Gosho Passage - February 19, 2026

"The large carriages drawn by white oxen described in the Lotus Sutra are the carriages that we and others who are votaries of the Lotus Sutra ride in. These carriages are described in detail in the “Simile and Parable” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. But when Kuma-raji-va translated that passage in the sutra he somewhat abbreviated the original, and the description is thus not given in full. The Sanskrit text from India describes in greater detail the adornments on the carriages and similar matters as well as the seven kinds of treasures—hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one’s attachments, and reflecting on oneself. [...] Those persons who come after me will ride in these carriages and journey to Eagle Peak. And I, Nichiren, riding in the same kind of carriage, will come out to greet them."

From Gosho "On the Large Carriages Drawn by White Oxen" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume II, page 976)

Gosho Passage - February 18, 2026

"One who studies the teachings of Buddhism must not fail to repay the four debts of gratitude. According to the Contemplation on the Mind-Ground Sutra, the first of the four debts is that owed to all living beings. Were it not for them, one would find it impossible to make the vow to save innumerable living beings. Moreover, but for the evil people who persecute bodhisattvas, how could those bodhisattvas increase their merit?"

From Gosho "The Four Debts of Gratitude" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 43)

Gosho Passage - February 17, 2026

"It is impossible to fathom one's karma. Iron, when heated in the flames and pounded, becomes a fine sword. Worthies and sages are tested by abuse. My present exile is not because of any secular crime. It is solely so that I may expiate in this lifetime my past grave offenses and be freed in the next from the three evil paths."

From Gosho "Letter from Sado" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 303)

Gosho Passage - February 16, 2026

"The Lotus Sutra is made up of 69,384 characters. Though in our eyes each individual character may appear to be no more than a character in black ink, in the Buddha’s eyes, each one is a Buddha. For example, a ruler called King Golden Grains turned sand into gold. A man named Mahanama turned rocks into gems. Wood immersed in the Spring of Jewels changes into lapis lazuli. Waters that enter the sea all become salty. Birds that approach Mount Sumeru turn golden-hued. Agada medicine changes poison into medicine. And the wonder of the Lotus Sutra is also like that; it changes ordinary people into Buddhas."

From Gosho "Offerings for the Object of Devotion" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume II, page 671)

Gosho Passage - February 15, 2026

"If we understand that our life at this moment is myo, then we will also understand that our life at other moments is the Mystic Law. This realization is the mystic kyo, or sutra. The Lotus Sutra is the king of sutras, the direct path to enlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our life, which manifests either good or evil at each moment, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law. If you chant myoho-renge-kyo with deep faith in this principle, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime."

From Gosho "On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 4)

Gosho Passage - February 14, 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 - February 13, 2026

"Though I may be a person of little ability, I have reverently given myself to the study of the Mahayana. A blue fly, if it clings to the tail of a thoroughbred horse, can travel ten thousand miles, and the green ivy that twines around the tall pine can grow to a thousand feet. I was born as the son of the one Buddha, Shakyamuni, and I serve the king of scriptures, the Lotus Sutra. How could I observe the decline of the Buddhist Law and not be filled with emotions of pity and distress?"

From Gosho "On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 17)