Nichiren’s mandala includes not only Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities but also representatives of the evil realms, such as rākṣasa demons and the treacherous Devadatta. In including such figures, Nichiren followed not the text of Lotus Sūtra itself–in which all beings in the six realms of transmigration are removed before the jeweled stūpa is opened–but the principle of three thousand realms in one thought-moment, according to which even the Buddha realm contains the nine unenlightened states. In short, the mandala depicts the mutual inclusion of the ten realms. As noted above, Nichiren saw this concept as central to the three thousand realms in a single thought-moment, an emphasis visible in the mandala. A writing attributed to Nichiren explains:

The “Jeweled Stūpa” chapter states: “All in that great assembly were lifted and present in open space.” All the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and great saints, and in general all the beings of the two worlds [of desire and form] and the eight kinds of [nonhuman] beings who assembled in the introductory chapter, dwell in this gohonzon, without a single exception. Illuminated by the light of the five characters of the Wonderful Dharma, they assume their originally inherent august attributes. This is called the object of worship. (Page 277-278)