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