Today, I would like to tell you about the history of the Bodaitei Stairs (Kuonji Temple) has many steps up to the main hall. The stairs are very steep and there are 287 steps. This is named Bodai-tei, Bodai means to attain Buddhahood and tei means a kind of ladder. When we stand at the base of the steps, it seems that the stairs reach toward heaven.

The stairs were built by a great believer in 1632. His name was Ninzo and grew up on Sado Island in the Niigata Prefecture. Nichiren Dai Shonin was exiled to Sado Island for three years, so there were many of his followers on Sado Island. Ninzo’s mother was also a great believer of Nichiren Dai Shonin. She wanted to visit Mt. Minobu as her pilgrimage, so Ninzo took her to Mt. Minobu by carrying her on his back. When they visited Mt. Minobu they were very happy but going up hill was very hard. His mother muttered “If there are stairs here, it will help many people.” A few years later, his mother passed away but Ninzo still remembered his mother’s words. So he decided to build the stairs on Mt. Minobu. He was a fisherman and didn’t have a large income but worked hard to save money.

More than ten years later, he saved a large money and went to Mt. Minobu to donate the money to build the stairs. Before he visited Mt. Minobu, he tried to stay at an inn near by. However, the inn was closed. He also wondered why the town was so gloomy. He asked the reason to the inn-keeper. He answered “This town is suffering from a famine now. Many people pass away everyday.” After Ninzo heard that, he thought. “The teaching of the buddha exists for saving people. Now I have to save these suffering people. I have to spend my money to save them. The Buddha, Nichiren Dai Shonin and my mother will agree with me.” So he donated his money to save the suffering people. He went back to his home town and worked much harder for over ten years.

One day, when he went fishing in the sea, he saw something was shining on a mountain. He wondered about the light and climbed the mountain next day. When he went to the shining place, he realized what the light was. It was gold. As soon as he got the gold, he went to Mt. Minobu and stayed at the same inn. When the inn-keeper saw Ninzo, he asked, “About ten years ago, a man saved this town. You are the man, aren’t you ?” Ninzo answered “Yes”, then the inn-keeper went to town to let people know that Ninzo was staying at his inn. Many people came to the inn and gave a warm reception to Ninzo. At that time, they knew that the money was supposed to be spent to build the stairs. All of them said to Ninzo, “We want to help you. Now we have to repay you for your favor.” The next day, Ninzo started to build the stairs. Many people helped him and the construction was finished earlier than planned.

Nichiren Dai Shonin teaches us in the Itai Do Shin. All things are possible if people are united in one spirit. Nothing can be accomplished jf they are not united. Such teachings also exist in non Buddhist scriptures. For instance, King Chieh of the Yin Dynasty in old China, who had an army of seven hundred thousand men disunited in spirit, was defeated by King Wu of the Chou Dynasty and his army of 800 men, who were united in one spirit. Nothing is accomplished if one person is of two minds, even if there are hundreds or thousands of people. Yet if they are united, they surely will be able to accomplished their goal. The stairs in Mt. Minobu tells us the value of cooperation, giving alms and repayment of a kindness. the end.