The good fortune of the believer cannot be burned by fire or washed away by water

Gold can neither be burned by fire nor corroded or swept away by water, but iron is vulnerable to both. A wise person is like gold and a fool like iron. You are like pure gold because you embrace the "gold" of the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra reads in part, "Sumeru is the loftiest of all mountains. The Lotus Sutra is likewise the loftiest of all the sutras." It also states, "The good fortune of the believer cannot be burned by fire or washed away by water." 8/12

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life

How precious your life is

A single life is worth more than the major world system. You still have many years ahead of you, and moreover you have encountered the Lotus Sutra. If you live even one day longer, you can accumulate that much more benefit. How precious your life is!

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
On Prolonging One’s Life Span

A friend in the orchid room

You have associated with a friend in the orchid room and have become as straight as mugwort growing among the hemp. If you will truly give consideration to the troubles I have been describing and put entire faith in these words of mine, then the winds will blow gently, the waves will be calm, and in no time at all we will enjoy bountiful harvests. 6/12

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land



Notes: A friend in the orchid room” indicates a person of virtue. The implication is that the company of a virtuous person works as a good influence, just as one is imbued with fragrance on entering a room filled with orchids. It is said that mugwort supported by hemp plants grows upright.

The Lotus Sutra and our various needs

Money serves various purposes according to our needs. The same is true of the Lotus Sutra. It will be a lantern in the dark or a boat at a crossing. At times it will be water, and at other times, fire. This being so, the Lotus Sutra assures us of "peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next." 5/12

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
THE SWORDS OF GOOD AND EVIL

Ability to endure persecution and the wealth of compassion for others

When it comes to understanding the Lotus Sutra, I have only a minute fraction of the vast ability that T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo possessed. But as regards my ability to endure persecution and the wealth of my compassion for others, I believe they would hold me in awe. 4/12

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
THE OPENING OF THE EYES

Appearence of envoy of Bodhisattva Superior Practices

The present time corresponds to the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law. Passages of the sutra clearly state that at this time Bodhisattva Superior Practices will appear and bestow the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo on all the people of Japan. And they reveal that he will face exile and execution. I am also like the envoy of Bodhisattva Superior Practices because I spread this doctrine. 3/12



From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
This Person Advances through the World

ON REPAYING DEBTS OF GRATITUDE

All these things I have done solely to repay the debt I owe to my parents, the debt I owe to my teacher, the debt I owe to the three treasures of Buddhism, and the debt I owe to my country. For their sake I have been willing to destroy my body and to give up my life, though as it turns out, I have not been put to death after all. 2/12

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
ON REPAYING DEBTS OF GRATITUDE

The six difficult and nine easy acts

While thinking this over, I recalled the teachings of the “Treasure Tower” chapter on the six difficult and nine easy acts. Persons like myself who are of paltry strength might still be able to lift Mount Sumeru and toss it about; persons like myself who are lacking in supernatural powers might still shoulder a load of dry grass and yet remain unburned in the fire at the end of the kalpa of decline; and persons like myself who are without wisdom might still read and memorize as many sutras as there are sands in the Ganges. But such acts are not diffiult, we are told, when compared to the difficulty of embracing even one phrase or verse of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. I vowed to summon up a powerful and unconquerable desire for the salvation of all beings, and never to falter in my efforts. 1/12

From the Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
THE OPENING OF THE EYES

The truth will eventually prevail

Though water may be muddied, it will again become clear. Though the moon may hide behind the clouds, it will surely reappear. Similarly, in time my innocence became apparent, and my predictions proved not to have been in vain. 30/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Letter to the Lay Priest Nakaoki
Written to the lay priest Nakaoki and his wife on November 30, 1279

Faith and prayers

Whether or not your prayer is answered will depend upon your faith; [if it is not,] I will in no way be to blame. When the water is clear, the moon is reflected. When the wind blows, the trees shake. Our minds are like the water. Faith that is weak is like muddy water, while faith that is brave is like clear water. Understand that the trees are like principles, and the wind that shakes them is like the recitation of the sutra. 29/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Reply to the Lay Nun Nichigon
Written to the lay nun Nichigon on November 29, 1280

Buddhism spreads according to the time and the people's capacity

Buddhism spreads according to the time and the people's capacity. Although I may not be worthy of this teaching, I expound it because the time is right. 28/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
This is What I Heard
Written to the lay priest Soya Jiro on November 28, 1277

Woman who embraces the sutra

Only in the Lotus Sutra do we read that a woman who embraces this sutra not only excels all other women, but also surpasses all men. 27/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
The Unity of Husband and Wife
Written to Nichigen-nyo on January 27, 1275

The Four Debts of Gratitude

Even if we should gather all the water of the four great oceans to wet inkstones, burn all the trees and plants to cinders to make ink, collect the hairs of all beasts for writing brushes, employ all the surfaces of the worlds in the ten directions for paper, and, with these, set down expressions of gratitude, how could we possibly repay our debt to the Buddha?

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
The Four Debts of Gratitude
Written to Kudo Sakon-no-jo Yoshitaka on January 16, 1262

Strive ever harder in faith, and never give in to conplacent

Strive ever harder in faith, and never give in to negligence. All the people appear to believe sincerely when they first embrace the Lotus Sutra, but as time passes, they tend to become less devout; they no longer revere nor make offerings to the priest, giving themselves up to arrogance and forming distorted views. This is most frightening. 25/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Letter to Niike
Written to Niike Saemon-no-jo in February 1280

A person of wisdom

A person of wisdom is one who, understanding the time, spreads the teachings of the Lotus Sutra accordingly; this is his most important task. If a person's throat is dry, what he needs is water; he has no use for bows and arrows, weapons and sticks. If a person is naked, he wants a suit of clothes but has no need for water. From one or two examples you can guess the principle that applies in general. 24/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Letter to Horen
Written to Soya Kyoshin in April 1275

Life is limited; we must not begrudge it. What we should ultimately aspire to is the Buddha land

You absolutely must not lament over my exile. It says in the "Encouraging Devotion" chapter and in the "Never Disparaging" chapter [that the votary of the Lotus Sutra will meet with persecution]. Life is limited; we must not begrudge it. What we should ultimately aspire to is the Buddha land. 23/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Aspiration for the Buddha Land
Written to Toki Jonin on November 23, 1271

Praising Lay Nun Myoho

But now you, born a woman in the evil world of the latter age, while being reviled, struck and persecuted by the barbaric inhabitants of this island country who are unaware of these things, have endured and are propagating the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha at Eagle Peak surely perceives that your surpass the nun [Mahaprajapati] as greatly as clouds do mud. The name of that nun, the Buddha Gladly Seen by All Living Beings, is no unrelated matter; it is now the name of the lay nun Myoho. 22/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Reply to the Lay Nun Myoho
Written to the lay nun Myoho in 1281

When the three obstacles and four devils appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat

There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat. 21/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
The Three Obstacles and Four Devils
Written to Ikegami Hyoe no Sakan Munenaga on November 20, 1277

Fear and lack of courage

You should not have the slightest fear in your heart. It is lack of courage that prevents one from attaining Buddhahood, although one may have professed faith in the Lotus Sutra many times since innumerable kalpas ago. 20/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
The Three Obstacles and Four Devils
Written to Ikegami Hyoe no Sakan Munenaga on November 20, 1277

Change fixed karma by practicing the Lotus

In this age, it is as natural for a woman to change her fixed karma by practicing the Lotus Sutra as it is for rice to ripen in fall or chrysanthemums to bloom in winter. When I prayed for my mother, not only was her illness cured, but her life was prolonged by four years. Now you too have fallen ill, and as a woman, it is all the more timely for you to establish steadfast faith in the Lotus Sutra and see what it will do for you. 19/11

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
On Prolonging One's Life Span
Written to the lay nun Myojo in 1279