In one of his writings, Nichiren says that no matter how long a cave has been dark, the minute a light enters, the darkness is eliminated. The same is true with our lives. The instant we begin practicing, our life begins to change and the dark clouds of suffering begin to roll back. If a candle is lit in a darkened cave immediately there is light, and so it is with our lives. As our faith and practice grows it is as if we light ever more candles to the point where every corner of the cave of suffering is illuminated.