“First, we should apologize to the Gohonzon for our ancestors’ slander. Apologize to the Gohonzon in a way that says, “My ancestors believed in misleading teachings. Please forgive them…please forgive us” or “My family practiced the Zen sect (or Shingon, Nembutsu, other Nichiren sects, etc.) and I am very sorry. My current problem is due to my own karma: the fact is, I was born into a family who slanders. Please, Gohonzon, forgive my family and I for the sins we’ve committed against the True Law.” Pray to erase your negative karma and pray to rid your mind of all onshitsu. Apologize to the Gohonzon from your heart with this type of sincere attitude. This is what is called sange-zaimetsu (acknowledging one’s faults, shortcomings or past misdeeds and seeking to make amends). You must do this first. Secondly, make a determination such as, “I pray to do my best for kosen-rufu, not only for my own sake, but for the sake of my ancestors. Therefore, please forgive the slander that my family has made. I’ll become the best group leader in the whole country, I promise. Therefore, let me overcome my illness.” Thirdly, pray for your personal wishes, i.e., “Please help my child recover from illness” or “Please let my family become harmonious” or ” Please, let us become financially secure.”
SGI leaders are beggars at the gate. There is one reference in Nichiren Daishonin’s writings to apology, “At that time, even if he should apologize to me, I will not accept it.” There is not one reference to apology in the Lotus Sutra. The Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin teach, “Sit upright and ponder the ultimate reality.” The ultimate reality is Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra and Namu Myoho renge kyo as embodied in the Gohonzon. They [the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren] don’t say, “sit upright and ponder your ancestors slander” or “grovel before the Gohonzon entreating, ‘please Gohonzon, I need this or that.’ “ Wake up SGI members. Trust the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin and a heretofore unknown world, unexcelled and marvelous, will open up to you.
Perhaps you don't equate apology with repentance, which is mentioned dozens of times in the Gosho, i.e.:
ReplyDelete"Dragon Seal killed his father, but later, horrified by his own act, he abandoned his country, presented himself before the Buddha, and repented of his wrongdoing; thereupon the Buddha forgave him" (WND p.663).
"Does not water extinguish even a great fire? Even a small error will destine one to the evil paths if one does not repent of it. Yet even a grave offense can be eradicated if one repents of it sincerely" (WND p.663).
"It was at this time that he [Ajatashatru] suddenly presented himself before the Buddha and repented of his evildoings, and his offenses were eradicated" (p.664).
The Tendai Lotus Repentance Meditation is the actual practice that he was using at the time of his satori. (This practice is also known as Samantabhadra Repentance Meditation or Ritual or as Nichiren taught, "sitting upright and ponder the ultimate reality" from the Samantabhadra (28) Chapter.
DeleteIn Tendai there are 4 main meditations that Tendai Priests and followers utilize. Nichiren mentions The Method of Repentance through the Lotus Meditation. This is a sitting and Walking meditation. Part of this involves chanting in a spiritual place for
7 days. The other part is where the student spends 21 days doing the Lotus Repentance Meditation. This is hardly a simple apology for "acknowledging one's faults". More for a profound slander of the Law or for curing karmic disease.
11 references to "repentence":
ReplyDeletehttps://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-1/search?searchInput=repentance&language=English&bookType=WND1&searchOptions=Introductions&searchOptions=Texts-Contents&searchOptions=Texts-Background&searchOptions=Texts-Notes&searchOptions=Appendix&searchOptions=Glossary&sortType=weight-desc&resultFlg=1&searchFrom=otherBook&pageNum=0
https://www.nichirenlibrary.org/en/wnd-2/search?searchInput=repentance&language=English&bookType=WND2&searchOptions=Introductions&searchOptions=Texts-Contents&searchOptions=Texts-Background&searchOptions=Texts-Notes&searchOptions=Appendix&searchOptions=Glossary&sortType=weight-desc&resultFlg=1&searchFrom=otherBook&pageNum=0
Several of the 11 references teach repentance as "placing a Lotus Sutra on the altar", another in reference to the Amida Sutra, another,
"In the Universal Worthy Sutra it is stated, “To use the correct Law to order the country and not to lead the people astray with erroneous views, this is called the third act of repentance.” Which has nothing to do with apology.
Another has to do with repenting of the True Word teachings and still another for Grave acts against the Law:
“The Buddha said: ‘Chunda, suppose there should be monks or nuns, lay men or women who speak careless and evil words and slander the correct teaching, and that they should go on committing these grave acts without ever showing any inclination to reform or any sign of repentance in their hearts. Persons of this kind I would say are following the path of the icchantika.:
Certainly not repentance for missing A Rock the Era rehearsal.
"The True Word teachers, the followers of the Zen school, and the priests of the Nembutsu show not the slightest sign of repentance in their hearts. Can there be any doubt that, as the Lotus Sutra says, they “will keep repeating this cycle for a countless number of kalpas”?
Likewise, I would say that All SGI members for destroying the Dharma of Nichiren should repent.
Only in one place might we substitute Apology for repentance:
"Karma also may be divided into two categories: fixed and unfixed. Sincere repentance will eradicate even fixed karma, to say nothing of karma that is unfixed"
In other writings, Nichiren speaks of the admonitions in Chapter 28 of the Lotus Sutra that too eradicate sins and evil karma, "Sit upright and ponder the ultimate reality". This can hardly be construed as an apology.
As far as repent/repented, there are a few dozen references, but here too, we see nothing that approaches Tsuji's guidance:
ReplyDelete"(acknowledging one’s faults, shortcomings or past misdeeds and seeking to make amends)."
Rather in all cases, it is repent of grave slander of the Law, not, "Ive been bad today, I took my daughter to the amusement park:
"Faith equals daily life" -- SGI's meaningless cult slogan and it's real meaning
"President Ikeda has no private time. There is no one like him in this world. From the moment he gets up in the morning until he goes to sleep at night, all his time is used for the members and for the promotion of world peace. There are many great leaders in this world but no one else who dedicates his entire life to other people. Every day I am filled with so many emotions watching him.
Until I was assigned to PI's office in 1976, we still had days off and vacations. However, for the past 15 years I have not had a single day off. Since PI doesn't take any time off, I felt I also had to dedicate myself every day. By the way, my daughter was born in 1976. Although she doesn't ask now, she used to sometimes ask me to take her to an amusement park. This was pure suffering for me. However, when I would carefully explain to her what I was doing and why, she would understand. [Unedited notes for your personal use. Please do not copy] --from the October 2 Youth Division Meeting with Vice President Hasaqawa".
How sick is SGI!
Even in the lowly Christian teachings we read, "What I have discovered both paternally and internally is that expressions of true repentance are much more rare than the dime-a-dozen-variety apologies. “I'm sorry” is regarded as some kind of magical phrase that is assumed to give the speaker a free pass from seriously owning up to his wrongs."
ReplyDeleteMore SGI magical thinkings.
ReplyDeleteLooking at the matter further, it is only SGI that conflates Buddhist repentance with apology.
ReplyDelete