御書要文和英対照表 - 御書の現代語訳

御書要文和英対照表
御書名			和文
御書名（英訳）			英文
上野殿御返事（孝不孝の事）			貴辺は日本国第一の孝養の人なり。梵天・帝釈おり下って左右の羽となり、四方の地神は足をいただいて父母とあおぎ給うらん。
On Filial and Unfilial Conduct			You are the most filial person in all of Japan. Brahmā and Shakra will descend from heaven to serve you as left and right wings, and the gods of the earth in the four directions will support your feet, revering you as their father and mother.

妙一尼御前御返事			夫れ、信心と申すは別にはこれなく候。妻のおとこをおしむがごとく、おとこの妻に命をすつるがごとく、親の子をすてざるがごとく、子の母にはなれざるがごとくに、法華経、釈迦・多宝、十方の諸の仏菩薩、諸天善神等に信を入れ奉って、南無妙法蓮華経と唱えたてまつるを、信心とは申し候なり。
The Meaning of Faith			What is called faith is nothing unusual. Faith means putting one’s trust in the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni, Many Treasures, the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and the heavenly gods and benevolent deities, and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo as a woman cherishes her husband, as a man lays down his life for his wife, as parents refuse to abandon their children, or as a child refuses to leave its mother.

諸経と法華経と難易の事			仏法は体のごとし、世間はかげのごとし。体曲がれば影ななめなり。
A Comparison of the Lotus and Other Sutras			Buddhism is like the body, and society like the shadow. When the body bends, so does the shadow.

千日尼御返事			阿仏上人は濁世の身を厭って仏になり給いぬ。その子・藤九郎守綱は、この跡をつぎて一向法華経の行者となりて、去年は七月二日、父の舎利を頸に懸け、一千里の山海を経て、甲州波木井身延山に登って法華経の道場にこれをおさめ、今年はまた七月一日、身延山に登って慈父のはかを拝見す。子にすぎたる財なし、子にすぎたる財なし。
The Treasure of a Filial Child			In the same way, the Honorable Abutsu grew weary of his existence in this impure world, and so he became a Buddha. His son, Tōkurō Moritsuna, has followed in his footsteps and become a wholehearted votary of the Lotus Sutra. Last year, on the second day of the seventh month, he appeared here at Mount Minobu in Hakiri in the province of Kai, having journeyed a thousand ri over mountains and seas with his father’s ashes hung around his neck, and deposited them at the place dedicated to the practice of the Lotus Sutra. And this year, on the first day of the seventh month, he came again to Mount Minobu to pay respects at his father’s grave. Surely, there is no treasure greater than a child, no treasure greater than a child!

浄蔵浄眼御消息			しかるに、いかなることにやおわすらん、皆人の憎み候日蓮を不便とおぼして、かく遥々と山中へ種々の物送りたび候こと、一度二度ならず。ただごとにあらず、ひとえに釈迦仏の入り替わらせ給えるか。またおくれさせ給いける御君達の、御仏にならせ給いて、父母を導かんために御心に入り替わらせ給えるか。
			また、もしやのこと候わば、くらき闇に月の出ずるがごとく、妙法蓮華経の五字、月と露れさせ給うべし。その月の中には、釈迦仏・十方の諸仏、乃至前に立たせ給いし御子息の露れさせ給うべしと思しめせ。
The Sons Pure Storehouse and Pure Eye			This is no ordinary matter. Indeed, Shakyamuni Buddha himself may have taken possession of your body. Or perhaps your deceased son has become a Buddha and, in order to guide his father and mother, has taken possession of your hearts.
			If anything should happen to you, just as the moon emerges to shine in the dark night, so the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo will appear as a moon for you. Be convinced that Shakyamuni Buddha, the Buddhas of the ten directions, and the son who preceded you in death will appear in this moon.

妙一女御返事（即身成仏法門）			事を権門に寄せて日蓮をおどさんより、ただ正しき文を出だせ。汝等は人をかとうどとせり。日蓮は日月・帝釈・梵王をかとうどとせん。
The Doctrine of Attaining Buddhahoodin One’s Present Form			Now, rather than appealing to the authorities in an attempt to browbeat me, why do you not simply produce some reliable passage of scriptural proof? You people look to human beings to be your allies. But I, Nichiren, make the gods of the sun and moon, Shakra and Brahmā, my allies.

内房女房御返事			毒薬変じて薬となる。妙法蓮華経の五字は、悪変じて善となる。玉泉と申す泉は石を玉となす。この五字は凡夫を仏となす。
White Horses and White Swans			Just as poisonous compounds are changed into medicine, so these five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo change evil into good. The Spring of Jewels is so called because, in this spring, stones are changed into jewels. In the same way, these five characters can change ordinary human beings into Buddhas.

四条金吾殿御返事（法華行者住処の事）			しかるに、今、山林に世を遁れ道を進まんと思いしに、人々の語様々なりしかども、かたがた存する旨ありしによって、当国・当山に入ってすでに七年の春秋を送る。また身の智分をばしばらく置きぬ、法華経の方人として難を忍び疵を蒙ることは、漢土の天台大師にも越え、日域の伝教大師にも勝れたり。これは時のしからしむる故なり。
The Place of the Cluster of Blessings			However, when I desired to leave the world for this mountain forest to pursue the way, people voiced differing opinions. Nevertheless, for reasons I had carefully considered, I came to this mountain in this province, where I have already passed seven springs and autumns. Setting aside for now the question of my wisdom, in enduring hardship and in suffering injury as an ally of the Lotus Sutra, I surpass even the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai of China and excel even the Great Teacher Dengyō of Japan. This is because the time has made it so.

上野殿母御前御返事（四十九日菩提の事）			故南条五郎殿の、死出の山・三途の河を越し給わん時、煩悩の山賊、罪業の海賊を静めて、事故なく霊山浄土へ参らせ給うべき御供の兵者は、無量義経の「四十余年にはいまだ真実を顕さず」の文ぞかし。
Reply to the Mother of Ueno			When the late Nanjō Gorō made his way across the mountains of death and the river of three crossings, the soldiers who escorted him and repulsed the mountain bandits of earthly desires and the pirates of past offenses and allowed him to proceed safely to the pure land of Eagle Peak were these words of the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra, “In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth.”

日厳尼御前御返事			その上は、私に計り申すに及ばず候。叶い叶わぬは御信心により候べし。全く日蓮がとがにあらず。水すめば月うつる、風ふけば木ゆるぐごとく、みなの御心は水のごとし、信のよわきはにごるがごとし、信心のいさぎよきはすめるがごとし。木は道理のごとし、風のゆるがすは経文をよむがごとしとおぼしめせ。
Reply to the Lay Nun Nichigon			Now there is no need to attempt to surmise yourself how things will go. Whether or not your prayer is answered will depend on your faith; [if it is not] I will in no way be to blame. When water is clear, the moon is reflected. When the wind blows, the trees shake. Our minds are like the water. Faith that is weak is like muddy water, while faith that is brave is like clear water. Understand that the trees are like principles, and the wind that shakes them is like the recitation of the sutra.

四条金吾許御文			濁水は清けれども月やどらず。糞水はきたなけれども、すめば影をおしまず。濁水は、智者・学匠の持戒なるが法華経に背くがごとし。糞水は、愚人の無戒なるが、貪欲ふかく瞋恚強盛なれども、法華経ばかりを無二無三に信じまいらせてあるがごとし。
			されば、八幡大菩薩は不正直をにくみて天にのぼり給うとも、法華経の行者を見ては、いかでか、その影をばおしみ給うべき。我が一門は深くこの心を信ぜさせ給うべし。八幡大菩薩は、ここにわたらせ給うなり。疑い給うことなかれ、疑い給うことなかれ。
Great Bodhisattva Hachiman			The muddied water may be pure in nature, yet the moon does not shine in it. But the night soil, though impure in nature, reflects the moon’s rays when it clears. The muddy water may be likened to learned priests and eminent scholars who keep the precepts but turn their backs on the Lotus Sutra. The night soil may be likened to ignorant people without precepts whose greed is profound and whose anger is intense, but who put undivided faith in the Lotus Sutra alone.
			Thus Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, because he hates dishonesty, has ascended to the heavens. But when he sees the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, how could he begrudge shedding his light on them? My followers should believe the truth of this matter firmly. Great Bodhisattva Hachiman dwells with us here. Have no doubt about it! Have no doubt about it!

上野殿御返事（須達長者御書）			仏にやすやすとなることの候ぞ。おしえまいらせ候わん。人のものをおしうると申すは、車のおもけれども油をぬりてまわり、ふねの水にうかべてゆきやすきようにおしえ候なり。仏になりやすきことは別のよう候わず。旱魃にかわけるものに水をあたえ、寒氷にこごえたるものに火をあたうるがごとし。また二つなき物を人にあたえ、命のたゆるに人のせにあうがごとし。
The Wealthy Man Sudatta			The way to become a Buddha easily is nothing special. It is the same as giving water to a thirsty person in a time of drought, or as providing fire for a person freezing in the cold. Or again, it is the same as giving another something that is one of a kind, or as offering something as alms to another even at the risk of one’s life.

上野殿御返事（須達長者御書）			仏にやすやすとなることの候ぞ。おしえまいらせ候わん。人のものをおしうると申すは、車のおもけれども油をぬりてまわり、ふねの水にうかべてゆきやすきようにおしえ候なり。仏になりやすきことは別のよう候わず。旱魃にかわけるものに水をあたえ、寒氷にこごえたるものに火をあたうるがごとし。また二つなき物を人にあたえ、命のたゆるに人のせにあうがごとし。
Reply to Ōnichi-nyo			A single character of the Lotus Sutra is like the great earth, which gives rise to all things. A single character is like the great ocean, which contains the water from all rivers. A single character is like the sun and moon, which illuminate all four continents.

上野尼御前御返事（霊山再会の事）			大地はささばはずるとも、日月は地に堕ち給うとも、しおはみちひぬ世はありとも、花はなつにならずとも、南無妙法蓮華経と申す女人の、おもう子にあわずということはなしととかれて候ぞ。
The Gift of Clear Sake			This means that, even if one were to point at the earth and miss it, even if the sun and moon should fall to the ground, even if an age should come when the tides cease to ebb and flow, or even if flowers should not turn to fruit in summer, it could never happen that a woman who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo would fail to be reunited with her beloved child.

治部房御返事			たとい十方三世の諸仏の怨敵なれども、法華経の一句を信じぬれば、諸仏捨て給うことなし。
Reply to Jibu-bō			Even if one should be an archenemy of all the Buddhas of the three existences and the ten directions, if one believes in a single phrase of the Lotus Sutra, the Buddhas will not abandon one.

南条殿御返事（法妙人貴の事）			法華経の行者を心に入れて数年供養し給うこと、有り難き御志かな。金言のごとくんば、定めて後生は霊山浄土に生まれ給うべし。いみじき果報なるかな。
The Person and the Law			How wonderful then is your having wholeheartedly supported the votary of the Lotus Sutra over the years! According to the Buddha’s golden words, in the next life you are certain to be reborn in the pure land of Eagle Peak. What remarkable rewards you will gain!

上野尼御前御返事（烏竜遺竜の事）			法華経と申すは、手に取ればその手やがて仏に成り、口に唱うればその口即ち仏なり。譬えば、天月の東の山の端に出ずれば、その時即ち水に影の浮かぶがごとく、音とひびきとの同時なるがごとし。
Wu-lung and I-lung			With regard to the Lotus Sutra, when one’s hand takes it up, that hand immediately attains Buddhahood, and when one’s mouth chants it, that mouth is itself a Buddha, as, for example, the moon is reflected in the water the moment it appears from behind the eastern mountains, or as a sound and its echo arise simultaneously.

窪尼御前御返事（供養善根の事）			これは、日蓮を御くようは候わず、法華経の御くようなれば、釈迦仏・多宝仏・十方の諸仏にこの功徳はまかせまいらせ候。
Roots of Good Fortune			Your own offerings were not made to me, Nichiren, but to the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, we must leave it to Shakyamuni Buddha, Many Treasures Buddha, and the Buddhas of the ten directions [to fathom the greatness of] the resulting benefits.

妙法比丘尼御前御返事			今、末代悪世の女人と生まれさせ給いて、かかるものおぼえぬ島のえびすに、のられ、打たれ、責めをしのび、法華経を弘めさせ給う。彼の比丘尼には雲泥勝れてありと、仏は霊山にて御覧あるらん。
Reply to the Lay NunMyōhō			But now you, born a woman in the evil world of the latter age, while being reviled, struck, and persecuted by the barbaric inhabitants of this island country who are unaware of these things, have endured and are propagating the Lotus Sutra. The Buddha at Eagle Peak surely perceives that you surpass the nun [Mahāprajāpatī] as greatly as clouds do mud.

法華証明抄			地にたおれたる人は、かえりて地よりおく。法華経謗法の人は、三悪ならびに人天の地にはたおれ候えども、かえりて法華経の御手にかかりて仏になるとことわられて候。
The Proof of the Lotus Sutra			One who has fallen to the ground recovers and rises up from the ground. Those who slander the Lotus Sutra will fall to the ground of the three evil paths, or of the human and heavenly realms, but in the end, through the help of the Lotus Sutra, they will attain Buddhahood.

治病大小権実違目			いかにとして候やらん、彼らよりもすくなくやみすくなく死に候は、不思議におぼえ候。人のすくなき故か、また御信心の強盛なるか。
The Treatment of Illness			For some reason, however, there is less affliction and death among Nichiren’s followers. It is indeed mysterious. Is this because we are few in number, or because our faith is strong?

高橋殿御返事（米穀御書）			その国の仏法は貴辺にまかせたてまつり候ぞ。
The Properties of Rice			I entrust you with the propagation of Buddhism in your province.

大悪大善御書			大事には小瑞なし。大悪おこれば大善きたる。
Great Evil and Great Good			Great events never have minor omens. When great evil occurs, great good follows.

減劫御書			減劫と申すは人の心の内に候。貪・瞋・癡の三毒が次第に強盛になりもてゆくほどに、次第に人のいのちもつづまり、せいもちいさくなりもてまかるなり。
The Kalpa of Decrease			The kalpa of decrease has its origin in the human heart. As the poisons of greed, anger, and foolishness gradually intensify, the life span of human beings gradually decreases and their stature diminishes.

白米一俵御書			ただし、仏になり候ことは、凡夫は志と申す文字を心えて仏になり候なり。
The Gift of Rice			However, as for the matter of becoming a Buddha, ordinary people keep in mind the words “earnest resolve” and thereby become Buddhas.

衆生身心御書			法華経と申すは、随自意と申して、仏の御心をとかせ給う。仏の御心はよき心なるゆえに、たといしらざる人も、この経をよみたてまつれば利益はかりなし。
The Bodies and Minds of Ordinary Beings			The Lotus Sutra, on the other hand, is known as a sutra that was preached in accordance with the Buddha’s own mind. Because the Buddha’s mind is an excellent mind, persons who read this sutra, even though they may not understand its meaning, will gain inestimable benefit.

十字御書			わざわいは口より出でて身をやぶる。さいわいは心よりいでて我をかざる。
New Year’s Gosho			Misfortune comes from one’s mouth and ruins one, but fortune comes from one’s heart and makes one worthy of respect.

蓮盛抄（禅宗問答抄）			汝が立義、一々大僻見なり。執情を改めて法華に帰伏すべし。しからずんば、あに無道心にあらずや。
Letter to Renjō			Every one of the principles you have described represents an erroneous view of the grossest kind. You should abandon these mistaken beliefs and instead put your faith in the Lotus Sutra. If you fail to do so, it means you lack any true aspiration for enlightenment, does it not?

諸宗問答抄			いずれも、法門の道理を宣べ厳り依経を立てたりとも、夢中の権果にて無用の義に成るべきなり。
Questions and Answers on the Various Schools			Whatever reasons the Pure Land proponents may put forward to support and ornament their doctrines, whatever sutra passages they may cite, they relate to “a provisional result obtained in a dream realm,” a doctrine that is of no use.

念仏無間地獄抄			念仏は無間地獄の業因なり、法華経は成仏得道の直路なり。早く浄土宗を捨てて法華経を持ち、生死を離れて菩提を得べきこと。
Nembutsuand the Hellof Incessant Suffering			Nembutu is a practice that leads to the hell of incessant suffering. The Lotus Sutra is the direct road that leads to Buddhahood and the attainment of the way. As soon as possible one should therefore abandon the Pure Land school, embrace the Lotus Sutra, free oneself from the sufferings of birth and death, and gain enlightenment.

主師親御書			釈迦仏は、我らがためには、主なり、師なり、親なり。一人してすくい護ると説き給えり。
Sovereign, Teacher, and Parent			It has been said that Shakyamuni Buddha is to us a sovereign, a teacher, and a parent, who alone works to save and protect us.

一代聖教大意			しかるに、後の人々の消息に、法華経を難行道、経はいみじけれども末代の機に叶わず、謗ぜばこそ罪にてもあらめ、浄土に過って法華経をば覚るべしと云々。日蓮が心は、いかにもこのことはひが事と覚ゆるなり。
The Meaning of the Sacred Teachings of the Buddha’s Lifetime			It would appear, however, that in the correspondence of some of the later followers of these men this opinion has been stated, namely, that the Lotus Sutra is to be regarded as the difficult-to-practice way, and though the sutra itself is admirable, it is not suited to the capacities of people of this latter age. If in saying this they were slandering the Lotus Sutra, this would be an offense, but they claim that they are merely saying that after one gains rebirth in the Pure Land there will be time enough to come to a true understanding of the Lotus Sutra. I feel strongly in my heart that this is a most mistaken opinion.

十如是事			これを信じて一遍も南無妙法蓮華経と申せば、法華経を覚って如法に一部をよみ奉るにてあるなり。十遍は十部、百遍は百部、千遍は千部を如法によみ奉るにてあるべきなり。かく信ずるを如説修行の人とは申すなり。
On the Ten Factors			When we have faith such as this, then it is taught that one chanting of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo is equivalent to one recitation of the entire Lotus Sutra carried out just as the sutra prescribes and with the correct understanding of its meaning, that ten chantings are equivalent to ten recitations of the sutra, a hundred chantings are equivalent to a hundred recitations, a thousand chantings are equivalent to a thousand recitations, all carried out just as the sutra prescribes. And one who has such faith may be said to be a person who carries out religious practice just as the sutra prescribes.

一念三千法門			この妙法蓮華経とは、我らが心性、総じては一切衆生の心性、八葉の白蓮華の名なり。これを教え給う仏の御詞なり。
The Doctrine of Three Thousand Realms in a Single Moment of Life			This Myoho-renge-kyo is a term designating the essential nature of our minds, or, more generally speaking, the essential nature of the minds of all living beings, the eight-petaled white lotus blossom. The words of the Buddha himself teach us this.

守護国家論			予このことを歎くあいだ、一巻の書を造って選択集の謗法の縁起を顕し、名づけて守護国家論と号す。願わくは、一切の道俗、一時の世事を止めて永劫の善苗を種えよ。
On the Protection of the Nation			Grieved by this situation, I have written a work in one volume entitled On the Protection of the Nation in which I have attempted to clarify the cause and origin of these slanders of the Law found in Nembutsu Chosen above All. I hope that all persons, whether they belong to the clergy or the laity, will take time off from worldly affairs to heed what I have said and thereby plant good roots that will affect their future for endless kalpas to come.

十法界事			かくのごとく法門を談ずるの時、迹門・爾前は、もし本門顕れずんば六道を出でず。何ぞ九界を出でんや。
On the Ten Worlds			Thus when we discuss these matters of doctrine, we must realize that, unless and until the essential teaching is revealed, it is impossible through the sutras preached prior to the Lotus or through the theoretical teaching of the Lotus to free oneself from the six paths. How then could one ever free oneself from the nine worlds [and enter the tenth, that of Buddhahood]?

爾前二乗菩薩不作仏事			問うて云わく、二乗の永不成仏の教えに菩薩の作仏を許すべしや。
Persons of the Two Vehiclesand Bodhisattvas Cannot Attain Buddhahood in the Pre-Lotus Sutra Teachings			QUESTION: It is said of some teachings that through them persons of the two vehicles can never attain Buddhahood. Does this mean that through them bodhisattvas likewise can never attain Buddhahood, or does it not?

災難対治抄			この文を見るに、しばらく万事を閣いて、まずこの災難の起こる由を勘うべきか。もししからざれば、いよいよまた重ねて災難これ起こらんか。愚勘かくのごとし。取捨は人の意に任す。
On Dealing with Disaster			In view of these passages, should one not set aside all other affairs and consider first of all why these disasters occur? If one does not do so, then more and more such disasters are bound to occur! Such is my humble opinion. I leave it to others to accept or reject it.

十法界明因果抄			法華経においては、二乗・七逆の者を許す上、博地の凡夫、一生の中に仏位に入り妙覚に至って因果の功徳を具するなり。
Explaining the Causation of the Ten Worlds			But when we come to the precepts of the Lotus Sutra, we find that they may be administered to persons of the two vehicles and to those who have committed the seven cardinal sins. Moreover, through them even persons in the lowest category of ordinary mortals will enter the stage of Buddhahood within the space of a single lifetime and achieve perfect enlightenment. Thus one may acquire both the merit of practice and the benefit of Buddhahood.

唱法華題目抄			ただ法門をもって邪正をただすべし。利根と通力とにはよるべからず。
On Reciting the Daimokuof the Lotus Sutra			But whether they are correct or incorrect in their views is to be judged solely on the basis of the doctrines they expound. It is not to be decided on the basis of whether or not they have keen capacity or can display supernatural powers.

一代五時図			法華経を読めども、真言を行ずれども、皆助業となして念仏をもって正業となす。謗法の失脱るべからず
Diagram of the Five Periodsof the Buddha’s Lifetime Teachings			Though they read the Lotus Sutra or carry out True Word practices, these actions are all regarded as supplementary practices. Their primary practice they believe to be the Nembutsu. Can they fail to be regarded as slanderers of the Law?

顕謗法抄			もし智慧有って信心有ることなきは、この人は則ち能く邪見を増長す
What It Means to Slander the Law			If a person has wisdom but lacks a believing heart, he will simply become more and more enmeshed in erroneous views.

法華真言勝劣事			慈覚・智証等の親りこの宗義を承けたる者、法華経は大日経より劣るの義存すべし。もしその義ならば、この人々の「舌口中に爛る」「苦長劫に流る」はいかん。
On the Relative Superiority of the Lotus Sutra and the True Word Teachings			Men such as Jikaku and Chishō, however, were direct heirs of the doctrines taught by T’ien-t’ai, and yet they supported the view that the Lotus Sutra is inferior to the Mahāvairochana Sutra. If that was indeed their view, did they too have tongues that festered and will they suffer for many long kalpas to come?

当世念仏者無間地獄事			純円の国を権教の国と成し、醍醐を嘗むる者に蘇味を与うるの失、誠にはなはだ多し。
Why Present-Day NembutsuPractitioners Are Destined for the Hellof Incessant Suffering			He took a country suited for the pure and perfect teaching and made it a country of the provisional teachings. It was as though, to persons accustomed to the flavor of ghee, he offered mere curdled milk or butter. Great, in truth, were the errors he committed!

南部六郎殿御書			仏すらなお、ただ念仏を行じて一生をすごし法華経に移らざる時は、地獄に堕つべし云々。いわんや、末代の凡夫、一向に南無阿弥陀仏と申して一生をすごし、法華経に移って南無妙法蓮華経と唱えざる者、三悪道を免るべきや。
The Two Meanings Implied in the Nembutsu Leading to the Hellof Incessant Suffering			It is saying that even the Buddha, if he were to have spent his entire life practicing only the Nembutsu, without changing to the Lotus Sutra, would certainly have fallen into hell. How, then, is it possible for ordinary people in this latter age who spend their entire lives single-mindedly reciting Namu-Amida-butsu, never changing to the Lotus Sutra and chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, to escape the three evil paths of existence?

御輿振御書			滅するは生ぜんがため、下るは登らんがためなり。山門繁昌のために、かくのごとき留難を起こすか。
The Portable Shrine Incidents			Extinction occurs so that there may be rebirth, and descent so that there may be ascent. Could it be that such difficulties as these have come about so that Mount Hiei may flourish in the future?

女人成仏抄			しかるに竜女、畜生道の衆生として戒緩の姿を改めずして即身成仏せしことは、不思議なり。
On the Attainment of Buddhahood by Women			And yet the dragon king’s daughter, a being of the realm of animals, without changing out of the form she had been born in as a result of lax observance of the precepts, attained Buddhahood in that very body. What a marvelous event!

宿屋入道への御状			しかるに、日本国の中には日蓮一人当に彼の西戎を調伏するの人たるべしと、兼ねてこれを知り、論文にこれを勘う。
Letter to the Lay Priest Yadoya			I am convinced that, throughout the country of Japan, I, Nichiren, am the only person who can subdue these barbarians of the west, and I have written a treatise explaining my reasons.

平左衛門尉頼綱への御状			蒙古国の牒状到来について、言上せしめ候い畢わんぬ。そもそも、先年、日蓮、立正安国論にこれを勘えたるがごとく、少しも違わず符合せしむ。
Letter to Hei no Saemon-no-jō Yoritsuna			With regard to the official announcement that arrived from the Mongol nation, I have respectfully submitted my views to the regent in writing. The prophecies that I, Nichiren, made some years ago in my treatise, On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land, have been fulfilled without the slightest discrepancy.

北条時宗への御状			日蓮が申すこと御用いなくんば、定めて後悔これ有るべし。日蓮は法華経の御使いなり。
Letter to Hōjō Tokimune			If you fail to heed the warnings of Nichiren, you will surely regret it later. For Nichiren is the envoy of the Lotus Sutra.

宿屋左衛門光則への御状			希わくは、御帰依の寺僧を停止せられ、よろしく法華経に帰せしむべし。
Letter to YadoyaSaemon Mitsunori			It is to be hoped that he will cease giving support to the temples and priests he has supported in the past and will put his faith in the Lotus Sutra.

北条弥源太への御状			法華を謗ずる者は、三世諸仏の大怨敵なり。天照太神・八幡大菩薩等この国を捨てたもうが故に、大蒙古国より牒状来るか。
Letter to Hōjō Yagenta			Those persons who slander the Lotus Sutra are the archenemies of the Buddhas of the three existences of past, present, and future. The Sun Goddess, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and the other deities have abandoned our nation, and that is why this announcement has come from the great Mongol Empire.

建長寺道隆への御状			念仏は無間地獄の業、禅宗は天魔の所為、真言は亡国の悪法、律宗は国賊の妄説云々。
Letter to Dōryūof Kenchō-ji			Belief in the Nembutsu leads to the hell of incessant suffering; the Zen school is the work of the heavenly devil; True Word is an evil doctrine that will ruin the nation; and the Precepts school is a false creed that is traitorous to the nation.

極楽寺良観への御状			日蓮は日本第一の法華経の行者、蒙古国退治の大将たり。「一切衆生の中において、またこれ第一なり」とは、これなり。
Letter to Ryōkanof Gokuraku-ji			Are you sure to know the secret Law that will overcome and subdue the Mongol nation? I, Nichiren, am the foremost votary of the Lotus Sutra in all of Japan, a great general who can defeat the forces of the Mongol nation, for, as the Lotus Sutra says, “A person who can accept and uphold this sutra is likewise foremost among all living beings.”

大仏殿別当への御状			早く我慢を倒して日蓮に帰すべし。今生空しく過ぎなば、後悔何ぞ追わん。
Letter to the Superintendent of Daibutsu-den			Do away with self-pride and put your faith in Nichiren. If you allow your present life to go by in vain, it will be too late to regret it later.

寿福寺への御状			これをもってこれを按ずるに、念仏・真言・禅・律等の悪法、一天に充満して上下の師となるの故に、かくのごとき他国侵逼難起これるなり。
Letter to Jufuku-ji			Viewing the situation in light of what I wrote earlier, it is evident that, because the evil doctrines of the Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, and Precepts teachings have spread throughout the land and are revered by high and low alike, this calamity has arisen and we must face the threat of attack and invasion by a foreign nation.

浄光明寺への御状			早く二百五十戒を抛って、日蓮に帰して成仏を期すべし。もししからずんば、「無間に堕在す」の根源ならん。
Letter to Jōkōmyō-ji			You should make haste to discard the two hundred and fifty precepts that you observe, place your faith in Nichiren, and thereby assure that you will attain Buddhahood. If you do not, you will be following a course of action that will lead you in your next existence to fall into the hell of incessant suffering.

多宝寺への御状			言は心を尽くさず、書は言を尽くさず。
Letter to Tahō-ji			Words do not fully express what is in the heart, and writing does not fully express what is in words.

長楽寺への御状			速やかに一処に集まって談合を遂げ、評議せしめ給え。
Letter to Chōraku-ji			You should all gather together in one place as soon as possible to discuss the matter and debate what is to be done.

弟子檀那中への御状			定めて日蓮が弟子檀那、流罪・死罪一定ならん。少しもこれを驚くことなかれ。
Letter to My Disciples and Lay Supporters			Undoubtedly this will result in Nichiren’s disciples and lay supporters being condemned to exile or execution. You should not be surprised when this happens.

金吾殿御返事			これほどの僻事申して候えば、流・死の二罪の内は一定と存ぜしが、いままでなにと申すことも候わぬは不思議とおぼえ候。いたれる道理にて候やらん。
The Annual Lecture on the Doctrines of the Great TeacherT’ien-t’ai			Since what I have said is so outrageous, I know that one of two punishments, either exile or death, is absolutely certain, and hence I think it is strange that nothing has happened to me so far. Perhaps that is because my assertions represent the ultimate principle.

法門申さるべき様の事			選択をばうちおきて、まず、法華経の第二の巻の「今この三界は」の文を開いて、釈尊は我らが親父なり等、定め了わるべし。
On the Proper Way to Preach the Doctrine			Regarding the proper way to preach the doctrine, you should leave aside for the moment The Nembutsu Chosen above All. In general, you should begin by citing the passage in the second volume of the Lotus Sutra in which the Buddha states, “Now this threefold world is all my domain, and the living beings in it are all my children.” Make certain your listeners understand that Shakyamuni is our father.

真間釈迦仏御供養逐状			この度は、大海のしおの満つるがごとく、月の満ずるがごとく、福きたり、命ながく、後生は霊山とおぼしめせ。
Concerning the Statue of ShakyamuniBuddha Made by Toki			This time, please believe that your good fortune will increase, as the sea tide swells and as the moon waxes full, and that your life will lengthen and you will be reborn on Eagle Peak.

富木殿御返事（止観第五の事）			法門のこと、日本国に人ごとに信ぜさせんと願じて候いしが、願や成熟せんとし候らん
Reply to the Lay Nun			With regard to my doctrine, my great desire is to enable each person in this country of Japan to take faith in it, and I believe that my wish is about to be realized.

大豆御書			一豆を法華経になげぬれば、法界みな蓮なり。
An Offering of Soybeans			When a single soybean is brought to the Lotus Sutra, the entire realm of phenomena becomes the lotus realm.

真言七重勝劣事			故に、法華経をもって法の一の座となし、延暦寺の僧をもって一の座となすべし。
On the True Word Teaching Ranking Seventh			Therefore the Lotus Sutra should hold first place as the teaching there, and the priests of Enryaku-ji should hold first place.

真言天台勝劣事			地体、弘法大師の華厳より法華を下されたるは、遥かに仏意にはくい違いたる心地なり。用いるべからず、用いるべからず。
On the Relative Superiority of the True Word and Tendai Schools			In the end, then, we must say that the Great Teacher Kōbō, in regarding the Lotus Sutra as inferior to the Flower Garland Sutra, was departing in a most flagrant manner from the Buddha’s true intention.

秋元殿御返事			師檀となることは三世の契り、種・熟・脱の三益別に人を求めんや。
On the Five Seasonal Festivals			Entering into the relation of teacher and lay supporter is the result of a bond that bridges the three existences. Never seek the three benefits of sowing, maturing, and harvesting from anyone else.

十章抄			南無阿弥陀仏は爾前にかぎる。法華経においては往生の行にあらず。
On the Ten Chapters of “Great Concentration and Insight”			The Nembutsu practice of reciting Namu-Amida-butsu pertains only to the sutras preached prior to the Lotus. According to the Lotus Sutra, it can never lead to rebirth in the Pure Land.

行敏御返事			かくのごとく仰せを蒙り候条、もっとも庶幾するところに候。
Reply to Gyōbin			I earnestly desire that we receive their instructions this way.

行敏訴状御会通			これらは仏記に云わく「これらの悪人は仏法の怨敵にはあらず。三明六通の羅漢のごとき僧侶等、我が正法を滅失せん」。
Response to the Petition from Gyōbin			The Buddha says in a prediction that the enemies of his teachings will not be evil men like the ones involved in these incidents. He states that it will be monks who resemble arhats with the three insights and six transcendental powers who will destroy his correct teachings.

一昨日御書			よって御存知のために立正安国論一巻これを進覧す。勘え載するところの文は九牛の一毛なり。いまだ微志を尽くさざるのみ。
The Day before Yesterday			That you may understand my own intentions, I have submitted to you a copy of my work On Establishing the Correct Teaching. The ideas expressed therein are but one hair from the hides of nine oxen, and I have by no means fulfilled my humble aims.

五人土籠御書			ろうをいでさせ給いなば、明年のはる、かならずきたり給え。みみえまいらすべし。
Letter to Five Followers in Prison			If you have been released from prison, you must be sure to come to Sado in the spring of next year. Let us meet again!

早勝問答			一義に云わく、さては弘法は僻事なり。その故は、この陀羅尼を戯論、第三の劣と下すなり。
Dialogues for Quick Victory			Point out the perverse nature of Kōbō’s view since, despite this reference to dhāranīs in the Lotus Sutra, he calls the sutra a work of childish theory and ranks it in third place.

法華浄土問答抄			日蓮、管見をもって一代聖教ならびに法華経の文を勘うるに、いまだこれを見ず、法華経の名を挙げて、あるいはこれを抛て、あるいはその門を閉じよ等ということを。
Dialogue on the Lotus and Pure Land Teachings			Limited as my view may be, I have never seen any passage in any of the sacred teachings set forth in the Buddha’s lifetime or in the text of the Lotus Sutra itself that cites the Lotus Sutra by name and says one should abandon it or close the door on its doctrines.

八宗違目抄			法華宗より外の真言等の七宗ならびに浄土宗等は、釈迦如来をもって父となすことを知らず。
Errors of the Eight Schools			The seven schools listed above, the True Word school and the others, along with the Pure Land school, all fail to recognize Shakyamuni Thus Come One as their father.

草木成仏口決			一念三千の法門をふりすすぎたてたるは大曼荼羅なり。当世の習いそこないの学者、ゆめにもしらざる法門なり。
The Oral Tradition regarding the Enlightenment of Plants			The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life I have revealed in all its purity in the great mandala. It is a doctrine that the scholars of the present age, lacking comprehension in such matters, cannot fathom even in their dreams.

富木殿御返事（諸天加護なき所以の事）			ただし、生涯、本より思い切り了わんぬ。今に翻反ること無く、その上また遺恨無し。諸の悪人はまた善知識なり。
Why No Protection from the Heavenly Gods?			But my life from the beginning has been based upon firm conviction. I have no intention now of reversing my course, nor will I ever reproach [those who persecuted me]. Evil persons too will be good friends to me.

真言諸宗違目			ただし先業いまだ尽きざるなり。日蓮流罪に当たれば、教主釈尊衣をもってこれを覆いたまわんか。
Errors of the True Word and Other Schools			It is just that some of my karma from previous existences has yet to be expiated. But when I was condemned to exile, did not Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, cover me with his robe?

弁殿御消息（法門聴聞の事）			総じては、これよりぐしていたらん人によりて法門は御聴聞あるべし。
Letter to Ben			As a rule, you should learn of such doctrinal matters from those who have received instruction in them directly from me. That way my disciples can learn to instruct one another.

真言見聞			法華経には事理共に有るなり。いわゆる、久遠実成は事なり、二乗作仏は理なり。
Examining the True Word School			The Lotus Sutra includes both principle and practice. The fact that the Buddha attained enlightenment in the far distant past is an example of a matter pertaining to practice. And the fact that persons of the two vehicles are capable of attaining Buddhahood is a matter of principle.

経王御前御書			またいかに唱うとも、日蓮に怨をなせし人々は、まず必ず無間地獄に堕ちて、無量劫の後に日蓮の弟子と成って成仏すべし。
Regarding the Birth of Kyō’ō			But no matter how others may chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, if they are persons who show enmity toward Nichiren, then without fail they will fall into the hell of incessant suffering. And then, after countless kalpas have passed, they will become Nichiren’s disciples and will succeed in attaining Buddhahood.

祈禱経送状			それにつけても、法華経の行者は、信心に退転無く、身に詐親無く、一切法華経にその身を任せて金言のごとく修行せば、たしかに後生は申すに及ばず、今生も息災延命にして勝妙の大果報を得、広宣流布の大願をも成就すべきなり。
Letter Sent with the Prayer Sutra			Thus you should understand that so long as a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra remains unwavering in faith, free of all false alliances, entrusting himself wholeheartedly to the Lotus Sutra and practicing in accordance with the Buddha’s golden words, he will without fail be able to prevent disaster and prolong his life in this present existence, to say nothing of in the life to come. Splendid recompense will be his, and he will fulfill his great vow to broadly proclaim and propagate the Lotus Sutra.

土木殿御返事（経文符合の事）			幸いなるかな、我が身「しばしば擯出せられん」の文に当たること。悦ばしいかな、悦ばしいかな。
The Joy of Fulfilling the Sutra Teachings			It is indeed a matter of joy that my situation perfectly fits the sutra passage that reads, “Again and again we will be banished.” How delightful! How gratifying!

弁殿並尼御前御書			日蓮その身にあいあたりて、大兵をおこして二十余年なり。日蓮、一度もしりぞく心なし。
The Great Battle			It has been twenty or more years now since I found myself in that situation and began the great battle. Not once have I thought of retreat.

土木殿御返事（越州嫡男ならびに妻尼の事）			今年、日本国一同に飢渇の上、佐渡国には七月七日已下、天よりたちまちに石灰虫と申す虫、雨下り、一時に稲穀損失し、その上、疫々処々に遍満し、方々死難脱れ難きか。
Damage by Locusts			This year, not only has the entire land of Japan been suffering from famine, but in the province of Sado, due to the locusts that poured down abruptly from the heavens from the seventh day of the seventh month onward, and to the rain, in one stroke the rice crop and other grains were ruined. Furthermore, epidemics have been raging in various places, so I fear that it is difficult for people to escape death.

小乗大乗分別抄			夫れ、小大定めなし。一寸の物を一尺の物に対しては小と云い、五尺の男に対しては六尺七尺の男を大の男と云う。
The Differences between Hinayanaand Mahayana			There is no hard and fast distinction between Hinayana, or lesser vehicle, and Mahayana, or great vehicle. An object measuring an inch we call “small” when we compare it with one measuring a foot; a man measuring six or seven feet we call “large” when we compare him to a man measuring five feet.

富木殿御書（身延入山の事）			結句は一人になって日本国に流浪すべきみにて候。またたちとどまるみならば、げんざんに入り候べし。
The Way to Minobu			In the end my lot will no doubt be to wander Japan alone. But if I do stay here I would like it very much if you would visit.

法華取要抄			かくのごとく国土乱れて後に上行等の聖人出現し、本門の三つの法門これを建立し、一四天四海一同に妙法蓮華経の広宣流布疑いなきものか。
Choosing the Heart of the Lotus Sutra			And when, as these signs portend, the nation has been plunged into disorder, then Bodhisattva Superior Practices and the other sages will come forward, establish the three secret Laws of the essential teaching, and spread Myoho-renge-kyo widely throughout the four continents and the region within the four seas! Could anyone doubt it?

上野殿御返事（故上野殿追善の事）			かまくらにてかりそめの御事とこそおもいまいらせ候いしに、おもいわすれさせ給わざりけること、申すばかりなし。
Reply to Ueno			No words can express how moved I am that you remembered me with fondness, just when I was wondering whether the events in Kamakura would end up having been mere fleeting encounters.

弥源太入道殿御返事			ただし、当世は「我も法華経をしりたり」と人ごとに申し候。時に法華経の行者はあまた候。ただし、法華経と申す経は、転子病と申す病のように候。
A Disease Passed on to One’s Children			In the world now, however, everyone says that he is familiar with the Lotus Sutra. That is why practitioners of the Lotus Sutra abound. But let us discuss the sutra known as the Lotus in terms of a disease that is passed on to one’s children.

上野殿御返事（土餅供養の事）			いかにいわんや、故聖霊も殿も、同じく法華経を信じさせ給えば、同じところに生まれさせ給うべし。
On the Offering of a Mud Pie			And how much more certain is it that you and your late father, because you both have faith in the Lotus Sutra, will be reborn there together!

曽谷入道殿御書			この法門は、当世の叡山その外日本国の人用いるべきや。もしこのこと実事ならば、日蓮あに須弥山を投ぐる者にあらずや。
Distinguishing the Lotus Sutra from the True Word Sutras			Should present-day Mount Hiei and the people of Japan accept this teaching? If this teaching were true, how would I be any different from one who is trying to fling aside Mount Sumeru?

顕立正意抄			我が弟子等の中にも信心薄淡き者は、臨終の時、阿鼻獄の相を現ずべし。その時、我を恨むべからず等云々。
Making Clear the Meaning of Establishing the Correct Teaching			If among my disciples there are those whose faith is weak and paltry, then when they are on their deathbed, they will manifest signs that they are destined for the Avīchi hell. And at that time, they must not hold me to blame!

立正観抄			禅は、法華経の方便・無得道の禅なるを、真実常住の法と云うが故に、外道の常見なり。
Establishing the Correct Method of Contemplation			The Zen teachings are an expedient means that leads one to the Lotus Sutra. But to say that this Zen, which is incapable of bringing one to enlightenment, represents the true and constantly abiding Law is to fall into the view of the non-Buddhists that all things are permanent and continue without change.

大田殿許御書			冀わしきかな、末代の学者、妙楽・伝教の聖言に随って、善無畏・慈覚の凡言を用いることなかれ。予が門家等、深くこの由を存せよ。
On the Relative Superiority of the Tendai and True Word Schools			It is my hope that scholars of this latter age will heed the sage words of Miao-lo and Dengyō and will put no trust in the crass statements of Shan-wu-wei or Jikaku. And I hope that the followers of my own teachings will give deep thought to this matter.

春の祝御書			とのの法華経の行者うちぐして御はかにむかわせ給うには、いかにうれしかるらん、いかにうれしかるらん。
New Year’s Greeting			When you go together with the practitioner of the Lotus Sutra to visit his grave, how happy he will be. How happy he will be!

富木殿御返事（悲母の帷の事）			帷は一つなれども、十方の諸天これをしり給うべし。露を大海によせ、土を大地に加うるがごとし。生々に失せじ。世々にくちざらんかし。
A Mother’s Gift of a Robe			Though it is only a single unlined robe, all the gods of the ten directions will come to know of it as well. Like the dew merging with the great ocean or soil added to the great earth, [the benefit from this robe] will remain in lifetime after lifetime, and never abate for existence after existence.

三沢御房御返事			おのずからよこしまに降る雨はあらじ風こそ夜の窓をうつらめ
Reply to the Lay Priest MisawaNo rain falls aslant on its own. The wind must be why it beats on the window at night.

立正観抄送状			止観とは、「己心の中に行ずるところの法門を説く」と云うが故に、明らかに知んぬ、法華の迹門に及ばずということを。いかにいわんや本門をや。
Cover Letter for the Work Entitled “Establishing the Correct Method of Contemplation”			T’ien-t’ai’s personal enlightenment thus pertains to the dhāranī preached as an expedient means prior to the Lotus meditation, and Great Concentration and Insight reveals the teaching that T’ien-t’ai himself practiced in the depths of his being. Hence we know that it does not pertain even to the theoretical teaching of the Lotus Sutra, much less to the essential teaching!

曽谷入道殿許御書			今この亀鏡をもって日本国を浮かべ見るに、必ず法華経の大行者有るか。既にこれを謗る者に大罰有り。これを信ずる者、何ぞ大福無からん。
On the Five Guides for Propagation			If we hold up this test as a mirror in which to reflect the face of Japan as it is now, we see that there must almost certainly be a great votary of the Lotus Sutra in the country. And those who slander him have already received great punishment. Therefore, why should those who have faith in him not receive great blessings?

上野殿御返事（大難必定の事）			かえすがえす、人のせいしあらば、心にうれしくおぼすべし。
The Source of Aniruddha’s Good Fortune			If people try to hinder your faith, I urge you strongly to feel joy.

浄蓮房御書			浄蓮上人の持つところの法華経、いかでか彼の故聖霊の功徳とならざるべき。
Letter to Jōren-bō			In your case, the relationship is one of father and son. How could the fact that you embrace the Lotus Sutra fail to bring blessing to the departed spirit of your late father?

南条殿御返事（白麦供養の事）			今のむぎは法華経のもんじなり。または女人の御ためにはかがみとなり、みのかざりとなるべし。男のためにはよろいとなり、かぶととなるべし。守護神となりて、弓箭の第一の名をとらるべし。
On Polished Wheat			And now this wheat of yours has become the words and letters of the Lotus Sutra. Or again it may become a mirror for a woman to use to adorn herself, and for a man it may become armor and a helmet, or it may become a guardian deity who will make you foremost among the wielders of bow and arrow.

大学三郎殿御書			たとい世間の諸戒これを破る者なりとも、堅く大小・権実等の経を弁えば、世間の破戒は仏法の持戒なり。
Discrepancies between the Provisional and the True Teachings			Though one may violate the various precepts of the secular world, if one clearly distinguishes between Mahayana and Hinayana, between provisional and true sutras, then while violating worldly precepts one is in fact an observer of the precepts of the Buddhist teachings.

大田殿女房御返事（即身成仏抄）			即身成仏の手本たる法華経をばさしおいて、あとかたもなき真言に即身成仏を立て、あまつさえ「唯」の一字をおかるる条、天下第一の僻見なり。これひとえに修羅根性の法門なり。
On Attaining Buddhahoodin One’s Present Form			To ignore the Lotus Sutra, which is the guide and key to the attainment of Buddhahood in one’s present form, and instead to postulate the True Word teachings as the road to such attainment, although they have nothing whatsoever to do with it; and on top of that, to add the one word “only,” asserting that the True Word teachings are the only path to such attainment—this is the most erroneous view imaginable in the whole world! This is in fact a doctrine expressive of nothing other than the asura nature.

上野殿御返事（法華経の御命の事）			とりのかいごをやしなうがごとく、ともしびにあぶらをそうるがごとく、かれたるくさにあめのふるがごとく、うえたる子にちをあたうるがごとく、法華経の御いのちをつがせ給うこと、三世の諸仏を供養し給えるにてあるなり。
Reply to Ueno			In the same way that a bird cares for its eggs, that one pours oil into a lamp, that rain falls on withered grasses, or that one offers milk to a starving child, you are extending the life of the Lotus Sutra, and thus making offerings to the Buddhas of the three existences.

四条金吾殿御返事（法論心得の事）			ただこの経を持って、南無妙法蓮華経と唱えて、「正直に方便を捨てて、ただ無上道を説くのみ」と信ずるを、諸法実相の開会の法門とは申すなり。
Letter of Instruction on Debating the Doctrine			The proper understanding of the “opening up and merging” effected by this phrase, “the true aspect of all phenomena,” is simply to uphold the Lotus Sutra, chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, and have faith in the words “honestly discarding expedient means, I will preach only the unsurpassed way.”

高橋殿女房御返事			なによりも入道殿の御所労、なげき入って候。「しばらくいきさせ給いて、法華経を謗ずる世の中御覧あれ」と候え。
Reply to the Wife of Takahashi			But what grieves me most is the illness of the lay priest. I wish you would urge him to live a little longer and wait to see what happens to this world that slanders the Lotus Sutra.

上野殿御書（祇園精舎の事）			わざと御使い有り難く候。それについては、屋形造りの由、めでたくこそ候え。いつか参り候いて、移徙申し候わばや。
Jetavana Monastery			I am grateful that you took the trouble to send your messenger. According to his report, you are going to build a new residence—this is wonderful indeed! Sometime I would like to visit and offer my congratulations on your new dwelling.

兵衛志殿御返事（鎌足造仏の事）			これより後も、いかなることありとも、すこしもたゆむことなかれ。いよいよはりあげてせむべし。たとい命に及ぶとも、すこしもひるむことなかれ。
Kamatari Suggests the Fashioning of a Buddha Image			From now on too, no matter what may happen, you must not slacken in the least. You must raise your voice all the more and admonish [those who slander]. Even if your life should be threatened, you must not falter in the least.

単衣抄			この帷をきて仏前に詣でて法華経を読み奉り候いなば、御経の文字は六万九千三百八十四字、一々の文字は皆金色の仏なり。
Regarding an Unlined Robe			When I don this robe, take my place before the Buddha, and recite the Lotus Sutra, then all the 69,384 characters that make up the sacred text, each individual character one by one, becomes a golden Buddha.

御衣並単衣御書			この衣をつくりて、かたびらをきそえて法華経をよみて候わば、日蓮は無戒の比丘なり、法華経は正直の金言なり。毒蛇の珠をはき、伊蘭の栴檀をいだすがごとし。
Cloth for a Robe and an Unlined Robe			I will have this robe made from your cloth, will wear the unlined robe as well, and will recite the Lotus Sutra. When I do so, though I am a monk without precepts, because the Lotus Sutra is a work of honest and upright golden words, it will be as if a poisonous snake were to spit up a gem, or sandalwood trees were to grow up among the eranda.

観心本尊得意抄			身延山は、知ろしめすがごとく、冬は嵐はげしく、ふり積む雪は消えず、極寒の処にて候あいだ、昼夜の行法もはだうすにては堪え難く辛苦にて候に、この小袖を著ては思い有るべからず候なり。
Understanding the Meaning of “The Object of Devotion for Observing the Mind”			As you know, here at Mount Minobu in winter the storm winds blow fiercely and the heaped up snow never melts. Because of the extreme cold, it is difficult and painful to carry out Buddhist practice day and night when one is not adequately clothed. But with this quilted robe to wear, I know I will not feel the cold at all.

強仁状御返事			一期の大慢をもって永劫の迷因を殖うることなかれ。速々天奏を経て疾く疾く対面を遂げ、邪見を翻し給え。
Reply to a Communication from Gōnin			You must not allow the towering pride of your present lifetime to plant the seeds of deluded wandering for endless kalpas to come. Let us make all haste to appeal to the authorities, make haste to meet face-to-face before them, and to put an end to these erroneous views!

神国王御書			悦ばしいかな、経文に任せて五の五百歳広宣流布をまつ。悲しいかな、闘諍堅固の時に当たって、この国修羅道となるべし。
Rulers of the Land of the Gods			I am delighted to think that, trusting in what is written in the sutra, I am living in the fifth five-hundred-year period, when we may expect to see the widespread propagation of the Lotus Sutra. But I grieve that this is a period when “quarrels and disputes will arise” and this nation of ours will follow the path of the asuras, the path of anger and contention.

善無畏抄			委細にこのことを勘えたるに、この三蔵は世間の軽罪は身に御せず。諸宗ならびに真言の力にて滅しぬらん。この責めは別の故無し、法華経誹謗の罪なり。
On Shan-wu-wei			But let us examine the matter in greater detail. This Tripitaka master was not guilty of any of the lesser offenses of ordinary life. All these had been wiped away by his study of the various schools of Buddhism and by the power of the True Word practices. Therefore these censures of King Yama could not have had any other cause—they were due to the fact that Shan-wu-wei was guilty of slandering the Lotus Sutra.

上野殿御消息（四徳四恩の事）			されば、法華経を持つ人は、父と母との恩を報ずるなり。我が心には報ずると思わねども、この経の力にて報ずるなり。
The Four Virtues and the Four Debts of Gratitude			Therefore a person who upholds the Lotus Sutra is repaying the debt of gratitude owed to father and mother. Even if one does not feel in one’s own heart that one can do so, one can repay it through the power of this sutra.

上行菩薩結要付嘱口伝			夫れ、仏法を学する法には、必ず時を知るべきなり。
Oral Exposition concerning the Transmission of the Essence of the Lotus Sutrato BodhisattvaSuperior Practices			In studying the teachings of Buddhism, one must by all means understand the time.

松野殿御消息（一劫の事）			その上、経文には、鬼神の身に入る者はこの経を信ぜず、釈迦仏の御魂の入りかわれる人はこの経を信ずと見えて候えば、水に月の影の入りぬれば水の清むがごとく、御心の水に教主釈尊の月の影の入り給うかとたのもしく覚え候。
The Span of One Kalpa			Moreover, passages in the sutra tell us that when demons have entered a person’s body, that person cannot take faith in the sutra, but when the spirit of Shakyamuni Buddha has entered one’s body, then one can believe in this sutra. When the reflection of the moon enters the water, the water becomes pure. In the same way, the reflection of the moon that is Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, has entered the waters of your heart, [and your heart has become pure]. I find this most reassuring.

南条殿御返事（諸人供養の事）			されば、必ずよみかかねども、よみかく人を供養すれば、仏になること疑いなかりけり。
Reply to Nanjō			Thus though one may neither recite nor copy the sutra oneself, if one makes offerings to a person who does, one will without fail attain Buddhahood.

忘持経事			これより第一の好く忘るる者あり。いわゆる、今の世の天台宗の学者等と持経者等との、日蓮を誹謗し念仏者等を扶助するはこれなり。
On Forgetting the Copy of the Sutra			Even worse than them are the greatest forgetters of all, the so-called scholars of the present-day Tendai school and upholders of the Lotus Sutra who slander and defame Nichiren and lend support to the Nembutsu and other believers.

弁殿御消息（師弟同心の祈りの事）			おもいあわぬ人をいのるは、水の上に火をたき、空にいえをつくるなり。
Letter to Ben			If one prays for a person who is not properly responsive in mind, it is like trying to light a fire on top of water, or to build a house in the empty air.

九郎太郎殿御返事（家の芋供養の事）			いものめずらしきこと、くらき夜のともしびにもすぎ、かわける時の水にもすぎて候いき。
Reply to Kurō Tarō			Here a taro is rarer and more welcome than a lamp on a dark night or a drink of water when one is thirsty.

富木殿御返事（平癒祈願の事）			尼ごぜんの御所労の御事、我が身一身の上とおもい候えば、昼夜に天に申し候なり。
Prayer for the Lay Nun’s Recovery			I am as concerned about the illness of your wife, the lay nun Toki, as though it were I myself who is ailing, and day and night I pray to the heavenly gods that she will recover.

道場神守護事			災い来るとも、変じて幸いとならん。いかにいわんや、十羅刹これを兼ぬるをや。
How the Gods Protect the Place of Practice			Though calamities may come, they can be changed into good fortune. And how much more is this so when the ten demon daughters have foreknowledge of the situation!

本尊供養御書			須弥山に近づく鳥は金色となるなり。阿伽陀薬は毒を薬となす。法華経の不思議もまたかくのごとし。凡夫を仏に成し給う。
Offerings for the Object of Devotion			Birds that approach Mount Sumeru turn golden-hued. Agada medicine changes poison into medicine. And the wonder of the Lotus Sutra is also like that; it changes ordinary people into Buddhas.

大井荘司入道御書			しかれば、今度、法華経のために身を捨て命をも奪われ奉れば、無量無数劫の間の思い出なるべしと思い切り給うべし。
Climbing Up Dragon Gate			Therefore you must resolve that if, this time, you give up your body and sacrifice your life for the sake of the Lotus Sutra, it will without fail become the source of satisfaction of countless, innumerable kalpas of lifetimes.

西山殿御返事（雪漆御書）			いかにも御信心をば雪・漆のごとくに御もちあるべく候。
Snow and Lacquer			With regard to the faith that you hold in your heart, you must be as unchanging as snow or lacquer.

松野殿御消息（宝海梵志の事）			この娑婆世界の一切衆生は、十方の諸仏に抜き捨てられしを、釈迦一人ばかりして扶けさせ給うを「ただ我一人のみ」と申すなり。
The Brahman Treasure Sea			All the living beings of this sahā world, who have been abandoned by the Buddhas of the ten directions—it is Shakyamuni alone who can save them. He has said, “I am the only person who can rescue and protect others.”

兵衛志殿女房御書			この馬も法華経の道なれば、百二十年御さかえの後、霊山浄土へ乗り給うべき御馬なり。
Bodhisattva Learned Youth			And now this horse of yours has followed the path of the Lotus Sutra. After you live out your lifetime of one hundred and twenty years, this horse will carry you to the pure land of Eagle Peak.

六郎次郎殿御返事			日蓮が悦び候のみならず、釈迦仏定めて御悦び候らん。「我は則ち歓喜す。諸仏もまたしかなり」は、これなり。
Reply to Rokurō Jirō			Not only am I, Nichiren, delighted, but I am sure that Shakyamuni Buddha is delighted as well. As the Lotus Sutra says, “I will surely rejoice and so will the other Buddhas.”

乗明聖人御返事（金珠女の事）			彼は仏なり、これは経なり。経は師なり、仏は弟子なり。
The Woman Who Gave a Piece of Gold			That woman made an offering to the Buddha, and this couple to the Lotus Sutra. The sutra is the teacher and the Buddha is the disciple.

阿仏房御返事			今は毒身を棄てて、後に金身を受くれば、あに歎くべけんや。
Reply to Abutsu-bō			If then I can cast off this poison body and take on a diamond body, what cause could there be for lamenting?

下山御消息（1）	(1の1）		阿弥陀経を止めて、一向に法華経の内、自我偈読誦し候。
Letter to Shimoyama（1）		（1の1）	I ceased recitation of the Amida Sutra and have devoted all my attention to recitation of the verse section of the “Life Span” chapter of the Lotus Sutra

下山御消息（2）	（2の1）		法華経と阿弥陀経等の勝劣は、一重二重のみならず、天地雲泥に候いけり。
Letter to Shimoyama（2）		（2の1）	He explained that the Lotus Sutra and the Amida Sutra do not differ by a mere one or two degrees of merit, but in fact are as far apart as heaven and earth or clouds and mud.

下山御消息（3）	（2の2）		たとい親父たれども、一向小乗の寺に住する比丘・比丘尼をば、一向大乗の寺の子息これを礼拝せず親近せず。
Letter to Shimoyama（3）		（2の2）	Thus, though one’s own father may have been a monk living in a temple devoted solely to Hinayana teachings, if one lived in a temple devoted solely to Mahayana, one would not pay obeisance to one’s father or attempt to associate closely with him.

下山御消息（4）	（3の1）		涅槃経に云わく「もし人有って如来は無常なりと言わん。いかんぞ、この人、舌堕落せざらん」等云々。
Letter to Shimoyama（4）		（3の1）	Thus in the Nirvana Sutra he says, “Suppose there were a person who said that the Thus Come One is transient in nature. Could such a person escape having his tongue fall out?”

下山御消息（5）	（3の2）		一十四人の表に云わく「この界の含霊、今より後、ことごとく妙円の船に載り、早く彼岸に済ることを得」云々。
Letter to Shimoyama（5）		（3の2）	In their memorial, the fourteen men stated: “From now on, all the beings in this world who are endowed with life will be able to embark on the ship of the wonderful and perfect truth and quickly reach the opposite shore.”

下山御消息（6）	（3の3）		しかるを、初心の行者、深位の菩薩のように彼々の経々と法華経とを並べて行ずれば、不正直の者となる。
Letter to Shimoyama（6）		（3の3）	But if the beginners practice the various other sutras simultaneously with the Lotus Sutra, as bodhisattvas who are far advanced in religious practice do, then they are being dishonest.

下山御消息（7）	（4の1）		釈尊よりも仰せ付けられざる大法なれば、心には存して口に宣べ給わず。
Letter to Shimoyama（7）		（4の1）	And since they had not been commanded by the Buddha to propound these great doctrines, though they preserved them in their minds, they did not allow their mouths to speak of them.

下山御消息（8）	（4の2）		いわゆる迹門弘通の衆は、南岳・天台・妙楽・伝教等これなり。
Letter to Shimoyama（8）		（4の2）	Those who were designated to propagate the theoretical teaching were persons such as Nan-yüeh, T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lo, and Dengyō.

下山御消息（9）	（4の3）		修行せば、身は苦しく、暇は入って験なく、花のみ開いて菓なからん。
Letter to Shimoyama（9）		（4の3）	Persons who pursue such practices will exhaust themselves, spending much time and producing no results, bringing forth flowers but no fruit.

下山御消息（第五段第一）	(第五段第一）		例せば、狗犬が師子を吠え、猿猴が帝釈をあなずるがごとし。
Letter to Shimoyama（10）		（1st of 5th paragraph)	Such behavior is comparable to a dog barking at a lion or a monkey railing at the god Shakra.

下山御消息（第五段第二）			外には賢善を現じ、内には貪嫉を懐く。啞法を受けたる婆羅門等のごとし。
Letter to Shimoyama（2nd of the 5th paragraph）			Outwardly they will seem to be wise and good, but within they will harbor greed and jealousy. [And when they are asked to preach the teachings, they will say nothing], like Brahmans who have taken a vow of silence.

下山御消息（第五段第三）			両火房、内々諸方に讒言を企てて余が口を塞がんとはげみしなり。
Letter to Shimoyama（3rd of 5th paragraph）			And he, the priest Two Fires, for that reason secretly works to spread slanderous reports about me here and there in an attempt to silence me.

下山殿御消息（第五段四）			譬えば、熱鉄に冷水を投げ、睡眠の師子に手を触るるがごとし。
Letter to Shimoyama（4th of 5th paragraph）			I am like someone who throws cold water on molten iron, or who tweaks the leg of a sleeping lion.

下山殿御消息（第六段第一）			末代に入って法華経の大怨敵三類有るべし、その第三の強敵はこの者かと見畢わんぬ。
Letter to Shimoyama（1st of 6th paragraph）			When the world enters the latter age, the three great enemies of the Lotus Sutra will appear. And I have concluded that the third of these three enemies is none other than this man.

下山殿御消息（第六段第二）			あまつさえ、二七日まで一雨も下らず、風もやむことなし。されば、このことは何事ぞ。
Letter to Shimoyama（2nd of 6th paragraph）			Moreover, during another seven days [of their extended prayer period] these winds continued without stop, while not a drop of rain fell. What does this mean?

下山殿御消息（第六段第三）			これをもって彼らが大科をばしらるべきに、さはなくして、還って讒言をもちいらるるは、実とはおぼえず。
Letter to Shimoyama（3rd of 6th paragraph）			From this it should have been obvious what a great offense these men were guilty of. But on the contrary their slanderous words were accepted by the authorities and the truth of the matter never came to light.

下山殿御消息（第六段第四）			昔をかがみ、今をもしれ。弘法大師の祈雨の時、二七日の間、一雨も下らざりしもあやしきことなり。
Letter to Shimoyama（4th of 6th paragraph）			These passages of scripture apply to other persons of both past and present as well. Thus, when the Great Teacher Kōbō prayed for rain, for a period of fourteen days not a drop of rain fell, a very strange outcome indeed.

下山殿御消息（第七段第一）			経文のごとく読誦する日蓮をいかれるは、経文をいかれるにあらずや。仏の使いをかろしむるなり。
Letter to Shimoyama（1st of 7th paragraph）			To be angry at Nichiren, who reads and recites these passages as they are intended to be read, is to be angry at the passages themselves, is it not? And to do so is to look with contempt on the envoy of the Buddha!

下山御消息（第七段第二）			しかるに、彼らが大悪法を尊ばるる故に、理不尽の政道出来す。
Letter to Shimoyama（2nd of 7th paragraph）			Because they pay honor to a very evil teaching, they conduct their affairs of government in a wholly unreasonable manner.

下山御消息（第八段第一）			大乗また叶わねば、法華経の円頓の大戒壇を叡山に建立して代を治めたり。
Letter to Shimoyama（1st of 8th paragraph）			And when these in turn proved ineffective, a great ordination platform was set up on Mount Hiei for administering the Mahayana precepts of the perfect and immediate enlightenment of the Lotus Sutra, and in this way order was restored.

下山御消息（第八段第二）			弘法大師は、教大師御入滅の後、対論なくして公家をかすめたてまつりて八宗と申し立てぬ。
Letter to Shimoyama（2nd of 8th paragraph）			The priest known as the Great Teacher Kōbō, after the demise of the Great Teacher Dengyō, without ever confronting his opponents in debate, succeeded in deceiving the members of the imperial court and was thus able to establish the True Word teachings as the eighth school.

下山御消息（第八段第三）			本尊の御前に疏を指し置いて「この疏、仏意に叶えりやいなや」と祈せいせしところに、夢に日輪を射ると云々。
Letter to Shimoyama（3rd of 8th paragraph）			The Great Teacher Jikaku placed his commentaries before the image of the Buddha and prayed that he might be informed whether or not they conformed to the Buddha’s will. He then dreamed that he shot an arrow that struck the sun.

下山御消息（第八段第四）			されば、慈覚大師の夢に日輪を射ると見しはこれなり。仏法の大科これよりはじまる。
Letter to Shimoyama（4th of 8th paragraph）			This was the real meaning of the dream in which the Great Teacher Jikaku shot an arrow at the sun. This was the beginning of the great error in the Buddhist teachings.

下山御消息（第八段第五）			しかれば、明雲は義仲に殺されて、院も清盛にしたがいられ給う。
Letter to Shimoyama（5th of 8th paragraph）			Thus Myōun suffered death at the hands of Minamoto no Yoshinaka, and the Retired Emperor Goshirakawa was forced to obey the orders of Taira no Kiyomori.

下山御消息（第九段第一）			しかれば、相伝の所従に責め随えられて、主上・上皇共に夷島に放たれ給い、御返りなくしてむなしき島の塵となり給う。
Letter to Shimoyama（1st of 9th paragraph）			As a result, one after another of the reigning emperors or retired emperors were set upon and forced into submission by members of the warrior families that had earlier served them. They were exiled to barbarian islands where, never allowed to return, they left their sad remains to mingle with the island dust.

下山御消息（第九段第二）			この災夭は、常の政道の相違と世間の謬誤より出来せるにあらず、定めて仏法より事起こるかと勘えなしぬ。
Letter to Shimoyama（2nd of 9th paragraph）			I concluded therefore that these calamities sprang not from any dislocation in the ordinary conduct of government affairs or any mere worldly error, but without doubt from some dislocation in the Buddhist teachings.