Gosho Zenshu - Part 07
"The [first] shi of shishi means 'mentor,' and the second shi means 'disciple'."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-771)
"The exercise of the great power of forbearance by the bodhisattvas of the essential teaching in proclaiming and propagating Myoho-renge-kyo is known as saha. Forbearance means the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. This mind of forbearance is called Shakyamuni Buddha."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-771)
[Regarding the passage in the 'Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King,' the 23rd chapter, 'can cause all living beings to cast off all ... pain' (LS23, 286), "cast off" should be interpreted as meaning, "become enlightened concerning."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-773)
"The essence of the Lotus Sutra is that earthly desires are in themselves enlightenment and that the sufferings of birth and death are in themselves nirvana.... The doctrine that a single life-moment contains three thousand realms removes suffering and imparts pleasure."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-773)
"To work out solutions according to the sufferings of the people is compassion; this condition of life is called bodhisattva.
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-774)
"[The Four Heavenly Kings] exist in our own life."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-778)
"It is due to the divine power of Bodhisattva Fugen that people throughout the world can practice the Lotus Sutra."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-780)
"At the time of this ["Bodhisattva Universal Worthy" (Jpn Fugen)] chapter, the ultimate transmission exists/ Shakyamuni condensed the Lotus Sutra that he preached for eight years into eight characters and transferred it to the people of the Latter Day of the Law.... The phrase 'you should rise and greet him from afar' means that without fail you should show the votaries of the Lotus Sutra the same respect as you would a Buddha."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-781)
"There is no need to leave this place and go elsewhere.... Now the places where Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, be they 'mountain valleys' or 'wilderness,' these places are all the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-781)
"The two characters nyo (this) and ko (departed) represent the two phases of life and death."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-782)
"'After my death, one should embrace this sutra. Concerning that person's attainment of Buddhahood, there can assuredly be no doubts.' It is clear from this passage that in the Latter Day of the Law when the Pure Law has become obscured and lost, Bodhisattva Jogyo will make his advent and, abbreviating four of the five practices, will attain Buddhahood by the single practice of embracing the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-783)
"Cherry, plum, peach or apricot blossoms - all, just as they are, are entities possessing their own unique qualities. Coming to realize and see this [in each living entity] is what is meant by the word ryo, "to measure" or "to estimate."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-784)
"Various sins are just like dewdrops. The 'sun of wisdom' (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) is capable of dissolving them all."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-786)
"... 'always here' means to preach that the essential nature of all people is Buddhahood."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-787)
"To chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to enter the palace within oneself."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-787)
"'The poor man was overjoyed to discover the gem [which he unknowingly possessed in his robe].' This passage refers to the great joy we experience when we understand for the first time that our life has from the beginning been a Buddha. [Chanting] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the greatest of all joys."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-788)
"The attainment of the Buddha way takes millions of kalpas, but when you exert tremendous effort toward this goal with unwavering faith [in the Gohonzon], the three inherent properties of the Buddha are manifested in an instant. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the practice of 'exerting' oneself."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-790)
"The 'Emerging from the Earth' chapter states: 'And in order that day and night with constant diligence/they may seek the Buddha way.' This passage indicates that when we exert one hundred million eons of effort in a single moment of life, the three enlightened properties of the Buddha will appear within you at each moment. That is to say, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a practice of constant diligence."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-790).
"The meaning behind each and every word and phrase of the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra refers to the hearing of this doctrine as it applies to one's own self, and this is summed up in the words, 'This is what I heard.' That which is heard is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Therefore the sutra says, "all attain the Buddha way."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-794)
"'Thus I have heard' means to listen to the meaning and significance of each passage and phrase of the twenty-eight chapters [of the Lotus Sutra] as a teaching that expounds the reality of one's own life. That which is 'heard' is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-794)
"The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo represent the ninth consciousness, while the "Expedient Means" chapter presents the levels from the eighth to the first consciousness. The ninth consciousness is the realm of enlightenment, while the levels from the eighth to the first consciousness are the realm of delusion. Since the chapter is entitled "Myoho-renge-kyo Hoben-pon" (Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, Expedient Means Chapter), this indicates that delusion and enlightenment are not two different things. This means that of all the myriad phenomena and the three thousand conditions or realms, there are none that are not part of the truth of the expedient means of Myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-794)
"The Treasure Tower is none other than all living beings, and all living beings are none other than the complete entity of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-797)
"... the process of emerging from this womb is called 'coming forth and appearing'."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-797)
"The 'children' are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and the 'father' is Shakyamuni."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-803)
"There is no place among the worlds of the ten directions that the sound of our voices chanting daimoku cannot reach. Our voices may be small, but when we intone the powerful sound of daimoku, there is no place in the universe that they do not penetrate. To illustrate, even though our voices are small, when we blow into a conch shell the sound resounds far and wide. And while the sound of a hand clap is slight, when we use our hands to beat a drum the sound carries a great distance. This is the crucial doctrine of a single life moment encompassing three thousand realms."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-808)
"When the parents attain Buddhahood, then so will the child. And when the child attains Buddhahood, then so will the parents."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-813)
"Now, Nichiren and his followers are the true and self-awakened practitioners of the Supreme Way, the egalitarian Law of the great vehicle [Mahayana Buddhism]."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"It is certain that kosen-rufu will eventually be achieved throughout the entire world."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"The provisional sutras teach inequality, but the Lotus Sutra teaches equality."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"[The Latter Day of the Law is] the time for the widespread propagation of the Great Vehicle, the Law in which all things are equal, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"Such a person [the votary of the Lotus Sutra] shall be called a Buddha. How can he not be called a person of wealth and integrity?"
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-819)
"The five characters of the daimoku become ... a cool breeze in the hell of burning heat."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-822)
"'Medicine' means the 'medicine of excellent color and fragrance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-824)
"After all, spreading the Lotus Sutra leads us to 'peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next'."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-825)
"It is through meeting with great persecution that one is assured of attaining Buddhahood as described by the sutra passage, 'They will enjoy good circumstances in future existences [LS5, 99]'."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-825)
"The living beings of the ten worlds are all Buddhas of the true entity of all phenomena."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-830)
"At the time of kosen-rufu, all people in the entire world will become votaries of the Lotus Sutra."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-834).
"If Nichiren's disciples are cowardly, their prayers cannot be answered."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-840)
"The [first] shi of shishi means 'mentor,' and the second shi means 'disciple'."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-771)
"The exercise of the great power of forbearance by the bodhisattvas of the essential teaching in proclaiming and propagating Myoho-renge-kyo is known as saha. Forbearance means the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light. This mind of forbearance is called Shakyamuni Buddha."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-771)
[Regarding the passage in the 'Former Affairs of the Bodhisattva Medicine King,' the 23rd chapter, 'can cause all living beings to cast off all ... pain' (LS23, 286), "cast off" should be interpreted as meaning, "become enlightened concerning."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-773)
"The essence of the Lotus Sutra is that earthly desires are in themselves enlightenment and that the sufferings of birth and death are in themselves nirvana.... The doctrine that a single life-moment contains three thousand realms removes suffering and imparts pleasure."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-773)
"To work out solutions according to the sufferings of the people is compassion; this condition of life is called bodhisattva.
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-774)
"[The Four Heavenly Kings] exist in our own life."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-778)
"It is due to the divine power of Bodhisattva Fugen that people throughout the world can practice the Lotus Sutra."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-780)
"At the time of this ["Bodhisattva Universal Worthy" (Jpn Fugen)] chapter, the ultimate transmission exists/ Shakyamuni condensed the Lotus Sutra that he preached for eight years into eight characters and transferred it to the people of the Latter Day of the Law.... The phrase 'you should rise and greet him from afar' means that without fail you should show the votaries of the Lotus Sutra the same respect as you would a Buddha."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-781)
"There is no need to leave this place and go elsewhere.... Now the places where Nichiren and his followers chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, be they 'mountain valleys' or 'wilderness,' these places are all the Land of Eternally Tranquil Light."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-781)
"The two characters nyo (this) and ko (departed) represent the two phases of life and death."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-782)
"'After my death, one should embrace this sutra. Concerning that person's attainment of Buddhahood, there can assuredly be no doubts.' It is clear from this passage that in the Latter Day of the Law when the Pure Law has become obscured and lost, Bodhisattva Jogyo will make his advent and, abbreviating four of the five practices, will attain Buddhahood by the single practice of embracing the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-783)
"Cherry, plum, peach or apricot blossoms - all, just as they are, are entities possessing their own unique qualities. Coming to realize and see this [in each living entity] is what is meant by the word ryo, "to measure" or "to estimate."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-784)
"Various sins are just like dewdrops. The 'sun of wisdom' (Nam-myoho-renge-kyo) is capable of dissolving them all."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-786)
"... 'always here' means to preach that the essential nature of all people is Buddhahood."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-787)
"To chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is to enter the palace within oneself."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-787)
"'The poor man was overjoyed to discover the gem [which he unknowingly possessed in his robe].' This passage refers to the great joy we experience when we understand for the first time that our life has from the beginning been a Buddha. [Chanting] Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the greatest of all joys."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-788)
"The attainment of the Buddha way takes millions of kalpas, but when you exert tremendous effort toward this goal with unwavering faith [in the Gohonzon], the three inherent properties of the Buddha are manifested in an instant. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the practice of 'exerting' oneself."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-790)
"The 'Emerging from the Earth' chapter states: 'And in order that day and night with constant diligence/they may seek the Buddha way.' This passage indicates that when we exert one hundred million eons of effort in a single moment of life, the three enlightened properties of the Buddha will appear within you at each moment. That is to say, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is a practice of constant diligence."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-790).
"The meaning behind each and every word and phrase of the twenty-eight chapters of the sutra refers to the hearing of this doctrine as it applies to one's own self, and this is summed up in the words, 'This is what I heard.' That which is heard is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. Therefore the sutra says, "all attain the Buddha way."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-794)
"'Thus I have heard' means to listen to the meaning and significance of each passage and phrase of the twenty-eight chapters [of the Lotus Sutra] as a teaching that expounds the reality of one's own life. That which is 'heard' is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-794)
"The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo represent the ninth consciousness, while the "Expedient Means" chapter presents the levels from the eighth to the first consciousness. The ninth consciousness is the realm of enlightenment, while the levels from the eighth to the first consciousness are the realm of delusion. Since the chapter is entitled "Myoho-renge-kyo Hoben-pon" (Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law, Expedient Means Chapter), this indicates that delusion and enlightenment are not two different things. This means that of all the myriad phenomena and the three thousand conditions or realms, there are none that are not part of the truth of the expedient means of Myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-794)
"The Treasure Tower is none other than all living beings, and all living beings are none other than the complete entity of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-797)
"... the process of emerging from this womb is called 'coming forth and appearing'."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-797)
"The 'children' are the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and the 'father' is Shakyamuni."
(Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, Ongi Kuden, GZ-803)
"There is no place among the worlds of the ten directions that the sound of our voices chanting daimoku cannot reach. Our voices may be small, but when we intone the powerful sound of daimoku, there is no place in the universe that they do not penetrate. To illustrate, even though our voices are small, when we blow into a conch shell the sound resounds far and wide. And while the sound of a hand clap is slight, when we use our hands to beat a drum the sound carries a great distance. This is the crucial doctrine of a single life moment encompassing three thousand realms."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-808)
"When the parents attain Buddhahood, then so will the child. And when the child attains Buddhahood, then so will the parents."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-813)
"Now, Nichiren and his followers are the true and self-awakened practitioners of the Supreme Way, the egalitarian Law of the great vehicle [Mahayana Buddhism]."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"It is certain that kosen-rufu will eventually be achieved throughout the entire world."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"The provisional sutras teach inequality, but the Lotus Sutra teaches equality."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"[The Latter Day of the Law is] the time for the widespread propagation of the Great Vehicle, the Law in which all things are equal, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-816)
"Such a person [the votary of the Lotus Sutra] shall be called a Buddha. How can he not be called a person of wealth and integrity?"
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-819)
"The five characters of the daimoku become ... a cool breeze in the hell of burning heat."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-822)
"'Medicine' means the 'medicine of excellent color and fragrance of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-824)
"After all, spreading the Lotus Sutra leads us to 'peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next'."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-825)
"It is through meeting with great persecution that one is assured of attaining Buddhahood as described by the sutra passage, 'They will enjoy good circumstances in future existences [LS5, 99]'."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-825)
"The living beings of the ten worlds are all Buddhas of the true entity of all phenomena."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-830)
"At the time of kosen-rufu, all people in the entire world will become votaries of the Lotus Sutra."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-834).
"If Nichiren's disciples are cowardly, their prayers cannot be answered."
(Oko Kikigaki, GZ-840)