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Monday, February 12, 2018

The DaiGohonzon then and the DaiGohonzon now

ABOUT THE DAI-GOHONZON By Ted Morino
[Excerpted from the 9/10/99 World Tribune]

SGI President Ikeda stated: "Nothing has changed in the way we view the Dai-Gohonzon: It was inscribed by Nichiren Daishonin for the happiness of all humanity and is the basis of our faith." The SGI has always upheld the validity of the Dai-Gohonzon, even during these years when we have not been able to see it."

We should clarify what is the correct attitude toward the Dai-Gohonzon. First, the power of any Gohonzon, including the Dai-Gohonzon, can be tapped only through the power of faith. It is wrong to think that the Dai-Gohonzon alone has some kind of unique mystic power that no other Gohonzon possesses. The Dai-Gohonzon and our own Gohonzon are equal.

What is most important is the power of our faith and practice, which enables us to tap the power of the Buddha and the Law in the Dai-Gohonzon and in all other Gohonzon, and within ourselves. In this respect, the Daishonin states: "The Gohonzon is found in faith alone. As the sutra states, 'Only with faith can one enter Buddhahood'" (The Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin, vol. 1, p. 213).

It is wrong to think that, whether we have faith in the Dai-Gohonzon or not, the Dai-Gohonzon is absolute. Faith is what matters. In this respect, President Ikeda states: "The Gohonzon enshrined at our home carries the same significance as the Dai-Gohonzon. They are as beneficial as the Dai-Gohonzon, in accord with the Buddhist principle of "dispersing the body of the original in different forms" (Jpn funjin santai).

Since the Dai-Gohonzon is made of wood, its physical longevity is naturally limited. But the essence of the Dai-Gohonzon, the Law, will never perish because it inherently exists in the universe and within each of us. President Toda used to use the expression "the Dai-Gohonzon in my home," meaning that the Gohonzon we worship at home is essentially the Dai-Gohonzon itself.

The millions of SGI members who have achieved victories in their lives have done so through their practice to their own Gohonzon. This is because we have been practicing the Daishonin's Buddha's correctly in accord with the compassionate spirit behind the Daishonin's inscription of the Dai-Gohonzon. This awareness is more important than ever today."


The SGI KYOGAKU-BU REPORT ("Study Department Report")


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What is the KYOGAKU-BU REPORT ("Study Department Report")?

Before the completion of Daiseido (Hall of Great Vow for Kosen-rufu) in November 2013, some of the Soka Gakkai's powerful executive leaders were working behind the scenes -- to imprudently change the teachings and to enact the new Soka Gakkai Charter and its Rules & Regulations.

The KYOGAKU-BU REPORT is the document that has recorded in detail how the Study Department opposed to stop their schemes and tried to denounce their mistakes. The writer of this Report has described the accurate dates and content of their speeches. It was written with composure, showing a full of a sense of justice and sincerity.

Schemes to Change Teachings Planned by Some Powerful Executive Leaders:

Upon completion of Daiseido they intended to totally depart from the Dai-Gohonzon that was inscribed in 1279 and that is located at the Nichiren Shoshu head temple. They tried to signify the wooden Gohonzon of the Soka Gakkai Headquarters (which was transcribed by Nichiren Shoshu's 64th High Priest Nissho) to replace it as the Dai-Gohonzon. In order to do so, they needed to firstly reject the position of the Dai-Gohonzon. They tried to make use of the Study Department to build up the grounds of the teachings to place the Nissho Gohonzon as the Dai-Gohonzon. However, the Study Department strongly opposed to proceed the hasty change of such an important teaching issue within a short period of time. The careless change may give rise to great confusion within the organization, at the same time, it will cause to contradict the history of the Three Founding Presidents.

The Study Department was fully aware that the Dai-Gohonzon issue should be solved and overcome in the future, but the risk to carelessly proceed the matter within a short period of time was too great to take. They also calmly judged that they could not construct the new teachings with an inconsistent idea to replace the Nissho Gohonzon as the Dai-Gohonzon. It was one of the reasons they opposed the executive leaders when they tried to enforce adoption of their idea. (There is a premise that all the Gohonzons are the transcription of the Dai-Gohonzon. When you consider it logically, It does not make any sense to choose the transcription "copy" and to deny the Dai-Gohonzon "original")

However, the top executive leaders applied great pressure on the Study Department who had been opposing them with reasons. They finally told them that "this is the will of President Ikeda" to enforce the change. Later, the Study Department discovered it was nothing but a false, make-up story.

There was another issue -- it was the start of a newly created organization, the "Nichiren World School Soka Gakkai" and to enact its Charter and its Rules and Regulations. Some of the top executive leaders planned to make the new organization which would come on top of the SGI's. They were proceeding to enact the "Charter" to control all the SGI's of the world under an absolute power of the top executive leaders by placing the president of the Soka Gakkai as the top (president) of this organization.

The plan to act on their own authority, even using the name of SGI President Ikeda, was brought to a standstill due to a strong resistance from the Study Department and some of the SGI general directors. So, they could not accomplish their plan for the November 18, 2013 Daiseido project. Thereafter, key leaders of the Study Department who were involved in this matter and some of the Soka Gakkai leaders who have supported the Study Department were reshuffled and ousted. Their plan had to be carried over to this year.

On the surface it seems to be the issue of the teachings; however, it deeply involves for Mr. Tanigawa, Chief Vice President, to take office as the next president of the Soka Gakkai. At the same time, it is strongly connected with the absolute power structure they intend to establish when and after SGI President Ikeda passes away.

This letter was written in 2014


For nearly 80 years, until 2014,  the cornerstone of the Soka Gakkai faith, the very prime point of their faith, was the DaiGohonzon of Sanctuary. Before 1991, millions of Japanese SGI had visited the Head Temple of Taisekeji to worship this Gohonzon, some more than a thousand times. It was the very bedrock of the Soka Gakkai's silent prayers, its heart and soul and the inviolate principle to which all members were taught to revere more than life itself. The slanders heaped upon us and me personally for questioning the DaiGohonzon, number in the thousands. I am angry and at the same time amused at SGI members rank stupidity, lack of seeking spirit, and vitriole. I am not surprised however because the DaiGohonzon breeds evil men and women. Every last pioneer SGI member, man or woman, is a devil who will fall into the unremitting hell. Pity.

8 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. You should throw out all your books before 2014. Then you can buy all new books so the Top SGI Japanese Seniorleaders can further enrich themselves and the Soka Gakkai. What a mark I was. What a mark you are.

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    2. "I offer my deepest praise and most sincere gratitude to the Dai-Gohonzon of the Three Great Secret Laws, which was bestowed upon the entire world." -- 2nd prayer from the old SGI Sutra book

      Now 12 million members will buy five new sutra books for three dollars a piece which equals ~ $150,000,000.00 more in the SGI coffers.

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  2. AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PIONEERS OF KOSEN RUFU

    I'm sure that some of you are puzzled or disturbed by Soka Gakkai President Harada's announcement on November 8, 2014:

     " The Soka Gakkai does NOT regard the Gohonzon that was inscribed in the second year of Koan [1279], and is located at Taiseki-ji, now a center of slander of the Law, as the object to be accepted and upheld in terms of actual practice...All Gohonzon-script or character mandalas of the ten worlds- inscribed by the Daishonin himself for humanity, as well as transcriptions thereof, are equally the object of devotion of the essential teaching..”. [emphasis added] (World Tribune, Dec. 12, 2014)

    The doctrine of the Dai-Gohonzon simply does not exist in the Daishonin's writings. Nichiren Shoshu's claim of the superiority of the Dai-Gohonzon is based on three myths manufactured over centuries by Taiseki-ji.

     MYTH 1: The Daigohonzon is the only Gohonzon "to be enshrined in the High Sanctuary of the essential teaching." 

    It is indeed true that this is the only Gohonzon inscribed with the words "Honmon Kaidan" (High Sanctuary of the essential teaching). However, the actual inscription reads "Bestowed upon Yashiro Kunishige, petitioner for the sanctuary of the essential teaching, and members of the lay society."(Human Revolution, book 2, pg 1061) This Gohonzon honored a person who did-or would-petition the sovereign for the creation of the High Sanctuary-and it was bestowed upon the lay society, not the priesthood. The actual identity of Yashiro Kunishige is unknown, although we DO know from the Gosho that a believer from Atsuhara named Yashiro was decapitated in April, 1279. High priest Nichiko Hori, a man of integrity who helped Toda compile the Gosho, stated "I do not know the basis for the matter of Yashiro Kunishige" There is no inscription stating that the Dai-Gohonzon is "to be enshrined in the High Sanctuary of the essential teaching". That is an opportunistic mistranslation of the inscription on that Gohonzon used to the priests' advantage (Confirmed by SGI-USA Study Department.)

     MYTH 2. The Daigohonzon is the only one "bestowed upon the entire world".

    The second myth is that this Gohonzon contains the inscription "Ichienbudai soyo"-"bestowed upon the entire world".This was used by the priests to make the claim that this Gohonzon alone was the one bestowed upon the entire world. In fact, there is NO such inscription. The actual inscription reads " Never in 2,230-some years since the passing of the Buddha has this great mandala appeared in the world." This is the exact inscription Nichiren inscribed on no less than half of the 130 or more Gohonzon in his own hand which are still extant. It is correct to say that ALL of Nichiren's Gohonzon were inscribed for the entire world. There is no inscription on this Gohonzon which says “Ichienbudai soyo”. (Confirmed by SGI-USA Study Department)

    MYTH 3: Nichiren said the Daigohonzon was the "reason for his advent in this world.” 

    Actually, Nichiren called the inscription of the Gohonzon to Abutsu-bo "the reason for my advent" in march, 1272 ("On the Treasure Tower",v.1, pg 299)...more than seven years earlier. The priests interpreted a passage from “On Persecutions Befalling the Sage” in a self-serving and devious way in order to claim that their Gohonzon had special power. High Priest Nichiko stated, in 1939 :” The purpose of the Buddha’s advent can be said to have been achieved only when those guided by the Buddha establish the same life-condition as the Buddha’s. It can be said that the Atsuhara Incident, which took place in the second year of Koan (1279), and where the farmers displayed death-defying faith, signifies the accomplishment of the purpose of Founder Nichiren’s advent." Here Nichiko himself refuted a centuries old Taiseki-ji myth.(Confirmed by SGI-USA Study material for 2009 Study Exam))

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  3. Are you SGI members confused? Ibdon't blame you. Confusion is absolutely antithetical to absolute faith in the Lotus Sutra, the prerequisite to Buddhahood. Nichiren teaches:

    "Differing thoughts" indicates disbelief. When thoughts of disbelief arise in our mind, we should at once dwell in the mind of faith. The point is that one should not make the mind of disbelief one's teacher, but rather, take the mind of faith as one' s teacher. With a pure mind and believing reverence, one should cultivate the practice of the Lotus Satra. Thus in the phrase " is able to uphold this sutra" or "is able to preach this sutra," the Buddha stressed the words: "is able to." Herein lies Vulture Peak. That is the meaning of the passage, "The fourmkinds of lands (66) exist in the single thought-moment; all are [the Land of] Eternally Tranquil Light."

    Don't you see, in the Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai, one can not develop unshakeable faith because of "teo differing thoughts" (one thought the thought of Nichiren in the Gosho, and the other thought, the teaching of the Nichiren Shoshu High Priest or SGI president). Two disparate thoughts lead to less than absolute faith and a failure to attain Buddhahood.

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  4. as a pioneer of nsa = nichiren shoshu of america/sokagakkai(1967), i will gladly testify and be proven true that over the years the sgi has changed its story and practice a thousand times. this revelation about the dai-gohonzon is just another load of garbage the slanderous (so called) followers of nichiren buddhism/sgi have changed their story on. prior to 1975 they promoted and followed nichiren much closer than they have in the years after '75. sgi. regarding buddhism is a joked if their members had any sense left they would have left this slanderous cult many years ago. ikeda and the sgi/nst = complete idiots ! by '75 it started to become more and more about the organization and ikeda.///they used to brag about how well japan was doing because the soda gakkai was doing so much shakubuku...now they say very little because japan is living on an atomic bomb, ask any knowledgeable, impartial scientist about japan.

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  5. repost comment:
    greg romeroFebruary 12, 2018 at 3:07 PM
    REPLY TO A LONG TIME MEMBER OVER ON "HAVE A GOHONZON SGI SITE:
    GREG ROMERO says:
    FEBRUARY 12, 2018 AT 6:35 AM
    Your comment is awaiting moderation.

    ahh yes the very early days of nichiren shoshu of america/nsa/soka gakkai/sgi. much like high school …fond memories and must one would like to forget. high education in religious manipulation. no different than any other cult with massive amounts of money. all cults end badly. based on the lotus sutra, shakyamuni’s highest teaching. taught and spread by the teacher for the latter age, nichiren. bottom line what was taught by them is to take faith and spread the lotus sutra in the modern day. namu myoho renge kyo, the essence of the lotus sutra for the ills of modern society. faith, practice and study: faith being the cornerstone. unfortunately , nsa/nichiren shoshu/sgi/soka gakkai did and does not follow the teachings of the buddha or nichiren and only use buddhas to manipulate and make big money. rather than uphold the lotus sutra , they slander it, hence the wold is in desperate turmoil. the shadow follows the body. the body is buddhism and the shadow is society and its people. they should have allowed nichiren. shameful. the real teachings are to be found at eagle peak blog. seek real buddhism there . cheers mark/patti, best wishes.


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    Replies

    greg romeroFebruary 12, 2018 at 3:12 PM
    "only uses buddhism to manipulate....

    "they should have followed nichiren..."

    sorry for the mistakes in spelling.

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    ReplyDelete