Gosho 兄弟抄 Letter to Brothers

　此の法門のゆへには設(たと)ひ夫(おとこ)に害せらるるとも悔ゆる事なかれ、

　You two wives should have no regrets even if your husbands do you harm because of your faith in this teaching.

　一同して夫の心をいさ(諫)めば竜女(りゅうにょ)が跡をつぎ末代悪世の女人の成仏の手本と成り給うべし、

　If both of you unite in encouraging your husbands’ faith, you will follow the path of the dragon king’s daughter and become a model for women attaining Buddhahood in the evil latter age.

　此くの如くおはさば設ひいかなる事ありとも、日蓮が二聖・二天・十羅刹(らせつ)・釈迦・多宝に申して順次生(じゅんじしょう)に仏にな(成)し・たてまつるべし

　Insofar as you can act this way, no matter what may happen, Nichiren will tell the two sages, the two heavenly kings, the ten demon daughters, Shakyamuni, and Many Treasures to make you Buddhas in every future existence.

心の師とは・なるとも心を師とせざれとは六波羅蜜経の文なり。

　A passage inthe Six Pāramitās Sutra says to become the master of your mind rather than let your mind master you.

設(たと)ひ・いかなる・わづ(煩)らはしき事ありとも夢になして只法華経の事のみさ(思)はぐら(索)せ給うべし、

　Whatever trouble occurs, regard it as no more than a dream, and think only of the Lotus Sutra.
　No matter what troubles may disturb you, regard them as fleeting as a dream and always think only of the Lotus Sutra.

　中にも日蓮が法門は古(いにし)へこそ信じかたかりしが今は前前い(言)ひをきし事既にあ(合)ひぬればよし(由)なく謗ぜし人人も悔る心あるべし、

　Nichiren’s teaching was especially difficult to believe at first, but now that my prophecies have been fulfilled, those who slandered without reason have come to repent.

設(たと)ひこれより後に信ずる男女ありとも各各(おのおの)にはか(替)へ思ふべからず、
Even if in the future other men and women become my believers,they will not replace you in my heart.

始は信じてありしかども世間のをそ(怖)ろしさにす(捨)つる人人か(数)ずをし(知)らず、

Among those who believed at first, many later discarded their faith, fearing that society would reject them.

其の中に返つて本(もと)より謗ずる人人よりも強盛にそし(謗)る人人又あまた(数多)あり

Among these are some who oppose me more furiously than those who slandered from the beginning.

在世にも善(ぜん)星(しょう)比丘(びく)等は始は信じてありしかども後にす(捨)つるのみならず返つて仏をはう(謗)じ奉りしゆ(故)へに仏も叶い給はず無間地獄にを(堕)ちにき

In Shakyamuni Buddha’s lifetime, the monk Sunakshatra believed the Buddha at first, then later not only backslid, but also slandered so viciously that even the Buddha could not save him from falling into the hell of incessant suffering.


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