The Odaimoku is nothing more than praising with our life the heart of the Lotus Sutra. The Odaimoku does not exist outside of the Lotus Sutra. It is not something that replaces the Lotus Sutra. It is merely an abbreviated way to practice the heart of the sutra, which is praising. Nichiren did not invent the Odaimoku; he was not even the first person to chant it. So if Nichiren didn’t invent the Odaimoku, and he wasn’t the first person to chant it, how could he in any logical way be superior to Shakyamuni Buddha, who taught the Lotus Sutra? Shakyamuni Buddha’s life is the manifestation of the Lotus Sutra, and the physical embodiment of the Eternal Buddha, which is revealed in no place other than the Lotus Sutra. It isn’t so much that the Buddha attained enlightenment by means of the Lotus Sutra; it is more that the Buddha is the Lotus Sutra and the teaching of the Lotus Sutra is that revelation.