Saturday, November 8, 2014

Nichiren on rebirth

"Persons who do not fully understand this sutra, the Lotus, look at passages in the sutra that say that, if one reads the sutra, one will be reborn in the human or heavenly realms; they look at passages that speak of going to the Tushita heaven or the heaven of the thirty-three gods; or they look at passages that speak of rebirth in [Amida’s] land of Peace and Sustenance; and they suppose that though one may practice the teachings of the Lotus Sutra in this impure land of ours, and though its principles may be very admirable, one cannot hope thereby to reach the stage where there is no more regression in one’s progress to enlightenment. So they assert that one must continue to be reborn again and again for long ages in this impure land, hoping for the dawn of [Maitreya’s] appearance some 5,670 million years in the future; or they claim that, when one is reborn in the realm of animals or that of human beings, the process of rebirth blots out all memory of previous existences and hence one can never put an end to one’s sufferings. Still others object that the Lotus Sutra represents a type of self-empowered religious practice and hence is very difficult to carry out.
Errors of this kind in all likelihood come from a failure to distinguish between the two roads to salvation, that put forward in the sutras prior to the Lotus and that of the Lotus. Persons who propound such views not only lead themselves astray into the darkness of delusion, but they blind the Buddha eye of all living beings."

5 comments:

  1. My dear Noel. The General Director of Australia is one such man who fails to understand the Lotus Sutra. You and your wife attempted to awaken him and he laughed in your face. This is the true nature of SGI.

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  2. Mark, It is not the current General Director that I was talking about it was the previous Australian General Director who left the position in May this year, who has been extremely rude and arrogant especially how he has spoken to my wife on numerous occasions, without an apology. She wasn't the only one as we have heard of numerous accounts over the years from other abused members. I have heard that he now has an administrative position as Vice General Director and don't know if it is another paid position. It seems as though the organisation has rewarded him for his loyalty.

    Even though he has been such a pain he has helped me to grow in faith by reading the words of Nichiren directly from the Gosho for comfort.

    Even though I am giving you an honest account of what happened, could that person that I'm talking about try to sue me for defamation. Has this happened to you. The Gakkai as you said has $300 billion dollars worth of assets could easily damage individuals like us that are speaking out about them

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    Replies
    1. "Persons who propound such views not only lead themselves astray into the darkness of delusion, but they blind the Buddha eye of all living beings. Except for persons who understand the Lotus sutra

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  3. Were they to attempt to damage us, it would be covertly because were they to file a suit, it would play right into our hands. I'm not afraid of the United States government, prison, or death. Should I be afraid of the Soka Gakkai who are just a bunch of barking foxes?

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  4. i cannot take seasaw as my mentor. i left the cult in 1987. absolutely no regrets.

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