Please confirm that the Lotus Sutra and the true Nichiren's doctrine are not exclusive teachings. The Lotus Sutra is the most important teachings to harmonize and unite all Buddhism. Nichiren shonin made efforts to harmonize and unite all Buddhism by the truth. If you obtain the truth, you can make good use of all expedients in a timely and appropriate manner. The Lotus Sutra doesn't refuse those who practice other sutras, because other sutras are the Buddha's teachings as expedients to guide people in a timely and appropriate manner. Also, Nichiren shonin doesn't refuse other provisional sutras. You can see that he actually quoted teachings from many other sutras, because there are many important philosophies in them, too. However, if there are persons who slander the eternal Buddha Shakyamuni by using other sutras, and if there are persons who insist on believing expedient teachings forever, Nichiren shonin criticises strictly.

Heretical sects and ignorant priests in Nichiren's school can not understand Ekayana rightly. Therefore, they take exclusivism.

Ekayana (The one vehicle) emphasized by the Lotus Sutra is the important thought to attain Buddhahood. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra explains about the relation with the expedients and the truth repeatedly. If you don't understand it rightly, you will be not able to understand the Three Thousand Realms in The One Thought, and the two great doctrines of the concepts of Nijo-sabutsu (obtaining Buddhahood by the Two Vehicle) and Kuon-jitsujo (attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past by the Buddha) will be meaningless.

If you are not going to understand about the relation with the expedients and the truth, you won't be able to control your mind forever which includes worldly desires and passions.

The Lotus Sutra reveals the truth, which doesn't include expedients. On the other hand, the Lotus Sutra gives the meaning to all former sutras expounded by the Buddha Shakyamuni, and affirms them as expedients which lead to the truth. The Lotus Sutra warns people against clinging to expedients, but doesn't refuse expedient teachings. Although you have to believe that the Lotus Sutra is the only truth which leads to enlightenment, you should not forget all sutras were expounded by the Buddha Shakyamuni.

Nichiren shonin strictly criticized Pure Land School, Jyodo sect, which takes Exclusivism.

See Rissho Ankoku-ron,

Contemplating on these citations from Honen's Collection of Passages on the Nembutsu, I can say that Honen based his conclusions on false interpretations put forth by T'an-luan, Tao-ch'o, and Shan-tao when he established the different between the holy and Pure Land ways or ways difficult to practice and easy to practice. He enclosed all the 637 Mahayana sutras in 2,883 fascicles, such as sutras of Hokke and Shingon Schools, as well as all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and various gods in the categories of the holy way, way difficult to practice, or the miscellaneous ways, saying that these should all be abandoned, closed, set aside, and cast away. With these four words,"abandoned, closed, set aside, and cast away," Honen misled many people. Besides, he slandered holy priests in India, China and Japan, and the Buddha's disciples in ten directions as "group of bandits."

The Buddha gives various teachings according to the capacities of his listeners. Although The Lotus Sutra leads people to the same goal, there are various teachings according to the stage of believers. Therefore, although the most important thing is to believe in the eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and His Lotus Sutra, Nichiren shonin wrote various letters according to the stage of believers. And Nichiren shonin also showed various guidances of practice according to each stage of people, in the same Gosho.

For example, see Hoon-jo (Essay on Gratitude),

The third is the Daimoku of the Lotus Sutra. All the people in Japan, China, and everyone in the whole world, regardless of being wise or foolish, should chant "Namu Myoho renge kyo" single-mindedly, forgetting everything else. This Daimoku has not yet been spread in the world. For 2,225 years after the extinction of the Buddha no one has chanted this yet.

That is to say, it is said for people who don't believe in the Lotus Sutra, for people who don't chant Daimoku. Therefore, we have to spread Daimoku for those people. It doesn't mean that only chanting Daimoku is the practice of the Lotus Sutra.

For example, see Hoon-jo,

Therefore, if we are to believe in the Buddha's will, we must comprehend the teachings of all the other sutras as reflected upon the clear mirror of the Lotus Sutra.

It is said for people who believe in the Lotus Sutra and understand it, chanting Daimoku.

The Lotus Sutra is not the exclusive teachings. The Lotus Sutra is the inclusive teachings, which gives the truth, harmonizes all sutras and unifies them. Therefore, the Lotus Sutra is the most superior sutra. Nichiren shonin didn't refuse other sutras as the evil teachings. Nichiren shonin asserted that, if you don't believe the most important teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni firstly, other sutras and practices become obstacle to attain enlightenment. However, Nichiren shonin asserted that, if you believe, understand and practice the Lotus Sutra as the most important teachings firstly, all other sutras are also effectively utilized as expedients.


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