Gosho Passage - August 14, 2018

"The heart of the Lotus Sutra is the revelation that one may attain supreme enlightenment in one’s present form without altering one’s status as an ordinary person. This means that without casting aside one’s karmic impediments one can still attain the Buddha way. Thus T’ien-t’ai said, “The other sutras only predict Buddhahood . . . for the good, but not for the evil; . . . This [Lotus] sutra predicts Buddhahood for all.” And Miao-lo said, “The meaning of the perfect teaching lies solely in the fact that those who oppose can be saved as well as those who follow. In the other three teachings, the fate of these two types of people is fixed.”"

From Gosho "Reply to Hakiri Saburo" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 410)

Gosho Passage - August 13, 2018

"Each of you should summon up the courage of a lion king and never succumb to threats from anyone. The lion king fears no other beast, nor do its cubs. [...] Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month. Should you slacken in your resolve even a bit, devils will take advantage."

From Gosho "On Persecutions Befalling the Sage" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 997)

Gosho Passage - August 12, 2018

"Today there are people who have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The belief of some is like fire while that of others is like water. When the former listen to the teachings, their passion flares up like fire, but as time goes on, they tend to discard their faith. To have faith like water means to believe continuously without ever regressing."

From Gosho "The Two Kinds of Faith" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 899)

Gosho Passage - August 11, 2018

"As for your wife’s prayers, even though she does not doubt the Lotus Sutra, I suspect that her faith may be weak. I have found that even those who appear to believe just as the sutra teaches may not actually have strong faith at all, as you are already well aware. [...]The fact that her prayers have gone unanswered is like a strong bow with a weak bowstring, or a fine sword in the hands of a coward."

From Gosho "The Royal Palace" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 489)

Gosho Passage - August 10, 2018

"A woman who embraces the lion king of the Lotus Sutra never fears any of the beasts of hell or of the realms of hungry spirits and animals. All the offenses committed by a woman in her lifetime are like dry grass, and the single character myo of the Lotus Sutra is like a small spark. When a small spark is set to a large expanse of grass, not only the grass but also the big trees and large stones will all be consumed. Such is the power of the fire of wisdom in the single character myo. Not only will all offenses vanish, but they will become sources of benefit. This is what changing poison into amrita means. For example, black lacquer will turn white when white powder is added. A woman’s offenses are like the lacquer, and the words Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, like the white powder."

From Gosho "The Drum at the Gate of Thunder" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 949)

Gosho Passage - August 9, 2018

"We ordinary people can see neither our own eyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens in the distance. Likewise, we do not see that the Buddha exists in our own hearts."

From Gosho "New Year’s Gosho" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1137)

Gosho Passage - August 8, 2018

"One who listens to even a sentence or phrase of the sutra and cherishes it deep in one’s heart may be likened to a ship that crosses the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, “Even a single phrase cherished deep in one’s heart will without fail help one reach the opposite shore."

From Gosho "A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 33)