"One after another, these thankless traitors who had appeared among the Daishonin's followers met untimely deaths -- several of them being thrown from their horses. Daishonin declares that their fate constitutes "punishment for their treachery against the Lotus Sutra," and he identifies that punishment as"conspicuous and individual" ("On Persecution Befalling the Sage," WND,997). As many of you may know, those who betrayed their faith and forgot their debt of gratitude by turning on the Soka Gakkai -- an organization acting in complete accord with the Buddha's intent and decree -- are *all* meeting the most pitiful, wretched ends. -- Daisaku Ikeda Justice Chronicle March 9, 2001 No. 75
"What happen to those daimoku and refuting we had done in the past decade for Nikken Sect to demise? 12 million members chanting that kind of daimoku could easily wipe out the entire Mt. Fuji not to speak of Nikken Sect. Must admit, had done my part in that kind of chanting in the past. Infact, I chanted for Nikken demise not the sect. Now I wonder, if I am laying the right cause. Oh well! what's done cannot be undone" -- Shermaine, follower of Ikeda
"This devilish function is itself the one evil, the fundamental evil. In the modern age, the slanderous actions of Nichiren Shoshu are a case in point. "The Daishonin declares that if this one evil is simply ignored, the calamities of internal strife and foreign invasion are bound to occur. In other words, this one evil will ultimately drag the country down the path of war, which causes the greatest suffering to the people. For this reason, the Daishonin strictly admonishes that this one evil must be eliminated." -- Daisaku Ikeda, May 22 2002
"President Ikeda called the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood `devils.' He didn't mince words. He knew and was responsible for what he said, and who would take his words for what they were worth." -- Dan Defensor, SGI member
"Chanting for the destruction of the NST as we know it is on a deepest level, the greatest good. It has nothing to do with the misfortune of the members. This movement is not to destroy the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood or the members of it. It is simply to destroy the King Devil living through the NST." -- Makoto Otsuka, SGI member
"In the final analysis, the essential nature and function of High Priest Nikken is none other than what Buddhism terms the devil king of the sixth heaven, the function that obstructs the flow of kosen-rufu. It is vitally important for each SGI member to develop the ability to discern the influence that currently comes from the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood. The spirit to protect people from this influence should be the basis of all our efforts to promote every aspect of kosen-rufu. In other words, this is the time that we should indeed ponder the true meaning of, and put into action, the passage "Rather than offering up ten thousand prayers for remedy, it would be better simply to ***outlaw this one evil***" (WND, 15). -- Ikeda cult Justice Chronicle # 164
"Yes, some members have mentioned using the campaign to close temples. I PERSONALLY support that idea." -- Kathy Ruby
"A lot of the "Temple Issue" has resulted in foolhardy and embarrassing displays of bombast and rhetoric, or incited crazy or demented people (in Japan mostly) to take actions ranging from harassing people seeking to attend a funeral to setting fires. From altering photos to talking about "crushing Nikken". -- Chris Holte
"the daimoku campaign to close the temples in the US is NOT a freedom of religion issue" "I'll chant for the temples to close and for the sad people like your self to find wisdom to cure your blindness."-- Joe Stevens SGI member
"Recognizing the High Priest is the Devil of the Sixth heaven. means that the world of heaven is being used to lull us into complacency and acceptance. The reason the Devil resides in the sixth heaven is the world of heaven fools us in to thinking we are safe and happy, when we are clinging to our attachments and feeling good about it. The devil of the sixth heaven appears whenever we, as individuals are about to overcome our kharma or break through in our own lives. " -- Pat Matthews
"Nikken is like a cancer. A cancer will destroy the body if it's not destroyed first so SGI must destroy Nikken." --Buster Williams, SGI leader Arts div meeting Dec 12, 2000
"When one chants with whole-hearted intent to defeat Nikken, one is actually purging one's life of its darkest demons. This is why people have felt liberated and experienced unbelievable joy welling up from the depths of their lives." -- Ikeda cult chief priest Narita
"this is the time that we should indeed ponder the true meaning of, and put into action, the passage 'Rather than offering up ten thousand prayers for remedy, it would be better simply to ***outlaw this one evil***'"
ReplyDeleteReally. So who gets to decide whose religion is going to be outlawed? Who gets to decide "THIS religion is a great evil and must be outlawed" and "THESE OTHER religions are just fine"? How is this form of repression and censorship materially better than simply hauling all the priests to Yui Beach and chopping off their heads, and burning their temples to the ground? The effect, the outcome, is the same - these religions are not allowed. It's the same goal of wiping them out. People are not free to choose them if they want. Fascism will choose for everyone and everyone will LIKE it.
And the whole "for everybody's own good" is obnoxiously paternalistic. What, everybody's an *infant* now?? We must "childproof" the world to protect the dear little things who simply can't be trusted to decide for themselves?
Which brings us back to the initial question: "Who gets to decide?" Who gets to assume the mantle of "Designated Adults" who choose everything for everybody else? I can guarantee you that no Nichiren group will ever be popular enough or in enough power to get that privilege. Let's face it - Nichiren's stupid. The Nichiren religions are stupid. And worse, from the perspective of world domination: It started in a tiny isolated place with a unique culture. It will NEVER spread throughout the world because it's too foreign and weird. No religion is spreading widely now that we've outlawed that favorite proselytizing tactic - the point of the sword. People gravitate toward what's culturally familiar, and this Nichiren artifact from Japan's culture is simply never going to catch on. It's too unfamiliar, too strange. And in the end, its promises are empty, just like with all the other religions.
So those who seek to have another religion outlawed should imagine themselves on the receiving end of such a policy, because that's much more likely to happen.