Gosho Passage - March 31, 2015

"One who listens to even a sentence or phrase of the sutra and cherishes it deep in one’s heart may be likened to a ship that crosses the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, “Even a single phrase cherished deep in one’s heart will without fail help one reach the opposite shore."

From Gosho "A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 33)

Gosho Passage - March 30, 2015

"In this age, it is as natural for a woman to change her fixed karma by practicing the Lotus Sutra as it is for rice to ripen in fall or chrysanthemums to bloom in winter. When I prayed for my mother, not only was her illness cured, but her life was prolonged by four years. Now you too have fallen ill, and as a woman, it is all the more timely for you to establish steadfast faith in the Lotus Sutra and to see what it will do for you."

From Gosho "On Prolonging One’s Life Span" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 955)

Gosho Passage - March 29, 2015

"There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku. At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. Propagation will unfold this way in the future as well. Does this not signify “emerging from the earth”?"

From Gosho "The True Aspect of All Phenomena" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 385)

Gosho Passage - March 28, 2015

"Therefore, the best way to attain Buddhahood is to encounter a good friend. How far can our own wisdom take us? If we have even enough wisdom to distinguish hot from cold, we should seek out a good friend. But encountering a good friend is the hardest possible thing to do. For this reason, the Buddha likened it to the rarity of a one-eyed turtle finding a floating log with a hollow in it the right size to hold him, or to the difficulty of trying to lower a thread from the Brahma- heaven and pass it through the eye of a needle on the earth. Moreover, in this evil latter age, evil companions are more numerous than the dust particles that comprise the land, while good friends are fewer than the specks of dirt one can pile on a fingernail."

From Gosho "Three Tripitaka Masters Pray for Rain" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 598)

Gosho Passage - March 27, 2015

"[...] each character in the Lotus Sutra is like a single wish-granting jewel, and the innumerable characters of the sutra are like innumerable jewels. The character myo was uttered by two tongues: the tongues of Shakyamuni and Many Treasures. The tongues of these two Buddhas are like an eight-petaled lotus flower, one petal overlapping another, on which rests a jewel, the character of myo."

From Gosho "Letter to the Sage Nichimyo" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 323)

Gosho Passage - March 26, 2015

"The Buddha states: “Have no fear of mad elephants. What you should fear are evil friends! Why? Because a mad elephant can only destroy your body; it cannot destroy your mind. But an evil friend can destroy both body and mind. A mad elephant can destroy only a single body, but an evil friend can destroy countless bodies and countless minds."

From Gosho "Reply to Hoshina Goro Taro" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 159)

Gosho Passage - March 25, 2015

"You should understand, therefore, that it is the power of the Buddhist Law that enables the deities of the sun and moon to make their rounds of the four continents. The Golden Light and Sovereign Kings sutras are mere expedient teachings leading to the Lotus Sutra. When compared with the Lotus Sutra, they are like milk compared with ghee, or metal compared with precious gems. And yet, inferior as these sutras are, they enable the heavenly deities to circle the four continents. How much more power can these deities gain, then, by tasting the sweet ghee of the Lotus Sutra!"

From Gosho "On Consecrating an Image of Shakyamuni Buddha Made by Shijo Kingo" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 685)

Gosho Passage - March 24, 2015

"A fire burns higher when logs are added, and a strong wind makes a kalakula grow larger. The pine tree lives for ten thousand years, and therefore its boughs become bent and twisted. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is like the fire and the kalakula, while his persecutions are like the logs and the wind. The votary of the Lotus Sutra is the Thus Come One whose life span is immeasurable; no wonder his practice is hindered, just as the pine tree’s branches are bent or broken. From now on, always remember the words “This sutra is hard to uphold."

From Gosho "The Difficulty of Sustaining Faith" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 471)

Gosho Passage - March 23, 2015

"There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter, and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat."

From Gosho "The Three Obstacles and Four Devils" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 367)

Gosho Passage - March 22, 2015

"The characters of this sutra are all without exception living Buddhas of perfect enlightenment. But because we have the eyes of ordinary people, we see them as characters. For instance, hungry spirits perceive the Ganges River as fire, human beings perceive it as water, and heavenly beings perceive it as amrita. Though the water is the same, it appears differently according to one’s karmic reward from the past."

From Gosho "Reply to the Lay Priest Soya" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 486)

Gosho Passage - March 21, 2015

"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, “If there are those who hear the Law, then not a one will fail to attain Buddhahood.”"

From Gosho "Winter Always Turns to Spring" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 536)

Gosho Passage - March 20, 2015

"And yet, 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."

From Gosho "On Prayer" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 345)

Gosho Passage - March 19, 2015

"When we examine this wide variety of sutras, we find that they all stress how grave a matter it is to slander the correct teaching. How pitiful that people should all go out of the gate of the correct teaching and enter so deep into the prison of these distorted doctrines! How stupid that they should fall one after another into the snares of these evil doctrines and remain for so long entangled in this net of slanderous teachings! They lose their way in these mists and miasmas, and sink down amid the raging flames of hell. How could one not grieve? How could one not suffer? Therefore, 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? The regions in the ten directions will all become treasure realms, and how could a treasure realm ever suffer harm? If you live in a country that knows no decline or diminution, in a land that suffers no harm or disruption, then your body will find peace and security, and your mind will be calm and untroubled. You must believe my words; heed what I say!"

From Gosho "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 25)

Gosho Passage - March 18, 2015

"And if we inquire into the root of the suffering that is inflicted upon our persons, we find that it derives from the three poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness. Through the two paths of earthly desires and suffering, karma is created. And this path of karma is none other than what binds us to the realm of birth and death. We are like birds shut up in a cage. How can these three paths of earthly desires, karma, and suffering be called three causes leading to Buddhahood? [...] I would like simply to quote the words of Bodhisattva Nagarjuna, the thirteenth of the Buddha’s successors and founder of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai’s line, who in explaining the word myo, or “wonderful,” in the term myoho says it is “like a great physician who can change poison into medicine.”"

From Gosho "What It Means to Hear the Buddha Vehicle" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume II, page 743)

Gosho Passage - March 17, 2015

"A good teacher is a priest who is free from any fault in secular affairs, who never fawns upon others even in the slightest, who desires and is satisfied with little, and who is compassionate; a priest who reads and upholds the Lotus Sutra precisely as it teaches and also encourages and leads others to embrace it. Such a priest the Buddha has praised among all priests as the finest teacher of the Law. A good believer is one who does not depend upon persons of eminence or despise those of humble station; who does not rely on the backing of superiors or look down on inferiors; who, not relying upon the opinions of others, upholds the Lotus Sutra among all the sutras. Such a person the Buddha has called the best of all people. As for a good teaching, the Buddha has told us that this sutra, the Lotus, represents the foremost among all doctrines. Among all the sutras the Buddha “has preached,” among those he “now preaches,” and among those he “will preach,” this sutra is designated as foremost, and therefore it is a good teaching."

From Gosho "Those Initially Aspiring to the Way [...]" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 880)

Gosho Passage - March 16, 2015

"A hundred years of practice in the Land of Perfect Bliss cannot compare to the benefit gained from one day’s practice in the impure world. Two thousand years of propagating Buddhism during the Former and Middle Days of the Law are inferior to an hour of propagation in the Latter Day of the Law. [...] “After I [the Buddha] have passed into extinction, in the last five-hundred-year period you must spread it abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa and never allow it to be cut off, nor must you allow evil devils, the devils’ people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas, or kumbhanda demons to seize the advantage!”"

From Gosho "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 736)

Gosho Passage - March 15, 2015

"When in one’s heart one takes faith in Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart becomes a dwelling and Shakyamuni Buddha takes up residence there. At first one is not aware of this, but gradually, as the months go by, the Buddha in the heart begins to appear as in a dream, and one’s heart becomes bit by bit ever more joyful. "

From Gosho "The Buddha Resides in a Pure Heart" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume II, page 885)

Gosho Passage - March 14, 2015

"Because the Lotus Sutra is difficult to believe, the Buddha assumes various forms, such as that of one’s child, parent, or wife, to enable one to take faith in it. However, you have no children and live alone as husband and wife. The sutra states, “The living beings in it [the threefold world] are all my children.” If this is so, then Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, must be a compassionate father to both of you. I, Nichiren, must be your child [...] The meritorious deeds you have accumulated in previous existences are indeed precious."

From Gosho "Reply to the Lay Priest of Ko" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 491)

Gosho Passage - March 13, 2015

"The Buddha taught that one, from the very moment of one’s birth, is accompanied by two messengers, Same Birth and Same Name, who are sent by heaven and who follow one as closely as one’s own shadow, never parting from one even for an instant. These two take turns ascending to heaven to report one’s offenses and good deeds, both great and small, without overlooking the slightest detail. "

From Gosho "The Gods Same Birth and Same Name" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 316)

Gosho Passage - March 12, 2015

"There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The sutra reads, “. . . where living beings enjoy themselves at ease.” How could this passage mean anything but the boundless joy of the Law? Surely you are included among the “living beings.” “Where” means Jambudvipa, and Japan lies within Jambudvipa. Could “enjoy themselves at ease” mean anything but that both our bodies and minds, lives and environments, are entities of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and Buddhas of limitless joy?"

From Gosho "Happiness in This World" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 681)

Gosho Passage - March 11, 2015

"Now, if you wish to attain Buddhahood, you have only to lower the banner of your arrogance, cast aside the staff of your anger, and devote yourself exclusively to the one vehicle of the Lotus Sutra. Worldly fame and profit are mere baubles of your present existence, and arrogance and prejudice are ties that will fetter you in the next one. Ah, you should be ashamed of them! And you should fear them, too!"

From Gosho "Embracing the Lotus Sutra" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 58-59)

Gosho Passage - March 10, 2015

"It is rare to be born a human being. The number of those endowed with human life is as small as the amount of earth one can place on a fingernail. Life as a human being is hard to sustain—as hard as it is for the dew to remain on the grass. But it is better to live a single day with honor than to live to 120 and die in disgrace. Live so that all the people of Kamakura will say in your praise that Nakatsukasa Saburo Saemon-no-jo is diligent in the service of his lord, in the service of Buddhism, and in his concern for other people. More valuable than treasures in a storehouse are the treasures of the body, and the treasures of the heart are the most valuable of all. From the time you read this letter on, strive to accumulate the treasures of the heart!"

From Gosho "The Three Kinds of Treasure" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 851)

Gosho Passage - March 9, 2015

" It is said that, if a teacher has a good disciple, both will gain the fruit of Buddhahood, but if a teacher fosters a bad disciple, both will fall into hell. If teacher and disciple are of different minds, they will never accomplish anything. [...] You should always talk with each other to free yourselves from the sufferings of birth and death and attain the pure land of Eagle Peak, where you will nod to each other and speak in one mind."

From Gosho "Flowering and Bearing Grain" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 909)

Gosho Passage - March 8, 2015

"A woman who makes offerings to such a Gohonzon invites happiness in this life, and in the next, the Gohonzon will be with her and protect her always. Like a lantern in the dark, like a strong guide and porter on a treacherous mountain path, the Gohonzon will guard and protect you, Nichinyo, wherever you go."

From Gosho "The Real Aspect of the Gohonzon" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 832)

Gosho Passage - March 7, 2015

"When one gives things to others, one livens people’s complexions, gives them strength, and enables them to prolong life. 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 well. "

From Gosho "On Clothing and Food" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume II, page 1066)

Gosho Passage - March 6, 2015

"When the people all chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the wind will no longer buffet the branches, and the rain will no longer break the clods of soil. The world will become as it was in the ages of Fu Hsi and Shen Nung. In their present existence the people will be freed from misfortune and disasters and learn the art of living long. Realize that the time will come when the truth will be revealed that both the person and the Law are unaging and eternal. There cannot be the slightest doubt about the sutra’s promise of “peace and security in their present existence.”"

From Gosho "On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 392)

Gosho Passage - March 5, 2015

"The sage said: “The human heart is like water that assumes the shape of whatever vessel it occupies, and the nature of beings is like the reflection of the moon undulating on the waves. Now you insist that you will be firm in this faith, but another day you are bound to waver. Though devils and demons may come to tempt you, you must not allow yourself to be distracted. The heavenly devil hates the Buddha’s Law, and the non-Buddhist believers resent the path of the Buddhist teachings. But you must be like the golden mountain that glitters more brightly when scraped by the wild boar, like the sea that encompasses all the various streams, like the fire that burns higher when logs are added, or like the ka-lakula insect that grows bigger when the wind blows. If you follow such examples, then how can the outcome fail to be good?”"

From Gosho "A Sage and an Unenlightened Man" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 134)

Gosho Passage - March 4, 2015

"This life is like a dream. One cannot be sure that one will live until tomorrow. However wretched a beggar you might become, never disgrace the Lotus Sutra."

From Gosho "A Warning against Begrudging One’s Fief" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 824)

Gosho Passage - March 3, 2015

""This Gohonzon is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures. It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens, a great ruler on earth, the heart in a human being, the wish-granting jewel among treasures, and the pillar of a house."

From Gosho "On Upholding Faith in the Gohonzon" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 624)

Gosho Passage - March 2, 2015

"Worthy persons deserve to be called so because they are not carried away by the eight winds: prosperity, decline, disgrace, honor, praise, censure, suffering, and pleasure. They are neither elated by prosperity nor grieved by decline. The heavenly gods will surely protect one who is unbending before the eight winds. But if you nurse an unreasonable grudge against your lord, they will not protect you, not for all your prayers."

From Gosho "The Eight Winds" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 794)

Gosho Passage - March 1, 2015

"We ordinary beings are fettered by evil karma, earthly desires, and the sufferings of birth and death. But due to the three inherent potentials of the Buddha nature—innate Buddhahood, the wisdom to perceive it, and the actions to manifest it — we can without doubt reveal the Buddha’s three bodies — the Dharma body, the reward body, and the manifested body. The Great Teacher Dengyo states, “Through the power of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law they can do so in their present form.” He is referring to the example of the dragon king’s daughter, who achieved Buddhahood in her reptilian form through the power of the Lotus Sutra. Do not doubt this in the least."

From Gosho "The One Essential Phrase" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 923)