Reply to Jibu-bo
I have received one to of polished rice, some myoga buds and one package of ginger.
People who present the Buddha with the cherry blossoms of spring, the crimson leaves of autumn, the
clear water of summer and the snow of winter are all able to attain Buddhahood. How then could one who makes the Lotus Sutra
an offering of rice, which sustains the life of the emperor and to the common people is more valuable than jewels, possibly
fail to become a Buddha?
In society what people value are the words of the ruler and the words of their parents. One who turns
one’s back on the instructions of one’s parents is guilty of a lack of filial piety and will be abandoned by heaven.
One who fails to do the bidding of the ruler of the country is a person who disobeys royal edicts and will have his life taken
away. Cherishing the desire for enlightenment from inconceivably distant kalpas in the past, we have done such things as abandoning
our countries, our wives and children, or our own lives, for the sake of attaining enlightenment in future existences. When
we thus draw near to achieving Buddhahood, and when we encounter the scripture entitled Myoho-renge-kyo, which is the single
vehicle, the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, ruler of the threefold world, reasons: "If this person should become a Buddha, I will
suffer loss on two counts. First of all, if he frees himself from the threefold world, he will escape my control. Second,
if he becomes a Buddha, his parents and siblings will also depart from the saha world. How can I stop this from happening?"
He produces various emanations and, with these, takes possession of our parents, enters the body of
the ruler of our country or becomes a respected priest, exhorting us to commit evil acts, making threats or resorting to flattery.
Or else he becomes a high-ranking priest, a great priest, a wise man or someone who upholds the precepts and, with the Kegon
or Agon sutras or Nembutsu or Shingon teachings in hand, attempts to turn our devotion from the Lotus Sutra and toward these
other teachings, using deception to prevent us from becoming Buddhas.
The fifth volume of the Lotus Sutra states that "when the Latter Day of the Law arrives, a great demon
will first enter the bodies of the sovereign, ministers and common people, and curse or strike and wound the votary of the
Lotus Sutra. If this fails, he will appear as an immeasurable multitude of priests who, employing all the other sutras, attempt
to win the votary over. If this does not succeed, he will become a great priest who upholds the two hundred and fifty precepts
and the three thousand rules of conduct, and wheedle the sovereign and deceive his wife so that the votary is exiled or an
attempt is made on his life."
We may also refer to the detailed descriptions in the Fukyo chapter of the seventh volume, the Hosshi
chapter of the fourth volume and the Hiyu chapter of the second volume, as well as in the forty-volume Nirvana Sutra and in
the Shugo Sutra, which differ not in the least from the conditions of the present time. In addition, the events in the area
of Kashima in Suruga Province, especially as they affected you personally, must have brought these things to mind. In a way
that bears no comparison with other matters, disobeying the prohibitions that one’s parents or the sovereign may put
forward regarding the Lotus Sutra will in fact constitute filial piety toward one’s parents and accord with the prayers
of the sovereign [for peace].
Furthermore, Japan is an unusual country, a country that respects the gods and honors the Buddhas. However,
because everyone, from the sovereign on down to the common people, hates Nichiren for propagating the Lotus Sutra, though
they may revere all the gods and make offerings to all the Buddhas, these meritorious acts only turn into great evil. This
is like moxibustion causing the outbreak of virulent boils, or medicine turning into poison. The prayers they offer to all
the Buddhas and gods turn into faults, and the country itself is about to become the possession of foreign countries. Moreover,
for some time I have been telling people that the time will come when those of high standing will all suffer agonies that
are a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand times worse than those suffered by the Heike clan at the time
of their destruction.4
By considering the magnitude of the punishment suffered by those who harbor enmity toward the Lotus
Sutra, we can understand the magnitude of the benefits obtained by devoting oneself to it. For example, if a man murders his
parents, then no matter how many causes for great good he may create, his efforts will not be acceptable to heaven. But if
one kills an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, even if that enemy should be one’s father or mother, this great crime will turn
into a cause for great good. Even if a person should be an archenemy of all the Buddhas of the three existences and the ten
directions, if he believes in a single phrase of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddhas will not abandon him. With this in mind, please
carefully consider the nature of this matter. Because the messenger is in a hurry, I cannot write in detail, but I will write
to you again.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The twenty-second day of the eighth month
Reply to Jibu-bo
Reply to Ko Nyudo
I have received two paper bags of sea laver, ten
bundles of seaweed, one paper bag of algae and
one bunch of mushrooms.
The human mind is inconstant; it is ever-changing
and unfixed. I thought it wondrous that you
pledged faith in my teachings while I was in the
province of Sado, and your sincerity in sending
your husband all the way here is even more
remarkable. The provinces we live in are far apart
and months and years have passed, so I was
concerned that you might slacken in your resolve.
However, you are increasingly demonstrating the
depth of your faith and accumulating good deeds.
Surely this is not a result of practice over just one
or two previous lifetimes.
Because the Lotus Sutra is difficult to believe, the
Buddha assumes various forms, such as that of
one’s child, parent or wife, to enable one to take
faith in it. However, you have no children, and live
alone as husband and wife. The sutra states, "...
the living beings in it [this threefold world] are all
my children." If this is so, then Shakyamuni
Buddha, the lord of teachings, must be a
compassionate father to both of you. I, Nichiren,
must be your child, but, wishing to save the
people of Japan, I am residing
for the time being in the central part of the country.
The meritorious deeds you have accumulated in
previous existences are indeed precious.
When the Mongols come pouring into Japan,
please make your way here. And, because you
have no sons, please consider coming here to live
with me in your old age. No place is secure. Be
convinced that Buddhahood is the final abode.
Respectfully,
Nichiren
The twelfth day of the fourth month
Reply to Ko Nyudo
Reply to Kyo-o
- Kyo-o dono Gohenji -
Just when I was longing to hear once again from you, the messenger, whom you troubled to send, arrived.
In my present circumstances, your gift of money is far more valuable than any treasure to be found on land or sea.
Since I heard from you about Kyo'o Gozen, I have been praying to the gods of the sun and moon for her
every moment of the day. Always cherish the Gohonzon which I sent some time ago for her protection. This Gohonzon was never
known, let alone inscribed by anyone in the Former or Middle Day of the Law. The lion, king of beasts, is said to advance
three steps, then gather himself to spring, unleashing the same power whether he traps a tiny ant or attacks a fierce animal.
In inscribing this Gohonzon for her protection, Nichiren is equal to the lion king. This is what the sutra means by "the power
of an attacking lion." Believe in this mandala with all your heart. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness
can therefore be an obstacle?
It is written that those who embrace the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra will be protected by Kishimojin
and her ten daughters. They will enjoy the happiness of Aizen and the good fortune of Bishamon. Wherever your daughter may
frolic or play, no harm will come to her; she will be free from fear like the lion king. Among Kishimojin's ten daughters,
the protection of Kodainyo is the most profound. But your faith alone will determine all these things. A sword will be useless
in the hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be wielded by one courageous in faith. Then he will be
as strong as a demon armed with an iron staff. I, Nichiren, have inscribed my life in sumi, so believe in the Gohonzon with
your whole heart. The Buddha's will is the Lotus Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Miao-lo states in his interpretations, "The revelation of the Buddha's original enlightenment is the heart of the sutra."
Kyo'o Gozen's misfortunes will change into fortune. Muster your faith and pray to this Gohonzon. Then
what is there that cannot be achieved? You should believe the Lotus Sutra when it says, "This sutra fulfills one's desires.
It is the pond's cool, clear water that quenches thirst," and "They will have peace and security in this life and good circumstances
in the next." When I am pardoned from exile to this province, I will hasten to Kamakura where we will meet. If one considers
the power of the Lotus Sutra, he will find perpetual youth and eternal life before his eyes. My only worry is that she may
die young; therefore, I am praying with all my might for the gods to protect her. Raise her to be like Lady Jotoku or the
Dragon King's daughter. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Respectfully,
Nichiren
Reply to Lady Onichi-nyo
I had already received the three hundred coins
that you sent by the hand of Ben-bo [Nissho], and
now you have again sent me two hundred coins.
The Buddha, being truly worthy of respect, never
judges by the size of one’s offerings. In the past,
Tokusho Doji offered a mudpie to the Buddha,
and was reborn as King Ashoka and ruled over all
of Jambudvipa. A poor woman cut off her hair and
sold it to buy oil [for the Buddha], and not even the
winds sweeping down from Mount Sumeru could
extinguish the flame of the lamp fed by this oil.
Accordingly, your offerings of two and three
strings of coins are far greater even than those
made by one who, ruling over the country of
Japan, offers the entire nation and a pagoda he
has constructed that is adorned with the seven
kinds of treasures and that towers as high as the
Trayastrimsha heaven.
A single character of the Lotus Sutra is like the
great earth, which gives rise to all things. A single
character is like the great ocean, which contains
the water from all rivers. A single character is like
the sun and moon, which illuminate the four
quarters.
This single character changes and becomes the
moon. The moon changes and becomes a
Buddha? Rice plants change and become
seedlings. Seedlings change and become stalks.
Stalks change and become rice. Rice changes
and becomes a person. And a person changes
and becomes a Buddha. A woman changes and
becomes the single character myo. The character
myo changes and becomes Shakyamuni Buddha
seated on a lotus pedestal. Nam-myoho-renge-
kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
To Lady Onichi
Reply to Lord Hakiri Saburo
In Kamakura there are disciples of mine named Chikugobo, Ben Ajari and Daishin Ajari. It would be well if
you summoned them, showed them due respect, and held discussions with them. I will tell you in outline my important teachings.
They are also fairly well acquainted with the great Law that has never before been propagated in Japan, and therefore you
would do well to study under them.
[In your letter, you say in essence:] "As soon as your letter reached me, the doubts that I had previously
entertained were swept away, just as when a strong wind blows away the layers of cloud and the bright moon comes into view.
However, for persons of the present age, whether they are of high position or low, this doctrine of yours is difficult to
believe. The reason is that the Lotus Sutra promises that those who practice the Law of the Buddha 'will enjoy peace and security
in this life and good circumstances in the next.' If this is so, then why is it that the priest Nichiren, though he calls
himself a votary of the Lotus Sutra, should meet with so many difficulties? People are saying that it must be because his
teachings do not accord with the Buddha's will."
However, with regard to these groundless criticisms, [it is clear that the difficulties I encounter]
are due to my karma from past existences. Just because I have incurred the wrath of the government authorities, that is no
reason for you to suddenly be surprised.
By way of explanation, if you will examine the text of the Lotus Sutra, you will find it stated that,
in the Latter Day of the Law, when a person practices the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches, he is bound to meet with many difficulties.
This is made perfectly clear in the text, and anyone who has eyes need only look to see what is there.
Thus, for example, the fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra says: "Since hatred and jealousy [toward this
sutra] abound even during the lifetime of the Buddha, how much worse will it be in the world after his passing!" And the fifth
volume reads: "In the world at that time the people will resent [the Lotus Sutra] and find it extremely difficult to believe."
It also says: "There will be many ignorant people who will curse and speak ill of us, and will attack us with swords and staves,
and with rocks and tiles." And it continues: "There will be monks in that evil age [with perverse views...]. Or there will
be forest-dwelling monks wearing clothing of patched rags and living in retirement....they will preach the Dharma to white-robed
laymen and will be respected and revered by the world as though they were arhats who possess the six supernatural powers.
...Constantly they will go about among the populace, seeking in this way to slander us. They will address the rulers, high
ministers, Brahmans and great patrons of Buddhism as well as the other monks, slandering and speaking evil of us.... Demons
will take possession of others and through them curse, revile and heap shame on us.... again and again we will be banished."
The Dainehan Sutra says: "Icchantika, persons of incorrigible disbelief, pretend to be arhats, living
in deserted places and speaking slanderously of the Mahayana sutras. When ordinary people see them, they suppose that they
are all true arhats and speak of them as great bodhisattvas." It also says: "After the Former Day of the Law has ended and
the Middle Day of the Law has begun, there will be monks who will give the appearance of abiding by the rules of monastic
discipline. But they will scarcely ever read or recite the sutras, and instead will crave all kinds of food and drink to nourish
their bodies....Though they wear the robes of a monk, they will go about searching for alms like so many huntsmen who narrow
their eyes, stalking softly. They will be like a cat on the prowl for mice."
And the Hatsunaion Sutra states: "There are also icchantika who resemble arhats [but who commit evil
deeds]."
Now when I hold up this bright mirror [of the sutra texts] and turn it toward the country of Japan,
all is reflected there without the slightest obscurity. The "forest-dwelling monks wearing clothing of patched rags and living
in retirement"--who are they? Those who are "respected and revered by the world as though they were arhats who possess the
six supernatural powers"--who are they? "When ordinary people see them, they suppose that they are all true arhats and speak
of them as great bodhisattvas"--to whom does this refer? Those who "give the appearance of abiding by the rules of monastic
discipline but scarcely ever read or recite the sutras"--who are they?
As we see from the passages of scripture, Shakyamuni with his Buddha eye observed the situation that
would prevail at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law. If, when that age has arrived, there were to be no persons of
the type that the Buddha describes, then the World-Honored One would be guilty of false and baseless talk. [And if that were
to be the case, then] who would put faith in the theoretical and essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra, and in the doctrine
of the eternally inherent Buddha nature which was preached in the grove of sal trees?
Now when, in order to prove the truth of the Buddha's words, I, Nichiren, read these sutra passages,
applying them to this country of Japan, [I interpret them as follows]. The passage about "forest-dwelling monks" [who are]
"living in deserted places" refers to [the priests of] Kencho-ji, Jufuku-ji, Gokuraku-ji, Kennin-ji, Tofuku-ji and the other
temples of the Zen, Ritsu and Nembutsu sects in Japan. These diabolical temples have appeared in the world in order to bring
destruction upon the Buddhist temples of Mount Hiei and the other temples of the Hokke [Lotus] or Tendai sect.
Those who "wear clothing of patched rags" and "give the appearance of abiding by the rules of monastic discipline"
are the present-day "observers of the precepts" with their surplices made from five, seven or nine pieces of cloth. Those
who are "respected and revered by the world" and "spoken of as great bodhisattvas" are men like Doryu, Ryokan and Shoichi.
The "world" that looks up to them refers to the ruler and men of authority of our present age. And the "ignorant people" and
"ordinary people" [referred to in these scriptural passages] are all the people of Japan, both high and low.
I, Nichiren, am a common mortal, and therefore I am unable to take faith in the Buddha's teaching. But
with regard to what I am saying here, I know the situation as clearly as one knows fire or water when he touches a hand to
it.
According to the scripture, if a votary of the Lotus Sutra should appear, he will be cursed and reviled,
attacked with swords and staves, and banished. But if one applies this passage of the sutra to the world today, there is not
a single person whom it fits. Who then should be looked upon as the votary of the Lotus Sutra?
Could it be that the enemies of the Lotus Sutra have made their appearance, but that there is no one
who upholds the sutra? But that would be like saying that there is an east but no west or that heaven exists but earth does
not. Were this the case, the words of the Buddha would be no more than lies, would they not?
It may seem like self-praise on my part, but having pondered this, I will give credence to the words
of the Buddha. I, the priest Nichiren, am the votary referred to in the scripture.
Moreover, the Buddha, speaking of the events of his past, says in the Fukyo chapter [of the Lotus Sutra]:
"At that time there was a bodhisattva named Jofukyo (Never Despising).... They cursed and abused him...Some among the people
would beat him with sticks and staves, and stone him with rocks and tiles." In this way, Shakyamuni Buddha cited his own practice
in the past to encourage and hearten [the votary of the Lotus Sutra] at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law.
[In the past,] Bodhisattva Fukyo was beaten with sticks and staves for the sake of the Lotus Sutra,
and was at once able to attain the supreme stage of myogaku. Now I, Nichiren, for the sake of the same sutra, have in my present
existence been attacked with swords and staves, and have twice been banished to distant places. Can there be any doubt, therefore,
that in the future I shall attain the wonderful fruit of Buddhahood?
After the passing of the Tathagata Shakyamuni, the four ranks of saints appeared in the Former and Middle
Days of the Law and worked to propagate the Lotus Sutra, but even at that time they encountered numerous difficulties. Thus
among the successors in the line of Shakyamuni's teachings, the twentieth, Bodhisattva Aryadeva, was killed, and the twenty-fifth,
the Venerable Aryasimha, had his head cut off. The eighth successor, Buddhamitra, and the thirteenth, Bodhisattva Nagarjuna,
each carried a red flag and stood before the entrance to the ruler's palace [in hopes of attracting his notice], the former
for twelve years and the latter for seven years.
Chu Tao-sheng was banished to a mountain in Su-chou, the priest Fa-tsu was murdered, the Tripitaka Master
Fa-tao was branded on the face, and the Dharma Teacher Hui-yuan was berated and accused. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai confronted
in debate the leaders of the ten schools of northern and southern China, and the Great Teacher Dengyo refuted the erroneous
views of the six sects of Nara.
Depending upon whether these men happened to live in the time of wise rulers or foolish ones, their
views were accepted or rejected, but in no case were they untrue to the Buddha's will. Even during the Former and Middle Days
of the Law, they encountered such difficulties. How much more likely then is one to meet difficulties in the Latter Day! For
the sake of the Lotus Sutra, I have already called down upon myself the anger of the authorities, but I count that as the
greatest good fortune. It is like exchanging tiles and rubble for gold and silver.
And yet I cannot help but grieve as I recall the words of the Ninno Sutra: "Once the sages have departed,
then the seven disasters are certain to arise." The seven disasters include major droughts and great military uprisings.
The Saishoo Sutra states: "Because evil men are respected and favored and good men are subjected to
punishment, the stars and constellations, along with the winds and rains, all fail to move in their proper seasons."
Now who are meant by "evil men [who] are respected and favored"? They are men such as those whom I spoke
of earlier. And who is meant by "good men [who] are subjected to punishment"? He is the one whom I mentioned above, who has
"again and again been banished." And the passage on the "stars and constellations" refers to the strange and portentous occurrences
that have taken place in the skies and on the earth during the past twenty years or so.
If these passages from the sutras are true, then the banishment of Nichiren is a portent that foretells
the downfall of the nation. Even before I incurred the displeasure of the authorities, I foresaw that this would happen and
stated the reason in the "Rissho Ankoku Ron." Who can doubt that what I say is true? And that is why I grieve.
It has now been 2,222 years since the passing of the Buddha. During the thousand years of the Former
Day of the Law, Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu and others acted as the Buddha's envoys, propagating his teachings. However, they propagated
only the two teachings of Hinayana and provisional Mahayana and did not propagate the teachings of true Mahayana.
Some five hundred years after the beginning of the Middle Day of the Law, the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai
appeared in China in order to refute the erroneous views of the schools of the north and south and to establish the correct
teaching. In the area of doctrinal study, he propounded the theory of the five periods, and in the realm of meditative practices,
he set forth the concept of ichinen sanzen. All of China joined in praising him as a Little Shakyamuni. And yet, [of the three
types of learning,] he propounded perfect meditation and perfect wisdom, but he did not spread the perfect precepts.
Then, eighteen hundred years after the passing of the Buddha, the Great Teacher Dengyo appeared in Japan
and refuted the erroneous views that had been held by the six sects of Buddhism during the two hundred or more years since
the time of Emperor Kimmei. In addition, he propounded the precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment that T'ien-t'ai
had not spread. These are the great precepts of perfect and immediate enlightenment administered at the ordination platform
on Mount Hiei.
Nevertheless, in the more than two thousand years since the Buddha's passing, though there have been
tens of thousands of temples built in the three lands of India, China and Japan, there have been no temples or pagodas dedicated
to the lord of the essential teaching, nor has anyone propagated the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which were specifically
entrusted to the countless bodhisattvas who emerged from the earth. Although there are scriptural passages saying that they
should be propagated [in the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law], throughout the entire nation no one has propagated them.
Is this because the time and the people's capacity were not yet ripe?
The Buddha, speaking of the future, said: "In the fifth five hundred years after my death, widely declare
and spread [the Lotus Sutra] and never allow its flow to cease." The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai predicted: "In the fifth five
hundred years, the Mystic Way shall spread and benefit mankind far into the future." And the Great Teacher Dengyo wrote: "The
Former and Middle Days are almost over, and the Latter Day is near at hand. Now indeed is the time when the one vehicle expounded
in the Lotus Sutra will prove how perfectly it fits the capacities of all people." These passages from the sutra and its commentaries
all refer to events that will take place at the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law.
Moreover, a Brahman of India once said, "One hundred years after I pass away, the Buddha will appear
in the world.". And a Confucian scholar predicted, "One thousand years from now, Buddhism will be transmitted to China." Thus,
even such predictions by ordinary persons are found to tally with the truth. How much more trustworthy, therefore, should
be the pronouncements of persons such as Dengyo and T'ien-t'ai, to say nothing of the clear predictions that come from the
golden mouths of the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Taho!
Truly you must understand that the time has come for the lord of the essential teaching to make his
advent and for the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, which have never before been propagated, to spread throughout the world.
Can there be any doubt of it?
However, there are persons who have repeatedly heard these matters from the priest Nichiren and yet,
now that I have met with these great difficulties, have abandoned their faith. You, on the other hand, have heard my teachings
only once or twice, and then only for an hour or two. And yet I understand that you have not abandoned your faith but continue
to stand by it. This cannot be due solely to the causes formed in your present existence. The Great Teacher Miao-lo writes:
"Therefore we know that if, in the latter age, one is able to hear the Law even briefly, and if, having heard it, one then
arouses faith in it, this comes about because of the seeds planted in a previous existence." And he also says: "Being born
at the end of the Middle Day of the Law, I have been able to behold these true words of the sutra. Unless in a previous existence
one has planted the seeds of auspicious causation, then it is truly difficult to encounter such an opportunity."
The Lotus Sutra says: "Persons who in past existences have made offerings to tens of billions of Buddhas
will be reborn in the realm of human beings and take faith in this Lotus Sutra." And the Nirvana Sutra states that persons
who give alms to as many Buddhas as there are sands in the Hranyavati and Ganges rivers will be reborn in a later evil age
and take faith in this [Lotus] sutra.
King Ajatashatru was an evil man who killed his father and imprisoned his mother. Nevertheless, when he
came to the assembly where the Buddha was preaching the Nirvana Sutra and heard the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, he not only
recovered from the sores that had broken out [as a result of his evil deeds] in his present existence, but his life was prolonged
by forty years; and, even though he did not originally possess the roots of faith, in the end he reached the first stage of
security, obtaining Shakyamuni's prediction that he would attain Buddhahood.
Devadatta was a man of incorrigible disbelief, the worst in the entire world. In all the earlier sutras
preached during the lifetime of the Buddha, he was cast aside as hopeless. But with the preaching of the Lotus Sutra, it was
predicted that he would eventually attain Buddhahood and become known as the Tathagata Heavenly King.
Judging from these examples, we may conclude that for evil people living in the latter age, the attainment
of Buddhahood does not depend upon whether their offenses are slight or grave, but solely upon whether or not they have faith
in this sutra.
In your case, you are a member of a warrior family, an evil man who day and night is involved in the
business of killing. Since you have not left your household [to be become a priest] but have remained a warrior to the present,
by what means can you escape the three evil paths? You should think about this very carefully.
The heart of the Lotus Sutra is the revelation that one may attain the supreme enlightenment in one's
present state, without change of original status. This means that, without casting aside one's karmic impediments, one can
still attain the Buddha Way. Thus T'ien-t'ai says, "The other sutras predict Buddhahood for the good but not for the evil....
Only this [Lotus] sutra predicts Buddhahood for all." And Miao-lo says, "Only in the perfect teaching are the reverse relationship
and the positive relationship ultimately one. In the other three types of teachings, the two relationships are entirely separate."
I perhaps ought to go into the question of whether or not enlightenment can be gained through the various
sutras preached prior to the Lotus Sutra, but this is a matter to be discussed with someone thoroughly familiar with Buddhist
terms and categories. Nevertheless, there are disciples of mine to whom I have taught the essentials with regard to this point,
and so you may summon them and hear the gist of the matter from them. At such a time I will write you further on the subject.
With my deep respect,
Nichiren
The third day of the eighth month in the tenth year of Bun'ei (1273), reverse marker of Jupiter in the
sign mizunoto-tori
