What are some reasons for our prayers going unanswered?

Nichiren writes: “It could never happen that the prayers of the devotees of the Lotus Sutra would go unanswered even should the tides cease to ebb and flow or should the sun rise in the west....” - On prayers

Why then are prayers unanswered? There are many reasons. Here are some of them:

One reason is mixing the clean with the unclean. No dog would ever intentionally eat ground glass. No infant could ever intentionally ingest a toxic substance nor would any mother intentionally give her baby a toxic substance. However, a dog will eagerly eat a steak inundated with ground glass and an infant will readily drink tainted breast milk. A mother, not knowing that the noxious drug is excreted into her breast milk, inadvertently gives it to her baby. This is what some teachers and organizations serve to the children of the Buddha. They serve the poison of the heretical doctrines of Nichiren as True Buddha, The DaiGohonzon as the only valid Gohonzon, and the Shingon principle of mentor-disciple (Guru Yoga) to their children in the milk of Namu Myoho renge kyo. Or they, like a mean and deranged farmer, serve their loyal dog the ground glass of slander of the orthodox believers in the steak of the Jiga-ge.

Another reason is as noxious as mixing the clean with the unclean: Taking a piece of the teachings from the middle, a piece from the end, and a piece from the beginning and re-attaching them in reverse order or mixing them up. The former practice is like a surgeon who reverses a vein when creating an arterial bypass. The flow of blood ceases and the patient dies. The latter practice (that of mixing up the teachings) can be likened to a physician who is ignorant of adverse drug-drug interactions. He mixes two or three safe and efficacious drugs together which turns them into a powerful poison. The former practice of rearranging the teachings is commonplace in some Nichiren sects. For example, those teachings that Nichiren Daishonin taught before he had fully developed his faith are given precedent over the later complete teachings or they promote the theoretical teachings of expedients over the essential teachings of abandoning expedients and the exclusive faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. An example of the danger of mixing several efficacious practices which when mixed have a deleterious effect, are mixing up the gentle (shoju) and forceful (shakubuku) practices, failing to understand the times or the circumstances in which we live. They will practice shoju towards the slanderers of the Dharma such as the Zen men, Nembutsu adherents, and believers in Islam while practicing shakabuku towards the children of the Buddha with orthodox faith in the Lotus Sutra and teachings of Nichiren. These sundry practices some perpetuate on the children of the Buddha. Those who perform such sundry practices are not good persons good and their high priests and leaders are particularly evil. They have the mission of destroying the teachings and harming the children of the Buddha.

A third reason is that some evil men add doctrines and concepts to the Great Pure Teachings where none exist and claim them as “the original and authentic teachings of Nichiren Daishonin”. This is even worse than forging Gosho because it is more insidious. These evil men alter a word here or a word there or a sentence here or a sentence there, or a passage here or a passage there, to already extant and authentic Gosho (literally putting words in Nichiren’s mouth). The modern Gosho Zenshu is replete with such altered translations. These men have become adept at fooling the people for personal gain and ego. They have often inherited this cunning and treachery from the very founders of their perverse lineages. Many examples are found in the Five Major Writings of Nichiren, in the so-called oral teachings, and in their faked transfer documents. Fortunately, we have the unadulterated Showa Tehon Collection of Original Gosho (as well as expert linguists), to keep them honest. We also have the disciples and believers of the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin whose correct faith and understanding renders them capable of clarifying such matters.

Still another reason is that many innocent people fall prey to the argument, “Nichiren said this but meant that” which is the teachings of the delusion of fundamental darkness. Since this is a visceral and emotional argument and the people are steeped in the Three Poisons, no amount of logic or scholarship will suffice to overturn it. Most people can no more see their own eyebrows than heaven in the distance [Nichiren]. It will require the wisdom of the Buddha born of faith in Nichiren Daishonin’s Gohonzon and the Lotus Sutra to destroy these arguments and devils.

Then there are those who commit the Fourteen Slanders* found in Chapter 3 of the Lotus Sutra and the writings of Nichiren. Adopting any of these slanders, one's prayers will certainly go unanswered.

*(1) arrogance, (2) negligence, (3) wrong views of the self, (4) shallow understanding, (5) attachment to earthly desires, (6) not understanding, (7) not believing, (8) scowling with knitted brows, (9) harboring doubts, (10) slandering, (11) despising, (12) hating, (13) envying, and (14) bearing grudges against believers.

Lastly, disbelief or misguided belief is the main reason one's prayers unanswered.