Why do all the Buddhas in the entire universe throughout the past, present, and future protect especially the Lotus Sūtra? It is because the Lotus Sūtra is the parent, wet nurse, and master of Buddhas in the entire universe throughout the past, present, and future. They say that frogs feed, hearing the voice of their mothers; if they don’t hear the voice of their mothers, they will not feed and grow up. The Indian lizard called kṛkalāsa eats in the wind; it won’t grow if there is no wind. A fish lives in the water, and a bird makes a nest in the tree. Likewise, Buddhas live in the Lotus Sūtra. As the moon’s reflection resides in the water, Buddhas reside in the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, you must remember that where there is no Lotus Sūtra, there are no Buddhas.

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

Therefore, although what was realized in the minds of such great masters might be the same, Aśvaghoṣa and Nāgārjuna were superior to Kāśyapa and Ānanda with the dharma they spread; T’ien-t’ai was superior to Aśvaghoṣa and Nāgārjuna, and Dengyō was superior to T’ien-t’ai. As the world declines into the Latter Age, and the wisdom of the people becomes shallower, the teaching of the Buddha grows more profound. Ordinary sickness can be cured by ordinary medicine, but grave sickness requires special medicine. The weak need the strong for assistance.

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

It is easier to begin putting faith in the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra than to keep on believing in it to the very end. It is as though water flows in the direction of the wind and the color of flowers fade with dew.

You have steadfastly maintained your true faith in the Lotus Sūtra till today, which is very rare. How do you think you have had such a strong true faith in the Lotus Sutra? It was solely due to the good karma you accumulated during your lives in the past, in addition to the divine protection of the Buddha.

Matsuno-dono Nyōbō Go-henji, A Response to the Wife of Lord Matsuno, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 244

During the 2,000 years following the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, besides the three sages of Śākyamuni Buddha, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyō, the only true practicers of Buddhism are I, Nichiren, my disciples, and lay followers in the Latter Age of Degeneration. If you do not call us true pracicers of Buddhism, you cannot call the three sages of Śākyamuni Buddha, T’ien-t’ai, and Dengyō true practicers, either!

Nyosetsu Shugyō-shō, True Way of Practicing the Teaching of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 87

The sin of slandering the True Dharma, though repented, is 1,000 times as heavy as that of the five rebellious sins, to say nothing of slanderers of the True Dharma who do not repent and thus would never be released from the Avīci Hell. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 2, (“A Parable” chapter): “Upon seeing those who read, recite, copy and uphold this sūtra, if a person should despise, hate, envy or bear grudges against them, … he will fall into the Avīci Hell, be confined there for a whole kalpa, and be born there again when the kalpa ends. He will repeat this cycle innumerable times.”

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

It is fortunate that at least my followers, who believe in the Lotus Sūtra, the true intent of Śākyamuni Buddha, will automatically flow into the sea of Nirvana to attain Buddhahood. On the contrary, Buddhist scholars in the world today, who believe in the provisional teachings preached according to other people’s minds, will be drowned in the sea of sufferings.

Shokyō to Hokekyō to Nan’I no Koto, The Difficulty and Easiness in Understanding the Lotus Sūtra and Other Sūtras, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 285

[A letter of explanation written by Nichiren Shōnin on behalf of Shijō Yorimoto on the 25th of the sixth month in the third year of the Kenji Period (1277) and submitted to the lord of the Ema Family.]

Thus severely criticized by Sammi-kō, Ryūzō-bō replied: “No such person, who would spread the dharma at the risk of his own life, exists in this Latter Age of Degeneration. We fear the world and are overly concerned with the opinions of people. I do not think that you, Sammi-kō, will actually do as you say.”

Sammi-kō refuted him, saying: “How can you discern the mind of others? I am a disciple of Nichiren Shōnin, who is now well known in Japan. Nichiren Shōnin, my master, a monk of this Latter Age, does not seek fame as monks of these days do, has never fawned upon the powerful, and has not committed any notorious act. He is but a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, who believes that Japan is now filled with evil teachings such as those fostered by the True Word, Zen and Pure Land Sects as well as priests slandering the True Dharma. These sects revered by everyone from the emperor on top to the subjects below, have become formidable enemies of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Lord Teacher of the Lotus Sūtra. As a result, Nichiren Shōnin has come to the conclusion, according to sūtras, that the people of Japan will be abandoned by the gods and deities and attacked by foreign countries in this life, and in the next life they will all be sent to the Hell of Incessant Suffering.

“And yet, if Nichiren insists on what is stated in the sūtras, he is certain to encounter challenges and abuse; and if he does not, he cannot escape Śākyamuni Buddha’s condemnation. It is said in the Nirvana Sūtra: ‘If an honest monk, upon seeing those who break the teachings of Buddhism, does not reproach, banish, or interrogate them, he in turn will become an enemy of Buddhism.’ Concluding that if he feared the world to such an extent that he failed to speak out about the truth of the Lotus Sūtra and thus be cast down into the evil realms as a result, Nichiren has continually preached this truth for some twenty years since the fifth of the Kenchō Era (1235) till this year, the third of the Kenji Era (1277). As a result, he has suffered numerous persecutions privately and two punishments by the rulers of Japan. I, Sammi, was one of those who was arrested on the 12th of the ninth month of the eighth year of the Bun’ei Era (1271) and ready to be beheaded. Do you dare to call me a monk who would fear for his life?”

Yorimoto Chinjō, Yorimoto’s Letter of Explanation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 103-104

It is preached in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “Of all the Buddhist scriptures, the Lotus Sūtra is the foremost;” in the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter, “Likewise, those who uphold this sūtra are the foremost among all sentient beings;” and in the “Teacher of the Dharma” chapter, “Those who adore the upholders of the Lotus Sūtra after the death of the Buddha will gain happiness and benefit more than those who praise the Buddha.” Grand Master Miao-lê states in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “He who torments a preacher of the Lotus Sūtra will have his head split into seven pieces, while he who gives offering to him will gain happiness and benefit more than the ten epithets for the Buddha.” Grand Master Dengyō also states in his Effects of T’ien-t’ai on Buddhist Schools, “He who adores the Lotus Sūtra piles up happiness and benefits as high as Mt. Sumeru while he who abuses the Lotus Sūtra commits the sin of falling into the Hell of Incessant Suffering.” And the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 10, states, “The merit of a bodhisattva on the highest stage in an expedient teaching does not amount to the merit of the fiftieth person who heard the true teaching of the Lotus Sūtra orally transmitted from one person to another.”

Toki-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 21-22