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Tuesday, March 27, 2018

One exception to the rule

"Rely on the Law and not upon persons OTHER THAN THE BUDDHA." -- Nichiren

"In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.” Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushri or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.” (Repaying Debts of Gratitude)"

That means it  is worse than futile to rely on Daisaku Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai which teaches a partial view ("rely on the Law and not upon persons"),  failing to teach that we should rely on the Buddha as Nichiren teaches. Were they to teach what  Nichiren teaches, they would have to admit that Daisaku Ikeda and Soka Gakkai were unnecessary.

7 comments:

  1. Mark and Greg, why didn't you cut bait and run - run as fast and as far as you could? What was it that you stumbled on, what irritant lingered in your souls, what voice called out to you - do not give up and seek out the Diamond that the Gakkai kept hidden? You see for me, I thought it was all a matter of moving back to a major center and get reconnected - perhaps moving across the street from an HQ, Kaikan, jump out of bed, drape on a robe, slip on some clogs and run across the street for morning Gongyo.....clean a few toilets, and call it a day.....call it a life. Also, how did the two of you meet?

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  2. I was afraid to leave. I had many doubts for several years. Ironically, a Chapter Leader, Phil Ohrenstein, showed me a web site, AOL in 1995, where there were discussions and debates. Bruce Maltz, a Kempon Hokke believer was very convincing. I and my wife gave SGI one more chance. Went to a joint territory meeting where only Ikeda was revered, no discussion of the Law, the Buddha, Shakyamuni, nor LS. That was my straw.

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  3. I lost my fear when I realized SGI was not "True Buddhism".

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  4. Yes, what I'm gaining, have gained here has ennobled me, likewise.

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  5. nichren teaches that one should not be overly influenced by the number of people who travel a certain path. or by the consumption of wealth. this applies specifically to the latter day of the law(mappo). instead, one should use the clear mirror of the lotus sutra as ones barometer. nichiren teaches..."rare is profound". nichiren and his followers are the few and what they protect is profound...difficult to believe and difficult to understand. good medicine takes bitter.

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