Letter to Lord Hakii

I was 60 years of age when I left Minobu on September 8th in the year 1282 and I arrived at Ikegami of Senzoku Village in Musashi Province. Sakyamuni Buddha preached the Lotus Sutra for eight years on Mt. Sacred Eagle in India. He died in East India in the northeast direction of Mt. Sacred Eagle. Although He died in the house of Chunda by the River Ajitavati of Kusināra, He had His grave built on Mt. Sacred Eagle because it was where He preached the Lotus Sutra for eight years. So Nichiren, too, may die at the house of Lord Ikegami Munenaga in Musashi Province, which is northeast of Mt. Minobu. No matter where I die, please build my grave on Mt. Minobu because it is where I spent nine years reciting the Lotus Sutra to my heart’s contents. My heart lives forevermore on Mt. Minobu.

(Explanatory note)

On September 8 (which is late autumn in the lunar calendar), 1282, at the age of 60, Nichiren Shonin left Mt. Minobu where he was accustomed to living so long. He arrived on the 18th at a place called Ikegami in the village of Senzoku in Musashi Province (Tokyo). In this letter, Nichiren Shonin said that the Buddha for eight years preached the Lotus Sutra on Mt. Sacred Eagle of India and died in East India, northeast of Mt. Sacred Eagle. Although the Buddha passed away in the house of Chunda, near the River Ajitavati in Kusināra, according to Nichiren Shonin, He had His grave built on Mt. Sacred Eagle because it is the sacred mountain where the Buddha preached for eight years. Therefore Nichiren Shonin, following the example of Sakyamuni Buddha, wished to pass away at the residence of Ikegami Munenaga of Musashi Province, which is in the northeastern direction from Mt. Minobu. Nevertheless, he said that no matter where he died, he wished to have his grave built on Mt. Minobu because it is where he recited the Lotus Sutra for nine years without disturbance. He said that his soul would remain in Mt. Minobu forever.

A Reply to Lord Ueno

Among the people who believe in the Lotus Sutra today, some people’s faith is like fire and other’s faith is like water. Some people are aroused like burning fire during a sermon, but once they go away they forget all what they heard. When I say “like water,” I mean a person who has constant faith. You have always called on me without fail and therefore, your faith is like water. This is great.

(Explanatory note)

Nichiren Shonin said that when he observed believers of the Lotus Sutra, there were some who believed in it like fire and others like water. When he said, “faith like fire,” he meant those who are aroused like burning fire when they listen to the sermon, but once they go away their religious fervor is soon cooled down and they forget about it. “Faith like Water” means constant and unwavering faith. Since Lord Ueno sent gifts and inquiries about Nichiren Shonin regularly no matter what happened, Nichiren Shonin said that the lord had “faith like water,” which was great.

Essay on Recompense of Indebtedness

Nichiren’s compassion is boundless and therefore “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo” will spread forever beyond the ten thousand year-period. It has the merit of curing the blindness of all people and blocks the way to hell. This merit is superior than those of Dengyō, Tendai, Ryūju and Kashō. The practice for a hundred years in the Pure Land is not worth the merit of chanting the Odaimoku for one day in this defiled world. Propagation of the Odaimoku in the two thousand Year-period after the death of the Buddha is not worth as much as spreading the Odaimoku for a while in the Latter Age of the Declining Law. This is not due to my wisdom; it is solely due to the time in which I live.

(Explanatory note)

Nichiren Shonin always called himself Nichiren. In this writing he said that his compassion to save people and lead them to salvation is so great that the Lotus Sutra would spread not only during the ten thousand years of the Latter Age of the Declining Law but also forever thereafter. His spreading of the Lotus Sutra today has the merit of opening the eyes of all the people of Japan, who had been blinded by the wrong religions to the true religion. This merit has also blocked the road to hell for those who unknowingly slandered the true jaw. This great merit, he claims, is greater than those of the great masters of true Buddhism such as Great Masters Dengyō and Tendai, the Bodhisattva Ryūju and the Venerable Kashō. Is it not logical that the merit accumulated in this world of suffering is much greater than the merit accumulated through the practice of a hundred years in the peace and tranquility of the Land of Paradise? Perhaps we could say that the merit of spreading the true law in the age of two thousand years following the death of the Buddha, when it was relatively easy though it is of course precious, could be said to be less than the merit of spreading the true teaching even for a short while in these dangerous and decadent days of the Latter Age. Nichiren Shonin said that this was not because his wisdom was greater than others, but it was because of the time in which he lived — Latter Age of the Declining Law — that he had the opportunity to accumulate greater merits.

Reply to Shijō Kingo

Accept suffering as suffering, joy as joy; life consists of suffering and joy; therefore recite “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo” for either case. Isn’t this religious ecstasy? Please strive to keep firm faith.

(Explanatory note)

Life is half suffering and half joy. When things are difficult, there is no use in brooding; when things are going well, there is no need to be in the “seventh heaven” because there is no guarantee that he will not fall into illusion as extreme happiness turns into deep sadness. Therefore when you are suffering, you should openly accept and live with it. When joy comes to you, you should calmly accept it and enjoy it. Thus you should consider both suffering and joy as part of life and recite the Odaimoku with constant feeling. Isn’t this creating and living in the so-called religious ecstasy? There is no purer, higher, and holier spiritual stage than this. Therefore make effort to have a strong faith.

A Letter to Kōnichi-ama

For more than 2,200 years after the death of the Buddha, even His disciples and later scholars such as Kashō, Anan, Memyō, Ryūju, Nangaku, Tendai, Myōraku, Dengyō, have not preached the five letters of “Myō Hō Ren Ge Kyō” which is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eyes of buddhas. Now at the beginning of the Latter Age of the Declining Law, Nichiren is the first to show the good omen that it will spread throughout the world. My followers should follow me in the second and third battalions and rank above Kashō, Anan, Tendai and Dengyō. If you are afraid of the master of a small island like Japan, what would you do when the king of hell blames you? As I have said, those who are cowards while claiming to be the Buddha’s messengers are the lowest class of people.

(Explanatory note)

During the period of 2,200 years from the death of Sakyamuni Buddha until the time of Nichiren Shonin, those who succeeded the tradition of Buddhism such as Kashō, Anan, Memyō and Ryūju, Nangaku, Tendai, as well as Myōraku and Dengyō, have not spread the Odaimoku of “Namu Myoho Renge-kyo,” which is the heart of the Lotus Sutra and the eyes of buddhas. Now at the beginning of the Latter Age of the Declining Law — it began in 1052 and Nichiren Shonin was born in 1222, the one hundred and seventy-first year of the Latter Age — Nichiren Shonin claimed to be the first good sign of spreading the Odaimoku throughout the world. So he urged his followers, ministers as well as laymen, men as well as women, to follow him in second and third battalions and excel themselves above great followers of the Buddha such as Kashō and Anan, or great scholars of Buddhism such as Tendai of China and Dengyō of Japan. He warned his followers that if they do not follow him because they are afraid of the ruler of Japan, Regent of the Kamakura shogunate, they will certainly be condemned by the king of hell. Nichiren Shonin said that he had told his followers all the time that they need to live up to their name of being the Buddha’s messenger, and to be courageous.