No treasure tower exists other than Myoho-renge-kyo. The daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is the treasure tower, and the treasure tower is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. At present the entire body of the Honorable Abutsu is composed of the five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. These five elements are also the five characters of the daimoku. Abutsu-bo is therefore the treasure tower itself, and the treasure tower is Abutsu-bo himself. No other knowledge is purposeful. It is the treasure tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures—hearing the correct teaching, believing it, keeping the precepts, engaging in meditation, practicing assiduously, renouncing one’s attachments, and reflecting on oneself. (“On the Treasure Tower,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 299)
Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance
Nichiren Daishonin begins by writing, “The daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is the treasure tower, and the treasure tower is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” The treasure tower of the Lotus Sutra is none other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The daimoku of the Lotus Sutra is the treasure tower, which Nichiren inscribed in the form of the Gohonzon, the object of devotion. …
Without a mirror, we can’t see our face. Similarly, we also need a bright mirror to see the treasure tower within our own lives. Nichiren inscribed the Gohonzon to serve as that mirror. The Gohonzon is a depiction of his own enlightened state as the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law. Therefore, when we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with the Gohonzon as our bright mirror, our own inherent Buddhahood emerges powerfully. The purpose of the Gohonzon is to bring forth this treasure tower within each of us.
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For Nichiren, the infinitely precious treasure tower shines nowhere more brightly than in the lives of the ordinary people of this troubled latter age. If all humanity had the ability to perceive the supreme dignity and worth of each person, the direction of history would change for the better. The essential point is recognizing the dignity of each person’s life, of opening our eyes to just how precious and worthy of respect each person is . . .
The “Treasure Tower” chapter teaches us that each person’s life has a worth and brilliance equal to the universe itself, far surpassing those of any nation or even the world as a whole. Each individual embodies such dignity. The true significance of the emergence of the treasure tower in the Lotus Sutra is awakening people to this sublime inner potential we all possess. (Learning From Nichiren’s Writings: The Teachings for Victory, vol. 3, pp. 123–25)
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