Now, two ways of propagation, the persuasive and aggressive, are incompatible with each other just as water and fire are. The fire dislikes the water, and the water hates the fire. Those who prefer the persuasive tend to laugh at those who practice the aggressive and vice versa. So, when the land is full of evil and ignorant people, the persuasive means should take precedence as preached in the “Peaceful Practices” (14th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. However, when there are many cunning slanderers of the True Dharma, the aggressive means should take precedence as preached in the “Never-Despising Bodhisattva” (20th) chapter.

It is the same as using cold water when it is hot and fire when it is cold. Plants and trees are followers of the sun, so they dislike the cold moon. Bodies of water are followers of the moon, so they lose their true nature when it is hot. As there are lands of evil men as well as those of slanderers of the True Dharma in this Latter Age of Degeneration, there should be both aggressive and persuasive means of spreading the True Dharma.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 111

I find it amusing that, in his next letter, Nichiren wrote Toki Jonin: “I wrote a little about the teaching of the Buddha and gave it to the messenger of Lord Shijō Kingo the other day.” I just can’t imagine anyone describing Kaimoku-shō as “a little” anything.

Having concluded Kaimoku-shō, I want to include some of the Notes that follow for future reference.

Kalpa is a Sanskrit term meaning an immeasurably long period of time, said to be the period required to erupt)’ a city full of poppy seeds by taking away one every three years, or for an angel to wear away a ten-mile-cubic stone by touching it with her robe once every three years.

It is believed that the world goes through four kalpa (periods) of construction, continuance, destruction, and emptiness, each of which consists of 20 small kalpas. The average human longevity in a small kalpa increases by a year per century from 10 years until it reaches the maximum human longevity of 84,000 years. After it reaches the maximum human longevity, the human life grows shorter by a year per century until it reaches the minimum average human longevity of 10 years. This is repeated 20 times within a kalpa.

Eight Winds refer to the eight elements which arouse one’s love and hate: profit, sorrow, slander, fame, praise, censure, pain, and pleasure.