[I]t is stated in the first “Introductory” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that when the Buddha showed a potent omen of emitting a ray of light from the white curls between His eyebrows, Bodhisattva Maitreya saw Buddhas of the numerous worlds in the universe expound major sūtras in five periods He then asked Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī what this all meant: “The Buddhas, Saintly Masters, the Lion-like Ones, expounded the most wonderful sūtra. I also saw them teaching many billions of bodhisattvas with pure and gentle voices.” This indicates that the first preaching of the Buddha was the Flower Garland Sūtra for bodhisattvas. Also, in the “Expedients” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra the Buddha refers to His experience upon attaining enlightenment stating, “Sitting under a bodhi tree for the first time, I meditated on the tree, strolled about … then various heavenly beings such as the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, the Four Heavenly Kings who protect the world, and Great Freedom God and billions of their retainers respectfully held their hands in gasshō, bowed and requested Me to preach.” This passage from the Lotus Sūtra indicates when the Flower Garland Sūtra was preached. Hence the first fascicle of the Flower Garland Sūtra includes such names as moon god, sun god, Indra, King of the Brahma Heaven, and Great Freedom God, all of whom attended the assembly of the Flower Garland Sūtra.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 5

To become a Buddha is more difficult than trying to thread a needle by casting a thread from the top of one Mt. Sumeru to the needle on the top of another Mt. Sumeru. How much more difficult it will be if a strong head wind is blowing the other way! It is preached in the “Never Despising Bodhisattva” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “For the first time in an innumerable number of kalpa (aeons) since the eternal past we can now hear the Lotus Sūtra. For the first time in an innumerable number of kalpa (aeons) since the eternal past the Buddhas, World-honored Ones, now preach this Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, those who practice the Lotus Sūtra after the passing of the Buddha should have no doubts upon hearing this sutra.”

This scriptural statement is especially precious among the 28 chapters of the Lotus Sūtra. From chapters one to ten (“Introductory” to “Teacher of the Dharma”) of the Lotus Sūtra, many listeners were gathered beginning with bodhisattvas of the highest stage, human beings, heavenly beings, the four categories of Buddhists, and the eight kinds of gods and demi-gods. As for the Buddhas, however, there was only one – Śākyamuni Buddha. Therefore, we can say that these chapters are somewhat “light” in a sense though they preach some important doctrines. The following 12 chapters, from chapter 11 to 22 (“Beholding the Stupa of Treasures” to “Transmission”) preach the more important doctrines. The reason why this is so is that the stupa of treasures with the Buddha of Many Treasures in it emerged from the earth in the presence of Śākyamuni Buddha. It was as if the sun appeared in front of the moon. The scene of numerous Buddhas gathered from all the worlds in the universe sitting under the Bodhi trees was as if all the plants in all the worlds throughout the universe were spectacularly lit. The teaching of the “Never Despising Bodhisattva” chapter was preached under such circumstances.

Hyōesakan-dono Gohenji, Answer to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 93-94

In another past lifetime of the Buddha he was the ruler of a great country because of the accumulation of virtue in the past. But he was neglectful in ruling the country. His 100 ministers and all the people revered him as a consequence of the pleasurable results of his former observance of the ten virtuous acts. But this would prove to be like the flame of a lamp flickering in the wind, or a dream on a spring night, or the brief blooming of morning glories on a bamboo fence. Though he had followed the virtuous precepts in his past lives, now that he had been born as the ruler of a great country he was enticed by the murderous demon of impermanence and spent his life in vain, neglecting to practice the good. [If he continued in this way] he would sink into the bottomless flames of the Hell of Incessant Suffering, where there is no distinction between warriors and peasants. The flames of the three torments would scorch him, his five limbs would be bound in iron cords, and the gag of the three torments would be inserted into his mouth. The monstrous jailers of hell armed with tridents and screaming callously, would punish him by stabbing him all over his body. The sounds of his cries would reach up to the heavens, and in his grief he would fall to the ground. His 100 ministers and all his people would be unable to come to his aid, nor could his family and loved ones come to save him. [He thought of his beloved wife] with whom he slept and awoke on the same bed within the brocade curtains. Together they were like two birds with one wing each who must fly together in the heavens, or like two trees with branches intertwined on the earth. The days and months they had spent together had amassed into years, but not even she and their children could come to visit him. Reflecting on these things he opened his storehouses and donated gold and silver and all the seven treasures in order to support the Saṃgha. He donated elephants and horses, and even his wife and children to them. Later he blew a conch seeking for the great Dharma. He beat a drum seeking for the great Dharma. He sought the Dharma in all directions. At that time there was a seer named Asita. This seer came to the king saying, “I can teach you the True Dharma if you are able to serve me well.” The king rejoiced and entered the mountains, where he collected fruit, gathered firewood, picked vegetables, and drew water for a thousand years. All the while he constantly recited, “Jōzon Myōhōko, Shinjin Mukeken,” which means, “Because I am seeking the Wonderful Dharma I do not feel tired in body and mind.” Through this practice he was able to obtain the Dharma of the five Chinese characters: myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō. This king would become Śākyamuni Buddha in a future life. In our country there is a Japanese poem that tells how he received the Dharma by serving his master. When a sūtra is copied and presented this verse is sung: “I obtained the Lotus Sūtra by gathering firewood, picking vegetables, and drawing water.” Hearing this I am overcome with emotion.

Minobu-san Gosho, Mt. Minobu Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 130-131

We do not see a shadow in the dark. Man does not see a flight path of a bird in the air. We do not see the path of a fish in the sea. We do not see everyone in the world reflected on the moon. However, a person with “heavenly eyes” sees all these. The scene of the chapter “Appearance of a Stupa of Treasures” exists in the mind of Lady Nichinyo. Though ordinary people do not see it, Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas throughout the universe recognize it. I, Nichiren, also can see it. How blessed are you!

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 144

Venerable Mahākāśyapa was the most honorable among the Buddha’s disciples. Concerning his lineage, he was the son of Nyagrodha, a millionaire in Magadha, India. The house of his millionaire father was as huge as 1,000 tatami mats, with each mat being seven feet thick and costing at least 1,000 ryō (gold coins). His house had as many as 999 ploughs, each costing 1,000 ryō. It is also said that his house included 60 warehouses each containing 340 koku (about 1200 metric tons) of gold. Nyagrodha was a very wealthy person.

The wife of Mahākāśyapa had a golden body so brilliant that it illuminated an area 16 ri (about 80 km) around herself. She was more beautiful than Princess Sotoori of Japan or Lady Li of Han China. Having aspirations for enlightenment, Kāśyapa and his wife became disciples of the Buddha and were guaranteed by the Buddha to become the future Light Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra.

Looking into their Buddhist practices in their prior existences, the husband was reborn as Venerable Mahākāśyapa due to his offering of a bowl of barley rice to a pratyekabuddha. His wife, a poor woman, paid one gold coin to a Buddhist sculptor for gilding a statue of Vipaśyin Buddha and thereby was reborn as a beautiful golden woman to be the wife of Mahākāśyapa.

Tokimitsu-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Tokimitsu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 25

Among all the Buddhist scriptures preached by the Buddha there is no sūtra which does not mention the trembling of the earth in six different ways. However, the shaking of the earth in six ways when the Buddha was about to expound the Lotus Sūtra was so striking that the living beings who gathered to listen to Him were all startled and it moved Bodhisattva Maitreya to ask what was happening, prompting Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī to answer. This shows that the omen for the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra was much greater and longer than the omens of other sūtras that the question concerning it was more difficult to respond to. Therefore, Grand Master Miao-lê states in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 2, “Which Mahāyāna sūtra does not have the omens such as a crowd of living beings gathered together like a cloud, emitting of light from the forehead of the Buddha, the rain of flowers from the heaven, and trembling of the earth? However, they have never caused such a great concern as this.” This means that every sūtra has a preface before preaching the main discourse, but no preface is accompanied by such great omens like those that accompanied the preface of the Lotus Sūtra.

Zuisō Gosho, Writing on Omens, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 124

The chapter “Encouragement of Universal Sage Bodhisattva” says that among many disciples of Śākyamuni Buddha, Kāśyapa and Ānanda waited on Him. They were like ministers attending both sides of a king. But this was the Buddha preaching sūtras of the Lesser Vehicle. Among many bodhisattvas, the Bodhiattva Universal Sage and the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī attended Śākyamuni Buddha, the Lord Teacher, like two ministers attending both sides of a king. During the last eight years of the life of Śākyamuni Buddha, in which He expounded the Lotus Sūtra, so many Buddhas and bodhisattvas, more than dust particles on the earth, gathered from ten quarters in the universe. But strangely, Bodhisattva Universal Sage, one of the attendants of Śākyamuni Buddha, was not found there.

However, when Śākyamuni Buddha was about to finish His preaching by expounding the chapter “Wonderful Adornment King,” Bodhisattva Universal Sage came late from the land of the Jeweled Dignity and Virtue Purity King Buddha, performing hundreds of thousands pieces of music and accompanied by a countless number of eight kinds of gods and demi-gods. Concerned about the reaction of the Buddha toward his late arrival, the bodhisattva turned pale and obligingly vowed to protect the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration. Śākyamuni Buddha was pleased and told that it was his obligation to spread the Lotus Sūtra in the whole world. Śākyamuni Buddha thus praised Bodhisattva Universal Sage more cordially than his superiors.

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, A Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 4, Faith and Practice,
Pages 143-144

The chapter “Wonderful Adornment King” is expounded for women. It tells of a wife recommending Buddhism to her husband. If a wife recommends the Lotus Sutra to her husband in the Latter Age of Degeneration, her merit will be the same as that of Lady Jōtoku, or Pure Virtue. The merits would be much more upon you both, a husband and wife, who believe together in the Lotus Sutra. You are like a bird that has two wings or a vehicle with two wheels. Everything will surely be achieved by you. With heaven and earth, sun and moon, sunshine and rain, plants and trees of the merits will bear blossoms and fruit.

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, A Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 4, Faith and Practice,
Page 143

It says in the “Bodhisattva Wonderful Voice” chapter that there was a bodhisattva named Myōon or Wonderful Voice, in the eastern world of the Buddha King Wisdom of the Pure Flower Constellation. This bodhisattva was once Lady Jōtoku, or Pure Virtue, the wife of King Wonderful Adornment in the age of the Buddha Cloud Thunder Roll King. She became Bodhisattva Wonderful Voice by virtue of venerating the Lotus Sūtra. When Śākyamuni Buddha expounded the Lotus Sūtra in the Sahā World, she came and promised that she would protect all women who upheld the Lotus Sūtra in the Latter Age of Degeneration.

Nichinyo Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady Nichinyo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 133

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches a doctrine called “lightening the karmic retribution.” It proclaims that when a retribution accumulated from the evil karma in one’s previous lives is too heavy to be atoned for in this life, one will have to endure the suffering in hell in the future. One may, however, bear hell’s suffering in the present life instead so that one’s suffering in hell in a future life disappears instantly and one will instead be able to receive the blessings of the realm of humanity and that of heavenly beings, as well as the blessings of the Three Vehicles and attain Buddhahood after death. It was not without reason that Never Despising Bodhisattva was spoken ill of, slandered, beaten with sticks and pieces of wood, or had rubble thrown at him. His persecution in this life seems to be the consequences of his slandering the True Dharma in his previous lives. Therefore it is stated in the sūtra, “His sins have been atoned.” I believe it means that Never Despising Bodhisattva’s past sin ceased to exist through his persecution.

Tenjū Kyōju Hōmon, Lightening the Karmic Retribution, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 29