sgi-uk grade 1 study exam questions 2011 section a - SGI-UK E ...

EXAM QUESTIONS • SGI-UK grade one study course 2011 

SGI-UK GRADE 1 STUDY EXAM QUESTIONS 2011 

There are four sections in this exam (A-D) and you should prepare answers for all questions set, although in the exam you 

will not be required to answer all the questions. Each section contains instructions explaining how you should answer the 

questions. The answers can be found in the 2011 Grade One Study Course Material, which contains the following: 

A The Life of Nichiren Daishonin (worth 20%) 

B SGI President Daisaku Ikeda’s ‘Lecture on “Letter to Jakunichi-bo”’, SGI Newsletter No. 7676 (worth 30%) 

C Basic Principles in Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism (worth 20%) 

D The History of SGI (The priesthood issue, The three presidents and SGI President Ikeda in Europe) (worth 30%) 

SECTION A: 

THE LIFE OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN 

This section is in two parts. A1 requires you to fill in the 

spaces with places, names or words; A2 requires you to 

write your answer in full. In the exam, you will be asked 

three questions from A1 and one question from A2. This 

section is worth 20%. 

A1. Based on the material in Section A: the Life of 

Nichiren Daishonin, fill in the missing words. 

a) Nichiren Daishonin was born on _ /_ / _____ 

(day/month/year) into a fishing family in ______ 

______________ (present-day southern Chiba 

Prefecture). At the age of __ he became a novicemonk 

at Seicho-ji temple, near Mount Kiyosumi 

in Awa; in those days there were no schools, and 

_____________ served as centres of learning. 

b) In a letter to a follower in 1277, Nichiren Daishonin 

wrote, ‘Since childhood, I, Nichiren, have never 

prayed for the secular things of this life but have 

singlemindedly sought to become a ____________’. 

(WND‐1, p. 839) 

Very early on the morning of _ /_ /____ (day/ 

month/year) he chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo for 

the first time. 

c) In _______ (year), Nichiren Daishonin went to Jissoji, 

a temple in Iwamoto that contained in its library 

all of the major Buddhist sutras. There he met a 

12-year-old novice, Hoki-bo, who soon expressed 

the desire to become his ____________. 

e) On 11 November _______ (year), on his way to visit 

his disciple Kudo Yoshitaka, the Daishonin and 

his disciples were ambushed by Tojo Kagenobu, 

steward of the region, at a place called _________ 

_________________. Although he escaped safely, 

Nichiren Daishonin himself was injured on the 

forehead by a sword and had his left arm broken. 

This incident is known as the ______________/ 

_____________(two words) 

f) He [Nichiren Daishonin] formally certified 

_____________ as his successor and the leader 

of the propagation of his Buddhism in the 

‘Document for Entrusting the Law which Nichiren 

Propagated throughout his life’. On 13 October 

_____(year) at Ikegami Munenaka’s home, aged 60, 

_____________ passed away. 

A2. Write a short paragraph in answer to each of the 

following questions. All your answers should be based 

on the material in Section A: the Life of Nichiren 

Daishonin. In the exam, one of the three questions will 

be set. 

a) What sorts of difficulties were the people of Japan 

facing at the time Nichiren Daishonin lived? 

b) Describe the events that took place on the night of 

12 September 1271. 

c) Why did Nichiren Daishonin move to Mount Minobu? 

What did he do there? 

d) Witnessing the suffering of ordinary people during a 

series of natural disasters, including the Kamakura 

earthquake of 1257, Nichiren Daishonin began 

research which culminated in his first remonstration 

with the government. This took the form of a 

treatise entitled ‘__________________________’. On 

16 July ________ (year), he presented this treatise 

to Hojo Tokiyori, the retired regent but still Japan’s 

most influential political figure. 

1


SECTION B: 

LETTER TO JAKUNICHI-BO 

Write a short paragraph in answer to each of the 


on the material in Section B: Letter to Jakunichi-bo. In 

the exam you will be asked one question from three 

of the following sections (three questions in all). This 

section is worth 30% of the total marks. 

B1. Based on the section ‘A Life-State pervaded by 

eternity, happiness, true self and purity’ prepare 

answers for the following questions: 

a) Name the four universal sufferings and explain 

how these can be transformed into lives of 

supreme dignity. 

b) Explain the qualities of each of the four virtues. 

B2. Based on the section ‘The “Extraordinary Person, 

Nichiren” – triumphing over even the most 

formidable obstacles’, prepare answers for the 

following questions: 

a) Who does Nichiren Daishonin say is the 

‘supreme votary of the Lotus Sutra’? 

b) Why does he say this? 

c) What evidence does he give for his declaration? 

B3. Based on the section entitled ‘Nichiren (Sun 

Lotus) – a name revealing the innate qualities of 

Bodhisattva Superior Practices’, prepare answers 

for the following questions: 

a) What is Bodhisattva Superior Practices’ mission? 

b) What does the lotus flower symbolise? 

B4. Based on the section entitled ‘A Buddha is always 

taking on challenges’, prepare answers for the 


B5. Based on the section entitled ‘The karmic ties 

linking teachings and disciples in Buddhism 

transcend the three existences’, prepare answers 

for the following questions: 

a) What does Nichiren Daishonin urge his followers 

to do? 

b) Describe the network of Bodhisattvas of the 

Earth in modern times. 

B6. Based on the section entitled ‘Those who exert 

themselves for kosen‐rufu are worthy beyond 

measure’, prepare answers for the following 

questions: 

a) Describe the benefits of practising as Nichiren 

Daishonin teaches. 

b) How do followers of Nichiren Daishonin 

prove themselves to be true votaries of the 

Lotus Sutra? 

SECTION C: 

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF NICHIREN BUDDHISM 


following questions. All your answers should be 

based on the material in Section C: Basic Principles 

of Nichiren Buddhism. In the exam, two of the three 

questions will be set. This section is worth 20% of the 

total marks. 

C1. Name the Ten Worlds. 

C2. Based on the material in SGI Newsletter 7851, 

explain the principle of the Mutual Possession of 

the Ten Worlds. 

C3. Based on the material in SGI Newsletter 7473, 

what does it mean to attain Buddhahood in one’s 

present form? 

a) How does Nichiren Daishonin demonstrate the 

spirit of taking on challenges? 

b) What example has President Toda set for us? 

2


SECTION D: 

THE HISTORY OF SGI 



on the material in Section D: The History of SGI. In the 

exam you will be asked two questions from each of the 

following sections. This section is worth 30% of the 

total marks. 

D1. Based on the section ‘Material for Question D1: 

The priesthood issue’ prepare answers for the 


a) What events took place in November 1991? 

b) What happened when Soka Gakkai members 

challenged the priesthood and called for the 

reform of the priesthood? 

c) Why is the Soka Gakkai so diverse? 

D2. Based on the section ‘Material for Question D2: 

The three presidents’ prepare answers for the 

following question: 

a) When was the Soka Gakkai founded? 

b) Why was Tsunesaburo Makiguchi arrested? 

c) Name one of Josei Toda’s realisations in prison. 

d) What do we commemorate on 16 March 

and why? 

e) When was Daisaku Ikeda inaugurated as third 

president of the Soka Gakkai? 

f) Name the two historical novels written by 

Daisaku Ikeda chronicling the development of the 

Soka Gakkai and SGI. 

D3. Based on the section ‘Material for Question 

D3: Extracts from SGI President Ikeda in 

Europe, Volume 1’ prepare answers for the 


a) When did President Ikeda depart for his first visit 

to Europe? 

b) What were the main purposes of his trip? 

c) With his visit to Europe imminent, what was 

President Ikeda’s vow? 

3

STUDY MATERIAL • SGI-UK grade one study course 2011 

Extracts from guidance on study 

by SGI President Ikeda 

The Gosho (The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin) is a work 

of faith, of philosophy, of daily living, of eternal peace and 

boundless hope. It is set with myriad jewels of guidance. 

SGI members have read a single passage of the Gosho 

with their entire life and not only changed their lives for 

the better but also achieved their human revolution. 

What is the purpose of studying the Gosho? The answer 

is expressed clearly in the following passage: 

Believe in the Gohonzon, the supreme object of 

devotion in all of Jambudvipa. Be sure to strengthen 

your faith, and receive the protection of Shakyamuni, 

Many Treasures, and the Buddhas of the ten directions. 

Exert yourself in the two ways of practice and study. 

Without practice and study, there can be no Buddhism. 

You must not only persevere yourself; you must also 

teach others. Both practice and study arise from faith. 

Teach others to the best of your ability, even if it is only 

a single sentence or phrase. (WND‐1, p. 386) 

The main elements of the practice of Nichiren Daishonin’s 

Buddhism are summed up in this passage. What is 

important is first faith, second practice and third study. 

Strong faith leads us directly to Buddhahood. And it 

is practice and study that strengthen and deepen that 

faith. For us study must never be a mere accumulation of 

knowledge. It must be strictly a practical study to deepen 

one’s own faith and elevate one’s own state of life. 

Moreover the path of practice and study leads to 

the Gohonzon and to society. Because of practice 

and study, we face the Gohonzon, recite the sutra and 

chant daimoku. With the wisdom and life-force gained 

thereby, we carry out our practice and study in the midst 

of society. Herein lies what we call the bodhisattva 

way. That is the action of leading other people towards 

lasting happiness while striving to establish enduring 

peace for humanity. That practice begins with the inner 

reformation of the individual, and through that practice 

the substance of our lives is deepened and enriched. 

The ultimate of those changes is the attainment of 

Buddhahood in this lifetime, or in modern terms, human 

revolution or self-actualisation. 

…The Daishonin writes: 

The heart of the Buddha’s lifetime of teachings is the 

Lotus Sutra, and the heart of the practice of the Lotus 

Sutra is found in the ‘Never Disparaging’ chapter. What 

does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s profound respect 

for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in 

this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, 

lies in his behaviour as a human being. (WND‐1, p. 852) 

It is when the fruits of studying the Gosho show in our 

own behaviour that we can say we have truly read it. 

Source: Daisaku Ikeda, Foreword to The Writings of Nichiren 

Daishonin, Volume 1 (Soka Gakkai, 1999), p. xii, p. xiv. 

4

SECTION A • STUDY MATERIAL • SGI-UK grade one study course 2011 

SECTION A: THE LIFE OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN 

Childhood period 

Nichiren Daishonin 1 was born on 16 February 1222, into a 

fishing family, in Awa Province (present-day southern Chiba 

Prefecture). His birth name is still the subject of debate. 

At the age of 11 he became a novice-monk at Seichoji 

temple, near Mount Kiyosumi in Awa; in those days 

there were no schools, and temples served as centres 

of learning. Initially, Seicho-ji was attached to the Tendai 

school 2 , which taught the supremacy of the Lotus Sutra. 

Later it fell under the influence of first the True Word 

school 3 , with its mystic rituals, and later the Pure Land 

school 4 , which taught belief in Amida Buddha. There was 

much confusion within Buddhism at that time about what 

was the true or correct teaching. 

Becoming the wisest person in Japan 

As the young Nichiren Daishonin advanced in his studies, 

serious doubts arose in his mind about Buddhist 

teachings and their effect on the society of his time. How 

was it that the doctrines taught by the Buddha had given 

rise to schools with such contradictory tenets? And why, 

despite sincere Buddhist prayers for peace, had Japan 

been subjected to years of conflict? He prayed to a statue 

of Bodhisattva Space Treasury to become the wisest 

person in Japan. In a letter to a follower in 1277, Nichiren 

Daishonin wrote, ‘Since childhood, I, Nichiren, have never 

prayed for the secular things of this life but have singlemindedly 

sought to become a Buddha.’ (WND‐1, p. 839) 

The years of study 

In his search for truth, the Daishonin thoroughly studied 

the doctrines of the Eight Schools 5 as well as those of the 

later Zen and Jodo schools, and on 8 October 1237, in 

his sixteenth year, was ordained a priest by Dozen-bo, the 

chief priest of Seicho-ji. 

For a while he remained at Seicho-ji but, probably 

during the spring of 1239 at the age of 17, journeyed to 

Kamakura, where the shogunate was based, to further his 

studies. He briefly returned to Seicho-ji in the spring of 

1242 before undertaking a second study journey, to Nara 

and Kyoto. 

Nichiren Daishonin spent twelve years at the temples 

of Nara and the monasteries of Mount Hiei and Mount 

Koya 6 , near Kyoto, and read all the important Buddhist 

texts he could. After some fourteen years of study, he 

finally became convinced that Shakyamuni’s ultimate 

teaching was found in the Lotus Sutra. 

Proclamation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo 

When Nichiren Daishonin returned at the end of his 

long years of study, his old master, Dozen-bo, was very 

proud of him. To celebrate his return and to discover the 

depth of his knowledge, the priests organised a meeting 

at which Nichiren Daishonin was to preach a sermon, 

and invited dignitaries from the surrounding area. Very 

early on the morning of 28 April 1253 he chanted Nammyoho-renge-kyo 

for the first time. Later that day a large 

audience duly gathered and at noon Nichiren Daishonin 

appeared and recited Nam-myoho-renge-kyo three times, 

declaring it to be the only teaching that would enable 

all human beings in the Latter Day of the Law to reach 

supreme enlightenment in this lifetime. His audience was 

surprised – no one had ever heard this invocation before. 

Nichiren Daishonin then refuted the four most influential 

Buddhist schools of the time. He criticised the Pure Land 

School because of its teaching that salvation could be 

attained through the external power of an absolute being; 

Zen for its assertion that enlightenment could only be 

arrived at through the direct perception of one’s own 

mind and with being content with that self-enlightenment; 

The True Word School for teaching that benefit could be 

gained through mystic practices; and The Precepts School 

because of its focus on controlling people through strict 

precepts and rituals. 

In pronouncing these so-called ‘four dictums’, Nichiren 

Daishonin 6 effectively declared that none of the existing 

Buddhist schools had the power to save humanity, and 

that practising their teachings actually caused suffering to 

individuals and society. 

When the steward of the region, Tojo Kagenobu, a 

fervent believer of the Pure Land school, heard that 

Nichiren Daishonin had predicted the hell of incessant 

suffering to all those who practised it, he immediately 

issued an arrest warrant. With the help of Dozen-bo and 

others, Nichiren Daishonin escaped. 

In the summer of 1253, Nichiren Daishonin went 

to Kamakura and settled in the small hermitage of 

Matsubagayatsu. In November 1253, a travelling priest 

became the first of Nichiren Daishonin’s disciples. He 

later became the eldest of the six elder priests, taking 

the name Nissho. Other disciples followed. Some were 

priests, others belonged to the families of samurai. 

Among these first disciples were Toki Jonin, Shijo Kingo, 

Kudo Yoshitaka and Ikegami Munenaka. 

5


‘On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the 

Peace of the Land’ 

During this period, famine and epidemics were ravaging 

the country. After the great Kamakura earthquake of May 

1257, tremors shook the region, culminating in another 

huge earthquake in August, and again in November. In 

August 1258, violent winds ravaged Kamakura and a 

tempest hit Kyoto. In October 1258, torrential rain beat 

down on Kamakura, causing a flood that killed many 

people. In March 1259 and in April 1260, in accordance 

with custom, the government proclaimed new eras in 

order to try to surmount these calamities, to no avail: the 

extraordinary phenomena continued unabated. 

In 1258, Nichiren Daishonin went to Jisso-ji, a temple 

in Iwamoto that contained in its library all of the major 

Buddhist sutras. There he met a 12-year-old novice, 

Hoki-bo, who soon expressed the desire to become his 

disciple. In time, as Nikko Shonin, he would become 

Nichiren Daishonin’s immediate successor. 

The Daishonin consulted all the sutras in Jisso-ji’s 

library, seeking to determine the fundamental cause 

of, and remedy to, human suffering, in particular the 

suffering then being experienced by the Japanese people. 

He concluded that the nation’s misfortunes sprang from 

its disregard and slander of the Lotus Sutra. In several 

places, Shakyamuni makes it clear that his fundamental 

teachings are found only in the Lotus Sutra. All the 

Buddhist schools in Japan at this period, however, with 

the exception of the Tendai school, were founded on 

Shakyamuni’s provisional teachings, expounded prior 

to the Lotus Sutra. Even the Tendai school, which was 

originally based on the Lotus Sutra, had become sullied 

by the teachings of the True Word and Pure Land schools. 

The first remonstration with the government 

Nichiren Daishonin formulated the conclusion of his 

research in a treatise entitled ‘On Establishing the 

Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land’. On 16 July 

1260, he presented this treatise to Hojo Tokiyori, the 

retired regent but still Japan’s most influential political 

figure. The treatise is known as Nichiren Daishonin’s first 

remonstration with the government, and begins with a 

description of the misery of the era: 

Once there was a traveller who spoke these words 

in sorrow to his host: ‘In recent years, there have 

been unusual disturbances in the heavens, strange 

occurrences on earth, famine and pestilence, all 

affecting every corner of the empire and spreading 

throughout the land. Oxen and horses lie dead in 

the streets and the bones of the stricken crowd the 

highways. Over half the population has already been 

carried off by death, and there is hardly a single person 

who does not grieve.’ (WND‐1, p. 6) 

Nichiren Daishonin expressed his conviction that the 

fundamental cause of the disasters that had struck the 

country lay in the fact that everyone, ‘from the sovereign 

to the most humble’, was opposed to or ignorant of the 

teaching of the Lotus Sutra. He particularly criticised 

Honen, the founder of the Pure Land school. Quoting the 

Great Collection Sutra and the Medicine Master Sutra, 

which elaborate the three calamities and the seven 

disasters, 7 Nichiren Daishonin predicted that civil war 

and foreign invasion, the only disasters that had not yet 

occurred, would surely happen if the country continued to 

reject the correct teaching, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

Nichiren Daishonin knew perfectly well that he would 

encounter violent persecution if he addressed his treatise 

to Hojo Tokiyori, but he did so nonetheless from profound 

compassion, considering the sufferings of others as 

though they were his own. Sure enough, priests and 

believers of the Pure Land school soon took action 

against Nichiren Daishonin and his disciples. 

Persecution at Matsubagayatsu and exile to Izu 

During the night of 27 August 1260, several hundred Pure 

Land followers attacked Nichiren Daishonin’s dwelling 

at Matsubagayatsu. The action was instigated by Hojo 

Shigetoki, father of the then regent Hojo Nagatoki and a 

Pure Land school follower. Fortunately, Nichiren Daishonin 

managed to escape and took refuge at the house of one 

of his disciples, Toki Jonin. In spite of the danger, Nichiren 

Daishonin returned to Kamakura the following spring 

and once again began to propagate his teachings. His 

overwhelming desire was to awaken the Japanese people 

to the truth of Buddhism. 

The Pure Land school priests continued to slander 

Nichiren Daishonin to the authorities. This time the regent 

himself, Hojo Nakatoki, supported their accusations 

and on 12 May 1261, without even a court case, the 

government sent Nichiren Daishonin into exile to Ito, a 

Pure Land school stronghold on the Izu peninsula. 

He was abandoned on a beach by his guards when they 

reached Ito and left to his fate. Despite the hostility felt 

towards exiles, Nichiren Daishonin was taken in and cared 

for by a fisherman called Funamori Yasuburo and his 

wife. Later, they became his disciples. This clearly shows 

the affinity Nichiren Daishonin had with ordinary people, 

a feeling that was increasingly reciprocated during his 

lifetime. Shortly afterwards, hearing that the local steward 

was ill, Nichiren Daishonin successfully prayed for his 

recovery: the lord also became a follower. 

In February 1263, after almost two years in Izu, 

the Daishonin was pardoned. As he explains in ‘On 

Persecutions Befalling the Sage’: ‘The lay priest of 

Saimyo-ji [Hojo-Tokiyori 1227-1263], now deceased, and 

the present ruler [Hojo Tokimune 1251-1284] permitted 

my return from my exiles when they found I was innocent 

of the accusations against me.’ (WND‐1, p. 997) It is also 

6


likely that Hojo Tokiyori understood Nichiren Daishonin’s 

true intention in sending him ‘On Establishing the Correct 

Teaching’ in July 1260, and shared his desire to protect 

the Japanese people from further catastrophes. Once 

pardoned, the Daishonin returned to Kamakura. 

The Komatsubara Persecution 

In autumn 1264, learning about the serious illness of 

his mother, Nichiren Daishonin decided to visit Awa for 

the first time in ten years. His father had died in 1258. 

On 11 November 1264, on his way to visit his disciple 

Kudo Yoshitaka, the Daishonin and his disciples were 

ambushed by Tojo Kagenobu, the steward of the region. 

at a place called Komatsubara. Hearing of the attack, 

Kudo Yoshitaka rushed to the scene with some other 

followers. But they were outnumbered and Kudo Yoshitaka 

and another follower, Kyonin-bo, were killed. Although he 

escaped safely, Nichiren Daishonin himself was injured on 

the forehead by a sword and had his left arm broken. This 

incident is known as the Komatsubara Persecution. 

Nichiren Daishonin returned to Kamakura in early 1268. 

In January of that year an envoy from the Mongol Empire 

had arrived in Kamakura with a message demanding that 

Japan acknowledge fealty to their empire or face invasion. 

The envoy was sent back empty-handed and the Japanese 

government began to prepare for war. This confirmed 

Nichiren Daishonin’s prediction of foreign invasion, made 

in ‘On Establishing the Correct Teaching’. In April 1268, 

Nichiren Daishonin sent ‘The Rationale for writing “On 

Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the 

Land”’ to an active member of the government. In it he 

explained the circumstances leading to his writing the 

treatise, and reminded the shogunate of its conclusions: 

Now, nine years after I presented my memorial [to the 

lay priest of Saimyo-ji], in the intercalary first month of 

this year [1268], the official letter arrived from the great 

kingdom of the Mongols. The events that have occurred 

match the predictions made in my memorial as exactly 

as do the two halves of a tally. (WND‐1, p. 163) 

In October, he sent letters to eleven high-ranking political 

and religious leaders pointing out that his predictions 

were now being fulfilled, and calling for a public religious 

debate to demonstrate the validity of his teachings. His 

appeal was ignored. Nichiren Daishonin was a man of 

great learning, reason enough for the religious leaders of 

Kamakura to refuse to debate with him. But he knew that 

there was another reason for their refusal, which had been 

clearly stated in the thirteenth chapter of the Lotus Sutra: 

These men with evil in their hearts, 

constantly thinking of worldly affairs, 

will borrow the name of forest-dwelling monks… 8 

In short, he knew them to be hypocrites who preached 

doctrines they themselves could not or would not put 

into action. 

The second warning to the government 

In 1271, Japan suffered a severe drought and the 

government asked Ryokan, chief priest of the True Word- 

Precepts school, and considered the foremost Buddhist 

scholar of the city, to pray for rain. When Nichiren 

Daishonin heard this, he issued a public challenge, vowing 

to become his disciple if Ryokan managed to make it rain 

within seven days. If Ryokan failed, however, he should 

become the Daishonin’s disciple. Ryokan accepted the 

challenge, but was humiliated when his prayers failed. 

Rather than discarding his beliefs, however, he plotted to 

get rid of his rival. Conspiring with his followers, he began 

to spread false rumours about the Daishonin among the 

wives of leading government officials. 

The tactic worked. On 10 September 1271, Nichiren 

Daishonin was summoned and questioned by Hei no 

Saemon, Deputy Chief of the Office of Military and Police 

Affairs (the chief being the regent himself). Nichiren 

Daishonin repeated his prediction that the nation would 

fall into ruin if the true Law continued to be slandered. 

This encounter is known as the second remonstration 

with the government. Writing of this meeting in the Gosho 

‘The Actions of the Votary of the Lotus Sutra’, Nichiren 

Daishonin warns Hei no Saemon: 

If you wish to maintain this land in peace and security, 

it is imperative that you summon the priests of the 

other schools for a debate in your presence. If you 

ignore this advice and punish me unreasonably on 

their behalf, the entire country will have cause to 

regret your decision. If you condemn me, you will be 

rejecting the Buddha’s envoy. (WND‐1, p. 765) 

The meeting ended without agreement. 

The Tatsunokuchi Persecution 

On the night of 12 September 1271, Hei no Saemon and 

a troop of armed soldiers arrested Nichiren Daishonin. 

Treating him like a traitor, they took him to Tatsunokuchi 

beach, an execution site near Kamakura: on his own 

initiative, Hei no Saemon had decided to have Nichiren 

Daishonin beheaded. On the way to Tatsunokuchi the 

arresting party passed the shrine to Hachiman, one of 

Japan’s protective deities. The Daishonin asked to stop 

and at once he reprimanded Hachiman: 

Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, are you truly a god? … 

I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra 

in all of Japan, and am entirely without guilt… When 

Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sutra, Many 

7


Treasures Buddha and the Buddhas and bodhisattvas 

of the ten directions gathered, shining like so many 

suns and moons, stars and mirrors. In the presence of 

the countless heavenly gods as well as the benevolent 

deities and sages of India, China and Japan, 

Shakyamuni Buddha urged each one to submit a 

written pledge to protect the votary of the Lotus Sutra 

at all times. Each and every one of you gods made this 

pledge. I should not have to remind you. Why do you 

not appear at once to fulfil your solemn oath? … If I 

am executed tonight and go to the pure land of Eagle 

Peak, I will dare to report to Shakyamuni Buddha, the 

lord of teachings, that the Sun Goddess and Great 

Bodhisattva Hachiman are the deities who have broken 

their oath to him. If you feel this will go hard with 

you, you had better do something about it right away! 

(WND‐1, p. 766, p. 767) 

So saying, Nichiren Daishonin remounted his horse 

and the party continued on to Tatsunokuchi. Sent for 

by his mentor, Shijo Kingo 9 rushed barefoot to join him, 

with his three brothers. He held the reins of Nichiren 

Daishonin’s horse until they reached the execution site, 

ready to give his own life. At the moment when Nichiren 

Daishonin was about to be beheaded, however, a bright 

object crossed the sky. Panicking, the executioner threw 

down his sword and the petrified soldiers were unable to 

proceed with the execution. 

This event is of the utmost significance. Not only did 

the Buddhist gods 10 protect Nichiren Daishonin, saving 

him from death, but at this crucial moment he revealed 

his true identity as the original Buddha by discarding 

his provisional or transient identity as ‘the votary of the 

Lotus Sutra’: 

On the twelfth day of the ninth month of last year, 

between the hours of the rat and the ox (11pm to 3am), 

this person named Nichiren was beheaded. It is his soul 

that has come to this island of Sado. (WND‐1, p. 269) 

Exile to Sado Island 

The authorities detained Nichiren Daishonin, at Echi, 

Sagami prefecture, as they tried to decide what to do. 

The verdict was exile once more, and so, on 10 October 

1271, he was taken north from Echi, to Sado Island in 

the Sea of Japan. Here, on 1 November, he was forced 

to settle in a small, ruined temple in an old cemetery at 

Tsukahara. He had no warm clothes or enough food to 

sustain him against the terrible, cold weather. Moreover, 

the inhabitants of the island were very hostile; not only 

were they mainly Pure Land school believers, but exiles to 

Sado were, for the most part, common criminals. 

The authorities did not expect the Daishonin to 

survive the winter, but far from dying, Nichiren Daishonin 

increasingly won support from the local population and 

converted many individuals to his teachings, including 

Abutsu-bo and his wife Sennichi-ama, Ko Nyudo and his 

wife, Nakaoki Nyudo and Sairen-bo Nichijyo. 

The leaders of the other Buddhist schools were not 

satisfied, even with Nichiren Daishonin in exile. Early in 

1272 scores of priests converged on the island from 

their home provinces. But the deputy constable, Homma 

Shigetsura, dashed their hopes for a quick end to Nichiren 

Daishonin by telling them: 

An official letter from the regent directs that the 

priest shall not be executed. This is no ordinary, 

contemptible criminal, and if anything happens to him, 

I, Shigetsura, will be guilty of grave dereliction. Instead 

of killing him, why don’t you confront him in religious 

debate? (WND‐1, p. 771) 

The ‘Tsukahara Debate’ – as it became known – duly took 

place on 16-17 January 1272, pitting Nichiren Daishonin 

against several hundred priests of the other schools. 

He describes the event in the Gosho ‘The Actions of the 

Votary of the Lotus Sutra’: 

I responded to each, establishing the exact meaning of 

what had been said, then coming back with questions. 

However, I needed to ask only one or two at most before 

they were completely silenced… I overturned them as 

easily as a sharp sword cutting through a melon or 

a gale bending the grass. They not only were poorly 

versed in the Buddhist teachings but contradicted 

themselves. They confused sutras with treatises or 

commentaries with treatises. (WND‐1, pp. 771-772) 

After the debate, many of those attending abandoned 

their beliefs, or even converted to Nichiren Daishonin’s 

teachings. In February, the predictions of a civil war made 

by the Daishonin twelve years earlier, in ‘On Establishing 

the Correct Teaching’, became reality when conflicts arose 

within the ruling Hojo clan, which culminated in violent 

clashes at both Kamakura and Kyoto. The government 

began to take Nichiren Daishonin more seriously and he 

was transferred in April from his hut at Tsukahara to an 

ordinary residence at Ichinosawa on Sado Island. 

Shortly after the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, while still on 

the mainland, Nichiren Daishonin had begun to inscribe 

personal Gohonzon for his closest followers. On Sado, he 

produced many important writings including, ‘The Opening 

of the Eyes’, ‘The Object of Devotion for Observing the 

Mind’, ‘The Entity of the Mystic Law’ and ‘Letter from 

Sado’. These are important because they explain the 

significance of the Gohonzon and, in so doing, laid the 

foundations of the Daishonin’s teachings. For example, 

‘The Opening of the Eyes’ explains why the Daishonin 

is the person qualified to establish the Gohonzon. ‘The 

Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind’ explains why 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the Law to be established, why 

8


in the form of the Gohonzon, and why the present period 

is the correct time for the establishment of the supreme 

object of devotion. 

The end of exile 

In February 1274, the then regent, Hojo Tokimune, granted 

Nichiren Daishonin permission to leave Sado Island. This 

was probably motivated by two events that took place in 

1273: the attempted rebellion of Hojo Tokimune’s brother, 

and the arrival, once again, of a Mongol delegation to 

Japan. Both confirmed the Daishonin’s predictions. 

The third remonstration with the government 

and departure for Mount Minobu 

Nichiren Daishonin left Ichinosawa on 13 March for 

Kamakura and on 8 April met Hei no Saemon at the 

latter’s request. For the third time, he remonstrated with 

the government, warning that the Mongol invasion was 

imminent, but still the government refused to listen. A few 

months later, in October, Kublai Khan’s forces attacked 

the southern part of Japan. According to ancient Chinese 

custom, if a sage gives three warnings to the authorities 

and these warnings go unheeded, he should retire to a 

mountain retreat. Therefore, Nichiren Daishonin travelled 

to the remoteness of Mount Minobu, in present-day 

Yamanashi prefecture. At Minobu he would continue to 

write and to raise disciples capable of propagating the Law. 

He devoted much of his time to writing, and nearly half of 

his extant works date from this period. He also spent much 

time lecturing and training his disciples, in particular Nikko 

Shonin. Nikko Shonin faithfully recorded these lectures in 

The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings. 

The Atsuhara Persecution and fulfilment of the 

Daishonin’s mission 

In 1275, Nikko Shonin took the lead in propagating 

Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings in the Fuji area, centred on 

the village of Atsuhara, and succeeded in converting many 

lay people (mostly farmers) and priests. One strong lay 

supporter in the area was Nanjo Tokimitsu, who, though 

still only in his late teens, contributed wholeheartedly to 

the propagation movement. 

The propagation caused intense opposition from the 

local temples. In particular, the assistant chief priest 

of a Tendai temple in Atsuhara village, Gyochi, grew 

increasingly jealous. Seeing his income threatened, he 

began to harass the Daishonin’s followers and falsely 

accused twenty disciples of stealing rice while harvesting 

the temple’s fields. He conspired to have them arrested 

and taken to Kamakura on 21 September 1279, where he 

tried to force them to renounce their faith in Nam-myohorenge-kyo. 

They refused, even under torture and the 

threat of death. Meanwhile, Nanjo Tokimitsu fought at the 

risk of his life to protect the Law and his precious fellow 

believers, despite severe government reprisals – he was 

so heavily taxed, for example, that he even had to sell his 

horse, a vital necessity. 

Nichiren Daishonin was deeply moved by the attitude of 

these disciples, who were ready to give their lives if need 

be to defend the Law. Realising that the time had come 

for him to fulfil his ultimate purpose in life, on 12 October 

1279, he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon. In the Gosho 

‘On Persecutions Befalling the Sage’, he discusses the 

significance of this event: 

Now, in the second year of Koan [1279], cyclical sign 

tsuchinoto-u, it has been twenty-seven years since I first 

proclaimed this teaching at Seicho-ji temple. It was at 

the hour of the horse [noon] on the twenty-eighth day 

of the fourth month in the fifth year of Kencho [1253], 

cyclical sign mizunoto-ushi, on the southern side of the 

image hall in the Shobutsu-bo of Seicho-ji temple in Tojo 

Village. Tojo is now a district, but was then a part of 

Nagasa District of Awa Province. Here is located what 

was once the second, but is now the country’s most 

important centre founded by Minamoto no Yoritomo, the 

general of the right, to supply provision for the shrine of 

the Sun Goddess. The Buddha fulfilled the purpose of 

his advent in a little over forty years, the Great Teacher 

T’ien-t’ai took about thirty years, and the Great Teacher 

Dengyo, some twenty years. I have spoken repeatedly of 

the indescribable persecutions they suffered during those 

years. For me it took twenty-seven years, and the great 

persecutions I faced during this period are well known to 

you all. (WND‐1, p. 996) 

Three days later, on 15 October, three of the farmerdisciples 

held in Kamakura were beheaded. The seventeen 

others still refused to recant, and were banished from 

Atsuhara. The harassment of the Daishonin’s followers 

continued intermittently for a time. Collectively, the 

persecution of his followers in and around Atsuhara from 

1275 to 1281 is known as the Atsuhara Persecution. 

Transmission of the Law and the death of 

Nichiren Daishonin 

By 1280, Nichiren Daishonin had already decided upon 

Nikko Shonin as his successor, as he states in the 

document that he transferred to him, ‘The One Hundred 

and Six Comparisons’. Nikko was clearly foremost among 

his disciples in faith, practice and study. He accompanied 

and served Nichiren Daishonin twice in exile (in Izu and 

on Sado), and he was also the most active in propagation 

activities and in training other disciples. Nikko had a deep 

respect for Nichiren Daishonin as the Buddha for this age, 

and understood the profound meaning of his teachings 

from the viewpoint of faith. He was therefore the person 

to whom Nichiren Daishonin transferred all his teachings 

9


and the Dai-Gohonzon, inscribed for all humankind, in 

September 1282. He formally certified Nikko as his 

successor and the leader of the propagation of his 

Buddhism in the ‘Document for Entrusting the Law Which 

Nichiren Propagated throughout His Life’. 

Shortly after this, on 8 September 1282, his health 

deteriorating further, the Daishonin left Mount Minobu, 

where he had lived for nine years, and went to the Hitachi 

hot springs and then on to the residence of one of his 

lifelong followers, Ikegami Munenaka. Here, in Musashi 

(present day Tokyo), he drew up his final testament for 

the future. On 8 October, he designated six senior priests 

as his most important priest-disciples – Nissho, Nichiro, 

Nikko, Niko, Nitcho and Nichiji – and entrusted them with 

the mission to train and develop followers in the different 

regions of Japan. 

On 13 October 1282, just before his death, Nichiren 

Daishonin wrote a second transfer document, 

‘Document for Entrusting Minobu-san’, again 

designating Nikko as his legitimate successor. In this he 

entrusts all of his teachings to Nikko and appoints him 

high priest of Kuon temple. 11 

At Ikegami Munenaka’s home that same day, aged 60, 

Nichiren Daishonin passed away. 

Footnotes for the life of Nichiren Daishonin 

material: 

1. Daishonin: Literally, ‘Great Sage’; an honorific title 

later given to Nichiren by his disciples. 

2. A school founded by Dengyo in Japan. Its head 

temple is Enryaku-ji on Mount Hiei. In 804 Dengyo 

made the journey to T’ang China, where he completed 

his study of the T’ien-t’ai (Jp. Tendai) teachings. He 

returned to Japan in 805 and officially founded the 

Tendai school in 806. Jikaku and Chisho, respectively 

the third and fifth chief priests of Enryaku-ji, 

incorporated esoteric teachings into the doctrine 

of the Tendai school. Hence the Tendai school in 

Japan rapidly assumed the character of esotericism, 

differing in this respect from the Chinese. 

5. The eight major schools of Buddhism in Japan before 

the Kamakura period (1185-1333). 

6. Monasteries of Mount Hiei and Mount Koya: head 

temples, respectively, of the Tendai and True Word 

schools. 

7. A reference to two sets of three calamities – lesser 

and greater. The three lesser calamities are warfare, 

pestilence and famine. The calamity of famine is also 

called the calamity of high grain prices or inflation, 

because inflation was caused by a shortage of grain. 

The three greater calamities are those of fire, water 

and wind. These calamities occur at the end of a 

kalpa. The three lesser calamities are often referred 

to in conjunction with the seven disasters as the 

‘three calamities and seven disasters’. 

8. The Lotus Sutra, trans. Burton Watson (Columbia 

University Press, 1993) Chapter 13, p. 194. 

9. Shijo Kingo (1230-1300): Samurai and disciple of 

Nichiren Daishonin. 

10. Buddhist Gods (Jp. shoten zenjin): benevolent 

heavenly beings. Traditionally, gods who assembled 

to listen to Shakyamuni teach the Lotus Sutra and 

vowed to guard its devotees, but interpreted to mean 

the life-supporting and protecting power inherent in 

the universe, including one’s own life, which can be 

activated by one’s Buddhist practice. 

11. Kuon temple: built at Mount Minobu in November 

1281. 

3. True Word school: A reference to the Chinese Chenyen 

school and the Japanese Shingon school. 

(Shingon, or true word, is the Japanese pronunciation 

of chen-yen.) It follows the esoteric doctrines found in 

the Mahavairochana and the Diamond Crown sutras, 

which were later introduced to Japan by Kobo. 

4. Pure Land school: A school that teaches the 

attainment of rebirth in the Pure Land of Amida 

Buddha by means of the chanting of Amida’s name. 

Honen is the founder of the Japanese Pure Land 

school. In Japan, the Pure Land school is also called 

the Nembutsu school. 

10

SECTION B • STUDY MATERIAL • SGI-UK grade one study course 2011 

SECTION B: LETTER TO JAKUNICHI-BO 

SGI President Ikeda’s Study Lecture Series (SGI Newsletter No. 7676, 25 June 2008) 

LEARNING FROM THE GOSHO: THE HOPE-FILLED WRITINGS OF NICHIREN DAISHONIN 

[14] “Letter to Jakunichi-bo” 

The shared struggle of mentor and disciple – leading 

a profound and hope-filled life of mission, illuminating 

the darkness with the great light of Buddhism 

I deeply appreciate your sending a letter to this 

distant place [of Mount Minobu]. It is extremely 

rare to be born as a human being. Not only are you 

endowed with human form, but you have had the rare 

fortune to encounter Buddhism. Moreover, out of the 

Buddha’s many teachings you have encountered the 

daimoku, or the title, of the Lotus Sutra and become 

its votary. Truly you are a person who has offered 

alms to a hundred thousand million Buddhas in 

[their] past existences! 

Nichiren is the supreme votary of the Lotus Sutra 

in Japan. In this land only he has lived the twenty-line 

verse of the ‘Encouraging Devotion’ chapter. The eight 

hundred thousand million nayutas of bodhisattvas 

pledged with this verse to propagate the Lotus Sutra, 

but not one of them fulfilled the pledge… 

My giving myself the name Nichiren (Sun Lotus) 

derives from my own enlightenment regarding the 

Buddha vehicle. This may sound as though I think I 

am wise, but there are specific reasons for what I say. 

The sutra reads, ‘As the light of the sun and moon 

can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person 

as he advances through the world can wipe out the 

darkness of living beings.’ Consider carefully what 

this passage signifies. ‘This person as he advances 

through the world’ means that the first five hundred 

years of the Latter Day of the Law will witness the 

advent of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, who will 

illuminate the darkness of ignorance and earthly 

desires with the light of the five characters of Nammyoho-renge-kyo. 

In accordance with this passage, 

Nichiren, as this bodhisattva’s envoy, has urged the 

people of Japan to accept and uphold the Lotus 

Sutra. His unremitting efforts never slacken, even 

here on this mountain [of Minobu]. 

The sutra then goes on to say, ‘After I [Shakyamuni] 

have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and 

uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without 

doubt will attain the Buddha way.’ 

Therefore, those who become Nichiren’s disciples 

and lay believers should realise the profound karmic 

relationship they share with him and spread the Lotus 

Sutra as he does… 

Believe in [this] Gohonzon with all your heart, for 

it is the robe to protect you in the world after death. 

No wife would ever leave her husband unclothed, 

nor could any parents fail to feel pity for their child 

shivering in the cold. Shakyamuni Buddha and the 

Lotus Sutra are like one’s wife and parents. You have 

helped me and thereby saved me from disgrace in this 

life; in return, I will protect you from disgrace in the 

next. What one has done for another yesterday will be 

done for oneself today. Blossoms turn into fruit, and 

brides become mothers-in-law. Chant Nam-myohorenge-kyo, 

and be always diligent in your faith. 

I cannot thank you enough for your frequent letters. 

Jakunichi-bo, please convey all these teachings in 

detail to that believer. (WND‐1, pp. 993–94) 

Lecture 

What is the purpose of life? It is to become happy. What, 

then, is genuine happiness? It is to establish within 

our lives an indestructible state of supreme dignity 

through upholding faith in the Mystic Law – a state of life 

pervaded by the Buddha’s four noble virtues of eternity, 

happiness, true self and purity 1 that will endure eternally 

throughout the cycle of birth and death. The essential 

aim of the Daishonin’s Buddhism is to polish and forge 

our lives through faith. This is the path pursued by 

the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, 2 the true protagonists 

of kosen‐rufu, the widespread propagation of the Law. 

While challenging their own spiritual development, they 

endeavour to lead all people to the sure path for genuine 

11


happiness. They follow a path of practice aspiring for the 

happiness of themselves and others, a path of mission 

dedicated to advancing kosen‐rufu. 

In ‘Letter to Jakunichi-bo’, the Daishonin indicates that he 

is fulfilling the function of Bodhisattva Superior Practices 3 , 

the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and he teaches 

us how noble it is to devote one’s life to propagating the 

Mystic Law in the same spirit as one’s teacher. 

Dated 16 September, 1279, this letter is believed to 

have been sent to a lay follower through Jakunichi-bo, 

one of the Daishonin’s priest disciples. 4 The letter’s 

content and language strongly suggest that the recipient 

was a woman who had some close connection to the 

Daishonin’s parents, and that in view of this was most 

likely from the Daishonin’s birthplace of Awa Province 

(present-day southern Chiba Prefecture). 5 

At the end of this writing, the Daishonin explains that 

the benefit of embracing the Gohonzon will adorn one’s 

life in both present and future existences, writing: ‘[This] 

Gohonzon … is the robe to protect you in the world after 

death.’ (WND‐1, p. 994) These words can also be read 

as an indication that the letter probably accompanied the 

Daishonin’s conferral of a Gohonzon upon the recipient. 

He urges this woman follower to spread the Lotus Sutra 

just as he does and to live out her life as a votary of the 

Lotus Sutra. We can infer that his bestowal of the object 

of devotion prompts him to explain to her what it truly 

means to persevere in faith as a Bodhisattva of the Earth. 

*** 

I deeply appreciate your sending a letter to this distant 

place [of Mount Minobu]. 6 It is extremely rare to be 

born as a human being. Not only are you endowed 

with human form, but you have had the rare fortune 

to encounter Buddhism. Moreover, out of the Buddha’s 

many teachings you have encountered the daimoku, or 

the title, of the Lotus Sutra [i.e., Nam-myoho-renge-kyo] 

and become its votary [a votary of the daimoku]. 7 Truly 

you are a person who has offered alms to a hundred 

thousand million Buddhas in [their] past existences! 

Nichiren is the supreme votary of the Lotus Sutra 

in Japan. In this land only he has lived the twentyline 

verse 8 of the ‘Encouraging Devotion’ chapter. 

The eight hundred thousand million nayutas of 

bodhisattvas 9 pledged with this verse to propagate 

the Lotus Sutra, but not one of them fulfilled the 

pledge. (WND‐1, p. 993) 

‘Votaries of the daimoku’ are endowed with 

immeasurable blessings from the past 

The Daishonin begins the letter by pointing out the rarity 

of our human life. In effect, he is saying: ‘You’ve had the 

rare fortune to be born as a human being. And you’ve 

had the still rarer fortune of encountering Buddhism. 

Furthermore, out of all the Buddha’s teachings, you’ve 

become a votary of the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra. This 

is no doubt the reward of your having made offerings to 

countless millions of Buddhas in past existences.’ 

The ‘Teacher of the Law’ (10th) chapter of the Lotus 

Sutra states that those persons who have gained 

immeasurable blessings from making offerings to untold 

Buddhas in past lifetimes voluntarily choose to be born in 

the human world as ‘teachers of the Law’, out of a desire 

to lead those who are suffering to enlightenment. These 

teachers of the Law practise the Lotus Sutra themselves 

and also share it with others. The Daishonin, therefore, 

says that the votaries of the daimoku, who chant Nammyoho-renge-kyo 

and teach others to do the same, are 

people who truly possess ‘immeasurable blessings’. 

A life-state pervaded by eternity, happiness, 

true self and purity 

Through the practice of chanting and spreading Nammyoho-renge-kyo 

for the happiness of oneself and others, 

votaries of the daimoku forge within themselves the 

supremely noble life-state of Buddhahood imbued with the 

four virtues of eternity, happiness, true self and purity. 

In The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings, 

Nichiren Daishonin says: 

…when, while in these four states of birth, ageing, 

sickness and death, we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 

we cause them to waft forth the fragrance of the 

four virtues [or four paramitas]. 10 Nam stands for the 

paramita of happiness, myoho for the paramita of true 

self, renge for the paramita of purity, and kyo for the 

paramita of eternity. (OTT, p. 90) 

Chanting the daimoku of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the 

practice for transforming lives steeped in the four 

universal sufferings of birth, ageing, sickness and death 

into lives of supreme inner dignity and worth exuding the 

fragrance of the four virtues of eternity, happiness, true 

self and purity. 

The ‘paramita of happiness’ means attaining true inner 

peace and happiness. Nam [meaning ‘to devote one’s 

life’] corresponds to the ‘paramita of happiness’. This is 

because, through the power of faith based on dedicating 

our lives to the Mystic Law, we can break through the 

ignorance or darkness 11 that is the source of all suffering 

and delusion. The Daishonin writes: ‘There is no true 

happiness for human beings other than chanting Nammyoho-renge-kyo.’ 

(WND‐1, p. 681) 

The ‘paramita of true self’ means gaining true 

autonomy or self-identity. Our Buddhist practice of 

chanting daimoku enables us to overcome our shallow, 

limited ego, our attachment to our lesser self, and reveal 

our greater or higher self that is one with the Mystic 

Law. Therefore, myoho [Mystic Law] corresponds to the 

‘paramita of true self’. 

12


The ‘paramita of purity’ means establishing a life-state 

of genuine purity and integrity embodying the principle 

of ‘earthly desires are enlightenment’. 12 Renge (lotus 

flower) – as characterised by the image of pristine lotus 

blossoms rising unsullied from the muddy water in which 

they grow (cf. LS15, p. 222) 13 – is a symbol or metaphor 

for the Mystic Law, which has the power to bring forth 

pure and unsurpassed wisdom from the swamp of earthly 

desires or deluded impulses. 

Lastly, the ‘paramita of eternity’ means securing a state 

of true eternity in the depths of our lives by internalising 

the principle of ‘the sufferings of birth and death are 

nirvana’. 14 Through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we 

can manifest a state of life in which, by embodying the 

principle of the eternal and unchanging truth, we can live 

from moment to moment with the wisdom derived from 

this truth that functions in accordance with changing 

circumstances (cf. OTT, p. 3). 15 Kyo, which is written 

with the Chinese character that can mean the vertical 

thread in a loom or fabric as well as the passage of time, 

represents eternity encompassing the three existences 

of past, present and future. It thus corresponds to the 

‘paramita of eternity’. 

Though human life is transient and beset by the 

sufferings of birth, ageing, sickness and death, the 

votaries of the daimoku can bring forth the lofty fragrance 

of these four virtues through their nobility of character 

and humanity. And to establish an inner state pervaded 

by the four virtues is what it means to make our precious 

lives as human beings shine to the fullest. It is simply 

another way of expressing the concept of achieving selfperfection 

or attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime. 

In this writing, the Daishonin stresses the importance 

of votaries of the daimoku following his teachings and 

striving for kosen‐rufu in the same spirit as he does – for 

he is not only the votary of the Lotus Sutra but, more 

specifically, the embodiment of Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices, whose advent the sutra prophecies. It may well 

have been that the Daishonin bestowed the Gohonzon 

on the letter’s recipient, an evidently sincere believer, out 

of his wish that she deepen her faith and practice as a 

disciple who truly shares his commitment to kosen‐rufu. 

The Daishonin depicted in the Gohonzon his own 

supremely noble state of life imbued with the four virtues 

of eternity, happiness, true self and purity. To practise in 

the same spirit as the Daishonin means to base our lives 

on the Gohonzon and regard his triumphant life as our 

model and touchstone. 

The Daishonin concludes this writing – in which he 

focuses on the way to perfect our precious lives as human 

beings – by explaining that the benefit of embracing the 

Gohonzon continues on ‘in the world after death’ (WND‐1, 

p. 994), that is, throughout future existences. Thus, in its 

entirety, ‘Letter to Jakunichi-bo’ elucidates the everlasting 

benefit derived from the Mystic Law, which embodies the 

principle of the oneness of life and death. 

The ‘extraordinary person, Nichiren’ – triumphing 

over even the most formidable obstacles 

In teaching the importance of striving in faith with the 

same resolve as he does, the Daishonin states first of 

all: ‘Nichiren is the supreme votary of the Lotus Sutra 

in Japan.’ (WND‐1, p. 993) He then goes on to assert 

the correctness of his own practice. His intention here 

is to clarify that an authentic Buddhist teacher first and 

foremost puts the teachings and principles of Buddhism 

into practice. 

As evidence that he is the ‘supreme votary of the Lotus 

Sutra in Japan’, the Daishonin cites the fact that he alone 

in all the land has lived the twenty-line verse section of the 

‘Encouraging Devotion’ (13th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. 

The twenty-line verse section contains the pledge 

of the eight hundred thousand million nayutas of 

bodhisattvas, who were gathered at the assembly where 

the Lotus Sutra was preached. They vow to spread 

the sutra after the Buddha’s passing, ready to endure 

and withstand even the most harrowing persecution 

from society as a whole, devoting themselves with the 

selfless spirit expressed in the line ‘we care nothing for 

our bodies or lives’. (LS13, p. 194) This section also 

contains a description of the three powerful enemies – 

arrogant lay people, arrogant priests and arrogant false 

sages – who will attack and harass those who seek to 

propagate the Lotus Sutra in the evil latter age. 

What is the essence of these three powerful enemies? 

It is the ignorance or darkness that resides in the lives of 

those who attack and persecute the practitioners of the 

correct teaching. As indicated by the sutra’s assertion 

that ‘evil demons will take possession of others’, 16 this 

ignorance manifests as a function of what is called 

‘the devil king of the sixth heaven’ 17 – the ultimate ‘evil 

demon’ or negative function in life. Only the strong faith 

of practitioners of the Lotus Sutra who practise with 

the spirit of not begrudging their lives can defeat this 

formidable devil king. For no matter how daunting this 

devilish function is, its true nature is none other than 

fundamental darkness, in other words, ignorance of the 

Mystic Law. Therefore, by exerting ourselves in faith 

with the invincible spirit of not begrudging our lives, we 

can bring forth within us the wisdom of the Mystic Law 

with which to defeat the workings of the devil king. This 

accords with the Buddhist teaching that unsurpassed 

wisdom derives from faith in the supreme Law. 

While living as an ordinary person in the Latter Day, 

the Daishonin triumphed in the struggle against endless 

devilish functions by manifesting the wisdom of the Mystic 

Law. In other words, he prevailed in the ultimate struggle 

to reveal his Buddhahood. This may be one reason why 

the Daishonin refers to himself in this writing as ‘this 

extraordinary person, Nichiren’. (WND‐1, p. 993) 

Also, the Daishonin notes: ‘The eight hundred thousand 

million nayutas of bodhisattvas pledged with this [twentyline] 

verse to propagate the Lotus Sutra, but not one of 

13


them fulfilled the pledge.’ (WND‐1, p. 993). He is implying 

that resolutions alone won’t do, that concrete efforts 

to defeat devilish functions are necessary. A crucial 

requirement for a genuine Buddhist teacher in the Latter 

Day is the ability to wage an active struggle to vanquish 

the negative workings inherent in life and bring forth the 

Buddha wisdom. 

*** 

My giving myself the name Nichiren (Sun Lotus) 

derives from my own enlightenment regarding the 

Buddha vehicle. This may sound as though I think I 

am wise, but there are specific reasons for what I say. 

The sutra reads, ‘As the light of the sun and moon can 

banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he 

advances through the world can wipe out the darkness 

of living beings.’ [cf. LS21, p. 276] Consider carefully 

what this passage signifies. ‘This person as he 

advances through the world’ means that the first five 

hundred years of the Latter Day of the Law will witness 

the advent of Bodhisattva Superior Practices, who 

will illuminate the darkness of ignorance and earthly 

desires with the light of the five characters of Nammyoho-renge-kyo. 

In accordance with this passage, 

Nichiren, as this bodhisattva’s envoy, has urged the 

people of Japan to accept and uphold the Lotus Sutra. 

His unremitting efforts never slacken, even here on 

this mountain [of Minobu]. 

The sutra then goes on to say, ‘After I [Shakyamuni] 

have passed into extinction, [one] should accept and 

uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly and without 

doubt will attain the Buddha way.’ [LS21, p. 276] 

(WND‐1, pp. 993–94) 

Nichiren (Sun Lotus) – A name revealing 

the innate qualities of Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices 

Next, the Daishonin clarifies the significance of his 

appearance in the world in terms of Buddhism, by 

explaining that he is the envoy of Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices. Yet his explanation would seem to indicate 

that, rather than merely being ‘an envoy’, the Daishonin 

is actually the one who has initiated propagation of 

the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day and as such is the 

embodiment of Bodhisattva Superior Practices himself, 

who the sutra predicts will be the main protagonist in 

spreading the Law after the Buddha’s passing. 

In this connection, the Daishonin quotes two passages 

from the ‘Supernatural Powers’ (21st) chapter of the 

Lotus Sutra to show that he matches the description of 

this great leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth. 

Firstly, explaining that his adoption of the name Nichiren 

(Sun Lotus) derives from his own enlightenment regarding 

the Buddha vehicle – the teaching that leads all people to 

Buddhahood – he quotes the sutra passage: ‘As the light 

of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, 

so this person as he advances through the world can 

wipe out the darkness of living beings.’ (LS21, p. 276) 

This passage summarises the activities undertaken by 

Bodhisattva Superior Practices in the Latter Day of the 

Law and their significance. What is Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices’ mission? The Daishonin says that it is to dispel 

the ‘darkness of all living beings’, just as the bright light 

of the sun and moon illuminates the dark. 

The ‘darkness of all living beings’ refers to the darkness 

or unenlightened state that is represented by ignorance 

and earthly desires. Fundamental ignorance of the Mystic 

Law and of the true nature of life itself, and the earthly 

desires that arise as a result of that ignorance, are the 

source of all delusion and misery. This fundamental 

darkness is inherent in the lives of all people. Without 

breaking through it, true happiness is unattainable. Thus, 

only by illuminating the darkness of ignorance and earthly 

desires that shroud people’s lives in the Latter Day of the 

Law is it possible to lead them to enlightenment. 

The light that can illuminate this darkness is the 

Buddha wisdom, the source of which, the Daishonin says, 

is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. In this writing, the Daishonin 

refers to it as ‘the light of the five characters of Nammyoho-renge-kyo’ 

18 . (WND‐1, p. 993) 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is the key to the enlightenment 

of all Buddhas – past, present and future; it is the Law 

of universal enlightenment. As such, it is the great light 

that illuminates the darkness of ignorance of all human 

beings. Its function is analogous to that of the light 

of the sun or the moon that shines down on all things 

and eliminates all darkness from the world. This sutra 

passage about the sun and the moon, as I mentioned 

earlier, expresses the function of Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices’ efforts to spread the Law in the evil age after 

the Buddha’s passing. It seems likely then that one of the 

reasons that the Daishonin chose the Chinese character 

nichi (meaning ‘sun’) for his name is because of the 

symbolism it has with the innate illuminating quality of 

Bodhisattva Superior Practices. 

The second half of this same sutra passage contains 

the phrase, ‘This person as he advances through the 

world’. (LS21, p. 276) Because the task of Bodhisattva 

Superior Practices is to bring the pure flowers of 

Buddhahood to bloom in the human world – which is 

likened to a polluted swamp of earthly desires – his 

practice is the very image of the lotus flower growing 

unsoiled by the muddy water, as described in the 

‘Emerging from the Earth’ (15th) chapter of the Lotus 

Sutra. (cf. LS15, p. 222) In that sense, the lotus – 

represented by the Chinese character ren in the name 

Nichiren (Sun Lotus) – can be viewed as a symbol of 

Bodhisattva Superior Practices. 

Further, the Law that Bodhisattva Superior Practices 

will teach people in this defiled age after the Buddha’s 

passing is the Law for attaining Buddhahood that 

14


simultaneously possesses both cause and effect – 

namely, the Mystic Law or the Law of Nam-myoho-rengekyo. 

The lotus is used as a metaphor for the simultaneity 

of cause and effect, 19 because its flowers (cause) and 

fruit (effect) appear at the same time. Therefore, the 

lotus can also be seen as symbolic of the efforts of 

Bodhisattva Superior Practices to share the essence of 

the Lotus Sutra – Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the causal law 

for the universal attainment of Buddhahood – with people 

living in the swamp-like reality of the human world. 

A Buddha is always taking on challenges 

The Daishonin quotes another passage from the 

‘Supernatural Powers’ chapter to show that he fulfils 

the function of Bodhisattva Superior Practices: ‘After I 

[Shakyamuni] have passed into extinction, [one] should 

accept and uphold this sutra. Such a person assuredly 

and without doubt will attain the Buddha way.’ (LS13, 

p. 276) This is a declaration by the Buddha that all people 

in the Latter Day who embrace and practise the Lotus 

Sutra propagated by Bodhisattva Superior Practices are 

certain to gain enlightenment. 

From the standpoint of the Buddha, this passage 

indicates that his vow to enable all people to attain 

Buddhahood will be actualised by Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices. From the standpoint of Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices, meanwhile, this passage is the basis for his 

personal resolve and sense of duty to lead all people 

in the Latter Day to enlightenment in accord with the 

Buddha’s prophecy. 

The altruistic actions of Bodhisattva Superior Practices 

are driven by his deep determination and vow to help all 

those living in the evil latter age become Buddhas. 

Nichiren Daishonin then says that he himself has 

ceaselessly carried out the practice of Bodhisattva 

Superior Practices. He never faltered even once in his 

struggle from the day he first initiated the propagation of 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the essence of the Lotus Sutra, 

with the declaration of the establishment of his teaching 

(on 28 April 1253). For twenty-seven years, even after 

leaving Kamakura and moving to Mount Minobu, he waged 

a tireless struggle against interminable onslaughts of 

devilish functions seeking to obstruct his path. 

He writes: ‘[Nichiren’s] unremitting efforts never 

slacken, even here on this mountain.’ (WND‐1, p. 993) 

Most people at that time probably viewed the Daishonin’s 

move to Minobu as signifying his retirement from the 

world. However, the Daishonin continued to vigorously 

hold aloft the banner of kosen‐rufu and never wavered in 

the slightest in his commitment or his efforts to enable 

all people to attain Buddhahood. His statement above 

conveys his unswerving spirit to keep on struggling all out 

for kosen‐rufu, even at Minobu. 

Buddha is another name for one who never ceases 

taking up challenges. Shakyamuni continued his journey 

to propagate his teaching to the very end. The Daishonin 

also continued to lead propagation efforts from Minobu, 

persevering in his great and selfless struggle until his 

death at Ikegami (in present-day Ota Ward, Tokyo; on 

13 October 1282). 

Similarly, in modern times, first Soka Gakkai president 

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi continued struggling against 

government persecution without retreating a single step, 

even in prison. When being interrogated by his jailers, he 

confidently affirmed the correctness of the Daishonin’s 

teaching. A record of one of his interrogations shows 

that, when asked about the connection between the 

Lotus Sutra and the Daishonin, Mr Makiguchi used the 

sutra passage I have just discussed, which begins ‘As 

the light of the sun and moon …’ He declared to the 

effect: ‘Nichiren Daishonin was born in order to lead the 

people of the defiled and evil age of the Latter Day of the 

Law to enlightenment. Kosen-rufu means purifying, with 

the truth of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, the fallacious thinking 

and ideas that prevail in such an age – that is to say, a 

defiled and evil age like that of the present.’ 20 In this way, 

Mr Makiguchi continued to speak out powerfully for his 

beliefs, and nobly died for them in prison. 

His successor, second Soka Gakkai president Josei 

Toda also continued to lead our movement up until his 

last breath. He died in the midst of his struggle for 

kosen‐rufu, in which his greatest pleasure was looking 

forward to the development and growth of the young 

people who would carry on his work in the future. Through 

his example, he taught us that only in unceasing struggle 

for the sake of kosen‐rufu could one genuinely experience 

the ‘boundless joy of the Law’. 21 

The struggles of Bodhisattvas of the Earth who cherish 

the great desire to lead all people to enlightenment 

are without end. This sublime spirit of the Daishonin is 

communicated in each line of this writing. 

*** 

Therefore, those who become Nichiren’s disciples 


relationship they share with him and spread the 

Lotus Sutra as he does. Being known as a votary of 

the Lotus Sutra is a bitter, yet unavoidable, destiny. 

(WND‐1, p. 994) 

The karmic ties linking teachers and disciples 

in buddhism transcend the three existences 

In the first half of this writing ‘Letter to Jakunichi-bo’, the 

Daishonin briefly touches on how he has led efforts to 

propagate the Law and forged ahead to triumph over all 

obstacles – both as the votary of the Lotus Sutra and in 

fulfilling the function of Bodhisattva Superior Practices. 

Here, as the true teacher of Buddhism in the Latter Day, 

he is clarifying his identity and position. Based on this, 

15


in the final half of the letter, the Daishonin encourages 

his followers to emulate his spirit. This is an expression 

of his wish to enable them, as people who share deep 

karmic ties with him, to lead lives of absolute victory, free 

of any regret. 

He writes: ‘Those who become Nichiren’s disciples 


relationship they share with him and spread the Lotus 

Sutra as he does.’ (WND‐1, p. 994) He urges his followers 

to awaken to the karmic bond they share with him, the 

votary who has prevailed over all manner of obstacles and 

devilish functions. This is in effect a call to them to stand 

up as genuinely committed practitioners of the Lotus Sutra, 

to strive to accomplish the Buddha’s decree of kosen‐rufu 

without begrudging their lives, and to remember their 

mission as fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who in the 

sutra vowed to propagate the Mystic Law in the Latter Day 

together with Bodhisattva Superior Practices. 

The letter’s recipient must have been both greatly 

surprised and immensely honoured by the Daishonin’s 

words to her that stated to the effect: ‘You should realise 

the karmic relationship we share and stand up as a 

practitioner of the Lotus Sutra and fulfil your mission as 

a Bodhisattva of the Earth.’ I can well imagine her being 

deeply moved by this encouragement. 

Most important of all is the Daishonin’s exhortation 

to ‘spread the Lotus Sutra as [Nichiren] does’. (WND‐1, 

p. 994) To awaken to the depth of the karmic ties we 

share with our teacher or mentor in Buddhism does not 

mean we should lose ourselves in idle reflections on the 

significance of our past existences; rather, it means we 

should courageously stand up, here and now, and practise 

in the same spirit as they. What matters is the present. 

The actions we carry out now are what count. It all comes 

down to whether we are earnestly practising in a way 

that accords with the times and in the same spirit as our 

teacher or mentor. 

Therefore, hoping to inspire the letter’s recipient to 

stand up bravely for kosen‐rufu, the Daishonin calmly 

states: ‘Being known as a votary of the Lotus Sutra is a 

bitter, yet unavoidable, destiny.’ (WND‐1, p. 994) ‘Bitter’ 

here means unfortunate. Viewed in terms of prevailing 

secular values, to embark on the path of a practitioner 

of the Lotus Sutra might be regarded as signing up 

for an unending succession of hardships. But when 

viewed from the perspective of Buddhism, in terms of 

the profound karmic ties we share with the Daishonin, 

there is no higher honour than struggling alongside him 

as fellow Bodhisattvas of the Earth. This, he says, is the 

‘unavoidable destiny’ of votaries or practitioners of the 

Lotus Sutra, and we should clearly recognise this and 

accept it. ‘Unavoidable destiny’ could also be expressed 

as ‘profound, inevitable mission’. 

Mr Toda used to often tell members: ‘To meet and 

encounter an auspicious time, to be in rhythm with that 

time, makes having been born worthwhile.’ And at a 

gathering of Kansai members, he once declared: ‘What a 

terrible fate we have to be born in this age coinciding with 

Japan’s crushing defeat [in the Second World War]. On the 

other hand, nothing could be a source of greater pride and 

joy for us than having the fortune to be alive at this time 

of kosen‐rufu, which has been designated by the Buddha’s 

decree. You mustn’t be late in joining our magnificent 

movement for kosen‐rufu.’ 

Mr Toda’s inauguration as second Soka Gakkai 

president on 3 May 1951, took place just two years 

before the 700th anniversary of Nichiren Daishonin’s 

establishment of his teaching. With this, the substantive 

realisation of kosen‐rufu 22 finally got under way in earnest 

after seven centuries had passed. All of this could only be 

due to the wondrous decree of the Buddha. 

Speaking of his good fortune to be alive at such a time, 

Mr Toda said: ‘It gives me immense joy that I could be 

born in the age of the Latter Day of the Law, right at the 

time of the 700th anniversary of Nichiren Daishonin’s 

establishment of his teaching, and to receive the 

Buddha’s decree to accomplish kosen‐rufu.’ 

Now, 750 years have passed since the Daishonin first 

publicly declared his teaching of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, 

and we have entered a time when a mighty, ever-growing 

river of kosen‐rufu flows throughout the world. Votaries 

of the Lotus Sutra, noble Bodhisattvas of the Earth, who 

are committed to the realisation of worldwide kosen‐rufu, 

are appearing all over the globe. Viewed in the light of the 

passages from the ‘Supernatural Powers’ chapter of the 

Lotus Sutra, and in the light of ‘Letter to Jakunichi-bo’, 

there is absolutely no doubt that we each of us have our 

own profound and unfathomable karmic relationships and 

missions that accord with the Buddha’s towering decree. 

I can just picture Mr Toda smiling broadly in delight to 

see so many wonderful, youthful Bodhisattvas of the Earth 

joyously emerging around the world. 

We now have a vast network of Bodhisattvas of the 

Earth, joined together by deep karmic bonds, in 192 

countries and territories. Each of us deliberately chose 

to be born in this tumultuous age in order to fulfil our 

mission from time without beginning, our ‘unavoidable 

destiny’. There is no greater happiness than this. The real 

challenge lies yet ahead. Let’s advance on the great path 

of our mission with even more energy and exuberance. 

*** 

Believe in [this] Gohonzon with all your heart, for it 

is the robe to protect you in the world after death. 

No wife would ever leave her husband unclothed, 

nor could any parents fail to feel pity for their child 

shivering in the cold. Shakyamuni Buddha and the 

Lotus Sutra are like one’s wife and parents. You have 

helped me and thereby saved me from disgrace in this 

life; in return, I will protect you from disgrace in the 

next. What one has done for another yesterday will be 

done for oneself today. Blossoms turn into fruit, and 

16


brides become mothers-in-law. Chant Nam-myohorenge-kyo, 

and be always diligent in your faith. 

I cannot thank you enough for your frequent letters. 

Jakunichi-bo, please convey all these teachings in 

detail to that believer. (WND‐1, p. 994) 

Those who exert themselves for kosen-rufu are 

worthy beyond measure 

Lastly, the Daishonin stresses to the letter’s recipient 

the beneficial power of the Gohonzon to affect both the 

present and the future. He also says that her life will be 

adorned with dignity and nobility as a result of her sincere 

efforts to support and assist him. 

Here, the Daishonin writes that one of the benefits of 

faith in the Gohonzon is being ‘protected from disgrace 

in the next life’. (cf. WND‐1, p. 994) ‘Disgrace’ in this 

context means a life-state steeped in earthly desires, 

negative karma, and suffering. In other words, he is 

referring to a future existence in the three evil paths or 

the four evil paths 23 – the three or four lower states of the 

Ten Worlds. The benefit of faith in the Gohonzon protects 

us from this ‘disgrace’. 

The Gohonzon is a manifestation of the supreme lifestate 

of eternity, happiness, true self and purity attained 

by the Daishonin. Those who establish this sublime inner 

state through faith in the Gohonzon during this lifetime 

will be able to keep the ‘disgrace’ of the lower states of 

life inactive and dormant. 

Those who exert themselves for kosen‐rufu are worthy 

beyond measure. The Gohonzon, Shakyamuni Buddha, 

and the Lotus Sutra cannot fail to protect them. Truly 

admirable are those who wholeheartedly dedicate 

themselves to the Law, who uphold the supreme 

teaching of Buddhism and practise it just as the Buddha 

instructs. In another writing, the Daishonin declares: ‘If 

the Law that one embraces is supreme, then the person 

who embraces it must accordingly be foremost among 

all others.’ (WND‐1, p. 61) Thus, when we uphold the 

unsurpassed teaching of the Daishonin’s Buddhism, we 

can lead unsurpassed lives. This is because the benefit 

of forming even a slight connection to Buddhism is 

everlasting. The important thing, therefore, is to unite 

in spirit with the teacher of Buddhism who correctly 

upholds and propagates the Law. 

Throughout his many writings, the Daishonin repeatedly 

urges us to follow his example. For instance, in ‘Letter 

to Jakunichi-bo’, he says: ‘[You] should … spread the 

Lotus Sutra as [Nichiren] does’, (WND‐1, p. 994) and 

elsewhere he writes: ‘[You] should all practise as I do.’ 

(WND‐1, p. 978) 24 Followers prove themselves to be true 

votaries of the Lotus Sutra by continuing to take action 

for kosen‐rufu in the same spirit as the Daishonin. When 

they do so, the same lofty life-state as he attained will 

manifest in their own lives. 

When viewed from our perspective as Soka Gakkai 

members, these words can also be taken to mean that 

when we share the same purpose, mission and struggle 

that are the hallmarks of our Buddhist mentors – people 

of unwavering conviction – our lives are infused with 

supreme dignity and splendour. I clearly recall how my 

mentor Mr Toda used to say: 

We should be confident that we, the members of the 

Soka Gakkai, are noble emissaries who have been sent 

by the Buddha. We mustn’t look down on ourselves. We 

are the emanations of the Daishonin… 

As Gakkai members, all of us have been born with 

a great mission. We mustn’t be lazy or cowardly. After 

all, we’re Bodhisattvas of the Earth who champion the 

cause of kosen‐rufu… 

The most important thing is kosen‐rufu, the 

Daishonin’s mandate; it mustn’t be delayed for even a 

day. The Soka Gakkai is the sole body that can achieve 

this mission. 

(Translated from the November 2008 issue of the 

Daibyakurenge, the Soka Gakkai study journal) 

Footnotes for President Ikeda’s lecture: 

1. Four virtues: Four noble qualities of the Buddha’s 

life, also known as the four paramitas or four virtue 

paramitas – eternity, happiness, true self and purity. 

The word paramita means ‘perfection’. ‘Eternity’ 

means unchanging and eternal. ‘Happiness’ means 

tranquillity that transcends all suffering. ‘True self’ 

means true and intrinsic nature. And ‘purity’ means 

free of illusion or mistaken conduct. 

2. Bodhisattvas of the Earth: Countless bodhisattvas 

whom Shakyamuni calls forth in the ‘Emerging from 

the Earth’ (15th) chapter of the Lotus Sutra. In the 

‘Supernatural Powers’ (21st) chapter, Shakyamuni 

entrusts these bodhisattvas, his true disciples, with 

the essential teaching that they are to spread in the 

evil age after his passing. 

3. Bodhisattva Superior Practices: The leader of the 

Bodhisattvas of the Earth. Shakyamuni entrusts 

Superior Practices with propagating the Lotus Sutra 

during the evil age of the Latter Day of the Law. In 

his writings, Nichiren Daishonin associates himself 

with Bodhisattva Superior Practices, saying that he 

is fulfilling the mission entrusted to the bodhisattva 

by Shakyamuni, and he refers to his propagation 

efforts as the work of Bodhisattva Superior 

Practices. Nichikan Shonin, the twenty-sixth high 

priest, regarded the Daishonin as the reincarnation 

of Bodhisattva Superior Practices in terms of his 

17


outward behaviour, and as the Buddha of the Latter 

Day of the Law, in terms of his inner enlightenment. 

4. Jakunichi-bo (n.d.): Also known as Jakunichi-bo Nikke, 

a priest disciple of Nichiren Daishonin. Son of the 

lord of Okitsu in Isumi District in Kazusa Province 

(present-day Chiba Prefecture). He is said to have 

converted to the Daishonin’s teaching along with his 

entire family, but details are not known. 

5. SGI Newsletter Editors’ Note: It was previously 

thought this letter was addressed to Jakunichi-bo, 

but recent scholarship has revealed that it was most 

likely sent through him to a woman follower living in 

Awa Province, the area for which Jakunichi-bo was 

responsible. 

6. Mount Minobu: Also, Minobu. Located in present-day 

Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. Nichiren Daishonin 

lived there during the later years of his life, from May 

1274 through to September 1282, just prior to his 

death. At Minobu, he devoted himself to educating 

his disciples, directing propagation efforts, and 

writing doctrinal treatises. 

7. Daimoku: The title of a sutra, in particular the 

title of the Lotus Sutra of the Wonderful Law (Jp. 

Myoho-renge-kyo). The title of a sutra represents 

the essence of the sutra. The Great Teacher Miaolo 

of China says in his Annotations on ‘The Words 

and Phrases of the Lotus Sutra’: ‘When for the sake 

of brevity one mentions only the daimoku, or title, 

the entire sutra is by implication included therein.’ 

In Nichiren Daishonin’s teaching, the daimoku 

means the invocation of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo; more 

precisely, it indicates the practice of chanting Nammyoho-renge-kyo 

with faith in the Gohonzon, the 

object of devotion. 

8. The twenty-line verse section: The concluding verse 

section of the ‘Encouraging Devotion’ (13th) chapter 

of the Lotus Sutra, in which countless multitudes – 

or, more specifically, ‘eight hundred thousand million 

nayutas’ – of bodhisattvas vow to Shakyamuni to 

propagate the sutra in the evil age after his passing. 

This section is called the twenty-line verse section 

because the Chinese translation consists of twenty 

lines. It begins with the passage: ‘We beg you not to 

worry. After the Buddha has passed into extinction, in 

an age of fear and evil we will preach far and wide.’ 

(LS13, p. 193) It describes the persecutions that 

will occur in the evil age designated in the sutra. 

Based on this section, Miao-lo classified those who 

persecute practitioners of the Lotus Sutra into three 

types of enemies – arrogant lay people, arrogant 

priests and arrogant false sages. 

9. Eight hundred thousand million nayutas of 

bodhisattvas: The bodhisattvas gathered to hear 

Shakyamuni Buddha preach the Lotus Sutra at the 

assembly on Eagle Peak. A nayuta is an ancient 

Indian numerical unit; explanations of its magnitude 

differ. One well-known source defines it as one 

hundred billion, while another defines it as ten 

million. See also under footnote 8. 

10. See under footnote 1. 

11. Ignorance: Also, illusion or darkness. In Buddhism, 

ignorance about the true nature of existence. 

Ignorance is the first of the twelve-linked chain of 

causation, the sequence of causal relationships 

connecting ignorance with suffering. In the concept 

of the twelve-linked chain of causation, ignorance 

is the fundamental cause of delusion, suffering and 

transmigration in the realm of delusion and suffering. 

12. ‘Earthly desires are enlightenment’ means that 

the wisdom for awakening to the ultimate truth for 

attaining Buddhahood (enlightenment) manifests in 

the lives of ordinary people who are ruled by earthly 

desires. 

13. The Lotus Sutra states: ‘These sons of the Buddha 

are immeasurable in number! Already for a long 

time they have practised the Buddha way, dwelling 

in transcendental powers and the power of wisdom, 

skilfully learning the bodhisattva way, unsoiled by 

worldly things like the lotus flower in the water.’ 

(LS5, p. 222) 

14. ‘The sufferings of birth and death are nirvana’ means 

that the Buddha’s enlightened life-state of true peace 

and tranquillity (nirvana) manifests in the lives of 

ordinary people who undergo the sufferings of birth 

and death. 

15. The Record of the Orally Transmitted Teachings 

states: ‘Namu or nam [of Nam-myoho-renge- kyo] is 

a Sanskrit word. Here it means to dedicate one’s 

life… “Dedication” means dedication to the principle 

of eternal and unchanging truth… , and “life” means 

that one’s life dedicated to that principle bases 

itself on the wisdom of the truth of the essential 

teaching that functions in accordance with changing 

circumstances. In essence one dedicates one’s 

life to Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.’ (OTT, p. 3) As this 

indicates, the act of dedicating oneself to the Mystic 

Law through chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo has 

two aspects: One is to devote oneself to, or fuse 

one’s life with, the eternal and unchanging truth; the 

other is that, through this fusion of one’s life with 

the ultimate truth, one simultaneously draws forth 

inexhaustible wisdom that functions in accordance 

with changing circumstances. 

18


16. ‘Evil demons will take possession of others’: A line 

from the ‘Encouraging Devotion’ (13th) chapter of 

the Lotus Sutra. (LS13, p. 194) This means that 

evil demons, or negative functions, enter the lives 

of various living beings, causing them to speak ill 

of those who protect the correct teaching and to 

obstruct their Buddhist practice. 

17. Devil king of the sixth heaven: Also, devil king or 

heavenly devil. The king of devils, who dwells in the 

highest or the sixth heaven of the world of desire. 

He is also named Freely Enjoying Things Conjured by 

Others, the devil king who makes free use of the fruits 

of others’ efforts for his own pleasure. Served by 

innumerable minions, he obstructs Buddhist practice 

and delights in sapping the life-force of other beings. 

The devil king is a personification of the negative 

tendency to force others to one’s will at any cost. 

18. Five or seven characters: Myoho-renge-kyo is written 

with five Chinese characters, while Nam-myohorenge-kyo 

is written with seven (nam or namu, 

being comprised of two characters). The Daishonin, 

however, often uses Myoho-renge-kyo synonymously 

with Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in his writings. 

19. Simultaneity of cause and effect: The principle that 

both cause and effect exist together simultaneously 

in a single moment of life. 

20. Translated from Japanese. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, 

Makiguchi Tsunesaburo Zenshu (Collected Writings of 

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi) (Tokyo: Daisanbunmei-sha, 

1987), vol. 10, pp. 195, 199–200. 

21. ‘Boundless joy of the Law’: The supreme and ultimate 

happiness of the Buddha, the benefit of the Mystic 

Law. 

22. Substantive realisation of kosen‐rufu, or kosen‐rufu of 

substantiation: This is in contrast to the ‘kosen‐rufu 

of the entity of the Law’, which Nichiren Daishonin 

accomplished by establishing the Dai-Gohonzon 

of the Three Great Secret Laws. Kosen-rufu of 

substantiation essentially means propagating the 

Daishonin’s teaching. 

23. The three evils paths are the worlds of Hell, Hunger 

and Animality, the lowest of the ten states of life 

known as the Ten Worlds. The term ‘four evil paths’ 

refers to the three evil paths plus the world of Anger. 

24. The Daishonin writes: ‘Those who call themselves 

my disciples and practise the Lotus Sutra should all 

practise as I do.’ (WND‐1, p. 978) 

19

SECTION C • STUDY MATERIAL • SGI-UK grade one study course 2011 

SECTION C: 

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF NICHIREN BUDDHISM 

The Ten Worlds are: 

1. Hell 

2. Hunger 

3. Animality 

4. Anger 

5. Tranquillity 

6. Rapture 

7. Learning 

8. Realisation 

9. Bodhisattva 

10. Buddhahood 

Extract 1: 

The mutual possession of the Ten Worlds 

The principle that each of the Ten Worlds possesses the 

potential for all ten within itself. ‘Mutual possession’ 

means that life is not fixed in one or another of the Ten 

Worlds, but can manifest any of the ten – from Hell to 

the state of Buddhahood – at any given moment. The 

important point of this principle is that all beings in any 

of the nine worlds possess the Buddha nature. This 

means that every person has the potential to manifest 

Buddhahood, while a Buddha also possesses the nine 

worlds and in this sense is not separate or different from 

ordinary people. A Buddha is an ordinary human being 

who lives with the life‐state of Buddhahood yet shares the 

struggle of ordinary people and continues to fight for the 

happiness of others. 

Extract 2: 

Attaining Buddhahood in one’s present form 

The benefits and blessings of the Mystic Law are 

immeasurable. All life – no matter in which of the Ten 

Worlds it may reside – is originally an entity of the Mystic 

Law. Therefore, even if at present we are in a state of 

Hell, by changing our mind-set or focus at that moment, 

we can immediately manifest our pure and highest state 

of life as entities of the Mystic Law. This is what it means 

to attain Buddhahood in one’s present form. 

Naturally, ‘in one’s present form’ doesn’t mean attaining 

Buddhahood while wallowing in suffering or surrendering 

to indolence. A struggle to transform the momentto-moment 

focus of our minds is required. Nichiren 

Daishonin revealed the Gohonzon, the object of devotion, 

so that anyone can undertake this struggle. 

The Daishonin gave expression to the supreme state 

of life he had attained, by inscribing it in the form of the 

Gohonzon. Those who chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with 

faith in this Gohonzon can break through the darkness 

or ignorance that shrouds their lives and bring forth 

from within the state of Buddhahood that is one with the 

Mystic Law. 

Believing in the Gohonzon means believing that the 

supremely noble state of life manifested by the Daishonin 

also exists within our own lives. This means persevering 

in faith and practice as a votary of the Lotus Sutra, just as 

the Daishonin did. Only by striving in faith with the same 

spirit that he teaches can we vanquish the ignorance or 

darkness that clouds our lives. 

(SGI Newsletter 7473, 8 February 2008) 

(SGI Newsletter 7851, 9 September 2009) 

20

SECTION D • STUDY MATERIAL • SGI-UK grade one study course 2011 

SECTION D: THE HISTORY OF SGI 

Material for Question D1: 

The priesthood issue 

Introduction – The struggle against delusion 

What would cause the relatively small Nichiren Shoshu 

clergy of a few thousand priests to call for the dissolution 

of the Soka Gakkai International lay organisation of more 

than ten million members? Why would a clergy with a 

negligible presence outside Japan cut itself off from a 

laity that is growing in more than 190 countries? 

One answer might be the influence of what sociology 

calls ‘institutionalisation’. It means that once a 

bureaucracy of ritual and formality is created – in this 

case, around Nichiren Buddhism – ‘There is the possibility 

of substantial deviation in values,’ according to sociologist 

B Guy Peters. 

When a bureaucratic infrastructure grows up around 

a religion, powerful forces within human nature come 

into play that can work against the original intent of the 

founder’s teaching. Ultimately, the power, prosperity and 

survival of the infrastructure can take priority over the 

very teaching it was supposed to protect and propagate. 

This can lead to adapting or distorting the teachings 

to support the continued existence of the religious 

bureaucracy and those in authority. But there is a deeper 

view of the priesthood’s opposition to the SGI found in 

Buddhist scripture. 

The Lotus Sutra tells us that those propagating 

its revolutionary teachings will encounter opposition 

because, ‘This Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe 

and the most difficult to understand’. (The Lotus Sutra, 

trans. Burton Watson (Columbia University Press, 1993) 

p. 164) One reason for this difficulty is its revelation that 

all people without exception are fundamentally worthy 

of respect because they possess the Buddha nature. 

Another reason is that it provides the foundation for a 

people-centred religion, something unprecedented in 

history. The history of the Soka Gakkai International 

attests to the validity of encountering opposition as the 

foremost proponent of the sutra’s principles embodied in 

Nichiren Buddhism. 

When the Soka Gakkai was founded in 1930 by first 

and second presidents Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and 

Josei Toda, they embraced the lineage of the Fuji school 

founded by Nichiren Daishonin’s successor, Nikko, and 

represented by Nichiren Shoshu, a small and impoverished 

school of Nichiren Buddhism. For the next sixty years, the 

progressive lay movement of the Soka Gakkai struggled to 

maintain a harmonious relationship with the priesthood. 

From the beginning, it was clear that the two had 

conflicting priorities. The priests of Nichiren Shoshu, with 

a nearly 700-year history, were focused on maintaining 

their order. The Soka Gakkai, inspired by its founders, was 

focused on Nichiren Daishonin’s mandate to accomplish 

kosen‐rufu, the widespread propagation of his teachings. 

It was President Makiguchi who first proposed the 

creation of a format for reciting the Lotus Sutra as part 

of the daily practice of lay believers. The appearance of a 

proactive laity that embraced the mission to accomplish 

kosen‐rufu was a huge departure from the approach of 

previous followers of the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. 

By the 1970s and 1980s, Nichiren Shoshu had 

become very wealthy through the support of the Soka 

Gakkai lay believers. Eventually, it became clear to the 

priesthood that the self-empowering practice of Nichiren 

Buddhism precluded the laity and its resources ever 

being controlled by priests, and they made a desperate 

attempt to seize control. 

In November 1991, the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood, 

under the leadership of its high priest, Nikken Abe, 

excommunicated all of the more than ten million SGI 

members. Their hope was to pull a large percentage of 

Soka Gakkai members into their temples. That didn’t 

happen. 

On one level, the crux of the conflict was the clergy’s 

insistence that priests are necessary intermediaries 

between lay believers and the power and teachings of 

Nichiren Buddhism. Emphasising ritual and formality 

not found in Nichiren Daishonin’s teachings, the priests 

sought to make veneration and obedience to themselves 

and their high priest in particular the most important 

aspect of a practitioner’s faith. 

They stressed, for example, that funeral services must be 

officiated by priests in order for the deceased to become 

enlightened, and they demanded increasing donations 

from ordinary believers for those simple services. They 

upheld the view that, without venerating the high priest, 

practitioners could not attain enlightenment. 

Nichiren Daishonin clearly denounced such views in 

his writings, emphasising the empowerment of ordinary 

believers to attain enlightenment. ‘Never seek this 

Gohonzon [Buddhahood] outside yourself,’ Nichiren 

instructs a lay believer. ‘The Gohonzon exists only within the 

mortal flesh of us ordinary people who embrace the Lotus 

Sutra and chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.’ (WND‐1, p. 832) 

The priesthood claimed that faith was infused with power 

and validated only through the authority of the high priest. 

The SGI stressed a faith based on the inherent power of 

the individual. This is the difference between dependency 

and self-reliance, between deference and empowerment. 

21


All people are equally endowed with the power 

of the Law 

On another level, this issue originates in the spiritual 

struggle between opposing forces within the human heart. 

SGI President Daisaku Ikeda states: ‘Chanting in terms 

of faith refers to the spiritual aspect of our practice. 

This essentially consists of the struggle we wage in our 

hearts against our inner delusion or darkness – a battle 

against the negative and destructive forces within us. It 

means that through the power of faith – in other words, 

through strengthening our conviction that we possess 

the Buddha nature – we can break through the darkness 

obscuring this awareness, thus revealing the life‐state of 

Buddhahood.’ (Living Buddhism, September 2006, p. 79) 

‘Correct faith is grounded in the realisation that 

“Shakyamuni Buddha who attained enlightenment 

countless kalpas ago, the Lotus Sutra that leads all 

people to Buddhahood, and we ordinary human beings are 

in no way different or separate from one another.” (WND‐1, 

p. 216) This is a crucial point concerning the substance 

of faith in the Mystic Law. In this writing, Nichiren 

Daishonin states that chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with 

this belief is “a matter of the utmost importance” for 

his disciples (WND‐1, p. 216). The core message of this 

statement is to believe that our present self is an entity 

of Myoho-renge-kyo and that we can attain Buddhahood in 

our present form in this lifetime.’ (Living Buddhism, May- 

June 2008, p. 46) All people are equally endowed with the 

power of the Law – clergy and laity alike. 

From the early days of the Soka Gakkai, under founding 

president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi and second president 

Josei Toda, the priesthood benefited enormously in 

material gain and prestige. 

In spite of those gains, as the laity grew into a 

worldwide force of millions of believers, the priesthood 

continued to demonstrate authoritarianism. 

Whenever Soka Gakkai members challenged these 

attitudes and irresponsible behaviour by priests, calling 

for reform, the priesthood only became more adamant in 

enforcing the subordination of Soka Gakkai members. The 

more the Soka Gakkai grew, the more authoritarian the 

priesthood became. 

Finally, in 1990, after having amassed a huge financial 

foundation from the donations of Soka Gakkai members, 

Nikken formulated a plan called ‘Operation C’ designed 

to ‘Cut’ the Soka Gakkai members off from their mentor, 

President Ikeda, and disband the organisation. 

He implemented that plan by taking a series of 

unilateral actions against President Ikeda and the Soka 

Gakkai. Ultimately, Operation C sprang from Nikken’s 

incorrect understanding and distortion of Nichiren 

Daishonin’s teachings. 

The priesthood excommunicated the entire 

organisation in 1991, under the assumption that 

members would then be compelled to leave the SGI 

and become directly affiliated with a local temple if they 

wished to receive Gohonzon. 

The opposite occurred: The vast majority of members 

continued to practise within the SGI, under the 

leadership of President Ikeda. In short, the priesthood 

excommunicated itself from the body of practitioners 

sincerely devoted to achieving kosen‐rufu. 

In the decades since, President Ikeda has led the 

propagation of Nichiren Buddhism into 192 countries and 

territories; more than twelve million SGI members chant 

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo in places as diverse as the United 

States, Brazil, Denmark, Russia, India and South Africa. 

One of the reasons the SGI is so diverse is that it 

refuses to tolerate structures that value one human being 

more than others. These can be institutional structures 

like the priesthood over the laity, or they can be racist 

structures. Separation from the priesthood was a valuable 

process for sensitising SGI members to issues of 

structural injustice and institutional inequality. 

(Extracts from Spiritual Independence: An Introduction to 

Soka Spirit, SGI-USA, 2008) 

22



The three presidents 

SGI is the organisation that has inherited Nichiren 

Daishonin’s spirit and has been earnestly taking action for 

the sake of the Law based on a deep sense of mission to 

achieve worldwide kosen‐rufu. The three presidents (first 

president Tsunesaburo Makiguchi, second president Josei 

Toda and third president Daisaku Ikeda) have established 

this sense of mission and taken action to achieve it. In this 

section we will learn the history of SGI through studying 

the three presidents and the spirit of the oneness of 

mentor and disciple. 

Tsunesaburo Makiguchi 

The Soka Gakkai originated in the spirit of oneness of 

mentor and disciple between Mr Makiguchi and Mr Toda. 

Both men were educators. Tsunesaburo Makiguchi was 

born on 6 June 1871, in Niigata Prefecture. His childhood 

was not easy and he started working at an early age 

but didn’t give up studying. Despite his hardships, he 

attended teacher training college in Sapporo, Hokkaido 

and became a teacher. He spent a few years as a teacher 

in Hokkaido and then moved to Tokyo. 

Mr Makiguchi published his first book The Geography 

of Human Life in 1903 and later became head teacher of 

several primary schools in Tokyo. He made great efforts 

to establish a teaching method that would enable children 

to become independent individuals, happy with their 

own efforts. He developed a unique teaching method 

but continued to search for a spiritual philosophy to 

underpin it. He eventually encountered Nichiren Buddhism 

and started practising in 1928. He later described this 

experience, saying that in starting to practise, ‘With 

indescribable joy, I transformed the way I had lived my 

life for almost sixty years.’ (SGI Newsletter 3354, 19 

September 1997) Mr Makiguchi took Nichiren Daishonin’s 

teaching as a ‘way of life’ and he believed that Nichiren 

Daishonin’s Buddhism had the power to create value in 

society. Explaining why he took faith, he said, ‘I could find 

no contradiction between science, philosophy, which is the 

base of our modern society, and the teaching of the Lotus 

Sutra.’ (Daibyakurenge, October 2010) 

Mr Makiguchi published the first volume of Soka 

Kyoikugaku Taikei (The System of Value-Creating Pedagogy) 

on 18 November 1930. It was published by the Soka 

Kyoiku Gakkai (Value Creation Education Society), the 

forerunner of the Soka Gakkai. This, therefore marks the 

founding of the Soka Gakkai by Mr Makiguchi and Josei 

Toda. In other words, the spirit of oneness of mentor and 

disciple was the founding spirit of Soka Gakkai. 

The word soka means ‘value creation’ in Japanese. 

It expresses the essence of Mr Makiguchi’s ideology. 

He believed that the purpose of life is the pursuit of 

happiness and that this creates value. The term soka was 

also created through dialogue between Mr Makiguchi and 

Mr Toda. 

Soka Kyoiku Gakkai began as a group of teachers who 

followed Nichiren Buddhism, but it grew steadily and as 

non-educators also started to join, it naturally became a 

group focused primarily on Buddhism. Soka Kyoiku Gakkai 

was a unique Buddhist group from the beginning. It was 

not just following the formality of traditional Buddhist 

practice, but was seeking to change the daily lives of each 

member and transform society though establishing the 

happiness of individuals. Furthermore, it believed that 

Nichiren Buddhism could contribute to world peace and 

enable human society to flourish. 

The organisation grew through many discussion 

meetings and the efforts of its members to reach out 

to others and introduce them to Buddhism. At its peak, 

membership stood at 3000, before the Second World War. 

However, the military government tightened its control 

on religion and ideology. It promoted the display of the 

national Shinto religion’s talisman for Buddhist orders. In 

June 1943, unable to resist pressure from the authorities, 

the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood asked that Soka Kyoiku 

Gakkai members display the Shinto talisman, as the 

government had ordered. Mr Makiguchi refused to do 

so, on religious grounds. The government had started to 

monitor the discussion meetings and activities of Soka 

Kyoiku Gakkai, and as a consequence of his refusal, Mr 

Makiguchi was arrested during a Buddhist activity in July. 

Until the end, Mr Makiguchi made no compromises. He 

died on 18 November 1944 in Tokyo’s Sugamo prison. He 

was 73 years old. 

Josei Toda 

Josei Toda was born on 11 February 1900, in Ishikawa 

Prefecture. His family moved to Hokkaido when he was 2 

years old. He started to work at an early age but did not 

give up his studies. He passed the teaching test without a 

formal education and qualified as a primary school teacher. 

Mr Toda moved to Tokyo when he was 19 years old and 

met Mr Makiguchi, when the latter was 48 years old. Mr 

Toda decided to take Mr Makiguchi as his mentor, and 

continued to support him in various ways throughout Mr 

Makiguchi’s life. He started practising Nichiren Buddhism 

in 1928 together with Mr Makiguchi. 

As well as being a teacher, Mr Toda was a successful 

businessman and had become famous as the writer of 

Shidoshiki-Suiri-Sanjutsu (Reasoning Mathematics), which 

was one of the most popular maths textbooks in Japan 

before the Second World War. 

He supported Mr Makiguchi in publishing Soka 

Kyoikugaku Taikei (The System of Value-Creating 

23


Pedagogy) – not only by financing it but also by gathering 

Mr Makiguchi’s notes and editing them. This book was 

created from the mentor and disciple relationship between 

Mr Makiguchi and Mr Toda. Mr Toda’s name was given as 

the publisher and the Soka Kyoiku Gakkai was given as 

the publishing office. It was published on 18th November 

1930, and this is the origin of the SGI movement. 

Mr Toda’s mentor, Mr Makiguchi, was arrested on 6 July 

1943 because he refused to follow the religious policy of 

the Japanese military government. Mr Toda was arrested 

at his own house on the same day. Twenty-one people 

were arrested in total. They were treated severely, and it 

was only Mr Makiguchi and Mr Toda who did not give up 

their faith. 

Mr Toda continued chanting in prison and he started to 

exert himself to chant ten thousand daimoku every day 

and read the Lotus Sutra in 1944. Through these efforts 

he had the realisation: ‘Buddha is life itself.’ 

He continued chanting and realised that he was none 

other than one of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth who 

attended the Ceremony in the Air, which is described in 

the Lotus Sutra. This was in November 1944. He was 

firmly convinced of his mission to carry out kosen‐rufu 

through these realisations, and this is the root of the 

great development of Soka Gakkai after the war. 

On 3 July 1945, after two years of prison life, Mr 

Toda was released from prison. He started to build the 

kosen‐rufu movement from that day on his own. The 

organisation and his life had been totally destroyed 

by the authorities, but his determination was firm and 

unshakable. He changed the name of the organisation 

from ‘Soka Kyoiku Gakkai’ to ‘Soka Gakkai’ and started 

activities immediately. 

Mr Toda realised many great achievements in the 

years from his release from prison to his death in 1958. 

Examples of his major achievements are: 

• July 1949: Daibyakurenge (monthly Buddhist magazine) 

launched. 

• 30 April: Seikyo Shimbun (Buddhist newspaper) 

launched with the first instalment of Mr Toda’s novel The 

Human Revolution within it. 

• 3rd May 1951: Inaugurated as second president of 

Soka Gakkai. 

• April 1952: Soka Gakkai published Gosho Zenshu (The 

major writings of Nichiren Daishonin) 

• September 1952: Soka Gakkai was registered as an 

official religious organisation. 

• 8 September 1957: Mr Toda’s Declaration for the 

Abolition of Nuclear Weapons. 

• December 1957: Soka Gakkai achieved a membership 

of 750,000 households. 

• March 1958: Soka Gakkai donated the Great Lecture 

Hall (Daikodo) to Taisekiji temple. 

Mr Toda held a ceremony on 16 March 1958 in order to 

transmit the responsibility for the kosen‐rufu movement 

to his young disciple Daisaku Ikeda together with 6,000 

youth division members. 16 March is now celebrated 

as Kosen-Rufu Day. Mr Toda passed away on 2 April 

1958. He fulfilled his mission and established the firm 

foundation of the kosen‐rufu movement. 

Daisaku Ikeda 

Daisaku Ikeda was born on 2 January 1928, in Tokyo. The 

Second World War started when he was 13 years old and 

his four elder brothers were all drafted and sent to the 

front line. Young Daisaku Ikeda worked hard to support 

his family, while suffering from tuberculosis. It was a 

terminal illness at that time so he thought deeply about 

life and death. He and his family lost their house in an 

air raid and they also suffered the eldest brother’s death. 

Through his own experience in his youth, Daisaku Ikeda 

came to the view that war is evil. 

Seeking a profound philosophy, on 14 August 1947 

Daisaku Ikeda attended a Soka Gakkai discussion 

meeting and encountered his lifetime mentor, Josei 

Toda. On this day Mr Toda was giving a lecture on ‘On 

Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the 

Land’. After the lecture Daisaku Ikeda asked him a 

number of questions, including, ‘What is the correct way 

of life?’, ‘What is a true patriot?’ ‘What is Nam-myohorenge-kyo?’ 

He asked many questions, and Mr Toda 

answered them all clearly and with great conviction. Young 

Daisaku Ikeda was deeply inspired by him and he felt that 

he could trust Mr Toda. 

Ten days later, on 24 August, he joined the Soka Gakkai. 

He was 19 years old and Mr Toda was 40 years old. He 

started working for Mr Toda’s publishing company as a 

boys’ magazine editor. 

His achievements and events as a youth division leader 

include: 

• Osaka campaign: He lead a propagation campaign in 

Osaka and the Osaka chapter achieved 11,111 new 

member households in one month under his leadership. 

• Yubari coal miners’ union incident: the Yubari coal 

miners’ union violated Soka Gakkai members’ right to 

freedom of religion, removing Gakkai members from the 

union because of their membership of the Soka Gakkai. 

In June 1957, Daisaku Ikeda visited Yubari and rebuked 

the union’s violation, protecting members from this 

persecution. 

• Osaka Incident: He was arrested by the Osaka Police 

under suspicion of violating election laws but it was 

a rootless accusation. He led an election campaign 

in Osaka and achieved a miraculous victory. The 

establishment was shocked by this victory and they 

tried to threaten the Soka Gakkai by arresting him. A 

court judgment proved his innocence in 1962. 

24


Daisaku Ikeda was inaugurated as the third president 

of the Soka Gakkai on 3 May 1960. In same year on 

2 October, he took the first step towards worldwide 

kosen‐rufu. He visited the North and South American 

continents. In the following year, 1961, he visited Hong 

Kong, India and other Asian countries in January. On 2 

October 1961, he arrived in Europe for the first time, 

beginning his visit in Denmark. He visited the UK on 13 

October. 

Examples of his major achievements are: 

• He began writing the historical novel The Human 

Revolution (twelve volumes) in 1965. He continued the 

novel as The New Human Revolution publishing twentythree 

volumes so far. 

• He developed the Education Division, Academic Division, 

Arts Division, Writers Division, International Division and 

the Medical Science Division. 

• He established the Institute of Oriental Philosophy, Min- 

On and the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum. 

• He established the Komei Party in 1964. 

• He established the Soka education system from primary 

education through to university level. 

• He announced the ‘Japan-China National Relations 

Normalisation Proposal’ in 1968. 

• He started to have dialogues with world academics and 

leaders in the seventies. The first dialogue was with Dr 

Arnold Toynbee in 1972. Since then he has held many 

historical dialogues with leaders in various fields. 

• Soka Gakkai International was founded on 26 January 

1975 and Daisaku Ikeda was inaugurated as SGI 

President. 

The SGI worldwide network has expanded into 192 

countries and territories. He has published a ‘Peace 

Proposal’ every year on 26 January since 1983 and his 

proposal gains a lot of attention from various academic 

institutes and world leaders. The SGI movement is 

gaining trust and recognition from many organisations 

under his leadership and is growing from strength 

to strength as a great movement of the people for 

happiness and world peace. 


Extracts from SGI President 

Ikeda in Europe, Volume 1 

Rissho Ankoku 30 

… Shin’ichi Yamamoto 1 spent most of the month of 

September 1961 in Tokyo, except for a visit to the head 

temple on the 15th, followed by a trip to the Kansai 

Region to encourage Osaka members affected by Typhoon 

No. 18 (also known as the second Muroto Typhoon). 

He needed the time to prepare for a twenty-day visit to 

Europe, with his scheduled departure date on 4 October. 

His main destinations were Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, 

West Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, London, Madrid, Zurich, 

Vienna and Rome. The main purposes of the trip were to 

offer guidance to local members, purchase construction 

materials and fixtures for the Grand Reception Hall, and 

observe the state of religion in Europe. 

It was the people of Germany Shin’ichi was most 

concerned for at this time. In the pre-dawn hours of 

13 August 1961, the communist government of East 

Germany had built a more than forty-kilometre, barbed-wire 

wall along the border between East and West Berlin. Ever 

since the partition of the German state, the city of Berlin 

had existed as a forlorn and sundered atoll in the vast sea 

of the East German state. For it, too, had been divided into 

East and West. Yet despite this, until the wall appeared, 

people had been free to pass between the two sides. 

An endless stream of refugees fleeing from communist 

East Germany to the West via West Berlin, however, had 

prompted the East German government to physically divide 

the city with a wall, thereby sealing off all access to the 

West. Most of the roads linking East and West Berlin were 

closed off with tanks and armoured cars. Checkpoints 

were set up at those roads that remained open, and free 

passage between the two sides was no longer permitted. 

The underground trains, too, now ran only to the border. 

From 13 August onwards, the barbed-wire wall grew 

longer and more fortified day by day until finally a cruel 

and unyielding barrier of concrete and brick was in firmly 

place. The sudden closing of passage between East and 

West Berlin split families, relatives and lovers. It was 

small-scale model of the Cold War itself, in which people 

were oppressed and cast asunder by opposing ideologies. 

With his visit to Europe imminent, Shin’ichi vowed that 

now was the time for a humanistic philosophy that would 

foster bonds among people to spread widely and take 

root in the human heart. He would blaze way to secure 

peace in the world by establishing the right principles of 

Buddhism – the way of rissho ankoku. 

Shin’ichi was about to take flight into the clear blue 

skies of the twenty-first century on a monumental journey 

for peace. 

25


Great Light 1 

The ageless sun rises anew, calmly sending forth its 

golden rays. 

As an organisation committed to the great Law of 

Buddhism, the Soka Gakkai is the sun for the entire 

world. 

The sun’s primordial brilliance dispels the darkness 

of mistrust and hatred, casting the bright light of peace 

upon the earth. Even into the darkest valleys of misery 

and despair, it sheds the light of hope, transforming the 

human realm that surges with suffering into a beautiful 

flower garden of joy. Nothing can stop the progress of the 

sun, which advances majestically on its own orbit, high 

above the black clouds of envy and jealousy. 

From the window of the Europe-bound plane, Shin’ichi 

Yamamoto watched as the sun began to make its ascent 

into the sky. 

Five hours earlier, at 10.30 in the evening of 4 October, 

1961, Shin’ichi and his party had left Tokyo’s Haneda 

Airport. Now their plane was on its way to Anchorage, 

Alaska, where it would stop briefly for refuelling. 

As the brilliant red sun made its appearance, the sea 

of clouds that spread out far below was dyed a soft 

pink while the sky began to turn violet. As the sun rose 

higher, the entire sky looked like molten gold, solemn and 

majestic. From this great source, countless brilliant shafts 

of light ran in all directions. The sky became bluer by the 

second and the clouds, like pure white puffs of cotton, 

began to glimmer brightly in the sunshine. 

As he took in this scene, Shin’ichi thought: ‘One sun 

illuminates the entire world. It is the same in the realm 

of kosen‐rufu. A resolute stand by just one person can 

protect all others and break through the darkness of 

society, heralding a new dawn of justice. What matters 

is the presence of one earnest person, of one fervently 

committed individual. 

‘Moreover, there is a sun in everyone’s heart. Those 

who embrace the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin 

become suns that illuminate the way to happiness 

for their family and friends. The success of my visit to 

Europe hinges on how many sun-like people I can find and 

nurture.’ 

The plane landed in Anchorage for refueling at 10.00am 

local time and, after an hour, took off for Copenhagen, 

Denmark, the first destination on the group’s itinerary. 

As they flew close to the North Pole, darkness had fallen 

outside the plane window. A shimmering moon illuminated 

the night sky with its beautiful brilliance. 

Shin’ichi put his thoughts and feelings into a poem: 

Footnote for SGI President Ikeda in Europe: 

1. Shin’ichi Yamamoto: This is the name given to 

Daisaku Ikeda in the novel. 

At the North Pole, 

The Great Heavenly Moon 

Shines brightly, 

Yearning for kosen‐rufu 

On the distant Earth. 

26

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