The Birth of Tsukimaro
I received the message that your baby
was born. Congratulations! It is especially
significant that today is the eighth day
of the month. Not only have you had your
baby, but on such an auspicious day! The
fulfillment of your wish is now complete, just like the tide at the high water mark or the blossoming of flowers in a spring
meadow. Thus, I have wasted no time in giving her a name. Please call her Tsukimaro.
The Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, the
sovereign deity of this country, was born
on the eighth day of the fourth month.
Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of this saha
world, was also born on the eighth day
of the fourth month. Your baby girl was
born on the eighth day, though in a different
month. She could well be the
reincarnation of Shakyamuni or Hachiman.
Ordinary man that I am, I, Nichiren,
have no way to tell for certain, but I
am convinced that this auspicious birth is
attributable to the mystic agent I gave
you. How happy you both must be! In
celebration, you have kindly sent me rice
cakes, sake and one string of coins. I
also reported this to the Gohonzon and
the Ten Goddesses.
When the Buddha was born, there were
thirty-two auspicious phenomena, as is
recorded in a book called Shusho no Iki.
Shakyamuni Buddha took seven steps
immediately following his birth, opened
his mouth and uttered the words,
expressed in sixteen Chinese characters:
"Throughout heaven and earth, I alone
am worthy of respect. The threefold world
is a place of suffering from which I
shall save all people." Tsukimaro must
have chanted Nam-myoho-renge-kyo with
her very first cry at birth. The Lotus
Sutra speaks of "the true entity of all
phenomena." T’ien-t’ai says,
"Voices do the Buddha’s work." The deaf cannot
hear the thunder, and the blind cannot
see the light of the sun and moon. But I,
Nichiren, am quite certain that the Ten
Goddesses must be together side by
side, giving the baby her first bath and
watching over her growth.
Let me heartily congratulate you.
I can imagine your joy. I have respectfully
reported this to the Ten Goddesses and
to the Sun Goddess. I am too excited to
write any more. I shall be writing you
again.
Respectfully,
Nichiren
