"The seventh volume of the Lotus Sutra states: 'Even if a person were to fill the whole major world system with the seven treasures as an offering to the Buddha and the great bodhisattvas, pratyekabuddhas and arhats, the benefits gained by such a person cannot match those gained by accepting and upholding this Lotus Sutra, even just one four-line verse of it! The latter brings the most numerous blessings of all.'” -- Nichiren
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Truth in SGI
Question: It sometimes happens that another Buddhist activity or event for private life does not allow you to do the activity sokahan. What should be given priority?
Answer: "We have the Gohonzon and we must use it to the fullest. You have to make a choice. The important thing is to use the Gohonzon and strengthen our faith without succumbing to rationality. In this way, whatever we decide to do will be the right choice. The assets are used to support our life. The important thing is the spirit with which we are in front of the Gohonzon. " This was the answer by Domenico Giannocaro (deputy national coordinator sokahan ).
Response: According to SGI international leader Joan Anderson, "The truth must me negotiated." SGI is no better than the politicians of the world who insist like Clarence Carter, "don't believe the video of me cheating, believe what I tell you." The truth to SGI is not what the Lotus Sutra terms "Thus" [or such] or what is is, the truth to SGI is what is agreed upon. Even in this statement by Joan Anderson who is one of the most influential non-Japanese Soka Gakkai functionaries in the entire world, we see the lying disingenuous nature of the Soka Gakkai where nothing is "negotiated" but rather decreed by the mentor emperor. Outside the SGI, in their dealings with others, everything is negotiated [compromised] but within the Soka Gakkai, not one thing is negotiated. What would the Buddha and Nichiren Daishonin think of them?
SGI members can not even get across a moat a few yards wide. How can they hope to get across the great ocean of life and death?
Nichiren tied an oath to the statue of Shakyamuni Buddha and saved his temple from falling into the hands of Tojo Kakenobu and the Amidists:
"...The villainous Tojo Saemon Kagenobu once hunted the deer and other animals kept by Seicho-ji, and tried to force the priests in the various lodging temples to become Nembutsu believers. At that time I pitted myself against Tojo and supported the lord of the manor. I composed a fervent oath that read, “If the two temples Kiyosumi and Futama should come into Tojo’s possession, I will discard the Lotus Sutra!” Then I tied it to the hand of the object of devotion, to which I prayed continuously. Within a year, both temples had been freed from Tojo’s grasp. Certainly Bodhisattva Space Treasury will never forget this, so how can those priests who make light of me avoid being forsaken by the heavenly gods? Hearing me say this, the more foolish of you may think that I am invoking a curse upon you. But that is not so. I am warning you simply because it would be a pity if you should fall into the hell of incessant suffering after your death."
SGI members couldn't even save "The High Sanctuary of the Ten Thousand Years and More of the Latter Age" from the clutches of "the evil Nikken sect" with trillions of Daimoku and oaths on every SGI altar.
Where's the beef?
Quotes from the Writings of Nichiren
~ 25 quotes from the writings of Nichiren Daishonin and > 250 quotes from the writings of Daisaku Ikeda.
The difference is night and day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqDfqT_Up0Y
SGI: "I'm a Buddha"
Never Despise Bodhisattva: "You are a Buddha"
SGI: "I'm a Buddha"
Never Despise Bodhisattva: "You are a Buddha"
Of course you should trust what your SGI Japanese senior leaders and Nichiren Shoshu priests teach you
Just prior to Pearl Harbor Japanese envoys meeting with Franklin Roosevelt in November 1941.
"There's been a sharp spike in radiation levels measured in the pipes and containers holding water at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.
But the company in charge of cleaning it up says that only a single drop of the highly contaminated water escaped the holding tanks." --CNN
The Soka Gakkai and Nichiren Shoshu leaders and priests say that Nichiren is the Original Eternal Buddha. But Nichiren says that Shakyamuni is the Original Eternal Buddha.
SGI's loathsome teachings on humility
SGI teaches that humility towards Gohonzon is a bad thing, "They might glorify the Gohonzon to the extent they humble themselves" [World Tribune Jan. 24th 2003]. Yet, they are taught to humble themselves before their Sensei and leaders, "humility is at the heart of the mentor-disciple relationship, and it is also the key to developing true confidence."
Leonardo da Vinci and Nichiren Daishonin on opinions
"The greatest deception men suffer is from their own opinions." -- Leonardo da Vinci
"The most important thing in practicing the Buddhist teachings is to follow and uphold the Buddha's golden words, not the opinions of others." -- Nichren
Why is the SGI video Chanting With Sensei no longer available?
Because it was the ugliest, screechiest, most discordant Daimoku ever chanted and I made it widely known.
The Soka Gakkai is a cult by definition
The first way to define a cult is a religious sect whose members are controlled almost entirely by a single individual or by an organization.
The second way to define a cult is a group that deviates from the orthodox teachings or scriptures of the faith...
OH MY!
Propaganda and memory
Main article: Napoleonic propaganda
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, romantic version by Jacques-Louis David in 1805
Bonaparte Crossing the Alps, realist version by Paul Delaroche in 1848
Main article: Napoleonic propaganda
Napoleon Crossing the Alps, romantic version by Jacques-Louis David in 1805
Bonaparte Crossing the Alps, realist version by Paul Delaroche in 1848
Is SGI modeled after the recreated French Monarchy of the Emperor Napoleon?
"I myself, having studied the French Revolution, am also left scratching my head at President Ikeda's adulation of Napoleon, who used violence to devolve the democratic ideals of the Revolution back into an autocracy and attempted to export the Revolution which he had in fact destroyed to the rest of Europe by military force." -- Larry
Daisaku Ikeda stated, "The Soka Gakkai Is the jewel of Buddhist Democracy" and Napoleon called his dictatorship, "a Republic". SGI is modeled after the recreated French Monarchy of the Emperor Napoleon. So, of course, Ikeda adulates Napoleon.
Does Ikeda think Napoleon a great Bodhisattva?
"The French suffered greatly in the course of a ruinous retreat, including from the harshness of the Russian Winter. The Armée had begun as over 400,000 frontline troops, but in the end fewer than 40,000 crossed the Berezina River in November 1812. The Russians had lost 150,000 in battle and hundreds of thousands of civilians."-- Napoleon Wikipedia
Why Daisaku Ikeda is a big fan of Napoleon
Because he runs SGI as Napoleon ran France...
"The constitution preserved the appearance of a republic but in reality established a military dictatorship. The days of Brumaire sounded the end of the short-lived republic: no more representative government, assemblies, a collegial executive, or liberty." -- Napoleon Wiki
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Born Taisaku [Fat Building], Ikeda changed his name to Daisaku [Great Building].
"In your letter you mentioned the great honor you had to give lecture at the family temple of a court noble. But to me it seems very strange for you to say so. You are a priest who renounced the secular world and, what is more, you embrace the most precious teaching in the world. Even if you should meet a Bodhisattva of the highest rank, why should you think it anything special? Much lessshould you stand in awe of even Bonten or Taishaku. They are the servants of our father, Shakyamuni Buddha, who have been sent byhim to govern his domain and support the priests who embrace the true law. Bishamon and the other heavenly kings rule over the four quarters as guards appointed by Bonten and Taishaku. The rulers of the four continents are all retainers of the four heavenly kings. But the ruler of this little island country of Japan would not evenqualify as a retainer of the Wheel Rolling Kings who reign over the four continents. He is nothing but an island chieftain. By calling the retainer of this chieftain "his excellency," exulting over "his gracious invitation" and, what is more, by speaking of the "great honor" you had, are you not in essence expressing your low opinion of me, Nichiren? On the whole it seems that when my disciples go to the capitol city, Kyoto, they first heed my warnings but later become crazed by the devil of the sixth heaven. That is exactly what happened to Sho'ubo. Don't become like him and incur heaven's wrath."
"It is crazy that you have already changed your name after spending such a short time in the capitol. I suppose you are even mimicking the Kyoto accent and dialect. If a mouse becomes a bat, it isneither a mouse nor a bird. You are neither a country priest nor a Kyoto priest, and I think you are going the way of Sho'ubo. Use your own country dialect; it is terrible to use a mixture of the two. Is not Sonjo, the name you signed your letter with, the same as the given name of Emperor Gotoba? What a strange choice you have made!" -- On Debating Other Sects
Born Taisaku [Fat Building], Ikeda changed his name to Daisaku [Great Building]. Attached to honors and awards, he sucks up to such men as Zhou Enlai, Gorbachev, Ceasceau, Castro, and Dr. Rahman (Indonesia President), to name a few, never once correcting them as would have Nichiren Daishonin. He lacks the mercy to correct them. Again, this is proof of Ikeda’s and SGI’s duplicity. They will suck up to every Tom Dick, and Harry dictator, tyrant, and intellectual but will slander the powerless members of the other Nichiren sects. SGI is the World of Animality and Ikeda is nothing but a beast.
"It is the nature of common mortals not to know what awaits them in the future. Those who know it well are called worthies or sages. Passing over examples from the past, I will cite one from the present. Lord Hojo Yoshimasa relinquished both his domains and became a lay priest. I hear that, in the end, he abandoned all his many estates, forsook his sons and daughters as well as his wife and secluded himself from the world. You have neither sons nor brothers upon whom you can rely. All that you have is your two fiefs. This life is like a dream. One cannot know if he will live until tomorrow. Even if you should become the most wretched of beggars, never disgrace the Lotus Sutra. Since life is so short in any event, you should not weep over your fate. As you yourself wrote in your letter, you must act and speak without the least servility. Fawning or flattery will only do you more harm. Even if your fiefs should be confiscated or you yourself driven out, think that it is due to the workings of the Ten Goddesses, and wholeheartedly entrust yourself to them." -- A Warning Against Begrudging One's Fief
And further down we read,
"You must in no way behave in a servile fashion toward the magistrate. Tell him, "This fief of mine is not one which my lord bestowed upon me for any ordinary reason. He awarded it to me because I saved his life with the medicine of the Lotus Sutra when he fell seriously ill. If he takes it from me, his illness will surely return. At that time, even if he should apologize to me, Yorimoto, I will not accept it." Having had your say, take your leave in an abrupt manner."
Fawning and flattery is the World of Animality. There is more fawning and flattery in the SGI from top to bottom than the in the federal government or in any major corporation. It is particularly offensive the way Daisaku Ikeda fawns over the intellectuals and men of power in this Latter Age of ours. He takes fawning and flattery to new heights, failing to teach them the Lotus Sutra, Nirvana Sutra, and the correct and sublime teachings of Nichiren Daishonin for fear of alienating these insignificant and dastardly men.
Transcript of Daisaku Ikeda's dialogue with Fidel Castro: Even Mass Murderers Are Worthy of the Greatest Respect
During President Ikeda's historic visit with the great humanist, Fidel Castro, they held a heart warming discussion on the noble mission of Mr. Castro as a mentor for the youth of the world.
Ikeda: Thank you for taking the time out from your busy schedule to meet with me. I know you have many things on your mind as the greatest leader and humanist of Cuba. Castro: Yes, as a matter of fact I should be at the revolutionary headquarters at this very moment torturing a slimy swine who dared criticize me. But it can wait since you have so generously donated millions of dollars to my cause.
Ikeda: As you know, I am no stranger to criticism myself. Thank god I have money coming out of my ass and a huge political machine otherwise I'd probably be up shit creek myself.
Castro: It also helps if you brainwash as many people as possible to stand with you in case you need one of them to be a patsy. I personally executed my own brother-in- law after one of my shipments of cocaine got intercepted by the imperialist pigs of the USA. He was so willing to die for our great cause. What an idiot! It was a pleasure to blow his brains out.
Ikeda: I once stashed a safe full of millions of dollars in the alley behind our news- paper headquarters for the mob to pick up. Kind of a thank-you gift for the support they have given me. But sure as shit, something went wrong. The goddamn sanitary workers picked it up, thinking we were throwing it out! Sometimes I think efficiency is counter-productive in this new age. A very loyal member stepped forward to take the rap for me.
Castro: In my country, there is no garbage pick up. My people save it up to eat later since there is no food in our stores. Fat people have no place in Cuba-- but in your case, I will make an exception.
Ikeda: You are such a great humanist. No wonder the people of Cuba never com-plain. I enjoy the same thing in my SGI organization. If someone complains, he is brow-beaten and hounded by his peers until he finally sees the light.
Castro: Here in Cuba we don't waste our time brow-beating- we simply kick the shit out of them, and if they still don't behave they are never seen again. I will not allow myself to be defeated.
Ikeda: That's a crucial point. I am always emphasizing to our youth the importance of not letting themselves be defeated.
Castro: The American Imperialists are always trying to defeat me. Just last month I was forced to order our military to shoot down several planes that were trying to make my people fat with their unhealthy food. I simply could not bear to think of my people eating such junk, so I killed the imperialist scum.
Ikeda: I always tell my followers to eat right and take care of themselves or they will get sick. I sure as shit don't need anybody collapsing in the middle of erecting a human pyramid in my honor.
Castro: Some of my subjects have contracted AIDS and were always protesting against me for not helping them. They were attracting too much attention so I made a little village for them to live in where they cannot bother anybody. They think they are special or something.
Ikeda: The great German writer, Johann Wolfgang Goethe said: "Everywhere there is the individual who always wants to show himself off; nowhere one honest effort to make oneself subserviant to the Whole"
Castro: Yes, it is the core of communism to make one- self subserviant to the whole. My mentor, the great huma ist Karl Marx, used to tell me the same thing. There are no show-offs in Cuba. I have ripped all their tongues out and shoved them down their slimey throats. People tell me I am very talented in the methods I think of to better my country.
Ikeda: Talent and individuality are two different things. A person who is truly talented is a well-rounded individual working for the benefit of humanity and the world.
Castro: You must be truly talented.
Ikeda: Some people say I am the most talented man in the world. Did you know I have received over 55 honorary doctorates and professorships from scholars in every part of the world?
Castro: [Yawn...]
Ikeda: Once, George Bush wrote me a congratulatory message for a huge meeting I had in Madison Square Garden. Hell, even President Kennedy once asked me to meet with him...
Castro: WHO!!?
Ikeda: Uh, but I turned the capitalist asshole down... Did I tell you that me and Mikhail Gorbechev are good friends?
Castro: Really? Why don't you ask that son-of-a-bitch why he hasn't given me any money for the past 5 years?? Oh- and while you are at it, please, give him a good swift kick in the ass for me.
Well Daisaku, it's been nice chatting with you, but I have somebody to go torture now.
Transcript of Daisaku Ikeda's dialogue with Fidel Castro: Even Mass Murderers Are Worthy of the Greatest Respect by Craig Bratcher
SGI has been creating fake news for years: "Nikken's Drinking Urine"
Jim Celer, Midwest Bureau Chief for the SGI "Living Buddhism" magazine, repeatedly posted in the google group alternate religion Buddhism Nichiren:
"The following is a translation of an article that appeared on page 1 of the November 19, 1997 Soka Shimpo, the Newspaper of the Soka Gakkai Youth Division.
"Nikken's drinking urine. I tried to drain the mud-colored water from Nikken's bath tub, but at that time, a senior priest yelled at me saying that the muddy solution is something the High Priest cherishes. Nikken not only bathed in the oat water, but also drank it. Nikken even tried drinking urine to stay healthy, so there was always a cup on top of the toilet. When I asked my senior about this, he answered with a frown that Nikken was drinking his urine. He is no better than an animal dressed in priestly robes." Like it or not, this IS your SGI
Ikeda is a huge fan of the slave master Napoleon
"By the Law of 20 May 1802 Bonaparte re-established slavery in France's colonial possessions, where it had been banned following the Revolution." -- Napoleon Wikipedia
Perhaps Ikeda learned to master the members like slaves from Napoleon?
"I remember brainwashed gakkai members literally shedding tears over the beauty of the Nikken gohonzons, admiring the powerful calligraphy, then later, after the split, those same people looking at the same gohonzon with the same scorn as if they were casting their eyes upon used sheets of toilet paper. With a wave of the magical gakkai arm, they changed gohonzons (declaring which ones had "power" and which ones didn't), changed gongyo, changed the prayers and relegated the Dai gohonzon to subsidiary status. Such shortsighted chutzpah was the beginning of the meltdown. It was indeed sheer stupidity.
It's pretty clear that the gakkai cult will say anything to make the winds blow in the direction that they desire and to justify whatever it is that they wish to do. There are no core principles to which they adhere and respect, they simply wing it, frivolously changing with the times." -- Hitch
It is very hard to feel peaceful and at ease when one is at cross purposes with oneself or the teachings one embraces are in conflict with each other. SGI says that you, the members, are all Buddhas but there is no autonomy in the SGI. There are constraints. You can't go preaching Buddha Dharma as you see fit in their District meetings. More importantly you can not choose a copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon. How can a "Buddha of Absolute Freedom" have constraints? When one is told one thing but everyone acts contrary to what is taught, it is impossible to develop doubt free faith in the Lotus Sutra, the only means in the Latter Day to obtain Buddhahood.
Then, there is the matter of the teachings [doctrines] expounded by Ikeda and the leaders which don't match the teachings of the Lotus Sutra and those expounded by Nichiren Daishonin. A thoughtful or studious person will know something is a amiss but when he questions his leaders, he is told that the SGI teachings are not amiss, "you are amiss" [lack faith]. There is a conflict between what you are reading, seeing, and experiencing and what you are being told. Again, in such a situation, it is impossible to be at peace or to develop doubt free faith, the prerequisite for attaining Buddhahood.
Though the Lotus Sutra promises, "peace and security in this life and a fortunate birth in the next", in the SGI, one can not be truly peaceful because SGI's faith and practice is not the faith and practice of the Lotus Sutra. They would counter that if one practices the Lotus Sutra correctly, one will encounter the Three Obstacles and Four Devils. I would respond, "encountering the Three Obstacles and Four Devils is not an artificial construct like cleaning Sensei's toilets." One who practices the Lotus Sutra correctly is peaceful even while encountering the Three Obstacles and Four Devils.
I thought nothing about doing all sorts of non-Buddhist activities as a YMD member and leader. I wanted to attain Buddhahood and I was willing to do whatever my seniors said I needed to do: Stand from 2 - 4 am guarding a metal plaque of Toda in the middle of nowhere; directing traffic in freezing rain for hours even though there were so many signs a blind man could have found the parking lot; guarding a doorway for hours where not one person entered or left; cleaning community center toilets until they shined; endless marching; trying to memorize To My Young American Friends; meetings nearly every night and on the weekends for weeks and months on end; driving a large truck with manual transmission, all over Manhattan even though I had never driven a manual transmission; wearing white T-shirts and white pants and running around union square park every Saturday for nearly a year, sometimes with those white Japanese beanie hats and taking the subway there looking like an idiot; chanting to pictures of Daisaku Ikeda; doing street shakabuku in the worst neighborhoods in the South Bronx and making home visits to tenements; missing work and school for the sake of activities; strained family relations because they wouldn't chant or couldn't see how enlightened I was from doing all these activities or them criticizing Ikeda; trying to sleep in warehouses, either on the floor, a bench, or on a thin mat and with the lights on for many days on end; practically begging people to get the Gohonzon, paying for them to get one, shaming them into getting one, breaking off relationships because they wouldn't get one; giving my last dollar to attend retreats and having to eat spaghetti and butter and canned peas and ketchup for weeks and grubbing cigarettes because I had no money left; severe lack of sleep while doing strenuous labor, marching, and running for days on end.
The problem was, I didn't study the Lotus Sutra and all the writings of Nichiren Daishonin. I followed persons rather than the Law. Nichiren taught that the only requirement for a lay practitioner is to chant Namu Myo ho renge kyo, support the priests who do shakabuku [forceful conversions] and tell other to chant Namu Myoho renge kyo according to one's strength. In other words, a simple straightforward faith and practice. SGI doesn't want you to study in depth because then, you would question almost everything about the Soka Gakkai faith and practice. That is why their study materials always are carefully structured into pre-prep lectures and the like, and they study the same things year after year. One would think that the entirety of Nichiren Daishonin's teachings is found in the Heritage of the Ultimate Law of Life and the "oneness of mentor and disciple." Every week for several years we studied this writing in the light of Ikeda's teaching on the oneness of mentor and disciple. They lie that you only need to learn one concept of the Gosho to understand all there is about Buddhism. They take the phrase from the writings, "To practice and ponder one phrase" which refers to Namu Myoho renge kyo and shoehorn it to mean that any phrase Ikeda picks out from the writings is enough to understand the entirety of Buddhism. Suffice it to say I am extremely joyful to have found an authentic sangha in which to practice with other like minded individuals who try and have the same faith and practice as Nichiren Daishonin.
One SGI slav.. I mean member wrote:
One SGI slav.. I mean member wrote:
"Hallo Jan! your problem really touched a nerve with me. I have heard of this stage of stagnation, or something I've heard members call a 'plateau' stage, where you feel that you've reached a point where you're mot moving forward – my district leader told me about it on the first week when I started to chant. She told me that it will happen, especially if you've had a rocket like start to the study and practise of Buddhism, which I had, over 1.5 years ago. I literally couldn't put the books down.
She also told me, that it will be a time for me to REALLY deepen my practice. Instead of going to the 'next stage', imagine digging deeper, and rediscovering the enthusiastic seeking spirit you had in the beginning by chanting sincerely to connect with NMRK, and Sensei's spirit.
I found that doing SGI activities, not just taking part but taking responsibilities, got me out of deadlock. I had some issues with bigger meetings, like you, and I felt a slight disconnection from the organisation. I realised, that I was afraid to take on more responsibilities, after my knowledge had increased. It felt like I was seeing errors, mistakes, discrepancies EVERYWHERE in the organisation. I realized that this was my first real obstacle, and after learning about the dangers of slander (of the self, the law, or other members), I decided to push my doubts to the back seat and do something about it. "Daimoku first" – then I volunteered at every possible activity with any role that was available, be it cleaning toilets or designing the event invitation. Taking action was enough for me to move forward, and from that activity, I made incredible new connections and revived my desire to study by supporting someone very new to the practice.
So I'd say, that finding gratitude for my 'plateau' stage is the proof that I've moved forward from it, as SO MUCH came out of it. I'd say embrace all the feelings you are having, to realise the area in your practise which can be the key to revive the excitement you were feeling in the beginning. There is no 'final stage' in Buddhism, right? So there shouldn't be a sense of completing a stage before moving onto the next one and never going back to the beginning. I re-read one of the books recently, which I was given 5 years ago, and I realised I'd forgotten most of the amazing words that gave me hope those times!" -- Anne on SGI Unofficial
Was Napoleon an exemplar of high noble inner qualities? Daisaku Ikeda thinks so.
http://www.sgi.org/news/c-activities/ce2005/ce051101.html
"Recall that for Emerson, great figures such as Shakespeare, Napoleon , and Goethe, all of whom are exemplars of achievement, are unique only insofar as they have developed to a greater extent the inner qualities available to all humans." -- Daisaku Ikeda
He gave up counting how many times they mentioned Daisaku Ikeda
Keeping It Real
December 2, 2012 by allthingsnichiren
I went to a SGI-USA World Peace meeting today (in a major US city) and kept count on the number of times I heard the following words/phrases:
President Ikeda/Sensei Ikeda/Daisaku Ikeda/etc.: I lost count. Seriously, I gave up on counting at the 20/21 mark.
Daishonin: 1
Nichiren: 0
Lotus Sutra: 1
Kosen rufu: 1
Gosho: 1
Buddhism/Buddhist/Buddha: 0 (again, seriously)"
This perfectly mirrors my own experience and one of the main reasons I left the SGI.
SGIzophrenia
SGI teachings and practice during and after Toda; before and after the split; in public and in private; doing the same things over and over [personality cult] and expecting different results [mass exodus of members]; magical thinking; paranoia [regarding the Nichiren Shoshu and even regarding mistrust of their their own members]; out of touch with reality; disorganized thinking and disordered thought; delusions about the Daishonin's teachings; habitually repeating what the mentor says and does, adopting his mannerisms; victims of emotional abuse [as a cause].
Nichiren answers a "reasonable question"
"Question: If, as you have stated, the benevolent deities inflict punishment on this country because it does harm to the votary of the Lotus Sutra, then epidemics should attack only the slanderers. Why is it that your own disciples also fall ill and die?
Answer: Your question is reasonable. Nevertheless, you are aware of only one side of the situation and not the other. Good and evil have been inherent in life since time without beginning. According to the provisional teachings and the schools based on them, both good and evil remain in one’s life through all the stages of the bodhisattva practice up to the stage of near-perfect enlightenment. Hence people at the stage of near-perfect enlightenment or below have faults of some kind, [but not those at the highest stage]. In contrast, the heart of the Lotus school is the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which reveals that both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest stage of perfect enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Brahmā and Shakra, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the devil king of the sixth heaven. The benevolent deities hate evildoers, and evil demons hate good people. Because we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, it is natural that evil demons should be everywhere in the country, just like tiles, stones, trees, and grasses. Good demons are few because sages and worthies are rare in this world. One would therefore expect to find more victims of the epidemic among Nichiren’s followers than among the believers of Nembutsu, or priests of the True Word, Zen, and Precepts schools. For some reason, however, there is less affliction and death among Nichiren’s followers. It is indeed mysterious. Is this because we are few in number, or because our faith is strong?"
Answer: Your question is reasonable. Nevertheless, you are aware of only one side of the situation and not the other. Good and evil have been inherent in life since time without beginning. According to the provisional teachings and the schools based on them, both good and evil remain in one’s life through all the stages of the bodhisattva practice up to the stage of near-perfect enlightenment. Hence people at the stage of near-perfect enlightenment or below have faults of some kind, [but not those at the highest stage]. In contrast, the heart of the Lotus school is the doctrine of three thousand realms in a single moment of life, which reveals that both good and evil are inherent even in those at the highest stage of perfect enlightenment. The fundamental nature of enlightenment manifests itself as Brahmā and Shakra, whereas the fundamental darkness manifests itself as the devil king of the sixth heaven. The benevolent deities hate evildoers, and evil demons hate good people. Because we have entered the Latter Day of the Law, it is natural that evil demons should be everywhere in the country, just like tiles, stones, trees, and grasses. Good demons are few because sages and worthies are rare in this world. One would therefore expect to find more victims of the epidemic among Nichiren’s followers than among the believers of Nembutsu, or priests of the True Word, Zen, and Precepts schools. For some reason, however, there is less affliction and death among Nichiren’s followers. It is indeed mysterious. Is this because we are few in number, or because our faith is strong?"
actual proof or ACTUAL PROOF?
Two weeks after telling an SGI member to take down her copy of a Nichiren inscribed Gohonzon, the Woman's Division Territory leader was dead.
The Nichiren Shoshu scholar translator Martin Bradley versus Nichiren Daishonin
"The Guardian Deities and the Spirits of Good (shoten zenjin) in our teaching are the psychic forces that prevent us from making very regrettable mistakes or doing the wrong thing. Nevertheless, they are all forces that exist in our own heads and are to be found nowhere else." -- Martin Bradley
Really?
Nichiren teaches, quoting the Benevolent King's Sutra
"Though this sutra exists in the nation, its ruler has never allowed it to be propagated. In his heart he turns away from it, and he takes no pleasure in hearing its teachings.... In the end, he makes it impossible for us [the four heavenly kings] and the other countless heavenly beings who are our followers to hear this profound and wonderful teaching. He deprives us of the sweet dew of its words and cuts us off from the flow of the correct teaching, so that our majesty and strength are drained away.... And once we and the others abandon and desert this nation, then many different types of disasters will occur in the country, and the ruler will fall from power."
He also teaches the following:
"At that time, because the innumerable benevolent guardian deities will be unable to taste the flavor of the Law, their majesty and strength will diminish."
"And in addition, the Buddhas of the six directions and the twenty-five bodhisattvas of the Pure Land school, the twelve hundred honored ones of the True Word school, and the various honored ones and benevolent guardian deities of the seven schools are also certain to protect Nichiren."
"Third, it would appear that the guardian deities have deserted this country, and this is probably one reason why offenders do not suffer any immediate punishment."
"When one comes to the end of one’s good fortune, no strategy whatsoever avails. When one’s karmic rewards are exhausted, even one’s retainers no longer follow one. You survived because you still have both good fortune and rewards. Moreover, in the “Entrustment” chapter, theheavenly gods and benevolent deities pledged to protect the votaries of the Lotus Sutra. Of all the guardian deities in heaven, it is the gods of the sun and moon who visibly protect us. How can we doubt their protection? The heavenly deity Marīchi in particular stands in service before the god of the sun. When the god of the sun protects the votaries of the Lotus Sutra, how could the honorable one of heaven Marīchi, who is his vassal, possibly abandon them? The “Introduction” chapter of the sutra reads, “[At that time Shakra with his followers, twenty thousand sons of gods, also attended.] There were also the sons of gods Rare Moon, Pervading Fragrance, Jeweled Glow, and the four heavenly kings, along with their followers, ten thousand sons of gods.” Marīchi must be among the thirty thousand sons of gods who were present at the ceremony. Otherwise, this deity could only abide in hell.
You must have escaped death because of this deity’s protection.Marīchi gave you skill in swordsmanship, while I, Nichiren, have bestowed on you the five characters of the title of the Lotus Sutra. There can be no doubt that Marīchi protects those who embrace the Lotus Sutra. Marīchi also upholds the Lotus Sutra and helps all living beings. Even the words “Those who join the battle are all in the front lines” \derive from the Lotus Sutra. This is what is meant by the passage “If they should expound some text of the secular world or speak on matters of government or occupations that sustain life, they will in all cases conform to the correct Law.” Therefore, you must summon up the great power of faith more than ever. Do not blame the heavenly gods if you exhaust your good fortune and lose their protection."
It is obvious that Nichiren believed in and taught the very real existence of heavenly beings, Buddhist gods, and guardian deities. More importantly, Nichiren, unlike Martin Bradley, the Nichiren Shoshu, and the Soka Gakkai, believed in the very real Shakyamuni Buddha of the Juryo Chapter of the Lotus Sutra who manifested as Shakyamuni Buddha of India.
SGI follow the person philosophy
"The key element in ensuring that you will win in every aspect of your life is to make a life to life connection with our mentor, SGI President Daisaku Ikeda." -- SGI Vice General Director Ethan Gelbaum
According to SGI, according to Nichiren
http://www.ikedacenter.org/ikeda-forum/2014-dignity
The Ikeda Center for Peace Learning and Dialogue has nothing to do with Nichiren's teachings. It is not that Muslim fundamentalists are fearful which leads to violence. It is because the Q'uran is violent.
According to Nichiren, anger is a function of erroneous teachings, not fear
According to SGI, "It’s best to understand anger and violence as a function of fear." On the other hand, according to Nichiren, anger and violence is a function of erroneous teachings.
The Ikeda Center for Peace Learning and Dialogue has nothing to do with Nichiren's teachings. It is not that Muslim fundamentalists are fearful which leads to violence. It is because the Q'uran is violent.
According to Nichiren, anger is a function of erroneous teachings, not fear
A passage from Lectures on Nichiren's Oral Teachings by Niko [Ongi Kikigaki]
"Our teacher said: Hearing the Sutra of the Lotus Blossom of the Wonderful Dharma is called 'security and peace in the present life' and also 'later birth in a good place.' [This passage] is immediately preceded by the words, 'Having heard this Dharma.' 'Heard' indicates the ordinary worldling at the stage of verbal identity. In hearing the Wonderful Dharma, one hears that one attains Buddhahood in this very body. This is the meaning of the passage, 'One who can hold [this sutra] thereby holds the Buddha's body.' Because one hears, one holds, and therefore the three kinds of powerful enemies arise; their coming fulfills this passage's prediction of 'security and peace in this life.' There can then be no doubt that one is a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra, [for] we read in the sutra that a practitioner of the Lotus Sutra will encounter such grave persecutions. And by encountering grave persecutions, one's attainment of Buddhahood indicated by 'later be born in a good place' is assured. So how can one not feel secure and peaceful in the present? 'Later birth in a good place' is clearly expounded in the 'Devadatta chapter.'"
"I want to practice the Lotus Sutra but I''m not comfortable with the SGI" -- new believer
"SGI is about becoming the cheerleader and spectator of the life of Ikeda, No wonder you feel uneasy about them." - Bodhisattva Michael Kwabena Opoku
Our arguments must be sound because the silence is deafening
"If you would be my disciples, you must not allow yourselves to be defeated by any false or erroneous arguments. You need to demolish them and show them for the falsehoods they are!' -- Josei Toda
Nichiren is the foremost person in the world and we too who are his disciples.
“There was a man in India known as the Great Arrogant Brahman who was born with innate wisdom and was widely read. Both the exoteric and the esoteric teachings of Buddhism were stored up in his breast, and he had both the Buddhist and the non-Buddhist writings in the palm of his hand. Even the king and his ministers bowed their heads before him, and the common people looked up to him as a teacher and guide. But in the excess of his arrogance, he went so far as to make himself a dais supported by four legs representing the deities Maheshvara, Vishnu, and Narayana, along with the World-Honored One of Great Enlightenment, four sages whom the world holds in great honor, seating himself on it when he expounded his doctrines. He was like the True Word priests of our time when they spread their mandala with its representations of Shakyamuni and the other various Buddhas and perform their ceremony of anointment, or like the Zen priests when they declare that the teachings of their school represent a great Law that steps upon the head of the Buddha.
At this time there was a humble monk called the Scholar Bhadraruchi who declared that the Brahman should be corrected, but neither the ruler and high ministers nor the common people would listen to such a suggestion. In the end, the Brahman charged his disciples and lay supporters to go about spreading countless falsehoods and abusing and beating Bhadraruchi. But Bhadraruchi, disregarding the danger to his life, continued to denounce the Brahman until the ruler, coming to hate Bhadraruchi, arranged for him to debate with the Brahman in hopes of silencing him. Contrary to his expectations, however, the Brahman was the one defeated in the debate.
The king looked up to heaven, then threw himself upon the ground lamenting, and said, “I have been privileged to hear your words on this matter firsthand and to free myself from my erroneous views. But my father, the former king, was completely deceived by this man and by now has probably fallen into the Avichi hell!” So saying, he clung to the knees of the Scholar Bhadraruchi and wept in sorrow.
At Bhadraruchi’s suggestion, the Brahman was placed on the back of a donkey so that he might be led in disgrace throughout India and shown to all. But the evil in his heart only grew stronger than ever, and in his living form he fell into the hell of incessant suffering."
"The Chinese Meditation Master Sanchieh, stated that the Lotus Sutra, which represents the teachings of the Buddha Shakyamuni, is a doctrine suited for the first and second stages of Buddhism, which correspond to the Former and Middle Days of the Law. For the Latter Day of the Law, however, he asserted that one should adopt the “universal teaching” that he himself had set forth. He declared that, if one should try to practice the Lotus Sutra in these present times, one would surely fall into the great Avichi hells of the ten directions because its teachings do not accord with the nature and capabilities of the people of the latter age. He carried out prostrations and penances at the proper hours six times each day and observed the four daily meditation periods, conducting himself like a living Buddha. Many people paid him honor, and his disciples numbered more than ten thousand. But one young woman dared to recite the Lotus Sutra and to censure him for his doctrines. As a result, he lost his voice on the spot and was reborn as a huge snake that devoured a number of his disciples and lay supporters, as well as girls and young women. And now Shan-tao and Honen, with their pernicious doctrine that not even one person in a thousand can be saved by the Lotus Sutra, are just like this man San-chieh.” — On The Selection of the Time
_________________________________
Is Ikeda and his followers different than the Great Arrogant Brahman and Jikaku? Now, the Fuji Taisekaji Master Daisaku Ikeda, not only teaches that the Lotus Sutra has lost its power in this Latter Age but he uses the very Lotus Sutra that he deprecates to fool the people. Nichiren, referring to such men and their teachings writes, “And yet there is something that is more evil than these three teachings, so evil that it is a hundred, thousand, ten thousand, million times more difficult to believe…”
He concludes this point in this, one of his most important treatises:
“It is only reasonable to assume that, whether good or evil, the greater the portents, the greater will be the occurrences to follow. Now we have seen huge comets of a magnitude never known before in the 2,230 or more years since the Buddha’s passing, and have experienced earthquakes such as were never encountered before during that time. In China and Japan in the past, sages of outstanding wisdom and ability have from time to time appeared. But none, as an ally of the Lotus Sutra, has faced such powerful enemies within his country as have I, Nichiren. From the facts present before your very eyes, it should be apparent that Nichiren is the foremost person in the entire land of Jambudvipa.”
Now too, at this auspicious time of the propagation of the authentic and true teachings of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin, having witnessed the great portents in Japan and elsewhere and the reality that only we are squarely facing the powerful enemies of the Lotus Sutra [the Soka Gakkai, the Nichiren Shoshu, the Christians, Hindus, and Muslims], it is clear that we are the true disciples, believers, and allies of the Lotus Sutra and Nichiren Daishonin. It should be apparent that we are the foremost persons in the entire land of Jambudvipa.
The Nichiren Shoshu school is a the invention of the heavenly devil
"Are the voice-hearers protecting those who disparage the Lotus Sutra as a mere written teaching and who put forth their great lies about what they call a special transmission?" -- Nichiren
"People belonging to that school insist that it represents a separate transmission outside the sutras. The Buddha’s final testament states that if someone were to claim that the correct teaching exists outside the sutras, it would be the view of the heavenly devil. How then can the statement about a separate transmission outside the sutras escape this judgment?"
"The Great Teacher Dengyō states: 'If it is not a decree of the ruler of the nation, it should not be honored and obeyed. If it is not the teaching of the Buddha, the Dharma King, it should not be accepted and believed.'”
"The exponents of this school are very arrogant, claiming to possess a “separate transmission outside the sutras,” and look with contempt on all the sutras. This school is the invention of the heavenly devil."
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Regarding the Legal Proceedings I Have Brought Against Soka Gakkai By Junya Yano
(Legal Response to A Human Rights Violation)
On May 12, 2008, I began civil proceedings in the Tokyo District Court against Soka Gakkai and 7 persons, including some of the top executives officials of the organization.
The lawsuit concerns the attempts to coerce me into abandoning my political commentary activities. This coercion was conducted by Soka Gakkai and persons related to this organization, and included not only libelous statements in the Seikyo Shimbun, but extended to attempts to force huge monetary contributions from myself, attempts that were accompanied by intimidation.
In addition, there were repeated occasions where groups of many unknown people tailed not only myself, but my wife, and even the family of my son.
I am also currently involved in a case before the Tokyo High Court, in which I am struggling to gain the return of documents and notebooks in which I have recorded personal observations for over 30 years. These papers were taken from my home by persons belonging to Soka Gakkai, who were former Diet members of the Komeito.
These kinds of actions have apparently been taken against persons other than myself. For example, my predecessor, the former chairman of Komeito, Mr. Yoshikatsu Takeiri, was subjected to unbearably abusive personal attacks for over 10 years in the pages of the Seikyo Shimbun. I have also been told of numerous incidents where Gakkai members more or less forced people to make enormous large contributions to the organization.
The realization that many persons have received similar treatment fills me with more than just anger at a personal injustice, but of fury as a public citizen.
Prior to filing the suit, my family―which consists of my wife and myself, as well as my son, his wife and their three daughters, who all live in Australia--sent papers to the Soka Gakkai declaring out intent to leave the organization. These papers were sent to arrive on May 1st of this year.
I joined Soka Gakkai over 50 years ago, and during this time I have worked not only as an executive of the organization, but also served as the top executive of Komeito, the party which has SokaGakkai as its largest support base. And thus you may be wondering―why am I now filing suits against Soka Gakkai? This is what I am here to explain to you, the members of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan.
As you, the members of the foreign press here well know, Soka Gakkai is the organization that supports Komeito, which in turn is the party that supports the ruling party. As is clear from various public opinion polls, Komeito is a political party that is able to secure parliamentary seats through the all-out support of Soka Gakkai. Almost 100%% of the Diet members and local assembly members belonging to Komeito, belong to Soka Gakkai. Komeito and Soka Gakkai exchange views both officially, through such channels as the Renraku Kyogi-kai (literally, “Liaison and Consultation Council”), as well as unofficially. There are many occasions when the wishes of Soka Gakkai are reflected in Komeito policies, or in the party’s responses to a political situation. As Japanese journalists often report, Komeito sometimes gives the impression that it is an organization designed to defend Soka Gakkai, one that exists to advocate Soka Gakkai’s interests. As often reported in the media, under the single-seat constituency system, in electoral districts where there is no Komeito candidate, Soka Gakkai actively promotes the support of other parties, in particular the LDP. For candidates, Soka Gakkai votes are a weighty matter indeed, as they can have a serious bearing as to whether a candidate wins or loses. When ruling and opposition parties are vying at nearly equal strengths, it can be said that casting vote is held by Komeito, and thereby, in actual fact, by Soka Gakkai.
As can be seen by his meeting last May with President Hu Jintao of China, Honorary Chairman Daisuke Ikeda of Soka Gakkai is very active in the area of civilian, or private-level diplomacy.
Over the past 3 years, however, this huge religious organization, Soka Gakkai, and persons related to it, have conducted various illegal acts against me, acts that can be described as violations of my human rights.
This trampling of human rights, these anti-social acts by Soka Gakkai, an organization that wields such great influence on political activities in Japan, cannot simply be dismissed and overlooked. I myself spent many years as a member of the House of Representatives endeavoring to do what I could to protect fundamental human rights. I also worked to reform politics, by supporting policies that promoted welfare and peace for Japan. As one who has long worked on such issues, I would be abdicating my responsibilities if I were to maintain silence in regard to these actions, and simply allow them to be left unaddressed.
I believe that my publicly disclosing the nature of these antisocial acts by Soka Gakkai, my filing lawsuits, and my coming forward to speak before persons such as you today―I believe these actions are necessary in order to preserve and defend democracy in Japan.
(Human Rights Violations Committed Over the Past 3 Years)
I will now describe chronologically the human rights violations that were committed, and for which I am filing suit in the courts. For purposes of brevity, I will omit explanations of the organizational structure of Soka Gakkai and the names of its various bodies.
1) 3 years ago, on April 20, 2005, a top executive officer of Soka Gakkai called me to a Soka Gakkaifacility and stated that the Seinenbu, or “Youth Division” was angry about an article that I had written 12 years earlier, in the monthly Bungei Shunju magazine. He demanded that I write an apology. Although I could not accept his arguments, his relentless insistence, combined with threats, filled me with such fear that in the end, I followed his instructions and apologized.
2) Beginning that month, April of 2005, the Seikyo Shimbun began to run prominent articles declaring that “Yano has apologized”. This was followed by statements that “apologies through words cannot be trusted, Yano needs to show his remorse through concrete actions!” which increased the feeling of intimidation. At the same time, many groups of unidentified people began to constantly monitor my home, send me harassing phone calls, make uninvited visits, and follow me in small groups whenever I went outside. These monitoring and shadowing activities occurred every day. There were instances when I truly feared for my safety, as, for example, when people would stand immediately behind me on the subway. These activities have continued over the past 3 years, and they continue even today. These are illegal and malicious acts, for which I have filed reports with the police. I intend eventually to take legal action in regard to all of these acts.
3) On May 14, 2005, I met with top executives of the Youth Division of Soka Gakkai, where I was subjected to a point-by-point close examination of the Bungei Shuju article. They emphasized the fact that this article had been used as reference materials in the Diet, when a member of the LDP attacked the SG. Their conclusion was that I was responsible for allowing this attack to occur. I was subjected to a barrage of hostile questions as though I were in a court of inquiry. They also demanded that I give up all of my activities as a commentator. Until then, I had been writing serialized articles, and often appeared on such television programs as Hodo Station and News 23. From this day forward, however, I abandoned all of my commentator activities. The reason for this was that I feared for my safety.
This was clearly a violation of my right to freedom of speech. As such, I am taking legal action against these top executives of the Youth Division.
4) On the following day, May 15, I received a sudden visit by 3 former Komeito executives officials, who were all former Diet Members. They vigorously insisted―their demands mingled with intimidation―that I turn over to them my personal notebooks and various documents spanning some 30 years. Following this visit, these 3 persons made 4 visits to my home, and against my wishes, took all of my notebooks and papers with them. During this time, they twice searched my home, asking repeatedly, “is there even one paper you’re still keeping?” I am now fighting in the courts to have my notebooks returned to me.
These notebooks contain observations and behind-the-scenes details that I recorded during the nearly 30 years I have been active in the political realm. They cover the periods I served as General Secretary and Chairman of Komeito, periods when I was involved in several serious issues surrounding Soka Gakkai. There are notes, for example, that cover the 1970 case involving freedom-of-speech obstruction attempts, the agreement between Soka Gakkai and the Communist Party, the court case involving the monthly Pen Magazine regarding articles about Mr. Ikeda and incidents with women, the two battles with the Head temple Taisekiji (of the Buddhist sect, Nichiren Soshu), and tax investigations of Soka Gakkai by the National Tax Agency. Further, the notebooks include details of negotiations with the heads of other political parties during various Diet battles. They contain many private matters as well.
It is obvious that if the contents of these notebooks were made public, it would be highly inconvenient for many persons. It is therefore quite obvious that I would never have voluntarily handed over these documents.
The search of my home was forced upon me. In spite of my repeated attempts to refuse, I was coerced as a result of intimidation, into opening up my home.
The notebooks in question have yet to be returned to me. The confiscation of my notebooks and documents (and the information they contain) is clearly a violation of my personal property rights, an infringement of my privacy, and an example of human rights abuse.
5) The personal attacks against me at Soka Gakkai gatherings and in their official publications grow fiercer each day. These abusive language used is not the kind of language that should be used by religious persons. As a result of this defamation, I am bringing legal proceedings against SokaGakkai.
6) In June of this year, I had a meeting with 3 executive officials of the Gakkai, in which I strongly protested these human rights violations that had been directed towards myself. Alternately trying to allay my concerns with threatening me, they repeatedly demanded that I sell my home and contribute 200-300 million yen to the organization. I am currently bringing legal proceedings against these 3 persons.
In conclusion:
This is an extract explaining the circumstances behind the lawsuit against Soka Gakkai and 7 persons along with a case about the confiscation of my notebooks and documents. I will now move to the courts and continue to decry the problems of human rights violations committed by Soka Gakkai.
Once my written petitions and other documents have been prepared, I will present them to you, even though they will be in Japanese.
I would be happy now to respond to any questions you may have, including question regarding issues beside my lawsuits. There are other major topics that may interest you, such as the relationship between Soka Gakkai and Komeito, and the problem of the unity between religion and politics. If you have questions about my views regarding the future of Soka Gakkai as well as the future of Komeito, I would be pleased to try to respond.
In conclusion, I would like to express my deepest appreciation to the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan for inviting me to speak today. I would also like to end by expressing my hopes that you will continue your work of providing fair and just reporting. Thank you for your kind attention.
THE CHANTING MILLIONS
BBC WORLD NEWS AND CURRENT AFFAIRS
Assignment:
THE CHANTING MILLIONS
October 14th, 1995
NARRATION:
In the year we commemorate the allied victory over Japan and the terrible atrocities it revealed, we are again reminded that this is a land of puzzling contradictions. As well as ornate temples and pastoral calm, and mysticism, and pacifism, there are sudden eruptions of extreme violence.
When, this year, poison gas was released into the Tokyo subway, the shocking suspicion emerged that it was done by a religious cult that claims its roots in Buddhism. It was in the foothills of Japan's sacred Mt. Fuji that the Aum-Shinrikyo sect that stands accused of a gas-attack trained its followers. It was in Buddhist Teachings and in The Book of Revelation, grossly perverted and corrupted, the justification was somehow found for mass-murder. That is the charge that faces the charismatic leader of Aum, Shoko Asahara, when he shortly goes on trial.
The Aum-case raises many concerns that have come up in foreign relation to other cults around the world. But it also poses questions that are peculiar to Japan. Above all, the Aum case calls into question of law the status and the influence of the vast number of other religious groups. Believe it or not, in Japan, today, there are roughly 241,000 officially registered religious organizations. Most of them are very small, but some are big and powerful. But with ten million followers, is by far the biggest, Soka Gakkai.
SOKA GAKKAI ACTIVITIES
Soka Gakkai is much more than a religious organization. It's a wide spread social and political movement, highly disciplined, some say dangerous. Head of Soka Gakkai since 1960 is Daisaku Ikeda.
Ikeda is the great cultural and, for his supporters, spiritual leader. Another view says he's a bully with a lust for power.
INTERVIEW WITH IKEDA: I'm a common, serious-minded man. The mass-media ..., with the exception of the BBC, make up this image of me as a dictator, and so forth. This troubles me.
Common men, however serious, do not find themselves as Mr. Ikeda frequently does, in the company of international elite that includes the likes of Mrs.Thatcher. He's frequently photographed with royalty, prime ministers and presidents. When president Mandella came recently to Japan on a state visit, his only private audience was with Mr. Ikeda. Why is a man who has never held public office found in such company? He has access to great wealth, but is that enough? Since powerful people seek the company of other powerful people, what does that tell us about Mr. Ikeda?
INTERVIEW WITH POLITICAL COMMENTATER MR. MINORU MORITA: I don't think anyone has more power in Japan than Ikeda. No one.
FOUNDATION OF IKEDA'S POWER -- TAISEKIJI-TEMPLE OF NICHIREN SHOSHU
This is the foundation of Mr. Ikeda's power. S.G. was the lay- organization founded to support Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism, a 700 year-old sect. These followers of a 13th century Japanese monk, are considered heretical by main-stream Buddhist's.
Central to their belief is the power of chanting, that by the invocational recitation of the words
"Nam'-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo" almost anything can be achieved. S. G. took these ancient simple beliefs and marketed them with astounding success. It may look spiritual, but S.G. is all about practical things. That includes personal wealth and political power. It's in Japan's cities that Soka Gakkai gained most of its support. In the post war years, it grew rapidly, and it's thought to have had special appeal for a defeated and disillusioned generation. The faithful are expected to chant daily, to donate generously to Soka Gakkai funds, and to recruit new members.
INTERVIEW WITH S.G. MEMBERS IN KAWASAKI CITY, SOUTH OF TOKYO
In the city of Kawasaki, south of Tokyo, Soka Gakkai has devoted support from the Umezawa family, who own a small chain of beauty parlors. Apart from the father of the family, all the others, son, daughters and inlaws are in the business. First to join Soka Gakkai was Mrs. Umezawa. Not only she converted the rest of the family, but between them, they've introduced 112 other families to the practice of daily chanting. Now retired Mr. Umezawa sometimes chants for 5 hours a day. He and his family have no doubt that the growth of their business and other good fortune is entirely due to regular practice of this ritual. They faithfully pay their dues to Soka Gakkai, and according to Mrs. Umezawa, their loyalty and their chanting is rewarded.
MRS. YOSHIE UMEZAWA: We were always short of money. Although we worked very hard, things were tough. Now we travel abroad without any financial difficulty.
It's not only to make money that the Umezawas practice their daily chanting.
MR. TADASHI UMEZAWA: When my wife was pregnant, we talked about an abortion because I didn't want any more daughters. Soka Gakkai members told me that if I practiced hard, we might have a son. We chanted, and as a result, we had a son!
No doubt, Soka Gakkai has many satisfied members. But some feel betrayed, sensing that their loyalty, and their money, and their votes have been exploited to serve the political ambitions of Mr. Ikeda. He founded his own political party in 1964, and although it's been partially dissolved, suspicions remain, some of them, expressed at this protest meeting of former Soka Gakkai members.
KEIGO OUCHI (Member of Parliament at a meeting of AVSG - Asociation of Victims of Soka Gakkai): Mr. Ikeda often says he will take over Japanese politics and become the real leader of the Government.
Although Soka Gakkai has taken steps to sever former links with its political party, it still commands a block vote to use as it wishes.
INTERVIEW WITH POLITICAL COMMENTATOR, MR. MINORU MORITA:
Soka Gakkai is able to mobilize 6 million votes. These 6 million votes represent more than ten per cent of the electorate. Mr. Ikeda, as the head of S.G. has a strong influence over the political world.
Of 700 disgrunted former members here (at the meeting), many complain of how Soka Gakkai extracted money from them.
HIROHISA MASUDA (Former S.G. member): In 1982, when my grandfather died and we inherited his property, members of Soka Gakkai came, repeatedly, and demanded contributions. They wanted 10 million yen (U.S. $100,000). In the end we gave them 5 million yen.
Of course, Soka Gakkai justifies all of its money raising activities.
INTERVIEW WITH IKEDA: We want to promote a good religion. Religion is a metaphysical concept, but it needs to be advertised like any good product.
ADVERTISEMENT OF SOKA GAKKAI (S.G.I. PR video-tape): Soka Gakkai has gloriously embarked on its voyage toward the 70th anniversary of its founding. The Soka family throughout the world will continue to advance cheerfully and harmoniously in its Kosen-Rufu activities day and night, widening the current of Buddhism among the people throughout the universe, heralding the era of peace and freedom.
Yes, Soka Gakkai is now international. In the U.K. this is its lavish headquarters used by some 8,000 members. But in the U.S. and notably in California, Soka Gakkai has greater success, claiming some 150,000 adherents. But it's also been much criticized and even classified as a dangerous cult.
FRANK ROSS (Former S.G.I. leader): I think by anybody's definition of a cult, if someone's life is completely controlled by an individual or an organization, that would certainly fit into the category of a cult. When I was in S.G.I., I would have died for Ikeda. And I know hundreds of people that felt the same way.
AL ALBERGATE (SGI-USA Public relations director): I reject categorically the idea that we are a dangerous cult, because to me that would imply a pseudo religion that exists mainly to take advantage of people, whether financially or psychologically, and I know in my 28 years in the organization, we have never done that.
In America too, there are certainly satisfied customers. Among the affluent, who have seaside homes at Malibu, are those who believe that chanting has brought them health, wealth and happiness, and spread the word among their friends and neighbours.
NEIL STEVENS (S.G.I. member) (Note: At a discusiion meeting): I'd like to welcome everyone. We're going to chant, what we call morning evening gongyo...
Neil Stevens is an investment banker. He and his wife, Lynn, hold weekly meetings, where they introduce new comers to the practice of chanting.
(Scene of members chanting.)
For some newcomers, chanting in a foreign tongue seems odd. (Shot of woman sitting on couch at meeting, rolling her eyes as she looks on in disbelief, looking as if she wants to bolt out the door any second.) But believers are keen to extol the reward and the enlightment it brings.
INTERVIEW WITH MR. AND MRS.STEVENS:
LYNN: (Gushing tears) I thank, I thank everyday, the girl that introduced this practice to me, 'cause it changed my life. I have such a beautiful husband, a beautiful daughter. When I had, lost three little babies....and I had such, uh, oh, I don't know...I had so much fortune, but yet, that doesn't guarantee that you are going to be happy. And I was able to, ummm, uh tap into the joy in my life, and change such poison into medicine, and make all my dreams come true, and I really have.
NEIL: (Tears smeared on his face) So then Katy's got me going on this doing the Nam-myo-ho-ren-ge-kyo thing, and, uhh, it really empowered me to create, uhh, pretty much my business dream, the beginning of it, anyway, and, uhh, really helped us push it through, uhh, when we had, you know, tremendous obstacles.
AL ALBERGATE: The actual practice of Buddhism is very accesible to everybody. Because there's a very simple formula and a daily practice, plus the idea that you tap so directly into your Buddha nature, your life condition, that you can actually see results in your daily life.
DIANE HONEYMAN-BLOEDIE (Former S.G.I. member): It turned my life into a living hell, basically. I was miserable!
INTERVIEWER: Why principally?
DIANE: Mostly because of my husband. They manipulated my husband into becoming a totally different person. He was not the person I fell in love, and married, and wanted to spend the rest of my life with. He became totally obsessed; was never home. They had him going 24 hours a day. And he was hell to live with.
AL ALBERGATE: If we put pressure on each other, it was only so that we could, duh, move forward and advance as a religious organization in this country it was not..., primary, our idea was never to take people's money.
DIANE HONEYMAN-BLOEDIE: As I was walking out the building, one of the "Women's Division leaders said, "Did you make a contribution today?" and I said, "No, I don't have any money to make a contribution. I have 5 dollars in my purse" (She said), "You should give that $5." (I said,) "It's Tuesday. I don't get paid until Friday. I have to buy milk." She said, "If you give the $5 today, it'll come back to you in a much bigger way." So I said, "So you're telling me, I shouldn't buy milk for my 18 month old daughter and I should give the $5 to you?" and she said, "Yeah." and I said, "No."
AL ALBERGATE: Some of our members and leaders, although sincere, were over-zealous. And, basically, about 5 years ago, we just put an end to most specific targets and just decided that the best way to go was to just help people practice Buddhism, and as their own personal circumstances improve in society, as they feel appreciation for this Buddhism, then they will donate.
DIANE HONEYMAN-BLOEDIE: We're their little worker bees. We're collecting all their little money, all their little honey for them, and we gladly give it over. You know, I just... My feeling was that they just think we're stupid. And if we're promised that we can get anything we want, that if we can get instant gratification, which is sort of the American way, we're gonna go for it. So that's how they pass it off. You want a car? Chant! You want a better job? Chant! You want more money? Chant!
INTERVIEWER (to Al): It occurs to me that one of the attractions, perhaps, of your particular type of Buddhism is that it does promise practical benefits.
AL ALBERGATE: That's correct. And I think that's very attractive to many people. Maybe more so Americans. We're sort of, err, an instant microwave kind of culture, and I'm sure that appeals to many, I know it appeals to many people.
INTERVIEWER: Is it somewhat dangerous, though, that if you expect it to work miracles in your life, that if you expect the Porche tomorrow, that you're going to be disapointed, and that you may think the religion has failed you?
AL ALBERGATE: Yes, that's true. It is a problem if we don't take the time to help people really study the profundity of Buddhism and to understand it's not about Porches and cars and things like that. These are nice incidentals that might come your way as a result of a higher life condition and your increased ability to work and perform your daily life. But we have to teach that, after all, the idea is to become an enlightened human being, with or without a nice car.
FRANK ROSS: People are approached from the standpoint of doing something for their personal lives, and, little by little, they are told that the only way they can advance their personal lives is to advance the organization. Once you've made that connection, that advancing the organization is advancing your personal life, then they have total control over you. So, watching the people who have been abused over time and just fleeced, you know, year in and year out for money, that certainly is a horrible form of abuse.
INTERVIEWER: But you were one of the abusers?
FRANK ROSS: Yes, I certainly was. But at that time, I didn't realize that it was abuse. I was part of that operation, and we thought that no matter what people did for the organization, it would be good for them.
If that's the way it is in the United States, how much greater is the money making machine in Japan?
Soka Gakkai means "value creating society" and essentially it peddles another one of those familiar "Samuel Smile's Recipes For Self-improvent." While other philosophies suggest the ultimate values of "truth" and "goodness," Soka Gakkai contends that happiness lies also in profit, and it's something the organization itself is very good at.
PROF. HIROHISA KITANO (Professor of law at Nihon University): Nobody knows actually how rich Soka Gakkai is. Experts estimate Soka Gakkai has more than 1,000 properties throughout Japan with total assets of more than 10,000 billion yen (125 billion U.S. dollars).
In the wake of the Kobe earthquake, S.G. used its money raising skills to great effect. Special appeals were launched and Soka Gakkai membership responded with extra donations, on top of those they routinely make. More than a dozen fund raising drives have supported U.N. relief activities for refugees, and numerous exhibitions have been mounted to promote Mr. Ikeda's good works.
DAISAKU IKEDA: Religion can be compared to mother earth. We must cultivate the earth in order to bring forth plants and flowers. The promotion of peace, education, and culture is a fundmental role for religion.
This is the Tokyo Soka Elementary school, part of an integrated system of private schools ranging from kindergarten to university, founded by Daisaku Ikeda. Today, the children celebrate the Tanabata Festival. These are the wish trees decked out with wish paper streamers. Each one carrying a child's wishes and dreams. Almost all of the children are from Soka Gakkai families.
HIDETO IIJIMA (Soka Elementary School, 2nd grade): I am Hideto lijima, a second-year pupil. I want to become a millionaire so that I can help the poor by giving them my money.
Like the elementary school, the Soka High School is four times over-subscribed. No religion is taught here. But the children are certainly well versed in the achievements and importance of their school's founder, Mr. Ikeda.
MITSUKO YAKANI (Soka High School student): He has a philosophy based on humanism for the education. He is also a poet, and he is like, I feel very warm meeting him. He's like, I feel like he's like my father.
DAIGO KURAISUKO (Soka High School student): If you compare, compared to other schools, I found my friends, friends much brighter, and...
INTERVIEWER: Much brighter? Really?
DAIGO KURAISUKO: Brighter. Yes. And...they know why they're studying. Because they have dream.
Mr. Ikeda's biggest and most powerful dream machine is another one of his creations. Seikyo Shimbun, Soka Gakkai's newspaper, is part of a large publishing empire, and has a daily circulation of 5,500,000. It's virtually compulsory reading for Soka members, as it carries a regular column by the leader, as well as promoting, in its own words, the movement for peace and culture. The paper is extremely profitable, making more than 60 million pounds a year. It has its own special view of the world and is not averse to tidying up the picture to match the Soka version of reality.
>From the cradle to the grave, Soka Gakkai cares for its members. In a country of many religions, it's always been the Buddhists of Japan who have looked after the "here-after." This has worked very much to the financial benefit of Soka Gakkai. In partnership with the Mitsubishi Bank, a country- wide chain of cemetaries has been constructed, complete with piped Mozart, and with thousands of plots, all of them sold.
In Japan, it's believed that the spirits of the ancestors care for the living, and so strong emotional bonds are expressed in the way the living remember and treat the dead. This means there's great pressure to purchase a suitable and expensive memorial, and to tend it diligently.
This deep sense of duty to the ancestors appears to be useful to Soka Gakkai in its dealings with members and employees.
JIRO OSHIKO (Former S.G. official): I was forced to buy a cemetary plot in Hokkaido (The northern-most island of Japan). I live in Ohmiya, a suburb of Tokyo. So, there was no need to buy a cemetary plot in a remote place like the island of Hokkaido. I was not allowed to pay for the plot in cash. I was, to some extent, coerced to take out a loan with Mitsubishi Bank. The bank calculated my monthly payments. And, in the end, I think I finished up having to pay twice the normal amount.
PROF. KITANO: The Mitsubishi Group is a major (business) concern. Before the war, Mitsubishi was even more powerful. Today the Mitsubishi Bank is Soka Gakkai's main bank. There are strong ties between them.
An investigation into Soka Gakkai's gravestone business was triggered by the discovery of the yen equivalent of 1.2 million (U.S.) dollars in a safe discarded in a scrap yard.
PROF. KITANO: A top member of Soka Gakkai said it was his own, personal money, and that it had no connection with Soka Gakkai. The tax office thought it strange, and they started a full-scale investigation.
MINORU MORITA (Political Commentator): Contributions to Japanese religious organizations are not subject to either taxation or inspection. They are free to collect and spend money as they choose.
In the shadow of Mt.Fuji, there is spectacular evidence of how Soka Gakkai spent some of its vast wealth. They constructed here a complex that included halls, guest houses, shrines, and a structure that's the largest temple in Asia, and possibly the largest in the world. This is where the Nichiren Shoshu priesthood tended to the spritual needs of the Soka Gakkai faithful. But not any longer, following a long running power struggle between Ikeda and the priesthood. He and the entire Soka Gakkai membership were excommunicated. Since 1992, the temple has been off limits, and the war of words continues.
REV. KOGAKU AKIMOTO (Nichiren-Shoshu Bureau of Religious Affairs): Our High Priest had talks with (gave guidance to) Soka Gakkai. They refused to change their ways, and we had to excommunicate them.
DAISAKU IKEDA: They mercilessly excommunicated us without any real reason. Simply because they had enough money and no longer needed us. There has been no worse incident in Buddhist history than this. They treated the believers like slaves. It was like religion in medieval times.
INTERVIEWER: And you see yourself like Luther, reforming the church and bringing it away from the corruption of Rome?
DAISAKU IKEDA: Yes, it's the same thing. History is repeating itself. It's just like Luther. I am proud of it.
Mr. Ikeda's role as a thinker, rivaling Martin Luther, is enhanced by Soka University, which he founded in 1971, which is now regarded as one of Japan's more successful seats of learning, and one of the fastest growing. It's already linked to a sister campus in California, and soon to be joined by a second. Thanks to lavish endowment, the pangs of recession have scarcely been felt here. The department of bio- engineering has recently opened and a new building program will make room for more faculties and departments that feature in the founder's vision of the future. In the university prospectus is a fullsome account of the founders life and works, pointing out that he has tirelessly devoted his life to promoting peace, culture and education by establishing numerous cuItural and educational institutions. It also lists his honorary doctorates and professorships from around the world -- over 40 of them, and his national decorations, and other major awards, and major publications!
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in English. There's also a translation of the founding spirit of the university, penned, of course, by Mr. Ikeda. -- "Be the highest seat of learning for humanistic education, be the cradle of a new culture, be the fortress for the peace of mankind."
One of Ikeda's major publications in English is titled "Choose Life."
It's a dialogue with the late Arnold J. Toynbee, distinguished British historian, and grandfather of Polly Toynbee.
POLLY TOYNBEE (Journalist): It's hard to imagine here, but the name "Toynbee," in Japan, is still extraordinarily influential. Not just in the academic world and in the political world, but the students still read his books, because he is this prophet of the rise of the Pacific Basin and the power of the Pacific.
STEVE GORE (Former SGI employee): Ikeda went to London, England to have a series of dialogues with a noted British historian, ArnoId Tynbee, and we were part of the entourage traveling in a capacity as a liaison agent, but also in the ever presence, our job was to jump on a bomb, or in front of a bullet, or in front of a knife in case this man was attacked by some fanatical, unhappy person.
DAISAKU IKEDA: Dr. Toynbee welcomed me like his own son. Our talks were intense and at a very high Ievel. We had to change interpreters twice.
For the Soka faithful, the book is almost Holy Writings. Years after Prof. Toynbee's death, and to their great surprise, Polly Tynbee and her husband were invited to visit Mr. Ikeda in Japan.
POLLY TOYNBEE: Everything that we did was formal; huge, formal gatherings; meetings, with different people; meetings with the women of Soka Gakkai; meetings with different groups, people associated in their minds with my grandfather in some way or another, and we found it very oppressive; very alarming; and certainly by the time it came to the meeting with him, by then we had formed a very clear idea of this extraordinary, militarily run organization. Phenomenal power, wealth, and a sinister level of obedience.
INTERVIEWER: Did you get any impression of Ikeda, "the great spiritual leader"?
POLLY TOYNBEE: I think it would be hard to imagine a less spiritual man. He was in every way earthy. A powerful megalomania; we got this aura of power from him that was extremely alarming. We then went, on another day with him, to some huge Nurenberg style rally in a stadium, where everything was to the greater worship of him. And again, what he really liked was this feeling of power.
Power and the trappings of power. This palace is the Japanese government's official guest house, where its most important visitors are housed. Recently, the press was summoned here for a photo-call to witness the presentation to Pres. Nelson Mandela of an honorary degree by Daisaku Ikeda. Throughout the ceremony, Mr.Ikeda appeared to be on the most intimate terms with the distinguished visitor.
DAISAKU IKEDA: We first met five years ago. It was a very warm occasion. He had read my book in jail. He said we should foster our friendship for the rest of my life.
POLLY TOYNBEE: What he did with my grandfather he has done time and time again with distinguished people all over the world, who haven't a clue who he is, or what he is, and just imagine that he is an important and serious Japanese leader. And so they agree to have a meeting with him, and out of perhaps one meeting comes the impression that it's a very close and important relationship, and that this person has given their full support to Ikeda and his movement.
As founder of Soka-University, Mr. Ikeda has been able to confer honorary degrees on many of Japan's most eminent visitors. When Mr. Gobechav was so rewarded, it was another splendid opportunity with Ikeda at center stage -- friend of the powerful and patron of the arts.
Among Ikeda's more grandiose ventures in his cultural crusade is the establishment of two major museums of art. This one (Tokyo Fuji Art Museum) houses 5,000 works, including paintings by many of the greatest European masters, from all the principle periods and schools, up to the present day. Although there are fine paintings here, experts regard it as a curiously mixed bag, which may be explained, in part, by the way it was put together. When Mr. Ikeda went shopping in the art galleries of Europe, he didn't waste time on second thoughts or second opinions.
STEVE GORE: The rapidness at which Ikeda would walk through the galleries impressed me. He would spend maybe 4 to 6 minutes in each gallery. He would point and utter these commands. The names of the works, the prices and the catalog, everything was written down. Several hours later, one of the general secretaries would come back with the briefcase full of money. If the man was willing to meet for the bulk price - - the 3, 4 or 6 pieces from his gallery -- he was given the cash. I found it amazing to see how fast one man could spend so much money.
Very serious questions have been asked on how so much money was spent on certain works of art, and where the money went. Here at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo, negotiations allegedly took place, in 1989, for the purchase of two French impressionist paintings that are now in the Soka Gakkai collection. Tax authorities became suspicious, because both Soka Gakkai and Mitsubishi claimed to have purchased the same paintings, on the same day, in the same place, but at a different price.
Tax investigators could find no trace of two French nationals who supposedly sold the two Renoir paintings to Mitsubishi. It appears to have been a double sale of the paintings in which 11 million (U.S.) dollars went astray -- simply disappeared.
Japanese newspapers suggest that the money probably finished-up in a political "slush-fund," and that Soka Gakkai is more interested in pedaling political influence than it is in French impressionism.
DAISAKU IKEDA: Our museum bought the Renoir masterpieces for a very high price, but I knew nothing about it. If there is a scandal, people always blame me.
No one was really made the scape-goat, although the authorities raided the premises of art dealers to discover who did sell the paintings, and to whom. And aIthough they confiscated documents, and although Mitsubishi was ticked- off for dealing in antiques without a license, and although inquiries went on for months by official agencies and the press, nothing was resolved.
PROF. KITANO: Without finding what happened to the money, the Japanese tax office stopped their investigation. We believe that this was the result of strong political pressure by Soka Gakkai.
DAISAKU IKEDA: They can say or write what they like. They won't imprison me, or kill me with poison-gas. But I am concerned at the way the mass media becomes emotional and prejudiced. This can hinder democracy and human rights.
To make sure that its members are not corrupted by hostile media, Soka Gakkai has its own communications network to spread the word to 1,000 meeting halls and cultural centers. This can be of great value when it comes to election time.
Last year, Soka Gakkai's own party, Komei, was partially merged to form a new party, Shinshin-to (New Frontier Party [NFP]). Recently, elections for the Upper House were the first real test of its strength. The voter turn-out was the lowest in recent history, benefiting the party that could best deliver the votes. The results sent shock-waves through the political circles, with the new party winning 40 seats, thanks to the Soka Gakkai vote, and that must have profound implications for Mr. Ikeda.
INTERVIEWER: As Shinshin-to, it must stand a reasonable chance, does it not, of being actually elected and forming a government?
IKEDA: I am placed in a very difficult position. If I say yes, then people might slacken their efforts. If I say no, some people may lose confidence. And so, I must say, maybe yes, and maybe no.
PROF. KITANO: Although Soka Gakkai calls itself a religious body, in reality, it's Ikeda's political organization. Ikeda's aim is to use Soka Gakkai to take over Japanese politics and the civil service.
If we conclude from all the evidence that Soka Gakkai is not quite the great force for peace and harmony and human happiness that it claims to be, does that really matter except to a number of hurt and angry individuals? For surely, the Aum- Shinrikyo case tells us that it does matter. What that bizarre story reveals is a dangerous weakness in the Japanese Constitution that leaves it virtually powerless to deal with the religious organizations. The constitution imposed on Japan by the United States, at the end of World War II, guarantees freedom from state interference with religious groups, and that provision protects their tax exempt status. Now, unless changes are made to the law, they will continue to use, or misuse, their great wealth as they will. Changes to the Religious Corporation Law could check the secret use of funds that, in the Aum-Shinrikyo case, were used to develop chemical weapons. Such reforms are now before Japan's legislatures. If they become law, they cou!
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ld curb the power of all religious groups, including Soka Gakkai.
In a recent development, Japan's Justice Minister announced his resignation following allegations that in a secret deal with the opposition, Shinshin-to party, he would agree to obstruct his own government's efforts to make religious organizations more accountable. The name of Soka Gakkai, through its support of Shinshin-to is bound to be linked to the scandal.
The Japanese public is well aware that if recent election results are repeated in a general election, Shinshin-to could take the reign of the government. And where then, would the real power lie?
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JULIAN PETTIFER
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