Tiantai regards the Lotus Sutra as the supreme and final expression of the Buddha’s teaching, the apex of a carefully ordered hierarchy of doctrines. Within its system of “Five Periods and Eight Teachings,” this sutra stands at the culmination of the Buddha’s teaching career, representing a fully “round” or perfect revelation that both encompasses and transcends all other scriptures. Other sutras are not dismissed as false; rather, they are seen as authentic yet partial presentations, adjusted to the differing capacities and circumstances of various audiences. In this way, the Lotus Sutra functions as the doctrinal summit toward which all previous teachings gradually lead.

From this perspective, other Buddhist texts are interpreted as expedient means (upāya), preparatory or provisional teachings that serve as stepping stones to the Lotus Sutra’s comprehensive vision. They are regarded as valid but incomplete, often emphasizing limited goals such as śrāvaka or pratyekabuddha attainments, which are then reinterpreted as stages within a larger path. Apparent contradictions among the scriptures are harmonized by reading them through the lens of the Lotus Sutra, which becomes the hermeneutical key for understanding the Buddha’s full intent. Thus, the entire canon is integrated into a graded system, with the Lotus Sutra as both its organizing principle and its consummate revelation.

Central to this elevated status is the Lotus Sutra’s teaching that all beings possess the capacity for Buddhahood and that all earlier paths ultimately converge in a single vehicle. Tiantai takes this universal promise as the definitive statement of the Buddha’s enlightenment, the point at which the partial and provisional give way to a fully inclusive truth. Earlier collections such as the Āgamas, the Prajñāpāramitā literature, and even the Nirvāṇa Sutra are treated as necessary preparations, gradually guiding practitioners toward the Lotus Sutra’s universal scope. In this vision, the Lotus Sutra does not merely stand above other texts; it gathers them up, re-situates them, and reveals their deeper, unified purpose.