turned p.465thirty-three, an age thought to be unlucky for women, and sent offerings. This letter, dated the twenty-seventh day of the same month, is the Daishonin's reply. In response to Nichigen-nyo's apprehensions, he assures her that a woman who embraces the Lotus Sutra surpasses all other people, and that, if her faith is strong, she will certainly be protected by the Buddhas and Buddhist gods. The Daishonin praises Shijō Kingo as foremost among all Buddhist lay believers; as his wife, Nichigen-nyo is also foremost among the women in Japan. “The wisteria depends on the pine tree, and a woman depends on a man” reflects the structure of Japanese society in the medieval period, when a woman's fortunes were largely determined by her husband. What the Daishonin urges here, however, is that Nichigen-nyo follow her husband in faith. This shared faith of husband and wife is the “unity” referred to in this letter's title and forms the ideal basis of marriage. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/54

This short letter is one of thirty-seven still extant writings addressed by Nichiren Daishonin to his faithful disciple Shijō Kingo. Kingo was under great pressure from his lord, Ema, and other fellow warriors to renounce his support for the Daishonin. This letter was written to encourage Kingo and to strengthen his resolve. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/56

This letter is dated the third day of the ninth month, with no year indicated, though it is believed to be 1275, a year and a half after the Daishonin's return from exile on Sado Island. It is addressed to the lay nun Sennichi, the wife of Abutsu-bō. The letter is a reply to a question the lay nun has asked about the effects of different degrees of slander against the correct teaching. The Daishonin says, “If a believer's offense is slight, overlook it, and lead that person to obtain benefits. If it is serious, encourage him to strengthen his faith so that he can expiate the sin.” But attention should be paid to his warning, “Even minor slanders may lead to serious ones, and then the effects one must suffer would be far worse.” The Daishonin praises the lay nun Sennichi for asking a question about slandering the correct teaching. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/74

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of what is thought to have been 1276. The letter is a reply, it is generally believed, to Toki Jōnin, who had apparently written about a dream in which some danger to the Daishonin and his followers was revealed by the ten demon daughters. After thanking Toki for the offering he had also sent, the Daishonin refers to the Buddhist principle that if one's mind is strong, the protection of the deities Same Name and Same Birth, who are always with one, will also be firm. If this is so, he urges, how much truer must it be of the gods who protect the place of practice. He also encourages Toki with a story from The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra describing a thief who gained the golden head of a deity's image simply by reciting the words “Namu Buddha,” or “Hail to the Buddha.” The Daishonin points out that, in the light of this story, even though one may be guilty of faults, one may escape major difficulties if one is devoted to the three treasures of Buddhism. Furthermore, he says that he views the divine instructions from the ten demon daughters as a sign that difficulties can be avoided and that good fortune is on its way. And it is the Lotus Sutra, he emphasizes in conclusion, that allows one to change poison into medicine, difficulties into good fortune. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/272

This is a letter of thanks written by Nichiren Daishonin on the fourth day of the fifth month in 1280. The lay nun Myōshin had sent the Daishonin offerings from her home in Suruga Province for the benefit of her deceased husband. The Daishonin assures her that the word myō of the daimoku she chants will act as an emissary and carry news about her and her children to her late husband. Moreover, he explains, the character myō is not only the cluster of all benefits but also the wish-granting jewel. He encourages her to believe in the immeasurable benefits of the daimoku. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/Content/322

In the fourth month of the ninth year of Bun'ei (1272), Shijō Kingo traveled from Kamakura to Sado Island to visit Nichiren Daishonin. Kingo was a samurai who served the Ema family, a branch of the ruling Hōjō clan. The journey to Sado was a long, arduous one, involving a boat trip across the Sea of Japan, and required that he absent himself from his duties in Kamakura for more than a month. In the fifth month of the same year, soon after Shijō Kingo returned to Kamakura, Nichiren Daishonin sent him this letter. It was written in gratitude for the samurai's visit. In the letter, the Daishonin explains the power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in terms of such profound Buddhist principles as the fusion of reality and wisdom, and earthly desires are enlightenment. Although Hinayana Buddhism teaches that earthly desires must be eliminated to attain enlightenment, Mahayana, and particularly the Lotus Sutra, teaches that earthly desires are one with and inseparable from enlightenment. The reason is that both are the workings, or expression, of life itself, and thus are the same in their source. Nichiren Daishonin teaches that, when one bases one's life on Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, earthly desires work naturally for one's own and others' happiness. The great power of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, which is inherently positive and creative, directs the great energy of one's earthly desires toward happiness and value for all. Thus, when one chants the daimoku, “earthly desires are enlightenment.” Until his near-execution at Tatsunokuchi in the ninth month of 1271, the Daishonin had assumed the role of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, the votary whose appearance is predicted in the Lotus Sutra. He had spent all his time teaching the essence of the sutra and propagating the faith. After Tatsunokuchi, he revealed his true identity as the Buddha who is one with the supreme Law of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In this letter, the Daishonin teaches the significance of the daimoku from the standpoint of the Buddha who opens the way to Buddhahood for all humankind. He first states that it is his great joy to meet persecutions as the votary of the Lotus Sutra, because it is the sure way to attain Buddhahood. “Though the teaching I am now propagating seems limited, it is extremely profound. That is because it goes deeper than the teaching expounded by T'ien-t'ai, Dengyō, and others.” He reveals that the ultimate Law of all Buddhas is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/35

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu to Nanjō Tokimitsu, the steward of Ueno Village in Suruga Province, in the second month of the fourth year of Kenji (1278). The previous year had been a time of turmoil. A serious drought had devastated crops, and the resulting famine brought countless hardships. In addition, an epidemic had swept the area, causing many deaths. At the same time, the threat of a second invasion by Mongol forces contributed to a general feeling of unease. In this letter, Nichiren Daishonin expresses his gratitude for Nanjō's offerings and praises him for his deep sincerity. He introduces the concept of the two kinds of faith: faith like ephemeral fire and faith like ever-flowing water. The Daishonin lauds Nanjō's faith as being like the latter. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/113

This letter was written at Minobu in the eleventh month of the fourth year of Kōan (1281) to the lay nun Ueno, the mother of Nanjō Tokimitsu. The Daishonin was sixty years old when he sent this letter acknowledging the offerings she had made to commemorate the anniversary of the death of her father, the lay priest Matsuno Rokurō Saemon. The lay nun Ueno's husband was Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō, the steward of Ueno Village in Suruga Province. Her name, Ueno, derived from Ueno Village. She had nine children, including Tokimitsu. In this letter, the Daishonin first teaches that, just as the lotus bears flowers and fruit simultaneously, all who believe in the Lotus Sutra are certain to attain Buddhahood. Then, citing the story of the renowned father and son calligraphers in ancient China, Wu-lung and I-lung, the Daishoninassures the lay nun that, when a son or daughter embraces faith in the Lotus Sutra, his or her parents will be able to attain Buddhahood. According to the story, though Wu-lung fell into the state of hell for his hatred of the Lotus Sutra, he was ultimately saved from his suffering by his son's transcribing the titles of the eight volumes of the sutra. This story is found in The Lotus Sutra and Its Traditions, a work by the T'ang-dynasty priest Seng-hsiang. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/162

This letter was written at Minobu in the fifth month of the third year of Kōan (1280). The lay nun Myōichi was a relative of Nisshō, one of Nichiren Daishonin's six senior disciples, and lived in Kamakura. She was an earnest believer and fairly well educated, but suffered from poor health. Her husband was also a believer, and their fief was confiscated because of their faith. After her husband died, the lay nun was left with two small children, but despite her many difficulties, she remained loyal to the Daishonin. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/147

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in the second month of 1280 to Niike Saemon-no-jō, an official in the Kamakura shogunate. Niike was from Niike Village in Iwata District of Tōtōmi Province. He and his wife had been converted to the Daishonin's teachings by Nikkō and had maintained their faith despite government pressure. First, Nichiren Daishonin tells Niike what great fortune it is to have been born in the Latter Day of the Law with the mission to spread the correct teaching of Buddhism throughout the world. Yet it would be foolhardy to profess faith in the Lotus Sutra and then commit slander. The consequence is to descend into an evil path of existence, regardless of one's role or status. Using the example of the cold-suffering bird, the Daishonin admonishes his believers never to lapse into negligence, or be tempted by fame or fortune. After mentioning the deplorable state of the country and the degradation of Buddhist priests, he depicts the purpose of the Lotus Sutra by comparing an ordinary person to an egg. Like the fluids in an egg that develop into a bird, enlightenment exists as a potential within human life. Lastly, he says that the key to enlightenment is faith in the Gohonzon. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/145

In the third month of 1275, about one year before this letter was written, Nichiren Daishonin warned Shijō Kingo, his loyal samurai follower who was an early convert, that as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra he must be prepared to meet further difficulties and hardships. In the present work, the Daishonin explains the nature of true happiness. It lies, he says, in chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Suffering is unavoidable, he adds, encouraging Shijō Kingo to “regard both suffering and joy as facts of life, and continue chanting p.682Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, no matter what happens.” The Daishonin emphasizes that this is the way to experience “the boundless joy of the Law,” or the state of Buddhahood. https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/86