Śākyamuni Buddha gave up his land of eternal tranquility for this Sahā World; Venerable Kumārajīva traveled all the way from India to China; Grand Master Dengyō risked his life in going to China to study Buddhism; Bodhisattva Deva was killed by non-Buddhist heretics; Venerable Siṃha was beheaded by the king; Bodhisattva Medicine King burned his elbow to offer it as a light in gratitude for the preaching of the Lotus in the past lives; Prince Shōtoku peeled off the skin on his finger to write in blood the title of the Brahma-net Sūtra, which he copied; when Śākyamuni was a Bodhisattva in the past life, he sold his own flesh in order to make an offering to a Buddha; Gyōbō Bonji (Aspiration for the Dharma) used one of his own bones to write down the true teaching. These are examples of those who spread Buddhism “in the way best suited to the situation,” as Grand Master T’ien-t’ai put it. Keep in mind that Buddhism must be spread according to the times. My exile is merely a trifle in this present life, which is not lamentable at all. Instead, I feel it is a great joy as I am sure I will be rewarded with great happiness in my future lives.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 114-115