The six stages in the practice of the Lotus Sūtra established by the Lotus School can be divided into two categories: (1) first four stages of ri-soku, my ōji-soku, kangy ō-soku and sōji-soku practiced by the ignorant (ordinary) people in the Impure Land; and (2) last two stages of bunshin-soku and kukyo-soku practiced by bodhisattvas in the Actual Reward Land.

• Risoku is the stage at which one has not yet heard the True Dharma and is ignorant of Buddhism although in theory he possesses the Buddha-nature and his momentary thought is equipped with the principle of Triple Truth.
• Myōji-soku is the stage at which one hears the name of the truth and perceives it. This is the initial state in which one is awakened for aspiration for Buddhahood upon encountering Buddhism and listening to the name of the Triple Truth.
• Kangyō-soku is the stage at which one practices the principle of the Triple Truth. This corresponds to the five progressive stages of practice for believers of the Lotus Sūtra after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha. Illusions of view and thought are not yet eradicated in this stage.
• Sōji-soku: a practicer at this stage manifests the principle of the triple truth and is automatically in accordance with the Dharma-nature; having eliminated 88 kinds of delusions in view, 81 kinds of delusions in thought, and 9 kinds of delusions as numerous as particles of dust and sand (namely the first two of the three illusions), he outwardly resembles a Buddha.
• Bunshin-soku: a practicer at this stage partially awakens to the truth of Middle Way by eliminating the 41 kinds of illusions of darkness (ignorance), that is to say all illusions except the fundamental darkness.
• Kukyō-soku, is the highest stage of practice, at which one completely eradicates all illusions and fully realizes the Buddha-nature.

Hokke Jōdo Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers on the Lotus and Pure Land Sects, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3,
Pages 174-175

[A]bsolute subtlety (zetsudaimyō) is a doctrine of revealing the truth (single path to enlightenment) and merging all the provisional teachings for bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddha, and śrāvaka (kaie). Here the pre-Lotus sūtras, which are abandoned as expedient by the doctrine of relative subtlety (sōdaimyō), are all included in the ocean of the Lotus Sūtra. Once entering the ocean of the Lotus Sūtra, the pre-Lotus sūtras will no longer be dismissed as expedient. All the sūtras entering the ocean of the Lotus Sūtra take up the one flavor of Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō because of the wonderful merit of the ocean of the Lotus Sūtra. There is no reason why they have to be referred to by other names such as nembutsu, Ritsu, Shingon, or Zen. Consequently, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai said in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, “Just as water becomes salty when it flows into the sea, any wisdom ceases to exist in itself after it is taken in the True Wisdom.” Thus he instructs us that no original names be mentioned. People of the Tendai School generally maintain:

The pre-Lotus sūtras with the first four flavors, which were dismissed in comparing the Lotus Sūtra with other sūtras (relative subtlety), can be kept and any names of Buddhas and bodhisattvas can be recited even after the single path is revealed through the doctrine of absolute subtlety because these sūtras, Buddhas and bodhisattvas are included in the wonderful entity of the Lotus Sūtra. Waters in rivers before entering the sea differ in size, or in cleanliness, but once they flow into the ocean, we can see that it is a serious mistake to distinguish or select water saying that some waters are cleaner than others. Both the dirty water that is undesirable and clean water that is loved stem originally from the same ocean. Therefore, even when we put a special name on some water, water is water wherever it is taken out from, and it is a mistake to think that there is a difference in water. Likewise, it is not a terrible idea to believe in any teaching one likes or comes across.

Thus they accept and believe any teaching which comes to the mind such as the nembutsu and mantras.

When speaking in vague terms, a point of view such as this seems rational, but strictly speaking it is a serious fallacy leading to hell. The reason is that while one person who truly understands the doctrine of kaie may uphold various provisional sūtras or recite any names of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas, all other people generally keep or chant them with the usual prejudice without understanding the meaning of kaie. Consequently, such a view can be an evil teaching in which even if a person who understands the doctrine may get enlightened, most people will fall into hell. Any doctrines expounded in the pre-Lotus sūtras and the “ultimate truth” shown in those doctrines are all composed of biased thoughts and convictions. As stated in the second chapter, “Expedients,” of the Lotus Sūtra, “They are astray in the thick forest of wrong views on existence and non-existence.”

Then both those who know the doctrine of kaie and those who do not know it cannot avoid going down to hell if they uphold provisional sūtras and recite the names of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in them and contemplate the “ultimate truth” of the expedient teachings. Those who are convinced that they know the doctrine of kaie are no less wrong than those who believe that it is possible to put the water of the ocean into a puddle made by a hoof of a cattle. How can they escape from falling into the Three Evil Realms (hell, the realm of hungry souls, and realm of beasts and birds)? What’s worse, those who do not know the doctrine of kaie, basically taking in wrong teachings, are so attached to the wrong views or expedient teachings that they are sure to fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. Even after realizing the doctrine of kaie, they should dismiss such ideas considering them expedient teachings with which enlightenment cannot be achieved. Do not recite or uphold the names and the “ultimate wisdom” of evil doctrines.

Shoshū Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers Regarding Other Schools, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 165-166

Question: Is the doctrine of the Lotus School based on the explanations of Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lê and Dengyō?

Answer: It is based on the clear mirror of Śākyamuni Buddha (the Lotus Sūtra) supplemented by their explanations.

Shoshū Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers Regarding Other Schools, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 161-162

The secret dharma (five characters of the Wonderful Dharma), the essence of the Lotus Sūtra, that such great sages as Kāśyapa, Ananda, Nāgārjuna and Vasubandhu of the Age of the True Dharma and Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō of the Age of the Semblance Dharma knew in mind but did not yet propagate outwardly, is clearly stated in the Lotus Sūtra. It is also clear, however, that this secret dharma is not explained at all in any commentary or annotation. Sages with an inborn capacity of perception should know the dharma by looking at the sūtra themselves. Wise persons should meet virtuous teachers, receive the dharma and believe it. Those with serious sins will distrust and hold in contempt such teachers and will not believe the dharma, but if they wish to listen to it even for a moment, I am willing to tell you about it.

Soya Nyūdō-dono-gari Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Lord Soya, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 155

Now it is the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration. Those who should be saved by Hinayana and provisional Mahayana teachings have disappeared, leaving only those who should be saved by the True Mahayana teaching. You cannot load a big rock on a small boat. Evil and ignorant people are like huge rocks. Such teachings as Hinayana and provisional Mahayana sūtras and the nembutsu are like a small boat. A large malignant scab cannot be cured easily because it is a severe sickness. For us in the Latter Age of Degeneration, nembutsu is like cultivating a rice field in winter. The time is not at all right.

Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō-dono Gosho, A Letter to Lord Nanjō Hyōe Shichirō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 130-131

Question (12): If the Buddha preached the Lotus Sūtra not at the beginning but after four decades of preaching lest the people might slander the sūtra, why do you suddenly expound the Lotus Sūtra without preaching the provisional sūtras first, causing the people to slander the True Dharma and fall into the evil realms?

Answer (12): While in this world the Buddha sat under the bodhi tree contemplating the capacity of the people. He foresaw that preaching the Lotus Sūtra then would cause the people to slander it and fall into the evil realms, but preaching it 40 years or so later would not cause them to slander it; instead, it would cause them to enter the way of bodhisattvas attaining the rank of shojū (state of non-regression) or even the highest rank of myōkaku (wonderful enlightenment).

In the Latter Age of Degeneration, however, it seems that there is no person equipped with the capacity to be saved by the Buddha’s dharma, not even one out of 10,000, who would be able to enter the rank of shojū. Also Buddhist masters who guide the people are no longer Buddhas, who can make judgment about the capability of the people to understand and accept the Buddha’s teaching. Therefore, the Buddha has permitted us to guide the people, both believers (who will attain Buddhahood by following the Buddha’s teaching) and non-believers (who will eventually attain Buddhahood through the merit of reverse relationship), with the Lotus Sūtra from the beginning. Even after the death of the Buddha, however, the provisional sūtras may be preached first for those whose capacity is not for the Lotus Sūtra. Also, those who place emphasis on giving joy to the people should preach provisional sūtras first just as Śākyamuni Buddha did, while those who emphasize relieving the people of their sufferings first should preach the true Lotus Sūtra just as Never-Despising Bodhisattva did.

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 110

Hell of Regeneration

The life span of these sinners in this hell is as follows. Suppose 50 years in the human world is equal to one day in the Four-king Heavens, the first heaven in the realm of desire, where heavenly beings’ life span is 500 years. Suppose 500 years in the Four-king Heavens correspond to one day in the Hell of Regeneration. Sinners in the Hell of Regeneration live as long as 500 years. …

Hell of Black Ropes

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. …

Hell of Crushing

Suppose 200 years in the human world correspond to a day in the Heaven of Yama, the third heaven in the realm of desire, where heavenly beings live for 2,000 years. If 2,000 years in this Heaven of Yama are equal to one day in the Hell of Crushing, the life span of sinners in this hell is 2,000 years. …

Hell of Wailing

Regarding the life span of the sinners in this Hell of Wailing, one day in the human world corresponds to 400 years in the Tuṣita Heaven, the fourth heaven in the realm of desire, where dwellers live as long as 4,000 years. Suppose 4,000 years in this Tuṣita Heaven are equal to one day in the Hell of Wailing, sinners in this hell have to suffer as long as 4,000 years. …

Hell of Great Wailing

Suppose 800 years in the human world equals to one day in the Creating Enjoyment Heaven, the fifth heaven in the realm of desire, where inhabitants live for 8,000 years. Suppose one day in this hell corresponds to 8,000 years in the Creating Enjoyment Heaven, those sinners who fall to the Hell of Great Wailing have to suffer for as long as 8,000 years. …

Hell of Burning Heat

Suppose 1,600 years in the human world correspond to one day and night in the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven, the sixth heaven in the realm of desire, where the life span of heavenly beings is 1,600 years. Suppose 1,600 years in the Paranirmitavaśavartin Heaven are equal to one day and night in the Hell of Burning Heat, the sinners in this hell live as long as 1,600 years. …

Hell of Great Burning Heat

The Hell of Great Burning Heat, the seventh of the eight major hells, is located beneath the Hell of Burning Heat, and its length and breadth are the same as the Hell of Burning Heat. However, the torment in this hell is ten times more severe than all the torments of the six hells mentioned above combined. The life span of sinners in this hell is half the length of a medium kalpa. …

Hell of Incessant Suffering (Avīci Hell)

The life span of sinners in this hell is one medium kalpa. Suppose the length of time equivalent to the period during which a man’s life span decreases by one in 100 years from infinite to ten years, and then increases from 10 to 80,000 at the same rate. The time required for this decrease and increase is called a small kalpa, twenty of which constitute a medium kalpa. Those who fall into this Hell of Incessant Suffering are subjected to the great torment of this worst hell for this long period of time.

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarification of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 98-103

Question: Various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra also state that an evil person can become a Buddha. It is preached in the Flower Garland Sūtra that five hundred evil people such as Devadatta will become Buddhas in the future. The Fuchō Zammai Sūtra states that an evil king, Ajātaśatru, will become a Buddha in the future and in the Sūtra of Mahayana Dhārani is the story of Vāsudeva, who had gone to hell because of his evil deeds but was guaranteed future Buddhahood. As for the enlightenment of women, the Bosatsu Shotai Sūtra says that any woman can become a Buddha. As for the enlightenment of beasts and birds, the Agama sūtras say that a pigeon will be a Buddha in the future. The enlightenment of the Two Vehicles is mentioned in the Sūtra of Mahayana Dhārani and the Heroic Valor Sūtra. The enlightenment of bodhisattvas is mentioned in such sutras as the Flower Garland Sūtra. As for rebirth in the Pure Land by ordinary people bound by evil passions, the Sūtra of Meditation on the Buddha of Infinite Life says that even “the lowest grade in the lowest class” will be reborn in the Pure Land of the Buddha of Infinite Life, no matter how serious one’s sin is. As for a woman turning into a man, the Sūtra of the Buddha of Infinite Life states in the thirty-fifth of its forty-eight vows that a woman can turn into a man by reciting the name of the Buddha of Infinite Life and be reborn in the Pure Land. How are these enlightenments thus revealed in these various provisional sutras different from the assurance of future Buddhahood of the Two Vehicles, a dragon girl, Devadatta, and bodhisattvas in the Lotus Sūtra? Also, there is no doubt that they all attain Buddhahood in these various sutras even though there are some differences between them and the Lotus Sūtra. What do you think of this?

Answer: It is easy to answer your question based on the teachings passed down to me which I hold dear. After hearing my answer, you will clearly see that the Lotus Sūtra is superior to the various other sutras and determine whether or not it is indeed possible to become Buddhas in those sutras. However, I cannot write this down on paper because it is the secretly treasured doctrine of the Buddha.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-i, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 82

The Lotus Sūtra of the fifth period consists of one fascicle of the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning as an introduction, eight fascicles of the Lotus Sūtra, and one fascicle of the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva as the conclusion, bringing the total number of fascicles to ten.

The reason for my commentaries on the Four Teachings (Tripitaka, Common, Distinct, and Perfect) and the Four Periods (Flower Garland, Agama, Expanded, and Wisdom) is to help others learn what the Lotus Sūtra is. For one cannot correctly understand the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra without learning the pre-Lotus Sūtras, although one may study the pre-Lotus Sūtras without learning about other Sūtras.

In support of this, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai stated in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, “When attempting to spread various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra, the essential part of the teaching will not be lost even if a doctrinal analysis of all the teachings of the Buddha is not rendered. When attempting to spread the Lotus Sūtra, however, the essence of the teaching may be lost if a doctrinal analysis is not made.” It is preached in the Lotus Sūtra (chapter 2, “Expedients”), “Although the Buddhas expound various teachings, it is for the purpose of leading the people into the world of the One Buddha Vehicle.” “Various teachings” here refer to all the pre-Lotus Sūtras. “For the purpose of leading the people into the world of the One Buddha Vehicle” means to expound all the scriptures of Buddhism to reveal the Lotus Sūtra.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-i, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 75

The purpose of the Tripitaka teaching is to emancipate people from the Six Realms of the triple world. As a result, because the teaching reveals no place but the triple world to attain emancipation, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha are unaware of the existence of the Pure Land where bodhisattvas are born. They also do not know that they still possess other evil passions and attachments besides the delusions in view and thought. Śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas believe they will eliminate the cause of being reborn in the triple world if they do away with the delusions in view and thought and that they will exist in a void where there is no body or mind, since they will have transformed the body to ashes and annihilated consciousness. Thus it is said that men of the two Vehicles cannot be saved by the Tripitaka teaching, and that they will never be able to become Buddhas without the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-i, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 72.