I heard that the Council of State met to discuss whether Nichiren should be beheaded or banished from Kamakura. The council also debated whether or not Nichiren’s followers with fiefs be deprived of their lands, beheaded, or jailed and tortured or exiled afar.

I am delighted, and in no way saddened, to hear such news. I have expected this from the beginning. In ancient times, Young Ascetic in the Himalaya Mountains is said to have thrown himself to a demon in order to hear the teaching of a half of a verse, and Ever Weeping Bodhisattva (Sadāparudita) is said to have sold his body in order to make offerings to his master, Bodhisattva Dharmodgata. It is also said that Bodhisattva Good Treasures (Sudhanaśre-ṣṭhi-dāraka) jumped into a fire in order to practice the holy way; Bodhisattva Aspiration for Dharma (Gyōbō-bonji) peeled his own skin to record the teachings of the Buddha, using his blood as ink and his bone as a brush; Medicine King Bodhisattva made offering to the Lotus Sūtra and the Buddha for seventy-two thousand years by burning his elbows; Never Despising Bodhisattva was beaten with sticks and pebbles were thrown at him as he spread the Lotus Sūtra; Venerable Siṃha (Shishi Sonja), the 24th Transmitter of the Dharma, was beheaded by King Dammira; and Bodhisattva Dēva (Āryadeva) was killed by a disciple of a Brahman monk when the Bodhisattva defeated him in a debate.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 24

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai interprets the five Chinese characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, 10 fascicles. The first fascicle of this Profound Meaning roughly explains the general meaning of the five characters while the six fascicles from the second to the seventh fascicles explain in detail the one character of myō. The eighth and ninth fascicles interpret the three characters of hō, ren, and ge, and the last fascicle expounds the one character of kyō. T’ien-t’ai thus maintains that the one character of kyō is equipped with all the Buddhist scriptures such as the Flower Garland Sūtra, Āgama sūtras, Hōdō sūtras, Wisdom Sūtra, and Nirvana Sūtra. The two characters of myō and hō, according to the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, are equipped with the doctrines of “100 realms and 1,000 aspects of existence” and the equality of mind, Buddha, and sentient beings. The Great Concentration and Insight in ten fascicles states that the doctrines of “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” “100 realms and 1,000 aspects of existence,” “3,000 modes of existence,” and “equality of mind, Buddha, and sentient beings” are contained in the two characters of myō and hō. Namely, this writing maintains that everything including the causes and effects of all Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and those in the ten realms, and insentient beings such as grasses, plants, tiles, and pebbles are included in the two characters of myō and hō without exception.

Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 21

“The Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra preaches, “The highest and most perfect enlightenment that all bodhisattvas should attain is expounded only in this sūtra.” The bodhisattvas in this passage refer to living beings in the nine realms. It means that all the people, virtuous or wicked or female or male, the śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattvas in the Tripiṭaka teaching, the Three Vehicles (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattvas) in the Common teaching, the bodhisattvas in the Distinct teaching, and the bodhisattvas in the Perfect teaching of the pre-Lotus sūtras must depend on the power of the Lotus Sūtra for becoming Buddhas.

The same chapter also preaches, “Medicine King! Know this that although many laymen or monks will practice the way of bodhisattvas, they will not be able to practice it satisfactorily unless they see, hear, read, recite, copy or keep this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma or make offerings to it.” This obviously means that though the bodhisattvas practice the Six Bodhisattva Practices and the Four Great Vows through the expedient practices of the Tripiṭaka teaching taking three hundred asaṃkhya kalpa, the Common teaching taking numerous dust-particle kalpa, and the Distinct teaching taking numerous asaṃkhya kalpa, they practice neither the right practices of bodhisattvas nor meritorious good acts until they reach the Lotus Sūtra. It is obvious that they cannot become Buddhas because they do not practice the right way of bodhisattvas.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-I, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 76

The teaching of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought” is based on the “mutually-possessed characteristics of the Ten Realms” meaning that each of the Ten Realms has the characteristics of the other nine. Ignorant of the Ten Realms, the Hossō and Sanron Sects established the Eight Realm theology, missing the realm of bodhisattvas and that of Buddhas. How can they know of the mutually-possessed characteristics of the Ten Realms? The Kusha, Jōjitsu, and Ritsu Sects, based on the Āgama sūtras, preach only Six Realms, ignoring the top four of the ten. They insist on the existence of the one and only Buddha in the worlds throughout the universe, denying the existence of His manifestation in each of these worlds. It is only natural that they leave out the concept of every living being having the Buddha-nature. They do not recognize the possession of the Buddha-nature by man. Nevertheless, the Ritsu and Jōjitsu Sects today speak of the existence of Buddhas in various worlds throughout the universe or of the Buddha-nature in man. It must have been that scholars after the death of the Buddha plagiarized the Mahāyāna doctrines to the advantage of their own schools.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 33-34

For 2,200 years or so after the passing of the Buddha, no one had exhaustively expounded the Lotus Sūtra and spread its teaching far and wide as it is preached in it. It was not that T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō did not understand the supremacy of the sūtra. They knew it, but as the time was not right and the capacity of the people was not ripe, they did not fully explain it.

Those who become the disciples of Nichiren can understand it easily. The image of Śākyamuni Buddha revealed in the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra has never been made and enshrined as the Most Venerable One in any temples throughout the world. Why should it not appear now? A discussion of this would take too long, so allow me to omit it.

Hōkyō Hōjū Ji, The Dharma Is More Precious Than Treasures, Wooden Statues or Portraits, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 101

Regarding the faith and understanding of Buddhist teachings, there are four types of people: (1) those who believe without understanding, (2) those who understand without having faith, (3) those with both faith and understanding, and (4) those who have neither faith nor understanding.

QUESTION: Do those who believe the teaching without understanding slander it?

ANSWER: The Lotus Sūtra, “A Parable,” preaches that even Śāriputra “was able to gain entrance (to Buddhahood) through faith alone.” The Nirvana Sūtra, fascicle 9, preaches to the same effect, “Upon hearing this sūtra (with faith) everything without exception will be the cause of enlightenment.” With faith one can attain Buddhahood even if one does not possess the knowledge to understand the dharma. How can such a person be a slanderer of the True Dharma?

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin,
Doctrine 3, Pages 124

Twenty important doctrines are in this Lotus Sūtra. Such sects as Kusha, Jōjitsu, Ritsu, Hossō, and Sanron do not know even their names while two sects of Kegon and Shingon plagiarized them to build their own fundamental structure. The “3,000 in one thought” doctrine, is hidden between the lines of the sixteenth chapter on “The Life Span of the Buddha” in the essential (hommon) section of the Lotus Sūtra. Although Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu were aware of it. It is only our Grand Master T’ien-t’ai who embraced it.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 33

QUESTION: What are the merits of chanting only the daimoku?

ANSWER: Śākyamuni Buddha appeared in this world to expound the Lotus Sūtra, but He kept the sūtra’s name in secrecy during the first forty years or so of preaching. From the age of about 30 to 70 or so, the Buddha solely expounded the expedient teachings to prepare the way for preaching the Lotus Sūtra. At the age of 72, the Buddha for the first time called for the title of the Lotus Sūtra. Thus, it is incomparably superior to the titles of other sūtras. Moreover, the two Chinese characters of myō and hō (Wonderful Dharma) in the title of the Lotus Sūtra are equipped with the “3,000 existences contained in one thought” doctrine and the “attainment of Buddhahood by Śākyamuni Buddha in the eternal past” doctrine, the essence of the Lotus Sūtra revealed in the “Expedients” chapter and the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter respectively.

Shō Hokke Daimoku-shō, Treastise on Chanting the Daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 20-21

QUESTION: Do you have any scriptural passages proving that the Lotus Sūtra alone will remain even after other sūtras all disappear?

ANSWER: In the tenth chapter on “The Teacher of the Dharma” of the Lotus Sūtra, Śākyamuni Buddha declared in order to spread the sūtra, “The sūtras I have preached number immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, and hundred millions. Of the sūtras I have preached, am now preaching, and will preach, this Lotus Sūtra is the most difficult to believe and to understand ” It means that of all the sūtras which the Buddha has preached, is now preaching, and will preach during 50 years of His lifetime, the Lotus Sūtra is the supreme sūtra. Of the 80,000 holy teachings, it was preached especially to be retained for people in the future.

Therefore, in the following chapter on “The Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures,” the Buddha of Many Treasures emerged from the great earth, and Buddhas in manifestation from the worlds all over the universe gathered. Through these Buddhas in manifestation as His messengers, Śākyamuni Buddha made this declaration to bodhisattvas, śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, heavenly beings, human beings, and eight kinds of supernatural beings who filled the innumerable (400 trillion nayuta) worlds in eight directions:

“The purpose of the Buddha of Many Treasures to emerge and gathering of Buddhas in manifestation all over the universe is solely in order for the Lotus Sūtra to last forever. Each of you should vow that you will certainly spread this Lotus Sūtra in the future worlds of five defilements after the sūtras which have been preached, are being preached, and will be preached, will have all disappeared and it will be difficult to believe in the True Dharma.”

Then 20,000 bodhisattvas and 80 trillion nayuta of bodhisattvas each made a vow in the 13th chapter on “The Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra”, “We will not spare even our lives, but treasure the Unsurpassed Way.” Bodhisattvas emerged from the great earth, as numerous as dust particles of the entire world, as well as such bodhisattvas as Mañjuśrī and all also vowed in the 22nd chapter on the “Transmission,” “After the death of the Buddha … we will widely spread this sūtra.” After that, in the 23rd chapter on “The Previous Life of the Medicine King Bodhisattva” the Buddha used ten similes in order to explain the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra over other sūtras. In the first simile the pre-Lotus sūtras are likened to river-water and the Lotus Sūtra, to a great ocean. Just as ocean water will not decrease even when river-water dries up in a severe drought, the Lotus Sūtra will remain unchanged even when the pre-Lotus sūtras with four tastes all disappear in the Latter Age of defilement and corruption without shame. Having preached this, the Buddha clearly expressed His true intent as follows, “After I have entered Nirvana, during the last five-hundred-year period you must spread this sūtra widely throughout the world lest it should be lost.”

Contemplating the meaning of this passage, I believe that the character “after” following “after I have entered Nirvana” is meant to be “after the extinction of those sūtras preached in forty years or so.” It is, therefore, stated in the Nirvana Sūtra, the postscript of the Lotus Sūtra:

“I shall entrust the propagation of this supreme dharma to bodhisattvas, who are skillful in debate. Such a dharma will be able to last forever, continue to prosper for incalculable generations, profiting and pacifying the people. ”

According to these scriptural passages the Lotus-Nirvana Sūtras will not become extinct for immeasurable centuries.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 23-24

Śākyamuni Buddha declared that, although the scriptures preached during the first forty years or so are as numerous as sands of the Ganges River, they did not reveal the truth, which would be explained in the Lotus Sūtra during the following eight years. At the moment the Buddha of Many Treasures emerged from the earth and attested it all to the truth. Then various Buddhas in manifestation (funjin) came crowding together from various worlds in the universe attesting it to be true and rejoicing by touching the Brahma Heaven with their long, wide tongues. The meaning of these words in the Lotus Sūtra is shiningly clear—brighter than the sun in the blue sky and the full moon at midnight. Look up and put your faith in it. Prostrate yourself before it and think hard about it.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 33