Daily Gosho - Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light

Just thinking about our daily practice and how quickly our lifestates can drop when we haven't chanted consistently - well, mine anyway! We have 195 days now till 18th November - so still lots of time to win in our Actual Proof Campaign. I think the key is to chant every day so that we can have faith like water, smooth and balanced. Our dominant lifestate becomes that of Buddhahood and we truly believe that we will have victories in our lives...we can and we will!

"One who, on hearing the teachings of the Lotus Sutra, makes even greater efforts in faith is a true seeker of the way. T'ien-t'ai states, 'From the indigo, an even deeper blue.' This passage means that, if one dyes something repeatedly in indigo, it becomes even bluer than the indigo leaves. The Lotus Sutra is like the indigo, and the strength of one's practice is like the deepening blue."

(Hell Is the Land of Tranquil Light - The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 1, page 457) http://www.sgilibrary.org/view.php?page=456 Selection source: Buddhist teachings, Seikyo Shimbun, November 11th, 2012


Background
In the fifth month of the eleventh year of Bun’ei (1274), Nichiren Daishonin left Kamakura and went to live in a small dwelling at the foot of Mount Minobu. In the seventh month, the Daishonin wrote this letter to the wife of Nanjo Hyoe Shichiro, or Ueno. She was the mother of Nanjo Tokimitsu, who had succeeded his father as steward of Ueno in Suruga Province. She had raised nine children after her husband’s death in 1265and was a devoted mother and a sincere follower of the Daishonin. On this occasion she had
sent the Daishonin various offerings to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her husband’s death. This letter expresses the Daishonin’s appreciation for her thoughtfulness and devotion.