The Izu Exile

Daily Wisdom

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Sunday, August 12, 2012:

What caused you to inwardly believe in the Lotus Sutra and to make offerings to me during my more than thirty-day stay there? I was hated and resented by the steward and the people of the district even more than I was in Kamakura. Those who saw me scowled, while those who merely heard my name were filled with spite. And yet, though I was there in the fifth month when rice was scarce, you secretly fed me. Have my parents been reborn in a place called Kawana, in Ito of Izu Province?

The Izu Exile
Written to Funamori Yasaburo on June 27, 1261

The Izu Exile

Daily Wisdom
From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Thursday, June 28, 2012:

The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra states, "[I will send...] men and women of pure faith, to offer alms to the teachers of the Law." The meaning of this sutra passage is that the heavenly gods and benevolent deities will assume various forms such as those of men and women, and present offerings to help the persons who practice the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt that this refers to you and your wife being born as a man and woman, and making offerings to Nichiren, the teacher of the Law.

The Izu Exile
Written to Funamori Yasaburo on June 27, 1261

The Izu Exile

What caused you to inwardly believe in the Lotus Sutra and to make offerings to me during my more than thirty-day stay there? I was hated and resented by the steward and the people of the district even more than I was in Kamakura. Those who saw me scowled, while those who merely heard my name were filled with spite. And yet, though I was there in the fifth month when rice was scarce, you secretly fed me. Have my parents been reborn in a place called Kawana, in Ito of Izu Province? 12/8

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
The Izu Exile
Written to Funamori Yasaburo on June 27, 1261