The five characters in Chinese “Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō” appearing above the sentence, “Thus have I heard” is the essence of the one-volume Lotus Sūtra in eight fascicles, the essence of all the sūtras, and the supreme and True Dharma for all Buddhas, bodhisattvas, men of the Two Vehicles (śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha), heavenly beings, human beings, asura demons, and dragon deities.
Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 50.
The Lotus Sūtra consists of two parts: the theoretical section (first half) and the essential section (latter half). The difference between them is as clear as water and fire or heaven and earth. It is greater than the difference between the pre-Lotus sūtras and the Lotus Sūtra. …
Now, regarding the difference between the essential and theoretical sections, the lord-preacher of the former is the Eternal Buddha who had been the Buddha since the eternal past while that of the latter is the historical Buddha attaining Buddhahood in this life at Buddhagayā. The difference between the two is as clear as between a 100-year-old man and an infant. Not only the lord-preacher but also His disciples are as different as water and fire. How much more so is it the case with the Buddha land between the “four lands” preached in the theoretical section and the “land of eternal tranquil light” of the essential section! The difference is beyond expression. Those who mix up the two, the theoretical and essential sections, are like those who cannot differentiate fire from water.
Toki Nyūdō-dono Go-henji: Chibyō-shō, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Toki: Treatise on Healing Sickness, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 252-253
The reason why I speak ill of the doctrine established by Venerable Shan-tao is not due to my own conclusion. In ancient times, when Amitābha Buddha was practicing the bodhisattva way as King Mujōnen, he abandoned this Sahā World. So Śākyamuni Buddha, then called Bodhisattva Hōkai Bonji, took the responsibility of saving this Sahā World. When Amitābha Buddha and various Buddhas in the universe vowed not to welcome the slanderers of the True Dharma, the five rebellious sinners, and icchantika into the Pure Lands throughout the universe, Bodhisattva Hōkai Bonji vowed to save all those people rejected from the Pure Lands throughout the universe. Moreover, Śākyamuni Buddha preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “Only I will save and protect mankind.” “Only I” sounds haughty but it is not Śākyamuni Buddha’s own idea. As Amitābha Buddha and various Buddhas throughout the universe themselves abandoned the people in this Sahā World, so Śākyamuni vowed Himself, “Only I. …” Thus, He has already appeared in this Sahā World. Is there any room to doubt His intention?
Jōren-bō Gosho, A Letter to Jōren-bō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 171
Thus thinking of my situation, I am an exiled man but my joy is immeasurable. I shed tears of joy, and I also shed tears of sorrow. Tears are common to good and evil. As one thousand arhats shed tears while remembering the Buddha, and Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī chanted “Myōhō Renge Kyō,” one of the thousand arhats, Venerable Ānanda, replied, “Thus I heard.” The other nine hundred and ninety-nine arhats also wept, and using tears as water for ink, wrote, “Thus have I heard,” and “Myōhō Renge Kyō” above it. Now, I, Nichiren, am shedding tears in the same manner.
I find myself in such a circumstance because I spread the five or seven character daimoku of “Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō.” It was because I had heard that Śākyamuni Buddha and the Buddha of Many Treasures have left the Lotus Sūtra for the sake of Japan and all people in the future. Tears keep falling when I think of the current unbearable hardships, but I cannot stop tears of joy when I think of obtaining Buddhahood in the future. Birds and insects chirp without shedding tears. I, Nichiren, do not cry but tears keep falling. These tears are shed not for worldly matters, but solely for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, they could be called tears of nectar. It is said in the Nirvana Sūtra, “When people part from their parents, brothers, wife, children, or relatives, they shed more tears than the water of four great oceans but not a teardrop for the Buddha’s Dharma.”
Shohō Jisso-shō, Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 79
The second of the eight major hells, the Hell of Black Ropes, is located beneath the Hell of Regeneration and is the same size as it is. In this hell, the hell guards seize sinners, push them down on the ground of hot iron, make a line on the sinners’ bodies with a hot iron rope, and cut and scrape the bodies with hot iron hatchets or saw off their limbs along the line. Moreover, there are huge iron mountains on both sides of the hell. They erect iron flags on the top of each mountain, stretch an iron rope between the two flags and force the sinners to walk on the rope carrying iron mountains. Falling off the rope, the sinners’ bodies are broken into pieces. Otherwise they are boiled in iron pots. The suffering of these tortures is 10 times more severe than the Hell of Regeneration.
One hundred years in the human world correspond to one day in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods, the second heaven in the realm of desire, where the life span of heavenly beings is 1,000 years. If 1,000 years in this Thirty-three Heaven are equal to one day in the Hell of Black Ropes, the life span of those sinners who fell into the Hell of Black Ropes is 1,000 years.
Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 107.
[Regarding the difference between the essential and theoretical sections of the Lotus Sūtra,] the Buddha had made a clear distinction between the two sections, but during more than 2,000 years since He passed away no one in India, China, Japan and the entire world (Jambudvīpa) has ever clearly differentiated them. Only T’ien-t’ai of China and Dengyō of Japan seemed to have almost made a difference between them, but they did not clarify the Lotus Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) law of precepts among important doctrines of the essential and theoretical sections. After all, although Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō knew it well in mind, they did not explain it clearly because: (1) the time was not right, (2) the people’s ability to understand was not ripe, and (3) they were not entrusted by the Buddha to propagate the doctrine.
Now, we have finally entered the Latter Age of Degeneration, when great bodhisattvas appearing from underground such as Bodhisattva Superior Practice should propagate the teaching of the essential section. As the Latter Age of Degeneration is the time for the essential section to spread, even if people with faith in Hinayāna Buddhism, quasi-Mahāyāna Buddhism, or the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra spread their respective teachings without committing any mistakes, they will serve no useful purpose. It is like a medicine for spring that is not useful in fall. Even if it is still useful in autumn, its effectiveness is not as good as in spring and summer. How much less useful they would be when they, Hinayāna and quasi-Mahāyāna Buddhists and believers of the theoretical section, become confused with the differences between Hinayāna and Mahāyāna Buddhism and provisional and true teachings. Moreover, as rulers in the past had put faith in their scriptures, built temples for them and donated pieces of farm land, it not only is inexcusable but also destroys the basis of their faiths for them to slight the teachings of their canons. Therefore, they are furious at the man who criticizes their canons, and they slander the True Dharma and persecute the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra.
Toki Nyūdō-dono Go-henji: Chibyō-shō, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Toki: Treatise on Healing Sickness, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 253-254
You already resemble a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra just as a monkey resembles a human being or a piece of rice cake resembles the full moon. Although the farmers of Atsuwara only hoped to preserve their own faith, people considered them rebels similar to Taira no Masakado of the Shōhei Period or Abe no Sadatō of the Tenki Period. However, those farmers of Atsuwara simply dedicated their lives to the Lotus Sūtra. The heavens will never consider them similar to those who betrayed their lord. Moreover, you have fallen out of favor with your lord and therefore have been forced to bear a heavy burden of the public expenditure. As a result you yourself do not have a riding horse while your wife and children do not have enough clothing.
Yet under such difficult circumstances, you sympathized with me, a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, snowed in on a deep mountain and in need of food. You kindly sent one kammon of coins to me. Your offering is as precious as a needy couple who gave away the only piece of garment they shared to an alms-begging monk, or Rita who gave a small amount of barnyard millet in a rice bowl to a pratyekabuddha. It is valuable indeed.
Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 44
Although you two have a difference in status, if you were greedy and crooked in mind and had not understood the reason behind everything, your elder brother’s disinheritance would never have been lifted. Your elder brother, Munenaka may become a Buddha due to his fervent belief in the Lotus Sūtra. However, your father would certainly go to hell for disinheriting his own son, who is a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. In this case you would lose your older brother and father and become like Devadatta. However, as you are born wise and without greed unlike those born in the Latter Age of Degeneration, three of the Ikegami family attained Buddhahood together, saving everyone on the father’s side as well as the mother’s side.
Hyōesakan-dono Gohenji, Answer to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 97-98
The Hinayāna teaching and Mahāyāna teaching are not the same, but both were preached by the same Buddha. The Mahāyāna Buddhism that rejects Hinayāna Buddhism but tries to convert it to Mahāyāna Buddhism is the same as the Mahāyāna Buddhism that rejects provisional Mahāyāna Buddhism but attempts to lead it to the Lotus Sūtra. Although the objects of rejection, Hinayāna and provisional Mahāyāna, are not the same, in both cases the purpose is to lead them to the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, the preface to the Lotus Sūtra, disregards all the sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra, declaring, “The true intention of the Buddha has not been revealed yet.”
It is also preached in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on the ” Expedients”: “If the Lotus Sūtra is not expounded after the preaching of other sūtras, the Buddha is accused of being stingy with the dharma. This is without doubt impermissible.” Namely, the Buddha said to Himself, “Born to this world, if I die after preaching sūtras such as the Flower Garland Sūtra and the Wisdom Sūtra without expounding the Lotus Sūtra, it would be as if I am stingy of turning over My property to My beloved children or leaving the sick to die without giving the best medicine to cure their illness.” The Buddha also predicts that He will fall into hell for the sin of not preaching the Lotus Sūtra. It is stated in the Lotus Sūtra, “This is impermissible.” “Impermissible” means going to hell. How much more so will it be for those who attach themselves to pre-Lotus sūtras and refuse to convert themselves to the Lotus Sūtra after hearing it preached. They are like subjects who refuse to follow the orders of the great king or children who are disobedient to parents.
Even if one does not slander the Lotus Sūtra, praising the pre-Lotus sūtras would be the equivalent to slandering the Lotus Sūtra. Grand Master Miao-lê, therefore, states in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “If one praises the pre-Lotus sūtras, it means that one slanders the Lotus Sūtra (in fascicle 3);” and “Even if one has awaken aspiration for enlightenment, unless one knows the difference between the perfect and imperfect teachings and understands the basic purpose of the Buddha’s vow to save all living beings, one will not be able to escape the sin of slandering the True Dharma even if one hears and practices the dharma in the future (in fascicle 4).”
Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 274-275
This virtue of Nichiren, I am sure, is known to all from the venerable Three Treasures above down to such heavenly beings as the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, and the sun and moon. The souls of my parents and Master Dōzen will be given plenty of help by this virtue of mine.
However, I have one doubt here. Venerable Maudgalyāyana tried to save his mother, Moggaliyā, who had fallen to the realm of hungry spirits, but in vain for she was kept suffering there. Sunakṣatra, a son of the Buddha Śākyamuni when He was a bodhisattva in His previous life, was influenced by evil friends and fell into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. The Buddha must have wished to save His son with His might, but He could not help him because that was caused by his own karma.
I do not think that the late Master Dōzen hated me, for I am one of his beloved disciples. However, he was cowardly. Moreover, he had a strong attachment to Mt. Kiyosumi. He was fearful of Steward Tōjō Kagenobu. Besides, Priests Enchi and Jitsujō, as evil as Devadatta and Kokālika, were always by his side, intimidating him. He was so frightened that he abandoned his disciples who followed him for many years, even though he loved them. Therefore, I am not sure about his next life. It was lucky for him that Kagenobu, Enchi, and Jitsujō died before him. They died because of the condemnation of the ten female rākṣasa demons, guardian deities of the Lotus Sūtra. If they had lived longer, Master Dōzen would not have had time even to have a little faith in the Lotus Sūtra. Their deaths enabled him to have a little faith in the Lotus Sūtra, but it was as useless as fighting sticks after quarrels are over or a lantern in the daytime. Besides, it is quite natural that one feels compassion for his children and disciples under any circumstances. Master Dōzen probably took pity on me exiled on the island of Sado, but he never asked about me, though it seemed possible for him to do so. I do not think, therefore, that he truly believed in the Lotus Sūtra.
Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 48-49.