Ignorant of the past and future [these Four Chinese] sages cannot help in the future lives of their parents, rulers and teachers. Not knowing what they owe to them in the past, they cannot be considered truly holy and wise. This is why Confucius said, “Truly wise and holy men do not exist in China, but in the land to the west, there is a man called Buddha. He is a true sage.”

Confucius thus indicated Confucianism, which is non-Buddhist (geten), to be the first step toward Buddhism. It would be easier, Confucius knew, for the people to understand the fundamental Buddhist teachings of commandments, meditation, and wisdom if they first learned the fundamental Confucian concepts of rituals and music.

He therefore taught the kings’ subjects to be loyal to their rulers, children to be devoted to their parents, and students to respect their teachers. Grand Master Miao-lê therefore declared in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight: “The dissemination of Buddhism in China indeed depended on Confucianism. Buddhism found its way by following on the heels of the rituals and music of Confucianism.”

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Pages 32-33

For the next 100 days I will follow this format: A quote from something I’ve read that day accompanied with something pithy from me. I hope to devote a minimum of an hour a day to reading the seven volumes of the official Nichiren Shū collection of Nichiren’s writings. I’m starting in Doctrine 2 (the book titles shift to “volume” after Doctrine 3) since I read Doctrine 1 last July. I don’t think I’ll make it through the six remaining books in 100 days, but if I do I’ll return to Doctrine 1.

I’m not a quick reader and my progress will be slowed by copying of quotes that I’ll start publishing daily after I finish this 100-day adventure. Again, the purpose, as with all of the quotes on this site, is to remind me and to provide a means of recalling what I’ve forgotten.