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"Nichiren" Buddhist contradicts Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 13 and final

The Daishonin is Bodhisattva Jogyo, disciple of the Eternal Original Buddha Shakyamuni.

"Since the Buddha of the Juryo chapter is revealed as the eternal Buddha,

it follows that the great Bodhisattvas such as Monju and Miroku, and the

great bodhisattvas from other realms are in fact disciples of Shakyamuni

Buddha.  If, among all the numerous sutras, this Juryo chapter should be

lacking, it would be as though there were no sun and moon in the sky, no 

supreme ruler in thenation, no gems in the mountains and rivers, and no 

spirit in man. "(MW, V2, pg. 150)

"Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe

are His manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by

manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha.  If the

"Life Span of the Buddha" chapter had not been expounded, it would be like

 the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and 

rivers without gems, or a man without a soul." (Noppa, pg. 176, Kaimoku Sho)

"Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the

eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were

all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha..[ ] now, however, as Shakyamuni

was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland

Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became 

subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha."  (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by 

Kyotsu Hori, 1987)

BTW, here's the same quote, as translated by NSIC.  Please note the differences:

"When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the

far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became

apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni....but

now it becomes apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various

Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of

Shakyamuni Buddha."  (MW V.2, p.149)

"Since Shakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe

are His manifestations........" (Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.176).

"But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha attained

enlightenment countless aeons ago,.......etc.   (MW V.2, p. 151)

Not only is there no mention of Nichiren as "True" Buddha in the Kaimoku Sho 
but in the Kanjin Honzon Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, nowhere, does 
Nichiren mention that he is the "True" Buddha:

"...Shakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without

beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, he attained Buddhahood in

the eternal past......(ibid.  P.94)

"Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in

the past, nor will he be born in the future.  He exists forever, throughout

the past, present and future."  (P.100)

"Many wooden statues and portraits were made of Shakyamuni Buddha as He

preached Hinayana and quasi-Mahayana sutras, but statues and portraits of

the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus

Sutra were never made.  Now, in the beginning of Mappo, is it not the time

that such statues and portraits are made?"  (P.104)

The Hoon Sho (translated by Taikyo Yajima) states:

"All the people in Japan as well as the rest of the whole world should revere 

Lord Buddha Shakyamuni revealed in the essential section (honmon) of the 

Lotus Sutra as the object of worship (honzon)."   (P. 198)

            

The Lotus Sutra itself states:

 "For the sake of curing his children gone mad,

Though in reality he exists, yet he says he dies,

And there are none who can declare it is a vain lie;

I likewise am the Father of the World,

The One who saves from the various sufferings and travails.

Because the unenlightened worldlings are wrongheaded,

Though in reality I exist, I say I am extinguished;

because by seeing me constantly,

They would produce an arrogant and licentious mind,

Self abandoned, attached to the five desires,

And would fall among the Evil ways of rebirth.

I ever know the masses of beings,

Proceeding or not proceeeding on the Way;

According to what will save them,

I preach for them all sorts of Dharmas.

I Myself ever form this thought:

'By what shall I cause the masses of beings

To be able to enter the supreme Way

And rapidly achieve Buddhahood."(Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16)

               

Now we can begin to examine how Nichiren viewed himself.

"...the Bodhisattvas (who sprang from underneath the ground), as described

in the 15th chapter, are followers of the Original Buddha Shakaymuni who

resides within our minds."(p.94)

" The object of veneration (Honzon) at the scene of this transmission of Namu Myoho Renge Kyo from the Eternal Buddha to his original disciples is suspended in the sky above the Eternal Buddha Sakyamuni's Saha-world. 

The Lotus Sutra, Chapter 16 states, "Then he sent a messenger back to his children, telling them that their father has passed away." In the Kanjin Honzon Sho, Nichiren explains the phrase: ''send a messenger back",  as those bodhisattvas who were called out from underground.

           

The SGI and Nichiren Shoshu argue that  Nichiren Daishonin states in the Opening of the Eyes that, "I will be the Pillar of Japan; I will be the Eyes of Japan; I will be the Great Vessel of Japan, proving  that Nichiren possesses the Three Virtues of the Original Buddha. But this is a mistake for the following reasons:

1). It can be contrasted to the following passage in the Kaimoku Sho where Nichiren states that Shakyamuni possesses the Three Virtues for "all beings" : "One should know that the Enlightened One, the Buddha, is a Great Teacher for all living beings, a Great Eye for them, a Great Pillar, a Great Helmsman, a Great Field of Plenty." (MW vol 2, Opening of the Eyes, pg 77)

2). The above passage of the Lotus Sutra states: "I am the Father of the world", not just the little island nation of Japan.

3). Nichiren in many other Gosho besides the Kaimoku Sho explains that Shakyamuni is the parent,  teacher and sovereign of the entire world (Admonitions Against Slander, Letter to Nikke, Letter to Nichimyo Shonin, The Learned Doctor Shan-wu-wei, Letter to Myomitsu Shonin, Rebuking Slander of the Law, Letter to Ichinosawa Nyudo, On Prayer and others).

          

Now we can move on to some of the passages in both the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren revealing the Daishonin's true identity:

        

"I Nichiren, humble person though I am, have received Lord Shakyamuni's 

royal command and come to this country of Japan." (MW vol 5, The Pure and 

Far Reaching Voice, pg 143)

The Original Eternal Buddha has never received the royal command of anyone, he invokes them.

"Will the Bodhsattva Visista-caritra (Jogyo) appear in these days of the

Latter Law to open wide the gateway of the Truth, or will he not appear?

The Scripture tells us so; yet will it surely happen?  Will the Bodhisattva

appear or not?  At any rate, I, Nichiren have now accomplished the

pioneerwork." (Selection of the Time).

"For one aeon, two aeons, countless aeons I devoted myself to the

practices of a bodhisattva, until I had almost reached the state where I

couldn't never fail to attain Buddhahood.  And yet I was dragged down by

the powerful and overwhelming influence of evil, and I never attained

Buddhahood. I do not know whether I belong to the third group of those 

who heard the preaching of the sons of Daitsu Buddha and yet failed to 

attain enlightenment even when one son was reborn in the world as 

Shakyamuni Buddha, or whether I faltered and fell away from the teachings 

which I heard long before Daitsu Buddha, at gohyaku jintengo and thus

have been reborn in this form. (MW,V2, pg.112)

Moreover, I am a poor monk without social status. While having traversed

the Six Realms in my past lives, I have sometimes been born a great king in

the human or celestial realm, making everyone obey me just as a strong wind

sways the twigs of small trees. Still, I could not attain Buddhahood then.

At other times, I must have gone up step by step the way a great bodhisattva 

according to Hinayana and Mahayana sutras.  Having practiced the way of a 

bodhisattva for as long as one, two and in numerous kalpa, I was about to 

reach the state of non-retrogression.  However, a powerful, evil karma prevented 

me from obtaining Buddhahood.

According to the "Parable of a Magic City" chapter of the Lotus Sutra

there were three categories of people who had an opportunity to listen to

the sutra and sow the seed of Buddhahood during the time of Daitsuchisho

Buddha in the past. They were all to attain Buddhahood eventually with the 

third and last group being guaranteed of being future Buddhas upon listening 

to Shakyamuni Buddha preach the Lotus Sutra. I wonder whether or not I was 

excluded from this third category of people. Or, am I one of those who, while 

having listened to the Lotus Sutra and sowed the seed of Buddhahood 500

dust-particle kalpa (gohyaku-jindengo) in the past, have kept falling back

till today without eventually getting it? .. (Noppa, Kaimoku Sho, page 92-94)

"I Nichiren, received the Buddha's edict and was born in this land . ." (On 

Practicing According to the Preaching" (Nyosetsu shugyo sho STN, v. 1, 733 1, 2), 

         

From Lotus Sutra Chapter 21:

Because, after the Buddha's extinction,

It is possible to possess this sutra,

The buddhas all rejoice
And show infinite powers divine.
Now that this sutra is entailed
To him who keeps it, let praise,

Through kalpas infinite,

Be inexhaustible.

The merits of this man

Shall be boundless and without end

As space in every direction,

Which cannot find a limit.

He who can keep this sutra

Is one who already beholds me

And also the Buddha Abundant Treasures,

And all buddhas emanated [from me],

And sees besides the bodhisattvas

Whom I have instructed until now.

He who can keep this sutra

Will cause me and the [buddhas] emanated from me,

And the Buddha Abundant Treasures in nirvana,

All of us entirely to rejoice;

And the buddhas now in the universe,

And those of the past and the future,

He shall also see and serve

And cause to rejoice.

The mysterious laws that have been attained

By the buddhas each on his wisdom throne,

He who can keep this sutra

Must surely gain ere long.

He who can keep this sutra

Shall the meaning of the laws,

With their terms and expressions,

Delightedly expound without end,

Like the wind in the sky,

Which never has impediment.

After the Tathagata is extinct [such a one],

Knowing [this] sutra that the Buddha has taught,

[Together with] its reasoning and process,

Shall expound it according to its true meaning.

Just as the light of the sun and moon

Can dispel the darkness,

So this man, working in the world,

Can disperse the gloom of the living

And cause numberless bodhisattvas

Finally to abide in the One-vehicle.

Therefore he who has wisdom,

Hearing the benefits of this merit,

After I am extinct,

Should receive and keep this sutra.

This man shall in the Way of the Buddha

Be fixed and have no doubts."

The Daishonin says:

" I Nichiren may be a fool, but, having declared myself to be the

messenger of Shakyamuni Buddha and the Votary of the Lotus 

Sutra, it isnothing short  of amazing that my words unheeded"--

Letter To Ichinosawa Nyudo,

"Until the envoy of the Buddha actually appeared to expound the 

LotusSutra...  However, now that I am spreading the Lotus Sutra 

as the Buddha'senvoy , everyone -- from ruler to the lowliest subject-- 

has become a slanderer."---Letter to Niike).

and

I, Nichiren, may not be an envoy sent by the Buddha, 

but my appearance in this world coincides with the age 

of the Latter Day. Moreover, quite unexpectedly, I came 

to realize this teaching, which I now expound to prepare 

the way for a sage. (Letter to Misawa)

Graham Lamont writes:

In 1277 (the third year of the Kenji era) Nichiren Daishonin wrote a deposition on behalf of Shijo Kingo Yorimoto (the autograph no longer exists but TWO versions copied by Nikko still exist at the Omosu Hommonji (STN v.2, 1346, 1360 notes):

1)  an unrevised version compiled in 1278 (the first year of Koan) with the title "On the Dialogue with Ryuzo" or RYUZO MONDO SHO.

2)  a "revised version" from the fifth year of Showa (1316) when Nikko was seventy-one years old.  Since Nikko's colophon says that he copied this from a "revised version" (saiji hon) it is probable that Nichiren Daishonin rewrote some of the passages some time after 1278.

       

It is instructive that Nikko would copy this later in his life as a message to his disciples that the revised version is definitive.

        

Let's look at the correct faith for a disciple of Nichiren:

"I believe it is preached in the HOKEKYO that His Reverence Nichiren Daishonin is the BODHISATTVA JOGYO, the messenger the Tathagata Shakya, Lord of the Three Worlds, Father and Mother of All Beings.“ (STN v.2 1358 and note 1).  The capitalized part, the words THE BODHISATTVA JOGYO are in the revised edition.

             

Nichiren Daishonin himself went to the trouble of adding thewords "the Bodhisattva Jogyo" and even if Nikko,  after the death of Nichiren,  added those words, here and in the other revised sections, it shows that Nikko regarded Nichiren Daishonin as the bodhisattva Jogyo.

This is proof of how Nichiren Daishonin or, at the very least Nikko, saw the Daishonin's true identity.  This identity, which he sometimes hid, was that of the Bodhisattva Jogyo not of the Buddha.

         

Further evidence is found in the Gosho, The Plots of  the elder of Gokurakuji,", the account of the plot of Ryokanbo Nisho, against Nichiren Daishonin.  The unrevised account refers to the attempt to kill Nichiren and to the obstacles to him and his disciples on Sado but says nothing about Nichiren Daishonin identity. However, in the REVISED EDITION of Nikko,  though not in Nichiren's hand, it states:

 "Nichiren Daishonin, if it is as it is preached in the Sutra, is the Sage

who is the Messenger of the Tathagata Who Attained in the Distant Past

(kujo nyorai no onzukai), the Descent (suijaku) of the Bodhisattva Jogyo,

the Practicer (gyoja) of the Original Doctrine (or Aspect - Hommon) of the

Hokke, the Great Guiding Teacher of the fifth five hundred years" (STN v.2,

1352)

Why would Nichiren or Nikko include these words which clearly illustrate that Nichiren Daishonin is the emissary from the Eternal Buddha and the manifestation of  Bodhisattva Jogyo, unless they were attempting to show that he actually  is the Bodhisattva Jogyo sent by the Buddha Shakyamuni?

In the Minobu period letters, nowhere did Nichiren Daishonin feel himself to be the Buddha, although he is certain of his attainment of Buddhahood. Rather, as he had said in the treatise "On Practicing According to the Preaching" (Nyosetsu shugyo sho STN, v. 1, 733 1, 2), "I Nichiren, received the Buddha’s Proclamation and was born in this land."  He also says he has engaged in his crusade of shakubuku "because theDecree of the Dharma King is difficult to defy." (ibid) 

(Note that this Nyosetsu Shugyo Sho survives only in the manuscript of Nikko's disciple Tayu Nichizon (1265-1345), copied in 1297 (the fifth year of Einin).)

          

Now we can look at what Nikko's has to say:

"The Order of Spreading the Sutra in the Three Ages (Sanji gukyo

shidai)(Nichirenshu shugku zensho, II, 53) specifically says:

"The Temple of the Hommon

 The disciple of Entrustment

 The Bodhisattva Jogyo Nichiren Daishonin."

It is clear that in the Original Doctrine (Hommon), the correct doctrine Nichiren Daishonin is considered the Manifestation of Jogyo, the Great Bodhisattva Converted by the Original Buddha, the disciple clearly delegated with the substance of the Sutra in the "Chapter of the Divine Powers of the Tathagatas" 21.  This same work of Nikko refers to the Buddha Shakya Who Attained in the Past (Kujo no Shaka Butsu) the Supreme Enlightenment  as the Object of Worship.

          

There is also proof to be found on a particular Gohonzon from 1274 (currently kept at Myohonji at Hota.)  It is No. 16 in the Catalogue of the Gohonzon Collection (Yamanaka Kihachi, Nichiren Daishonin Shinseki no Sekai, p 323 and type B (II) 7 no. 13 in Nichiren Daishonin Mandara zushu, pp. 58-59) On it, in what is considered a "lauditary text", Nichiren writes:

"Since the entrance into Extinction of the Great Enlightened World Honored One there have passed in succession more than two thousand two hundred  and twenty years. Even so among the Three Countries of India, Han (China) and Japan, there has not yet been this GREAT OBJECT OF WORSHIP (Dai Honzon). Either they have known but not yet spread it or they have not known it. Our Compassionate Father, by means of the Buddha Wisdom, has hidden and retained it, leaving it for the Latter Age.  At the time of the last five hundred  years, the Bodhisattva Jogyo comes forth in the world and for the first time  spreads and proclaims it."

Here we have clear proof that Shakyamuni is the Father of all people of the world and Nichiren is the messenger.

             

"Nichiren" Buddhist contradicts Nichiren Daishonin: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 12

The entire thrust of the Rissho Ankoku Ron is that the Treasure of the Buddha is Shakyamuni and the the Treasure of the Law is Myoho rengekyo (Lotus Sutra). 

Nichiren says in "Reply to Lady Nichinyo": "I for the first time reveal, as a banner of the spread of the Hokkekyo the Great Mandala which even Nagarjuna, Vasubandhu, and so on, and Tendai, Myoraku, and so on did not reveal. This is not at all something which I, Nichiren made myself. It is the Object of Worship which is from the print block of the Great Muni, the World Honored One within the Stupa of Taho and the Separate-Body Buddhas." 

                

Clearly, the Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon as taught to him by the Great Muni. 

"Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha..[ ] now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha."  (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987) 

Same quote in the MW's: 

"When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni....but now it became apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha."  (MW V.2, p.149) 

        

"But now since it has been revealed that Shakyamuni is the Eternal Buddha....etc."(Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori) 

"...Shakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, he attained Buddhahood n the eternal past......( Kanjin Honzon Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori  P.94) 

"...the Bodhisattvas (who sprang from underneath the ground), as described in the 15th chapter, are followers of the Original Buddha Shakaymuni who resides within our minds."(Ibid pg 94) 

"The "honzon" at the scene of this transmission of "Namu Myo Ho Renge Kyo" from the Eternal Buddha to His Original Disciples is....suspended in the sky above the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni's Saha-world is a stupa of treasures, in which Shakyamuni Buddha and Taho sit to the left and right of "Myo Ho Renge Kyo". (ibid. 

P.102)  

"Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha.  If the "Life Span of the Buddha" chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul. (Noppa, pg. 176, Kaimoku Sho)" 

and from Kanjin Honzon-Sho  (NOPPA) page 56 

"In fact Sakyamuni began to preach, planting the seed of Buddhahood in the eternal past... Sakyamuni Buddha continued to guide His disciples until they were all sure to attain Buddhahood during the preaching of the Lotus Sutra in His present life, completing the series of His preaching which began in the eternal past." 

and

"This means that Sakyamuni Buddha, Taho Buddha, and all the Buddhas in  manifestation are in our minds, and that we, upholders of the Lotus Sutra, will follow in their steps and inherit all the merits of those Buddhas." 

"It means that Sakyamuni Buddha, within our minds, is an ancient Buddha without beginning, manifesting Himself in three bodies, and attaining Buddhahood in the eternal past  described as 500 dust-particle kalpa ago. 

"In the same chapter, another passage reads: ‘The duration of My Life, which I obtained through the practice of the way of bodhisattvas, has not yet expired.  It is twice as long as the length of time stated above: 500 dust-particle kalpa.’  This reveals the bodhisattva-realm within our minds. The bodhisattvas described in the fifteenth chapter, ‘Appearance of Bodhisattvas from Underground,’ who have sprung out of the great earth, as numerous as the number of dust-particles of 1,000 worlds, are followers of the Original Buddha Sakyamuni who resides within our minds." 

Kanjin Honzon-Sho  (NOPPA) page 94: 

"Now , when the Eternal Buddha was revealed in the essential section of the Lotus Sutra, this world of endurance (Saha-world) became the Eternal Pure Land, indestructible even by the three calamities of conflagration, flooding, and strong winds, which are said to destroy the world.  It transcends the four periods of cosmic change: the kalpa of construction, continuance, destruction and emptiness.   Sakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will He be born in the future.  He exists forever throughout the past present and

future.  All those who receive His guidance are one with this Eternal Buddha." 

            

"Nevertheless, the sects of Buddhism other than Tendai have gone astray concerning the true object of worship. The Kusha, Jojitsu, and Ritsu sects take as their object of worship the Shakyamuni buddha who elliminated illusions by practicing thirty-four kinds of spiritual purification. This is comparable to a situation in which the heir apparent of the supreme ruler of a state mistakenly believes himself to be the son of a commoner. The four sects of kegon, Shingon, Sanron, and hosso are all Mahayana schools of buddhism. among them the Hosso and Sanron sects worship a Buddha who is comparable to the Buddha in the superior -property-of-action aspect. This is like the heir of the supreme ruler supposing that his father was a member of the samurai class The Kegon and Shingon sects look down upon Shakyamuni buddha and declare that Mahavairochana or Dainichi buddha should be the true object of worship. This is like the heir looking down upon his own father, the supreme ruler, and paying honor to one who is not even related to him by blood simply because that person pretends to be the Dharma king.

The Jodo sect considers itself to be most closely related to the buddha Amida, who is an emanation of Shakyamuni, and rejects Shakyamuni himself. The Zen sect behaves like a person of low birth who makes much of his own achievments and despises his father and mother...."

Kaimoku Sho: 

            

The men of these sects who are ignorant of the teachings of the Juryo Chapter are similarly like beasts...." 

In the Nirvana Sutra, Bodhisattva Kasho posed thirty-six questions to the Buddha, but even these cannot compare to the question concerning the bodhisattvas who appeared from the earth.  If the Buddha had failed to dispel the doubts concerning this matter, the sacred teachings of his entire lifetime would have amounted to no more than froth on the water, and the members of the multitude would have remained tangled in the snare of doubt. That was why is was so important for him to preach the Juryo chapter.   

Later, when the Buddha preached the Juryo chapter, he said:  "All the human and heavenly beings and the ashuras at present believe that Shakyamuni Buddha, after leaving the palace of the Shakyas, sat in the place of meditation not far from the city of Gaya and there attained the supreme enlightenment."  This passage expresses the view held by all the great bodhisattvas from the time when Shakyamuni first attaned enlightement until the preaching of the Anrakugyo chapter of the Lotus Sutra.  "However, men of devout faith," the Buddha continued, "the time is limitless and boundless -- a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, hundred thousand, nayuta aeons ---

since I in fact attained Buddhahood." 

Three places in the Kegon Sutra the Buddha said: "I have attained enlightenment for the first time in India."  In the Agon sutras he speaks of having "for the first time attained enlightenment"; in the Vimalakirti Sutra he says, "For the first time the Buddha sat beneath the tree"; in the Daijuku Sutra, "It is sixteen years since the Buddha first attained enlightenment"; in the Dainichi Sutra, "Some years ago when I sat in the place of meditation"; in the Ninno Sutra, "twenty-nine years since my enlightenment"; in the Muryogi Sutra, "previously I went to the place of meditation"; and in the Hoben chapter of the Lotus Sutra, "when I first say in the place of meditation."  But now all these passages have been exposed as gross falsehoods by this single pronouncement in the Juryo chapter. 

When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni.  When the Buddha preached the earlier sutras and the theoretical chapters of the Lotus Sutra, the other Buddhas present were pictured as practicing various religious austerities and disciplines side by side with Shakyamuni Buddha.

Therefore the people who pay devotion to one or another of these Buddhas as the object of worship customarily look down on Shakyamuni Buddha.  But now it becomes apparent that Vairochana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and the various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are all in fact followers of Shakyamuni Buddha.   

When Shakyamuni gained enlightenment at the age of thirty, he seized the saha world away from Bonten and the Devil of the Sixth Heaven, who had ruled it previously, and made it his own.  In the earlier sutras and the theoretical of the Lotus Sutra, he called the regions of the ten directions "pure lands" and spoke of the present worlds as an "impure land."  But now he has reversed this in the Juryo chapter, revealing that this world is the true land and the so-called pure lands of the ten directions are impure lands, mere provisional lands. [The Opening of the Eyes, MW Vol.2, pages 148-150]

"If Shakyamuni Buddha had actually attained enlightenment for the first time at the age of thirty, then when he preached the Lotus Sutra, Bonten, Taishaku, the gods of the sun and moon and the Four Heavenly Kings who have ruled the present world from countless ages in the past would have been disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha for no longer than a period of forty-some years.  During the eight years when he preached the Lotus Sutra, the beings who assembled to listen to him would have been unable to accept as their master a person who had so recently come to prominence and would have deferred instead to Bonten, Taishaku and the other deities who had from ages past been the lords of this world.   

But now that it has become apparent that Shakyamuni Buddha attaine enlightenment 

countless aeons ago, then the Bodhisattvas Nikko and Gakko, who attend the Buddha Yakushi of the eastern region, the Bodhisattvas Kannon and Seishi, who attend the Buddha Amida of the western region, along with the disciples of all the Buddhas of the worlds of the ten direction and the great bodhisattvas who are disciples of the Buddha Dainichi as they are shown in the Dainichi and Kongocho sutras --- all of these beings are disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha.  Since the various Buddhas themselves are emanations of Shakyamuni Buddha, it goes without saying that their disciples must be disciples of Shakyamuni.  And of course the various deities of the sun, moon and stars, who have dwelt in this world from countless ages in the past, must likewise be disciples of Shakyamuni Buddha.  [The Opening of the Eyes, MW Vol.2, pages 151-152]

From the Hoon Sho, Kempon Hokke Seiten:  

".... Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of the Original doctrine as the Object of Worship".  

In the Kanjin-honzon-sho it says: 

"During the fifty years of his teaching from the time of his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree till his Parinirvana under the Salatree, the Buddha expounded many sutras. In these sutras he described a wide variety of pure lands, such as the Pure Land of Flower-Store, the Pure Land of Esoteric Adornment, the Pure Land of ThreeTransformations, the Pure Land of Peaceful Life, and the Pure Land of Emerald. These pure lands are either the abodes of the followers of the Lesser Vehicle, or of the partially-enlightened Bodhisattvas, or of the perfectly enlightened Bodisattvas.These pure lands are, however, impermanent. They are established on in the kalpa of composition. The expounder of these sutras is the historical Buddha, and the Buddhas of these pure lands are the manifestations of the historical Buddha.

Therefore, when the historical Buddha enters into Parinirvana, the Buddhas of these pure lands pass away, and their pure lands also disappear. But the Saha-World of the

Original Buddha is the eternal pure land, free from the three calamities and the four kalpas. In this eternal world the Buddha never disappeared in the past, nor is to appear in the future. All living beings under him are one with him because they have the wisdom of the Buddha in their minds." 

"Having had doubts about the matter, I consulted the passages of the Lotus Sutra, and they reveal why this object of worship has never before appeared. The sutra clearly states that it should not be established before the predicted age of conflict in the Latter Day of the Law.  Those Buddhist scholars and teachers who appeared in this world during the Former and Middle Days of the Law did not establish this object of worship because they honored the Buddha's prohibition.  Had an object of worship of Lord Shakyamuni who attained enlightenment countless aeons before and his attendants ever been made during the Former and Middle Days, it would have been like the sun appearing at night or the moon shining by day Because Bodhisattva Jogyo will establish this object of worship in the first five hundred years of the Latter Day, those four ranks of scholars and teachers who appeared during the Former and Middle Days did not even describe it in words.  

Nagarjuna and Vasubandhu knew of it in their hearts but did not speak to others about it. The Great Teacher T'ien-t'ai Chih-che also knew of it, but, as he was bodhisattva of the theoretical teaching, though he taught it in part, he did not expound its true meaning. He taught it indistinctly, like the cry of a cuckoo which one hears just before waking from a dream. Other Buddhist teachers did not say so much as a single word about it. For at Eagle Peak, Shakyamuni Buddha strictly prohibited those scholars and  teachers who were bodhisattvas of the theoretical teaching, and who would appear during the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days, from disclosing even indirectly prior to the Latter Day anything about Lord Shakyamuni of the essential teaching who attained enlightenment in the remote past and the four Bodhisattvas of the Earth led by Jogyo who have accompanied him ever since."(Major Writings, Nichiren Daishonin, Volume 3, pages 293, 294, 295, Four Bodhisattvas.) 

           

Since the SGI is wrong about such a crucial and obvious point why would you think it is not mistaken about such doctrines as the role of shoju [peaceful practices] and shakabuku [forceful practices], transmission through a sole heir, the master-disciple relationship, actual proof, the role of priests etc. etc.?

            

"Nichiren" Buddhist contradicts Nichiren Daishonin: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 11 [definitive]

"These Three Great Secret Laws were unquestionably received by me, Nichiren, some two thousand and more years ago, when I was the leader of the Bodhisattvas of the Earth; they were passed on to me by oral transmission from the lord of teachings, the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment. And these actions that I now take embody what I received in transmission on Eagle Peak, without the slightest deviation or alteration in form, the three great matters of the Law of the “Life Span” chapter." [1280]

"Nichiren" Buddhist contradicts Nichiren Daishonin: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 10

"The object of devotion as set forth in the “Life Span” chapter is Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, eternally endowed with thethree bodies, who since the beginning of numberless major world system dust particle kalpas in the past has had deep and abiding affinities with this land of ours." [1280]

"Nichiren" Buddhist [and Nichikan] contradict Nichiren Daishonin: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 9

“The three groups of shomon disciples accumulated good fortune since sanzen jintengo [before being guaranteed enlightenment), and those who received the seed and reached enlightenment on hearing the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra accumulated good fortune since Gohyaku jintengo. How possibly could those who first received the seed during the lifetime of the Buddha all without exception achieve enlightenment in a mere two-thousand years? [They couldn't!] The reason is this: the effectiveness of Shakyamuni’s teachings begins at Kuon Ganjo, but ends with the two-thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law. … Therefore the people of the Latter Day of the Law all innately have yet to possess the seed and so are of the capacity to receive the original seed of enlightenment directly.”--Nichikan’s Rokkan-sho, p.110

“The Lotus Sutra is like the seed, the Buddha like the sower, and the people like the field.” — The Essentials for Attaining Buddhahood.

“Now in the two thousand years of the True and Counterfeit [Dharmas] when they kept and relied upon the Lesser Vehicle and Provisional Great Vehicle, and practices putting one’s merit [effort] into them, in general there was benefit. Even so, although everyone who practiced those various sutras thought that they obtained the benefit by the various sutras upon which they relied, when we inquire on the meaning by the Hokekyo, they had not one bit of benefit. What is the reason why? It being when the Buddha was in the world they formed a connecting condition with the Hokekyo but it depended upon whether or not there was maturation or not in their capacities. Those whose capacities of the Perfect Teaching are pure and matured in the time [when the Buddha] was in the world attained Buddhahood. Those whose faculties and capacities were faint and inferior [or not yet mature] backslid to the True Dharma [era] and took their realization from the Jomyo [Vimalakirti], Shiyaku, Kan[muryoju]kyo, Ninno hannya kyo and so on, just as when [the Buddha] was in the world. And so in the True Dharma [era] was jointly possessed together of the three, teaching, practice and realization.

“In the Counterfeit Dharma [era] there was teaching and practice but no realization. Now on entering the Latter Dharma there are the teachings, but there is no practice or realization. There is not one person of those who formed the connecting condition when the Buddha was in the world. The two capacities of the Provisional and Real [Teachings] are all gone. At this time for the two [types] of people who are of the rebellious [sins] and blasphemy of the present era for the first time one takes Namu Myoho renge kyo of the ‘Chapter of the Measure of Life’, the Essence of the Hommon as the laying down of the seed (or, as the Buddha Seed). “‘This good, excellent medicine now I leave here. You should take and swallow it. Do not worry that you will not be cured’” refers to this.

It is as when long ago in the Counterfeit Dharma [era] of the past Buddha Ionno when there was not one person who knew the Great Vehicle, the Bodhisattva Fukyo came forth and chanted the Twenty-four Characters which the Master of Teachings had preached. Those who heard those Twenty-four Characters not lacking one person also [later] encountered the Great Being (Mahasattva) Fukyo and obtained benefit. This then was because they made the previous hearing of the Dharma the laying down of the seed (geshu).

Now it is also like this. That was the Counterfeit Dharma; this is the polluted evil Latter Dharma. That was a practicer of the First (Elementary) Following Joy [level]; this is a worldling of the Name {Identity]. That was the laying down of seed of the Twenty-four Characters; this is only the Five Characters [of the Daimoku]. Although the times of obtaining the Way (tokudo: Buddhahood) are different, their ultimate meaning of Attaining Buddhahood would be completely the same.” (STN, v. 2, 1479-1480) Kyogyosho Gosho

“Though the people who say the Nembutsu, keep the precepts and so on are many, the persons who rely upon the Hokekyo are few. The stars are many but they do not illuminate the great sea. Grasses are many but they do not form the pillars of the Imperial Palace. Though Nembutsus are many, they are not the Way to become a Buddha. Though one keeps the precepts they do not form the seed for going to the Pure Land. It is only the Seven Characters ‘Namu Myoho renge kyo’ that are the seed for becoming a Buddha. Though, when I said this, people were jealous and did not adopt it, the late Lord Ueno by his believing it has become a Buddha.” (STN, v. 2, 1603) — Gosho unknown by me

There are two processes and two general types of people, according to Nichiren Daishonin: Those who received the seeds of Buddhahood in the past, those in the Higher Six Worlds; and those who never received the seeds, those in the Lower Four Worlds. For those who have already received the seeds, the Daimoku functions to water the seeds. For those who never received the seeds, hearing the Daimoku [Law] is the seed and practicing the Daimoku is the water. He states, “But many who neither received the seeds of Buddhahood nor formed ties with the Buddha in past existences…” and further along, “The sutra explains that all bodhisattvas, persons of the two vehicles, and human and heavenly beings received the seeds of Buddhahood numberless major world system dust particle kalpas ago.” Therefore, when he asserts, “If people do not possess innate Buddha wisdom, how could the Buddha say he wanted to open it? One must understand that Buddha wisdom is inherent in all human beings.” [Even those in the Four Lower Worlds who do not possess the Buddha seeds]. How do we reconcile these seemingly diverse teachings? The only way we can resolve the contradictions is that the the Buddha-nature is the FIELD of good fortune synonymous with Buddha wisdom in all beings but without the Buddha seeds and water of Myoho renge kyo, the field will lie fallow and Buddhahood will never open [manifest].

The following is the specific principle which Nichiren Daishonin taught us to bring forth when not engaged in formal debate:

“The people throwing sticks at Never Disparaging are Buddhas training Never Disparaging.” -- mistaken SGI member

No. Shakyamuni Buddha [Never Disparaging], the Original Eternal Buddha, is the one and only Buddha who has been enlightened since time without beginning and the one who has been training and guiding all others to Buddhahood. This is an integral part of Nichiren’s enlightenment and the enlightenment of all Buddhas throught the Ten Directions and Three Existences. Shakyamuni Buddha trained himself in the remotest past.

Shakyamuni Buddha of India too is the Original Buddha throughout time and space, the sower of the seeds of Buddhahood in the wasteland of people’s lives since time without beginning. The Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni always and exclusively practices the True Law and has been doing so since time without beginning.

Nichiren writes in the Opening of the Eyes:

“Thus, in the various sutras other than the Lotus Sutra, Shakyamuni does not assemble those Buddhas who carry out different austerities and practices and who possess the three bodies nor does he identify them as emanations of himself. Only in the Hoto chapter of the Lotus Sutra does he do so. This chapter then, is intended as an introduction to the Juryo chapter that follows later. Shakyamuni Buddha who was believed to have attained enlightenment for the first time only some forty and more years previously, calls together Buddhas who had become enlightened as long ago as one or even ten kalpas in the past, and declares that they are emanations of himself. This is a far cry indeed from the Buddha’s usual preaching on the equality of all Buddhas [in their Dharma bodies], and in fact a cause of great astonishment. If Shakyamuni had attained enlightenment for the first time only some forty years earlier, there could hardly have been so many beings in the ten directions who had received his instruction. And even if he was privileged to possess emanations, there would have been no benefit in his showing them to his listeners. T’ien-t’ai, describing what went on in the astonished minds of the assembly, stated: “It was evident to them that Shakyamuni Buddha possessed numerous emanations. Therefore, they understood that he must have attained enlightenment in the far distant past.”

I have collected 98 additional passages of proof but it is difficult to save those who are deaf to the teachings of this Sutra..

Question: What is the Meaning of Original Buddha or Original Teacher?

Answer: Original Teacher means that no matter how eminent, wise, or knowledgeable one may be, no matter how diligent one is in carrying out the Six Paramitas (Six Perfections), and no matter how long one practices the Six Paramitas, there is no way that one could come up with, let alone reveal, Myoho renge kyo independently of Shakyamuni Buddha. Shakyamuni Buddha, in the history of the universe, was the one unique individual capable of doing so. Nichiren realized this, taught this, and reverenced Shakyamuni Buddha for His astronomical feat of autonomous self-practice. That is why He, rather than any other individual, is revered as the person of the Gohonzon (Ninpo-Ika or Oneness of Person and Law).

We owe our very Enlightenment to this Buddha and this Buddha alone. The arrogance of those who misconstrue Shakyamuni Buddha’s and Nichiren Daishonin’s words for their own aggrandizement is cause to fall into the Lower Worlds and to remain there for a very long time. How can one follow someone who is so blind to the manifest reality that someone had to give them the Five Characters that they pay homage to? Daisaku Ikeda didn’t come up with the formula Myoho renge kyo. The High Priest didn’t come up with this formula, nor did you, Patrick. Even Nichiren Daishonin didn’t realize and expound the Lotus Sutra in the infinite past. It was Shakyamuni Buddha who taught Nichiren Daishonin and the other Bodhisattvas of the Earth the Lotus Sutra in the remote past. It was Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha who planted the seed of Myoho renge kyo in our Buddha-nature, the seed that, when watered with a correct faith and practice, grows into the magnificent tree of the Supreme Enlightenment of Myoho.

Some NST member stated: “Now I know you find it hard to accept that Mahayana did not come from Gautama. Sorry to break the news to you. If you choose to worship a man, that contradicts Buddhism and is not what Nichiren meant.”

Reply: Gautama, the flesh and blood man himself, is Mahayana. You are another one who reads what Nichiren says but states “what he meant.” You are no different than he who you revile, Daisaku Ikeda.

“Answer: ‘One: Japan and so on to the whole of Jambudvipa should uniformly take the Master of teachings Lord Shakya of the Original Doctrine as the Object of Worship.” — Repaying Debts of Gratitude

This is the Great Secret Law of the Object of Worship. The Great Secret Law of the Invocation is Namu Myoho renge kyo. The Third Secret Law is that of the High Sanctuary which I will leave for the moment. A chair can not stand on two legs. You arbitrarily throw out the Great Secret Law of the Object of Worship because it grates on your sensibilities. Suck it up or create a new religion, like Ikeda. Isn’t that precisely what you are doing? That is why we of the modern Jumonryu are great. We preserve Nichiren Daishonin’s religion for those who wish to practice his way and we could give a rats petutey what you or anyone else thinks. Change the teachings and we will attack you with everything at our disposal. Start your own religion. See how many people follow you. You don’t even have one ten millionth the charisma of Ikeda nor one ten trillion the experience of the Daishonin, yet you would undermine the Great Man and his teachings. Shame on you. Unity for the sake of unity, at what expense? In the future, the teachings of the modern Jumonryu will prove to perfectly fit the capacities of all people. Yours and Ikeda’s will fall by the wayside because it is not based on the Enlightenment of the Buddha nor Nichiren but merely on your self satisfied understanding. You think many haven’t heard the correct teachings through the Kempon Hokke? We are coming up on one million views. Whether readily embracing the Daimoku through our efforts or despising the Daimoku for them, they form a relationship to the Sutra. They will attain Buddhahood.

“This is one of the most important points in the Lotus Sutra. The doctrine of the sowing of the seed and its maturing and harvesting is the very heart and core of the Lotus Sutra. ALL THE BUDDHAS OF THE THREE EXISTENCES AND THE TEN DIRECTIONS have invariably attained Buddhahood through the seeds represented by the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo. The words Namu Amida Butsu are not the seeds of Buddhahood, nor can the mantras or the five precepts act as such seeds. One must be perfectly clear about this point, because this is the fault referred to as being mixed.” -- Akimoto Gosho

Since this is so, Shakyamuni Buddha’s Myoho renge kyo has neither beginning nor end and Nichikan was deluded. The Nichiren Shoshu reveres a deluded man and the Soka Gakkai chants to a deluded man's Gohonzon. Through the Lotus Sutra Buddhist principles of the oneness of teacher and disciple and the onenesss of person and the environment, the Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai members are deluded.

"Nichiren" Buddhist contradicts Nichiren Daishonin: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 8

My disagreement with the SGI is soteriological and I will attempt to prove that homage and reverence of the Original Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and not another “archetype”, is a fundamental component of the doctrine of salvation of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin. To reject this Buddha for an impersonal Buddha-nature or another archetype and thus to take this particular Buddha out of the Law, is a serious mistake and a cause for descending into the Lower Worlds according to Nichiren.

“The Lotus Sutra states, “I alone can save them” (Chapter 3) and “I likewise am the Father of the World, The One who saves from the various sufferings and travails.” (Chapter 16)

Nichiren says,

“Bear in mind that the twenty-eight chapters of the Lotus Sutra contain only a few passages elucidating the truth, but a great many words of praise.”

In the same work, Nichiren writes:

“Only the Lotus Sutra represents the wonderful teaching preached directly from the golden mouth of Shakyamuni Buddha, who is perfectly endowed with the three bodies. Therefore, even Universal Worthy and Manjushri were hardly able to expound so much as a single phrase or verse of it. How much more difficult then must it be for us, who are no more than ordinary people living in this latter age, to embrace even one or two words of this sutra! (The Blessings of the Lotus Sutra)

Is it possible that salvation will take place in one who lacks gratitude? Can one possible obtain the fruit of Supreme and Perfect Enlightenment by rejecting or failing to recognize one’s loving father while praising and acknowledging a stranger as one’s real father? Is not gratitude an essential component to the doctrine of salvation?

Nichiren states over and over, “Shakyamuni is the only Buddha endowed with all three virtues and to whom we owe a profound debt of gratitude.” (Encouragement to a Sick Person)

and again, referring to Shakyamuni Buddha

“The debt of gratitude we owe him is deeper than the ocean, weightier than the earth, vaster than the sky.”

Is not the vertical gratitude to Shakyamuni Buddha in enabling us to encounter the Law and to obtain Buddhahood fundamental to the horizontal transmission of the Dharma in gratitude to all people?

One who lacks gratitude for Shakyamuni Buddha is no better than an animal according to Nichiren Daishonin and his attainments can not possibly go beyond that of the World of Animality.

Nichiren, warning of the effect of embracing an archetype other than Shakyamuni Buddha writes,

“All the four directions will be afflicted by drought, and evil omens will appear again and again. The ten evil acts will increase greatly, particularly greed, anger, and foolishness, and people will think no more of their fathers and mothers than does the roe deer. Living beings will decline in numbers, in longevity, physical strength, dignity, and enjoyment. They will become estranged from the delights of the human and heavenly realms, and all will fall into the paths of evil. The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts will curse and destroy my correct teaching and make it difficult for those in the human and heavenly realms to stay there. At that time the benevolent deities and heavenly kings, who would ordinarily take pity on living beings, will abandon this impure and evil nation, and all will make their way to other regions.” (On Establishing the Correct Teachings)

He also writes, referring to the Lotus Sutra:

“Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha. Now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha.” (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987)

and

“Since Shakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations…” (Kaimoku Sho, translated by Kyotsu Hori, p.176).

and

“Since Sakyamuni Buddha is eternal and all other Buddhas in the universe are His manifestations, then those great bodhisattvas converted by manifested Buddhas are also disciples of Lord Sakyamuni Buddha. If the “Life Span of the Buddha” chapter had not been expounded, it would be like the sky without the sun and moon, a country without a king, mountains and rivers without gems, or a man without a soul.” (Noppa, pg. 176, Kaimoku Sho)

and

“Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lord-preacher of this pure land, has never died in the past, nor will he be born in the future. He exists forever, throughout the past, present and future.” (P.100)

The True Object of Worship reads,

“Many wooden statues and portraits were made of Shakyamuni Buddha as He preached Hinayana and quasi-Mahayana sutras, but statues and portraits of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha revealed in the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra were never made. Now, in the beginning of Mappo, is it not the time that such statues and portraits are made?” (P.104 NOPPA)

I can supply ninety or so similar passages.

"Nichiren" Buddhist contradicts Nichiren Daishonin: "Nichiren is the Original Buddha" 7

“With regard to the transfer of teachings, it is divided into two categories: general and specific. If you confuse the general with the specific even in the slightest, you will never be able to attain Buddhahood and will wander in suffering through endless transmigrations of births and deaths.” — Nichiren Daishonin

“But now this threefold world is all my domain, and the living beings in it are all my children. Now this place is beset by many pains and trials. I am the only person who can rescue and protect others, but though I teach and instruct them, they do not believe or accept my teachings.” — Lotus Sutra Chapter 3

“This passage means that to us living beings the Thus Come One Shakyamuni is our parent, our teacher, and our sovereign.” — Nichiren Daishonin

“Again, of all these chapters, only in the eight chapters did he reveal and transfer the object of devotion to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth.” — Nichiren Daishonin

“In this manner the Buddha displayed the wonders of his ten supernatural powers, and in what is termed the transfer of the essence of the sutra, he extracted the core of the Lotus Sutra and transferred it to the four bodhisattvas. He fervently enjoined them to bestow it after his passing upon all living beings of the ten directions.” — Nichiren Daishonin

“The essence of the “Entrustment” chapter of the Lotus Sutra is as follows: [Rising from his seat in the treasure tower,] the Buddha stood in open space and, in order to transfer the Lotus Sutra, patted no fewer than three times the heads of Bodhisattva Superior Practices and his followers, Manjushri and his followers, the great Brahma, Shakra, the gods of the sun and moon, the four heavenly kings, the dragon kings, the ten demon daughters, and others. They had clustered before the Buddha as thickly as dewdrops, crowding four hundred ten thousand million nayutas of worlds, like the grasses of Musashino Plain or the trees covering Mount Fuji. They knelt close to one another, bent their bodies so that their heads touched the ground, joined their palms together, and streamed sweat. Shakyamuni Buddha patted their heads just as a mother strokes the hair of her only child. Then Superior Practices, the gods of the sun and moon, and the others received the Buddha’s auspicious command and pledged to propagate the Lotus Sutra in the latter age.” — Nichiren Daishonin

"The correct teaching of the time can be propagated only by a person of wisdom. This is why Shakyamuni Buddha, after expounding all the sutras, entrusted the Hinayana sutras to Ananda and the Mahayana sutras to Manjushri. Concerning the heart of the Lotus Sutra, however, the Buddha refused to transfer it to any of the voice-hearers [such as Ananda] or to bodhisattvas such as Manjushri. The Buddha instead summoned Bodhisattva Superior Practices and entrusted it to him.” — Nichiren Daishonin

“When he was Prince Sattva in a previous existence, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni gained merit by feeding his body to a starving tigress, and when he was King Shibi, he gained merit by giving his flesh to a hawk in exchange for the life of a dove. And he declared in the presence of Many Treasures and the Buddhas of the ten directions that he would transfer this merit to those who believe in the Lotus Sutra as you do in the Latter Day of the Law.” — Nichiren Daishonin

"The five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo were transferred from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures, the two Buddhas inside the treasure tower, to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, carrying on a heritage unbroken since the infinite past." — Nichiren Daishonin

"The important point is to carry out your practice confident that Namu-myoho-renge-kyo alone is the heritage that was transferred from Shakyamuni and Many Treasures to Bodhisattva Superior Practices." — Nichiren Daishonin

"Demonstrating ten supernatural powers, the Buddha transferred the five characters of Myoho- renge-kyo to the four great bodhisattvas: Superior Practices, Firmly Established Practices, Pure Practices, and Boundless Practices." — Nichiren Daishonin

"Shakyamuni Buddha did not transmit the five characters of Namu-myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the essential teaching of the Lotus Sutra, even to the bodhisattvas Manjushri and Medicine King, let alone to any lesser disciples. He summoned from beneath the earth the great bodhisattvas as numerous as the dust particles of a thousand worlds and, as he preached the eight chapters, transferred it solely to them." — Nichiren Daishonin

’ ” The Buddha first transferred the Lotus Sutra to the Bodhisattvas of the Earth, and then to the bodhisattvas taught by the Buddha in his transient status, the bodhisattvas of other worlds, Brahma, Shakra, the four heavenly kings, and others. — Nichiren Daishonin

"Shakyamuni summoned these great bodhisattvas and transferred Myoho-renge-kyo to them.: — Nichiren Daishonin

"Instead he summoned forth the bodhisattvas Superior Practices, Boundless Practices, Pure Practices, and Firmly Established Practices and their followers from the great earth of Tranquil Light and transferred the five characters to them." — Nichiren Daishonin

"In this manner the Buddha displayed the wonders of his ten supernatural powers, and in what is termed the transfer of the essence of the sutra, he extracted the core of the Lotus Sutra and transferred it to the four bodhisattvas." — Nichiren Daishonin

And these blessings enjoyed by the Buddha can be transferred by him to people who put their faith in the Lotus Sutra. — Nichiren Daishonin

"But the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo, the heart of the eighty thousand sacred teachings and the core of the Lotus Sutra, he neither entrusted to Mahakashyapa or Ananda, nor transferred to great bodhisattvas such as Manjushri, Universal Worthy, Perceiver of the World’s Sounds, Maitreya, Earth Repository, or Nagarjuna. Even though these great bodhisattvas hoped that he would do so and requested  it of him, the Buddha would not consent. He summoned forth a venerable old man called Bodhisattva Superior Practices from the depths of the earth, and then, in the presence of the Buddha Many Treasures and the Buddhas of the ten directions, from within the tower adorned with the seven kinds of treasures, the Thus Come One Shakyamuni entrusted the five characters of Myoho-renge-kyo to him." — Nichiren Daishonin

"This is the teaching that was transferred to the bodhisattvas who had been the disciples of the Buddha since the remote past." — Nichiren Daishonin

"Shakyamuni Buddha transferred this teaching to Bodhisattva Superior Practices, and now Nichiren propagates it in Japan." — Nichiren Daishonin

"Answer: Are those who have received the teachings directly from their teacher invariably free from error, while those who appear in later ages and examine and clarify these teachings are to be regarded as worthless? If so, then should we throw away the sutras and instead rely upon the four ranks of bodhisattvas? Should a person throw away the deed of transfer received from his father and mother and instead depend upon oral transmissions?” — Nichiren Daishonin