The second of the eight major hells, the Hell of Black Ropes, is located beneath the Hell of Regeneration and is the same size as it is. In this hell, the hell guards seize sinners, push them down on the ground of hot iron, make a line on the sinners’ bodies with a hot iron rope, and cut and scrape the bodies with hot iron hatchets or saw off their limbs along the line. Moreover, there are huge iron mountains on both sides of the hell. They erect iron flags on the top of each mountain, stretch an iron rope between the two flags and force the sinners to walk on the rope carrying iron mountains. Falling off the rope, the sinners’ bodies are broken into pieces. Otherwise they are boiled in iron pots. The suffering of these tortures is 10 times more severe than the Hell of Regeneration.

One hundred years in the human world correspond to one day in the Heaven of the Thirty-three Gods, the second heaven in the realm of desire, where the life span of heavenly beings is 1,000 years. If 1,000 years in this Thirty-three Heaven are equal to one day in the Hell of Black Ropes, the life span of those sinners who fell into the Hell of Black Ropes is 1,000 years.

Ken Hōbō-shō, A Clarificaton of Slandering the True Dharma, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 107.

[Regarding the difference between the essential and theoretical sections of the Lotus Sūtra,] the Buddha had made a clear distinction between the two sections, but during more than 2,000 years since He passed away no one in India, China, Japan and the entire world (Jambudvīpa) has ever clearly differentiated them. Only T’ien-t’ai of China and Dengyō of Japan seemed to have almost made a difference between them, but they did not clarify the Lotus Tendai (T’ien-t’ai) law of precepts among important doctrines of the essential and theoretical sections. After all, although Grand Masters T’ien-t’ai and Dengyō knew it well in mind, they did not explain it clearly because: (1) the time was not right, (2) the people’s ability to understand was not ripe, and (3) they were not entrusted by the Buddha to propagate the doctrine.

Now, we have finally entered the Latter Age of Degeneration, when great bodhisattvas appearing from underground such as Bodhisattva Superior Practice should propagate the teaching of the essential section. As the Latter Age of Degeneration is the time for the essential section to spread, even if people with faith in Hinayāna Buddhism, quasi-Mahāyāna Buddhism, or the theoretical section of the Lotus Sūtra spread their respective teachings without committing any mistakes, they will serve no useful purpose. It is like a medicine for spring that is not useful in fall. Even if it is still useful in autumn, its effectiveness is not as good as in spring and summer. How much less useful they would be when they, Hinayāna and quasi-Mahāyāna Buddhists and believers of the theoretical section, become confused with the differences between Hinayāna and Mahāyāna Buddhism and provisional and true teachings. Moreover, as rulers in the past had put faith in their scriptures, built temples for them and donated pieces of farm land, it not only is inexcusable but also destroys the basis of their faiths for them to slight the teachings of their canons. Therefore, they are furious at the man who criticizes their canons, and they slander the True Dharma and persecute the practicer of the Lotus Sūtra.

Toki Nyūdō-dono Go-henji: Chibyō-shō, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Toki: Treatise on Healing Sickness, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 253-254

You already resemble a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra just as a monkey resembles a human being or a piece of rice cake resembles the full moon. Although the farmers of Atsuwara only hoped to preserve their own faith, people considered them rebels similar to Taira no Masakado of the Shōhei Period or Abe no Sadatō of the Tenki Period. However, those farmers of Atsuwara simply dedicated their lives to the Lotus Sūtra. The heavens will never consider them similar to those who betrayed their lord. Moreover, you have fallen out of favor with your lord and therefore have been forced to bear a heavy burden of the public expenditure. As a result you yourself do not have a riding horse while your wife and children do not have enough clothing.

Yet under such difficult circumstances, you sympathized with me, a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra, snowed in on a deep mountain and in need of food. You kindly sent one kammon of coins to me. Your offering is as precious as a needy couple who gave away the only piece of garment they shared to an alms-begging monk, or Rita who gave a small amount of barnyard millet in a rice bowl to a pratyekabuddha. It is valuable indeed.

Ueno-dono Gohenji, Reply to Lord Ueno, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Followers II, Volume 7, Page 44

Although you two have a difference in status, if you were greedy and crooked in mind and had not understood the reason behind everything, your elder brother’s disinheritance would never have been lifted. Your elder brother, Munenaka may become a Buddha due to his fervent belief in the Lotus Sūtra. However, your father would certainly go to hell for disinheriting his own son, who is a practicer of the Lotus Sūtra. In this case you would lose your older brother and father and become like Devadatta. However, as you are born wise and without greed unlike those born in the Latter Age of Degeneration, three of the Ikegami family attained Buddhahood together, saving everyone on the father’s side as well as the mother’s side.

Hyōesakan-dono Gohenji, Answer to Lord Ikegami Munenaga, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Volume 6, Followers I, Page 97-98

The Hinayāna teaching and Mahāyāna teaching are not the same, but both were preached by the same Buddha. The Mahāyāna Buddhism that rejects Hinayāna Buddhism but tries to convert it to Mahāyāna Buddhism is the same as the Mahāyāna Buddhism that rejects provisional Mahāyāna Buddhism but attempts to lead it to the Lotus Sūtra. Although the objects of rejection, Hinayāna and provisional Mahāyāna, are not the same, in both cases the purpose is to lead them to the Lotus Sūtra. Therefore, the Sūtra of Infinite Meaning, the preface to the Lotus Sūtra, disregards all the sūtras preached before the Lotus Sūtra, declaring, “The true intention of the Buddha has not been revealed yet.”

It is also preached in the Lotus Sūtra, chapter 2 on the ” Expedients”: “If the Lotus Sūtra is not expounded after the preaching of other sūtras, the Buddha is accused of being stingy with the dharma. This is without doubt impermissible.” Namely, the Buddha said to Himself, “Born to this world, if I die after preaching sūtras such as the Flower Garland Sūtra and the Wisdom Sūtra without expounding the Lotus Sūtra, it would be as if I am stingy of turning over My property to My beloved children or leaving the sick to die without giving the best medicine to cure their illness.” The Buddha also predicts that He will fall into hell for the sin of not preaching the Lotus Sūtra. It is stated in the Lotus Sūtra, “This is impermissible.” “Impermissible” means going to hell. How much more so will it be for those who attach themselves to pre-Lotus sūtras and refuse to convert themselves to the Lotus Sūtra after hearing it preached. They are like subjects who refuse to follow the orders of the great king or children who are disobedient to parents.

Even if one does not slander the Lotus Sūtra, praising the pre-Lotus sūtras would be the equivalent to slandering the Lotus Sūtra. Grand Master Miao-lê, therefore, states in his Annotations on the Words and Phrases of the Lotus Sūtra, “If one praises the pre-Lotus sūtras, it means that one slanders the Lotus Sūtra (in fascicle 3);” and “Even if one has awaken aspiration for enlightenment, unless one knows the difference between the perfect and imperfect teachings and understands the basic purpose of the Buddha’s vow to save all living beings, one will not be able to escape the sin of slandering the True Dharma even if one hears and practices the dharma in the future (in fascicle 4).”

Kangyō Hachiman-shō, Remonstration with Bodhisattva Hachiman, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 274-275

This virtue of Nichiren, I am sure, is known to all from the venerable Three Treasures above down to such heavenly beings as the King of the Brahma Heaven, Indra, and the sun and moon. The souls of my parents and Master Dōzen will be given plenty of help by this virtue of mine.

However, I have one doubt here. Venerable Maudgalyāyana tried to save his mother, Moggaliyā, who had fallen to the realm of hungry spirits, but in vain for she was kept suffering there. Sunakṣatra, a son of the Buddha Śākyamuni when He was a bodhisattva in His previous life, was influenced by evil friends and fell into the Hell of Incessant Suffering. The Buddha must have wished to save His son with His might, but He could not help him because that was caused by his own karma.

I do not think that the late Master Dōzen hated me, for I am one of his beloved disciples. However, he was cowardly. Moreover, he had a strong attachment to Mt. Kiyosumi. He was fearful of Steward Tōjō Kagenobu. Besides, Priests Enchi and Jitsujō, as evil as Devadatta and Kokālika, were always by his side, intimidating him. He was so frightened that he abandoned his disciples who followed him for many years, even though he loved them. Therefore, I am not sure about his next life. It was lucky for him that Kagenobu, Enchi, and Jitsujō died before him. They died because of the condemnation of the ten female rākṣasa demons, guardian deities of the Lotus Sūtra. If they had lived longer, Master Dōzen would not have had time even to have a little faith in the Lotus Sūtra. Their deaths enabled him to have a little faith in the Lotus Sūtra, but it was as useless as fighting sticks after quarrels are over or a lantern in the daytime. Besides, it is quite natural that one feels compassion for his children and disciples under any circumstances. Master Dōzen probably took pity on me exiled on the island of Sado, but he never asked about me, though it seemed possible for him to do so. I do not think, therefore, that he truly believed in the Lotus Sūtra.

Hōon-jō, Essay on Gratitude, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 3, Pages 48-49.

According to your letter, epidemics have been widespread recently. They say that human beings have two kinds of sickness. First, our bodies get sick. Our bodies consist of the four elements: earth, water, fire and wind. As each of the four elements has 101 sicknesses, our bodies have a total of 404 sicknesses. These physical sicknesses do not necessarily depend on the Buddha to be cured. There is no physical sickness that cannot be cured by the medicine prepared by such famed physicians as Jisui, Rusui, Jivaka and P’ien-ch’üeh.

In the second place, our minds get sick in a vast number of ways. Beginning with the three poisons of greed, anger and stupidity, sickness in our minds totals as many as 84,000. Even the two heavenly beings and three hermits or the six non-Buddhist masters in India could not cure them, not to speak of the medicines administered by such sage rulers of ancient China as Shen-nung and the Yellow Emperor.

Toki Nyūdō-dono Go-henji: Chibyō-shō, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Toki: Treatise on Healing Sickness, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 252

I have written doctrines important to me in this letter, so please read carefully and take the time to understand them well.

Have faith in the Great Mandala Gohonzon, the Most Venerable One in the entire world. Earnestly endeavor to strengthen your faith, so that you may be blessed with the protective powers of Śākyamuni Buddha, the Buddha of Many Treasures, and Buddhas in manifestation throughout the Universe. Strive to carry out the two ways of practice and learning. Without practice and learning Buddhism will cease to exist. Endeavor yourself and cause others to practice these two ways of practice and learning, which stem from faith. If possible, please spread even a word or phrase of the sūtra to others.

Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō, Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō.

Shohō Jisso-shō, Treatise on All Phenomena as Ultimate Reality, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Faith and Practice, Volume 4, Page 79-80

[W]hen Hinayāna people are shackled by Hinayāna teachings and go against Mahāyāna principles or try to be equal to Mahāyāna countries although they do not intend to go against Mahāyāna Buddhism, they (Hinayāna Buddhists) and their countries will contract various sicknesses. When they try to cure their mental sickness by means of the teaching of Hinayāna Buddhism, they only intensify their troubles instead of curing them. Only practicers of Mahāyāna sūtras can cure them.

Likewise, when believers of provisional Mahāyāna sūtras … adhere to their biased opinions, insisting that their inferior faith equals or is even superior to the Lotus Sūtra, and when rulers of the land recognize them without discerning their prejudices, the 84,000 mental sicknesses such as the three poisons will be begotten. The harder they try to heal the sickness by means of their respective canonical sūtras, the worse their troubles will be. Even if they try to cure their troubles by the Lotus Sūtra, it will not work. It is not because the sūtra is not good enough but because the people who try to use it are prejudiced.

Toki Nyūdō-dono Go-henji: Chibyō-shō, A Response to Lay Priest Lord Toki: Treatise on Healing Sickness, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 2, Page 252-253

[D]uring the reign of Emperor Kammu, the fiftieth emperor, 800 years after the beginning of the Age of the Semblance Dharma, a monk called Saichō appeared, who was later known as Grand Master Dengyo. At first, he studied the six schools of Buddhism (Sanron, Hossō, Kegon, Kusha, Jōjitsu, and Ritsu) as well as Zen Buddhism from such masters as Bishop Gyōhyō. Meanwhile, he himself established the Kokushōji Temple (later renamed the Enryakuji Temple) on Mt. Hiei, where he checked basic sūtras and commentaries of the six schools against the interpretations by scholars of those schools. He found many discrepancies between interpretations of scholars and their basic sūtras and commentaries. Moreover, they produced so many false opinions that he felt that all those who believed in them would fall into the three evil realms (hell, realm of hungry souls, and that of beasts).

Besides, Saichō found that those scholars of the six schools each boastfully claimed mastery of the true teaching of the Lotus Sūtra without actually mastering it. He tormented himself thinking: “If I point this out, there will be disputes; if I keep silent, I will be going against the Buddha’s warning.” Fearful of the Buddha’s warning, he finally appealed to Emperor Kammu, who was astonished and ordered the scholars of the six schools to meet Saichō in debate. At the beginning their banner of self-pride waved as high as a mountain and their evil thoughts were more vicious than poisonous snakes. However, they finally had to surrender to Saichō in front of the Emperor, and the six schools and seven temples all became his disciples. It was just like the time those scholars from Northern and Southern China became the disciples of Grand Master T’ien-t’ai after being defeated in debate by him in front of the Emperor of Ch’ên.

While Grand Master T’ien-t’ai’s comparison of the Lotus to other sūtras was limited to the areas of meditation (jō) and wisdom (e), without covering the area of observing precepts (kai), Grand Master Dengyō refuted the specific granting of Hinayāna precepts and performed the ceremony for the specific granting of Mahāyāna precepts according to the Brahma-net Sūtra for eight monks of the six schools in Nara. In addition, Grand Master Dengyō established the “perfect and sudden” Lotus precept dais on Mt. Hiei for granting-the-precepts ceremony. Therefore, the “perfect and sudden” specific granting-the-precepts ceremony on Mt. Hiei was not only the first of its kind in Japan, but also the first ever held in India, China, and the world for over 1,800 years since Śākyamuni performed it on Mt. Sacred Eagle.

In this sense, Grand Master Dengyō’s accomplishments were greater than those of Nāgārjuna, Vasubandhu, T’ien-t’ai, and Miao-lê. Not a single monk of Japanese Buddhism today—including those of the Tōji Temple, the Onjōji Temple, the seven great temples at Nara, the eight schools of Buddhism, and those of the Pure Land, Zen, and Ritsu Schools—was opposed to this “perfect and sudden” precepts of Grand Master Dengyō. Though Buddhist monks in the entire land of China seemed to be disciples of T’ien-t’ai as far as perfect meditation and wisdom are concerned, since there was no platform for the “perfect and sudden” precept established in China, some Chinese monks may not have been disciples of T’ien-t’ai in this regard. In Japan, on the other hand, Buddhists monks who were not disciples of Grand Master Dengyō were either non-Buddhists or villains.

Senji-shō, Selecting the Right time: A Tract by Nichiren, the Buddha’s Disciple, Writings of Nichiren Shōnin, Doctrine 1, Page 202-203