Daily Gosho - Concerning the Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha Fashioned by Nichigen-nyo

When we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, there is not a single part of our environment which cannot fail to be transformed…

"When a strong wind blows, the grass and trees can no longer remain still; when the earth shakes, the seas are atremble.  Thus, if one can move Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, can the grass and trees fail to respond, can the waters remain calm?"

(Concerning the Statue of Shakyamuni Buddha Fashioned by Nichigen-nyo - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 2, page 811) Selection source: SGI President Ikeda's guidance, Seikyo Shimbun, July 22nd, 2012

Background

This letter was written in the second month of 1279 at Mount Minobu to Nichigen-nyo, the wife of Shijo Kingo in Kamakura.

In this passage, the Daishonin used the analogies of one’s head and hair, strong wind, grass and trees to illustrate the fact that when one moves the root of something, everything else will move in accord.

In other words, the Daishonin taught us that when one prays to the Gohonzon with single-minded determination, one could certainly positively transform the harsh reality one is confronting.

In his discussion on “The Wisdom of the Lotus Sutra”, SGI President Ikeda said the following with regards to one’s attitude when offering prayers, “The Gohonzon doesn’t respond to indulgent, abstract prayer. When we pray to the Gohonzon with our entire life, there is no way that a path forward will not be opened.”