On Upholding Faith in the Gohonzon

Background

This letter was written at Minobu in the eighth month of the first year of Kenji (1275) to the lay nun Myōshin, a believer who lived in Nishiyama in Fuji District of Suruga Province. It explains that the Gohonzon is “the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures.” The Gohonzon, or mandala, embodies the reality of the three thousand realms in a single moment of life implicit in the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Thus, the Gohonzon is the “essence of the Lotus Sutra.” And the Lotus Sutra is the eye of all the teachings of Shakyamuni. Therefore, the Gohonzon, the “essence of the Lotus Sutra,” is also the “eye of all the scriptures.”

Chapter1(Preaching that the Gohonzon is the eye of all the scriptures)

I HAVE received the various articles that you so kindly sent.

I am entrusting you with a Gohonzon for the protection of your young child. This Gohonzon is the essence of the Lotus Sutra and the eye of all the scriptures. It is like the sun and the moon in the heavens, a great ruler on earth, the heart in a human being, the wish-granting jewel among treasures, and the pillar of a house.

Chapter2(Preaching the benefits of holding Gohonzon)

When we have this mandala with us, it is a rule that all the Buddhas and gods will gather round and watch over us, protecting us like a shadow day and night, just as warriors guard their ruler, as parents love their children, as fish rely on water, as trees and grasses crave rain, and as birds depend on trees. You must trust in it with all your heart.

With my deep respect,

Nichiren

The twenty-fifth day of the eighth month

Reply to the lay nun Myōshin