Nichiren’s fervor never declined, but in his quiet life as a recluse his mind was occupied, perhaps exclusively, with enthusiasm for his ideal. His method was no longer confined to vehement warnings to the nation, and fiery attacks upon other Buddhists; he reflected calmly, and examined again and again the meaning of the ideal Kingdom of Buddha as the basis of the Buddhist Catholic Church of which his proposed Holy See should be the centre. He was always firm in the conviction that the Holy See was to be established in Japan, the land where the savior of the Latter Days was destined to appear, and where he, the man, was actually born and was doing the savior’s work. Yet, on the other hand, his work was not merely for the sake of a small country, composed of many islands. Just as he recognized in his own life two aspects, the actual and mortal, on the one side, and the ideal and eternal, on the other, so he saw in Japan a similar twofold significance, one, the physically limited, and the other, to be realized through transformation according to his high ideal. In this latter sense, Japan meant for him the whole world. He said once: ‘The great master Myoraku says in his commentary on the Scrip ture, “The children benefit the world by propagating the Truth of the Father.” “The children” means here the Saints-out-of-earth; “the Father” is the Lord Sakyamuni; “the world,” Japan; “benefit” means the attainment of Buddhahood; and “Truth,” the Adoration of the Lotus of Truth. Even now, this is not otherwise because “the Father” means Nichiren; “the children,” Nichiren’s disciples and followers; “the world,” Japan; “benefit,” the life (of these men) laboring to perpetuate (the Truth) and hasten the attainment of Buddhahood; and “Truth” means the Sacred Title handed down to us from Visistacaritra.’