"In that dreadful, most terrible; period of frightful general revolution..." -- Lotus Sutra

“‘Ajita, these good men and good women need not for my sake erect towers 
and temples or build monks quarters or make the four kinds of offerings to 
the community of monks.  Why? because these good men and good women, in 
receiving, embracing, reading and reciting this sutra, have already 
erected towers, constructed monks quarters, and given alms to the 
community of monks.”  LS, p. 240 

“... shame on such monks! -- they will preach their own fictions."
 (Saddharma-Pundarika, p. 259) 

"In that dreadful, most terrible; period of frightful general revolution will 
 many fiendish monks stand up as our revilers."  Ibid. 260 

“The Lord [Shakyamuni] himself knows that in the last period there are (to 
be) wicked monks...” Ibid. 261.   

“...the priests of today ... use their so-called observance of the 
precepts as a means to dupe others.  They have not a trace of 
transcendental power -- a huge stone could sooner ascend to heaven than 
they could exercise such powers.  Their wisdom is in a class with that of 
oxen, no different from that of sheep.  Though they might gather together 
by the thousands or ten thousands, they could never relieve one iota of 
the suffering of departed parents.” -- Nichiren Daishonin (“On the 
Urabon”, MW7, 169) 

“The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten kinds of evil behavior 
will destroy the True Law of the Buddha and make it impossible for sentient 
beings to be born in the human and heavenly states of existence.” MW2, 8-9 

“Priests are as numerous as bamboo plants and rushes, monks as common as 
rice and hemp seedlings.  The temples and priests have been honored from 
centuries past, and every day respect is paid them anew.  But the monks and 
priests today are fawning and devious, and they confuse the people and lead 
them astray.” MW2, p.14 

“The Ninno Sutra, for example, says: ‘Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and 
profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the heir apparent or the 
other princes and take it upon themselves to preach doctrines that lead to 
the violation of the Buddhist Law and the destruction of the nation.’” MW2, 
pp. 14 -15 

“The Lotus Sutra says: ‘There will be monks in that evil age with perverse 
views and hearts that are fawning and crooked who will say they have 
attained what they have not attained, being proud and boastful in heart.’” 
MW2, p 15 

“The evil monks of that muddied age, failing to understand the Buddha's 
expedient means, how he preaches the Dharma in accord with what is 
appropriate, will confront us with foul language and angry frowns; again 
and again we will be banished." MW2, p. 16 

“... there will be monks who give the appearance of abiding by the rules 
of monastic discipline.  But they will scarcely ever read or recite the 
sutras, and instead will crave all kinds of food and drink to nourish their 
bodies.  Though they wear the robes of a monk, they will go about searching 
for alms like so many huntsmen, spying sharply and stalking softly.” MW2, 
p. 16 [This is a quote from the Nirvana Sutra.] 

Now if all the four kinds of believers within the four seas and the ten 
thousand lands would only cease giving alms to wicked priests and instead 
all come over to the side of the good, then how could any more troubles 
rise to plague us or disasters come to confront us?”  MW2, p. 40 

“The eminent Buddhist monks of our time seem to be of one mind with those 
who slander the Law.  In fact, they do not even understand the true meaning 
of the teachings of their own sects.” MW2, p. 66 

“More monks than laymen, and more nuns than laywomen, will fall into the 
evil states of existence.”  MW2, p 111 

“And yet he may encounter someone like Tao-ch’o, Shan-tao, or Honen, monks 
who seemed thoroughly conversant with the teachings of the provisional and 
the true Mahayana sutras but who were in fact possessed by devils.  Such 
men seem to praise the Lotus Sutra most forcefully, but in fact they 
belittle the people’s ability to understand it, claiming that ‘its 
principles are so profound that few can comprehend them’” MW2, 112-113 

“There will be monks in that evil age with perverse views and hearts that 
are fawning and crooked.”  MW2, p. 119 [From the Lotus Sutra, chapter 13. 
see “The Lotus Sutra on priests”] 

“...the Buddha addressed the shomon disciples, saying: ‘Those who give 
alms to you are cultivating for themselves no field of fortune.  Those who 
give support to you will instead fall into the three evil paths.” MW2, p. 
129 [From the Vimalakirti Sutra] 

“Next, in the section on the 'monks in that evil age,' there is a verse 
that deals with arrogant members of the Buddhist clergy.  Third, in the 
section on the 'forest-dwelling monks,' there are three verses dealing with 
members of the clergy who pretend to be sages and use their position to act 
as leaders of all the other evil persons." MW2, p. 179 

"At that time, this sutra will be preached throughout the continent of 
Jambudvipa.  In that age there will be evil monks who will do violence to 
this sutra and destroy its unity, losing 'the color, scent and flavor' of 
the True Law that it contains. These evil men will read and recite this 
sutra, but they will ignore and put aside the profound and vital principles 
that the Buddha has expounded in it and replace them with ornate rhetoric 
and meaningless talk. ... You must understand that these evil monks are the 
companions of the devil.” MW2, p. 179-180 

In the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha speaks as follows: ‘After I have passed 
away and after the Former Day of the Law has ended and the Middle Day of 
the Law has begun, there will be monks who will give the appearance of 
abiding by the rules of monastic discipline.  But they will scarcely ever 
read or recite the sutras, and instead will crave all kinds of food and 
drink to nourish their bodies.  Through they wear the robes of a monk, they 
will go about searching for alms like so may huntsmen, spying sharply and 
stalking softly.  They will be like a cat on the prowl for mice... 
Outwardly they will seem to be wise and good, but within they will harbor 
greed and jealousy.  [And when they are asked to preach the Dharma,] They 
will conceal it, like Brahmans who have taken a vow of silence.  They are 
not true monks -- they merely have the appearance of monks.  Consumed by 
their erroneous views, they slander the True Law." ” MW2, p. 180 

“And we see numerous eminent monks who fawn on the courtiers and warriors 
and are hated for it by the people.  Can men such as these be called the 
votaries of the Lotus Sutra?”  MW2, p. 194 

“...those of you priests who cling to heretical teachings will cringe in 
terror and finally fall into the hell of incessant suffering, saying, ‘Now 
I know that the priest Nichiren was right.’  What a pity!  What a shame!” 
MW2, p. 269 

“The offenses committed by the men are heavier than those committed by the 
women.  In like manner, the nuns’ offenses are heavier than the laymen’s 
and the priests’ more serious than the nuns’.  Among the priests, the 
offenses of those who observe the precepts are worse than those of the 
priests who violate them, and those of the learned priests are graver 
still.  Such priests are like those with white leprosy, among lepers, and 
among those with white leprosy, the most malignant.” MW3, p. 57 

“Calamities are visiting this country with growing frequency, probably 
because priests steeped in slander are offering up fervent prayers in an 
attempt to subdue me, Nichiren.” MW3, p. 72 

“If those priests who abuse me, Nichiren, should pray for the peace of the 
country, they will only hasten the nation’s ruin.”  MW3, p. 74 

“During the fifth five-hundred-year period, eminent priests who are 
possessed by demons will be found everywhere throughout the country.  At 
that time, a single wise man will appear.  the eminent priests who are 
possessed by demons will deceive the ruler, his ministers and the common 
people into slandering and abusing this man...” MW3, p. 89 [ from the 
Daijuku Sutra] 

“Rather than be the chief priest of the Tendai sect, it is better to be a 
leper who chants Nam-myoho-renge-kyo!” MW3, p. 93 

“These passages from the sutras speak of powerful enemies of the True Law. 
 And such enemies are to found not so much among evil rulers and evil 
ministers, or among non-Buddhist and devil kings, or among monks who 
disobey the precepts.  Rather they are those great slanders of the Law who 
are to be found among the eminent monks who appear to be upholders of the 
precepts and men of wisdom.”  The Great Teacher Miao-lo, speaking of such men, 
 says, ‘... the third is the most formidable of all.  This is because the 
 second is harder to recognize for what it really is, and the third is even 
 harder to recognize.”  MW3, p. 183 

“The Buddha stated that during the Latter Day of the Law, priests and nuns 
with the hearts of dogs would be as numerous as the grains of sand in the 
Ganges.  By this he meant that the priests and nuns of that day would run 
like dogs after fame and fortune.  Because they wear robes and surplices, 
they look like ordinary priests and nuns.  But in their hearts, they wield 
a sword of evil, hastening here and there among their patrons and filling 
them full of countless lies so as to keep them away from other priests or 
nuns.  Thus they strive to keep their patrons to themselves and prevent 
other priests or nuns from coming near them, like a dog who goes to a house 
to be fed but who growls and springs to attack the moment another dog 
approaches.  Each and every one of these priest and nuns is certain to fall 
into the evil paths.” MW3, p. 206 

"A passage of the Hosshi chapter reads, `If there is someone, whether man 
or woman, who secretly teaches to one person even a single phrase of he 
Lotus Sutra, let it be known that he is the envoy of the Buddha.'  This 
means that anyone who teaches others even a single phrase of the Lotus 
Sutra is clearly the Buddha's envoy, whether he be priest or nun, lay man 
or woman." MW1, p. 10 

"When an evil ruler [LDP] in consort with heretical priests [Nikken sect] 
tries to destroy true Buddhism [SGI] and banish a man of wisdom [Daisaku 
Ikeda] those [members of SGI] with a heart of a lion will surely attain 
Buddhahood as Nichiren did." MW1, p. 35 

"The Hatsunaion Sutra states, `In the coming age, there will be those who 
enter the priesthood, don surplices and make a show of studying my 
teachings.  However, being neither diligent nor serious about their 
practice, they will slander the Mahayana sutras.'...The Buddha is saying 
that those of our contemporary priests who are lazy and remiss were 
disciples of he six non-Buddhist teachers in Shakyamuni's day."  MW1, p. 38 

"There should be no discrimination among those who propagate the five 
characters of Myoho-renge-kyo in the Latter day of the Law, be they men or 
women." MW1, p. 93 

"Anyone who teaches the truths of Buddhism to others is bound to incur 
hatred from men and women, priests and nuns. MW1, p. 159 

Only honest priest who desire little and are happy with whatever they have 
can be called `priests' in the true sense of the word."  MW1, p. 165. 

"The Daijuku Sutra states, ...'Thus do evil kings and evil monks who 
commit unrighteous acts bring destruction upon my True Law.'  In the Ninno 
Sutra we read `The evil monks, seeking for [all the] fame and gain they can 
get, will appear in the presence of the ruler.. and expound doctrines that 
lead to the destruction of Buddhism... And the Lotus Sutra speaks of the 
`evil monks of this defiled world.'  If these passages in the sutras are 
true, then there must unquestionably be evil monks in the country." MW1, p 
197 

"...it is the priests with twisted understanding who are the Buddha's 
worst enemies."  MW1, p. 257 

"Nor should you follow priests merely because they are venerable or of 
high rank. But if a person has the wisdom to know the spirit of the Lotus 
Sutra, no matter how lowly he may appear, worship him and serve him as 
though he were a living Buddha."  MW1, p. 257 

"In comparison, our priests are so base that they are beyond description." 
 MW1, p. 257 

"It is utterly futile to look for salvation in the next life by giving 

alms to such priests."  MW1, p. 258