Gosho passage - May 30, 2014

"There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter Day of the Law, be they men or women. Were they not Bodhisattvas of the Earth, they could not chant the daimoku. At first only Nichiren chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, but then two, three, and a hundred followed, chanting and teaching others. Propagation will unfold this way in the future as well. Does this not signify “emerging from the earth”?"

From Gosho "The True Aspect of All Phenomena" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, page 385)

Gosho passage - May 29, 2014

"A waterfall called the Dragon Gate exists in China. Its waters plunge a hundred feet, swifter than an arrow shot by a strong warrior. It is said that a great many carp gather in the basin below, hoping to climb the falls, and that any that succeeds will turn into a dragon. Not a single carp, however, out of a hundred, a thousand, or even ten thousand, can climb the falls, not even after ten or twenty years. Some are swept away by the strong currents, some fall prey to eagles, hawks, kites, and owls, and others are netted, scooped up, or even shot with arrows by fishermen who line both banks of the falls ten cho wide. Such is the difficulty a carp faces in becoming a dragon. [...] Attaining Buddhahood is no easier than for men of low status to enter court circles, or for carp to climb the Dragon Gate."

From Gosho "The Dragon Gate" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1002)

Gosho passage - May 28, 2014

"Money serves various purposes according to our needs. The same is true of the Lotus Sutra. It is a lantern in the dark or a boat at a crossing. At times it is water and, at times, fire. This being so, the Lotus Sutra assures us of “peace and security in our present existence and good circumstances in future existences.”"

From Gosho "The Swords of Good and Evil" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 452)

Gosho passage - May 27, 2014

"There are two ways of perceiving the three thousand realms in a single moment of life. One is theoretical, and the other, actual. What T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo- practiced was theoretical, but what I practice now is actual. Because what I practice is superior, the difficulties attending it are that much greater. The doctrine of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo- was the three thousand realms in a single moment of life of the theoretical teaching, while mine is that of the essential teaching. These two are as different as heaven is from earth."

From Gosho "The Treatment of Illness" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1115)

Gosho passage - May 26, 2014

"There is no true happiness for human beings other than chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The sutra reads, “. . . where living beings enjoy themselves at ease.” How could this passage mean anything but the boundless joy of the Law? Surely you are included among the “living beings.” “Where” means Jambudvipa, and Japan lies within Jambudvipa. Could “enjoy themselves at ease” mean anything but that both our bodies and minds, lives and environments, are entities of three thousand realms in a single moment of life and Buddhas of limitless joy?"

From Gosho "Happiness in This World" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 681)

Gosho passage - May 24, 2014

"After I [the Buddha] have passed into extinction, in the last fivehundredyear period you must spread it abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa and never allow it to be cut off, nor must you allow evil devils, the devils' people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas, or kumbhanda demons to seize the advantage! [...] Since the sutra's prediction was not made in vain, then it is certain that all the people of Japan will chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!"

From Gosho "On Repaying Debts of Gratitude" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, pages 736-737)

Gosho passage - May 23, 2014

"How does the mirror of the Lotus Sutra portray the people who, in the evil world of the latter age, believe in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra just as they are set forth in the sutra? Shakyamuni Buddha has left us words from his golden mouth revealing that such people have already made offerings to a hundred thousand million Buddhas in their past existences."

From Gosho "The Proof of the Lotus Sutra" (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin Volume I, page 1108)