Gosho Passage - March 10, 2026

"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, 2026

"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, 2026

"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, 2026

"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, 2026

"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, 2026

"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, 2026

"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)