Followers of Nichiren claim that Sakyamuni is a Buddha of the past, that he is dead and has entered nirvana. But, they claim, Nichiren is an eternal Buddha; he will never enter nirvana. They divide Buddhism in two: one false, the other true, one temporary, the other eternal. Because of these ideas, Nichiren Shoshu's teachings are not in accordance with the teachings of Buddhadharma. The beliefs of the modern religion of Nichiren Shoshu are hinted at subtly in Nichiren's writings, but he never outwardly claimed that he was an eternal Buddha.

The Nichiren school derives its ideas from only one sutra ─ the Lotus Sutra. Really, they only use two chapters of the sutra: "Expedient Methods" and "Length of the Life of the Buddhas." In fact, of those chapters, they only choose specific paragraphs. They do quote from a few other sutras, but emphasis is placed on two chapters of the Lotus Sutra.

When spreading the religion to other countries, followers of Nichiren Shoshu downplay its nationalistic elements. In fact, many followers of Nichiren Shoshu in the U.S. have never read Nichiren's writings. Only in Japan is the extreme nationalistic spirit emphasized. Extreme nationalism is, by its nature, narrow in scope. If Nichiren Shoshu, in its pure Japanese form, were espoused on a worldwide scale, it would be doomed.

To be fair to everyone, Nichiren's writings should be translated into English, so that people here can read his work and decide for themselves if his teachings suit them.