QUESTION: Why are the omens after the passing of the Buddha superior to those that occurred during His lifetime?

ANSWER: As stated earlier, an earth’s tremor is caused by the shaking of the six sense organs of human beings. Moreover, the degree of the earth’s tremor in six different ways is determined by how the six sense organs of human beings shake. In the pre-Lotus sūtras, although it appears that the evil passions of all living beings were eliminated, in actuality they were not entirely. In the Lotus Sūtra, however, they are all completely eliminated, including the fundamental darkness of mind. As a result, there was severe trembling of the earth in the Lotus Sūtra. In the Latter Age of Degeneration there exist far more evil persons than in the lifetime of the Buddha, and the Lotus Sūtra destroys the fundamental ignorance of the people in the Latter Age of Degeneration. This is the reason why the omens superior to those in the lifetime of the Buddha are manifested in the Lotus Sūtra.

Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 126

The string of blue-duck coins that you sent to me has arrived. Scholars today unanimously agree that, whether during the Buddha’s lifetime or after his nirvana, the cultivation of the Dharma Flower always involves the threefold learning (of precepts, meditation, and wisdom.) Attaining Buddhahood is not possible if one is lacking in any of these areas.

Until recently I also held this view, but now I have decided to set aside this widely-held position regarding the holy teachings in order to read the Lotus Sūtra and see and hear its own interpretation. In addition, I have set aside the preface and main discourse which are the first two sections (of the Lotus Sūtra) in order to focus on the transmission section which is a clear mirror for the Latter Age of Degeneration on which we can still depend. And yet, the transmission section itself has two parts. The first part consists of the last five chapters of the theoretical section beginning with “The Teacher of the Dharma” chapter. The second part consists of the eleven and a half chapters of the essential section beginning with the latter half of “The Variety of Merits” chapter and continues to the last chapter of the sūtra. These eleven and a half chapters together with the previous five chapters combine to form sixteen and a half chapters that clearly show us how to put the Lotus Sūtra into practice in the Latter Age of Degeneration. And if this is not convincing enough, one can also look to the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva and the Nirvana Sūtra to illuminate this matter and leave nothing in doubt.

Shishin Gohon-shō, The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 106-107

QUESTION: Do you have scriptural proof that even those who believe without comprehension can attain Buddhahood?

ANSWER: The Nirvana Sūtra, fascicle 32, states, “There are many causes of attaining Buddhahood; faith, however, is all-inclusive.” Fascicle 9 in the same sūtra also preaches, “Upon hearing this sūtra, everything becomes the cause and by-cause of attaining enlightenment. The Buddha’s voice of preaching and rays of light emitted by the Buddha all enter through pores necessarily enabling listeners to attain enlightenment.” And the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 3 on the “Parable,” preaches that one can “gain entrance to Buddhahood through faith alone.”

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin,
Doctrine 3, Pages 125

It is said in the Nirvana Sūtra, an amplification (rutsū) of the Lotus Sūtra: “The slanderers of the True Dharma in the latter age of decay are countless in number just as the soil of the entire worlds in the universe is immeasurable. Those who keep the True Dharma are few in number just like a bit of soil on a fingernail.” What should we think of this? Please think hard whether or not the people in Japan represent a bit of soil on a fingernail, and Nichiren represents the soil in the entire universe.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 44

The Buddha preaches in such sūtras as the Lotus and the Nirvana sūtras that after the 2,000-year period of the True Dharma and Semblance Dharma since the death of the Buddha, in the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration, a dharma-master will appear to spread the five-character sacred title (daimoku) of the Lotus Sūtra while evil kings and monks who do not believe in the Lotus Sūtra will be more numerous than dust-particles on the earth, contending against one another in claiming Hinayāna or Mahāyāna teachings to be supreme. Refuted by the practicer of the daimoku, however, they will talk lay devotees into abusing, beating and jailing him, deprive him of fiefs, exile or behead him. When the practicer does not shirk from spreading the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra despite such persecutions, the Buddha declares, evil kings will begin fighting among themselves, engage in cannibalism like hungry spirits, and in the end be attacked by foreign troops. The Buddha asserts that this is solely because such guardian deities as the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, the sun and moon, and the Four Heavenly Kings will have a foreign power attack the country that has become an enemy of the Lotus Sūtra.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 25

It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra … that the merits of all the sūtras preached during the period of 40 years or so are all stored in the one Lotus Sūtra and the threefold bodied Buddhas in all the worlds throughout the universe are all Buddhas in manifestation of the one Śākyamuni Buddha. Therefore, “one Buddha equals all Buddhas,” and the two characters of myō and hō include all Buddhas. Accordingly, the merit of chanting the five-character daimoku of the Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is enormous indeed. On the other hand, the titles of various Buddhas and sūtras are expedient teachings, which were opened to reveal the true one by the Lotus Sūtra. The five-character daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra is the one that opened them to reveal the true teaching, and therefore we should chant the daimoku 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 22

Dividing the preachings of fifty years in His lifetime into two, provisional and true, Śākyamuni Buddha Himself clearly declared that we should discard provisional sūtras and seek refuge in the true sūtras. Thus, it is stated in the second chapter on “Expedients” of the Lotus Sūtra that the Buddha preached provisional sūtras in forty years or so because He was afraid that “the people would be unable to understand and sink in pain if He praised only the way to Buddhahood.” He, nevertheless, was also concerned that “if I guide people merely with Hinayāna dharma, even just one person, I would be committing the sin of greed.” Therefore, in order to avoid committing such a sin and upholding “His basic purpose of leading people into Mahāyāna teaching,” the Buddha expounded the Lotus Sūtra, achieving His purpose.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 25

Everyone, you and I and heaven and earth, know that the Buddha is a man of truth. It is not one or two persons but hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of people who know this. Gods, dragons, and asura demons in the triple world of illusion (realm of desire, realm of form and formless realm) know it. All the people, gods, men of the Two Vehicles and great bodhisattvas who have gathered together from all over India, four continents of the world, six heavens in the realm of desire, realm of form, formless realm and from all the worlds in the universe know this. They all heard the Buddha condemn the men of the Two Vehicles. Upon returning to their own lands, they told everyone what they had heard from Śākyamuni Buddha in the Sahā World. Therefore, everyone in the entire universe without exception knew that such men of the Two Vehicles as Kāśyapa and Śāripūtra would never achieve Buddhahood and that they therefore should not give offerings to them.

Nevertheless, the Buddha suddenly retracted His words and stated in the Lotus Sūtra, preached in the last eight years, that the men of the Two Vehicles could obtain Buddhahood. How could a large assembly of men and gods believe in this? Not only did they find it hard to believe, they began finding contradictions between the Lotus and earlier sūtras. As a result His preachings over fifty years were about to be judged false. While they were wondering whether or not it was that the Buddha had not revealed the truth during the first forty years or so of His preaching and that it was a demon in heaven appearing to be the Buddha who preached the Lotus Sūtra in the last eight years, the Buddha seriously proceeded to define the times, places and names of those men of the Two Vehicles as future Buddhas. That is to say, the Buddha declared in which lands and when they would attain Buddhahood and what disciples they would have then.

Lord Śākyamuni Buddha in effect seemed to have contradicted Himself. It was not without reason that non-Buddhist heretics (gedō) laughed at Him as a big liar. Accused of contradiction in His own words by the dumbfounded crowd of men and gods, Lord Śākyamuni Buddha tried in vain to dispel their doubts by explaining them away one way or another. Just when the Buddha was having a difficult time to quiet them, the Buddha of Many Treasures of the Hōjō (Treasure Purity) World to the east emerged from the earth in front of Him aboard the great Stupa of seven treasures, 500 yojana high and 250 yojana wide, and ascended up high in the sky. It was as though the full moon appeared over the mountain range in the midst of a pitch-dark night. From this great Stupa of seven treasures hanging in the sky without touching the earth or sky sounded the crisp voice of the Buddha of Many Treasures attesting that Śākyamuni Buddha spoke truly. It is declared in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 11 on the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures”:

Just then resounded the loud voice of the Buddha of Many Treasures in the stupa of treasures praising Śākyamuni Buddha, “Excellent, excellent! You, Śākyamuni Buddha, have preached to this large crowd the Sūtra of the Lotus Flowers of the Wonderful Dharma, representing the great wisdom of the Buddha, who perceived the absolute truth in every phenomenon and who makes no distinction among all living beings. It teaches the way of bodhisattvas, and is recognized and upheld by various Buddhas. You are right; You are correct. What You, Śākyamuni Buddha, have preached is all true.”

Then Lord Śākyamuni and His funjin Buddhas manifested in various worlds all over the universe too attested to the truth of the Lotus Sūtra as it is stated in its twenty-first chapter of “The Divine Powers of the Buddha”:

At this point, Śākyamuni Buddha displayed a great superhuman power in the presence of a large crowd, including not only the countless bodhisattvas, such as Mañjuśrī, who had long lived in this Sahā World, but also other men and non-human beings. He stretched out His broad, long tongue upward until its tip reached the Brahma Heaven and emitted the rays of light from all of His pores to shine on the entire universe. All Buddhas sitting on the lion-shaped thrones under the jeweled trees in their respective worlds in the whole universe also stretched out their broad, long tongues and emitted countless rays of light.

“Then Śākyamuni Buddha,” says the twenty-second chapter on the “Transmission” of the Lotus Sūtra, “sent back those funjin Buddhas who had come from all over the universe to their homelands, and said to the Buddha of Many Treasures, ‘May this Stupa of the Buddha of Many Treasures be where it was.’ “

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 40-42

The human body is equipped with two shoulders — left and right — and a god resides on each one. One of the gods is called Dōmyō-jin and the other is Dōshō-jin. The King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, Sun Deity and Moon Deity cause these two gods to protect us from the time of our conception in the womb to the end of our lives, by sticking near us like our shadow and eyes. They report to the heavenly beings about our misdeeds and virtuous actions without fail. This is preached in the Flower Garland Sūtra, which is expounded by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai in his Great Concentration and Insight, fascicle 8.

Shijō Kingo-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Reply to the Wife of Lord Shijō Kingo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7,
Followers II, Pages 121-122

The true Buddhist way does not exist outside of the truth in the mundane world. It is stated in the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor, “If one fully understands the worldly law, one knows the Buddhist law.” It is preached in the Nirvana Sūtra, “Non-Buddhist scriptures and commentaries in the secular world all were in reality preached by the Buddha. They are nothing but Buddhist teachings.” The Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, also declares, “All the activities and daily works of people in the secular world do not contradict the truth preached by the Buddha.” Collating the two scriptural citations from the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor and the Nirvana Sūtra with that from the Lotus Sūtra, Grand Master Miao-lê explains the mind of the Buddha. According to Grand Master Miao-lê, although the two sūtras (the Sūtra of the Golden Splendor and the Nirvana Sūtra) seem doctrinally profound, their doctrines are superficial when compared to the Lotus Sūtra. Namely, in those two sūtras the worldly law is explained in connection to the Buddhist law. In the Lotus Sūtra, however, the worldly law is interpreted as the totality of the Buddhist law. The pre-Lotus sūtras preach, “Everything is begotten from the mind, which is like the great earth. Grass and trees which grow on the earth is like all things that exist.” The Lotus Sūtra, on the contrary, states, “the mind is the great earth, which is grass and trees.” The pre-Lotus sūtras would say, “Mind is as clear as the moon, and as pure as a flower,” whereas the Lotus Sūtra would say, “The moon is nothing but mind, and flower is nothing but mind.”

Contemplating this, I am sure that the bale of polished rice you donated is not just a bale of rice; it is life.

Jiri Kyuō Gosho, Phenomenal Offering and Noumenal Offering, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice,
Volume 4, Page 105