800 Years: The Necessity for Faith

Nichiren Shōnin described the necessity of faith in the Lotus Sūtra as “to replace understanding with faith.” We are unenlightened people. Even if we dream of gaining the wisdom of the buddhas, accomplishing that is impossible with our mediocre intelligence. What Nichiren Shōnin describes is completely different. By discarding our limited intelligence and devoting ourselves solely to faith in the Lotus Sūtra, the wisdom of the buddhas naturally emerges. We unenlightened people cannot comprehend the wisdom of the buddhas. But this wisdom will come to us naturally if we have faith in the Lotus Sūtra. It is just like the way a baby drinking its mother’s milk cannot understand the elements contained in the milk but uses the milk to nourish growth.

History and Teachings of Nichiren Buddhism, p 75