Śākyamuni Buddha is our parent and all the holy teachings taught by Him in His lifetime is the teaching taught by our parents in order to lead us. There are numerous sūtras of His lifetime teachings in the realm of heaven, in the Palace of the Dragon King, and in India. But only 5,000 or 7,000 fascicles of them have been transmitted to China and Japan. It is difficult for us to say on our own which of these numerous sūtras was expounded first or last and which is superior or inferior. Because no person of wisdom in the Latter Age of Degeneration amounts to the commentators, grand masters or noble priests of earlier times, it is wise to follow the judgments of the great predecessors. There are many of them such as the Five Teachings and the Four Teachings of the Kegon (Hua-yen) School, the Three Periods, the Two Storehouses and the Three Preachings by Śākyamuni Buddha established by the Hossō ( Fa-hsiang) and Sanron (San-lun) Schools. However, Śākyamuni Buddha already showed the order and comparative superiority of each of His holy teachings. That is, he states in chapter 2 “Expedients” of the Lotus Sūtra, “The World-Honored One will expound the true teaching after a long period of expounding expedient teachings.” According to this statement, the teachings of the Buddha can be roughly divided into provisional sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra and the True Teaching of the Lotus Sūtra. This is like the Joei Code which stipulates that when parents revoke an earlier decision to bestow their property to their children the later verdict takes precedence over the earlier. Or rather, I wonder if the way of the ordinance may be taken from the teachings by the Buddha. Whether we are pious or impious to our parent, Śākyamuni Buddha, depends on whether we believe in the provisional pre-Lotus sūtras, which is the earlier verdict, or the True Dharma, the Lotus Sūtra, which is the later verdict.

Hōmon Mōsaru-beki-yō no Koto, The Way to Refute the Evil Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Desciples, Volume 5, Page 141

The doctrine of the Tendai School clearly shows the true intent of various Buddhas through its theoretical study of Buddhist teaching. Therefore it is stated by Grand Master Dengyō in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra, “The Lotus Sūtra appears to be admired but in fact the heart of the sūtra is being destroyed.” Grand Master T’ien-t’ai, furthermore, explains this in his Profound Meaning of the Lotus Sūtra, “In spreading various sūtras other than the Lotus Sūtra, it does not matter in their doctrines whether the theoretical study is clarified or not. To spread the Lotus Sūtra, however, it will be difficult to understand its scriptural statements and to discuss the doctrine unless the theoretical study is clearly explained.” This shows that the doctrine of the Tendai School is based especially on theoretical study.

Shoshū Mondō-shō, Questions and Answers Regarding Other Schools, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Page 177

Therefore, a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra who believes in the Lotus Sūtra and recites the daimoku has all the merit of the Buddha of Infinite Life and all other Buddhas throughout the universe without saying the nembutsu even once in his lifetime. It is like a wish-fulfilling gem equipped with all the treasures such as gold and silver.

Jisshō-shō, A Treatise on the Ten Chapters of the Great Concentration and Insight, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 6

Āgama (Hinayana) sūtras were preached following the Flower Garland Sūtra. … Regarding what sūtras were preached after the Flower Garland Sūtra, the “Introductory” chapter of the Lotus Sūtra states, “To those who suffer, hating old age, sickness and death, the Buddha preaches the teaching of Nirvana, showing ignorant people the way to tranquility and extinction of worldly passions.” In the “Expedients” chapter of the same sūtra, it states, “The Buddha went to the Deer Park in Bārāṇasī Kingdom . . . and preached the dharma to five monks.” It is also stated in the Nirvana Sūtra, “The Buddha preached on the Middle Way in the Deer Park of the Bārāṇasī Kingdom. ” This indicates what sūtras were preached after the Flower Garland Sūtra. According to these scriptural statements, it seems clear that it was the Āgama sūtras for śrāvaka disciples which were expounded after the Flower Garland Sūtra for great bodhisattvas.

Shugo Kokka-ron, Treatise on Protecting the Nation, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 7-8

You were born on a small island in Japan, far from India, the native land of Śākyamuni Buddha; and you were born a female bound by the “five hinderances”* and “three bonds.”** Nevertheless you firmly put faith in the Lotus Sūtra, which is hard to uphold. It is indeed great, beyond expression.

* Five hinderances: women are thought unable to become the Brahma Heavenly King, Indra, king of devils, Wheel-turning Noble King, and Buddha.

** Three bonds: women are supposed to obey the father at home, the husband when married, and the children when widowed.

Gassui Gasho, A Letter on Menstruation, Nyonin Gosho, Letters Addressed to Female Followers, Page 26

There once lived a man named Gyōbō Bonji. He visited numerous countries over the course of 12 years seeking the Buddha’s dharma. However, as the Buddha had not yet appeared in this world, neither His teaching nor any priest spreading the dharma was to be found. Nevertheless, Bonji sought the teaching of the Buddha just as a thirsty man seeks water or a hungry man searches for food.

One day he met a Brahman who told him, “I know a verse of a sacred teaching. If you are really eager to seek the Buddha’s teaching, I will teach it to you.” Bonji replied, “Yes, please.” The Brahman then said, “If you are so anxious to learn it, first peel off your own skin to make a sheet of paper, sharpen your own bone to use as a pen, grind your own marrow to use as ink and draw your own blood to use as water to write it down, then I will teach it to you.” Bonji was glad for the opportunity to hear the dharma and did what he was told to do. The Brahman, however, suddenly disappeared. Looking up at the sky then lying face down on the ground, Bonji bewailed his fate.

The Buddha pitied this man and emerged from underground to preach this verse: “Practice the right dharma, not the wicked dharma. By doing so one will live peacefully both in this life and the life to come.” Bonji attained Buddhahood immediately after hearing this. The words of the Buddha that led Bonji to attain Buddhahood consisted of merely 20 Chinese characters.

Nichimyō Shōnin Gosho, A Letter to Nichimyō Shōnin, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 136-137

As for what should be done to refute the Pure Land teaching, before criticizing what Hōnen says in his Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu and the Original Vows, one should affirm first of all that Śākyamuni Buddha is the very father of all of us by revealing the scriptural statement, “This triple world is My property, where all living beings are My children” in the “Parable” chapter in the second fascicle of the Lotus Sūtra. Which Buddha other than Śākyamuni can also be our parent? More than 3,000 fascicles of Confucianism and Taoism teach loyalty and filial piety in the long run. They also teach that loyalty starts with filial piety. Therefore, Confucianism and Taoism are the first gates to enter Buddhism, the teaching of which is also based on filial piety. In short, though there is a difference in status, those who show piety to their parents are the most honorable in Buddhism as well as non-Buddhist teachings regardless of status.

Hōmon Mōsaru-beki-yō no Koto, The Way to Refute the Evil Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Biography and Desciples, Volume 5, Page 140-141