Gosho Study #7: Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light

One who, on hearing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, makes even greater efforts in faith is a true seeker of the way. Tien-tai states, “From the indigo, an even deeper blue.” This passage means that, if one dyes something repeatedly in indigo, it becomes even bluer than the indigo leaves. The Lotus Sutra is like the indigo, and the strength of one’s practice is like the deepening blue. (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin-1, 457)

Expanding the Network of Happiness for Both Oneself and Others

The writing “Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light” is a letter addressed to the lay nun Ueno. She was the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu. Lay nun Ueno was the wife of the late Ueno, or Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, who passed away in March 1265 due to a serious illness.

Scholars are divided over exactly when this letter was composed. Although it has been held that it was written around 1274, some suggest it was written immediately after Hyoe Shichiro’s death in 1265. At the time of Hyoe Shichiro’s death, his second son Tokimitsu —who later became the head of the Nanjo family—was seven years old. In addition, lay nun Ueno was then pregnant with their fifth son.

Nichiren felt the irrepressible grief and sadness that resided in this mother’s heart, and encouraged her in an effort to relieve her suffering. In this letter, Nichiren assures lay nun Ueno that because her deceased husband persevered in his faith in the Lotus Sutra that promises the “attainment of Buddhahood in this lifetime”, “He is a Buddha in both life and death.” (WND-1, 456) He then encourages her to strengthen her faith ever more.

This is a passage in which Nichiren teaches that we should regard adversities as opportunities to strengthen our faith further and to strive even harder in faith. The first member of the Nanjo family to take up faith in Nichiren’s teaching was lay nun Ueno’s husband, Hyoe Shichiro. However, he passed away due to a serious illness. He had sincerely followed Nichiren’s guidance and maintained faith in the Mystic Law to the end of his life. Lay nun Ueno was struggling to raise her young children on her own after losing her husband. In thus letter, Nichiren teaches her the key to winning over life’s hardships through faith.

The lotus Sutra expounds the principles of “attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime” and “hell is itself the Land of Tranquil Light”. The reason why Nichiren spoke of these principles earlier in the Gosho was to reassure lay nun Ueno that her late husband had most certainly attained Buddhahood. To further encourage her, Nichiren urges her to strive even more earnestly in faith by stating that, “One who, on hearing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, makes even greater efforts in faith is a true seeker of the way.”

These fundamental principles explained in this writing all teach that the source of supreme hope that is Buddhahood resides within us. If we can accept this as being true of our own lives and maintain firm belief in this, then that very faith and conviction will dispel the darkness and ignorance that obscures our Buddhahood and allow it to shine forth.

To illustrate the importance of deepening our faith to manifest our Buddhahood, Nichiren cites the words of the Great Teacher Tien-tai of China: “From the indigo, an even deeper blue.” The leaves of the indigo plant are a green colour with a faint bluish tint. But if something is soaked many times in the dye extracted from these leaves, it will become a deep, vibrant blue, causing it to acquire a deeper hue than the original dye itself.

Our practice for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is the same. When we deepen our faith through hearing the teachings and strive ever harder in our Buddhist practice, we can manifest our Buddhahood in our actual lives and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.

Nichiren urges: ‘Strengthen your faith day by day and month after month.’ (WND-1, 997) This is the spirit of the Buddhism of true cause—the spirit of always moving forward from this moment on. And it is this spirit that serves as the impetus for elevating both our own lives and those of others to a state of everlasting and eternal happiness.

Key Pointers:

1. This is a passage in which Nichiren teaches that we should regard adversities as opportunities to strengthen our faith further and to strive even harder in faith.
2. The first member of the Nanjo family to take up faith in Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching was lay nun Ueno’s husband, Hyoe Shichiro. However, he passed away due to a serious illness. He had sincerely followed Nichiren’s guidance and maintained faith in the Mystic Law to the end of his life.
3. Lay nun Ueno was struggling to raise her young children on her own after losing her husband. In this letter, Nichiren teaches her the key to winning over life’s hardships through faith.
4. To illustrate the importance of deepening our faith to manifest our Buddhahood, Nichiren cites the words of the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai of China: “From the indigo, an even deeper blue.”
5. The leaves of the indigo plant are a green colour with a faint bluish tint. But if something is soaked many times in the dye extracted from these leaves, it will become a deep, vibrant blue, causing it to acquire a deeper hue than the original dye itself.
6. Our practice for attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is the same. When we deepen our faith through hearing the teachings and strive ever harder in our Buddhist practice, we can manifest our Buddhahood in our actual lives and attain Buddhahood in this lifetime.