Daily Gosho - The Hero of the World

Love this line in the Gosho, Hero of the World. A member and I were discussing this today and a situation that seemingly wasn't changing. The member started to take more action based on their daimoku, and of course, the situation changed very quickly. They described an amazing victory which they could not have foreseen when they started to chant about the problem. So to me, this line really reminds me that while I can sit and chant for hours, I need to absolutely determine that I'll win. A satisfactory conclusion is not an option!

"Buddhism primarily concerns itself with victory or defeat."

(The Hero of the World - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol.1, page 835) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=835 Selection Source: SGI President Ikeda's guidance, Seikyo Shinbun, October 14th, 2012


Background
Around the third year of Kenji (1277), when this letter was written, Shijo Kingo was in great personal danger, having incurred the wrath of his lord Ema. Lord Ema’s antagonism toward Shijo Kingo dated back to the Kuwagayatsu Debate, which took place in the sixth month, 1277. Taking advantage of their discord, Kingo’s colleagues were watching for a chance to do away with him. In response to Kingo’s report on the plight in which he was placed, Nichiren Daishonin wrote a petition to Lord Ema on Kingo’s behalf, explaining what had happened at the Kuwagayatsu Debate and the relative superiority of the Buddhist teachings.
In the present letter, the Daishonin clarifies the difference between Buddhism and government. Reward and punishment are means that a government employs to pursue its goals, while there is no such conscious manipulation in the world of Buddhism. Buddhism, based on an absolute Law, means victory or defeat - in other words, happiness or unhappiness - depending on whether one supports it or opposes it. In the last part of the letter, the Daishonin strongly advises Kingo to take great care to avoid being attacked by his enemies.