Back to the Index

Back to the Gosho

Reply to Lord Shijo Kingo
- Shijo Kingo-dono Gohenji -

BACKGROUND:

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Shijo Kingo in 1280 to express his thanks for an offering of rice. He also praises Kingo's unusual dedication, voicing his gratitude not only for the indomitable spirit that the samurai displayed at the time of the Tatsunokuchi Persecution, but also for the great efforts he has made since then in visiting the Daishonin and providing him with needed supplies, both on Sado Island and also at Mount Minobu. The Daishonin was at this time nearing the end of his life; his health was failing and he probably wished to convey his deep appreciation to Shijo Kingo for a lifetime of devotion.

In the latter part of the letter, the Daishonin states his conviction that, by having undergone various hardships on the Lotus Sutra's account, he has surely freed himself from the karma of past slanders. In undergoing such persecution for the sake of the Mystic Law, he says, he surpasses even those great masters of the past, T'ien-t'ai and Dengyo. By so doing, he has shown himself to be the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day of the Law. He expresses his enlightenment as a person whose life is one with the Law by describing his dwelling in the wilderness of Mount Minobu as a place where Buddhas, bodhisattvas and deities gather.

Designed by Will Kallander