How can we not spread the Lotus Sūtra even if very few people have the capacity for it while most people contradict it like water against fire? When we single-mindedly spread the Lotus Sūtra, there is no doubt that we will eventually succeed even if we should encounter such great difficulties as those that have befallen Never-Despising Bodhisattva.

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 272

With gratitude, I received one koku of rice, your offering for eight months.

Now the doctrine of “attainment of Buddhahood with the present body” is clearly described in various Mahāyāna sūtras such as the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra. But trying to obtain Buddhahood with the present body by such sūtras will cause one to enter two kinds of self-conceit and eventually, far from becoming a Buddha, fall into hell. Regarding these two kinds of self-conceit, Grand Master Miao-lê states in the 9th fascicle of his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “When people are told that those who attained Buddhahood with the present body are equal to the Buddha, arrogance will appear in their minds preventing them from practicing Buddhism. When people with evil passions are told that they will become Buddhas as they are, they will neglect to cultivate the roots of goodness or to amend their self-conceit. Though there is a difference between the two kinds of self-conceit in depth, both are similar in assuming that the Buddha and people are the same, and they are disgraceful who do not reflect upon themselves.”

Ōta-dono Nyōbō Gohenji, A Response to the Wife of Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 165-166

To put it strongly, the T’ien-t’ai doctrine of “concentration and insight” is like the pre-Lotus sūtras, and the provisional Mahāyāna sūtras preaching the distinct teaching, one of the four doctrinal teachings. It is what he attained while meditating at the Universal Wisdom Hall of Practice on Mt. Ta-su, and when T’ien-t’ai told it to his teacher-master, Grand Master Nan-yüeh, he was told that what he attained was nothing but mystic words and phrases of the pre-Lotus expedient sūtras. Also, it is stated in the Pictorial Biography of T’ien-t’ai, part 4: “When T’ien-t’ai lectured on the Great Wisdom Sūtra, written in golden ink, replacing his master Nan-yüeh, a doubt arose upon encountering the passage, ‘a mind is equipped with 10,000 practices.’ Grand Master Nan-yüeh explained it for T’ien-t’ai, saying that his question was concerned with a sequential doctrine of the Great Wisdom Sūtra, which has not yet reached the level of the perfect and sudden wonderful doctrine of the Lotus Sūtra.”

Thus what T’ien-t’ai preached was the Wisdom Sūtra, a pre-Lotus, quasi-Mahāyāna sūtra. As it is said that what he preached was a sequential doctrine, it was a distinct teaching. And, as it is said that the mystic words and phrases he was able to attain were pre-Lotus expedients, we know that T’ien-t’ai’s Great Concentration and Insight is similar to a pre-Lotus, expedient sūtra, belonging to the category of the distinct teaching.

Since what T’ien-t’ai attained in mind, as stated above, is mystic words and phrases of the pre-Lotus sūtras, which he explained in his Great Concentration and Insight, it is needless to say that it cannot be compared with the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra, not to speak of the essential section. … Armed with these points, you should argue against the evil contention that the Great Concentration and Insight is superior to the Lotus Sūtra.

Risshō Kanjō, A Treatise on Establishing the Right Way of Meditation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 237

[S]uppose Śākyamuni Buddha alone changed His mind, after the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas in manifestation throughout the universe returned to their respective worlds as preached in the twenty-second chapter on “Transmission,” and preached the Nirvana Sūtra declaring that the Lotus Sūtra is inferior to the Nirvana Sūtra. Who would believe this?

With this deeply in mind, I perused the ninth fascicle of the Nirvana Sūtra. It preaches amplification of the Lotus Sūtra, “Just as fruit will profit all living beings and bring about much comfort in life to them, the appearance of this Nirvana Sūtra will reveal the Buddha-nature inherent in people. Just as the guarantee of future Buddhahood granted to 8,000 śrāvaka in the Lotus Sūtra is like the bearing of huge fruit, after the harvest in autumn and stockpiling for winter the Nirvana Sūtra has nothing to do except gleaning.” According to this passage, if the Lotus Sūtra is a false teaching, is not the Nirvana Sūtra also false? It is clearly stated here that the Lotus Sūtra is like a great harvest while the Nirvana Sūtra is a gleaning. Thus, the Nirvana Sūtra declares itself to be inferior to the Lotus Sūtra. There is no mistake about the words of the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 10, “Teacher of the Dharma,” stating that it is superior even to the sūtras to be expounded, the Nirvana Sūtra .

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 70-71

I have taken a close look at your letter. The Buddha in the Nirvana Sūtra says: “People who study Buddhism number as many as the particles of dust upon the earth; however, those that really go on to become Buddhas number as few as the particles of dust that can rest upon one’s fingernail.” After contemplating the difficulty of attaining Buddhahood, there is something I have observed with some conviction. It is possible for one not to be able to correctly learn Buddhism despite one’s study of Buddhism because of one’s stupidity; or, though one may be very intelligent, it is possible that one may go awry and not be able to correctly learn Buddhism as a result of studying under an incompetent teacher.

Misawa-shō, A Letter to Lord Misawa of Suruga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 239

A passage in a sūtra states children are one’s enemies. It is preached in the Meditation on the Mind-base Sūtra, “People in the world commit many sins for the sake of their children and thereby fall into the three evil realms and bear prolonged suffering.” The parents of hawk eagles or eagles raise their young with compassion. Nevertheless, when the young bird matures, they eat their parents in return. A type of owl eats up its mother upon birth. Beasts are like this. Some people are similar to beasts: King Virūḍhaka used force to plunder his father’s throne. King Ajātaśatru killed his own father king. An Lushan in China killed his foster mother. An Ch’ing-sü killed his father An Lushan. An Ch’ing-sü himself was killed by his own son, Shih Shih-ming, who in turn was killed by his own son, Shih Chao-i. Under these circumstances it is only natural to say that one’s children are one’s enemies. Sunakṣatra, son of the Buddha in his previous existence, often tried to murder the Buddha in cooperation with a non-Buddhist named Kutoku.

In contrast, there exists a scriptural passage saying that one’s children are one’s treasure. For instance, it is stated in the Meditation on the Mind-base Sūtra, “When those men and women perform a memorial service, a great light began shining in hell, inspiring devotion in their parents.” Even if it is not stated in any Buddhist sūtra, we can see as much with our very eyes.

Sennichi-ama Gohenji, A Reply to Sennichi-ama, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 162

Now it seems your father, Lord Ikegami Yasumitsu, has become an enemy of the Lotus Sūtra while your elder brother, Lord Ikegami Munenaka, has become a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. You will probably take your father’s side, considering the reality in life, and the disillusioned will praise you.

Taira no Munemori followed the evil acts of his father, Lay Priest Kiyomori, and was beheaded in the end at Shinohara. His elder brother Shigemori, on the other hand, did not follow his father and passed away before his father. Which of the two do you think was a filial son? If you follow your father, who has now become an enemy of the Lotus Sūtra, and abandon your elder brother, practicer of the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra, will you become a filial son in the true sense of the word? In the final analysis, make up your mind to accomplish the Buddhist Way just as your elder brother did.

Hyōesakan-dono Gohenji, Answer to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers I, Volume 6, Page 92

Grand Master Dengyō stated in the Treatise Revealing the Precepts: “Do not follow the law unless established by the lord. Do not believe in the teaching unless it is of Śākyamuni Buddha, King of the Dharma.” He also stated:

“When great bodhisattvas as respected as Four Reliances write commentaries on the sūtras, they hold viewpoints either from the provisional sūtras or the true sūtras. Expounding the teaching for the Three Vehicles (of śrāvaka, pratyekabuddha and bodhisattvas), they distinguish among three (provisional) teachings (piṭaka teaching for śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha, common teaching for all and the distinct teaching for bodhisattvas) and one (true) teaching, (perfect teaching for bodhisattvas). Thus, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai set four steps in the pre-Lotus sūtras to meet the needs of the Three Vehicles and established the teaching of the One Buddha Vehicle by the true teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. There is also a distinction among the six ways of practice by bodhisattvas: charity, precepts, perseverance, endeavor, meditation and wisdom. The precepts themselves are separated into those of the Hinayāna and the perfect precepts of the Lotus Sūtra. As the precepts they observe are different from each other, their dignities are not the same. Therefore, the teaching Grand Master T’ien-t’ai maintained is firmly based on the thoughts of the great bodhisattvas and founded on the sūtras which the Buddha expounded. (It is never of his own conjecture.)”

The present-day Tendai School in Japan regards Grand Master Dengyō as its founder. Therefore, it would be betraying Grand Patriarchal Master Dengyō in Japan and Grand Master T’ien-t’ai in China for them to have a thought that the Great Concentration and Insight of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai is not based on the Lotus Sūtra. Since the teaching that Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō transmitted is based on the Lotus Sūtra, their distant disciples should follow it. However, in fact, since scholars of the present-day Tendai School betray its teaching, they should recognize that despite bearing the name of the Tendai School, the teaching they advocate is dependent on the prejudicial teaching of Bodhidharma and the false words of Tripiṭaka Master Śubhākarasimha. According to the interpretations of Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyo, the secret teaching T’ien-t’ai found deep down in mind is nothing but the word of the Wonderful Dharma.

Risshō Kanjō, A Treatise on Establishing the Right Way of Meditation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 230-231