如渡得船御書

A Ship to Cross the Sea of Suffering

弘長元年四月　四十歲作

　　日前所語之事，尋於彼人，果如尊說，未有稍違。以此，須是益勵爾志以得法華經之功德也。必聰如師曠之耳，明如離婁之目方可。

        When I asked him about what you told me the other day, I found it to be exactly as you said. You should therefore strive in faith more than ever to receive the blessings of the Lotus Sutra. Listen with the ears of Shih K'uang and observe with the eyes of Li Lou'.

     末法將有法華經行者出現。但大難來時，須信心強盛、更為喜悅也。薪加於火，豈不更盛耶？眾流入大海，大海有拒之不納者耶？法華大海之行者，大難之起，如諸河之水流入，絕無返之、拒之者矣！不納諸河之水，不為大海。若無大難，則不成法華經行者矣！天台云：「眾流入海，薪熾於火」者、此也。

    In the Latter Day of the Law, the votary of the Lotus Sutra will appear without fail. The greater the hardships befalling him, the greater the delight he feels, because of his strong faith. Doesn't a fire burn more briskly when logs are added? All rivers flow into the sea, but does the sea turn back their waters? The currents of hardship pour into the sea of the Lotus Sutra and rush against its votary. The river is not rejected by the ocean; nor does the votary reject suffering. Were it not for the flowing rivers, there would be no sea. Likewise, without tribulation there would be no votary of the Lotus Sutra. As T'ien-t'ai stated, "The various rivers flow into the sea, and logs make a fire burn more briskly"' When I asked him about what you told me the other day, I found it to be exactly as you said. You should therefore strive in faith more than ever to receive the blessings of the Lotus Sutra. Listen with the ears of Shih K'uang and observe with the eyes of Li Lou'.

　　法華經法門，一文一句，為人語之，須知此是過去之宿緣深厚也。經云：「亦不聞正法，如是人難度」。此文之意，正法者，法華經也；不聞此經者，其人難度也。

     You should realize that it is because of a profound karmic relationship from the past that you can teach others even a sentence or phrase of the Lotus Sutra. The sutra reads, "Nor will they hear the correct Law---such people are difficult to save." The "correct Law" means the Lotus Sutra; it is difficult to save those who are deaf to the teachings of this sutra.

        法師品有：「若是善男子、善女人……則如來使」之文，無論僧俗、尼婦，但為人說得一句者，即是如來之使。貴君既居俗，即善男子之人也。 

     A passage from the "Teacher of the Law" chapter reads: "If one of these good men or good women [in the time after I have passed into extinction is able to secretly expound the Lotus Sutra to one person, even one phrase of it, then you should know that] he or she is the envoy of the Thus Come One." This means that anyone who teaches others even a single phrase of the Lotus Sutra is the envoy of the Thus Come One, whether that person be priest or layman, nun or laywoman. You are already a lay practitioner and therefore one of the "good men" described in the sutra.

　　於此經，聽聞一文一句而染於心者，其人是如可渡生死大海之船。妙樂大師云：「一句染神，咸資彼岸。思惟修習，永用舟航」。渡生死之大海，非妙法蓮華經之船，不遂所願。

      One who listens to even a sentence or phrase of the sutra and cherishes it deep in one's heart may be likened to a ship that crosses the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. The Great Teacher Miao-lo stated, "Even a single phrase cherished deep in one's heart will without fail help one reach the opposite shore. To ponder one phrase and practise it is to exercise navigation."' Only the ship of Myoho-renge-kyo enables one to cross the sea of the sufferings of birth and death.

　　是以，法華經「如渡得船」之船者，教主大覺世尊，作巧智無邊之番匠，取四味八教之材木，以正直捨權作削，鋸合邪正一如，用醍醐一實為釘，放浮於生死大海，立中道一實之桅柱，揚界如三千之帆，趁諸法實相之好風，盡收「以信得入」之一切眾生，釋迦如來掌舵，多寶如來牽纜，上行等四菩薩函蓋相應，合力漕運之船，正是「如渡得船」之船也。

       The Lotus Sutra speaks of "someone finding a ship in which to cross the water." This "ship" might be described as follows: As a shipbuilder of infinitely profound wisdom, the World-Honoured One of Great Enlightenment, the lord of teachings, gathered the lumber of the four flavours and eight teachings, planed it by honestly discarding the provisional teachings, cut and assembled the planks, forming a perfect unity of both right and wrong,' and completed the craft by driving home the spikes of the one true teaching that is comparable to the flavour of ghee. Thus he launched the ship upon the sea of the sufferings of birth and death. unfurling its sails of the three thousand realms on the mast of the one true teaching of the Middle Way; driven by the fair wind of "the true aspect of all phenomena,"' the vessel surges ahead, carrying aboard all people who can "gain entrance through faith alone."" The Thus Come One Shakyamuni is at the helm, the Thus Come One Many Treasures takes up the mooring rope, and the four bodhisattvas led by Superior Practices row quickly, matching one another as perfectly as a box and its lid. This is the ship in "a ship in which to cross the water."

　　能乘是船者，日蓮弟子、檀那等也。須善信之！若見四條金吾，希好為語之。詳細容另陳，恐恐謹言。

      Those who are able to board it are the disciples and lay supporters of Nichiren. Believe this wholeheartedly. When you visit Shijo Kingo, please have an earnest talk with him. I will write you again in more detail.

四月二十八日                                                                                                        日　　蓮　花押

　　　椎地四郎大人