025 Banishment to Sado

025 Banishment to Sado

Author: The Ignorant Trio January 5, 2024 Duration: 3:21

Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter in the tenth month of the eighth year of Bun’ei (1271), just before he left for his exile on Sado Island. At that time, he was being held at the mainland residence of Homma Rokurō Saemon, the deputy constable of Sado. The Daishonin wrote the letter to an acquaintance at Seichō-ji temple in Awa Province, possibly a priest named Enjō-bō.


Exile to Sado Island was a harsh punishment, second only to the death penalty. In this letter the Daishonin declares that he has met this persecution solely for the sake of the Lotus Sutra; he emphasizes that the very fact that it has happened demonstrates that he is “reading” the Lotus Sutra with his life. Since the Daishonin seeks to dispel doubts among his followers and revive their flagging courage by pointing out his mission as the votary of the Lotus Sutra in the Latter Day, this letter may be said to foreshadow The Opening of the Eyes, a major treatise he wrote four months later.


https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/Content/25


Finding quiet moments for study and reflection can feel nearly impossible in the rush of daily life. Gosho Reading (Nichiren Buddhism) offers a simple, accessible way to engage with the writings of Nichiren Daishonin, turning mundane tasks into opportunities for spiritual nourishment. Hosted by The Ignorant Trio-three women who approach the material with genuine curiosity rather than scholarly authority-each episode features a clear, thoughtful reading of passages from the Gosho. You might hear them while commuting, cooking, or folding laundry, allowing the teachings to settle into the rhythm of your day. The hosts, occasionally joined by guests, read the letters and treatises with a focus on clarity and presence, creating a shared space for listening rather than academic analysis. This podcast doesn’t aim to lecture or interpret heavily; instead, it provides the text itself, spoken aloud, so listeners can absorb the wisdom directly and find their own connections. It’s a companion for those seeking to integrate practice into a busy schedule, making the profound teachings of Nichiren Buddhism available in a practical, auditory format. Join The Ignorant Trio for these readings and discover how listening can become its own form of daily practice.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

Gosho Reading (Nichiren Buddhism)
Podcast Episodes
077 The Three Obstacles and Four Devils [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 14:23
This letter was written to Hyōe no Sakan Munenaga, the younger of the two Ikegami brothers. Though it was originally thought to have been written in the first year of Kenji (1275), it is now apparent that it was written…
155 Reply to the Lay Nun Nichigon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:51
This letter was written at Minobu in the eleventh month of the third year of Kōan (1280) in response to a petition from the lay nun Nichigon. She is thought to have been either a relative of the lay priest Takahashi, a c…
026 Letter to Priest Nichirō in Prison [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 3:07
On the ninth day of the tenth month, 1271, on the eve of his departure for Sado Island, Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter to Chikugo-bō Nichirō, who was later to become one of his six senior disciples. Nichirō and his…
008 (Part 2) Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:57
Although there are different opinions concerning the date of this letter, it is generally accepted that Nichiren Daishonin wrote it in the third month of the third year of Kōchō (1263), shortly after he had been pardoned…
008 (Part 1) Questions and Answers about Embracing the Lotus Sutra [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 16:19
Although there are different opinions concerning the date of this letter, it is generally accepted that Nichiren Daishonin wrote it in the third month of the third year of Kōchō (1263), shortly after he had been pardoned…
024 Lessening One's Karmic Retribution [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:35
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on the fifth day of the tenth month, 1271, only three weeks after he was nearly executed at Tatsunokuchi. It was sent to three of his leading disciples: Ōta Saemon, a government offic…
095 The Eight Winds [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 9:40
Background This is one of the many letters Nichiren Daishonin wrote to Shijō Kingo, his loyal disciple in Kamakura. Because of Kingo’s devotion to the Daishonin’s teachings, he was ordered in 1276 to move from his estate…
029 The Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:23
This letter, dated the eleventh day of the second month in 1272, was sent by Nichiren Daishonin to Sairen-bō Nichijō, a former Tendai priest who, for reasons that are unclear, was also living in exile on Sado Island. Det…
085 The Story of Ōhashi no Tarō [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:28
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter at Minobu in the intercalary third month of the second year of Kenji (1276) to Nanjō Tokimitsu, who lived in Ueno Village, in Suruga Province. Tokimitsu’s father, Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō,…
092 The Fourteen Slanders [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:51
Written near the end of 1276, this letter was a reply to the lay priest Matsuno Rokurō Saemon. Four in his family received letters from Nichiren Daishonin—he, his wife, son, and daughter-in-law. One of his daughters marr…