Mathew and Mark

Matthew: Mark Rogowdoc also wrote:

"The only thing that shouldn't be a subject of debate, is that Nichiren was the Foremost Votary of the Lotus Sutra (Jogyo). It is not an a priori fact Nichiren was a Buddha. We can discuss or debate this at a later date."

Mark, along with many others, claims that Nichiren never announced his Buddhahood. Now, The "The True Entity of Life" reads:

"...there is a clear distinction between a Buddha and a common mortal, in that a common mortal is deluded while a Buddha is enlightened...Nomatter how people hate Nichiren, they cannot possibly alter the fact of his enlightenment." 

Mark:  Actual proof of the mistaken faith and practice of the SGI is the SGI's attachment, teaching, and gravitation to Goshos that have been ascertained by non-sectarian scholars and all non-Taisekaji Nichiren Buddhists to be  inauthentic including: On Attaining Buddhahood, On the Treasure Tower, the Shoho Jisso Sho, Hell and Buddhahood, and the Goshos to Sairenbo [in general]. Lets look at the Shoho Jisso Sho (1273) and compare it to some Gosho's not included in the disputed corpus, Goshos embraced by all sects as Nichiren's Five Major Writings:

"........, I was banished to Ito in the province of Izu. Eventually, on the second day of the second month of the third year of Kocho(1263), the year with the cyclical sign mizonoto-i, I was pardoned and allowed to return. After that, I became more determined than ever to attain enlightenment and continued to speak out." (Hoon Sho, year,1274) 

"For one aeon, two aeons, countless aeons I devoted myself to the practices of a bodhisattva, until I had almost reached the state where I couldn't never fail to attain Buddhahood. And yet I was dragged down by the powerful and  overwhelming influence of evil, and I never attained Buddhahood.  I do not know whether I belong to the third group of those who heard the preaching of the sons of Daitsu Buddha and yet failed to attain enlightenment even when one son was reborn in the world as Shakyamuni Buddha, or whether I faltered and fell away from the teachings which I heard long before Daitsu Buddha, at gohyaku jintengo and thus have been reborn in this form." (Kaimoku Sho)

And even if we were to grant that the Daishonin had attained Buddhahood, he was, as all other Buddhas, an emanation of Shakyamuni:

"When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past and had since then been constantly in the world, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni....but now it becomes apparent that Vairocana Buddha of the Kegon Sutra and various Buddhas of the Hodo, Hannya and Dainichi sutras are in fact all followers of Shakyamuni Buddha."(Kaimoku Sho)

The following passages too are powerful evidence for the Daishonin's status as a Great Bodhisattva and even more powerful evidence that he is not the Eternal Buddha.

"Moreover, I am a poor monk without social status. While having traversed the Six Realms in my past lives, I have sometimes been born a great king in the human or celestial realm, making everyone obey me just as a strong wind sways the twigs of small trees. Still, I could not attain Buddhahood then. At other times, I must have gone up step by step the way a great bodhisattva according to Hinayana and Mahayana sutras. Having practiced the way of a bodhisattva for as long as one, two and in numerous kalpa, I was about to reach the state of non-retrogression. However, a powerful, evil karma prevented me from obtaining Buddhahood." (Kaimoku Sho)

"Thus it was revealed that Shakyamuni had long been the Buddha since the eternal past, and it became clear that various Buddhas in other worlds were all manifestations of Shakyamuni Buddha..[ ] now, however, as Shakyamuni was proved to be the Eternal Buddha, those Buddhas in the Flower Garland Sutra, or Buddhas in the Hodo, Hannya, or Great Sun Buddha sutras all became subordinates of Shakyamuni Buddha." (Kaimoku Sho, p. 174, translated by Kyotsu Hori, 1987)

Also, even granting that the Shoho Jisso Sho is an authentic writing of Nichiren, contrary to the evidence though this assumption may be, there is the following passage which not only serves to contradict the passage you cited but is more in sync with the entire body of Gosho:

"Although I was not at the ceremony, in looking at the sutra, this is crystal clear. On the other hand, I may have been at the ceremony, but since i am a common mortal, it is beyond my power to know the past. There is no doubt, however, that in the present life I am the votary of the Lotus Sutra, AND THAT IN THE FUTURE (caps by me) I will therefore reach the seat of enlightenment."

Matthew: A+B=C, Mark. You said it yourself, Nichiren was a humble man. Of course he's not going to come out and say it straight, but this quote here "leaves little room for doubt" that Nichiren knew his real identity.

Mark: In the Letter to Matsuno, the Daishonin identifes himself with Bodhisattva Jogyo but he never asserts himself the Original Eternal Buddha. The Lotus Sutra Buddhist faith is more difficult to comprehend than the theory of relativity or quantum mechanics and can only be understood between " a Buddha and a Buddha." A + B = B +A but not necessarily C. That is why I exhort you to examine all the evidence at your disposal and not just the theories fed to you in the SGI and their publications, including the NSIC translations of certain Gosho and purported Gosho.

Matthew: Finally, Rogowdoc wrote: "I prefer TRIAL BY REASON. There you are, Mark. Trial by reason.

Mark:The trial is not yet over, although the SGI and the Nichiren Shoshu have been convicted of high treason against Buddhism, the Eternal Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin, they have yet to be sentenced. The only thing that can save them is new evidence in Nichiren's hand that the DaiGohonzon is real and that the Daishonin declared himself Original Eternal Buddha. The Judges (peoples) patience is not infinite however. We have been waiting over 700 years. It is time for the dissolution of these organizations and the sanctioning of their leaders and priests.

Matt: If anyone is actually following this thread, please observe my example in that I have embarrassed myself by nearly falling prey to the rantings of a "Heretic".  However, in being confronted by false doctrines, I focused myself on study and in the end have gained a deeper  understanding than I had before. I would say that this is an example of "Endokuyaku" [Turning Poison into Medicine].

Mark: I rather think that Matthew's views reflect a distorted doctrine fed to him by a self serving SGI leadership that would rather teach a lie and remain in the seat of power than teach the truth and empower the people. The Daishonin states:

"Whether tempted by good or threatened by evil, if one casts aside the Lotus Sutra, he destines himself for hell. Here I will make a great vow. Though I might be offered the rulership of Japan if I will only abandon the Lotus Sutra, accept the teachings of the Kammuryoju Sutra and look forward to rebirth in the Western Pure Land, though i might be told that my father and mother will have their heads cut off I do not recite the Nembutsu----whatever obstacles I might encounter, so long as men of wisdom do not prove my teachings to be false, I will never accept the practices of the other sects! All other troubles are no more to me than dust before the wind"

The SGI leadership will go to any lengthss to distort the Daishonin's teachings. There is an obvious reason for this and it is a self serving one. The Daishonin's message is one of absolute liberation and empowerment to each individual. If this message was to be disseminated widely among the membership there would be no reason to have paid leaders as we are all Bodhisattvas of the Earth and followers of the Eternal Shakyamuni and  his foremost disciple Bodhisattva Jogyo.