This is something of a postscript to my series of articles that began with What Would A Buddha Do? It’s also a useful explanation of why I find Google’s Gemini Notebook so valuable.
Each morning I read that day’s essay in the One Minute Daimoku project. On October 13, that essay was number 86.
Sometimes it is hard to understand what “Buddha-nature” actually is. Buddha-nature is not just some invisible, abstract concept; rather, it is a profound, living “sincerity” (makoto) that exists equally in the minds of all people. Chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo brings this deep sincerity out into the open, making it alive and real in everyday interactions with others. People often search far outside themselves for spiritual awakening, picturing the Buddha as an unreachable figure removed from daily reality. Yet, the true teaching reveals that ultimate truth is found right where one stands, within the ordinary human heart. This inner noble potential is simply the genuine sincerity rooted in human nature, an equal and unshakeable goodness shared by all. When life is driven by delusion, this sincerity remains hidden beneath self-absorption, conflict, and hesitation. Chanting Namu-Myoho-Renge-Kyo acts as the catalyst that draws this latent quality to the surface. Engaging in this practice is not an escape into abstract contemplation, but a dynamic means to polish the mind and express inherent Buddha-nature through concrete actions. Every utterance of the Odaimoku aligns one’s life with the supreme truth of the universe, allowing genuine respect, warmth, and integrity to flow naturally into family life, work, and community relationships. By manifesting this profound sincerity in each encounter, daily conduct becomes the very expression of enlightenment.
Since I was working on the What Would A Buddha Do series at the time, I was particularly struck by the opening statement:
Sometimes it is hard to understand what “Buddha-nature” actually is. Buddha-nature is not just some invisible, abstract concept; rather, it is a profound, living “sincerity” (makoto) that exists equally in the minds of all people.
I asked my Nichiren Gemini Notebook: “What can you tell me about Makoto?”
Gemini Notebook reviewed the 114 sources I’ve uploaded – Nichiren’s letters, Nichiren Shu brochures, academic studies – and produced a short explanation of the two ways Makoto appears among the sources of the Notebook: First, as a doctrinal and hermeneutic concept denoting the genuine reality of enlightenment and sincere resolve in faith; and second, as the name of a modern women’s movement and journal.
After answering what it knew about Makoto, Gemini Notebook asked if I’d like to examine how Nichiren Shōnin’s letters explain the role of earnest resolve (kokorozashi) in daily faith. I said, “Sure.”
That produced a lengthy discussion of how Nichiren Shōnin “elevates earnest resolve (kokorozashi 志)—often translated as sincerity, heartfelt intention, or earnest devotion—to a central position in Buddhist practice.”
I saved these two items as notes in the Nichiren Notebook and then asked Gemini Notebook to create a detailed report about the two notes.
The result was an 1,800 word document that I found much too dry. I exported the report to Google Docs and then imported it into Gemini. I also linked the Gemini session to the Nichiren Gemini Notebook. I then told Gemini:
Transform the report “The Practice of Nichiren Buddhism: Synthesizing the Essence of Makoto and the Heart of Faith” into three blog posts for 500yojanas.org.
Each blog post should stand alone but the three together should form a complete discussion.
If additional information or clarification is needed, use only information found in the Nichiren Notebook sources.
I also asked Gemini to create infographics that illustrate each of the essays.
Those essays will be published over the next three days.
Tomorrow: Polishing the Tarnished Mirror: Unpacking Makoto and Innate Buddhahood in Nichiren Buddhism