[T]he Lotus Sūtra declares itself superior to the Nirvana Sūtra while it is stated in the Nirvana Sūtra: “In the Lotus Sūtra 8,000 śrāvakas are guaranteed to attain Buddhahood in the future. It is as if a great harvest had been reaped in autumn and stored for winter, leaving nothing more than gleaning for the Nirvana Sūtra.” Thus, the Nirvana Sūtra itself implies that it is inferior to the Lotus Sūtra. Though this statement in the Nirvana Sūtra seems clear enough, even the wisest Northern and Southern masters in China did not comprehend it. Scholars in the Latter Age must pay much attention to this. This passage of the Nirvana Sūtra not only seems to show the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra to the Nirvana Sūtra, but also reveals its comparative superiority among all the sūtras in the entire universe. Though it is understandable to doubt this puzzling statement in the Nirvana Sūtra, the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra among all the sūtras has already been proven by Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lê, and Dengyō. Men of wisdom should keep this statement in mind.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 5.