Gosho Passage - April 7, 2016

"One may ask why the results of these vows should be so long in appearing. And yet, though one might point at the earth and miss it, though one might bind up the sky, though the tides might cease to ebb and flow and the sun rise in the west, it could never come about that the prayers of the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered. If the bodhisattvas, the human and heavenly beings, the eight kinds of nonhuman beings, the two sages, the two heavenly deities, and the ten demon daughters would by some unlikely chance fail to appear and protect the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, then above them they would be showing disdain for Shakyamuni and the other Buddhas [...] It makes no difference if the practitioner himself is lacking in worth, defective in wisdom, impure in his person, and lacking in virtue derived from observing the precepts. So long as he chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, they will invariably protect him. One does not throw away gold because the bag that holds it is dirty"

From Gosho "On Prayer" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 345)

Gosho Passage - April 6, 2016

"Great events never have minor omens. When great evil occurs, great good follows. Since great slander already exists in our land, the great correct Law will spread without fail. What could any of you have to lament? Even if you are not the Venerable Mahakashyapa, you should all perform a dance. Even if you are not Shariputra, you should leap up and dance. When Bodhisattva Superior Practices emerged from the earth, did he not emerge dancing?"

From Gosho "Great Evil and Great Good" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1119)

Gosho Passage - April 5, 2016

"In the eighth volume of Great Concentration and Insight and in the eighth volume of The Annotations on “Great Concentration and Insight” it says, “The stronger one’s faith, the greater the protection of the gods.” This means that the protection of the gods depends on the strength of one’s faith. The Lotus Sutra is a fine sword, but its might depends on the one who wields it."

From Gosho "General Stone Tiger" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 953)

Gosho Passage - April 4, 2016

"The Lotus Sutra is the master of Medicine Master Buddha in the east, as well as the master of all Buddhas in the south, west, north, and the worlds above and below. Shakyamuni Buddha and the other Buddhas revere the characters of the Lotus Sutra in the same way that people fear their sovereign and the stars venerate the moon. We ordinary people, however, have long been under the reign of the devil king of the sixth heaven. We have been forced into confinement in the realms of hell, hungry spirits, and animals, and, without a moment of relief, day and night we are tortured by the wardens of hell. Even so, if we could somehow place ourselves under the protection of the Lotus Sutra, then Shakyamuni Buddha and the Buddhas of the ten directions would treat us as their children, and thus even the heavenly kings Brahma and Shakra would refrain from approaching us out of fear. How much more, then, would the devil king of the sixth heaven fear us! Even though the devil king had formerly been our master, he would now stand in reverential awe of us. And, terribly fearful that should he cause trouble for us, his situation would worsen when he presented himself to the Lotus Sutra and the Buddhas of the ten directions, he would make us offerings. For this reason, he spares no effort whatsoever to prevent all the living beings in the six paths from accepting the Lotus Sutra."

From Gosho "The Sons Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1049)

Gosho Passage - April 3, 2016

"Strengthen your resolve more than ever. Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue dye comes from indigo, but when something is repeatedly dyed in it, the color is better than that of the indigo plant. The Lotus Sutra remains the same, but if you repeatedly strengthen your resolve, your color will be better than that of others, and you will receive more blessings than they do."

From Gosho "The Supremacy of the Law" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 615)

Gosho Passage - April 2, 2016

"[...] there were physicians in China named Huang Ti and Pien Ch’üeh, and there were physicians in India named Water Holder and Jivaka. They were the treasures of their age and teachers to the physicians of later times. But the man called the Buddha was a superb physician who far surpassed them. This Buddha expounded the medicine of immortality. This is the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo we have today. Moreover, he specifically taught that these five characters are “good medicine for the ills of the people of Jambudvipa.”"

From Gosho "The Good Medicine for All Ills" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 937)

Gosho Passage - April 1, 2016

"Masakado was renowned as a brave general who had mastered the art of war, yet he was defeated by the armies under the emperor’s command. Even Fan K’uai and Chang Liang had their failures. It is the heart that is important. No matter how earnestly Nichiren prays for you, if you lack faith, it will be like trying to set fire to wet tinder. Spur yourself to muster the power of faith. Regard your survival as wondrous. Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. “All others who bear you enmity or malice will likewise be wiped out.” These golden words will never prove false. The heart of strategy and swordsmanship derives from the Mystic Law."

From Gosho "The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, pages 1000-1001)