Greg is hardly the best source of quotes on this site, and I'm surprised you didn't draw on his equally eloquent quote from June 1, 2016 @ 9.39
"fuck you dirham ! you and your nasty shoshit are't worth spiting at."
Nichiren writes: "The heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the “Never Disparaging” chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."
I generally find Mr. Romero's use of language reflects his behaviour as a human being. Nichiren warns that Greg is doomed to the evil paths, and is a destroyer of Shakyamuni and the Buddhas in the ten directions.
"When I observe what people are doing, I realize that, although they profess faith in the Lotus Sutra and clasp its scrolls, they act against the intent of the sutra and are thereby doomed to the evil paths. ...even if people embrace, read, and praise the Lotus Sutra, if they betray its intent, they will be destroying not only Shakyamuni Buddha but all the Buddhas in the ten directions." Nichiren
I truly believe that you and Shinkei are extremely sincere in your reading of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's writings, but Greg is most definitely the parasite in the lion's body of your group.
If indeed you are a "Nichiren Buddhist", how strange that you fail to denounce the slanderous remarks of the commenter, Dirham, yet find fault with the practitioner who strongly rebuked an enemy of the Lotus Sutra !!
Perhaps it is due to your superficial understanding of the "Never Disparaging" chapter of the Lotus Sutra? Your reference here reflects a typical error made by those who fail to distinguish the *Time* and/or do not know the teachings that describe the *correct practice* that accords with the Time. In any case, Shakyamuni publicly berated Devadatta, which can be helpful to recall if it is difficult for you to grasp the gravity of the offense of slandering the Lotus sutra, or to comprehend that failing to denounce one who is committing this offense makes you complicit in the offense of slander.
You should deeply reflect on your own strange behavior , seeking the Law, the mind of the Buddha, rather than focusing on *persons* .
We do not allow SGI members to criticize us [here] because they have already been defeated by the cowardice of their leaders. This is an oasis where we pour the water of Law. Their criticisms can be likened to a new recruit criticizing the commanding general of the army. No one wants to hear their whining. Soka Gakkai leaders and members talk the talk but fail to walk the walk.
The talk: 1). "Through face to face dialogue one creates value." 2). "We will debate even an emperor to prove the righteousness of President Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai." 3)."Nothing is more important than actual proof and actual proof is found only in the Soka Gakkai." 4). "We are the sole inheritors of the heritage of the Law through the Three Presidents." 5). "If it weren't for President Ikeda and President Toda, you wouldn't have even heard of the Law." 6) "In the Soka Gakkai no prayer goes unanswered." 7). Citing over and over again, "The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."
The walk: 1). Refusal to sanction face to face dialogues, for example, pressuring members of the orthodox sects to leave SGI community centers. 2). The cowardly refusal of Al Albergate and Greg Martin to debate even one common lay believer of Nichiren, let alone an emperor. 3). "The failure of SGI to acknowledge that faith in the Lotus Sutra itself constitutes actual proof. 4). Failure to follow the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho which are explicit that the heritage is received through the Law and not the person. 5). The SGI's lack of faith in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin who teach that we receive the Law from the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and are always born with our masters (Shakyamuni and Nichiren) throughout the universe. 6). Nearly every SGI prayer is unrealized leading to the 95% SGI attrition rate; 7). Instead of exhibiting the behavior of the Buddha, SGI members reside in the Worlds of Animality and Anger [Soka Group] while asserting that they are all Buddhas.
What is meant by the famous passage, "The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."?
It means that Shakyamuni Buddha's purpose of appearing in this world lies in his behavior in upholding the Lotus Sutra. Something of which you, as an SGI member, knows nothing.
again, nothing worse than a phony nichiren buddhist - not.
buddhism is not christianity. were you around in nichiren's time, and you very well may have been, through the clear mirror of the lotus sutra its easy to see what your role would have been regarding his behavior. through your comments here, everyone knows that you don't really practice/believe, or understand the teachings. thank you. because you arrogantly slander this blog, and me, my negative karma from the past changes and my buddhahood, according to nichiren is assured. for you, the poison drum relationship is established. you are welcome. study up. leave the shoshu/gakkai comments alone.
N B, regarding the "never disparaging chapter", the sgi does not teach or practice this correctly. respect for life is indeed fundamental to buddhism, however, nowhere does it teach respect for lying and cheating or slandering the buddha dharma or those who uphold the lotus sutra. again, this is something you should know. know wonder the sgi/nst is confused. your arrogance and dirhams arrogance is outrageous. both should cease and desist. get a good translation and read this chapter fully again.
As practitioners of True Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, we don't need to engage with SGI members like Greg who adore Ikeda out of anger. They are nothing but lowlife animals who are imprisoned within their anger and hatred for being expelled due to their negative karma. They deserve all the negative karmic punishments they are gaining from here on out, and their retribution will continue for them until they are reborn and reborn back into the lowlife bacterias that exist in the sewer. More importantly, their perverted knowledge of the Gosho is a result of their delusÃonal beliefs they learned in Soka Gakkai, where they truly belong. To preserve happiness and peace of mind, if is better to abandon these people in their miserable state, maybe in another lifetime they will find another chance to redeem good positive karma. But I doubt it. Once garbage, always trash.
Well, Dirham, now *Nichiren Buddhist* knows you are failing to rebuke the slander you *see*, using the teachings as Nichiren taught. The TEACHINGS-- not your repertoire of foul language and base insults, BTW.
Nichiren Buddhists know that refuting slander is the ONLY way to attain Buddhahood in mappo-- only way to eradicate the grave sins of slander we have ALL committed.
Someday-- some future lifetime, you will HAVE to learn to rebuke slander or engage in debate using the teachings of Nichiren-- so strange that you are making it so much harder on yourself-- piling on more slander, digging yourself in deeper--. There is no escaping the threefold world, Dirham-- unless you attain Buddhood.-- now refer back to the crucial practice for your ticket to freedom----
Are you too fragile or too frightened? Drop your own anger and arrogance and behold the compassion that dwells here on Eagle Peak!!
The great irony of the Soka philosophy is that those who promote it, the supposed avatars of Beauty, Goodness, and Gain, are ugly and bad and therefore experience loss [in the spiritual realm]. We must ask ourselves why they chose Makiguchi's philosophy of Beauty, Goodness, and Gain over Kant's philosophy of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth in the first place and why they chose Nichiren Shoshu over the teachings of the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin in his authenticated writings.
Makiguchi and the Soka Gakkai replace truth for gain because of greed [Hunger], ego [Anger], and ignorance [Animality] and, precisely because they have replaced truth with gain, their claims of beauty and goodness is beauty and goodness in name only. Similarly, because they have abandoned truth for gain, they have abandoned cause and effect for gain. By adopting gain at the expense of truth [or gain at the expense of cause and effect], it is easy to see why their devotees have become liars and smiling backstabbers: Their philosophy is one of ends justifying the means. They have detached [or fooled themselves into believing that they have detached] effects from their causes. This is why both SGI leaders and members, instead of reaping the beauty and good from the Lotus of the Supreme Truth, reap the retribution of Hell, Hunger, and Animality in this and every future existence until, of course, they have paid off their heavy karmic debt, again encountered the Lotus Sutra and become its votaries..
They chose the Nichiren Shoshu because only the Nichiren Shoshu [for the sake of worldly riches] was willing to overlook replacing the truth of the Lotus Sutra with gain. They themselves had already done so more than six hundred years ago with the advent of Nichiu the leper. It is not an accident that like met like to form their unholy union. There is a profound karmic bond between the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu. There is also a profound karmic significance to their appearance in the Latter Day... as a stark contrast to the beauty and goodness of the true votaries of the Lotus Sutra. “Because there are disputes in Buddhism, there arise disputes in the secular world. Mount Hiei has lost its calmness and a lot of troubles have been occurring in Kyoto.” (The Way To Argue Buddhist Doctrines)
How prophetic. Today when there is no calm on Mt. Minobu and Mt. Fuji, how much worse are the troubles in Tokyo, Washington, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Islamabad, and Bangkok. Nichiren attributed his situation to the Buddhist sects going against the Lotus Sutra and abandoning Shakyamuni Buddha. The situation today with the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu is much worse, these sects having abandoned the Essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren goes on to say,
“The Nembutsu school goes against the Lotus Sutra and follows the three Pure Land sutras, so they look upon Amida Buddha as their premier object of devotion and look down on Shakyamuni Buddha. The True Word priests regard Mahavairochana as the supreme Buddha, so they look down on Shakyamuni Buddha. As for precepts, Mahayana and Hinayana are different but both regard the Thus Come One Shakyamuni as the most important. Other Buddhas only give testimony to his words. Various schools have differences but they should look upon Shakyamuni. Only worms born of the lion’s body feed on the lion. Non-Buddhist teachings cannot defeat Buddhist teachings, but disputes from within will destroy Buddhism. This is the dying words of the Buddha. In Buddhism they believe in Hinayana and lose Mahayana, and they believe in provisional Mahayana teachings and lose true Mahayana teachings.”
The worms of the Fuji School (SGI and NST) feed on the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and Nichiren Daishonin. They bore into the Gohonzon, Lotus Sutra and Gosho, eradicating Buddha Shakyamuni of the Original Doctrine and destroying the principles within. They further confuse the people by asserting their superiority over the Hokke sects and deprecating the sincere disciples and believers of Nichiren.
The very worst offender is the Soka Gakkai. As Nichiren states in the Pure and Far reaching Voice, “What is superior it takes to be inferior, and what is inferior it takes to be superior. That is the reason why now, when its prayers are being used in an attempt to ward off the Mongol invaders, such prayers are on the contrary about to bring the invaders down upon us.” The SGI is the very reason the world is in such dire straights. Just as the vibrations from a slanderous mind will cause the head to split into seven pieces, the vibrations of slanderous minds of the Ten Million Soka Gakkai members is causing the world to be disordered and to split into seven pieces.
Instead of adorning the superior teachings with value creationism and human revolution, they replace the Lotus Sutra with these inferior teachings and replace Shakyamuni Buddha with Daisaku Ikeda.
Nichiren states,
“But, leaving aside for the moment the question of which is superior and which inferior, I can say that, far from bringing you deliverance, the practice of these teachings will lead to rebirth in the evil paths. (A Sage and an Unenlightened Man).
As far as the slanderous Nichikan Gohonzon, the most perverted doctrine in the history of Buddhism,
“Nevertheless, the schools of Buddhism other than Tendai have gone astray concerning the true object of devotion. The Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools take as their object of devotion the Shakyamuni Buddha who eliminated illusions and attained the way by practicing thirty-four kinds of spiritual purification. This is comparable to a situation in which the heir apparent of the supreme ruler of a state mistakenly believes himself to be the son of a commoner. The four schools of Flower Garland, True Word, Three Treatises, and Dharma Characteristics are all Mahayana schools of Buddhism. Among them the Dharma Characteristics and Three Treatises schools honor a Buddha who is comparable to the Buddha of the superior manifested body. This is like the heir of the supreme ruler supposing that his father was a member of the warrior class. The Flower Garland and True Word schools look down upon Shakyamuni Buddha and declare the Buddha Vairochana and the Buddha Mahavairochana to be their respective objects of devotion. This is like the heir looking down upon his own father, the supreme ruler, and paying honor to one who is of obscure origin simply because that person pretends to be the sovereign who abides by the principles of righteousness. The Pure Land school considers itself to be most closely related to the Buddha Amida, who is an emanation of Shakyamuni, and abandons Shakyamuni himself who is the lord of teachings. The Zen school behaves like a person of low birth who makes much of his small achievements and despises his father and mother. Thus the Zen school looks down upon both the Buddha and the sutras. All of these schools are misled concerning the true object of devotion. They are like the people who lived in the age before the Three Sovereigns of ancient China and did not know who their own fathers were. In that respect, the people of that time were no different from birds and beasts.” (Opening of the Eyes)
Nichiren Buddhist ceremonies in the SGI, those of the founding fathers, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin, are all but completely ignored while on May 3rd, for example, all praise is given to the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai. At their large meetings instead of singing songs in praise of the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha they sing songs in praise of Daisaku Ikeda. To make matters worse, the SGI political party Komeito is supported by the LDP rulers of Japan.
Nichiren states:
“The great evil doctrine of these ceremonies over the years steadily made its way to the Kanto region, where it was embodied in the superintendents or attendant priests of various temples who repeatedly performed these ceremonies. The performers of these ceremonies from the beginning could not distinguish between correct and erroneous teachings, between superior and inferior doctrines, but assumed that it was sufficient merely to revere the three treasures. So, without a thought, they employed these ceremonies. And now not only the provinces of Kanto but the chief priests and superintendents of Mount Hiei, To-ji, and Onjo- ji have all come under the jurisdiction of the Kanto authorities, so that, as a result, the latter are in the position of supporting these ceremonies.”
Hasn’t the great evil of these ceremonies spread to all corners of the world, every district meeting singing Forever Sensei and Sensei For You? Is there any wonder why their prayers for peace are unanswered. to the contrary, war, conflict, and disasters rage ever more intensely in every corner of the world.
The SGI which embraces the expedient teachings whereby the ends of lying and withholding justify the means, make a mockery of the essential teachings, the Great Direct Way to Buddhahood. Daisaku Ikeda, for example, never once mentions in his peace proposals, Namu Myoho renge kyo or Buddha Shakyamuni. Another example are the many meetings and SGI ceremonies where Nichiren, the Lotus Sutra or Shakyamuni Buddha aren’t even mentioned once while “SGI” and “Daisaku Ikeda” are proclaimed dozens of times. Nichiren states in the Entity of the Mystic Law:
“T’ien-t’ai says, “Even successors of the Buddha of the provisional teachings do not know people who have received instruction from the Buddha of the theoretical teaching, and people taught by that Buddha do not know people who have received instruction from the Buddha of the essential teaching. ”The Great Teacher Dengyo explains, “This is a direct way but it is not the great direct way. “He also says, “Because they have not yet understood the great direct way to enlightenment.” The point being made in these passages is clear.
Thus, although it is said that the bodhisattvas had already gained entrance [to enlightenment] through the various sutras, the term “gained entrance” is simply applied here in a temporary manner as a means of disparaging the achievement of the people of the two vehicles. Therefore, even the great bodhisattvas of the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and the theoretical teaching arrive at the realization of the lotus of the Buddha only when they are exposed to the essential teaching, and achieve a true cutting off of delusion only when they hear the teachings of the “Life Span” chapter.”
In Teaching Practice and Proof, Nichiren teaches us,
“How naive are those who cling only to the stump of one sutra without knowing which are superior and which inferior among all the sutras! Even if one cannot [read all the sutras and] discern this for oneself, there can be no mistaking that the Lotus Sutra is the only sutra whose truth was attested to by Shakyamuni Buddha, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas who are Shakyamuni’s emanations.
Should one nonetheless view the Lotus Sutra as false and misread the Buddha’s words “I have not yet revealed the truth” as “I have already revealed the truth,” one’s distorted vision would be inferior even to that of cattle or sheep. Exactly what is meant by the passage in the “Teacher of the Law” chapter: “Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand” ? Does the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra not make it clear that Shakyamuni taught the practice of Buddhist austerities spanning myriads of kalpas before declaring, “In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth” ? These passages are nothing less than the Buddha’s own statements of the relative superiority of the various sutras he expounded during his some fifty years of teaching. The relative superiority of the sutras corresponds to whether or not they lead to Buddhahood.”
The teachings of Value Creationism and Human Revolution do not lead to Buddhahood yet the SGI teaches these instead of the Lotus Sutra. They base their assertions on treatises and not the Lotus Sutra, not even the treatises of the Daishonin but rather those of Nichikan, Toda and Ikeda. They disgard the Lotus Sutra as too profund to be understood or not applicable to the people of the Latter day. They disgard the Lotus Sutra which leads to Buddhahood in one thousand out of one thousand instances while embracing the teachings of the Three Presidents that never once in seventy five years as practiced by millions and millions of SGI members has led to Buddahood, even once.
Nichiren states in Those Initially Aspiring to the Way:
“Therefore, when people declare that their own sutra surpasses the Lotus Sutra, or that their own school is superior to the Lotus school, they are like persons of inferior rank calling someone of high rank a commoner, or retainers whose families have for generations been in the service of a certain lord turning against him and declaring him to be their servant. How can they escape grave retribution?”
Daisaku Ikeda’s wisdom is as brilliant as the sun and moon, and his virtue is extolled far and wide, yet he is confused as to which teachings are shallow or deep, inferior or superior, and has led millions of people astray. This is the reason that he has suffered personal and specific retribution.
Not reflecting nor learning a thing, he flaunts his knowledge and acts as if he were wise, though he is an ordinary person, who regards the superior teachings as inferior and the inferior teachings as superior. He regards the powerless teachings of the Soka Gakkai as those leading to enlightenment, and declares teachings inappropriate for the people’s capacity to be appropriate for them. Thus he believes that the teaching of Value Creation and Human Revolution is superior and the Lotus Sutra is inferior and that the former suits the people’s capacity but the latter teachings do not. (excerpted and paraphrased from the One Eyed Turtle and the Floating Log)
Nichiren states:
“Thus they place such pronouncements (Value Creation, Human revolution, peace proposals) on the same level as the Lotus Sutra, considering the two to be of equal authority; or they regard these teachings as superior to the Lotus Sutra; or they reason that though their teacher’s pronouncements are inferior they are well suited to the capacity of the people.” (The Teaching that Accords with the Buddha’s Mind)
“Remember this about the theoretical and essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra: Which is shallow and which profound, which superior and which inferior, which lenient and which severe, and which subordinate and which primary must be judged in accordance with the time and the people’s capacity.” (On Establishing the Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of Worship.
The SGI teachings are based on the gentle methods of the Theoretical teachings rather than the strict and superior Essential teachings. It has brought confusion to the Buddhist order.
Since the wealthy, influential and powerful SGI hates the disciples and believers of Nichiren, the ignorant people choose SGI which is and detest the disciples and believers of Nichiren who are superior. As Nichiren says, “It is as though one were to assert that a dog is braver than lion, or that the stars appear brighter than the sun.”(One Eyed Turtle) We are considered men of erroneous views although we practice according to the teachings and they are considered men of correct views though they distort the teachings. Despite all this, we feel as Nichiren, “tears spring to my (our) eyes and joy fills my (our) entire body.” (ibid. One Eyed Turtle)
Nichiren states:
“As more Buddhist sutras were brought to China, it became apparent that some were superior in content or more profound than others. They belonged to different categories such as Hinayana and Mahayana, exoteric and esoteric, provisional and true. To illustrate, all stones are invariably inferior to gold, but gold itself is divided into several grades. No gold found in the human world can match the gold mined from the Jambu River.1 But the gold from the Jambu River is in turn far less valuable than the gold stored in the Brahma heaven. In the same way, all the Buddhist sutras are like gold, but some are finer and more profound than others.” (The Supremacy of the Law)
Toda was confused, believing the fools gold of the Taisekaji teachings were superior to the twenty-four carat gold of the Lotus Sutra and teachings of Nichiren. Spreading such vile teachings, the SGI members and leaders accumulate slander upon slander which, by now, has now grown into a Mount Sumeru of slander. Is there any doubt that the world, far from being a better place for the spread of the SGI teachings, has become a boiling cauldron of death and despair? There is no doubt!
How can this most distressing of situations be remedied?
Nichiren states:
“I decided that I would not heed the claims of these eight or ten schools, but would do as the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole teacher, in this way determining which of the various teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime are superior and which are inferior.” cont,,,
To remedy this situation and repay our debts of gratitude to Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, our parents, brothers, wives, and children and to all the people of Jambudvipa, we can do exactly as Nichiren did. We can investigate thoroughly the teachings of the various Nichiren sects matching them with the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin:
“Among the various sutras, there must be one that is the monarch of all. Yet the ten schools and seven schools I have mentioned all argue with one another over which of the sutras it is and can reach no consensus. It is as though seven men or ten men were all trying to be the monarch of a single nation, thus keeping the populace in constant turmoil.
Wondering how to resolve this dilemma, I made a vow. I decided that I would not heed the claims of these eight or ten schools, but would do as the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole teacher, in this way determining which of the various teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime are superior and which are inferior. With this in mind, I began to read through all the sutras.
In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.” Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushri or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.” (Repaying Debts of Gratitude)
and
Lastly, coming to the just and correct conclusion that the Hokke sect is superior and the teachings of the Lotus Sutra alone leads to Buddhahood, we can spread these teachings far and wide, repudiating the wrongs of the Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Shoshu, provisional Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. The world will become peaceful, calm, and secure. When,“The Buddha is looked upon as the sovereign and the gods as his ministers; the relations between superior and inferior are correctly ordered in accordance with the rules of propriety, and therefore the nation should be well governed.” (King Rinda) Then, we will experience a new world, a land of Eternal Quiescent Light.
The bodhisattvas of the teachings preached before the Lotus Sutra or of the theoretical teaching have, in a certain sense, eradicated delusion and gained understanding of truth. Nevertheless, in the light of the essential teaching, they have gained only a temporary cutting off of delusion, not the kind that extends beyond a certain dimension. Therefore, it is said that they have in fact not yet cut off delusion.
8).Destructive cults teach strict obedience to superiors and encourage the development of behavior patterns that are similar to those of the leader.
Your examples again refer to a practise that I’ve never come across. If I do have a problem with a leader’s attitude, behaviour or advice, I’ll talk to them about it, and when I became a leader I told the members in my district to let me know if I became too self-righteous or preachy.
Leaders are no better or worse than the other members (including President Ikeda). They will try to support members spiritually or through study lectures, etc. but they shouldn’t expect special treatment or praise for this extra responsibility. I guess the problem comes from leaders with small personalities that feel they should be treated with reverence by their members. If you have a problem with a leader, talk to them and let them know they’re getting above themselves. ReplyDelete The very label of "leader" and "member" proves point 8. Nothing further needs to be said.
9).Destructive cults offer acceptance by the group for good performance, and conversely, withhold it for poor performance.
Promotion or demotion within any organisation can be a sore subject, especially when you think people don’t deserve the recognition. How should you decide who is the next district leader, HQ leader, etc. Typically, people with the longest practice and strongest faith will advance and those with shortest practice and the weakest faith will remain as members. Is that a cult? I don’t think so. How does your sect decide who will replace your leader(s)? We have only 2 leaders, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Then there are no questions about equals and superiors.
It only becomes a cult if leaders with God-like status only advance those that worship and revere their status. SGI in a nutshell. That leader with god-like status is Ikeda and if you don't fawn over him to the point of frothing at the mouth, you will remain a distric chief, as yourself. I guess the problem is that sometimes, the pool of potential leaders is small and there is really no one suitable for the position. In such a case a leader may develop their own sense of self importance, especially if they are not respected within their working community or neighbourhood. I think the only reason to demote or “fire” a leader should be if they bring disrepute to the organisation or lord it over the members. There have been leaders I have respected and leaders I haven’t. Good for you. You won't go very far in the SGI organization.
To me leaders should be living the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra. We should be working to improve ourselves and society not sitting back and letting the members get on with the work. We are all prone to all ten of the Ten Worlds and there will be times when leaders suffer or slip in their judgement, but they should prove the validity of the teachings by overcoming their suffering through their faith, practise and study, and the support of other members.
How can they live the Buddhism of Nichiren in the Soka Gakkai which practices Ikedaism?
Well said Katie, Mark and Greg for sharing some home truths with Nichiren Buddhist who pointed at the splinter in Greg's eye while having a massive log in his own. Hope he can take something home from this that reaches his heart as we can have empathy for him being former SGI members ourselves under Mara's control
Greg is hardly the best source of quotes on this site, and I'm surprised you didn't draw on his equally eloquent quote from June 1, 2016 @ 9.39
ReplyDelete"fuck you dirham ! you and your nasty shoshit are't worth spiting at."
Nichiren writes: "The heart of the practice of the Lotus Sutra is found in the “Never Disparaging” chapter. What does Bodhisattva Never Disparaging’s profound respect for people signify? The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."
I generally find Mr. Romero's use of language reflects his behaviour as a human being. Nichiren warns that Greg is doomed to the evil paths, and is a destroyer of Shakyamuni and the Buddhas in the ten directions.
"When I observe what people are doing, I realize that, although they profess faith in the Lotus Sutra and clasp its scrolls, they act against the intent of the sutra and are thereby doomed to the evil paths. ...even if people embrace, read, and praise the Lotus Sutra, if they betray its intent, they will be destroying not only Shakyamuni Buddha but all the Buddhas in the ten directions." Nichiren
I truly believe that you and Shinkei are extremely sincere in your reading of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren's writings, but Greg is most definitely the parasite in the lion's body of your group.
If indeed you are a "Nichiren Buddhist", how strange that you fail to denounce the slanderous remarks of the commenter, Dirham, yet find fault with the practitioner who strongly rebuked an enemy of the Lotus Sutra !!
DeletePerhaps it is due to your superficial understanding of the "Never Disparaging" chapter of the Lotus Sutra? Your reference here reflects a typical error made by those who fail to distinguish the *Time* and/or do not know the teachings that describe the *correct practice* that accords with the Time. In any case, Shakyamuni publicly berated Devadatta, which can be helpful to recall if it is difficult for you to grasp the gravity of the offense of slandering the Lotus sutra, or to comprehend that failing to denounce one who is committing this offense makes you complicit in the offense of slander.
You should deeply reflect on your own strange behavior , seeking the Law, the mind of the Buddha, rather than focusing on *persons* .
~Katie
We do not allow SGI members to criticize us [here] because they have already been defeated by the cowardice of their leaders. This is an oasis where we pour the water of Law. Their criticisms can be likened to a new recruit criticizing the commanding general of the army. No one wants to hear their whining. Soka Gakkai leaders and members talk the talk but fail to walk the walk.
DeleteThe talk: 1). "Through face to face dialogue one creates value." 2). "We will debate even an emperor to prove the righteousness of President Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai." 3)."Nothing is more important than actual proof and actual proof is found only in the Soka Gakkai." 4). "We are the sole inheritors of the heritage of the Law through the Three Presidents." 5). "If it weren't for President Ikeda and President Toda, you wouldn't have even heard of the Law." 6) "In the Soka Gakkai no prayer goes unanswered." 7). Citing over and over again, "The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."
The walk: 1). Refusal to sanction face to face dialogues, for example, pressuring members of the orthodox sects to leave SGI community centers. 2). The cowardly refusal of Al Albergate and Greg Martin to debate even one common lay believer of Nichiren, let alone an emperor. 3). "The failure of SGI to acknowledge that faith in the Lotus Sutra itself constitutes actual proof. 4). Failure to follow the Lotus Sutra and the Gosho which are explicit that the heritage is received through the Law and not the person. 5). The SGI's lack of faith in the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin who teach that we receive the Law from the Eternal Buddha Shakyamuni and are always born with our masters (Shakyamuni and Nichiren) throughout the universe. 6). Nearly every SGI prayer is unrealized leading to the 95% SGI attrition rate; 7). Instead of exhibiting the behavior of the Buddha, SGI members reside in the Worlds of Animality and Anger [Soka Group] while asserting that they are all Buddhas.
What is meant by the famous passage, "The purpose of the appearance in this world of Shakyamuni Buddha, the lord of teachings, lies in his behavior as a human being."?
DeleteIt means that Shakyamuni Buddha's purpose of appearing in this world lies in his behavior in upholding the Lotus Sutra. Something of which you, as an SGI member, knows nothing.
again, nothing worse than a phony nichiren buddhist - not.
Deletebuddhism is not christianity. were you around in nichiren's time, and you very well may have been, through the clear mirror of the lotus sutra its easy to see what your role would have been regarding his behavior. through your comments here, everyone knows that you don't really practice/believe, or understand the teachings. thank you. because you arrogantly slander this blog, and me, my negative karma from the past changes and my buddhahood, according to nichiren is assured. for you, the poison drum relationship is established. you are welcome. study up. leave the shoshu/gakkai comments alone.
N B, regarding the "never disparaging chapter", the sgi does not teach or practice this correctly. respect for life is indeed fundamental to buddhism, however, nowhere does it teach respect for lying and cheating or slandering the buddha dharma or those who uphold the lotus sutra. again, this is something you should know. know wonder the sgi/nst is confused. your arrogance and dirhams arrogance is outrageous. both should cease and desist. get a good translation and read this chapter fully again.
DeleteHey Nichiren Buddhist, don't know you but Okay.
DeleteAs practitioners of True Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, we don't need to engage with SGI members like Greg who adore Ikeda out of anger. They are nothing but lowlife animals who are imprisoned within their anger and hatred for being expelled due to their negative karma. They deserve all the negative karmic punishments they are gaining from here on out, and their retribution will continue for them until they are reborn and reborn back into the lowlife bacterias that exist in the sewer. More importantly, their perverted knowledge of the Gosho is a result of their delusÃonal beliefs they learned in Soka Gakkai, where they truly belong. To preserve happiness and peace of mind, if is better to abandon these people in their miserable state, maybe in another lifetime they will find another chance to redeem good positive karma. But I doubt it. Once garbage, always trash.
tic, tic,tic...........time is running out dirham.
Deletenichiren buddhist is your sworn enemy. see, you belong together. how sweet!
Well, Dirham, now *Nichiren Buddhist* knows you are failing to rebuke the slander you *see*, using the teachings as Nichiren taught. The TEACHINGS-- not your repertoire of foul language and base insults, BTW.
DeleteNichiren Buddhists know that refuting slander is the ONLY way to attain Buddhahood in mappo-- only way to eradicate the grave sins of slander we have ALL committed.
Someday-- some future lifetime, you will HAVE to learn to rebuke slander or engage in debate using the teachings of Nichiren-- so strange that you are making it so much harder on yourself-- piling on more slander, digging yourself in deeper--. There is no escaping the threefold world, Dirham-- unless you attain Buddhood.-- now refer back to the crucial practice for your ticket to freedom----
Are you too fragile or too frightened? Drop your own anger and arrogance and behold the compassion that dwells here on Eagle Peak!!
~Katie
The great irony of the Soka philosophy is that those who promote it, the supposed avatars of Beauty, Goodness, and Gain, are ugly and bad and therefore experience loss [in the spiritual realm]. We must ask ourselves why they chose Makiguchi's philosophy of Beauty, Goodness, and Gain over Kant's philosophy of Beauty, Goodness, and Truth in the first place and why they chose Nichiren Shoshu over the teachings of the Buddha in the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin in his authenticated writings.
ReplyDeleteMakiguchi and the Soka Gakkai replace truth for gain because of greed [Hunger], ego [Anger], and ignorance [Animality] and, precisely because they have replaced truth with gain, their claims of beauty and goodness is beauty and goodness in name only. Similarly, because they have abandoned truth for gain, they have abandoned cause and effect for gain. By adopting gain at the expense of truth [or gain at the expense of cause and effect], it is easy to see why their devotees have become liars and smiling backstabbers: Their philosophy is one of ends justifying the means. They have detached [or fooled themselves into believing that they have detached] effects from their causes. This is why both SGI leaders and members, instead of reaping the beauty and good from the Lotus of the Supreme Truth, reap the retribution of Hell, Hunger, and Animality in this and every future existence until, of course, they have paid off their heavy karmic debt, again encountered the Lotus Sutra and become its votaries..
They chose the Nichiren Shoshu because only the Nichiren Shoshu [for the sake of worldly riches] was willing to overlook replacing the truth of the Lotus Sutra with gain. They themselves had already done so more than six hundred years ago with the advent of Nichiu the leper. It is not an accident that like met like to form their unholy union. There is a profound karmic bond between the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu. There is also a profound karmic significance to their appearance in the Latter Day... as a stark contrast to the beauty and goodness of the true votaries of the Lotus Sutra.
“Because there are disputes in Buddhism, there arise disputes in the secular world. Mount Hiei has lost its calmness and a lot of troubles have been occurring in Kyoto.” (The Way To Argue Buddhist Doctrines)
How prophetic. Today when there is no calm on Mt. Minobu and Mt. Fuji, how much worse are the troubles in Tokyo, Washington, Moscow, Tel Aviv, Islamabad, and Bangkok. Nichiren attributed his situation to the Buddhist sects going against the Lotus Sutra and abandoning Shakyamuni Buddha. The situation today with the Soka Gakkai and the Nichiren Shoshu is much worse, these sects having abandoned the Essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Eternal Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra. Nichiren goes on to say,
“The Nembutsu school goes against the Lotus Sutra and follows the three Pure Land sutras, so they look upon Amida Buddha as their premier object of devotion and look down on Shakyamuni Buddha. The True Word priests regard Mahavairochana as the supreme Buddha, so they look down on Shakyamuni Buddha. As for precepts, Mahayana and Hinayana are different but both regard the Thus Come One Shakyamuni as the most important. Other Buddhas only give testimony to his words. Various schools have differences but they should look upon Shakyamuni. Only worms born of the lion’s body feed on the lion. Non-Buddhist teachings cannot defeat Buddhist teachings, but disputes from within will destroy Buddhism. This is the dying words of the Buddha. In Buddhism they believe in Hinayana and lose Mahayana, and they believe in provisional Mahayana teachings and lose true Mahayana teachings.”
ReplyDeleteThe worms of the Fuji School (SGI and NST) feed on the Bodhisattvas of the Earth and Nichiren Daishonin. They bore into the Gohonzon, Lotus Sutra and Gosho, eradicating Buddha Shakyamuni of the Original Doctrine and destroying the principles within. They further confuse the people by asserting their superiority over the Hokke sects and deprecating the sincere disciples and believers of Nichiren.
The very worst offender is the Soka Gakkai. As Nichiren states in the Pure and Far reaching Voice, “What is superior it takes to be inferior, and what is inferior it takes to be superior. That is the reason why now, when its prayers are being used in an attempt to ward off the Mongol invaders, such prayers are on the contrary about to bring the invaders down upon us.” The SGI is the very reason the world is in such dire straights. Just as the vibrations from a slanderous mind will cause the head to split into seven pieces, the vibrations of slanderous minds of the Ten Million Soka Gakkai members is causing the world to be disordered and to split into seven pieces.
Instead of adorning the superior teachings with value creationism and human revolution, they replace the Lotus Sutra with these inferior teachings and replace Shakyamuni Buddha with Daisaku Ikeda.
Nichiren states,
“But, leaving aside for the moment the question of which is superior and which inferior, I can say that, far from bringing you deliverance, the practice of these teachings will lead to rebirth in the evil paths. (A Sage and an Unenlightened Man).
As far as the slanderous Nichikan Gohonzon, the most perverted doctrine in the history of Buddhism,
cont...
ReplyDeleteNichiren states:
“Nevertheless, the schools of Buddhism other than Tendai have gone astray concerning the true object of devotion. The Dharma Analysis Treasury, Establishment of Truth, and Precepts schools take as their object of devotion the Shakyamuni Buddha who eliminated illusions and attained the way by practicing thirty-four kinds of spiritual purification. This is comparable to a situation in which the heir apparent of the supreme ruler of a state mistakenly believes himself to be the son of a commoner. The four schools of Flower Garland, True Word, Three Treatises, and Dharma Characteristics are all Mahayana schools of Buddhism. Among them the Dharma Characteristics and Three Treatises schools honor a Buddha who is comparable to the Buddha of the superior manifested body. This is like the heir of the supreme ruler supposing that his father was a member of the warrior class. The Flower Garland and True Word schools look down upon Shakyamuni Buddha and declare the Buddha Vairochana and the Buddha Mahavairochana to be their respective objects of devotion. This is like the heir looking down upon his own father, the supreme ruler, and paying honor to one who is of obscure origin simply because that person pretends to be the sovereign who abides by the principles of righteousness. The Pure Land school considers itself to be most closely related to the Buddha Amida, who is an emanation of Shakyamuni, and abandons Shakyamuni himself who is the lord of teachings. The Zen school behaves like a person of low birth who makes much of his small achievements and despises his father and mother. Thus the Zen school looks down upon both the Buddha and the sutras. All of these schools are misled concerning the true object of devotion. They are like the people who lived in the age before the Three Sovereigns of ancient China and did not know who their own fathers were. In that respect, the people of that time were no different from birds and beasts.” (Opening of the Eyes)
Nichiren Buddhist ceremonies in the SGI, those of the founding fathers, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin, are all but completely ignored while on May 3rd, for example, all praise is given to the Three Presidents of the Soka Gakkai. At their large meetings instead of singing songs in praise of the Lotus Sutra and Shakyamuni Buddha they sing songs in praise of Daisaku Ikeda. To make matters worse, the SGI political party Komeito is supported by the LDP rulers of Japan.
Nichiren states:
“The great evil doctrine of these ceremonies over the years steadily made its way to the Kanto region, where it was embodied in the superintendents or attendant priests of various temples who repeatedly performed these ceremonies. The performers of these ceremonies from the beginning could not distinguish between correct and erroneous teachings, between superior and inferior doctrines, but assumed that it was sufficient merely to revere the three treasures. So, without a thought, they employed these ceremonies. And now not only the provinces of Kanto but the chief priests and superintendents of Mount Hiei, To-ji, and Onjo- ji have all come under the jurisdiction of the Kanto authorities, so that, as a result, the latter are in the position of supporting these ceremonies.”
Hasn’t the great evil of these ceremonies spread to all corners of the world, every district meeting singing Forever Sensei and Sensei For You? Is there any wonder why their prayers for peace are unanswered. to the contrary, war, conflict, and disasters rage ever more intensely in every corner of the world.
cont...
ReplyDeleteThe SGI which embraces the expedient teachings whereby the ends of lying and withholding justify the means, make a mockery of the essential teachings, the Great Direct Way to Buddhahood. Daisaku Ikeda, for example, never once mentions in his peace proposals, Namu Myoho renge kyo or Buddha Shakyamuni. Another example are the many meetings and SGI ceremonies where Nichiren, the Lotus Sutra or Shakyamuni Buddha aren’t even mentioned once while “SGI” and “Daisaku Ikeda” are proclaimed dozens of times. Nichiren states in the Entity of the Mystic Law:
“T’ien-t’ai says, “Even successors of the Buddha of the provisional teachings do not know people who have received instruction from the Buddha of the theoretical teaching, and people taught by that Buddha do not know people who have received instruction from the Buddha of the essential teaching. ”The Great Teacher Dengyo explains, “This is a direct way but it is not the great direct way. “He also says, “Because they have not yet understood the great direct way to enlightenment.” The point being made in these passages is clear.
Thus, although it is said that the bodhisattvas had already gained entrance [to enlightenment] through the various sutras, the term “gained entrance” is simply applied here in a temporary manner as a means of disparaging the achievement of the people of the two vehicles. Therefore, even the great bodhisattvas of the pre-Lotus Sutra teachings and the theoretical teaching arrive at the realization of the lotus of the Buddha only when they are exposed to the essential teaching, and achieve a true cutting off of delusion only when they hear the teachings of the “Life Span” chapter.”
In Teaching Practice and Proof, Nichiren teaches us,
“How naive are those who cling only to the stump of one sutra without knowing which are superior and which inferior among all the sutras! Even if one cannot [read all the sutras and] discern this for oneself, there can be no mistaking that the Lotus Sutra is the only sutra whose truth was attested to by Shakyamuni Buddha, Many Treasures, and the Buddhas who are Shakyamuni’s emanations.
Should one nonetheless view the Lotus Sutra as false and misread the Buddha’s words “I have not yet revealed the truth” as “I have already revealed the truth,” one’s distorted vision would be inferior even to that of cattle or sheep. Exactly what is meant by the passage in the “Teacher of the Law” chapter: “Among the sutras I have preached, now preach, and will preach, this Lotus Sutra is the most difficult to believe and the most difficult to understand” ? Does the Immeasurable Meanings Sutra not make it clear that Shakyamuni taught the practice of Buddhist austerities spanning myriads of kalpas before declaring, “In these more than forty years, I have not yet revealed the truth” ? These passages are nothing less than the Buddha’s own statements of the relative superiority of the various sutras he expounded during his some fifty years of teaching. The relative superiority of the sutras corresponds to whether or not they lead to Buddhahood.”
cont...
The teachings of Value Creationism and Human Revolution do not lead to Buddhahood yet the SGI teaches these instead of the Lotus Sutra. They base their assertions on treatises and not the Lotus Sutra, not even the treatises of the Daishonin but rather those of Nichikan, Toda and Ikeda. They disgard the Lotus Sutra as too profund to be understood or not applicable to the people of the Latter day. They disgard the Lotus Sutra which leads to Buddhahood in one thousand out of one thousand instances while embracing the teachings of the Three Presidents that never once in seventy five years as practiced by millions and millions of SGI members has led to Buddahood, even once.
ReplyDeleteNichiren states in Those Initially Aspiring to the Way:
“Therefore, when people declare that their own sutra surpasses the Lotus Sutra, or that their own school is superior to the Lotus school, they are like persons of inferior rank calling someone of high rank a commoner, or retainers whose families have for generations been in the service of a certain lord turning against him and declaring him to be their servant. How can they escape grave retribution?”
Daisaku Ikeda’s wisdom is as brilliant as the sun and moon, and his virtue is extolled far and wide, yet he is confused as to which teachings are shallow or deep, inferior or superior, and has led millions of people astray. This is the reason that he has suffered personal and specific retribution.
Not reflecting nor learning a thing, he flaunts his knowledge and acts as if he were wise, though he is an ordinary person, who regards the superior teachings as inferior and the inferior teachings as superior. He regards the powerless teachings of the Soka Gakkai as those leading to enlightenment, and declares teachings inappropriate for the people’s capacity to be appropriate for them. Thus he believes that the teaching of Value Creation and Human Revolution is superior and the Lotus Sutra is inferior and that the former suits the people’s capacity but the latter teachings do not. (excerpted and paraphrased from the One Eyed Turtle and the Floating Log)
Nichiren states:
“Thus they place such pronouncements (Value Creation, Human revolution, peace proposals) on the same level as the Lotus Sutra, considering the two to be of equal authority; or they regard these teachings as superior to the Lotus Sutra; or they reason that though their teacher’s pronouncements are inferior they are well suited to the capacity of the people.” (The Teaching that Accords with the Buddha’s Mind)
cont...
“Remember this about the theoretical and essential teachings of the Lotus Sutra: Which is shallow and which profound, which superior and which inferior, which lenient and which severe, and which subordinate and which primary must be judged in accordance with the time and the people’s capacity.” (On Establishing the Four Bodhisattvas as the Object of Worship.
ReplyDeleteThe SGI teachings are based on the gentle methods of the Theoretical teachings rather than the strict and superior Essential teachings. It has brought confusion to the Buddhist order.
Since the wealthy, influential and powerful SGI hates the disciples and believers of Nichiren, the ignorant people choose SGI which is and detest the disciples and believers of Nichiren who are superior. As Nichiren says, “It is as though one were to assert that a dog is braver than lion, or that the stars appear brighter than the sun.”(One Eyed Turtle) We are considered men of erroneous views although we practice according to the teachings and they are considered men of correct views though they distort the teachings. Despite all this, we feel as Nichiren, “tears spring to my (our) eyes and joy fills my (our) entire body.” (ibid. One Eyed Turtle)
Nichiren states:
“As more Buddhist sutras were brought to China, it became apparent that some were superior in content or more profound than others. They belonged to different categories such as Hinayana and Mahayana, exoteric and esoteric, provisional and true. To illustrate, all stones are invariably inferior to gold, but gold itself is divided into several grades. No gold found in the human world can match the gold mined from the Jambu River.1 But the gold from the Jambu River is in turn far less valuable than the gold stored in the Brahma heaven. In the same way, all the Buddhist sutras are like gold, but some are finer and more profound than others.” (The Supremacy of the Law)
Toda was confused, believing the fools gold of the Taisekaji teachings were superior to the twenty-four carat gold of the Lotus Sutra and teachings of Nichiren. Spreading such vile teachings, the SGI members and leaders accumulate slander upon slander which, by now, has now grown into a Mount Sumeru of slander. Is there any doubt that the world, far from being a better place for the spread of the SGI teachings, has become a boiling cauldron of death and despair? There is no doubt!
How can this most distressing of situations be remedied?
Nichiren states:
“I decided that I would not heed the claims of these eight or ten schools, but would do as the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole teacher, in this way determining which of the various teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime are superior and which are inferior.”
cont,,,
ReplyDeleteTo remedy this situation and repay our debts of gratitude to Shakyamuni Buddha, the Lotus Sutra, our parents, brothers, wives, and children and to all the people of Jambudvipa, we can do exactly as Nichiren did. We can investigate thoroughly the teachings of the various Nichiren sects matching them with the Lotus Sutra and the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin:
“Among the various sutras, there must be one that is the monarch of all. Yet the ten schools and seven schools I have mentioned all argue with one another over which of the sutras it is and can reach no consensus. It is as though seven men or ten men were all trying to be the monarch of a single nation, thus keeping the populace in constant turmoil.
Wondering how to resolve this dilemma, I made a vow. I decided that I would not heed the claims of these eight or ten schools, but would do as the Great Teacher T’ien-t’ai did and let the sutras themselves be my sole teacher, in this way determining which of the various teachings of the Buddha’s lifetime are superior and which are inferior. With this in mind, I began to read through all the sutras.
In a scripture called the Nirvana Sutra, the Buddha says, “Rely on the Law and not upon persons.” Relying on the Law here means relying on the various sutras. Not relying upon persons means not relying on persons other than the Buddha, such as the bodhisattvas Universal Worthy and Manjushri or the various Buddhist teachers I have enumerated earlier.” (Repaying Debts of Gratitude)
and
Lastly, coming to the just and correct conclusion that the Hokke sect is superior and the teachings of the Lotus Sutra alone leads to Buddhahood, we can spread these teachings far and wide, repudiating the wrongs of the Soka Gakkai, Nichiren Shoshu, provisional Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. The world will become peaceful, calm, and secure. When,“The Buddha is looked upon as the sovereign and the gods as his ministers; the relations between superior and inferior are correctly ordered in accordance with the rules of propriety, and therefore the nation should be well governed.” (King Rinda) Then, we will experience a new world, a land of Eternal Quiescent Light.
The bodhisattvas of the teachings preached before the Lotus Sutra or of the theoretical teaching have, in a certain sense, eradicated delusion and gained understanding of truth. Nevertheless, in the light of the essential teaching, they have gained only a temporary cutting off of delusion, not the kind that extends beyond a certain dimension. Therefore, it is said that they have in fact not yet cut off delusion.
cont...
ReplyDeleteNichiren BuddhistMay 16, 2012 at 3:10 AM
8).Destructive cults teach strict obedience to superiors and encourage the development of behavior patterns that are similar to those of the leader.
Your examples again refer to a practise that I’ve never come across. If I do have a problem with a leader’s attitude, behaviour or advice, I’ll talk to them about it, and when I became a leader I told the members in my district to let me know if I became too self-righteous or preachy.
Leaders are no better or worse than the other members (including President Ikeda). They will try to support members spiritually or through study lectures, etc. but they shouldn’t expect special treatment or praise for this extra responsibility. I guess the problem comes from leaders with small personalities that feel they should be treated with reverence by their members. If you have a problem with a leader, talk to them and let them know they’re getting above themselves.
ReplyDelete
The very label of "leader" and "member" proves point 8. Nothing further needs to be said.
9).Destructive cults offer acceptance by the group for good performance, and conversely, withhold it for poor performance.
Promotion or demotion within any organisation can be a sore subject, especially when you think people don’t deserve the recognition. How should you decide who is the next district leader, HQ leader, etc. Typically, people with the longest practice and strongest faith will advance and those with shortest practice and the weakest faith will remain as members. Is that a cult? I don’t think so. How does your sect decide who will replace your leader(s)?
We have only 2 leaders, Shakyamuni Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin. Then there are no questions about equals and superiors.
It only becomes a cult if leaders with God-like status only advance those that worship and revere their status.
SGI in a nutshell. That leader with god-like status is Ikeda and if you don't fawn over him to the point of frothing at the mouth, you will remain a distric chief, as yourself.
I guess the problem is that sometimes, the pool of potential leaders is small and there is really no one suitable for the position. In such a case a leader may develop their own sense of self importance, especially if they are not respected within their working community or neighbourhood. I think the only reason to demote or “fire” a leader should be if they bring disrepute to the organisation or lord it over the members. There have been leaders I have respected and leaders I haven’t.
Good for you. You won't go very far in the SGI organization.
To me leaders should be living the Buddhism of Nichiren Daishonin and the Lotus Sutra. We should be working to improve ourselves and society not sitting back and letting the members get on with the work. We are all prone to all ten of the Ten Worlds and there will be times when leaders suffer or slip in their judgement, but they should prove the validity of the teachings by overcoming their suffering through their faith, practise and study, and the support of other members.
How can they live the Buddhism of Nichiren in the Soka Gakkai which practices Ikedaism?
when the law is in danger of perishing, the nirvana sutra which is a post script to the lotus sutra teaches that even swords are permissible.
ReplyDeleteN B, your opinion is worthless in real buddhism. however, i will admit, i could do better. glad you are reading the posts.
Well said Katie, Mark and Greg for sharing some home truths with Nichiren Buddhist who pointed at the splinter in Greg's eye while having a massive log in his own. Hope he can take something home from this that reaches his heart as we can have empathy for him being former SGI members ourselves under Mara's control
ReplyDeleteshijo kingo walked a fine line with regards to buddhism, however, at the end of the day, he was completely there for nichiren and the truth.
ReplyDeletewhat say you so called nichiren buddhist?(not).