Fascicle six of the Great Concentration and Insight asserts: “The pre-Lotus teachings were intended for those in the higher stages who could benefit from the teaching of expedient means; while the perfect teaching is intended for those in the lower stages who could only benefit from the teaching of true reality.”

Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight states: “The passage cited about the earlier teachings correctly distinguishes between the provisional and the true. This is because it explains that the truer the teaching the lower the stage (of those enlightened by it); whereas the more provisional the teaching the higher the stage must be (of those enlightened by it).”

Fascicle nine of the Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra says, “The stage of attainment can be determined in this way: the more profound the sphere of contemplation the lower the stage of the people it is intended for.”

Shishin Gohon-shō, The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 103-104