Reply to the Lay Nun Myōshin Chapter2
Thus it says in the sutra, “If one can uphold this sutra, one will be upholding the Buddha’s body.”3 The Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai says, “[The Lotus Sutra . . .] is in each and every one of its characters the true Buddha.”4 The character myō is the Thus Come One Shakyamuni perfectly endowed with the thirty-two features and eighty characteristics, but because our vision is poor we see only a character. For example, it is similar to an elderly person whose eyesight is dim and therefore fails to see that the lotus flowers in the pond have produced seeds. And at night, because of the darkness, one fails to see the forms of things. Nonetheless, this character myō is itself a Buddha.
Furthermore, this character myō is the moon, it is the sun, it is the stars, it is a mirror, it is garments, it is food, it is flowers, it is the great earth, it is the great sea. All benefits clustered together make up the character myō. Also, it is the wish-granting jewel. You should understand things in this way. I will write in detail another time.
Nichiren
The fourth day of the fifth month
Please have Hōki-bō explain this to you.
Background
This is a letter of thanks written by Nichiren Daishonin on the fourth day of the fifth month in 1280. The lay nun Myōshin had sent the Daishonin offerings from her home in Suruga Province for the benefit of her deceased husband. The Daishonin assures her that the word myō of the daimoku she chants will act as an emissary and carry news about her and her children to her late husband. Moreover, he explains, the character myō is not only the cluster of all benefits but also the wish-granting jewel. He encourages her to believe in the immeasurable benefits of the daimoku.