經王殿御返事 文永十年（１２７３年）８月 ５２歲作 與四條金吾 於佐渡 其後正盼音信時，忽得專使送來，復承惠贈重寶之錢，越山渡海於日蓮身此時，彌 感珍貴。 夫經王御前之事，二六時中祈於日月天，前日之曼茶羅希持之勿須臾離身。其本尊， 正法像法二時中甚至無人傳習，遑言書顯者矣。師子王前三後一，臨蟻子與臨猛獸、 取勢則同。日蓮書奉之守護御本尊，不遜師子王。經云「師子奮迅之力」者是也。 又，於此曼茶羅須善信之，南無妙法蓮華經如師子吼，任何病障不足為禍，鬼子母 神、十羅剎女，於持法華經題目之人，必見守護。幸如愛染、福如毘沙門，隨處游 戲無恙，遊行無畏如師子王，十羅剎女中，尤以皋諦女之守護為深。一切但依信心。 利劍於不前之人無所用也，法華經之劍但為信心勇猛者之用，如虎生翼。日蓮之魂， 染墨書成者也，信之、信之，佛意是法華經，日蓮之魂祇在南無妙法蓮華經。妙樂 釋云：「顯本遠壽，以為其命。」 經王御前，當轉禍為福，須出大信心，祈念於此御本尊，何事不可成就耶？「充滿 其願，如清涼池，現世安穩，後生善處」，何有可務？又為告者，此國大難若得赦， 當急鎌倉以相見。所嘆者，露命耳﹗已強盛祈天之助，希繼淨德夫人、龍女之跡。 南無妙法蓮華經，南無妙法蓮華經。恐恐。 八月十五日 日蓮花押 經王御前御返事 通解： 分別之後，剛想知道你的消息時，你特意派人到來，並且惠贈比什麼都貴重的金錢。 對這個時候的日蓮來說，縱然遍尋所有山嶽和海洋，也找不到比這些金錢更合時宜 和重要的東西。 關於令千金經王的事，我日夜向日月天祈禱。日前送給你的守護御本尊，片刻不要 離開身邊。這御本尊在正法和像法兩時代連知曉的人也沒有，何況是書顯出來呢﹗ 師子王有所謂前三後一，不論是捕捉螞蟻抑或是猛獸時，所出的力量都完全一樣。 日蓮書寫守護御本尊的事，其實也不劣於師子王。經文有：「師子奮迅之力」就是 指這件事了。認真信奉這個曼茶羅吧﹗南無妙法蓮華經就像師子吼一樣，有什麼疾 病能成為障礙呢？可見奉持《法華經》的人，會得到鬼子母神、十羅剎女守護。奉 持《法華經》的人，像愛染明王一樣快樂，又像毘沙門天王一樣有福德。即使在什 麼地方要樂嬉戲，也不會遇到災難；悠閒地游玩，好像師子王一樣毫無害怕。在十 羅剎女中，皋諦女的守護特別深切。可是這完全視乎信心而定。刀劍對懦弱的人是 沒有用處的；對於信心勇猛的人，《法華經》這把劍才能起到如虎添翼的作用。這 個御本尊是日蓮將魂魄，就是南無妙法蓮華經。妙樂有：「以顯本遠壽以為其命」 的解釋。 令千金經王現在的災難，定會轉變為幸福。你要奮起信心，向這御本尊祈求吧﹗這 樣做的話，有什麼事不能成就呢？「充滿其願，如清涼池。現世安穩，後生善 處。」是不用懷疑的。再說，如果流罪到佐渡的大難獲得赦免，我一定會儘速趕往 鎌倉跟你見面。一想到《法華經》的功得力，「不老不死」便在眼前出現，我所顧 慮的，只是經王的生命像朝露那樣短暫。因此，我盡力祈求上天保祐她。希望她能 紹繼淨德夫人和龍女的遺跡。南無妙法蓮華經，南無妙法蓮華經。 八月十五日 日蓮謹覆 覆經王書Reply to Kyo'o
Just when I was longing to hear once again from you, the messenger,
whom you troubled to send,
arrived. In my present circumstances, your gift of money is far
more valuable than any treasure to
be found on land or sea.
Since I heard from you about Kyo'o Gozen, I have been praying to the
gods of the sun and moon
for her every moment of the day. Always cherish the Gohonzon
which I sent some time ago for her
protection. This Gohonzon was never known, let alone inscribed
by anyone in the Former or
Middle Day of the Law. The lion, king of beasts, is said to advance
three steps, then gather himself
to spring, unleashing the same power whether he traps a tiny ant or
attacks a fierce animal. In
inscribing this Gohonzon for her protection, Nichiren is equal to the
lion king. This is what the sutra
means by "the power of an attacking lion." Believe in this mandala
with all your heart. Nam-myoho-
renge-kyo is like the roar of a lion. What sickness can therefore
be an obstacle?
It is written that those who embrace the daimoku of the Lotus Sutra
will be protected by
Kishimojin and her ten daughters. They will enjoy the happiness
of Aizen and the good fortune of
Bishamon. Wherever your daughter may frolic or play, no harm
will come to her; she will be free
from fear like the lion king. Among Kishimojin's ten daughters,
the protection of Kodainyo is the
most profound. But your faith alone will determine all these
things. A sword will be useless in the
hands of a coward. The mighty sword of the Lotus Sutra must be
wielded by one courageous in
faith. Then he will be as strong as a demon armed with an iron
staff. I, Nichiren, have inscribed
my life in sumi, so believe in the Gohonzon with your whole heart.
The Buddha's will is the Lotus
Sutra, but the soul of Nichiren is nothing other than Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Miao-lo states in his
interpretations, "The revelation of the Buddha's original enlightenment
is the heart of the sutra."
Kyo'o Gozen's misfortunes will change into fortune. Muster your
faith and pray to this Gohonzon.
Then what is there that cannot be achieved? You should believe
the Lotus Sutra when it says, "This
sutra fulfills one's desires. It is the pond's cool, clear water
that quenches thirst," and "They will have
peace and security in this life and good circumstances in the next."
When I am pardoned from exile
to this province, I will hasten to Kamakura where we will meet.
If one considers the power of the
Lotus Sutra, he will find perpetual youth and eternal life before his
eyes. My only worry is that she
may die young; therefore, I am praying with all my might for the gods
to protect her. Raise her to
be like Lady Jotoku or the Dragon King's daughter. Nam-myoho-renge-kyo,
Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.
Respectfully,
Nichiren