Letter to Musashi

Background

I HAVE received The Summary of the Mahayana¹ in three volumes. But because I do not have its commentaries, such as The Commentary on “The Summary of the Mahayana,” I cannot get on with my work. I hope you will send those as well so that I can consult them. Please let me know when we can meet.

When is the next meeting of the eight-session Lotus Sutra lectures?²

Nichiren

The seventeenth day of the seventh month

To the priest Musashi

Background

Nichiren Daishonin dated this letter the seventeenth day of the seventh month, and one view suggests the year as 1259. The Daishonin asks the priest Musashi to send the commentaries on the Buddhist text he has just received. No details are known.

Notes

1. A work by Asanga, an Indian Buddhist teacher of the fourth or fifth century. It expounds the Consciousness-Only doctrine and sets forth ten points whereby Mahayana teachings are superior to Hinayana ones. There are two commentaries titled The Commentary on “The Summary of the Mahayana,” one written by Vasubandhu, and the other by Asvabhāva.

2. “The eight-session Lotus Sutra lectures” refers to a series of lectures on each of the eight volumes comprising Kumārajīva’s Chinese translation of the Lotus Sutra.