One of the Three Bodies of the Buddha is a personification. We are all personifications of the Mystic Law but special reverence was accorded Shakyamuni Buddha by Nichiren. To such an extent did Nichiren accord Shakyamuni Buddha special reverence that he embodied the Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha's life and land in the Object of Worship. Humility is a part of Buddhism but you and Ikeda have forgotten this. I remember well the SGI videos, "I am Myoho renge kyo". You are Myoho renge kyo but you would deny the teacher of Myoho renge kyo, Shakyamuni Buddha, his rightful place? Ikeda is a hypocrite and more lacking of gratitude than the roe deer.
Why didn't Nichiren who became one with the Law sign his name directly in line with the law of NMRK shouldn't Shakyamuni's name be there instead if this is the case. Nichiren said his life is inscribed with Sumi ink in the Gohonzon but this is said to be a forgery because it doesn't fit into the Nichiren Shu and Kempon Hokke belief system or it has been validated by independent scholars.
ReplyDeleteSGI and Nichiren Shoshu mistranslate "tamashi". What it really means is intention and effort. For example, it's like saying a Samurai puts his Tamashi into his sword. Once again, not a good rationalization for Founder Worship.
ReplyDeleteNichiren Shoshu/SGI tweaked the translation as if Nichiren's "ghost" inhabits the Gohonzon somehow proving that he is the True Buddha. Signing the Gohonzon, sometimes directly under Namu Myoho renge kyo and sometimes under Namu Myoho renge kyo to the right or left means nothing except that he is the inscriber of a particular mandala.
ReplyDeleteA more appropriate translation could be Thus Come One, Musa Sanjin, 3 body Tathagatta, ancient Buddha "ghost body" inhabits the Gohonzon and aligns itself with us when we practice with a correct Gohonzon and teachings otherwise its a non event, don't you think?
DeleteMarc Strumpf wrote:
ReplyDelete"NIchiren taught a "One Buddha Centric " religion. There is one central source of enlightenment in our universe of reality. When the Buddha Shakyamuni realized his enlightenment, the Gate to all enlightenment was opened. Thisis the teaching found in chapter 16. Once the gate was opened, it does not close(at least not until the very distant future). All other Buddha's and enlightened beings take this same Dharma as their source. So all other Buddha's in the Universe are called "Replica Buddhas."
This is squarely in the Lotus Sutra.
So now in Mappo, when people have very little spiritual wisdom, they must go directly to this source and draw their own enlightenment from it. That is what the Daimoku does..It encapsulates this Original Enlightenment of the Buddha,
that preexists the historical Buddha and is always present.
So Nichiren, practicing as a Bodhisattva, also became one with this Buddha-Mindand reached enlightenment in his own body (Soku Shin Jobutsu) at least for long stretches of time. That does not make him personally the Central and Original
Buddha, since he came after Shakyamuni whom already did the work for him and us."
This too s my understanding.
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DeleteThree cheers for the original enlightenment that is Thus Come One, Musa Sanjin, 3 body Tathagatta, ancient Buddha of which the historical Buddha Shakyamuni realized in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren made assessable through Daimoku,Gohonzon and Gosho in the age of Mappo. All emanation replica Buddha's and enlightened beings bare testament to this
DeleteGood analogy Mark, I like like it. We speak the same language in more ways than one
ReplyDelete