A Guide for the Practitioners of the Lotus Sutra and the Followers of Nichiren

A Guide for the Practitioners of the Lotus Sutra and the Followers of Nichiren

“Evil devils, the devils’ people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas, kumbhanda demons, and others will seize the advantage.” (Lotus Sutra Chapter 23)

"Whether it be a yaksha, or a rakshasa, or a hungry spirit, or a putana, or a kritya, or a vetada, or a skanda, or an umaraka, or an apasmaraka, or a yaksha kritya, or a human kritya . . .”(ibid. Chapter 26)

"The doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life revealed in the fifth volume of Great Concentration and Insight is especially profound. If you propagate it, devils will arise without fail. If they did not, there would be no way of knowing that this is the correct teaching. One passage from the same volume reads: “As practice progresses and understanding grows, the three obstacles and four devils emerge in confusing form, vying with one another to interfere . . . One should be neither influenced nor frightened by them. If one falls under their influence, one will be led into the paths of evil. If one is frightened by them, one will be prevented from practicing the correct teaching.” This statement not only applies to me, but also is a guide for my followers. Reverently make this teaching your own, and transmit it as an axiom of faith for future generations. "(Letter to the Brothers).

Answer: That is a very good question. The fourth volume of the Lotus Sutra says, “Since hatred and jealousy toward this sutra abound even when the Thus Come One is in the world, how much more will this be so after his passing?” And in the seventh volume, referring again to the time “after his passing” when things will be much worse, the Buddha says, “After I have passed into extinction, in the last five- hundred-year period you must spread it abroad widely throughout Jambudvipa.” So we see that the hatred that abounds after the passing of the Buddha will come about in the last five-hundred-year period when Myoho- renge-kyo will spread. And immediately following the above passage, the Buddha warns of dangers from “evil devils, the devils’ people, heavenly beings, dragons, yakshas, and kumbhanda demons.” (On the Buddha's Prophecy)