Nichiren Daishonin identified the present age as Mappō. People fill the world with false theories. They embrace incorrect doctrines. The recent report details an individual denying the existence of the word Namu. This acts as pure hōbō. It stands as a grave slander of the Dharma. To deny the word Namu equates to erasing the exact foundation of Buddhist practice. In his teachings, Nichiren Daishonin explained this clearly. The term Namu derives from Sanskrit and translates into Chinese as kimyō. This signifies the dedication of one's life. Believers dedicate their lives to the Person, Shakyamuni, and to the Law, the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren Daishonin inscribed Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō centrally upon the Gohonzon. The denial of this word erases the explicit declaration of devotion. Nichiren Daishonin inscribed his own life in sumi ink. WE MUST UPHOLD THIS COMPLETE PHRASE IN OUR HEARTS TODAY.
Some individuals alter the teachings to suit their personal convenience. They resemble the sons of the skilled physician. These sons consumed poison. They lost their right minds. They refused the good medicine. These individuals elevate modern habits over the orthodox transmission. They walk the path of the icchantika. These people outrage the True Law. They refuse to repent. The Lotus Sutra warns strictly against this behavior. People who treat the sutra with disdain destroy the seeds of Buddhahood. They fall into the deepest hell. You must refute this error immediately.
The Nehangyō dictates that one must actively confront those who attack the Law. Nichiren Daishonin taught that confronting slander proves one as a true disciple. The assertive method of shakubuku operates as an act of great compassion. It corrects false views. It protects the purity of the Dharma. A true disciple faces opposition boldly. A true disciple speaks the truth of the Lotus Sutra directly. THE CAUSE AND EFFECT EXIST TOGETHER IN THIS VERY MOMENT. Plant the seed of Buddhahood immediately.
Consider the daily reality of modern professionals. A person goes to work in a busy corporate office in Tokyo. They face intense pressure to compromise their values to secure a promotion. They experience stress from demanding bosses and heavy workloads. When they compromise their integrity to fit in, they experience deep internal conflict. They lose their sense of purpose. When this person sits before the Gohonzon and chants Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, they align their life with the True Law. They dedicate their life in that exact moment. They find the courage to act honestly. They demonstrate actual proof of the Buddhist practice in their workplace. YOUR daily actions and YOUR voice of faith plant the seed of Buddhahood today. Every single moment holds the full weight of the Law.
[毒を変じて薬と為す> (Turn poison into medicine)
The Japanese people have this old saying. This concept relates directly to the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin and the current situation. The slander of the Dharma acts as poison in the world. When you confront the individual who denies the word Namu, you apply the medicine of the True Law. The act of shakubuku transforms the poison of false views into the medicine of correct understanding. Arouse deep faith right now. Polish the mirror of life day and night. Chant the orthodox phrase aloud, clearly and steadily. The Law responds to what people do right now.
Doctrinal purity demands strict adherence to the words of Nichiren Daishonin. Followers must gird their bodies with the five-character mandala. They must lodge it deeply in their hearts. This practice guarantees escape from the great fires of hell. This practice ensures the attainment of supreme enlightenment.
Nichiren Daishonin always faced adversity with absolute courage. He encountered hostility from government officials and rival priests. He accepted these trials as physical proof of reading the Lotus Sutra. Experiencing trials for the sake of the Dharma guarantees future Buddhahood. We see this plainly in the historical record of his life. He spent years in exile on Sado Island. He endured freezing cold and starvation. He maintained his faith completely. He wrote letters of encouragement to his followers. He instructed them to maintain their practice. He promised that the Lotus Sutra serves as the sole effective path in this Age of Dharma Decline.
The Lotus Sutra establishes the absolute equality of all living beings. It asserts that everyone possesses the innate capacity for Buddhahood. This includes all people regardless of their social standing or education. The chanting of the daimoku accesses this innate Buddha nature. Nichiren Daishonin provided the Gohonzon as the objective reality of this enlightened state. Devotees participate in the eternal assembly of the Lotus Sutra by chanting before the Gohonzon. They fuse their subjective reality with the objective truth of the universe.
You must protect the teachings from any distortion. False teachings lead sentient beings astray. They cause suffering and confusion. By clearly refuting the denial of the word Namu, you uphold the integrity of the Dharma. You secure the path to enlightenment for yourself and others. Stand firmly on the foundation of the Lotus Sutra. Trust the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin completely. Chant with a strong and steady voice.
Nichiren Daishonin explained the concept of ichinen sanzen. This doctrine reveals that a single moment of life contains three thousand realms. The smallest phenomenon encompasses the entire cosmos. Every thought and action impacts the whole universe. When a practitioner chants Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, they manifest the Buddha realm in their immediate environment. This action transforms the present reality. The subjective mind and the objective environment share a deep connection. A peaceful mind creates a peaceful world. A deluded mind creates a world of suffering. The practice of chanting purifies the senses and the environment simultaneously.
The Lotus Sutra stands supreme among all Buddhist scriptures. Shakyamuni Buddha declared its supremacy explicitly. Nichiren Daishonin identified it as the only valid teaching for the current age. He replaced all other practices with the chanting of the daimoku. This single practice contains all the merits and virtues of the Buddha. Practitioners receive these benefits directly through faith. They achieve a state of inner freedom and clarity. They recognize the reality of their lives and environment. They use their experiences to deepen their faith and help others.
YOUR commitment to the True Law brings immense benefit. You establish a secure foundation for your life. You develop the wisdom to navigate daily challenges. Your actions reflect the compassion of the Buddha. Continue to uphold the teachings with a sincere heart. Maintain your daily practice diligently. The Lotus Sutra promises peace and security to those who embrace it. Nichiren Daishonin assured his followers of their ultimate victory. Rely completely on the Gohonzon. Let your voice ring out with the sacred chant.
今この瞬間に
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo
There is a form of pain that does not announce itself loudly. It lives in the house where you grew up. It sits across the table. It speaks using your name.
When slander moves between people who share blood, it carries a particular weight. Words said in the morning can follow a person until nightfall. The family home, which should be a place of rest, becomes a place that requires constant vigilance. This is not a small thing. Nichiren Daishonin taught his followers to name their obstacles clearly, because naming them is the beginning of understanding them.
The name for what arises here is go-sho. It is one of the three obstacles described in the Maka Shikan and cited throughout Nichiren Daishonin's writings. Go-sho is the obstacle that comes specifically from within the intimate circle, from a spouse, from children, from those who are nearest. The Gohonzon commentary notes that this obstacle is interpreted broadly as opposition from one's own family members. It is not an accident. As Nichiren Daishonin wrote, citing the Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai: "As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge, vying with one another to interfere." This is the confirmation that the practice is real. Were it not real, nothing would stir.
"内憂外患" (Naiyu gaikan — trouble within, danger without)
This saying describes a state in which conflict is present on every side. It applies here precisely. The teaching does not tell a practitioner to eliminate conflict before it can proceed. It tells the practitioner to proceed through the conflict. That is the position of go-sho: it appears on the path, not before it.
Consider a woman in her late twenties who had practiced for several years. She continued chanting every morning in her room while her parents argued in the corridor outside the closed door. She chanted every evening while the house held its tension like weather. She did not argue back. She did not stop chanting. After two years, her relationship with her mother changed. Not because her mother changed first. Because she had built something inside herself that could hold steady. The environment shifted because her inner life-condition shifted. This is the doctrine of esho funi, the non-separation of self and environment, and it operates whether or not anyone in the house understands it.
THE PEACE SOUGHT IS NOT THE SILENCE OF THE HOUSE. IT IS THE SILENCE INSIDE THE PRACTITIONER THAT THE HOUSE CANNOT REACH.
This is the teaching. It is not an instruction to tolerate harm without limit, and it is not a demand to stay in circumstances that damage life. It is a statement about where the work happens first. The chanting of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo today plants a cause with the full weight of Myoho Renge Kyo behind it. That cause belongs entirely to the practitioner. No family member can cancel it.
Here is how to move through this, step by step.
Step one. Establish morning daimoku before the house wakes up. Even five minutes. The day's first cause belongs to the Law, not to the friction waiting in the next room. This is not ritual. It is the placement of a cause before any other cause is placed.
Step two. When slander arrives, do not return it. Nichiren Daishonin stated that words of good advice often grate on the ears, and words spoken in anger plant causes in kind. Silence in the face of hostility is not weakness. It is the refusal to add fuel to a fire that will burn itself out.
Step three. Chant for the happiness of the people causing difficulty. Not because they deserve it. Because the act of doing so transforms the chanter's inner state, which in turn changes the quality of their presence in the house. The environment responds to this over time.
Step four. Separate the question of physical and emotional boundaries from the question of inner peace. A practitioner may need distance from certain people. That is a practical judgment. But inner peace is not contingent on what those people do or stop doing. It is built through practice, session by session, today.
Step five. Continue. The faith that holds like water, flowing without stopping, is the faith Nichiren Daishonin praised above all others. He wrote: "To have faith like water means to believe continuously without ever regressing." That kind of faith is built in ordinary days, in difficult houses, at tables where the atmosphere is wrong.
The peace that is wanted here is real and it is possible. It will not come because the family agrees, or stops, or understands. It will come because the practitioner builds a life-condition that the family's friction can no longer reach. That is the promise of the Law. It has held across eight hundred years and it holds now, in every ordinary house, in every difficult morning.
法の中に安らぎあり
Namu Myoho Renge Kyo