Nichiren on cutting the thick rope of evil passions

"I have made a vow. Even if someone says that he would make me the ruler of Japan on the condition that I give up the Lotus Sutra and rely upon the Amida Sutra for my salvation in the next life, or even if someone threatens me saying that he will execute my parents if I do not say 'Namu Amida-butsu,' and no matter how many great difficulties fall upon me, I will not submit until a man of wisdom defeats me by reason. Other difficulties are like dust in the wind. I will never break my vow that I will become the pillar of Japan, I will become the eyes of Japan, and I will become the great vessel of Japan." -- Kaimoku Sho (Opening the Eyes)

"When all the people under heaven and the various schools of Buddhism are converted to the one and real vehicle, and when only the Lotus Sutra flourishes and all the people recite 'Namu Myoho Renge-kyo' in unison, the howling wind will not blow down the branches, falling rain will not erode the soil, and the world will become as it was during the reigns of the Chinese Emperors Fu-hsi and Shan-neng. You will see that such times will come when calamities cease to exist, people live long meaningful lives, and men and their faith become eternal. There should be no doubt about the proof of tranquility in this very life." -- On Practicing According to Teachings (An Instruction from Sado to Disciples and Followers)

"Among the people who believe in the Lotus Sutra today, some people's faith is like fire and other's faith is like water. Some people are aroused like burning fire during a sermon, but once they go away they forget all that they heard. When I say 'like water,' I mean a person who has constant faith. You have always called on me without fail, and therefore, your faith is like water. This is wonderful." -- Ueno-dono Gohenji (A Reply to Lord Ueno)

"Be it for good or for evil, abandoning the Lotus Sutra must be the karma of hell." -- Kaimoku Sho (Opening the Eyes)

"I, Nichiren, too, by reciting these compilations of texts and making prayers and vows to the Buddha and the devas (gods) every day since the first day I began to believe, though I have encountered all sorts of great hardships, because the meritorious power of the Lotus Sutra and the Golden Words of Lord Shakya which are profound and serious, up to now, I have been saved. With regard to that, if the Practitioners of the Lotus Sutra have no backsliding in the mind of faith or false affection in their person, but leave themselves to the Lotus Sutra in all things and practice in accordance with the Golden Words, they will for certain, even in this life not to speak of the afterlife, end disasters and extend their lifespan, obtain the reward of the Superior, Sublime Great Effect and accomplish the Great Vow of "widely proclaiming and diffusing." [kosen rufu] -- Kitokyo sojo (Cover Letter to the Sutra for Prayers)

"By the Great Good of the Venerable Maudgalyayana's believing in the Lotus Sutra, not only did he become a Buddha but his father and mother became Buddhas. His father and mother and so on for seven generations up and seven generations down and for immeasurable lives up and immeasurable lives down, beyond any expectation, became Buddhas. And even children, husbands and wives, subordinates, lay donors and immeasurable beings not only left the Three Evil Ways of Rebirth but all became Buddhas from the First Abode to Sublime Enlightenment. What he worships is the Buddha Shakya; the Dharma he believes is the Lotus Sutra." -- Urabon Gosho (Letter on the Urabon)

"I, Nichiren, am the foremost Practitioner of the Lotus Sutra in Japan. If among Nichiren's disciples and lay donors you come later than me, Nichiren, then even before the God Brahman, the Emperor Shakra, the Four Celestial Kings or the Emperor Emma (Yama) declare, 'I am the disciple or believer of the foremost Practitioner of the Lotus Sutra in Japan, the priest Nichiren,' and you shall pass. 

This Lotus Sutra becomes a ship on the rivers of the Three Paths, the Great White Ox Cart on the Mountain Going Forth in Death, it becomes a lamp on the paths of the underworld and it is a bridge whereby we may go to the Spiritual Mountain.... But it depends on the mind of faith. If just the mind of faith is weak, no matter how much you call yourself a disciple or lay donor of Nichiren, by no means will you be accepted." -- Hakki Dono Gosho

"Bodisattva Fukyo in the past, saying that all beings have the Buddha Nature and if they keep the Lotus Sutra, they will certainly attain Buddhahood and to slight them is tantamount to slighting Buddhas. Thus, he established the Practice of Bowing in Reverence; saying that, even those who do not keep the Lotus Sutra, if they were to keep it, have the Buddha Nature and would become Buddhas. He thus performed Bowing in Reverence in this way to those who did not keep it. How much more to the householders and priests who keep the Lotus Sutra. In the fourth fascicle of this Sutra it is taught that if one demeans, with even one evil word, those who keep and preach the Lotus Sutra, be it a householder or one who has left the household, the magnitude of the sin is beyond the sin of directly disparaging the Buddha Shakya. It is also preached, 'Whether true or untrue, those who keep the Lotus Sutra should not, even forgetfully, disparage each other, should they? The reason is that all those who keep the Lotus Sutra are necessarily Buddhas and to disparage a Buddha is to earn oneself a sin. When one understands it in this way, the merit of the Title (Daimoku) which one chants must be equal to the merit of Lord Shakya."-- Matsuno dono gohenji (Reply to Lord Matsuno)

"As for these three important things, it is not that Nichiren said it. It was the spirit of the Tathagata Shakyamuni that entered into my body and filled it with a joy far greater than what it deserved. This is the important teaching of the Lotus Sutra called 'one thought is three thousand worlds.' The scripture says, 'All existence has such a form ...' What does this mean? Because the 'appearance of suchness,' the first of the Ten Suchnesses, is the most important, the Buddha appeared in the world. The beginning of Nichiren's believing in the Lotus Sutra is like one drop of one atom in the country of Japan. If two people, three people, ten people, and millions and billions of people recite the Lotus Sutra, then it would become the Mt. Sumeru of Subtle Enlightenment or a great ocean of Nirvana. One should not look for any other way for becoming a Buddha." -- Senji Sho (An Essay on the Selection of the Proper Time)

"For instance, those who have a fever can cool off lying beside a great body of cold water, but they will continue to suffer if they lie by the side of a small body of water. Likewise, those who suffer from the five rebellious sins of slandering the true dharma and those who have no faith in Buddhism can not cool the fever of their grave sins by lying beside a small body of water, that is, such sutras as the Agama Sutras, the Kammuryojukyo, and the Great Sun Buddha Sutra. If they lie on the large snow-covered mountain of the Lotus Sutra, they can definitely cool even the fever of the five cardinal sins, the sins of slandering the true dharma, and those of having no faith in Buddhism. "Therefore, the fool must by necessity believe in the Lotus Sutra... The thick rope of evil passions cannot be cut even by the great power of the wise, but it can be easily cut by the powerless fool with the small sword of the Lotus Sutra. "The essence of the Lotus Sutra is 'Namu-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo.'" -- Ho'on Jo (Recompense of Indebtedness)