Gosho Passage - July 11, 2026

"The eight-year-old daughter of the dragon king [in her reptile form] attained Buddhahood, and the Buddha’s aunt, Gautami, and the nun Yashodhara are given prophecies of the attainment of Buddhahood. Our mothers are human women; they do not belong to the realm of animals, nor have they the bodies of reptiles. If the eight-year-old dragon king’s daughter can become a Buddha, then what reason is there to believe that our mothers, through the power of this sutra, cannot become Buddhas? Therefore a person who upholds the Lotus Sutra is repaying the debt of gratitude owed to father and mother. Even if one does not feel in one’s own heart that one can do so, one can repay it through the power of this sutra."

From Gosho "Four Virtues and Four Debts of Gratitude" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 638)

Gosho Passage - July 10, 2026

"This time, without fail, without fail, we must wake from this dream realm of birth and death, return to the waking state of original enlightenment, and sever the cords that bind us to birth and death. And from that time on, we will no longer entertain in our minds the Buddhist doctrines that pertain to that realm of dreams. We will join in harmony with the single mind of the Buddhas of the three existences, carry out the practice of Myoho-renge-kyo, and, without any obstruction, attain enlightenment [...]"

From Gosho "The Unanimous Declaration by the Buddhas" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 861)

Gosho Passage - July 9, 2026

"White face powder has the power to make black lacquer as white as snow. Any color approaching Mount Sumeru takes on a golden hue. One who upholds the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra transforms the black lacquer of the evil deeds of a lifetime, and of countless kalpas of lifetimes in the past, into the great merit of good deeds. All the more so is this true of one’s good roots from the beginningless past, which all take on a golden hue."

From Gosho "The Importance of the Moment of Death" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume II, page 760)

Gosho Passage - July 8, 2026

"A man who offered a mud pie to the Buddha was reborn as a king. Because the Lotus Sutra is a teaching superior to the Buddha, having made offerings to it, how could you possibly fail to both enjoy benefit in this lifetime and attain Buddhahood in the next?"

From Gosho "Daimoku as the Seed of Buddhahood" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 805)

Gosho Passage - July 7, 2026

"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 I, page 885)

Gosho Passage - July 6, 2026

"In your letter you write: “Since I took faith in this sutra [the Lotus], I have continued to recite the ten factors of life and the verse section of the ‘Life Span’ chapter and chant the daimoku without the slightest neglect. But how great is the difference between the blessings received when a sage chants the daimoku and the blessings received when we chant it?” To reply, one is in no way superior to the other. The gold that a fool possesses is no different from the gold that a wise man possesses; a fire made by a fool is the same as a fire made by a wise man. However, there is a difference if one chants the daimoku while acting against the intent of this sutra. There are various stages in the practice of this sutra [and various forms of slander exist accordingly]. [...] There are fourteen evil causes: (1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering, (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges.’” Since these fourteen slanders apply equally to priesthood and laity, you must be on guard against them."

From Gosho "The Fourteen Slanders" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 756)

Gosho Passage - July 5, 2026

"If you care anything about your personal security, you should first of all pray for order and tranquillity throughout the four quarters of the land, should you not?"

From Gosho "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 24)