On the 12th of the 9th month in the 8th year of the Bun’ei Era (1271), when I was arrested, I declared to Hei no Saemon and hundreds of his soldiers, “I, Nichiren, am the pillar of Japan. When you kill me, you cut down the pillar of Japan.”

Now, it is said in those sūtras that if the wise man is punished by the rulers of the land because of calumnies of evil priests or slandering words of the people, immediately there will be a civil war, gale and foreign invasion. A civil war broke out within the Hōjō clan in the second month in the 9th year of the Bun’ei Era (1272). A terrible wind blew in the 4th month in the 11th year of the Bun’ei Era. The Mongols invaded Japan in the tenth month of the same year. Aren’t these solely due to Nichiren being persecuted? As I predicted these in my “Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma,” how can anyone have doubts about it?

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 32-33.

QUESTION: Hasn’t Grand Master T’ien-t’ai really attained the word of the Wonderful Dharma?

ANSWER: Though Grand Master T’ien-t’ai attained the Wonderful Dharma in mind, he did not propagate it outwardly. He kept the realm of profound enlightenment he attained to himself and outwardly did no more than calling the Wonderful Dharma the threefold contemplation and show the way of practicing the doctrine of “3,000 existences contained in one thought.”

QUESTION: Why did Grand Master T’ien-t’ai not propagate the teaching of the Wonderful Dharma though he attained it?

ANSWER: First, (as Grand Master T’ien-t’ai was in the Age of the Semblance Dharma while the Lotus Sūtra should be spread in the Latter Age of Degeneration,) his days were not appropriate for the essence of the Lotus Sūtra to be revealed; secondly, (since the propagation in the Latter Age of Degeneration was entrusted to such bodhisattvas emerged from underground as Superior Practice Bodhisattva,) he did not take charge of the propagation; thirdly, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai was a disciple of a manifestation Buddha (not of the Original Śākyamuni Buddha).

Risshō Kanjō, A Treatise on Establishing the Right Way of Meditation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 229

Once there were two boys named Unvanquished and Virtuous-Victory [who met the Buddha but had nothing of value to offer] so they offered a mud pie to the Buddha, and by virtue of this one of them was reborn as King Aśoka the lord of Jambudvīpa. After building 84,000 stupas and sending them to various countries, he was able to fulfill his long time wish and attain enlightenment.

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

Thus, only those who thoroughly discern the difference between the Lotus Sūtra and other sūtras can truly be said to have understood the teaching.

Many scholars today do not understand this correctly, so very few seem to have truly understood the teaching. As there are few scholars who understand the teaching, there are only few who truly read the Lotus Sūtra. If no one reads the Lotus Sūtra, there will be no one who can lead the country wisely. If there is no right leader, the people of the country will not know the difference between Hinayāna and Mahāyāna, provisional and true teachings, and exoteric and esoteric teachings. As a result, no one will be able to leave the transmigration of birth and death, and everyone will become a slanderer of the Dharma. More people than the number of dust-particles in the earth will believe in evil dharmas and fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. Those who leave the delusion of life and death through the right teaching are scarcer than the amount of soil on a fingernail. How terrible this is!

Kyō Ki Ji Koku Shō, Treatise on the Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 100-101

If what Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō said upon transmitting their teaching is true, we can see that the most essential teaching transmitted from Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is (not the threefold contemplation in a single thought but) the word of the Wonderful Dharma. The threefold contemplation in a single thought is merely a way of practice to attain the Wonderful Dharma. It is the practice as the cause and the Wonderful Dharma is the realm of enlightenment as the result. However, since the practice as the cause includes the result, and the enlightenment as the result includes the cause, the cause and the result are one and inseparable. Contemplating on the Wonderful Dharma, which includes both the cause and result, a person can attain the merit of acquiring the Wonderful Principle of all (Buddhist) teachings (as mentioned in their transmission documents.)

Thus, we should know that it is indeed a prejudice to insist on such a fallacy saying, “The ultimate teaching of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai establishes a teaching of the ‘concentration and insight of no thought’ other than the distinction between the theoretical and essential sections, and this ‘concentration and insight of no thought’ is beyond description and thus the most important secret teaching.” Great Bodhisattvas such as those called Four Reliances respectfully interpreted the sūtras expounded by the Buddha and developed their theories. Why should Grand Master T’ien-t’ai alone have established the “concentration and insight of no thought” against the thought of the Buddha? If this “concentration and insight” is not based on the Lotus Sūtra, the Great Concentration and Insight of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is the same as the (false) teaching of a heavenly devil teaching transmitted from heart to heart, without scriptures or preachings. The Great Concentration and Insight by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is never such a teaching. It is really regrettable (that many people interpret the teaching incorrectly).

Risshō Kanjō, A Treatise on Establishing the Right Way of Meditation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 230

The cherry blossoms scattered last year bloomed again this year. The nuts and berries that fell off last year have appeared again this year. The spring winds blow as gently as last year. The autumn leaves look as beautiful as last year. Why is it, then, that only in this case does something disappear (the life of your husband) and does not return? The moon sets but rises, and the clouds scatter but never fail to come back. In all of heaven and earth your lament must be greatest that a man does not return from death. Be quick in your determination to set a trip to the Pure Land on Mt. Sacred Eagle, trusting the Lotus Sūtra to take care of all your travel needs and meet your beloved husband.

Sennichi-ama Gohenji, A Reply to Sennichi-ama, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 161

Now it is preached in the true sūtra of the Buddha that when the Buddhist dharma faces confusion, a great sage appears and when the world is in disarray, the sage and the ignorant appear at the same time. For instance, pine trees are called the kings of trees because they grow through the wintry season, and chrysanthemum flowers are called “holy flowers” because they blossom later than other flowers in the wintry season. When the world is in order, a sage does not appear, but when it is in disarray, the sage and the ignorant appear at the same time.

Hyōesakan-dono Gosho, Letter to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 89

There is a large waterfall called Lung-men in China. It scales ten jyō (approximately 30 meters) high, and the speed at which the water falls is quicker than that of an arrow shot down from above by a strong warrior. Here, large schools of funa (carp) gather and attempt to climb the waterfall. If a funa is able to climb to the top of this waterfall, it would be transformed into a dragon. However, not one in a hundred, or a thousand, or ten thousand, or even one in ten or twenty years is able to climb to the top.

They are often drifted off along the way by the rapids, or preyed upon by eagles, hawks, kites, and owls. If not, they are caught by fishermen lined up on both banks, left and right, over a range of ten chō (about 1090 meters). They lay nets, use buckets, and some use spears to catch the funa. These conditions make it almost impossible for a funa to become a dragon. The road to becoming a Buddha is not any simpler than a funa climbing Lung-men or someone of lowly status gaining membership into the court.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 162-163