Some ignorant Fuji School adherents, particularly SGI members and their supporters assert that no one can destroy the Law. Nichiren disagrees!

In the Latter Day of the Law, however, both shōju and shakubuku are to be used. This is because there are two kinds of countries, the country that is passively evil,220 and the kind that actively seeks to destroy the Law. We must consider carefully to which category Japan at the present time belongs. - The Opening of the Eyes

Moreover, the Nirvana Sutra states: “If even a good monk sees someone destroying the teaching and disregards him, failing to reproach him, to oust p.18him, or to punish him for his offense, then you should realize that that monk is betraying the Buddha’s teaching. But if he ousts the destroyer of the Law, reproaches him, or punishes him, then he is my disciple and a true voice-hearer.” - On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land

In the Decline of the Law Sutra the Buddha speaks as follows: “After I have entered nirvana, in the troubled times when the five cardinal sins prevail, the way of the devil will flourish. The devil will appear in the form of Buddhist monks and attempt to confuse and destroy my teachings.... Those who do evil will become as numerous as the sands of the ocean, while the good will be extremely few, perhaps no more than one or two persons.” - on Repaying Debts of Gratitude

There is only one god of the sun and one god of the moon, but you are the eyes and the life of all the living beings of the four continents. It is written in the sutras that you gods of the sun and moon feed upon the Law of the Buddha and thereby increase your brilliance and power. Persons who destroy the flavor of the Buddhist Law are in effect depriving you gods of your strength. They are enemies of all living beings. How can you gods of the sun and moon go on shining upon the heads of such persons, giving them long life, and sustaining them with clothing and food? - The DoctrineAttaining Buddhahood in One's Present Form

The impurity of thought has been such that, as the Former and Middle Days of the Law gradually passed, people transmitted insignificant erroneous teachings while destroying the unfathomable correct teaching. It therefore appears that more people have fallen into the evil paths because of errors with respect to Buddhism than because of secular misdeeds. - Encouragement to a Sick Person

The Great Collection Sutra states, “The sun and moon no longer shed their light. All the four directions will be afflicted by drought.... The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts will curse and destroy my correct teaching.” In the Benevolent Kings Sutra we read, “Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, 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. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, listens to and puts faith in such doctrines.... In this way he brings about the destruction of Buddhism and of the nation.” And the Lotus Sutra speaks of the “evil monks of that muddied age.” If these passages in the sutras are true, then there must unquestionably be evil monks in this country. The crooked trees are destined to be cut down on a treasure mountain, and dead bodies are rejected by the great sea. Though the great sea of the Buddhist Law and the treasure mountain of the one vehicle may admit the shards and rubble of the five cardinal sins or the dirty water of the four major offenses, they have no room for the “dead bodies” of those who slander the Law, or for the “crooked trees” who are icchantikas, persons of incorrigible disbelief. Therefore, those who endeavor to practice the Buddhist Law and who care about what happens to them in future lives should know what a fearful thing it is to slander the Lotus Sutra. - The Actions of the the Votary of the Lotus Sutra

He also states, “One who destroys or brings confusion to the Buddha’s teachings is betraying them. If one befriends another person but lacks the mercy to correct him, one is in fact his enemy. But one who reprimands and corrects an offender . . . rids the offender of evil is acting as his parent.”34 My fellow samurai may think that I, Yorimoto, am lacking in propriety toward you, but in all other worldly affairs, I will resolutely heed the words of my lord and my parents. = The Letter of Petition from Yorimoto

“The Buddha said to Shāriputra, ‘No, they are not similar. Why is that? Because if one destroys the perfection of wisdom, then one destroys the all-inclusive wisdom and the wisdom that understands every aspect of phenomena possessed by the Buddhas of the ten directions. When one destroys the treasure of the Buddha, then one destroys the treasure of the Law, and when one destroys the treasure of the Law, one destroys the treasure of the Buddhist Order. When one destroys the three treasures, one destroys all the correct views in the world, and when one destroys all the correct views in the world, then one is committing a crime that will bring one unlimited retribution. And when one has committed a crime that will bring unlimited retribution, then one must undergo pain and suffering for an unlimited period of time.’”

And elsewhere in the same sutra it says: “Because these persons have accumulated the causes that come from destroying the Law, they will fall into the great hell for a period of immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of years. These persons who destroy the Law will move from one great hell to another. And when the great fire comes that destroys the world at the end of the kalpa of decline, they will move to the great hell in some other world. Thus they will move here and there throughout the worlds of the ten directions. And during that time, though the fire will occur at the end of the kalpa of decline and they will die in one world, because they have not yet exhausted the evil karma acquired through the act of destroying the Law, they will return to the great hell in this world.” - What it Means to Slander the Law

If we go by this passage, those who destroy the nation and the Buddhist Law will come from among the disciples of the Buddha.

Question: These evil monks who destroy the correct teaching—do they destroy it with a teaching that resembles the correct teaching, or do they destroy it with an evil teaching?

Answer: The Hinayana teachings are used to destroy the provisional Mahayana teachings, and the provisional Mahayana teachings are used to destroy the true Mahayana. These teachers and their disciples are unaware that they are committing acts that slander the Law and destroy the nation. Therefore they carry out these actions that violate the rules of Buddhist discipline and destroy the nation, and as a consequence will fall into the three evil paths of existence. - On Dealing with Disaster

Question: Are the five cardinal sins and the sin of slandering the Law of similar gravity?

Answer: The Larger Wisdom Sutra records: “Shāriputra said to the Buddha, ‘World-Honored One, are the five cardinal sins and the sin of destroying the Law similar in nature?’

“The Buddha said to Shāriputra, ‘No, they are not similar. Why is that? Because if one destroys the perfection of wisdom, then one destroys the all-inclusive wisdom and the wisdom that understands every aspect of phenomena possessed by the Buddhas of the ten directions. When one destroys the treasure of the Buddha, then one destroys the treasure of the Law, and when one destroys the treasure of the Law, one destroys the treasure of the Buddhist Order. When one destroys the three treasures, one destroys all the correct views in the world, and when one destroys all the correct views in the world, then one is committing a crime that will bring one unlimited retribution. And when one has committed a crime that will bring unlimited retribution, then one must undergo pain and suffering for an unlimited period of time.’”

And elsewhere in the same sutra it says: “Because these persons have accumulated the causes that come from destroying the Law, they will fall into the great hell for a period of immeasurable hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, millions of years. These persons who destroy the Law will move from one great hell to another. And when the great fire comes that destroys the world at the end of the kalpa of decline, they will move to the great hell in some other world. Thus they will move here and there throughout the worlds of the ten directions. And during that time, though the fire will occur at the end of the kalpa of decline and they will die in one world, because they have not yet exhausted the evil karma acquired through the act of destroying the Law, they will return to the great hell in this world.” - What it Means to Slander the Law

Answer: No, there were disasters at that time too. They occurred because there were persons who violated the five constant virtues and destroyed the Buddhist Law. Yu-wen Yung of Chou and Wei Yüan-sung were examples.1 - On Dealing with Disaster'

Question: In the past King Pushyamitra, the emperor of the Hui-ch’ang era,22 and Mononobe no Moriya appeared in India, China, and Japan respectively, all men who attempted to destroy the Buddhist Law. Other Indian kings put to death Bodhisattva Āryadeva, the Venerable Āryasimha, and other teachers. At the time these men lived, why did these various great disasters fail to appear?

Answer: Disasters and calamities may be major or minor depending upon the persons who call them forth. During the two thousand years of the Former and Middle Days of the Law, there were evil rulers and evil monks. Some were followers of the non-Buddhist doctrines of India, some were supporters of Taoist adepts, and some were believers in false deities. They seemed to be playing a large part in the destruction of the Buddhist Law, but in fact their crimes were not as serious as one might think. But the evil rulers and evil monks in the world today who seek to destroy the Buddhist Law use Hinayana doctrines to attack Mahayana ones, and employ provisional teachings to wipe out the true teaching. They rob people of their minds without actually destroying their bodies; they do not actually burn down temples and pagodas, and yet they make it so that the Buddhist Law will naturally be destroyed. Their fault greatly surpasses that of the men of former times. - Choosing the Heart of the Lotus Sutra

Answer: The Benevolent Kings Sutra says: “Those persons who should uphold and guard the three treasures of Buddhism will on the contrary become the destroyers of the three treasures, just as it is the worms that are born from the body of a dead lion that will feed on the lion’s flesh. It will not be the non-Buddhists [but in most cases the Buddha’s own disciples who will destroy this Buddhist Law of mine].”

If we go by this passage, those who destroy the nation and the Buddhist Law will come from among the disciples of the Buddha.

Question: These evil monks who destroy the correct teaching—do they destroy it with a teaching that resembles the correct teaching, or do they destroy it with an evil teaching?

Answer: The Hinayana teachings are used to destroy the provisional Mahayana teachings, and the provisional Mahayana teachings are used to destroy the true Mahayana. These teachers and their disciples are unaware that they are committing acts that slander the Law and destroy the nation. Therefore they carry out these actions that violate the rules of Buddhist discipline and destroy the nation, and as a consequence will fall into the three evil paths of existence. - On Dealing With Disaster

The second volume of the Benevolent Kings Sutra states: “Great King, after I have passed into extinction, the four types of Buddhist disciples36 in the ages to come, the rulers, crown princes, and other princes of the various small countries, those persons who should uphold and guard the three treasures of Buddhism, will on the contrary become the destroyers of the three treasures, just as it is the worms that are born from the body of a dead lion that will feed on the lion’s flesh. It will not be the non-Buddhists but in most cases the Buddha’s own disciples who will destroy this Buddhist Law of mine and thereby commit a very grave offense.” - What it Means to Slander the Law

King Ajātashatru killed his father and planned to do injury to his mother, and he loosed a huge elephant, hoping thereby to destroy the Buddha, all because of the instructions of his evil teacher, Devadatta. The monk Kokālika slandered Shāriputra and Maudgalyāyana and thereby fell into the Avīchi hell while still alive. King Mihirakula wiped out all traces of the Buddha, the Law, and the Buddhist Order from all the five regions of India; his younger brother became king of Kashmīra and proceeded to destroy 1,600 stupas and Buddhist temples in the kingdom of Gandhāra; the king of Karnasuvarna worked to destroy Buddhism; King Virūdhaka slaughtered 90,900,000 persons, and the blood flowed until it formed a lake; King Shashānka destroyed Buddhism, cut down the bodhi tree, and dug out its roots; and King Yu-wen of the Later Chou dynasty in China destroyed more than 4,600 temples and caused more than 260,600 priests and nuns to return to secular life. All these deeds were done because these men put their trust in evil teachers and allowed evil demons to enter their bodies. - What it Means to Slander the Law

Answer: The Sovereign Kings Sutra says, “Because those who go against the good Law are respected and favored and those who practice the good Law are subjected to suffering and punishment.” The Lotus Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, and Golden Light Sutra all say in effect, “Because evil people are respected and favored and good people are subjected to punishment, the stars and constellations, along with the winds and rains, all fail to move in their proper seasons.” The Great Collection Sutra states, “When the teachings of the Buddha truly become obscured and lost... The wicked rulers and monks who perform these ten evil acts will curse and destroy my correct teaching.” The Benevolent Kings Sutra warns, “Once the sages have departed, then the seven disasters are certain to arise.” It also says, “Though it is not in accordance with the laws or regulations, they will bind the monks and treat them like condemned criminals. At that time the destruction of the Law will not be far off.” And in another place it states, “Evil monks, hoping to gain fame and profit, will in many cases appear before the ruler, the crown prince, 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. The ruler, failing to perceive the truth of the situation, will listen to and put faith in such doctrines.”

Answer: Rather than give my own answer, I will report what the Buddha himself has said of such a situation. The Benevolent Kings Sutra says: “Great King, after I have passed into extinction, the four types of Buddhist disciples in the ages to come, the rulers, crown princes, and other princes of the various small countries, those persons who should uphold and guard the three treasures of Buddhism, will on the contrary become the destroyers of the three treasures, just as it is the worms that are born from the body of a dead lion that will feed on the lion’s flesh. It will not be the non-Buddhists but in most cases the Buddha’s own disciples who will destroy this Buddhist Law of mine and thereby commit a very grave offense. The correct teaching will wither and fade, there will be no more people who carry out the correct practices, but evil practices will more and more prevail, so that the life span of the people will grow shorter each day, until they live no more than a hundred years. _ On the Protection of the Nation