Śākyamuni Buddha predicted in the Nirvana Sūtra the condition of the world in the Latter Age: “Slanderers of the True Dharma will be as numerous as particles of the great earth while those who uphold the True Dharma will be as small in number as particles of the soil on a fingernail.” How true these words of Śākyamuni Buddha are! The present condition of Japan is exactly as predicted by the Buddha.

Ha Ryōkan-tō Gosho, A Letter Refuting Ryōkan-bō and Others, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 5, Page 60

In Hinayāna sūtras, the principle of inactive nirvana (ultimate goal of Hinayāna Buddhism to attain emptiness and tranquility) is the king, and wisdom is the king compared to observance of Hinayāna precepts and practice of Hinayāna meditation. In Mahāyāna sūtras, the principle of the Middle Way (non-duality) is the king. Also the Flower Garland Sūtra is the king in preaching the principle of perfect harmony and identity of all phenomena; the Wisdom Sūtra is the king in preaching the principle of voidness of all things; the Sūtra of the Great Assembly is the king in preaching to uphold the True Dharma; the Medicine Master Sūtra is the king in preaching the special vows of Medicine Master Buddha; the Sūtra of the Buddha of Infinite Life is the king in preaching the 48 vows of the Buddha of Infinite Life; and the Great Sun Buddha Sūtra is the king in preaching the finger signs (mudrā) and mantras; but none is the king of all sūtras preached during the Buddha’s lifetime. On the other hand the Lotus Sūtra is the great king who puts all the doctrines expounded in all the sūtras together and supervises them—such doctrines as absolute and relative reality, triple truth (truth of voidness, truth of temporariness and truth of the middle), finger signs (mudrā) and mantras, inactivity, 12 great vows of Medicine Master Buddha, and 48 vows of the Buddha of Infinite Life. I should say that he who understands this correctly knows the teaching.

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 131.

Having calmed down somewhat, the traveler stated:

Though I am unable to understand you completely, I think I understand what you mean roughly. However, from Kyoto, the seat of the imperial court, to Kamakura, the capital of the shogunate, none of the eminent priests and able leaders of the Buddhist world has yet presented a written statement on this matter or made an appeal to the emperor or the shogun. It is not for you, a mere low-ranking priest, to venture to do so with your spiteful words. I can see your intention, but if you submit your appeal, you will be violating proprieties.

In response, the master declared:

Although I am a man of little capability, fortunately I have studied Mahāyāna Buddhism. It is said that a blue fly which rides on the tail of a fine horse can travel even 10,000 miles, and a green ivy vine which clings to a tall pine tree can climb up to 1,000 yards high. Likewise, born to be a disciple of the Buddha, I put my faith in the Lotus Sūtra, the king of all the Buddhist sūtras. Seeing the Buddhist dharma declining, how can I not feel sorrow?

The sorrow is even more so [in view of what the Buddha preached in the Lotus Sūtra, the 10th chapter on “The Teacher of the Dharma”: “Medicine King Bodhisattva, listen carefully. Of the numerous sūtras I have preached, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is the supreme;” and “The sūtras I have preached number immeasurable thousands, ten thousands, and hundred millions. Of the sūtras I have preached, am now preaching, and will preach, this Lotus Sūtra is the most difficult to believe and to understand.” In the 14th chapter on the “Peaceful Practices”: “Mañjuśrī, this Sūtra of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Dharma is treasured by all Buddhas and it is the supreme of all the sūtras.” In the 23rd chapter on the “Previous Life of the Medicine King Bodhisattva”: “As Mt. Sumeru is the highest of all mountains in the world, this Lotus Sūtra is the supreme of all sūtras. As the moon shines brighter than any other stars, this Lotus Sūtra shines the brightest of all the sūtras. As the sun eliminates all darkness, this Lotus Sūtra eliminates all kinds of darkness. As the Great King of the Brahma Heaven is the king of all the people, those who uphold this Lotus Sūtra are the prime of all the people.”]

The Buddha also warns us in the Nirvana Sūtra: “Suppose there is a monk, to all appearances ‘good’, who encounters a destroyer of the dharma but does not take any measures in accusing him, chasing him out or punishing him. You had better know that such a man is not a ‘good’ monk at all but an enemy of Buddhism. On the other hand, if he accuses the destroyer of the dharma, chases him out, or punishes him strictly, such a man is My disciple, one who truly hears Me.”

[Numerous bodhisattvas, 80 trillions in number, vow in the 13th chapter on the “Encouragement for Upholding This Sūtra” of the Lotus Sūtra: “We will not spare even our lives; we treasure only the unsurpassed way.”

The Nirvana Sūtra preaches: “Suppose an eloquent speaker was sent to a foreign country as a royal emissary. Even at the cost of his life, he must convey the words of his king without concealing anything. Likewise, without sparing even his own life, a wise man must widely spread among the ignorant people the true teaching of the Buddha, the existence of the Buddha-nature in all. “]

Although I am not a man worthy of being called a good monk, I do not want to be accused of being a foe of Buddhism. Therefore, I must tell them some principles showing just a portion of the Buddha’s teaching.

Risshō Ankoku-ron, Treatise on Spreading Peace Throughout the Country by Establishing the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Pages 127-128

Therefore we say that, although Buddhas, bodhisattvas, men, and gods appearing in various sūtras seem to have obtained Buddhahood through their respective sūtras, in reality they were truly enlightened because of the Lotus Sūtra. The four great vows of Śākyamuni and other Buddhas such as saving a countless number of people were fulfilled in this sūtra of the Lotus. In the second chapter, it is stated, “My (Buddha’s) wishes are all fully satisfied.”

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 80

You also stated in your letter that you have worshipped daily chanting the seven characters of the daimoku three times a day and have chanted, “Namu Ichijō Myōden” (Hail to the One-Vehicle Teaching of the Lotus Sutra!) 10,000 times but have discontinued these practices as well as recitation of the sūtra during menstruation. You would like to know whether it is permissible to refrain from these daily practices during menstruation or not, and how many days after menstruation you can go back to the daily practices.

This is the anguish of every woman, which many people have tried to answer in the past. However, nobody has worked out an answer, based on sutras probably because it isn’t clearly explained anywhere in the sutras preached by Śākyamuni Buddha during His lifetime. Having read almost all the Buddhist scriptures, I, Nichiren, have found clear references in them against drinking liquor, eating meat and five very spicy vegetables, or having sexual relations on specific days and months, but I can’t think of any sūtra or discourse showing dislike of menstruation.

Many young women became nuns while Śākyamuni Buddha was still alive, but they weren’t rejected during their menstrual cycle. For this reason, I believe that menstruation isn’t uncleanliness coming from outside but a physiological phenomenon peculiar to women and is indispensable for continuing the human race. It is like a long illness. For example, excrement and urine are expelled from our bodies, but they don’t do any harm to us as long as we keep our bodies clean. The same is true of menstruation; we have never heard that menstruation is especially taboo in India or China.

Japan, however, is a country of gods. It is due to this country’s customs that Japanese gods, who are manifestations of Buddhas and bodhisattvas, strangely do not conform with sūtras and discourses, in many cases. Therefore, if you disregard these customs, you will be punished externally. Closely checking sūtras and discourses, we come across a doctrine called Zuihōbini, or adapting precepts to a locality. The spirit of this admonition preaches that we should not go against manners and customs of the country unless it means a serious breach of Buddhist precepts. Those wise men who do not know about this, however, insist strongly: “Japanese gods are demons, whom we should not revere.” Thus, they have lost the trust of their members. From this, I, Nichiren, think Japanese gods probably dislike menstruation. Therefore, women born in this country should refrain from appearing before these gods during their period.

However, daily practice of Buddhism should not be obstructed by menstruation. Those, who insist that you skip daily services during menstruation, don’t really believe in the Lotus Sūtra. Their original intention is to break your true faith somehow; but since they can’t advise you directly to reject the Lotus Sūtra, they try to keep you away from it on the pretext of menstruation. They also try to threaten you into committing the sin of abandoning the true dharma by saying that practicing the Lotus Sūtra during menstruation means showing disrespect to it.

Keeping this in mind you should chant only the daimoku, without reciting the Lotus Sūtra, during menstruation even if it lasts for a week. Your daily services should not be in front of the sūtra. In case the end of your life is unexpectedly near, you may eat fish and poultry, and recite the Lotus Sūtra, if you can, and chant the daimoku. You don’t have to talk about your menstruation.

As for chanting “Namu Ichijō Myōden,” although it means the same, you should chant “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō” as Bodhisattva Vasubandhu, Grand Master T’ien-t’ai and others did. There is a reason for me to say this.

Gassui Gasho, A Letter on Menstruation, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 36-42

Expediential sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra are the same as non-Buddhist teachings, in which no one can be reborn in the Pure Land or attain Buddhahood. For instance, rivers which do not flow into the ocean cannot become one, and people and subjects who do not follow their great king cannot be united. No matter how hard we practice such teachings, there will not be any merit at all unless we reach the Lotus-Nirvana Sūtras; it will be the same as practicing the non-Buddhist teachings, in which Buddhahood is not attainable. They are the teachings nobody practices and no one can attain Buddhahood by practicing them in the Latter Age of Degeneration as well as during and after the lifetime of the Buddha.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 25

The Lotus Sūtra preaches that living beings are endowed with three kinds of Buddha nature: shōin busshō, ryōin busshō as well as en’in busshō (virtuous deeds which enable one to develop “wisdom”). …

The Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 10, preaches: “The shōin busshō is possessed by the Dharma-bodied Buddha, and it is innately possessed by all the people throughout the past, present and future lives. By nature they are endowed also with seeds of the en’in and ryōin busshō; these Buddha-natures are not acquired as a result of practicing Buddhism.”

Hasshū Imoku-shō, A Treatise on the Differences of the Lotus Sect from Eight Other Sects, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 16-17