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

It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra that we must uphold it and propagate it in the seventeenth and eleventh chapters respectively. What does propagating this sūtra mean? As it is said in the fourteenth chapter that the Lotus Sūtra is supreme of all sūtras, only those who insist that the Lotus Sūtra is superior to such sūtras as the Great Sun Buddha, Flower Garland, Nirvana, and Wisdom, are true practicers of the Lotus Sūtra. If this is so, practicers of the Lotus Sūtra except for Grand Master Dengyō and I, Nichiren, have not existed for more than 700 years since Buddhism was introduced to Japan. I have been wondering then why those who abuse and speak ill of me, a true practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, are left unpunished. I now know, however, why their “heads have not been split into seven pieces” or their “mouths have not been sealed” as predicted in the twenty-sixth and fourteenth chapters of the sūtra. Such punishments are relatively light and concern only a few people.

Nichiren is the prime practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in the whole world. Those who abuse me, hate me, and others who side with such people, should suffer from the severest calamities in the world. The great earthquake of the Shōka Era that shook entire Japan and the great comet of the Bun’ei Era that ran across the sky were such punishments. Think on this carefully! Many have harmed practicers of Buddhism after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, but calamities as severe as the ones we have now never occurred before. This means that never before has there been a person admonishing all the people to recite “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.” Is there anyone in the whole world who can see eye to eye, and stand shoulder to shoulder with me, to evaluate the merits of spreading the Lotus Sūtra?

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 206-207

Many sūtras other than the Lotus preach variously according to the caliber of listeners. For instance the “five precepts” are preached for those in the human realm, the “ten good acts” for those in the realm of heaven, compassion and charity for the King of the Brahma Heaven, equal alms-giving among priests for the king of devils, 250 precepts for monks, 500 precepts for nuns, the four noble truths for men of śrāvaka, the 12 links of cause and effect for men of pratyekabuddha, and the six pāramitā for bodhisattvas. It is like water taking its shape according to the container or an elephant exerting its strength according to the enemy.

This is not the case with the Lotus Sūtra, in which the same Lotus Sūtra is preached for all the eight kinds of protectors of the Lotus Sūtra and four kinds of devotees. It is as if a ruler straightening a curved line or a lion exerting his full power regardless of the strength of its prey.

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 284

How pathetic it is that all the people in Japan today are delighted to see me, Nichiren, and my disciples and lay followers confronted by three types of powerful enemies and suffering from severe persecution. However, as it is said, “Today the fate of another, tomorrow mine,” their lives are as fragile as those of Nichiren and his disciples and lay followers. It is just like frost and dew lasting only until the sun rises. When, I, Nichiren, and my disciples and lay followers attain Buddhahood enjoying supreme happiness in the Pure Land of Tranquil Light, they will suffer in the bottom of the Hell of Incessant Suffering. Then what pity we shall feel for them, and how envious they shall be of us!

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

The Lotus Sūtra in the 13th chapter on the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” states, “Evil monks of the defiled world who do not know that the Buddha used expedient and provisional teachings will slander and scowl at practicers of the Lotus Sūtra. We will often be chased out of monasteries.”

It is also preached in the Nirvana Sūtra, “After My extinction, there will be hundreds, thousands, and many more besides, who do not believe in the Great Nirvana Sūtra and slander it. (…) The three kinds of Buddhists practicing the teachings for śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha, and bodhisattvas will likewise hate this supreme Great Nirvana Sūtra.”

Monk Valued Opinion fell into the three evil realms (hell, realm of hungry spirits, and that of beasts and birds) because of his sin of slandering Bodhisattva Happy Root; and Thinking-of-Buddha and others suffered in the Hell of Incessant Suffering because of their sin of beating Never-Despising Bodhisattva. They all erred from not being able to distinguish between the Mahāyāna and Hinayāna and provisional and true teachings in Buddhism. As even the ignorant know that the ten evil acts and the five rebellious sins are grave crimes, they will hardly cause national destruction or the ruin of Buddhism. Consequently, it is stated in the Sūtra of the Benevolent King, “Unable to distinguish right from wrong, the king will put his faith in their (evil priests’) teachings.” It is also stated in the Nirvana Sūtra, “Those who commit the four major sins (killing, stealing, adultery and lying) and the five rebellious sins, with full knowledge of the seriousness of the sins they commit, have no abhorrence and repentance of their sins from the beginning, and no intention of confessing them.”

These scriptural passages show that slanderers of the True Dharma, themselves as well as those who believe in them, do not know the meaning of slandering, so they commit this grave sin, destroying the country and ruining Buddhism.

Sainan Taiji-shō, Treatise on the Elimination of Calamities, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 94-95

QUESTION: What is the sense of knowing which sūtras were preached according to the Buddha’s own mind or not, and which sūtras are easy or difficult to understand and believe?

ANSWER: This doctrine proving the Lotus Sūtra to be the ultimate teaching of all sūtras is the lamp that shines in the darkness of the long night in the world of illusions through life and death, and it is the sharp sword that cuts off the root of spiritual ignorance.

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 283

[W]hat karma made you put faith in the Lotus Sūtra? As your late son had faith in the Lotus Sūtra, is it at his urging that you became a follower of the Lotus Sūtra? Due to the great merit of having faith in this sūtra, I have no doubt that you will meet your son upon visiting the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle.

In the past a calligrapher named Wu-lung in China fell into hell for slandering the Lotus Sūtra, but he became a Buddha when his son Yi-lung copied the sūtra, offering its merits to his late father. Also, King Wonderful Adornment was an evil ruler, but was led by his two sons, Pure Store and Pure Eyes, in practicing the Lotus Sūtra becoming the Śāla Tree King Buddha. These are some examples in which parents attained the status of Buddhas through their children’s faith in the Lotus Sūtra.

This is especially true with a mother and her children. The reason why it is so is that children’s flesh is mother’s flesh. A mother’s bones are the same as her child’s bones. It is said that when a pine tree grows thick, an oak tree is delighted. When a turf grass dies, an orchid cries. Even among plants, which do not possess minds, joy and sorrow are shared between them. How much more so between a mother and her child! A mother gives birth to her child after nurturing the baby in her womb for nine months and raises her child for years after that. It is only natural for a mother to hope that at death her own children will carry her coffin and bury her. How does a mother feel if her children precede her in death? What can she do with the shame of seeing her child’s funeral and the anxiety about her future life?

Buddhist sūtras cite such tales as a mother pheasant which refused to escape a brush fire and kept on sitting on her eggs till she was burnt to death and a poor woman who refused to take her hands off her baby while swept away by a swift current of the Ganges River. The pheasant then is Bodhisattva Maitreya today, while the woman who was drowned in the Ganges was reborn as the King of the Mahābrahman Heaven, not to speak of yourself who has become Kōnichi Shōnin (Rev. Kōnichi), a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, due to your deep love for your son. I am sure that you and your son together will visit the Pure Land of Mt. Sacred Eagle. How happy for you two to see each other there! How delightful for you both!

Kōnichi Shōnin Gohenji, A Reply to Rev. Kōnichi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 155-156