Quotes from the Lotus Sutra Exhibit

Some say the prevailing mood in the world today is one of powerlessness. Whatever the case may be, we are all aware that things cannot continue as they are. Yet decisions about political, economic and environmental issues all seem to be made somewhere beyond our reach… This feeling of powerlessness fuels a vicious cycle that only worsens the situation and increases people’s sense of futility.

At the opposite extreme of this sense of powerlessness lie the Lotus Sutra’s philosophy… which teaches us that the inner determination of an individual can transform everything; it gives ultimate expression to the infinite potential and dignity inherent in each human life…
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Wherever we are, it is necessary to begin with the revitalization of individual human beings. That is what we mean by the reformation of society and the world through [the inner transformation of people]. That is the teaching of the Lotus Sutra.

The force that impelled [Shakyamuni] to take up the religious life, and indeed became the point of departure for the entire Buddhist religion, was an ardent desire to transcend the sufferings inherent in human life.

The power of Shakyamuni’s eloquence and sincerity made it possible for Buddhism to gain wide acceptance among the people of his time, deeply penetrating their hearts and minds.

This is what I heard.

The compilation of the twenty-eight-chapter Lotus Sutra … was made possible by [Shakyamuni’s] disciples who shared with one another “This is what I heard,” out of their wish, based on the same state of life as the Buddha, to save all people.

The source of both men’s satisfaction lay in putting aside personal feelings and prejudices and engaging in an earnest search for the truth.

All men are my children, and as I wish all welfare and happiness in this world and the next for my own children, so do I wish it for all men.

Let us live out our lives!

From the standpoint of eternity, … it’s not whether our lives are long or short but how we live that is important. It is what we accomplish, the degree to which we develop our state of life, the number of people we help become happy—this is what matters. Those who firmly establish the state of Buddhahood in their lives will enjoy this state of life eternally.

You will all practice the bodhisattva way and will then be able to attain Buddhahood!

When we look after and care for others—that is, help others draw forth the strength to live—our own strength to live increases. When we help people expand their state of life, our lives also expand. This is the marvel of the bodhisattva path; actions to benefit others cannot be separated from actions to benefit oneself.

This sutra can save all living beings. This sutra can cause all living beings to free themselves from suffering and anguish. This sutra can bring great benefits to all living beings and fulfill their desires, as a clear cool pond can satisfy all those who are thirsty… Such is this Lotus Sutra. It can cause living beings to cast off all distress, all sickness and pain.

Buddhas … appear in the world for one great reason alone … to open the door of Buddha wisdom to all living beings.

That the Buddha seeks to open the door of Buddha wisdom to living beings means that living beings already inherently possess the Buddha wisdom… Shakyamuni’s words are in fact a great declaration that all living beings are worthy of supreme respect.

I have widely preached many sutras,
and among them
this sutra is foremost.

To transmit and spread the teachings of the Lotus Sutra no doubt required the efforts of bodhisattvas of truly extraordinary enlightenment and determination.

After the Buddha has entered extinction we will travel here and there, back and forth through the worlds in the ten directions so as to enable living beings to copy this sutra, to receive, embrace, read, and recite it, understand and preach its principles, practice it in accordance with the Law, and properly keep it in their thoughts.

The Buddhism of Shakyamuni was destined not simply to remain a religion of the Indian people alone. Rather, it possessed characteristics of universal appeal that permitted it to transcend national and racial boundaries and present itself as a religion for all humankind.

The camel, known as the "ship of the desert," was one of the principle means for traveling that road. Chang Shuhong, the late honorary director of China's Dunhuang Relics Research Institute, observed that the hoofprints of camels resemble lotus flowers.

It was the translations of the famed scholar Kumarajiva that communicated the essence of Buddhism to China with unmatched precision.

[Buddhist missionaries] determined to carry the teachings of their faith to the people of other lands… and were prepared to face [all manner of] danger and hardship in the pursuit of their goal.

Dunhuang in western China has been called a great art museum in the desert. It is a marvelous storehouse of Buddhist artworks spanning a thousand years.

If good men and good women embrace, read, recite, expound, and copy the Lotus Sutra … these persons will be looked up to and honored by all the world.

If people do not possess innate Buddha wisdom, how could the Buddha say he wanted to open it? One must understand that Buddha wisdom is inherent in all human beings.

The same Lotus Sutra is expressed in different ways, depending on the Buddha who preaches it, the time it is preached and the capacity of the people to understand it. Though the ultimate truth of the Lotus Sutra is identical in all cases, there will be differences in its presentation.

The Lotus Sutra is the teaching that enables all living beings to attain the Buddha way.

You must spread it abroad widely throughout [the world] and never allow it to be cut off.

The Law does not spread by itself. Because the people spread it, both the people and the Law are respectworthy.

Constant diligence day and night—this has always been the way to seek the Buddha way.

I ... held the Lotus Sutra in my hand, and with a straw coat around me and a straw hat on my head, I managed to live [on Sado].

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is only one phrase or verse, but it is no ordinary phrase, for it is the essence of the entire sutra .. Everything has its essential point, and the heart of the Lotus Sutra is its title, or Nam-myoho-renge-kyo… Chanting the title alone is the source of tremendous good fortune.

Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is not only the core of the Buddha’s lifetime teachings, but also the heart, essence, and ultimate principle of the Lotus Sutra.

The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo do not represent the sutra text, nor are they its meaning. They are nothing other than the intent of the entire sutra. So, even though the beginners in Buddhist practice may not understand their significance, by practicing these five characters, they will naturally conform to the sutra’s intent.

A teaching this easy to uphold and this easy to practice was expounded for the sake of all living beings in… this latter age.

It is the heart that is important.

You must quickly reform the tenets that you hold in your heart and embrace … the single good doctrine [of the Lotus Sutra]. If you do so, then the [world] will become the Buddha land, and how could a Buddha land ever decline?

Little streams come together to form the great ocean… When I, Nichiren, first took faith in the Lotus Sutra, I was like a single drop of water... But later, when two people, three people, ten people, and eventually… a million people come to recite the Lotus Sutra and transmit it to others, then they will form… an ocean of great [enlightenment].

Buddhism … enables us to find supreme hope within ourselves. When we can find supreme hope in our own lives, we can also find the same luminous hope in the lives of others. We can awaken to our mission of building a new and better world characterized by respect for life and human dignity, based on a fundamental spirit of empathy and caring for others.

Religions that are dependent on authority and power naturally cannot possibly serve as a force for reform or to develop society for the benefit of the people.

President Makiguchi made the writings of Nichiren Daishonin his mentor, facing great persecution and revitalizing Buddhism in an age when the Law was threatened with extinction.

Daisaku, I will build a solid foundation for kosen-rufu in Japan, but you will pave the way for kosen-rufu throughout the world. I will create the blueprint; you will make it a reality.

In the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni Buddha proclaims, "I have been constantly in this suffering-filled world, preaching the Law, teaching and converting." We must struggle within society! Always among the people! Never forget that this is the great, eternal path of the Soka Gakkai, with its mission of establishing the correct teaching for the peace and prosperity of the entire world, of all humanity.

This is what I heard.

The heart of “This is what I heard” exists in the disciples rising up with the determination to lead others to happiness just as their mentor did.

The moon appears in the west and sheds its light eastward, but the sun rises in the east and casts its rays to the west. The same is true of Buddhism. It spread from west to east in the Former and Middle Days of the law, but will travel from east to west in the Latter Day.

This worldwide spread of Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism of the sun, with its teaching of respect for all people, is essentially what is meant by the statement that “[Buddhism] will travel from east to west in the Latter Day."

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.