TagGosho for Victory

Never seek this Gohonzon outside yourself. The Gohonzon exists only within the mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. The body is the palace of the ninth consciousness, the unchanging reality that reigns over all of life’s functions. … Mandala is a Sanskrit word that is translated as

You may think you offered gifts to the treasure tower of the Thus Come One Many Treasures, but that is not so. You offered them to yourself. You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who is originally enlightened and endowed with the three bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction. Then the place where

It is not certain that, because one is ill, one will die. And could not this illness of your husband’s be the Buddha’s design, because the Vimalakirti and Nirvana sutras both teach that sick people will surely attain Buddhahood? Illness gives rise to the resolve to attain the way.  —“The Good Medicine for All Ills,”

How wondrous it is that, around two hundred years and more into the Latter Day of the Law, I was the first to reveal as the banner of propagation of the Lotus Sutra this great mandala [the Gohonzon] that even those such as [the learned Indian Buddhist monks] Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu [and the Great Teachers

When we revere Myoho-renge-kyo inherent in our own life as the object of devotion, the Buddha nature within us is summoned forth and manifested by our chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. … When with our mouths we chant the Mystic Law, our Buddha nature, being summoned, will invariably emerge. The Buddha nature of Brahma and Shakra, being

According to the teachings of the true sutra, when the latter age has begun and Buddhism has fallen into complete disorder, a great sage will appear in the world. For example, the pine tree, which withstands the frost, is called the king of trees, and the chrysanthemum, which continues to bloom after other plants have

What is more, although your late father was a warrior, he had an abiding faith in the Lotus Sutra, and thus—you were only a child at the time—I know that he ended his life in the frame of mind of a true believer. And now you have succeeded him and likewise are firm in your

Great evil portends the arrival of great good. If all of Jambudvipa [the entire world] were to be thrown into chaos, there could be no doubt that [this sutra would] “be widely propagated throughout Jambudvipa.”—“The Kalpa of Decrease,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1122 Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance The light of wisdom of

Buddhism primarily concerns itself with victory or defeat, while secular authority is based on the principle of reward and punishment. (“The Hero of the World,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 835) Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance Buddhism does not deny things of worldly or secular value. As practitioners, however, we will not be able

Since you now appear certain to attain Buddhahood, perhaps the heavenly devil and evil spirits are using illness to try to intimidate you. Life in this world is limited. Never be even the least bit afraid! (“The Proof of the Lotus Sutra,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 1109) Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance In

“Realize that the time will come when the truth will be revealed that both the person and the Law are unaging and eternal. There cannot be the slightest doubt about the sutra’s promise of ‘peace and security in their present existence.’” (“On Practicing the Buddha’s Teachings,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 392)

“Neither the pure land nor hell exists outside oneself; both lie only within one’s own heart. Awakened to this, one is called a Buddha; deluded about it, one is called an ordinary person. The Lotus Sutra reveals this truth, and one who embraces the Lotus Sutra will realize that hell is itself the Land of

“I wonder if you and I have not been pledged to each other as teacher and disciple from countless kalpas in the past.” (“Reply to Sairen-bo,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 309) Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance Although this statement is addressed specifically to Sairen-bo, we can read it to include all of us.

“Buddhism teaches that, when the Buddha nature manifests itself from within, it will receive protection from without.” (“The Three Kinds of Treasure,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 848) Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance Nichiren Daishonin explains … the “Buddha nature manifesting itself from within and bringing forth protection from without.” In other words, when

“That is why the Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, ‘The stronger one’s faith, the greater the protection of the gods.’ So long as one maintains firm faith, one is certain to receive the great protection of the gods. I say this for your sake. I know your faith has always been admirable, but now you must

“Though the moon is forty thousand yojanas high in the heavens, its reflection appears instantly in a pond on earth; and the sound of the drum at the Gate of Thunder is immediately heard a thousand, ten thousand ri in the distance. Though you remain in Sado, your heart has come to this province. The

“Believers in the Lotus Sutra should fear those who attempt to obstruct their practice more than they fear bandits, burglars, night raiders, tigers, wolves, or lions—even more than invasion now by the Mongols.” (“Letter to the Brothers,” The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 495) Ikeda Sensei’s Guidance Who is it that we, as

“Iron, when heated in the flames and pounded, becomes a fine sword. Worthies and sages are tested by abuse. My present exile is not because of any secular crime. It is solely so that I may expiate in this lifetime my past grave offenses and be freed in the next from the three evil paths.”

“Usually these sufferings appear one at a time, on into the boundless future, but Nichiren has denounced the enemies of the Lotus Sutra so severely that all eight have descended at once. This is like the case of a peasant heavily in debt to the steward of his village and to other authorities. As long