WONS

Rely On The Dharma, Not On A Man

The Buddha taught us, “Rely on the Dharma, not on a man.” Accordingly we should not believe in anyone, no matter how great a wise man he is, unless he preaches according to the sūtra, shouldn’t we? The Buddha’s will also enjoins us, “Rely on the sūtra thoroughly revealing the truth, not the sūtra not thoroughly revealing the truth.” Therefore, those who are ignorant and unable to distinguish the order of preaching and the profundity or superiority of doctrine among all the holy teachings expounded by the Buddha during His lifetime should follow the sūtras thoroughly revealing the truth. Speaking of sūtras thoroughly or not thoroughly revealing the truth, they are numerous. The Āgama Hinayana sūtras do not thoroughly reveal the truth while such sūtras as the Flower Garland Sūtra, the Hōdō sūtras, the Wisdom Sūtra, and the Sūtra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life of the Pure Land School are those thoroughly revealing the truth compared to the Āgama sūtras. Compared to the Lotus Sūtra, those preached by the Buddha in the first 40 years or so following His attainment of Buddhahood do not thoroughly reveal the truth. Compared to the Lotus Sūtra, the Nirvana Sūtra does not reveal the truth thoroughly. Compared to the Lotus Sūtra, the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra is not the one thoroughly revealing the truth. Therefore, you should abandon all the sūtras preached during the 40 years or so as well as the Nirvana Sūtra, which was preached last, and follow the Lotus Sūtra as your teacher.

Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 14

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Daily Dharma for July 5, 2026

20260705-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
The illustration is a traditional Japanese Buddhist silk painting interpreting Nichiren's Treatise on the Testimony of the Lotus Sutra. The scene visualizes the concept of accumulated merit (good karma) overriding past transgressions to create present-day faith. Nichiren, depicted as a compassionate monk, addresses Nanjō Tokimitsu, the intended recipient of the letter. To emphasize the "Superiority of the Lotus Sutra" over temporal power, a large scroll bearing the scripture's title (法華経) is positioned centrally on a stand between them, and Nichiren holds a brush, indicating his intent to spread the teaching. Swirling golden clouds create a dreamlike temporal boundary, visualizing the text's recollection of past existences: a humble figure (representing Tokimitsu's past self) makes simple, respectful offerings to an endless multitude of Buddhas. This imagery visually anchors the conceptual narrative that Tokimitsu's present faith and humble birth are the karmic results of significant past merit, despite past slanders of the Dharma.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:

Nichiren Shōnin (seated monk)

Nanjō Tokimitsu (kneeling young samurai)

The Ten Trillion Buddhas of the Past (stylized multitude on clouds)

Past Incarnation making offerings (generic human figure on clouds)

Item 2: Text Translations:

法華経: Lotus Sutra (appearing on the scroll stack/stand)

双子座: Gemini (signature)

ジェミニ: Gemini (seal text in Katakana)

I am grateful to have been born a human with this precious body due to accumulated causes and conditions in my past existences. According to the sutra, I must have encountered and given offerings to ten trillion Buddhas in the past. Even though I did not place my faith exclusively in the Lotus Sutra, thus slandering the Dharma and being born poor and lowly in this life as a result, my merit of giving offerings to the Buddhas was so great that I was born as a believer of the Lotus Sutra.

Nichiren wrote this passage in his Treatise on the Testimony of the Lotus Sutra (Hokke Shōmyō-shō) addressed to Nanjō Tokimitsu. Unlike most of those who practiced the Buddha Dharma in his time, Nichiren did not belong to the higher classes of royalty or warriors. He saw clearly the suffering of common people and vowed to end it. He realized that the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra does not lie in its power to bring rain or change history. The power of this sūtra lies in its determination to save all beings, rich or poor, noble or common, deluded or wise. Nichiren’s offering to the Buddha was to spread this Wonderful Dharma. To benefit the Buddha is to benefit all beings.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

Saving Śrāvakas And Pratyekabuddhas

The purpose of the Tripiṭaka teaching is to emancipate people from the Six Realms of the triple world. As a result, because the teaching reveals no place but the triple world to attain emancipation, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha are unaware of the existence of the Pure Land where bodhisattvas are born. They also do not know that they still possess other evil passions and attachments besides the delusions in view and thought. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas believe they will eliminate the cause of being reborn in the triple world if they do away with the delusions in view and thought and that they will exist in a void where there is no body or mind, since they will have transformed the body to ashes and annihilated consciousness. Thus it is said that men of the two Vehicles cannot be saved by the Tripiṭaka teaching, and that they will never be able to become Buddhas without the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-I, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 66-67

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Daily Dharma for July 4, 2026


Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
This 1:1 composition interprets Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra by focusing on the Parable of the Excellent Physician as a metaphor for the nature of the Buddha. The central dynamic captures the juxtaposition of human suffering and the Buddha’s compassionate 'expedient means.' Below, the children, representing humanity, suffer from their own deluded minds, surrounded by the spilled medicine they refuse to recognize. This emphasizes the suffering (dukkha) inherent in their condition. Above, Śākyamuni Buddha is not an abstract concept, but is actively withdrawing into the heavens. This visual 'disappearance'—accomplished with subtle gold leaf and mineral blue pigment clouds—directly interprets the source text, where the Buddha expediently declares his 'death' to compel self-effort. He looks back not with condemnation, but with profound compassion, emphasizing that his absence is a pedagogical tool to awaken their potential and lead them.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:

Śākyamuni Buddha (The historical Buddha)

The suffering children of the excellent physician (representing deluded sentient beings)

Item 2: Text Translations:

Kanji Signature: '双子座' (Gemini, or Twins Constellation)

Red Square Seal (Hanko): 'ジェミニ' (Gemini)

I am like the father. It is many hundreds of thousands of billions of nayutas of asaṃkhyas of kalpas since I became the Buddha. In order to save the [perverted] people, I say expediently, ‘I shall pass away.’ No one will accuse me of falsehood by the [common] law.

The Buddha gives this explanation in Chapter Sixteen of the Lotus Sūtra. In the story of the Physician and his children, the father leaves and sends word that he has died when his children refuse to take the antidote he has prepared for them. He gave his children no choice but to accept what they already had and make the effort to improve themselves and set aside their deluded minds. In the same way, when we take the Buddha for granted, and close our eyes to the Wonderful Dharma he has given us, he disappears. It is only when we open our eyes and see clearly this world and ourselves in it that we can recognize the Buddha and how he is always leading us.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

Haters

Grand Master Miao-lê defines in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra (Fahua wén-chü-chi) that all the śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha who attached themselves to Hinayana enlightenment, and bodhisattvas who believe in the Buddha’s attaining enlightenment in this world without believing in the eternal life of the Buddha are those who hate the Lotus Sūtra. He also declares that those who do not want to listen to, believe in or accept the Lotus Sūtra are “haters ” of the Lotus Sūtra even if they do not slander it publicly.

As I contemplate the state of affairs today after the death of the Buddha against that in His lifetime, scholars of various sects today are all like heretics during the days of the Buddha. They called the Buddha the worst, and it fits me, Nichiren, today. “Evil people in the world all coming together to join His group” fits Nichiren’s disciples. Misunderstanding the teachings expounded by the past Buddhas in the previous lives, heretics harbored evil thoughts, hated and persecuted Śākyamuni Buddha in this world. Scholars of various Buddhists sects today are acting similarly to those heretics in the past. In a word, they misunderstand what the Buddha preached and this misunderstanding leads them to hold wicked ideas. It is like a dizzy man seeing a great mountain turning around.

Teradomari Gosho, A Letter from Teradomari, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 8-9

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Daily Dharma for July 3, 2026

20260703-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
The illustration is a visual interpretation of the assembly at Vulture Peak described in Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. The conceptual thinking focuses on the pivotal moment Śākyamuni Buddha seeks a successor to transmit and preserve the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in the Sahā-World. The composition visually separates the celestial bodhisattvas on the left from the mortal disciples and lay practitioners on the right, illustrating that the transmission of the Dharma is not dependent on status, but on faith and the determination to benefit others. Subtle use of mineral pigments and atmospheric perspective captures the solemnity and the immediate "time to do this" prior to the Buddha's Parinirvāṇa.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:

Śākyamuni Buddha (Historical Buddha), centrally seated in teaching robes.

The Great Assembly, comprised of both celestial and human figures, including:

Multiple Bodhisattvas (listening, hands clasped).

Buddhist Monks (Arhats, standing and kneeling).

Lay disciples (figures with covered heads and simpler robes).

Item 2: Text Translations:

Kanji signature '双子座': "Gemini" (Lit. "Twins Constellation").

Red square seal (hanko) 'ジェミニ': "Gemini" (Written in Katakana phonetic script).

“Who will expound the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma in this Sahā-World? Now is the time to do this. I shall enter into Nirvāṇa before long. I wish to transmit this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma to someone so that this sūtra may be preserved.”

The Buddha asks this of those gathered to hear him teach in Chapter Eleven of the Lotus Sūtra. If there had been no one among those listening who was able to expound the Sūtra, he would not have asked this question. Our ability to benefit others with the Buddha Dharma is not based on our eloquence, our intelligence or our position in life. It is based only on our faith in the Buddha’s teachings and our determination to benefit others. When we read, recite, and copy the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha is transmitting it to us. We preserve the Sūtra through our practice.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

Every Sūtra Preached By Śākyamuni Buddha

In determining the comparative superiority of all sūtras preached during His lifetime in the main discourse of the Lotus Sūtra proper, Śākyamuni Buddha uttered these golden words in the tenth chapter on the “Teacher of the Dharma”: “The sūtras I have preached number immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, and hundred millions. Of the sūtras I have preached, am now preaching, and will preach, this Lotus Sūtra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand.” Just then the Buddha of Many Treasures emerged from underground in the eleventh chapter on the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures” to testify, “What is said in the Lotus Sūtra is all true,” while Buddhas manifested in the numerous worlds all over the universe came together in the 21st chapter on the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” to attest it to be the truth by touching the Brahma Heaven with their tongues.

Taking these into consideration, I guess it is in my own hands to compare the superiority and profundity in doctrine or difficulty in practice among sūtras as numerous as the number of dust particles in the whole universe, including those transmitted to China and Japan, more than 5,000 fascicles in old translations and more than 7,000 fascicles in new translations; those which have not been transmitted but existed in India, the Dragon’s Palace and the Four-king Heavens; those preached by the Past Seven Buddhas and those left out of Ananda’s collection.

How can the “immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, and hundred millions of sūtras” referred to in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra not include every sūtra preached by Śākyamuni Buddha? Is there any sūtra that does not fall into the time-span of the Buddha’s preaching when He “has preached, now preaches, and will preach” them?

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 17

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Daily Dharma for July 2, 2026

20260702-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
The illustration is a visual meditation on the concept of 'reading the Lotus Sutra with our bodies,' specifically interpreting the story of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva. The traditional, subdued style on silk underscores the timeless and profound nature of this selfless sacrifice. I focused the narrative on the contrast between worldly offerings and the ultimate offering of self. To represent the Bodhisattva’s past life, I visualized conventional offerings like jewels and celestial clothes as valuable but ephemeral things, labeled in small kanji, literally vanishing as they are outmatched by the intense, radiant light—the true 'treasure'—originating directly from the Bodhisattva’s body and radiating to countless worlds. By explicitly avoiding common figures like Amida or Dainichi, the composition keeps the focus squarely on the generic 'Ancient Buddha' of the text and the transformative act of the Bodhisattva, making the abstract concept of living the Dharma tangible through this dynamic, luminous sacrifice.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:

Ancient Buddha: The celestial figure seated above, receiving the final offering.

Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva (later Medicine-King Bodhisattva): The central glowing figure offering his body.

Item 2: Text Translations:

Signature (Kanji): 双子座 - 'Futagoza' (Gemini)

Seal (Katakana): ジェミニ - 'Jemini' (Gemini)

Having made these offerings [to the Buddha], he emerged from the samādhi, and thought, ‘I have now made offerings to the Buddha by my supernatural powers. But these offerings are less valuable than the offering of my own body.’

In Chapter Twenty-Three of the Lotus Sūtra, the Buddha tells the story of Gladly-Seen-By-All-Beings Bodhisattva, the previous life of Medicine-King Bodhisattva. This Bodhisattva practiced under an ancient Buddha, and made exorbitant offerings to that Buddha through his supernatural powers. He then realized that all the riches of the universe that he could conjure up paled in comparison to the treasure of his own body and his own life. He then made an offering of his body to the Buddha, which illuminated innumerable worlds. Nichiren wrote often of the hardships he faced in his life and those of his followers. He wrote of “reading the Lotus Sūtra with our bodies,” meaning bringing the Buddha’s wisdom to life in our lives. When we act according to the Wonderful Dharma, no matter what hardships we face, then we too are living the Lotus Sūtra, and making a perfect offering from our gratitude to the Buddha.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

WONS

Solely by the Strength of the Lotus Sūtra

It is stated in the Collection Concerning the Immediate Attainment of Buddhahood by Grand Master Jikaku:

“The Buddha’s wish to teach and save the people is fulfilled in the Lotus Sūtra. Thus, the Buddha emerges in this world and expounds the Lotus Sūtra. While practicing the bodhisattva way before attaining Buddhahood, various Buddhas take four great vows to save the people by causing them to eliminate delusions, master the teaching of the Buddha, and attain Buddhahood. If they complete the practice and are endowed with its resulting merits, they can fulfill the last three vows of the Four Great Vows. However, it is difficult for them to accomplish the first vow to lead the people and enable them to eliminate delusions. Not even the Flower Garland Sūtra can enable the people in the Ten Realms (from the realm of Buddhas to hell) to attain Buddhahood. The same is true with the Āgama sūtras, the Hōdō (various Mahāyāna) sūtras, and the Wisdom Sūtra. Though expounding all the teachings again after the Lotus Sūtra, the Nirvana Sūtra cannot accomplish the Buddha’s will to enable all the people to attain Buddhahood. Now it becomes clear that all living beings of the Ten Realms can attain Buddhahood by the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Devadatta who had once fallen into the Hell of Incessant Suffering was assured in the Lotus Sūtra to become Heavenly King Buddha; the daughter of a dragon king and the ten female rākṣasa demons attained Buddhahood; an asura demon was assured of future Buddhahood, and bodhisattvas in the realm of men, heavenly beings and the Two Vehicles and all bodhisattvas who mastered the teachings other than the Lotus Sūtra are all able to enter the perfect realm of the Buddha. It is preached in the “Expedient” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that the Buddha has accomplished His Vow to lead all the people to the way of the Buddha. Since the realm of men is limitless, there still are people who have not entered the way of the Buddha. However, all the people of the Ten Realms will surely attain Buddhahood solely by the strength of the Lotus Sūtra. The Lotus Sūtra fulfills the will of the Buddha to save all the people.”

Nizen Nijō Bosatsu Fu-sabutsu Ji, Never-Attaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicles and Bodhisattvas in the Pre-Lotus Sūtras, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin,
Doctrine 3, Page 206-207

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Daily Dharma for July 1, 2026

20260701-ddi

Illustration by Google Gemini

Show Gemini's thinking

Gemini Thinking

Conceptual Summary
The illustration is a traditional ink, mineral pigment, and gold leaf painting on silk (1:1 square ratio) that translates specific concepts from Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra into classical Japanese Buddhist iconography. Rather than a purely narrative scene, the image serves as an iconographic tableau focused on the specific moment Śākyamuni Buddha (釈迦如来) reveals the ever-present nature of his life and the awakening of inherent joy to his disciple Maitreya (弥勒菩薩). Śākyamuni is positioned centrally on a gold lotus throne, and Maitreya, seated on a lower lotus, is identified by the specific iconographic element of the miniature pagoda (stūpa) in his headdress, reflecting his role in receiving this teaching. Crucially, the 'firm faith' and 'joy' mentioned in the source text are not generalized; they are specifically 'the joy in our awakening Buddha nature.' To visualize this internal spiritual concept, the painting incorporates visual threads of golden light emanating directly from Śākyamuni’s heart. This radiance connects not only to the surrounding Hōben-hon assembly (the 'good men or women' mentioned) but specifically bypasses physical suffering, symbolizing the direct awakening to one's innate Buddha nature that comes from rejoicing in the teaching.

Iconography & Character Identification
Item 1: Deities/Figures Featured:

The illustration features three distinct figures or groups derived from classical iconography:

Central Figure: Śākyamuni Buddha (釈迦如来, Shaka Nyorai). He is seated on a gold lotus throne, adorned in classical robes, and his mudra (hand gesture) signifies the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra (Hōshō Mudra).

Seated Attendant Figure: Maitreya Bodhisattva (弥勒菩薩, Miroku Bosatsu). Maitreya is identifiable as the Bodhisattva seated below Śākyamuni to his right, distinguishable by the small miniature pagoda (stūpa) element positioned in his complex headdress.

Right Figure (and Group): This figure represents the Hōben-hon Assembly, representing the 'good men or women' and the general assembly who are hearing and rejoicing in the sūtra. While depicted as a single representative, they stand for the larger group mentioned in the sūtra chapter receiving the teaching.

Item 2: Text Translations:

The text present in the lower right corner of the illustration is the traditional signature and artist seal:

Kanji (Signature): 双子座

Translation: Gemini

Katakana (Seal/Hanko): ジェミニ

Translation: Gemini

Furthermore, the good men or women who do not speak ill of this sūtra but rejoice at hearing it after my extinction, should be considered, know this, to have already understood my longevity by firm faith.

The Buddha makes this declaration to his disciple Maitreya in Chapter Seventeen of the Lotus Sūtra. After learning the merits of understanding the ever-present nature of the Buddha, Maitreya hears that this understanding is present in anyone who finds joy in this sūtra. From the parables told earlier in the sūtra, we know that this joy is not the same as the joy that comes from ending suffering. It is the joy in our awakening Buddha nature.

The Daily Dharma is produced by the Lexington Nichiren Buddhist Community. To subscribe to the daily emails, visit zenzaizenzai.com

On the Journey to a Place of Treasures