People all know that those who chant “Namu Amidabutsu” at the last moment of their lives are able to be reborn in the Pure Land of Utmost Bliss as preached by the Buddha. However, for some reason the Buddha amended this preaching, declaring in the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, “The truth has not yet been revealed,” and in the “Expedients” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “(The Buddha) dutifully discards the provisional teachings.” This was a great surprise to me. Whenever I mention this fact, no one believes me. Instead, all Japan is infuriated, and I am considered a liar.

What is more, the Hinayāna sūtras preach that no Buddha exists in the worlds throughout the universe and no one is equipped with the Buddha-nature, but the Mahāyāna sūtras, on the contrary, preach that Buddhas exist throughout the universe and that every being possesses the Buddha-nature. As a consequence, no one has faith in the Hinayāna sūtras while everyone believes in the Mahāyāna sūtras.

There are a few more surprises. When the Buddha declared in the Lotus Sūtra that this sūtra was the sole truth, thus negating all the sūtras that had already been preached, the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning which was being preached, as well as the Nirvana Sūtra which would be preached later, the Buddha’s disciples all were taken aback and could not believe what was said. At this point the Buddha of Many Treasures came to bear witness in the “Appearance of the Stupa of Treasures” chapter that what the Buddha preached was indeed true. By touching the Brahma Heaven with their tongues, the various Buddhas from all over the universe also certified that what the Buddha had said was nothing but the truth. After this certification, the Buddha of Many Treasures closed the doors of the stupa, and the Buddhas from all over the universe went back to their home lands. No matter what sūtra the Buddha preached thereafter, there can be no denying the truth of the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra because the Buddha of Many Treasures and other Buddhas have already certified its veracity. Besides, everyone realized the truth of the Lotus Sūtra as well. Therefore, sūtras preached after the Lotus Sūtra such as the Sūtra of Meditation on the Universal Sage Bodhisattva and the Nirvana Sūtra can only praise, not slander, the teachings of the Lotus Sūtra.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, A Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 128