Speaking of the “sanzen daisen sekai (1,000 worlds),” the four continents to the four directions of north, south, east, and west, and Mt. Sumeru, the six heavens of the realm of desire, and the Brahma Heaven make one shitenge, 10 billion shitenge make a small one-thousand world; a thousand of a small one-thousand world make a medium one-thousand world; and a thousand of a medium one-thousand world make a great one-thousand world. Because of this triple multiplication by a thousand, it is called the “triple-thousand great one-thousand world (sanzen daisen sekai). There are an incalculable number (four million, hundred million-nayuta) of these great one-thousand worlds in the universe. Suppose someone feeds all the unenlightened people in all these worlds for 80 years, enabling them to read and recite all the scriptures of Buddhism with the exception of the Lotus Sūtra to become arhats with “three supernatural knowledge” and “six supernatural abilities,” Pratyekabuddha, or bodhisattvas of the highest stage. Compared to the merit of such a person, the merit of a person who upholds merely one verse, phrase, or character of the Lotus Sūtra even though he or she does not offer any kind of alms is a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, and hundred million times superior.

Tayūsakan-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ikegami Munenaka, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 107

Once upon a time, there was a king called Rinda, who was the master of the Jambudvīpa. It is said that the king’s food was the neighing of a white horse. Whenever the king heard the neighing of a white horse, he was rejuvenated, regaining his complexion, becoming refreshed in mind, and revitalized in power. Moreover, it enabled him to govern the country with justice. For these reasons, many white horses were raised in his country. He was like a king called Weiwang, who gathered many cranes, or the Emperor Te-tsung, who loved lightning bugs. As whenever the swans sang, the white horses neighed, many swans were brought to this country. One day, the swans all disappeared, and the white horses all became silent. As a result, the great king missed his meals; and it appeared that he would pass away at any moment just as flowers in full bloom wither from frost or the full moon is lost when covered by clouds. Everyone in the country, beginning with the queen, crown prince, and ministers, didn’t know what to do; they were grief-stricken and shed tears just like children who lost their mother.

There were many non-Buddhists in this country, just as today in Japan there are many followers of Zen, Pure Land, Shingon, and Ritsu Buddhism. However, there were also the Buddha’s disciples, just as today in Japan there are people of the Lotus (Nichiren) Sect. Buddhists and non-Buddhists did not get along with each other as though they were fire and water or Mongolia and Yüeh, one in the north and the other in the south. Then the great king issued an imperial edict: “If a non-Buddhist monk can make the white horse neigh, I will abandon Buddhism and put sole faith in him, who would be like Indra revered by all gods. If a disciple of the Buddha can make the horse neigh, I shall behead all non-Buddhist monks and deprive them of their residences, which will all be given to the Buddha’s disciples.” Both non-Buddhist monks and the Buddha’s disciples were startled by the edict, which they greatly deplored.

Unable to ignore the imperial order, non-Buddhist monks tried praying first for seven days. No swans, however, came back, nor did the white horse neigh. Next, it was the turn for a disciple of the Buddha. An unknown monk named Aśvaghoṣa prayed for the next seven days to the Lotus Sūtra, which Buddhas worshipped as the Most Revered One. Then a swan came flying over the altar. When it cried once cheerfully, the white horse loudly neighed once. When the king heard it, he got up from his sick bed, while the queen and many others all paid homage to Aśvaghoṣa. One, two, three . . . 10 and 100 swans came back flying, filling the entire land. As a result, hundreds and thousands of white horses neighed without interruption; and the king’s countenance was rejuvenated by as much as thirty years. His mind became as bright as the sun, and he ruled his country with justice. A rain of nectar fell from heaven with all the people swayed by the great king, and his reign continued peacefully for ages to come.

The same can be said of the Buddhas. The Buddha of Many Treasures enters Nirvana where the Lotus Sūtra is not spread, and He appears where the sūtra is spread. So do Śākyamuni Buddha and all the Buddhas in the entire universe. The Lotus Sūtra is so marvelous. How can Goddess Amaterasu, Great Bodhisattva Hachiman, and Great Bodhisattva Sengen of Fuji abandon those who believe in the sūtra? It is reliable indeed.

Ueno-dono Haha-ama Gozen Gohenji, A Response to My Lady the Nun, Mother of Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 181-182

Now, regarding the rank of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, Grand Master Chang-an cites from his biography of T’ien-t’ai in the “Preface” to the Great Concentration and Insight stating:

“(T’ien-t’ai) entered the state of spiritual meditation and passed away peacefully. His rank is the stage of the five kinds of meritorious acts of meditation and other practices preached in the ‘Variety of Merits’ chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Therefore, it is preached in the ‘Variety of Merits’ chapter, ‘Compared to the merit of giving seven kinds of treasures to each person in incalculable number of countries and to educate them all to attain the six supernatural powers, the merit of the first of the five kinds of meritorious acts, rejoicing at hearing the Lotus Sutra, is a hundred, a thousand and ten thousand times superior. Let alone the merit of the fifth of the five kinds of meritorious acts, six kinds of practice leading to Buddhahood.’ It is preached also in the ‘Teacher of the Dharma’ chapter of the Lotus Sutra, ‘that is to say, he is My messenger sent out among the people to perform My work.’ ”

Grand Master Dengyō has only the highest of praises for T’ien-t’ai in his Effects of T’ien-t’ai on Buddhist Schools, “The interpretation of the Lotus Sūtra by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is incomparable. No one in T’ang China can compare to him.” He also states, “Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is clearly a messenger of the Buddha. Those who praise him will accumulate happiness as high as Mt. Sumeru, and those who insult him will fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering.”

Tayūsakan-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ikegami Munenaka, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 106

QUESTION: Are there any dharmas T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō did not propagate yet?

ANWER: Yes, there are.

QUESTION: What are those True Dharmas?

ANSWER: There are three. They are what the Buddha bequeathed to those in the Latter Age of Degeneration, namely the True Dharmas, which masters such as Kāśyapa, Ānanda, Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyō did not yet spread.

QUESTION: What do they consist of?

ANSWER: The first is the Most Venerable One (honzon). All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world should revere the Lord Buddha Śākyamuni of the essential section as the Most Venerable One. That is to say, the Most Venerable One should be the Buddha Śākyamuni and the Buddha of Many Treasures in the Stupa of Treasures. The other Buddhas standing outside the Stupa and four bodhisattvas such as Superior Practice Bodhisattva should be their attendants.

The second is the precept dais based on the doctrine of the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra.

The third is the daimoku (title) of the Lotus Sūtra. All the people in Japan, China, and everyone in the whole world, regardless of being wise or foolish, should chant “Namu Myōhōrengekyō” single-mindedly forgetting everything else.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 57-58.

QUESTION: The compassion of the Buddhas is like the moon in heaven. As the moon reflects its shadow on water whenever it is calm, Buddhas should grant favors wherever the capacity of the people for comprehension is clear. Nevertheless, it seems unfair for the Buddha to say that His secret dharmas will be revealed only in the Latter Age of Degeneration among the three ages following His death. What do you think of it?

ANSWER: Although the moonlight of Buddhas’ compassion brightens the darkness of the people in the nine realms of spiritual development, from hell at the bottom up to the realm of bodhisattvas, it does not reflect upon the muddy water of slanderers of the True Dharma and of those who have no goodness in mind (icchantika).

Hinayāna and expedient Mahāyāna teachings are suited to the capacity of those in the 1,000-year Age of the True Dharma. The teaching of the theoretical section in the first half of the Lotus Sūtra is suitable for those in the 1,000-year Age of the Semblance Dharma. The first 500-years in the Latter Age of Degeneration, however, is the time when “The Life Span of the Buddha” chapter in the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra should be taught solely, and the other 13 chapters should be set aside. It is because the doctrine in the chapter matches the capacity of the people.

Sandai Hiho Honjo-ji, The Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 287-288

I have received your letter, which was posted on the 15th day of the 10th month at about 6 in the evening, on the 17th day about the same time at around 6 in the evening. When Jinshirō and other farmers living at Atsuwara who believed in the Lotus Sūtra were unreasonably imprisoned, I heard that they single-mindedly chanted “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” without any concern for their own lives. Indeed, this is not a trivial matter. I wonder if ten female rākṣasa demons possessed Hei no Kingo (Yoritsuna), who interrogated the farmers, and tested them to see if they were true practicers of the Lotus Sūtra. It is reminiscent of Indra transforming himself into a great ogre to test the will of Śākyamuni Buddha when the Buddha was searching for the dharma as the “Young Ascetic in the Himalayas” or as King Sivi. Or was it a devil who had gotten into Hei no Yoritsuna to persecute the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra? At any rate, this is the very time when Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, many Buddhas from all the worlds in the universe, the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra and other divinities should keep their oath to protect the practicers of the Lotus Sūtra at the fifth cycle of five hundred years, which is at the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration.

Hendoku Iyaku Gosho, Letter On Changing Poison into Medicine, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 202-203

The Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7 (the “Never-Despising Bodhisattva” chapter) preaches: “Among the four kinds of devotees, there were some who had impurity in mind and gave way to anger. They spoke ill of the bodhisattva, called him an ignorant priest, … struck him with a stick or a piece of wood or a piece of tile or a stone. … Upon death, they underwent great torment in the Avīci Hell for 1,000 kalpa.” This scriptural statement means that those who abused the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra or struck him with a stick, unable to atone for their sins, had to suffer in the Avīci Hell for as long as 1,000 kalpa.

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 114.

QUESTION: In what age will the secret dharmas entrusted to Superior Practice and other bodhisattvas called out from the underground be spread?

ANSWER: The 23rd chapter, “The Previous Life of the Medicine King Bodhisattva” of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7, preaches: “Propagate this chapter throughout this world during the last 500-year period after My extinction lest it should be lost.” Reading this passage in the sūtra respectfully, I see that the time for the secret dharmas to spread will be after the passage of the 2,000-year periods of the Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, namely during the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha, which coincides with the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration, when it is believed that strife becomes rampant with Buddhism progressively declining to extinction.

Sandai Hiho Honjo-ji, The Transmission of the Three Great Secret Dharmas, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 287-288

The Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is compared to a lotus flower. The māndāra flower in the heavenly realm and the cherry blossoms in the human world represent happiness. However, the Buddha doesn’t use them as symbols of the Lotus Sūtra. There is a reason why the Buddha chose this flower (the lotus) over all the flowers in the world to represent the Lotus Sūtra.

Some plants have flowers that bloom before bearing fruit, while others bear fruit before flowering. Some produce many fruits from a single flower, while others though having many flowers produce only one fruit, while still others have fruit without any flowers. But only the lotus flower bears fruit and a flower at the same time.

It is said that the merit of all the Buddhist scriptures (except the Lotus Sūtra) is found in the promise that men can become Buddhas after they have done good deeds, which means the attainment of Buddhahood is not certain. In the case of the Lotus Sūtra, however, when one touches it, one’s hands immediately become Buddhas, and when one chants it, one’s mouth instantly becomes a Buddha. For example, when the moon rises above the eastern mountain, its reflection immediately shows on the water. Sound and resonance also occur simultaneously. It is written (in the Lotus Sūtra) that one who listens to the Lotus Sūtra will never fail to attain Buddhahood. The meaning of this passage is that whether there be a hundred, or even a thousand people, all those who believe in this sūtra (the Lotus Sūtra) attain Buddhahood.

Ueno-dono Gozen Gohenji, Reply to My Lady, the Nun of Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 58-59

Setting aside for now the period when Śākyamuni Buddha lived in this world, there have been 24 messengers of the Buddha during the period of 2,200 years or so spanning the Age of the True Dharma, the Age of the Semblance Dharma, and the Latter Age of Degeneration since the passing of Śākyamuni Buddha. Namely 1. Mahākāśyapa; 2. Ānanda; 3. Madhyāntika; 4. Śaṇavāsa; 5. Upagupta; 6. Dhṛṭaka; 7. Mikkaka; 8. Buddha-nandi(ya); 9. Buddhamitra; 10. Pārśva; 11. Puṇyayaśas; 12. Aśvaghoṣa;13. Kapimāla; 14. Nāgārjuna; 15.
Āryadeva; 16. Rāhulata; 17. Saṃghanandi; 18. Saṃghayośas; 19. Kumārata; 20. Jayata; 21. Vasubandhu; 22. Manorhita; 23. Haklenayaśas; and 24. Ven. Siṃha. These twenty-four transmitters of the Buddhist Dharma are described in the Sūtra of Transmission of Buddhist Teaching by Śākyamuni Buddha Himself. These priests, however, are messengers of the Buddha spreading only the Hinayāna and the provisional Mahāyāna teachings. They are not the messengers of the Buddha spreading the true Mahāyāna teaching of the Lotus Sūtra.

Tayūsakan-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ikegami Munenaka, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 106