Susan's vow or Thus I Heard Nichiren

"Even you into this sutra 
Can only enter by faith. ... 
"I, for the sake of all beings, 
By means of this parable 
Preach the One Buddha-vehicle. 
If all of you are able 
To receive these words in faith, 
You shall be able 
To accomplish the Buddha-way." 
--from the Threefold Lotus Sutra, Chapter 3 

"My intelligence power is such, 
My wisdom-light shines infinitely, 
My life is of countless kalpas, 
From long-cultivated karma obtained. 
You who have intelligence, 
Do not in regard to this beget doubt 
But bring it forever to an end, 
For the Buddha's words are true, not false." 
--from the Threefold Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16 

i'll give you just a few quotes on the matter of Nichiren's faith in the 
Lotus Sutra, from the Kaimoku Sho ("Opening of the Eyes"), i encourage you 
to study it for yourself... 

"Thus, it is more difficult to have faith in the Lotus Sutra. Moreover, we 
gradually approach the Latter Age of Decadent Dharma; sages and wise men 
gradually disappear while the puzzled grow in number. These people easily 
fall into error even in dealing with trivial matters of the world, not to 
speak of understanding the exquisite Dharma, transcending worldly matters. 
... 
"Even more so, it is not easy to uphold even a word or a phrase of the Lotus

Sutra in the Latter Age of the Decadent Dharma. This must be it! I have made

a vow that this time I will have an unbending aspiration to 
Buddhahood and will never fall back!" 

"Therefore, although my comprehension of the Lotus Sutra is not worth even 
one ten millionth of that of T'ien-T'ai and Dengyo, I dare say that my 
endurance on its behalf and compassion for the people are beyond these 
masters.  ..." 

"As the words of the sutra correspond with me, the deeper I fall into 
disgrace with the shogunate, the greater my pleasure is.... Though my 
sufferings today are difficult to bear, I am happy for in the future I will 
be free from the evil realms. ..." 

Please, read the entire Kaimoku Sho. Nichiren explains how he lives out the 
Lotus Sutra with his own life, why he is persecuted for it, and why "gods 
and deities" did not seem to come to help him. he explains it was due to his 
profound faith in the Lotus Sutra, "not sparing bodily life." this Gosho is 
an example to all of us of what faith really is! 

For me, true *faith* is reading the Gosho and NOT sayng: 

"When Nichiren says this, what he really means is _____." 

"What Nichiren was actually referring to was _____." 

"The footnote here says Nichiren actually meant _____, so i will believe 
the footnote." 

"Well, i believe Nichiren is the True Buddha ... no, he didn't actually say 
it but just because he didn't say it doesn't mean it isn't true..." 
"Nichiren didn't put a lot of emphasis on the Lotus Sutra or Shakyamuni, 
because what he really was saying when he said "Lord Buddha" was _____." 

Do you say any of these things? 

I would never presume to know what Nichiren "really" meant!! I am very 
grateful that so many of Nichiren's works exist in his own hand and very 
grateful that so many of these works have been translated into English

for me to read. I try not to place faith in just a quote here and there, but 
rather i read the Gosho as if my life depended on it (well I guess you 
could say it does!), and hope I have the wisdom to sort out which is a 
mis-translation or forgery. Can I ever know for sure? No. but I can read 
every Gosho I can get my hands on, and compare them all to each other

and if there is a glaring inconsistency it will stand out. Therefore, I feel it 
is safe to place my faith in the things Nichiren states over and over, 
reassuring us like a good parent. What do you place your faith in? 

For me, faith is *listening* when Nichiren instructs that the True Object 
of Worship should be the Buddha at the moment of the transmission of the 
Law of the Lotus Sutra to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and that we should 
chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo with pure faith as if this moment were the 
moment of our death. I don't try to figure out what he "really" meant, i 
just listen. Nichiren said it, I listen to it, and I chant Namu Myoho Renge 
Kyo to my Gohonzon with absolute faith in his words and the Lotus Sutra 
foremost in my mind. Do you listen? 

If someone "abuses" me or "insults" me for having such a strong level of 
faith, then so be it. I'm not concerned anymore with "making my leaders 
happy" or "having fun with my friends" or "going along with the 
organization." In the final analysis, none of these things mean anything. 
There is just me and my *faith* and I will keeping sharing my faith with 
everyone I meet, and when I see someone disregarding the teachings of the 
Lotus Sutra or Nichiren, I will try to educate them or correct them. i have 
chosen, with faith, to take Nichiren's vow: "I have made a vow that this 
time I will have an unbending aspiration to Buddhahood and will never fall 
back!" have you? -- Susan