Gosho Passage - April 28, 2026

"An arrogant person will always be overcome with fear when meeting a strong enemy, as was the haughty asura who shrank in size and hid himself in a lotus blossom in Heat-Free Lake when re proached by Shakra. Even a word or a phrase of the correct teaching will enable one to gain the way, if it suits the time and the capacity of the people. But though one studies a thousand sutras and ten thousand treatises, one will not attain Buddhahood if these teachings are unsuitable for the time and the people's capacity."

From Gosho "Letter from Sado" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 302)

Gosho Passage - April 27, 2026

"Since the remotest past up until now, you have merely suffered in vain the pains of countless existences. Why do you not, if only this once, try planting the wonderful seeds that lead to eternal and unchanging Buddhahood? Though at present you may taste only a tiny fraction of the everlasting joys that await you in the future, surely you should not spend your time thoughtlessly coveting worldly fame and profit, which are as fleeting as a bolt of lightning or the morning dew. [...] Single-mindedly chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo and urge others to do the same; that will remain as the only memory of your present life in this human world."

From Gosho "Embracing the Lotus Sutra" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 64)

Gosho Passage - April 26, 2026

"for the matter of becoming a Buddha, ordinary people keep in mind the words “earnest resolve” and thereby become Buddhas. When we carefully consider what exactly earnest resolve refers to, it is the doctrine of observing the mind. When we inquire into what exactly the doctrine of observing the mind refers to, it means that offering one’s only robe to the Lotus Sutra is equivalent to peeling off one’s skin; and that in a time of famine, offering the food that is the only means for sustaining one’s life that day to the Buddha is offering one’s life to the Buddha."

From Gosho "The Gift of Rice" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1125)

Gosho Passage - April 25, 2026

"Famine occurs as a result of greed, pestilence as a result of foolishness, and warfare as a result of anger."

From Gosho "King Rinda" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 989)

Gosho Passage - April 24, 2026

"[...] we know that the prayers offered by a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will be answered just as an echo answers a sound, as a shadow follows a form, as the reflection of the moon appears in clear water, as a mirror collects dewdrops, as a magnet attracts iron, as amber attracts particles of dust, or as a clear mirror reflects the color of an object."

From Gosho "On Prayer" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 340)

Gosho Passage - April 23, 2026

"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 Dengyō 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, page 923)

Gosho passage - April 22, $year$

"I am entrusting you with a Gohonzon for the protection of your young child. [...] When we have this mandala with us, it is a rule that all the Buddhas and gods will gather round and watch over us, protecting us like a shadow day and night, just as warriors guard their ruler, as parents love their children, as fish rely on water, as trees and grasses crave rain, and as birds depend on trees. You must trust in it with all your heart."

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

Gosho Passage - April 21, 2026

"Carry through with your faith in the Lotus Sutra. You cannot strike fire from flint if you stop halfway. Bring forth the great power of faith, and be spoken of by all the people of Kamakura, both high and low, or by all the people of Japan, as “Shijō Kingo, Shijō Kingo of the Lotus school!” Even a bad reputation will spread far and wide. A good reputation will spread even farther, particularly if it is a reputation for devotion to the Lotus Sutra."

From Gosho "Earthly Desires Are Enlightenment" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 319)