Nichiren, as well as the others of this time, believed that they had entered the Latter Day of the Law ("Mappō"), the time which Shakyamuni predicted his teachings would lose their efficacy. Indeed, Japan had entered an era of extreme natural disasters, internal strife and political conflict. Although Nichiren attributed the turmoils and disasters in society to the widespread practice of what he deemed inferior Buddhist teachings that were under government sponsorship, he was enthusiastically upbeat about the portent of the age. He asserted, in contrast to other Mahayana schools, this was the best possible moment to be alive, the era in which the Lotus Sutra was to spread, and the time in which the Bodhisattvas of the Earth would appear to propagate it. "It is better to be a leper who chants Nam(u)-myōhō-renge-kyō than be a chief abbot of the Tendai school." The tradition of conducting open and sustained debate to clarify matters of fundamental Buddhist principles has deep-seated roots in Tibet, China, and Korea. This tradition was also quite pronounced in Japan. In addition to formalized religious debates, the Kamakura period was marked by flourishing and competitive oral religious discourse. Temples began to compete for the patronage of the wealthy and powerful through oratorical sermonizing and temple lecturers ("kōshi") faced pressure to attract crowds. Sermonizing spread from within the confines of temples to homes and the streets as wandering mendicants ("shidōso", "hijiri", or "inja") preached to both the educated and illiterate in exchange for alms. In order to teach principles of faith preachers incorporated colorful storytelling, music, vaudeville, and drama—which later evolved into Noh. A predominant topic of debate in Kamakura Buddhism was the concept of rebuking "slander of the Dharma." The Lotus Sutra itself strongly warns about slander of the Dharma. Hōnen, in turn, employed harsh polemics instructing people to “discard” ("sha" 捨), “close” ("hei" 閉), “put aside” ("kaku" 閣), and “abandon” ("hō" 抛) the Lotus Sutra and other non-Pure Land teachings. His ideas were vociferously attacked by many including Nichiren. Nichiren, however, elevated countering slander of the Dharma into a pillar of Buddhist practice.