Gosho Zenshu - Part 02
"At times we may be born as human beings and enjoy such high positions as the rulers of countries, high-ranking ministers, court nobles or lords. We may congratulate ourselves, thinking there can be no greater pleasure and contenting ourselves with the small reward we have received. However, the Buddha teaches that such prosperity is but that which dreams are made of. It is an illusory pleasure. Therefore, one should embrace the Lotus Sutra, and quickly attain enlightenment."
(Shushishin Gosho, GZ-386)
"The short are swallowed up by the long, and the small are eaten by the large, feeding upon each other without pause."
(Shushishin Gosho, GZ-389)
"They [the persons of the two vehicles] seek to rid themselves of both body and mind and become like empty space."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-393)
"The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds means that each of the Ten Worlds contains within it the other nine."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-400)
"The bodhisattvas can attain enlightenment but persons of the two vehicles cannot; the bodhisattvas rejoice and those of the two vehicles grieve, while it is beyond the conception of those of the worlds of Humanity and Heaven."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"The Lotus Sutra teaches none other than this. While the causes and effects of the Ten Worlds were revealed in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, only the Lotus Sutra establishes the mutual possession of the causes and effects of all Ten Worlds."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"The failure of others to attain Buddhahood is my failure to attain Buddhahood, and the attainment of Buddhahood by others is my attainment of Buddhahood. The birth in the Pure Land by other ordinary people is my birth in the Pure Land."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"The Buddha also dwells in the stage of practice, re-entering the world of Bodhisattva. Though he has actually attained the highest state of perfect enlightenment, he adopts the state of near-perfect enlightenment."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"Neither solely through one's own efforts ... nor solely through the power of others."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-403)
"[The doctrine of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime] resembles the process whereby we cultivate and sow the fields in the spring and summer and then store the harvest in a granary in the autumn and winter, so being able to use it as we desire. Though it may seem like a long time to wait from spring until autumn, because it will definitely arrive within the year, we can endure the wait. Similarly, though it may seem to take an eternity before you gain enlightenment and can actually reveal your Buddhahood, you shall assuredly become a Buddha endowed with the three properties in this lifetime."
(Junyoze Ji, GZ-411)
"Since our essential nature is Myoho-renge-kyo, Myoho-renge-kyo is not simply the name of the [Lotus] sutra. Once we awaken to the fact that the Lotus Sutra is our own being, our lives instantaneously become the Lotus Sutra. Because the Lotus Sutra represents the words of the Buddha who summoned forth and revealed to us the essence of our own beings we ourselves become the Thus Come One of original enlightenment who possesses the three bodies in one."
(Junyoze Ji, GZ-411)
"Once we realize this, the delusions that we have been under the spell of since the beginningless past to the present disappear completely like yesterday's dream."
(Junyoze Ji, GZ-411)
"The doctrine of ichinen sanzen arises from the ten factors contained in the first volume [of the eight volumes] of the Lotus Sutra."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-412)
"There is increased benefit in reading [this passage] three times."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-412)
"[In the phrase 'consistency from beginning to end,'] 'beginning' refers to the Buddha nature, while 'end' refers to the not-yet-manifested Buddhas, the living beings of the nine worlds. 'Consistency' indicates that the Thus Come One who has attained the ultimate stage of perfect enlightenment and we ordinary people who are ignorant of our own Buddha nature are ultimately equal and without distinction. This is the meaning of 'consistency' and the reason why the Lotus Sutra is acclaimed for its great impartial wisdom."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-413)
"Both the principle of three thousand realms in a single life-moment and the practice of the threefold contemplation in a single mind are included in the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. Similarly, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo are contained within our life."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-414)
"These ten factors of life are Myoho-renge-kyo."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-415)
"This strife-ridden saha world is a realm in which enlightenment is achieved through the sense of hearing.
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-415)
"Hearing is the most important way of apprehending this sutra."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-416)
"Bodhisattvas are endowed with the worlds of the two vehicles, so if the persons of the two vehicles cannot attain Buddhahood, then neither can the bodhisattvas."
(Jippokai Ji, GZ-421)
"The first volume of the Maka Shikan reads: 'He who is in the world of Anger, motivated by the warped desire to be better than everyone, is forever belittling others and exalting himself. He is like a hawk sweeping the sky in search of prey. He may outwardly display benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and good faith, and even possess a rudimentary moral sense, but his heart remains in shura (Anger)."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-430)
"Bodhisattvas are those who reside amongst ordinary people of the six lower paths and have a great regard for others despite themselves; they wish to direct evil to themselves and give good to others."
"They have no desire to save other beings, for they wish never to return to the six paths."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-434)
"To arouse the mind of those of the two vehicles for even an instant is even worse than committing one of the ten evil acts or five cardinal sins."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-435)
"Unlike in the provisional teachings, where people follow a teacher to uphold the precepts, simply having faith in this Lotus Sutra itself is upholding the precepts."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-437)
"Men and women of devout faith: if people have faith yet lack wisdom, they will nurture delusion. If people have wisdom yet lack faith, they will nurture wicked views."
(Ken Hohobo Sho, GZ-459)
"According to a sutra, in a single day a person has 8,004,000 thoughts"
(Nyonin Jobutsu Sho, GZ-471)
"In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the physical body that the disciples and followers of Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from their fathers and mothers at birth."
? (The Entity of the Mystic Law, MW-7, 58 / Totaigi Sho, GZ-512)
"Therefore they are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light [i.e., to reveal the life-condition of Buddhahood]. This is because they put their faith [the power of faith] in the golden words [the power of the Law] of the lord of the teaching indicated in the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching [the power of the Buddha] and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo [the power of practice]."
? (The Entity of the Mystic Law, MW-7, 58 / Totaigi Sho, GZ-518)
"If the worlds of the two vehicles do not attain Buddhahood, then the worlds of the two vehicles within each of the other eight worlds will not attain Buddhahood, either. And if the worlds of the two vehicles within each of the other eight worlds do not attain Buddhahood, then none of the other eight worlds will attain Buddhahood, either."
(Shojo Daijo Funbetsu Sho, GZ-522)
"All Bodhisattvas make four vows without fail. Unless they achieve their first vow of 'saving innumerable living beings,' they will not be able to fulfill their fourth vow of 'attaining the supreme enlightenment'."
(Shojo Daijo Funbetsu Sho, GZ-522)
"The persons of the two vehicles are not the only ones who should grieve when it is announced that they will never attain Buddhahood; know that we, too, must grieve with them."
(Shojo Daijo Funbetsu Sho, GZ-522)
"[T]he truer the teaching, the lower the stage [of the persons it can save]."
(Rissho Kan Sho, GZ-529)
"The most essential teaching contained in the heritage of the Law inherited by the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai is none other than the Mystic Law."
(Rissho Kan Sho, GZ-531)
"... make up writings out of their whim, put them in brocade sacks and hang them around their necks or put them in boxes and sell them for high prices."
(Rissho Kan Sho, GZ- 532)
"People whose faith is feeble tend to display a hellish countenance at the time of their deaths."
(Kenryu Shoi Sho, GZ-537)
"Even among my disciples, those whose faith is weak are bound at the final moment to experience the suffering of the Avichi hell. But if that happens, they should not bear and resentment against me [because I have frequently warned them about this]."
(Kenryu Shoi Sho, GZ-537)
"At times we may be born as human beings and enjoy such high positions as the rulers of countries, high-ranking ministers, court nobles or lords. We may congratulate ourselves, thinking there can be no greater pleasure and contenting ourselves with the small reward we have received. However, the Buddha teaches that such prosperity is but that which dreams are made of. It is an illusory pleasure. Therefore, one should embrace the Lotus Sutra, and quickly attain enlightenment."
(Shushishin Gosho, GZ-386)
"The short are swallowed up by the long, and the small are eaten by the large, feeding upon each other without pause."
(Shushishin Gosho, GZ-389)
"They [the persons of the two vehicles] seek to rid themselves of both body and mind and become like empty space."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-393)
"The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds means that each of the Ten Worlds contains within it the other nine."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-400)
"The bodhisattvas can attain enlightenment but persons of the two vehicles cannot; the bodhisattvas rejoice and those of the two vehicles grieve, while it is beyond the conception of those of the worlds of Humanity and Heaven."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"The Lotus Sutra teaches none other than this. While the causes and effects of the Ten Worlds were revealed in the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings, only the Lotus Sutra establishes the mutual possession of the causes and effects of all Ten Worlds."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"The failure of others to attain Buddhahood is my failure to attain Buddhahood, and the attainment of Buddhahood by others is my attainment of Buddhahood. The birth in the Pure Land by other ordinary people is my birth in the Pure Land."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"The Buddha also dwells in the stage of practice, re-entering the world of Bodhisattva. Though he has actually attained the highest state of perfect enlightenment, he adopts the state of near-perfect enlightenment."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-401)
"Neither solely through one's own efforts ... nor solely through the power of others."
(Ichidai Shogyo Taii, GZ-403)
"[The doctrine of attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime] resembles the process whereby we cultivate and sow the fields in the spring and summer and then store the harvest in a granary in the autumn and winter, so being able to use it as we desire. Though it may seem like a long time to wait from spring until autumn, because it will definitely arrive within the year, we can endure the wait. Similarly, though it may seem to take an eternity before you gain enlightenment and can actually reveal your Buddhahood, you shall assuredly become a Buddha endowed with the three properties in this lifetime."
(Junyoze Ji, GZ-411)
"Since our essential nature is Myoho-renge-kyo, Myoho-renge-kyo is not simply the name of the [Lotus] sutra. Once we awaken to the fact that the Lotus Sutra is our own being, our lives instantaneously become the Lotus Sutra. Because the Lotus Sutra represents the words of the Buddha who summoned forth and revealed to us the essence of our own beings we ourselves become the Thus Come One of original enlightenment who possesses the three bodies in one."
(Junyoze Ji, GZ-411)
"Once we realize this, the delusions that we have been under the spell of since the beginningless past to the present disappear completely like yesterday's dream."
(Junyoze Ji, GZ-411)
"The doctrine of ichinen sanzen arises from the ten factors contained in the first volume [of the eight volumes] of the Lotus Sutra."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-412)
"There is increased benefit in reading [this passage] three times."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-412)
"[In the phrase 'consistency from beginning to end,'] 'beginning' refers to the Buddha nature, while 'end' refers to the not-yet-manifested Buddhas, the living beings of the nine worlds. 'Consistency' indicates that the Thus Come One who has attained the ultimate stage of perfect enlightenment and we ordinary people who are ignorant of our own Buddha nature are ultimately equal and without distinction. This is the meaning of 'consistency' and the reason why the Lotus Sutra is acclaimed for its great impartial wisdom."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-413)
"Both the principle of three thousand realms in a single life-moment and the practice of the threefold contemplation in a single mind are included in the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. Similarly, the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo are contained within our life."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-414)
"These ten factors of life are Myoho-renge-kyo."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-415)
"This strife-ridden saha world is a realm in which enlightenment is achieved through the sense of hearing.
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-415)
"Hearing is the most important way of apprehending this sutra."
(Ichinen Sanzen Homon, GZ-416)
"Bodhisattvas are endowed with the worlds of the two vehicles, so if the persons of the two vehicles cannot attain Buddhahood, then neither can the bodhisattvas."
(Jippokai Ji, GZ-421)
"The first volume of the Maka Shikan reads: 'He who is in the world of Anger, motivated by the warped desire to be better than everyone, is forever belittling others and exalting himself. He is like a hawk sweeping the sky in search of prey. He may outwardly display benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and good faith, and even possess a rudimentary moral sense, but his heart remains in shura (Anger)."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-430)
"Bodhisattvas are those who reside amongst ordinary people of the six lower paths and have a great regard for others despite themselves; they wish to direct evil to themselves and give good to others."
"They have no desire to save other beings, for they wish never to return to the six paths."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-434)
"To arouse the mind of those of the two vehicles for even an instant is even worse than committing one of the ten evil acts or five cardinal sins."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-435)
"Unlike in the provisional teachings, where people follow a teacher to uphold the precepts, simply having faith in this Lotus Sutra itself is upholding the precepts."
(Jippokai Myo Inga Sho, GZ-437)
"Men and women of devout faith: if people have faith yet lack wisdom, they will nurture delusion. If people have wisdom yet lack faith, they will nurture wicked views."
(Ken Hohobo Sho, GZ-459)
"According to a sutra, in a single day a person has 8,004,000 thoughts"
(Nyonin Jobutsu Sho, GZ-471)
"In essence, the entity of Myoho-renge-kyo is the physical body that the disciples and followers of Nichiren who believe in the Lotus Sutra received from their fathers and mothers at birth."
? (The Entity of the Mystic Law, MW-7, 58 / Totaigi Sho, GZ-512)
"Therefore they are able to gain the lotus of the entity and to manifest the mystic principle of the entity of the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light [i.e., to reveal the life-condition of Buddhahood]. This is because they put their faith [the power of faith] in the golden words [the power of the Law] of the lord of the teaching indicated in the Juryo chapter of the essential teaching [the power of the Buddha] and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo [the power of practice]."
? (The Entity of the Mystic Law, MW-7, 58 / Totaigi Sho, GZ-518)
"If the worlds of the two vehicles do not attain Buddhahood, then the worlds of the two vehicles within each of the other eight worlds will not attain Buddhahood, either. And if the worlds of the two vehicles within each of the other eight worlds do not attain Buddhahood, then none of the other eight worlds will attain Buddhahood, either."
(Shojo Daijo Funbetsu Sho, GZ-522)
"All Bodhisattvas make four vows without fail. Unless they achieve their first vow of 'saving innumerable living beings,' they will not be able to fulfill their fourth vow of 'attaining the supreme enlightenment'."
(Shojo Daijo Funbetsu Sho, GZ-522)
"The persons of the two vehicles are not the only ones who should grieve when it is announced that they will never attain Buddhahood; know that we, too, must grieve with them."
(Shojo Daijo Funbetsu Sho, GZ-522)
"[T]he truer the teaching, the lower the stage [of the persons it can save]."
(Rissho Kan Sho, GZ-529)
"The most essential teaching contained in the heritage of the Law inherited by the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai is none other than the Mystic Law."
(Rissho Kan Sho, GZ-531)
"... make up writings out of their whim, put them in brocade sacks and hang them around their necks or put them in boxes and sell them for high prices."
(Rissho Kan Sho, GZ- 532)
"People whose faith is feeble tend to display a hellish countenance at the time of their deaths."
(Kenryu Shoi Sho, GZ-537)
"Even among my disciples, those whose faith is weak are bound at the final moment to experience the suffering of the Avichi hell. But if that happens, they should not bear and resentment against me [because I have frequently warned them about this]."
(Kenryu Shoi Sho, GZ-537)
