[I]t is said in the Lotus Sūtra, 13th chapter: “We will not spare even our lives; we treasure only the unsurpassed enlightenment.” In the Nirvana Sūtra it is said: “Do not hide the teaching of the Buddha even at the cost of your life.”
If we spare our lives in this life, in which life will we be able to become Buddhas? In which life can we save our parents and masters? Thus, I decided to speak up with the true teaching. As expected, I have been expelled out of my residence, abused, beaten, and hurt. On the 12th of the fifth month in the first year of the Kōchō Era (1261), I fell out of shogunal grace and was exiled to Itō of Izu Province. On the 22nd of the second month of the 3rd year of the same era, I was pardoned.

Thereafter, the more intense my aspiration for Buddhahood became, the more fervently I spoke up. Great difficulties were brought about just as high waves are caused by strong winds. I could imagine through my experiences how terrible it was when Never-Despising Bodhisattva was beaten with sticks and hit by stones and broken tiles were thrown at him. The difficulties experienced by Monk Virtue Consciousness toward the end of Rejoice (Kangi) Buddha’s period seem incomparable to mine. I have no place to live at all in the sixty-six provinces and two islands of Japan even for a day or a moment. Even sages who, like Rāhula in the past, keep the 250 precepts and bear the intolerable and men of wisdom like Pūrṇa abuse me, Nichiren, whenever they see me. Even men as honest as Wei-chêng of ancient China and as wise as Imperial Regent Fujiwara Yoshifusa of Japan treat Nichiren with hostility beyond reason, not to mention ordinary people in this world who hate me just as dogs hate monkeys and hunters chase deer.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 46.

QUESTION: I ask with much hesitation whether it can be that fire can beget water, or that a rock may beget flowers. From the standpoint of Buddhism, it is understood that a bad effect would follow from a bad cause; similarly, a good product would arise from something good. Nevertheless, should we look at our origins, it is clear that we are the products of the binding of our parent’s red and white blood. In like manner, the root of evil can spawn impurity. Whilst we attempt to wash it with the waters of the ocean, it would still not be cleansed. When we examine our minds and bodies–that which receives of this painful lot–we can say that it is composed of the three basic evil passions: greed, anger, and ignorance. When these two, evil passions and their painful results, come together to form various karma, they give rise to the paths of karma that chain us to the painful environment of the triple world and six realms (lower six of the ten realms). It is like a bird trapped in a cage. How is it that the three ways, evil passions, karma, and suffering can turn into the three merits, Dharma Body, Reward Body and Accommodative Body of the Buddha? It is, for example, as difficult to expect an appealing fragrance to arise from feces made to look like sandalwood.

ANSWER: Your question is quite natural. It is difficult for me to provide a sufficient answer as well. In any case, Nāgārjuna, the 13th transmitter of the Buddhist teaching whom even Grand Master T’ien t’ai respected as the Founder, comments on the single character “myō” in his Great Wisdom Discourse: “It is the same as a renowned doctor who prescribes a poison for medicine.” What is meant here by “poison”? It refers to the three paths, that are our evil passions, karma, and suffering. Then what is meant by medicine? It refers to the three merits: Dharma Body, unsurpassed wisdom, and emancipation. What is meant by prescribing a poison for medicine? It means nothing but transforming the three evils to three merits. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra states: ” ‘Myō’ of Myōhō Renge Kyō means unfathomable.” And in the Great Concentration and Insight, he claims: “As one thought contains ten realms, there should be no less than 3,000 modes of existence contained in one thought, making it impossible to separate one’s thought from all existing things. This relationship is difficult to explain in words, such that ‘thought’ falls within the realm of incomprehension.” Becoming a Buddha with one’s present body is not easily defined.

Shimon Butsujō-gi, Listening to the Once Buddha Vehicle Teachings for the First Time, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 247-248

Becoming a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra is brought about by a long causal relationship from the past. Even among trees and plants, some of them are carved into Buddhist statues because of their long karmic relationship. Some trees are carved into provisional Buddhas, not true ones, due to the long causal relationship from the past existences.

Shohō Jisso-shō, Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 79

It is said that he who seeks great fame is not ashamed of a minor disgrace. I have a great wish of spreading the seven-character daimoku of “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” over the land of Japan, and further to China and Korea. Is it a sign of my wish coming true that the state letter of the Great Mongol Empire threatening to attack Japan has arrived, causing serious worries to the people in this country? I, Nichiren, predicted this long ago. This is the greatest distinction in the world.

Bettō Gobō Gohenji, A Reply to the Head Priest, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 165

Practicers of the Lotus Sūtra should keep deeply in mind such scriptural statements as the following: “The truth has not been revealed in sūtras preached during the pre-Lotus, forty years or so” (the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning); “Of all the sūtras which have already been preached, are now being preached and will be preached, this sūtra is the most difficult to believe and understand” (the 10th chapter of the Lotus Sūtra) ; “What is preached by Śākyamuni Buddha is all true” (the 11th chapter of the Lotus Sūtra) ; and “Rely upon the dharma, not the word of persons” (the Nirvana Sūtra ). However, these should not be mentioned. When criticized by followers of other sects, you should conversely ask on what sūtras are their teachings based. If they answer your question by citing sūtras, you should ask them when, during the Buddha’s 50-year lifetime of preaching, their sūtras were preached— whether it was before, after or at the same time as the Lotus Sūtra, or undetermined.

If their answer is before the Lotus Sūtra, you should then challenge them with the passage, “The truth has not been revealed in sūtras preached during the pre-Lotus, forty years or so.” You need not ask about the content of their sūtras. If their answer is after, you should confront them with the statement, “Of all the sūtras which will be preached… ” If they answer at the same time as the Lotus Sūtra, you may confront them with the statement, “Of all the sūtras which are now being preached. If they answer they don’t know when their sūtras were preached, you should know that those which are not known when preached are unimportant expedient sūtras preached on particular occasions for particular persons; they are not worthy of discussion. Besides, even those sūtras without a particular date must have been preached either before, after or at the same time as the Lotus Sūtra. Even if those sūtras expounded hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands of doctrines, unless it is stated in them that the “during forty years or so” in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning is untrue, you should not believe in them. This is because the Buddha bequeathed to us, “Do not rely on sūtras which do not thoroughly reveal the truth.” Even if followers of other sects accuse you by citing words of such Chinese patriarchs as Chih-yen of the Flower Garland Sect, Chia-hsiang of the Sun-lun Sect, Tz’ŭ-ên (K’wei-chi) of the Fa-hsiang (Hossō) Sect and Shan-tao of the Pure Land Sect, lauding their high virtue, you must not trust those Buddhist monks who contradict the teaching of the Lotus-Nirvana Sūtras. It is because you must stay firm with the words of the Buddha, “Rely on the dharma, not the word of persons.”

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 74-75

QUESTION: Is it possible for us, ordinary people of this latter age of decadence, to grasp such a difficult teaching?

ANSWER: Since you may not be convinced by what I say, let me cite the ninety-third section of Nāgārjuna’s Great Wisdom Discourse: “Contrary to a general belief that an arhat who has attained control of all his evil passions cannot become a Buddha, that he does in fact attain Buddhahood can only be understood by the Buddha. It is well that Buddhist academics discuss this point; however, this is not something that can be proven through polemics. This fruitless discussion need not be necessary. This truth will make itself apparent if and when one attains Buddhahood. Those who have not attained enlightenment need not be pressed to debate a matter as whether one has attained Buddhahood or not and leave that to faith.” This means that the deeper meanings of the Lotus Sūtra (sōtai seed doctrine and immediate attainment of Buddhahood) are not understood even by those bodhisattvas of pre-Lotus sūtras, who believe in the distinct teaching have managed to rid themselves of the eleven forms of ignorance; and such great bodhisattvas of perfect teaching as Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī, who have torn themselves away from the forty-one types of ignorance. Needless to say, it is much more perplexing for the three vehicles (śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha and bodhisattva) who are associated with the more rudimentary teachings of the piṭaka and common, or for the unenlightened of the latter age. Such is Nāgārjuna’s thesis.

Shimon Butsujō-gi, Listening to the Once Buddha Vehicle Teachings for the First Time, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 248-249

There is an easy way to become a Buddha. Let me teach it to you. To teach something to another person means to provide clear and concrete guidance, for instance teaching a person to oil the wheels when a wagon is too heavy to move or to use a boat to travel over water. Therefore, an easy way to become a Buddha is not at all difficult to find. It is something like giving a cup of water to a thirsty person in a time of drought or providing fire to a person who is chilled to the bone. In other words, it means to offer something unique and precious to others. It is the lifesaving offering of a person just before the last breath.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 43

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches in the twenty-second fascicle, “Ever since incalculable kalpa in the past, the suffering of living beings has not ceased. The amount of bones each living being accumulated in the span of one kalpa piles up as high as Mt. Vipula near Rājagṛha, the amount of milk consumed equals the amount of water in the four oceans surrounding Mt. Sumeru, the amount of blood shed is more than the water in the four oceans, and the amount of tears shed when parents, siblings, wives, children, and relatives pass away is more than the water in the four oceans. Suppose all the plants on the earth were cut into four-inch long pieces that could be used to keep count, we would never be able to tally the number of all the parents we’ve had.”

This scriptural statement is the words of the Buddha uttered during the last moments of His life while lying under the twin śāla trees. It is therefore most important for us to keep it in mind. It states that the number of parents who gave birth and raised us since the eternal past is more than the number of counting sticks produced by cutting all the plants in all the worlds throughout the universe into four-inch pieces.

We have met numerous parents without encountering the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, it is stated that meeting parents is easy but encountering the Lotus Sūtra is extremely difficult. Now in this life if we steadfastly uphold the difficult-to-encounter Lotus Sūtra even by going against the words of the easy-to-meet parents, we not only can become Buddhas but also lead our parents, who went against the Lotus Sūtra, into the Way of Buddhahood.

Hyōesakan-dono Gohenji, Answer to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 94

The true doctrine of the “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body,” after all, has to be based on the Lotus Sūtra that reveals both doctrines of attainment of Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles and attainment of Buddhahood by Śākyamuni Buddha in the eternal past.

Grand Master T’ien-t’ai spoke of the “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body” doctrine, “This is kept secret and has not been revealed in provisional sūtras.” It means that the true doctrine of the “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body” is like an ambrosial scent of a chinaberry that cleanses all other sundry odors.

Ōta-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Response to the Wife of Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 170

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During the Ch’ên and Sui dynasties, roughly between 450 years and 500 years or so after the introduction of Buddhism to Later Han China, there lived a monk called Chih-i. Later called Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, he refuted the false teachings of three Southern and seven Northern schools, and he advocated the theology stating that the Lotus Sūtra ranks first among all the holy sūtras, the Nirvana Sūtra second, and the Flower Garland Sūtra third. This is the first 500-year period of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, which is referred to as the period of wide reading and discussions in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 199