On Flowers and Seeds
- Keka Joju Gosho -
I have not heard from either of you since that time. But I was very pleased to learn that you read at Kasagamori
the two letters I wrote in the Kenji era in memory of the saint Dozen-bo.
If a tree is deeply rooted, its branches and leaves will never wither. If the spring is inexhaustible, the
stream will never run dry. Without wood, the fire will burn out. Without earth, plants cannot grow. Nichiren is like the plant,
and my master, the earth. I, Nichiren, am indebted solely to my revered teacher, Dozen-bo, for the fact that I have become
the votary of the Lotus Sutra and that now I am widely talked about, both in a good and bad sense.
There are four leaders of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth: The first is called Jogyo...and the fourth, Anryugyo.
If Bodhisattva Jogyo appears in the Latter Day of the Law, so must Bodhisattva Anryugyo.
The rice plant flowers and bears grain, but its spirit remains in the soil. Therefore, the stalk sprouts
to flower and bear grain once again. The blessings which I, Nichiren, obtain from propagating the Lotus Sutra will return
to Dozen-bo. How sublime! It is said that if a master has a good disciple, both will attain Buddhahood, but if a master fosters
a bad disciple, both will fall into hell.
If master and disciple are not of the same mind, they cannot accomplish anything. I will elaborate on this
point later.
You should always talk with one another and surmount the sufferings of life and death to attain the pure
land of Eagle Peak, where you may agree to speak in one mind.
The sutra reads, "They will display the three poisons and appear to cherish misleading philosophies. This
is the means by which my disciples save the people."
Be sure to keep in mind what I have stated thus far.
Respectfully,
Nichiren
The fourth month in the first year of Koan (1278)
