But now, it has been over 200 years since the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration. I have not been allowed to meet opponents in debate; instead I have been banished with my life in jeopardy. It proves that the warning in the Lotus Sutra about much hatred and jealousy after the death of the Buddha is not an empty threat. It also proves that we are in the beginning of endless warfare and in a decadent world of corruption where unreasonableness takes precedence over reason.

Therefore, although my comprehension of the Lotus Sutra is not worthy even one ten millionth of that of T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō, I dare say that my endurance on its behalf and compassion for the people are beyond these masters. I am sure that I deserve to receive heavenly protection, but there is not even a shred of it. Instead I have been condemned to heavier and heavier penalties. Looking back in this light, I wonder whether or not I am a practicer of the Lotus Sutra and whether or not various gods and deities have left this land.

However, if only I, Nichiren, had not been born in this country, the twenty-line verse of the thirteenth chapter, “The Encouragement for Upholding This Sutra,” in the fifth fascicle of the Lotus Sutra would be empty words and the Buddha would almost be a great liar. Those uncountable number of bodhisattvas, who made the vow to uphold the Lotus Sutra, would be accused of committing the same sin of lying as Devadatta did. The verse says, “Ignorant people will speak ill of us, abuse us, and threaten us with swords or sticks.”

In the world today, is there any Buddhist priest other than me, Nichiren, who is spoken ill of, abused, and threatened with swords or sticks on account of the Lotus Sutra?

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Pages 56-57

I want to underscore here Nichiren’s “compassion for the people.” There is no ulterior motive.

Ignorant of the past and future [these Four Chinese] sages cannot help in the future lives of their parents, rulers and teachers. Not knowing what they owe to them in the past, they cannot be considered truly holy and wise. This is why Confucius said, “Truly wise and holy men do not exist in China, but in the land to the west, there is a man called Buddha. He is a true sage.”

Confucius thus indicated Confucianism, which is non-Buddhist (geten), to be the first step toward Buddhism. It would be easier, Confucius knew, for the people to understand the fundamental Buddhist teachings of commandments, meditation, and wisdom if they first learned the fundamental Confucian concepts of rituals and music.

He therefore taught the kings’ subjects to be loyal to their rulers, children to be devoted to their parents, and students to respect their teachers. Grand Master Miao-lê therefore declared in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight: “The dissemination of Buddhism in China indeed depended on Confucianism. Buddhism found its way by following on the heels of the rituals and music of Confucianism.”

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Pages 32-33

For the next 100 days I will follow this format: A quote from something I’ve read that day accompanied with something pithy from me. I hope to devote a minimum of an hour a day to reading the seven volumes of the official Nichiren Shū collection of Nichiren’s writings. I’m starting in Doctrine 2 (the book titles shift to “volume” after Doctrine 3) since I read Doctrine 1 last July. I don’t think I’ll make it through the six remaining books in 100 days, but if I do I’ll return to Doctrine 1.

I’m not a quick reader and my progress will be slowed by copying of quotes that I’ll start publishing daily after I finish this 100-day adventure. Again, the purpose, as with all of the quotes on this site, is to remind me and to provide a means of recalling what I’ve forgotten.