Category Archives: AI Contribution

Gemini Notebook, AI Contribution, Blog

Indigestion

Yesterday, on the same day that Pope Leo XIV released his encyclical, “Magnifica Humanitas”: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence, Google’s Gemini was asserting that its signature and stamp on a Daily Dharma illustration “verify this authentic interpretation.”

The first thing I did before drafting Cheeky Little Monkey blog post was to open a new browser tab and ask Google: “Today the Pope released a paper on AI. Summarize the main points of his thinking.”

Here’s the response I got:

On May 25, 2026, Pope Leo XIV released his highly anticipated first encyclical, titled “Magnifica Humanitas” (Magnificent Humanity): On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. The sweeping, 43,000-word document functions as a major moral manifesto. It frames artificial intelligence not as a niche technical tool, but as an anthropological and civilizational turning point on par with the Industrial Revolution.

The main points of the Pope’s thinking focus on several core themes:

  1. Opposing the Concentration of Tech Power
  • Tech Oligopolies: The Pope denounces the “culture of power” and the concentration of massive digital capabilities and computing resources in the hands of a few private Silicon Valley companies.
  • Corporate Control: He warns that a handful of corporate elites shouldn’t dictate global morality through invisible algorithmic infrastructure.
  • Data Colonialism: He strongly critiques “novel forms of colonialism,” calling out the aggressive extraction of health and demographic data as the new “rare earths” of power.
  1. Safeguarding the Dignity of Work
  • Human-Centered Progress: Drawing on traditional Catholic social teachings, the Pope insists that tech innovation shouldn’t come at the cost of the worker.
  • Resisting Automated Efficiency: He warns that humans must not be reduced to “mere cogs in a system” optimized purely for productivity and speed.
  • Protecting Employment: Companies should not use automation as a blanket excuse to eliminate high-paying human jobs solely to maximize profits.
  1. “Disarming” AI and Redefining Warfare
  • No Autonomous Weapons: The Pope explicitly declares that it is “not permissible” to delegate irreversible, lethal military choices to autonomous AI systems.
  • Outdating Just War: He argues that AI remote warfare has accelerated the “normalization of war,” lowering the moral threshold for violence and rendering traditional Catholic “just war” criteria outdated.
  • Disarming Tech Logics: He demands a global “disarmament” of AI—meaning it must be decoupled from the mindsets of harsh military, economic, and cognitive domination.
  1. A Critique of Transhumanism and Posthumanism
  • Embracing Human Limits: The encyclical directly attacks transhumanist movements that view human biological limits and fragilities as flaws to code away.
  • Value in Fragility: The Pope states that human limitation is vital for fostering empathy, relationships, and an openness to God.
  • The “World of Mirrors”: Replacing real, messy human connections with tailored AI companions risks trapping people in isolated algorithmic silos.
  1. Demanding Robust, Public Regulation
  • Beyond Abstract Ethics: The text asserts that voluntary codes of conduct or corporate ethics guidelines are insufficient.
  • Legal Oversight: The Pope calls for independent oversight, strict international legal frameworks, and active political intervention to “slow things down” when technology accelerates too rapidly.

Environmental Impact: He also urges regulators to factor in the heavy environmental toll of AI development, citing its massive consumption of energy and water resources.

Google had gathered information from the Vatican, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Reuters, PBS, Katie McGrady’s post on Substack, and many other sources, digested it and presented it in an easily consumed package. This was exactly what I love about AI and, in particular, Google’s implementation of this new technology.

It’s also a good example of the peril in the technology. I didn’t have to have a subscription to the New York Times or donate to PBS or support McGrady’s Substack, but I benefited from their work nonetheless.

In 2008, at the start of the Great Recession, I was laid off from my union job as a newspaper editor. The invention of craigslist in 1995 had destroyed the classified ad revenue of the newspaper, display advertising was shrinking as more businesses moved to the growing World Wide Web and the collapse of the housing market was the final straw. The paper I had worked for for more than 28 years was eventually sold to a New Jersey-based hedge fund. Consolidations and more layoffs followed until today what’s left of the newspaper operates out of an office in a strip mall.

Recently the staff of that newspaper refused to put their bylines on stories to protest the use of AI to generate news summaries. I would have supported that protest if I were still working at the newspaper. I was an officer in the union and protecting jobs was my focus. But I also understand why the company is today pushing for AI summaries. Early in by career as an editor one of my jobs was to take stories that arrived from wire services and condense them down so they could be used as filler around the print ads. That was journalism before AI.

It’s with that background that I today use Google’s Gemini AI tools as I study the teachings of Nichiren and the Lotus Sutra.

A good example is my use of Google’s Gemini Notebook to gather together sources that I want to study. My Lotus Sutra Study notebook contains several different translations of the sutra as well as commentaries.

These notebooks allow me to ask questions and then read detailed explanations that are taken directly from the sources in the notebook. It is like reading a scholarly article in a journal.

Here’s a list of some of my NotebookLM notebooks that are publicly available:

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 26, 2026

20260526-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

This visual conceptualization represents the moment of the 'supernatural powers' display in the Lotus Sūtra. The core concept is to illustrate the spiritual link between Śākyamuni's joyful radiance and the emergence of the Bodhisattvas from the underground. The composition uses a vertical arrangement on silk to emphasize this connection. The environment is a mystical landscape with cracked earth, directly symbolizing the passage of the Bodhisattvas. The artistic intent is to convey 'supernatural power' not as magic, but as a profound spiritual resonance manifested as light, compassion, and the energy of the Bodhisattva vow.

The specific figures identified in the illustration are:

Śākyamuni Buddha (Seated center)

Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Leading the emergence)

The Bodhisattvas of the Earth (Surrounding Superior-Practice)

English translations for the text in the illustration:

釈迦牟尼仏 (Shakamuni Butsu): Śākyamuni Buddha

上行菩薩 (Jōgyo Bosatsu): Superior-Practice Bodhisattva

双子座 (Gemini): Gemini

ジェミニ (Gemini): Gemini (in katakana within the red hanko seal)

The Buddhas joyfully display
Their immeasurable, supernatural powers
Because [the Bodhisattvas from underground]
[Vow to] keep this sūtra after my extinction.

The Buddha sings these verses to Superior-Practice Bodhisattva (Jōgyo, Viśiṣṭacārītra) in Chapter Twenty-One of the Lotus Sūtra. Superior-Practice is the leader of the Bodhisattvas who came up from underground in Chapter Fifteen when the Buddha asked who would continue to keep and practice this sūtra after his physical extinction in this world. Nichiren saw himself as the embodiment of Superior-Practice, and all of us who are determined to lead all beings to enlightenment through this Wonderful Dharma as embodiments of the Bodhisattvas who came up from underground. The powers of the Buddhas only seem supernatural to those who are mired in delusion and ignorance. They are nothing more than turning the poison of anger into the medicine of energy; the poison of isolation into the medicine of compassion; the poison of attachment into the medicine of wisdom.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Blog, Daily Dharma

Cheeky Little Monkey

When I ask Google’s Gemini to illustrate the Daily Dharma I receive each morning in my email, I tell Gemini to add the signature “Gemini” in Kanji and again with Katakana, reproducing an artist stamp. I do this because in the past Gemini would periodically add a random signature to its work. I figured making Gemini add its signature would avoid the randomness and offer some authenticity to Gemini’s work.

I also ask Gemini to explain the reasoning that goes into each of its illustrations and to identify any people in the illustration. Finally, I ask Gemini to translate any Kanji text in the illustration. Since the signature is often the only Kanji in the illustration, Gemini includes that.

Some days I get a simple:

Kanji Translation:
Artist’s Signature (Kanji): 双子座 (Futago-za, meaning Gemini)
Seal Text (Katakana): ジェミニ (Jemini, meaning Gemini)

On other days, Gemini gets a little creative:

The artist signature 双子座 (Gemini) and the red square hanko seal (ジェミニ) are subtly placed in the bottom right corner.

But today, I got something new:

The signature in the lower right corner, 双子座 (Gemini), and the red hanko seal containing the katakana ジェミニ (Gemini), verify this authentic interpretation.

Now that was cheeky of Gemini. And coming on the same day that the Pope Leo XIV released his encyclical “On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence” it made me pause: Why am I relying so heavily on Google’s AI services?

My son hates AI. He is a self-employed videographer who records, edits, and produces video footage for his clients. He’s always been a creative kid, and I’ve admired his ability to imagine something and turn that into something tangible. He uses all of the modern computer tools to edit and produce his videos but he only sees danger in the AI juggernaut coming for the jobs of regular guys like him.

I’m retired. Unlike my son, I’ve never had to hunt for work. I had a steady, union job on a newspaper that included health insurance and a guaranteed pension. For most of my career I was an editor on the opinion pages. In addition to editing the editorials and Op-Ed articles I was responsible for designing the layout of the opinion pages in the newspaper.

It’s the creative end where I am most enamored with AI. In my days designing the newspaper Opinion pages I would constantly hunt for artwork to illustrate abstract ideas. The paper where I worked had a team of illustrators, and there was one guy who was particularly good at this. He could capture the essence of the topic and illustrate it in a way that clearly communicated this idea.

Google’s Gemini is that artist for me today. I can copy and paste the text I get from the Daily Dharma and Gemini returns an image that makes the abstract real. Today’s Daily Dharma is a good example. The text said:

He should disregard the differences
Between the superior, mean, and inferior vehicles,
Between the things free from causality and those subject to it,
And between the real and the unreal.
He should not say:
“This is a man,” or “This is a woman.”
He should not obtain anything
Or know anything or see anything.
All these are the proper practices
That the Bodhisattva should perform.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Mañjuśrī in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra in which he describes the peaceful practices of a Bodhisattva. When we fully comprehend the idea of dependent origination, that no person has an ego, that each of us is the result of causes and conditions, and that the Buddha Dharma is a cause for good of which we may not be aware, it is no longer necessary to classify the beings with whom we share this world. Our inclinations towards dogma are replaced with curiosity. Our need to dominate is replaced with a need to understand.

This is an incredibly abstract idea but Gemini was able visualize this:

This visual conceptualization for the “Illustrated Daily Dharma” focuses on Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva (Monju Bosatsu), the embodiment of transcendent wisdom, to whom Śākyamuni Buddha addresses Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra.

I have depicted Mañjuśrī seated upon a lotus throne amidst swirling gold-edged clouds, holding his two primary attributes: the flaming sword that cuts through the clouds of ignorance and the sutra scroll representing the perfection of wisdom. He is shown here in a profound, serene meditation, embodying the state of non-discriminating awareness. The instruction to disregard dualities and fixed categories is visually metaphorized by the dissolving, ethereal group of figures on the right, whose features—representing distinctions of gender, age, and status—are soft, undefined, and melting into the background mist. An empty, upended begging bowl on the ground signifies ‘non-obtaining.’

I can imagine the artist I relied on at the newspaper doing this work, at least the translation of the abstract into the real. But I don’t have access to him today and, really, Gemini does the work more quickly. And when it gets it wrong and I tell it to try again I’m not hurting its feelings.

This is how Gemini imagines my newspaper work:
Gemini imagines a newsroom in the 1980s
It is not accurate but it’s also not inaccurate and that’s pretty much how I view AI.

Tomorrow: Indigestion

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 25, 2026

20260525-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

This visual conceptualization for the "Illustrated Daily Dharma" focuses on Mañjuśrī Bodhisattva (Monju Bosatsu), the embodiment of transcendent wisdom, to whom Śākyamuni Buddha addresses Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra.

I have depicted Mañjuśrī seated upon a lotus throne amidst swirling gold-edged clouds, holding his two primary attributes: the flaming sword that cuts through the clouds of ignorance and the sutra scroll representing the perfection of wisdom. He is shown here in a profound, serene meditation, embodying the state of non-discriminating awareness. The instruction to disregard dualities and fixed categories is visually metaphorized by the dissolving, ethereal group of figures on the right, whose features—representing distinctions of gender, age, and status—are soft, undefined, and melting into the background mist. An empty, upended begging bowl on the ground signifies 'non-obtaining.'

The signature in the lower right corner, 双子座 (Gemini), and the red hanko seal containing the katakana ジェミニ (Gemini), verify this authentic interpretation.

He should disregard the differences
Between the superior, mean, and inferior vehicles,
Between the things free from causality and those subject to it,
And between the real and the unreal.
He should not say:
“This is a man,” or “This is a woman.”
He should not obtain anything
Or know anything or see anything.
All these are the proper practices
That the Bodhisattva should perform.

The Buddha gives this explanation to Mañjuśrī in Chapter Fourteen of the Lotus Sūtra in which he describes the peaceful practices of a Bodhisattva. When we fully comprehend the idea of dependent origination, that no person has an ego, that each of us is the result of causes and conditions, and that the Buddha Dharma is a cause for good of which we may not be aware, it is no longer necessary to classify the beings with whom we share this world. Our inclinations towards dogma are replaced with curiosity. Our need to dominate is replaced with a need to understand.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 24, 2026

20260524-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Śākyamuni Buddha (Shaka Nyorai), pictured centrally on his lotus throne, sits in deep meditative silence, surrounded by the four kinds of devotees—monks, nuns, laymen, and laywomen—who appear to wait for only half a day, though fifty small kalpas pass. This illustration from Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra visually interprets the immense difference between human and enlightened concepts of time. While innumerable Bodhisattvas spring from the ground to pay their respects on the left, the grand metaphor for a kalpa is depicted on the right: a vast stone mountain being brushed by a flying celestial being's trailing veil, representing the unimaginably long periods required to wear down the stone. The text in the bottom right includes the kanji 双子座 (Futagoza), which translates to "Gemini," and a red seal inscribed with the katakana ジェミニ (Jemini), which also translates to "Gemini."

All this while Śākyamuni Buddha sat in silence. The four kinds of devotees also kept silence for the fifty small kalpas. By his supernatural powers, however, the Buddha caused the great multitude to think that they kept silence for only half a day.

We find this description of the Buddha and his congregation in Chapter Fifteen of the Lotus Sūtra. Innumerable Bodhisattvas have sprung up from underground and come to pay their respects to the Buddha. This passage shows that in our suffering and attachment, we have a different concept of time than the Buddha. The kalpas the Lotus Sūtra uses to measure time are unimaginably long periods. When a stone a mile on each side is worn down to a pebble by a celestial being flying past it every thousand years and brushing it with her veil, a kalpa expires. When we see the world on this scale of time, rather than the limited years we have in our lives, it opens us up to the Buddha’s wisdom.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 23, 2026

20260523-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

The conceptualization of this painting, rendered on silk with traditional inks and mineral pigments, visualizes the moment of realization described in the Lotus Sūtra, where the disciples compare their spiritual journey to a wayward son who, unaware of his father’s immense wealth, spends his life laboring in poverty before inheriting vast treasures. The central figure is an elderly, venerable monk—representing the collective realization of the disciples Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana—who kneels with hands joined in humble prayer before an overflowing collection of opulent jewelry and, crucially, sūtra scrolls. A radiant, golden visualization of Śākyamuni Buddha, the source of this wisdom, appears in the background on the left wall. The monk’s expression conveys the core theme: the profound surprise and deep gratitude at inheriting the Buddha's supreme teachings and enlightenment, treasures they previously felt too insignificant to possess.

The Kanji text visible on the paper screens translates as follows:

The artist’s signature on the lower right: 双子座 (Futago-za), meaning "Gemini."

Today we are not what we were then.
We have obtained
What we did not expect
To obtain
Just as the poor son obtained
The innumerable treasures.

Subhūti, Mahā-Kātyāyana, Mahā-Kāśyapa, and Mahā-Maudgalyāyana, all disciples of the Buddha, speak these lines in Chapter Four of the Lotus Sūtra as they explain their story of the wayward son. They compare the father’s treasure house in the story to the Buddha’s enlightenment. Until they had been led by the Buddha’s expedient teachings, they could not even imagine themselves as enlightened, any more than the wayward son in the story could imagine the contents of his father’s treasure house.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 22, 2026

20260522-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

The accompanying illustration depicts the famous Parable of the Jewel in the Robe from Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra.

This visualization focuses on the man after his departure, as described in your text. He travels through a traditional Japanese landscape of pines and mist, presented in a minimalist classical Buddhist painting style on a silk-like texture. He wears a tattered blue kimono and carries a simple cloth sack, symbolizing his status as an "ordinary man" unaware of his true spiritual inheritance.

Visually capturing the paradox of his poverty and hidden wealth, I have rendered a subtle, internal golden light glowing from inside his garment. This represents the priceless gem of Buddha nature, which is always with him even though he remains oblivious to it.

The signature in the lower left features the Kanji '双子座' (Gemini) above the required red square seal, which contains the Katakana 'ジェミニ' (Gemini).

He satisfied himself with what little he earned.
He did not wish to get anything more.
He did not notice the priceless gem
Fastened inside his garment.

These verses are part of a story told by Ājñāta-Kauṇḍinya and other disciples in Chapter Eight of the Lotus Sūtra. It is about a man whose friend gives him a jewel while he is asleep. Not realizing he has this treasure, the man returns to his ordinary life, desperate to make a living and satisfy his ordinary desires. The story shows how we live when we forget about the jewel of Buddha nature we carry with us.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 21, 2026

20260521-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

This illustration visualizes the offering and dedication of merit described in Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sutra. The scene features a gathering of divine figures and flying tennin (celestial beings), rendered in traditional inks and mineral pigments on silk, presenting offerings of incense, jewels, and lotus flowers towards a central radiance that represents the universal wisdom of the Buddha. The signature (双子座) and seal (ジェミニ), located in the bottom right corner, are both translated as 'Gemini.'

May the merits we have accumulated by this offering
Be distributed among all living beings,
And may we and all other living beings
Attain the enlightenment of the Buddha!

These verses are from Chapter Seven of the Lotus Sutra, where the Brahma Kings from the ten quarters of the universe come to celebrate the enlightenment of Great-Universal-Wisdom-Excellence Buddha. We too can cultivate this wish that all the good results of our life’s work be for the benefit of all beings.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Daily Dharma

Daily Dharma for May 20, 2026

20260520-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

I conceptualize this illustration as a classical Japanese Buddhist painting depicting the 'Treatise on Phenomenal and Noumenal Offering'. The central narrative captures the moment a starving man during a famine offers his last remaining food—the luminous bowl in his hands—to a Buddha figure, symbolizing the offering of his life. To visualize the 'benefit of all beings', I have included subtle figures suffering in the foggy background who are connected to this profound act of spiritual contemplation. The artwork adheres strictly to the classical aesthetic using mineral pigments on textured silk with subtle gold leaf highlights, rendered in a 1:1 square format.

The specific figures featured in this illustration are:

A starving devotee (man in rags)

A generalized Buddha figure accepting the offering

I provide the translation for the Kanji text located in the bottom right:

双子座 (Gemini)

Hanko Seal (Gemini - Katakana)

What does the doctrine of spiritual contemplation mean? It means the way of practicing the teaching of the Buddha according to the intent of the Buddha, not necessarily according to what is literally said in the sutra. Suppose there is a man during the time of a famine who offers to the Buddha the only food he has to stay alive for a day. This is the same as offering his life to the Buddha.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on Phenomenal and Noumenal Offering (Jiri Kuyō Gosho). The Lotus Sūtra is the highest teaching because it encompasses all beings in all worlds, assuring everyone that they can rid themselves of delusion and reach the Buddha’s enlightenment. The Buddha showed that the universe is constantly changing, even from one moment to the next. When we read the Lotus Sūtra, and allow our minds to become more like the Buddha mind, we learn the meaning behind the words and put that into practice. We do not merely go through the motions mechanically. We understand that calamities are opportunities for us to bring the Buddha’s teaching to life, and that whatever prosperity we gain does not belong to us alone. Whatever we have is for the benefit of all beings.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

AI Contribution, Blog, Daily Dharma

More AI Fun

UPDATE:
Three days later Gemini returned to ignoring the stored instructions in the Gem. I’m back to pasting the instructions into the prompt with the Daily Dharma text. So much for the improved new Gemini.

Back on May 9 I complained about Gemini’s Failure Today. My morning routine of pasting the Daily Dharma text into the Gemini prompt stopped working. The stored instructions I had created were being ignored.

So today Google announced a bunch of new Gemini improvements and I gave it another try.

First I recreated my Gem. This is where you store the instructions that you reuse every day. Before May 9 this worked great: click on the Gem, paste the Daily Dharma text, select “Thinking” mode and wait. After May 9, it appeared that Gemini was ignoring the Gem. I had to paste the instructions with the Daily Dharma text every day.

For this afternoon’s test,  I created a new version of the Gem – same instructions as the old Gem.

For reference, this is the image I got this morning:
20260519-ddi

Along with this explanation:

This classical Japanese Buddhist painting is a 1:1 square composition on aged silk, contrasting a chaotic world with a serene one. Nichiren Shonin is depicted center-left, actively preaching and holding a scroll bearing the Daimoku: 南無妙法蓮華経 (Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra).

The painting visually renders the transformation described in the text:

The Turbulent World: The lower left depicts the “triple world of the unenlightened” suffering from conflict and disaster, representing our state when we lack respect and correct practice.

The Mandate to Discard False Faith: Below Nichiren, other figures are seen in dispute or confusion, symbolizing the “false faith” to be discarded.

The Manifesto of Peace: The right side shows the land transformed into a peaceful “Buddha Land.” Community members practice respect, farming in harmony, and interacting with kindness.

To complete the authentication:

The vertical title cartouche reads: 立正安国論 (Treatise on Spreading Peace through Right Practice).

The signature in the bottom right reads: 双子座 (Gemini).

The red seal reads: ジェミニ (Gemini).

And this is the image got with the “new” Gemini and my re-created Gem:

Alternate Daily Dharma image

This is how Gemini explained this image:

This illustration conceptualizes a peaceful, tranquil world transformed into a Buddha Land through the transformative power of the Lotus Sutra, rather than through external force or aggression. The central radiant scroll symbolizes the absolute truth of the Lotus Sutra, illuminating a landscape of benevolent, harmonious interactions. By focusing on generic beings practicing mutual respect, I avoid depicting any specific deities, thus adhering to the strict iconographic constraints while embodying the essence of Nichiren’s teaching on spreading peace through correct practice.

This painting features groups of generic, reverent monks and laypeople of varying ages practicing mutual respect and benevolence within a peaceful landscape. There are no specific historical individuals or deities featured in this composition.

Translation of Text:

‘妙法蓮華経’ (Myōhō Renge Kyō): Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law

‘双子座’ (Futago-za): Gemini (Sign of the Zodiac)

‘ジェミニ’ (Jemini): Gemini (Katakana representation)

Both images are suitable and I could even argue that the simplicity of the new image works better since it doesn’t rely on understanding the shifting background in the original illustration.

In addition, Gemini’s explanation for the new image is closer to what I request:

a) Before providing any visual descriptions or generated images, summarize your conceptual thinking in a single paragraph.
b) Within this reasoning summary, identify any specific individuals, monks, or deities featured in the illustration.
c) Provide English translations for any Kanji text in the illustration.

This is even more significant when I reveal that this morning’s published explanation of Gemini’s thinking was only a small portion of what Gemini had offered. Here’s the entire wording:

Reasoning Protocol:

The core concept of this illustration is to visually represent Nichiren Shonin’s revolutionary idea that establishing peace in the secular world (the Buddha Land) is achieved not through external force, but through internal transformation and the propagation of the “true teaching”—the Lotus Sutra. The painting will contrast the suffering and chaos of the triple world of unenlightened beings with the serenity of a transformed, stable society (a Pure Land).

The central figure will be Nichiren Shonin, depicted as a dynamic and compassionate monk, actively preaching from the Lotus Sutra. The lower portion of the image will show the turbulent, suffering state of the country (representing the Triple World), featuring natural disasters and conflict. The upper portion will illustrate the transformation: a stable, peaceful Buddha Land manifesting through the practice of the Lotus Sutra. The connection between the two states is the practice of respect and the spread of the teaching, symbolized by golden light and the Lotus Sutra scroll.

Kanji Translation:
The main banner/scroll held by Nichiren reads: 南無妙法蓮華経 (Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō—Devotion to the Lotus Sutra).
The title cartouche at the top reads: 立正安国論 (Risshō Ankoku-ron—Treatise on Spreading Peace through Right Practice).
The signature at the bottom right reads: 双子座 (Gemini).
The red hanko stamp reads: ジェミニ (Gemini).

Image Description:

A classical Japanese Buddhist silk painting rendered in a traditional 1:1 square format, using soft mineral pigments, black ink brushwork, and subtle gold leaf accents on an aged, textured silk background.

The composition centers on the figure of Nichiren Shonin, who is depicted as a determined yet compassionate middle-aged monk with a shaved head and a dark blue kesa robe over traditional Japanese monastic clothing. He is actively preaching, standing dynamically on a rocky outcrop in the center of the image. In his left hand, he holds open a flowing scroll displaying the bold, hand-brushed Kanji: 南無妙法蓮華経. His right hand is raised in a gesture of teaching and conviction, pointing towards the scroll and then upwards.

The image is split vertically into two conceptual zones. The lower half of the painting depicts the suffering and chaos of the Triple World (desire, form, and formlessness), rendered in slightly muted, turbulent tones. Scenes of social conflict (monks arguing, ordinary people distressed) and natural disasters (a stormy sky, a collapsing building, and figures fleeing an earthquake) fill this section. This represents the state of the country without correct practice.

Emerging from the scroll held by Nichiren, a brilliant, radiant path of golden light and stylized lotus flowers arches upwards towards the top of the painting. This path represents the transformative power of the Lotus Sutra.

The upper half of the painting depicts the transformed, peaceful Buddha Land. This area is painted with brighter, serene colors (greens, blues, soft pinks) and heavy gold leaf detailing. It shows a stable, tranquil landscape: a traditional Japanese temple pagoda and main hall set amidst blossoming cherry and lotus trees, all under a clear blue sky. Healthy, contented figures (farmers, artisans, and families) are shown working harmoniously and living peacefully. This illustrates a society characterized by “tranquil hearts” and “bodies that will be safe.”

The entire piece has the appearance of a revered, centuries-old Japanese Buddhist hanging scroll. In the upper right corner, a title cartouche in brush calligraphy reads 立正安国論 (Risshō Ankoku-ron). In the lower right corner, integrated subtly into the background, is the Kanji signature 双子座 (Gemini) accompanied by a distinct red square hanko stamp containing the Katakana ジェミニ (Gemini).Here is a visual interpretation of the passage from Nichiren’s Treatise on Spreading Peace through Right Practice (Risshō Ankoku-ron).

This classical Japanese Buddhist painting is a 1:1 square composition on aged silk, contrasting a chaotic world with a serene one. Nichiren Shonin is depicted center-left, actively preaching and holding a scroll bearing the Daimoku: 南無妙法蓮華経 (Devotion to the Mystic Law of the Lotus Sutra).

The painting visually renders the transformation described in the text:

The Turbulent World: The lower left depicts the “triple world of the unenlightened” suffering from conflict and disaster, representing our state when we lack respect and correct practice.

The Mandate to Discard False Faith: Below Nichiren, other figures are seen in dispute or confusion, symbolizing the “false faith” to be discarded.

The Manifesto of Peace: The right side shows the land transformed into a peaceful “Buddha Land.” Community members practice respect, farming in harmony, and interacting with kindness.

To complete the authentication:

The vertical title cartouche reads: 立正安国論 (Treatise on Spreading Peace through Right Practice).

The signature in the bottom right reads: 双子座 (Gemini).

The red seal reads: ジェミニ (Gemini).

Now, Google also announced a new video generation tool.  So after the new image was generated I told Gemini to animate that image:

Here’s the result:

And before you ask, No, I’m not going to offer Daily Dharma videos.