"Then the Buddha said: “Listen carefully. You must not propagate it in the first millennium of the Former Day of the Law or in the second millennium of the Middle Day following my death. In the beginning of the Latter Day of the Law, slanderous monks will fill the land ofJambudvīpa, so that all the heavenly gods will demonstrate their rage, comets will appear in the sky, and the earth will quake like the movement of huge waves. Innumerable disasters and calamities, such as drought, fires, floods, gales, epidemics, famine, and war, will all occur at once. The people of Jambudvīpa will don armor and take up bows and staves, but since none of the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, or benevolent deities will be able to help them, they will all die and fall like rain into the hell of incessant suffering. At this very time, rulers can save their countries and the people be freed from calamities and in their next life escape the great fires of hell if they embrace and believe in this great mandala of the five characters.”
I trust you have also petitioned these politicians directly (rather than just on your blog) to tell them that the problems in their countries and the natural disasters they face are due to their country following the wrong religion and that they should convert to Nichiren Buddhism.
ReplyDeleteAlso, even if you did convince Obama to change faith, what then?
(1) As a leader he doesn't possess the same powers as rulers in the past, and most legislation to improve society would need to be passed by a vote. Are you also petitioning all of these local representatives?
(2) Similarly, in the past many rulers, made decisions and ruled based on their wisdom and analysis of the situation, rather than relying on reports, intel and recommendations from agencies which may have an alternative agenda. Are you also petitioning the people running those agencies?
(3) Many political leaders (or heads of agencies) are often only in power for a period of a year to ten years. What next? Petition their replacements as well? In Japan they have often had changes of government or prime minister within weeks.
(4) In Japan during Nichiren's day, most people would feel obliged (or forced) to follow the faith of their leader. Is that part of your vision as well?
Surely it's better to shakubuku the population that votes for politicians or to have Nichiren Buddhist politicians or a political party that represents the values of Nichiren Buddhism?
Or alternatively you could try to influence leaders through your own recommendations - http://nichirenbuddhist.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/decent-proposal.html
How wrong, naive, and gullible you are. The crap SGI spews about the people being sovereign is just plain fantasy.. Nichiren realized this, so do I, and his other real disciples, for example, Stephen Shonin Paine, Jerry Shonin Marcheso and Greg Romero. You are not criticizing me, you are criticizing Nichiren. Typical for SGI members thinking themselves wise enough to instruct Nichiren:
ReplyDelete"At this very time, rulers can save their countries and the people be freed from calamities and in their next life escape the great fires of hell if they embrace and believe in this great mandala of the five characters.”
How am I criticising Nichiren?
ReplyDeleteI was just asking you, someone who criticises the SGI for their slanderous practices, whether you are following Nichiren's example and have written to these leaders in the same way that Nichiren remonstrated with the rulers in his time.
Surely if you truly believe the people are not sovereign (as the SGI teaches) you should be focussing more energy on the noble task of petitioning world leaders, than trying to sell your particular brand of Nichiren Buddhism.
As an aside, considering Mark Rogow Kempon Hokke Buddhists don't need leaders and are all equally able to practise and follow the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Gosho, why are Stephen and Jerry Shonin, but not Greg?
I sent a letter of remonstration to Bill Clinton. Nichiren spent significantly more time remonstrating with Nembutsu, True Word, Zen, Ritsu, and Tendai than with the authorities and I spend more time remonstrating with the evil SGI and NST than with Obama, Abe, and Putin. My brand of Nichiren's Buddhism is Nichiren's brand. My advice to you is to accept no substitution. Stephen and Jerry are priests. Greg and I are laymen.
ReplyDeleteYou are criticizing Nichiren by making absurd comments such as:
ReplyDelete"As a leader he doesn't possess the same powers as rulers in the past..."
Obama can press a button and destroy the world and Putin can put the richest man in Russia in a Siberian prison for ten years.. I would say, they possess more power than the leaders of the past. I have heard from SGI members and others that it is no longer Mappo and Nichiren's teachings [as well as the Lotus Sutra] is no longer applicable today. You sound just like them.