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“Where you uphold and embrace the LotusSutra is the place of practice. It is not to be foundelsewhere. The place of practice is the dwellingplace of the living beings of the ten worlds.” (“TheRecord of Orally Transmitted Teachings,” GoshoZenshu, p. 781)

“Therefore, wherever we dwell and practicethe single vehicle, that place will be the Capital ofEternally Tranquil Light. And, without having totake a step, those who are our disciples and laysupporters can view Eagle Peak in India and dayand night will go to and from the Land ofEternally Tranquil Light that has existed for alltime. What a truly inexpressible joy it is!”(“Reply to Sairen-bo,” The Writings of NichirenDaishonin, p. 313)

“If the minds of living beings are impure,their land is also impure, but if their minds arepure, so is their land. There are not two lands,pure or impure in themselves. The differencelies solely in the good or evil of our minds.”(“On Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime,”WND, p. 4)

“Since the Law is wonderful, the person isworthy of respect; since the person is worthy ofrespect, the land is sacred.” (“The Person andthe Law,” WND, p. 1097)

“What is most important is that, by chantingNam-myoho-renge-kyo alone, you can attainBuddhahood. It will no doubt depend on thestrength of your faith. To have faith is the basisof Buddhism.” (“The Real Aspect of theGohonzon,” WND, p. 832)

“Never seek this Gohonzon outside your-self. The Gohonzon exists only within the mor-tal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace theLotus Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.The body is the palace of the ninth conscious-ness, the unchanging reality that reigns over allof life’s functions.” (“The Real Aspect of theGohonzon,” WND, p. 832)

“Nevertheless, even though you chant andbelieve in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Lawis outside yourself, you are embracing not theMystic Law but an inferior teaching. ‘Inferiorteaching’ means those other than this [Lotus]sutra, which are all expedient and provisional. Noexpedient or provisional teaching leads directly toenlightenment, and without the direct path toenlightenment you cannot attain Buddhahood,even if you practice lifetime after lifetime forcountless kalpas. Attaining Buddhahood in thislifetime is then impossible. Therefore, when youchant myoho and recite renge, you must summonup deep faith that Myoho-renge-kyo is your lifeitself.” (“On Attaining Buddhahood in ThisLifetime,” WND, p. 3)

Selected Passages fromNichiren Daishonin’s WritingsRefuting the Pilgrimage of Nichiren Shoshu

Practicing Buddhism where we are, seeking enlightenment within

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“In the Latter Day of the Law, no treasure towerexists other than the figures of the men and womenwho embrace the Lotus Sutra. It follows, therefore,that whether eminent or humble, high or low, thosewho chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo are themselves thetreasure tower, and, likewise, are themselves the ThusCome One Many Treasures. No treasure tower existsother than Myoho-renge-kyo. The daimoku of theLotus Sutra is the treasure tower, and the treasuretower is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” (“On the TreasureTower,” WND, p. 299)

“You, yourself, are a Thus Come One who isoriginally enlightened and endowed with thethree bodies. You should chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with this conviction. Then the placewhere you chant daimoku will become thedwelling place of the treasure tower.” (“On theTreasure Tower,” WND, pp. 299–300)

“You must regard the place inhabited by thepractitioners of the Lotus Sutra as the pureland. Why do you trouble yourself to seek itelsewhere?” (“On the Protection of the Nation,”GZ, p. 72)

“We ordinary people can see neither our owneyelashes, which are so close, nor the heavens inthe distance. Likewise, we do not see that theBuddha exists in our own heart.” (“New Year’sGosho,” WND, p. 1137)

“It is difficult to describe how sorry andregretful I felt when I left the valley of Minobu. Onsecond thought, however, I realized that it wasessential to carry on the teaching of the sage wher-ever I might be and establish it in the world. Allthe other disciples, however, committed treacheryagainst their teacher. I, Nikko, alone understoodthe correct teaching of the original teacher andrealized that I had to fulfill my true purpose. So Ihave never forgotten my original intent” (“Replyto Hara,” Hennentai Nichiren Daishonin Gosho,p. 1733).

Nichiren Daishonin says,“You,yourself, are a Thus Come One

who is originally enlightened…”

© William Whitehurst/CORBIS

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Protecting the Law, refuting slander

“Always be determined to denounce slan-der against the correct teaching to the best ofyour ability.” (“The Embankments of Faith,”WND, p. 626)

“Only by defeating a powerful enemy can oneprove one’s real strength. When an evil ruler inconsort with priests of erroneous teachings tries todestroy the correct teaching and do away with aman of wisdom, those with the heart of a lion kingare sure to attain Buddhahood. Like Nichiren, forexample.” (“Letter from Sado,” WND, p. 302)

“Usually these sufferings appear one at atime, on into the boundless future, but Nichirenhas denounced the enemies of the Lotus Sutra soseverely that all eight have descended at once….This is what the sutra means when it states, ‘It isdue to the blessings obtained by protecting theLaw.’” (“Letter from Sado,” WND, p. 305)

“If we hope to bring order and tranquillity tothe world without further delay, we must put anend to these slanders of the Law that fill the coun-try.” (“On Establishing the Correct Teaching forthe Peace of the Land,” WND, p. 22)

“To hope to attain Buddhahood withoutspeaking out against slander is as futile as tryingto find water in the midst of fire or fire in themidst of water.” (“The Essentials for AttainingBuddhahood,” WND, p. 747)

“Though a person may do good, in thecourse of doing a single good deed he accumu-lates ten evil ones, so that in the end, for the sakeof a small good, he commits great evil. And yet,in his heart, he prides himself on having prac-ticed great good — such are the times we live in.”(“The Recitation of the ‘Expedient Means’ and‘Life Span’ Chapters,” WND, pp. 68–69)

Turning away from the offenseof complicity in slander

“If one plants good seed in a bad field, theseed itself will be ruined, and one will in turnsuffer loss. Even if one is sincere, if the person towhom one makes offerings is evil, those offer-ings will fail to produce benefit; rather, they willcause one to fall into the evil paths.” (“Roots ofGood Fortune,” WND, p. 1103)

“Utsubusa came a long distance to visit medespite her advanced age, but since I was toldthat it was merely a casual visit on her way backfrom the shrine to the god of her ancestors, Iwould not see her, although I pitied her greatly.Had I permitted her to see me, I would have beenallowing her to commit slander against the LotusSutra.” (“Letter to Misawa,” WND, p. 896)

“Now if all the four kinds of Buddhistswithin the four seas and the ten thousand landswould only cease giving alms to wicked priestsand instead all come over to the side of thegood, then how could any more troubles rise toplague us, or disasters come to confront us?”(“On Establishing the Correct Teaching for thePeace of the Land,” WND, p. 23)

“Because I wish to avoid the offense of com-plicity in slander, because I fear the accusationsof the Buddha, and because I understand myobligations and wish to repay the debt of grati-tude I owe my country, I have announced andmade known all of this to the ruler of the coun-try and to all its inhabitants.” (“Letter toAkimoto,” WND, p. 1019)

“You must not be seated together withslanderers of the Law for fear of committingthe offense of complicity.” (“The Twenty-sixAdmonitions of Nikko,” Nikko Shonin, GZ,p. 1618)

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The Gosho is the compass

for our search of

Buddhahood within.

© William Whitehurst/CORBIS

Faith transcending the distance“Even though I cannot see you, I am certain

that your heart is here. If you find that you missme, always look at the sun that rises [in themorning] and the moon that rises in theevening. Whatever the time, I will be reflectedin the sun and the moon.” (“Letter to the LayNun of Ko,” WND, p. 596)

“Though you remain in Sado, your hearthas come to this province. The way of attainingBuddhahood is just like this. Though we live inthe impure land, our hearts reside in the pureland of Eagle Peak. Merely seeing each other’sface would in itself be insignificant. It is theheart that is important.” (“The Drum at theGate of Thunder,” WND, p. 949)

“As a rule, people in the world value what isdistant and despise what is near, but this is theconduct of the ignorant. Even the distantshould be repudiated if it is wrong, while whatis near should not be discarded if it accordswith the truth.” (“Reply to Hoshina GoroTaro,” WND, pp. 155–56)

“Neither the pure land nor hell exists outside oneself; both lie only within one’s ownheart. Awakened to this, one is called aBuddha; deluded about it, one is called anordinary person. The Lotus Sutra reveals thistruth, and one who embraces the Lotus Sutrawill realize that hell is itself the Land ofTranquil Light.” (“Hell Is the Land of TranquilLight,” WND, p. 456)

“How is it that you can have faith, thoughwe have never met? It is, no doubt, the result ofyour karma from the past. Since the time hascome for you to ensure the attainment ofBuddhahood in your next lifetime, you nowhave aroused faith.” (“Letter to Lord Matsuno,”GZ, p. 1379)