The Ten Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin

 Nikko Shonin designated ten of Nichiren Daishonin's writings as the most important of his works. Listed in chronological order, these ten are briefly described in the following paragraphs, including the background and main points.

1. ON CHANTING THE DAIMOKU OF THE LOTUS SUTRA. (Gosho Zenshu. pp. 1-16)

This Gosho was written at Matsubagayatsu, the Daishonin's residence at the time, and was dated May 28, 1260. It maintains that Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the teaching for the Latter Day of the Law, the current era roughly beginning 2,000 years after Shakyamuni's death. Presented in a form of fifteen questions and answers, it establishes the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra over the provisional teachings.

It asserts that during this time period shakubuku, leading another to the correct Buddhist teaching by refuting his attachment to heretical views, is preferable to shoju gradually leading another to the true teaching without refuting his misconceptions. The recipient is unknown. This writing has not yet been translated into English.  Status:  Unavailable.

2. RISSHO ANKOKU RON (MW-2, pp. 3-51):

Submitted in remonstration to the retired regent, Hojo Tokiyori, on July 16, 1260, this Gosho is written in the form of a dialogue between a guest and his host. It attributes the disasters befalling Japan at the time to the people's slander of the Lotus Sutra and belief in false forms of Buddhism, particularly the Pure Land (Nembutsu) sect. It predicts that two further disasters, internal strife and foreign invasion, would occur if the country continues its support of mistaken teachings and heretical priests. The disasters predicted by the Daishonin ultimately occurred several years later. 

3. THE OPENING OF THE EYES (MW-2, pp. 71-222):

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this thesis over a two-year period while in exile on Sado Island. Dated February 1272, it was written for all his followers and was entrusted to Shijo Kingo, a samurai and a disciple of the Daishonin. Nichiren Daishonin reveals himself here to be the Buddha of the Latter Day of the Law who possesses the three virtues of parent, teacher and sovereign. The treatise concludes that the ultimate Law is hidden in the depths of the Juryo (sixteenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It is known as the work that defines the true object of worship in terms of the Person.

Regarding this Gosho Nichiren Daishonin wrote, "I wanted to record the wonder I had experienced, in case I should be beheaded. The essential message in this work, which I entrusted to Shijo Kingo's messenger, is that the destiny of Japan depends solely upon me. A house without pillars collapses and a man without a soul is dead. I am the soul of the people of Japan" (MW-1, p.189). 

4. THE TRUE OBJECT OF WORSHIP (MW-1, pp. 45-88):

Also written on Sado Island over a two-year period and dated April 25, 1273, this Gosho was entrusted to Toki Jonin, a government official and an early convert to the Daishonin's teachings. It is known as the work that defines the object of worship in terms of the Law because it sets forth the theoretical basis for the Gohonzon as the object of worship for attaining Buddhahood in the Latter Day. It teaches the principle of juji soku kanjin, which means that embracing the Gohonzon is in itself enlightenment.

5. THE ESSENTIALS OF THE LOTUS SUTRA: (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 331-338)

Also entrusted to Toki Jonin, this Gosho, dated 1274, was written at Mount Minobu, where the Daishonin settled following his release from Sado Island. It defines Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the true Law to be propagated in the Latter Day. It has not yet been translated into English. 

6. THE SELECTION OF THE TIME (MW-3, pp. 79-191):

Written in 1275 from Mount Minobu, this Gosho was entrusted to Yui Nyudo, a follower of the Daishonin's living in Nishiyama in Suruga Province. It explains that there is a correct teaching for each of the three periods of the Former, Middle and Latter Days of the Law and that in the Latter Day the true Law of Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is the correct teaching to be propagated. 

7. REPAYING DEBTS OF GRATITUDE (MW-4, pp. 171-280):

Written at Mount Minobu and dated July 21, 1276, this treatise was written in appreciation for the Daishonin's late teacher Dozen-ho. He sent it to his former senior priests Joken-bo and Gijo-bo at Seicho-ji temple, where he had previously studied. From the point of view of Buddhist doctrine, it discusses the vital importance of repaying debts of gratitude, especially to a teacher, and concludes that the way to repay such obligations fully is to embrace and propagate the Mystic Law. 

8. THE FOUR STAGES OF FAITH AND FIVE STAGES OF PRACTICE (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 338-343):

Dated April 10, 1277 and written at Mount Minobu to Toki Jonin, this Gosho discusses the four stages of faith and the five stages of practice indicated in the Funbetsu Kudoku (seventeenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. It defines the chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as the direct way of enlightenment in the Latter Day. 

9. LETTER TO SHIMOYAMA (Gosho Zenshu pp. 343-364):

This Gosho was written at Mount Minobu in June 1277 to Shimoyama Hyogo Goro Mitsumoto, the steward of Shimoyama in Kai Province. Inaba-bo Nichiei, one of the Daishonin's disciples who lived in Shimoyama, had tried to convert Mitsumoto and met with extreme opposition. Under Inaba-bo's name, Nichiren Daishonin wrote this treatise to the steward on behalf of his disciple. It points out the errors of the various sects and their deleterious effect upon the country. It also outlines the Daishonin's teachings and the reasons for his actions and urges Mitsumoto to abandon the Pure Land (Nembutsu) teachings and take faith in the Mystic Law. It has not yet been translated into English.

10. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ON THE OBJECT OF WORSHIP (Gosho Zenshu, pp. 365-374):

Written at Mount Minobu in September 1278 and sent to Joken-bo at Seicho-ji temple, this Gosho refutes the objects of worship of the various sects, particularly those of the Shingon sect. It established in terms of the sutras that the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, is the true teaching for the Latter Day of the Law. 

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THE TEN MAJOR WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN

#	Gosho	Date	Location	Recipient
1	"On Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra"	May 1260	Matsubagayatsu	unknown
2	"Rissho Ankoku Ron"	July 1260	Matsubagayatsu	Hojo Tokiyori
3	"The Opening of the Eyes"	Feb. 1272	Sado Island	All his disciples
4	"The True Object of Worship"	Apr. 1273	Sado Island	Toki Jonin
5	"The Essentials of the Lotus Sutra"	May 1274	Mount Minobu	Toki Jonin
6	"The Selection of the Time"	1275	Mount Minobu	Yui Nyudo
7	"Repaying Debts of Gratitude"	July 1277	Mount Minobu	Joken-bo and Gijo-bo
8	"The Four Stages of Faith and Five Stages of Practice"	Apr. 1277	Mount Minobu	Toki Jonin
9	"Letter to Shimoyama"	June 1277	Mount Minobu	Shimoyama Mitsumoto
10	"Questions and Answers on the Object of Worship"	Sep. 1278	Mount Minobu	Joken-bo

King Ashoka

 

King Ashoka (c. 304–232 BCE), the Mauryan emperor of India, is famously associated with Buddhism, but his connection to the Lotus Sutra, a key Mahayana Buddhist text, is primarily through a parable cited in Nichiren Buddhism, not direct historical evidence. Here’s a brief overview addressing your query:

Ashoka’s Historical Context

Ashoka ruled the Mauryan Empire at its peak (c. 268–232 BCE), initially known for his conquests, including the brutal Kalinga War (c. 261 BCE). Deeply moved by the war’s devastation, he embraced Buddhism, promoting nonviolence, tolerance, and ethical governance. His edicts, inscribed on pillars and rocks, spread Buddhist principles like compassion and respect for all religions across India and beyond. Ashoka built stupas, monasteries, and supported Buddhist missions, significantly advancing the religion’s spread.

Connection to the Lotus Sutra

The Lotus Sutra, composed between the 1st and 2nd centuries CE (long after Ashoka’s time), is a Mahayana text emphasizing universal Buddhahood and the eternal nature of the Buddha. It contains parables and teachings that Nichiren (1222–1282), a Japanese Buddhist priest, later used to illustrate spiritual principles.

In Nichiren Buddhism, a famous parable from the Lotus Sutra connects to Ashoka through his supposed past life as a boy named Virtue Victorious (Tokusho Doji). According to the story, found in texts like the Za-agon Sutra and referenced in Nichiren Daishonin’s writings, two boys playing in the mud offered a mud pie to Shakyamuni Buddha as a sincere act of devotion. One boy, Virtue Victorious, was later reborn as King Ashoka due to the merit of this offering. Nichiren cites this in his letter The Person and the Law to emphasize that sincere offerings to the Buddha or the Lotus Sutra yield immense spiritual benefits, far greater in the “Latter Day of the Law” than in Shakyamuni’s time.

The Lotus Sutra itself states: “Those who create a Buddhist temple out of earth in desolate lands, even if it be a child at play, who with sand, builds a Buddhist stupa; all of these people would have attained the Buddha Path.” This underscores the power of sincere faith, which Nichiren links to Ashoka’s transformation from a “merciless ruler” to a righteous king who built 84,000 stupas.

Historical vs. Legendary Connection

•  Historical Reality: Ashoka lived centuries before the Lotus Sutra was composed, so he had no direct interaction with it. His Buddhist practice aligned more with early Theravada or pre-Mahayana traditions, focusing on the Four Noble Truths and ethical conduct, as seen in his edicts.

•  Legendary Significance: The Virtue Victorious story is a later Mahayana narrative, likely created to inspire faith in the Lotus Sutra’s teachings. It retroactively casts Ashoka as a figure whose greatness stemmed from a humble act of devotion, aligning with the sutra’s message that all beings can attain Buddhahood.

Ashoka’s Legacy and the Lotus Sutra’s Influence

Ashoka’s promotion of Buddhism laid the groundwork for its spread, indirectly enabling Mahayana texts like the Lotus Sutra to flourish in India and East Asia. His pillar at Sarnath, with its lion capital (now India’s national emblem), symbolizes his Buddhist legacy at the site of the Buddha’s first sermon. The Lotus Sutra, revered in Tendai and Nichiren sects, became a cornerstone of East Asian Buddhism, emphasizing compassion and universal enlightenment—values Ashoka’s policies reflected in practice, if not in doctrine.

Critical Note

The story of Ashoka as Virtue Victorious is a religious allegory, not historical fact. It serves to illustrate the Lotus Sutra’s teaching that even small, sincere acts can lead to profound spiritual outcomes. Scholars note that Mahayana sutras, including the Lotus Sutra, often use such narratives to inspire devotion, not to document history. Always cross-check traditional narratives with historical evidence to distinguish legend from reality.

Nanjō Tokimitsu

Nanjō Tokimitsu (1259–1332) also known as Lord Ueno, because he lived in Ueno Village in Fuji District of Suruga Province, Japan, and became the steward of that village. A lay follower of Nichiren Daishonin and the second son of Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō. His full name was Nanjō Shichirō Jirō Taira no Tokimitsu. He began practicing Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings quite early in life. In 1265 his father, an official of the Kamakura shogunate, died, and he lost his eldest brother, Shichirō Tarō, in 1274. This forced Tokimitsu to assume the duties of the steward of Ueno while still in his teens. 

Tokimitsu was an infant when his father met Nichiren Daishonin and became a follower of his teaching. Upon the elder Nanjō’s death, Nichiren Daishonin traveled from Kamakura to Ueno Village to offer prayers for his repose. It was then, at age seven, that Tokimitsu is said to have first met Nichiren Daishonin. 

In 1274, immediately after Nichiren Daishonin took up residence at Minobu, Tokimitsu went to see him again. This encounter seems to have deepened his faith in Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings. 

In 1275 Nikkō, later Nichiren Daishonin’s designated successor, visited the grave of the late Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō on Nichiren Daishonin’s behalf; from that time on, Tokimitsu looked up to Nikkō as his teacher in the practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings and aided him in propagating them. 

Propagation proceeded energetically, especially in the Ueno and Atsuhara areas, and many people converted. Tokimitsu offered his residence for use as a center of propagation activities. As the number of converts, which included local priests and farmers, increased under Nikkō’s leadership, official and private opposition increased. During what came to be known as the Atsuhara Persecution, Tokimitsu used his influence to protect other believers, sheltering some in his home. Nichiren honored him for his courage and tireless efforts by calling him “Ueno the Worthy,” though he was only about twenty at the time. 

In retaliation for Tokimitsu’s support of Nichiren and his followers, the shogunate levied exorbitant taxes upon him. Official pressure continued for several years, and the Nanjō family was forced to live in extreme poverty. Even under these circumstances, and while struggling to raise their nine sons and four daughters, Tokimitsu and his wife, Otozuru (also known as Myōren), consistently made offerings to Nichiren.

  When Nichiren died on the thirteenth day of the tenth month, 1282, Nanjo  Tokimitsu attended the funeral ceremony along with such long-time followers as Shijō Kingo, Toki Jōnin, the Ikegami brothers, and Ōta Jōmyō. 

In 1289 Nikkō left Minobu and went to live at Tokimitsu’s residence in Ueno Village at the latter’s invitation. Tokimitsu donated to him the tract of land called Ōishigahara, on which a temple called Dai-bō was completed on the twelfth day of the tenth month, 1290. 

This was the origin of Taiseki-ji temple. In his later years, Tokimitsu became a lay priest and assumed the name Daigyō (Great Practice). On the thirteenth day of the eighth month, 1323, his wife died. In the third month of the following year, Tokimitsu built Myōren-ji temple in her honor, naming it after her Buddhist name Myōren (Wonderful Lotus); it is thought that this temple had formerly been Tokimitsu’s residence. Tokimitsu died on the first day of the fifth month, 1332. Nichiren’s extant letters to Tokimitsu number more than thirty, the largest number among those addressed to any of his followers.

The Proof of the Lotus Sutra

- Nichiren, the votary of the Lotus Sutra -

A person who, in the evil world of the latter age, believes in the teachings of the Lotus Sutra just as they are set forth in the sutra-how does the mirror of the Lotus Sutra portray him? Shakyamuni Buddha has left us words from his golden mouth revealing that such a person has already made offerings to a hundred thousand million Buddhas in his past existences.¹ But ordinary persons in the latter age might well doubt the words spoken by one Buddha only. With this thought in mind, Taho Buddha expressly came all the way from his world of Treasure Purity, many lands to the east. Facing Shakyamuni Buddha, he gave his words of testimony to the Lotus Sutra, saying, "All that you have expounded is the truth." If this is so, then there can be no room for doubt about the matter. Nevertheless, Shakyamuni Buddha may have felt that ordinary persons in the latter age would still be skeptical. Hence he summoned all the Buddhas throughout the ten directions to come and join him in the magnificent act of extending their long broad tongues,² which had told nothing but the truth for countless kalpas, until they projected into the sky as high as Mount Sumeru.

Since this is the case, when an ordinary person in the latter age believes in even one or two words of the Lotus Sutra, he is embracing the teaching to which all the Buddhas in the ten directions have given credence. I wonder what good karma we created in the past to have been born as such persons, and I am filled with joy. Shakyamuni’s words which I have mentioned above indicate that the blessings that come from having made offerings to a hundred thousand million Buddhas are so great that, even though one may have believed in teachings other than the Lotus Sutra and as a result of this slander been born poor and lowly, one is still able to believe in this sutra during this lifetime.

T’ien-t’ai states, "It is like the case of a person who falls to the ground, but who then pushes himself up from the ground and rises to his feet again."³   Those who slander the Lotus Sutra will fall to the ground of the three evil paths or of the human and heavenly realms, yet through the help of the Lotus Sutra they will in the end attain Buddhahood.

Now since you, Ueno Shichiro Jiro, are an ordinary person in the latter age and you were born into a warrior family, you should by rights be called an evil man, and yet your heart is that of a good man. I say this for a reason. Everyone, from the ruler on down to the common people, refuses to take faith in my teachings. They inflict harm on the few who do embrace them, heavily taxing or confiscating their estates and fields or even in some cases putting them to death. So it is a difficult thing to believe in my teachings, and yet both your mother and your deceased father dared to accept them. Now you have succeeded your father as his heir and, without any persuasion from others, you too have wholeheartedly embraced these teachings. Many people, both high and low in rank, have advised or threatened you, but you have refused to give up your faith. Now that you appear certain to attain Buddhahood, the devils of heaven and the demons are trying to use this illness to intimidate you. But remember that life in this world is limited. Never allow yourself to be intimidated!

"And as for you evil spirits -- will you cause this disciple of mine to suffer and swallow a sword point first, or embrace a raging fire, or become the archenemy of all the Buddhas of the ten directions in the three existences? How terrible this will be for you! Now, will you cure this man’s illness immediately and hereafter give him your protection instead, in this way escaping from the grievous sufferings that are the lot of evil spirits? If you fail to do so, then you will have your heads broken into seven pieces⁴ in this life and after your death fall into the hell of incessant suffering! You should absolutely free yourself from this fate; if you ignore my words, you will regret it later.

The twenty-eighth day of the second month in the fifth year of Koan (1282)

Handed to you by Hoki-bo.

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Footnotes:

1. This is mentioned in the Hosshi (20th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra.
2. Long broad tongues: One of the thirty-two distinguishing features of a Buddha. The Buddha's tongue was said to be soft, thin and long enough to touch his forehead. In ancient India, people used to extend their tongues in order to show the truth of their words. The farther a tongue was extended, the greater the verification of the words uttered. It was commonly accepted among Brahmans that those who had a long and broad tongue were free from falsehood. There are various "tongue-verified" sutras, but the Jinriki (21st) chapter of the Lotus Sutra mentions a tongue long enough to reach the heavens, implying the absolute truth of the sutra's teaching.
3. Hokke Mongu Ki. The sentence following this quotation is a restatement ,of the quotation and is omitted to avoid repetition in the translation.
4. See P. 258, footnote 5.

Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2.

Persecution by Sword and Staff

The greatest of all the persecutions which I have suffered were the attempted decapitation at Tatsunokuchi and the attack at Tojo. None of the others were direct attempts on my life. I have been reviled, denounced, ousted, falsely accused, and struck across the face, but these were all comparatively minor incidents. I, Nichiren, am the only person in Japan to be abused in both body and mind [for the sake of the Lotus Sutra]. If anyone else has been slandered as I have, it was not because of the Lotus Sutra. One incident in particular I can never forget is how Shobo seized the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra and struck me across the face with it. His attack on me stemmed from the three poisons.

Once in India there was a jealous woman who hated her husband so much that she smashed everything in the house. Her excessive rage completely altered her appearance; her eyes blazed like the sun and moon, and her mouth seemed to belch fire. She looked exactly like a blue or red demon. She seized the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra which her husband had been reciting for some years and trampled it savagely with both feet. Later she died and fell into hell, all of her except her feet. Though the wardens of hell tried to force them down by beating them with iron staves her feet remained outside of hell as a result of the relationship, albeit a reverse one, which they had formed with the Lotus Sutra by trampling on it. Shobo struck me in the face with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra because he hated me. Thus he too has formed a reverse relationship with this sutra.

One incident occurred in India, the other in Japan; one was perpetrated by a woman, and the other by a man; in one, a pair of feet committed the violence, and in the other, a pair of hands; one happened because of jealousy, the other because of the Lotus Sutra. However, the same fifth scroll of the sutra was involved in both instances. The woman’s feet did not enter hell, so why should Shobo’s hands fall into the hell of incessant suffering? The woman, however, hated only her husband and not the Lotus Sutra itself, whereas Shobo hated both the Lotus Sutra and me, Nichiren. Therefore his entire body will enter the hell of incessant suffering. As the sutra states, "When his life comes to an end, he will enter the Avichi hell." There is no mention of his hands being spared. How pitiful, how truly pitiful! Eventually, however, he will meet me again and be able to gain the fruit of Buddhahood, just as the four kinds of believers who arrogantly persecuted Bodhisattva Fukyo were ultimately saved by him.

The fifth scroll contains the heart of the Lotus Sutra, for it reveals that the dragon king’s daughter attained Buddhahood in her present form. Devadatta represents the spiritual aspect of enlightenment, and the dragon king’s daughter, the physical aspect. The principle of attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form can be found nowhere else in the Buddha’s entire lifetime of teachings. The Great Teacher Dengyo enumerated ten outstanding points in which the Lotus Sutra surpasses all others. One of them is the sutra’s "superiority in leading people to attain Buddhahood in their present form." This is the most important doctrine of the Tendai sect, and a section of the Hokke mongu is devoted to this teaching of attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form. It is also a point of controversy between the Shingon and Tendai sects. The dragon king’s daughter attained Buddhahood through the power of the Lotus Sutra. Bodhisattva Monjushiri stated, "I constantly expounded the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law alone." The words "alone" and "constantly" are the core of this statement. However, the Bodaishin ron reads, "Only in the Shingon teachings [can one attain Buddhahood in one’s present form]." Which is one to accept, "only" or "alone"? The Muryogi Sutra states, "In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth." The Lotus Sutra reads, "The World-Honored One has long expounded his doctrines and now must reveal the truth." Taho Buddha affirmed that only the Lotus Sutra enables one to attain Buddhahood in one’s present form when he said, "All that you have expounded [in the Lotus Sutra] is the truth." No matter how firmly the sutras preached before the Lotus Sutra guarantee the attainment of Buddhahood, and no matter how much the believers in these provisional doctrines may wildly insist that this is so, it is as easy to refute these assertions as it is to smash a thousand earthen cooking dishes with a single hammer. This is what is meant by [T’ien-t’ai’s words:] "The Lotus Sutra is the teaching of shakubuku, the refutation of the provisional doctrines." The Lotus Sutra is indeed the most profound teaching.

Ever since Jikaku, scholars of the Tendai sect have interpreted the passages from T’ien-tai’s three major works of the Hokke gengi, Hokke mongu and Maka shikan in one way or another, and have given plausible explanations. Their views, however, are as useless to us now as last year’s calendar or yesterday’s meal. Even if someone should insist that, in the first five hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law, there exists a way to enlightenment apart from the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra, you should take no heed of what he says, even if it is based on the Buddha’s teachings, and even less so if it is merely some teacher’s opinion. The Devadatta chapter of the Lotus Sutra teaches that Devadatta was the teacher of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni in some past existence. He who was once the teacher is now the disciple, and he who is now the disciple was formerly the teacher. On pondering this chapter, I, Nichiren, realized that it reveals the profound meaning of the Lotus Sutra through the oneness of past and present and the inseparability of the one who teaches and the one who learns. Therefore, the merciful Shakyamuni Thus Come One became the teacher of the wicked Devadatta, and the wise Monju became the teacher of the ignorant daughter of the dragon king. Certainly I, Nichiren, can in no way be inferior to Monju or to Shakyamuni Thus Come One. The men of Japan are like Devadatta and the women are like the dragon king’s daughter. Whether by following it or opposing it, they will attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sutra. This is the message of the Devadatta chapter.

Next we come to the Kanji chapter. Only I, Nichiren, have read with my entire being the twenty-line verse from this chapter, which the eight hundred thousand million nayutas of bodhisattvas proclaimed in a single voice. Since the Buddha’s death, who else in the three countries of India, China and Japan has ever read this verse as I have? No one even claims to have done so, nor do I believe that anyone has. The verse reads, "[There will be many ignorant people who will] ... attack us with swords and staves." Perhaps others have been beaten with staves, but I have never heard of any who were injured by the sword.

We know that Bodhisattva Fukyo was attacked with staves, as is written in the sutra, "[Some ... would take] sticks of wood or tiles and stones [and beat and pelt him, ]" but he was not persecuted by the sword. T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo and Dengyo also escaped persecution by sword and staff, as the sutra states, "Swords and staves will not touch him." I, Nichiren, however, have been attacked by both. As I mentioned before, I was attacked with a sword at Matsubara in Tojo and later at Tatsunokuchi. No one else has been thus assaulted [for the sake of the Lotus Sutra] even once, but I, Nichiren, have been so assaulted twice. As for being attacked with staves, I have already been struck in the face by Sho-bo with the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra. It is the very scroll used as a staff that carries the passage that [votaries of the Lotus Sutra] will be attacked with staves. What a miraculous prediction of the sutra! Sho-bo hit me before dozens of people, and, though I knew it was for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, being human, I felt miserable and ashamed. Had I had the strength, I would have wrested the weapon from his hand, trampled it to pieces, and thrown them away. However, it was in fact the fifth scroll of the Lotus Sutra

This brings to mind a story. A father, anxious about his son’s future, thrashed the boy with a bow made of a zelkova tree because he refused to study. At the time, the son resented his father’s action and hated the zelkova bow. However, he applied himself to his studies so much that eventually he [mastered Buddhism], thereby achieving emancipation himself and benefiting others. In retrospect, he saw that he owed his achievements to his father’s thrashings. It is said that he erected a stupa made of a zelkova tree for the repose of his deceased father.

It is the same with me, Nichiren. When I attain Buddhahood, how will I be able to forget my obligation to Sho-bo?

Much less can I forget the thanks I owe to the scroll of the Lotus Sutra [with which he struck me]. When I think of this, I cannot restrain my tears of gratitude.

The Yujutsu chapter also explains something about me, because it states that Bodhisattva Jogyo and his followers will appear in the Latter Day of the Law to propagate the five characters of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. I, Nichiren, have appeared earlier than anyone else. How reassuring to think that I will surely be praised by bodhisattvas equal in number to the sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers! Be that as it may, commit yourself to the Lotus Sutra and have faith in its teachings. You must not only believe in them yourself but also encourage others to do the same, so that you may save your parents in all your past existences.

From the time that I was born until today, I, Nichiren, have never known a moment’s ease; I have thought only of propagating the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra. I do not know how long I or anyone else may live, but without fail, I will be with you at the time of your death and guide you from this life to the next. All the Buddhas of the past, present and future attain enlightenment between the hours of the Ox and the Tiger. In all three countries of India, China and Japan, the place of Buddhist practice is located to the northeast, in the direction of the demon gate. These are profound teachings of Buddhism, which are reverently transferred from teacher to disciple. I will explain in more detail later.

With my deep respect,

As you crave food when hungry, seek water when thirsty, long to see a lover, beg for medicine when ill, or as a beautiful woman desires powder and rouge, so should you put your faith in the Lotus Sutra. If you do not, you will regret it later.

Nichiren

The twentieth day of the fourth month in the second year of Koan (1279), cyclical sign tsuchinoto-u

Reply to Lord Ueno

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Footnotes:

1. Tatsunokuchi:  Site of an attempt made by the deputy police chief Hei no Saemon to execute Nichiren Daishonin on September 12, 1271.
2. Tojo: Place in Nichren Daishonin's native province of Awa.  On November 11, 1264, the Daishonin was ambushed by Lord Tojo Kagenobu and his men.  In the melee he received a sword cut on his forehead and had his hand broken.
3. Shofu-bo: Originally a follower of Nichiren Daishonin who later abondoned his faith.  Although details are unknown, it is thought that around the time of the Izu exile, he started doubting the Daishonin and finally turned against him.   When Hei no Saemon and his men went to arrest the Daishonin on September 1 1271, he accompanied them as Saemon's chief retainer.
4. Fifth Volume of the Lotus Sutra:  In those days, documents were written on a long roll of paper wrapped around a wooden staff, so they would have had considerable force if wielded as a weapon. The twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra traditionally comprised eight volumes, with two more volumes for the opening and closing sutras. The fifth volume includes four chapters from the twelfth through the fifteenth chapters. A passage from the Kanji (13th) chapter states that the votaries of the Lotus Sutra will be attacked by sword and staff.
5. Jealous woman: Story recounted in the Hokke Denki of the Chinese priest Seng-hsiang, a collection of the biographies of distinguished priests, along with their commentaries.
6. Blue or red demon: Blue demons (Skt Apasmaraka) were ordinary demons said to disturb human beings. They were often depicted in statues and images. Red demons (Vetala) were said to be hell's guardians with ox- or horse-heads.
7. Hell's guardians: Demon subjects of Emma, the king of Hell, who torment those who have fallen into hell with their iron staves.
8. Reverse relationship: Opposite of positive relationship. A connection with the Lotus Sutra formed by opposing it. Although one who slanders Buddhism must suffer retribution for his slander, he nevertheless forms an eternal bond with Buddhism and can thus ultimately attain Buddhahood. This principle shows the great power of the Lotus Sutra which eventually saves everyone who forms a relationship with it, whether positive or negative.
9. Lotus Sutra, chap. 3.
10. This story is found in the Fukyo (20th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The four kinds of arrogant people are priests and nuns, lay men and women who slandered and persecuted Bodhisattva Fukyo when he revered them for their inherent Buddha nature. What he practiced at that time was the Lotus Sutra, and because of their slander of that sutra the people fell into the hell of incessant suffering. Eventually, however, due to the reverse relationship they had formed with the Lotus Sutra, they met Bodhisattva Fukyo again and were able to attain enlightenment.
11. Lotus Sutra, chap. 12.
12. Bodaishin Ron: Treatise attributed to Nagarjuna and translated by PuVung in China. It teaches the importance of a seeking mind for enlightenment. Kobo, the founder of the Japanese Shingon sect, quoted it frequently to assert the superiority of the esoteric teachings over the Lotus Sutra. Naga6una's authorship appears doubtful.
13. Lotus Sutra, chap. i i.
14. Hokke Gengi, vol. 9.
15. Twenty-line verse: The verse section of the thirteenth or Kanji chapter that states that the votaries of the Lotus Sutra will be attacked by swords and staves.
16. Lotus Sutra, chap. 14. This refers to one of the benefits which bodhisattvas gain as a result of the peaceful ways of practice set forth in the Anrakugya chapter.
17. This story appears in the Sangoku Denki (Biographies of the Three Countries). The son later became Ensho, a chief priest of Enryaku-ji, the head temple of the Tendai sect.
18. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo actually consists of seven Chinese characters. Sometimes the first two are omitted when referring to the name of the Law (as distinguished from the invocation).
19. Sands of sixty thousand Ganges Rivers: A typical Indian expression which appears in many Buddhist sutras, meaning "innumerable."
20. Time and direction in ancient Japan were designated by twelve different animals. The Hour of the Rat corresponded to the time from 11:00 P.M. to 1: 00 A.M.; the Hour of the Ox, from 1: 00 to 3: 00 A.M.; and the Hour of the Tiger, from 3: 00 to 5: 00 A.m. Buddhism traditionally regards these hours as a crucial interval in which life moves from the negative (yin) to the positive (yang), from sleep to waking, or from death to life. Shakyamuni Buddha, under the Bodhi tree, attained enlightenment during these hours, and Nichiren Daishonin, at the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, revealed his true identity as the original Buddha during the same hours.

21. In correlating hours with spatial direction, the hours of the Ox-Tiger correspond to the northeast, believed to be the location of both Buddhism and demons.

Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin; Vol 2.

Two Kinds of Faith

I have duly received your offerings of taros, skewer-dried persimmons, parched rice, chestnuts, bamboo shoots and bamboo containers of vinegar.

There was once a great ruler in India named King Ashoka. He reigned over a quarter of the land of Jambudvipa and, attended by the dragon kings, controlled the rain at his will. He even used spirits to do his bidding. At first he was a merciless ruler, but later he was converted to Buddhism. He made offerings to sixty thousand monks each day and erected eighty-four thousand stone stupas. In inquiring into the previous lifetime of this great sovereign, we find that in the days of Shakyamuni Buddha there were two little boys called Tokusho Doji and Musho Doji, who once offered the Buddha a mud-pie. Because of this act of sincerity, the boy Tokusho was reborn as King Ashoka within one hundred years.

The Buddha is of course respectworthy, but when compared with the Lotus Sutra, he is like a firefly beside the sun or the moon. The Lotus Sutra is as superior to Shakyamuni Buddha as heaven is higher than the earth. To present offerings to the Buddha produces such great benefits [as to be born a king], yet even greater benefit is obtained by making offerings to the Lotus Sutra. If such a marvelous reward was brought about by the mere offering of a mud-pie, how much more will come about as a result of all your various gifts! The Buddha was far from being short of food, but now we are in a land where hunger prevails. Therefore how could it be possible that the Buddhas Shakyamuni and Taho and the ten demon daughters will fail to protect you?

Today there are people who have faith in the Lotus Sutra. The belief of some is like fire while that of others is like water. When the former listen to the teachings, their passion flares up like fire, but as time goes on, they tend to discard their faith. To have faith like water means to believe continuously without ever regressing. Since you pay frequent visits to me regardless of the difficulties, your belief is comparable to flowing water. It is worthy of great respect!

Is it true that there is illness in your family? If so, it cannot be the work of evil spirits. The ten demon daughters must be testing the strength of your faith. None of the spirits who listened to the Lotus Sutra would ever dare trouble a votary of the sutra and have their heads broken as punishment. Persist in your faith with the firm conviction that both Shakyamuni Buddha and the Lotus Sutra are free from any falsehood.

With my deep respect,
Nichiren

The twenty-fifth day of the second month

Reply to you

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Footnotes:

1. Dragon kings: one of the eight kinds of lowly beings who protect Buddhism. From ancient times, dragon kings and demons were believed to possess supernatural power and produce miraculous phenomena, beyond human wisdom to comprehend. "Attended by the dragon kings, [he] controlled the rain at his will" and "He even used demons to do his bidding" show that King Ashoka was endowed with great good fortune and power.
2. Tokusho Doji and Musho Doji: According to the Za-agon (Skt Samyuktigama) Sutra, Shakyamuni was once going about begging on the out skirts of the city of Rajagriha when he came upon two little boys playing in the mud. The boys, observing the so-called "thirty-two distinguishing features, offered Shakyamuni a mud pie.
3. Have their heads broken as punishment: See P. 258, footnote 5.

Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin; Vol 2.

The Three Obstacles and Four Devils

The two men you sent have arrived here, bringing your various offerings. I also received a message from the Priest Nissho¹ regarding your sincerity.

In this letter I want to advise you about what is most important for you. In the Former and Middle Days of the Law, the world did not fall into decline because sages and worthies appeared frequently and the heavenly gods protected the people. In the Latter Day of the Law, however, people have become so greedy that strife rages incessantly between sovereign and subject, parent and child, elder and younger brother, and all the more so among people who are unrelated. When such conflict occurs, the gods abandon the country and then the three calamities and seven disasters begin, until one, two, three, four, five, six or seven suns appear in the sky.² Plants and trees wither and die, large and small rivers dry up, the earth smolders like charcoal and the sea becomes like boiling oil. Eventually flames fill the atmosphere, arising from the hell of incessant suffering and reaching the Brahma heaven. Such is the devastation that will occur when the world reaches its final dissolution.

Everyone, whether wise or foolish, considers it natural for children to obey their parents, for subjects to be loyal to their sovereign, and for disciples to follow their teacher. Recently, however, it appears that the people of our day, drunk with the wine of greed, anger and stupidity,³ make it a rule to betray their sovereign, despise their parents and scoff at their teachers. You should read again and again the previous letter⁴ in which I explained that one should of course obey one’s teacher, sovereign and parents, but should they commit evil, admonishing them is in fact being loyal to them.

Recently your elder brother, Uemon no Sakan, was again disowned by your father. I told your wife when she came to visit me here that he was certain to be disowned again, that I was apprehensive about how it would affect you, Hyoe no Sakan, and that she should be prepared for the worst. This time I am sure that you will give up your faith. If you do, I have not the slightest intention of reproaching you for it. Likewise, neither should you blame me, Nichiren, when you have fallen into hell. It is in no way my responsibility. It is an undeniable fact that fire can at once reduce even a thousand-year-old field of pampas grass to ashes, and that the merit one has formed over a hundred years can be destroyed with a single careless word.

Your father, Saemon no Tayu, now seems to have become the enemy of the Lotus Sutra, yet your brother, Uemon no Tayu Sakan, will now become one of its votaries.⁵ You, who think only of immediate affairs, will obey your father, and deluded people will therefore praise you for your filial devotion. Munemori⁶ obeyed his father’s tyrannous commands and was finally beheaded at Shinohara. Shigemori disobeyed his father and preceded him in death. Who was truly the filial son! If you obey your father who is an enemy of the Lotus Sutra and abandon your brother who is a votary of the one vehicle, are you then being filial! In the final analysis, what you should do is resolve to pursue the Buddha way single-mindedly just as your brother is doing. Your father is like King Myoshogon⁷ and you brothers are like the princes Jozo and Jogen. The age is different but the principle of the Lotus Sutra remains the same. Recently the lord of Musashi Province⁸ abandoned his vast territory and his many subjects in order to retire from all worldly affairs. If you ingratiate yourself with your father for the sake of a small private estate, neglect your faith and fall into the evil paths, you should not blame me, Nichiren. Yet despite this warning, I feel that this time you will discard your belief.

I state this out of pity because, though you have been faithful until now, you may still fall into the evil paths. If, by one chance out of a hundred or a thousand, you should decide to follow my teaching, then confront your father and declare: "Since you are my father, I should by rights obey you, but since you have become an enemy of the Lotus Sutra, I would be unfilial if I were to do so in this matter. Therefore, I have resolved to break with you and follow my brother. If you should disown him, be aware that you are disowning me too." You should not have the slightest fear in your heart. It is lack of courage that prevents one from attaining Buddhahood, although one may have professed faith in the Lotus Sutra many times since innumerable kalpas ago.

There is definitely something extraordinary in the ebb and flow of the tide, the rising and setting of the moon, and the way in which summer, autumn, winter and spring give way to each other. Something uncommon also occurs when an ordinary person attains Buddhahood. At such a time, the three obstacles and four devils will invariably appear, and the wise will rejoice while the foolish will retreat. I have long been waiting to tell you this, either through my own messenger or by some other means. So I greatly appreciate your sending these messengers to me. I am sure that if you were about to abandon your faith, you would not have sent them. Thinking it may still not be too late, I am writing this letter.

To attain Buddhahood is difficult indeed, more difficult than the feat of placing a needle atop the Mount Sumeru of this world and then casting a thread from atop the Mount Sumeru of another world directly through the eye of this needle. And the feat is even more difficult if it must be done in the face of a contrary wind. The Lotus Sutra states:

A million million ten thousand kalpas, an inconceivable time will pass before at last one can hear this Lotus Sutra. A million million ten thousand kalpas, an inconceivable time will pass before the Buddhas, World-Honored Ones, preach this sutra. Therefore its practitioners, after the Buddha has entered extinction, when they hear a sutra like this should entertain no doubts or perplexities. (LS20)

This passage is extremely unusual even among the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra. From the first to the [tenth or] Hosshi chapters, human and heavenly beings, the four kinds of believers and the eight kinds of beings -- those at the stage of near-perfect enlightenment or below -- were many in number,⁹ but there was only one Buddha, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni. Thus, these chapters are of great import but may appear insignificant. The twelve chapters from the [eleventh,] Hoto to the [twenty-second,] Zokurui are the most important of all. This is because in the presence of Shakyamuni Buddha there appeared the treasure tower of Taho Buddha.¹⁰ It was as if the sun had risen in front of the moon. All the Buddhas in the ten directions were seated under the trees, and it seemed as though the light of a fire shone over all the grass and trees of the worlds in the ten directions. It was in this setting that the above passage was expounded.

The Nirvana Sutra states, "People have been suffering since numberless, uncountable kalpas ago. The bones each individual leaves behind in a kalpa pile up as high as Mount Vipula near Rajagriha, and the milk he sucks is equal to the water of the four seas.¹¹ The blood one sheds surpasses the quantity of water in the four seas, and so do the tears he sheds in grief over the death of parents, brothers and sisters, wives, children and relatives. And though one used all the plants and trees growing on the earth to make four-inch tallies to count them, one could not count all the parents one has had in the past existences of life." These are the words the Buddha uttered lying in the grove of sal trees on the final day of his earthly life. You should pay the strictest attention to them. They mean that the number of parents who gave birth to you since innumerable kalpas ago could not be counted even with tallies made by cutting all the plants and trees growing on all the worlds of the ten directions into four-inch pieces.

Thus you have had a countless number of parents in your past existences, yet during that time you have never encountered the Lotus Sutra. From this we see that it is easy to have parents, but very difficult to encounter the Lotus Sutra. Now if you disobey the words of a parent, one who is easy to come by, and follow a friend of the Lotus Sutra, one who can rarely be encountered, you will not only be able to attain Buddhahood, but will also be able to lead to enlightenment the parent whom you disobeyed. For example, Prince Siddhartha¹² was the eldest son of King Shuddhodana. His father wanted him to succeed to the throne and rule the nation, and actually made him crown prince, but the prince went against his father’s wishes and escaped from the palace at night. The king was angry at him for being unfilial, but after Siddhartha had attained Buddhahood, he set about first of all to convert his parents, King Shuddhodana and Lady Maya.

No parent would ever urge his son to renounce the world in order to attain Buddhahood. But however that may be, in your case, the observers of the precepts and the priests of the Nembutsu sect have egged your father on to join with them so that they may make both you and your brother abandon your faith. I am told that Priest Two-Fires¹³ is persuading others to chant one million Nembutsu in an attempt to cause discord among people and destroy the seeds of the Lotus Sutra. The Lord of Gokuraku-ji seemed to be an admirable person. But deluded by the Nembutsu priests, he treated me with enmity, and as a result, he and his entire clan have been all but ruined. Only the lord of Echigo Province has survived. You may think that those who believe in Priest Two-Fires are prospering, but you should see what has become of the Nagoe clan,¹⁴ who paid for the building of Zenko-ji temple, Choraku-ji temple and Daibutsu-den temple! Again, the lord of [Sagami] Province is the ruler of Japan,¹⁵ but by his conduct he has called down on himself an enemy almost as great as the land of Jambudvipa.

Even if you abandon your brother and take his place in your father’s favor, you will never prosper in ten million years. There is no knowing what will become of you even in the near future -- you may face ruin in this very lifetime. Therefore, you should resolve to give all your thought to your next existence. Having written all this, it occurs to me that this letter may be futile and I tire of going on. But it may serve as a reminder to you in the future.

With my deep respect,
Nichiren

The twentieth day of the eleventh month

Reply to Hyoe no Sakan

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Footnotes:

1. Nissho (1221-1323): One of Nichiren Daishonin's six senior priest disciples. He devoted himself to propagation mainly in Kamakura, but after the Daishonin's death, he was influenced by his former ties with the Tendai sect and turned against the Daishomin's teachings and Nikko Shonin.
2. One, two, three, four, five, six or seven suns appear in the sky: See p. io, footnote 24.
3. Greed, anger and stupidity: Generally known as the three poisons-the fundamental evils inherent in life which give rise to human suffering.
4. Previous letter: The "Letter to the Brothers" dated April 16, 1275.
5. The elder brother Munenaka was of course already a votary of the Lotus Sutra in that he had been practicing the sutra according to the Daishonin's teaching. This statement implies that because Munenaka will willingly accept disinheritance and the accompanying social sanctions rather than renounce his faith, he is in effect giving his life for the Lotus Sutra.
6. Munemori 047-1185) and Shigemori (1138-1'79): Brothers and warriors belonging to the Taira clan, which took control of the Japanese court in the mid-twelfth century and held supreme power until defeated by the Minamoto clan in i 18 5. The head of the ruling clan, Taira no Kiyomori, installed himself in the highest government position and abused his authority. His first son, Shigemori, virtuous and gentle, remonstrated with his father when he tried to confine the retired emperor Goshirakawa, while the second son, Munemori, obeyed his father and kept the emperor in prison after Shigemori died ofillness. This emperor's imprisonment triggered the attack on the Tairas by the Minamoto clan. Munemori was beheaded in i 18 s -
7. My6sh6gon: Father ofJ6z6 and J6gen who appears in the Myoshbgonn45 (27th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. See J6z6 and J6gen in the Glossary.
8. Hojo Yoshimasa (1243-1281): Atop official of the Kamakura government who held important posts such as advisor to the regent and provincial governor. He resigned from his position to enter the priesthood in 1277.
9. Togaku: Fifty-first stage of bodhisattva practice. T'ien-t'ai classified the bodhisattva practice into fifty-two stages, the last being myakaku, or full enlightenment. T6gaku is thus the highest state of a bodhisattva.
10. Tower decorated with many treasures: The Treasure Tower of Taho Buddha which appeared in the Hata (11th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. The tower, representing the Buddha nature, appeared in order to signify that Shakyamuni was beginning to expound the essential teaching. See also Treasure Tower in the Glossary.
11. Four oceans: In Buddhism, the oceans surrounding Mt. Sumeru on all four sides.
12. Siddhartha: The given name of Shakyamuni Buddha before his renunciation of the world.
13. Ryoko-bo (1217-1303): Gokuraku-ji Ryokan, a priest of the Ritsu sect. Ryoka of Ryoka-bo is a phonetic change of Ryokan and means "two fires." In March of 1275, a fire broke out in Gokuraku-ji temple where Ryokan was then living, and the flames spread to the palace of the shogunate. The temple and part of the palace were burnt to the ground. Sarcastically, therefore, Nichiren Daishonin called Ryokan "Ryoka"-bo (priest double-fire).
14. Nagoe clan: The clan of Hojo Tomotoki (1193-1245), younger brother of Hojo Yasutoki, the third regent of the Kamakura government. His clan was called the Nagoe clan after their place of residence. He and his clan, who were earnest believers of the Nembutsu sect, died tragic deaths.
15. Hojo Tokimune (1251-1284): The eighth regent of the Kamakura government. In the thirteenth century a new and ruthless race of conquerors, the Mongols, appeared upon the scene in Asia. In 1268, when the Mongol Empire sent the first of a succession of envoys to Japan to demand that it acknowledge fealty to the Mongols, Nichiren Daishonin wrote Tokimune a letter, saying that the government should discontinue its patronage ofheretical sects and take faith in true Buddhism, but his warning was not heeded. In 1274 and 1281, the Mongol forces attacked the southern parts ofJapan, sending waves of terror throughout the country. The Japanese suffered terrible losses, although a great part of the enemy fleet was destroyed by storms.

Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin; Vol 2

Toki Jōnin

- Lord Toki (1216–1299) -

A lay follower of Nichiren Daishonin who lived in Wakamiya, Katsushika District of Shimōsa Province, Japan. Because his ancestors owned a manor in Toki, Inaba Province, he was named Toki Tsunenobu. He assumed the name Jōnin, a different reading of Tsunenobu, when he became a lay priest; later he was renamed Nichijō by his teacher, Nichiren Daishonin. He was also known as the lay priest Toki. He served as a retainer to Lord Chiba. According to one account, he lost his wife and married Myōjō, adopting her son who in 1267 became a disciple of Nichiren and took the name Nitchō. Nitchō was later designated one of the six senior priests by Nichiren. Toki had a son and a daughter by Myōjō. That son, Nitchō (written with different Chinese characters than the name of the adopted son), was appointed the first chief instructor of Omosu Seminary by Nikkō, Nichiren Daishonin’s successor.

  Toki became Nichiren Daishonin’s follower around 1254, the year after Nichiren Daishonin first declared his teaching at Seichō-ji. He was a man of considerable erudition, and Nichiren Daishonin entrusted him with a number of his more important works including The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, one of his five major writings. After the Matsubagayatsu Persecution in the eighth month of 1260, Toki Jōnin invited Nichiren Daishonin to live at his residence. Nichiren Daishonin stayed there for nearly half a year, during which time many people in Shimōsa converted to his teaching. In 1268 the first emissary from the Mongol Empire arrived, demanding that Japan become a tributary to the empire. Declaring this a sign that the prophecy of foreign invasion he made in On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land was about to be fulfilled, Nichiren Daishonin sent eleven letters of remonstrance to influential political and religious leaders, including the regent Hōjō Tokimune, and demanded an opportunity to defend his teaching in a public religious debate. The following year, Toki Jōnin was summoned to the Office of Legal Affairs of the Kamakura shogunate for questioning together with Ōta Jōmyō and Shijō Kingo, who were also Nichiren Daishonin’s disciples. Nichiren sent a letter instructing them on how to behave at the place of questioning.
  While Nichiren Daishonin was in exile on Sado from 1271 through 1274, Toki Jōnin, with Shijō Kingo, served as a rallying point for his followers. In 1279, when Nisshū and Nichiben, former Tendai priests who had converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching, had to flee the Fuji area in the aftermath of the Atsuhara Persecution, Toki Jōnin and his wife, Myōjō, also known as the lay nun Toki, protected them. In addition to The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind, Toki Jōnin received many treatises and letters from Nichiren Daishonin, including On Taking the Essence of the Lotus Sutra, On the Four Stages of Faith and the Five Stages of Practice, Letter from Sado, and A Sage Perceives the Three Existences of Life.