It is also said in the Nirvana Sūtra that we should rely only upon sūtras that completely reveal the truth, not upon sūtras that do not completely reveal the truth. This means that we must distinguish the true sūtra from provisional ones before relying upon it. In the Commentary on the Ten Stages by Bodhisattva Nāgārjuna, it is also said that we should rely upon the just commentaries on sūtras and not upon evil ones. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai says, “Adopt whatever agrees with the sūtra, and do not believe in that which is not found in the sūtra in word or in meaning;” while Grand Master Dengyō states, “Rely upon the words of the Buddha in sūtras; do not believe in what has been transmitted orally.” Enchin, the Grand Master Chishō, states that we should transmit the Buddha’s teaching only from sūtras.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 84-85

Now when I, Nichiren, born in Japan, hold up the clear mirror that is all the scriptures of Buddhism and the Lotus Sūtra to all those in Japan and see its reflection, my predictions are proving to be accurate. Besides, we have experienced the strange phenomena in the sky and natural calamities on earth exactly as predicted by the Buddha.

Takahashi Nyūdō-dono Gohenji, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Takahashi, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 7, Followers II, Pages 77

Because I am deeply concerned about you I would like to tell you another important story. During the time of Yin in ancient China, the King of Ku-chu State had two princes named Pê-i and Shu-ch’i. The King chose the younger brother Shuch’i as his successor, but Shu-ch’i refused to ascend the throne upon the death of the King. Pê-i advised the younger brother to accede to the throne, but Shu-ch’i insisted that the elder brother should succeed the father. Pê-i protested saying, “How can we go against the will of our father?” Shu-ch’i retorted, “I understand the will of our father; however, how can I ascend the throne, disregarding my elder brother?” In the end, respecting the views of the other, both Pê-i and Shu-ch’i left the state of their parents and went to a foreign land.

While both brothers were serving King Wen of Chou, King Wen was murdered by King Chou Hsin of Yin, and King Wu of Chou, son of King Wen, started a war against King Chou Hsin of Yin within 100 days after the death of his father. Pê-i and Shu-ch’i held fast to King Wu’s horse, remonstrating the King saying, “Isn’t it unfilial to begin a war within three years after the passing of parents?” King Wu became furious and tried to kill Pê-i and Shu-ch’i, but they were spared when T’ai-kung Wang interceded.

The two brothers left the service of King Wu, and hid themselves in Mt. Shou-yang, staying alive by eating bracken. One day they came across a person called Wang Ma-tzŭ and told him the reason why they were hiding in the mountain. Wang Ma-tzŭ then reproached them saying, “Isn’t the bracken owned by King Wu of Chou?” Accused by Wang Ma-tzŭ, the two brothers stopped eating bracken. As it is the custom in heaven not to abandon a sage, heaven appeared as a white deer and fed the two brothers with its milk. One day Shu-ch’i casually remarked, “The milk of this white deer is very tasty, let alone its meat.” Although Pê-i stopped him from saying anything more, heaven heard it. As a result the white deer never appeared again and the two brothers died of hunger. In this way, even a person who lived as a sage throughout his life might destroy himself with one word. As I do not know what is in your hearts, I am deeply concerned.

Kyōdai-shō, A Letter to the Ikegami Brothers, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 79

QUESTION: Why do you claim that the daimoku contains all the Buddha’s teachings?

ANSWER: Interpreting the preface of the Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, Chang-an says, “The daimoku at the beginning is the king of the Lotus Sūtra that expresses the profound meaning of the sūtra. The sūtra’s profound meaning is the heart of the text. The heart of the text is unsurpassed by even the theoretical and essential teachings.” Miao-lê says, “By the daimoku, the heart of the text of the Lotus Sūtra, the comparative superiority among all the teachings of the Buddha is discerned.”

Muddy water has no mind but it still catches the moon’s reflection and naturally becomes lucid. Plants and trees catch the rain in order to blossom, but can we say they do this deliberately? The five characters of Myō, Hō, Ren, Ge, and Kyō are not the text of the sūtra nor a mere explanation; rather, they are the sole intent of the whole sūtra. Beginners may practice this without knowing the heart (of the Lotus Sūtra), but their practice will naturally harmonize with its intention.

Shishin Gohon-shō, The Four Depths of Faith and Five Stages of Practice, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 107

Encountering this terrible state of the nation, I, Nichiren, studied all the scriptures of Buddhism, in which I found scriptural proofs answering why various prayer services are of no avail, only intensifying disasters. Finally, I could not refrain from composing a written opinion, entitling it the “Risshō ankoku-ron (Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Nation by Establishing the True Dharma).” I submitted this to the late Lay Priest Lord Saimyō-ji (Hōjō Tokiyori ) at eight o’ clock in the morning on the sixteenth day of the seventh month in the first year of the Bunnō Era (1260) through his chamberlain, Lay Priest Yadoya. It was nothing but a way for me to pay for what I owe my country.

Ankoku-ron Gokanyurai, The Reason for Submitting the “Risshō Ankoku-ron,” Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 147

No matter which sūtra one practices, he who practices Buddhism is bound to encounter difficulties depending on the sūtra he practices. Of all sūtras, the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra is faced with the most severe obstacles, especially in the Latter Age of Degeneration, when it is stated in the sūtra that it is most suited to the time and the capacity of people. Therefore, Grand Master Miao-lê states in his Annotations on the Great Concentration and Insight, fascicle 8, “Seeing people not desirous of cutting the chain of life and death and not aspiring to the way leading to Buddhahood, the devil will cherish them as if he were their real parent.”

The meaning of this interpretation is that even though a person practices meritorious acts, if he practices only those teachings such as the nembutsu, Shingon, Zen and Ritsu without practicing the Lotus Sūtra, the true way leading to Buddhahood, the king of devils will act as though he were the practicer’s parent, and haunt many people to entertain and make offerings to the practicers. It is for the purpose of deceiving people into believing in him as a true practicer of Buddhism. It is like the priest who is respected by the king and therefore highly esteemed with offerings by ordinary people. The fact that the ruler of the country looks upon Nichiren as an enemy, on the contrary, proves that Nichiren is the practicer of the True Dharma.

Shuju Onfurumai Gosho, Reminiscences: from Tatsunokuchi to Minobu, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Disciples, Volume 5, Pages 33

When Grand Master Dengyō of Japan dug the ground to build the Main Temple on Mt. Hiei, a key with eight tongues emerged. Later, he took the key with him when he sailed to T’ang China. There he met Venerable Tao-sui, the seventh patriarch of the T’ien-t’ai School and a disciple of Grand Master Miao-lê and was initiated into the T’ien-t’ai doctrine. Grand Master Dengyō was so genuine and intelligent by nature that Tao-sui was delighted to show him the fifteen storehouses of Buddhist scriptures built by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai. Fourteen of them were opened but not the last one. Grand Master Dengyō then requested, “Please open this storehouse.” Venerable Tao-sui replied, “There is no key to this storehouse. I believe that Grand Master T’ien-t’ai will appear some day again in this world to open it himself.” Grand Master Dengyō then took out the key that he had brought from Japan and opened it. When it was opened, rays of light generated in the storehouse brightened the room. Looking for the source of the light, they found it coming from the very sentence on the “three thousand existences contained in one thought” in the fifth fascicle of the Great Concentration and Insight. It was gracious and wonderful. Venerable Tao-sui, who transmitted the T’ien-t’ai doctrine to Grand Master Dengyo, bowed before his disciple, saying, “You are the avatar of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai.” In this way, all the books and scrolls of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai that had been kept in those storehouses were brought to Japan. At present in the Main Hall of the Enryaku-ji Temple on Mt. Hiei are the 25th chapter of the Lotus Sūtra, “Word-Voice-Perceiver Bodhisattva,” copied by Grand Master T’ien-t’ai and the Great Concentration and Insight recorded by Grand Master Chang-an.

Ichidai Shōgyō Tai-I, Outline of All the Holy Teachings of the Buddha, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 90-91