A man should respect these three: his ruler, his teacher, and his parents. Everyone should study these three disciplines: Confucianism, non-Buddhist teachings and Buddhism. …

I-shou was the teacher of Yao, Wu-shih was that of Shun, T’ai-kungwang was of King Wen of Chou, and Lao-tzu was of Confucius. They were called the Four Sages. Even the kings and rulers, who were most respected under heaven, bowed low and all the people respectfully held their hands together in front of them. …

These wise and holy men are sages, but they are as ignorant of the past just as ordinary men cannot see their backs, and they cannot see into the future just as blind men cannot see in front. They merely maintain that if one manages his house well, performs filial devotions, and practices the Five Virtues (benevolence, righteousness, politeness, wisdom and fidelity) in this world, people will revere him, and his fame will spread so widely in the land that a wise king will invite him to be his minister or teacher, or even put him on the throne. Even heaven will come to defend and serve him! …

Ignorant of the past and future, however, these sages cannot help in the future lives of their parents, rulers and teachers. Not knowing what they owe to them in the past, they cannot be considered truly holy and wise. This is why Confucius said, “Truly wise and holy men do not exist in China, but in the land to the west, there is a man called Buddha. He is a true sage.”

Confucius thus indicated Confucianism, which is non-Buddhist (geten), to be the first step toward Buddhism. It would be easier, Confucius knew, for the people to understand the fundamental Buddhist teachings of commandments, meditation, and wisdom if they first learned the fundamental Confucian concepts of rituals and music. He therefore taught the kings’ subjects to be loyal to their rulers, children to be devoted to their parents, and students to respect their teachers. Grand Master Miao-lê therefore declared in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight: “The dissemination of Buddhism in China indeed depended on Confucianism. Buddhism found its way by following on the heels of the rituals and music of Confucianism.”

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 30-32