There are two meanings of honesty: first, honesty in the worldly sense and in the second place, honesty in Buddhism. Speaking of honesty in the worldly sense, the Chinese character for king means running through the heaven, human world and earth. The three horizontal lines stand for heaven, human world and earth, which are run through by a vertical line. That is to say, the king is a person who treads the way of honesty throughout the heaven, human world and earth. The character king also stands for the color yellow. In ancient China, five colors stood for five directions, with the yellow color in the center. As the ruler in the center, the king is also called “yellow emperor.” The lord of the heaven, lord of the human world as well as that of the earth are all called the king. Ex-Emperor Gotoba, however, was the ruler in name only; he was a liar, wicked and dishonest. On the contrary, Shogunal Regent Hōjō Yoshitoki was a subject in name, but he was worthy of a great ruler without double-talk, in whom the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman vowed to reside.

Next, speaking of honesty in Buddhism, pre-Lotus sūtras and commentaries and interpretations of the seven schools of Buddhism in Japan based on those pre-Lotus sūtras are all dishonest, while the Lotus Sūtra and the teaching of the Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) School based on it are honest. The original substance of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman is Śākyamuni Buddha, who preached the honest sūtras and manifested Himself in Japan as the honest Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. The eight petals of the lotus flower surrounding the central dais for Lord Preacher Śākyamuni Buddha are the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. Śākyamuni Buddha, who was born on the eighth day of the fourth month, passed away on the fifteenth of the second month 80 years later. How can it not be that Lord Śākyamuni Buddha was reborn in Japan as the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman! To prove this, it is stated on the stone monument at the Shō Hachiman Shrine of Ōsumi Province, “Expounding the Lotus Sūtra on Mt. Sacred Eagle in the past, He now manifests Himself as a bodhisattva in the palace of the Shō Hachiman Shrine.” The Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients” states, “Now this triple world all belongs to Me, and all the people therein are all My children;” and chapter 16 on “The Life Span of the Buddha” declares, “I always preach and enlighten the people on Mt. Sacred Eagle in the Sahā World.” Therefore, all sentient beings faraway in the entire universe are children of Śākyamuni Buddha, and the 4,900,094,828 people nearby in Japan are all children of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. All living beings in Japan today, nevertheless, worship the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, who is a manifested trace of Śākyamuni, and ignore Śākyamuni Buddha, the original substance of Hachiman. This is like worshipping a shadow and slighting the substance or speaking ill of somebody to his children. The original substance of the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman is Śākyamuni Buddha, who was born in India, justly discarded the provisional sūtras and expounded the lone true teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. His manifested trace was born in Japan and resides in the head of an honest person.

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 270-272

And with that I conclude this 100-day journey through the seven volumes of the Writings of Nichiren Shōnin.

RATIONALE FOR REMONSTRATION WITH HACHIMAN

The Sūtra of Transmission of the Buddhist Teaching, fascicle 1, speaks of the previous life of Venerable Kāśyapa:

Once upon a time there lived a Brahman named Nyagrodha in the Kingdom of Magadha. Because of the great merit of his good acts for a long time in a previous life… , he was immensely rich and piled up vast wealth in this life … , which was worth a thousand times more than that of the king of Magadha. ( … ) Although he was very wealthy, he was childless, so the Brahman said to himself, “My days are numbered, but I have nobody to inherit my treasures filled in the warehouse. I wish to have a child. ” Thus, the Brahman prayed to the forest god in the neighborhood for good luck of having a child. Having prayed for years without any luck, he became furious and said to the forest god: “I have prayed to you for the last several years to no avail. I am going to pray to you from the bottom of my heart for seven more days. If it does not do any good, I am going to burn down your shrine.” Hearing this, the forest god in agony relayed his problem to the Four Heavenly Kings, who in turn reported the matter to Indra.

Indra looked around all over the world but could not find anyone worthy of being Nyagrodha’s child, so he went to the King of the Brahma Heaven for help. With his divine eye, the King of the Brahma Heaven then closely observed the whole world, finding a heavenly being in the Brahma Heaven who was about to die. The King told him that if he was to be reborn in the human world, he should be born as a child of Nyagrodha Brahman in Jambudvīpa. The dying being answered that he did not want to be reborn in a family of a Brahman because Brahman dharma includes many evil and false views. The King of the Brahma Heaven told him again: “Nyagrodha Brahman is a powerful man of virtue that there is no one in the world worthy to be born as his child. If you are reborn to his family, I will protect you lest you should fall into ‘evil view.’  ” Thereupon the heavenly being in the Brahma Heaven answered, “I will respectfully follow your words.”

The King of the Brahma Heaven then reported the turn of events to Indra, who in turn informed the forest god. Elated by the good news, the forest god called upon the Brahman at home saying, “You should no longer have a grudge against me. Your wish will be fulfilled in seven days. As expected, the wife of the Brahman became pregnant in seven days and gave birth to a baby boy ten months later. (…) This is Venerable Kāśyapa today.

It is stated in this sūtra that Nyagrodha became furious when his prayers were not answered. Ordinarily, those who get furious at the community deity will destroy themselves in this life and fall into evil realms in the next life. Nevertheless, Millionaire Nyagrodha was able to achieve his great wish of having a child as wise as Kāśyapa by getting very angry at the community deity and speaking ill of him. You should know that anger may be both good and evil. My remonstration with the Great Bodhisattva Hachiman today is anger for a good cause.

For the past 28 years since the 28th of the fourth month in the fifth year of Kenchō (1253) till the 12th month in the third year of Kōan (1280), I have devoted myself to nothing but encouraging all the people in Japan to recite the daimoku, the five or seven character title of the Lotus Sūtra. This is exactly like the compassion of a mother trying to breast feed her baby. Now is the time for us to expound the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra as predicted by the Buddha to be spread in the fifth 500-year period, the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration after His death. The days of Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō were still in the Age of the Semblance Dharma prior to the time for the propagation of the Lotus Sūtra. Nevertheless, as there were some people whose capacity to understand and believe the Lotus Sūtra was ripe, the sūtra was spread a little. How much more it should be spread today, the Latter Age of Degeneration! How can we not spread the Lotus Sūtra even if very few people have the capacity for it while most people contradict it like water against fire? When we single-mindedly spread the Lotus Sūtra, there is no doubt that we will eventually succeed even if we should encounter such great difficulties as those that have befallen Never-Despising Bodhisattva.

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 270-272

This tale of how babies are conceived – a man and a woman and the cooperation of a suitable child – is one of my favorites. It is second only to the story of the calligrapher Wu-lung and his son, I-lung (here and here).

As for the point of this quote – When we single-mindedly spread the Lotus Sūtra, there is no doubt that we will eventually succeed – I have no doubt that the Lotus Sūtra will continue to spread for years to come.

A colt, one or two-years old, does not look sick even if its joints grow long, legs become round and thin, and upper legs are long. When it becomes seven or eight years old and is heavier, all kinds of trouble become apparent as the blood vessels become larger and the upper part of the body grows bigger while the lower part remains small. The horse is no longer useful to people, as it is weak in strength and short in longevity. It is like a small boat loaded with huge rocks or a tiny tree with huge fruits.

The same is true with heavenly beings. At the beginning of the Kalpa of Construction, when the world is being created, gods were born with excellent rewards of virtuous acts in previous lives, and men were not evil. Therefore, heavenly beings were shiny in body, pure in spirit, as bright as the sun and moon, and as brave as the lion and elephant. When the Kalpa of Construction was over and the world entered the Kalpa of Continuance, heavenly beings from the previous period grew old and declined like the waning moon, newly born gods were mostly equipped with inferior rewards of actions in their previous lives. As a result, the three calamities and seven disasters occurred all over the world and people everywhere began experiencing sufferings and joys.

Then the Buddha appeared in this world and prepared the panacea of life, that is Buddhism, for the gods and people. Like oil added to a lamp or a cane supporting an elderly person, heavenly beings regained the authority and power they possessed in the Kalpa of Construction.

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 257-258

As the descendant of Irish and European stock and the child of Christian parents in post-World War II America, one of my favorite aspects of Buddhism is this understanding that gods are just beings with really good karma and that they – just as we in the realm of humans – benefit from the appearance of the Buddha like oil added to a lamp or a cane supporting an elderly person.

QUESTION: How did the great earthquake of the Shōka Era and the great comet of the Bun’ei Era happen?

ANSWER: T’ien-t’ai has said, “Men of knowledge know the causes of phenomena, and only snakes know the way of snakes.”

QUESTION: What does that mean?

ANSWER: It means that when Bodhisattva Superior Practice emerged from the earth as described in the fifteenth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, even such bodhisattvas as Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, and Medicine King, who had reached only one step below Buddhahood by conquering the forty-one steps of darkness of mind, did not know that he had been called upon to spread “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” the essence of the “Life Span of the Buddha” (16th) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, in the Latter Age of Degeneration. It was because they had not yet conquered the fundamental darkness of mind and therefore were still considered ignorant.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
Pages 195-197

This idea that Maitreya, Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara, and Medicine King were lacking and therefore unsuitable for propagating the Lotus Sūtra is one measure of the importance of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai states in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “The wonderful way of the Lotus Sūtra will spread benefit far into the fifth 500-year period!” Grand Master Miao-lê explains it in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Not necessarily will there be no divine favor of the Lotus Sūtra at the beginning of the Latter Age.” Grand Master Dengyō declares in his Treatise on the Protection of the Nation: “The Age of the True Dharma and that of the Semblance Dharma are about to end, and the Latter Age of Degeneration is around the corner. This is the time for the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus to spread. How can we say this? We know it because it is stated in the ‘Peaceful Practices’ (14th) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that it should be spread at the time when the dharma is about to disappear in the latter world.” He also says in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra:

The time is toward the end of the Age of the Semblance Dharma and the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration; the place is east of T’ang China and west of Katsu; when people live in the world of defilement and corruption, full of disputes and quarrels. The Lotus Sūtra, chapter 10, states that much hatred and jealousy existed even during the lifetime of Śākyamuni Buddha, not to speak of after His death. This is a meaningful statement indeed!

According to Buddhist scriptures, the world goes through four kalpa (periods of construction, continuance, destruction, and emptiness), each of which consists of 20 small kalpa. In the period of continuance, the average human longevity increases by a year per century from 10 years until it reaches the maximum human longevity of 84,000 years. Thereafter the human life grows shorter by a year per century until it reaches the minimum average human life span of 10 years. Now, Śākyamuni Buddha was born to this world during the ninth small kalpa, within the kalpa of continuance, when the human life span was decreasing to 100 years. The fifty years of Śākyamuni’s appearance in this world, the 2,000-year period of Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, and the 10,000 years of the Latter Age of Degeneration are all included in this period, during which human longevity decreases from 100 years to the minimum of 10 years. It includes two periods in which the Lotus Sūtra flourishes: the last eight years of Śākyamuni Buddha and the first 500 years of the Latter Age of Degeneration after His extinction. Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lê and Dengyō missed the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra by the Buddha, nor were they able to be born in the Latter Age after His death. Regretting their misfortune for being born in between the two occasions, those grand masters made the statements cited above, wishing to have been born in the Latter Age.

This is like Hermit Asita’s lament. Seeing the birth of Prince Siddhartha, the Indian hermit deplored: “Being over ninety years old, I will not be able to live long enough to see the Prince attain Buddhahood in this world. Since I will be reborn in the realm of non-form, I will not be able to attend Śākyamuni’s preachings for fifty years in this world. Nor will I be able to be reborn after His death in the Age of the True Dharma, the Semblance Dharma, or the Latter Age of Degeneration.”

Those who have aspiration for enlightenment should be glad to see and hear these comments. Those who care for future lives should rather be born as common people today in the Latter Age than great kings during the 2,000-year period after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Age of the True Dharma and that of the Semblance Dharma. How could they not believe in this? They should rather be suffering from leprosy in the Latter Age reciting “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (Homage to the Lotus Sūtra )” than to be the revered chief abbot of the Enryakuji Temple, grand temple of the Tendai School of Buddhism, during the Age of the Semblance Dharma. Emperor Wu of Liang in ancient China prayed: “I would rather be Devadatta, who sank to the worst Hell of Incessant Suffering but who eventually was able to attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sūtra, than be Hermit Udraka-rāmaputra, who was able to be born in heaven but never succeeded in attaining Buddhahood.”

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
Pages 195-197

I consider myself truly blessed to have been born a common person today in the Latter Age. Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

THE SPREAD OF BUDDHISM IN THE FIFTH 500-YEAR PERIOD

The fifth 500-year period, the period of destruction of the pure dharma referred to in the Sutra of the Great Assembly, is without doubt today. After the destruction of the pure dharma, however, the great pure dharma of “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” the gist of the Lotus Sūtra, should spread widely among all the people and subjects of 80,000 kings of 80,000 lands in the world, just as today in Japan people all recite the name of the Buddha of Infinite Life. This has been decided by the Buddha, so we must make it a reality.

QUESTION: Do you have any proof for this?

ANSWER: It is said in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7 (chapter 23), “It will spread throughout the world in the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha lest it should be lost.” It means that the Lotus Sūtra will spread in the period after the destruction of the pure dharma predicted in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly. The Lotus Sūtra also makes such references as: “those who uphold it in the evil world during the Latter Age of Degeneration” (fascicle 6: chapter 17); “at the time when the dharma is about to disappear in the future latter age” (fascicle 5: chapter 14): “even during the time of the Buddha much hatred and jealousy is raised against this Sūtra; how much more after His death!” (fascicle 4: chapter 10); and “much hate exists toward this Sūtra in the world, making it difficult to uphold it” (fascicle 5: chapter 14). Speaking of the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha, namely, the period of increasing disagreements and quarrels, the Lotus Sūtra in its seventh fascicle (chapter 23) declares: “Devils, devils’ subjects, dragons, yakṣa demons, and kumbhāṇḍa devils will be trying to take advantage.” It is stated in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly: “Disputes and quarrels will arise within Buddhism itself. ” And in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 5 (chapter 13): “Monks in the evil world will be cunning, flattering, and arrogant;” “some monks will live in monasteries and appear to be practicing the true ways;” and “devils will enter the bodies of those monks and cause them to abuse those who uphold the True Dharma.”

These citations meant to say that a large number of great monks will be haunted by a devil’s spirit all over the country in the fifth 500 year period. Suppose a wise man appears then. Those high priests haunted by a devil’s spirit would induce the king and his ministers and populace into speaking ill of him, abusing him, beating him with sticks or pieces of wood, throwing stones or tiles at him, and banishing or even executing him. Then Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas in all the worlds in ten directions would order the great bodhisattvas appearing from underground, who in turn would order the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, the sun, the moon, and the Four Heavenly Kings to inflict strange phenomena in the sky and natural calamities on earth. If those kings do not heed the divine punishments, their neighboring countries would be ordered to chastise those evil kings and monks, resulting in the most terrible war the world has ever had.

Then all the people in the world living under the sun and moon, desirous of the welfare of their countries or of themselves, would pray in vain to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Finally, believing in the poor monk whom they have hated, an incalculable number of high priests, 80,000 great kings, and all the people would bow low with their heads touching the ground and holding their hands together in reverence, reciting “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (Homage to the Lotus Sūtra!) “It would be just as when the Buddha revealed the eighth of His ten supernatural powers in the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” of the (21st) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that all the people without exception in all the worlds throughout the universe faced this Sahā World, resoundingly reciting in unison “Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to the Lotus Sūtra! Homage to the Lotus Sūtra!

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
Pages 188-189

Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to the Lotus Sūtra!

BUDDHISM AND TIME

To study Buddhism, first of all we must know the right time.

In the past, the Great Universal Wisdom Buddha appeared in the world, but he did not preach at all for as long as ten small kalpa. It is said in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 7 on “The Parable of a Magic City”: “He sat in meditation for ten small kalpa;” and “Though begged to preach, the Buddha sat in silence because He knew the time was not yet ripe.” Our Lord Śākyamuni Buddha, did not expound the Lotus Sūtra for more than forty years. As said in the Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients,” it was because “the time was not ripe.” Lao-tzu is said to have spent as long as eighty years in his mother’s womb before he was born. Bodhisattva Maitreya, future Lord Buddha of this Sahā World, is expected to stay in the inner chamber of the Tuṣita Heaven (Tōsotsu-ten) for as long as 5,670,000,000 years, waiting for the time to attain perfect enlightenment. As nightingales wait for summer to sing and roosters wait for dawn to crow, even beasts know the time. How much more should we choose the right time in practicing Buddhism?

When the Buddha preached the Flower Garland Sūtra at the Hall of Enlightenment, various Buddhas appeared from the worlds in ten directions, and all great bodhisattvas gathered together. Moreover, the Great King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings danced for joy; eight kinds of gods and semi-gods such as dragon gods held their hands together in reverence; the wiser among ordinary men bent their ears to Him; and various bodhisattvas such as Moon of Emancipation (Vimuki-candra), who have attained enlightenment during the present life, begged Him to preach. However, Śākyamuni did not even reveal the names of His two most important teachings: “Obtaining Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha” (nijō-sabutsu) and “Śākyamuni’s attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past” (kuon-jitsujō). Nor did He expound the fundamental doctrines of the “becoming a Buddha with one’s present body” (sokushin-jōbutsu) and “3,000 existences contained in one thought” (ichinen-sanzen). It was not that He did not speak of those doctrines because no one had the capacity to understand them. It was solely because, as stated in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients”, “the time was not ripe. ”

When the Lotus Sūtra was preached on Mt. Sacred Eagle, King Ajātaśatru, the most unfilial man in the world, attended the meeting; even Devadatta, who had abused the True Dharma throughout his life, was guaranteed to be Tennō (Heavenly King) Buddha in the future. Furthermore, a dragon girl, though females were considered incapable of becoming a King of the Brahma Heaven, an Indra, a King of Devils, a Wheel-turning Noble King, or a Buddha, became a Buddha without changing her dragon-body. Attainment of Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles, and those with fixed natures who had been considered definitely incapable of becoming Buddhas, was as wondrous as a toasted seed germinating, flowering and bearing fruit. When Śākyamuni Buddha’s “attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past” was revealed, the audience was so astonished as to wonder how a hundred-year old man could be the son of a twenty-five year old man. The “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine explained that unenlightened beings in the Nine Realms and enlightened ones in the Realm of the Buddha are one and inseparable, opening the way for the unenlightened to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, each letter of this sūtra represents a wish-fulfilling gem that pours out 10,000 treasures; each phrase of it is the seed of Buddhahood. The preaching of these most profound teachings was not done because of the capacity of the audience, their intelligence to understand or faith to uphold them. It was because the time was ripe. The Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients,” therefore says: “Now is the time to expound the Mahayana teaching definitely.”

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
Pages 188-189

Indeed, now is the time to expound the Mahayana teaching definitely.

In order to see our own faces we have to look at them reflected upon a spotless mirror. Likewise, in order to see the rise and fall of a country, there is no way better than to see them reflected upon the mirror of the Buddhist dharma. As we respectfully read such Mahayana sūtras as the Sūtra of the Benevolent King, Sūtra of the Golden Splendor, Guardian Sūtra, Nirvana Sūtra, and Lotus Sūtra, it is preached that the rise and fall of a country and the life span of people in it depend on the Dharma they believe, whether they believe in the True Dharma or a false dharma. It is like water that keeps a boat afloat but also destroys it, or staple grains which nourish human bodies but often damage them. Small winds and waves would not damage large ships, but small ships can easily be destroyed by gale winds and huge waves. Unjust government, like small winds and waves, would not cause the downfall of a great country and a great man; however, there is no doubt that a false dharma in Buddhism, like gale winds and huge waves destroying small boats, will destroy a country. …

Of the spotless mirrors of the holy teachings preached in His lifetime, the Lotus Sūtra is the special divine mirror. A copper mirror can show the figure of a man but not his mind. The divine mirror of the Lotus Sūtra shows not only a man’s figure but also his mind. Not only the current mind of a man but also his karma in the previous life and his reward and retribution in the future can clearly be spotlighted.

The Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7, the 21st chapter on “The Divine Powers of the Buddha,” preaches: “Suppose that after the Buddha passed away, someone who knows the causes and conditions and proper sequence of the sūtras expounded by the Buddha will preach them truthfully according to the true meaning. As the light of the sun and moon can eliminate all darkness, so this person will wipe out the darkness of living beings as he walks about in the world.”

This scriptural passage means that he who expounds even a word or a phrase of the Lotus Sūtra should know well the comparative profundity of the holy teachings preached during His lifetime and the sequence of preaching them. For instance, speaking of the calendar consisting of more than 360 days a year, a mistake by one day will cause mistakes for 10,000 days. In a 31-syllable Japanese poem, a mistake in a syllable or a phrase makes the whole 31 syllables unpoetic. Likewise, in reading or reciting a sūtra, if one is confused about the sequence and comparative profundity of the holy teachings of the Buddha beginning with the Flower Garland Sūtra preached first at the Hall of Enlightenment to the Nirvana Sūtra expounded last in the śāla forest, one will inevitably fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering without committing the five rebellious sins. Those who believe in him will also fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering.

Therefore, when a wise man appears in the world to correctly declare the comparative profundity of the holy teachings preached during His lifetime, those priests who have transmitted false doctrines from the founders of their respective sects and are revered as the teachers of the state or aristocratic families will make a false charge against the wise man to the rulers of the country or incite a popular protest against him. Otherwise, the weakness of their sects would be revealed, causing them to be despised by the people. Then, it is preached, the protective deities of Buddhism will be so enraged that they will destroy this country just as gale winds tear up the leaves of banana plants or high waves overturn small boats.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 141-142

Underscore “Of the spotless mirrors of the holy teachings preached in His lifetime, the Lotus Sūtra is the special divine mirror. A copper mirror can show the figure of a man but not his mind. The divine mirror of the Lotus Sūtra shows not only a man’s figure but also his mind. Not only the current mind of a man but also his karma in the previous life and his reward and retribution in the future can clearly be spotlighted.”