"When Shakyamuni Buddha revealed that he had gained enlightenment in the far distant past, it became apparent that all the other Buddhas were emanations of Shakyamuni. When the Buddha preached the earlier sutras and the first half, or theoretical teaching, of the Lotus Sutra, the other Buddhas were pictured as standing on an equal footing with Shakyamuni, after completing their respective practices and disciplines. Therefore, the people who take one or another of these Buddhas as their object of devotion customarily look down onShakyamuni Buddha. But now it becomes apparent that Vairochana Buddha, who is described in the Flower Garland Sutra as being seated on a lotus pedestal, and the various Buddhas who appear in the sutras of the Correct and Equal and the Wisdom periods, such as the Mahāvairochana Sutra, are all in fact followers of Shakyamuni Buddha."
i left the sgi many years ago. my reason at the time was that i had very much realized they had not and were not teaching or practicing nichirens buddhism, according to what the buddha and nichiren taught. by that time, i had seen way too may undisputable examples of this truth. the lying, the hypocrisy, and the using and taking advantage of sincere members. completely ignoring the teachings, or spinning them in a way that could only be considered outrageous slander.
ReplyDeleteup to that point i had been a very strong /supportive leader. walked into the main bldg in santa monica and announced that i loved buddhism but could no longer pledge allegiance to the nsa/sgi because they did not have a correct faith/practice, and i no longer want my position in the org. i was told that i would lose all my fortune and probably get cancer if i did not practice with sgi. i said , fine, so be it. adios.
instead of the ugly i found that i was much happier and felt that i could breath once again. truthfully, things went much better.
i have had many discussions with sgi members/leaders and found that it is nearly impossible to have an honest dialogue about buddhism with them. i have been physically threatened. i have had two senior leaders come to my place of work and want to fight. i say, fine, bring it on.
the sgi will speak about sensei/ikeda and the organization. nst will speak of the priesthood and/or the dai-nohonzon. i have no doubt that the members of sgi/nst have lost their minds and they have become very sick. years have gone by and the things i was clear about then are a million times more clear now. no regrets.
over the last eight month or so, i have been contacted by scotti peters. scotti is an old time sgi cultie/simi friend from the past. she sends me things in the mail, mostly calendars promoting sgi events. trying to entice me back to the cult. no thanks.
i've learned not to spend too much time with them, because , really, they don't care about the truth of buddhism. its really too sad, is it not?
in the most recent calendar she sent, i noticed at the bottom in big letters it reads;
MAY COMMEMORATIVE CONTRIBUTION CAMPAIGN
chanting nam myoho renge kyo is not beseeching an outside force for solutions but a means to muster our inner resources to meet life head on. it's an act of praising our own inner buddhahood, or enlightened state, and causing it to come forth. rather than begging or wishing, we chant with a strong determination or vow that we will solve our problems, make our dreams come true and fulfill our mission as bodhisavattas of the earth. ............the quotable nichiren, p168.
wait a minute, i have the quotable nichiren and i am sure nichiren never said anything like that.
i reach for my copy and sure enough it says that in a little box. not a quote by nichiren. most likely ikeda or one of his many ghost writers.
how low will the ikeda/sgi cult go? who are you trying to kid? very, very low. as i have said before sgi turns smart people into idiots.
everyday i am grateful i left a long time ago. cheers folks.
Is that passage really supposed to be by Nichiren?
ReplyDeleteI have "The Quotable Nichiren" as well --
DeleteThis handy little book is organized by 'alphabetized' categories-.
example: under "A" you can find Gosho quotes pertaining to:
Action, Actual Proof, Anger, Appreciation & Arrogance--
The Gosho passages are flanked with historical trivia, fast facts and Ikeda "teachings".
Very clever to cite a quote from this book, as it gives the impression that the quote, "teaching" , is by, Nichiren.
The above passage is under the category, "Prayer"- it appears in in the upper right side of the page--in a block that stands out because it is a dark beige color-- under the heading "Faith is Daily Life"/Prayer is Determination"-- THIS is an Ikeda *practical application *--
On the previous page, 167- also under, "Prayer", there is another dark beige block- upper right, under: "Fast Facts"-(no author)
Ready?- here goes:
" A Great Mandala For All"
"Nichiren inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon, or object of devotion, on October 12, 1279, for all people in the Latter Day of the Law, referring to it was the purpose of his advent. It is said that he inscribed the Dai-Gohonzon in response to the devoted and courageous faith of his followers during the Atsuhara Persecution."
Wow. This book, my Major Writings of Nichiren Daishonin and a daily Gosho Quote free standing tablet, are what is left of my collection of Gakkai propaganda. I had forgotten about the embellishments in "The Quotable Nichiren"--and BTW, this book is every SGI leaders "must have" reference, for home visits, Gosho lectures, and the impromptu questions a wise ass member might confront them with---
Holy shit--a euphemism !
~Katie
my point exactly mark/katie. the way it is expressed in the sgi calendar makes it seem that this is an exact quote from nichiren. sgi breeds phonies and liars and the brain-dead members think nothing of it. the person who sent it to me is a long time member/leader. i will send her my reply here, plus an admonishment. however, i have no hope that it will open her eyes. low-down double dealing. pathetic.
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