Truly, in order to attain Buddhahood we must serve a teacher without fail. In fascicle four of the Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, Grand Master Miao-lê points out: “If there is a disciple who finds fault with his teachers, whether it is true or not, his mind will be ruined and he will lose the merit of the Dharma.”

Minobu-san Gosho, Mt. Minobu Letter, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 126-127

QUESTION: In the second chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 1, “Expedients, it is preached, “All phenomena as ultimate reality” means the principle into which all existing things: their appearances, natures, entities, powers, activities, primary causes, environmental causes, effects, rewards and retributions all from the beginning to end are united in one.” What does this mean?

ANSWER: It means that the whole world is divided into ten realms from the bottom of hell to the top of Buddhas and everything in the ten realms without exception is the manifestation of the Lotus Sūtra.

Shohō Jisso-shō, Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 74-75

Venerable Śāripūtra tried to teach a smith the practice of meditating on a skeleton to realize the impurity of the body, and a laundryman the practice to obtain a stable mind by counting the number of breaths. His disciples, however, learned little about the Buddha’s teaching in 90 days. Instead, they cultivated wrong views and became icchantika, ones who have no goodness in their nature and, therefore, no possibility of becoming Buddhas. Then the Buddha taught the smith the practice of counting the number of breaths and the laundryman that of meditating on a skeleton, and they understood the teaching immediately. Even Śāriputra, who was reputed as the wisest man, made a mistake in teaching according to a person’s capacity. Needless to say, it is not easy for ignorant, ordinary, and unenlightened masters in the Latter Age of Degeneration to decipher a person’s capacity.

However, such an ordinary master, who cannot discern an individual’s capacity, should solely teach the Lotus Sūtra to his disciples.

Kyō Ki Ji Koku Shō, Treatise on the Teaching, Capacity, Time and Country, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 250

The Buddha also declares in the Lotus Sūtra: “For anyone who keeps this sūtra in this evil world during the Latter Age of Degeneration” in the “Variety of Merits” chapter; “Buddhas joyfully display their immeasurable, supernatural powers in praise of those who will keep this sūtra after My extinction” in the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” chapter; “Propagate this chapter throughout this Sahā World in the latter five-hundred year period after My extinction lest it should be lost” in the “Previous Life of Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter and “This sūtra is a panacea for sick people in this Sahā World” in the same chapter. The Buddha also states in the Nirvana Sūtra: “Suppose there are seven children, their parents love them all equally but care most for a sick child.” Icchantika and slanderers of the True Dharma are like the first and second children of the seven whom parents care most about. Of many illnesses, slandering the Lotus Sūtra is the most serious. Of many medicines, “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” is the most wonderful medicine.

Hokke Shuyō Shō, Treatise on the Essence of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 212-213

Regarding the sūtras, the Lotus Sūtra is the most supreme among all exoteric and esoteric teachings. Regarding the Buddhas, Śākyamuni Buddha is the most supreme among all the Buddhas in all the worlds throughout the universe. Regarding those who practice the faith, Nichiren is worthy of being a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. When the “three treasures” in Buddhism (the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha) are aligned with one another, there can be no doubt that your most sincere hopes and wishes will be realized.

Niita-dono Gosho, A Letter to Lord Niita, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 106-107

There once was a poor woman named Golden Pearl Lady who donated a gold coin for gilding a statue of the Buddha. For this merit, her body retained a golden hue through numerous existences for as long as 91 kalpa (aeons). Her husband, a gold beater, is the Buddha’s disciple Kāśyapa in this life and is guaranteed to be a future Buddha called Light Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra.

Now, Priest Jōmyō and his wife donated 2,000 pieces of copper coins to the Lotus Sūtra. Golden Pearl Lady’s donation was made to the Buddha while you donated to the Lotus Sūtra. The sūtra is the teacher of the Buddha and the Buddha is a disciple of the sūtra. Regarding this it is preached in the Nirvana Sūtra, “What is looked up by various Buddhas is the dharma; therefore, various Buddhas respect and donate offerings to the dharma.” It is also preached in the “Medicine King Bodhisattva” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7, “Suppose a person fills the whole world with the seven treasures such as gold, silver, lapis, and pearls and donate them to the Buddha and other sages such as a great bodhisattva, a pratyekabuddha, and an arhat. The merit he gains does not amount to the great merit of the person who believed in a line or a verse of the Lotus Sūtra.”

As stated above, Golden Pearl Lady continued to be reborn with a golden body for as long as 91 kalpa (aeons) because of her merit of making a donation to the Buddha, who is inferior to the Dharma. How could it be for you two, who made a donation to the Lotus Sūtra, the teacher of the Buddha, not to attain the rank of Buddhas during this lifetime?

Jōmyō Shōnin Gohenji, A Reply to Holy Priest Ota Jōmyō, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Pages 39-40

Men of the Two Vehicles such as Śāripūtra and Maudgalyāyana who had been the Buddha’s disciples awakened to their first aspiration for Buddhahood at that time of the Buddha’s first sermon at Deer Park. The Buddha, however, expounded only expedient teachings to them for more than forty years. Now in the Lotus Sūtra, He expounded the True Dharma. And when the eternity of the life of the Buddha was suggested in chapter 15 on the “Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground” in the essential section of the Lotus Sūtra, great Bodhisattvas, men of the Two Vehicles (srāvaka and pratyekabuddha), the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, sun god, moon god, Four Heavenly Kings, and Dragon King, who had listened to the Buddha preach ever since the preaching of the Flower Garland Sūtra, attained enlightenment, reaching the same rank as the Buddha or the one next to it. Therefore, when we look up to heaven today, we can see living Buddhas giving benefit to people while retaining their original ranks.

Hokke Shuyō Shō, Treatise on the Essence of the Lotus Sūtra, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 211

As the Ages of the True and Sembance Dharmas have already passed those who observe precepts today are as scarce as tigers in downtown; and finding people of wisdom is as rare as the giraffe’s horn. We have to depend on a light before the moon appears; where gems do not exist, gold and silver are treasures. As there exists a precedent of returning a favor received from a white crow to a black crow, favors of a holy priest should be returned to an ordinary priest today. How can there then be no answer when a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra says a prayer that requires a prompt answer?

Kitō Shō, Treatise on Prayers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 68