Excerpt from Daisaku Ikeda's gosho lecture: "The Lifeblood of True Buddhism: Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life" from the "THE BUDDHA'S PROTECTION/FATE OF SLANDERERS" section. "Slander" is by definition a "sin" that is defined differently by every intolerant religion and seeks to control people's speech and restrict people's thoughts. They apply their rules to everyone (not just their own members) and expect to be able to dominate and control everyone according to their own religion's rules (which also tell them they deserve to make the rules for everyone else, for everyone else's own good). These religious fanatics are so brittle and fragile that they fear all criticism and disagreement, and here is how far Ikeda is willing to go to try and scare people into compliance.

• People who do not believe in this sutra will fall into the hell of incessant suffering ⏤ the most terrible of hells ⏤ after they die. And instead of a thousand Buddhas, demons will be there to drag them away. It is horrifying even to imagine. Such is the great difference after death between those who had faith in the Mystic Law in their lifetimes and those who opposed it.

Of course he is saying all this without any evidence at all to show anyone.

• The preceding tells us that one who does not believe in or slanders true Buddhism causes his own life force to weaken with each moment. Eventually he will be completely drained of life force and find himself restrained from accomplishing anything he wants to do, as if inextricably mired in a swamp. There are many dreadful things in the world, but nothing is more horrible than the hell of incessant suffering. It is said that if one were even to hear a description of that hell, he would cough up blood and die. True this suggests the horrors of hell, but it also indicates that, in contrast to outward appearances, the misery in the depths of life is terrible beyond description.

Which doesn't stop them from describing it:

• To slander the Lotus Sutra is to cause the palace of one's life to rot from within. This is the most dreadful thing ⏤ perhaps, no less horrible than finding one's hands firmly gripped by hellhounds.

An easily exploited imagination is a terrible thing.

• Nichiren Diashonin mentions the hell of incessant suffering throughout the Gosho. But his almost overly frequent reference to it, I believe, comes from his boundless mercy to do everything possible so that people will not fall into that hell.

That's still coercion. Its still attempting to control others and dictate what they are allowed to think and say and do.

• What, then, is the hell of incessant suffering really like?

• The Horen Shu reads, "The heavenly being said to Iryo, 'I am Oryo, your father.

Luke, I am your father.

"Because I slandered Buddhism, my tongue was split into eight parts, blood poured forth from my eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin, my head was broken into seven pieces and I fell into the hell of incessant suffering. The agony I went through on my deathbed was unbearable beyond description, but the suffering in that hell was trillions of times worse than even that torment. Can you imagine the pain of one who has his fingernails gouged out with a dull knife, his head cut to bits with a saw, is forced to walk on burning coals or imprisoned in a thicket of sharp thorns? Such anguish is nothing compared iwth the sufferings in that hell.'"

My cousin walked on coals at a spiritual retreat once. He said it was fine.

• On Slanderous Acts states, "The eighth hell is Avici, the hell of incessant suffering. ... Ringing it are seven great iron fortifications. ...

Isn't this an oddly specific description of something no one has ever seen? Why are they using iron? There are much better metal alloys, you know.

• "To the prisoners in this hell, those in the hell of scorching heat are like people enjoying themselves in the Sixth Heaven. The stench of this hell is so noxious that the heavenly beings and people on the entire earth and in the six heavens of the world of desire would all die should they ever chance to smell it. ... If the Buddha should but describe all the sufferings in this hell, the people listening to him would cough up blood and die.

They are all supposed to get tuberculosis?

• "This is why the Buddha refrains from giving a detailed description."

• The above passages, showing how deep life goes and how strict the retribution for slander is, really make us sit up and take notice.

If anyone tries to frighten you into compliance or obedience, laugh right in their face, tell them they sound like an easily-frightened child, and walk away from them while they're still spluttering.

Nothing that is true needs to resort to THREATS to sell itself.