[I]f there is a man after the death of the Buddha who breaks the attachment to the false doctrines of the “four tastes and three teachings” of the pre-Lotus sūtras and puts faith in the True Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra, all the virtuous gods and numerous bodhisattvas who sprang up from underground will protect such a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. Under such protection, this practicer would be able to spread over the world the honzon revealed in the essential section and the five-word daimoku of “myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō,” the essence of the Lotus Sūtra.

He is just like Never-Despising Bodhisattva, who in the Age of the Semblance Dharma after the death of Powerful Voice King Buddha spread in the land of this Buddha the twenty-four-character passage in the Lotus Sūtra (chapter twenty) saying: “I respect you deeply. I do not despise you. Why is it? It is because you all will practice the way of bodhisattvas and will be able to attain Buddhahood.” With such propagation, the Bodhisattva was severely persecuted by all the people in the land, who beat him with sticks and threw stones at him.

Kembutsu Mirai-ki, Testimony to the Prediction of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 174

The Buddha attained Buddhahood by understanding this Lotus Sūtra. If He does not preach the sūtra for other people, He will commit the mistake of destroying the seed of Buddhahood. Therefore, Śākyamuni Buddha appeared in this world to expound the Lotus Sūtra. Then the King of Devils in the Sixth Heaven, who is said to be the manifestation of fundamental ignorance, entered the bodies of all sentient beings, made them bear a grudge against the Buddha, and tried to interfere with His attempt.

King Virūḍhaka murdered 500 members of the Śākya Clan; Aṅgulimāla chased after the Buddha; Devadatta injured the Buddha with a huge rock; and Chinchāmānavika strapped a bowl to her belly and spread a rumor that the Buddha made her pregnant. After a Brahman king decreed that anyone who let the Buddha enter the walled city would be fined 500 taels, the people in the city erected barriers of thorny roses on streets, threw feces into wells, blocked the gates with spikes, and poisoned food. These were all caused by the King of Devils who hated the Buddha. The murder of Nun Utpalavarṇā, who was a disciple of the Buddha, the killing of Maudgalyāyana by non-Buddhists with bamboo sticks and burying the murdered body of Kālodāyin in horse dung were also caused by hatred of the Buddha on the part of the King of Devils.

Śākyamuni Buddha, however, was able to escape all kinds of persecutions and began preaching the Lotus Sūtra on a mountain called Mt. Sacred Eagle northeast of Rājagṛha in Central India. The Buddha was then 72 years old and it was the forty-second year since He began expounding the Dharma. After preaching the sūtra for eight years He passed away at the age of 80 at midnight on the 15th day of the second month by the Hiraṇyavati River at Kuśinagara in East India. Nevertheless, as He made it clear that His enlightenment was preached in the Lotus Sūtra, the words of the Lotus Sūtra are thus the very spirit of the Buddha. As each word of the sūtra represents the Buddha’s spirit, Śākyamuni Buddha will protect those who practice this sūtra as if they were His own eyes. He will accompany and protect them as a shadow follows the body. Why shouldn’t their prayers be answered?

Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 60-61

The Annotations to the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 6, states: “Although various sūtras claim to be the king of sūtras, they do not preach as the Lotus Sūtra does that they are superior to all the sūtras preached in the past, being preached at present and will be preached in the future. You should know for certain that those sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra are those preaching the perfect and distinct teachings combined (Flower Garland Sūtra); preaching merely tripiṭaka (Hinayāna) teaching (Āgama sūtras); comparing the tripiṭaka, common, distinct and perfect teachings (Hōdō sūtras); and preaching the perfect teaching tinged with the common and distinct teachings (Wisdom Sūtra).” The Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 3, states, “The tongue will be inflamed in the mouth.” Elaborating on this, the Commentary on the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra declares: “The Lotus Sūtra is supreme of all the sūtras preached in the past, being preached now, and to be preached in the future. If you harbor any doubts about this, your tongue will be inflamed in this present life and you will suffer for aeons for committing the sin of slandering the True Dharma. … You will be remonstrated by the Buddha for all time.”

Ichidai Goji Keizu, Genealogical Chart of the Buddha’s Lifetime Teachings in Five Periods, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 243-244

Today, I am not sure of staying alive or dying here; however, at the same time I am sure that the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge and kyō will spread widely in this Latter Age of Degeneration.

Toki-dono Go-henji, A Response to Lord Toki, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 180

Thank you very much for your donation of 90 rice cakes and 50 Japanese yams which you took the trouble of sending from the Ueno District of Fuji County, Suruga Province, to me in a valley of Mt. Minobu in the Hakiri District of Kai Province through your messenger.

To begin with, wood is precious at the seashore while salt is treasured in the mountain. Water is valuable at the time of a drought and a lamplight is a treasure in the darkness. The husband is a fortune to his wife while the wife is the life of her husband. The king respects the subjects as his parents while the people value their food as the heavens.

Nevertheless, an epidemic has been rampant throughout Japan in the last few years, reducing the population in half. Moreover, as we are in the midst of a severe famine that began on the seventh month of last year, making it difficult for those who live far from where other people are or for a priest who has retreated into a mountain (like myself) to stay alive.

What is more, as I was born in a country of slanderers of the Lotus Sūtra, I have been persecuted as Never Despising Bodhisattva in the Latter Age of Degeneration after the passing of Powerful Voice King Buddha or Monk Virtue Consciousness after Kangi Zoyaku Buddha. Both the king and the people of this country detest me and treat me with contempt. My clothing is worn, and the supply of food is getting scarce. As a result, even a piece of padded cotton cloth is as precious to me as brocade. Even weed leaves taste as sweet to me as nectar.

Furthermore, the snow lies thick on the ground since the 11th month of last year, blocking the mountain path. Although a new year is here, nobody visits us except chattering birds. As the lonely days passed, I was expecting no visitors as I do not have any close friends, when 90 pieces of steamed rice cake arrived within the first three days of the New Year. They looked like the wonderful full moon, illuminating our minds with clarity and banishing the darkness of life and death.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 29-30

As I contemplate this, the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus Sūtra is the golden words of the Three Buddhas (the Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation in all the worlds throughout the universe), the brightest jewel of the Lotus Sūtra that exceeds all sūtras, that have been preached, are being preached, and will be preached, and is supreme among all Buddhist scriptures. Therefore, it is preached in the Lotus Sūtra, “It is at the summit of all sūtras;” and “the Lotus Sūtra is the foremost.” Referring to the Lotus Sūtra as interpreted by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, Grand Master Dengyō states in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra, “This is the school of Buddhism established by the Buddha Himself.”

Ōta Nyūdō-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lay Priest Lord Ōta, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 36

The Lotus School … is based on the most truthful words of all teachings of the Buddha. Not only does the Lotus Sūtra consist of true words but also provisional sūtras preached by the Buddha during His lifetime, upon flowing into the great ocean of the Lotus Sūtra, are all converted to the sūtra of the true words by the power of the Lotus Sūtra. Let alone the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra. This is like the power of face powder which makes lacquer as white as snow or Mt. Sumeru, which makes the color of the various birds approaching it all golden. Likewise, those who uphold the daimoku of the Lotus Sūtra can change the black (evil) karma, which they committed in this life or during the numerous kalpa (aeons) in the past, into white (good) great karma, not to speak of the meritorious good acts performed in the past since the eternal past, which will all be changed to golden-colored.

Myōhō-ama Gozen Gohenji, A Reply to My Lady, the Nun Myōhō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 142

I have made a vow to study all the Buddhist sūtras completely at once just as Grand Master T’ien-t’ai had compared the superiority of all the sūtras, by relying on the scriptures of the sūtras alone as his guide.

Thus determined, I read through all the scriptures of Buddhism, finding that the Nirvana Sūtra states: “Depend on the dharma, not on people.” The dharma means all the sūtras preached by the Buddha; and people refers to all except the Buddha, that is, such bodhisattvas as Samantabhadra and Mañjuśrī as well as the various masters of the schools mentioned above. It also states: “Depend on the sūtra revealing the whole truth, not on the sūtras which do not reveal the whole truth.” The sūtras revealing the whole truth correspond to the Lotus Sūtra.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 4.

I, Nichiren, of Awa Province graciously received the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra from three masters (Śākyamuni Buddha, T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō) and spread it in the Latter Age of Degeneration. Therefore, I dare add myself to the three masters, calling ourselves “four masters in three lands.”

Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō! Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō!

Kembutsu Mirai-ki, Testimony to the Prediction of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 178

All bodhisattvas and ordinary beings tried in vain for incalculable kalpa (aeons) to attain Buddhahood by practicing the sūtras preached by the Buddha during the 40 years before the Lotus Sūtra. They became Buddhas instantly, however, by practicing the Lotus Sūtra and now exist in all the worlds throughout the universe. These Buddhas with the 32 marks of physical excellence and 80 minor marks of physical excellence are looked upon by those in the nine realms as if they are stars revolving around the moon, Mt. Sumeru is surrounded by eight mountains, the sun is looked upon by the people in the four continents, or the Wheel-turning Noble King is revered by the whole nation. Is not this solely due to the great favor of the Lotus Sūtra?

Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 60