Gosho Study #1: The Strategy of the Lotus Sutra

Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other. “All others who bear you enmity or malice will likewise be wiped out.[1]”  These golden words will never prove false. The heart of strategy and swordsmanship derives from the Mystic Law. Have profound faith. A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered. – (The Writings of Nichiren Nichiren-Vol 1, p 1001)

Conquering the Cowardice

This Gosho was written in October 1279 to Shijo Kingo, one of his leading disciples in Kamakura.

After Nichiren was pardoned and returned from exile on Sado in 1274, Shijo Kingo, one of his leading disciples, felt inspired to urge his feudal Lord Ema to embrace faith in the Lotus Sutra.

Ema, however, was a follower of Ryokan, the chief priest of Gokuraku-ji temple of the True Word Precepts school, who was hostile of Nichiren. Kingo thus gradually fell out of favour with Ema. Taking advantage of this, fellow retainers started circulating malicious rumors to discredit Kingo to his lord. This is how the persecutions against him started. On top of this, through the devious plotting of Ryokan, false accusations were directed at Kingo, stating that he had disrupted a debate at Kuwagayatsu in 1277. As a result, Kingo received an official letter from Lord Ema ordering him to write an oath to forsake faith in the Lotus Sutra.

But throughout this difficult period, Kingo continued to persevere with strong faith and devoted himself earnestly to serving his lord, based on the guidance and encouragement of Nichiren. Consequently, having succeeded in regaining Ema’s trust, he was granted landholdings three times the size of those previously in his possession, thus showing great actual proof of victory. Amidst such circumstances, Kingo was ambushed by enemies among his fellow samurai. This letter was written in response to a report from Kingo informing Nichiren of the ambush and that he had managed to escape unharmed.

This is an extremely important Gosho passage in which Nichiren offers profound guidance on the essence of faith for achieving absolute victory. Nichiren teaches in this passage: “Employ the strategy of the Lotus Sutra before any other.”

The “strategy of the Lotus Sutra” is the strategy for absolute victory based on faith in the Mystic Law. When we make confident prayers as the driving force and manifest immense life force of Buddhahood from within, courage will flow forth from the depths of our lives as a result. Boundless wisdom to win will surge forth. Profound compassion to encourage our friends will naturally fill our lives.

By so doing, we can completely wipe out all devilish and negative functions (which are causes that create suffering) as stated in the “Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King” chapter in the Lotus Sutra, and bring forth a state of sublime happiness and victory from the innermost depths of our lives. This is what Nichiren is teaching us in this passage.

Nichiren continues: “The heart of strategy and swordsmanship derives from the Mystic Law.” The Lotus Sutra is the Buddha’s foremost teaching that reveals that all people can attain Buddhahood. It elucidates that all living beings, no matter which life state they may be dwelling in, are equally endowed with the same life state as the Buddha and reveals the path whereby all living beings can tap this immeasurable power that resides in their lives.

By making this statement, Nichiren is explaining to us that general strategies including battle tactics, the science of warfare, or martial arts (swordsmanship) only reveal the method of activating such power that resides within us on a partial basis.

Finally, Nichiren says: “Have profound faith. A coward cannot have any of his prayers answered.” He urges us to strengthen our faith ever more and strictly reminds us that our prayers can never be answered if we are cowardly.

Our greatest enemy is not adversities nor hardships that assail us but the “cowardice” that dwells within our very own lives. Only by chanting the daimoku of the Mystic Law can we summon forth the courage to conquer the cowardice in our lives. This process enables us to manifest immeasurable power and strength from within our lives to make the impossible, possible.

Key points of the Gosho passage:

1. In This is an extremely important Gosho passage in which Nichiren offers profound guidance on the essence of faith for achieving absolute victory.
2. The “strategy of the Lotus Sutra” is the strategy for absolute victory based on faith in the Mystic Law. When we make confident prayers as the driving force and manifest immense life force of Buddhahood from within, courage will flow forth from the depths of our lives as a result.
3. By so doing, we can completely wipe out all devilish and negative functions [which are causes that create suffering] and bring forth a state of sublime happiness and victory from the innermost depths of our lives.
4. Nichiren continues: “The heart of strategy and swordsmanship derives from the Mystic Law.” By making this statement, Nichiren is explaining to us that general strategies including battle tactics, the science of warfare, or martial arts (swordsmanship) only reveal the method of activating such power that resides within us on a partial basis.
5. Finally, Nichiren urges us to strengthen our faith ever more and strictly reminds us that our prayers can never be answered if we are cowardly.
6. Our greatest enemy is not adversities nor hardships that assail us but the cowardice that dwells within our very own lives. Only by chanting the daimoku of the Mystic Law can we summon forth the courage to conquer the cowardice in our lives. This process enables us to manifest immeasurable power and strength from within our lives to make the impossible, possible.

[1] “All others who bear you enmity or malice will likewise be wiped out”: This statement appears in the “Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King, 23^rd Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It describes one of the benefits of upholding the Lotus Sutra as vanquishing all “hostile or malicious forces” – that is, all devilish or negative functions that assail us.