ISIS is at the gates of Baghdad. The war will careen out of control. The Shiites and the Sunni's will kill eachother off as Ron Paul predicted and it will keep ISIS from targeting Israel and the start of World War III. NATO will not risk World War III for the sake of Ukraine, Estonia, or Latvia.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
Commentator's view most closely alligned with my own and probably Ron Paul's
http://news.yahoo.com/bianna-golodryga-interviews-garry-kasparov-093317385.html
"Ah, yes ... keep the military industrial complex well oiled by more aggressor war-hawk scare tactics - keep those favored few who profit from arms manufacturing and skirmish wars, farting through silk, at the overwhelming expense of the general public; and while the country's infrastructure crumbles away."
Monday, September 29, 2014
Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong
“It is no longer the Latter Age.”
“Nam and Namu isn’t a doctrinal issue.”
“Shoju not shakabuku should be practiced.”
“The Lotus Sutra has lost its power in Mappo.”
“Shakyamuni Buddha of the 16th Chapter is Nichiren.”
“Shakyamuni Buddha of the 16th chapter is Buddha-nature.”
“Shakyamuni Buddha of the 16th Chapter is Namu Myoho renge kyo.”
“The Lotus Sutra and Gosho are too difficult to understand without mentor.”
“The transmission is through bequeathal to one sole living master of the Law.”
Birds of a feather
A Father Takes Faith
"According to the teachings of the true sutra, when the latter age has begun and Buddhism has fallen into complete disorder, a great sage will appear in the world. For example, the pine tree, which withstands the frost, is called the king of trees, and the chrysanthemum, which continues to bloom after other plants have withered, is known as a sacred plant. When the world is at peace, worthies are hard to distinguish. It is when the age is in turmoil that both sages and fools come into view. How pitiful that Hei no Saemon and the lord of Sagami failed to heed me! If they had, they would surely not have beheaded the envoys from the Mongol empire who arrived a few years ago. No doubt they regret it now.
The great ruler Emperor Antoku, the eighty-first sovereign, commissioned several hundred teachers of the True Word school, including the Tendai chief priest, Myoun, to offer prayers in an attempt to subdue the General of the Right Minamoto no Yoritomo. But their curses “rebounded upon the originator,” as the sutra says. Myoun was beheaded by Yoshinaka, and Emperor Antoku drowned in the western sea. The eighty-second, eighty-third, and eighty-fourth sovereigns, that is, the Retired Emperor of Oki, the Retired Emperor of Awa, and the Retired Emperor of Sado, as well as the reigning emperor— these four rulers had the Tendai chief priest and Administrator of Priests Jien, and forty or more other eminent priests, including those of Omuro and Mii-dera temples, offer prayers to subdue the Taira general Yoshitoki. But again, the curses “rebounded upon the originator,” and the above-mentioned four rulers were banished to various islands.
Concerning this great evil teaching [of the True Word school]: The three great teachers — Kobo, Jikaku, and Chisho — violated Shakyamuni Buddha’s golden words that the Lotus Sutra is supreme, interpreting them to mean that the Lotus Sutra ranks second or third and the Mahavairochana Sutra ranks highest. Because the rulers put their trust in these distorted views, they destroyed both the nation and themselves in this life and are destined to fall into the hell of incessant suffering in the next.
This next special prayer ritual will be the third. Those among my disciples who have already passed away are probably now observing this with their Buddha eye. And those whose lives have been prolonged, watch with your own eyes! The ruler and other high-ranking officials will be captured and carried off to a foreign land, and those who conducted the prayer ritual will either die insane, or end up in a foreign land, or hide themselves in the mountains and forests.
The messenger of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, has twice been paraded through the streets, and his disciples and other supporters have been thrown into prison, killed, injured, or driven from the provinces where they lived. Therefore, the guilt of those offenses will unfailingly extend to each one of the inhabitants of those provinces. Also, people will be afflicted with white leprosy, black leprosy, or all kinds of other terribly grave illnesses. My disciples, understand the reasons for this."
Were we to enter into discussions with this Shingon priest, he would neither be smiling nor posing for a picture. He would have been praying to Mahavairochana to punish us, the modern day messengers of Shakyamuni Buddha. His curses would have "rebounded to the originator" and he would have fallen into hell alive.
The Secret as taught by SGI: SGI's prosperity gospel
How to become Men/Women of Unlimited Self Esteem by Danny Nagashima, SGI General Director (USA)
You can analyze your situation all you want. You have to get to the root of why “I don’t believe in the greatness of my life”. You have to grab it by the roots and yank it out of your life. The answer is probably so simple, but we tend to over-analyze, it gets complicated and the solution seems far away. Your mission as a Buddhist is to become happy – not to master suffering. We have the negative and positive sides of us – one says, “who are you kidding”, the other, “you can do it”. You have to fight to not to give in to your negativity. This is not about being a writer, an artist, an actor, etc. It is about becoming the man or woman that you always wanted to become, a man or woman who really values his/her life.
The obstacles you face are the answer to your prayer.
Those feelings of self-doubt, those feelings that “I am a failure” – those are the feelings that I have to face and to address. How you feel about yourself, that feeling of self-loathing, of not being good enough, of being a sham. Those are the feelings you have to face. Your talent is not being questioned; it is about how you feel about yourself. That is the karma. You have to value your own life, to appreciate that it has nothing to do with anybody else validating you. Follow your heart; follow your Buddhahood and the effect from that, the benefit from that will be massive.
You need to follow your heart, truly treasure your life. When Nichiren Daishonin inscribed the Gohonzon, he was already chanting daimoku out of the greatness of his life, his Buddhahood, his enlightened state; he inscribed the Gohonzon for all humanity so that everyone could relieve his or her suffering. When you sit in front of the Gohonzon and chant, you have to have the most reverence for your life, the same as the Daishonin’s; therefore your life deserves that kind of reverence.
If you chant for two weeks to really be a person of unlimited self-esteem and to really, truly appreciate your life including your flaws, your accomplishments, your defeats and your losses, your victories, all that you have created and to truly appreciate your talent as XYZ for two weeks, everything will change.
Forget about the past garbage. Put it away. That will only make you feel impotent. From today on, really chant about being that man/woman of unlimited self-esteem. Really appreciate everything about your life; all the things that make you incredibly unique and wonderful. All your sufferings, problems, heartaches, will be the stuff you need, in order to share your experience, to encourage and to inspire others. Focus on really, truly awakening to your greatness. This is the opportunity (sufferings, obstacles, lack of self-esteem) you needed to go through in order to become outrageously successful – so you can fulfil your dream. If you focus on this – really valuing your life now, then everything will fall into place in a much bigger way. This is something no one can give you; the universe is showing you what you need to tackle. When you first chant this way, a lot of garbage may come out of your life, a lot of negativity, awful feelings may surface. We always bring into our lives what matches our life condition. So chant to feel incredible joy about your worth and you will feel and know self worth and greatness.
You not being able to do whatever you determine is a manifestation deep down of your feeling of fear, that you are not good enough, that you do not have it in you. You must get yourself to a place where there is the greatness of your life, then everything will be transformed. We have to believe in our Buddhahood. When we face the Gohonzon, we should say, “I am going to praise my wonderful life”. It is important to awaken to your own greatness. Your life is the Gohonzon. Now is the time for you to start over.
When you pray to a deity, your prayer becomes passive. Our voice is the Mystic Law. This law is not outside of you. When you get a benefit, it was you who created it. You must awaken to your greatness, appreciate and value your own life. It is no different to the enlightened life of Nichiren Daishonin, embodied in the Gohonzon.
Just as a beautiful piece of art elicits a response, or a great book touches your life in a certain way, we must elicit the Buddha nature from our own lives. It is right here, and the Gohonzon is the perfect vehicle to bring out that strength, joy and vibrant life condition; then you take that to the world and change the environment. We are not necessarily chanting for the house, the car, the job, the relationship, but we are chanting to elevate our life condition to attract that happiness. The results that we see in our lives are a reflection of our life condition. Every day as you chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo consciously call forth your Buddhahood to manifest itself consistently. Chant to rise above your basic tendency of disbelief, or continually thinking that you are a common mortal who does not deserve good fortune in this life. Do not negate your life when you sit in front of the Gohonzon. Do not beg. Do not scream. Do not berate the Gohonzon. Believe in the greatness of your life; manifest the extraordinary side of you. The Gohonzon is the tool we need to bring out our Buddhahood. My life is the Gohonzon. Do not slander your life. The doubt is necessary to prove to myself that “I am a Buddha. I will fulfil every one of my dreams for myself”. We already possess something incredible – our Buddha nature, the Gohonzon. But we do not believe that the good fortune, the “million dollars” is truly mine. I will not be able to get it, or to enjoy it. Trust that the Gohonzon, your prayer, is the absolute means for you to transform your life. Trust and faith are the key words.
Chant with the expectation that every one of your wildest dreams will be fulfilled beyond your wildest imagination. Chant to believe in your Buddhahood. Trust in the greatness of your life. In “On Attaining Buddhahood”, Nichiren Daishonin made a primary point: to free ourselves from the suffering of birth and death which we have endured in lifetime after lifetime, and to attain absolute happiness, we need to awaken to the mystic truth that has always been within our lives. That truth is Nam-myoho-renge-kyo. That truth is “I am a Buddha”. Trust that you have everything you need for your happiness.
TEN POINTS TO BECOME A PERSON OF UNLIMITED SELF-ESTEEM
1. Chant to become a person of unlimited self-esteem
2. Chant to awaken to your own greatness
3. Chant to appreciate your life, including flaws, accomplishments, defeats, losses, and victories and truly appreciate all that makes you a unique and wonderful person
4. Chant to make the impossible possible
5. Chant to consistently manifest your Buddha nature and rise above your basic tendencies and overcome your inherent negativities in your life
6. Believe that you are a Buddha and create all the benefits for yourself
7. Believe you are the Gohonzon
8. Trust that in the Gohonzon, you have the means to fulfill each and every desire to become extraordinarily happy
9. Chant to display your Buddhahood and to bring forth that strength, joy, vibrant life condition
10 And then take it to the world and change the environment
Daisaku Ikeda and his top senior leaders are greedy pigs
Question: Why do you call Daisaku Ikeda, the president and eternal mentor of the Soka Gakkai and his top senior leaders greedy pigs?
Answer: The SGI teachings on interfaith, mentorism, "beauty, goodness, and gain", and the SGI's authoritarian, autocratic, pyramidal structured organization, deprecates and debases the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin. These teachings are not found in the teachings of Myoho renge kyo, least of all in the "one chapter and two halves". The Soka Gakkai's teachings are even inferior to the non-Buddhist teachings from which they derive. Failing to recognize and revere their true father, teacher, and sovereign, Shakyamuni Buddha, they beseech everyone to honor and revere the apostate heretic Daisaku Ikeda. They are no better than birds, beasts or Nembutsu believers who exort us to revere Amida Buddha. Lastly, they strive to keep their members away from the true disciples and believers of Nichiren by lying about us, lying about the true teachings of the Lotus Sutra, and lying about the actual import of the teachings which is that each one of us is a Bodhisattva of the Earth or Buddha in his or her own right, not one sole individual. They are greedy pigs. Nichiren says of such men:
"The hearts of the people are like those of birds and beasts; they recognize neither sovereign, teacher, nor parent. Even less do they distinguish between correct and incorrect in Buddhism, or good and evil in their teachers. But I will say no more of these things."
"All the teachings other than the “one chapter and two halves” are Hinayana in nature and erroneous. Not only do they fail to lead to enlightenment, but also they lack the truth. Those who believe in them are meager in virtue, heavy with defilement, ignorant, poor, solitary, and like birds and beasts [that do not know their own parents].
Most of all, Ikeda teaches them to abandon the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya for his beastlike animal self. Nichiren teaches:
"Nevertheless, the schools of Buddhism other than Tendai have gone astray concerning the true object of devotion. The Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools take as their object of devotion the Shakyamuni Buddha who eliminated illusions and attained the way by practicing thirty-four kinds of spiritual purification. This is comparable to a situation in which the heir apparent of the supreme ruler of a state mistakenly believes himself to be the son of a commoner. The four schools of Flower Garland, True Word, Three Treatises, and Dharma Characteristics are all Mahayana schools of Buddhism. Among them the Dharma Characteristicsand Three Treatises schools honor a Buddha who is comparable to the Buddha of the superior manifested body. This is like the heir of the supreme ruler supposing that his father was a member of the warrior class. The Flower Garland and True Word schools look down upon Shakyamuni Buddha and declare the Buddha Vairochana and the Buddha Mahavairochana to be their respective objects of devotion. This is like the heir looking down upon his own father, the supreme ruler, and paying honor to one who is of obscure origin simply because that person pretends to be the sovereign who abides by the principles of righteousness. The Pure Land school considers itself to be most closely related to the Buddha Amida, who is an emanation of Shakyamuni, and abandons Shakyamuni himself who is the lord of teachings. The Zen school behaves like a person of low birth who makes much of his small achievements and despises his father and mother. Thus the Zen school looks down upon both the Buddha and the sutras. All of these schools are misled concerning the true object of devotion. They are like the people who lived in the age before the Three Sovereigns of ancient China and did not know who their own fathers were. In that respect, the people of that time were no different from birds and beasts."
The pig is an appropriate animal to liken such men. Daisaku Ikeda and his leaders, like pigs, devour their physically, spiritually, or psychologically, wounded members, including their skin and bones. Their spiritual corruption through profligate wealth and power too, is not unlike a tame pig who is released into the wild and which becomes a viscious and dangerous feral pig, growing tusks and attacking both man and beast. Pigs, though naturally clean animals, have the karma to live and thrive in filth and they will eat almost anything. SGI's interfaith is not unlike the pig's indiscriminate eating of filth. The SGI has thrived through their associations with filth: An example is SGI's association with the Mitsubitchi corporation which builds and manufactures weapons of mass destruction. Pigs will literally eat themselves to death if given unrestricted access to food. The SGI mentor and senior leaders have given themselves unrestricted access to money and power through SGI's "planned giving", their hard sell contribution campaigns, and inserting their most loyal members into all facets of the Japanese government through stealth and the New Komeito political party. This, along with their lack of financial transparency, reveal the true nature of the mentor and the Soka Gakkai, that of greedy pigs.
More on The So-Called Taisekiji Succession Documents
The So-Called Taisekiji Succession Documents
If the so-called transfer documents from Nichiren to Nikko were at Taisekiji, why did [Nichiko] Hori Shonin, acclaimed as the most outstanding Buddhist scholar in modern Nichiren Shoshu history, in the “Essential Writings of Fuji School Vol. 1, p. 33, say that he had to rely on the copies of “Seven Teachings on the Gohonzon” and “On the Birth of the Original Buddha” that were not kept at Taisekiji Temple?
Nichiko "Shonin" writes,:
“I copied the copies made by Nichizan of Awa Province”
Rev. Tetsujo Kubota, from Kempon Hokke Shu, makes the following points:
Taisekiji claims that in the ninth month of the fifth year of Koan (1282) at Minobu and on the thirteenth day of of the tenth month at Ikegami Nikko received succession documents from the Great Saint. Taisekiji boasts to world calling these the “Two Successions” (Nika sojo). But these two are forgeries and on the contrary hurt the reputation of their own patriarch Nikko. We shall try to give the reasons below:
(1) If Nikko had been give the approval by the Great Saint with so much as these “Two Successions”, he would have naturally performed the office of Chief Officiant at the time of Nichiren Shonin’s funeral.
However, in reality the forward echelon had Nichiro and the rear echelon Nissho; Nikko was on the left side of the rear echelon.
(2) If the “Two Successions” were true, there would have been no necessity for choosing the Six Senior Monks and so on and if he had chosen them he would have made Nikko first.
The Six Senior Monks were said to be not in order but they are listed in order of having become the disciples.
(3) In “Two Successions” it says, “if the Ruler of the Country establishes this Dharma (Truth), erect at Mount Fuji the Precept Platform of the Temple of the Original Doctrine (Hommonji no Kaidan).
However, according to the “Matters that the Whole Fuji Following Is to Know” (Fuji isseki monto Zonchi no koto), a credible record of Nikko, Nikko says,
“The previous teacher did not set which province and which place. But the general rule of the Buddha Dharma is to choose the very best place to erect the temple.
And that being so, Mount Fuji in Suruga is the most famous mountain in Japan. Therefore, they should erect it here.”
Thus the “former teacher” Nichiren did not fix any place where they should build the Precept Platform of the Temple of the Original Doctrine (Hommonji no Kaidan).
From this fact the “Two Successions” are forgeries.
(4) As to Nikko’s departure from Minobu, had the Two Successions been genuine, he would have certainly rejoiced to go to Fuji. However, in reality, as recorded, he felt regret.
For the above reasons the “two Successions” are bare‑faced forgeries. Even in the Nikko Lineage thoughtful people deny the “Two Successions”.
Next, let us try to consider the division of Nichiren’s mementoes. In contrast to Nissho, who received “the Annotated Hokekyo” and Nichiro who received an “Object of Worship: one Standing Statue of Shakya”, Nikko received only “a Horse (one); saddle; tabi; hat; kosode” and so on.
We may tell by looking at Nikko’s “Reply to Lord Hara” that Nikko himself felt dissatisfied by this division of mementoes:
“in place of the Buddha which Daikoku Acharya seized away….” To write that the distribution of mementoes was “seizing” is not reasonable.
Now in Nikko’s “Reply to Lord Hara” he says,
“Is not the Doctrine of Nichiren Shonin the doctrine that, though it is the Tathagata Shakya who is the Original Teacher Who First Gave Rise to the Mind of Enlightenment for the sake of the beings of the Three Worlds, they abandon Him and rely on the Buddha Amida, and so become people who commit the Five Rebellious Sins and fall to the Unremitting Hell?” and so he reverences the Buddha Shakya as the Original Teacher. Or again Nikko states in reverence “the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya of Namu Myoho renge kyo who is the Fundamental Intention (honkai) for Nichiren Shonin’s coming forth in the world”.
In the current Taisekiji Branch of the Lineage of Nikko’s Disciples (Nichiren Shoshu and the Sokagakkai) they assert that Shakya is a “husk Buddha” and Nichiren is the Original Buddha, “Shakya is like a husk of a cicada and it is Nichiren who is the Original (True) Buddha”. The origin of that assertion is from a reaction to the fact that in the distribution of mementoes the image of the Master of Teachings Lord Shakya which Nichiren Shonin kept all his life went to Nichiro’s Lineage.
By the way, after the Great Saint’s decease, the second and third battlelines (generations) in each lineage began to spread the teachings in each region at the risk of their very lives, but, by contrast, as the generations went on from the third to the fourth generation they followed self-interest and asserted that their own lineage had Nichiren Shonin’s special teaching and precious objects and were the orthodox succession and gradually they came to proclaim different doctrines and set up conflicting theories.
From an accumulation of several personal letters, and excerpts from the Manual of Nichiren Buddhism by Rev. Senchu Murano, he states:
Taisekiji Temple preserves the so-called “Two Transfer Documents.”
According to the Dictionary of Buddhist Terms and Concepts, published by Nichiren Shoshu International Center in 1983, these documents are:
1. “Nichiren Ichigo Guho Fuzoku Sho” supposedly written by Nichiren at Minobu in September 1282
This document says that Nichiren transferred the entirety of his teachings to Nikko and entrusted him with the mission of propagating true Buddhism.
2. “Minobusan Fuzoku Sho” supposedly written by Nichiren on October 13, 1282.
This document says that Nichiren appointed Nikko as the High Priest of Minobusan Kuonji, and proclaimed that all the disciples of Nichiren should follow Nikko.
The documents are listed as the “Minobu Sojo” and the “Ikegami Sojo” in the Nichiren Shu Shugaku Zensho, Volume II.
Both documents appear for the first time in the “Kyakugojikkajo”, written by Nikkyo (1428-1489) in 1480. The contents of the two documents in this mentioning are different from what are preserved at Taisekiji Temple today. This is proof that several forgeries had already been made by the time of Nikkyo. Nichido (1283-1341), the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple, clearly states in his “Nikkyo Shonin Goden Soan (The Biography of Nikko) that Nikkyo stayed at Minobu for three years, not six as falsely reported.
Minobu Sojo bears the statement that the Hommon no Kaidon should be established at Fujisan Hommonji. Fujisan Hommonji is another name for Nishiyama Hommonji, which was founded by Nichidai (1294-1394), who had been ousted from Kitayama Hommonji due to a succession dispute. It appears the Monbu Sojo may have been forged by a chief priest of Nishiyama Hommonji. At one time, Nishiyama Hommonji was on friendly terms with Taisekiji. Therefore, Taisekiji had no objection to keeping the document although the place of the Kaidan was assigned to Nishiyama Hommonji, and not to Taisekiji. The two temples became hostile to each other after Taisekiji produced the Ita Honzon. Incidentally, the dictionary published by Nichiren Shoshu omits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sj that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.
Nichi-u the fourth Chief Priest of Taisekiji Temple said this honzon was transferred from Yashiro to Taisekiji, therefore making Taisekiji the only temple which preserves the most legitimate honzon.
BUT…in the “Fuji-isseki-monto-zonji-no-koto” by Nikko, it states that Honzons should not be engraved on a plank, because it would belittle the value of handwriting.
Quite interestingly, the dictionary published by the Nichiren Shoshu omits the statement about Fujisan Hommonji in the Minobu Sojo that the Hommon no Kaidan should be established at Fujisan Hommonji.
These forgeries were made not by Nikko, but by some of his successors who wished to justify their school by claiming that it was orthodox while other branches of Nichiren Buddhism were not."
SGI where lying isn't lying
Angela <passaroa25@...> wrote:
"... Are we moving away from not considering the Dai-Gohonzon special because the priesthood is holding it for themselves, and we don't have access to it or because it was never special in the first place?..."
It was never special in the first place.
It was never special in the first place.
"...If it was never special in the first place, why were all those NSA members giving their hard earned money away to build the Sho Hondo?.."
Because NSA supported the Nichiren Shoshu Priests and never questioned their doctrines publicly. Actually , the sincere efforts of NSA members to construct the High Sanctuary were not and never will have been in vain. It represents the true acceptance of the Daishonin's vow for worldwide propagation. The priest's self-serving inventions are secondary.
"...Why were we encouraged to go on tozan as much as possible for all those years? I went on tozan 3 times. Now I chant to its smaller version everyday."
Because, once again, we fully supported NST doctrines. Understandable at the time.
"...You're saying that everything we were told about the Dai Gohonzon is a lie means that everything NSA members were told about the Dai Gohonzon, all those years ago, was a lie also..And, that they built the Shohondo for nothing. Objects don't have power one day and not the next..."
The NSA leaders were NOT lying...they were supporting NST doctrine. Yes, we built the Sho Hondo for nothing, and objects DO NOT have power any day!
It is the meaning of the document as realized by the person in front of it that has power. The externalization of the Gohonzon is just wrong.
This is the most valuable lesson the SGI has ever experienced. We now understand never to seek this Gohonzon outside ourselves. Our eternal and absolute separation from the Priesthood marks the beginning of a truly radical philosophy. Forget the magic wooden Gohonzon!
I am a supporter of the SGI who resolutely rejects NST mythology. I exist to help expedite our extraction from this mythology.
There is nothing in our conduct until now that indicates any "lying" on our part. Our conduct in the future, however, depends on our willingness to tell the truth clearly...in a way which need not derail the faith of those with attachments to old teachings. -- David lies
SGI says that but means this
SGI says...
"For every item sold in the SGI World Peace Mall, $1.00 of the proceeds, goes to support the Soka Gakkai International's peace movement. It is the SGI's mission to proliferate world peace through culture & education. SGI-USA works diligently towards total global nuclear disarmament." but means this...
I say...
"For every item sold in the SGI World Peace Mall, $1.00 of the proceeds, goes to support the Soka Gakkai International's peace movement. It is the SGI's mission to proliferate world peace through culture & education. SGI-USA works diligently towards total global nuclear disarmament." but means this...
I say...
"For every item sold in the SGI World Peace Mall, $1.00 of the proceeds, goes to support the Soka Gakkai International's peace movement. The lion's share goes towards enriching the top Japanese Senior Leaders, building and franchising 7/11 stores, and buying up Mitsubichi Heavy Industrial preferred shares for the sake of SGI's stock portfolio. SGI-USA works diligently towards total global nuclear disarmament while supporting Mitsubishi's development of new missile delivery systems."
Such a blatant lie from the SGI Texas Area Chief!
Ric Dexter SGI Texas Area Chief:
"The purpose of our Buddhist lay organization is outlined in the Lotus Sutra where it states that the wish of a Buddha is to open the door to the Buddha wisdom, to show the Buddha wisdom to all living beings, to cause living beings to awaken the Buddha wisdom, and to induce living beings to enter the path of Buddha wisdom.
In following this wish, we try to help people awaken that wisdom within themselves so they can make the best choices in their lives. The choices we must all make in life are individual choices, just as we are all individual people. Nowhere in the Buddhist canon is an instruction to advise people what to think, much less how to vote.
Directly addressing today's question, in 1971 our lay organization passed a resolution agreeing that as an organization we would not endorse political candidates.
Within our organization there are people supporting different political parties, candidates, and political thought. We are encouraged to participate actively in our society, and employing wisdom in voting for the leaders of our society is part of that. While in our meetings we don't discuss politics, individually we often engage in such discussions.
I would not join other religious leaders in coalescing behind a candidate. I feel a religious leader should lead people to use their own religious understanding in the choices they make."
Everyone knows the Japanese SGI supports each and every Komeito candidate with their bones and marrow. Such a blatant lie from our SGI Texas Area Chief. He lies so naturally, as if he were reciting the A,B,C's
YMD senior leader's brainwashing campaign
"...but we are deserving and worthy of appreciating each word, paragraph, and phrase written by Daisaku Ikeda."
20 important questions for "Nichiren Buddhist", Greg Martin, Reverand Takano, or any SGI or NST member
Twenty Questions for Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai members
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There are 20 separate questions in this post, some contain multiple questions. It should be very easy for you to get ALL the answers...the chief and assistant priests at Myohoji or the SGI Study Department will surely be happy to help you, Reverand Iwaki was always happy to help me when I asked him questions, no matter how many. Same with Greg Martin and Danny Nagashima. You see, they were eager to convert people to Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai. By taking on the task of answering these questions, if you answer them ALL for us, surely there will be many converts to the Nichiren Shoshu or Soka Gakkai very soon! (remember, there are many "lurkers" here and all are ready to hear your answers and be converted to the "True Buddhism!") Wow, you are getting a chance to shakubuku SO many people! Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai will be so happy!
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jqpub...@netnitco.net (Craig Bratcher) wrote:
In September 1282, Nichiren Daishonin transferred the totality of his teachings and the Law to Nikko Shonin, the sole legitimate successor whom he had designated. The transfer document is known as the Minobu Transfer Document, because it was written at Minobu. Minobu Transfer Document (Document for Entrusting the Law Which Nichiren Propagated throughout His Life):
"I, Nichiren, will transfer all of the teachings I have propagated throughout my life to Byakuren Ajari Nikko, who should be the great leader for propagating True Buddhism. When a sovereign accepts this Law, the High Sanctuary of Honmon-ji (Temple of True Buddhism) should be erected at the foot of Mount Fuji. Simply wait for the proper time to come. This is the actual High Sanctuary of True Buddhism. Above all, my disciples should observe this document."
Questioner: this is actually the first time i've ever read these "transfer documents," thanks for posting them. here are my questions:
Q: I've never seen Nichiren use the words "True Buddhism" in his writings, why did he use these words in a "transfer document?"
Q: Why would Nichiren designate the base of Mt. Fuji as a special place, when Minobu held such special significance for him? I base this question on the following writings written on Minobu:
"I received the One Great and Secret Truth from Buddha Shakyamuni on the Vulture Peak. I keep this truth in my heart. Therefore my heart is the place where the Buddhas enter profound meditation. The Buddhas turn the wheel of the Dharma on my tongue, manifest themselves in my throat, and attain enlightenment in my mouth. Can this place (Minobu) possibly be inferior to the Pure Land of the Vulture Peak?" (from "Nanjo hyoe shichiro dono gohenji" by Nichiren)
"I received the One Great and Secret Truth from Buddha Shakyamuni on the Vulture Peak. I keep this truth in my heart. Therefore my heart is the place where the Buddhas enter profound meditation. The Buddhas turn the wheel of the Dharma on my tongue, manifest themselves in my throat, and attain enlightenment in my mouth. Can this place (Minobu) possibly be inferior to the Pure Land of the Vulture Peak?" (from "Nanjo hyoe shichiro dono gohenji" by Nichiren)
Nichiren also wrote,
"No matter where I die, please build by grave on Mount Minobu, because that is where I spent nine years reciting the Lotus Sutra to my heart's content. My heart lives forever on Mount Minobu." (from "Hakii-dono" Gosho, by Nichiren)
Q: So, if his grave and his "heart" are forever are on Mt. Minobu, why would Nichiren designate the foot of Mt. Fuji as the place for his "Hommon-ji"?
Q: Nikko established Hommon-ji Temple in Kitayama in 1298, 2 miles away from Taisekiji. according to the above "transfer document," Nichiren stated that a "sovereign" should build Hommon-ji, not Nikko. and Taisekiji was built by a nobleman, not a sovereign, named Nanjo Takimitsu in 1290. Why did Nikko move 2 miles away from the already established temple Taisekiji, and then build Hommon-ji instead of waiting for a sovereign (who accepted the Law) to build it? Nichiren told him, "Simply wait for the proper time to come. This is the actual High Sanctuary of True Buddhism." it doesn't seem that Nikko followed Nichiren's words very well, did he? actually Nikko didn't even build Hommon-ji, it was a *residence built for Nikko* by Nanjo Tokimitsu and Ishikawa Yoshitada (neither sovereigns), and he *remodeled* it into a temple and named it Hommon-ji in 1298, 7 years after he moved away from Taisekiji. wow, Nikko really ignored Nichiren's transfer document, didn't he!
Q: Where is any mention of a Dai-Gohonzon in the above document? Surely he would have remembered to mention it, and want it to be placed in Hommon-ji? Are you saying Nichiren forgot his most sacred Object when he transferred the lineage to Nikko? Why would he forget that, didn't he want Nikko, his "sole successor," to have something as important as the Dai-Gohonzon?
jqpublic: In his writings, Nikko Shonin used such words as "Saint of the Lotus," "the Saint's Image," "the Lord of the Law, Saint," "the Buddha, Saint," "Saint Nichiren" and "the Altar of the Saint" to refer to the Daishonin and the Dai-Gohonzon.
Q: You mean that Nikko never actually referred to the Dai-Gohonzon by name? Why not and which reference do you mean Nikko used to refer to the Dai-Gohonzon, "the Saint's Image" or "the Altar of the Saint?" because a Gohonzon is neither, Nichiren didn't teach these things. how peculiar of Nikko!
jqpublic:"I will transfer Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings of fifty years to Byakuren Ajari Nikko."
Q: But doesn't Nichiren repeatedly state in his numerous writings that the only way to "transfer Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings" to someone is for them to chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo? That we all inherit the Law directly from the scrolls of the Lotus Sutra by praising its title? Why would Nichiren contradict his own many years of teachings by transferring the Dharma to just one man?
Q: If Nichiren was the "True Buddha," WHY would he be transferring "Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings of fifty years" to Nikko? Wouldn't he want to transfer *only* his own teachings, such as Namu Myoho Renge Kyo and the True Object of Worship, to Nikko? Why would the "True Buddha" transmit the "provisional Buddha's" teachings to his "sole successor?"
Craig [jqpublic:], you stated above:
In September 1282, Nichiren Daishonin transferred the totality of his teachings and the Law to Nikko Shonin, the sole legitimate successor whom he had designated.
In September 1282, Nichiren Daishonin transferred the totality of his teachings and the Law to Nikko Shonin, the sole legitimate successor whom he had designated.
Q: But the document you just quoted from didn't say that, it said he transferred *Shakyamuni Buddha's teachings of fifty years* to Nikko! why did Nichiren entrust Nikko with his own teachings in the first document, but then entrust him with Shakyamuni's teachings in the second document? Are you saying that Nichiren wasn't thinking straight, and contradicted himself?
jqpublic: These "Two Transfer Documents" are important items which prove that the entirety of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism was correctly inherited solely by Nikko Shonin.
Q: Nichiren specifically transferred to Nikko *Shakyamuni Buddha's* teachings...why did Nikko not listen to Nichiren? Because if he was entrusted with Shakyamuni's teachings, then he would certainly revere them and follow them to the letter, as Nichiren did; he would not discard Shakyamuni as Nichiren Shoshu and Soka Gakkai have, no?
Q: Why would Nichiren transfer Shakyamuni Buddha's *fifty years of teachings*, when Nichiren wrote over and over again in his Gosho, that the only true teachings of Shakyamuni were expounded in the Lotus Sutra? Do you mean Nichiren entrusted a *provisional Buddha's* *provisional teachings* to Nikko?
jqpublic: Up to the present day, for seven centuries, the pure lineage of true Buddhism has been maintained through the successive high priests of the Head Temple Taiseki-ji, to the current sixty-sixth High priest, Nittatsu Shonin. They have preserved the pure heritage of the Law, just as water from one glass is transferred in its entirety into another.
jqpublic: Up to the present day, for seven centuries, the pure lineage of true Buddhism has been maintained through the successive high priests of the Head Temple Taiseki-ji, to the current sixty-sixth High priest, Nittatsu Shonin. They have preserved the pure heritage of the Law, just as water from one glass is transferred in its entirety into another.
Q: So there were no breaks in that lineage, not even once? Perhaps you could explain for us how this lineage is transferred from one priest to another, and if that transfer occurred accurately in all instances. thanks.
jqpublic: The Essentials of Nichiren Shoshu (2) reads in part:
"All the doctrines of Nichiren Shoshu are originally included in Nikko Shonin's understanding and inheritance based on faith in the great mandala of Nichiren Daishonin.
Q: "Great mandala?" They didn't say "DaiGohonzon?" this was written by Nichiren Shoshu in 1978, when it was called the "DaiGohonzon." I'm confused, how come Nichiren never mentioned a "Dai-Gohonzon," and whoever wrote the above sentence in 1978 didn't either? surely it was Nichiren's most important teaching, why is Taisekiji ignoring it so?
Q: Does Nichiren Shoshu mean "great mandala" as being ALL Nichiren Gohonzons? In that case, how can one inherit the Law from a Gohonzon that is not inscribed by Nichiren?
jqpublic: Now there are quite a few Nichiren sects whose adherents chant the daimoku. However, with the exception of Nichiren Shoshu, which has passed down Nichiren Daishonin's
jqpublic: Now there are quite a few Nichiren sects whose adherents chant the daimoku. However, with the exception of Nichiren Shoshu, which has passed down Nichiren Daishonin's
Buddhism in complete purity, they have all gone against the "Two Transfer Documents."
Q: Those who chant Namu Myoho Renge Kyo receive the transmission of the Law from *Shakyamuni Buddha* just like he told Nikko to but then again, Nikko didn't heed Nichiren's advice:
"When a sovereign accepts this Law, the High Sanctuary of Honmon-ji (Temple of True Buddhism) should be erected at the foot of Mount Fuji. Simply wait for the proper time to come. This is the actual High Sanctuary of True Buddhism. Above all, my disciples should observe this document.
Q: But Nikko didn't observe Nichiren's words because he remodeled his own residence in Kitayama into Hommon-ji, and didn't wait for a sovereign to do it. Does that make Nikko a slanderer of the Law?
Q: Also, since Hommon-ji was entrusted to Nikko, why does Nichiren Shoshu base itself at Taisekiji, 2 miles away? Don't they know they are basing their religion at a temple built my nobleman Nanjo Tokimitsu, and that Hommon-ji is only 2 miles away?
Q: This is all so confusing, because Nichiren Shoshu claims their lineage is pure and unbroken from Nikko, but Nikko left Taisekiji. So if the lineage was unbroken, wouldn't Nichiren Shoshu be based in Kitayama at Hommon-ji? And if Nichiren Shoshu believes what Nichiren said about "Hommon-ji," don't they feel bad about not following Nichiren's words and instead basing his Buddhism at "Taisekiji?" Why didn't they enshrine the Dai-Gohonzon at Hommon-ji, since Nichiren said Hommon-ji was to be the "actual High Sanctuary of True Buddhism?"
Regarding these two "transfer documents," from "Fire in the Lotus" by Daniel Montgomery:
"In 1488, two centuries after the death of Nichiren, Nikkyo, a priest at Taisekiji-ji, claimed to have discovered two documents written by Nichiren, passing on full authority to Nikko alone. The original documents have disappeared, but 'true copies' are preserved at Taisekiji."
Q: So Nikko "lost" the transfer documents, and they weren't found until 1488? How then, can Taisekiji be absolutely sure they were following Nichiren's wishes to the letter, and not slandering? What happened during those nearly 200 years, what specific guidance did they follow for nearly 200 years? When they found and read these documents, did they find that they had deviated from Nichiren's intentions in any way, and if so, did they correct them?
Craig, you said above:
"These "Two Transfer Documents" are important items which prove that the entirety of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism was correctly inherited solely by Nikko Shonin."
"These "Two Transfer Documents" are important items which prove that the entirety of Nichiren Daishonin's Buddhism was correctly inherited solely by Nikko Shonin."
Q: If i was Nikko Shonin, and the sole legitimate successor of Nichiren's teachings, I sure would have made sure the "transfer documents" didn't get lost, I would have protected them. Why did Nikko lose these important documents?
Thanks for taking the time to read all of these important questions. I'm sure you and others in Nichiren Shoshu or Soka Gakkai will be eager to clear up all of these pesky inconsistencies, perhaps you can get your NSS priest to help?
Why Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and his followers are destined to hell
"Nowadays there are few people who are guilty of the five cardinal sins, but a great many who commit the ten evil acts. Sometimes you may find a person who, concerned about his next existence, is careful not to commit any of the ten evil acts and to act as a good person. But because of some quite natural error of ignorance, the person, though good in word and deed, in his heart believes in an evil teacher. Not only does that person himself put faith in the erroneous doctrines expounded by such a teacher, but he incites the rulers of the nation and the common people to embrace these same doctrines, or he persuades his wife and children, his followers, and members of his household to carry out the same religious practices that he does. Thus he prevents them from forming any ties with persons who would instruct them in the correct teaching, and keeps the common people and those related to him from experiencing a mind that responds with joy to that teaching. As a result, both he himself and others become slanderers of the Law, and those who would appear to be practicing good and putting aside evil in fact quite naturally end by committing deeds that lead to rebirth in the Avīchi hell. Cases of this kind are rife in this Latter Day of the Law."
How many wars and genocides in the name of God, gods, ideology, or country will we tolerate before embracing the Lotus Sutra?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genocides_in_history
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genocides_by_death_toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_genocides_by_death_toll
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_by_death_toll
"Life is the foremost of all treasures. It is expounded that even the treasures of the entire major world system cannot equal the value of one’s body and life. Even the treasures that fill the major world system are no substitute for life."
How much more so those who practice as the Lotus Sutra teaches?
"Therefore T’ien-t’ai in his commentaries rates believers in ascending order as followers of non-Buddhist teachings, Hinayana believers, and those who follow the provisional Mahayana teachings, and stresses that the benefits enjoyed by the lowest group of Lotus Sutra believers are greater than those enjoyed by any of the other groups. The ascetic Agastya poured the Ganges River into one ear and kept it there for twelve years, and the ascetic Jinu drank the great ocean dry in a single day. But these ascetics of the non-Buddhist teachings with their supernatural powers were a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times inferior to persons at the three stages of worthiness set forth by the Āgama sutras of Hinayana teachings, namely, persons at the stage of ordinary mortals who do not possess even one supernatural power. Likewise, Shāriputra, Maudgalyāyana, and the other Hinayana followers who had acquired the three insights and the six transcendental powers were a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times inferior to those ordinary persons who practice even one verse or one phrase of the Mahayana sutras such as the Flower Garland Sutra, the Correct and Equal sutras, or the Wisdom sutras, although they have not yet cut off the three categories of illusion and do not possess a single supernatural power. And great bodhisattvas who practice the teachings of the Flower Garland, Correct and Equal, or Wisdom sutras so thoroughly that they have reached the stage of near-perfect enlightenment are a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand times inferior to those ordinary people of this latter age who have formed even a slight bond with the Lotus Sutra, although they have not yet cut off the three categories of illusion and have committed all manner of evil. All this is made clear in the commentaries written by the Great TeacherT’ien-t’ai." -- Nichiren
Will Daisaku Ikeda and his top leaders fall into hell?
That depends on whether or not they recant their mistaken views. So far, I have not heard anything from them that leads me to believe that they had. Therefore, it is certain that they will fall into hell.
It is hard to encounter a master like Nichiren and easy to encounter a false sage like Daisaku Ikeda
"My wish is that my disciples will be cubs of the lion king, never to be laughed at by the pack of foxes. It is hard to encounter a master like Nichiren, who since distant kalpas in the past down to the present day has never begrudged his body or life in order to expose the faults of his powerful enemies!"
Nichiren was a slanderer according to the teachings of the Nichiren Shoshu and the Soka Gakkai
"When I was in the province of Sado, I lived in a graveyard called Tsukahara, at a place between the meadows and the mountains that was far removed from human habitation. I lived in a small hut built with four posts. The roof boards did not shut out the sky, and the walls were crumbling. Rain came in as though there were no roof at all, and the snow piled up inside. There was no image of the Buddha, and no trace of matting or other floor covering. But I set up the figure of Shakyamuni, the lord of teachings, that I have carried with me from times past, and held the Lotus Sutra in my hand, and with a straw coat around me and a straw hat on my head, I managed to live there. Four years passed, during which no one came to visit and no one brought me food. I was like Su Wu, held captive for nineteen years in the land of the northern barbarians, wearing a straw coat and eating snow."
Japan is ripe for invasion
"But other rulers such as Kings Mihirakula and Udayana in India, Emperors Wu-tsung and Ch’in-tsung in China, and Emperors Kimmei and Yōmei in Japan paid honor to evil spirits or non-Buddhist teachings, were followers of the Taoist priests, or worshipers of the gods. For that reason, they were implacable enemies of Shakyamuni Buddha and brought destruction upon themselves and disquiet to the world. During their reigns Buddhist sage priests encountered great difficulties.
Japan has by now become a country in which slanders of the correct teaching are taking place to a large degree, and it would appear that it is ripe for invasion by foreign lands.
If one is aware of this fact but fails to speak out about it, then although one may enjoy peace and security in one’s present existence, one will surely fall into the great citadel of the hell of incessant suffering in the existence to come. On the other hand, if, out of fear of that fate, one does speak out, one must be prepared to suffer exile or the death penalty."
Daisaku Ikeda is a great wave overturning the small boat of Japan
"They will not be destroyed by evil persons, non-Buddhist teachers, the heavenly devil Pāpīyas, or wielders of the five transcendental powers. Rather it will be those who appear to be Buddhas or who appear to be arhats who possess the six transcendental powers, monks who observe the precepts, wrapping their bodies in the three robes permitted by monastic discipline and holding a begging bowl reverently before their eyes, high-ranking monks whose renown is like a great wind sweeping over the grass and trees—these it will be who will destroy the correct teaching of the Buddha.
When that time comes, the Buddha predicted, Brahmā, Shakra, thegods of the sun and moon, and the four heavenly kings, angered by these events, will cause great changes in the heavens and portents on the earth to occur as a warning. And if these warnings are not heeded, they will see that the seven disasters break out within the nation. Parents, siblings, ruler and subject, and the mass of common people will attack one another with great fury and, as if they were the owl that eats its own mother or the hakei beast that kills its own father, they will bring ruin upon their own nation, and in the end it will be attacked by enemy states from abroad.
Now I, Nichiren, use the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime as a bright mirror in which to observe the situation in this country of Japan. And this mirror reveals that without a doubt there are persons here who are enemies of the nation and enemies of the Buddha.
Among the sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime, the Lotus Sutra is not only a bright mirror but a divine mirror. A bronze mirror will reflect the form of a person but it will not reflect that person’s mind. The Lotus Sutra, however, reveals not only the person’s form but that person’s mind as well. And it reveals not only the mind; it reflects, without the least concealment, that person’s past actions and future as well.
The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states: “After the Thus Come One has passed into extinction, this person will know the sutras preached by the Buddha, their causes and conditions and their proper sequence, and will preach them truthfully in accordance with principle. As the light of the sun and moon can banish all obscurity and gloom, so this person as he advances through the world can wipe out the darkness of living beings.”
The meaning of this passage is that a person who presumes to expound even one word or phrase of the Lotus Sutra must have a very clear understanding of the relative profundity of the various sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime and of their proper sequence. The case is comparable to a calendar for a year with its 360 days: if there is a mistake in the numbering of even one day, then all the other days in the calendar will be thrown off. Or it is like the thirty-one syllables that make up a poem: if even one word or syllable is wrong or out of place, then the thirty-one syllables will not combine to form a poem.
And in the same way, though one may read and recite only one sutra, if one is confused or mistaken regarding the sequence in which the sutras were preached, beginning with that expounded at the Buddha’s place of enlightenment and ending with that preached at the very end when he lay between the sal trees, or if one does not understand their relative profundity, then, though guilty of none of the five cardinal sins, one will fall into the hell of incessant suffering, and the lay believers who rely upon such a person’s guidance will likewise fall into the great citadel of the Avīchi hell.
How much worse is the situation, then, when a wise man appears on the scene who fully understands the relative merit and profundity of the various sacred teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime. At that time certain priests, handing on confused and mistaken doctrines inherited from the founders of their respective schools, become national teachers or teachers to important families and, distressed at the thought that their own shortcomings may be brought to light or that they may be despised by others, they proceed to slander the above-mentioned wise man to the ruler of the nation, or tempt others to speak ill of him. When that happens, the heavenly deities who guard and protect the nation will rain down destruction upon it like a fierce wind tearing the leaves of the flimsy plantain or great waves overturning a small boat."