Now in the 11th Chapter of the Lotus Sutra, “Beholding the Stupa of Treasures,” a step was taken in preparation for revealing the Eternal Buddha in the sixteenth chapter on “The Life Span of the Buddha.” It is stated in the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures” chapter that Śākyamuni Buddha, who had attained enlightenment for the first time only forty years or so before under the bodhi tree at Buddhagayā, India, called the crowd of Buddhas, who had obtained Buddhahood as far before as a kalpa or ten, “My manifestations.” This was against the principle of equality among Buddhas and greatly surprised everyone. If Śākyamuni Buddha had attained enlightenment only forty years or so before, large crowds of people all over the universe would not be waiting for His guidance. Even if He was capable of appearing in manifestation to guide them in various worlds, it would have been of no use. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai said in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 9, “Since there are so many of His manifestations, we should know that He has been the Buddha for a long time.” It represents the consternation of the great assembly, men and gods who were surprised at the great number of Buddhas in manifestation (funjin).

To add to their surprise, the numerous great bodhisattvas, who had been guided by the Original Buddha in the past, sprang out of the earth of the whole world, according to the “Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,” the fifteenth chapter of the Lotus Sūtra. They looked incomparably superior to Bodhisattvas Fugen (Universal Sage) and Monju, (Mañjuśrī), who had been regarded as ranking disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha. Compared to these bodhisattvas coming from underground, those great bodhisattvas, who had gathered upon the preaching of the Flower Garland Sūtra, Hōdō sūtras, and Wisdom Sūtra and of the “Appearance of the Stupa Of Treasures” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, or the sixteen bodhisattvas such as Bodhisattva Vajrasattva in the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra and other sūtras, looked like monkeys waiting on Indra or woodcutters associating with court nobles. Even Bodhisattva Maitreya, successor to Śākyamuni Buddha, did not know who they were, not to speak of gods and men below him.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 68

Someone accusingly says that I, Nichiren, established a coarse doctrine highhandedly without considering the capacity of people to understand, resulting in persecutions.

Others say that what is preached in the thirteenth chapter on the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” of the Lotus Sūtra about practicers of the Lotus Sūtra encountering difficulties without fail is applicable to bodhisattvas on a high grade. A low-grade practicer like Nichiren, they maintain, ought to practice the tolerant way preached in the fourteenth chapter on the “Peaceful Practices” of the Lotus Sūtra, but he fails to follow it.

Still others say that I know it in principle but dare not speak out.

Some people say that Nichiren stresses only the theoretical study, neglecting the practice of meditation, and I have been fully aware of their criticisms.

Pien-ch’u, a loyal subject of King Wu in ancient China, had both his legs amputated. In Japan, Wake no Kiyomaro, who blocked Priest Dōkyō’s usurpation attempt, was renamed Kegaremaro (Defiled-man) and was about to be executed. Those who laughed at them were all forgotten while Pien-ch’u and Kiyomaro are still remembered by the people. Those who condemn me, Nichiren, would be the same as those who laughed at Pien-ch’u and Kiyomaro.

Teradomari Gosho, A Letter from Teradomari, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 11

Of the three categories of people [who slander the Lotus Sūtra], the first group of lay people who slander is easier to bear than the abusive words of the second group of crafty monks. The second group of monks is easier to bear than the third group of pretentious high priests living in great monasteries. These three categories consist of monks who are attached to provisional sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra in the world today, monks attached solely to the Zen meditation believing in the false concept that Buddhahood preached in sūtras and commentaries cannot be expressed by words or letters, and lay people who support such monks. They do not understand the difference between the provisional sūtras preached by the Buddha during the pre-Lotus period of 40 years or so and the True Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, they do not realize the difference in meaning between such phrases in the pre-Lotus provisional Sūtras as “no difference among the mind, a Buddha, and the people;” “mind as a Buddha;” and “will be reborn in the Pure Land to the West,” and similar-sounding phrases in the Lotus Sūtra like “all phenomena as ultimate reality;” and “will be reborn in the World of Happiness of the Buddha of Infinite Life.” Or, upon seeing such passages in various sūtras as “The truth lies beyond language,” and “It is found where the mind is extinguished,” they will embrace an evil thought that the holy scriptures of the Buddha do not reveal His true Enlightenment. As a result, devils get hold of these three categories of people, mislead the people in the Latter Age of Degeneration, and even destroy the country. Therefore, it is stated in the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “In the evil world in the muddy kalpa, there will be many things to fear. Evil demons will take possession of people and cause them to slander and insult the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra. (…) Evil monks in the defiled world will not know the expedient dharmas preached by the Buddha as a means of guiding the people.” These scriptural passages mean that monks in this world of corruption and defilement do not know the teaching they embrace is the teaching the Buddha preached as an expedient means to guide the people, and thus they do not know the difference between the expedient and true teachings. When a person appears who knows the difference, they will abuse and persecute him. According to these passages, this is solely because they do not realize that evil demons have taken possession of them. Thus, what the people in the Latter Age of Degeneration should be afraid of are not swords and sticks, tigers and wolves, or the ten evil acts and the five rebellious sins but these monks who wear Buddhist robes and pretend to be high priests without knowing the teaching and those people who regard monks of provisional teachings as venerable and hate the practicers of the True Dharma 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 11-12

The parable of a gold stick is often used to discuss the Three Vehicles (teachings for śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha and bodhisattvas). It is said that a gold stick was snapped into three, each of which was given to those with the capacity to understand the Three Vehicles, saying that as each of the three is gold, they do not have to try to find the differences or to discuss which is better among them. This parable sounds reasonable, but in fact the logic is wrong and misunderstood by those who have learned a wrong doctrine.

To further clarify matters, there is an instance when the Buddha took out of the Lotus Sūtra a gold stick used as an expedient teaching, and swung it three times for those with the capacity to know the Three Vehicles. Those who could not recognize this as an expedient teaching believed that the stick was made of genuine gold and thought that they were following the right teachings. If the gold stick were snapped into three in reality, the parable would not make sense. Although the Buddha just swung the gold stick three times instead of snapping it, ignorant people with the capacity to know the Three Vehicles thought that He did break the stick into three. To say it repeatedly, it is a blunder and an error to hold this view.

The Buddha swung the stick three times not to show the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, but to give the merits of an expedient teaching in the Lotus Sūtra to those who have the capacity to know the Three Vehicles. Therefore, the Three Vehicles, if put back into the expedient teaching of the Lotus Sūtra, are called an expedient teaching within the Lotus Sūtra; they will never become the “perfect teaching.” Remembering this, we should clearly see that there exists the expedient and the True teachings both inside and outside the Lotus Sūtra.

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

QUESTION: According to the Nirvana Sūtra, the sūtras preached before it all contain false views. What do you think of that?

ANSWER: The Buddha’s purpose of appearing in the world was to preach the Lotus Sūtra, in which He preaches in the second chapter on the “Expedients”, “My old wish has already been fulfilled; it is indeed the time now to expound the Mahāyāna teaching definitively;” and in the 16th chapter on “The Life Span of the Buddha, actually, however, Good Men, I have been the Buddha since eternal past.” Nevertheless, regarding the comparative superiority in doctrine, the Buddha Himself declares in the 10th chapter on the “Teacher of the Dharma,” that although He has expounded numerous, thousands, tens of thousands and hundred millions of sūtras, the Lotus Sūtra is superior to all the sūtras which have already been preached, are being preached, and will be preached. Then, in the 11th chapter on the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures,” the Buddha of Many Treasures appeared from underground testifying: “What has been said by Śākyamuni Buddha is all true,” while various Buddhas, the manifestations of Śākyamuni Buddha in the worlds all over the universe, stretched out their tongues to reach the Brahma Heaven attesting the words of Śākyamuni to be true.

Thus, the comparative superiority between the Lotus Sūtra and all other sūtras has been resolved by Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas manifested in worlds all over the universe. No further comparison between the Lotus Sūtra and sūtras preached before and after it is necessary because they are all preached by the one Śākyamuni Buddha.

Therefore, when the Nirvana Sūtra rejects sūtras preached before it, the Lotus Sūtra is not included, because the Nirvana Sūtra, too, is trying to say that the Lotus Sūtra is superior to others.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 11

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