GOOD FORTUNE

Enlightenment is the foundation of the Universe

Myoho is the true entity of life

Myoho is always victorious

This Wisdom transcends Human Beings

The Unmatched Fortune Of The Law

z If we compare all the living beings of the nine worlds with the Buddha, the good fortune of all living beings is as light as a single strand of hair, while the good fortune of the Buddha is as heavy as a huge mountain. And the good fortune of all Buddhas is as light as Bonten's featherweight robe, while the good fortune of one character of the Lotus Sutra is as weighty as the earth. The person in the phrase "the person is insignificant" is the Buddha; the Law that is supreme is the Lotus Sutra.

This letter was written on the eleventh day of the fifth month in 1279, when the Daishonin was fifty-eight years old. It was sent in response to a gift of bamboo shoots received from a follower named Nishiyama Nyudo, a lay priest who lived in the village of Nishiyama in Fuji District of Suruga Province. It appears that Nishiyama occasionally visited the Daishonin at Minobu, bringing gifts with him. A total of six extant Gosho are addressed to him, including this letter,

T'ien-t'ai states, "The profound principle of 'true entity' is the original law of Myoho-renge-kyo, "thus identifying the phrase "true entity" with the theoretical teaching and "the original law of Myoho-renge-kyo" with the essential teaching.

The true Entity Of Life-- Nichiren Daishonin

Those who believe in the Gohonzon and practice this faith never fail to feel the protection of the Buddha's Power and the Buddha's Law as they experience benefits (kudoku) which are most appropriate to their individual personal circumstances". High Priest Nikken Shonin

Thus, tremendous benefits are contained within Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo, the Daimoku of the Buddhism of the sowing in the essential teaching. It is a matter of principle and good reason that, when one steadily and sincerely performs Daimoku, he will attain tremendous benefits

The Hosshi chapter states, "If there is someone, whether man or woman, who secretly teaches to one person even a single phrase of the Lotus Sutra, let it be known that he is the envoy of the Buddha, sent to carry out the Buddha's work." Who else but us can this possibly refer to?

Good Fortune--The Selection Of Time

If what he says is correct, then a person who upholds the Lotus Sutra just as it teaches must be superior to the deity Bonten and more worthy than the deity Taishaku. If you have the asura demons to help you, you can lift and carry even Mount Sumeru. If you have dragons in you employ, you can drain all the water in the ocean until it runs dry.---

The eighth volume of the Lotus Sutra says, "If in future ages there should be one who accepts and upholds, reads and recites this sutra, . . . his wishes shall not be in vain, and he will receive his reward of good fortune in his present life." And it also says, "If there should be someone who makes offerings to a votary of this sutra and praises him, then he will have manifest reward for it in his present life."

Concretely speaking, what kinds of benefits can one expect?

The Bunbetsu kudoku (seventeenth) chapter of the Lotus Sutra expounds the following:

1. You will enjoy a life condition in which you can establish and support the temples in which the Gohonzon is enshrined.

2. You will be able to correctly understand Buddhism and explain it to people. You will also gain good friends in true Buddhism.

3. Your words and deeds will become correct and pure.

4 You will have peace of mind and your thoughts will become profound. You will develop patience, and anger will disappear.

5. You will be uninfluenced by the evils in your environment and be able to continuously perform good deeds.

6. Your senses will become sharp, your intellect will become clear, and your wisdom will deepen.

7. You will be able to correctly make use of the good teachings and positive knowledge and gain the power to resolve difficult problems. (Kaiketsu, p. 535 [summarized])

Rev. Taishin Takano Chief Priest of Myohoji Temple

"Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo is like the roar of a lion, and those who believe in this Gohonzon [1.] will not be assailed by illness and harm. [2.] will be protected by the guardian deities. [3] will be free from fear in any situation.[4] will enjoy a life condition of absolute freedom."

(Gosho Zenshu, p. 1124; M.W. Vol. 1, p. 119 [summarized])

Since we are all common mortals, trivial things in our daily lives bring us joy, anger and sadness. This happens because we use the shallow wisdom of the common mortal to perceive and evaluate only the superficial occurrences that take place before our eyes. If we behold them in terms of the principle of the Law of cause and effect, however, we can, without fail, gain the wisdom to overcome the present problems and foster courage and the will to practice.

the key point here is none other than the sincere and steady performance of the practice of Daimoku.