In the time when the Lotus Sūtra first appeared, the [lay] people might have been the supporters of the more conservative schools like the Sarvāstivādins. In Nichiren’s time, they would have been the followers of Hōnen’s exclusive nembutsu who did not believe it was possible to attain buddhahood in this world. These people would include the mob who burned down Nichiren’s hut at Matsubagayatsu, the steward Tōjō Kagenobu and his followers who ambushed Nichiren at Komatsubara, and the Hōjō regents who exiled Nichiren to Izu, attempted to have him executed at Tatsunokuchi, and who then exiled him to Sado Island. It is important to note that the ignorant laypeople are Buddhists. This is not about the persecutions that may come about at the hands of those belonging to other religions or ideologies.

The ignorant laypeople are a powerful enemy precisely because they are Buddhists who support wrong views and who help to oppress those teachers who uphold the Lotus Sūtra. Today, ignorant laypeople would be those who claim to be Buddhists but who do not actually know for themselves the teachings of the Buddha taught in the sūtras and who base their understanding on the views and opinions of their teachers, who themselves may not have a deep understanding of the teachings of the Buddha but who present their own ideas as Buddhism. These people then close their minds to any who try to point out what the sūtras actually teach and instead cling to what they have read in secondary sources or to teachings given by whatever charismatic teacher they have chosen to follow. Because of this, Buddhism in the modern world has all too often been associated with psychedelic drugs, nationalism, and exploitive authoritarian teachers who use their power for personal aggrandizement, financial gain, and even sexual predation.

The standards for ethical conduct and the criteria for what is or is not in keeping with the teachings set forth by the sūtras become obscured and lost when laypeople uncritically accept popular misconceptions and the biased teachings of charismatic authorities over what the Buddha taught. In this way, Buddhism is greatly misrepresented, its reputation tarnished, and its ability as a tradition to liberate people and lead them to buddhahood is greatly impeded.