So the question is — what was really intended by these warnings not to engage in slander of the Lotus Sūtra?

As Nichiren has explained, the Lotus Sūtra’s two unique teachings concern the One Vehicle whereby even those who would seem to be excluded from attaining buddhahood are promised its attainment and the revelation that Śākyamuni Buddha had in fact been the Buddha since the remote past even before his awakening beneath the Bodhi Tree. Women, evildoers like Devadatta, and those disciples who were believed to have become arhats who would no longer return to the world after their passing, are all told that they will in fact return to the world and attain buddhahood. This was in seeming contradiction to the earlier teaching that only a very few could aspire to and attain buddhahood. The revelation of the attainment of buddhahood in the remote past means that even during the Buddha’s innumerable past lifetimes as an ordinary human being, or an animal, or some other form of sentient being striving to attain buddhahood the Buddha had been a buddha all along. And now even though the Buddha is going to appear to pass away for good, he asserts that he will still be present. In light of these two teachings, buddhahood should be understood as inclusive of all beings, all time, and all space. It is a constant and active presence even when it is not apparent or seems to be absent in the lives of those who strive for it. Throughout the Lotus Sūtra these ideas are put forward as the fullest expression of the Dharma and to embrace them with faith and joy is to embrace the Wonderful Dharma and to reject them is to reject the Wonderful Dharma. The Wonderful Dharma is held to be even more worthy of respect and offerings than the Buddha himself because it is through the Wonderful Dharma that one attains buddhahood. It is for this reason that rejection means a total alienation from what is truly of value in life, and therefore leads to rebirth in hell. It is for this reason that a single moment of faith and rejoicing in the Wonderful Dharma of the Lotus Sūtra is said to bring unequalled merit, rivaled only by the merit brought by the perfection of wisdom itself which is none other than buddhahood itself.

It would seem that the most important thing is to revere the Wonderful Dharma and to awaken to its full significance. This is why the Lotus Sūtra describes the vast demerit incurred or merit made by those who slander or praise it respectively. Whether the Buddha directly taught these sūtras or not, and whether or not there are literal rebirths in a Pure Land or an Avici Hell, the point seems to be that we create our own misery to the extent that we deny the Wonderful Dharma whereas we can attain awakening through upholding the Wonderful Dharma. And what is this Wonderful Dharma? It is not simply a formula, text, or even a creed that one must believe without evidence. It is none other than the true nature of all existence, the reality of all things. This is what all buddhas awaken to, praise, and point out to all sentient beings using many skillful methods so that they too may realize that they are buddhas as well.

The stated intent of the other sūtras and teachings upheld by the other schools of Buddhism is to provide people with a way to attain buddhahood or at least liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The Lotus Sūtra directly teaches that all beings can attain buddhahood and that buddhahood is beginningless and endless and therefore realizable here and now. The Lotus Sūtras teaching is that all beings are worthy of the most profound respect because all beings are destined for buddhahood and in fact the world of buddhahood already resides in the depths of their life, already embraces them. To denigrate this message is to denigrate the true value of life. The other sūtras and schools of Buddhism should not be trying to obscure or denigrate the message of the Lotus Sūtra but uphold it because the sūtra expresses the fulfillment of their own true intentions. Nichiren laments that this is not the case, and that on the contrary people find the lesser teachings to be easier to embrace and uphold.