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