There lived a man named Young Ascetic in the Himalayas, who mastered the Brahman dharma in the Himalayas, but had never learned of Buddhism. One day an evil spirit appeared and said to him, “Everything in the universe is impermanent. This is the law of birth and death.” Revealing only the first half (eight characters) of the verse, the demon left the second half unsaid. Although Young Ascetic was glad to hear the first half of the verse, he felt as though he had been given only half of a wish-fulfilling gem or a tree that flowers without bearing fruits. So, he requested the demon to reveal the remaining half of the verse. The evil spirit responded: “I have not eaten anything for several days. I am starving so my mind is too troubled to tell the rest of it to you. Give me something to eat first.”

Young Ascetic asked, “What do you eat?”

“I eat living human flesh and blood. Since I can fly freely, I flew around the world in a flash looking for food. However, there was none to be found as I cannot kill innocent people because the gods protect them,” said the evil spirit.

Young Ascetic replied, “I will offer you my body, so tell me the remainder of the verse.”

“You are clever. Is this some kind of trick you intend to deceive me with?” the evil spirit replied.

“Young Ascetic said, ‘If someone offers you to exchange your trash for gold, wouldn’t you do it? If I die in this mountain, the birds and beasts will eat me so there won’t be any merit in my body. But if I can exchange my body for your teaching, it will be like exchanging excrement for food.’

“I’m still suspicious of your intentions,” said the evil spirit.

“I will call King Mahābrahman, Indra, Sun Deity, Moon Deity and the Four Heavenly Kings,” said Young Ascetic, “to be witnesses and pledge before them as Buddhas in the past have done.”

Finally, the evil spirit agreed to teach the rest of the verse. Young Ascetic removed his deerskin clothes, laid them on the ground, kneeled down placing his palms together in gasshō, and had the evil spirit sit on the seat. The evil spirit took his place on the seat and preached: “Extinguishing the cycles of birth and death, one is at ease and full of peace.”

Upon hearing the rest of the verse, Young Ascetic wrote it down on trees and rocks, then threw himself into the mouth of the evil spirit. This Young Ascetic is the current Śākyamuni Buddha and the evil spirit is Indra today.

Nichimyō Shōnin Gosho, A Letter to Nichimyō Shōnin, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 137-138

When evil kings in ancient times acted tyrannically and oppressed Buddhism, many sage monks were persecuted. I can conjecture from my own experience today how grief-stricken their followers, relatives, disciples, and supporters were. Now I, Nichiren, have actually practiced the whole book of the Lotus Sūtra as it is preached. Even those who uphold one phrase or verse are guaranteed to become Buddhas in the future. All the more so for those who actually practiced the whole book of the Lotus Sūtra to attain Buddhahood. This is most certain. Though unbecoming of me, I am hoping to attain Buddhahood not only for myself but also for all living beings in the whole country. I am sorry to say, however, that this is beyond my ability because we are in the country where the ruler does not heed my words.

Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 31

If secular people, who have heard us insist that we discard the sūtras preached during the forty years or so before the Lotus Sūtra appeared, question why must one discard such sūtras when they continue to be popular, simply tell them that the scaffolds used to build a tower should be demolished when the tower is completed. This simile shows the heart of interpretation stated in the second fascicle of the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra: “If the great teaching of the Lotus Sūtra is expounded now, the expedient teachings preached before the Lotus Sūtra will become extinct.” The word ‘myō’ implies ‘extinction’ meaning that the sūtras prior to the Lotus Sūtra will vanish quickly once the Lotus Sūtra is expounded. The same can be said of the word ‘abandon’ in the “Expedients” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra which says, “I have ‘abandoned’ all expedient teachings,” and ‘disappear’ as stated by Grand Master Chia-hsiang, “when the sun rises, stars disappear.” It is true that various sūtras preached prior to the Lotus Sūtra, once completed, can be thrown away because those sūtras are like scaffolds to build a tower. However, in some cases the scaffolds can be kept to use again when the tower needs repairing. This is the way of preaching by various Buddhas in the past, present, and future.

Hōmon Mōsaru-beki-yō no Koto, The Way to Refute the Evil Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Page 149

Those who have lost sight of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration believe themselves to have thoroughly understood the holy teachings preached during the Buddha’s lifetime but in reality they do not even know the difference between the provisional and true teachings. Yet they wear the three robes and carry an alms-bowl, stay in a monastery, and are revered as the great wise persons. Thus it is stated in the sūtra that those who are regarded by people as having a wide knowledge of the Lotus Sūtra and looked up to as though they were arhats who mastered the three supernatural powers and six supernatural powers will instead lose the Lotus Sūtra. …

QUESTION: May I ask you where the proof for this statement is?

ANSWER: It is stated in the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that numerous (800,000 million nayuta) bodhisattvas made a vow before the Buddha to spread this sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration stating in verse, “Many ignorant people will speak ill of us and attack us with swords and sticks, but we will endure them all.” Grand Master Miao-lê explains this in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “The first line of this verse refers to evil people in general, namely self-conceited lay persons.” This means that laymen and laywomen misled by monks of provisional teaching persecute the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra as though they are their enemies. The verse continues, “In the evil world there will be monks who are crafty and perverse and crooked in heart. Thinking they have attained what they have not, they will be proud and boastful in mind.” Miao-lê interprets this in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “The next line refers to the self-conceited monks,” It means that monks in the Latter Age of Degeneration who are based on various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra boast themselves of having been able to perceive the dharma and go against the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra.

Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 9-10

Even if the “perfect teaching” expounded in the pre-Lotus sūtras is put in the “perfect teaching” expounded in the Lotus Sūtra, they cannot be the same teaching. The “perfect teaching” of the pre-Lotus sūtras included in the Lotus Sūtra is called not the True Dharma but just “an expedient teaching within the Lotus Sūtra.” When an expedient teaching is taken out of the Lotus Sūtra, and the “One Buddha-Vehicle is divided into three” (the second chapter of the Lotus Sūtra), it is called “the perfect teaching within the Three Vehicles.” (It can be said that because an expedient teaching is expounded based on the “perfect teaching” of the Lotus Sūtra, the expedient should be called the “perfect teaching,” but strictly speaking the “perfect teaching” of the Lotus Sūtra is different from that of other sūtras. That is why the “perfect teaching” as an expedient is called “the perfect teaching within the Three Vehicles.”)

Shoshū Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers Regarding Other Schools, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 166-167