It is wondrous that we have the best grasp of Nichiren's teachings.

Three years ago, I listened to two SGI lectures on the Buddha's Prophecy by Daisaku Ikeda, the "Seventh Master of the Three Countries", the "true inheritor" of Buddhsim. The lectures were given by Greg Martin and Phyllis Goodson. The lectures were about "The two Buddhas" of the Latter Day, Nichiren Daishonin and Daisaku Ikeda and Daisaku Ikeda's prophecy about the spread of SGI Buddhism.

In one sense they really don't concern me nor did I learn anything that I didn't already know. What concerns me is the spread of Nichiren Lotus Sutra Buddhism.

Lectures are fine, even those by Nichiren Shoshu priests who have an excellent grasp of Theoretical Ichinen Sanzen. It is too bad their grasp of Actual Ichinen Sanzen is so rudimentary since they adopted the heretical teachings of their predecessors, rather than the authentic teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. It is not ironic that the Nichiren-Tendai sect (the Nichiren Shoshu) has the best grasp of Tientai's teachings. It is wondrous that we have the best grasp of Nichiren's teachings. Nichiren would be proud of our current priests and laymen, we who have shaken up the the world of Nichiren Buddhism and added some credibility to the funeral Buddhism practiced by the majority of the priests of the Nichiren Shu and Kempon Hokke.

The old guard will soon die and a new generation of energetic, down to earth priests, like Rev. Shinkei, will replace them. In ten years, the SGI will be in an even more rapid decline. Despite SGI's technically advanced media savvy propagation, they are headed towards extinction. Their statistic forms, Investigating Allegations of Misconduct forms, Code of Leadership Conduct forms, Leadership Term Review forms, Screening form for Leaders/Volunteers, Working With the Elementary School Division (ESD) Forms, and their silly songs, are actual proof that they are going the way of North Korea. They should be called Bureaucratic or Silly Song Buddhism. Do you think Nagarjuna and Nichiren sang silly songs?

Practicing as the Buddha and Nichiren teach, your karmic hindrences from the remote past will disappear like dew in the summer sun.