January 20, 2025
LOTUS JEWELS（Nichiren Shu News NO263）
A sleeping lion does not turn angry unless it is provoked. Waves do not rise unless a pole is thrust in the river. Likewise, if we do not refute the slanderer of the True Dharma, we will not encounter hardship.
—Nichiren Shonin, A Letter to Lord Nambu Rokuro,Nambu Rokuro-dono Gosho (ST 80)
All beings wish to live in peace. But as Nichiren demonstrated with Rissho Ankoku, we cannot have true peace without practicing the true Dharma. Too often we settle for a superficial peace, where we give in to our fear of making trouble and stay silent in the presence of abuse and injustice. Nichiren teaches us that for the world to live in true peace, we must learn to speak up for the benefit of all beings, even those who threaten us with hardship
—Rev. Shinkyo Warner