According to Buddhist scriptures, the world goes through four kalpa (periods of construction, continuance, destruction, and emptiness), each of which consists of 20 small kalpa. In the period of continuance, the average human longevity increases by a year per century from 10 years until it reaches the maximum human longevity of 84,000 years. Thereafter the human life grows shorter by a year per century until it reaches the minimum average human life span of 10 years. Now, Śākyamuni Buddha was born to this world during the ninth small kalpa, within the kalpa of continuance, when the human life span was decreasing to 100 years. The fifty years of Śākyamuni’s appearance in this world, the 2,000-year period of Ages of the True Dharma and the Semblance Dharma, and the 10,000 years of the Latter Age of Degeneration are all included in this period, during which human longevity decreases from 100 years to the minimum of 10 years. It includes two periods in which the Lotus Sūtra flourishes: the last eight years of Śākyamuni Buddha and the first 500 years of the Latter Age of Degeneration after His extinction. Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lê and Dengyō missed the preaching of the Lotus Sūtra by the Buddha, nor were they able to be born in the Latter Age after His death. Regretting their misfortune for being born in between the two occasions, those grand masters made the statements cited above, wishing to have been born in the Latter Age.

This is like Hermit Asita’s lament. Seeing the birth of Prince Siddhartha, the Indian hermit deplored: “Being over ninety years old, I will not be able to live long enough to see the Prince attain Buddhahood in this world. Since I will be reborn in the realm of non-form, I will not be able to attend Śākyamuni’s preachings for fifty years in this world. Nor will I be able to be reborn after His death in the Age of the True Dharma, the Semblance Dharma, or the Latter Age of Degeneration.”

Those who have aspiration for enlightenment should be glad to see and hear these comments. Those who care for future lives should rather be born as common people today in the Latter Age than great kings during the 2,000-year period after the death of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Age of the True Dharma and that of the Semblance Dharma. How could they not believe in this? They should rather be suffering from leprosy in the Latter Age reciting “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō (Homage to the Lotus Sūtra )” than to be the revered chief abbot of the Enryakuji Temple, grand temple of the Tendai School of Buddhism, during the Age of the Semblance Dharma. Emperor Wu of Liang in ancient China prayed: “I would rather be Devadatta, who sank to the worst Hell of Incessant Suffering but who eventually was able to attain Buddhahood through the Lotus Sūtra, than be Hermit Udraka-rāmaputra, who was able to be born in heaven but never succeeded in attaining Buddhahood.”

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QUESTION: I see you have solid proofs in scriptures. Have T’ien-t’ai, Miao-lê and Dengyō also predicted the same?

ANSWER: Your question is out of order. You may ask for scriptural proofs to back up statements in later commentaries, but you may not look for proofs in later commentaries when statements in sūtras are clear. Are you going to side with commentaries against sūtras in case you find them contradictory?

INQUIRER INSISTS: You are absolutely right, but as an ordinary man I feel that the sūtras were preached thousands of years ago, while commentaries are closer to us because they are works of later people. As such if what is said in commentaries are made clear, I may be able to deepen my faith in sūtras.

ANSWER: Since your question is so sincere, I shall cite from some commentaries. Grand Master T’ien-t’ai states in his Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “The wonderful way of the Lotus Sūtra will spread benefit far into the fifth 500-year period!” Grand Master Miao-lê explains it in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra: “Not necessarily will there be no divine favor of the Lotus Sūtra at the beginning of the Latter Age.” Grand Master Dengyō declares in his Treatise on the Protection of the Nation: “The Age of the True Dharma and that of the Semblance Dharma are about to end, and the Latter Age of Degeneration is around the corner. This is the time for the One Vehicle teaching of the Lotus to spread. How can we say this? We know it because it is stated in the ‘Peaceful Practices’ (14th) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that it should be spread at the time when the dharma is about to disappear in the latter world.” He also says in his Outstanding Principles of the Lotus Sūtra:

“The time is toward the end of the Age of the Semblance Dharma and the beginning of the Latter Age of Degeneration; the place is east of T’ang China and west of Katsu; when people live in the world of defilement and corruption, full of disputes and quarrels. The Lotus Sūtra, chapter 10, states that much hatred and jealousy existed even during the lifetime of Śākyamuni Buddha, not to speak of after His death. This is a meaningful statement indeed!”

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
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It is said in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7 (chapter 23), “It will spread throughout the world in the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha lest it should be lost.” It means that the Lotus Sūtra will spread in the period after the destruction of the pure dharma predicted in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly. The Lotus Sūtra also makes such references as : “those who uphold it in the evil world during the Latter Age of Degeneration” (fascicle 6: chapter 17); “at the time when the dharma is about to disappear in the future latter age” (fascicle 5: chapter 14): “even during the time of the Buddha much hatred and jealousy is raised against this Sūtra; how much more after His death!” (fascicle 4: chapter 10); and “much hate exists toward this Sūtra in the world, making it difficult to uphold it” (fascicle 5: chapter 14). Speaking of the fifth 500-year period after the death of the Buddha, namely, the period of increasing disagreements and quarrels, the Lotus Sūtra in its seventh fascicle (chapter 23) declares: “Devils, devils’ subjects, dragons, yakṣa demons, and kumbhāṇḍa devils will be trying to take advantage.” It is stated in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly: “Disputes and quarrels will arise within Buddhism itself.” And in the Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 5 (chapter 13): “Monks in the evil world will be cunning, flattering, and arrogant;” “some monks will live in monasteries and appear to be practicing the true ways;” and “devils will enter the bodies of those monks and cause them to abuse those who uphold the True Dharma.”

These citations meant to say that a large number of great monks will be haunted by a devil’s spirit all over the country in the fifth 500-year period. Suppose a wise man appears then. Those high priests haunted by a devil’s spirit would induce the king and his ministers and populace into speaking ill of him, abusing him, beating him with sticks or pieces of wood, throwing stones or tiles at him, and banishing or even executing him. Then Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures and Buddhas in all the worlds in ten directions would order the great bodhisattvas appearing from underground, who in turn would order the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, the sun, the moon, and the Four Heavenly Kings to inflict strange phenomena in the sky and natural calamities on earth. If those kings do not heed the divine punishments, their neighboring countries would be ordered to chastise those evil kings and monks, resulting in the most terrible war the world has ever had.

Then all the people in the world living under the sun and moon, desirous of the welfare of their countries or of themselves, would pray in vain to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Finally, believing in the poor monk whom they have hated, an incalculable number of high priests, 80,000 great kings, and all the people would bow low with their heads touching the ground and holding their hands together in reverence, reciting “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.” It would be just as when the Buddha revealed the eighth of His ten supernatural powers in the “Divine Powers of the Buddha” of the (21st) chapter of the Lotus Sūtra that all the people without exception in all the worlds throughout the universe faced this Sahā World, resoundingly reciting in unison “Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to Śākyamuni Buddha! Homage to the Lotus Sūtra! Homage to the Lotus Sūtra!”

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
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The fifth 500-year period, the period of destruction of the pure dharma referred to in the Sūtra of the Great Assembly, is without doubt today. After the destruction of the pure dharma, however, the great pure dharma of “Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō,” the gist of the Lotus Sūtra, should spread widely among all the people and subjects of 80,000 kings of 80,000 lands in the world, just as today in Japan people all recite the name of the Buddha of Infinite Life. This has been decided by the Buddha, so we must make it a reality.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1,
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When the Buddha preached the Flower Garland Sūtra at the Hall of Enlightenment, various Buddhas appeared from the worlds in ten directions, and all great bodhisattvas gathered together. Moreover, the Great King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, and the Four Heavenly Kings danced for joy; eight kinds of gods and semi-gods such as dragon gods held their hands together in reverence; the wiser among ordinary men bent their ears to Him; and various bodhisattvas such as Moon of Emancipation (Vimuki-candra), who have attained enlightenment during the present life, begged Him to preach. However, Śākyamuni did not even reveal the names of His two most important teachings: “Obtaining Buddhahood by men of the Two Vehicles, śrāvaka and pratyekabuddha” (nijō-sabutsu) and “Śākyamuni’s attaining Enlightenment in the eternal past” (kuon-jitsujō). Nor did He expound the fundamental doctrines of the “becoming a Buddha with one’s present body” (sokushin-jōbutsu) and “3,000 existences contained in one thought” (ichinen-sanzen). It was not that He did not speak of those doctrines because no one had the capacity to understand them. It was solely because, as stated in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on “Expedients”, “the time was not ripe. “

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The Lotus Sūtra, fascicle 7, the 21st chapter on “The Divine Powers of the Buddha,” preaches: “Suppose that after the Buddha passed away, someone who knows the causes and conditions and proper sequence of the sūtras expounded by the Buddha will preach them truthfully according to the true meaning. As the light of the sun and moon can eliminate all darkness, so this person will wipe out the darkness of living beings as he walks about in the world.”

This scriptural passage means that he who expounds even a word or a phrase of the Lotus Sūtra should know well the comparative profundity of the holy teachings preached during His lifetime and the sequence of preaching them. For instance, speaking of the calendar consisting of more than 360 days a year, a mistake by one day will cause mistakes for 10,000 days. In a 31-syllable Japanese poem, a mistake in a syllable or a phrase makes the whole 31 syllables unpoetic. Likewise, in reading or reciting a sūtra, if one is confused about the sequence and comparative profundity of the holy teachings of the Buddha beginning with the Flower Garland Sūtra preached first at the Hall of Enlightenment to the Nirvana Sūtra expounded last in the śāla forest, one will inevitably fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering without committing the five rebellious sins. Those who believe in him will also fall into the Hell of Incessant Suffering.

Therefore, when a wise man appears in the world to correctly declare the comparative profundity of the holy teachings preached during His lifetime, those priests who have transmitted false doctrines from the founders of their respective sects and are revered as the teachers of the state or aristocratic families will make a false charge against the wise man to the rulers of the country or incite a popular protest against him. Otherwise, the weakness of their sects would be revealed, causing them to be despised by the people. Then, it is preached, the protective deities of Buddhism will be so enraged that they will destroy this country just as gale winds tear up the leaves of banana plants or high waves overturn small boats.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 163-164

Among the spotless mirrors of the holy teachings preached in His lifetime, the Lotus Sūtra is the special divine mirror. A copper mirror can show the figure of a man but not his mind. The divine mirror of the Lotus Sūtra shows not only a man’s figure but also his mind. Not only the current mind of a man but also his karma in the previous life and his reward and retribution in the future can clearly be spotlighted.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 163

To see our own faces, we have to look at them reflected upon a spotless mirror. Likewise, in order to see the rise and fall of a country, there is no way better than to see them reflected upon the mirror of the Buddhist dharma. As we respectfully read such Mahāyāna sūtras as the Sūtra of the Benevolent King, Sūtra of the Golden Splendor, Guardian Sūtra, Nirvana Sūtra, and Lotus Sūtra, it is preached that the rise and fall of a country and the life span of people in it depend on the Dharma they believe, whether they believe in the True Dharma or a false dharma. It is like water that keeps a boat afloat but also destroys it, or staple grains which nourish human bodies but often damage them. Small winds and waves would not damage large ships, but small ships can easily be destroyed by gale winds and huge waves. Unjust government, like small winds and waves, would not cause the downfall of a great country and a great man; however, there is no doubt that a false dharma in Buddhism, like gale winds and huge waves destroying small boats, will destroy a country.

Shinkoku-ō Gosho, Sovereigns of Our Divine Land, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 162