I myself am a humble man but the Lotus Sūtra is protected by the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, Sun Deity, Moon Deity, the Four Heavenly Kings, Goddess Amaterasu, and Great Bodhisattva Hachiman. Therefore, those who persecute the believers of the Lotus Sūtra invite disasters as painful as swallowing swords or seizing fire by bare hands. Contemplating these things, it is noble of you to further your faith. It is noble indeed.

Kubo-ama Gozen Gohenji, Response to My Lady, the Nun of Kubo, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Page 89

The reason why we continue to transmigrate through the six lower realms without attaining Buddhahood from the eternal past of innumerable kalpa (aeons) till today is that we fail to give up our lives for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra. Gladly Seen Bodhisattva burned himself for 1,200 years as a votive light to the Sun Moon Pure Bright Virtue Buddha and burned his arms for 72,000 years to the Lotus Sūtra. He is Medicine King Bodhisattva today. Never Despising Bodhisattva was abused, disparaged, beaten with sticks and rubble was thrown at him for many kalpa (aeons) in order to disseminate the teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. Did he not become Śākyamuni Buddha in a future existence? Therefore, the way of practicing the sūtra leading to Buddhahood differs according to the times.

Ichinosawa Nyūdō Gosho, A Letter to Lay Priest Ichinosawa, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 162

The third chapter, “A Parable,” of the Lotus Sūtra points out the graveness of the sin of slandering the True Dharma: “He who does not put faith in this sūtra and slanders it will destroy the seed of Buddhahood of all the people in the world.

I, Nichiren, encountering a severe earthquake, a typhoon, and famine in the Shoka Era (1257-59), and wide-spread epidemics in the first year of the Shōgen Era (1259), predicted that these were omens foretelling the invasion of this country, Japan, by foreign troops. I may sound as though I am singing my own praises, but I dare say this because, should this land of Japan be destroyed, there is no doubt that Buddhism also will be destroyed.

High priests these days, however, are in one mind with slanderers of the True Dharma, or they do not even know the exquisite doctrine of their own schools. I suppose these high priests will probably receive an imperial decree or shogunal order to pray for repulsing foreign invaders, but I am afraid that it will only intensify the anger of the gods and Buddhas, resulting in the destruction of the land of Japan.

I, Nichiren, also know how to repulse the impending foreign invaders. Except for those at Mt. Hiei, I am the only one who knows this in Japan. It is because two sages will not appear at the same time, just as there never will be two suns or two moons. If this is a lie, I will receive the punishment of the ten female rākṣasa demons, guardians of the Lotus Sūtra, which I, Nichiren, uphold. It is solely for the sake of the country, the dharma, and the people; not for myself that I say this to you. I say this to you also because I was able to see you earlier. If you do not accept my words, you will regret it.

Ankoku-ron Gokanyurai, The Reason for Submitting the “Risshō Ankoku-ron,” Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 150

[F]ourteen chapters in the essential section can be regarded as one sūtra with three parts: the preface, the main discourse, and the epilogue. The first half of the fifteenth chapter, “Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,” is the prologue. The second half of the fifteenth chapter, the sixteenth chapter, “The Life Span of the Buddha,” and the first half of the following chapter, the “Variety of Merits,” (a chapter and two-halves in all) make up the main discourse. The remainder constitutes the epilogue.

The Lord who preaches here is the Eternal Buddha, not Śākyamuni Buddha who attained Buddhahood for the first time in this world under the bodhi tree in Buddhagayā. Accordingly, what is preached here differs from what was preached previously as clearly as heaven and earth. That is to say, it is revealed here that all living beings in the ten realms as well as the world in which they live manifest themselves to be eternal. It comes close to revealing the truth of the “3,000 existences contained in one thought,” with only an extremely thin bamboo film separating them.

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 151-152

What use is it to possess an intelligence that lacks sophistication? If only you are intelligent enough to distinguish heat from cold, you will understand the importance of the “good friend.”

This being said, it is most difficult to encounter the “good friend.” Indeed, the Buddha likened the difficulty to a one-eyed turtle in the ocean finding a piece of floating sandalwood with the right-sized hole so it can get into the hole, or a string lowered from the Brahma Heaven to be threaded through the eye of a needle on the earth.

Moreover, in the evil world in the Latter Age of Degeneration, the “good friend” is as scarce as the amount of soil on a fingernail while “evil friends,” who lead the people to evil realms, are as numerous as the number of dust particles of the great earth.

San Sanzō Kiu no Koto, Concerning the Prayer Services for Rain by Three Tripiṭaka Masters, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 204.

According to the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha carries on His shoulders and back men and women who have firm faith in the sutra. Tripiṭaka Master Kumārāyana is said to have been carried on the back of a wooden statue of Śākyamuni Buddha. As for myself, the Buddha took my place to save my life at Tatsunokuchi. This has always been true, today as in the past. You are my followers. How can you each fail to attain Buddhahood? No matter whom you remarry, do not follow him if he does not believe in the Lotus Sutra. Have a stronger affirmation than ever.

Ice is made of water, but it is colder than water. Blue colored cloth is colored by indigo, but it will be bluer than indigo when dyed repeatedly. In the same fashion, if you pile up your faith in the Lotus Sutra, you will be filled with more vitality and blessings than other people.

Oto Gozen Go-shōsoku, A Letter to Lady Oto, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 122-124

I have never seen or heard of any man of knowledge who recited “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” himself and advised others to do so during the 700-year period between the reigns of Emperor Kimmei, when Buddhism was introduced to Japan, and the latest emperor. It is only natural that when the sun rises, stars disappear; and when a wise king rises to power, an ignorant king is destroyed. So when the True Dharma spreads, provisional ones decline; and when a man of knowledge recites “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” ignorant people follow him, just as a body is followed by its shadow and a sound is followed by its echo. Consider what is said above. I, Nichiren, undoubtedly am the prime practicer of the Lotus Sūtra in Japan. No one in China, India, and in the whole world is comparable to me.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 238

Having thus manifested the ten divine powers, Śākyamuni Buddha transmitted the five characters of myō, hō, ren, ge, and kyō to the original disciples of the Buddha since the eternal past, who had sprung up from underground. So it is stated in the chapter on the “Divine Powers”:

“Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha proclaimed to the host of those bodhisattvas such as Superior Practice, who had sprung from underground: ‘The divine powers of the Buddhas are as immeasurable, boundless and unfathomable as shown above. Nevertheless, I shall not be able to reveal all the merits of this sūtra even if I continue telling them, for the sake of its transmission, with my divine powers for infinite myriads of kalpa. To sum up, all the dharma of the Buddha, all the unrestricted divine powers of the Buddha, all the most secretly treasured teachings of the Buddha, and all the profundity of the Buddha are clearly revealed and explained in this Lotus Sūtra.’ ”

T’ien-t’ai comments on this in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Following ‘Thereupon Śākyamuni Buddha said to the host of bodhisattvas’ is the third section of the chapter on the ‘Divine Powers,’ summarizing the essence of the Lotus Sūtra and transmitting it to the bodhisattvas from underground.” Dengyō interpreted this in his Outstanding Principle of the Lotus Sūtra (Hokke shūku):

“Again, the chapter on the ‘Divine Powers of the Buddha’ says: ‘To sum up, all the dharmas of the Buddha. … are clearly revealed in this Lotus Sūtra.’ This makes it clear that the dharmas embodying Perfect Enlightenment of the Buddha in the eternal past, all the unrestricted divine powers which the Buddha attained in the eternal past, all the teachings in which the Buddha’s Perfect Enlightenment in the eternal past is most secretly treasured, and all the profundity which the Buddha attained in the eternal past, are all clearly revealed and explained in this sūtra.’ ”

Kanjin Honzon-shō, A Treatise Revealing the Spiritual Contemplation and the Most Verable One, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 158-159