Nichiren … emphasized that whenever ordinary men and women accept and keep the Sacred Title, the Four Great Bodhisattvas, including Superb-Action, will unquestionably appear to protect them. Since the Sutra defines these Four Great Bodhisattvas as “the highest leaders among people,” they are destined to lead all living beings. Apparently Nichiren saw these Bodhisattvas as symbols of his own position as leader of the people. He stated this in his work, Shohojisso-sho, “The Real State of All Things.”

Born in this Age of Degeneration, [Nichiren] presents and propagates the Wonderful Dharma (the Sacred Title) prior to the appearance of Superb-Action Bodhisattva, who is initially assigned to propagate it … This is a glorious thing to me. … It is only Nichiren who is ahead of the Bodhisattvas from Underground in performing the mission given by Sakyamuni. In this sense, [Nichiren] may also be counted as one of the Bodhisattvas from Underground (who are authorized to lead living beings in the Age of Degeneration).

According to Kamon, which is an ancient method of analyzing the Lotus Sutra, the first half of the Sutra, consisting of fourteen chapters, is called Shakumon—teachings “derived” from a source (shaku literally means “footprint; mon is “gate”). The second half, consisting of the final fourteen chapters, is known as Honmon or Hommon—the “Primary Gate” or Primary Mystery (hon means “root” or “source”). This second half reveals the Original and Eternal Buddha (Kuon Hombutsu). The appearance of the Bodhisattvas from Underground (Jiyu-no-bosatsu, literally “Bodhisattvas who well up from the earth”) is an introduction to the second half of the Sutra; and the next chapter, “The Duration of the Life of the Tathagata,” is its principal part.

That is to say, [Chapter 15, The Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground] presents the ideal Bodhisattvas in the persons of the Bodhisattvas from Underground. The following chapter, the “Duration of the Life of the Tathagata,” reveals the true nature of the Buddha (the Original and Eternal Buddha) and his true Pure Land. It is none other than this Saha-world of ours. Thus the “Duration of the Life of the Tathagata” will emerge as the Sutra’s heart and center.

Ascetics of Hinayana Buddhism (the Lesser Vehicle) aim to escape from our world of sorrows, stand aloof from its problems, and attain a pure state of consciousness. This can make them indifferent to the world. They easily forget to fulfill the most important task in religion, namely, to save ordinary people.

On the other hand, Mahayana Buddhism (the Great Vehicle), beginning from the point of view of ordinary people, asserts that the state of enlightenment can be realized only in the midst of this world, because Bodhisattvas cannot save people without living and working here where evil and misery exist. Bodhisattvas, of course, are themselves pure, and they are never contaminated by the vice and evil of their environments. They are like lovely lotus flowers, which rise from out of the mud at the bottom of the water.

It is said that the dirtier the pond from which it grows, the more beautifully a lotus blooms. The flower is itself pure and unaffected by the mud from which it has sprung. The Sutra tells us that the method of Bodhisattva-practice should be similar to that of a lotus flower. It can be said that “lotus flower,” which is part of the title (Daimoku) of the Lotus Sutra (“The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Law”), symbolizes this ideal Bodhisattva practice.

Here it is revealed that the Bodhisattvas who sprang up from beneath the earth are the exemplary Bodhisattvas of the Lotus Sutra. Many other Bodhisattvas have appeared before this chapter, but these are the only ones who fully live up to the Sutra’s teachings. Thus they symbolize the ideal, the models for dynamic activity. Their sphere of action is summarized in the lines,

“They are not defiled by worldliness
Just as the lotus-flower
Is not defiled by water..”

The studies conducted over so many centuries made possible a deeper understanding of the Lotus Sutra, and methodological standards for its interpretation were established. One example is called Kamon. It is a classification of the twenty-eight chapters into several sets for a systematic explanation of their meaning.

The major Kamon is the “Three Parts of Each of the Two Divisions of the Lotus Sutra” which was established by Great Master Chih-i. Most commentators since his time have accepted his guidelines. …

[T]he “Three Parts of Each of the Two Divisions of the Lotus Sutra” refers to the division of the Sutra into two main sections: the first half, consisting of Chapters One through Fourteen, and the second half, consisting of Chapters Fifteen through Twenty-eight. Kamon gives a detailed explanation of the reason for this division. The first half is named Shakumon, literally “imprinted gate.” Its main purpose is to teach how “hearers” and Pratyekabuddhas can attain Buddhahood in the One Vehicle. The second half is called Hommon, which means “Primal Gate” or “Primal Mystery.” This part reveals Sakyamuni to be the infinite, absolute Buddha, the Buddha who attained enlightenment in the remotest past but still leads living beings in the present. These two points are considered the fundamental ideas of the Lotus Sutra.

The Lesser Vehicle of the “Sravaka” and “Pratyekabuddha” drew a sharp line between this world of sufferings and the pure world of spirit. Its followers renounced worldly concerns, devoted their lives to religious austerities, and made every effort to attain absolute tranquility. This made for a two-dimensional world view, esteeming the pure world of spirit and devaluating the everyday world in which we live.

Bodhisattvas, on the other hand, saw the two worlds as one. They saw this world as the center stage for their religious practice, and preached that spiritual enlightenment must be realized in our life in this world. In short, the Bodhisattva’s mission to deliver people from suffering is to be accomplished in this world of sufferings.

[T]he lotus flower symbolizes the most important Bodhisattva practices in Mahayana Buddhism. In Chapter Fifteen, “Bodhisattvas from Underground,” it says:

The Buddha’s children have studied the way of Bodhisattvas well. They are no more defiled by worldliness just as a lotus flower is not defiled by water.

The lovely lotus flower grows out of muddy water and is not defiled by it. In the same way, Bodhisattvas, persons who put the Buddha’s teachings into practice, can live in the midst of a world defiled by vice and corruption, and yet not be contaminated by it. They can teach and awaken other people while keeping their own minds pure. They can save others, however, only when they live with them here in this evil world.

[T]he Lotus Sutra can be divided into two sections: the first half (Shakumon) and the second half Honmon). Nichiren concluded that the fundamental idea of the Lotus Sutra is manifested more clearly in the latter half than the first half, Furthermore, the central idea of the second half is elaborated in Chapter Sixteen, “The Duration of the Life of the Buddha.” The account in Chapter Sixteen is actually a continuation of the latter half of the previous chapter, “Bodhisattvas from Underground,” and is continued through the first half of the next Chapter, “The Variety of Merits.”

The three parts are closely enough related to form one single chain of thought. In his Kanjin-honzon-sho, Nichiren argues that the quintessence of the teachings of the Primal Mystery lies in this chain of three parts, which he specifically calls the “one chapter and two halves.” In addition, he declares that in our present Age of Degeneration, the teaching of the “one chapter and two halves” should be propagated in the abbreviated form of five Chinese characters, the title MYO-HO-REN-GE-KYO, meaning “The Sutra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma.”