I have received the white winter robe and the thick-quilted one, as well as one kan of coins, through the offices of Hoki-bo. Hoki-bo and Sado-bo and the believers at Atsuhara, united in their courageous faith, proved the true strength of itai doshin.

If itai doshin (many in body, one in mind) prevails among the people, they will achieve all their goals, whereas in dotai ishin (one in body, different in mind), they can achieve nothing remarkable. The more than three thousand volumes of Confucianism and Taoist literature are filled with examples. King Chou of Yin led 700,000 soldiers into battle against King Wu of Chou and his 800 men. Yet King Chou's army lost because of disunity while King Wu's men defeated him because of perfect unity. Even an individual at cross purposes with himself is certain to end in failure. Yet a hundred or even a thousand people can definitely attain their goal if they are of one mind. Though numerous, the Japanese will find it difficult to accomplish anything, because they are divided in spirit. On the contrary, I believe that although Nichiren and his followers are few in number, because they act in itai doshin, they will accomplish their great mission of propagating the Lotus Sutra. Many raging fires are quenched by a single shower of rain, and many evil forces are vanquished by a single great truth. Nichiren and his followers are proving this.

You have served the Lotus Sutra with devotion for many years, and in addition, you demonstrated remarkable faith during the recent incident at Atsuhara. Many people including Hoki-bo and Sado-bo have told me so. I have listened carefully and reported everything to the god of the sun and to Tensho Daijin.

I should have replied to you earlier, but there was no one who could bring this letter to you. Nissho left here so quickly that I had no time to finish writing before his departure.

Some people may be wondering whether the Mongols will really attack again, but I believe that invasion is now imminent. An invasion would be deplorable--it would mean the ruin of our country--but if it does not happen, the Japanese people will slander the Lotus Sutra more than ever and all of them will fall into the hell of incessant suffering.

The nation may be devastated by the superior strength of the Mongols, but slander of Buddhism will cease almost entirely. Defeat would be like moxa cautery which cures disease or acupuncture which relieves pain. Both are painful at the moment but bring happiness later.

I, Nichiren, am the emissary of the Lotus Sutra, while the Japanese are like King Mihirakula who eliminated Buddhism throughout India. The Mongol Empire may be like King Himatala of the Snow Mountains, a messenger from heaven sent to punish those hostile to the votary of the Lotus Sutra. If the Japanese repent, they will be like King Ajatashatru who became a devout follower of Buddhism, thereby curing his own leprosy and prolonging his life by forty years. Like Ajatashatru, they will profess faith in spite of their earlier disbelief, and awaken to the entity of life.

With my deep respect,
Nichiren

The sixth day of the eighth month
 
 

Gosho background information

Primio sam beli zimski ogrtač i debeo pokrivač, kao i kan kovanog novca, preko službenikâ Hoki-boa. Hoki-bo i Sado-bo i vernici u Atsuhari, ujedinjeni u svojoj hrabroj veri, dokazali su istinsku snagu itai došina. 

Ako itai došin (mnoštvo tela, jedan um) preovlada među ljudima, onda će oni postići svaki svoj cilj, dok u dotai išinu (jedno telo, a različita nastojanja u umu) ne mogu postići ništa osobito. Više od tri hiljade tomova konfučijanske i taoističke literature je ispunjeno primerima. Kralj Čou iz Jina poveo je 700.000 vojnika u bitku protiv kralja Vua iz Čoua i njegovih 800 ljudi. Pa ipak je vojska kralja Čoua izgubila usled nejedinstva, dok su ljudi kralja Vua pobedili usled svog savršenog jedinstva. Čak će i pojedinac koji nosi međusobno suprotstvaljene namere u sebi sigurno završiti u neuspehu. Čak i stotinu, pa i hiljadu ljudi, mogu nesumnjivo dostići svoj cilj, ako su duhom jedinstveni. Mada brojni, Japanci će naći da je teško izvršiti bilo šta, jer su duhom podeljeni. Naprotiv, verujem da će Ničiren i njegovi sledbenici, mada su malobrojni, izvršiti svoju veliku misiju propagiranja Lotos Sutre, jer deluju u itai došinu. Mnoštvo ljutih paljevina biva ugašeno jednim jedinim pljuskom kiše, a mnoštvo zlih sila pokoreno jednom jedinom velikom istinom. Ničiren i njegovi sledbenici to dokazuju. 

Služio si Lotos Sutru s predanošću mnogo godina, i uz to iskazao osobitu veru tokom skorašnjeg incidenta u Atsuhari. Mnogo ljudi mi je, uključujući Hoki-boa i Sado-boa, to reklo. Slušao sam pažljivo i o svemu izvestio boga sunca i Tenšo Daiđin. 

Trebalo je da ti ranije odgovorim, ali nikoga nije bilo ko bi ti odneo to pismo. Nisšo je tako brzo otišao odavde da nisam imao vremena da završim pismo pre njegovog odlaska. 

Neki se mogu u čudu pitati da li će nas Mongoli stvarno ponovo napasti, ali ja verujem da je najezda sada bliska. Upad bi bio za žaljenje - to bi značilo uništenje naše zemlje - ali ako se to ne desi japanski narod će klevetati Lotos Sutru više no ikad i svi će dopasti pakla neprekidne patnje. 

Narod može biti opustošen nadmoćnom snagom Mongola, ali klevetanje budizma će gotovo sasvim prestati. Poraz bi bio kao delovanje preparata mokse koji isceljuje bolest ili akupunkture koja oslobađa bola. Oba su načina bolna u tom trenutku, ali donose sreću kasnije. 

Ja, Ničiren, sam izaslanik Lotos Sutre, dok su Japanci kao kralj Mihirakula koji je odstranio budizam širom Indije. Mongolsko Carstvo može biti kao kralj Himatala sa Snežnih Planina, glasnik sa neba poslan da kazni neprijatelje poklonika Lotos Sutre. Ako se Japanci pokaju, biće kao kralj Ađatašatru koji je postao pobožni sledbenik budizma, i na taj način se iscelio od lepre i produžio svoj život za četrdeset godina. Kao i kralj Ađatašatra, priznaće veru uprkos svom ranijem neverovanju i probudiće se za bit života. 

Uz moje duboko poštovanje, 
Ničiren 

Šesti dan osmog meseca 
 
 

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