Nichiren is like the plant, and his teacher, the earth

If a tree is deeply rooted, its branches and leaves will never wither. If the spring is inexhaustible, the stream will never run dry. Without wood, a fire will burn out. Without earth, plants will not grow. I, Nichiren, am indebted solely to my late teacher, Dozen-bo, for my having become the votary of the Lotus Sutra and my being widely talked about now, in both a good and bad sense. Nichiren is like the plant, and my teacher, the earth. 22/3

The Writings of Nichiren Daishonin
Flowering and Bearing
Grain Written to Joken-bo and Gijo-bo in April 1278