If you wish to free yourself from the sufferings of birth and death you have endured through eternity and attain supreme enlightenment in this lifetime, you must awaken to the mystic truth which has always been within your life. This truth is Myoho-renge-kyo. Chanting Myoho-renge-kyo will therefore enable you to grasp the mystic truth within you. Myoho-renge-kyo is the king of sutras, flawless in both letter and principle. Its words are the reality of life, and the reality of life is the Mystic Law (Myoho). It is called the Mystic Law because it explains the mutually inclusive relationship of life and all phenomena. That is why this sutra is the wisdom of all Buddhas. 

Life at each moment encompasses both body and spirit and both self and environment of all sentient beings in every condition of life,¹ as well as insentient beings -- plants, sky and earth, on down to the most minute particles of dust. Life at each moment permeates the universe and is revealed in all phenomena. One awakened to this truth himself embodies this relationship. However, even though you chant and believe in Myoho-renge-kyo, if you think the Law is outside yourself, you are embracing not the Mystic Law but some inferior teaching. "Inferior teachings" means those other than this sutra, which are all provisional and transient. No provisional teaching leads directly to enlightenment, and without the direct path to enlightenment you cannot attain Buddhahood, even if you practice lifetime after lifetime for countless aeons. Attaining Buddhahood in this lifetime is then impossible. Therefore, when you chant the Mystic Law and recite the Lotus Sutra, you must summon up deep conviction that Myoho-renge-kyo is your life itself. 

You must never seek any of Shakyamuni's teachings or the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the universe outside yourself. Your mastery of the Buddhist teachings will not relieve you of mortal sufferings in the least unless you perceive the nature of your own life. If you seek enlightenment outside yourself, any discipline or good deed will be meaningless. For example, a poor man cannot earn a penny just by counting his neighbor's wealth, even if he does so night and day. That is why Miao-lo states, "Unless one perceives the nature of his life, he cannot eradicate his evil karma."² He means here that unless one perceives the nature of his life, his practice will become an endless, painful austerity. Miao-lo therefore condemns such students of Buddhism as non-Buddhist. He refers to the passage in the Maka Shikan, "Although they study Buddhism, their views revert to those of non-Buddhists." 

Whether you chant the Buddha's name,³ recite the sutra or merely offer flowers and incense, all your virtuous acts will implant benefits in your life. With this conviction you should put your faith into practice. For example, the Jomyo Sutra says the Buddha's enlightenment is to be found in human life, thus showing that common mortals can attain Buddhahood and that the sufferings of birth and death can be transformed into nirvana. It further states that if the minds of the people are impure, their land is also impure, but if their minds are pure, so is their land. There are not two lands, pure or impure in themselves. The difference lies solely in the good or evil of our minds. 

It is the same with a Buddha and a common mortal. While deluded, one is called a common mortal, but once enlightened, he is called a Buddha. Even a tarnished mirror will shine like a jewel if it is polished. A mind which presently is clouded by illusions originating from the innate darkness of life is like a tarnished mirror, but once it is polished it will become clear, reflecting the enlightenment of immutable truth. Arouse deep faith and polish your mirror night and day. How should you polish it? Only by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 

What then does myo signify? It is simply the mysterious nature of our lives from moment to moment, which the mind cannot comprehend nor words express. When you look into your own mind at any moment, you perceive neither color nor form to verify that it exists. Yet you still cannot say it does not exist, for many differing thoughts continually occur to you. Life is indeed an elusive reality that transcends both the words and concepts of existence and nonexistence. It is neither existence nor nonexistence, yet exhibits the qualities of both. It is the mystic entity of the Middle Way that is the reality of all things. Myo is the name given to the mystic nature of life, and ho to its manifestations. 

Renge, the lotus flower, symbolizes the wonder of this Law. Once you realize that your own life is the Mystic Law, you will realize that so are the lives of all others. That realization is the mystic kyo, or sutra. It is the king of sutras, the direct path toenlightenment, for it explains that the entity of our minds, from which spring both good and evil, is in fact the entity of the Mystic Law. If you have deep faith in this truth and chant Myoho-renge-kyo, you are certain to attain Buddhahood in this lifetime. That is why the sutra states, "After my death, you must embrace this sutra. Those who do so shall travel the straight road to Buddhahood."⁴ Never doubt in the slightest, but keep your faith and attain enlightenment in this lifetime. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. 
 

Respectfully, 

Nichiren 
 

Source: Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, Vol. 1, pg. 3-5.
 

Ako želiš da se oslobodiš patnji rađanja i umiranja koje si pretrpeo tokom večnosti i da dostigneš vrhovno prosvetljenje u ovom životu, moraš se probuditi za mističnu istinu koja je oduvek bila u tebi. Ta istina je Mjoho-renge-kjo. Recitovanje Mjoho-renge-kjoa će te, prema tome, osposobiti da shvatiš mističnu istinu u sebi samom. Mjoho-renge-kjo je kraljica sutri, bez nedostataka ni u pismu ni u načelu. Njene reči su stvarnost života, a stvarnost života je Mistični Zakon (Mjoho). Zove se Mistični Zakon stoga što objašnjava uzajamno uključen odnos života i svih fenomena. Eto zašto je ta sutra mudrost svih buda.

Život u svakom trenutku obavija i telo i duh, i jastvo i okolinu svih bića koja osećaju, u svakom stanju života,⁵ isto kao i onih bića koja ne osećaju – biljaka, neba i zemlje, sve do najmanje čestice prašine. Život u svakom trenu prožima univerzum i otkriven je u svim pojavama. Onaj ko je probuđen za ovu istinu i sam utelovljuje taj odnos. Međutim, čak i ako recituješ i veruješ u Mjoho-renge-kjo, ako misliš da je Zakon izvan tebe, onda ti ne prihvataš Mistični Zakon, već neko inferiorno učenje. "Inferiorna učenja" znači ona koja nisu ova sutra, koja su privremena i prolazna. Privremena učenja ne vode direktno prosvetljenju, a bez direktne staze do prosvetljenja ne možeš dostići budastvo, čak i ako praktikuješ život za životom tokom bezbrojnih eona. Dostizanje budastva u ovom životu je tada nemoguće. Stoga, kada recituješ Mistični Zakon i izgovaraš Lotos Sutru, moraš dozvati duboko ubeđenje da je Mjoho-renge-kjo sam tvoj život.

Ne smeš nikada da tražiš nijedno Šakjamunijevo učenje, niti bude i bodisatve univerzuma, izvan sebe. Tvoje vladanje budističkim učenjima neće ti ni najmanje olakšati smrtne patnje sve dok ne opaziš prirodu vlastitog života. Ako tražiš prosvetljenje izvan sebe svako učenje i dobro delo biće beznačajni. Na primer, siromašak ne može zaraditi ni dinara tek tako što će brojati bogatstvo svog komšije, čak i ako to radi danonoćno. Zbog toga Miao-lo tvrdi: "Sve dok neko ne opaža prirodu svog života, ne može iskoreniti svoju lošu karmu".⁶ To ovde znači da sve dok neko ne opaža prirodu svog života, njegova će praksa postajati jedna beskrajna, bolna surovost. Miao-lo stoga osuđuje takve učenike budizma nazivajući ih nebudističkim. On upućuje na odlomak u Maka Šikan: "Mada proučavaju budizam, njihova se gledišta okreću gledištima ne-budista".

Bilo da ponavljaš Budino ime,⁷ recituješ sutru ili prosto nudiš cveće i insens, sva tvoja čestita dela će usaditi dobrobiti u tvoj život. S takvim ubeđenjem treba da praktikuješ svoju veru. Na primer, Đomjo Sutra kaže da je Budino prosvetljenje pronađeno u ljudskom životu, tako pokazujući da obični smrtnici mogu dostići budastvo i da patnje rođenja i smrti mogu biti pretvorene u nirvanu. Dalje se tvrdi da ako je um ljudi nečist, onda je i njihova zemlja nečista, ali ako je njihov um čist, i njihova zemlja je. Ne postoje dve zemlje, čista ili nečista, u njima. Ta razlika leži jedino u dobru ili zlu našeg uma.

Isto je i sa nekim budom i običnim smrtnikom. Dok je obmanut, zove se običan smrtnik, ali jednom prosvetljen, zove se buda. Čak će i obesjajeno ogledalo sijati kao dragulj ako je izglačano. Um koji je domalo prekriven oblacima iluzija koje potiču od urođene tame života je kao neko ogledalo bez sjaja, ali ako je jednom izglačano postaće jasno, odsijavajući prosvetljenje nepromenljive istine. Probudi duboku veru i glačaj svoje ogledalo danonoćno. Kako treba da ga glačaš? Jedino ponavljajući Nam-mjoho-renge-kjo.

Šta onda mjo označava? To je prosto misteriozna priroda naših života iz trena u tren, koju um ne može shvatiti niti je reči mogu izraziti. Kada u bilo kom trenu pogledaš u svoj vlastiti um, ne zapažaš ni boju ni oblik za koje možeš da potvrdiš da postoje. Ipak, još uvek ne možeš reći ni da ne postoje, za mnoge različite misli koje ti se neprekidno dešavaju. Život je svakako jedna izvrdavajuća stvarnost koja prevazilazi i reči i pojmove postojanja i nepostojanja. Niti je postojanje niti nepostojanje, mada pokazuje osobine oboga. To je mistična suština Središnjeg Puta koja je stvarnost svih stvari. Mjo je ime dato mističnoj prirodi života, a ho njegovim manifestacijama.

Renge, lotosov cvet, simboliše čudo tog Zakona. Kad jednom shvatiš da je tvoj vlastiti život Mistični Zakon, shvatićeš da su to i životi svih drugih. Ovo shvatanje je mistični kjo, ili sutra. To je kraljica sutri, direktna staza ka prosvetljenju, koja objašnjava da je suština našeg uma, iz koga izviru i dobro i zlo, u stvari Mistični Zakon. Ako duboko veruješ u ovu istinu i ponavljaš Mjoho-renge-kjo, sigurno ćeš dostići budastvo u ovom životu. Zbog toga sutra tvrdi: "Posle moje smrti, moraš prihvatiti ovu sutru. Oni koji tako čine će ići ravnim putem do budastva."⁸ Nikada ni najmanje ne sumnjaj, već se drži svoje vere i dostigni prosvetljenje u ovom životu. Nam-mjoho-renge-kjo, Nam-mjoho-renge-kjo.
 

S poštovanjem,

Ničiren 
 
 
 

Preveo Mića Mijatović 15.8.1999. u Beogradu

Izvor: Glavna dela Ničirena Dajšonina, tom 1, str. 3-5.