In the final analysis, no matter how I am abandoned by gods and how much difficulty I encounter, I will uphold the Lotus Sūtra at the cost of my own life. Śāripūtra could not attain Buddhahood after having practiced the way of the bodhisattva for as long as sixty kalpa because he could not endure the difficulty presented by a Brahman who asked him for his eyes. Those who had received the seed of Buddhahood from the Eternal Buddha and Daitsūchishō (Great Universal Wisdom) Buddha an incalculable number of kalpa ago could not obtain Buddhahood for as long as 500 or 3,000 dust-particle kalpa (gohyaku jindengō or sanzen jindengō) until they listened to the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra on Mt. Sacred Eagle in this world. It was because they had been misled by these “evil friends” to abandon the Lotus Sūtra. No matter what happens, abandoning the Lotus Sūtra will cause us to be plunged into hell.

Kaimoku-shō, Open Your Eyes to the Lotus Teaching, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 105