Acknowledging Various Offerings Chapter2
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The fishermen and hunters in our present society kill fish and deer daily, and the warriors of the Minamoto and Taira clans fight battles yearly. But as long as they avoid killing their parents, they cannot possibly fall into the hell of incessant suffering. And if the opportunity arises in the future, there may even be some among them who will believe in the Lotus Sutra and become Buddhas.
In our world today, it appears that the chief priest of the Tendai school, the supervisors of Tō-ji temple, Omuro, and the seven major temples, and True Word teachers such as the chief official of Onjō-ji temple, as well as the followers of the Zen school, Nembutsu believers, and followers of the Precepts school, outwardly believe in and recite the Lotus Sutra. But when one delves into what their bases are, one finds that they are disciples of the Great Teacher Kōbō, the Great Teacher Jikaku, the Great Teacher Chishō, Shan-tao, and Hōnen.
When the source is muddied, the river will be impure. When the heavens are clouded over, the earth will be dark. When one’s parents commit treason, oneself, one’s spouse, and one’s offspring will be ruined. When a mountain crumbles, the grasses and trees fall. This is the way of all phenomena, and in the same way all good people, such as the priests and nuns of the sixty-six provinces of Japan, will surely fall into the hell of incessant suffering.
Thus in society at present, rather than the evil people, it is the good ones who will fall into hell. Rather than the good people, it is the priests and nuns, and rather than the priests and nuns, it is those among them who observe the precepts and possess outstanding wisdom who will fall into the Avīchi hell.
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Background
Nichiren Daishonin wrote this letter on the seventh day of the seventh month in 1278 to Nanjō Heishichirō, who is thought to have been a relative of Nanjō Tokimitsu. After thanking Heishichirō for the various offerings he had sent, the Daishonin explains that going against the Lotus Sutra leads to the hell of incessant suffering and that it is actually the eminent priests of the various schools who have turned against the Lotus. But having spoken up about this matter, he has been persecuted as if he were a traitor. The Daishonin praises Heishichirō for sending offerings to such a person in spite of the perilous way to Minobu, and concludes that there is no imagining the greatness of the benefit he will receive as a result.