The written words of the Lotus Sūtra express in a visible and tangible form the Brahma’s voice of the Buddha, which is invisible and intangible, so that we can see and read them with our eyes. The Buddha’s pure and immaculate voice, which had disappeared, is resuscitated in the form of written characters for the benefit of humankind. These are two fundamental reasons why people give utterance to speech. First, people utter sounds that deceive others though unintentionally. This is the voice produced in accordance with the minds of other people. Secondly, one utters a voice in order to express what one truly has in mind. In this case one’s own mind is revealed as voice. Mind is called the spiritual aspect while voice is the physical aspect. Therefore, the spiritual aspect reveals the physical aspect. But it is also possible to perceive the mind by listening to the voice. In this case the physical aspect (voice) reveals the spiritual aspect (mind). The physical aspect and the spiritual aspect were inseparable, yet sometimes they appear separately, revealing the intent of the Buddha as the letters of the Lotus Sūtra or the letters of the Lotus Sūtra as the mind of the Buddha.

Mokue Nizō Kaigen no Koto, Opening the Eyes of Buddhist Images, Wooden Statues or Portraits, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 91