Sowing, maturing, and harvesting

The members of SGI and NST have had their eyes "opened" by the Devil of the Sixth Heaven. They worship a different "Sutra", they worship a different "Eternal Buddha", they even eliminate a "character" when they recite Daimoku. But on the outside it looks similar. This is what Shakyamuni refers to as the "mirror dharma" and He and Nichiren teach that the Mara devil can disguise himself as a golden Buddha.  We have little in common with Taisekaji or SGI.

Shakyamuni and Nichiren NEVER taught that planting seeds is the way of propagation in Mappo. Quite the opposite, this is the age for forceful practices. Planting seeds is done when there is no longer slander. No more slander will occur when fundamental darkness has been vanquished and there is no more slander toward the Lotus Sutra. SGI, contrary to Nichiren, suggests that we accept "slanderers of the dharma" so long as we get along.

Nichiren's tradition is built on Nichiren's, Nichiju's, and others intense activities of admonishing slander, and went hand in hand with an equally rigorous observance of never giving alms to nor receiving them from slanderers. Some priests and lay believers even refused to accept alms offered by devotees of rival lines. Nichiju's favorite line from the Lotus Sutra was, "grudge not bodily life" (fushaku shimyo). Nichiren believers were famous for living this line of the Lotus Sutra and they thus won the support of the Kyoto townspeople.

From Nichiju's intense activities, other temples such as "Myokenji" and "Honkokuji" became very aggressive. Between 1378 and 1444 a total of six monks left Myokenji because they became unhappy with the conservative "geshu" policy of the temple. At "Honkokuji", Nichijin left because he took the initiative and established is own temple, the Honzenji in 1357. The trend had been set toward a very aggressive form of propagation, and Nichiju and his followers were largely responsible for this.

Nichiju built his propagation on aggressive shakubuku, debate, admonition and fuju-fuse [never giving never receiving]. In hopes of bringing solidarity to the Buddhist community, the different Nichiren sects around 1378 decided to set ordinances that people could understand. Nichiryu did this with Myomanji and others with Myokakuji, Myomanji and even Taisekiji.

In 1398 two of Nichiju's disciples at Myomanji carried on the tradition of aggressive propagation. Accompanied by two lay converts and a child, Nichinin sought audience with Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (1358-1408); the latter, who had refused a similar request from Nichiju, had the group tortured. It is said that the crowd waiting the arrival of tortured bodies from Yoshimitsu's court was as large as that which would gather at the Gion festival. Undaunted, the two disciples later went on to admonish Emperor Go-Komatsu in 1403 and Shogun Yoshimochi in 1408.

Nichiren's teaching begins and ends with the Lotus Sutra. He was transmitting the tradition of scripture worship, which had its origin in early Mahayana Buddhism Practices. Based on Nichiren's writings we can tell that his attitude toward the Lotus Sutra was one of scripture worship, as opposed to relic worship. Nichiren gave personality to the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren was the first person to not only to arrive at the supremacy of the scripture, but he experienced it personality.

Nichiren, based on his writings, believed that while the Lotus Sutra contained the highest truth for salvation, the path to it was subject to the "three-countries, four teachers" doctrine. The three countries of course are India, China and Japan, the four teachers are the Historical Shakyamuni, Chih-I, Saicho and Nichiren himself. Although Nichiren gave credit to Chih-I and Saicho, he himself saw, from his perspective, that the times were now degenerate (Mappo) and the people were spiritually weak, much different from that of his two predecessors.

Next, Nichiren believed for him, the second half of the Lotus Sutra (chapters 15 to 28) was his path. This of course is when the Eternal Buddha appears for the first time and reveals that the first half of the Lotus Sutra was preached by his "earthly manifestation" or trace, the historical Buddha.

It was Nichiren who introduced the concept of "hiho shobo" (slander of the True Dharma), or "hobo" for short. The True Dharma, of course is the Lotus Sutra, ALL OTHER SCRIPTURES he considered false and hence their subscribers slanderers.

From the Rissho Ankoku-ron we see that Nichiren's thinking on what constitutes slander was based on the following passages from the Lotus Sutra. In it, the Buddha enumerates the type of slanderers who obstruct the propagation of the sutra:

Also, Sariputra,

(1) to the proud, arrogant,

(2) lazy, and indolent,

(3) to those who reckon in terms of "I",

Do not preach this scripture.

(4) To the ordinary fellow of shallow perception,

(5) Profoundly addicted to the five desires,

(6) Hearing yet unable to understand,

Also, do not preach.

(7) If a man not believing,

(8) Malign this scripture

Then he cuts off all Worldly Buddha-seeds.

(9) Or, again, he may with contorted face,

(10) Harbor doubts and uncertainties.

You are now to hear me tell

Of that man's retribution for his sins:

Whether the Buddha be in the world,

Or whether it be after his passage into extinction,

(11) There shall be those who malign

Such scriptures as this one

And who, seeing that there are readers and reciters,

And copiers, and keepers of this scripture,

(12) Shall, in disparagement, deprecation, (13) Hatred,

And envy of them,

(14) Harbor grudges against them,

The retribution for these men's sins

You are now to hear:

These men, at life's end,

Shall enter the Avici Hell.

Nichiren saw, based on his many writings, that one can atone for their past sins only by accepting the title, propagating it, and confronting one's persecutors.

In the Lotus Sutra, we see two ways of attaining our goal, the moderate (Shoju) and aggressive (Shakubuku). In Shoju, the believer gently persuades the slanderer to accept the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren likened this moderate approach to a compassionate mother coaxing her child to accept her ways or to the warrior's pursuit of literary arts.

In Shakubuku, we see a more direct and argumentative approach, concentrating on the prospects weakness and admonishing him that he can improve only by accepting the title. This is like a father's stern remonstrance or the warrior's pursuit of military arts.

Nichiren said the the two were inseparable, but depending on the time and person involved either could take precedence over the other. Nichiren was clearly convinced that the people in this time period, (the degenerate world), would only convert through the aggressive method, and only this way could save them.

There is only one teaching for this time period. There are not two suns in the sky. Graham Lamont repeatedly referred to the "older teachings". This is misleading because there are not "old teachings" and "new teachings". There is only the "one teaching".  Some SGI and Nichiren Shoshu members say, "let us practice our way!". This is wrong. There is not a different teaching for each different sect or personality. There is only the Lotus Sutra.

From the Sage and an Unenlightened Man:

"Now in widely propagating the Buddhist teachings and bringing salvation to all people, one must first take into consideration the teaching, the capacity of the people, the time, the country and the sequence of propagation."

"It is a mistake to practice shakubuku at a time when shoju is called for, and equally erroneous to practice shoju when shakubuku is appropriate."

"Shoju is to be practiced when throughout the entire country only the Lotus Sutra has spread, and when there is not even a single misguided teacher expounding erroneous doctrines."

 "If, failing to understand this principle, one were to practice shoju or shakubuku at an inappropriate time, then not only whould he be unable to attain Buddhahood, but he would fall into the evil paths."

How one sows the seeds in this degenerate age is of utmost importance. Merely scattering seeds will not work when the field is of poor quality. Tilling and harrowing [arousing them to accept] is the method for sowing the seeds in this latter degenerate age. The Geshu [scattering seeds] method may fit your personality but it is not the correct way to propagate the Lotus Sutra in this time period. Our practice is not Geshu but rather "aggressive shakubuku". Likewise, in order to cause the seeds of Buddhahood to sprout [mature] one must diligently carry out the Buddhist practice of intensely admonishing slander. Only then will we be able to harvest the fruit of Buddhahood.