"A Buddha has thirty-two features. Each of these features is endowed with the characteristics of hundredfold merit that that Buddha has acquired. The knot of flesh on the crown of his head, the tuft of white hair between his eyebrows, and the other features are like fruit, while the practices that the Buddha has carried out in the past are like flowers that produce so many blessings; in this way, the thirty-two features come to appear in the body of the Buddha.
"One feature of the Buddha is the unseen crown of his head. Shakyamuni Buddha’s body was sixteen feet in height, but a Brahman of the Bamboo Staff school was unable to measure it. When he attempted to see the top of Shakyamuni’s head, he was unable to do so. Bodhisattva Worthy of Upholding likewise was unable to see the top of the Buddha’s head, and so was the heavenly king Brahmā. Inquiring as to the reason, we will find that in the past the Buddha bowed his head to the ground in order to pay reverence to his parents, his teacher, and his sovereign, and he acquired this feature as a result.
"The foremost among the Buddha’s thirty-two features is his pure and far-reaching voice. Lesser kings, great kings, and wheel-turning kings all possess this feature in some degree. Therefore, a single word from one of these kings can destroy the kingdom or insure order within it. The edicts handed down by rulers represent a type of pure and far-reaching voice. Ten thousand words spoken by ten thousand ordinary subjects cannot equal one word spoken by a king. The works known as the Three Records and the Five Canons represent the words of lesser kings.
"What brings order to this small kingdom of Japan, what enables the heavenly king Brahmā to command the inhabitants of the threefold world, and what enables the Buddha to command Brahmā, Shakra, and the other deities, is none other than this pure and far-reaching voice. The Buddha’s utterances have become the works that compose the entire body of sutras and bring benefit to all living beings. And among the sutras, the Lotus Sutra is a manifestation in writing of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni’s intent; it is his voice set down in written words. Thus the Buddha’s heart is embodied in these written words. To illustrate, it is like seeds that sprout, grow into plants, and produce rice. Though the form of the rice changes, its essence remains the same.
"Shakyamuni Buddha and the written words of the Lotus Sutra are two different things, but their heart is one. Therefore, when you cast your eyes upon the words of the Lotus Sutra, you should consider that you are beholding the living body of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni."
Nichiren, The Pure and Far Reaching Voice
Here Nichiren emphasises the Lotus Sutra, but the same benefits apply to any of the Sutras containing the Buddha's words. There is a discussion to be had about the relative merits of the Sutras (and Nichiren's position is clear) but with the understanding that all lead to the same goal and the realisation of emptiness one ought not to shun any of the Buddha's words, which are all pure and true whether they are expedient means or not.
"One feature of the Buddha is the unseen crown of his head. Shakyamuni Buddha’s body was sixteen feet in height, but a Brahman of the Bamboo Staff school was unable to measure it. When he attempted to see the top of Shakyamuni’s head, he was unable to do so. Bodhisattva Worthy of Upholding likewise was unable to see the top of the Buddha’s head, and so was the heavenly king Brahmā. Inquiring as to the reason, we will find that in the past the Buddha bowed his head to the ground in order to pay reverence to his parents, his teacher, and his sovereign, and he acquired this feature as a result.
"The foremost among the Buddha’s thirty-two features is his pure and far-reaching voice. Lesser kings, great kings, and wheel-turning kings all possess this feature in some degree. Therefore, a single word from one of these kings can destroy the kingdom or insure order within it. The edicts handed down by rulers represent a type of pure and far-reaching voice. Ten thousand words spoken by ten thousand ordinary subjects cannot equal one word spoken by a king. The works known as the Three Records and the Five Canons represent the words of lesser kings.
"What brings order to this small kingdom of Japan, what enables the heavenly king Brahmā to command the inhabitants of the threefold world, and what enables the Buddha to command Brahmā, Shakra, and the other deities, is none other than this pure and far-reaching voice. The Buddha’s utterances have become the works that compose the entire body of sutras and bring benefit to all living beings. And among the sutras, the Lotus Sutra is a manifestation in writing of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni’s intent; it is his voice set down in written words. Thus the Buddha’s heart is embodied in these written words. To illustrate, it is like seeds that sprout, grow into plants, and produce rice. Though the form of the rice changes, its essence remains the same.
"Shakyamuni Buddha and the written words of the Lotus Sutra are two different things, but their heart is one. Therefore, when you cast your eyes upon the words of the Lotus Sutra, you should consider that you are beholding the living body of the Thus Come One Shakyamuni."
Nichiren, The Pure and Far Reaching Voice
Here Nichiren emphasises the Lotus Sutra, but the same benefits apply to any of the Sutras containing the Buddha's words. There is a discussion to be had about the relative merits of the Sutras (and Nichiren's position is clear) but with the understanding that all lead to the same goal and the realisation of emptiness one ought not to shun any of the Buddha's words, which are all pure and true whether they are expedient means or not.