Using the four reliances as his standard for evaluating Buddhist teachings and going by the statements made by the Buddha in the Lotus Sūtra, Nichiren believed that the evidence conclusively pointed to the Lotus Sūtra as the Buddha’s most challenging and therefore most subtle and profound teaching. Because of the Buddha’s own testimony, he did not even feel that it would be necessary to go into a point-by-point comparison of the teachings of the other sūtras with those contained in the Lotus Sūtra, though of course he does that earlier in the Kaimoku-shō. Convinced of the superiority of the Lotus Sūtra to all the other sūtras, Nichiren was certain that the path he had chosen to uphold it against all opposition must be correct.

“It is I, Nichiren, who is the richest in Japan today, because I sacrifice my life for the sake of the Lotus Sūtra and leave my name for posterity. Gods of rivers take orders from the master of a great ocean, and gods of mountains follow the king of Mt. Sumeru. Likewise, when one knows the meaning of the “six difficult and nine easier actions” and “scriptures preached in the past, are preached at present, and will be preached in the future” in the Lotus Sūtra, one will automatically know the comparative merits of all Buddhist scriptures without reading them.” (Ibid, p. 90 adapted)